Sean Douglas - Home World

2014.11.08 - Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

Sean Douglas is a freelance artist who is trying to publish his first book, Home World.

Home World is a Sci-Fi military comic set in 2181 AD. After a war that brings destruction to our  planet a search for a new world ensues. But the explorers run into trouble along the way...

Previously Douglas has provided character designs for game companies, painted commissions (Matt picked up a Red Hood at the show), and provided a pin-up for Blue Juice comic The Accelerators... 

Shawn Andrews - Harley Quinn

2015.01 Harley Quinn

Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Shawn Andrews was inspired by Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane and Marc Silvestri and studying the works of Vallejo, Bell, Olivia and Frazetta. Through studies fine arts and figures became Andrews focus, dissuaded from comics by his professors...

In 2012 still chasing the dream Andrews joined the comic convention circuit bringing his fine art and pinups, using fully rendered pencil techniques to showcase stunning images of comic industry icons...

I am always amazed at the work that can be produced by a pencil, bringing out the shades and textures...very nice..

Anthony Marques - The Shadow

2014.10.10 Deweys Comic City, Madison, NJ

Anthony Marques is a graduate of the Kubert School, and has worked for DC Comics, Dark Horse and produced a comic anthology Epics through Kickstarter. Now Marques joins Michale Moreci, writer, Moritat and Dev Madan, art, on Dynamite's one-shot book The Shadow - Agents of the Shadow.  Faced with a world without the Shadow his agents must step up and tackle a crime syndicate...

Signed by Marques, the cover art for the book is by Robert Hack... I am not OCD, but I keep wanting to peel that damn price sticker off the book!!

The Shadow first appeared as a pulp fiction character, in the story "The Living Shadow", in 1931. The character was created by Walter Gibson under the pen name Maxwell Grant.  The Shadow would continue in publication until 1980 featured in over 300 stories.  The Shadow is a vigilante, using a secret identity, dressed in black working in the shadows of the night.

By 1931 the character had moved to radio with Frank Readick voicing the character. In 1937 Orson Welles would bring the character to life in the official Shadow radio dramas.

Comic strips took hold of the Shadow in 1940, written by Gibson and pencilled by Vernon Greene. The strip ran for 2 years. Archie Comics would revive the character in 1964 with an eight-series run of books. These stories were written by Robert Bernstein and Jerry Siegel, with art by John Rosenberger. DC Comics would reintroduce the Shadow in 1973, written by Dennis O'Neil and pencilled by Michael Kaluta, Frank Robbins and E.R. Cruz. The character would continue to find his way into the comics over the years..

In film the Shadow had s series of short movies produced in 1931-1932 based on the Detective Story Radio program.  Five additional features would be produced in 1937 through 1958, until 1994 when Alec Baldwin brought the character back to life..

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Batman - DC Comics : 2014

DC Comics and the USPS teamed-up for the 75th anniversary of Batman with a  series of stamps issued at New York Comic Con on October 9, 2014...

The sheet of stamps features four Batman designs from the various comic book eras. Bill Finger and Bob Kane's original vision of Batman on the bottom row, the Silver Age Batman, the Golden Age Batman and the Modern Age Batman (credited to Jim Lee), along with their specific bat-signal, issued in four round stamps...

Besides the traditional first day cancel, the USPS provided a pictorial first day cancellation featuring the Batman logo...

a color printed first day postmark... DC Comics pictorial unofficial first day cancel...

the USPS also produced pictorial cancelations for each day of the Comic Con...

Commemorative postmarks: Bat Cave NC; Henry Clay Philatelic Society - Lexington KY Stamp Show

Even though stamp collecting is an old fashioned hobby that many see as well past its prime. I enjoy the fact that many artists are creating their own stamp designs, often as part of their training. The below links show a couple of artists who have created their own Batman related stamps, with some very nice designs...

RavenclawRadiance

Fishnbacon

Vivian Kim

Hyeyoung Seong - Japanese Animation

Japanses animation - Dragonball Z Kai issued January 23,2012 and Naruto Shippuden issued October 23, 2009. Both cachets were drawn by Hyeyoung Seong and are featured on his blog Thematic Stamp Collecting. The site features a variety of subjects such as Japanese anime, Doctor Who, Disney, Sherlock Holmes and other subjects...

The above are two of Seong's hand drawn covers from popular Japanese animation. Dragon Ball Z, created by Akira Toriyama, was first published in manga form in 1988 in Weekly Shonen Jump. The cartoon series first aired on the Japanese Fuji TV from 1989 to 1996...

Naruto was first published as a one-shot in Akamaru Jump in 1997. It would then be published in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014. The series was created by Masahi Kishimoto. The anime series premiered on TV Tokyo in 2002...

Thanks to Hyeyoung for allowing me to share his covers...

Darren Auck - Winged Monkey

2014.08.23 Garden State Comic Fest, Morristown, NJ

A second sketch from Daren Auck, a graduate of the Kubert School who has worked for Pacific Comics, DC Comics and Marvel Comics - book titles include Rocko's Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, She-Hulk, Marvel Presents Wolverine, Vanguard, Vision, Elvira's House of Mystery and others...

The winged monkey is drawn on a commemorative Oz Fest event cover, from Chesterton, Indiana home of the largest Wizard of Oz festival.....

Dean Kotz - Krampus!

2014.10.11 New York Comic Con, NYC

When the bones of Saint Nicholas are stolen, the Secret Society of Santa Clauses must call on their old friend Krampus, a child-punishing demon. But things are not so friendly as they must release Krampus from their jail cell and convince him to help...

Dean Kotz was the artist on the Kickstarter project for The Black Coat ...Or Give Me Death, with Francesco Francavilla and Ben Lichus.

Kotz has also worked on Zenescope's Charmed; Poe from Boom! Studios and Mask of the Red Panda from Monkeybrain Comics...

Merry Krampus to all...

Andrew Edge - Jimi Hendrix

2014.10.11 New York Comic Con, NYC

Andrew Edge is currently working on Grizzly and Caticus for Cool Monkey Press. His previous work includes working for McFarlane Toys and McNabb Studios. What drew me to Andrew's table was a painting of Jerry Garcia. I remembered that I placed a Jimi Hendrix cover in my bag that morning just in case something came up. Ask if he would be able to produce a Hendrix sketch and Andrew was ready to comply...

Over the past year the stamp collecting old guard has raised complaints regarding the subject matter currently being commemorated. Reality is, if you what to attract a new audience you have to give them something they can relate to. A rough count shows as many as 40 stamps for George Washington (well deserved), but to honor modern figures that changed history, why not. Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) changed the way the youth of the 1960s heard music. Hendrix is one of the most influential and creative musicians of the 20th century. National Public Radio's 100 Most Important American Musical Works includes Purple Haze by Hendrix, alongside Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind, Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring, Gene Autry's Back in the Saddle Again, Pasty Cline's Crazy (written by Willie Nelson), George M. Cohan Give My Regards to Broadway, Ferd Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite and the list goes on...

A few designs that I drew for the Jimi Hendrix stamp:

A broom is drearily sweeping
up the broken pieces of yesterday's life.
Somewhere a Queen is weeping,
somewhere a King has no wife.

And the wind it cries Mary.

Vanessa Solis - Joker

2014.08.23 Garden State Comic Fest, Morristown, NJ

Vanessa is a first year student at the Kubert School...I am always amazed by the different approaches artist take to my requests. To my eye this has a Heath Ledger darkness, but the Joker's smile shows a playfulness that the eyes do not...

Tom Schloendorn - Lego Spider-man

2014.11.08 Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

I had this Spiderman FDC signed by Chris Claremont on 2014.04.12 at the Asbury Park Comic Con. I figured I would have him sign the cover and have an artist provide a sketch.  Prior to meeting Claremont, I was asked if I ever requested a writer to write something on the cover. I had not given this much thought, but in my usual smart-ass manner, I explained my project to Claremont I added that he was welcome to write something if he wished. He looked up at me with a look that said "let me give this consideration" - No. He did this with a slight smile and took less than of 1 second of thought. Although best known for his work on Uncanny Z-Men (16 years), Claremont did write Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #11...

Tom Schloendorn started out as a penciler, but switched to inking when he realized inking was a lost art. Many of the inkers of the past were so good, you did not know they were there. Their job was to compliment the pencils not overtake them. Tom is credited with inking the titles Hope: New Orleans (2007), Memories and Echoes: Remembering World War II (2005), Pantheon (2007),  Varied Scaries (2004), Tales of the Starlight Drive-In, Trailer Park of Terror....

Tom was sketching Lego Superheroes at the Hospice show, so I figured a Lego Spider-Man would work great for this cover...

Ed Coutts - Wasp

2014.11.08 - Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

I am always amazed at the beauty of Ed Coutts' work. I knew he was going to be at the Hospice show and I  was prepared to ask for a Lady Liberty sketch. Then  I started looking through some of his prints, and his drawing of Wasp changed my mind. I had a dragonfly first day cover, which I was hoping for the right set of circumstances, the right character and the right artist...  Time was right...

I first starting thinking of obtaining a Wasp sketch after having seen a sketch from Jason Baroody at show earlier in the year. When I saw Ed's version it was a must have for me. As usual Ed did not disappoint...

Wasp was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1963, Tales to Astonish #44. A founding member of the Avengers...

Besides the bevy of beauties Ed always draws, he had some excellent monster prints, I especially like the Creature from the Black Lagoon...

Ed Coutts Art Portfolio site

Dragonfly is a villain from Marvel comics, created by Chris Claremont and Len Wein for Uncanny X-Men #94 (1975).  Rik Levins created a Dragonfly character for Americomics, in 1983, who became a member of Femforce. One day I hope to add a sketch of her to the mix...

Donny Cates - Batman

2014.10.11 New York Comic Con, NYC

After leaving artist alley, I ventured to the main floor to check out the comic companies. As I walked past the Dark Horse booth, I noticed a creator drawing a Batman sketch in a fan's book. The sketch was not great but the artist was having fun and the collector did not seem to mind. When he was done I questioned the book he was signing "Buzz Kill". He told me he was the writer, Donny Cates. I picked up a copy and asked him to sign it, and questioned why he was drawing a Batman. He stated some collectors ask him to draw even though he is not an artist.

We discussed my collection and that I had one previous writer draw a sketch (Erica Shultz) and had asked Chris Claremont if he would write something (he did not, but after some thought). 

I opted for a Batman sketch from Donny, which is not that bad for a writer. I enjoy collecting and it is fun to watch someone create a drawing even if it is not their specialty.

Buzz Kill is the story of an alcoholic superhero who derives his power from massive amounts of alcohol. Written by Cates and Mark Reznicek, art by Geoff Shaw.

Cates is also writing The Ghost Fleet for Dark Horse Comics...

J.M. DeSantis - Chadhiyana

2014.10.11 New York Comic Con, NYC

"Sagreembal learned his cruelty from the great enemy, but it is said he learned his wisdom and cunning from the dragons"...

I was finishing my day at Comic Con by visiting the small press area when I stopped to look at the sketches on display at DeSantis' booth. Something about his style caught my interest. Although I was getting ready to leave and did not have much time, I asked for a sketch, something related to DeSantis' book Chadiyana. Although there are no dragons in the story, the serpent Sagreembal has a relationship to dragons, J.M. provided a quick sketch, which he did while standing up (I'm impressed).

J.M. DeSantis is a writer and artist, and creator of Chadhiyana the heroine of an India-inspired fantasy. DeSantis' approaches his writing as if they were historical events. His art utilizes traditional methods of acrylics, watercolors, colored pencils and ink.

Works include - writer and artist for GWP Presents, Planet Lovecraft Magazine and Psychosis Today. Penciller for Comicbook Artists Guild Anthology and Iconic...