Joe St Pierre - Gambit

2017.08.19 TerrifiCon, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Ct

Joe St Pierre started drawing early in his life, using loose leaf paper and a dual red and blue colored pencil. He would eventually attend the School of Visual Arts, NYC. As a professional illustrator, wrier and designer he has had the opportunity to illustrate some o the most recognizable super-heroes, including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, X-Men, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Transformers.

Joe St Pierre has started work on his creator owned comics, The Zodiax, Megahurtz, Bold Blood..

Pop Art Properties

The King of Hearts stamp was issued along with a Queen of Hearts as the 2009 Love issue...

The character of Gambit first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #266, was created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee...

Mark Dos Santos - Rocketeer

2017.08.09

I was volunteering at the Garden State Comic Fest, so I knew I would have limited time meeting some of the artists. I contacted Mark prior to the show and arranged to obtain a sketch. Mark kindly agreed and when I met him at the show, him told me it would take a while for him to return it since he was heading to San Diego. Waiting is not a problem for me, especially when I know something special is coming in the mail...

I had difficulty picking a subject for him to draw, since everything he does is fantastic. I finally settle on the Rocketeer, a character I wished I could be. I do not want super powers like Superman or Spider-Man. I do not want crime fighting abilities and detective skills like Captain America or Batman.... I want a rocket pack... I know I've said this before...

Mark Dos Santos is a Kubert School graduate, whose Gotham Evening Post illustrations, which pay homage to Norman Rockwell have been featured on Buzzed and io9. His credits include work on Grimm Fairy Tales from Zenoscope; Fall of Cthulhu: Godwar and Eureka: Dormant Gene from Boom Studios, The Book of Five Rings from Smarter Comics and a Hack/Slash cover for Image Comics.  Mar has also provided sketch cards for Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, Hellboy Animated and Mars Attacks..

MDS

Chris Puglise - Wonder Woman

2017.06.10 Dewey's Comic City, Madison, NJ

Dewey's Comic City in Madison started off the summer with an emerging creator's sketch party. One June 10 Chris Puglise was at Dewey's greeting comic book fans and providing sketches. A graduate of the Kubert School, Chris is currently a freelance artist...

Instagram - check out the Young Frankenstein print Chris prepared for the Garden State Comic Fest...

Robert Atkins - GI Joe

2017.07.09 Garden State Comic Fest, Morristown, NJ

Robert Atkins is known for his work on titles such as GI Joe, amazing Spider-Man, Venom and Heroes for Hire.

Atkins earned his MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has built a clientele in commercial art and product, which include package art for Hasbro and other toy lines. Atkins also shares his knowledge and skill by teaching for Comics Experience

I like the way Atkins incorporated the first day postmark into the actual sketch.

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Colleen Doran - Reach for the Stars

2017.07.08 Garden State Comic Fest, Morristown, NJ

Colleen Doran is a writer and artist. Doran has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines.

Doran adapted and did the art for the short story "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman, which became a New York Times best seller.

Doran is a recipient of the Eisner Award, Harvey Award and International Horror Guild Awards. She was on of two people listen among the top 25 female comic creators in both the writer and artist categories. Comics Alliance listed Doran as one of the twelve women cartoonist deserving of lifetime achievement recognition.

Credits include illustrating works of Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Joe R Lansdale, Anne Rice, J. Michael Straczynski, Peter David and Tori Amos.

I sought out Doran, because of the Vertigo graphic novel Orbiter, written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Colleen Doran. Published in 2003 the novel was dedicated to the lives, memories and legacies of the astronauts who died in the 2003 Columbia disaster. Both Doran and Ellis are spaceflight enthusiasts, as I am. I was so taken by the story, that I looked forward to meeting Doran and obtaining a space related sketch. My only instructions were an astronaut, and Doran's sketch is fabulous. I like the Peter Max style background landscape.

Ten years after the Space Shuttle Venture mysteriously disappeared, it returns. Of its original crew of seven, only one remains, in a catatonic state. The ships contains san from Mars. Three scientists investigate the Venture and its astronaut to try to learn its secrets..

Doran signed my copy and inscribed it "Reach for the Stars"

Joe Staton - Countess von Bludd

2017.07.09 Garden State Comic Fest, Morristown, NJ

This was not the first time I had the honor of meeting Joe Staton. He has been involved with comics since 1971, starting out with Charlton Comics. where he co-created one of his best known creations E-Man. Staton has be honored with Inkpot Award, Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards. Staton is still hard at work in the comic industry....

The Countess was the creation of Joe Staton and Nicola Cuti, as the hostess and narrator for Charlton Comics' Scary Tales

Modern Comics reprint of Charlton Scary Tales #1, cover art byJoe Staton

signed by Joe Staton

The original Charlton versions were published from 1975-1984

Scary Tales had three stories, the introduction has kids sneaking into a haunted house to meet the Countess, the second "The Vampire's Bride" is narrated by the Countess and the third "The Wedding Gift" tells how the Countess became a vampire..

Bella Rachlin - Wonder Woman

2017.07.09 Garden State Comic Fest, Morristown, NJ

Bella Rachlin is a Kubert School graduate, who originally comes from Tel Aviv. Bella has recently collaborated on the cover of Blue Juice Comics' Accelerators #11, with Nick Justus, as well as an incentive print for Tom Stillwell's Kickstarter for Fangirl.

I had requested a sketch of Wonder Woman, because I was very impressed with the work Bella did on the Morristown PBA Garden State Comic Fest commemorative poster...

The artwork features Wonder Woman and a Morristown Police cruiser...

In my short time speaking with Bella, I found a very talented and enthusiastic artist. 

Michael Grassia - Doctor Fate

2013.11.03 Jersey Shore Comic Show, Forked River, NJ

Often when I request a sketch, I do not have the opportunity to watch it being drawn, and I like the surprise and anticipation.  My surprise on Doctor Fate, was that I thought I had posted this!

I was going through my files and realized I had never posted this cover from Michael Grassia, creator of Plunger Pup. Grassier has worked in illustration, graphic design, web design, video production, photography and puppetry. He can be found at all the best NJ based shows.

Doctor Fate is a DC Comics character appearing in several incarnations. The original Doctor was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman appearing in More Fun Comics #55, May 1940.

Sorry I missed this one!

Jay Wecht - Batman

2017.04.29 East Coast Comic Con, Secaucus, NJ

I have not been able to find out too much about Jay Hecht, except he is a teacher in New Jersey.  He was sitting at the National Cartoonist Society table at the ECCC. He had several caricatures set out, so I ask for a sketch.  He selected the Wonder Woman first day cover, and drew Batman giving an Okay sign, it take that Batman approves of the stamp...

Nicole Lombardi

2017.06.18 Mt Bethel, Pa

Water Gap Comic Expo

Nicole Lombardi (N.M. Lombardi) is a Philadelphia-area writer with a lifelong interest in crafting short, impactful fiction and original fables. In addition to writing, Nicole enjoys traditional and digital art, photography, animal rescue, travel and home improvement.

When I came across Nicole's table, I started looking over her sketches. Her art featured some celebrity portraits, hearts, Groot, superheroes...

I asked if she was doing any sketch work, and she replied yes. Nicole, her husband Marc and I started discussing what she might like to draw, when I noticed a cat with a witches hat. I did not have a cover with a cat stamp, so I asked for a wizard rabbit, which Nicole drew rather quickly. I am always amazed at an artist who can produce a beautiful piece of art so effortlessly.

During our discussion, Nicole stated that she was really an writer, who used her art to attract people to her table.  It worked on me, and I picked up one of her books, The True Heart (available on Amazon).

I have only read the first story so far and found it to be a delightful story, I look forward to the rest.

It was a true pleasure to meet both Nicole and Marc, and I wish them all the best in their future..

John Higgins - Judge Dredd

2017.04.29 East Coast Comic Con, Secaucus, NJ

John Higgins, writer-artist, who has provided significant work for 2000 AD and as a colorist for Alan Moore on Watchmen and Tharp's Future Shocks, original colorist on Batman: The Killing Joke..

Higgins worked on Judge Dredd for over 20 years and created the character Razorjack. Other titles that Higgins has worked on include Transmetropolitan, Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer, The Thing from Another World, Swamp Thing, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Superman, Shade the Changing Man, Preacher, Knights of Pendragon, Doom Patrol and many others...

Judge Dredd was created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, appearing in the second issue of 2000 AD, 1977.

Royal Mail issued a series of stamps to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the infamous blaze that is an integral part of British history. The stamps tells the story in a graphic novel style, evoking the high drama of those days, with a high degree of historical accuracy.

The series of 6-stamps were designed by John Higgins with colors by Sally Jane Hurst, both signed the cover for me. They were both very nice and a little surprised to see the Great Fires stamps and first day cover show up at the convention.

Mike Grell - Starslayer

2017.04.29 East Coast Comic Con, Secaucus, NJ

Mike Grell is a writer and artist, recognized for his contributions to the characters The Warlord and Green Arrow. Grill also created the character Shaman's Tears for Image Comics. Breaking into comics in 1973, Grell first worked on the DC titles Superbly and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Grill also provided art for the daily Tarzan comic strips from 1981-1983.

Grill developed the creator-owned characters John Sable Freelance, for First Comics, and Starslayer, published by Pacific Comics in 1982. The cover claims Starslayer to be a Celtic Barbarian in the Far Flung future..  Tori McQuillen is a Celtic warrior, who is pulled into the future while fighting Roman invaders. He joins the crew of the spaceship the Jolly roger, whose crew are fighting the oppression of Earth by it's rulers...

I chose to ask Grell for a sketch of Starslayer, since I did not have a Green Arrow first day cover. I also owned a copy of Starslayer #1, so I felt it was a good choice. By Mike Grell's standards this is considered a quick sketch. Of note is that Grell offers his own Certificate of Authentication. Although it is not something I get involved with, since I am not making purchases for the purpose of re-sale, I thought it made good sense to take the option. Since the authentication comes from Grell himself, and most collectors would know this, it truly authenticates the sketch.. Besides the fact that he only charges an additional $2 for the service...

Gino Patti - Wonder Woman

2017.04.29 East Coast Comic Con, Secaucus, NJ

Gino Patti has been drawing since he was 4 years old, inspired by a Spider-Man action figure. Patti was accepted into Pratt Institute to study his craft. He would get an internship at Valiant Comics, eventually working for them. Patti would be accepted into Disney animation talent program. He would provide designs for various commercial projects.

Patti was hired by Curious Pictures Studios, where he assisted on the design of the pilot episode of Cyberchase, which would be picked up by PBS.

From DC Comics - June 3 -  Honor the Power, Wisdom and Courage of Wonder Woman as fans around the world Celebrate Wonder Woman Day!