Brian Buniak - Dinosaur

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

"Oh Man -- I hate when this happens!"

Brian Buniak was an artist of the underground comix scene of the 1970s. He cooperated on several publications by the Mood Publishing Empire (Amazing Adult Fantasies, New Paltz Comix).

He is the creator of the Spirit parody 'The Sprite', 1974 New Paltz Comix. In the 1980s he illustrated Thunder Bunny for Blue Ribbon Comics, created by Marty Greim...(for publishers - Charlton, Archie, Warp Graphics and Red Circle)...

Buniak is also a skilled celebrity character artist providing art for Mad Magazine, the Daily News, Dark Horse Presents....which have included Sschwarenegger as Conan the Barbarian, William Shatner as Capt. Kirk, Jackie Gleason, Elvis Presley, Ted Kennedy and many Television and movie parodies...

After looking through the assortment of FDCs I carry with me Buniak choose the Pterodactyl Dinosaur FDc and draw the wonderful comic of the cave woman being carried away...

McGruff the Crime Dog

2011.04.03 -  Bobby Timony - Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Twin Comics produces The Night Owls, written by Peter Timony, art by Bobby Timony. Set in the 1920s NYC, Professor Ernest Baxter, Mindy Markus, flapper and Roscoe, a Bonx gargoyle are the Night Owls. together they solve crimes no one else can, the supernatural kind. A Web comic, the Night Owls were Harvey Award nominees 2009 for Best New Series, Best Online Work and Best New Talent, Bobby Timony...

The Night Owls vol 1 collects the Zuda online comic...Roscoe sketch from Vol 1...

When I got home from the show to set up my post, I found Bobby's tweet..First sketch of the day. McGruff the crime dog, with US Postal stamp...awesome!

2011.12.03 Mark Mariano - Superheroes for Hospice

Mark Mariano's HappyLoo characters are for younger readers, with stories that tell tales almost entirely through the artwork. The above cover features HappyLoo character Meatsauce along with McGruff.

Mariano also draws Flabbergast, stories for older children featuring two slackers who stumble across a laboratory that is studying a zombie virus. As expected they set the zombies loose, and with the help of a scientist's daughter they have to save the world.

In the late 1990's Mariano ventured into Webcomics with the O>Matics, a comic strip about his band and their adventures off stage.

"Take A Bite Out of Crime"

McGruff the Crime Dog was created by John Young (Dancer Fitzgerald Sample Ad Agency) for the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for crime awareness among children through Public Service Announcements in TV commercials, songs and books. The McGruff stamp was issued Sep 24, 1984 Washington, DC...

Andre Szymanowicz - Hell Yeah

2012.03.10 Andre Szymanowicz, Dewey's Comic City, Madison, NJ
Ben Day - Hell Yeah

Image Comics release Hell Yeah #1 March 7, 2012.
The Last Generation of Superheroes is Here!
20years ago, the first ever superheroes debuted without warning and forever altered our global culture! Now the generation born in their wake fight to claim their place in a world evolved beyond the!
Written by Joe Keatinge, illustrated by Andre Szymanowicz...

Szymanowicz had previously contributed illustrations for Image's Elephantmen and Popgun...

His website features a lot of great sketches including Supergirl, Audrey Hepburn (excellent!), Elephantmen, the Beatles and the Spirit. It's great seeing the transition of his work from sketch to watercolor, worth a look...

Joe Keatinge has contributed to Negative Burn, the Next Issue Project #1: Fantastic Comics #24, Savage Dragon and as editor of the Harvey award-winning anthology Popgun, with co-editor Mark Andrew Smith...

William Olmo - Casey Jones

2011-Sep-17 Barnabas Health Superheroes for Hospice, Monmouth Mall, Eatontown, NJ

Prior to going to help out at the show I had read on-line that a new fan film about Casey Jones would be released, so I had the idea to get a sketch of Casey and his hockey mask on an Olympic Hockey FDC. The stamp has a devilish look with the blood red background and attacking goalie! A perfect combination...

Casey Jones is a vigilante from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series roaming the streets of New York and befriending the Turtles and April O'Neil. Jones' arsenal includes, baseball bats, golf clubs and hockey sticks..he made his first appearance in Raphael (solo issue) #1 1985...

Shane Moore - The Omens

2011.12.03 Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

Shane Moore is a self-published writer and artist who has recently formed Electro-Magnetic Press with fellow writer and artistLarry Morgan.

Moore's comic The Omens is on of EMP's first two publications, the other being Morgan's The Believer.

The Omens is a science fiction adventure that follows Maggie Goodwin, a young woman who discovers she is a posthuman, a genetically engineered breed, whose basic capacities radically exceed those of present humans as to no longer be no longer unambiguously human by our current standards.

Maggie's strange new abilities cause an abrupt end of her normal suburban life when she is forced to go on the run from both the US Government, strange extraterrestrials and the nefarious Dr. O...

Chandra Free - Princess Leia

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Princess Leia and Salacious

Chandra Free is the artist and author of The God Machine graphic novel from Archaia. Chandra is also the reative director at BLAM! Ventures, was an artist on Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock comic, Archaia and Sullengrey by Ape Entertainment and contributed two digital panels to the illustrated novel Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes...

Chandra is intensely interested in the incorporation of psychology into her art, focusing on the unconscious and human aspects of her characters. I find her art to be exceptional. ..

The God Machine is a graphic novel about lost love, monsters and crazy gods. It's the story of Guy Salvatore, who after his girlfriend's death, has difficulty making sense of his world. Excellent story, fantastic art.

Whilte looking through some of my first day covers, Chandra was immediately taken by the Princess Leia stamp.  Princess Leia and R2D2 were featured on one of the USPS Star Wars stamps issued in 2007.

Girls Read Comics Too

Bob C Hardin - NASCAR

2011.05.22 Wizard Comic Con, New York

Bob C. Hardin is a creator-illustrator who specializes in humorous action caricature, people, motor-sports...Artist, writer for Petersen Publishing CARtoons Magazine, NASCAR Team Red Bull and editorial illustrator of North Jersey Media Group's EXIT & 201 Magazines...

Hardin also dose a line of illustrations called Slot Car Thrillustrations featuring vintage model car racing action and Slot Head Signs, which has a strong feel of Ed Roth's Rat Fink art...I am sure his school notebooks were lined with drawings just like this...

Hardin is also an instructor with the Kubert School...

Rich C Self - Love

Rich C. Self (2/2)

Just a beautiful example of a hand-painted cachet for the 1985 love stamp.

I received this cover as a trade, sorry, I don't have any information about the artist. Initialed on the front RCS, signed on the back Rich Self.

Block Printed FDCs

Dave Curtis

Offering a chance of pace this week with a post on block printed covers. Wood-block printing is a technique that dates as far back as 4th century throughout East Asia, China and Egypt. Modern print-makers use linoleum as a variant to woodcuts. A design is cut into the linoleum with the raised portion leaving a reversed image. The block is inked and pressed onto paper to leave an impression.

Many famous artists have worked in block-printing, Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (produced unbelievable art with wood-block) Pablo Picasso, MC Escher, Albrecht Durer. The Metropolitan Post Card Club of NY features information about block printed postcards..

Dave and Sabrina Curtis create block printed covers. Both are members of the AFDCS and the Art Cover Exchange (ACE). Their covers are printed by making several color prints by re-cutting the block between prints, to created beautiful designs. Dave started first, with Sabrina adding her artistic talents a few years later. They are currently using a product called "Easy-cut Rubber Block", which is similar to linoleum block, but easier to cut. Dave usually produces one set of covers for each stamp issued, in limited numbers. Sabrina, has what she calls a Monet style, producing covers of her favorite subject, animals...

Wm. Roy Rice

I did a lot of trading with Mr. Rice, from West Virginia, back in the late 1980s to early 1990s. I always appreciated his style and design. Wm. Roy started in 1977, using a 1940 Franklin hand-press, producing a limited number of covers for stamp club invitations to local meetings and for personal use. This is an example of his work featuring a Star Trek design for the "E" Earth stamp FDC from 1988...

Raymond E Robinson

An example of one of the linoleum block prints I did for the Moon Landing Anniversary issue of 1989. This cover is from a set of three, with each cover honoring the Apollo 11 astronauts, Michael Collins (above), Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. I started creating block printed covers in 1977 for the Charles Lindbergh issue...

Chris Notarile - The Protector

2011.12.03 Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

Chris .R. Notarile is the writer and creator of "The Protector". A filmmaker by trade, Chris is the driving force behind his New Jersey based film company Blinky Productions Inc., and over the last decade Chris has built a very notable reputation for himself in the superhero comic community through his fan films as well as through his original work.

Chris Notrile is an illustrator whose career has span nearly forty years. Drawing inspiration from the silver age comics of his youth, Chris realized his dream of becoming a comic illustrator, when he created and drew a series of 2-page storylines for Teen Life Magazine, at the age of eighteen. Chris also worked briefly as a freelance artist for Marvel comics, while attending the Parsons School of Design. Chris has also produced artwork for TV Guide. Chris is the co-founder and owner of Outlines Inc, producing comps, storyboards and animated webisodes for the advertising community.

Chris' proudest accomplishment is his illustrations for The Protector, and thanks to his son for reconnecting him with his first love...comics.

The Protector tells the story of a golden age hero, who has virtually out lived his usefulness. Longing for the good old days, this now old hero tries to find his place in a modern world.

K. Michael Crawford - Dragon

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

Happily Ever Art!
K. Michael Crawford is a children's book illustrator. Her first book was "Timbo and the Butterfly" providing illustrations for a friend's story. A few copies were printed and sold and a career was born...

1991, after working as a graphic designer, Crawford's work in children's books took off, illustrating several picture-books, educational work and product illustrations. She worked for Disney on Pooh and Friends, Warner Brothers Studios on Looney Tunes and Scholastic's Magic School Bus...

Crawford's books include Professor Horton Hogwash's Museum of Ridiculous, The Island of Zadu, Batty Malgoony's Mystic Carnivale, The Mystery of Journey's Crowne, The Munched-Up Flower Garden and others...

Ms. Crawford aded one of her fanciful dragons to a Jurassic Park first day cover... The Jurassic Park stamp was part of the Celebrate the Century 1990's sheet. Jurassic Park was written by Michael Crichton, and Universal Studios purchased the movie rights prior to the 1990 publication. The movie was released in 1993 with Stephen Spielberg directing....

Bill Ellis - Dr. Horrible

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Dr. Horrible - Science and Technology FDC

Bill Ellis writes the web-comic All New Issues with Dani O'Brien, and provides the art as well. The strip looks at relationships, being poor, the comic book industry, gaming through the eyes of a few flawed individuals...

When I got to Bill's table I was thumbing through his sketch cards, when I was struck by his rendition of Dr. Horrible, from Joss Whedon's 2008 web-based Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, featuring Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as Captain Hammer and Felicia Day (Buffy) as Penny their shared love-interest. Without hesitation I requested a sketch from Bill...

This drawing was one of those special treats. I didn't have any expectations going in, I was not looking for this and I did not know what to expect... I was not disappointed, an excellent sketch!

When I first discovered Dr. Horrible, I thought it was great. Excellent concept 3-acts each around 15 minutes only available on the internet. It was brilliant, fun and who knew Harris could sing!

2009 - Dark Horse Comics issued a one-shot Dr. Horrible comic, available with 2 variant covers, credited to Zack Whedon, writer, Joelle Jones, pencils, Dan Jackson, colorist, Kristian Donaldson, covers...

Cliff Chiang - Wonder Woman

2011.12.10 Wonder Woman -Uncle Sam FDC

Dewey's Comic City, Madison, NJ

Cliff Chiang is a graduate of Harvard University with a joint degree in English Lit and Visual Arts. Chiang has worked as an editor for Disney Adventures magazine, and as an illustrator for Vertigo and DC Comics pencilling titles such as Human Target, Batman, Dr. Thirteen, Beware the Creeper, Green Arrow & Black Canary, Red Sonja and Swamp Thing.

Chiang also worked on the comic adaptation of Neil Young's Greendale with writer Joshua Dysart...

Chiang is now working on the new Wonder Woman for DC Comics, providing the art and covers for issues 1-4, and the covers for issues 5 and 6...