At the comic shop

I was on my weekly run to the comic shop yesterday. I strolled in casually, as I always do, but instantly the front case caught my eye. A beautiful collection of some early Tales of Suspense issues beckoned me, and I answered. I stared longingly at these books and began to reminisce of a childhood friend of mine.

My friend's dad and brothers all had a vast collection of books. I could not wait to visit their house and rummage through all the wonderful issues. I was accustomed to 1970s reprints of  Looney Tunes, which is fine for a child, but I was craving something a bit more substantial.

I started out purely interested in the artwork. The drawings I saw were simply incredible. I admired every page and longed for the day when I could draw in such a way. It became an aspiration. I immediately attempted to find any "how to draw" books or information about the artists. It was difficult for me to dive into a story if I did not connect to the art, which still holds true to this day. Yes, I did miss out on some quality reading, but those visuals framed my dreams.

As my fixation began, I actually found trouble with the works of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I found their work to be irrelevant and dated. Yes, I know now that this is blasphemy; they are creative geniuses. But my "aha" moment occurred when Roy Thomas began working on The Avengers. Those pesky little word balloons that got in the way of the art finally had a purpose for me. A door was opened. This small obsession transformed into a vast desire for more.

I wanted to read stories about superheroes. Not only did I dig the creativity of the art and the costumes, but I really enjoyed the characters. These superheroes were beyond human, they could do things that only kids would dream of, which is the purpose of their creation (in my opinion). I began to feel something for them.

Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.'s run of The Amazing Spider-man took me on an emotional ride. The idea of Peter Parker sacrificing himself for the well being of the city, barely having enough energy to focus on his aunt, resonated with me. Or when Hank Pym's new wife was gunned down before his eyes in Tales to Astonish. Or the notion that Iron Man, in Tales of Suspense, has to monitor his own health for fear of dying. They're real. There is an appeal about these damaged characters that form dimension around the human experience.

That exquisite collection of Tales of Suspense that greeted me at the comic shop this weekend not only brought me aesthetic pleasure, but it brought forth the emotional response of why I love comic books.

Don't forget to check out the weekly adventures of Brownies and Broadswords
www.browniesandbroadswords.com

Avengers-The Children's Crusade issue 8

I must say this book has been a pleasant surprise! Especially issues 7 and 8.

The end of issue 7 where Doom manages to usurp and claim Scarlet Witch's reality-altering powers was pretty great,  However, it does not compare to the moment in issue 8 when Doctor Doom, nonchalantly,  employs those powers and shows our heroes what he can give back to them. Doom offers hope. These characters have evolved with their powers from novice beginnings to adaptation and Doom has the juicy capability to feed upon their soft spots.

Also in Issue 8, we see Cyclops without his glasses, Beast without his fur, and the idea of resurrection. Resurrection enthuses me for I get to see these characters back in continuity.
 
I think Jim Cheung is a great sequential artist, but panel 1 of page 15, is absolutely amazing. Mr Cheung's drawing where Doctor Doom offers the possibility of resurrecting some of my favorite hero's is incredibly thrilling! Heroes such as Nightcrawler, Jean Gray, Wasp, and dare I say it....Captain Marvel!

But, the creme de la creme was the ending...Bravo! Heinberg,Cheung, Morales and Ponsor, you have created an amazing story so far and it looks like it will be leading into Marvel's next big summer event.

Oh, and there is a new exhilarating adventure of Brownies and Broadswords online...check it out!! www.browniesandbroadswords.com

It has begun! www.browniesandbroadswords.com

Jack Kirby...and other odds and ends

I just finished reading a great book called Kirby by Mark Evanier. I was a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to Jack, the King, Kirby. I did not start reading or appreciating silver age art until maybe 9 or 10 years ago. I grew up in the bronze age of comics, so of course my heroes were (and still are) Arther Adams, Mike Zeck, Neil Adams, Barry Winsor Smith, and George Perez, to name a few. Then people like Jim Lee started making waves. So of course I (just like everyone else at the time) started trying to draw like him...and I do stress try.

  Once I discovered Gene Colan, I began looking into silver age art. As a child, I had many of his comic books, and it wasn't until a little while ago did I realize who was creating all of those great covers and thrilling sequential art. Still to this day one of my favorite covers is Captain America 116. I started picking up Tales Of Suspense for the Captain America...But it was the Gene Colan Iron Man stories that really sucked me in.

Don Heck was another, there was something about his Tales of Suspense that spoke to me as an artist. So as I started exploring people like Gene Colan, and Don Heck...I discovered people like Joe Kubert, Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Milton Caniff, And Will Eisner.

Now back to Jack Kirby...It wasn't until I started collecting old Fantastic Four issues did my obsession really take shape. Especially the books between 23 and 108. I watched an interview with Jack Kirby a few months back, it was a great interview...He was so humble  and right on with some of his philosophies of life. It reminded me of Milton Glaser and his life lessons. Two very sound individuals.

In the beginning...

I am in the process of creating a sci fi/superhero based comic strip and I wanted to document the process...I know, Bill Watterson already created such an amazing strip back in the day with a few similar ideas...But mine will be completely different... Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes was something new, exciting, and inventive...While Brownies and Broadswords will be old, tired, and a rip off (I like to aim high)  I am shooting for a January 1st launch day for the strip, with car giveaways and Detective comics #27 door prizes. So it should be a major, major deal! Did I mention, I did get Kim Kardashian to hand out gift baskets!...Not even close to the truth, but I am looking forward to it nonetheless. Also, this blog will give me a change to go on and on about comic books that I enjoy.

So stay tuned, true believers! (I told you...rip off)