SDCC 2023 (Part 1 of 3)
San Diego, July 19-23, 2003
Category: Original Art and The Artists
Back When We Was Fab?
In celebration of 50 years of the creation comic book specialty distribution market, Milton Griepp of ICV2 is featuring a series of interviews with early “pioneers” in the business. Yesterday, my interview (video and print) appeared. If you’ve got some down time (Ok, if you’re bored with pretty much everything else on-line at the moment), please join me down the rabbit hole.
Good timing on the publication of the interviews; Today is the first day of San Diego Comicon, and although I won’t be behind a table, and it won’t be as musty,I will indeed be celebrating more than 50 years of contributions to the popular entertainment arts (Topps, IDW Publishing, Activision, et al) in one media format or another.
Teenage Greg (photo is October 1975, at Phil Seuling’s monthly Comic Book Marketplace show in New York City) would be very amused, if not startled.
Long, strange trip indeed.
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/54613/icv2-interview-greg-goldstein
SDCC 2023 — See You There?
I’ll be attending the convention all four (five, really) days this week. As always, feel free to reach out — or track me down primarily in the original art pavilion.
Plus, I’m appearing on two panels:
Games: Pioneers of 1990s Gaming Animation
As advancements in computer animation technology take video game development to ever-more impressive heights, ASIFA-Hollywood will look back at the early days with these pioneers of video game animation. Actor and writer John Omohundro (Bravest Warriors, Tokyo Revengers) will go back in time with Kevin VanHook(Bloodshot, Valiant Comics), Greg L. Goldstein (CEO, Four Color Arts, formerly Activision, Acclaim, IDW Publishing), E. Daniel Arey (Creative Director at Niantic, VisionArey Entertainment), and other animators and game developers to explore the challenges and celebrate the accomplishments of classic video games, such as “Myst” and “Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.”
Friday, 7/21/23, 4:30PM – 5:30PM, Room 24ABC
Nothing Topps Dinosaurs Attack! Cards
In 1988 Topps released a dinosaur-themed card series that sacrificed scientific accuracy for over-the-top action, violence, and gore. Fans of B-movies and dinosaurs were never the same! Series creator Gary Gerani (writer, film historian), Greg Goldstein (IDW Publishing, Topps), and Matt Corrigan (the Launchpad Podcast) discuss their favorite cards from this memorable set while Dr. Ashley Poust (paleontologist for San Diego Natural History Museum) separates fact from fiction. Matt and Greg will also show off original art produced for the series 35 years ago!
Saturday 7/22/23 7:30pm – 8:30pm Room 29CD
Lots of friends and colleagues appearing throughout the convention, but I would like to specifically point out that my pal Beau Smith is a Comic-Con Special Guest this year. His spotlight panel on Sunday, hosted by another pal, Ted Adams, is must-attend event!
Gil Kane & Neal Adams — Face To Face
Savage Tales #4, May 1974
Thanks to artist Ken Landgraf, I finally get to see the original prelims and pencils — and partial (Neal Adams) inks — to this great Conan page from Savage Tales #4. And as a bonus, we solve one mystery and create a new one. (Ken owns photocopies of Gil’s pencils from this story and others.)
Gil Kane pencilled the story (pretty loosely in some places), and Neal Adams inked some of it as well, supported at a minimum by Vince Colletta, Frank McLaughlin, and Pablo Marcos. (Credits supplied by Roy Thomas in Savage Sword of Conan #2). Marcos also provided the wash tones on the story, necessary to add depth to a black and white, and also provide some consistency to the art style.
Neal, of course, was a pro at collaborative art creation. His “Crusty Bunkers” a group of (ever-changing) artists at his Continuity Studios, filled in many times during deadline crunches for Marvel, DC, Charlton and others during the 70s.
(The specific inking credits here are listed as Diverse Hands, and this appears to reference the fact that some others outside Continuity also worked on the project.)
And now the mystery; when the story is reprinted for the first time in color in a Marvel Treasury Edition, two faces that weren’t in panel three in the Savage Tales version now appear. Turns out they were originally pencilled by Gil — but inked over in the final art, probably to give it more depth for B&W.
Which means — Either Roy, Gil or someone else had to remember that change and go back and pull it from inked copies for the color version.
Wild.
John Cassaday — Red, White & Blue
Captain America #6, December 2002
John Cassaday’s great art from Captain America seems like a good way to celebrate Independence Day.
And that makes me Captain Obvious, so that’s all I have to say about that.
Have a great 4th of July! (And if you see me, yes I will be wearing My Captain America shield shirt.)
I don’t know if this is an apocryphal quote or not from Captain America’s co-creator, and don’t much care, because from what I know about Jack he certainly could have said it. Like they say: “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
Herb Trimpe & Danny Bulanadi — Fortune & Glory
Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #24, December 1984
After the debacle that called itself Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, I hoped they would put the franchise to rest.
Too much money involved, so no such luck.
That said, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny LOOKS better the last one – at least from the trailers— and hell, he punches some Nazis, so there’s that.
And THAT Said, Raiders of The Lost Ark remains one of my favorite films off all time, and no terrible sequel (or, Heaven forbid, two) will take that away from me.
Meanwhile — Here’s a nice page from Marvel’s original series with story and art by Herb Trimpe, finishes by Danny Bulanadi.
Odds & Sods
June 2023
Some photos from the LA Comic Art Show this past June 4.
Veteran comic art retailer Bechara Maalouf runs the focussed convention twice a year in LA (Redondo Beach) — typically May and November — and also one in the SF Bay area in February.
As always, it featured a great selection of original art —- plus a fun group of guests this time around. Pictured: Andy Kubert, David Mack, Mark Texeira, and yours truly with Andy.
If you blinked you missed it department:
I recently raised a glass to our friends at Dollar Bin Bandits (podcast, video) in honor of their second-year anniversary. Much more importantly, they used the occasion to announce that they had joined forces with the gang at Tomorrows Publishing. The fine folks there do a stellar job of publishing books and mags on the history of comics and pop culture.
It’s like combining peanut butter and chocolate: “Two great tastes that taste great together.” Very much looking forward to their joint efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/c/DollarBinBandits/videos
https://dollarbinbandits.buzzsprout.com
Last, and maybe least:
There are at least 10 million opinions about recent comic book superhero films out there (the on-line universe is obsessed with this art of thing) but I will add my own three cents anyway. (Spoiler- free, and ranked in order of my personal preference:)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse:
• A landmark in animation.
• A landmark in comic book stories on film.
• A landmark in cinema, period.
Haven’t yet seen the film and think’s that hyperbole? Check it out — and let me know if you think I’m wildly off base.
Guardians of The Galaxy 3:
Enjoyed it very much, and kudos to the filmmakers and their marketing efforts that managed to tell us what the film was about — without spoiling the story. The efforts worked, because pretty much every internet rumor about the film prior to the release was wrong. (Some just laughable.)
Caveat — I know the High Evolutionary’s animal experiments were needed for the story, but I do wish they had used a little more finesse in the editing room to tone some of it down.
The Flash:
Between the changes in WB studio ownership / management and Ezra Miller’s well-publicized troubles, this was a cursed project that still somehow delivers a fair and occasionally fun superhero product, especially if you are familiar with the Flashpoint storyline.
Yes, the special effects needed a bit more work, but I barely tolerate most CGI anyway, so it didn’t annoy me as much as other fans apparently. As for the cameos? My only real reaction is where is TV Flash Grant Gustin? (The inter webs have plenty of thoughts on that, too.)
Tony Daniel — Out Of Time
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #12, July 2007
“Just like that… It’s just gone.”
We complete the hat trick of Flash time travel stories with this knockout double page spread by Tony Daniel from writer Marc Guggenheim’s Flash run in 2007.
What happens when you lose the speed force? Nothing good, apparently. Although we did a great looking piece of art out of the deal.
Howard Porter — Killing Time
The Flash #224, December 2008
“The Reverse Flash tries to reverse time.”
I’m beginning to sense a theme here.
Regardless, Howard Porter and John Livesay deliver a stellar page featuring The Flash and Reverse Flash.
What’s not to like?
Brett Booth — Time Won’t Let Me
Flash #40, May 2015
“I only made everything worse.”
Barry Allen arrives from the future to present day and makes a mess of things.
Like Stephen King wrote in 11.22.63, you try to change the past, the past fights back.
I can’t wait to see the Flash film with its similar theme, but truth be told, that’s primarily because Michael Keaton is reprising his role as Batman.
Oh, and it goes without saying, this is a great splash penciled by the terrific Brett Booth and inked with gusto by the equally terrific Norm Rapmund.
