Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Brian Stelfreeze — Zero Hour, Plus 30

Original Art and The Artists

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #31, September 1994

Brian Stelfreeze provides this amazing “Golden Age” style cover for a Batman story in the 1994 Zero Hour event. The “original” portly Alfred suddenly reappears (from another timeline) — and, spoiler alert — disappears at the end of the story.

No matter: Stelfreeze’s cover painting is terrific, and Brian purposely added all the stains and scratches to give it an aged look.

Bonus: I can cover up his signature and no one realizes Brian painted it; it’s (obviously) nothing like his traditional painting style.

Zero Hour — The first large-scale crossover event at DC since Crisis on Infinite Earths, is celebrating its 30thanniversary. It’s a timeline event, designed primarily to clean up some continuity holes left behind by “Crisis.” Some get fixed, some don’t, but it’s a fun crossover, regardless. (And of course I’m biased, because pal Dan Jurgens wrote and drew the original mini-series.  A brand new 30th anniversary special featuring a new story by Dan and Ron Marz landed on shelves last week.)

Alfred makes his first appearance in Batman #16; He loses weight a year or so later when a thinner actor is cast in the role in the first Batman movie serial.

John Cassaday — Masked Legends

Original Art and The Artists

The Shadow / Green Hornet: Dark Nights #1, July 2013

Nice to see two of my favorite classic characters, The Shadow and The Green Hornet together in one series, with a fantastic cover by the terrifically talented John Cassaday.

Pulps and comics — like peanut butter and jelly, yes? My dad connected many of the dots between the pulp, comics, radio and serial adventure characters for me at an early age.

I credit Jim Steranko (History of The Comics) and the nostalgia boom of the 60s and 70s for amplifying those connections.

And how about some contemporary credit to Nick Barrucci and the other talented folks at Dynamite Entertainment for (at least briefly) creating a cool “shared universe” with some of these unforgettable icons?

Fun books all around, and I know from personal experience it wasn’t easy securing all those licensing rights to make these kinds of mash-ups possible.

Steranko’s History Of The Comics (Volume One) is probably the first place The Shadow and The Green Hornet appeared on cover — along with an amazing collection of other heroes and villains.
Both the Shadow and Green Hornet appeared in Movie serials. (The Hornet actually appears in two.)

Matt Wagner — Legacy Of The Hornet

Original Art and The Artists

Green Hornet Year One #7, December 2010

I had a nice selection of Matt Wagner Green Hornet covers to choose from when Matt offered them for sale. I picked this one because it featured the Hornet, Kato AND Black Beauty. (The automobile’s name for those not familiar with The Hornet’s world.)

This comic series deals with the original iteration of the Green Hornet, so the car is a 1937 Lincoln Zephyr, not a 1966 Chrysler Imperial as featured in the TV series that I adored as a kid.

But it still works for me.

The Golden Age Green Hornet and the Silver Age Hornet — a comic book version of the short-lived TV series that only lasted three issues.
Possibly my favorite Hornet illustration of all time: Jim Steranko’s painted cover for the 1989 comics version for Now Comics.

Peter Kuper — Underground Heatwave

Original Art and The Artists

The Dib, July 2022

Peter Kuper original cartoon art paying homage to Robert Crumb. From the collection of Greg Goldstein.

Peter Kuper creates a pitch perfect homage to Robert Crumb’s “Stoned Agin,” with his “Stunned Agin”, a commentary on increasingly intense heatwaves — as opposed to drug (over) use.

Kuper’s brilliant cartooning appears in the New Yorker, The New York Times, Charlie Hebdo and countless other publications. He has illustrated Mad’s “Spy vs. Spy” strip for more than 20 years. Other notable works include “Sticks and Stones,” “The System,” and his adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.”

“Stoned” is among Crumb’s most famous cartoons; it was a ridiculously ubiquitous poster in the 70s, and continues to be in print today, at such “alternative outlets” as Wal-mart.com. The times, they have a-changed. (Or, if as I suspect, he’s not getting his fair share of royalties, maybe they haven’t changed all that much.)

The Original art for Crumb’s cartoon from 1971.
Original posters : Two-color version and blacklight edition.
Modern posters : full-color version and blacklight edition.

SDCC — With A Little Help From My Friends

Original Art and The Artists

San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-28, 2024

Marc Silvestri Photo by Greg Goldstein
Marc Silvestri
Mike McKone & Lena Leal-Floyd
Joe Quesada Photo by Greg Goldstein
Joe Quesada
Art Adams
Bill Schanes & Tim Lenaghan
Norm!
Klaus Janson
Jo Duffy
Stan Sakai
David Finch
David Armstrong — Holding an Aaron Lopresti commission he won in a bet
Becky Foote with Tron
Ira Friedman
Andrew Labrada
Peter Kuper
Dave Johnson & Jimmy Palmiotti
Eric Powell & Billy Tucci
Frédéric Manzano, Steve Morger, Greg Goldstein
Greg Goldstein & Joe Jusko
IDW Reunion Tour!

SDCC — Old School (Part 1)

Original Art and The Artists

San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-28, 2024

Somehow, another year SDCC has already come and gone, and again, I ask the simple question: How does it go by so quickly?

I can’t answer that, but I can say this: For better or worse, the convention is pretty much back to it’s pre-pandemic magnitude.

Minus, of course, the carpeting. Please, on behalf of feet (and backs) everywhere — bring back the carpeting.

Gahan Wilson — Face It, One Of The Best

Original Art and The Artists

Playboy, January 1963

Gahan Wilson Original Cartoon art, from the collection of Greg Goldstein

To say I was obsessed with Gahan Wilson’s amazing cartoons in the early 70s would definitely qualify as an understatement. The art and the gag almost always spoke to me.

I wouldn’t say I’m “obsessed” today… but I still love them and find them as entertaining as much as I ever did.

I’m delighted to finally own of his classic color Playboy cartoons.

San Diego Comic-Con — my 30th, at least — begins tomorrow, and who knows, maybe I’ll find another one.

Fun fact: A slight edit made to the final published caption vs Wilson’s submission.

Wilson’s cartoons appeared in various Playboy collections throughout the 60s – 80s, and then ultimately in a complete collection (inexplicably now out of print) published by Fantagraphics in 2010.

Jack Davis — Knockout

Original Art and The Artists

Playboy Magazine, November 1960

Can you think of another artist whose work appeared in Mad, Time, TV Guide and Playboy at the height of their circulation in the 60s and 70s? Not to mention seminal work as a visual storyteller at EC Comics?

Nope, me either.

“Jack Davis was quite possibly the most ubiquitous American humor illustrator of all time. Davis was a master cartoonist, caricaturist, and illustrator, and his funny, fast-paced, manic, beautifully rendered work has graced the covers of countless comic books, magazines, and record albums and has also appeared on movie posters, bubble gum cards, and advertisements. A virtual mind-boggling one-man industry, Davis has been called “the fastest cartoonist alive” and “the master of the crowd scene.” It’s astonishing to realize that this quiet Southern gentleman was usually finished with assignments for the day and out on the golf course by 2:30 p.m.”

– Drew Friedman from his Fantagraphics book, Heroes of the Comics.