Jurassic Park opened thirty years ago June 11, so it seems like an ideal time to present some more great Jurassic Park pages from 1993’s adaptation drawn by Gil Kane and George Perez this week. (I still can’t believe it’s been thirty years.)
Here’s a terrific splash from issue three, with George’s telltale detailed inking mostly only evident in the original art; the color obscures many of those fine details in the published page.
Fun fact: Because of licensing restrictions (including embargo dates) and publishing schedules, the film’s script and the four-issue comic breakdown are somewhat uneven. Not that much happens in Issues #1 and #2. Issue #3 has this cool opening, and some cool T-Rex action in the second part, but most of the exciting Dino action happens in issue #4. (Writer Walter Simonson did a terrific job balancing the script under those challenging restrictions.)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, #3, December 1992 (& A Topps Gallery, 1992-1995)
Better late than never — Topps Comics actually launched its first title, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in October, not November of 1992. By mid 1993, we had film adaptions, SF anthologies, Kirby superheroes and dozens more under our belt.
It was a wild ride.
In early 2023, we will have a more extensive look back with some new art, photos, memorabilia, etc. In the meantime, here’s a gallery of previously posted art. (Each piece links to the original post.)
In honor of Jurassic World: Dominion opening this Friday, we’re featuring a “Summer Rerelease” special this week of three of our best earlier Jurassic Park posts.
Gil Kane and George Perez teamed up on artistic chores for the original Topps Jurassic Park film adaption. (With writing by Walter Simonson). It was a unique pairing suggested by Topps EIC Jim Salicrup, and for the most part, worked very well. All four issues came out on the predetermined schedule, not an easy feat, especially in those days with newsstand distribution considerations. But the schedule was… tight. (OK, harrowing.)
I was delighted to pick up the original art for Gil’s and George’s variant cover for issue #4 a few years ago at auction.
The scene is from the climax of the film where our young heroes are menaced in the commissary kitchen by the crafty velociraptors. It’s a cool composition that captures the terror of the moment.
Here’s the rub — Is that a chubby raptor missing a neck? Or a deformed T-Rex? I mean, what kind of dino did Gil actually draw?
You can’t tell from the scan, but there’s an art patch on the dino’s face. Clearly some of it absolutely, positively needed to be altered to be approved overnight. But someone in Universal’s licensing department must have ultimately taken pity on our harrowing schedule, and us, because the final version is definitely not on model.
Since this is technically not the “main” cover, which is by Dave Cockrum, maybe they gave us a pass. (I don’t remember who did the art patch — George, our production department, or, for that matter, Gil.)
Ah, Gil. We sent him lots of photo reference. I can’t recall if we sent this exact scene specifically, but regardless, he had reference. Like I said, lots of it.
Only problem is, as I found out later on, Gil didn’t have much use for reference.
It doesn’t matter. He was one of the best. I consider myself fortunate to know him professionally, albeit briefly. Stories about him were legendary by the time I met him in 1993.
And, I got at least one “Greg, my boy…” out of him, so I could cross that off the list. Whew.
Dave Cockrum’s cover features raptors that are more on model, while Gil’s raptor might need some Ultra Slimfast.Raptors are lean, mean, fighting machines as seen in reference stills from the film.
Rune Thor decks Ultimate Thor in the Secret Wars spinoff, “Thors.”
Chris Sprouse and Karl Story deliver a cool action splash from this series where members of the Thor Corps investigate the deaths of many, many Jane Fosters.
If you Google “Rune Thor,” you’ll find a close-up of this page used as the “bio-pic” on the Marvel Fandom Wiki.
Cool indeed.
Thor vs. Thor, the first time, courtesy of Walter Simonson from 1983 in the Wayback Machine. (With contemporary coloring.)
Sal Buscema gamely takes over the art chores on Thor, as Walter Simonson prepares to conclude his legendary run as writer/artist on the character. This is some of my favorite Sal Buscema art from this era. He manages to channel Walter’s art without aping it, while keeping core elements from his own style, and the results are terrific.
The issue, like all the Marvel comics that month, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the launch of the “Marvel Age Comics” with the original August 1961(November cover date) publication of Fantastic Four #1.
And speaking of anniversaries, it’s Thor’s 60th anniversary this year, so we still have a few more upcoming posts lined up to celebrate Marvel’s God of Thunder. (Of course, technically, the Thor legend is eon’s old, but, as always, we digress.)
Thor Artist’s Edition, Original Art Cover “Remarque” Limited Variant, 2011/2012& Sketch, 2012
Here are two terrific Walter Simonson Thor pieces with equally terrific “origin” stories.
First up: IDW Artist’s Edition Editor Scott Dunbier developed a unique concept with one of his earliest volumes — A blank cover that the artist could then draw on, making a limited amount of copies of the book true originals.
A challenge for the printer, but mission accomplished, at least with this volume.
Walter and Scott agreed on a price, and Walter drew approximately a dozen of these covers. I say approximately, because of some confusion about whether it was going to be 10 or 15 of them, and Scott ultimately chose to offer them privately to some well-known original art collectors in a addition to a handful of IDW’s senior management team. I have no recollection how many were actually ultimately created. And I’m not positive all the completed drawings were scanned.
(Yes, that is the way comics works sometimes, folks.)
In addition to the piece I own, I’ve seen about four others, and like this one, they are all terrific. The only challenge is figuring out a creative way to display one properly and safely. If anyone has solved that puzzle, feel free to chime in.
The second Walter piece is looser, but extra special. Walter generously drew it in my office after SDCC while I was tied up in a meeting elsewhere, with the plan to personalize my “regular” edition of the Artist’s Edition.
It was only after the art was completed that I noticed it was the book was damaged printer’s proof version, instead of my actual personal copy.
A bummer, certainly, but a solution presented itself with the help of a handy X-Acto blade. I removed the page, trimmed it to a more precise 11×17 size, and framed it.
Voila. Now I can view it all the time, instead of just upon opening the book.
As they say, it’s in the permanent collection.
It’s Thor’s 60th anniversary this year, so we have a few more posts lined up to celebrate Marvel’s God of Thunder. (Of course, technically, the Thor legend is eon’s old, but, as always, we digress.)
Rampaging Hulk Magazine #3, June 1977 and Avengers #28, September 2012
If December makes you think of red and green, then, wow do we have a month for you. (Well, to be fair, mostly green, some red, and a little gray thrown in for good measure.)
It’s “12 days of Hulk” this month — 12 all new art posts devoted to everyone’s favorite rampaging hero, who turns 60 in early 2022.
But first a flashback to the ghost of Christmas past (two years ago, to be exact) with two great Hulk pages by the legendary Walter Simonson. (With help from Alfredo Alcala on the first and Scott Hanna on the second.)
See you back here on Tuesday with a double feature courtesy of Mark Bagley.
Hawkeye has his Television debut today, and if the show lives up to its trailer, it should be good fun.
Here we have a terrific Hawkeye page from the Silver Age Avengers, illustrated by his co-creator, Don Heck. (This is from the period of Avengers where the majority of the team, including Hawkeye, was comprised of reformed villains. I always loved that.) The page is fun combo of action and snarky dialogue, and it completely (and unexpectedly) breaks the fourth wall in the first two panels.
As a bonus, this might be the only page I own where the sound effect is actually then classic word “Pow.” I wonder how many newspaper headlines during the years have used that sound effect as part of a headline discussing any sort of comics-related story. (“Bam! Pow! Comics are not for kids anymore!” Here’s my personal sound effect for those: Ugh.)
Hawkeye’s first appearance —as a villain — in Iron Man, followed later by his reformation and entry into the Avengers.
This 1993 photo pops up in the ether from time to time, and I may have even published it on the blog previously. Don Heck and Walter Simonson look terrific, and I look… about 12.Cool tie though.
Alien remains one of the all time great films in two genres — horror and SF — an opinion that reinforces itself on every viewing. I rewatched it a few days ago, and wow, does it hold up. It’s brilliant on so many different levels, and virtually a one-film marketing campaign for why modern CGI is more often a detriment than not to quality filmmaking.
It’s also a great summer film. Like space itself, it’s often cold and dark. If it doesn’t give you more than a few chills to cool down your evening, perhaps nothing will.
Summer movies? It doesn’t feel like summer without them. This will be the first May I haven’t been to a theater since at least 1977, when I repeatedly drove from Atlantic Beach to Mann’s in Hicksville (not kidding) Long Island, on a freshly minted driver’s license, to see Star Wars multiple times.
I’ve also seen Alien and its first sequel (Aliens), many times. As for the others in the franchise, I’ve yet to see one I’ve liked well enough to watch more than once. I’m downright hostile to the opening of Alien 3, and most of the rest of it, too.
Jim Mahfood has fun with Sigourney Weaver and her “conquest” in this great unpublished piece for a book featuring multiple Alien “visions” subsequently cancelled (or on INDEFINITE hold) from publisher Udon.
I’m a big fan of Mahfood’s uniquely imaginative takes. We were fortunate to publish three books of his art at IDW, and a few more of his originals will likely pop up on the blog in the near future.
Alien premiered in the US on May 25, 1979.
The original 1978/79 posters promoted the intrigue more than anything else, but by the time of the 15th anniversary (far right), the creature was out of the egg, so to speak.
The Alien graphic novel , by Goodwin and Simonson, remains one of the gold standards of film to comics adaptations.
