Creators: Jack Kirby

Creators

A growing list of influential Artists, Writers, Poets, Filmmakers, and Creatives.

Jack Kirby

 This guy has often referred to as the King of Comics, and by gum, he may just be that! 1936 was the year he entered the scene, and even then so much promise could be seen in his work. He worked as an animator, did weekly strips, but eventually he got to do what he was meant do; epitomize comic book storytelling. Creating great characters and stories for both Marvel and DC comics, without a doubt, he left an enormous impact on the art form.

Jack Kirby was without a doubt talented, influential, and prolific, but he also exemplified the quality that all artists, especially comic artists, need: Hard Working. Jack Kirby had one of the most intense work schedules in comic history, and I'm truly baffled at how much he did and how good it turned out. During his heavy days at Marvel and DC, he would complete more than three pages a day and sometimes more than twenty a week.  With how quickly he completed the work, you would think his quality would have dipped, but the opposite was actually true. He always got better.

I Read: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

I Read: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Comic time again!  This time I decided to read two trade-paperbacks back to back.  This one has quickly become a hit, and may be one day considered a modern classic.  It tells a old story in new ways and has some other worldly imagery to show you the way.  Let's set out on a Saga.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

This is a story about parenting, love, war, politics and a cornucopia of other stuff. It is a bit of a disservice to the book to try and describe it, because in doing so, it may unneccesarily deter you from reading it.  It will sound ridiculous, indeed, but it works, somehow.  The crux of the story is a universe spanning war between a planet and its moon, where one is run by anthropomorphic robots and winged bird-people and the other is a race of horned magic-users.
I told you. Weird.
But in a crazy way, and bringing the wildest visuals of any comic on the rack, this story has begun to make perfect sense.  It has star-crossed lovers and their baby, bounty-hunters tracking them down from both planets, and all of the drama that can come from relationships and conflicts.  It covers class-ism, politics, war, and love within its pages, and yet it never feels overstuffed.

The writing is honest and natural, the characters saying things I can actually hear someone saying.  This goes nicely with the bizarre and nonsensical visuals that make up the comic. That's why it is such a delight.  We get a feast for the eyes with odd and unnatural world that is fascinating,  and we get to explore it with characters that behave like real people.  That, in a nutshell, is why saga works.  If it were all weird, both visually and in the text, It would be a harder sell.  But, by making the language accessible and natural, it allows us to go into this funky universe with our hands clasped firmly with the characters.
When it comes to the art, Fiona Staples brings grease monkeys and tv-faced robot people out of strange pop-art and into colorful life.  I think her great skill is giving personality to these manifestations, so that they feel genuinely alive, and not just goofy doodles with word balloons.
As far as comics that are currently running on the rack, I would recommend getting into this one.  Granted I have only read 12 or so issues in, I still say you should get into it too, and I look forward to continuing the journey.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Now with Vitamin Rob!

Another 3PO, and this one was hard to make.  I had to go against every artistic impulse I have to complete it. As a tribute to the artistry and legacy of Rob Liefeld, I present THE POUCH!

La Befana! The Epiphany Witch

La Befana! The Epiphany Witch

A new Year, and new opportunities.

Welcome back me! Thanks me! Sure has been a long time, hasn't it? Taking a month and some change off was necessary.  The end of the year brought some gladness but a lot of sadness. But, as it is the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) I think its time to realize that nothing lasts, and its best to let what does not happen interfere with what can be.  And with that on the mind, I'll show off this year's holiday character.... La Befana!

La Befana comes from an Italian tradition surrounding the Epiphany.  She visits homes on Epiphany eve and brings gifts of sweets, fruits, and toys to children.  She's often covered in soot and is dirty because she shoots up and down chimneys.  I always thought the holiday season needed a witch, and apparently there has been one for some time. 
So I guess Christmas has its share of creepy characters, from Befana, the Demonic Krampus, to the jolly peeping tom himself, even the holidays has a unwholesome and weird side.
Have the best 2015 ever!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

 Hello Again, everybody!  I have apparently been doing this for two years now, and I figured I would commemorate my anniversary with some Inktober Inking, Some Ghostbusters, and my own spin on a classic monster.  Above is my first in a series of images commemorating the ghostbusters, with theis first one showing off Egon. A better scan is coming.

And here we have a first look at a lead character from a new comic project of mine.  Here is my vampire.

Love to monsters.
Happy Halloween!

TGIF!

TGIF!

Thank God it's Friday!

Alan Moore

Now that we've been introduced to Alan Moore, I'd like to share his rather refreshing view of religious belief and practice.  He believes that spiritual pursuit should be decided by the individual, or that one religion for everybody doesn't make sense.  Everyone is different, and since everyone id different, we each have our own spiritual needs that we should seek to satisfy on our own.  If you don't have much of a spiritual hunger, then just get a salad and a diet coke.  But if you crave exotic tastes, then look into the ancient deities of the Mayans, Inuit, or Roman snake deities.

Moore, as I've said before, is a bit of a weirdo.  As a comic writer he has been incredibly influential on the medium, and has even been called one of the most in important contemporary writers in Britain.  Many of his comics have been turned into films, though you'll notice his name isn't on it.  Why?  Because for him, the movie is something  completely different than the comic, and he wants no part of it and thus, he gives his portion of the royalties to the other contributors.  At least he practices what he preaches.

He supports an open view of reality, religion, and personal values.  He also has some interesting views on the idea of magic and mysticism.  Simply put, magic  is Art.  Magic is manipulation of symbols, words, and ideas in order to change the consciousness of yourself and others.  This is so cool to me.  To think that being a magician is to someone who creates with words, with colors, and with objects what was not before is empowering to me.  I think I will be a magician.

Moore is a fascinating personality because he is at the same time mystical and rational.  He has poetic air bout him that is almost intimidating, yet he has a gentle sense of humor and an open mind that would invite you to join him for tea.  There are many great interviews with him on Youtube and other places, including an 80 minute documentary about him.  Here is a few (10 minutes worth) words from Kevin Smith and friends on the amazing run on Swamp Thing that Moore worked on in the 80s.

 I'll leave you with a quote from the video I linked to in the last article.  As Alan stands on stage a callous version of himself accuses him of having a messiah complex.  He responds:

"Would I have a haircut like this if I didn't?"

See you on the other side