"Up Jumped the Devil" Update!

Things are really heating up in Onyx City.

As many of you who frequent my little thread of the World Wide Web know, for sometime now I've been trying to get Up Jumped the Devil off the ground since Robert "Hollywood" Swinton agreed to let me do my take on his hitman/jazz trumpeteer Big 'Fro Brown.

Up Jumped the Devil started out as a twelve page featurette to be squeezed into some publication down the line. My friend Joe Fuentes of Black Iris Comics was originally slated to handle the inks (Joe's colors can be seen on the picture posted above). But UJtD has since gotten bigger than the both of us. Joe has had to relocate to another town so, in order to give him a chance to get things together, I decided to ink it myself.

But, the more I toyed with the story, the more I came to the realization that I couldn't just leave it at twelve pages. After a few more emails to and from Hollywood, it was decided to expand it to a full twenty-four pages. But the good news doesn't stop there! I managed to wrangle in a few of my good friends to help out.

As it stands now, UJtD is going to be a two part story.

Part One, Sweet, Black Angel will be inksticated by the one and only Bill Wilkison! I've wanted to work with the Inkslinger for a long time and was thrilled when he agreed to it. Here's an unrelated sample of his inks on my scribbles. You can check out more of the Billster's work at his very own website.

Part Two, Down on the Killin' Floor will not only feature the inking skills of Mr. Satyr himself, Mike Indovina, but Mike's own pulp-style hero Chimera. On a lark, I asked Mike if I could use Chimera for the story and he was thrilled, so I decided to push my luck and ask if I could use a 1970's-style version of Chimera. Both he and Hollywood were okay with the idea. Check out Mike's website to see what he's been up to.

I would still like to have Joe's colors grace the cover, but haven't heard much from him lately. Joe, if you're out there, give me a shout.
Keep it here for more news.

My Wife's Latest Work

Not long after the Christmas guests have left and the cleanup is all but completed, my wife Barbi, whom I let retire to our upstairs bedroom for some much-deserved rest, comes bounding down the stairs, begging me for one of my paint boards. "I just need one," she pleads. John Lee Hooker once said, in his immortal Boogie Chillin', "It's in him and it's got to come out," so who am I to impede anyone's (especially my wife's) creative jones?

Flash forward a few hours. Our dear friend Billy has come over, bringing with him Polar Express, which Barbi had wanted to see as well, so I go upstairs to let her know we'll be starting the movie soon. I open the door to find the painting in its final moments of creation.

Noticing my entrance, she looks up and says, "I call it, The Planet I'm From."

I was stunned.

For anyone keeping score, it's a 16"x20" acrylic on board and I'm not sure if it's for sale or not. She fell asleep halfway through Polar Express (No reflection on the movie, I assure you) and I don't want to wake her just to ask.

Peace!

Number Nine

Listen up, Boppers. I ain't gonna say this but once. Reason number nine as to exactly why TV was invented. Unlike many child stars, Reason Number Nine started out adorable and blossomed into the kind of woman most men would saw their arm off for.

One of Alyssa Milano's earliest movie roles was that of Aaaanold's resourceful daughter in Jeoph Johns' epic Commando, one of my absolute favorite movies and my favorite Aaaanold movies. People like to rip on the current governor of California's movie career, but, let's face it, everyone on this big, blue marble has, at one time, uttered the phraise, "Ah'll be back!" Hell, it even gets used in movies. How did this turn into an Aaaanold rant anyway?!

I could post pictures of her all day, but why waste your time here? Google her! It's what I did. She's only, like, the most Googled person in the history of the internet, much to her chagrin, I'm sure. Keep in mind, however, I mean no disrespect to any of the actresses I list in my little blog, but damn! I'm only posting this image to prove a point. Regardless of how beautiful a woman is, they look even better in black & white.

The Witch Is Back!

Big news, boppers!
Submitted for your approval, forget Sharon Stone's The Quick & The Dead, forget any Kevin Kostner western (with the exception of Silverado, of course), I give you Kerry Connelly, the gunslingin' witch of Salem, AZ.

Keep it posted here and here and here for further information!

Salem, AZ Pages!

Here they are, kids! Submitted for your approval, the first two pages of Salem, AZ #1 in full "letterbox" format. With the staples running across what would normally be top of the comic, we're creating a more dynamic look for the book. However, it is creating a few artistic challenges. My hat is off to all those guys who have been doing this "Sunday Funnies" style layout for all these years. It's harder than it looks.

As far as I know, this first issue runs about 38 pages and will be in color, but just as to who the letterer and colorists will be is as of yet not known to me.

More pages coming after the Holidays.

Which Witch Is Which?

The following story is based on actual events.

So, there I was, talking to the incomperable Matt Feazell at this year's Mid-Ohio Con, when an exstatic Nik Havert, calls me back to our table to show me something. I can barely make out what he's saying due to his enthusiasm. In the time I've known him, I've grown accustom to such zealousness.

"Look!" he says, frantically flipping through my portfolio to settle on one particular page, a splash page to a preview of a story we're working on. "It's her!" he says. "It's our witch!"

I had to admit he was right, for there, strolling down the aisle, was the stunning Nicole McClain, every inch the vision I'd put on paper for Nik's and my up-coming comic Salem, AZ. I was rendered speachless, but we managed to beckon her to our table, where she was gracious and patient enough with us to pose for this picture. She claimed it looked more like Angelina Jolie (No offense to Miss Jolie, but as if!). She asked if she could have the picture and if I'd mind signing it. It was a photocopy so that wasn't a problem, but I probably would've given her the original just the same.

That coulda been the end of it, but Nik, God bless'im, wouldn't let it go. Miss McClain has agreed to be our "real life" Kerry Connelly. Exactly what that entails is entirely up to Nic and Nik, I'm just thrilled she's on board!

I'd like to take just a moment to thank Dave Nestler (like he'd read this little blog) for having the eye to spot her in the first place. You can check out his website here, but be warned, it contains adult material (Yeah, that'll stop the kids from checkin' it out).

Reason Number Eight!

Man, what was I thinking?! I've been doin' this whole "reasons why TV was invented" thing for a few months now, and I just now thought of this one! What the hell's wrong with me?! How could I forget her?! If the Tin Man had this heart, he'd need more than an oil can (I'm not even sure what that means). I hope I've vindicated myself with this particular entry and wait'll you see reason number nine! Here's a clue, she got her start in an Aaaaanold movie.

Bond Girl Alert!

It's been brought to my attention recently that Charlize Theron, the hottest white woman in the movies, Monster* not withstanding, is slated to be the next Bond Girl in the remake of Casino Royale. Although I don't condone the remaking of movies, all I can say is It's about Freakin' Time! I was begining to wonder what this chick had to do!

*Maybe it's just me, but she looked a little too much like John Voight in that movie! I still get shivers...

Some Friends of Mine

I've been wanting to post these pictures for awhile.

Over the summer, Dwayne (If you're any kind of regular to this little blog, you know who he is) got a visit from his boys Dylan and Alec. I promised to post some pictures for them to show off back home. Like last year, among other places, Dwayne took the boys to Wizard World in Chicago. I think it's safe to say all three boys had a good time.It's become increasingly obvious that there was a sale on Stormtrooper costumes this year as every show I've been to has had at least a battalion of troopers on the scene. Here's Dylan and Alec with just such an example at this year's Wizard World though I think he's a little short to be a Stormtrooper (with apologies to Carrie Fisher).Holy Spandex, Batman! It's the Dynamic dorks! From left to right: Nightwing (or possibly Robin), Alec, Dylan and the Dark Knight himself.Sometimes, to kill time at work, I grab a Sharpie and a sheet of butcher paper and see what happens. In the case of Alec and Dylan's pictures, something good happened.

Dylan's superpowers seeming manifest in this picture-in-a-picture shot as he inherits the same Speedforce that powers the Flash.

Photo Viewing Made Easy

It was brought to my attention that some folks out there Don't quite understand the "click on the underlined text" part of the internet. For those of you who haven't figured the secret out yet, you simply click on underlined text to see pictures, files, other websites, etc. Here are a few pictures that the rest of us are privvy to. Get with the program, kids. Remember, if the internet were hard to navigate, it wouldn't be so popular...

Green Lantern and Soloman Grundy Duke it out for Cleopatra's affections. Like a true queen, Miss Cleo (in the background) seems completely oblivious.

Meow...

Mid-Ohio, Part Duex

Big news, boppers! Some new photos fell into my hands from Mid-Ohio by way of Nik Havert and I'm compelled to show them. Up first, we have Nik and me (the guy with the pencil in his mouth) about mid-show on Saturday. It's funny looking at the table from the other side. It seems so much bigger. I believe this photo was supplied by Dwayne or Nik's wife Mandy.

Clicking each image will enlarge them to a more viewable size.Up next was possibly my favorite sketch of the show, not because of the subject matter, that of a topless Lady Death, but it was this guy's meek approach to the request. The sketch turned out great for my first Lady Death (I still have no real idea who she is).

The crowning jewel of my sketch accuisitions at Mid-Ohio was this Batman Matt Feazell sketched on a memo pad for me.

Lastly and certainly not leastly, we have the lovely Miss Nic McClain showcasing our own Kelly Connelly of our upcoming weird western tale Salem, AZ. Miss McClain's resemblence to the six-gun witch is uncanny and she held us spellbound (there, I said it) as she posed for a few pictures.