Monday, March 11, 2013

Noted Fantasy Artist Bob Larkin Needs Our Help!

The perils of being a freelance artist are numerous...including not having medical insurance!
Bob Larkin, who’s done hundreds of paintings for Marvel, DC, Fleer and numerous others, is in desperate need of help.
Bob’s wife, Fran, has been battling various forms of cancer for the past 12 years and the endless medical bills have put an incredible financial strain on the family.
Fran is currently recovering from her latest surgery and Bob has become her caregiver 24/7 leaving him unable to take on new work.
To help pay the bills Fantom Press is offering numerous items for sale...including a new sketchbook (see cover above) of Larkin's art featuring never-seen roughs, prelims, and sketches!
The books are square bound, 8 ½ x 11″ 48 black and white pages and each one is individually signed and numbered by Bob. The paperback edition is $20.00 and there are two deluxe hard cover editions available that are in short supply. 100% of the sales from this book, as well as anything else that might interest you on site are going directly to the Larkins.
So, if you can, pick up a kool collectible and help one of our own in the process!
Talk about a win-win proposition!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Which Witch is Which?

Guess which witch becomes this witch in OZ: the Great & Powerful...
Click on pics to enlarge and download
Is it Evanora, played by Rachel Weisz?
Her sister, Theodora, performed by Mila Kunis?
Or Glinda, portrayed by Michelle Williams?
If you were one of the audience (including myself), who filled Disney's coffers with $80 million this past weekend to see the flick, you know.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Holiday Reading Room: EASTER WITH MOTHER GOOSE

Here's a short story featuring a plethora of fairy tale characters...
...as presented by a (then) future superstar of the comic strip or, (if you want to be pretentious) graphic novel form!
The title story from Dell's Four Color Comics #103: Easter with Mother Goose (1946) was written and illustrated by Walt Kelly, whose signature series Pogo wouldn't debut for another three years.
Trivia:
While Pogo as a stand-alone series began in 1949, various characters including Pogo himself and Albert the Alligator had appeared as supporting characters in other Walt Kelly-written and drawn strips since 1941.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Oz: the Great and Powerful

My admiration for writer/director/producer Sam Raimi is boundless...
...so, I'm going to see how he handles a prequel to the classic tale of the Wizard tonite.
Raimi has a knack for pastiche, using elements of existing stories to either re-tell tales with a twist (as in the Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, and the current Spartacus TV series), or do new material with "familiar" elements (Evil Dead trilogy).
See you tomorrow!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Reading Room: WIZARD OF OZ Conclusion

Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead...
...oops, they only said (and sang) that in the Judy Garland movie!
And this definitely ain't the 1939 flick!

However, the Wicked Witch of the West is, in fact, dead!
Using the witch's magic hat, Dorothy commands the flying monkeys to carry herself and her friends back to the Wizard's Palace in the Emerald City...
While not a perfect retelling of the novel, it's a helluva lot closer to the source than any of the various movies/tv shows/cartoons from 1908 to the present!
This never-reprinted book adaptation from Dell Junior Treasury #5 (1956) was scripted by Gaylord DuBois and illustrated by Mel Crawford.
Oddly, it's not listed in the Wikipedia article about various adaptations of the novel!
The Classics Illustrated Junior version (which is totally-different) is listed!

Heck, there have even been several anime versions...