LazyComixBlog

LazyComix Blog Has Moved

2009-09-26T14:21:00.002-04:00

Blog has moved here....

thanks for reading.

--randy

What I’m reading and/or Watching

2008-01-16T13:36:00.001-05:00

I picked up a few books at the shop last week…I was hoping to pick up some stuff this week as well but nothing new caught my eye.

Goon #20. Honestly, I go on about this book so much it’s getting creepy… this book is the cat’s pajamas.

BPRD 1946 #1: I’ve been picking up BPRD off and on for a while now. Amazingly, I’ve never read an actual Hellboy Comic… I’ve got to get around to picking up a trade. Anyway, BPRD 1946 is drawn by my former Marvel Bullpen buddy Paul Azaseta… he’s an amazing artist who should be on a major full-time gig… check this one out if you can. He’s like Alex Maleev without the Photoshop. Which is a good thing.

JLA Classified #20. I picked this up on a whim just because it was draw by John Byrne and written by Roger Stern. I know people tend to like Byrne’s “old stuff”, but when I flipped through this one at the shop Superman and Wonder Woman were fighting a big ass monster. So I figured it couldn’t be all that bad. I gotta say, after reading it I was pleasantly surprised. It was a nice old-school story with a bunch of action. I’ll pick up the next issue.

And I picked up the Batman book I lettered. Just to show off. ☺

Stay tuned.
--Randy

Books I Lettered But Didn't Read Until Now Review #4

2008-01-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

Peter Parker Spider-Man Volume 4: Trials & Tribulations
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Mark Buckingham

In this latest installment of “Books I Lettered But Didn’t Read Until Now” Reviews I give you Peter Parker Spider-Man Volume 4: Trials & Tribulations. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Mark Buckingham.

The first story in this trade titled: “Heroes Don’t Cry” was lettered by Comicraft, a solid story that harkens back to Roger Stern’s classic “Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” from Amazing Spidey #248. (1984) Jenkin’s version tells the story of a young African-American boy named Lafronce. Lafronce is a from a broken inner-city home and it’s his fantasy that he’s Spidey’s secret sidekick that gets him through seeing his mother drugged out of the couch. It’s a solid story with good heart and a nice albeit predictable ending.

The second story in the book was a really fun tale called: Snow Day. An old-school Spidey vs. The Vulture story… if you see this single issue (#37) in a 50-cent bin, pick it up, you’ll enjoy it.

After Snow Day story yours truly takes over the lettering chores.

As I look at my work in the book I can see how I was transitioning from being a pretty crude, inexperienced letterer to one who was beginning to figure this whole lettering thing out. It was around this time that Chris Eliopoulos was brought into the now defunct Marvel Lettering Department to whip us into shape. I was by far the letterer with the least experience in the department and looking back it was the best thing that ever happened to me as a letterer. Chris really took my work to more professional level.

My first story was a really odd one called “The Big Question”. This is the one story you can skip. It involves yoga. Go figure.

The trade rounds out with some good stories about Peter dealing with Aunt May now knowing that he is Spider-Man. Although with Brand New Day or One New Day or whatever they’re calling that train wreck over there now, I don’t know if Aunt Man knows he’s Spidey anymore. Nevertheless, Jenkins did a really nice job of taking the reveal and spinning a nice yarn about Peter and May’s relationship. He mixed in a few flashbacks to great Spidey stories and threw in some good action as well.

But really for me, the highlight of this book was the art by Mark Buckingham. He really draws a great Spidey with a clean old-school look.

All in all this trade was a decent read. So if Marvel’s current treatment of your favorite wall-crawler leaves your scratching you head. Pick this one up.

--Gent

New Comix in '08

2008-01-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

Pilfered this from Dean Haspiel’s always-great blog…. It’s a link to Heidi MacDonald’s “The Beat” blog where she got a bunch of creators from all walks of comicdom to plug what they’ll be up to as well as what they’re looking forward to in the New Year. Check it out HERE.

As for me…. I’m looking forward to getting back in the saddle and getting some new LazyComix!! Seriously I suck, I really need to get going, but hey, it’s called LazyComix for a reason. As for other folk’s work Jacob Chabot told me there will be another Volume of The Mighty Skullboy Army…. There’s some new stuff coming from Jeffery Brown that I’m sure will kick-ass. The best mainstream comic on the stands in All Star Superman so I’m hoping that’ll continue to come out this year. I’m digging Bendis’ Powers right now…. Of course there’ll be more of The Goon from Eric Powell as well. Plus who knows how many surprises.

Stay tuned.
-Gent

Happy Birthday Stan Lee!

2007-12-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Happy 85th Birthday today to “The Man” himself… Stan Lee! What is there to say about Stan that hasn’t already been said? He’s the architect of the Marvel Universe. Sure he had some help along the way from legends like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, but at the end of the day it was Stan’s enthusiasm that hooked people on Marvel Comics.

As a reader, he made you feel as if you were part of a secret Marvel club. From the nicknames in the credits (Jack “King” Kirby, “Jazzy” John Romita, “Happy” Herb Trimpe) to the amazing “Bullpen Bulletins”, reading a Marvel Comic in those days was a blast. I’d often flip to the Bulletins and Letter’s pages before I’d read the actual comic.

So go on out and read a good ol’ Stan Lee comic. Hell, Stevie Wonder could throw a cat in a comic shop and hit a dozen books that either written by Stan or created by Stan.

Thanks, Stan… here’s to 85 more.

--Gent

Goings On

2007-12-13T13:57:00.000-05:00

Boy, life sure gets in the way of this little mindless comic blog. In the past few weeks, on top of moving I switched jobs and starting freelance lettering again. So while things got crazy for a bit they’re settling in again.

As you can tell by the previous post I’m letting for DC Comics and I’m loving it. The change of characters and just general atmosphere really reinvigorated lettering for me. As I said earlier, I didn’t expect to get all jazzed about working on Batman but it was really one of the coolest gigs I’ve ever had. Since then I’ve worked on Detective Comics and Gotham Underground as well. This weekend I lettered Booster Gold. A book I know nothing about but it just the act of working on something new makes a huge difference.

In other news I picked up Ultimates Volume 3 #1 last week. New Joe Mad art. Can’t lose, right? Wrong. Mad is better than ever but the coloring just ruined the book for me. It was so bad I was startled by it’s awfulness. So bad I couldn’t believe they let the book go to the printer looking like a dark, muddy and completely overpowering mess. As a letterer you accept taking a backseat to the rest of the team. People don’t buy books for lettering and they don’t buy books for coloring either. People are buying that book for Joe Mad… not for the coloring. I’m hoping they’ll release a penciled version of the book, but we’ll see. Maybe next issue will be toned down a bit.

If you haven’t read all of Randall Issue One, you can read it in it entirety here… go check it out if you missed it over at Pixelstrips.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned… more NYComix are in the works as well as new Randall.

--Randy

I'm Batman.

2007-11-27T23:50:00.000-05:00

For 7 years I lettered primarily Marvel comics and about a year ago I left Virtual Calligraphy to pursue other things and to see if I could make it “on my own.”

This past week I started doing some freelance work with DC Comics and I’ve already got a few books from their Cartoon Network line under my belt. But tonight I started work on my first Big Book.

Batman.

For the first time in years I feel like a giddy fanboy.

Check out my first Solo Lettering work in Batman #672
Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Tony Daniel and Jonathan Glapion
On Sale December 26, 2007

--Gent

Marvel's Online Back Issues

2007-11-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

So Marvel announced their new online comic service today. 1000’s of back issues online for 10 bucks a month or a yearly fee of 60 bucks. It’s getting tons of press, Howard Stern mentioned it this morning and I’m sure the Marvel folks are beaming with joy at the reception their latest online business venture is getting.

What do I think about it? It’s a nice try. Looking back, I wasn’t crazy about DC’s Zuda announcement, but at least you’re getting quality original content by top quality creators for free. Marvel is offering Amazing Fantasy 15 for 10 bucks.

I just can’t figure out what these big companies are thinking. How long can they sidestep the question of bringing in new young readers? Just because it’s online doesn’t make it appealing to kids. The Internet is like television for kids today, there’s cool stuff online and there’s historychannel.com. Honestly do they think they’re going to get kids to stop playing Halo 3 by offering them the first 60 issues of Fantastic Four? Hell, I love Stan and Jack as much as the next geek but is your average 13 year old is going to read that stuff? They can watch or play the video game version of Spider-Man 3 or they can read the issue where Spidey defeated the Sandman with an industrial vacuum.

I’m on the extreme side of the online comics debate. I think they can put the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man online the say day it hits stands and sales won’t see a massive shift in numbers. The average reader is going to treat these online books like previews or a movie trailer. If they dig the book, they’ll buy it next month at their shop. I can’t remember ever hearing someone say they’d rather read a book online than physically hold it in their hands.

Maybe putting the entire issue online won’t ever happen but how about putting the first 7 to 11 pages online the day it hits stands? Maybe you’d try that book you’re on the fence about. This could even blow up that whole “writing for the trade” thing, as well. No more slow pacing fellas… hook your reader in 11 pages if you want to see a bump in sales.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day I have to remember that online comics are in their infancy and corporate comics don’t have the know-how or balls to take a risk with this stuff. It’ll take someone else to take a risk and get rewarded for it before the Big 2 hop on the bandwagon.

In the meantime, good luck getting a 12-year-old to read an issue of Uncanny X-Men from the Nixon Administration.

--Randy

Brooklyn!

2007-11-12T10:15:00.000-05:00

So yeah, I haven’t posted in ages. But I have an excuse this time! I just moved. From my cramped one bedroom apartment in Bay Ridge to a palatial 3-Bedroom in Bensonhurst. It’s been quite an adjustment so far. Bay Ridge is a really nice neighborhood with amazing restaurants and bars while Bensonhurst is a more “neighborhood” Brooklyn place. It’s still a safe place and all that but just a li’l more rough around the edges. But in the throws of New York City Apartment Living it’s every man for himself. When a bigger place opens up you have to jump on it. The day we officially took the apartment we were walking out when a car pulled up and asked if the apartment was available. It’s cutthroat, man.

Anyway, I can’t believe I’m actually living in Bensonhurst. I’m a huge Mafia buff, having read dozens of books on Italian Organized Crime and everyone mentioned Bensonhurst. It’s basically Ground Zero for the Brooklyn syndicates. I’m not as sure about what is going on today, from everything I’ve read it seems the Mafia has been really broken up. That’s not to say it’s gone by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just not what you see in the movies.

Bensonhurst has spawned some of the biggest mobsters of all-time. Sammy “The Bull” Gravano was born and raised in Bensonhurst before he became the most famous turncoat since Joe Valachi in 1961.

“Don Vito” Genovese operated in Bensonhurst. Genovese came up the ranks under the famed mobster “Lucky” Luciano. Genovese aided Luciano’s rise to power, which resulted in the creation of the “Commission”, which established the hierarchy of the mob and the “5 Families” that you see and hear about in films such as the Godfather.

Many of the guys who reached fame via Scorsese’s classic “Goodfellas” film were either born in Bensonhurst or in the case of Paul Vario, operated from Bensonhurst. Paul Sorvino played Paul in Goodfellas.

Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta was born in Bensonhurst.

Tommy “Two Gun” DeSimone, played by Joe Pesci, was every bit as crazy as the film portrayed him. DeSimone, was eventually killed by, according to Henry Hill, John Gotti himself. If you remember the great “Go get your shine box” scene, Billy Bats was a made man in the Gambino Family and Bats wasn’t DeSimone’s only run in with the Gambino family. While it is known that the Gambinos did kill DeSimone, Hill’s assertion that Gotti was the triggerman, is not. That does make a hell of a story, though.

James Burke “Jimmy the Gent” was played by Robert DiNiro in Goodfellas. Called Jimmy Conway in the film, (Conway was his mother’s maiden name) Burke was in foster homes most of his childhood. Incredibly, one of his foster fathers died in a car crash as he was turned around beating Burke in the back seat. His foster mother then blamed him for that, in turn beating him for years after. Reading about Burke is amazing stuff. He was basically a serial killer. He killed dozens of people and almost killed the famous New York City journalist Jimmy Breslin, chocking the writer to near death in public. Years later Breslin would receive letters from the Son of Sam. Talk about a couple of interesting on-the-job hazards.

Well, that’s enough of this little Mafia Lesson for today. Thought I’d give you an update on where the hell I’ve been.

Stay tuned for comics!

--Randy

Dead Means Dead

2007-10-25T17:04:00.000-04:00

The death of Captain America is a subject I’ve been thinking about recently. While the death of Cap garnered national attention the aftermath has been “when is he coming back? That got me thinking. What makes a well-done death?

It’s really a topic I can ramble on about for ages and I just might so read on at your own peril.

So what are the best Marvel deaths? I think it’s obviously the deaths that have lasted.

All two of them.

1. Gwen Stacy
Gwen’s death was one that stuck with me as a geeky fanboy who couldn’t believe Peter’s hot blonde bombshell girlfriend could possibly be thrown off a bridge by Spidey’s Arch-Villain the Green Goblin. The death was so impactful in so many ways. It actually made a bad guy seem like he wasn’t just a bumbling, ranting fool who’ll always screw up and be stopped by the hero before things get too bad. The Goblin actually threw a woman off a bridge. He didn’t threaten Spidey with it and give him time to rescue her, just chucked her off like a sack o’ stones. And if that wasn’t bad enough Spidey did manage to shoot some webbing onto her before she hit the water. But instead of her bouncing back into his loving arms. It snapped her neck. I mean that’s classic Spidey. He tries to save her and accidentally snaps her neck in the process. Meanwhile the Goblin watches and cackles like a guy in a green goblin suit who just threw a girl off a bridge. While writers have dipped their ugly disgusting toes into the death of Gwen Stacy story none have had the balls to outright bring her back. If they did… Ya know what? I’m not even getting into it.

2. Uncle Ben
This is the death of all deaths. Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man and the event that shaped Spider-Man. We all know how Uncle Ben went down and how it resulted in “with great power comes great responsibility.” Like the Wayne’s death created Batman, Ben’s death created Spider-Man as we know him today.

Getting back to the Death of Captain America. What makes Cap’s death different from the 2 mainstays?

Cap is coming back. It’s not even a debate. It’s only a matter of when and how.

There’s no debate when it comes to Gwen and Uncle Ben. Bringing them back would only set up their eventual deaths. Again.

It would only result in “shock” and gaggles of pissed off fanboys. Their deaths are integral to the mythology of Spider-Man. They’re keystones in the book. They really can’t be changed. (Well, they could but it would suck.)

So my question is what purpose did the death of Captain America serve? Sure it was well done but at the end of the day is killing a character worth it if the only reaction is one of “when’s he coming back”? Shouldn’t a death really be death?

It should shake a reader to his core. It should be so good that you can’t even think of a way to bring him back without dramatic repercussions. It should be so good that even new writers wouldn’t have the balls to bring him back. Writers would line up to bring Cap back. Someone might line up to bring Uncle Ben back but they’d be scared as hell about it. JMS dabbled in the Gwen Stacy story and that resulted in one of the crappiest Spider-Man stories of all-time. Ugh.

Dead means dead. There’s nothing truer in comics if the story is done perfectly. If not done perfectly… then its costume redesign time.

--Randy

Brooklyn Lights

2007-10-24T08:30:00.000-04:00

Oh, that always fun limbo between projects. With Randall done it’s time to move onto newer stuff. I’ve got a bunch of NYComix to get cracking on plus my first graphic novel. Which I’m planning on releasing in some new interesting way via the intraweb. Panel a day? Page a day? Who knows? I’ve got a few ideas but nothing solid yet.

So in the meantime here it is… Brooklyn Lights. A lil’ script snippet and one of my quickly mounting preliminary sketches.

Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday Joe Sinnott!

2007-10-16T09:53:00.000-04:00

Joe Sinnott was born in my hometown of Saugerties, NY 81 years ago today. Mr. Sinnott was a childhood idol of mine as the guy who actually “made it” in comics. He did countless appearances around town, illustrations for the local newspaper and visits to art classes. Every time I was lucky enough to meet him he always offered a kind and encouraging word.

What I didn’t realize back then was that Joe is one of the greatest inkers of all-time. The guy inked Jack Kirby better than anyone. His ink lines are so smooth its criminal… maybe someday my line will look half as good.

Joe in 2007

Joe with Jack Kirby in 1972

Joe's inks over Kirby on the cover of the classic FF 48

Thanks Joe & Happy Birthday.

Everyone go and read some classic Lee, Kirby, Sinnott Fantastic Four!

--Randy

VideoBlogs & Great Marvel Comic Covers

2007-10-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

LazyConversations… I’ve been talking about it for what seems like forever and I’m sure 99% of the folks nice enough to read this blog forgot about it when I mentioned it some months ago. Anyway it’s so on track that I’m about ready to release the first episode. Episode? Yup, they’re live action. VideoBlogs you might say. They’ll be posted on LazyComix.com and/or YouTube. I haven’t gotten that far yet as editing these puppies are way more work than I imagined. Nevertheless it’s a blast for an amateur filmmaker wannabe like myself.

The first few LazyVideoBlogs is going to feature a bunch of folks from the amazing web comic collective: Ac-ti-Vate. Go over there and check it out… great web comics pushing the medium of the web forward instead of jokes about video games.

•

I noticed the covers Joe Quesada is doing on his and J. Michael Strazynski’s Spider-Man: One More Day and while it’s cool to see them trying to bring back the old wonderfully designed covers of the Silver and Bronze age, they’re not quite there.

Great covers are a long lost art in today’s comic medium. Never Judge a Book By Its Cover but in the case of early comics it was the covers that sold the books. The covers told a story, they shocked you and made you want to pick up the book. Today it’s just a barrage of pin-ups and posters.

I did a quick Google search for “Great Marvel Comic Covers” and found this awesome site packed full of great examples of what covers once were. I was happy to see my all-time favorite issue; Amazing Spider-Man #26 was among the 4 Color Wonders by the likes of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko & John Romita Sr.

Amazing 26 is that book I always look to as the perfect example of comic storytelling. The “Man in the Crime Master’s Mask” storyline Lee and Ditko packed tons of action, Peter Parker problems including everything from a missing costume, Betty Brant & other assorted gal problems, Flash Thompson being a jerk, Aunt May pampering, J.J. Jameson flip-outs, Green Goblin suspense, underworld crime power shifting, Spidey getting his ass kicked twice and a potential secret identity crisis… all packed into 22 pages of classic Steve Ditko goodness.

Getting back to the cover here’s exactly what I’m talking about. Who the hell is the crime master and how is he able to beat Spider-Man? And what the hell does the Goblin have to do with it? That alone would make any red blooded comic kid tug his mother’s shirtsleeve begging her to pick up the book for him.

Meanwhile check out this site full of Ultimate Spider-Man covers like this one.

Huh. Assorted Spidey sticking to various New York City Landmarks. Riveting. Too bad they tell you nothing about the really great Brian Michael Bendis storylines inside.

I don’t know why this shift has taken place. I’d imagine that cover art is now basically stockpiling art to be used on any future issue they want.

•

So hey, stay tuned for the first LazyComixVideoBlog and enjoy those old covers… I defy you not to turn one into your desktop wallpaper! I did… good ol’ Jack Kirby on Captain America #106.

Thanks for reading.
--Randy

Movin' On To New Projects!

2007-10-02T11:46:00.000-04:00

So Randall is done. Well, not done in a finite way but it’s done enough for me to leave the story alone for a while as it goes through weekly updates over at Pixestrips again. Thank god for the Comic Geek Speak Episode 300 show for giving me a hard solid deadline. Otherwise I’d still be sitting on the darn thing.

Oh, and if anyone from the show is stopping by the ol’ LazyBlog be sure to drop me a line. The show itself was fantastic. A nice small show but with a very diverse group of artists… artists of webcomics, minicomics, animators, writers, inkers, colorists you name it, independent guys and mainstream guys. I sold a bunch of comics and did some sketching as well. I think it’s safe to say a great time was had by all.

Anyway so now I’m in that weird place where I wonder what I’m going to do next. There’s that graphic novel that has been written and rewritten over and over again for over a year now. It’s something I really want to get started on but it’s such a daunting task. As it stands it like a 70-plus page story written in screenplay format so I have no idea how the page and panel breakdown will work. I’d love to do it as a 96 pager, that way I can break it down to three 32-page chunks. Then I kinda fool myself into thinking it’s not one 96-page behemoth. Nevertheless there’s a ton of reference I still need to do before I seriously get started but it’s gone from a project in the back of my mind to one that I’m just about ready to tackle.

One thing I am going to start right away is some new NYComix. It’s been so long since I’ve done them and the feedback at CGS 300 as well as follow-up emails after the show from folks asking to see more makes me realize that I need to get new stuff out there. I’ve wanted to take NYComix a bit further than what they are now, more complex longer stories that combine the things I’ve learned from the earlier strips. And I’m working a new angle in them that I’m really excited about.

Again, getting back to how a deadline really makes me get things done I applied for a table at the 2008 New York City Comic Con… so if I get a table I’ll have another deadline in April to work towards. I have no clue if I’ll get a table but we’ll see. I dunno if they’re reviewing my work before they grant me a table or what. With my luck I won’t get a table and I’ll walk by an empty table where Rob Liefeld was supposed to be sitting. But I digress…

So in the meantime hit up Pixelstrips every Wednesday for new Randall pages. It’ll take ya right to the end of the first issue.

Oh, and watch out for the long ago announced LazyComix Conversations… I swear, it’s coming. Only in live action video! All YouTube style like the kids do.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
--Randy

Randall Cover

2007-09-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

I'm in the midst of putting this one together for this weekends Comic Geek Speak Episode 300 Gala. Only 25 copies so be there or you'll be forced to wait until I do another batch for a later Convention.

6 Years Later...

2007-09-11T09:07:00.000-04:00

This one is a few years old now...

--Randy

Comic Geek Speak Interview!

2007-09-10T11:11:00.000-04:00

Check out my interview at Comic Geek Speak... we talk all kinds of geeky goodness.

Thanks to the CGS crew for the spot.
--Randy

Reviews & News!

2007-09-05T12:17:00.000-04:00

Coming off the excitement of The New Comic Experiment I picked up 3 new comics last week, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Which ones, you ask?

The Last Fantastic Four Story
by Stan Lee with Art by John Romita Jr.

Stan Lee and John Romita Jr.? You can’t go wrong! Well, unless you’re a disgruntled fanboy. Being probably too involved with comic book message boards, I’m always fascinated with the things people say. Be it a recent thread about great Science Fiction movies where it was stated that Stanley Kubrik’s 2001: A Space Oddesy and Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner and Alien are “vastly overrated” while Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity are new genre classics.

But, I digress.

Getting back to Stan Lee, who instead of being thought of as the reason Marvel Comics exists today, is thought of as a washed up hack who doesn’t “get it”. Strangely this goes back to the Decompression Argument. If you don’t write like Bendis or Ellis you suck. But, I digress…again.

The Last Fantastic Four story wasn’t the greatest FF story ever told, but it was an extremely fun ride that I enjoyed the hell out of. Give Stan’s story outline to one of today’s writers and you’ve got a 12-issue storyline that I would’ve dropped 1 and maybe 2 issues in. Lee gets to the point. Introduce the threat, action and resolution. That’s what I want out of a mainstream book about a bunch of guys jumping around in tights. Simplistic, yes… but not every story arc needs to be the “event that changes the character forever”. As usual, JRJR’s art was fantastic. I don’t recall ever seeing his version of the Silver Surfer and that coupled with Stan’s dialogue on one of his favorite creations was great to see.

One major downfall of this book was the cover price. $4.99! 5 bucks for a comic book? Seriously? All right, there were extra pages…32 maybe? I didn’t count, but at some point these prices have to stop. 5 bucks is way too much. And hold the cardstock cover. Who cares? Anyhow, pick this one up if you can or if you don’t want to drop the Lincoln, pick it up in a dollar bin. Well worth it.

ACTION COMICS #855
written by Geoff Johns & Richard Donner with Art by Eric Powell

Anyone semi-regular on this blog knows that I’m a whore for Eric Powell’s The Goon. The book is one of my favorite comic books of all-time and Powell is one of the best artists in the biz. So getting Powell to draw an arc of Superman featuring Bizzarro is a no-brainer.

As you might imagine, Powell draws a perfect Bizzarro and his Superman has a very nice classic feel to it. The book got right down to business and with plenty of story AND action. Johns and Donner also mixed a really nice 2-page flashback about Supes younger days that was pretty touching.

After I finished this one I realized that I’m now reading 2 Superman books simultaneously. I’ve always been a Marvel Zombie, but there’s something about a good Superman book that brings out the fanboy in me. I haven’t gotten that feeling from a Marvel book in a while and it’s a shame.

Mice Templar #1

Story by Bryan J.L. Glass & Michael Avon Oeming
written by Bryan J.L. Glass with art by Michael Avon Oeming

I’m a huge fan of Oeming’s art and he surely didn’t disappoint here. The work is detailed and filling every single panel. You can tell he really feels strongly about the book just by the amount of work he’s putting into it. So that alone makes this one worth checking out. The story, on the other hand, was tougher for me to get into. It’s well thought out and you can tell there’ll be much more added as Glass & Oeming move along, but for some reason it felt rushed to me. Maybe there were too many characters introduced all at once or maybe I wasn’t sure which mouse was who, but I found myself getting a bit lost now and then. Nothing that would make me drop the book, but I’m hoping it’ll be made clearer later on in the story. Nevertheless, I’ll pick up issue 2. If you’re looking for something new to try, Mice Templar might be it.

So there ya go. Three reviews of new comic books…that’s a rarity around here. I’ve been busy reviewing old stuff so much lately I forgot they actually release new ones.

In LazyComix news I recently recorded an interview with the guys over at Comic Geek Speak along with Pixelstrips head honcho Kevil Volo. Check it out next week. I believe it will be released on Monday. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading,
Randy

Lunchtime Sketchbook 3

2007-08-31T14:56:00.001-04:00

Books I Lettered But Didn’t Read Until Now #3

2007-08-29T08:46:00.000-04:00

Wolverine: Origins, Vol. 2: Savior
WRITER: DANIEL WAY
PENCILS: STEVE DILLON

In this latest installment I review another book I lettered but didn’t read until now… “Wolverine Origins, Vol 2 Savior” by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon.

The basic premise behind the Origins series is that Wolverine can now remember all of his past and has to deal with all that comes with those memories.

Before I get into the review, let’s recap the “Origins” of Wolverine.

Going back a few years, during the Bill Jemas “era” Marvel decided to reveal Wolverine’s once shrouded in mystery origin. “Let us do it before Hollywood does” was a smart and commendable move on Marvel’s part. However, the resulting Wolverine: Origin book wasn’t exactly Batman: Year One. I’m trying to think back on it but I really can’t remember a damn thing about it. Which is a shame considering that we’re talking about the “origin” of one of the most popular characters of all-time, Marvel just can’t seem to get a storyline that has to do with Wolverine’s early years right, it’s almost as if they’re trying too hard. Wolverine’s Origin should be an epic show-stopping-page-turner but instead I can’t seem to remember a single page.

When the Wolverine Origins assignment was handed to me I was pretty excited about the book. You’ve got decades upon decades of Wolverine stories to tell and basically no continuity to tangle you along the way. Want to tell a Wolverine during World War I story? Sure! Wolverine in Vietnam? Fine! Wolverine running moonshine with Al Capone? Why not! The possibilities are endless.

Nevertheless I found the Savior storyline very lackluster. Like a lot of mediocre X-Books it’s convoluted and confusing. Where are we? Why are we here? Why does Wolvie give a crap about this cardamantium synthesizer that winds up being a fake or maybe it was real… I was thoroughly confused. Similar to the Punisher we have a running Dirty Harry-esque narrative that is guaranteed to give you at least one “I’m the best there is at what I do” per issue. Ol’ Wolvie will even explain the plot to you along the way in case you’re lost. Which you probably will be even with his long-winded exposition and by the time Wolverine’s son turns up you’ll be ready to either re-read the thing or give up. (Yeah, I said it, Wolverine’s son). Can anyone recall a good story about a major character’s offspring? I can’t and this one ain’t breaking that trend.

On the plus side you’ve got some real nice Steve Dillon art here. I got into his work on the original Marvel Knights Punisher run and his work here is a good as ever.

I hate to say it about a book I was a part of, but skip this one if you can. If someone gives you a free copy or you find it cheap, go for it. Maybe you’ll get more out of it than I did.

Thanks for reading,
Randy

The New Comics Experiment: RESULT SHOW!

2007-08-21T10:39:00.000-04:00

VOTING RESULTS
BPRD Killing Ground #1 by Mignola, Arcudi & Davis 15 votes at 20.83%

Bad Planet #1 by Jane, Niles & LaRosa 3 votes at 4.17%

Powers #25 by Bendis and Oeming 26 votes at 36.11%

Fables #64 by Willingham & Alexovich 17 votes at 23.61%

None of 'em! 11 votes at 15.28%

So I’m like 2 weeks late but here we go… the results of the first “New Comic Experiment”. You can see the results above. I should’ve figured that a Bendis book would clean house on the Bendis Board, but I’m glad I picked that book up…more on that later.

Coming in second was Fables #64. But here’s the kicker. At the time I left for the comic shop, BPRD was winning by one vote. So I never read Fables. Although many comments from the thread suggested I not pick up that issue because I would be lost in the middle of story.

An interesting development as that is a big problem with mainstream comics right now and part of the reason I tried this experiment.

There are so many 6 and even 12 issue storylines that it has to be putting a dent in sales. I just won’t pick up a book if the cover says its part 3 of a 6-part story. So by the time that storyline wraps up I’ve likely forgotten about the book or the creative team that piqued my interest are now off the book. There seems to be a lack of jumping on points for new readers. Especially with DC, as books like 52 and Countdown impact their entire line. There’s just no way I’m touching a new DC book. I’ve heard lifelong DC fans say they can’t keep up with it all, how would a casual DC reader like myself ever jump into that universe?

Marvel is slightly better, but again a lot of 6 to 12 issue storylines with no jumping on points. Not to mention we’re fresh of the Civil War crossover. And in the middle of World War Hulk, which isn’t a massive crossover, but a crossover nonetheless.

Well, before I start going further into a fanboy rant, let’s move onto a couple of really fun comics. Powers #25 and BPRD Killing Ground #1.

I’ve been an on and off reader of Powers since it’s Image days. I love Mike Oeming’s art, however the thing that has made me drop the book a few times has been the storyline. At its core Powers is a grim and gritty street level crime book with superheroes mixed in… a great combo. When the book debuted at Image with the “Who Killed Retro Girl” storyline, it was one of those books I couldn’t get enough of. As with any long running book it has had it’s peaks and valleys. It went through a few strange cosmic storylines that I just didn’t get into at all but the recent issue #25 has gotten back down into the streets. There’s still a little bit of cosmic alien stuff going on, but as long as the story doesn’t completely shift to “outer space”, I’ll keep picking this book up. This book needs to stay street level; it’s where Bendis and Oeming are at their best.

Another fun part of Powers is the back of the book. There are a few interviews, a lengthy letter’s page, a “No Life” section with DVD, book and CD plugs and reviews. Good stuff. I’ll be picking up issue 26 next month.

The second book I picked up was BPRD Killing Ground #1. Like Powers I picked up this book a while back but dropped it for some reason or another. Guy Davis is just a kick-ass and massively underrated artist. His work is like no one else’s in the business. I almost wish this book was black and white, although the colors by Dave Stewart by no means detract from Davis’s art. It’s just so refreshing to see an artist who isn’t afraid of letting a brush stroke look like a brush stroke that I think it could stand alone and hopefully inspire up and coming artists to stay away from this recent wave of photorealistic art.

So I’ll be picking up both of these books next time around. It’s safe to say the New Comic Experiment was a success. As I look at this week’s shipping list there isn’t anything grabbing my attention. We’ll see what looks good on the shelves tomorrow.

So hey, thanks for reading and if you voted over at the Bendis Board, thanks for your input.

--Randy

New Randall Artist

2007-08-16T09:12:00.000-04:00

I’ve always had this little pipe-dream that LazyComix will become a collective of artists all working together to make comics just for the love of it… a cool site to visit full of different web comics as well as a Blog full of reviews, rants, interviews, etc. I’m trying to do that, albeit at a snails pace, but the wheels are in motion.

A while back I announced that I’d be doing “LazyComix Conversations”, a series of interviews with comic creators. That is getting very close now and I think the first interview is really going to kick-ass. I’ve been throwing reviews up here at a good pace and I’m thinking of taking that a big further as well.

Another thing that has to happen to make this one-man operation a collective is to get some other people working here. So here’s how it’s going down. I’m wrapping up the first chapter of Randall right now. It’ll be available first as a mini comic at Comic Geek Speak’s Episode 300 celebration, after that it’ll hit Pixelstrips.com, LazyComix.com, etc. At the same time I’m going to get some new NYComix going and it’s impossible for me to write and draw Randall and NYComix at the same time. Not to mention finding the time to start other projects that are gnawing away at me.

So I’m looking for an artist to draw Randall. The great thing about releasing Randall through Pixelstrips (besides the fact that it’s a great web comic site) is that it’s a weekly comic so you don’t have to completely bust your butt to get pages done. Just getting 4 pages done ahead of time gets you a month of lead-time for any real life stuff that can and will get in the way.

So if you’re an artist willing and able to draw a weekly strip shoot me an email with either jPegs of your work or better yet, a link to your work. There have to be sequentials included, though. No pin-ups unless they’re accompanied by some ol’ fashion panel-to-panel sequential action.

I’ve got no specific kind of artist in mind and I’ll take a look at any style. You don’t have to color your work, if you can, that’s cool too but it’s not required. I’ll be writing and lettering the thing, so no need to worry about words.

Check out this link to see what I’ve already done with Randall.

So I hope to hear from you folk’s… thanks for any and all interest and I look forward to seeing your work.

If you’re not an artist or not interested in drawing my li’l funnybook… then I guess you just read this for nothin’!

--Randy

Mike Wieringo

2007-08-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

Some really sad news in the comic world today. Mike Wieringo long-time fan favorite artist of just about every major character you can think of passed away Sunday morning. Here’s the news from Newsarama.

The comics industry lost a luminary this weekend – Mike Wieringo passed away Sunday of a sudden heart attack. Details are still sketchy as of this time, but according to close sources, the acclaimed artist had chest pains at some point during the day and called 911, but the responders did not make it in time.

Wieringo was 44 years old. He was a vegetarian, and “one of the healthiest ones of us in the bunch,” as his longtime friend and collaborator Todd Dezago described him.

Wieringo worked every day, updating his blog and website with a constant stream of sketches at http://www.mikewieringo.com/. His last sketch was posted on Friday.

I had the pleasure of lettering his work on Fantastic Four and most recently on Spider-Ham. One of the best artists in recent history as well as a really nice guy.

Go pick up a book by Mike Wieringo.

The New Comics Experiment

2007-08-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

So I’m down to 2 ongoing comics that I buy “monthly” without fail. All Star Superman and The Goon. I say “Monthly” in parenthesis because I think they’re both considered bi-monthly. But even that varies from issue to issue.

I go to the comic shop every Wednesday. Being that I work right next to one I’m usually in there more than once a week just to kill some time on my lunch break. What I realized is that I gravitate to the usual suspects. Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, Batman… but none of these books really interest me right now.

So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to cherry pick 4 titles from this Wednesday’s shipment. One Marvel, one DC, one Image and one Dark Horse. 4 books I haven’t read at all, or in ages. I’m going to enlist the help of the Bendis Board and create a poll that the biggest and smartest fanboys around will vote on. If you’re not a member of the Bendis Board just state your pick in the “comments” section here at the LazyBlog and I’ll add it to the tally. The 2 that receive the most votes I’ll buy this Wednesday and read. This Friday I’ll let ya’ll know what I thought and if I’m adding them to All Star Superman and The Goon. If I’m not down with either one, I’ll give it another shot next week.

So without further delay… here are my 4 choices and my best explanation as to why I picked these books.

From DC:
Fables #64 by Willingham & Alexovich
I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this book and I never knew where to start. The solicitation for this issue says it’s a stand-alone story, so maybe this is where I start?

From Dark Horse
BPRD Killing Ground #1 by Mignola, Arcudi & Davis
I read some BPRD’s back in the day and I really love Guy Davis’ work. I got bored with the story and dropped it, but here’s a nice new issue #1. I’m willing to give it a shot if not just for the sweet Guy Davis art.

From Image
Bad Planet #1 by Jane, Niles & LaRosa
This is a reprinting of the first issue and issue 2 will already be on the stands this Wednesday. For some reason this book always looked interesting to me… maybe it’s the Horror Movie look/feel of the book.

From Marvel
Powers #25 by Bendis and Oeming
Another book I used to read regularly but dropped about 16 or so issues into the Marvel run. I’m a fan of both creators and the letters pages are always a blast. Solits say it’s the “perfect jumping on point”.

So there they are, folks… what 2 comics should I read? Feel free to tell me why or why not and of course, thanks for participating.

--Randy

Amazing Spider-Man

2007-07-30T17:16:00.000-04:00

Amazing Spider-Man was my Go-To book for many years but that stopped a few arcs into the Straczynski run. I’m not into his work at all and I’ve been looking forward to his departure so I could give it another shot. However, with that finally happening, Marvel throws a curve ball.

Amazing Spider-Man will soon be the only ongoing 616 Spider-Man. It’s also now shipping 3 times per month. (616 is GeekSpeak for the original Marvel Universe not the Ultimate Universe) During ComicCon Marvel announced the creative teams, one of which is top notch while the other three just make me scratch my head.

Dan Slott, Steve McNiven, Dexter Vines and Morry Hollowell
This is basically the Civil War art team with Dan Slott writing. Slott is a big-fan of Bronze-Age Marvel. He writes old school, fun storylines and I’d love to see his take on Amazing. Civil War, no matter what you thought of it, had some gorgeous art. That’s the kind of creative team that should be on a Flagship title like Amazing Spider-Man.

The rest of the creative teams rounds out like this…

Marc Guggenheim, Salvador Larrocca and Jason Keith
Guggenheim did a pretty lackluster run on a Wolverine book. So lackluster that I’m not sure if it was Wolverine or Wolverine Origins. I even lettered the books and I can’t recall. Larrocca did some nice art on X-Men back few years ago but his art has morphed into a Greg Land-esque photo-referenced light box look that really bums me out. I don’t know if he thinks this is a direction he should take his work with the current shift towards more “realistic” art, but nothing makes me drop a book quicker than photo-referenced art.

Bob Gale, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning and Jeromy Cox
Bob Gale co-wrote Back to the Future, Jimenez is a solid penciler but still, I don’t know how one can get excited about a Spider-Man book written by the guy who co-wrote Back to the Future. Maybe it’s just me. I don’t know if Gale has written anything else for Marvel but I’ve honestly never heard of the guy and I’m follow comics and creators pretty closely.

Zeb Wells, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townshend and Antonio Fabela
The final team is Marvel’s resident cartoony team. (Except when they substitute Scottie Young for Bachalo) I’ve never read a Zeb Wells book I’ve liked. There’s usually a humor angle to his work, but it’s seldom funny. Bachalo does some fun-stuff, but a team like this on Amazing Spider-Man just doesn’t fit.

As I mentioned earlier this is their flagship book. Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr. and Jr., Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen. These are big time names on a big time book. I hate to knock this admirable endeavor Marvel is undertaking, but I take my geekdom seriously… Amazing should have Hall of Fame creators on it. Amazing Spidey is the Yankees. Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle should be wearing that uniform… instead we’ve got the Kansas City Royals wearing the pinstripes.

Stay tuned tomorrow for The New Comic Experiment.

--Randy

Reviews, Plugs and Mini-Mini-comics

2007-07-20T16:04:00.000-04:00

Been a while since my last post but I have been working on stuff to get up here on the ol’ LazyBlog. I’ve been on a real kick of reading old stuff that I lettered and attempted to get through a few trades. One I almost finished and the other I just wound up flipping through after reading like 10 pages or so. The first was Peter David and Lee Weeks’ Incredible Hulk “Tempest Fugit”. The story was fun when Hulk was smashing, but meh when he was plain’ ol’ Bruce. The art by Lee Weeks was just amazing though, man that guy is good. I don’t believe he’s on a regular monthly book right now and I have no idea why. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the ugly green type lettering in the Hulk-in- Bruce’s-mind sequences were not my doing. They were done by production at the request of the editor. If the need for a special balloon was wanted I’d surely have done one a bit more exciting than making the type process green. But why ask the letterer do that when you’ve got a production office full of disgruntled underpaid workers to do it instead?

The book I couldn’t get through was a Black Panther trade by Christopher Priest. The wise cracks by an annoying sidekick through the first issue of the trade were just awful jokes shoehorned in strange places that just took your right out of the story. It also jumped around like crazy through a number of flashbacks and other story threads all of which bored the hell out of me. I’d tell you what volume it was but I don’t care and you shouldn’t either. Ugh.

A co-worker of mine found a couple of tiny Marvel comics somewhere around the office and gave them to me. I’d never seen anything like them and they sure are neat. A tiny bit bigger than a business card but with nice glossy cardstock covers and full-color interiors. As you can see I got a copy of Ultimate Spider-Man #1 and The Incredible Hulk #34 which kicked off Bruce Jones’ famously boring 47 issue run. I remember getting issues of that run in my comp bundles back when I worked in the bullpen and I’d quickly flip through to see if he’d really gone another issue without the Hulk showing up. It was quite an amazing feat, really. I actually reread issue 34 and was reminded how good an issue it was. Amazing art by John Romita Jr. (no surprise there) and a nice throwback to the Hulk TV show with Bruce on the run from whatever havoc his green alter ego left in its wake. But boy did that storyline just run out of steam quicker than Posh Spice in a pie-eating contest. What a shame.

I borrowed the first 2 issues of World War Hulk from a friend and I’m happy to see that Pack is really “Packing” (bad pun) tons of action into the story. Again with top notch penciling by Romita Jr., who is bar-none the best superhero comic artist in the biz, the story just flies by with Hulk smashing every single hero he can get his green mitts on. I’m waiting for Betty to show up at the end to calm the Big Guy down but that answer seems almost too obvious. It’ll be fun to see how it all comes together.

Oh, and Erik Powell finally finished his yearlong hiatus on The Goon. Issue 19 just hit shelves this week, so go pick it up. I’m been pimping that book like crazy since I started this blog.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned, Randall is almost ready to come back.
--Randy

Lunchtime Sketchbook 2

2007-07-20T15:02:00.000-04:00

After I drew this I realized it was a lot like an R. Crumb sketch I saw somewhere...

DC Announces Web Comic Division

2007-07-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

So one of the Big 2 have finally decided to dip their toes into web comic waters with ZudaComics.com. This was announced on July 9th through the New York Times and DC President Paul Levitz. I knew eventually one of the Big 2 were going to test this out, I just didn’t know how they were going to go about it. Like anything new from the major comic publishers it has it’s pros and cons. So let me break down how I feel about it.

Pros

1. A major company is looking beyond print comics in order to adapt the medium to fit the way people are now getting their entertainment. All comics will have to be in the 4:3 aspect ratio, which basically means a rectangle that fits on a computer screen so the reader doesn’t have to scroll to read it. This is something that I’ve went back and forth on since I started making web comics. In the end I settled for the traditional comic page size since I’m going to turn these into mini comics anyway. What DC can do with Zuda comics is make them downloadable to an iPod or iPhone, with the 4:3 ratio they’ll scale down nicely.

2. The comics aren’t going to be your traditional DC Universe. The submissions can be anything from superhero to auto-bio, color or black and white.

3. You’ll get paid for producing your web comic. ‘Nuff said.

Cons

1. They’re turning it into American Idol. 10 finalists will be chosen and then voted on by the fans. Why? I dunno. Maybe more traffic to the site as a way to find out how many people are interested in Zuda? I don’t know why this doesn’t sit well with me but the line will have editors who evaluate talent on a daily basis. Pick your 10 strips and after they run for a while see what strips are getting the most hits. Readjust the line from there. People doing these web comics will have poured their heart and souls into these strips (at this point for no money) and then they’ll have to run around to message boards pandering for votes. Not to mention the folks who have to sit and watch as their comic loses and their once high hopes dashed. Having an editor turn you down is one thing, having a gaggle of fanboys turn you down NCAA bracket style is another.

2. They mentioned that the line is a way to expand their intellectual property catalog. Comics turning into movies and TV are so common now that it’s mentioned right from the get-go. The comic isn’t the end result anymore, it’s the first step. I don’t know how the contract is going to work but I’m willing to bet the giant corporation is going to win out in the end.

3. You’re fighting for the right to have your comic published online when anyone with a pen and paper and a computer can already do it for free. That’s the beauty of a web comic. Instant publication on your terms.

So you can see I’m mixed on the whole Zuda thing. It’s great to see DC being forward thinking but there are still things that need to be ironed out. I guess this is to be expected as this is the first time a big comic company has done this. I’m hopeful and excited but my inherited lack of trust and/or faith in mainstream comics makes me wonder how this ship will sail. We’ll see.

And the funny thing is. Even though I already publish my work online and through Pixelstrips, being published through Zuda seems rather enticing. Even with the worries I spoke of above.

Thanks for reading,
--Randy

Decompression... what does it mean?

2007-07-02T17:42:00.000-04:00

Decompression. It’s one of those new terms that strikes up a conversation with comic book fans that’ll likely result in a rather heated debate.

First off what the hell does it mean? Wikipedia defines it as this: “Decompression is a stylistic choice in comic book storytelling, characterized by a strong emphasis on visuals or character interaction and usually resulting in slow-moving plots.” It even gives a page as an example, this one being from an issue of Astonishing X-Men #14 by Joss Whedon and John Cassiday. The Wiki entry goes on to mention that it originated in Japanese Manga and recently became popular in the mid to late 90’s through writers like Brian Michael Bendis and Warren Ellis.

I’ve read quite a few articles on the subject and it’s a topic that you can rarely find a straight answer. You often hear that it means stretching out the plot. But how and why is the writer stretching out the plot? Isn’t stretching out the plot really the same as “padding the story”?

I’ve been on message boards discussing the topic where Big Name creators have joined the conversation and said that a page long fight sequence is padding the story. That really struck me as surprising. Check out the aforementioned X-Men page. Can using 5 panels to show Wolverine say “Good morning” to his fellow X-Men not be padding while at the same time a 5-panel fight sequence is padding?

I just don’t get it. This is where I get hung up. And when I try to boil down why I disagree with this it comes back to what I want out of a comic book. A mixture of action and story.

Sure decompression is a stylistic choice, but it’s a choice that I wish wasn’t as popular as it’s become. At times a decompressed story can be a fun read but when it’s not working, decompression is just flat-out unreadable. So much so that it makes me feel like I just wasted my money.

Going back to where decompression started there is something that basically goes hand in hand with it. Widescreen panels. The cinematic approach to comic book storytelling. Our handy X-Men page above shows this technique as clear as day. A handful of other artists who are going this route are Bryan Hitch (Ultimates, The Authority) and Alex Maleev (Daredevil). Both of which are partners of Warren Ellis and Brian Bendis. Taking this cinematic approach obviously makes the artist and writer think in terms of cinema. 24 frames per second. The “time between the notes on a piece of music” is how an uber-popular writer explained decompression to me. An interesting concept but is this why people buy comics? For the time between the notes? Don’t people want the crescendo and not the silence between?

Hulk smashing a car on top of Ben Grimm’s head is a big note I don’t want to miss. I’m not really interested in the notes between the cars smashing into Grimm’s rocky dome.

Once again, if we use that X-Men page as an example you’ve got 2 silent panels capturing those “moments between the notes”. All right, sure. But are people really interested in an entire page of Wolverine sitting in a breakfast nook? There must be as Astonishing X-Men is one of the most popular books on the stands, but that isn’t for me.
Now all that smashing and action isn’t always great for story development but there is room for both. It’s the juggling of those 2 essential elements that make me love comics. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko packed Spider-Man’s origin into a space smaller than today’s standard comic book format of 22 pages. I believe it’s something like 15 pages? (if anyone out there has that info handy, let me know). Take today’s retelling of Spidey’s origin in Ultimate Spider-Man (by Bendis) and we got that story spread out through 5 issues. I enjoyed the story, but I do remember thinking that I can’t believe they stretched this out to 5 issues. And that was way before I’d heard of decompressed storytelling.

What will this latest storytelling trend lead to in the future? Is decompressed storytelling to today’s comic culture what the dark, gritty realism of Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns was to the 1980’s comic culture? We got some real crappy comics out of that movement but we also got some great one’s like “Kraven’s Last Hunt” by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. The problem is, can we really compare today’s comics like Ultimate Spider-Man and The Authority to Watchmen and Dark Knight?

Hmm. I don’t think so.

But we can sit back and watch the ride. Or seek out some comics with Batman knocking some thugs teeth out. Or go with the Fantastic Four eating dinner at a diner for 16 pages. The choice is yours. The shelves are full of comics these days.

Thanks for reading.
--Randy

Books I Lettered But Didn’t Read Until Now #2

2007-06-29T11:48:00.000-04:00

Even though my choice for the first installment of this Lazy Feature didn’t exactly set my Geek World on fire, I decided to pull another random trade off my shelf. This time around I decided shifting gears from a Garth Ennis book might be a good idea so I went with a good ol’ wholesome Captain America book. What I didn’t know is how wholesome this book turned out to be. And that’s not a bad thing.

Captain America Volume 4: “Captain America Lives Again” Collecting issues 17-20 and a Lee/Kirby Classic: Tales of Suspense # 66. Written by Dave Gibbons with art by Lee Weeks.

I have a lot of Captain America trades on the shelf and at first I was going to grab on of the Ed Brubaker ones (I think I have the first volume) but for some reason I just couldn’t do it. Maybe it’s because Cap “died” or maybe it was because I wasn’t in the mood for it’s “serious” tone. Maybe it’s because after all the media hype of Cap’s death, after all the new readers it brought into comic shops, Marvel decided to capitalize on that tidal wave of excitement by releasing the next issue a few months late. Way to keep ‘em coming back for more, guys.

But whatever, let’s get on with a Captain America book that I friggin’ LOVED!

Reading this trade reminded me why I continue to read Marvel stuff even when 99% of it makes me want the time I spent reading it back. But this trade made me feel like I was reading some old school Marvel.

The story is basically a “What If”. Starting off with Cap floating through the ocean in a block of ice but instead of getting picked up by the Avengers, he’s picked up by Nazis. Cap wakes up in a world where the Nazis won the war and the Red Skull is the big cheese. However, there’s an underground movement of freedom fighters led by your who’s-who of Marvel Superheroes. All out of costume but you don’t miss their fancy duds a bit. I’d go more into it, but I’d hate to spoil some of the neat reveals and surprises.

The story moves along at a great pace with tons of action and enough character interaction to make you wonder who’s up to what and why. There is even a time machine that is usually the down point of any story (the last time machine story I read involved Iron Man riding a horse in his armor complete with joust, Ugh) but Gibbons turned it into an integral part of the story without getting caught in the usual traps the time machine device can fall into. The time machine even tied the whole thing up in a nice bow.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the art of Lee Weeks. I’ve lettered a good amount of his work over the years and always enjoyed it but I never realized how good the guy is until I read this story. He’s one of the most underrated artists in the biz. I don’t know what he’s working on now but I want to go out and find more of his work. Actually, I have the trade of the recent Peter David run on “Hulk” that Weeks penciled. I’ll have to make the next book I pull of the shelf.

As a little bonus Marvel threw in Tales of Suspense #66, the origin of the Red Skull by Lee & Kirby. It’s classic, campy Stan Lee but still fun to read. A nice li’l addition to this really fun trade. If you get a chance to pick this one up, go for it. I think you’ll enjoy some good old-fashioned Captain America. I mean, he’s dead now…… right?

Thanks for reading, Folks!
--Randy

Books I Lettered But Didn’t Read Until Now Reviews #1

2007-06-20T10:43:00.000-04:00

Looking for some new comics to read I realized that I have shelves full of trades and I’ve read very few of them. One of the “perks” of being a letterer is the comps that show up at your door every few weeks. I haven’t been lettering full-time for months and books are still showing up. Last week FedEx left me with a few trades one being Wolverine Origin and the other was The Punisher. As I flipped through them I was surprised to realize that I didn’t remember either one at all. So over the past few subway commutes to work I decided to read one of ‘em.

So here’s the First in a series…

“Books I Lettered But Didn’t Read Until Now Reviews”
The Punisher Max Volume 7 “Man of Stone” by Garth Ennis & Leandro Fernandez

First of all as a letterer, this book was in the top 2 as far as the most well prepared scripts in which to letter from. This book was a breeze to letter for 40 plus issues and if the rest of my lettering work went as well as The Punisher did I might still be lettering. But that’s another story.

I was a huge fan of the Ennis/Dillon Punisher stuff back in the day and after reading the “Man of Stone” storyline I was reminded about what I don’t like about the Punisher Max incarnation. This really goes deeper than just the Punisher Max run but the entire Max line as a whole. But more on that later.

While Ennis is usually good for an entertaining read this story was as pedestrian as a Steven Segal movie. Here’s the ingredients. Take your loner (Punisher) and pit him against incredible odds as he faces a rogue Russian General on foreign soil. Throw in the Punisher’s tough-as-nails-and-hard-to-get Love Interest whose out for justice on her abusive husband. The abusive husband is your basic scumbag American Traitor who happens to be using the Russian General as a way to get the Punisher out of hiding. Segal--I mean--the Punisher sports some major machismo as he teams up with the Love Interest amidst a frenzy of sexual tension. He takes out the Russian with just his wits and a Houdiniesque escape that’ll make you wonder what the show McGuyver would’ve been like if it were an R Rated Movie. Oh, and don’t forget the General’s right hand man who has a major attitude problem but “surprisingly” gets his in the end.

Outside of the formulaic storyline Ennis’s writing was just peppered with curse words that are really the only reason I can see keeping this book in the Max line. Now I’m no alter boy, I’ve been known to curse like a longshoreman, but the use of these words just seem so out of place. It’s like a bad Howard Stern rip-off radio show getting a day of FCC Free radio. They seem to be used purely for shock value… although they’re not shocking to anyone over the age of 8.

When Marvel first announced it’s “Adult” line of comics it was thought that it could be the answer to DC’s very successful Vertigo line. Vertigo is almost an entirely stand-alone line similar to a creator-owned line or “independent” line of comics. Vertigo doesn’t hinge on Superman and Batman but rather books like “Fables”. Now I’ll admit that Vertigo has had much more time to iron out any problems while the Max line is still relatively new, but one would think that with a model such as Vertigo that Marvel could’ve learned from their cross-town rivals. Instead the Max line seems like its in limbo. Looking from the outside it seems as if the line could fade away and nothing would be missed. Just move the Punisher back into the regular Marvel Universe. Or turn Punisher War Journal into regular ol’ Punisher and viola!

While Vertigo seems to be a place where their creators can take independent ideas free of DC Universe tangles, Marvel has taken that possibility away from the Max line with the Icon Line, which is a series of books created to give big-name creators a place to show-off their non-Marvel universe creations.

What will Max Line’s fate be? Your guess is as good as mine. Right now it doesn’t look good unless somebody comes along with a clear vision as to what the line means to Marvel. Because it has to be more than a Punisher book fulla cuss words.

So that’s my first rather scathing review of books I lettered but didn’t read. Boy, looking back what’s more scathing than Segal movie comparison? Eeek.

I’ll pull something else off the shelf tonight…hopefully I’ll enjoy it!

Stay tuned folks and thanks for reading.
--R

Back with some cool news!

2007-06-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

So I can’t lie, I’ve been back from my Honeymoon for 2 weeks and it’s basically taken this long to come down from the amazing time Ereisa and I had. There’ll be some choice pictures at some time, so stay tuned.

Now it’s time to get back into the swing of things, which is one of the hardest things to do when you’re doing your own webcomic. There’s nobody to kick you in the pants when you’re late. One way I’ve found that is a great way to combat this is establishing a deadline. Sure, you can just arbitrarily pick a random deadline and that often works for me. “Randall Month” was one of those self-imposed deadlines that worked well for me. But this latest deadline is one that I’m really beginning to feel the pressure of but at the same time, I’m super excited about it.

If you’re a fan of comic book Podcasts like I am you’ve probably heard of Comic Geek Speak. They’re a long running show and are one of the best shows you’ll find online. Coming up in September they’ll be celebrating their 300th Episode with what is essentially turning into a CGS Convention. It started back on Episode 100 and it grew quite considerably with Episode 200 but 300 has all the makings of an all-out comic geek fest of epic proportions and I’m lucky enough to be a part of the festivities as a guest. Along with Mike Norton (DC’s The All-New Atom), Steve Bryant (Athena Voltaire), Morry Hollowell (Civil War) and others I’ll be there pimping NYComix and Randall. So if you’re in the Reading, PA area on September 21-23th stop on by. Tickets are available now through CGS so check it out. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the previous celebrations so expect nothing different for 300.

Sure this all sounds like a ton of fun but the reality of the whole thing is that I really need to get my ass in gear and finish the first Randall storyline. I’ve ironed out the last details of the storyline and have laid down the beginnings of the dialogue but what that really does for me is give me an idea of how many pages this bad boy will end up being. I think there are 15 pages on Pixelstrips now and it’ll be around another 15 or so to finish before September.

On top of all this I realize that I need to get people to come over and check out my comics so a little self-promotion needs to be done as well. One way I’m going to do this is a free sketch “promotion” I’m doing over at the CGS forums. So far I’m up to 14 sketches that I’m going to do now that will be picked up at 300.

Yeah, it’s a lot of work but it’s something that I’m really looking forward to. So if you’re a fan of CGS and can make it out to the show, let them know and then let me know you’re going to be there. It should be a lot of fun.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading,
Randy

Married?

2007-05-16T22:47:00.000-04:00

Comic Book Message Boards

2007-05-04T14:16:00.000-04:00

I spend more time on comic book message boards than I do actually reading new comics. I get just about all my news via “Spoilers” and from the sound of most spoilers I’m glad I find out that way than if I dropped 3 bucks to find out Gwen Stacy had a fling with the Green Goblin before she died. (And that said fling resulted in a pair of super powered kids bent on killing Spider-Man.)

Message boards are an interesting look into the world of fans and I’m always fascinated by what I read. Is it simply a fraction of fans or does that fraction represent the larger sum? Does “WebShooters2’s” opinion really show what the fans think or does the secrecy provide the necessary cover that lets folks say things just to get a reaction out of people? Nevertheless, message boards are always a riveting insight into the world of comic book fandom.

Here are Top Five surefire ways to start a fanboy message board riot.

1. Go on any creator’s message board and say something bad about his/her work.

Now this doesn’t only go for extreme things like “So-And-So sucks donkey balls”. I’m mean, anything at all. Go on the Bendis board and mention that the latest arc of New Avengers could have been 6 issues instead of 12 and sit back and watch the fireworks.

2. Mention John Byrne in any context.

This cat is the lighter fluid in the Fanboy Weber Grill. Most stems from his very odd online presence in which he’s established himself as a curmudgeon yelling at the kids to get off his lawn, but John Byrne circa 2007 has almost erased the memory of the ground breaking work he did on X-Men and Fantastic Four. Again, I’m not saying that work is completely forgotten, but his grouchy routine certainly contributes to the “What have you done for me lately” attitude of some fans.

3. Mention Frank Miller in any context.
Similar to Byrne but without the curmudgeon aspect. Most of this comes from his latest All Star Batman and Robin run that comes out about as often as Haley’s Comet. Sprinkle a little Dark Knight 2 into a conversation and watch sparks fly.

4. Late Books
Late book discussions really bring up some interesting conversations. On the whole, they’re obviously bad things but on occasion, people just don’t to care. Like for some fans, The Ultimates by Millar and Hitch can be as late as it takes Hitch to find Samuel L. Jackson reference while for others 5 months between issues is completely unacceptable. Books written by “Hollywood” writers are interesting subjects as well. Last I heard Allan Heinberg is basically going on a year to write and issue of Wonder Woman…. The same colossal delays go on in his Marvel book Young Avengers. But I seldom read anything bad about a guy who is apparently so busy writing “The O.C.” that he can’t squeeze in a few hours to bang out a 22 page comic script. Late books are always a fun message board read not to be missed.

5. Photo-Realistic Comics.
This is one that is also split. How so, I dunno. I lettered one of the biggest culprits of this on Ultimate Fantastic Four, namely Greg Land. Now I know there’s no concrete evidence that this guy is light boxing Jessica Alba for Sue Storm panels but a few interesting pieces of evidence have raised some eyebrows in recent years. Like this one and this one. Again, in the world of comic book message boards this obviously shady practice is given a pass by some in the name of “great art”. With “great art” being more in the eye of the beholder than ever.

Alright that’s all for now. Go over to the Bendis board and mention how there are too many balloons in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man.

Stay tuned!
--R

Grindhouse

2007-04-19T17:47:00.001-04:00

Grindhouse

I went out last night and finally checked out this flick and goddam is this a great flick! First of all it’s 2 movies in one by 2 of my favorite directors. Second it’s a throwback to old exploitation/B-Movies/Horror movies. Third it’s a couple of guys making flicks they want to make, the latter being something that has become increasingly more important to me as of late.

Being that I’m a little late to the boat (along with everyone else who is going to see “Wild Hogs” instead of this movie) I’m sure you know the deal. Robert Rodriguez kicks off the show with “Planet Terror” a Gore-Fest of great Zombie movie proportions. Full of everything you’d expect from a movie starring a Go-Go Dancer with a machine gun leg Rodriguez has brought his filmmaking to a place where he can virtually put anything he can imagine on screen and he has a hand in every aspect of his work. He writes, directs, edits, does the sound track, acts as visual effects supervisor and director of photography. He’s working fully digital all from his own friggin’ house. He’s one of the few modern day filmmakers who are harkening back to the days of the 1970’s Film Brats. Back when guys like Francis Coppola were starting independent studios like American Zoetrope. Zoetrope never came fully into fruition thanks to some impatient studio heads, but the genesis of the studio spawned into George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and others. Rodriguez’s own studio “Troublemaker Studios” is even farther from the vile clutches of Hollywood, residing in Austin, Texas. “Planet Terror” pulls no punches and is a wild ride complete with Rodriguez’s trademark fast action and super quick cuts. Along with some fancy “Missing Reel” editing, “Planet Terror” alone was worth the admission price.

In between features you have a handful of hilarious “trailers” by Rob Zombie and Eli Roth’s hilariously disturbing “Thanksgiving” trailer. All of this and we haven’t even gotten to Quinten Tarantino’s “Death Proof”.

Now pretty much everyone I’ve talked to or read about who’ve seen Grindhouse prefer QT’s flick to Rodriguez’s. But the best part of this is that both movies are completely independent of one another and are just different interpretations on a theme, the theme obviously being Grindhouse movies. Death Proof stars Kurt Russell in one of his best roles ever as Stuntman Mike. You know what. I’m not even about to spoil the wild ride Tarantino takes you on through this movie. It’s honestly one of the best times I’ve even had in a theater. Amazing dialogue with one of the best car chases since “The French Connection”. QT is flat out one of the greatest filmmakers ever. To ignore anything that this guys puts on film is waste of every movie lover’s time.

In true “Lazy Rambling” tradition I should go into a long diatribe about how the American Film going audience is a giant gaggle of blubbering idiots who should all have their theater going rights revoked for the remainder of their lives…. But I won’t.

Go see the movie…

All Star Superman

2007-04-13T19:40:00.000-04:00

When All Star Superman came out, I had my doubts. Morrison is one of those writers that is just hit or miss with me. He starts off strong and just fades away before the finish line. So going into All Star there was some trepidation mixed with hope. Hope that there would be a Superman comic that I would actually love to read. With the release of the 7 issue I’m forced to gush over this book. Maybe it’s because my beloved “The Goon” (Eric Powell) is on a hiatus but I actually read All Star 2 times in a row in one sitting. Issue 7 is a 2-Part Bizzarro storyline with an amazing cliffhanger backing up a fun, action packed storyline that made me laugh-out-loud and just enjoy a good old-fashioned superhero story starring the original superhero. It’s worth mentioning that this 2-part storyline is as long a “storyline” as you’ll find in this series. If memory serves me right, this is the first multiple part storyline of the book. Check out Morrison’s 1 page, 4-panel, 8-word retelling of Supes origin. There’s no “Decompressed” storytelling going on here.

I can’t recommend this book enough. Even if you’re one of those readers who isn’t a huge fan of Grant Morrison the incredible art by Frank Quitely is worth the cover price. (The colors by Jamie Grant are amazing by the way.) The hardcover of the first 6 issues just came out so you can grab the whole run in one trip to the shop.

So I hope you enjoyed my gushing.

Gent signing off.

--Randy

p.s. Go read Randall over at Pixelstrips.

I Remember when Comics used to be 2 Dollars!

2007-04-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

How much more expensive can comics get? $2.99 was always my cut-off for a 22-page comic. Sure 3 bucks isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, but there are so many comics available why stick around for long on something for that price? A 6-issue storyline is going to run you around 20 bucks. You might as well wait for the trade at that price. At least you won’t have to flip through a ton of ads and wait god knows how long for the book to actually come out. Plus by the time the storyline ends there’ll be plenty of reviews to look at before you really decide if you want to buy the thing. And if you really want to save some money, order your trades online at a place like InStockTrades and pick it up for like 10 bucks.

Now I’m more likely to drop 3 bucks for an independent comic than I am for a comic from the Big 2. In my opinion the Indie guy earned the extra buck while the Big 2, with more hype, more ads and shoddy scheduling have to prove themselves a bit more to me. Sure the Indie book might wind-up sucking just as much as the Spider-book but I just feel a little better about giving my hard earned money to an indie book than a corporate comic. My li’l way of stickin’ it to da man, you might say. (The Man stuck it to me for 7 years so what the hell.)

This topic makes me think about the future of digital comics as well. While I really believe that web comics like those on Ac-Ti-Vate are providing the model for self-publishing online, the future of mainstream comics online is still a murky one. Recently Top Cow announced that they would be providing digital downloads of their books through the website IGN. For a Buck you can download a PDF iTunes style but the catch is… all downloads will be at least one-year behind their new releases. Now while I know this basically the first time a “mainstream” company is doing this, I have to say they’ve screwed this up in a major way. I understand that they’re protecting the retail comic shops by keeping the books a year behind, but who the hell is going to download a year old Top Cow book for a dollar? First off, reading a standard comic book as a PDF file is a major pain in the ass. Second, printing 22 pages of a full-color comic is a giant waste of ink and with the price of your standard ink-jet printer toner, forget it. Third, this is Top Cow. I defy you to not find a Top Cow book in any 50-cent bin and I’m not talking about a Top Cow book from last year (which will surely be in there) I’m talking about last month’s Witchblade. Which apparently they’re still publishing and Michael Turner isn’t penciling. This isn’t going to work and nobody is going to care.

Mainstream books have to take their web comics to the next level. Offering old books or chunks of current books isn’t making a big impact.

How can they make their web comics significant? Offer something online that readers can’t get anywhere else. A daily strip that is New. Tell something that happened between the pages of the current issue of Amazing Spider-Man. It can’t hurt to try. Pay a creative to create a webcomic. You won’t have to pay for printing costs so what the hell?

Comics are going to need to change soon if they’re going to survive in their current stapled form. More needs to be offered if they’re going to gain new readers and keep them. Not to mention if they’re going to get old readers like myself.

Thanks for reading, folks and feel free to add your thoughts… this is a topic that spurs my inner geek.

--Randy

Randall Reminder

2007-04-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

We're weekly again! The adventures continue every Wednesday at Pixelstrips.

If you want to brush up on what has already went down here.

Thanks for looking and feel free to write me at Randy@LazyComix.com

Wanna Letter Comic Books, Kid?

2007-04-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

Every now and then you see someone talking about lettering online. I came across and interesting conversation between a few big name writers and Richard Starkings (of Comicraft fame).

If there’s any doubt as to why I couldn’t keep lettering on a daily basis anymore, this might give you an idea.

From what I can see, this all started due to a post by Greg Rucka on his live journal page about going over the lettering he got back from a issue of “52”.

Want to know a lost art?
Lettering.

Just spent an hour and a half going over the lettered copy of Week #48 of 52. The issue is of particular importance to me for obvious reasons if you've seen the cover. If you haven't, you'll know it when you read it.

An hour and a half compiling detailed notes and making extensive corrections to 18 out of 20 pages. Nearly 50 separate mistakes, from missing punctuation to mixing up captions with spoken lines, right down to giving the lines to the wrong characters.

A fucking hour and a half.

I miss Todd Klein.

Instead of artists like him, we get [Comicraft] instead.

This prompted a thread over at another "Big Name" writer’s message board, Warren Ellis.

That was one of the biggest wrenches when I started working for America. "Where are your placements?" "Why aren't you numbering your copy fields?" The number of times I had to explain that lettering know how to both place and count...

Now, I’m not a huge fan of Comicraft but I’ll sure as hell stick up for them before I do a writer who makes more money on one page than then a bullpen letter makes on a book.

Why do these guys need placements? Because there’s a million different characters not named Spider-Man and Batman, that’s why. Talking heads of detectives in suits who look the friggin’ same… or my personal favorite from my time lettering: A scene in the United Nations… full shot of the entire room full of dozens of men in suits… no placements and I’m supposed to know who Joe Schmo is. And if you point to the wrong character (because how the hell would you know where the balloon is going) you get snide comments and cries of you being lazy from an Editor or a writer. Not to mention that placements speed up the lettering of a book that is likely late due to the artist and/or writer.

Does Rucka think this letter wanted to mess the book up? Did the letterer get placements to make sure it went more smoothly? Or was Rucka too busy? If he was, then maybe he ask himself if sitting down with a sharpie and doing the placements would take him an hour and a half. What script did the letterer get? I know from experience that you’re more likely to get struck by lightening while hitting the lottery than you are to get a script that was proofed by the editor. Hell, many times an editor gave me the wrong draft of a script. Imagine lettering the first draft of a script only to find out there have been 3 drafts after that one that you just spent 5 hours lettering. And guess how much the letterer gets paid for re-lettering that book? ZERO. Or how about the writer who won’t do his final draft until the letterer finishes the book with a script that he and everyone involved knows is going to change dramatically later on? And how much extra cash does the letterer get for lettering entire pages that will be completely scrapped and replaced with new dialogue? ZERO.

So the next time you’re a Big Name Writer. Making really good money to do a job you’re privileged to do… a job that is likely your dream job… a job that pays royalties for years to come. Remember that the letter is a guy who makes a flat rate that is a fraction of what you make. And remember that the letter is busting his ass to get that book out on time because nobody gives a shit how much time the letterer has to finish the book. Remember that the letterer probably finished that book overnight only to wake up a few hours later to reletter it. And remember that the letter takes a ton of pride in how his work looks on the page.

Reading that stuff gave me the old lettering feeling again. One of frustration and aggravation.

--R

Randall Is Back!

2007-03-31T12:17:00.000-04:00

Next week kicks off All-New Randall pages going live every Wednesday over at Pixelstrips. Check out a preview here and I'll be sure to remind ya'll come next Wednesday...

-R

Lunchtime Spidey

2007-03-31T11:55:00.000-04:00

The first in what will be a new feature here. Done with fine point micron pen and colored in photoshop.

The Devil's Rejects

2007-03-18T15:34:00.000-04:00

So I’m always on the lookout for some good old-fashioned Horror flicks. A few months back I re-watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the Tobe Hopper version, not the crap that just came out) and upon growing older and a little smarter about film I realized that it is a really well made flick. It’s beautifully shot and expertly edited. For a film most people think of as one of the bloodiest movies ever it’s actually edited in a way that shows very little of the gore. It’s the unknown and unseen off-camera that is truly disturbing about Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece. You’re more scared of what can happen than you are of what has happened. (Even though what has happened is scary as hell.) It enters into the psychological aspect of fear while simultaneously showing a chainsaw wielding, skin suit-wearing maniac on screen. That’s a pretty neat trick to pull-off as a filmmaker.

This kind of horror film is rarely made today. I think it’s a mixture of a few things that has led to the rather sad state of the present day horror movie genre. Studios are almost exclusively releasing focus group tested movies. Sure there are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part a big studio isn’t going to consider a low-budget horror flick when the can release Saw 4 with a built-in audience. Why make a Devil’s Rejects when you can do Saw 4 and/or make a Chainsaw remake with CGI and the latest WB actress that happens to be on the cover of Maxim? These kinds of movies have that “built-in audience” that grabs The Suits attention more than sitting through an unknown pitch. This stuff goes right on down to comics these days. Why are they pummeling fans with “Event Comics”? Because they sell and they know people will buy them no matter what.

All right, on to the real matter at hand. My reaction to the closest thing to a 1970’s low-budget horror flick: Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects.

I really dug about 2/3rds of this movie. It had a little Chainsaw, a little Last House on the Left and even a little Bonnie and Clyde. Zombie did some really nice things with the camera and some really nice use of Needle Drops along the way. They got a little repetitive and at times I wondered if they only used the Needle Drop because they paid for the rights to the song, but nevertheless I was impressed by the look of the film. While there were a lot of old horror homage scenes (Like Chainsaw and Last House) there was that twist to them that made them not come off as a total rip-off. The only thing that really bothered me was the last half hour. The pre-established characterization went out the window when it served the plot as well as the use of a rather convenient and confusing plot devise. (The deformed mongoloid that saved the day and then walked into a burning house as if the reason for doing so obvious to the viewer.) The car scene at the end just seemed weird to me, almost like it was an afterthought, but hey, who am I to complain? There weren’t any CGI monsters and bad acting like you see in flicks like Saw or The Hills Have Eyes. Which, I should confess I haven’t been able to sit through because I suddenly become a luddite when it comes to making horror movies. They should put a cap on Horror movie budgets and completely ban the use of CGI in every one. Prove me wrong, but I haven’t seen it work yet.

Anyway, if you’re a horror movie fan, check out Devil’s Rejects. It was a pretty solid flick…. Especially if you’re a fan of 70’s horror movies.

Thanks for reading,
Gent

Diverging Comics Interview

2007-03-16T19:10:00.000-04:00

My first post-lettering interview is up over at Diverging Comics dot com... Check it out here!

Big thanks to Sean and Wayne for the exposure.

Stay tuned for another Podcast interview next week.

--Randy

Another Sketchbook Bites the Dust

2007-03-11T19:41:00.000-04:00

I don’t know of too many artists that don’t carry a sketchbook with them at all times. Some do incredible work in their books, while others like myself, use it almost as a diary. The bulk of my sketchbooks are filled with “Subway Sketches”. Which is something that was introduced to me by a teacher at Pratt. He or she (sadly I can’t remember what teacher is was) made it a homework assignment to bring in a few pages of our sketchbooks filled with people we drew on the subway. At first it was tough for me. I’d hunch over my sketchbook in a vain attempt to hide what I was doing but as time went by I reached a place where I could just draw without caring who was watching me. Although I do feel weird when the person whom I’m sketching realizes that I’m using them as a figure drawing exercise. A handful of times people have gotten up and walked away after realizing what I was doing but after the hundreds of people I’ve drawn that’s a really rare occurrence.

Unfortunately, working from home for 4 years made it tougher and tougher to fill up my sketchbook. I’d only ride on the train a few times a month but with my job forcing me back into the NYC Rat Race I just finished a great little sketchbook that Ereisa bought me back in 2004. I can’t believe it took me this long to fill up 192 pages but it did. So before I file this little book on the shelf with all my other spent sketchbooks, I thought I’d scan a few choice pages and throw them up here on the bog. Flipping through it’s really fun to see the work go from good to awful to horrendous to bad. It was also pretty wild to see quite a few rants about wanting to get out of lettering. I also did a few streams of conscious comix for the first time, something that I’ll diffidently be doing again in my new sketchbook.

So check out a few random sketches.

1. Cover
After I finish every sketchbook I go through it and write down anything that I did in it that I think I might need and/or want to use later on. There are 3 upcoming NYComix in this sketchbook and they’re noted at the bottom. I also did the Randall Redesigns in this in there.

2. NYComix Volume 2 Mini Comic Cover Ideas
I knew from the start I wanted to do a stencil, but none of these ideas made it very far.

3. Old Man
People get off the train before you can finish drawing all the time. This guy got up right when I started and it morphed into this weird thing.

4. Randall Redesigns
The redesigns just started in here and then went on to a bigger 9x12” sketchbook I use for character designs and page thumbnails for comix. I even do a few pages in that sketchbook instead of on art board. But that’s fairly rare.

5. Comix
Chris Ware’s sketchbooks got me into doing comics in my sketchbook. Something I never considered before. None of these will become more than this, but one will… (Although not the one I’m showing here.)

6. Monk’s Mood
Listening to Jazz on the subway is a favorite pastime of mine. This was done while listening to Thelonious Monk’s “Monk’s Mood.”

7. DMV
Not done on the Subway but at the Midtown Manhattan DMV. I think it was an almost 4 hour wait. The character is “Art” who I guess is becoming my other comic persona…he made an appearance in the first (and so far, only) “LazyComix Presents…” More of the ol’ curmudgeon to come.

8. Subway Sketch
One of the more tolerable examples of my subway sketches. This one done on the way home from my first day at the new job.

So there you have a few excerpts from my recently depleted sketchbook. I’m already 2 pages into a new one. Let’s hope this one doesn’t take almost 3 years to finish. Boy, that’s pathetic. I need to draw more.

In other news I’ve got a few things coming up including a few interviews. One in plain ol’ print and the other a podcast where you can hear me babble for over an hour. More on that stuff to come.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading,
Gent

Reviews of Old Stuff

2007-03-04T14:59:00.000-05:00

So 2 weeks down at the new job and only 2 blogs to match. Gotta get more into the swing of this thing and figure out a way to post more consistently. Even so, I wish I had some reviews of new comics to make but this week was an uneventful trip to the comic shop. Instead I’ve got a handful of old comics that I picked up at the NYComicCon.

The 2nd Annual New York Comic Con was pretty good. Much, much bigger than last year and from what I hear it was a more organized event. While there I picked up a few comics out of the dollar bin. “Dollar bin”, god-forbid they have a 50-cent bin. You’d think they’d sell more that way. I mean, I’m assuming this is all left over stuff. I know I would’ve picked up a lot more back issues at 50 cents.

Anyway I picked up the first 3 (of 4) issues of Evan Dorkin and Dean Haspiel’s-- The Thing: Night Falls on Yancy Street. Dorkin and Haspiel really had a grasp on what made Ben Grimm The Thing. They also clearly have love for the great Lee/Kirby FF of the 60’s and of 70’s Marvel books. I absolutely loved it and I wish they had that issue 4. Guess I’ll have to track it down. I don’t think this is collected anywhere, unless they packed it into the back of an FF trade somewhere. If anyone knows, shoot me a message.

I also picked up a random issue of “Web of Spider-Man”. (Issue 30) I remember that I had the issue back when I was a kid but after reading it (and not finishing it) I can’t figure out what made me remember it. It dealt with a character called “The Rose” and a new Hobgoblin. It was really convoluted and spent more time telling stuff that happened in other issues of whatever Spidey books they were putting out back then than it did telling its own story.

I also picked up Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #15 with a story by Paul Pope. Pope’s art is so good I’ll basically buy anything he does. I don’t know why this series was cancelled but the premise of the book was something I wish Marvel would try again. Self contained Spidey stories by established creators who primarily work in the “Indy” world. Bendis did this as well with Ultimate Marvel Team-Up. Maybe they’ll get back to this someday but I doubt it. Reading that Spidey story made me realize that I haven’t read an ongoing Spider-Book in a few years now. I’m still on my fanboy soapbox with Amazing Spidey. As long as JMS is on that book I won’t read it. I had hopes for Friendly Neighborhood with David and Weiringo but they kicked that off with that “The Other” storyline and followed that up with the Iron Spidey thing. And I’m not even sure what the other Spider-Book is. I will be picking up Ultimate Spider-Man when Stuart Immonen takes over. I’ve read the Bendis/Bagley version off-and-on but I grew tired of Bagley’s art after a while. I just can’t get into his work. Immonen, on the other hand, is an artist whose work I really enjoy. I lettered his stuff on Thor a few years ago and his style has really changed since then. I read a few issues of Nextwave and while his work was great I wasn’t a fan of Warren Ellis’ writing. I’m definitely looking forward to Immonen’s Spidey work, though. It’ll be nice to read some Spidey again.

Speaking of Warren Ellis I read his and Adi Granov’s Iron Man: Extremis trade last week. I lettered this storyline but didn’t read a word of it while I did. The book was chronically late and up against a deadline plus there were a few chunks of 20 plus balloon pages that would’ve taken me longer to read then letter, so it was nice to read it without really knowing what was going on. I’ve never read any of Ellis’ big stories like Transmetropolitan or Planetary and as I said earlier I didn’t love Nextwave or his Ultimate Galactus stuff so my expectations weren’t high. I gotta say though, I really enjoyed this story. Without spoiling it the story deals with a new version of the super soldier serum that was ingested by a terrorist hell bent on destroying the future. Ellis really jumped Iron man and the armor into the next generation making the armor more than just a wearable weapon. While there were some chatty parts they didn’t bother me much and there was plenty of action to make up for it. Really, the one thing about the book I didn’t love was the painted art by Adi Granov. While it was quite nice in places, the endless barrage of Tom Cruise reference got really old fast. This stuff is becoming more and more prevalent with Marvel books lately with guys like Bryan Hitch and the king of photo reference (or light boxing) Greg Land. I don’t know what’s up with it but man it annoys the crap out of me. It’s “Photo Reference” not “Photo Replication”. Nevertheless, check out the trade.

So there are a few comic reviews for ya. Maybe I’ll find some new books this Wednesday.

Stay tuned,
Gent

Back With Plugs

2007-02-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

So after my first week away from lettering and at a “real job” for the first time in 4 years, I’m finally able to post.

First thing I wanna do is plug the aforementioned “Ballpoint Fiends” blog. It’s an art collective of some great artists I’ve been lucky enough to meet via Fanboy Radio. Jim Lujan (The Dog Hostage), Jeff Elden (Middle Child) and Justin Stewart (Popped Culture) are a bunch of guys who are out there making comix they want to make. I’m proud to be a part of it… the possibilities are endless and we’re like in the embryo stage at this point so stay tuned. In the meantime head on over and check out Jeff’s first “Fiendish Act” comic. We’ll all be doing one while we try to figure out what we’re really going to do on the site. While you’re there, check out the rest of the guy’s sites for some kick-ass web comix.

In other news, my new job is located right next to Jim Hanley’s Universe, probably the best comic shop in NYC. While on a lunch break I went down and picked up a few comics. First was Jacob Chabot’s “The Mighty Skullboy Army”. I mentioned it a few posts back and man this comic is awesome… Laugh-Out-Loud-Funny and just so well done. Please do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s only 10 bucks. I can’t recommend it enough.

I’ve seriously been considering dropping mainstream superhero comics, but my love of the genre keeps pulling me back in. Unfortunately my 2 purchases didn’t do much to rekindle my interest. I’ll start with the good first.

The Brave and the Bold #1 by Kurt Busiek and George Perez.
I’m a fan of Perez’s work; he’s old school and just really looks like he loves what he’s doing. Busiek’s work is also something I’ve enjoyed when I’ve read it, but nothing has really stuck with me. I picked this one up because it seemed like a DC book I could jump on board with and enjoy without having to understand every corner of the tangled mess that is DC continuity. It was a pleasant surprise when that turned out to be true. I also have always wanted to read some Green Lantern stories, but again, I have no idea where to start. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book, but I doubt I’ll pick-up the next issue. The story didn’t really grab me and Supergirl is the next team-up. I’m not a huge fan of female versions of preexisting male heroes, so I’ll skip it. If you’re into DC books pick it up, at least you’ll get some Perez artwork.

New Avengers #27 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu.
I read and enjoyed the initial storyline of Bendis’ Avengers Disassembled followed by New Avengers. I think I stuck around for about 12 issues. I forget why I dropped it, but being that I wanted to read something and this was the first part of a new storyline, I picked it up. So, where do I start? You usually can’t go wrong with a Bendis book. The dialogue is always solid and the storyline is always well thought-out. Yu isn’t an artist whose work I seek-out, but I usually don’t mind it. Until this issue. It was so bad; it took me completely out of the story. Yu draws a pretty picture, but his storytelling really left something to be desired here. I should preface this by saying it could be in Bendis’ script, but this is stuff that should be done by the artist, regardless of the writer’s notes.

The fight choreography wasn’t choreographed. Characters changes positions in mid-flight from panel to panel, backgrounds didn’t match up, among others. At one point Elektra’s Sais just appeared in her hands in the last panel of a 6-panel page. Throw in some horrible ad placement completely screwing up a double-page spread reveal. Not to mention some really bad balloon placement that my fiancée said: “Looks like a pigeon pooped on the page.” I lettered comic for 7 years and I had no idea what order to read the balloons in. Placement I’m sure I would’ve been asked to fix, why it wasn’t in this case... who knows. It’s a shame because the book has potential to be a fun ride, but I just can’t get behind a book with elements that were so poorly done, especially with top-tier talent on a flagship title. Guess it’s back to the drawing board with my seemingly never-ending search for a superhero book I can look forward to picking up every month.

Thanks for reading folks and stay tuned, 5 pages of Randall Chapter 2 are inked and lettered.

--Randy

The Ballpoint Fiends

2007-02-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

More to come...

http://ballpointfiends.blogspot.com/

Arrivederci

2007-02-14T11:02:00.000-05:00

Every so often I drop “Big News” here at the LazyBlog… and most of the time the news is related to my webcomix. Hardly ever is the news related to my lettering work.

But today it is, and the reason being is that after this week, I’ll no longer be lettering.

After 7 years I’ve finally decided to move on. It’s been on my mind for a long time and after sniffing around for other opportunities for about a year, I’ve found one that feels right. I’ll be back in the rat race that is the New York City rush hour commute and I’m actually really excited about it. Sure I’ll miss being at home and working in sweatpants and slippers but in a weird way I was never comfortable with it.

There’s a bunch of factors that have gone into my reasons for leaving lettering, not all of which I’ll go into but one was that I’m just incredibly burned out and horribly jaded. And the longer I do this and the more jaded and cynical I become the more that poison seeps into my own work. And sure I don’t get paid for my own work but the comic work I am getting paid for doesn’t feel like my own work anyway. I need an injection of fun into my comics and the idea of 100% of my creative energy going into my own work just seems like the right thing to do. Plus I’m hoping that some time away from mainstream comics will make me actually care about them again.

So hey, thanks for reading and don’t forget to check out Randall over at Pixelstrips. The next chapter is ready to roll and I’m be coloring that bad boy today.

Thanks for reading.
Gent

Mighty Skullboy Army

2007-02-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

Former Marvel Bullpen co-worker and friend Jacob Chabot releases one of the funniest comics you'll ever read.... The Mighty Skullboy Army.
It's so much fun to see how this strip evolved, I used to sleep in the cubicle next to Jacob's and I remember seeing the first version of Skullboy done in ballpoint pen on a piece of typewriter paper... it was just a germ of an idea then, but now it's evolved into an incredible comic that I can absolutely guarantee you'll love. It's one of those strips that is perfect for boy and girls of all-ages, comic readers and non-comic readers alike. Don't be surprised of you see more of Skullboy in the future.

So head on out to your LCS and pick it up... you won't be disappointed. (Or pick it up here at Amazon.com)

--Randy

LazyComix on The Goat!

2007-02-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update to plug a few places that are kind enough to promote my work…

You probably already know about Pixelstrips and you might’ve heard of the new ComicSpace site…which is like MySpace only for comic artists. Only instead of digging around that mess for comic artists now they’re all in one handy spot. They just introduced comic hosting and since then the site has really blown up. The only problem I see is that the potential for your web comic to get lost there is really high.

Anyway my West-Coast Home boy Jim Lujan co-created a great site called The Velvet Goat with Justin Stewart. I met both of these cats via Fanboy Radio and was really happy when Jim asked me to be a part of The Goat. There’s an old NYComix up there now, but I’ve got a horror/sci-fi comic that I’m going to get up there eventually. So go check out The Goat, it’s full of great comics by some kick-ass artists.

Thanks for reading!
--Randy

Vote For Gent

2007-01-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

The Eagle Awards are something I’ve never heard of. They’re based out of the UK and from what I hear they’re the longest running comic awards. The reason I bring this up is because I’m nominated. But not in the category I want to be in, which is “Best Web Comic”. Don’t ask how I could’ve gotten on in the list of nominees, cuz I have no idea.

Winning best letterer is like a weird popularity contest. Obviously Todd Klein and Chris Eliopoulos are the big guys that have won more of these things than they can probably count, but I think most fans vote for the letterer based on name recognition and/or a quick flip to the credits page of their favorite book…hence Comicraft winning on occasion. If they actually voted based on the craft, it would be Klein or Chris… throw John Workman and John Costanza in there too.

Check out this post about removing lettering from the list...by the moderator of the website, no less. Man, lettering is just a thankless job. It’s like being the guy who walks behind the horses during a parade and shovels up the crap…

Nevertheless head on over and vote… you can write Randall into the top of the category. (If you want to, just don’t vote for a video game comic)

Thanks, folks!
--Randy

Old Is New Again But Not Really

2007-01-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I feel a little sympathy for mainstream comic writers. How do you keep characters that are 50-60 years old fresh and new? It’s the toughest part of the job these days. Do you revamp like the Ultimate line or Infinite Crisis? Do you give your hero a new costume or bring someone back from the dead? Or do you reveal your hero’s secret identity for the entire world to see? All of these things could work but the real problem is that these things have all been done before!

The Ultimate line is essentially John Byrne’s Chapter One series from the 90’s. DC’s recent Infinite Crisis is a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths… their last attempt to clean up insane continuity tangles. Spider-Man’s classic costume was recently changed to some ugly Iron thing and now it’s going back to the black costume.

Spidey’s identity was also revealed, as was Daredevil’s not long ago. DD’s is now a matter of speculation again as Iron Fist posed as DD while Matt Murdock was in prison. Again, not the first time DD or Spidey used each other (or someone else) in their respective costumes to confuse anyone thought to have a clue to their identity. With all the “back-from-the-dead” going on in comics there are three that are “untouchable”; Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy and Bucky.

But recently Bucky had made a comeback as a longhaired assassin and Gwen Stacy almost came back but instead apparently had a fling with the Green Goblin that spawned two super-powered kids. (Don’t ask.) Uncle Ben, so far, has been the only untouched dead character. But I’m betting his days are numbered.

So what do you do when everything has been done before? Why rehash something that was already done only to change it back during the next “event”? Is it sales? Is it an attempt to put your stamp on the character for the next volume of the Marvel Encyclopedia? Why aren’t there new storylines? And better yet, why aren’t there new heroes? Sure Spider-Man, Superman and Batman are going to be around forever but the fact that Wolverine is the “newest” superhero is a bit pitiful, no? Are we stuck on these characters, are we so unable to branch out or think of a story in their universe that doesn’t involve these guys? Are upcoming movies shaping characters and costumes? Comics shaped these movies but now it’s the other way around for some reason.

Maybe it’s the fan’s fault. My favorite Marvel comic is, by far, Runaways. It’s fresh, fun, action packed and full of characters that are original on their own. The book doesn’t hinge on a Spider-Man appearance or on what happens in an X-Book. It’s a unique take on the superhero genre set in a world 60 years old and crawling with thousands of preexisting characters. The thing is Runaways doesn’t sell all that well while books with the Big Characters continue to sell even if the story isn’t all that good.

I guess it’s because pulling a Spider Book off the shelves is kinda like going to your parent’s house after you’ve moved out. It’s familiar and you know your way around. If you buy a book you’re not familiar with it’s like visiting your girlfriends parents house for the first time. You can go sit on the couch and look around but it’s not home. (At least not yet.)

So what does this all mean? Damned if I know. This has turned into the “Lazy Rambling” of all “Lazy Ramblings” But really; I think that it’s time for a new hero. And a female version of Wolverine with 2 claws instead of 3 isn’t a new hero. I’m talking about a brand-new shiny hero that is completely original. One that captures the fanboy’s interest and makes them realize that you can buy a comic that doesn’t have Wolverine in it and still buy the comic with Wolverine in it.

All right, whoever stuck with that ramble deserves a No-Prize.

Stay tuned and go click on Randall at Pixelstrips… I want in on that Top Five in the worst way. I’m that vain.

--Randy

Pixelstrips and Reviews

2007-01-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked Randall’s debut on Pixelstrips. Back when I was doing NYComix on there I had to upload each page individually every Wednesday. But now the uploading process has been improved allowing you to upload as many pages as you want and to assign the corresponding date in which the new page replaces the old. It’s a neat feature that takes a bit of the stress out of hitting that weekly deadline. Fortunately I’m just reposting the pages from Randall Month, so I’ve got a real nice cushion as I work on the next chapter. Although I am inserting a new page in previously published stuff, just to give it a better flow. There’s a bunch of stuff I’d love to tweak but I’m afraid that if I go down that road I might wind up redrawing panels, etc. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’m really feeling the need to finish this story. I’ve got to get it out of my system so I can move onto new things. When the time is right, I’ll go back to it… but it won’t be for a while.

I’ve got 3 pages of the next sequence penciled and it’s shaping up. The story continues to evolve and go places I didn’t expect but I’ve more comfortable with the outcome now than I was during Randall Month. When I usually work I write a full-script and then thumbnail the pages, etc. This time around I’m jotting down what happens in each sequence and thumb nailing it out that way. The dialogue is coming last. Kinda like the Stan Lee “Marvel Method” but only with one artist.

So feel free to check out the pages over at Pixelstrips… Let's see if we can't bump our pal Randall into the Top Five...

In other news I made it out to the comic shop last night and walked out with one monthly and a looooooong awaited trade paperback.

So here are some quick reviews.

All Star Superman #6 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
I can’t believe I’m still reading this book 6 issues in. I find Morrison’s writing always hooks me early on and then by the end I’ve completely lost interest as the story just turns into an esoteric train wreck. It happened with New X-Men as the end of that turned into something that to this day I still can’t even begin to figure out. I’ve read message board threads full of hardcore X-Fans who still can’t decipher what happened with that storyline years later.

Superman hasn’t done that yet and I really hope it never does. Issue 6 even had Krypto in it and I still liked it. I don’t know the back-story of what is essentially a dog-version of Superman but I always giggled at the presence of a super powered canine, but hey, it worked here. Quietly’s art is always solid and the Digital Inks and Colors by Jamie Grant are beautiful. They complement the pencils as opposed to overpowering them, like a lot of colors are doing these days. So I’m still on board with this book… let’s hope it stays that way.

Batman Year 100 by Paul Pope
I picked up the first issue of this back when it was originally released and loved it so much I decided to wait for the trade so I could get the whole story in one shebang. One thing I can’t figure out is why DC waits so long to release trades. Why not get the things out right after the monthlies wrap up and the book is still fresh on people’s minds? Waiting for months and months only allows people to forget about it and move on to something else.

Anyway Paul Pope’s art and writing is just fantastic in this book. His art particularly stands out as just flat-out gorgeous. The more I look at it the more I think that his version of Batman is my favorite and that includes Frank Miller. There’s a real neat little sketch extra in the back with Pope’s thoughts on why he designed Bats the way he did. Big clunky combat boots with laces. Sleeves that don’t quite reach his gloves and a mask that is a cross between an old-fashioned football helmet and a Mexican wresting mask. His inks are beautiful and his use of blacks while allowing a brush stroke to look like a brush stoke is a breath of fresh air in a time when light-boxed, magazine referenced and over rendered art is slowly taking over.

I can’t recommend this book enough and I can’t wait to get my hands on some more Paul Pope comics. Check out his blog for more cool stuff.

So that’s it, folks! I’m off to lettering…

Thanks for reading!
--Randy

Big News and a Plug

2007-01-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

Rocky Balboa

If you’re a regular reader of this Blog you might remember a few posts about my favorite Sylvester Stallone movies and especially the Rocky Franchise. While I loved Rocky 2-4 and like most fans, didn’t enjoy the 5th one very much at all, the original Oscar-winning Rocky flick is one of the most enjoyable and inspiring flicks ever made.

I was finally able to get out this past weekend to see the sixth and final film: Rocky Balboa. Naturally, I was a little hesitant after the debacle that was Rocky V, but after reading a few Stallone interviews as well as the subsequent reviews, I was excited to hear that this one was getting back to what made the first 2 films so great.

Rocky Balboa was old-school Rocky. Moving, funny, inspiring and just a well-written love letter to Rocky fans. If you’re one of those guys who watch the old movies every time you pass them on TV, you’ll love the references and throwbacks to old characters and settings. Stallone created one of the greatest characters in the history of film and I can’t recommend this movie enough. If you loved the original Rocky and hated every sequel, you’ll love this flick.

Go check it out!

In other news related to LazyComix I’ve got a few announcements that I think are pretty exciting.

I’m going to do my best to spread the LazyComix word this year and to do that I’m going to have to get the word out in as many different ways as possible.

First up is the aforementioned “LazyComix Conversations”.

I’ve always envisioned LazyComix.com to be a place where comic fans can come by and read not only my webcomix but also get some comix reviews, plugs and just any and all comic jazz I think fans like myself, might enjoy.

“LazyComix Conversations” is the first step in that direction. Plain and simply it’s going to be a monthly (maybe even bi-monthly) Creator Interview segment. The inaugural segment is already set-up and I couldn’t be happier with the first guest. Stay tuned, folks!

Second up is that Randall will now be published on my former online publisher, PixelStrips. The site was once a subscription pay-site but now it’s an all-free service with the #1 strip getting about 8000 hits per month. I’m really excited about it as now I’ll have Randall and NYComix rolling on 2 sites with reader potential much higher than if I only ran the comic on my site. I’m going to kick-off the Pixelstrip run with the “Randall Month” run but with an added page “Special Edition” style. After that, staring with Chapter 2, you’ll be able to catch a new page weekly or, if you’d rather wait for the strip in one complete chunk, (“waiting for the trade”) you can catch that on LazyComix.com.

So stay tuned and thanks for reading… things are about to get a li’l more interesting around here!

Coming Soon!

2007-01-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

Details to come!

LazyComix is back for '07!

2007-01-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

LazyComix didn't actually go anywhere, but it sounded like a good title...

It sure has been a while since I’ve posted around here. I tried to throw a few things up there just so I didn’t go a month without doing anything, but it was still a pretty pathetic blogging display. So now with the holidays finally behind us we can get back to regular updates and more webcomix from yours truly.

I’m constantly trying to think of ways to get people to visit the site and this blog more often. With comix obviously more sparse, I’ve kicked around every idea from a “syndicated”-type strip to a daily sketch blog. All of these things may come to fruition in the coming year but I’ve got one idea that I think could be a blast. It’ll take some scheduling and maybe even some string pulling, but we’ll see. Stay tuned as I’m planning on getting that idea into high gear as Randall Chapter 2 approaches. I’ve got 2 pages penciled with page 3 thumb nailed and ready to roll.

So look for 2007 to be a bit more well rounded here at LazyComix… more regular updates and a “schedule” that’ll be something you can actually follow!

I often write about my trips to the local comic shop and how even after weeks of not going, I still walk about with 2-3 comics if I’m lucky. I just couldn’t be less into monthly pamphlet mainstream comics. Maybe it’s because I’m “too close” to it but I just can’t get into a single storyline. I purposely skipped out on Civil War even though I really enjoy Millar’s writing and I thought the idea was great…I just had a sinking feeling that there was no way they’d come out on time… and anyone following the series knows how that turned out.

So will I become a full-time trade paperback fan? Possibly. But as I get older, more cynical, more jaded… I realize I’m a giant comic book curmudgeon. Part of this is due to comic Message boards. Fans tend to flock together like sheep, agreeing with one another seemingly without thought or reason. Stan Lee catches crap on message boards, if he does, nobody is safe… one of my favorite fan quotes about Stan The Man was: “Honestly, what has Lee written in the past 20 years that has had any impact on contemporary comics?” That gem was followed by people agreeing with him!

Now I won’t go on about how someone can say Stan Lee hasn’t had an impact on contemporary comics. The question should be why can’t contemporary comics develop a character NOT created by Stan, but that’s a blog for another time. (Soon, actually as that’s a favorite topic of mine) What I realize is that these kinds of comments and opinions from fans unfortunately throw more fuel on my curmudgeon fire. However, one thing has happened that I didn’t expect and that I couldn’t be happier about. I’ve gone back and reread some classic comics by creators that today’s fanboy’s have turned on.

One of the big ones is one of my All-Time favorite creators: Frank Miller.

Miller’s recent All Star Batman and Robin, which followed his previous recipient of Fanboy vitriol: “Dark Knight 2”, has been crapped on relentlessly by fans. Now ASBR sure ain’t Batman: Year One, and it probably deserves some of the criticism it’s received, but what it has brought to my attention is the “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” attitude fans have. You see this all the time in sports. Guy gets a hit his first 3 times up, drives in 3, but when he pops up his 4th time at bat he gets booed. It goes with the territory, I suppose.

So after reading post-upon-post about how possibly the greatest comic book writer/artist of all-time is now “washed-up” I went back and read the Dark Knight series again. Including Dark Knight 2. (Thanks to a kick-ass Christmas gift of the Absolute Dark Knight.)

The first Dark Knight is just flat-out comic book goodness. The writing, art and Varley’s colors are amazing. It’s Batman at it’s best, bar-none. Just typing this makes me want to flip through the book.

DK2 is another beast entirely. I wasn’t too keen on it when it first came out. But after I read it again, it’s a pretty solid read. Even Varley’s colors, which are wild and out-there, are interesting and often engaging. Miller’s art was minimal and somewhat crude at points… leaving maybe too much room for Varley’s colors. Nevertheless, there are pages and panel compositions that are downright beautiful in this book which deserve another look.

So if you’re plum outta fresh comics to read, dig around for your copies of the Dark Knight books…. If you hung onto your copies of DK2 give it a read (or even a flip-through) and write back… I’d love to see if I’m not alone on my latest discovery of a good comic that was buried by fanboy loathing.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!
--Randy

Dean Haspiel's Immortal

2006-12-20T11:40:00.000-05:00

One of the best comix being produced today can’t be found at your local comic shop but rather on the web.

A web comix site called Ac-Ti-Vate features amazing indy comix available for free. With most web comics about video games it’s sites like this one that will propel web comics beyond the usual, boring Xbox Live jokes.

Dean Haspiel, one of my all-time favorite comic artists just finished his first storyline called: “Immortal”… a Billy Dogma love story with an epic, noir feel. As I’ve recently found myself leaving my comic shop unfulfilled, it’s great to see alternatives like “Immortal” showing up.

So check it out and look around the Ac-Ti-Vate site for more great comix.

Found Art 4

2006-12-13T15:40:00.000-05:00

LazyComix Special Editon

2006-12-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

I’ve been lettering all day and haven’t been able to fit in a blog… after Randall Month I got pretty used to posting every Wednesday. Being that I work from home with only 3 cats to keep me company (all 3 are sitting on my desk right now for some reason), my main source of human interaction is internet message boards. I’m a pretty avid user of the Bendis Board but I also peruse various Star Wars message boards. (My screen name will stay a secret as I have the death sentence on 12 message board systems) The hottest topic of Star Wars message boards isn’t as much the polarizing Prequel Trilogy as it is the Original Trilogy and its various Special Edition versions.

Now I’m admittedly a Star Wars and George Lucas fan. The flicks inspired me beyond imagination and I admire the flannel-shirt-wearing curmudgeon for doing things his own way, even if people don’t like it and give him endless crap for it.

Sure the Prequels weren’t the originals but I still say they’re better than your average Hollywood studio fare… most of them are focus group tested generic flicks with 8 different screenwriters. I just watched X3 a few weeks back and how they managed to screw that up after 2 successful predecessors and literally volumes of amazing stories already written for them, I never figure out.

Back to the Special Editions topic, there’s a huge group of Star Wars fans that believe that Lucas has no right to go back and tweak the Original films. Some think the movies are so beloved that they no longer belong to him but rather to the fans, while others think that his tampering is ruining the films. Both of these theories I strongly disagree with.

On a much smaller scale when I look back at my old comics there isn’t a page that goes by where I don’t want to redraw or rewrite panels. I’m never happy with my work and I don’t think there are many artists who are. Comic book great Erik Larsen wrote about it in his weekly column over at Comic Book Resources.

Even during Randall month I went back and added captions and tweaked dialogue and I’m sure I will again when I put the mini comic together. Creating is a never-ending process that, hopefully, is constantly evolving and improving. You learn more every time you do it. If a guy who made billions from his creation still thinks he can do better… that’s a pretty healthy thing.

As many great athletes have said when they retired… "once you feel like you’re not getting better it’s time to hang ‘em up."

Anyway, Chapter 2 of Randall is in the penciled stage. I’m not going to go back to weekly updates as originally planned but rather to one huge chapter update. Looking back, I think the story lost something when you could only read it one page per week… with the strip moving into more story I think it’s important to give all the information in one shot.

So, if you have yet to join the LazyComix Mailing List… head on over and sign up. You’re guaranteed not to miss a page if you do.

Thanks for reading,
Randy

Randall Month Concludes!

2006-11-29T08:47:00.000-05:00

So after as much fanfare as I could muster, Randall Month has come to a close and I gotta say, I really enjoyed the weekly updates and I hope all of you that have been reading did as well.

Here’s the link for the last 2 pages of Episode 1. (2 whole pages this week, folks!) Please write back and let me know what you thought of the strip… questions, suggestions, bashes, whatever… I’d love to hear them.

I want to keep this train rolling but I’m going to take one week off so that I can hopefully get 2-3 pages stockpiled and then start this thing over with weekly updates for Episode 2. I’d rather there be a small break between Episodes than between pages. Right now, the whole story is looking to be 5, possibly 6 Episodes… I’m really digging working on the strip right now and I want to finish this thing and have a 25-30 page Randall comic to print-up… so right now, that’s the plan… I will be mixing in one other 2-pager, the second LazyComix Presents... that will be posted on another site…. But that’ll likely be after the holidays and between Episodes of Randall.

I’d also like to take a minute to direct all of you over to this link. CNN picked up on the passing of comic legend Dave Cockrum. Check out the story and go rummage around in the longboxes for some of your old Cockrum X-men… it’s great stuff.

Giant Turkey, Comics and Flicks

2006-11-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a Lazy Rambling so in between coloring the last 2 pages of Randall I figured I’d drop a few pics and some recommendations.

The ridiculously huge Gentile Family Turkey was in full-effect this year as the Old Mad dead-lifted home a 47.5-pound bird. The pictures don’t do the thing justice. (Beer Bottle for Scale)

I threw in a couple of NYC pictures as well, one of the Brooklyn Bridge and the other of the Arch in Washington Square Park at night.

Now for a couple of recommendations:

FLICKS:
Garden State
I’d heard good things about the movie and Ereisa and I finally got around to watching it this past weekend. After being back in Saugerties right after I saw it, the going-back-home-to-your-small-town storyline really worked for me. A few things were a little weird, but all-in-all and enjoyable flick. Check it out on HBO or whatever random cable channels this movie is sure to populate soon.

V For Vendetta
I probably should’ve read the comic first, but I watched this one while working last week and was incredibly under whelmed. As usual with Wachowski Brothers movies, you’ve got fun action sammiched between a long-winded soliloquy and needless story. This flick only reminded me how they completely effed up the last 2 Matrix movies. Wow did they stink and V was only marginally better than those 2 train wrecks. Wait for this one to come on cable… maybe I missed something with this one as I saw it was like #116 all-time on IMDB’s list… sure 116 isn’t super high, but we’re talking All-Time here folks. This thing beat out movies like Platoon, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon, The Exorcist and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

COMICS:
The last time I was at the comic shop I hadn’t been there for like 3 weeks and I still didn’t come out with a new book. I would’ve picked up the new American Splendor and Savage Dragon, but they were nowhere to be found. Hopefully next time out.

From Hell
After hearing the great interview FbR did with Alan Moore, I had to pick up a Moore book… I’m still in the process of reading it but wow… Moore writing is on a level all it’s own. Having only read Watchmen before, reading this book has made it a sure thing that I’ll be reading a lot more of his work down the line. Not to mention the beautiful Black and White art by Eddie Campbell. Reading it makes me glad I didn’t watch the supposedly horrible movie they made a few years back… I hear that one is worse than V.

Short little Recommended Section… hopefully more after Randall Month comes to a close. I can’t believe the month flew by like that but I just finished coloring one of the last 2 pages that will close out the first chapter. I’m really happy with the way this last page turned out and I think it’ll really hook people in for the upcoming chapters. More on that to come.

Thanks for reading…
Gent

Randall Month - Week 4

2006-11-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

Only one more update to go! Catch the latest bit of action here!

And if you're new to Randall... see the story from the beginning here!

Thanks for reading and have a happy Turkey Day!

--Randy

Wonderlost by C.B. Cebulski

2006-11-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

I hardly ever plug stuff I’ve lettered, mainly because stuff I letter doesn’t need help from me… but here’s one that could use a little help via preordering from your local comic shop.

Good friend and Marvel Editor C.B. Cebulski is putting out an autobiographical comic through Image called: Wonderlost.

Being a huge fan of autobio comix and of the Big Cebulski I thought I’d link to a preview that just went up over at Newsarama.com. You can see a nice little 7 page preview I lettered here.

So check it out and ask you comic shop to preorder it… diversity is the spice of life, folks and the more diversity on the comic stands, the better.

Randall Month - Week 3

2006-11-15T08:35:00.000-05:00

Randall Month continues! Check out the latest page here!

And if you missed any pages, catch the story from the beginning here!

Thanks for looking and feel free to write me at Randy@LazyComix.com or to leave comments.

--Randy

Alan Moore on Fanboy Radio

2006-11-14T16:26:00.000-05:00

If you’re a fan of comic book Podcasts like I am then you won’t want to miss tomorrow’s episode of Fanboy Radio. (2pm Eastern) My main-man Scott Hinze landed the biggest guest in the biz: Alan Moore.

How he did it I don’t know, as Moore will turn down an interview on David Letterman in a heartbeat.

It really is a testament to the great job Scott and the FbR crew do down there, so tune in for a rare glimpse into the mind of the best writer the comic medium has ever seen.

Plus the show art by Jim Lujan is kick-ass!

And don’t forget tomorrow is Week 3 of Randall Month!

More soon,
Randy

Found Art 3

2006-11-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

Some nice graffiti writing found in the East Village last night…. Between 1st and 2nd Aves, maybe 5th Street?

Found Art 2

Found Art 1

--Randy

Randall Month Week 2

2006-11-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

We’re already halfway home! Check out the latest page of action here! And if you missed week one, catch up from the beginning here!

And don’t forget to join the LazyComix Mailing List so you won’t miss a new comic on the site, ever.

Thanks for looking!
--Randy

More Love for 70's Movies

2006-11-06T16:36:00.000-05:00

Ereisa and I went to see “The Departed” last week. But the theater was packed and our only option was sitting up-close, which sucks so bad that we actually walked out during the previews. We’ll be going this weekend but it’s killing me that I haven’t seen it yet. With so many crappy movies you have to take advantage of a Scorsese flick when it comes out.

Anyway, on the way out I checked out the posters for the upcoming movies. The one that caught my eye for Rocky 6… it was a throwback to the original Rocky poster from the 70’s and it looked awesome. It really stuck out to the point that it looked like it didn’t belong.

But there’s a simplicity in the design of the posters from the past that today’s Photoshoped monstrosities just don’t have. It’s more about the actors faces than the movie itself. Yeah I sound like an old cranky bastard but take a look at this quick li’l 70’s movie poster collage I threw together and tell me they don’t look better than the crap you see now?

Stay tuned for Randall Month Week 2 and thanks for reading.
--Randy

LazyComix Newsletter

2006-11-03T11:09:00.000-05:00

If you checked out the CGS interview you heard us talk about the World of Webcomix and the problems that lie within. On one hand it’s a great thing that enables anyone to make a comic and put it in a place where it can be seen by anyone in the world. On the other hand, once you put it online there’s absolutely no guarantee that anyone in the world will see it. So therein lies the problem.

I guess people in suits call this “marketing”, but being that I’m a guy who literally spends his workdays in sweats, slippers and a robe (but only if it’s cold), marketing isn’t exactly my forte. Nevertheless, if I’m going to make these comix, someone is going to read them.

I wish I could say I don’t care if anyone reads them, but I’d be lying. Hell, how many Indy creators forget their black and white self-published books the second one of the Big 2 come asking them to do an X or Bat Book? I love getting feedback, positive or negative. One of the best parts of my time at Pratt was “Crit Day”… a day when the whole class pinned their Illustrations on the wall and gathered around to praise and sometimes, rip each others work apart. It was nerve wrecking, but impossible not to learn something.

So, back to my ingenious marketing scheme, I’ve added the option allowing people who visit the site to join the “LazyComix Newsletter”… (I know I’m a regular Steve Jobs.) But I think it could solve the problem of me not really having a schedule for getting my comix on the site. It’s hard enough to get people coming back when there are new strips updated daily, so I’m hoping people will check out the comix, join the Newsletter and then whenever I post a new comic, I’ll shoot out the link in the Newsletter and get them to come back.

So head on over and join! It’s right on the homepage, quick and painless.

Thanks for checkin’ out the site.
--Randy

Randall Month Week 1

2006-11-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

So here we are November 1st already! Holy cow.

Today officially kicks-off Randall Month… I went back and George Lucased the first 2 pages made them a little more what I wanted from the beginning and next week the story will be in full-swing with plenty of action... and I promise that 4 weeks from now, the first chapter will leave you wanting to read Chapter 2.

So check it out and give feedback!

Thanks for looking.

--R

Randall Month Kicks off!

2006-10-30T08:57:00.000-05:00

Last night I did an interview with the fine folks over at Comic Geek Speak… so head on over here for the interview on Randall, NYComix and lettering comics for Marvel.

Thanks to the guys over at CGS for the help!

--Randy

Classic Fantastic Four

2006-10-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

I go back and forth on my favorite comic storyline all the time. I think it depends on what classic comic I most recently pulled off my bookshelf. Some days it’s the Lee/Ditko/Romita Sr. Amazing Spidey stuff. Some days it’s Gene Colon Iron Man or Lee/Kirby Thor, some days it’s even the Herb Trimpe Hulk stuff. But more often than not, I find it hard to beat the Stan Lee & Jack Kirby Galactus storyline beginning in Fantastic Four #48. Honestly all 100+ issues of Stan and Jack’s FF work could be considered the best superhero comics of all time, but the Galactus story was so grand, so epic and monumental, that it really is the template of the superhero comic book.

The bottom line of every superhero funny book is that there has to be a superhero/supervillain storyline that makes the reader think that THIS is the time our hero cannot possibly defeat this latest threat. There needs to be one event, one panel even, that makes the reader doubt our heroes ability to succeed. If that doesn’t happen, the writer is in trouble. It sounds easy, but 40 years of the hero kicking everyone’s tail issue after issue makes that simple premise tough to keep fresh. You often hear this problem cropping up with a book like Superman. Where Supes is so powerful that no matter what they throw at him, it’s impossible to think that he may lose. They’ve powered him down and even killed him, but eventually this problem rears it’s ugly head every few years with The Man of Steel. I’ve recently gotten into Superman books and when he’s good, he’s a blast to read, but when he’s bad… he’s bad.

The Galactus storyline typified the idea of making the reader think that our heroes don’t stand a chance. This story also debuted the great Silver Surfer character. Galactus’ herald who combs the galaxy in search of fresh planets for his master to feed upon. Armed with the Power Cosmos, the Surfer is so powerful that it’s hard to think that the FF can even defeat him. Now throw in the fact that some all-powerful being created the Surfer? That he’s just a lackey? A toady? Holy crap. There’s a story!

Now before I spoil this for anyone who hasn’t read it, I’ll stop. An honestly, what kind of comic book fan are you if you haven’t read this yet?

What got me thinking about this was a thread on a comic book message board where it was announced that Galactus will be appearing in the next Fantastic Four flick. Sure, the first FF flick wasn’t exactly a classic film in cinema history, but my love of the Galactus storyline has got me excited, and worried, about FF2. Basically it was rumored that when Galactus appears in the movie, he won’t be in the form of Jack Kirby’s amazing design. To my surprise, a lot of fans didn’t see this as a problem. Naturally the most common reasoning was that the design is a silly one that the “general movie-going audience” won’t accept. To me, that makes no sense, whatsoever.

The “general movie-going audience” has been barraged with superhero flicks recently and they seem to have bought most of them just fine. And the one’s they didn’t buy wasn’t because of a silly suit design… it was because the stories sucked.

They bought a kid getting bitten by a radioactive spider and getting spider-powers and a cool suit that he apparently made on his own. I guess Peter Parker could be a contestant on Project Runway. They bought Superman being an alien from a far away planet and he just happens to look, talk, act, and have an “S” in his logo implying that the planet Krypton also uses the same alphabet as Earth. They bought the FF, including a guy in a giant orange booger-suit and they’ll buy a silver guy flying on a surfboard, but don’t you dare try to pass-off Galactus in a purple suit! The “general movie-going audience” is waaaaay to sharp for that stuff!

Ugh.

I find it really pretentious to think that people who read comics today and go to movies today are smarter than people who read comics and went to movies back during 1966… when FF 48 hit the stands.

We are still talking about, and being inspired by, these stories for a reason… because they’re classic, timeless stories. They’ll be around far longer than we will and for good reason.

--R

Randall Month Update...

2006-10-19T10:40:00.000-04:00

No updates in a while, so here’s some cool news and a couple of comic recommendations.

I mentioned the upcoming “Randall Month” and it’s really starting to shape up. It’s going to start on November 1st, where I’ll have a new page (3 pages total) to kick off weekly updates throughout the rest of the month. I’ve got a spot on a really great and popular Comic Podcast to kick it all off (details to come) and hopefully I’ll be able to get a few more promotions shakin’ as well.

I’ve wanted to get more people to the site and I think it’s at a place now where there are plenty of comix to check out and, with the weekly updates, a reason to bookmark and keep coming back. Baring any unforeseen disasters, I’ll hit every update as I’ve got 4 pages inked and ready to be colored, so there won’t be any delays in the strip. So spread the word and stay tuned.

Last Friday, Ereisa and I went out to the amazingly kick-ass comic shop in Brooklyn called: Rocketship. Brian K. Vaughan was signing and as the writer on my favorite Marvel book: Runaways, I went on out to say “Hi” and really thank the guy for being a professional writer. It would boggle your mind how many horrible scripts I get to letter from… spelling errors, grammar mistakes, mis-numbered pages, etc. That stuff never happens with a BKV script and throw in the fact that the book is amazing and you’ve got a happy letterer. Runaways is a book I’m truly proud to be a part of and if any of you haven’t been reading it, pick it up. If you’ve got the cash, pick up the hardcover and if you’re not ready for that commitment, there are neat full-color digest size trades that are like 8 bucks. You can even pick up the monthly comic, as it’s an easy book to jump into. No long, lingering storylines that’ll confuse the hell out of you. Anyway, BKV is hell of a guy and it’ll be sad to see him leave the book. I hear some TV/Movie guy named Whedon is taking over. Whoever he is. J

While there I picked up a copy of “Pride of Baghdad” and the first volume of “Y The Last Man.” A book I’ve been meaning to read but never picked up. Both books were great and well worth the read.

“Pride of Baghdad” is a amazing book, with beautiful art by Niko Henrichon… its one of the best books I’ve read in a while, check it out.

Thanks for readin’ and stay tuned,
Gent

My Goodness...

2006-10-15T18:32:00.000-04:00

I joined the mess that is MySpace....

www.myspace.com/lazycomix

Go over there if you want to be my intraweb friend.

--r

NYComix Episode 9

2006-10-11T10:10:00.000-04:00

A while back NYComix was a part of Pixelstrips.com… Once a week I was churning out a page of NYComix and by week 20 or so I really felt the work was suffering as a result of the schedule. I wanted to do longer stories with backgrounds and a lot of panels but with the lettering work, it just wasn’t possible. I hated the last few pages and I decided to stop and just use my site as a place to show my webcomix. Sure I have zero schedule and nobody knows when the next strip will hit the site, but I do know that it’ll be a strip that isn’t rushed.

Anyway, I just found out that Pixelstrips is hitting a bit of a rough patch and what was once a subscription site is now a free site. The news made me go back and take a look at some of the stuff I did for the site and I realized that there were some good strips in there. So I decided to post one over at LazyComix.com as a bit of a hold over until “Randall Month” in November.

What’s “Randall Month” you say? Well, this November will be the first ever, regular updates at my site. Every Wednesday you can head on over for 4 consecutive weeks of new Randall comix… That’ll wrap up the first chapter and hopefully leave you with a nice big cliffhanger to bring you into Chapter 2. I’m seriously considering even advertising “Randall Month” around the intraweb, maybe see if I can get on some Podcasts, etc.

I’ve always wanted to start advertising the site, but I haven’t been totally happy with the site design and I wanted there to be a ton of comix for people to check out. Now with over 10 episodes of NYComix, Randall, LazyComix Presents is still taking off, plus the sketchbook section, I think there’s enough there to make it worth the trip.

So stay tuned.

And hey, Issue 2 of American Splendor hit the stands last week… go buy it if you haven’t already.

Thanks for reading,
--Randy

Where Have You Gone, Paul O’Neill?

2006-10-09T10:33:00.000-04:00

I’m unabashedly a huge New York Yankee fan. I have been since the days of Mattingly and Winfield during the 1980’s. Those were some lean years, and as a guy born in 1976, I’m part of the only generation that can remember a time when the Yankees really had no chance of winning. If you were a Yankee fan from the 20’s-60’s… you saw so many championships and great players that it’s mind-boggling. The early 70’s were tough, but by the end you had the “Bronx Zoo”, with Billy Martin at the helm, that was as entertaining a team as you can find in the history of baseball. A dysfunctional family that was a perfect a team on the field… a great starter in Guidry, Goose Gossage closing, Munson behind the plate, Nettles catching everything on 3rd and Reggie Jackson hitting 3 home runs on 3 pitches in the World Series.

Then came the 80’s. My generation. Watching Mattingly become a Yankee legend. Dave Winfield walk to the plate seemingly 2 feet taller than everyone else. Ricky Henderson stealing 100 bases. They had a solid offense but their pitching was just atrocious. I would read books about the great teams of the past, Yogi Berra winning 10 rings. I couldn’t even imagine even watching the Yanks in the series let alone winning 10 of them.

In ’94 Yanks were on top and looking to be a playoff team. Then the strike hit and I turned to basketball for a few years. But the Yanks were always around. I still followed the team and by the 1996 championship I back on board. I moved to New York City in 1999 and during the 2001 playoffs, the Yankees were a huge part of New York City during the aftermath of 9-11. They were the perfect form of escapism and the only thing I could cling to after seeing unimaginable horror days earlier. That team, even though it lost to Arizona, solidified my love of the New York Yankees. They’re more than a baseball team to me, they’re part of the fabric of New York City. You can walk into any bodega in the city and talk Yankee baseball with a total stranger for hours. I just talked about trading Arod with a drunk stranger yesterday.

They’re the Yanks. They play in a section of the Bronx that you would never visit if it weren’t for the Stadium, there’s nothing like walking under that elevated subway track, as the 4 Train rumbles overhead, it’s New York. The upper deck is where the real fans sit, no emotionless suits and celebrities, just like NYC it’s a melting pot of different people… hard-working men and women coming out the Bronx after work to see the Yanks, a place where the vendors are lifetime New Yorkers with Yankee tattoos on their arms. It’s where Arod gets booed and Jeter is God. Where thousands of fans wish Melky Cabrera were playing instead of Bobby Abreu and Bernie was in Center instead of that guy from Boston. Where fans won’t wear the number of a Yankee if he’s not “Home Grown”.

After this latest debacle it’s grown blatantly obvious that the Yanks and their fans miss guys that play hard. During the 90’s we passed on high priced free agents, opting instead for guys like Paul O’neill and Scott Brocious. Cast off pitchers like David Cone and Jimmy Key. Today’s Yankee teams don’t have the potential for an unexpected triple from a catcher like Joe Girardi. No surprise big home runs from a Jim Leyritz. Or pitch hit home runs from Tino Martinez, a 100 RBI guy who didn’t start a big playoff game.

I hope the Yankee upper brass sits down and watches some tape of those guys. Guys who had fire and wanted to win more than anything else.

Well, there’s always next year. I only hope the team if far different.

If I only Had a Pocket Fulla’ Nickels and a Time Machine

2006-10-04T09:54:00.000-04:00

Got this photo from fellow New Yorker and Yankee fan Steve Flack over at the Bendis Board….
(click the photo, it's a little tough to see at this size)

Found Art 2

2006-10-02T20:08:00.000-04:00

This one was literally right outside my apartment. I’m not sure what room this piece was a part of… possibly the living room or study? Your guess is as good as mine.

Part one of the “Found Art” series.

King Kong

2006-09-29T15:46:00.000-04:00

Keeping with the review theme, I just saw Peter Jackson’s King Kong. Yeah, this movie was released forever ago, but whatever…

For some reason I was a bit weary with this flick when it was released… While I loved the Lord of the Rings movies, I always thought they were a bit too long, but after a while, I gave that a pass due to the huge amount of material they had to cover. When I found out that King Kong was over 3 hours… I couldn’t see how they managed to stretch 3 hours out of a movie about a giant monkey. I mean…find the monkey, monkey falls in love, tragic act 3, The End.

But holy cow was this a great flick. Sure they probably could’ve trimmed 20-30 minutes off this thing without batting an eye… the sub plot with the kid from “Nicolas Nickelby” was pretty much useless and Jack Black outrunning anything, especially a raptor, is about as unbelievable as it gets, but by the end of the movie I could care less. From the crazy good Kong vs. T-Rex scenes to the end, I was seriously hooked.

I wish I didn’t take a pass on this when it was in theaters and if any of you haven’t seen it yet… the weekend is as good as any for a flick like King Kong.

--R

Reviews and Randall News

2006-09-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

Been a while since I posted so here’s a quick lil’ comic review and some Randall news.

First for the reviews. I finally got out to the comic shop on Tuesday, (I know that makes no sense, I should’ve waited until Wednesday, but whatever.) I met my main man C.B. Cebulski for a few drinks and he played a little part in my comic selection this week. I was about to drop All Star Superman. I’m always weary of Grant Morrison comics as while they’ll be fun books for a few issues, they seem to turn into esoteric “Grant Morrison Stories” at the drop of a hat. That has to be on it’s way with AS Superman and after the so-so issue 4, I was going to take a pass on issue 5 and just avoid the impending disappointment. C.B. told me that he was also on the fence with dropping this one, but he picked up issue 5 and really enjoyed it. Being that I only was only going to buy 2 comics I figured “what the hell.”

All Star Superman By Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
An issue with no Superman (at least in his suit) but Morrison writes a pretty darn good Lex Luthor and all in all, I really enjoyed the interplay between Luthor and Clark. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen with this run, let’s just hope this book doesn’t go into the “Morrison Zone”. Until then, I’m back on board. Thanks, C.B.

Savage Dragon 128 By Erik Larsen.
Another fun ish from Larsen. I’m such a fan of the Dragon that I never worry about dropping the book. As long as he’s making it, I’ll read it. If you haven’t picked up the Dragon in a while, go ahead and pick one up. It’s good ol’ fashioned comic book fun. Plus, if you’re a fan of Mark Millar’s Wanted, it’s a crossover with those characters.

The Goon Noir By various creators
As Erik Powell finishes the “Chinatown” graphic novel, a book I can’t friggin’ wait for, folks like Patton Oswalt, Mike Ploog, Steve Niles and others put together a really fun book full of black and white stories featuring the regular Goon cast. I’ve endlessly praised this book and I’ll continue to do so. In my humble opinion, it’s the best book on the stands. Bar-none.

So that’s my comic “haul”. With all the books on the stands, I can’t believe I walk out of the shop with 3 books. Anyway…

Randall is still rolling along. I’ve gotten caught up in the story and I’m really enjoying drawing the strip, so the plan is to stock up on pages and maybe do a new page every Wednesday type-thing. I’ll see if I can’t put together Randall Month over at LazyComix.com, look for that in October, in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at the next page.

Thanks for reading!
--Randy

Randall Premiere!

2006-09-18T13:06:00.000-04:00

After what has seemed like and eternity, the Randall Relaunch is finally here. As I was uploading the new pages on my site, I was reminded that I did 22 pages of the “old” Randall before deciding to start over. Heck, there was some time there that I was going just bag the whole idea. Nevertheless, I’m glad I didn’t.

So here’s the link, head on over and check out the strip and please shoot me some feedback here or even via email. I’d love to hear it.

Thanks for looking,
Randy

American Splendor at Vertigo

2006-09-13T09:56:00.000-04:00

Last week the first Vertigo published issue of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor hit the shelves.

If you didn’t pick it up last week, don’t forget to put it on your list for this week. It’s a book that changed the way I look at comics and it really fell into my lap at the right time in my life. Ereisa bought me an issue of “The Complete Crumb, Volume 12” which happened to contain a huge chunk of the Pekar/Crumb team-ups. That book really got me into the world of alternative comics. And thank god, because without them, I’d surely have dropped comics altogether. There’s only so much late shipping over-written crossover superhero comics I can handle.

So go out and not only support Harvey but also support DC for publishing a book like American Splendor. It’s nice to see a big-time comic publisher put something besides another tights and capes book on the shelves.

Meanwhile, Randall Redux is inching closer and closer every day. It’s really turning into something I’m excited about and after all the trepidation about continuing the Randall comic, I couldn’t be happier that I stuck it out.

Stay tuned and Go Buy American Splendor! There’s gotta be some book you’re about to drop anyway!

--R

5 Years Later...

2006-09-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

This is the only comic I’ve done dealing with 9-11.

Someday, I’ll do another one…but here it is, 5 years later and I’m not emotionally ready to sit down and draw the thing.

Someday.

http://www.lazycomix.com/nyc006001.html

Greatest Movie Decade...

2006-08-29T12:10:00.000-04:00

I love movies even more than comics. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing more than watching a great flick… some of my go-to movies when I need an inspirational kick-in-the-pants are Star Wars, The Godfather, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, Crumb and others.

I’ve got a little 13 inch TV/DVD combo right next to my computer monitor. It’s been a saving grace for me as it has helped me get through many a boring day putting circles around other people’s writing. The movie I just popped in was the original Alien by Ridley Scott. Holy cow, what an amazing movie. For some reason, I forgot when this movie was released, I thought maybe the early 80’s but it’s 1979 release. It didn’t surprise me at all. The 1970’s produced so many great movies that it’s arguably the best decade for movies. If you ask me, it is the best decade by far.

Just off the top of my head you’ve got:

Star Wars
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Alien
Jaws
Apocalypse Now
Godfather 1 and 2
Rocky
Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
The Exorcist
Superman
Animal House
The French Connection
Annie Hall
Serpico

You’ve got all-time greats in every genre right there and I’m sure I’ve forgotten a ton. I can’t think of a better Sci-Fi flick than the three I named… the Godfather is a good as it gets period…. Great Horror with The Exorcist… some of Scorsese’s best work with Taxi Driver…. I know there’ve been some great superhero flicks recently, but the original Superman is right there with any of the new ones. One of the best Comedies ever made in Animal House. Two of the best Cop movies in French Connection and Serpico. And Rocky is one of the best Sports movies ever made.

Damn, I know I sound old saying this…”but they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”

C’mon, folks…. Name some more great 1970’s movies.

--Randy

Randall! Closer Than Ever!

2006-08-23T10:43:00.000-04:00

Randall has just become a never-ending saga in my little comic book world. I’ve been revamping the story and character for years now. I’m not even sure when the last page of the original Randall was posted, but even then, I had a feeling it would be the last time I’d work on Randall… at least in that form.

So, after countless rewrites and redesigns, 3 or 4 completed pages that will never see webcomic glory… I finished page one and I’m really, really happy with it. Page 2 is thumb nailed out and ready to go.

With a new “LazyComix Presents” on deck, it looks like there’ll be plenty of new Comix over at the site.

Here’s a lil’ sneak preview… Stay tuned.

Here's a few books that won't be late!

2006-08-18T10:33:00.000-04:00

With the recent announcement that every comic made from now until the end of time will probably be late… (and it ain’t the Letterer's fault, folks!) Here’s a couple comics you can pick up and enjoy right now.

Brownsville by Neil Klied and Jake Allen
I’m a bit of a New York City Organized Crime Buff and this is a great little Graphic Novel about the Jewish Gangsters of the 1930’s. Great writing and art and just a fun read. Check it out.

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Picked this up on the suggestion of about every darn person who posts in the “Indy Book” thread over at the Bendis board. At the same time, this book caused a little riff between folks who’ll read a book like Scott Pilgrim and folks who’ll only read the superhero stuff from the Big 2. Why one would limit themselves to only reading superhero books is beyond me, but whatever, that’s a topic for another time. Anyway, Scott Pilgrim is an absolute blast. Loved every page of it. Laugh out loud funny, great writing and dialogue, and innovative to boot. Get out there and pick it up. I’ve only read Volume 1…. But I can’t wait to get my hands on Volumes 2 and 3. Link

Stay tuned folks and Go Yankees.

--randy

NYComix Episode Eight

2006-08-10T09:53:00.000-04:00

The latest NYComix is finally up at LazyComix.com.

Check it out here and give feedback!

--Randy

Bolds Bolds Everywhere Bolds

2006-08-08T13:01:00.000-04:00

What’s the deal with bold words in comics? I’ve never gotten a straight answer as to what the heck they’re supposed to mean. The best answer I’ve ever gotten, and the one that makes the most sense is that they’re supposed to show you where the speaker would be putting an emphasis in his/her speech. I’ve seen actors circle words in their lines to show where their voice should change to show emotion. Alec Guinness was an actor that did this with his scripts.

The “smash” being where the Green Goliath raised his voice at the height of his anger.

A curse word would be another place where a bold would suffice.

However, being the one responsible for bolding these words as I transfer the script to the comic page, I realize that 99.9% of the bold words I see are completely ridiculous. Words that just make no sense are bolded over and over again. And if you were to read the dialogue with the speech emphasis idea placed on the bolded words, it would sound so silly and absurd that the writing would lose any impact the writer intended. Instead turning into something quite funny. However unintentional it may be.

That’s the kind of stuff I usually see. The only thing I can think of is that the writer is using bold words as a “Hi-Lighter”, emphasizing words he thinks are important and that the reader should notice. In my opinion, you should have confidence in your writing and dialogue, if you did, you wouldn’t need to hi-light an important point. It would come across through your story. It’s like ringing a bell after every important point or hitting your reader over the head as if he/she is incapable of understanding the scene you’re presenting.

I’ve done hand written letters. Complete with paper captions, a hand written font, which was loaded with bold words. When was the last time you sat down to write a letter and used 2 pens? One fine point and the other with a thick point for bold words? Probably never. When’s the last time you used a bold word in a casual email? Maybe once in a while, but I can’t remember getting an email with a bolded word.

Well, that’s it for now. Hope you liked my Andy Rooney-esque Blog. It was a much therapeutic as it was fun to write. Now go read a comic out loud and laugh at what you sound like as you emphasize the bold words.

Mural

2006-08-04T13:32:00.000-04:00

Ereisa and I can’t believe we don’t have this mural to work on anymore. Basically everyday for 3 weeks, we worked all day and then headed into Manhattan to work on this. Throw in weekends and you’ve got 2 exhausted artists.

Hopefully this is just the first of many murals to come.

DC Comic Fan?

2006-07-31T10:58:00.000-04:00

Back with some comic updates and talk.

The first page of the Randall Relaunch is inked. Two more pages to go, I’ll be coloring this one, so I want to take my time with that. I’m not a huge fan of coloring comics, I find it a little boring and tedious, but I’m hoping to do something fun with this one, something much different than the spotty job I did with the old Randall.

In the meantime, I’m working on the latest NYComix. I’m trying to add as much texture and detail to this NYComix as I can. So, as with Randall, I’m taking my time with it. Stay tuned and thanks for bearing with this rather long drought of no new comix.

And Ereisa and I will finally finish the mural tonight. We went a shade over 3 weeks. At first we planned on finishing in two and we basically did finish the mural in that time, but another piece in the office added the extra week. Look for pictures of the mural later this week.

I picked up a few comics last week as well.

Tricked by Alex Robinson
I absolutely loved Robinson’s last graphic novel, Box Office Poison. So I was really looking forward to Tricked. Unfortunately, I must say I didn’t dig Tricked as much. I had a hard time connecting to the music storyline, I found a lot of the characters unlikable and the characters I did like weren’t in the book enough. But, being that I loved BOP so much, I’m looking forward to Robinson’s next book.

Savage Dragon #0 “The Origin Issue”
One of the best Origin stories I’ve ever read. If Larsen ever decides to end the Dragon comic, he’s got a potential whopper of a storyline if he chooses to connect it to this origin story. It’s only a $1.95 so go pick it up.

The Goon #16.
I finally found this issue. It was sold out at Midtown comics, luckily I found the lone issue sitting on the shelf at Jim Hanley’s. As always, this comic kicks ass. You’re probably sick of me talking about how great it is, so I’ll stop.

Batman #655
The first issue of the Grant Morrison/Andy Kuburt run. I can’t believe where my mainstream comic tastes have gone. I’ve been a lifetime Marvel zombie, only reading DC comics when I got one for free or the art looked interesting. Now I don’t read any Marvel books and my 2 fave mainstream comics are both by Grant Morrison. A writer whose esoteric work used to annoy the crap out of me. All Star Superman and now Batman. This latest issue of Batman was just a fun issue with a great cliffhanger. Throw in some great art by Kuburt and I’m on board with this book for a while. AS Superman is a little different, but I’m digging what Morrison is doing with telling the story really fast, almost making the reader draw conclusions and put the story together as you go. I’ll take that any day over the decompression jazz we’re seeing so much of lately.

That’s it. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
--Randy

Howard Chaykin

2006-07-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

I’ve never read a Howard Chaykin comic, but I love his art. I just haven’t gotten around to reading any of his stuff. If any of you out there have any suggestions as to where is a good place to start, let me know. I heard American Flagg was great.

Over at Starwars.com they have an original 1977 poster by Chaykin available for download. Cool as hell.

Reviews

2006-07-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

I mentioned earlier that Ereisa and I have been working on a mural in Midtown Manhattan. We’ve been working on it for about 6 days now, all this after we work our regular jobs, and we’re about 75% done. I can’t wait to post the pictures of the finished mural. I think it looks pretty damn cool.

On the way to the mural I stopped by the comic shop for the first time in weeks. For those of you who’ve never been to Midtown comics in Times Square, going there on a Wednesday is like entering a total madhouse. You can barely get up to the shelves to grab a book. So as a follow up to my top five all-time comics last Blog, I’ve actually got some comics to review. Here goes…

1. The Goon #18
Far and away my favorite comic on the shelves today. Great writing, amazing art and a hilarious letter’s page. Plus a sweet pin-up by Mike Allred and a fun back-story.

2. The Escapists
A cool comic for a buck. I picked up one issue of the previous Escapist comic, but they were like 6 bucks a pop, so at that price, I dropped it. This relaunch is supposed to be at regular comic price, so with writing by Brian K. Vaughan and cool art by Philip Bond, you can’t go wrong. If you enjoyed by book by Michael Chabon, give this comic a shot.

3. Savage Dragon #127
Constantly one of the best superhero comics on the shelves. Erik Larsen now does all the art chores from writing to hand lettering. The Mr. Glum story has been a blast. If you’re tired of boring, drawn out stories about 2 heroes sipping coffee in a diner for 3 issues, pick up an issue of Dragon, it’s good ol’ superhero fun.

4. Eternals
I gave this a shot because of Romita Jr.’s art and because it’s a story created by Jack Kirby. I’ve never read a Neil Gaiman book… no Sandman, I tried the 1602 (I think that was the name) book he did a while back and I couldn’t get though it… just too darn slow for me. Unfortunately, this one is going the same way for me. The art is fantastic, I loved it, but I just don’t have the patience for a long story-setup. Sounds bad and I know Gaiman is a god among many comic fans, but it’s just not for me.

I’ve come to realize that I’m just into the recent trend in comics. I don’t know if it’s people writing for Trades or the influx of movie/television creators writing comics or whatever, but I grew up on Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Two seconds into Star Wars and we had a space battle and Three minutes later Darth Vader was kicking ass and we didn’t even know his name. Indiana Jones was in a cave after some gold statue and was running away from a giant rock before you settled into your seat. These are the kind of stories I like… give me action and let me put the pieces together as we go. “Hook ‘em early and often” I say. You’re probably reading this, Jared, I’d love to hear what you think of this stuff.

I’ll finish up with a picture I snapped in Soho last Saturday…

Thanks for Readin’.
--Gent

Random Randomness

2006-07-11T08:53:00.000-04:00

One problem I’ve always had with my work is my inability to stick with the same thing for too long. I’ll always come back to it, but I need another project to keep my interest up.

Right now I have 3 scripts written for 3 different comics. Randall, NYComix and a graphic novel. Three panels of the 1st page of Randall are penciled. NYComix is written but needs to be tweaked and ran by my “editor”. I’m writing the graphic novel in script format. I don’t want to worry about panel layouts; they just slow me down, so I’m around 50 pages into the story… with probably another 50 to go. On top of all this, I’m working on my first mural with Ereisa. The mural is in an office in Manhattan and we’re probably halfway done with it. It’s a blast; I’m enjoying it so much.

On top of all this I still have my usually lettering workload. Needless to say, I’m exhausted. My schedule has basically been working from 8-5, then heading into Manhattan to work on the mural from 6 to 9. It’s been that way for a week and it’ll stay that way for at least a week more.

I wish I had some comic reviews to do, but I haven’t bought a new comic in weeks. I’ve been re-reading Sin City on the way into Manhattan and that comic is so insanely good. So if you haven’t read Sin City, go pick some up. They released them in neat little Trade Paperbacks and they’re easily in my Top 5 favorite comics of all-time. Maybe even my in my Top 3… Drumroll...

LazyComix Top 5 Comics of All-Time.

1. Amazing Spider-Man #26-27
The Man in the Crime-Master's Mask
From July of 1965 this is the comic that got me into comics. At 2 issues long and about 40 pages long Stan Lee and Steve Ditko crammed more fun, action, drama and teen angst into this storyline than damn near every comic writer today could thinly spread into a 12 issue run. It’s got classic Peter Parker drama, Spidey Action, a faulty costume, the Green Goblin, mystery, crime noir, and everything you’d expect from a Stan Lee written comic. My brother had a reprint of this storyline and I couldn’t get enough of it.

2. The Goon
The only “mainstream” comic made today that you’ll see on my list. Eric Powell is the best writer/artist working in comics today. The Goon, like the early Spidey stuff, is full of action, fun, great storyline, and laugh out loud humor. Powell is doing comics his own way with his own characters. Great stuff that I read over and over again.

3. Sin City
As I mentioned earlier, this is another comic that I can read again and again and enjoy if more every time. Frank Miller is probably my favorite superhero comic creator ever. For some reason, the fanboys on various message boards like to give him crap, but they seem to forget that he’s responsible for the best Batman comics ever as well as the best Daredevil comics ever. Throw in his own stuff like Sin City and you’ve got a creator with a laundry list of the greatest comics ever. You’d think he’d get a pass for a few splash pages in All-Star Batman and Robin… but that would be asking message board Fanboys to be rational. How they bash Miller while at the same time going on and on about some decompressed story full of bad photo reference is beyond me. Anyway, go pick up any comic by Frank Miller.

4. American Splendor
I’ve mentioned Harvey Pekar many times in the Blog, he’s the biggest influence on my work and anything he writes, I’ll buy. He’s been doing different, autobiographical comics for years and they’re amazing reads. From going to the grocery store to peeling an orange, Pekar makes amazing comics out of the most mundane daily tasks. Look for new Splendor comics out of DC/Vertigo this September.

5. R. Crumb Comix
This isn’t a specific comic, but rather anything done by R. Crumb. There are dozens of Crumb comics out there and they’re all worth picking up. Like Pekar, Crumb makes comics about anything and everything. Shocking to funny. On top of that, he’s such an amazing artist.

So there ya go, my impromptu Top Five Comics of All Time List. That could change tomorrow, though. Some other stuff that almost made the cut were Savage Dragon by Erik Larsen, anything by Jim Mahfood, and the Daredevil run by Miller as well as Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One.

I’ll leave you with a couple movie trailers.

Spider-Man 3

And

Rocky Balboa.
Yup. Rocky 6. I’m an unabashed Rocky Movie and Stallone flick aficionado. I’ve even seen and enjoyed Rocky 5 more than once. Yeah, I said it. This trailer actually looks really good.

Thanks for reading,
Gent

Quick Hits

2006-06-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

A couple quick things here before the long holiday weekend.

The Cleveland Arts Prize Organization awarded comic book great, Harvey Pekar with their Lifetime achievement award. It’s well deserved.

And the ever-evolving saga of Randall is starting to take shape. Here’s a quick shot of what it’s going to look like.

It’s subject to change and obviously there’s been some significant changes to Randall himself… let me know what you think of the new look.

The story is written and ready to go. I have just to iron out a few character designs and get started. I’m playing around with how I’m going to present this comic. It’s going to be purely a web comic. I’ll probably throw it into a mini comic someday, but for now, I’m trying to breakdown each story into 2 page “arcs”… the first page will be sequential and the second page a full-page “cliffhanger” leading into the next sequential page, followed by another full-page cliffhanger. This way I can update quicker and give the book an easier to follow web comic feel plus it’ll be a little different than the usual web comic fare.

We’ll see how that works out and how long I stick to it.

Stay tuned.

--Gent

Quick Sketches

2006-06-21T12:45:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of quick ink sketches of my two fave Jazz artists.... Monk and Coltrane.

Also, go out and pick up Jim Mahfood's Stupid Comics Trade paperback. Awesome stuff from one of the best comic creators out there. You might even learn something after reading this book.

Check him out here...

Thanks,
Gent

FBR Promo

2006-06-13T16:14:00.000-04:00

There is a ton of comic book Podcasts out there… but Fanboy Radio remains my fave.

My main man Scott Hinze, the Grand Poobah of FBR, asked me to do a piece of promo art for the next episode, featuring Scott Kurtz of PVP fame.

Check it out and tune into Fanboy Radio every Sunday and Wednesday.

Behind the NYComix

2006-06-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

It’s been so long since I’ve done a new NYComix, I figured I’d bring something a little extra to the table with the latest comic.

The best part of this “Making Of” is that I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out. I’m experimenting with a few different things, which I’ll get into as we go along.

First a little background on this NYComix “One Shot”.

If you haven’t checked out any of the earlier One Shots, head on over here. The premise behind these comics is that they are one-page, one-panel comics. You could call them splash pages… a full-page a shot… whatever floats your Fanboy-Boat.

As with all my NYComix, they’re all-true comics about my various New York City moments. What separates the One Shots from the longer, sequential NYComix is that every one is a word-by-word account of what happened. Each comic is a real snippet of conversation, and when I’m lucky enough to hear one that piques my interest, I quickly jot it down in my little notebook right on the spot.

The characters and settings are reproduced to the best of my ability. This particular setting is the steps of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue, I took some shots of the Cathedral with my digital camera and the characters themselves are represented as I remembered them. I didn’t take a picture of this guy, as I was too disgusted with what he said. Plus, it’s probably not even legal to take a picture of someone for reference for reproduction in a comic without his/her consent. (Blah, blah, blah legal stuff I don’t care about, so I just go by memory to save myself the trouble.)

Now to the actual page.

PENCILS

First step are the pencils. Which are pretty rough. I rely more on my inks to get the shadow, depth and texture I’m looking for. I found that doing that with a pencil, only to ink over it later is a waste of time. I’m also giving all the One Shots a similar composition. This will likely change later on, but for now, I’m kinda digging that idea.

INKS

Inking is done with the usual suspects. Higgins Black Magic Ink and a Windsor & Newton Sable brush. I use a Size 0 for the small stuff and a Size 3 for the bolder areas. I try to start going left to right, so as to not smudge the inks. This doesn’t always work, however, but I can always fix it in PhotoShop.

I’m still not sure where I’m going on the texture of the Cathedral. I’m going to use a lot of black in the shadows, but the hatching on the stones is still up in the air. I might have to do a little research and find some good pictures of the texture of stone buildings. In the meantime I’ll ink as much of this as I can before I move on to my first hand lettered balloon.

LETTERING

I’m seriously considering switching to hand lettering. The more I look at the computer lettering on my old stuff, the less I like it. The style works for superhero books, but for what I’m doing, it doesn’t match up. It’s real slick and computer looking while my art is loose inks and crosshatching. Plus I use one of Chris Eliopoulos’ fonts, and while I’m lucky enough to have access to fonts made by the best letterer in the biz. It’s not my work.

While I like to hand letter, it’s a time consuming process and adding more time to an already erratic schedule with my comics is something I don’t want to do. Another option is making a font of my lettering and drawing the balloons in illustrator. That way I can play with them, duplicate and resize as necessary, etc. In the meantime, this is a 2-balloon page so hand lettering takes no time at all. I’ll have to tweak some of the lettering if Photoshop, but only to center the type.

SHADOWS AND BRUSH FINISHES

With the lettering done I can finish up inking the shadows and bigger areas with the brush. Earlier I mentioned that I was going to try to add more texture to the stones, but as I saw the page coming together, I realized that it would be overkill. I think it works fine as is. Also, after I finished the page, I realized that I left out the “Wait” balloon. So I did that on a separate page and pasted it on the board.

So there it is, the finished page. I’m going to add a little Title to the top left in Illustrator and that’ll be that.

Head on over here to see the finished product and please write with any comments, questions and if you’re a fellow comic creator feel free to drop some tips and/or suggestions.

Thanks!
--Randy

Update and Recommended Stuff

2006-05-31T10:07:00.000-04:00

Another huge gap in posts, but what are ya gonna do? Lettering has been kinda crazy, throw a holiday in there and before you know a few weeks have gone by.

Got a few things in the works. There’ll be a new NYComix One-Shot very soon. It’s penciled and ready for inks, but it’s one of the more detailed pages I’ve done. I try to do that on the One-Shot comics. I didn’t on the last one about the Hot Dog salesman and it’s probably the least favorite of the bunch for me. I’m even going to hand letter this one. I’m about as spent on computer lettering as a person can be. Plus I’m not sure if it jives with my art. It seems pasted over (which it basically is)… although it saves a ton of time, I’ll be looking to do more hand lettering in future comix.

I’m also way behind on the Baseball Illustrations for Spikeballparks. I’ve got a thumbnail ready, so I have to work out that piece soon as well.

Got a few Recommended Comics, Books and Flicks too.

Comics

Powers Hardcover.
Finally finished reading this one and I really enjoyed it. I’m pretty down on mainstream comics right now, but Powers really has an independent, crime-noir feel to it. If you get a chance pick up the Hardcover or better yet, pick up the first “Who Killed Retro-Girl?” Trade Paperback. Good stuff.

Invincible
Fellow VC letterer Rus Wooton was nice enough to mail me a trade of Robert Kirkman’s Superhero comic out of Image Comics. This book really made me feel like there’s hope for Superhero comics in today’s industry. While Marvel and DC are the top selling superhero comics, none of them have the fun, the action and the character development that Kirkman is putting into every issue of this book. I’m a huge fan of mid to late 1970’s comics and Invincible is like an updated version of those great books. It takes itself seriously but at the same time it’s not afraid to have a mad scientist with a giant brain, or a one-eyed alien who can fly and kick ass. If you’re tired of the mainstream superhero comics endless babbling and sparse action, pick up an issue of Invincible.

Books

The Man in the High Castle
Philip K. Dick has become one of my favorite writers and this book has really made me think, and the thing is… I’m not even sure what to think. But that’s a good thing. Sounds weird, but I can’t wait to get my hands on another PKD novel.

Flicks

The Good The Bad and the Ugly.

Spaghetti Westerns at their best by Italian director Sergio Leone. An absolutely beautifully shot movie that at 3 hours long left me wanting to see more. It’s an “art film” and a action flick all rolled into one. Gotta move Leone’s Dollars Trilogy to the top of my Netflix Queue.

That’s it. Stay tuned for that NYComix One-shot.

--Gent

Found Art

2006-05-12T12:56:00.000-04:00

I took this photo over a year ago in the 7th Avenue subway station in Brooklyn…

There’s a great culture of street art in Brooklyn but this was one of the cooler things I’ve seen in the Park Slope area. Places like Williamsburg are just crawling with artists. The graffiti in that neighborhood is fantastic and there are things like this framed piece all over. I don’t particularly like the art itself in this frame, but the idea of framing something and just leaving it in a subway station is really cool, especially knowing that it will be eventually thrown out by an MTA employee…maybe someone picked it up.

--Gent

Letterer Without a Crew

2006-05-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

So I haven’t posted a new Blog in ages. It’s been a number of things, ranging from that Home Run King illustration I did for Spike ballparks. Which took me much longer than I thought it would. It was tougher to take a jab at Barry Bonds than I thought. I didn’t want to be too blatant and just bash him. It would’ve been easy to do that, but less is more… I think that came across in the illustration.

I’ve also been adjusting to some changes that have come in via my lettering gig. Essentially it adds up to us being dragged into the production wing of comics. We’ve always been lowest on the totem pole, but not far down enough I guess. Because of this I’ve really been searching for more creative outlets…stuff outside of comics. The baseball gig has scratched that itch but I’m still looking for more. I’ve been researching Mini DV cameras and writing a script. I’m kicking around the idea of a live action trailer for a black and white underground comic. Just something, anything that takes the comics I’m doing to a place that I and people reading them wouldn’t expect. Why not a movie that promotes the comic? Flip da script as the kids say.

Quick plug for a movie I checked out the other day. Robert Rodriguez’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico. This guy is making movies is own way… writing, directing, shooting, editing, scoring, production design… he basically does it all. In the 70’s when guys like Lucas, Coppola, Scorsese, DePalma and the rest of the “Movie Brats” where coming up, they make movies from start to finish, the Auteur Theory of filmmaking with one person being the “author” of the film. Today’s Hollywood seems to just churn crap out like an assembly line…. (kinda sounds like some comics) Rodriquez is really one of the few young filmmakers that are outside of Hollywood (in Texas) shooting movies fast, cheap and with high quality. He and Quinten Tarantino are two of the auteur filmmakers that emerged in the 90's.

There’s and energy and just fun and enjoyable aspect to his flicks that really appeal to me. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, his first film, El Mariachi is one of the success stories that young filmmakers look at. He shot the movie for $7000 bucks and caught the attention of Hollywood by doing so. Of course, there are a lot of folks who dispute this budget, most of which seem to be bitter film geeks, but no matter how you look at it the guy literally became a human guinea pig by volunteering for human research studies to earn money to make Mariachi. So in my opinion, split hairs all you want on the 7000 dollars, they guy became a pincushion to make his film.

Mariachi and Mexico are just fun, fast-paced action flicks with great quirky characters. There’s a great DVD extra called “10 minute Flick School” and an even better book about the making of Mariachi called “Rebel Without a Crew”. If you’re in need of an inspiration story to get your work kick-started, check ‘em out.

Stay tuned, I’ve got a new NYComix in the penciled stage…should be ready in a week or so.

--Gent