Got a little behind here on my blogging, but here’s my report on Wizard World Los Angeles, held the weekend of March 14-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
I’ve been doing Wizard World here in LA for several years now (it started back in Long Beach). It’s more of a ‘mainstream’ comics/pop culture show, catering to the same people who read Wizard magazine. That would be guys (and they definitely target male readers) who are into Marvel and DC comics, play a lot of video games, and gawk at the pictures in Maxim magazine. Not exactly my demographic….
But actually, WizardWorld, like any show, will always have a curious group of people with a very wide range of interests and tastes. So with that in mind, I decided to exhibit once again. Also, the fact that I live about 20-25 minutes away makes this a much more manageable show than out of town events. And the clincher this time was that my good friend, Jose Cabrera asked me to split a table with him. A better table price and partnering with such a great guy?
Yet another reason this particular show was a no-brainer for me: I had a lot to promote. Fresh from winning BEST FEATURE for EL MUERTO at the previous week’s Whittier Film Festival, I had to share the news about that! Also, I passed out flyers for my radio show as well as flyers for the San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival. I’ve helped organize that event with the folks from the Nuvein Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to introducing the community to the arts. The Nuvein Foundation actually provides support for my radio show, and in fact the head of the Foundation, Enrique Diaz, is also the Executive Producer of PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO.
And the real reason I wanted to attend Wizard was to debut, or at least unveil in public my brand-new comic book creation, DEMOLTION DOVE! I had slapped together a quick DEMO DOVE Myspace page a day or so before the convention, but this showing the character in person. I have to say, I was honestly surprised how popular the character had turned out to be that weekend. Granted, people were only reacting one promo poster, but the design of the character, the name and the juxtaposition of his traits really caught people’s fancy. I really had no idea what to have expected. For the last 10 years I’ve only really been know for creating EL MUERTO in comics, zines, mini-comics and other forms of art. I’ll definitely be using this blog, and radio show, to talk more about the DOVE, but for now you can enjoy the same preview the Wizard audiences did!
In fact, the very first day, Friday, I had a fan of mine ask for a DEMOLITION DOVE drawing! Not one to disappoint, or miss a great photo op, I had him take a photo of me drawing. I’ve known Alejandro some years now via APE and Comic Con. He’s an enthusiastic comics fan but also an extremely interesting and intelligent person to talk to. In fact, we started talking quite a bit about the politics in the DOVE storyline as well as the events going on right now.
Another fan came by on Saturday and asked if he could have a sketch. I’m thinking I’ll be drawing El Muerto or the Dove…..but then he mentions ‘Daredevil’! I was really excited by the chance, to be honest. Anyone who knows me will know my love for the old-time classic superheroes (that’s pre-1985!). So I busted out this Daredevil for Edwin:
Edwin, and his girlfriend Crystal had come down from Las Vegas for the show. He had actually seen the Muerto movie on DVD and really enjoyed it. He ended up picking up some of my comics. I found out that when he bought the DVD, he didn’t get the mini-comic book that was supposed to be included. So I told him to come back to my table on Sunday and I would have a copy of that comic for him. Luckily I have a small stash of those! He really appreciated the gesture, and of course I really appreciate having such a great fan of my work.
Edwin even asked Jose for a Daredevil sketch, which really surprised me. Jose’s a great cartoonist, but his web comic is more geared to satirical/absurdist humor, not superheroes. So what a pleasure it was to all of us to see him knock out a Daredevil. I love it when artists who aren’t really doing any type of superhero/action books bust out a superhero! Most of those type of artists actually grew up on the same comics as the rest of us geeks anyway!
My friend Michael Aushenker didn’t have his own booth at this show, but he was stationed with a publisher he’s working with. Michael is going to be writing an upcoming miniseries for the publishers of the GUMBY comics.
Here’s Michael with the GUMBY crew. On the far right you see creator Art Clokey’s daughter Holly Harmon.
Michael, besides being a great friend, an ingenous writer and a whiz bang artist, is always up for some laughs. Here’s he and Jose hanging out with some friends of theirs. Seriously, they’ve seen these Mario Bros. guys at various shows and they all seem like old buddies!
Michael joining me and Jose at the Crying Macho Man/Los Comex corner:
I’m told I was totally geeking out when I approached these folks! Check them out, the cast of Spider-Man from the comics! John Romita-style Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacey…along with Aunt May, Peter Parker and the Black Cat! Man, it was like walking into the comic book. Lucky ‘Peter Parker’, walking around with all them hot Spidey-Babes. Even the cutey playing Aunt May wasn’t bad!
Our neighbors at our booth were Kelly and Nico, writer and artist of the comic book TALES OF THE OZARK HOWLER. Kelly is a writer of books and screenplays, and in fact the comic book is an adaptation of one of her novels. I thought it was pretty cool that the novelist herself was self-publishing her own adaptation. Nico is a 19 yr. old artist working on his first comic. They were very nice to have as neighbors, and I wish them luck in their joint endeavor.
I’m know for not really being into STAR WARS (blasphemy, I know…) but I had to shoot this R2-D2. Looked like a Jedi R2. with the dark paint job! Anyone out there know if this one is in the movies??
My old chum Tony came by my table and literally dropped to his knee to get a better peek at this DEMOLITION DOVE character! Always nice to surprise your old college buddies, huh?
Speaking of surprise, I was asked by someone for a cheesecake pinup! The guy bought some stuff from me, then asked for a drawing. Thing is, he asked for Betty Page! Luckily my friend Tony was still around and he was carrying his Rocketeer graphic novel with him, which I used for reference!
Dave Stevens, creator of the Rocketeer, had passed away earlier in the week. Tony was honoring his memory by wearing that 15 year old Rocketeer T-shirt to the con. So, in a way, it was a nice way for me to pay tribute to Stevens as well. Dave Stevens was a huge admirer of Betty Page and in fact based the Rocketeer’s girlfriend on Betty.
There was an artist sitting across from me and he had heard I was from Whittier, same as him. Of course we hit it off immediately. Ruben Martinez is his name, and he’s a toy designer at Mattel. He had previously worked with Stan Lee at Stan Lee Media and in fact had Stan write the intro for his new art book he was selling at Wizard. Stan Lee wrote the intro for his book! I bought a copy of course. It’s a stunning book, full of pencil and computer artwork, showcasing Ruben’s keen imagination and great sense of character design. Me and Ruben talked about the growing contingent of comic artists/illustrators in Whittier, with some plan to do something with all that talent! Oh, and I asked Ruben for a Muerto sketch in my signed copy of THE AFTER LIFE!
Another artist I ran into was Keith Knight, one of the great cartoonists working in the field, in my opinion. Ketih’s strip is at times autobiographic as well as political/social commentary. His craftsmanship and entrepreneurial skills are to be admired. As he was inscribing my copy of his new book “I LEFT MY ARSE IN SAN FRANCISCO” we were chatting and catching up on one another. I noticed he kept glancing off to his left as he was doodling, then realized “Oh damn, he’s drawing me an El Muerto!” Sure enough, there in my copy of his new book, I have a one-of-a-kind Keith Knight El Muerto sketch! I’ll be danged if this ain’t one of the best things about this whole self-publishing bit!
I’ll definitely be back at Wizard LA next year. Too many reasons not to. I was actually pleased to hear from several people there that they had seen the Muerto movie either as fans of the comic book or discovering it on their own. I got a chance to talk to one fan at length about the movie and the comic. He had a few things about the movie he wasn’t happy with, but he and I were able to have an honest discussion about it. Another lady came by and scooped up a couple of 11x17 prints. She was a huge fan of Dia De Los Muertos and wanted to add these pieces to her collection of fine art. I actually knew one of the pieces she already had.
This really was, for me, a special show. I met old Muerto comic fans as well as new admirers of the movie. I promoted the heck out of my new radio show and the upcoming Comic Book Festival. Sold my share of comics, zines, buttons and prints. Met some other great artists. And even received an extremely enthusiastic response to my new character.
Yeah, I’ll be back next year for sure!
My guest on my radio show tonite is Jose Cabrera, creator of the CRYING MACHO MAN online comic! Me and Jose shared a table at Wizard World LA this past weekend so we'll share our stories about that. AND: find out about my brand new comic creation, DEMOLITION DOVE!!!
EL MUERTO has won BEST FEATURE FILM at the WHITTIER FILM FESTIVAL Awards
I myself did not attend the Award Ceremony saturday night, but I was informed today by the Festival that our film, EL MUERTO, has won the BEAST FEATURE prize at this first ever Whittier Film Festival! Wow...Nice to be part of a historic first!
An award-winning film, based on my comic book! Like Inspector Clousseau says, "That feel's good!" Thanks to the Whittier Film Festival. And also thanks to the GEEKS comic shop in Whittier for hosting our Q&A. Thanks to my good friend Brian Cox, the screenwriter & director of the EL MUERTO film. Thanks to my producers, Larry Rattner and Susan Rodgers, and our executive producers, the Leones. Thanks to all the hard-working and passionate actors and filmmaking crew.
Thanks to my familia, without whom.... Thanks to my many friends and fellow creators for their continued inspiration. And a deep thanks to the many fans I've been fortunate to have over the last 10 years. No doubt about it, the most generous, loyal and patient fans anyone could ask for!
This is good. This is real good!!!
A big GRACIAS to GEEKS comic shop for hosting our EL MUERTO Q&A at the Whittier Film Festival friday night!
Man, that was a fantastic evening. We had a near capacity crowd at the screening (I'd say about 85-90% full). Among the audience were some long-time friends from Whittier, one of my neighbors and some Friends from MySpace. But the overwhelming majority were people just curious to watch the film, and that's always great to see. I introduced the picture, sharing with the folks my own upbringing in Whittier and how the film actually came about. The screening was held in the upstairs ballroom of MEMORIES (my history with that particular building was previously posted about here), and I stayed to watch the first hour or so of the film with the audience. I never tire of experiencing the audience reaction to the movie.
The audience awaiting the film at MEMORIES
Some happy fans at the event.
I left the screening before it ended and caught up at dinner with Brian Cox, our screenwriter/director. Brian made a point of coming out from a busy schedule in Hollywood to attend the Q&A, knowing how special this night was for me. From Day One he's been a stand-up guy, and a real professional. I met him over 6 years ago, initially because of his interest in EL MUERTO as a property. In the ensuing years we made the film and formed a friendship. We were joined at the restaurant by Susan Rodgers, the film's Co-producer. Susan, who I've referred to as my 'big sister' on the film, hadn't had an opportunity to attend a festival with us, so I'm glad she made this one. She actually lived in Whittier for a year back in the 80s, so for her this was a little bit of a homecoming.
We made our way to GEEKS comic shop at about 9:15 and entered a room full of fans! Martin Espino, a musician who worked on the film, was providing some musical entertainment, playing the music he specializes in: pre-Columbian Mexican. GEEKS is a beautiful store, and for a comic book shop it's exceptionally classy, not one of the men's-club-house atmosphere comic stores used to be known for! I had lots of EL MUERTO artwork on display throughout the store, making the evening particularly memorable.
GEEKS before the Q&A.
Included among the exhibition was the costume I wore for my cameo in the movie. Hanging on the right is a great EL MUERTO painting by my friend Michael Aushenker (his artwork is included in the GALERIA DEL MUERTO Special Feature in the EL MUERTO DVD).
I also brought this collection of custom action figures made by other artists. The two 12" action figures in the back were made by a super EL MUERTO fan and good friend Jose Iturriaga. The the three figures in the front, from left to right, were customized by Melissa Daniels, Alex Montijo and Manny Elias. It's such a kick to recieve these from artists, and I'm honored that people would spend their time in creating these figures.
I customized one of the Whittier Film Festival posters with some El Muerto doodles...
The actual Q&A was wonderful. Brian, Susan, Martin and myself fielded questions for about an hour. I was of course asked about the inspiration for El Muerto, but also questions about my initial feelings about handing over my creation to a group of filmmakers (the answer, of course, was that the whole experience in working on the film was educational, involving and ultimately satisfying). But there were plenty of questions that were addressed by Brian and the others as well. One of the reasons I love seeing my fellow filmmakers attending these events is that they can see the impact that the film has on people. I hear it all the time, because I'm always in contact with fans. But for Susan and Brian, as they move onto their next film projects, they don't often get a chance to hear all the great comments from people who actually enjoyed the picture. There were plenty of autograph and photograph requests for all of us filmmakers, which was also great to see everyone participate in.
(l-r Martin Espino, me, Brian Cox and Susan Rodgers)
A surprise visitor to the event was a close friend of mine, Rhode Montijo. Rhode lives in Oakland, but was down in Bakersfield to speak to an elementary school. Even though Bakersfield was still 2 hours away from Whittier, he had told me he was going to try to attend. Well, when I walked into GEEKS, there he was! Rhode's been a great friend and we're each tremendous supporters of one another's work for the last 10 years. We used to exchange comments on each other's debut issues (he created a comic called PALBO'S INFERNO) and have been able to exhibit together at various shows over the years. Rhode actually painted an EL MUERTO portrait that I printed as the back cover to the KING SIZE EL MUERTO #1 (I told the audience that and sure enough, the guy had numerous requests for autographs that evening!). A good sport, a great artist, and a true friend.
How could the night have been better? Screening the movie in my own hometown. A Q&A inside a great comic book store? It was really cool when introducing the filmmakers to the audience at the shop. My own introduction was the long-winded "and I'm the creator of EL MUERTO, the Associate Producer of the film and the host of PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO!". (Never pass up a chance at self-promotion!). I don't know if it's good or bad, but I'm getting a lot more comfortable talking with a mike in my hands! Nothing like a captive audience.....
But really, I continue to be extremely grateful for all that's happened to me as a result of starting the first Muerto comic back 10 years ago. At the same time, I feel there will be other things to both come from what I've created (or collaborated on) and new creations. In some ways, finally screening the film in my hometown is a completion of a huge circle begun back in the late 70s when I used to buy my early comics at BOOKLAND on Greenleaf. Back then, there were several used bookshops I would frequent on the weekend, looking through the piles of back issue comic books that they usually had a box or shelf reserved for. Just filling my collection with more books, and my head with dreams.
My friend Bert, who got posters and comics signed for her son. And me....dreaming...
In what has to be one of the great serendipitous moments in the last 10 years since creating my own comic, my own hometown of Whittier is holding it's first ever film festival, with EL MUERTO screening on Opening Night!
On Friday, March 7 at 7:10 pm, EL MUERTO will be screening at one of three venues assigned for the festival, MEMORIES. A large two-story building originally built in 1902, MEMORIES is a full function dance hall, bar, eatery. They host many swing dance events as well as live bands and weddings. But it occurred to me one day recently that I have a personal history with the building. Back in 1983, while in High School, I used to work in that very building when it was a Jerry's Big & Tall Men's Clothing Store! Unbelievable! My friend at the time, Adrian, had a brother who owned the store, Jimmy. Well, one day I asked Jimmy if I could work for him part-time and so I think I worked there for about a year or two. Sometimes, near the last several months or so, times got slow at the shop and I would actually be working there myself, opening up and/or closing the shop myself. It was a fairly large, single room store, and there would be hours when no one would show up. Just me, sitting in that old green leather and steel chair, probably reading some comic books or alternating between James Bond and 'Mack Bolan,the Executioner' novels! The idea that 25 years later, I would be screening the movie based on my own comic book in that very location would have seemed like the most outlandish premise! Back in 1983/84, I certainly had not even thought up the idea of EL MUERTO to be honest.
Maybe you can't go home again, but you can go back to work!
And in another case of full circle.... There will be a Q&A following the film in another venue. At 9pm, GEEKS comic shop on Greenleaf will be hosting a Q&A with my EL MUERTO writer/director Brian Cox, So-producer Susan Rodgers, musician Martin Espino and myself. Sal, from GEEKS, and myself have been working out a nice program. In addition to the Q&A, I will have lots of EL MUERTO artwork on display. Not just my original comic book pages, but lots of memorabilia from the last 10 years of EL MUERTO : out of print mini-comics and zines, the various custom statues and action figures I've been fortunate enough to receive from friends and fans, my costume from my cameo in the movie and a few other things from the Muerto archives!
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What's cool about the fact that GEEKS is on Greenleaf (the main street in the historic Uptown Whittier section of the city) is my long history there as well. It was on Greenleaf where the old venerable book store BOOKLAND was located (now closed for about 10 years or so). BOOKLAND, in the late 70s and 80s, was where I used to by a lot of my comics, including some of those beloved Marvel trade-paperback books like ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS and HOW TO DRAW COMICS THE MARVEL WAY, two books whose influence on me is immeasurable. Also, back in 1998, before I took that trip up North to the Alternative Press Expo in San Jose, CA to debut my first EL MUERTO comic book, I stopped by the then-current comic shop Pegasus Hobbies to leave the first copies of the comic.
Greenleaf, and Whittier in general, have had a life-spanning influence on my life. It's going to be real nice to to make some new memories. Maybe some person in the audience that night will be inspired to pursue their own creative impulses one day.
I like to tell people that Whittier is the early home town, and High School, for both Richard Nixon and John Lassiter (Pixar founder), and that one day I'll be known as the third famous person from Whittier. But really, the fact that we're screening the film in Whittier is so satisfying, especially during this 10th year anniversay of my having created the character.
Famous or not (and who really needs the headache of being famous), I like to consider myself one extremely lucky and grateful person!
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, I'll be having a very special episode of PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO! My guests will be two filmmakers from the EL MUERTO movie: Screenwriter/Director BRIAN COX and musician MARTIN ESPINO, who performed all the Pre-Columbian instruments and Nahuatl chanting heard in the film.
With the EL MUERTO screening taking place March 7 at the WHITTIER FILM FESTIVAL, this is a great time to talk about the making of the film with my fellow filmmakers. I'll be sure we cover things that aren't mentioned in the commentary track found on the DVD with Brian and myself. New scoops and some great background anecdotes, straight from the director who made the film!
Plus we'll have some music performed live in studio by my friend and fellow Whittier resident, Martin Espino! I actually got Martin the gig on the film. My director wanted to incorporate actual indigenous Aztec music and chanting in the picture, so I immediately recommended Martin. I'm glad it worked out, because Martin is such a long-time practitioner of pre-Columbian music that his authenticity really enriches the film.
This is a little surreal to me: to be having the director of my comic-to-screen adaptation on a radio show I'm hosting! And the radio show is a result of my years of self-publishing my own creation. Life is one big circle, folks. Don't stop me, I don't want to get off!
10 years ago in February 1998, I published the first-ever EL MUERTO comic book!! A black & white photocopied comic book introducing the Aztec Zombie. The book recieved it's official debut at the Alternative Press Expo in San Jose, CA.
Here we are, 10 years later on the web, in comics, independent film and even a radio show! All this cause I wanted to create my own comic book character. So many people to thank, that's for sure! Family, friends, fellow artists and of course the Fans! And let's not forget the retailers, galleries, filmmakers, web designer, and many others who have all helped out in various ways.
This Tuesday, Feb. 19 on my radio show, PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO, I'll be podcasting a Special King-Size El Muerto Anniversary Show! We have a great guest, Carlos Castellanos, the artist for the nationally-syndicated BALDO newspaper strip.
I'll also announce how you can win tickets for the EL MUERTO film screening at the Whittier Film Festival on Friday, March 7. And I'll also be talking about starting EL MUERTO 10 years ago and how the Dead Guy has taken me on the Liveliest ride of my life!
Of course, over the next 12 months here at Javzilla, I'll be sharing with you stories about creating EL MUERTO and all the adventures in publishing, conventions, art galleries, filmmaking and wherever else EL MUERTO has taken me. Plus I'll have news coming up in March about a Top Secret brand-new character I've created! One that will be seen in a Top Secret, brand-new publishing venture I'm starting with a good friend of mine! All I can tell you right now about the new comic is this:
Take RAMBO, BILLY JACK and DEATH WISH, cross it with ANIMAL FARM,DESTROYER DUCK and MR. A, and mix it with PLANET OF THE APES, HAWK & DOVE and THE PUNISHER!!! What we're gonna get is one personal, shoot-em-up, slam bang political hot-potato!!!
'Nuff said!!!!
I've just learned that comic book writer Steve Gerber, creator of Howard the Duck and Omega the Unknown passed away on Sunday.
Steve had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, and had been writing about the process on his blog for some time. Mark Evanier has a testimonial to his friend over on his site his site. And Mark has been given permission by those close to Steve to log into Steve Gerber's blog. I recommend reading the posts their to get an idea of Steve's contributions to the industry.
As a kid in the 70s, I became a huge fan of Gerber's HOWARD THE DUCK, one of the most unusual Marvel Comics at the time. A talking Duck, with a sarcastic wit that would make Archie Bunker blush. Steve used a lot of social and political satire in the book, poking fun at us 'hairless apes' and the way we screw things up. As a 10 year old, I may not have even been aware of some of the satirical points he was making, but the book was so captivating to me that I still loved it. No doubt the amazing artwork by Gene Colan helped.
Lately, I've been on a big Howard trip. I even finally bought, after never owning one, a nice copy of HOWARD THE DUCK #1. Steve really was the first writer that taught me satire. This from a talking Duck, with a sexy, human, model as a girlfriend!
I'd like to share more thoughts on his writing, his influence and my huge affection for Howard the Duck. But tonight though, I miss Steve Gerber. Thank you Steve, for your great storytelling gifts, your professional impact, and for your unique insight.
God Bless.
Javier
The podcast featuring last Tuesday's guest,Blair Kitchen, creator of THE POSSUM, is now available on the PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO site. Blair was really fun to talk to, and I am so glad to see that he gave out so much great insight into the role of the self-publisher. Several of my previous guests are self-published artists, and they all have great insights into creating a comic under one's own steam. But I think the conversation with Blair gives listeners, and maybe future publishers, a good portrait of one person's creative drive and determination to make his own creation work.
Also, since I've never actually met Blair (save for the past year of emails and one pre-interview phone call), we didn't have the shared, personal history I've had with my other guests. This may have allowed me to perhaps focus on discussion of the issues at hand, as opposed to the freewheeling rapport I've had with my other guests (i.e. friends). I'm not being critical of the interview, just sharing my own perspective as the guy in the interviewer chair. Either way, it was another fun and interesting podcast. I'm glad to have had Blair as a guest. And now, I think it's fair to say, as a friend.
This tuesday's show features Richard Dominguez, the creator of the comic book EL GATO NEGRO. Richard was an early influence on me, as I was trying to find my way into self-publishing. Back in the mid-90s, I had seen an article on him in HISPANIC MAGAZINE. They talked about how Richard, a Mexican-American artist, created his own comic book character with roots in Mexican culture. Richard, along with Carlos Saldaña, really pointed me in the direction to publish my own comic book creation, based on elements from both Mexican folklore and American pop culture.
I remember meeting Richard at San Diego Comic Con, before I published EL MUERTO, and really enjoying my first meeting with him. Later, when I debuted my own comic book at San Diego, it was a real thrill to be able to give him a copy (or did I sell him one?!). Well, Tuesday will be a chance to have him on my radio show and not only thank
him again for all he's done, but to let him share with all of us the work he's done for the past 15 years.
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I've mentioned Blair and his most excellent comic book on a previous post here. But just to reiterate, this talented and driven cartoonist crafts one fantastic book. Talking to him about his career and art is something I'm very much looking forward to.
So, as Blair is a Canadian artist, living in Toronto, I guess this puts the PLANET in PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO! My first exposure to Canadian superheroes was probably Wolverine! But I remember in the early 80s buying an issue or two of CAPTAIN CANUCK, a genuine Canadian comic book by Canadian creators.
It'll be interesting talking to Blair about Canadian comics, and how his character fits into that particular field.
And by the way, the Rafael Navarro podcast is now up on the PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO website. That was a fun show to record (twice even!). Me and Raf have a long, mutual history in self-publishing, with our paths crossing many times. Give it a listen to!
Hey Friends!
If you listened to my interview with Rafael Navarro on PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO live on Tuesday, Jan. 8 you may have heard some technical snafus! Not only that, but only the first part of his interview was actually recorded!
Sorry to Rafael and the listeners for that.
Well, in the interest of journalistic integrity, Rafael was nice enough to come back to the studio on Thursday, Jan. 17 and record another interview. So our crack tech team has patched together both interviews for an hour long interview with Mr. Navarro.
It will play today at 5pm on PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO!
Me and Raf talk about his creation of Sonambulo, how we both got started in self-publishing, his career in animation (including his recent Emmy Award!) and lots of cool comic talk (which eventually leads to Jack Kirby, Alex Toth and Frank Robbins!)
Javier
Tuesday's interviews are now archived here on the Planet Comic Book Radio website.
A TRIBUTE TO BILL MANTLO features two interviews. One with Bill's brother Michael Mantlo who has been a caretaker to Bill since 1992. Bill was severely injured by a hit and run driver and has been in a nursing home ever since. While at Marvel Comics in the 70s-80s, Bill was probably the most prolific writer the company has had since the days of Stan Lee. Michael shared with us stories about growing up with Bill and how Bill's upbringing as a voracious reader led to such an amazing career in comics.
In the second half hour I talked to David Yurkovich, a Xeric Award-winning cartoonist who wrote a wonderful tribute book for Bill called MANTLO:A LIFE IN COMICS. The book has raised over $20000 which David has donated to Bill Mantlo's care. The book features a career retrospective of Bill as well as three previously unpublished Mantlo stories. David talked about the creation of the book, and he and I also talked of our love for Bill's many works.
As usual with the interviews, I felt really bad about the length of time for each guest. The show runs for an hour, so at the half hour mark I had to wrap up with Michael Mantlo. Same with David, after his half hour was up. But of course, you can never get everything you want in one interview. I always write myself some notes for each guest and use them as a guideline to direct the conversation. But in the end, each podcast should be a pretty informative hour of talk. And of course one of the purposes of the interviews is to drum up interest in the guests. So if anyone is upset with me that we didn't get to talk about your favorite Mantlo character (Jack of Hearts, the White Tiger, the Micronauts, Woodgod, Razorback, et al) I apologize!
Like I've said, I was so proud to be able to even have the opportunity to create a Bill Mantlo tribute on my radio show. I am a very strong believer in giving back to the creators that were so much part of my growing up. And in Bill's case, with the terrible tragedy he underwent 16 years ago, even more so. With David's book, and the recent ROM, SPACEKNIGHT tribute art show in Portland, there is this wonderful sense of MantloMania being created by fans of Bill. So 'doing my part' was not only a chance for me to give back, but also a duty.
One of the great things about hosting my own radio show?
Click the image to enlarge
I'm really honored to be speaking to Bill's brother Mike on the show. Bill Mantlo is one of my top 5 favorite comics writer. A month ago I wrote about Billin a previous post, and how I first found his work.
To think that when I read my first Bill Mantlo comic back in 1975 I would be able to host an episode of my own radio show for the man some 33 years later! All this really springs fom my decision 10 years ago to start publishing my own comics.
Happy New Year to everyone! My best wishes for a great 2008!
Tonite on my radio show I'll be talking to a great friend of mine, Rafael Navarro Creator of the cult comic book SONAMBULO, Raf has been a hard-hitting indie comics creator for the last 12 years. He's also got years of animation storyboarding credits to his name. And he's a heck of an entertaining guy to talk to!
Join us tonite at 5pm (PST) at planetcomicbookradio.com! It's my first podcast of the new year and what better way to kick it off?!
***UPDATE***
Due to unfortunate technical difficulties, Rafael's interview was partially cut off during the recording of the live podcast! Only 18 minutes remain. What a shame, as the interview went really good (I'm told by the folks who did indeed listen live during the 5 O'Clock hour). However, Rafael and I plan to sit down and record a 45 minute interview in the next week. So, we'll still be able to post a one-hour podcast with Rafael on the website. Hopefully that should be up by next weekend or so. I'll let ya folks know!
I've negleted to mention this before but my radio show now has it's own dedicated website:PlanetComicBookRadio.Com. While still found on the Perspective Radio internet podcast, having our own site for the radio show is something I've wanted since we started. Now you can listen to any of our previous episodes (5 of them as of this post). We also have profiles, polls, and soon, reviews of comics and comic's-derived media!
Last week, 12-18-07, we recorded Episode #5, the Podcast Before Christmas!
My guest was Alan Rutledge, a comic dealer who specializes in back issues, particularly from the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics (my favorites!). Alan is an old friend of mine, I've been buying from him for over 5 years. He has a booth at a local show called Frank & Son Collectible Show, kind of like an indoor swap meet for comic books/toys/manga/anime/sports collectibles, etc. It's open on wednesday evening and all day saturday.
Alan's appearance allowed me to brind a new type of guest on the show. Not a comic creator or author of a book relating to comics, but a vendor. And being a back issue dealer, that opened up the topic to interesting aspects of comic books. We talked about the grading scales for comics and how the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide sets the standard for the whole industry. We also talked about the various eras of comics and the market forces that led to the creation of the Direct Market. In the interest of trying to create a fun show, I also asked Alan to grade some comics, live on the podcast! I handed him my copies of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #13 & 21, ROM #1 and even slipped in a copy of the very first EL MUERTO comic book from 1998!
It was the photocopied, b&w NUMERO UNO EDITION. I think I made a total of 300 or 400 of those babies, and to this day only have about 5 of them myself!
Also on the show, in keeping with the Holiday Season, I performed the first ever recital of my El Muerto Christmas poem, THE NIGHT BEFORE NAVIDAD! (The astute JAVZILLA readers will remember the poem from last year...I've slightly edited the poem to reflect the final version I read on the show) I'll be honest, I was a little nervous about reciting the poem, my fear being that I would muck it up! But it came out good, and again, I'm always looking for ways to make the show fresh and original and fun.
Alan was in-studio, which is always nice because it really makes it feel like he and I are just talking like we do at his booth. Two guys chatting about comics!
On Episode #4, 12-11-07, I had the oppurtunity to interview Michael Aushenker, an L.A.-based cartoonist who's been publishing his own books for over a dozen years. Mike's also been a great friend of mine for about 10 years, and in fact I remember telling him about my soon-to-debut comic book EL MUERTO when I was introduced to him by another friend of mine (and future guest), Rafael Navarro. Mike's most well-known character is EL GATO, CRIME MANGLER, an explosively hilarious book that's half Three Stooges madcap comedy and half slam-bang superhero farce.
Mike and I have collaborated over the years, contributing artwork in the form of short stories or pin-ups to one another's books. Mike also contributed an EL Muerto painting to the Galeria del Muerto found on the DVD special features to THE DEAD ONE.
His interview on my show gives you a pretty good idea of the man's work over the last 15 years. He's currently a contributing writer to BACK ISSUE magazine, published by Two Morrows.
Mike was another smooth and easy interview to do. He was also in-studio so again, it was just like me and him sitting around talking about comics! Of course, I have to make sure I keep somewhat to a format. I do want people listening to gain a clear picture of the work my guests do. But as long as I can conduct the interviews in a conversational setting, I'll be happy with the final product.
A couple of posts back I mentioned that I had contributed some artwork to a special gallery show. Floating World Comics (Portland, OR) hosted a show with artwork featuring the 1980s Marvel Comics cult classic, ROM, SPACEKNIGHT. With over 100 artists contributing all-new images, this event marked the largest collection of Rom artwork ever!
The person for whom this show was created for is Bill Mantlo, the original writer of Rom and scores of other Marvel Comics in the 70s & 80s. Bill was the victim of a hit & run accident back in the 90s as he was rollerblading in New York. He suffered a major head trauma and has never been fully functional again. His brother Mike has been his caretaker ever since. This auction will be used to raise money to aid in Bill's care. Jason Leivian, the owner of Floating World Comics, created the idea for the gallery show out of his sheer love for the work of Bill Mantlo, particulary Rom, Spaceknight. Rom was a toy robot action figure that Bill was able to turn into a 70+ issue Marvel property!
So when I found out about this event I absolutely had to submit a piece. Now that the gallery show is over, Jason is putting all the pieces on Ebay to allow everybody to purchase the artwork. Looking at some of the pieces, I am amazed by the variety of work. Even Walt Simonson created a piece, and it's a beauty. It's getting some really good bids, too. Bill Mantlo is going to directly benefit from his creation. Not the ideal circumstances, of course, but any comfort that can be provided to the man is worth pursuing.
My first exposure to Bill's work was in 1975, with Marvel Team-Up #39. The story opened with Spider-Man talking to a young Puerto Rican kid on a rooftop. The boy was tending to his pigeons when an assassin's, meant for Spider-Man, stikes one of the birds. As a young Mexican-American kid myself, I appreciated the little bits of Spanish that Bill worked into the boy's dialogue. Bill continued for another year or so on that book but worked on numerous characters throughout his career. He created the story for The Human Fly, the real-life Canadian stuntman who approached Marvel with idea of creating a comic book series based on his exploits. Bill's idea was that the Fly was involved in a fatal car accident that killed his wife and children, leaving him a cripple. But through sheer willpower, he eventually made himself walk again. He decided to adopt the identity of the Human Fly as a means of inspiring others like himself to walk again, to live again.
Maybe we'll have a Human Fly benefit show one day.
In the meantime, please check out the Rom artwork at Floating World Comic's Ebay sellers page. My original inked drawing is up at auction, which also inlcudes an 11x17 color print. Whichever artwork you buy is fine, because you'll be getting a unique piece of Rom art and most important, Bill Mantlo will be recieving some extra help this Holiday Season.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good Knight.
My special edition podcast, MY SEVENTIES SHOW, is now available to listen to at PERSPECTIVE RADIO.COM. Recorded live on Tuesday, Dec. 4, this episode was especially fun for me to put together. A total flashback, it also allowed me to focus on two current projects from a pair of gents who grew up with similiar passions as I did back in the idyllic 1970s.
Back in my early days, I would look forward to spending saturday afternoons in the park drinking a 7-11 Slurpee and reading comics. For about one buck and change, I could get a couple of 25¢ comics, a Slurpee and a Zero candy bar and spend time with the superheroes.I swear, I cannot tell you how much, to this day, I associate the taste of a cola Slurpee and a Zero bar to such a valued and treasured time in my life! 
Then there were the hours spent playing with my MEGO 8" action figures! THE WORLD'S GREATEST TOYS they were called, and rightly so! 8" fully posable figures with fabric costumes, these are legendary toys for a whole generation of us graying, overgrown kids. I was completley fortunate and spoiled as kid, because I had a pretty good collection of these toys. One year, and it's my all-time favorite Christmas memory (um, other than the time with Mom, Dad and the siblings!), I recieved not only the fabled Joker Van, but several other characters alongside that: Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Green Arrow and probably one or two others. Today, I've got very few of those originals left, but the priceless memories keep me warm at night!
So, to indulge myself, and entertain my radio audience of course, I concocted a special retro show that touched on these ancient memories. My first guest, Paul Merolle, runs his own company called POP FUN MERCHANDISING, which lovingly produces TOON TUMBLERS. These are collectable glasses featuring colorful images of Marvel superheroes, using the iconic imagery all recognize. Paul had been an enthusiastic collector of superhero drinking glasses and 7-11 Slurpee cups, so it's very cool that he turned that passion into an eventual business. I actually heard of Paul months prior when a Google search for "7-11 superhero Slurpee cups" turned up an article he wrote some years ago for the Collector's Glass website. After finding out about his company, I actually ordered the stunning SPIDER-MAN NEW YORK COMIC-CON exlcusive frosted tumbler. I tell you, slap a Steve Ditko Spidey image on a product and you got me hooked!
Really though, these TUMBLERS are very nice collectables, and I'd recommend getting these as gifts for any Marvel Comics fan this Christmas. PopFun carries a nice variety featuring characters like the Punisher, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, among others. They even have a Holiday themed glass!
My second guest, and my first in-studio guest at that, was the bombastic Benjamin Holcomb, author of the new hardcover book MEGO 8" ACTION FIGURES:THE WORLD'S GREATEST TOYS!. When I first heard of this book months ago, I knew I had to have it. And when my own radio show came about, I thought it would be a perfect subject for a show. When I found out that Benjamin lived in the area, I emailed him and offered him a spot on the show. He immediately agreed, to my everlasting gratitude. Then after contacting Paul I was able to put together my first special edition episode, MY SEVENTIES SHOW.
Benjamin and I hit it off immediately, as our previous email exchanges werehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif truly a meeting of the geeks! His book, published by Two Morrows (among their many publications is my favorite magazine THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR) has just been published and at over 250 full-color pages, is truly a milestone in Mego fandom! Literally packed with info and trivia on the Mego super-hero line, Benjamin's book is both a loving tribute to a bygone era and an exhaustive report on the production, marketing and art of the Mego dolls.
As Benjamin was in the studio, I was presented with a new dynamic as far as interviewing a guest. We literally were sitting side by side browsing through the book, often starting a topic based on the page we were looking at! I'm trying to conduct my show with as free-flowing spontaneity as possible, and I think the interviews demonstrate that. While I did indeed have some notes and questions to refer to, I let Benjamin's and my own enthusiasm run the interview.
One of my favorite parts of the book are the two-page spreads showcasing 360 degree turns of each figure! It's like having the figure there in front of you. And buying the book is a fraction of the amount of money it would cost to buy one of these figures in any decent shape!
Benjamin actually sat in on my phone interview with Paul, as he himself was interested in the Toon Tumblers! I'm telling you, those of us lucky enough to have grown up in the 70s were completely spoiled and brainwashed by the sheer magnitude of magical toys, trinkets and all-around coolness that shaped our childhoods. After the interview, the show ended and I was finally able to get my Mego book signed! One of the advantages of hosting your own show is inviting in guests under journalistic pretenses and then hitting them up for fanboy autograph!
I took Benjamin to a local Mexican 'mom & pop' eatery and he indulged in the best taquitos he's ever had! We caught up on one another's back story. Apparently, Benjamin came across my EL MUERTO comic book back in 2001 or so. I was attending the Alternative Press Expo (APE) with a friend of mine dressed as El MUERTO and Benjamin had seen my booth and early comics! At dinner I gave him some signed copies of the Muerto comics and a movie poster. He's a real energetic guy with a great sense of fun and creativity. I'm invited over to his place to check out some of his primo Mego collection in person! After I visit him, unless I have to sign a disclosure, I'll tell you all how that went!
My sincere thanks go to Paul and Benjamin for enthusiastically sharing their passion with me, as they really made MY SEVENTIES SHOW possible. I wish the best to them and their current projects. Remember to listen to the show atPERSPECTIVE RADIO.COM.
Here's my contribution to tonight's art show dedicated to comic book writer Bill Mantlo, ROM, SPACENIGHT. Organized by Jason Leivian of FLOATING WORLD COMICS, the show features over 100 artists/cartooonists/designers from around the world.
The show is a benefit for Bill Mantlo, the original writer of ROM, and 100s of other classic comic book stories throughout the 70s and 80s. Bill suffered a severe head trauma back in the 90s and has been cared for by his brother Michael. All proceeds from the show will be sent to Michael Mantlo to assist in Bill's care.
The show will run for a few weeks. For more info, please go to Floating World's website linked above.
Last week (Tuesday, Nov. 27) I had the pleasure of interviewing Mort Todd for my radio show, PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO. This was what I called a 'career-spanning' interview, and a one-hour show could only scratch the surface! Listen to the interview here!
Mort Todd, while only in his early 20s, was the Editor-in-Chief of CRACKED Magazine. From there, it's been a very diversified career in comics including publishing his own mag, MONSTERS ATTACK, launching the MARVEL MUSIC line of comics over at the House of Ideas, working with such greats as Dan Clowes on various projects and with comics legend Steve Ditko on pitching Ditko's objectivist hero MR. A as a television series! Other things Mort has worked on include the comic strip versions of SPEED RACER and RAT FINK, independent filmmaking and rock & roll posters and album covers. Mort's creator-owned works include BAT LADY and MOLLY THE MODEL, the first interactive strip.
Among Mort's current works are SADISTIK, his adaptation of the European cult classic photo-comic, KILLING. Mort is a producer of the SADISTIK documentary, DIABOLIKAL SUPER CRIMINAL. The film had it's world premire last month in Italy and Mort is currently involved with the distribution phase of the film. All the while continuing to produce new comics and photonovels based on this phenom.
I met Mort through an interesting Ebay transaction. I had seen some copies of Marvel Comics' BOOK OF THE DEAD and CURSE OF THE WEIRD listed. These comics were edited by Mort in the 90s and featured rare, 1950s pre-Code horror comics from icons such as Wolverton, Ditko, Everett, Heath and Orlando. Well, one of the issues reprinted a very rare story. The first appearance of The Zombie, Simon Garth. Created by artist Bill Everett and writer Stan Lee! Well, I ordered the books and a few weeks later I received the package. Only problem was, the issue with the Zombie was missing! I wrote the seller, explaining that the book was missing from the package. Soon, I received the comic in the mail. I thanked the seller and explained that normally I wouldn't have fussed too much, but I had really wanted that issue! I went on about how much I loved the old Marvel artists and also shared that I was a publisher of my own book.
At that point Mort told me about his own love for the classic comics and that he was in fact a comic creator himself. We immediately hit if off and exchanged packages of our own comics. Eventually, we got along so good that back in 2005, when we hosted our first panel to show the teaser trailer for the EL MUERTO film, I asked Mort if he could moderate the panel!
And that led to me actually working with Mort on a project. When it was decided that we would be including an EL Muerto comic book with the DVD release of EL MUERTO, I knew I wanted to work with Mort on it. He had often told me about wanting to work with me on a project anyways, so this was ideal. I wrote the story and did rough layouts while Mort handled the finished art with his inking and digital coloring. He also lettered the book and handled production. With all his years of experience, and his much faster production speed, he really made the book happen. I learned some things from him that helped improve my writing and layout choices. Mort's mantra was too make the book a lot more contemporary-looking, and I really applaud the final choices that were made.
When it came time to plan my first episodes on PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO, I knew Mort was one creator I definitely wanted to interview. I've heard the playback of the show and I think it came out really good. Certainly there is a lot of information on the man's interesting career. And I feel that I'm getting into the groove of this interview stuff! When I think too much about what I'm going to say, I feel that I tend to stumble around a bit. It's when I start talking in a more rapid rire, spontaneous manner that I'm satisfied I'm putting on a good show. But every step I take to get to that point is good. You only get better and something you do regularly, and everything anyone does always sounds/looks rougher in the beginning.
