COMICS INSIGHT: Finishing JACK KIRBY's HAWKMAN

New York-based comics illustrator and designer Brendan Tobin provides some quick insight into the creative process of comic book creation here by completing a rough sketch of DC Comics' Hawkman by legendary artist, the late Jack Kirby.  Kirby originally penciled  the work as a presentation piece for an unrealized Hawkman cartoon, presumably dating his initial sketch back to the late 60's or early 1970's. 

[Interestingly, Kirby left New York and the comics industry behind in the late 1970's, disillusioned with both Marvel and DC Comics for not giving him fair payment or enough credit for his creations. He went to California and began a new career in animation, working briefly for Hanna-Barbera before winding up at Ruby-Spears in 1980.  There, he designed characters and backgrounds for the Saturday morning action series Thundarr the Barbarian as well as created presentation boards for potential new projects. Although none of Kirby's concepts were produced before he died in 1994, the Ruby-Spears company (in tandem with Sid and Marty Krofft) announced in April they plan to revisit his ideas for production. ]

Working from the original pencils, Tobin completes what Kirby began, first by inking the Hawkman, then finally coloring and lettering. What he ends up with is an amazing piece of comics art and history. Tobin also posts this process on his own blog, which you can find [here].

Hawkman  - Jack Kirby's original pencilsTobin inks Kirby's line work, then adds the lettering

 Hawkman completed, Kirby -style - by Brendan Tobin

MORE TO SEE

The New York Times recently compiled an online slide-show of Jack Kirby's yet-to-be-produced cartoon characters and concepts, found [here].

VIDEO: SUPERMAN OF THE MEDIA...And What Became Of Our SMALLVILLE Marathon

If you were following our blog (and if not, shame, dabbler!) yesterday, you'll  be happy to know that we're half-way through the Smallville marathon. Not everything went according to plan, but ah, they seldom do. Probably my fault, if you really want to get honest about it.  My crazy notion just 33 minutes into the pilot episode, and by Hour Two, the gang had decided to turn our observance into a drinking game.  Bottles appeared from nowhere, the keg came not twenty minutes later.  And now....now, the night has become blasphemy, with half the crew either passed out or trying to get into the other half's pants  -- and it's approaching two in the morning here. Cool, clammy Springfield, Oregon. This place...this spinning, hazy room...it never seemed so naughty as it does right now...

Where were we...where was I? I. Where am I? Yes. Superman.  See, all those hours with Tom Welling and a bottle of Grey Goose made me realize just how pervasive Superman's presence has been, in literally every form of media these last 72 or 73 years; from stage to screens large and small, novels, newspapers, coloring books, and of course, the comics books... too much to dive into this late. Or when you're only blogging in boxer briefs.  But for a quick  - and animated, no less - survey of the media super,  Vimeo contributor Ray Zablocki [link] does a bang-up job in less than two minutes.  Check it out; one helluva hang-over and lots more for JONAH HEX and DC Comics 75th Anniversary coming at you this weekend. 

 

JONAH HEX Meets The JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ...And So Did We

When four members of the Justice League of America - Green Lantern, The Flash, Elongated Man, and Zatanna - become stranded in Southern Arizona circa 1878, JONAH HEX and several other DC Comics Western heroes come face to face with DC's modern heroes- and mainstream comics storytelling - for the very first time**. Published in 1982,  JLA #198 and 199 were titled "Once Upon a Time in the Wild Wild West..." and while they maintain a certain importance within the fictional annals of DC comics history, the comics also hold personal significance for our main man and yours, The Dabbler. 

While The Dabbler was no stranger to the heroes, the League's time-twisting adventure will forever be Dabbler's first Justice League of America comic books  -- as well as where he first met Jonah Hex and his heroic posse (as pictured above), the characters Scalphunter, Bat Lash, and Cinnamon.  Those two comics, and the amazingly-drawn double-sized Justice League of America #200 that followed, established the foundation of Dabbler's life-long love of all things JLA.  After one look at George Perez' astounding Issue #200 wraparound cover art, we can only ask: how could they not? 

The early 80's brought the world a lot of comics magic,  and paved the way for Alan Moore's Watchmen, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, and The Dabbler's Abbracadabbling.  As far as his relationship with comics stands, we're happy to report that it continues even today, as strong - and as expensive - as ever. 

** We should note that while neither character remembers the encounter, Jonah Hex actually met an earlier version of the Justice League - and the still-active member Elongated Man - when both he and the JLA were thrown forward in time (Justice League of America #159 & 160) **

PANEL LAUGHS FINALE: JONAH HEX TEASER

By decree of  The Dabbler, abbracadabbling signs off early with the Panel Laughs sweet 16th comicsblog JONAH HEX, the next film from the new DC Entertainment!

Directed by Jimmy Hayward and based on the DC Comics character Jonah Hex created by Tony Dezuniga and John Albano,   Josh Brolin stars as the titular Hex, a bounty hunter with an unnatural ability to track down anyone -- or any thing.

The movie co-stars Megan Fox as Lilah, the hooker who doesn't miss her mark. And we'd be off ours if we missed Fox playing this saloon slut.  She may not be into robots anymore, but we hear she's gotten really tight with the corset crowd -- and a certain surly 'n dirty bounty hunter from DC's Old West! 

JONAH HEX opens Friday and on abbracadabbling tomorrow!  See ya then!

The ISSUE Is...TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL #1 - FINALE!!! (Part FOUR)

The weekend is here, and so is the FINALE that most have been dreading while others of you just couldn't wait for! The Titans Villains For Hire Special reaches its conclusion today... but as you'll find out, the comics' story doesn't end on the last page.  But that's not the issue for us today; for you, us, and a very troubled Ryan Choi,  THE ISSUE IS...

...Deathstroke! The Terminator doesn't just invite himself into the home of Ryan Choi, The Atom; he's brought friends. Jade, who's angry, troubled, and quite homicidal. The Tattooed Man, fresh from a funeral and looking to whip our hero's ass but good. And then a naked flaming chick Choi's never met. Thankfully, neither will his girlfriend, as Deathstroke allows her to walk away from the other other hottie in Ryan's home --  Cynder. Cynder, or Osiris, a studly Middle-Eastern dude The Atom can't help but fall for... 

Need a re-read, not a re-cap? Go HERE for PART I of the Titans: Villains For Hire Special; for PART II, go HERE, and if you dare,  PART III, HERE.

UP NEXT: Villains For Hire - Under Fire!

Story and all characters are TM and copyright DC Comics 2010. Full solicitations for DC Comics' Titans:Villains For Hire Special #1 can be found on their website [here].

DC, Service Me: The Perks & Quirks Of Summertime Works

The Public Service Ads or PSA's we've come across in the pages of modern comic books have really changed in both appearance and content over the years, yet they continue to provide valuable insight into the behavior, culture, and important issues facing youth of the time. A quick flip of any comic from the last ten to fifteen years would indicate that young people today are faced with many serious choices, like whether or not they should smoke marijuana while judging the merits of a Nintendo Game Boy over a Sony PSP. That's rough stuff. Woo. (You can't see it, but we're shuddering.)

It's comforting to know that kids didn't have it much easier fifty, even sixty years ago. Comic book PSA's of yesteryear were every bit as serious as today's, and surprisingly, many of them are just as relevant now as they were then.  From the 1940's through the 1970's, DC Comics often ran single-page comic strips that contained social and health-related messages directed to young readers; 'Earn While You Learn' being just one of many terrific examples.

Our DC, Service Me PSA of the Day appeared way back in August of 1957, in Issue #39 of the popular science fiction title, Mystery in Space.  Although the ad contains implied substance use by a minor, and the kinds of drugs young guys  deliver today may no longer be prescription, the argument it presents for seeking summertime work is laudable and far outweighs any risks in our opinion.  Job descriptions come and go, but the benefits of gainful employment have, quite thankfully, endured for decades.

(Right click to enlarge)

Special thanks to Mike and his amazing research of DC Comics Indexes [link], as without either today's blog would not have been possible.

THE ISSUE IS...TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL #1 (Part THREE)

Talk about being tardy! Okay, okay, we've heard the whispers and read your Back Issues  and we assure you, we haven't been completely lazy.  Sometimes a little suspense is good for the soul. Nevertheless, the Home Office has listened. We know that you know what THE ISSUE IS...! It's Part III of Titans: Villains for Hire Special, courtesy of Eric Wallace, Fabrizio Fiorentino, Mike Mayhew, Hi-Fi, Travis Lanham, and of course, DC Comics!  

In PART I of Villains, Ryan Choi aka The Atom doesn't get a moment's rest after he confronts The Floronic Man.  He returns home only to find super-assassin Deathstroke The Terminator sitting in his living room.  He knows he's out-matched; what he doesn't know is that Deathstroke brought friends.  Jade's in the house - and lucky for The Atom, she's off her game.  But Atom's luck doesn't hold in PART II when The Tattooed Man joins the fray.  So much for turning over a new leaf! Things are about to get worse, too: Ryan's got the hots for Amanda, and she's on her way over a nightcap. Little do either of them know their relationship is about to go up in flames...

Need a re-read, not a re-cap? Go HERE for Part One of the Titans: Villains For Hire Special; for Part II, go HERE.

THIS WEEKEND: Part Four - FINALE!!

Story and all characters are TM and copyright DC Comics 2010. Full solicitations for DC Comics' Titans:Villains For Hire Special #1 can be found on their website [here].

BOOSTER GOLD Is An ABBRACADABBLER....Are You??? (No Pictures, Please)

Boy, It's Vintage! Wonder Bread BOY WONDER...Among Others

The seventies were the last decade to have just one 'Boy Wonder', the original Robin, Dick Grayson.  Dick was definitely a busy little beaver in those days; no wonder that DC Comics saw fit to introduce successors and replacements for him, beginning in 1983 when Jason Todd assumed his duties as Batman's brightly-clad sidekick. But who knows? Maybe Dick should never have agreed to that Wonder Bread gig back in 1974. In all fairness, no teenage boy we've ever known would turn down a sweet opportunity like that, either.  And when role-models like Superman or upstanding Gotham businessmen like The Penguin (ahem) agree to bare it all on trading card, you can't really blame the kid.

Then again, maybe Robin didn't have much of a choice. Wonder Bread's the best selling bread in America, and probably was in 1974, too.  Dick must have gotten some major exposure, but so would have DC Comics and their parent company - Warner Bros - that just happens to share the same initials as the bread bakery in question. Coincidence? Perhaps. Unless you  know that Wonder Bread's owned by Hostess, whose relationship with the comics industry back in the day was tighter than a pair of the Boy Wonder's briefs. We'll let you draw your own conclusion.

Robin [via]

The Penguin & Superman [via]

DC Comics Hits A 'Homer' With NEAL ADAMS' BATMAN ODYSSEY

SuperComputer: SGT ROCK On A Smoke Break

Sgt. Rock 

Wallpaper by Vamak [via]

Right-click to enlarge, then save

Aussie Cosplayers Set New World Record In Honor Of DC Comics 75th Anniversary

Avengers assemble! No, wait...how about, Superhero dragsters and comic-con cosplayers unite! And that they did, too -- in the land Down Under (Underoos?)  over the weekend. According to the Australian, 1,245 people dressed as Superman, the Hulk and plenty of other superheroes gathered in Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, earning their rightful place in Guinness' Book by breaking the  previous UK-held record of 1,091 for the most people wearing superhero costumes in one place.  Of all the costumed attendees,  Superman was the most popular costume, followed closely by Batman, Robin, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman.  Warner Bros sponsored the event in honor DC Comics' 75th Anniversary this year. For an entire online photo gallery from the event, go [here].