A MORRISON MONDAYS birthday salute! By BILL MORRISON I’ve always considered the work of Frank Frazetta to have had a big influence on my art. I know it doesn’t really show very much, but there was a time in art school when I bought every Frazetta art book available, had posters of his paintings on my bedroom walls, scribbled barbarian drawings in my sketchbooks, etc. So, in thinking about the anniversary of his birth — he was born Feb. 9, 1928 — I started pondering whether I’d ever done a Simpsons parody of one of Frank’s pieces. I know I did an homage to Frank’s cover of Famous Funnies #211, with Stan Sakai’s Space Usagi standing in for Buck Rogers, but I thought must have also done a Frazetta satire with Homer, Bart, Marge, et al. I went back through 36 years of Simpsons comic covers, prints, video game box covers, magazine promotional images, etc., but nothing came up. Then, suddenly, I remembered that I did pay tribute to Frazetta, not with a Simpsons image, but with Turanga Leela and Phillip J. Fry from Matt Groening’s other show, Futurama. It’s not a direct parody, but it was definitely inspired by Frank’s iconic Conan the Adventurer paperback cover. Leela’s pose doesn’t exactly mimic Conan’s on that cover, but the fact that she’s standing triumphantly on a pile of vanquished bodies (dismembered robots, in this case) and has a sycophant clinging to her leg (in this case, Fry,) makes the image unmistakably a Frazetta swipe. This drawing appeared as the center spread of the 2015 Futurama Wall Calendar, and was offered as a poster at the Bongo Comics booth at San Diego Comic-Con that year. I remain in awe of Frank Frazetta’s work, as I was in art school. And I think it’s high time I drew a Simpsons homage to one of his amazing images. Maybe I’ll have that to show by next year at this time! (For more Frazetta birthday shenanigans, check out Peter Bosch’s piece over here. — Dan) — Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below! — MORE — GEE WHIZ, SANDMAN: It’s OK to Meet Your Heroes — Especially in the Men’s Room. Click here. — CATWOMAN’s Caught in a BAT ROMANCE — Again! Click here. — Eisner winner BILL MORRISON has been...
A series of tins featuring classic covers of the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages… I find few things more amusing in collectordom than the explosion in popularity of special-edition popcorn buckets. They’re huge now, and I’ve even taken the splash the last couple years with my working Batsignal and Daily Planet newspaper box. Now, to celebrate DC’s 90th anniversary (which was actually in 2025), the publisher and AMC Theatres have teamed up for a series of six tins that look like omnibi, with classic covers from the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages. They also come with lanyards featuring other great covers. The buckets include Action Comics #1, Superman #1, Batman #1, Wonder Woman #103, Justice League of America #102, and Showcase #4. Dig ’em: — Several thoughts: — They have evidently begun popping up in theaters and run $21.95 each. They will also be available at AMC’s website, where they are listed as “coming soon.” — I am not clear on whether the lanyard cards are two-sided or if there are two types available. — Nice to see Hawkman get some love. — That Wonder Woman cover gets a lot of play, but I’m halfway surprised that’s the one they went with. — The JLA cover, on the other hand, is a true head-scratcher. It’s from a beloved storyline, and I love artist Nick Cardy, but it’s not really an iconic image. Strange. (That said: FLOATING HEADS!) — MORE — The TOP 13 Retro SUPERHERO TOYS OF 2025 — RANKED. Click here. — BATMANIA IN 1966: A Day in the Life — With 13 Groovy COLLECTIBLES. Click...
A series of tins featuring classic covers of the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages…
A BIRTHDAY REMEMBRANCE: The famed King Tut was born 88 years ago…
At least in this groovy illo…
