Happy Holidays, friends! If you dig books and comics, chances are you have them everywhere in your home. Personally I’m tripping over them all of the time. On any given day I may flip thru an inky Warren magazine like Blazing Combat, a colorful Mary Blair art book or a fun Allison Dare comic. Here’s a look at What I’m Reading …… but rest assured there is always a Dave Stevens comic nearby in case of an inspiration emergency!
Some fantastic Bullock art!
“Heros the Spartan,” by Frank Bellamy. Frank Bellamy wrote and drew some of the greatest comics you probably never knew about. This British artist illustrated classics like Robin Hood, King Arthur, Dan Dare and Wulf (my next read when I can afford it). Upon the destruction of a final Spartan garrison the Romans stumble upon an infant on the battlefield. It’s decided that this could only be the son of one of the Spartan leaders and because their fight was respected by the Roman leader, he decides to raise the boy as his own. A Spartan with Roman training, Caesar sends the grown Heros out to conquer the Island of Darkness. Will he survive the attacks of the Magu and what fate does the pagan God Diom have in store for him? “Heros The Spartan” is a classic pulp adventure story first published in 1962 as part of Eagle, a ” boys newspaper.” Heros was only very recently reprinted in a killer large format. Each page opens to a double-page spread full of glorious sword-swinging goodness. This is my first read-thru and am nuts over it. My only crit… where’s the women? Haven’t been this excited over a book since Gary Gianni and Mark Schultz’s Prince Valiant adventure, “Into the Land of Shadows”! Save your pennies and check out The Book Palace to find out more.
“Joe Kubert’s Tarzan of the Apes Artist’s Edition,” IDW. I like big books and I can not lie. IDW is hitting it out of the park with their Artist’s Edition books, but this one has taken it up a notch thanks to the mastery of Joe Kubert. Joe delivers in spades what’s great about comics. The stories are fun. The art is masterfully planned and often ferocious! For those of you not familiar with the Artist’s Edition books, each and every page is a high-resolution scan of the artist’s black-and-white art and is reproduced at its original size. Now when any aspiring cartoonist asks me for advice on how to make comics, I point to the Artist’s Edition series by Scott Dunbier and IDW. Long Live Joe Kubert!
Savage Conquest, by Chris Faccone and Robert Michael, Barbarian Brothers. This comic its shaping up great and one to watch if you’re into Barbarian goodness.
Kantara, by Chris Campana, Mike Radosti and Ron Wybraniec, Wyrlwynd. Interesting characters and fun stories combined with Chris’ passion and drive make this one a hit.
And what I’m looking forward to reading in 2014 …
“The Forgotten Man: Graphic Edition,” by Amity Shlaes and the mighty Paul Rivoche. Rivoche is one of my fave artists and one of the most talented fellas I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. (May 2014.)
The Silver Surfer, by Dan Slott and Mike Allred, Marvel. The Sky-Rider of the Spaceways will soar again in what promises to be an emotional, mind-bending adventure. Rock out! (Debuts March 2014.)
Till then, I’m always well immersed in The Bettie Pages!
Peace, love and good will toward men,
Dave Bullock
Follow me on Twitter @kingronok Plus also: http://far-outfiction.blogspot.com and http://bullockartworks.blogspot.com
December 18, 2013
No fair! I want to read Silver Surfer now, too.
December 21, 2013
Hi Dave – glad you’re enjoying Heros. One tiny point from a fanatic – “Wulf” was illustrated by Ron Embleton – Bellamy’s contemporary. Easy mistake to make – especially as both reprints are by Book Palace Books. Re: women in Heros – I had never noticed that – times were different then, and the Eagle was a boy’s comic – but well observed.
December 26, 2013
Thanks for the correction. I can’t wait to get my hands on Ron Embleton’s WULF! These new collections are amazing, and while pricey they are a top notch production with lots of “bonus material”. Cheers Norm! Happy Holidays!
December 26, 2013
And the good news with Wulf, is that there are several women who help power the narrative along, the most memorable of whom, Queen Cartamandua, is as dangerous as she is beautiful. Wulf is an epic adventure and Embleton’s artwork is as fabulous as Bellamy’s, while his storytelling and characterization is equally memorable.
Having had the privilege of working on both collections, I am hard put to say which is my favorite.
February 8, 2014
NEAT-O!! Always a big kick when an artist you dig says something nice about you (and among such terrific company)! And I wasn’t aware of that Paul Rivoche book! SCORE!