Pop Meeting 110 How a comic is made
From concept to page and, if we’re lucky,some exciting insider tricks, tips and tantalizing tales from our own Marc Sumerak and Mike Barr! Indeed, the very first time I saw Marc was at Akron Comicon and he was giving a panal much like this on how a comic book is created, and it was simply fascinating. Trust me when I tell you, this is something you will not want to miss.
Join us tonight at the Parma Heights Library at 6:30!
(Because let’s face it…just because I do Violent Blue and Kreepy Kastle Comics, doesn’t man I have a clue as to what I’m doing…..)
Eagle Eye
I really dig this design, which has a lot of influence on it from the Sorceress in He-Man. Not sure which Angel Lite series she’ll be appearing in, but here she is. Eagle Eye a.k.a. Melissa Wright LaDonna’s cousin she can fly and has of an eagle
after thanksgiving
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Christmas graphics
As we head into Christmas I wanted to show off a little bit of work done for the company website . I always changed the blog button during Christmas time to the santa hat image, just a little bit of fun on the web page.
Back when I was with Holland Computers, I notced that the graphic designer always created holiday wallpapers for the used computers and I loved the idea, so I’ve done the same for subsequent companies I’ve worked for. The business card is a scan which was translated into a 2d object, but the entire graphic is rendered in Bryce 5
more thanksgiving
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Newskitty
Newskitty. That’s the only thing I can think of that describes this…but I really like the concept.
Besides, Lydia loves animals.
thanksgiving
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
In Defense of The Human Target
For about two months during 1992 we got the Human Target on TV. It was enough to make an impression on me.
The series followed the premise of the comics – a body double, a stand in who also acted as a body guard and took on cases one else would touch, but then departed from the old P.I. with a storefront office approach and amped it up to a high tech world where the makeup was applied by computerized machinery on board a stealth jet .
The changes worked for me, they seem like the same kind of changes the comics might have made if they were trying to revitalize the series. It was my real 
introduction to Rick Springfield who I thought did just fine in the role. Nothing spectacular, but then again, he doesn’t need to be since the guest star his character is posing as would be on screen far more often than he would. It also filled the DC Comics size gapin my TV schedule since the Flash was now off the air. Interestingly enough, John Westly Shipp, who played the Flash would end up on an episode of Human Target, which was of course produced by the same people that did the Flash. It was nice to see him on TV again so soon after the departure of Barry Allen. I spoke with him a few years ago about the role. He still has fond memories of it.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I suspect the network didn’t really want the 
show to succeed. Perhaps WANT is a little strong of a word. I think they didn’t really care. They had just seen Bilson and DeMeyo’s Flash crash and burn over at CBS and weren’t too confidant in their new offering. Still there was a hole in the schedule to fill, they had to show something opposite the Olympics and this may as well be it.
I can’t really complain about not getting a fair chance though. Seven episodes is fair, even when buried. The critics didn’t like it, but then again thy usually hate Comic properties – or at least, they did before Marvel changed the perception of the superhero movie. I’m sad we didn’t get more of this, but I’m happy with what we did get.
I’m also a little perplexed. Eighteen years later they tried again.
In 2010 I suppose things made a little more sense. Comics were more readily accepted as source material and the vertigo series was really critically acclaimed…and completely ignored in the shows plot. Christopher Chance is boiled down to nothing more than a glorified bodyguard.
The cast was excellent also featuring Chi McBride
who I loved from the John Larroquett show and also Jackie Earle Haley in possibly my favorite performance of his EVER.
This version was a slick action series and certainly a whole lot of fun though I don’t understand why they bothered to pay for the license when the character bore no resemblance to DC’s comic character. Perhaps just to get people like me to watch? If so it worked. I followed it both seasons. Still cancelled too soon, but at least with a DVD release. If you want the 1992 series you may have to resort to bootlegs. I still see them occasionally at conventions. Check both of these out, even if you don’t know the comics.
Actually , check them out ESPECIALLY if you don’t know the comics!
Before Thanksgiving
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Demir Yumruk: Devler Geliyor : Iron Fist: The Giants are Coming
This is actually another Turkish Superman film, though it bears less resemblance to him. if anything, this Suprerman is more like Batman, very depowered.
the flamboyant, wheelchair-bound criminal mastermind transvestite Fu Manchu is hunting a hidden cache of treasure and uranium. It is this that will enable him, somehow, to rule the world. When he kills the one archaeologist with a lead on the loot, the murdered man’s son joins forces with macho policeman Enver to get revenge. Enver fakes his death to trick the villains and dons the suit to defeat the bad guys.
Honestly this one is even more incomprehensible that the other T
urkish Superman based on the Donner film, but good news! I frequently see this one bundled in bootleg DVDs with that movie so it’s not hard to find! Watch it while your cleaning or reading a book.
Automan!
Does anyone else remember this series? We were talking about it in comic club one night and I decided to try and track down the star. I found him in Florida and sent him a pic, not sure if I’d get anything back. I love obscure stuff like this!
Akron Comicon 2015
I can’t believe it. Con season is over! And of course we wrapped it up with the best comicon out there; Akron!
Akron always impresses me with the caliber of it’s guests. Mike Zeck and John Beatty are pretty great catches. I had comics for Tom Scioli, Rob Davis and Craig Boldman to sign, but the real treat of con for me was Ron Fortier who wrote my favorite version of the Green Hornet and sat and chatted with me for half an hour about the character, the series as well as his run on Terminator the Burning Earth. IT was fascinating to discover he was hesitant about returning to the title after NOW went through a bankruptcy but got wooed back during a particularly pleasant convention. Great to her his opinions on the current run and how glad we both are to see Kato is a girl again. He patiently signed my entire stack of books – most of his run. That’s not something I’d normally do, but the Green Hornet is one of my absolute favorite characters ever. A quick shout out to all of your artists and writers out there; I REALLY appreciate those of you who sign for free. That’s HUGE to me.
I hit the indy comic panel (and discovered I was pretty much doing everything they recommended – though I’ll have to creep around IndyLink a bit) as well as the cosplay panel right before the costume contest. Akron is a HUGE cosplay show and the contest gets bigger every year. Thank God for Jeff Stover who helped me find my place in line after I got the girls through their category.
We of course were the Fantastic Four, and I was so glad that people looked at my Mr. Fantastic backpack and got the joke. Every time someone would ask where Torch was, I’d tell them he had something to do with Captain America and he won;t tell me anything more than that.
I did stop back on Sunday without the girls so I could actually shop…I’ve found better deal in the past. Quarter bins are getting much harder to find. Still, there were a few fifty cent ones hidden amoung the depths of the booths, as well as a booth for the CW where you spun the wheel and got a prize. I got an iZombie brain. I wanted a Flash hat but I can live with this. The Flash hat wouldn’t have gone with my Shadow costume anyhow.
Akron is always a fun time, I saw more people that I know here than anywhere else. Some folks like Riley and Bobbie, I barely ever run into outside of this show. Things like that just make it better.
Pop Meeting 109 Street Level Heros
Working from the shadows and alleys of the city streets, these are the blue collar crime fighters who save the day from evil’s embrace. I happen to be a big Daredevil fan from way back and of course everyone knows the Punisher.
Join us tonight at the Parma Heights Library at 6:30!
Akron Comicon this weekend!
My favorite comicon is coming up this weekend! Seriously, do NOT miss this event! Just look at these guests!
Iscariot
The story of the betrayal of Jesus, told from the perspective of Judas, and set in modern day Cleveland
This was the first film I ever did everything on. Original score and effects, original script and sets. I was at my most demanding on this movie. It was the first time I refused to compromise. We filmed untill I got the exact shot I was after. It took forever to come out and was possibly my masterpiece.
The Human Target
Vertigo was publishing a great Human Target series. Crictally acclaimed and featuring a beloved B lister from the classic backup stories of the silver age comics.
That’s not the series I want to talk about.
This cover was from a one-shot special based on the original TV series that was buried on ABC vs. the Olympics – but we’ll save that for later. Check out this month’s “In Defense of”. This is a much more straightforward story than the convoluted Humand target of Vertigo. You can see that the crew got some photos and maybe an advance script but not a lot of info beyond that. It follows the show’s formula though Chance doesn’t look so much like Rick Springfield as he does the classic Chance. Funny, I’m not sure which one I prefer….This Chance is different from the original in that he’s got a team working out of a jet instead of working out of a little office but the idea is still the same.
Nevertheless, this is a good little story that frequently finds itself in the dollar or less bins and serves as a nice edition to a TV series that was cancelled all to soon.
You’d think that was the end of the story wouldn’t you?
A decade and a half later, the Human Target came back to TV. This time even further removed from it’s source material. Ironic considering the entire reason the network picked it up was because they liked the Vertigo comic.
Like the previous series, this one spawned a comic book as well. Because there was 
more of an arch in the series though, the comic feels a little more out of place than the 90’s one did. It ran a couple of issues and was mostly forgettable. Grab the 90’s comic if you see it instead of this newer one. You’ll thank me.
Help Maddie win the contest!
So we went out trick or treating this year at our usual haunts. We started off at Carol and John’s comic book shop for Halloween Comic Fest (You can read some more about that over at the Kreepy Kastle!). Everyone loved Maddie’s costume. She’s pulling out her Star Sapphire suit for one last go around…it’s getting too small on her now, but she’s been wanting to do a Lantern theme for a while now, so I did myself up as Sinestro and went with her. The people at Carol and John’s really dug the synchronicity between the costumes and Maddie got some titles she really wanted like Marvel Zombies and Scooby-Doo Teamup with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.
Then we hit Jamie’s Flea Market. Now, to be fair, the people in the Groovy little toy store part of the Flea market knew who we were. In fact, the guy running the CCG counter is a BIG Sinestro fan. But the rest of the flea market….they didn’t get it. Maddie was getting pissed because people kept calling her a princess – worse, they though I was the devil. I love that she just assumes everyone will know 
who Sinestro and Star Sapphire are.
In any event, Maddie got her photo taken at the Flea Market which enters her in thier costume contest! So here’s the thing. I need to ask for a favor. Please, head up to Maddie’s picture on facebook and hit “like”. The most likes wins the contest – lets show Jamie’s Flea Market just who Star Sapphire is! You have until Friday, but please don’t wait! The link to vote is here : https://www.facebook.com/107030040080/photos/a.10153555422580081.1073741834.107030040080/10153555427445081/?type=3&theater
Maddie thanks you all for your help!
Argo City Comics 