SiDEBAR - COMICS, ART & POP CULTURE

Podcast Episode 175 :: CHRIS SAMNEE

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Pronounced like "Omni".

It’s 2012, so I’ll let you all in on a little SiDEBAR secret. Most of the blog posts we write as companion pieces to the podcasts are written ahead of time. Not all, but most. I can’t speak for Dwight and Adrian, but for me, I sometimes get an angle on a guest or topic that I think will be interesting, and I try to run with it. Doesn’t always work out, but hey, where there’s a spark, there could be flame, right? So, here’s what I have to say about today’s guest, Chris Samnee, and how I think things will go with him. 

I first heard Chris' name a few years ago on the Around Comics podcast. He was probably drawing Capote in Kansas at the time. Then, in early 2009, I attended the very first C2E2 in Chicago, ran into Sal and the AC gang on the floor of the con, and Sal showed me a commission he’d just gotten from Samnee — who was in artist alley. It was an awesome little piece with this serious chiaroscuro thing going on. Very noir, very well composed.  I hightailed it over to Chris’ table, never said hello (asshole), and after rifling through his originals, just fell in love with what I saw. His stuff was reasonable, too. 

Since C2E2, Samnee has gone from working on smaller projects to working very much in the mainstream. He did a great job on Marvel’s limited series, Thor the Mighty Avenger (2010), with Roger Langridge and Matt Wilson. And he just finished up on the monthly series, Captain America and Bucky, with Ed Brubaker, Marc Andreyko, and Bettie Breitweiser (both the Thor and Cap projects were just in time for the films).

All of this means Chris' star is most certainly on the rise with fans and art nerds alike. Which is a good thing.

So, how do I think the interview with him is gonna go, you ask? Quite well. Chris Samnee is a young guy, seems pretty laid back, and his work oozes a love for his job. I suspect we’ll hear that much of what he’s learned about drawing and mark-making, he learned by observing and self-educating. I think we’ll hear some classic comics names as well as a few names from his youth as influences. And I think we’ll get an inkling from the conversation that even bigger things are on the horizon for this remarkable talent. And that, too, is a good thing. 

Listen in and find out if my powers of prognostication are on or off. As I said earlier, I’ve been wrong before. 

-SWAiN

**Below are a few of my favorite Samnee one-offs.

SPECTRUM FANTASTIC ART Comes Alive!

As we’ve mentioned on the podcast here recently, Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! is coming up this summer and looks to be all that. Tons of exhibitors, bunches of original art, books and prints, a plethora of artists, art dealers and collectors, and lots of just plain ol’ art nerding in general.

Special guests at the inaugural year of this event include BROM, Mike Mignola, Iain McCaig, Phil Hale, and Andrew Jones (I know, right?). Plus, SiDEBAR will have the honor of being in the house and bringing you the “art funky” like we do. We’ll be conducting interviews from the floor of the show, as well as handling panels and other kinds of discussion pieces. Should be a blast!

The event date is May 18 – 20, 2012, and it will all go down in Kansas City, MO at the Bartle Hall Convention Center. Three day memberships are available right now. Just click here.

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! is obviously an extension of the incredible Spectrum art annuals put out every year by Cathy & Arnie Fenner, and published by the mighty Underwood Books. This live event is brought to you not only by the Fenners, but also by Bob Self of Baby Tattoo. And just in case you're not exactly sure what SFAL! is, below is an excerpt/mission statement taken straight from their site:

We envision Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! as a fantasy-focused art fair, one in which creators will be able to sell originals and prints while promoting their work to patrons, collectors, and potential clients. Presentations, panels and displays will help broaden the public’s awareness of and appreciation for our field; art directors will be invited to meet new talent and conduct portfolio reviews; workshops and educational opportunities will be offered; and there will be the chance to network, socialize, and share.

-SWAiN

**Many apologies to Peter Frampton

Podcast Episode 174 :: The Year in Booty (2011)

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2011. The year that was. And yes, there was some phat booty. We acquired tons of comics, OGNs, trades and artbooks over this past year. The goodness flowed freely! Somebody came up with the idea of us celebrating our year's take on the show (me), so here we are. Don't judge us too harshly.

We also cover some highlights and memorable moments on this one. 2011 was not without its peaks and valleys. For the most part, though, it was all good. 

A sincere thank you to every single person who downloaded an episode this year. Thank you to every guest who came on with us this year. Thank you to everyone who followed us on various social media, or took the time to drop an email or comment on our blog. All the great discussion, laughs, and plain old camaraderie were very much appreciated. Thank you to all the convention promoters who extended us courtesies.

And last, but never ever least, an extra special thanks to our sponsor, GRAHAM CRACKERS COMICS, for eternally being the best damn sponsor around! What's up, John?!

We hope your holidays have been fantastic so far, and here's to an awesome 2012!

-DWiGHT, SWAiN & ADRiAN (The Three Amigos)

 

Podcast Episode 173 :: HOWARD CHAYKIN Revealed

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Howard V. Chaykin.

Comic book writer/artist. Illustrator. TV writer/producer. And eternal digressionist. OK, I made that last one up, but it aptly applies. He’s quite the talker.

I’ve been a fan of Chaykin’s ever since I was a teenager. I met him in person briefly at a comic book convention here in Atlanta back in the 1980s. He was there with his then-wife, and it was during the apex of American Flagg! fever. I didn’t really talk to him. I just sort of stood back and watched him interact with fans. He was gregarious, very professional, and very direct. The exact impression of him I had gotten from his print interviews.

Before that con, I had just started following his work after having read several of his graphic novels: The Stars My Destination, Empire, The Swords of Heaven, The Flowers of Hell. All of them were full color, mixed media, and very sophisticated stuff. Some of the first works of their kind here in America.

I proceeded to pick up loads of his comics later on (though I wasn’t a Star Wars guy, per se). I did, however, become a complete fiend for Flagg!, The Shadow, Blackhawk, and so on.

Going back to Howard’s interviews for a minute — as a kid — I'm pretty sure I read them all. At that particular time in my youth, I found him to be a fascinating figure in comics. And not just because of the material he was working on. As a person, he seemed to be well read, had an acerbic wit, and was opinionated as all get out (I related strongly to that last one).

Plus, from where I sat, Chaykin came off like an adult. Once he stepped up as writer and artist on his stuff, it became glaringly apparent that he wasn't guided by a 14 year-old's idea of heroism and benevolence. His work was layered with themes like politics, sex, death, betrayal, and guilt. And usually at the center of it all, was a protagonist with questionable motives and feet of clay (just like in real life). This was completely diametric to my pals and I who, back then, well — we were still very much into punching and saving the day!

The other thing about his interviews that intrigued me were these little tidbits he would drop. Things about himself, his background and his profession that he never really expounded upon much until recently. Chaykin has always been a good soldier when it comes to promoting projects (an aspect of his professionalism that I’m sure his publishers adore). Yet I’m quite certain his comments in print have gotten him as much buzz as the work he creates.

And that’s why we chose to call this interview Revealed. The goal wasn’t to be sensational or provocative — in fact, not at all. We genuinely love Howard’s stuff, but were curious if the perception that many fans may have of him is at all accurate or justified. And frankly, he surprised us.

After nearly four decades in the business, you won't find a smarter writer or more graphic designer of the comic page than Howard Chaykin. However, the meat of our discussion with him today reveals more about his background, the person he is, and more importantly, the professional that he is. I, myself, find those things almost as interesting as the stories he tells. And I hope you do too.

- SWAiN

Podcast Episode 172 :: JOE PHILLIPS

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Like the legendary hip-hop group, Whodini, said back in 1984, "Friends, how many of us have them?" I've got a few. And you're about to meet one of them right now.

I first got to know Joe Phillips years ago, 'Nation. I won't embarrass him or I by telling you how many years — just know it was a lot! We were both drawing at the time. I clearly remember Joe, me and four other buddies sitting around on his living room floor drawing. And drawing. And drawing (though I've since become more art lover than art maker).

Even then, Joe was really good and already an entrepreneur in his own right. He had his own small comic book company, his own characters and super team — the whole nine. We were all like, “Daaamn!”.

Fast forward a few years, and Joe's working in comics full-time. A year after that, he co-founds a very popular Atlanta-based art collective, Gaijin Studios. Oh yeah, and he starts ballin' outta control (my words, not his).

He's penciling tons of mainstream comics (Green Lantern, Justice League, X-men), doing crazy trading cards, and straight makin' bank. It was the well-documented era of the early '90s known as 'The Speculator Boom'. And of course, it didn't last.

But Joe did.

He and I fell out of contact by that point. And as he shares in today’s interview, he ended up leaving the studio and starting anew by “going west, young man”. Over the course of the next decade plus, it was t-shirt designs, an apparel company, a magazine, illustration work, animation, calendars, and yes, some comics here and there. Dude kept busy!

Now, all the stuff that happened in between the highs and lows (there was a lot) kinda gets covered in our conversation with him. Kinda. Our chat with Joe was very much just that — a chat. Old pals reconnecting. It's not in any way formal, so do your best to keep up.

I saw Joe again recently for the first time in about 15 years. It was at this year's Dragon*Con. And it was all good. Obviously, we'd both changed a bit, but he seemed to be enjoying his time back home.

I told him right there on the con floor, that while I had proudly followed all of his successes from the sidelines — the comics, The Heretic, the Joe Boys stuff, the national ad campaigns — I never stopped thinking of him as anything other than my boy. That same talented, but humble kid sitting on the living room floor drawing and cracking jokes. 'Cause in my mind, that's where it all started.

Friends. How many of us have them, indeed.

- SWAiN

Podcast Episode 171 :: JAMES TUCKER

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Hey, when it's good, it's good. You gotta give it up. And that's exactly what I had to do with Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and The Bold.

When I first heard that there was gonna be a new, new Batman animated TV show, I was like, "First of all, it's gonna have huge shoes to fill coming behind the incredible Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. And second, the tone is gonna be that campy, over-the-top Dick Sprang vibe? That's gonna suck."

Of course, I was dead wrong. And I told James Tucker, the producer of Batman: The Brave and The Bold, as much in my interview with him. Thing is, he said the potential Silver Age campiness was partially why he agreed to help develop the project in the first place.

Apparently, the 1950's era DC comic book of the same name was one of James' very first comics as a kid. It was geek providence that he got offered the chance to bring some of that flavor to animated life. When Sam Register approached him with the idea a few years ago, James says he liked the fact that this cartoon incarnation of Batman would be very different from Batman: The Animated Series.

I knew Tucker's name and face from the behind-the-scenes extras on my other Warner Bros. animated DVDs. Superman, Justice League, Batman Beyond — he worked on all of them— either in the art department, or as he did on BTBaTB, as a producer.

And he mentions in our talk that he learned much of the craft of producing under the wing of animator extraordinaire, Bruce Timm. Timm, along with Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami, Paul Dini, and Michael Jelenic, are just a few of the talented collaborators that James has worked with since he got his start at Warner Bros. Animation.

Batman: The Brave and The Bold debuted back in November of 2008, and the series just ended with its triumphant final episode on August 1, 2011. It was a delightful show that captured all the adventure and whimsy of those old Silver Age comics without ever slavishly paying homage to them. Tucker and crew cleverly pulled classic elements together, and then pushed them through a modern day filter — thus, making their show very much its own thing. Well done, folks!

- SWAiN

**It's just me asking the questions on this one, but I had a ball. Hope you dig it.

Podcast Episode 170 :: Shine On — KYLE BAKER

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Hello, 'Nation. Swain and Adrian here. The two of us have a saying that we use around these parts. It goes like this — lay off the hyperbole! Say it from the gut and with meaning, or don't say it at all. And don't get us wrong. Hyperbole has its place in this world. But you just don't wanna reside there, ya know?

That said, here goes. Harvey Kurtzman. Mort Drucker. Don Martin. Sergio Aragones. Jack Davis. These men are considered cartooning gods. And if you're of a certain age, you know that all of them wrote and drew pictures for MAD magazine. MAD was co-founded in 1952 by William Gaines and the aforementioned Mr. Kurtzman as a humor anthology, and continues to be published to this day.

The work that these gentlemen did for MAD (some of them for almost five decades) was beyond remarkable. It redefined what cartooning was to become for later generations with its outrageous parodies and lampooning of pop culture.

So, with that kind of preamble, is it hyperbole to say that we see Kyle Baker in a similar light? Not completely. If you look at the breadth of his work on a practical level, Kyle is clearly working in their same tradition of "cartoonist". He writes, draws, colors, letters, and does the design work for most of his projects. He's an auteur.

Baker as a writer is a humorist/satirist at heart — again, just like his MAD predecessors. His gags are always clever, caustic, and clear. They can range from family-friendly slices of life to sharp observations of the sexes. And his dialoguing is some of the most natural that you'll find in comics.

Without question, the humor and attitude in Baker's stuff reflects the city from which he hails: New York. New York has been the backdrop for many of his stories, most especially, the one that made us die-hard fans — Why I Hate Saturn.

First published in 1990 by Piranha Press, Saturn is a smart, funny, and by most accounts, accurate representation of urban single life in the late '80s/early '90s. It's an early example of a non-comic book publisher, in this case, Doubleday, seeing a comic book story as a viable publishing option.

Putting Saturn in perspective — right smack dab in the middle of mutant fever and "gimmick" covers — comes this long form graphic novel about a neurotic writer, her platonic friendship with a bar-hopping guy pal, and sibling rivalry. All with little-to-no action. And it is hilarious! We highly recommend this book if you haven't read it.

Why I Hate Saturn, sadly, has never been a huge hit. And it's perhaps indicative of Kyle's status in the comics industry — critically lauded by dedicated fans and peers for his inventiveness, craftsmanship, and humor, yet mainstream readers at large have never responded in droves (or dollars) to his projects.

However, should the uninitiated wise up and seek out works by Kyle, there are plenty that we think deserve your attention: The Cowboy Wally Show, The Shadow with writer Andy Helfer, Dick Tracy, You Are Here, Plastic Man, Nat Turner, I Die at Midnight, his Hawkman tale in Wednesday Comics, and all of his self-published collections like Cartoonist and The Bakers.

After his Wednesday Comics gig ended, Kyle got a call from Marvel to work on Deadpool: MAX. That's pretty much where he's been comics-wise for the last two years. We both admit that his MAX stuff is not our favorite stuff by him (by any stretch), but it's still great to see him on something regular.

And again, we don't mean to be sacrilegious in comparing Baker to the giants listed above. Kurtzman and company are all esteemed quite highly by fans and critics alike, and deservedly so. However, what they all share in common is the distinction of being creators of timeless quality and perpetual verve. A Kyle Baker book will absolutely never fail to entertain. And that's the TRUTH (pun intended).

There's much more to Kyle than we're laying out here — trust. We're just trying not to give too much away in this blog post. The two of us have been champing at the bit to give Baker some shine on these mics, so this one was a long time coming.

Hope you enjoy the exchange. We damn sure did.

- SWAiN & ADRiAN

**Our thanks to Eric Nolen-Weathington of TwoMorrows Publishing for doing a terrific interview with Kyle as part of their Modern Masters series. That issue (along with Comics Journal # 219) was an invaluable resource to us in our prep for this episode.

We also wanna thank Seth Kushner of Graphic NYC for letting us use that sweet shot of Baker he took for their article. GNYC is an awesome site with tons of great interviews featuring many of your favorite comic book creators (Brian Azzarello, Frank Miller, Chris Claremont).

Podcast Episode 169 :: Monsters as Heroes (A Very Special Halloween-Themed SiDEBAR)

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Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon's silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play.
- Joel Benton

Okay, now that's hot!

With Halloween creeping up on us (no pun), we thought it was high time we did an episode celebrating the scary. And why not go the route of scary comic book characters, yeah? Comics going back to the 1950s have always featured "tales of terror", and that tradition continues on to this day.

The '70s being what they were for horror films seemed like a good place to start. Movies like The Omen, Jaws, The Exorcist, Carrie, Amityville Horror, Willard, Audrey Rose and others, set that period apart as "the" decade of horror. So, many of the characters/heroes we dug up for this roundtable (no pun) were birthed around that same time.

Our theme is Monsters as Heroes. Creepy, weird, and just plain awful-looking folks who, at their core, are heroic. They wanna do the right thing — often times they do do the right thing — but damn if they don't frighten the sh*t out of people! And their actions can sometimes end with grave results (no pun).

We hit all the main ones you can think of, and threw a few surprises in there, too. The images we've showcased with this blog post will offer a few clues as to who made the final cut (no pun).

It's a FEAR FRAUGHT FRANTIC EPISODE!!!

-SWAiN

**Above are Vampirella by Boris Vallejo and The Demon by Jason Latour. A brief digression: Vampy with the one boot off is killer sexy to me. I have NO idea why (yes I do).

Below we've got Man-Thing by Art Adams (left) and Mystique by Mike Mayhew (right).

And finally, Ghost Rider by Paolo Rivera (left) and Swamp Thing by Simon Bizley (right).

On this episode, we played portions of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", "People Are Strange" by The Doors, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Nightmare on My Street", and "Devil Woman" by Cliff Richards.

Podcast Episode 168 :: Survival of the Artist

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A poor play on Charles Darwin's Natural Selection, but hey — it sounded better than all the other stuff we came up with (ha).

The impetus of this episode was the mystery as to why some of our favorite comic artists aren't doing more work. Why aren't they more visible in the marketplace from month to month? Well, we attempt to answer that question on this one.

Surviving (and succeeding) in the world of comics is probably just as challenging as it is in any other industry. Not unlike other fields, I'm sure it comes down to a few simple rules — show up, create and foster good relationships, do great work, and finish the job — on time.

The rules above are universal in most trades, but from where we sit, they're not always universally applied within comics.

For example, if you're popular in comics, all can be forgiven pretty quickly if you miss a deadline. Editors and fans have certainly been known to turn their heads when "superstars" are late.

What if you're good at your job, but can't strike a solid rapport with those that will hire you? You can end up out of sight and out of mind.

Here's another one. What if you're an older artist with a style that's seen as "old school"? It can probably be a struggle to get assignments. Ageism exists everywhere (sadly).

And last, what about the possibilities of embracing an all-digital workflow to meet the demand by companies for quicker turnarounds of production? The needs of the business beckon.

Opinions and theories abound on this one, 'Nation. And with the comic book industry evolving in nearly every other facet in terms of production, now more than ever is a good time to discuss the challenges of maintaining a fruitful comics career in the 21st Century.

- SWAiN & ADRiAN

Podcast Episode 167 :: Review of STERLING HUNDLEY'S Blue Collar / White Collar

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The return of the B-side — short, but very sweet.

We here at the 'Bar were fans of illustrator and fine artist, Sterling Hundley, long before he appeared on these esteemed microphones back in 2009. He was one of the guys we knew we wanted to talk to. And he was quite the astute guest. Knowledge by the pound was dropped that day.

So, guess what? His new art book, Blue Collar/White Collar, will be available everywhere on November 15th from Adhouse Books. We got our grubby mitts on an advanced review copy — and it is wonderful! A gorgeous collection of images that thoroughly covers his illustration career as well as some of his recent fine art pieces. And presented with some very special touches to reflect the artist's taste and sensibilities.

Dwight and I definitely give this one the big thumbs up. Blue Collar/White Collar is worthy of your time, and your dollars. To paraphrase Dwight on the episode, "It's a much needed addition to any art lover's collection".

- SWAiN

**It's just dos amigos on this episode. Adrian was away on assignment in New Genesis.

Podcast Episode 166: Comic Shop Confidential

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The comic shop. The LCS. The funny book store.

That last one was what my grandmother and aunts used to call my favorite hangout spot when I was growing up in Chicago. I hated it. Superheroes weren't funny to me. Dudes got socked in the eye! People got killed (Gwen Stacy, Bucky, Captain Marvel)!

Anyway, I'm over it now. And I still got love for my brick and mortar stores. So, welcome to Comic Shop Confidential.

Dwight, Adrian and myself recently sat down for a celebration of the venerable brick and mortars. Specifically our collective experiences here in the Atlanta area over the last three decades. And even though we reference names and places that you all don't know, chances are the experiences are universal. We all come from the same place, right?

We hope you enjoy listening in and don't get too bored. While the battle between digital vs. print rages on, it was nice to pay simple tribute to the guys and gals who've been holding it down for the last 25 years. Salute!

- SWAiN

**This episode is dedicated to Graham Crackers Comics — our official sponsor and the largest chain of comic shops IN THE COUNTRY.

 

The GOLDEN Rule

Fandom is a weird thing. And with comics, it can be even weirder. Unlike other forms of entertainment, comics make it pretty easy to have close contact with the creators. Sometimes that contact can go well, and sometimes, a little awkward. The accessibility definitely makes it interesting, to say the least.

For as long as I can remember, I've been a Michael Golden fan. This guy was integral to my fanboy evolution probably since his stuff first started appearing in DC's Batman Family. He would do these odd Demon and Manbat stories that I thought were just the coolest.

I owe my buddy, Don Hillsman, for my first exposure to Michael's work. Don and I were teenagers when we met, and he was way more knowledgeable of comic artists than I was at the time. As a matter of fact, I credit him with turning me onto a lot of my faves.

Golden's work was so different from anything else I had seen up to that point. It seemed anime-influenced long before that became all the rage. Nowadays, you can't swing a dead cat at a comic book show without hitting an Anime/Hip-Hop/Tagger style artist.

For most of us fanboys, Mike's seminal work, and I mean the seminal work, is Doctor Strange #55. Sigh. It's a beautiful, beautiful job and remains "the one". Why do I say it's the one? The attention to detail, the double lighting, his dramatic use of camera angles — it was like watching a world-class movie director at the top of his game!

I would say Doctor Strange #55 was that unifying moment of clarity when, fans and pros alike thought, "This guy is at the height of his powers. He can't possibly go any higher — can he?!" And of course, he did.

After that book, Michael did a slew of covers for books that, if I'm to be honest, I bought just for the covers. Detective Comics, G.I. Joe, Nightwing, all those terrible Punisher books, ROM (yes, ROM, I bought fucking ROM) all held the distinction of being blessed by the Golden touch. It was a marvelous time to be a comic art fan. Trust me.

Some time after Micronauts, which is its own hallowed work for many, he did The 'Nam — which is basically a Vietnam War story with all its bloody realities. I always saw that book as Michael Golden doing his "EC Comics Frontline Combat" thing. And it's a worthy comparison. The covers, the interiors and the detail in the images, were all incredibly graphic. I've never served in the military, nor have I spent much time around that sort of thing, but goddamn if that wasn't a real helicopter! An M-16! A sweltering Vietnamese jungle! Michael's ability to put you in the middle of that conflict through the sequential page was unprecedented compared to most war comics before or since.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Golden for SiDEBAR at a Heroes Con back in 2007 — right when he first started appearing at a lot of conventions. But while Dwight and I were both giddy as two schoolgirls, the encounter didn't turn out exactly like we thought it would.

Golden, while talkative and in good spirits, wasn't as passionate about his art as we'd hoped. We were flabbergasted. How could a guy so talented, not be? This was the man who covered a wack ass book like U.S. 1 and made it seem like all that!

Well, he just wasn't. His refrain throughout the interview was, "It was a job". Then it began to sink in. It was...just a job.

Just like it was for Curt Swan, Wally Wood, Frank Robbins and lots of my artistic heroes. All those guys had skill and talent, and could make a blank piece of paper become the stuff that dreams were made of. But those were assignments — and those men completed them to the best of their abilities so they could feed their families and make a living. Not out of any burning passion. You can't fault someone for approaching work as work.

Since he started in comics over 30 years ago, Michael Golden has been pubbed by all of the major publishers. He's also done advertising work as a way to supplement his comic book income. And he does commissions.

Ahhh, his commission work. I would be remiss if I didn't speak honestly about that subject. There was a well documented brouhaha that erupted around '07 involving Golden and a fan commission that he "did". By "did", I mean he did it very late and he sent sub par work to the fan as a way of thumbing his nose at the guy. All after taking the guy's $500.

That was an asshole thing to do. Plain and simple.

If you've heard about this situation, and think you can defend Michael's handling of it, save it. It was indefensible. Taking somebody's money and being egregiously late with the work is unprofessional. For anybody in any industry. And then sending a fan — a fan, now — an obvious piece of crap drawing, was wrong.

It was our conversation with Golden at Heroes and that commission story, in particular, that crystalized something for me — you have to separate the art from the artist. I still love Golden's work, for the most part, although I don't love everything he does these days. I've changed. He's changed. It's just kinda the way things go.

But more than anything, those two situations made it plain that creative people in all media are human beings with flaws. Some of them, with monumental flaws. We admire what they do and they can become our heroes and idols, but when that happens, our expectations of them are rarely ever met. As a podcaster and a fan, I try to keep that in mind. "Try" being the operative word.

A brief digression. Beyond his art, Michael was equally well known for a ponytail he wore for years and years. The source of his powers some might say (I don't know if I should compare him to Sampson or Alfalfa). Every time I see him at a con with his fresh new cut sans ponytail, I smile. He looks fantastic! He's a handsome piece of man-candy (I'm kidding).

I remain a fan of Golden's art and probably always will. Not many have done what he's done and as well as he's done it, influenced an entire generation of artists, and continued a lauded career in comics for over three decades.

If you pick up a pencil, brush or stylus in this business today — you should be so lucky.

- SWAiN

**Many thanks to Adrian and Erika for helping me put this piece together.

Podcast Episode 165: Run for Your Life (pick a run in comics...and go!)

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Finally, a fangirl has crashed the clubhouse! I’m Erika Peterman, co-founder of Girls-Gone-Geek.com, and the woman behind the high-pitched voice you’ll hear on this lively episode.

Long before I officially met Dwight, Swain and Adrian, a mutual friend suggested I check out the Sidebar podcast. At the time, I was sampling a truckload of comics-related podcasts for education as much as entertainment, and frankly, only a handful held my interest. But when I heard these guys, I was not only impressed by their depth of knowledge but also struck by how much fun they were having. I instantly felt like I knew them, and I was kinda mad that I wasn’t in the room. It was a bit like eavesdropping on the cool kids’ conversation in the cafeteria and desperately wanting to join in. 

So when they invited me to be part of the “Run for Your Life” installment during Dragon*Con, I was thrilled — and a little nervous. I mean,these three really know what they're talking about, and I didn't want to come off like a seventh-grader among Ph.D. candidates. However, recording this episode turned out to be one of the highlights of my weekend. It was just as much fun as I'd imagined when I discovered Sidebar a year ago. 

Our task was to discuss a series whose run we enjoyed from beginning to end. My pick was Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly's New York Four/NewYork Five miniseries, an absorbing story about a group of young women in their freshman year at NYU. Wood's writing and Kelly's art are so perfect for each other, which makes for a deeply satisfying read. When people ask me for suggestions of good comics, this is always near the top of the list.

The others chose books I never would have considered but am now eager to read. I only knew Micronauts as old-school action figures, but Dwight totally sold it as a complex, exciting series that still holds up. Who knew that a toy could inspire a comic that touches on heavy-duty topics like genetic engineering? Next, Swain put the spotlight on Dave McKean's Cages, a graphic novel with hauntingly beautiful illustrations. The book's themes of creativity and inspiration are very close to home. Finally, Adrian convinced me that I need to get up on some Jack Kirby, immediately. That's a real gap in my education, and Adrian's passionate commentary on Kirby's classic New Gods epic was mighty compelling — as was the eye-popping art. 

I hope you enjoy listening to this installment as much as I enjoyed being part of it. And many thanks to my brothers in geek for inviting me to share the Sidebar microphones!

**The New Gods image used here is the one Adrian references in the conversation. It's Jack Kirby's original drawing with Alex Ross' painting on top of it.

STERLING HUNDLEY Artbook :: Blue Collar / White Collar

Back in 2009, we had the pleasure of chatting with artist and illustrator Sterling Hundley, and it was just that — a pleasure. In November of this year however, we'll all get an opportunity to own his incredible art in the form of a hardcover published by Adhouse Books.

The title of this collection is Blue Collar/White Collar and it's a monograph pulling not only from his commercial work, but from his fine art career as well.

In the last ten years, Sterling has amassed an impressive body of images and this book promises to bring them all together splendidly. It's 160 pages, full color and will retail for $24.95.

His publisher, Adhouse, does a peerless job with these projects (Pulphope, Process Recess I and II). Never satisfied with just "showing you the art", they make every effort to reflect the personality and sensibilities of the artist through design and presentation. That in and of itself is something to be celebrated.

Go to their site today and download a preview PDF of Blue Collar/White Collar before you buy the real thing. But most definitely — BUY the real thing (ha)!

And if you haven't heard it, listen in on our podcast interview with Hundley. We had an awesome time chatting with him. You'll be blessed with more than a few pearls of wisdom from this tremendous picture-maker.

- SWAiN

Podcast Episode 164: Dragon*Con Panel featuring MIKE GRELL

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American Flagg, The Rocketeer, Jon Sable Freelance. Those were just a few of the titles I cut my teeth on as a young comics reader. Amongst many others, they were indicative of the new wave of American comic books in the early 1980s. There was a palpable excitement in the air as scores of great books hit the shelves.

New things were also going down behind the scenes. Royalties and incentives were finally being paid for the first time ever. Independent publishers began wooing seasoned creators away from the Big Two with opportunities to tell the types of stories they'd always wanted to tell. And one of those creators was Mike Grell. 

I actually found Mike (or maybe he found me) in the mid '70s on The Warlord at DC Comics. Warlord was a Verne-esque tale about a modern-day Air Force pilot "lost in a lost world". I was also quite fond of Mike's work on Legion of Super-Heroes from a few years earlier. Super-powered teens in the 30th century? What was not to like?!

Later, I was floored to find out those Legion stories had been written by a then-teenage Jim Shooter (he started writing them when he was twelve). To paraphrase Mike from today's panel audio, Legion of Super-Heroes was a book aimed at young readers that was being written by (at the time) a very young reader.

After Warlord and Legion, I pretty much checked out everything the guy did — the aforementioned Jon Sable, Starslayer, Green Arrow - The Longbow Hunters and even some of his rare Marvel work.

Moving forward, our hometown convention, Dragon*Con, brought Mike to Atlanta this year as a special guest. I had the pleasure of moderating a panel with him. Grell was funny and in great spirits, and the crowd was full of enthusiastic fans.

All of the above was covered in the sit-down, but we also got an ear full on the writer-artist's background, how he broke into the business, and the scoop on his latest project, The Pilgrim (with writer, Mark Ryan). Good times.

Thanks to Mike for his candor and humor, thanks to the crowd for being all kinds of awesome, and thanks to the promoters of Dragon*Con for having me as a moderator.

- SWAiN

**The picture of Grell above was borrowed from maggiethompson.com. Thank you, Maggie.

Podcast Episode 163 :: A Discussion on "Oeuvre" and "The Art of DREW STRUZAN"

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I wish I could say this roundtable was full of nothing but insightful comments and informed opinions. It isn't. Oh, some of that stuff is in there. You just have to listen for it in between the gushing and awe. When Drew Struzan's art is the topic of conversation, gushing and awe abound.

One of our first, and I mean very first interviews on this here podcast, was with Drew (Episode 16, September 2007). It was magical. Dwight and I, to this day, are floored that he made time for us. He was and still is — "The Man". We were just two art nerds in the basement talking on the phone. Still, he did do it and we will always be forever grateful to him for that.

If you don't know Drew's work, you suck (you really do, trust me on this one). He's a master illustrator of over 40 years, primarily having worked in movie posters. He's retired now, but without a doubt, his bibliography will smite you: Blade Runner, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Police Academy, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, Cannonball Run, Masters of the Universe, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Harry Potter... The list is glorious and it is legion.

Back in 2005, an artbook of Struzan's work came out called Oeuvre and I scooped it up right before we spoke to him. Great book, beautifully put together. Sadly though, it never made the splash in the mainstream that was intended. Dreamwave, Oeuvre's publisher, went bankrupt before the book ever made it into stores.

Well, a new version of this collection will be available as of October 4, 2011. This time from Titan Books, the company that brought us 2010's brilliant The Art of Drew Struzan. Titan and Drew have "re-mastered" Oeuvre (if you will) and it features a new cover design, 50 new pages, and text written by Drew himself and his wife, Dylan.

With both books being released in such close proximity, we got super excited and decided to chat about them. Sort of. We only had the older version of Oeuvre, so some supposition takes place in our conversation. Still, Drew and his art were celebrated mightily and we had an awesome time doing so. We hope you enjoy it.

And please — whatever you do — get yourself copies of these two books. No art lover's shelf should be without them. That would be a crime.

- SWAiN

**Photo courtesy of Mark Berry.

Podcast Episode 162 :: JOHN PICACIO

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First, a confession: Prior to last year's Dragon*Con, I had absolutely no idea who John Picacio was.

None.

Rewinding back to that particular convention, I remember Dwight strongly urging Swain and myself to check out the Art Gallery, post-haste. After much hemming and hawing (all by me), I followed Dwight over to take a look.

Now, speaking honestly, I've never been a sci-fi/fantasy art fan — by any stretch. But after we stopped by Picacio's booth and I saw his work for the first time, those words no longer rang true.

Dwight and I ogled his original drawings for Michael Moorcock's legendary hero, Elric, and let me say, they were something to behold. Seeing those grayscale images up close was an experience unto itself. And it was made more so by John's eloquence and giving spirit.

We had the good fortune of having him sit down and join us for a quick chat at our booth (as chronicled on Episode 136). Turned out he was an avid listener to SiDEBAR and we all became fast friends.

Picacio's lauded resume of over ten years includes illustration for all the major publishers of science-fiction, fantasy and horror. And at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, he debuted his latest project from Random House: the 2012 George R. R. Martin calendar for A Song of Ice and Fire.

John says the Martin fans at Comic-Con absolutely loved it and this was his best year ever. He describes them as "hardcore and beyond passionate". We believe him!

Our conversation covers the creation of the Ice and Fire calendar, as well as a look back at Picacio's formative years as a young artist. We also get into his thoughts of the ever-changing landscape of contemporary illustration, some process talk, and his amazing artbook, Cover Story.

Cover Story was published by Monkeybrain Books in 2006. And after meeting John at Dragon*Con, I promptly went home and ordered myself a copy. It's a treat for fans of sci-fi/fantasy illustration. Awww hell, fans of illustration period. Trust.

Lastly, from August 17-21, John will be set up at Worldcon in Reno, Nevada. The con also hosts the annual Hugo and Chesley Awards. This year, he's nominated for a Hugo for Best Professional Artist and three (!) Chesleys for his cover and interior illustrations. Good luck to John and the rest of the nominees!

Picacio's Blog

** Stay tuned after the interview for an extra special Easter Egg celebrating Dwight's recent birthday!

-ADRiAN

 

Podcast Episode 161: DUNCAN FEGREDO

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I've been a Duncan Fegredo fan ever since his American comics debut on DC's 1991 Kid Eternity series. The original Kid Eternity was (at best) a book featuring a forgettable, tertiary Golden Age hero. However, the '90s makeover it received from Duncan and writer Grant Morrison was extraordinary, and KE ended up being a precursor to what we now call the Vertigo line.

One of the things over the years that's kept me locked in on Fegredo's art is simply watching it evolve (as it should be with any artist). He wore some heavy duty influences on his young sleeves when he first broke into comics, but his stuff quickly crystallized into something singular and all his own.

If you wanna see some great drawing by the man, scoop up back issues of Enigma, GIRL or a story in Spider-man's Tangled Web called "Flowers for Rhino".

The Rhino tale is a charming, little riff on Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon" — one of my favorite short stories as a kid. On it, Duncan teams up with his then-frequent collaborator, writer Peter Milligan, for some "romper suit" fun.

And let's not forget his cover work. Fegredo absolutely crushed it covering for books like Lucifer, Books of Magick, Shade the Changing Man and various Star Wars titles.

Having spent the last four years exclusively telling Hellboy stories over at Dark Horse Comics, we caught up with Duncan as he was finishing up "The Fury", his final run on the series. Mike Mignola, the book's well known creator, will be back to take over art chores on the new arc.

So, what's next for Duncan Fegredo you ask? Listen in and see, folks. But also covered in our chat with him are his opinions on formal art training for comics, how he and Milligan began their working relationship, and those early days at DC/Vertigo.

We also find out how he feels about working traditionally vs. digitally, bad coloring jobs, and Intersections, his experimental artbook mash-up with fellow artist and pal, Sean Phillips.

- SWAiN

**This episode is cheerfully dedicated to our friend, John Robinson, at Graham Crackers Comics. Graham Crackers has been our sponsor for almost two years now, and John's always been super supportive.

Podcast Episode 160: JEFF PRESTON

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Jeff Preston is many things. He's an illustrator. He's southern. He's old school. He's also our pal and a fun guy to hang out with!

Dwight and I met him at a Dragon*Con a few years ago (Adrian has yet to) and we've all been buds ever since. It's cool being friends with someone who's been doing this for 26 years, and whose artistic lineage goes back to Howard Pyle (yep, that's right).

Looking at his gallery, you'll notice Jeff has a penchant for the macabre — monsters, ghouls, zombies. Basically anything that goes bump in the proverbial night. Which is funny considering many of the assignments he's gotten over his career have come from religious publishers (drawing Jesus by day, and Dracula by night).

And hey, don't let the old school comment fool you. This man does work traditionally (his marker technique — oh my God!), but he also rocks the digital tools. He taught Photoshop courses for a while at a college in his native Tennessee.

Prepare to regaled by Preston's rich stories and tall tales. I say tall tales in jest. Jeff's experiences are all honest and real. In some cases pretty funny, too. He was a hoot!

And we do get into some process for all you tech-heads out there. Jeff wields a Copic marker like Thor wields his hammer — and there's just as much thunder and lightning as a result. You can quote me on that!

- SWAiN

His partial client list: Famous Monsters of Filmland, Darkhorse Comics, Lifeway Christian Resources, The United Methodist Publishing House, MGM/UA Home Video, Haunted Hill Productions, Spencer Gifts, Harcourt Publishing, McDonalds, Flynn/Sabitino/Day Advertising, Fantasy Flight Games, 5/3rd Bank, U.S. Post Office and more.

Here's a link to Amdale Media's latest in their Masters of Art Video Tutorial series. A DVD featuring Jeff and his incredible marker technique. Gobble it up, folks.

Below is an assortment of Preston goodies. The first one (left) is called Apparition Abolishers; a more recent piece. Dwight refers to it as Cyberpunk Ghostbusters. I'm fond of both titles!

 

  

 

Podcast Episode 159: Tying Up "Loose Ends" with JASON LATOUR

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Lately, I've become a huge fan of crime fiction in comics. I'm lovin' me some Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and Scalped by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guerra. And it looks like Loose Ends, the new 4-issue limited series from 12 Gauge Comics, is on its way to joining those gully ranks.

Written by Jason Latour, and illustrated by artist Chris Brunner and colorist Rico Renzi (aka the Kickstand Kids), Loose Ends delivers big time. So, why not have the writer and co-creator of the book on to chat about career and his new project, right?

Though coming into his own as a writer, you'll probably know Jason best as an artist whose star is fast on the rise. His partial resume is listed below with more to come, but by all means, please pick up Loose Ends #1 (out right now). It's Southern-fried crime noir, but it's served up scattered, smothered and covered — just the way we like it!

Chris and Rico, Latour's collaborators, are doing some of the best work of their careers on the art and Jason's dialogue in the script is dead on.

As alluded to above, the story takes place in the Dirty South with specific mentions of some Atlanta landmarks. And since the entire SiDEBAR crew lives in the metro Atlanta area, we've figuratively met these characters before and literally been to several of these places (... no, we weren't slangin' in "the trap").

In the interview, we get some background on Jason's upbringing, how he broke into comics, how he almost broke out (ha), and how Noche Roja, an OGN from Vertigo's recently departed "Crime Noir" line, turned it all around for him.

Hats off to JLa and the Kickstand Kids for putting it down with their first creator-owned book. A lot of people in comics talk about doing one, and while Ends was a long time coming, they did it.

Nuff respect, fellas.

- SWAiN

Jason's partial resume: Battle Pope, The Expatriate, Pop Gun, Daredevil B&W, Wolverine, Noche Roja, Captain America and Loose Ends.

 

  

I've loved this classic Spidey image that Jason did from day one!

 

Podcast Episode 158: KEKAI KOTAKI

 
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Hey, 'Nation!

When I met Kekai Kotaki (or 'Cake' as we call him here at the 'Bar) several years ago at the 2005 Concept Art Workshop, I was amazed and inspired by his talent and his awesome sketchbooks. Though he was a fresh face to the scene, I knew for certain that his skills would take him far. And that they have.

Since 2004, Kekai has worked consistently in the gaming industry, starting as a texture artist, and making his way briskly up the internal ladders of NCSoft and ArenaNet, to become the lead concept designer on GuildWars 1 and 2.

Yet even with the demands of his day job, he still finds time to do freelance work for clients like Tor Books and their art director, Irene Gallo.

Kekai is an artist of rare acuity and vision. The images he creates immediately immerse you in the realms illustrated. Some fantasy artists require a suspension of disbelief or a familiarity with the subject matter at the very least, in order to make you believe. Kekai provides you with immediate recognition — regardless of your situation.

Even though his method is abstraction, he assaults your senses with his evocative character designs, atmospheres and solid compositions. The majesty of his landscapes and environments are beyond reproach. The images we've presented here are a select few, but they will leave you in awe.

As we discuss in the interview, Kotaki has created so much content that's been used in promo adverts by the gaming industry, that you may recognize them all, and never have known they were his. As such, we recommend you check out his site and blog for a bigger piece...of 'Cake'.

- DWiGHT

Below is a small gallery of Kekai's images. There's a distinct "wow" factor at work!

 

 

This is one of the images mentioned in the interview. The one Cake said Daniel Dociu kinda art directed him on (to good results).

 

Podcast Episode 157: PRINCE Trivia Cage Match ft. BROHAWK and JASON PALMER

 
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Pretty much says it all, right? I don't even have 2 sell this sh*t, 'cause this sh*t sells itself!

Die-hard Prince fans, David 'Brohawk' Williams and Jason Palmer, both agreed 2 come on the show around the same time and chat about art and career. Die-hard Prince fan and podcaster, Swain, said "Hey, while U all R here, let's get our purple on!" And it was on!

Seriously, one of the best times I've ever had doing this show. I've loved Prince's music since I was fifteen, and 2 find 2 dudes who share that love with an equal amount of enthusiasm, was the coolest.

Dwight and Adrian were sitting in awe as me, J and Brohawk geeked out over the man from Minneapolis. I don't think they suspected how deep it was gonna go though. Pretty f*ckin' deep!

And the best part about it was they had mad fun watching Jason and David willfully follow me N2 purple madness.

Hope U dig this 1, folks! I did!

- SWAiN O(+->

Podcast Episode 156: JASON PALMER

 
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The eye of an illustrator is a real particular thing. When I was a youngster, I didn't pay that much attention to what was what in art — comics, cartoons, movie posters, an image on a lunchbox — it was all just cool pictures to me.

But after a few years of maturing and taking a closer look at what falls under the artistic umbrella, illustration, as with all the disciplines, has its own lane. And it requires a very specific skill set, too. You gotta have the "magic eye" like Denzel Washington tells Ethan Hawke in the movie 'Training Day'. Our pal, Jason Palmer, has the magic eye.

Jason lives out on the west coast in California, where he was born and raised, and has been a professional illustrator for over 20 years. He's worked on a variety of projects in his career: Star Trek comic books, prop art for various TV shows, licensed artwork for Warner Bros., Universal Studios and Lucasfilm properties, storyboards, ad designs, and more.

And as we cover in our interview, he recently worked on the new Wonder Woman television show that was in production over at NBC. This was the one, of course, being helmed by David E. Kelley and featured actress, Adrianne Palicki.

Other than commercial gigs like the ones mentioned above, Jason creates images for his own business featuring the liknesses of many of his favorite sci-fi, fantasy and pop culture icons. If you go to his store or if you see him at a convention, you'll likely see merch with characters from Star Wars, Star Trek, Tron, Smallville, Firefly and The Matrix.

When we first met Jason and his wife Yelena at Dragon*Con a few years ago, we ended up being their booth neighbors. Jason told us he was a fan of the podcast and how much he enjoyed it. And we were floored at how good his art was. After about ten minutes, we became bestest buddies and the rest of the weekend was a complete hoot!

In our chat with Mr. Palmer, we get to hear about everything — his early days working in an art store, his encounters with guys like LeRoy Neiman and Dave Stevens, becoming a professional illustrator, and what it's like to be considered Drew Struzan's protege (yes, that is correct).

- SWAiN

**Below are two classic Indy images. The one on the left I happen to own as a print — a gift from the Palmers!

 

Here, Jason does a terrific version of Morpheus, Neo and Trinity; then an homage to his late friend, Dave Stevens' character, the Rocketeer.

 

And last, two of my favorite Padmes. Jason did a gazillion of them and they're all brilliant.

  

Podcast Episode 155: A Discussion on the Life, Art and Recent Passing of JEFFREY CATHERINE JONES (1944 - 2011)

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"The artist does not see things as they are, but as he or she is." - Alfred Tonnelle

Since hearing the news that Jeffrey Catherine Jones passed away yesterday (May 19, 2011), I keep coming back to one thing — I'll never again be able to refer to her as "my favorite living painter". That's a change I never thought I'd have to make. A simple one, but still tough.

I will miss Jeffrey greatly. Her life's work awakened something wonderous in me many years ago, and I owe her a debt of gratitude.

Marvin Gaye said, and I'm paraphrasing the hell out of it, "If one is a true artist, their singular goal is to open the minds of men and women". With Jeff, we've most certainly witnessed the passing of a true artist.

That's all I got for now, I guess. The real stuff is in the show. And trust when I say Dwight's story is the one. Listen for that! I envy him for having that brief, but moving exchange with Jones. And at the same time, since it happened to my man, I get to share in it, too. So really, I'm good.

Bye, Jeff. Sleep peacefully, rest easy...

- SWAiN

**I chose the picture above because it was featured in The Studio book by Dragon's Dream, and it made me wanna be that smooth, bohemian, artist type. Ha!

The 2004 Sequential Tart interview with Jeffrey Catherine Jones conducted by Laurie J. Anderson.

Hazy Shade of Winter written by Paul Simon

Time, time, time, see what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around, leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the Salvation Army Band
Down by the riverside, it's bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say, but if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around, the grass is high
The fields are ripe, it's the springtime of my life

Ahhh, seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me

But look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...

Podcast Episode 154: DAVID 'BROHAWK' WILLIAMS

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Your bro' with the mo'. And he's no poser either.

Comic artist David Williams was rockin' a mohawk long before it came back en vogue a few years ago. He and the odious Puff Daddy actually started wearing one around the same time.

Puffy adopted the look as publicity for his run in the 2004 New York City Marathon. David's reasons were a bit more personal. Peep the interview, please...

While preparing to speak with him, we took a look at David's timeline in comic books and found that to be a point of interest unto itself. He started out as a penciler, worked into the '90s, went into animation and consumer products for about 10 years, and thankfully, is back doing more comics stuff than ever before.

If you wanna "see what he got", check out his pencil and brushwork on characters like The Authority, Batman, Hulk and Power Pack, She-Hulk and Uncanny X-men. And his current assignment doing covers for IDW's G.I. Joe title is straight up monthly eye-candy.

David says his time in animation pushed him and made him a more well-rounded artist. I agree, although my first introduction to his stuff wasn't until 2008 (tardy to the party, I know). And I have my buddy, colorist Rico Renzi (Loose Ends, Frenemy of the State), to thank for it.

Rico not only put me on to his work, but also shared one of Dave's dirty little secrets — he's a big Prince fan, just like me.

As a matter of factoid, back in '94, David illustrated a book called Prince and the New Power Generation: Three Chains of Gold. It was pubbed by Piranha Press/DC Comics and was penned by the recently deceased, Dwayne McDuffie.

*I have this book, by the way, but more on all that later.*

Renzi and McDuffie aren't the only 'creator-badasses' Williams has rolled with in his time. Over his career, he's been mentored and/or friended by guys like Darick Robertson (The Boys), the late Dave Stevens (The Rocketeer), Bruce Timm and Glen Murakami (Justice League, Batman Beyond) and Frank Espinosa (Rocketo). Yeah, I know, right?

We caught up with Brohawk at his hidden lair in Alburquerque, New Mexico and ran it all down. From the rooter to the tooter, as we say! His background, his start in comics, some great stories from his past, and what lies ahead for him (can you say creator-owned?).

It's all in there. Hope you enjoy.

- SWAiN

**Below is a Cobra-esque Joe image David calls 'Endless Love' (left) and a somber 'Cap's Back' image (right).

  

Two creatures of the night: Batman from the DCU proper (left) and Midnighter from the Wildstorm side of things (right). Notice the blood on Trent's nightsticks.

  

An older piece called 'Heroic Trio' (left) and a pencil drawing of the Man of Steel in up, up and away mode (right).

 

Podcast Episode 153: Roundtable Free-for-All (TV, Movies and Random Art Talk)

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With the veritable glut of action-packed comic book movies waiting to assault our senses this summer, we took a breather from interviews and decided to chat about a few of 'em. Along with some TV and art talk, too. Gotta get some art talk in there, right?

On the television front, the focus was mainly on the new Wonder Woman show being written and produced by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal). He cast a fairly unknown, Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), as Diana Prince, and here recently, the studio released some production stills of her in the new costume.

Was. Not. Good.

The geek community blew a 'nerd gasket' when they saw them. And from the looks of of the latest batch of shots, the suits acquiesced and changed the design. Smart move, suits!

On the chopping block for films was Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Captain America: The First Avenger starring Chris Evans and Tommy Lee Jones, X-Men: First Class starring James McAvoy, and Thor starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman.

We had a little bit more to go on with these four properties. The trailers have all, for the most part, been pretty outstanding. Hopes are definitely high. Granted, a trailer is a big-budget commercial to get butts in seats, so the studios could still be fooling our asses (uh-oh, I made a funny). We'll see.

And we ended things by giving shine to some of our favorite and more recent 'art makers'. Guys and gals we've been checking for who can hold a pencil, brush or stylus — well.

Lots of names came up in this segment that you've never heard mentioned on this show before — Barbara Canepa, Nathan Fowkes and Greg Tocchini, just to name a few.

As to digressions: The Cape, Chris Benoit, Andy Kaufman got slammed, Fringe, the cancellation of Sym-Bionic Titan (Dwight: "Damn you, Cartoon Network!"), Superman II, The Little Rascals, Natalie Portman's tookus (that means booty), Watchmen, Sucker Punch, Deadlock, Terrance Stamp and Anthony Hopkins are 'who-errs', The Last Dragon and Action Jackson, Vanity, Bane, Buster Douglas and the impending wackness that is likely to be the Spider-man reboot.

More great interviews to come, folks, but thanks for checking out the roundtable.

- SWAiN

Podcast Episode 152: DAVE STEWART Colours Our World

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None of us here at SiDEBAR are exactly sure when we first noticed Dave Stewart's work and said, "Damn, he's puttin' that down". But clearly, at some point, we all did.

In the twelve years that he's been in comics, Dave has rapidly ascended to the top of many an artist's and editor's preferred list of colorists. This man knows his stuff.

He's laid his stylus to tons of regular books — B.P.R.D., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Detective Comics, New Avengers, Superman, The Goon, Hellboy. And he's no stranger to special projects and limited series' like Greendale, Joe the Barbarian and 2003's breakout hit, DC: The New Frontier.

I think New Frontier was probably my baptism into the gospel of Stewart. I found the color choices in each scene were at once sophisticated, and just as much fun as the tale Darwyn Cooke was weaving.

With the variety of stories thrown at him every month, Dave's intuitive ability to adapt has become a precious and sought-after commodity in comics. And that's important to note.

No matter what one's discipline, be it writing, penciling, inking, lettering — what have you — everyone working on a comic book is a storyteller. Or at least they should be whether one knows it or not. Dave certainly knows it and shows it with much panache.

This modern day 'Peter Paul Rubens' hails from Portland, Oregon; the home of Dark Horse Comics, the company that gave him his professional start. Portland is also the home of Greg Manchess — painter, illustrator and Dave Stewart fan, just like the rest of us (more on that connection covered in our talk).

We ran Dave down at his home studio and chatted with him about those early days at Dark Horse, his process (lots of process), the joys and the rigors of his gig, and some of the incredible artists he's had the pleasure to embellish — Cliff Chiang, Darwyn Cooke, Guy Davis and Mike Mignola.

Thank you, Dave, for making time for the Boys at the 'Bar. We appreciate it. And thank you, 'Nation, for checking back in once more.

- SWAiN

**The title of this episode is a clumsy reference to the 1970 ballad, 'Colour My World', recorded by Chicago and written by band member, James Pankow. Great song!

Below is a 'creeplicious' Richard Corben Hellboy image (left) and a 'bootylicious' Frank Cho image (right).

  

A couple of cool comic pages — one from The Goon penciled by Eric Powell (left) and another from DC: The New Frontier by the aforementioned Darwyn Cooke (right).

   
Dave adds hue and value to Sean Gordon Murphy for a Joe the Barbarian cover (left), and to Guy Davis for B.P.R.D. (right)

 

Podcast Episode 151: LAUREN MONTGOMERY

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"Patience, young grasshopper." That's what Master Po said years ago. And he was right, too.

I came to know director and storyboard artist Lauren Montgomery's work through our mutual friend, Eric Canete. She and Eric are buds and her name came up, I believe, when we interviewed him back in 2008. I started looking around, found her blog and became an instant fan.

Hit the button and fast forward to February of 2009 at the New York Comic Con. Dwight and I are in an auditorium teeming with geeky fans. We're all waiting for Lauren, Bruce Timm, Michael Jelenic and Gregory Noveck to take the stage.

The convention is holding a panel discussion and a screening of the then, newly animated Wonder Woman movie (Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion). Lauren directed it, Bruce produced it, Michael wrote the script and Gregory is a Senior VP of Creative over at DC. There's maybe 2000 people in the room. It's nuts!

Anyway, the panel goes off without a hitch and audience members get to ask a pant load of questions. As you'll hear in the interview, one question in particular that Lauren answered, elicited an excited shout from one lone fan. Hmmm...

Oh, and Wonder Woman was fantastic! If you haven't seen it, you should. Outstanding job by all. It might be my favorite of Montgomery's films.

She went on to direct Green Lantern: First Flight, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. All for Warner Brothers' direct-to-DVD line and all, equally as good.

Well, after two years of pursuing her, she finally agreed to come on the show for a chat. Finally. Way to show and prove, grasshopper!

What a bright star, she is. What a cool person she turned out to be (seriously). And with the kind of excitement Lauren's generated thus far, I can only imagine what goodness lies ahead from her.

(Green Lantern: Emerald Knights and Batman Year One, but don't tell anybody I told ya).

- SWAiN

**Below are the box covers for Crisis, First Flight and Superman Doomsday, her first crack at directing for a feature.

 

This is a Supergirl image Lauren did that I just love! I got it from her blog, This Sucks, Not Yo' Mama's Blog.

 

Her rendition of Harley Quinn. You can just hear that annoyingly cute voice, can't you?

A cover Lauren did for an issue of Avatar. Niiice!

 

And some old sketchbook pages also grabbed from her blog. I really dig seeing this kinda stuff.

 

Podcast Episode 150: CLIFF CHIANG

 
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Some four years into SiDEBAR, Dwight, Adrian and myself are proud to present our 150th episode. Wow! Aren't you glad you stuck around to see it?!

*Don't answer that.*

And what better way to celebrate a milestone than to feature a talk with the always formidable comic artist, Cliff Chiang (Human Target, Green Arrow/Black Canary, Zatanna).

Cliff was great. We've met him in person twice — once at the Heroes Con in Charlotte and again at the New York Comic Con. Both times he was affable and generous as all get out (he gave me one of those Batgirl/Purple Rain 'album' covers like the one below).

Our thanks to him for coming on the show and chatting. The conversation takes an interesting turn towards the end there, but it's all good. Not your average comic book interview stuff.

"So...so when you drew Batman...that was pretty cool, huh?!"

Nahhh, not average at all. But we hope you enjoy it none the less. Take care!

- SWAiN

**Here are four of my favorite GA/BC covers by the Cliffster:

   

Next are Cliff's covers for Greendale and Dr. 13. Greendale is an original graphic novel that came out in 2010. It's based on a concept album bearing the same name recorded by rocker, Neil Young. And if you haven't read Dr. 13 by Cliff and Brian Azzarello, do so. HIGH-larious!

 

These are some fun '80s themed mash-ups Chiang made. If you're old enough, you'll get the refs:

 

And last up, the Archies gang. Only re-imagined as an indie rock band! A slight tip of the chapeau to one of Cliff's artistic heroes, Jaime Hernandez:

 

Podcast Episode 149: NORM BREYFOGLE

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Dynamic. Energetic. Classic.

All these words come to mind when I think of artist Norm Breyfogle. 

However, to most, 'Batman' comes to mind at the mention of Breyfogle's name. Norm was THE Batman artist for an entire generation of comic book readers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We cover all that and more in our talk with him.

Norm details his beginnings as an artistic prodigy in his native Michigan, his discovery by Mike Frederich at the 1984 San Diego Comic Con, and his meteoric rise to penciling the Batman titles (below). This was at the height of 'Batmania' with the release of Tim Burton's titular 1989 movie.

 
As Norm himself quotes, comics were "berry berry good" to him and got even better with the release of Prime, the flagship title of Malibu's Ultraverse line in 1993.

Conversely, we discuss the lean side of comics freelancing in the years following the bust of the speculative boom of the early '90s. Breyfogle regards his travails to publish his creator-owned project 'Metaphysique', his efforts to garner regular work from his previous publisher DC Comics and the career rebound he's made through independent publishers and freelancing outside of comics.

Then we cap things off with a look at his recent projects, not the least of which is his current stint as an artist for Archie Comics and their line of 'New Look' books for the gang from Riverdale.

-ADRiAN

**Speaking of Riverdale, check out these model sheets by Norm for the 'New Look' Archie and Jughead:

 

Powerful images from Norm's creator-owned book, Metaphysique:

   
 

Some illustrations he's done outside of corporate comics:

 

'Prodigy' Breyfogle in 1974 at age 14:

 

Podcast Special: Remembering Writer and TV Producer DWAYNE MCDUFFIE (1962 - 2011)

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The fellas and I were as crestfallen as you guys all were at the news of the recent passing of Dwayne McDuffie (February 21, 2011). Not two days prior, I was checking out his post on Facebook concerning the early reviews for the new All-Star Superman DVD. Dwayne wrote the script for the movie and I remember thinking, "That's my man promoting his stuff. Cool beans."

Then suddenly, he was gone.

After much vacillation, we decided to do a short episode to honor Dwayne. None of us here at SiDEBAR knew him personally, so all of our recollections and stories are from our perspective as fans of his work.

A special thanks though to our buddy, storyboard artist Warren Drummond, for sitting in on this one. He did know Dwayne in passing as a friend and a peer, going back to their New York days.

Warren also attended an event Wednesday night at Golden Apple Comics in L.A. that included a heartfelt memorial by many of McDuffie's longtime pals. Warren shares some of that night with us in the conversation.

There's plenty out there on the Interwebs about Dwayne's career, so we won't inundate you with more here. However, we will say that if you've never read any of the man's comics, go pick some up. He was a storyteller to his core and as Adrian points out in our talk, he lives on through the work.

And hey, if you've never seen an episode of Static Shock or Justice League Unlimited — kick yourself in the ass! That's unforgivable! JLU was brilliant, Static was great fun too, and a healthy portion of the credit for those shows should go to Dwayne McDuffie as a writer, producer and story editor.

A beloved figure like this is already missed, folks. Certainly by his family and friends, but also by a legion of dedicated fans and readers. Our condolences go out to all.

- SWAiN

Pic above drawn by Denys Cowan.

The All-Star Superman DVD was released on February 21st, sadly, the day Dwayne passed away. It's an adaptation of a 12 issue DC Comics series by the same name — originally done by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.

Dwayne handled scripting chores for the film version and did a bang-up job, too!

Podcast Episode 148: Bookshelf Babble-On

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As 2011 was looming last year, we started thinking about new ideas for the podcast. We came up with a few keepers, but we also resuscitated some kick ass classic ones and plan to bring them back better than ever. More on that later.

Today though, it's the first in our Bookshelf Babble-On series. Nothing too deep (hey, this is SiDEBAR, right?). Just us grabbing a few things off the shelf that we like and talking about them. That's it.

Dwight, Adrian and myself have many, many things in common as far as our tastes go, but we diverge in a lotta places, too — which is a good thing.

The goal with Babble-On was to pick a book that some people might not know about and bring it to the fore. You know, open up a can-o-worms and see what slithers out!

The rules were no rules. It could be anything — a collected trade paperback, an original graphic novel, an illustrated novel, a novel, a children's book, an artbook, a book about comics or nerd culture — what have you.

Of course, we end up down a few rabbit trails, but again, this is SiDEBAR, where digressions abound (ha).

Our chosen Babble-ees, if you will, are COME ON, RAIN! by Karen Hesse and Jon J. Muth, SLAINE THE KING by Pat Mills and Mike McMahon, and Yoji Shinkawa's THE ART OF METAL GEAR SOLID. We got a little versatility goin' on today, kids.

Hope you have fun listening to us run our mouths. And thanks for stopping by again and clicking the little download thingy.

- SWAiN

**This episode of SiDEBAR is powered by THRILLPOWER!

   


 

Podcast Episode 147: JAIME HERNANDEZ

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I had the good fortune of meeting Jaime Hernandez at my first comic convention, HeroesCon, in June 2006. He and his brothers, Gilbert and Mario, were at the same table and I was awestruck. I'm pretty sure I came across as a big goof, stammering something about, "You're awesome..." and loving their work as they signed my books.

Cut forward to almost five years later and I have the good fortune of speaking with Jaime again, albeit in a more composed manner. Barely.

The guys and I chatted with him from his home in Southern California about all things Love and Rockets and beyond. We touched upon his childhood love of comics, early influences from cartoonists such as his older brothers, Alex Toth and Bob Bolling of the classic Lil Archie series, his love of dialogue, the spirit of 'Do-It-Yourself' in comics, the recent art book 'The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death' by Todd Hignite and much more.

I am wont to say that Jaime is probably one of comics' greatest open secrets. Universally acknowledged as a godfather of alternative comics (in my eyes), it is surprising that many people have never given Love & Rockets a try.

With the entirety of Jaime's work in print by Fantagraphics Press and the aforementioned art book, there has never been a better time to discover his work. You'll come for the superb draftsmanship and nuance of his art, but you'll be come back for the mature storytelling with Maggie, Hopey, Ray, Vivian the Frogmouth and the rest of the gang                                                                 of Hoppers.

- ADRiAN

**Click here for a scan of the signature and free Maggie sketch by Jaime in my copy of the 'Ghost of Hoppers' hardcover from HeroesCon 2006

Podcast Episode 146: 'A Life in the Day' - The Art Department's IRENE GALLO Takes Us Through It

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Being world famous is a tough gig. Ask Irene Gallo.

She's known, not only for being the art director for Tor Books, one of the leading publishers of science and fantasy fiction. Not only for her great blog, The Art Department, an incredible resource for all things art. Not only for her work on staff with the Illustration Master Class, the week-long workshop that pairs diamond-in-the-rough artists with seasoned working pros. And not only for her own immaculate taste in art. Put all that aside, if you can.

She's world famous for the wonderful glimpses into her life that she shares on-line—her pics!

We assume she's a closet shutterbug because she takes these amazing photos of her travels and escapades. City to city, country to country, err...lighthouse to lighthouse. A life in the day indeed.

We were fans of Ms. Gallo eons before she ever became aware of us. Spectrum, the annaual tome that collects the best of the best in fantastic art, has a jury every year to help pick the art that goes into the book. Dwight has been buying Spectrum for...well...a while now, and he knew her name from one of the juries. He mentioned it to me a couple years ago and I've been trolling her blog ever since.

A few months back we heard that she was gonna be in our fair city for the 2010 Dragon*Con and thought, "Hmmm, now's our chance. Let's try and get her on the podcast!"—provided we could find her. Dragon*Con is only about 40,000 people, mind you.

But God love the Interwebs. We shot a few notes, tweets and Facebook posts out there and lo and behold, on Saturday, up to our humble little table walks Irene. Cool as a cucumber and sweet as pie. Dwight was on hand as our ambassador to say hello and gush appropriately (WHERE THE HELL WERE ADRIAN AND I....ARRRRGGGH?!).

Turned out, she was completely amenable to the idea of an interview and so, here we are.

Whatever you wanna know about Irene Gallo and the terrific work she does, we hope she answered it for you in our talk. We were just happy to be able to hang with such a champion of art and illustration. Truly, the love resides within her.

Maybe one day in the future we can all break bread together, sip some wine and join her in one of those world famous montages she posts on The Art Department. Chronicling the weekend's merriment. Who knows..?

- SWAiN

Podcast Episode 145: 2010 Year-End Special

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This is our last show of 2010 and we wanted to reflect. No script, no guests, just us sitting around chatting. We hope it doesn't get too boring, but ahhh, screw it!

Thank you to every single person who downloaded a SiDEBAR podcast this year. Thank you to every guest who kindly took time out of their schedules to come on with us—you rock! Thank you to everyone who posted a comment on our blog or sent us an email. Thank you to all the convention promoters who extended us courtesies.

And thanks to our sponsor, the mighty GRAHAM CRACKERS COMICS, for being the best damn sponsor around! What's up, John??

We hope all who celebrate it had a great Christmas and here's to a Prosperous and Happy New Year!

-DWIGHT, SWAIN & ADRIAN

**Just to end things right, at the tail of this episode we played a snippet of Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne.

Podcast Episode 144: TOBY CYPRESS - Fast Cars, Gangsters and the Road to Rodd Racer

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There's a saying in music that goes like this. Sometimes a singer or band will record their very first album and it's so good, so fully formed, that it sounds like they spent their whole lives writing it.

While this isn't his first rodeo, Toby Cypress' first creator-owned project, Rodd Racer, reads like a lifetime labor of love.

One of our buddies, artist Leland Purvis, (Vóx, Resistance: Book One) got his hands on a copy earlier this year and said it best. "Rodd Racer is like Toby throwing down the gauntlet to other artists in this business saying show me what you can do". That's not a direct quote, but you get his point.

This gasoline-fueled tour de force is set in a fictitious past where zepplins fill the night skies and a deadly race called Thunder Alley is the city's main event. Below is Toby's own description of his noirish tale:

"He keeps his past to himself, but Rodd's always been running from something."
Former stunt driver, turned racing legend, Rodd Racer has made a reputation built on risk.
But, he's finally risked far too much by involving himself and his love, Susie, with gangsters that want them both dead."

I became a hardcore fan of Cypress' after seeing some of his older stuff that another buddy, Rico Renzi, (The Perhapanauts, Loose Ends) had colored. I was all like, "Who's that?!"

"Toby Cypress."

"Have I seen his work before?"

"If you haven't, then you need to."

After that, it was Killing Girl for me, Batman/Nightwing, The Tourist and a few other goodies.

 

Toby doesn't do an awful lot of mainstream work. He confesses to a deep love of independent comics. And that makes sense—he likes to do his thing.

His style, while grounded in classic art influences like Alex Toth and Noel Sickles, is also shaped by other things like old b&w movies, cartoons and his own eclectic taste in music.

And just like the name of his publishing company, PUNKROCK*JAZZ, he comes off like this weird and wonderful amalgam of all that stuff.

With so many folks out there talking about doing their own projects, it's nice seeing Toby Cypress finally make Rodd Racer happen. And then some!

- SWAIN

Below are various images Toby's done that I really dig. The first being Bomber Blakely, a reoccuring character in the Rodd Racer storyline. Blakely is the one person in the book that Toby says he identifies with the most.

 

 

 

 

 

Podcast Episode 143: An Interview with KLAUS JANSON - The Inker Without Fear

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Okay, that isn't just a play on words from Klaus' days working on Daredevil (who is the real man without fear, by the way). It's a heartfelt statement from us about what he brings to the game as an inker and a finisher.

Over his 30 year career, he's embellished a plethora of pencilers and always brings out the best in them. From Sal Buscema to Gil Kane to Frank Miller to John Romita, Jr, Klaus Janson continues to rise to the challenge and make it all good.

Since his start in the comic book business back in the '70s, Klaus has worked on literally thousands of pages of comic art. He's either drawn or inked nearly every character in both the Marvel and DC universes—and is still going strong.

In 2008, along with writer Mark Millar and penciler Romita Jr, he helped launch the very successful Kick-Ass mini-series through Marvel's Icon imprint. And between Kick-Ass, Spider-man, Punisher War Zone and now, Avengers, many Marvel editors consider Klaus to be the JRJR inker.

We spoke to Janson for the first time on this very podcast about a year ago when he generously agreed to take part in an Alex Toth tribute we were doing (he himself being a big fan of Toth). I hit him up then about coming back on for his own proper interview, and with schedules slowing down for the holidays, we thought now was a perfect time (Christmas with Klaus).

One of the things that makes him such an interesting guy to talk to, other than his staying power, is his versatility. He's best known as an inker, of course, but he's also a penciler (most inkers are), a colorist and an occasional comic book writer.

And in recent years, he's added a few more notches to his belt—author and teacher! He's written two books on creating comics—2001's The DC Comics Guide to Penciling Comics and 2003's The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics. Both great reads and both great resources for budding artists.

And to his teaching at SVA (The School of Visual Arts) in New York City, Klaus says it's been one of the real highpoints of his career (as fate would have it, he himself is a self-taught artist).

Stan Lee said, "With great power comes great responsibility". Klaus, with his drawing and inking, has already shown 30 plus years of great power. By sharing his knowledge and experience of this medium with young minds, he's now showing his responsibility, too. And he's to be applauded for that.

- SWAIN

Podcast Episode 142: The Many Faces of JUSTIN 'CORO' KAUFMAN

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If you check out this podcast on the regular, you know that for the most part, we're fans of all kinds of art. Comics, animation, illustration, concept and fine art, sculpting... It doesn't matter, we dig it all.

And that's what makes a chat with Coro Kaufman so apropos. He digs it all, too. This guy is proficient in so many different areas, he's got it covered from the rooter to the tooter, as we say here.

Other than being an amazing concept artist and painter, designing t-shirts, CD covers and art directing for Massive Black, one of the most exciting art production studios in the entertainment business—he's now on the precipice of adding published comic book creator to his resume.

If you know anything about Coro, you know that he co-founded Massive Black with his buds back in 2005. Since then, MB has become a complete juggernaut in the video game and film industries. Much of the ideation, crafting and finished production you see in today's most popular games comes from them.

In between all the work for clients Coro and Co. have done over these last five years, he started writing and drawing a graphic novel in his spare time (we say comic book). It's called Transient and it began as his modest attempt at a sequential art story dealing with the homeless. I say modest because it's grown to almost 200 pages long (just...damn).

In the interview, we spoke to Kaufman about his continued progress with Transient and about his gig as a concept artist and art director for Massive Black.

He also opens up about his early life as a graph kid painting murals on the streets of El Paso, TX where he grew up, living life today in San Francisco and being the "art monkey" he confesses to be (a man after our own hearts).

- SWAIN

**Below are various images from El Coro. Some Transient stuff, potraits, random pics and what have you.

 

  

 

 

 
 
 
 

Podcast Episode 141: The Art of Storytelling (it's like that now)

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That's correct! On the further adventures of the SiDEBAR roundtable, we discuss the use of storytelling in comics and illustration. What is it? Who does it well? What separates strong storytelling from style, conceptual thinking or someone who's simply into render porn? These and many other questions go completely unanswered on this episode!

We also brought along a willing accomplice today to help us figure it all out—our good buddy, Braxton Harrison. Braxton is a terrific artist himself, a local guy and no stranger to the podcast community.

His name (and voice) would pop up all the time on Around Comics and he was on a show of his own for a while. It was called the League of Nobodies and it was him, our buddy Brion Salazar from Fanboy Legion, our other buddy Skottie Young, artist from The Wizard of Oz and Matt Burden, who's now co-hosting the Matinee Idles podcast.

We wanna thank Brax for rollin' up and hangin' with us. It's like a 50 minute drive from his place to mine. And thanks to you all too for listening in. We know it's not another creator intervew, but hey, we're havin' some fun.

- SWAIN

**On this episode, we played snippets of Outkast's Da Art of Storytellin' (much love to Suzy Skrew and Sasha Thumper).

Also, there's a rather bawdy Easter egg at the end of this one that was inspired by a post I read on Girls Gone Geek. The ladies don't hold back either... 

Podcast Episode 140: Dial V for VAN FLEET - Illustrator JOHN VAN FLEET Picks Up the Phone

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John Van Fleet is an illustrator and comic artist who's work I've enjoyed for many a year. He graduated from art school at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY alongside the likes of Kent Williams, George Pratt and Mark Chiarello. Adrian warmly refers to them as "that Brandywine crew." For me, they'll always be The Fab Four.

Van Fleet started out studying graphic design at Pratt, but hated it. After seeing what his buds were doing in comics, he decided to make the switch.

The stuff by him that you'll wanna check out weaves back and forth between full blown comics, masterfully illustrated comic covers and trading cards. I say look for Typhoid, Batman: The Chalice and Batman: The Ankh if you want some really fun comic stories.

As for single images, try his covers for H-E-R-O and American Century. You cannot go wrong. And all of his trading cards are super nice, too—he's done tons.

John lives outside of Chapel Hill, NC with his family and works from his home studio. We caught up with him there and found him to be affable, funny and pretty free wheelin' in our chat. He was a hoot!

In the interview, we cover his background and some hilarious stories from his days in NYC, how his approach to picture-making developed, the sometimes 'arduous' use of photo ref and freelancing after all these years.

- SWAIN

**There's a really funny Easter egg at the very end of this episode. Check it out!

Also, the title of the interview is a reference to the H-E-R-O series Van Fleet worked on back in 2003. It was a new take on a Silver Age DC book from the '60s called Dial H for H-E-R-O.

 

Podcast Episode 139: Dragon*Con 2010 - The Recap

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All twenty three minutes of it! Today, it's just a short conversation covering some of the memorable moments at this year's Dragon*Con. We had a wonderful time, as always, and 2010 definitely had its highlights.

Many thanks to all the listeners who stopped by to say hello, to all the convention guests who did likewise and wished us well, to all the kind folks who jumped on the mic with us, and to the Sensei, Brian Stelfreeze, for putting it down as only he can.

Extra special thanks to John Picacio and Jim Keefe for their support and gifts.

And a hearty thank you to the guys and gals who run the Con and the Comics Track—Pat and Sherry Henry and Thom Trainor. We appreciate their generosity and look forward to next year. Bigger and deffer!

**Swain would like it known that the picture above and the last minute of this episode made the entire weekend worth it for him.

Podcast Episode 138: VAPN United - More Dragon*Con Audio featuring Artists DREW BAKER, PETE MOHRBACHER and CHANDRA FREE

 
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It was basically a family affair. Attending Dragon*Con for the very first time were our buddies from the Visual Artist Podcast Network, Drew Baker, Pete Mohrbacher and Chandra Free. Three terrific artists from two terrific podcasts and we took the opportunity to pounce and get 'em on the mic.

Drew and Chandra are a part of a great show called Ninja Mountain Scrolls. Ninja Mountain is a collective of ninjas (working artists in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror fields) and the discussion on their shows is generally centered around the life of a freelance illustrator. They offer insights into their profession, advice on breaking in and staying in, and often derail into funny stories and down rabbit trails (glad we're not the only ones).

Pete does a super cool podcast called WiP (Work in Progress). He co-hosts it with three other folks—his wife, artist Anna Mohrbacher, artist Jeff Himmelman and Jeff's wife, Caroline Himmelman (Caroline's not an artist, but the brains behind the outfit). Their show is also sci-fi/fantasy based and offers a helpful and critical look at breaking into the world of freelance art and illustration.

Again, we're grateful to Chandra, Pete and Drew for stopping by our table. It was AWESOME to meet them all in person and we look forward to doing it again soon.

Podcast Episode 137: Seeing RED - A Dragon*Con Panel featuring Artist CULLY HAMNER

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The convention audio drags on. Get it...drags on..? Sorry.

Cully Hamner is a near 20 veteran of the comic book business and has a pretty respectable resume, if you ask us. Besides some really excellent work on titles like Detective Comics, Black Lightning, Blue Beetle and The Ride, he and Warren Ellis collabed on a creator-owned mini-series back in 2003 called RED.

RED is the story of a retired black ops CIA agent named Paul Moses who becomes a target and ends up reactivating himself 'red'.

The book was a hit with fans and apparently movie studios, too. It was optioned by Summit Entertainment in '08 and is now set for release as a major motion picture on October 15th of this year.

The film adaptation of this DC/Wildstorm series stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker. Cully mentioned recently on his blog that he'll be leaving the New York Comic Con one day early so he can fly out West and attend the big Hollywood premiere (I know...don't hate).

Since he's an Atlantan and a regular guest at Dragon*Con, Hamner kindly agreed to sit on a panel over the Labor Day weekend and talk about all things RED. We had the pleasure of moderating the shindig and happily bring you the audio today. Hope you enjoy.

Podcast Episode 136: Convention Chats with JIM KEEFE and JOHN PICACIO

 
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Dragon*Con 2010 was indeed a monster and we've got more proof. Here are some interviews we did from our table with artists, Jim Keefe and John Picacio.

You'll know Jim Keefe's name from his work in newspaper strips on characters like Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible and of course, Flash Gordon. He's a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art (a Kubie!) and he himself has guest lectured at schools like MCAD and SVA.

Jim was our neighbor at Dragon*Con and was a hoot to hang out with. SUPER nice guy, too (he gave us an awesome Flash Gordon sketch—thanks, Jim).

John Picacio and SiDEBAR have been Facebook friends for a minute now, so we're pretty sure that makes us blood related (ha).

John is an award-winning illustrator who has created book covers for virtually every science fiction, fantasy and horror publisher around. He just recently finished a series of images featuring his rendition of Michael Moorcock's classic fantasy character, Elric.

His first ever hardcover artbook, Cover Story, came out in 2006 and his work has also been featured in the hallowed pages of Spectrum as well.

Picacio was set up down at the other end of the auditorium in the Art Show, but he was kind enough to come down to Artist Alley and share a few words with us. He too came bearing gifts (thanks, John).

Podcast Episode 135: Dragon*Con 2010 - Legends of the Dark Knight Panel (ft. NEAL ADAMS, PAUL DINI, TIM SALE and BRIAN STELFREEZE)

 
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It went down Sunday afternoon, and it was just that. Legendary.

Our four panelists, Neal, Paul, Tim and Brian were all great and the attendees loved 'em. Lots of stories were told, recollections of the Caped Crusader were made and a ton of belly laughs were had by everyone.

When things jumped off, it was standing room only in 'Hanover F'. By the time it ended, there were people sitting all over the floor. It was nuts.

SiDEBAR wants to thank Dragon*Con for letting us moderate the event (especially Pat Henry and Thom Trainor). We also wanna thank all four guests who sat in on the panel. And a hearty thanks to each and every person who made it their business to come by and hang out.

You all rock!

**This episode is dedicated to the memory of Patricia Basey, mother to our good friend, Mark Stroud A.K.A. MarkCalifornia. May she sleep peacefully...

Podcast Episode 134: Free Pass

 

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Swain here. Me and Adrian started chatting after seeing Neal Adams' Batman Odyssey #1 (he saw it, I still haven't) and the idea of free passes came up.

A free pass is when someone, doesn't matter who, gets a pass for what is basically sub par work for them, and you won't call it for what it is. Many a Neal fan were on-line doing just that when Odyssey's preview pages were posted—looking at his current work through Green Lantern/Green Arrow tinted glasses (even though it ain't 1970 anymore).

Don't get me wrong. I give out free passes from time to time myself. I think we all do on some level. But calling something crap doesn't...well...crap all over the great stuff that person did or will do, does it?

Most people who know me know I'm a big music nerd as well as an art nerd. I adore Elton John, Prince, Peter Gabriel and Stevie Wonder. One of my favorite bands to come out in the last 13 years is a Scottish band called Travis.

That said, all the stuff Elton's written for Disney has been utter wackness. Prince—I've not liked much since the symbol album. Peter Gabriel's Up CD was so God awful that I sold it two weeks later (didn't want it in my house and I adore him). Stevie's lowest had to be I Just Called to Say I Love You and Travis' 12 Memories disc gave me amnesia.

I still love them all for their past work, but give 'em a pass for the nonsense they're doing today.

Bringing it back to comics, it doesn't take any of the greatness away from Frank Miller's Dark Knight, Born Again or Batman Year One to say Dark Knight Strikes Again and The Spirit sucked. And they did. 

The conversation between Dwight, Adrian and I also veered off into free passes for comics coming out late as hell, outrageous original art prices, lack of professionalism and common courtesy. We went there.

So many fans will look the other way if it's their favorite guy or gal and act like they're not being mistreated—when they really are. That's bullsh*t.

Listen in and see what you think. Our goal wasn't to dump on folks just for the sake of dumping. It was to encourage us as fans to be more honest. If it's great, hey, let's celebrate it. If it's just okay or bad...let's call it for what it is.

**If you're squeamish or easily pissed off, we must warn you—this audio is disturbing. Names have not been changed to protect the innocent (ha).

Check for the Jack Kirby birthday Easter egg at the very end. That was fun.

And Dwight would like it on the record that he dug Kneel...ummm, Neal's cover for Batman Odyssey #1.

Podcast Episode 133: 'Tales from The Cryptcrawler' - SiDEBAR Sits Down with Concept Artist BRAD RIGNEY

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You know what's interesting about art? It's as much a personal discovery for the viewer as it is for the creator. Some artists have the ability to transcend tradition and break open the possibilities of commonly used technique—and include you, the viewer, in that process.

Doesn't matter if you're looking at a video tutorial, an on-line gallery or if you're in a good ol' brick and mortar museum (hey, now), you're taken on the journey with them.

We're of the opinion that Brad Rigney is such an artist.

Dude's stuff is so well done and so in there, it's insane. Dwight was the first one to point out how effectively cinematic his lighting is. He literally puts you in the scene.

Rigney works in the gaming industry for companies like Wizards of the Coast and Bungie. His contributions to Bungie's Halo ODST have helped to make it one of the most successful video games ever.

One of the aspects of Brad's background that is so cool is, he was inspired not that long ago by many of the images he saw in the ConceptArt.Org community. After spending some time honing and kneading his skills like so much dough, he joined, and now he stands as one of their biggest success stories—making the dough instead of just needing it (okay, bad play on words).

Coming out of the Magnolia state (that's Mississippi), he's a family man with a wife and daughter, and he's knockin' the art world on its ass! Just look at the images we posted with this blog entry and you'll recognize the 'skillage'.

Our conversation with him went off the rails a lot, but it was all good. We talked about everything—his beginnings, work ethic, influences like artist Richard Corben and filmmaker John Carpenter, the late, great Patrick Swayze (!). But throughout all of it, Brad was as open and free with us as he was in his tutorial—A Hostile Takeover. What a great guy.

If you haven't seen the clip from his downloadable video, click here. If you haven't been to his DeviantArt page, click here. And if you haven't heard our interview with him yet, by all means, click above—it's waitin' for ya.

**Click here to see the real Brad Rigney!

Podcast Episode 132: Logos, Lettering and a Long Career in Comics - It's KEN BRUZENAK

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The attempt at alliteration in the title was absolutely on purpose.

Ken Bruzenak is an awesome letterer and designer who's distinctive style not only pushed his career in comics to higher heights, but the craft of lettering as well. Guys like him, John Costanza, John Workman and Todd Klein brought lettering to the fore and really made it a part of the narrative—as it should be.

Ken got his start back in the late '70s working with Jim Steranko, eventually broke into business, and his star quickly rose from there. We consider him, as many do, to be the first superstar letterer.

His best work can undeniably be found in his collaborations with his friend, writer and artist Howard Chaykin. Over the last 25 years, they friggin' killed it on titles like American Flagg!, Time Squared, Blackhawk and The Shadow.

Beyond his pairings with Chaykin, Ken worked his own brand of voodoo on tons of other books—Azrael, Jon Sable Freelance, The Punisher, Wolverine, Batman Black & White, Body Bags...

In 1988, he was handpicked to letter and do a logo design for Michael T. Gilbert's Mr. Monster series. More recently, he was a part of the creative team that brings you Powers alongside uber-popular creators, Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming.

And yes, of course, in between all of his touchstones, are literally thousands of comic pages with his talented fingerprints on them.

In our talk with Bruzenak, we find out how it all began with Steranko, Gary Groth and Greg Theakston, what it was like being on fire during The Late '80s Boom, how lettering has changed over the years and what he still loves about comics as a medium and a profession.

**Our thanks to Ken's wife, Kristie, for her help getting us in contact with him. Much obliged.

Also, the page above was created for a comic book that Ken and Howard Chaykin worked on called Jake Noble. It was simultaneously being developed as a TV series vehicle for footballer/actor Vinnie Jones (Snatch, Gone in Sixty Seconds, X-Men 3).

Podcast Ep. 131: 'Using Your Illusion' - SiDEBAR Interviews Visionary Storyteller IAIN MCCAIG

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Terminator 2, Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We could stop there and have your rapt attention, right?

We won't.

Iain McCaig is one of the most lauded and respected artists working in film today. He's virtually on every artist's list as, not only an influence, but a hero. Those that have met him in person all say the same thing, "He's like the most positive teacher or professor you've ever had in your life!" That's a quote, by the way.

Iain has worked as either a concept or storyboard artist on all of the movies mentioned above—beginning with T2 in the early '90s when he was employed at Industrial Light & Magic. Today, he's often hired as a consultant, as well as a designer, by studios like ILM, Disney, Pixar and etc.

His own studio, Ninth Ray, a collective of the artists he met while working on the Star Wars properties, has been behind things like Outlander and the highly anticipated John Carter of Mars, due out in 2012.

While he makes his home in Canada, we caught up with McCaig on the job in California and it truly was a dream come true. He was one of the names at the top of Dwight's personal pursuit list for SiDEBAR, and man...did he deliver. Tons about his background, filmwork, process and upcoming personal projects.

Listen in for the game we played with Iain after the interview called 'Either Or, Choose One—No More'. Twas mad fun. Not only was he down to play the game, but he turned it back on us near the end. Awesome, right?

And we have to mention here that the road to this interview was paved with the help of some very good friends. Guys like comic artist Leland Purvis, concept artist Dermot Power and new buddy J.J. Torres were instrumental in helping us get in contact with McCaig. We thank them sincerely and profusely.

And of course, BIG OL' GIANT THANKS to Iain himself for hanging out. What an incredible guest and a terrific person.

**Yes, the title is a reference to Guns N' Roses third studio album. It looked cool enough when we typed it in.

Podcast Episode 130: LOIS VAN BAARLE - Animator and Illustrator

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The Internet is an interesting thing. Without it, you wouldn't know what a podcast was. Nor would you be able to subscribe to a blog. And for that matter, none of us outside of Holland might have ever heard of a talented animator and illustrator named Lois van Baarle (roughly pronounced van Barr-luh).

To be honest, and this is Swain speaking here, I can't remember how I stumbled upon her work. Maybe through Drawn, maybe a link on another artist's website. Either way, her stuff is killer.

At first, I thought Lois was mostly an animator, but once I saw Trichrome Blue, I could see she's more than that.

She's an artist.

Not in the "I draw and I paint" kind of way. She's that as well. I mean in the "I have something to say, I have a story to tell" kind of way. And she does, truly.

By the way, my daughter was completely transfixed watching Blue for the first time. Absorbing all the beaufiful, haunting elements in it, she asked a lot of questions (kids know when it's good).

We've blogged about van Baarle's work twice before on this site, so we're running out of things to say about her without giving away some of the interview. And that's not gonna happen.

What we will reveal here is, she lives in the Netherlands where she was born. She's lived in other places around the world like Indonesia, the U.S. and France. She went to school in Belgium for a while, but recently graduated from The Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) in Holland. And her future is as bright as can be.

Going back to the pros and cons of the Internet for a minute, thank God for VOIPs. Mobile phones are tricky little bastards when you go international and this interview almost didn't happen because of that oversight. Luckily it did though 'cause we were mad ready for Lois. And we hope you are, too.

Take care and thanks for listening.