Free Book: The Art of George Tuska

I designed this book years ago (tried to do a good job but, man, there are about a thousand things I would do differently with it now) and have a few more copies on hand than I really need -- 7, to be precise. One free copy of the book will go to each of the first 7 people who contact me via email at scottsaav at my internet provider comcast.com comcast.net. Postage is $5 (I will accept cash or PayPal) and books will be sent Priority Mail (no exceptions). Don't send me any money until I've verified your "win" and provide payment instructions. Offer ends when I say so, I will make every effort to be fair, and the decisions of the judges are final.

UPDATE (1/20/11): OFFER IS NOW OVER! 

Brand-Man: The Untold Story!

This link is making the rounds today, but in case you missed it: A fellow by the name of Tom McAlister was looking for a job and came up with a cute gimmick for his resume. He had an artist draw an illustrated resume in the style of an old DC comic (more or less). You can see the result here. The comic resume didn't directly lead to a job (though he did get one) but I asked Tom what kind of reaction he got to his creativity and he wrote back to tell me:

I printed out hard copies of Brand Man for in-person interviews: color copies on thick paper stock. 50 cents per side, so they cost me exactly $1 apiece, and I got bags and boards to hold each "issue" because I wanted to sell the retro comic-ness of it all.

Inevitably, I would hand over the (bagged) comic in an interview, and people would look up and ask -- "Is it okay if I take this out of here?" Like, if it was old and valuable they didn't want to mess it up by putting their fingers on it.

Tom also reports that working on the details of the design of Brand-Man with artist Sina Grace was "fanboy heaven."

And that, as they say, is the rest of the story.

The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Catalog

Yes, this is a real catalog for a good cause. (via Lovely Package)

Checking In

You've probably heard about both Bat-Manga by Chip Kidd and Jiro Kuwata and Supermen! by Greg Sadowski. I'm currently reading Bat-Manga and, while I'm not a huge manga fan (I dislike reading right to left), it's strange and fun (and beautifully designed). Supermen! is a must-get. For me, Greg Sadowski is the gold standard for vintage comic book reproduction and his taste in material is excellent.

A quick plug for myself: If you don't mind reading something that isn't about old comics, I've got the first few pages of my revamped web comic, Java Town, up at the SLG Publishing site. It's a work in progress and new pages will be posted as I get the chance.

The Angry Red Planet

I watched the B-movie-sci-fi-cult-classic-psychotronic-film The Angry Red Planet last night. As is usually the case with these types of movies bad acting, giant plot holes, and primitive special effects can have a certain charm (well, for me anyway) and in that regard The Angry Red Planet is very charming. But CBH isn't a blog about such things so I'll share some comic book-related details from the film. Joe Kubert cohort Norman Maurer (a personal favorite underated artist) is one of the Executive Producers of the film. Alex Toth is credited as the storyboard artist (and I would guess the designer of the weird rat-bat critter seen above in my favorite sequence from the movie -- it certainly looks like something out of a Jonny Quest episode). And the lead actor, Gerald Mohr, voiced Mr. Fantastic for the late sixties Fantastic Four cartoon program while doing the same for the Green Lantern on The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. It's just a comic book world.

You can read a funny review of The Angry Red Planet here.

You can watch the entire movie online or just watch the trailer here (I have no idea how long this link will be good).

Fanzine Round-Up!

It warms my heart that even in this digital age you can still get print zines.

Ditkomania #71 (!) - Steve Ditko was one of the first artists I ever took a shine to. I know everyone loves his Spider-Man and Dr. Strange work but for me it's those early Marvel mystery and suspense stories that I adore. Rob's been sending me this handsome and heartfelt ongoing tribute to Ditko for several issues now and I certainly appreciate it. Send $2.50 (includes postage) to Rob Imes, 13510 Cambridge #307, Southgate, MI 48195.

Comic Effect #47 - Another long-running zine. This issue is devoted to Julius Schwartz and the comics he edited. Another very handsome, upbeat, nostalgia-driven fanzine. Send $3.50 (includes postage I think) to Jim Kingman, Comic Effect, PO Box 2188, Pasadena, CA 91102-2188.

It's A Fanzine #50 - And yet another long-running zine! I don't actually have this issue but I do have several earlier issues sitting around here someplace. It's also a fine, handsome fanzine. You can email Gene Kehoe for more info at iaf1952(at symbol)yahoo.com or just go ahead and send him $5.00 (includes postage) at 2265 Byron Ave., Waterloo, IA 50702.