Great Comics - Buck Rogers

So I was thinking "what would I want" from a blog. It's not what a creator is eating or watching on TV or playing on PS3. I want to know what creators are reading and why. So I figured that was something folks might want to know from me too.

With that in mind, I decided to write up a few notes on some titles I've really been enjoying. The first one is Buck Rogers from Dynamite Entertainment.

I admit it, I was skeptical about how good this comic would be. I'm a nut for classic stuff from TV and comics so giving the new Buck a chance was no stretch for me. I've got the old Gil Gerard series on DVD, a bunch of the Gold Key comics, and hard cover collections of Winsor McKay's classic comic strips. And frankly...Farscape reinvented the Buck Rogers mythology more effectively than anything I've read or watched this past decade.

But I am completely won over and loving the new Buck Rogers comic series! From the John Cassaday covers to the Carlos Rafael interiors, the book is incredible to look at. The mixing of modern and classic design elements makes for a unique and entertaining book. But the one element that really sold me on this comic is the writing. The take on Buck is fresh and the sci-fi world they inhabit is a new look for the future. Gone is the shiny Utopian backdrop replaced by a brutal and down right savage cannibalistic environment. Buck is far more "Crichtonish" than he has ever been on film or paper and it really feels right.

The only thing that bothers me about this book is that the new Buck Rogers was apparently born in 1989...man I feel old now. That aside, this is one of the comics I look forward to each month with real anticipation. Check it out and you won't be disappointed.

http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C725130121509

Convention Sketches

There is nothing like meeting your favorite creators at a comic con for signatures and sketches. For the past ten years I've been getting a sketch or two done each time I go to a convention. I'm having those sketches scanned and posted here and on Facebook for anyone who is interested in seeing some of the great images I've collected. I may even get around to scanning some of the very cool original comic pages I've collected here as well.

Anyway...I wanted to start with a sketch I received at San Diego this year. I decided to start a second sketchbook and fill it with artist renditions of characters from my creator owned books. In this case...I started the book off right with a picture from Jason Shawn Alexander (the interior artist of Dead Irons). Jason was kind enough to do a picture of one of the wicked werewolves from Dead Irons as the first image in the new book. Here it is...hope you enjoy it as much as I have. -James

Kicking and screaming...

Here it is. I came to the blogging age kicking and screaming, but here I am nonetheless. Look for updates on projects, commentary on my favorite comics, and a whole lotta attitude coming soon.