Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Dave Stevens' THE ROCKETEER - IDW Artist Edition


image from IDW publishing website


Simply put, this is a marvelous and formidable book. Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer is the first in IDW's series of Artist's Editions, stories presented at the size they were drawn, scanned in color directly from the original art whenever possible. All but 2 of the pages in this collection are shot from the original art and the two-hard-to-find pages are shot from original production stats. Shooting from the original art - without coloring, re-sizing or altering the art for production in any other way - means corrections, blueline preliminary markings, and artist notes are all now available for the reader to see. The goal, as I see it, of the Artist's Editions is to make you feel as though you were holding the pages of original art in your hands as you read a complete story. That is definitely the impression I got as I read the book, and the size and presentation of the material enhanced my reading in a very real and visceral sense. Nothing escapes reproduction, good or bad. And it is all good in this case.

When IDW, under the stewardship of their brilliant editor Scott Dunbier, made their plans for the Artist's Edition series public, I ordered one right away. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that this is the IDEAL way to present this material to me. You see, collecting comic art is my great hobby. Besides golf and spectator sports. But in terms of money spent, time spent, and enjoyment it is hands down my hobby passion. In the years up to and after Dave Stevens' passing, his ability and the quality of his output have become legendary among original comic art and illustration collectors. Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's Edition contains 126 pages of art (119 story and 7 covers) produced between 1982 and 1994. I myself was only peripherally aware of The Rocketeer when it was being published. All I really knew was that The Rocketeer was good girl art and basically dismissed it out of hand due to that fact. I also knew that it was sporadically published, a fact that often kept me from procuring other quality comics as well, e.g. Xenozoic Tales. So for whatever reason, I missed out on The Rocketeer back then.

Clearly, I missed out. I missed out because I now know that The Rocketeer is a wonderful comic book. Dave Stevens displays his rare talent, and it is not just his draftsmanship and artistic ability but his writing as well that makes The Rocketeer such an enjoyable read. It is fun to watch someone so clearly having fun with his creation. The pages leading up to the first full frontal shot of protagonist Cliff Secord's girlfriend, Betty are a wonder to behold. The page in which Betty first appears has memorable illustrations thoughout, a slow reveal with the big money shot of Betty, wholesome and masterfully rendered in a 3/4 length pose, about as good a piece of good girl art as you will find. Until you see the later pages, that is; Stevens' ability to depict the female form is masterful and he uses it to full effect in the best tradition of good girl art (defined by me as clean but curvy, mostly clothed but usually scantily so). Stevens' Betty is a masterful, photorealistic portrait of Betty Page, and Stevens is one of those credited with Page's eventual rescue from relative obscurity to her current stauts as widely known icon of 50s era sexuality. And Stevens' ability is evident on all the pages, not just those featuring Betty. There were quite a few times when I stopped reading to show my 12 year-old, budding artist daughter how to both draw something correctly and to draw it well. How to depict fabric on the human form. A crowd shot towards the end of the book was a particular favorite of mine; Stevens' draws a menacing goon emerge from the audience of a crowded theatre and the faces on the various "background" characters are a treat, all different types of people having different human reactions to the scene unfolding amongst them.

Ultimately, DAVE STEVES' THE ROCKETEER ARTIST'S EDITION is a gem of a read. It is a large, almost unwieldly book but its' size is necessary to meet the goals IDW and Dunbier have in presenting such material, and its' presentation ultimately serves the story and the reading experience well. The material is classic and well worth the format and serves the story and the memory of Dave Stevens wonderfully in my opinion. There is no obvious best page in the collection but the covers and pinups presented at the end are astounding in their artistry and design. Thankfully the quality of those pieces can be found on every page of the rest of the book as well, and with this new format IDW has added a worthwhile piece to the rich legacy of Dave Stevens and The Rocketeer.





Monday, February 6, 2012

FRANK ZAPPA - Rick Geary commission

Is this great or what? Frank Zappa by the wonderful Rick Geary. Or should that be The Wonderful Frank Zappa by Rick Geary? I don't know. Either way works for me. Take a moment and look it over.



It is a wonderful piece of art, that's for sure. Thank you Rick! I'll be back.

Frank Zappa was a revelation for me when I was a child. I was definitely a child, even though chronologically I was probably 13 or 14. Listening to JOE'S GARAGE and SHEIK YERBOUTI in the early 80s. The comedic lyrics combined with the supreme muscianship blew me and my friends away. Frank and the fellows were likely the first time I heard extensive cursing on a record, at least on a non-comedy record I should say. I was listening to Carlin and Pryor well before that but Frank Zappa records were another thing entirely.

Years later I included "Bobby Brown Goes Down" on a Christmas gift CD for my nephew because I thought he needed to hear it and have some boundaries broken. Those boundaries were certainly broken for me, holy smokes. "I could take about an hour on the tower of power, as long as I gets a little golden shower" indeed. In-Deed. My baby got jones crusher love. She can push she can shove 'til its just a nub. Just a nub. just a nub. just a nub.

After JOE'S GARAGE and SHEIK YERBOUTI, I was quickly on to SHUT UP AND PLAY YER GUITAR, THING FISH, and, my favorites probably, WAKA JAWAKA and ONE SIZE FITS ALL. Your mouth is your religion - about says it all these days. Captain Beefheart never did it for me and I have only a passing interest in earlier Mothers of Invention stuff. The end of The Mothers is fantastic though. But when Frank just went it on his own with whatever band he wanted to work with at the time it was the best. WAKA JAWAKA just kills me. Imma go listen to it now in fact. You should too.

The guys Frank worked with are a Who's Who of master muscians too many to name here (Adrian Belew and Terry Bozzio are my favorites though!). Hell, Missing Persons was just some of Frank's band waiting for Frank to put them to work, and they were a major attraction for years. I was lucky enough to go see Frank Zappa twice, both times on the "Best Band You Never Heard" tour. Well I heard'em. They were fantastic and everything I could have hoped for. I even got a "Watermelon in Easter Hay", and I couldn't have asked for more than that.

I was sad to see Frank pass.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Chrissie Zullo - Luke Skywalker and the Wampa of Hoth


To go along with the Katie Cook Star Wars piece in an earlier post I thought I would show off Chrissie Zullo's contribution to my 17X5 strip art theme. She did this a few years ago and I have some commissions from her now as well. She is a wonderful artist and I count myself lucky to be able to acquire her art on occasion.