"This whole universe, with all its vastness, grandeur and beauty, is nothing but sheer imagination."
Avatar Meher Baba
Thursday, January 31, 2019
TEXAS BOUND
This weekend I'll be in Dallas for the North Texas Comic Book Show—along with Mike Zeck, Bob McLeod, Neal Adams, Amy Chu and many more. My son, Cody, will be manning the table with me and I'm looking forward to a fun weekend.
If you're in the area, come by and say hello!
If you're in the area, come by and say hello!
Saturday, January 26, 2019
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAL BUSCEMA!
Today's the birthday of another all-time Marvel great, Sal Buscema!
Working with Sal on Spectacular Spider-Man remains one of the highlights of my career. The man can draw everything—from big action to quiet human moments— and weave it all together with grace and power.
You can't force creative chemistry, you can't make it happen. Working with Sal, the chemistry was there from the first page, first panel. We intuitively understood each other and the stories just flowed between us. The result, I think, was some of the best work either of us has ever done (I'm especially fond of this story).
So here's to a fantastic collaborator and a truly good person: A very happy birthday, Sal—and many more!
Working with Sal on Spectacular Spider-Man remains one of the highlights of my career. The man can draw everything—from big action to quiet human moments— and weave it all together with grace and power.
You can't force creative chemistry, you can't make it happen. Working with Sal, the chemistry was there from the first page, first panel. We intuitively understood each other and the stories just flowed between us. The result, I think, was some of the best work either of us has ever done (I'm especially fond of this story).
So here's to a fantastic collaborator and a truly good person: A very happy birthday, Sal—and many more!
Thursday, January 24, 2019
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN ROMITA!
Today’s the birthday of the great John Romita, Sr. I bow to no one in my respect for Steve Ditko—the man was off-the-charts brilliant—but Romita Sr's Spider-Man will always be my Spider-Man. John's a true master—and an incredibly nice man—and I'm very grateful that I got to work with him on one memorable story: “The Kiss” in Webspinners #1.
I remember talking to him on the phone when we were collaborating on that story and he was working so hard to get those pages the way he wanted them: drawing and redrawing, worrying over the art. He could have just knocked them out and they would have looked beautiful; but, even after decades in the business, John wouldn't settle. And the result was pretty damn brilliant.
I also remember being at a Spider-Man writer's conference in the 90s when Romita, Sr joined us for the day—and he kept throwing one fantastic idea after another on the table. The man's not just a consummate artist: He's a consummate storyteller.
Here's a taste of the "The Kiss," which tells the tale of the last night Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy spent together, before her tragic death…
I remember talking to him on the phone when we were collaborating on that story and he was working so hard to get those pages the way he wanted them: drawing and redrawing, worrying over the art. He could have just knocked them out and they would have looked beautiful; but, even after decades in the business, John wouldn't settle. And the result was pretty damn brilliant.
I also remember being at a Spider-Man writer's conference in the 90s when Romita, Sr joined us for the day—and he kept throwing one fantastic idea after another on the table. The man's not just a consummate artist: He's a consummate storyteller.
Here's a taste of the "The Kiss," which tells the tale of the last night Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy spent together, before her tragic death…
Happy Birthday, John! Here's to many more!
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
SPIDEY SWEETNESS
Check out this screen-grab that a sharp-eyed Spidey fan over on Twitter just sent to me. It's from the trailer for the new Spider-Man movie, Far From Home. Peter’s on a class trip to Europe, sailing the waterways of Venice.
Look at the name of the hotel.
What a sweet acknowledgement!