Haunted Mansion Tribute Show Virtual Tour

As anyone who has been following this blog in recent weeks is probably aware, last month I took part in the 2nd Annual Haunted Mansion Tribute show, which ran from June 4th through July 3rd, 2011, at the Parlour Gallery at Halloween Town in Burbank, California.

I was unable to attend, but my friend, the talented Dave Lowe did and took a bunch of photos on my behalf, which I now share with you. Not only did it reveal to me that there was some great work in that show, but that Halloween Town has some great atmosphere as can be seen in the photo above which shows the Parlour Gallery leading into the exhibit space proper. It also led to another mystery which remains unsolved.

Above: Another view of the Parlour Gallery with the Haunted Mansion show seen in the gallery in the next room.

Above: Two views of the Haunted Mansion tribute show. It is very nicely presented. My piece can be seen on the back wall in the second photo.

Above: Two pieces by Zombienose, a piece by Matthew Hideousboi, and my piece.

Above: Matthew Hideousboi's fantastic Caretaker bust with my collage of the singing busts above it.

Above: "The Singing Busts" that I made with cut paper. I had also submitted a dyptich to the show, but because of space limitations, was not included. It's now on display, and for sale, at Halloween Town.

Above: Another look at Matthew Hideousboi's "The Caretaker" sculpt

Above: Three views of Zombienose's two sculptures, "The Quartet" and "Liberoachi". These were my favorite pieces in the show. I was honored to share a wall with such great work.

Above: "Death of Animation" by The Creep

Above: "A Swinging Waltz" by Dan Szczepanski

Above: Three by Eric Pigors

Above: "As Long As We Both Shall Live" by Queenie

Above: "The Gorgon" and Mr. Grins by William Basso

Above: "Hatbox" by Darren Frydendall, 2 creations by Curioddities and "The Real Hitchhikers of Annaheim" by Frank Dietz

Above: "Hitchhiking Ghost" by Dienzo

Above: A pair of paintings by Bob Lizarraga

Above: Two by Abigail Larson

Above: Three by Noah K

Above: "Supernatural Structures & Erie Engineering" by Richard Terpstra

Above: "From Regions Beyond" by Dan Szczepanski

A video as well as a virtual gallery of all the works that here included at the show can be seen at the Parlour Gallery Website.

Thank you, Dave Lowe!

Crazy 4 Cult 5 Art Available For Viewing

Scott Campbell's  Easy Rider inspired piece, "The Road" is one of my favorite pieces from the current "Crazy 4 Cult 5" show at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles.  Gallery 1988 has posted all of the art from the Crazy 4 Cult 5 show now available for viewing and purchase, so go take a look.

always first quality

Here's the piece I did for the Crazy 4 Cult 5 show which opens tonight at Gallery 1988 on Melrose in Los Angeles. The piece is called "always first quality" and is based on Dawn of the Dead (1978). It is a cut paper collage.

If any one attends the opening and takes pictures, please pass them along to me, since I can't be there.



   

Crazy 4 Cult 5 Opens Tonight

The Crazy 4 Cult 5 show at Gallery 1988 opens tonight from 7-11pm  at Gallery 1988 on Melrose Avenue (right next to Golden Apple Comics). It's a huge show themed around cult movies with 100 artists represented. Among them is myself and my cut paper collage piece based on Dawn of the Dead (1978). The show runs through July 30, 2011. If you can't make it in person check the Gallery 1988 website in a couple of days to view the artwork. There will also be a book signing on Sunday by many of the artists for the Crazy 4 Cult book which features art from previous incarnations of this annual show.

From the Archives 12

Here's something from the dawn of time, or at least April 1996. This is the one issue of Daredevil I wrote where my instructions were to make Matt Murdock/Daredevil lighter in tone, which made him essentially Spider-Man. I don't know if that lighter condition of his lasted longer. At the time I wasn't reading a lot of comics. Marvel editor, James Felder invited me in to do this. I don't recall the circumstances, but at the time I wrote a number of fill-in issues for Marvel because I was known as someone who could come in at the last minute and deliver a decent story fast. Because of this my memory regarding these issues is pretty lacking (as evidenced in this 2001 interview with me for Man Without Fear). Shawn McManus provided the lovely art.

It was one of the last things I wrote for Marvel. I ended up leaving because this was during the time that Marvel was going through a lot of turmoil with bankruptcy and changing ownership, including a time where Toy-Biz was dictating what characters could be used in stories based on which action figures they had scheduled to produce. This was what got me to leave them. No list was made available of which characters could be used. You simply had to pitch a story, which was then run by them for approval. it was too much work with almost no return.

Ask Me Anything #11

Even though the first Monday of July falls on a holiday, I'm still fielding questions to be answered throughout the month. Whether you want to know something about Xombi, Static Shock, or some entirely different project I've worked on, what I think about a particular book, movie, person or type of food, or anything else that crosses your mind, here is your opportunity.

Head down to the comment section and post your question. I'll either post my answer in the comment section as well, or answer it in a special post all its own sometime later in the month.

Please take the time to view the previous questions so that we don't wind up with a lot of repetition. You can see the previous questions by visiting Ask Me Anything  #1, #2 ,  #3, #4, #5, #6 , #7 , #8, #9 and #10.  Answers not found following the questions can be found in the archives section for each associated month.

Now ask away.

Happy 4th of July

I hope that all of my fellow Americans have a safe and fun holiday celebrating Independence Day.

Final day of the Haunted Mansion tribute show

Today is the final day to see the Haunted Mansion Tribute Show at the Parlour Gallery at Halloween Town in Burbank, CA.

Thanks to Dave Lowe for taking a whole bunch of photos of the show (including the one above) which I will post here in a few days. While two pieces of mine were supposed to be part of the show, the only one on display is "The Singing Busts" which can be seen in the corner above the sculpted bust of the caretaker in the above photo.  My inquiries as to what happened to my second piece and why it wasn't included have gone unanswered by the curators of the show.

Scott McDaniel and I Talk about Static Shock

There wasn't a lot we could reveal at this point, but Scott McDaniel, my storytelling partner, and I discuss our work on Static Shock with Josie Campbell at CBR which you can read here

Looking for Monsters?

There's a new monster every day at The Grim Gallery.



  

Haunted Mansion Tribute Show Ending Soon

For anyone living in Southern California planning to see the Haunted Mansion Tribute show at the Parlour Gallery at Halloween Town in Burbank, you are running out of time. The show ends Sunday, July 3rd. I'm told it's a spectacular show. Unfortunately, the gallery has not updated its site with pictures or video from the show, so I haven't even seen it virtually, myself, yet.

The three pieces I did for the show can be viewed here. For the other pieces you'll have to attend in person, or search the websites of the other listed artists participating, at least for now. If you do go, let them know I sent you. I'd love to be invited back in the future.

Xombi #4 - On Sale Today

Twenty pages of people having breakfast never looked as good as it does in the exciting new issue of Xombi, which goes on sale today. If you don't believe me, you can view the first three pages as beautifully rendered by Frazer Irving, lettered by Dave Sharpe, and written by me, by visiting the exclusive preview at IGN.


Here's what DC's solicitation text (which I provided) says happens this issue:

Written by JOHN ROZUM; Art and cover by FRAZER IRVING

The secrets of Roland Finch and the Ninth Stronghold are uncovered. As David and his companions set out to forge an alliance against Finch, David takes his first steps toward a destiny he's determined to avoid.

• DC Comics
 
• 32pg.
 
• Color
 
• $2.99 US

On Sale June 29, 2011

This is all true but veiled so as not to ruin any surprises before you read them in the actual story. 

Tonight

Just a reminder to those of you with Cinemax, "Haunted" the episode of Femmes Fatales I co-wrote with  the series' creator and executive producer, Steve Kriozere airs tonight at 11:00 pm.

As the title implies, the episode involves a group of ghost hunters who find more than they bargain for during one of their investigations.

Update: Here are a couple of interviews in support of tonight's episode  with  Actresses Tiffany Brouwer and Annie Lynne Melchor and episode director, Darin Scott and series star, Tanit Phoenix. There is also a clip from"Haunted" . 

This Friday on Cinemax...

This Friday on Femmes Fatales a group of ghost hunters investigating an allegedly haunted house find evidence of more than just cold spots and strange noises, but will they make out out alive in order to share what they've discovered?

This episode was concocted by myself and Steve Kriozere, one of Femmes Fatales' creators and executive producers under an alias forged by combining the names of the two central characters of my favorite comic books of all time.

The Femmes Fatales episode "Haunted" airs at 11:00 PM on Cinemax this Friday. For more information on the series visit the official website.

CBR names Xombi best of 2011 (so far)

Comic Book Resources has put together a list of the best comics (so far) of 2011.

Xombi

It's been a bit since I've posted anything regarding Xombi. To make up for it here's a page of art from issue #4 which goes on sale June 29, 2011. Everyone gets to take a bit of a breather in this issue which includes the best twenty pages ever rendered of people having breakfast courtesy of Frazer Irving.

If that's not enough to convince you to pick up a copy, read this.

Icon and Rocket

The above is the piece that I created for the Static Shock Special which came out a couple of weeks ago. The issue was a tribute to my close friend Dwayne McDuffie who passed away in February and was also one of the four founders of Milestone Media, the comic book company that published Static, Icon, Hardware, The Shadow Cabinet, as well as other titles including Xombi and Kobalt which I wrote. Dwayne also had a hand in created most of the characters in the Milestone stable including Static, and Icon and Rocket who are featured in the piece above. This piece is essentially a modified recreation of the cover to The Marvel Family #28, October 1948 as seen below.

I finally decided on this cover both because Dwayne was a fan of comics from their golden and silver age, and because I thought it represented Dwayne's position in the comic book industry of constantly being attacked and challenged yet never yielding and instead striving to overcome these challenges and to produce the best work possible.

The piece itself was created as a collage in three dimensions using cut paper.

Coming This July

Click on the image to make it bigger. This is the next show I'll have some work in. It should be really great, so if you're in the area stop by to check it out.

Haunted Mansion Tribute Show

     



Above are the pieces I did for the 2nd Annual Tribute to the Haunted Mansion show at the Parlour Gallery in Burbank, California. On top is "The Singing Busts" and the pair below is "Dracula" a reproduction of unused concept art by Marc Davis for one of the changing portraits.

The pieces were done as cut paper collage assemblages and can be purchased through the Parlour Gallery at Halloween Town. The show runs through July 3, 2011.

Click on the images to make them larger.

DC Comics Announces My New Project For Them

DC Comics has been getting a lot of coverage as they've unveiled news of their forthcoming reboot of their universe of super heroes which will begin in September. All week, they've been unveiling which titles and creative teams will be involved in the reboot.

Today came more announcements including which project I'll be working on. To find out more visit the official announcement at i09.

Ask Me Anything #10

Do you have any burning questions you'd like me to answer? Something bugging you about Xombi?  Well, now's your chance to find out the answer. It's the first Monday of the month which means it's time for "Ask Me Anything," where you can in fact ask me anything. Anything at all. Whether you want to know what I'm reading, what I'm writing, what I had for lunch, or really anything at all, here's your opportunity to find out the answer to whatever question you have for me.   Head down to the comment section and post your question. I'll either post my answer in the comment section as well, or answer it in a special post all its own sometime later in the month.

Please take the time to view the previous questions so that we don't wind up with a lot of repetition. You can see the previous questions by visiting Ask Me Anything  #1, #2 ,  #3, #4, #5, #6 , #7 , #8 and #9.  Answers not found following the questions can be found in the archives section for each associated month.

Now ask away.

Opening Tonight

For anyone in the Burbank, CA area the Parlour Gallery at Halloweentown  will be holding the opening of their 2nd Annual Tribute to the Haunted Mansion group show tonight form 7-11. The show runs through July 3rd, 2011. I will not be in attendance, but I have two pieces in the show, one featuring the singing busts and the other based on an unused changing portrait concept by Marc Davis. For further details visit the website.

From the Archives 11

The above is a portrait of Lydia Lunch created by J. K. Potter whose strange photographic illustrations were created without the use of a computer which makes them all the more remarkable. I met him when I was buying a large photographic print of the above piece at a gallery show of his work in New York City in the mid-1990s. He was a very likeable guy, and was pleased when I informed him that this piece inspired the creation of two characters from the then current original run of Xombi (he was more pleased to discover that I'd actually credited him in print for this); Manuel Dexterity and his sinister sister Manuella.

Manuel Dexterity and Manuella were two of the more popular creations from the original run, though their appearances were brief. Manuel was the focus of a single issue, while Manuella was seeded through a few subsequent issues in the same storyline. As characters there wasn't much to them. Both were bizarre assassins, and neither spoke their own words. Manuel only spoke the innermost regrets of his victims. But as visual elements, these hand-centaurs were pretty cool to look at. They would have made some truly creepy action figures.

The scene depicting their birth led to the only real incidence of censorship that I encountered while working at Milestone, but that as they say is a story for another day.

Static Shock Special - Preview

Here's the actual cover to the Static Shock Special I discussed in the previous post. There's also a preview of it available here with pages from the story by Felicia Henderson and Denys Cowan. This issue also contains a page of art that I created specifically for this issue.

Static Shock Special

 

The Static Shock Special hits stores today. Starring the popular Milestone Media character of Static, this issue is a tribute to Static's creator, Dwayne McDuffie, who was also one of my closest friends, who died earlier this year. This issue features the work of a number of Milestone alumni and friends of Dwayne's, including myself. Instead of contributing a story for this issue, I provided a page of pin-up art featuring Icon and Rocket, two more characters created by Dwayne for Milestone. My piece, which reinterprets an old Marvel Family cover, is more of a symbolic tribute to Dwayne, the characters he created, and Milestone Media.

Here is the solicitation info from DC Comics:



Written by FELICIA D. HENDERSON; Art by DENYS COWAN, PRENTIS ROLLINS and others; Cover by DEREC DONOVAN
A special one-shot paying homage to Dwayne McDuffie and the world of Milestone Media, with tribute material from Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan and other Milestone alumni.
• DC Universe 32pg. Color $2.99 US
On Sale June 1, 2011