Humbug

At the beginning of the month, Robert Pope asked me which version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is my favorite and why?

My absolute favorite version is the book by Charles Dickens, but I know that's not what you meant. Most of the versions, even the ones that I don't find to be rewarding overall have at least some element to them I that I like a lot, and often times better than the way that same element is presented in a superior adaptation.

Overall though, the movie version of A Christmas Carol that I like best is Scrooge, the 1951 adaptation starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. I haven't seen it (or any other version of A Christmas Carol) in a number of years, but this is the one I turn to most often. Sim is great as Scrooge, and the whole film has a feel to it that seems like it comes from an earlier age. It also has Ernest Thesiger precisely cast as the undertaker and Patrick Macnee, surprisingly, as the young version of Jacob Marley. The whole cast is good and so are the ghosts.

I'm also very fond of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962), which when you eliminate the songs, the razzleberry dressing, and the songs about razzleberry dressing is a very serious and stirring adaptation and the ghosts -- all of the ghosts are really creepy.

Finally, I also really loved the Doctor Who "A Christmas Carol" from 2011, which is a very loose adaptation which still hits all of the main plot points of the Dickens story even though it's set on another planet, features suspended animation, sharks that swim through the air and Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. It's a very moving story with Michael Gambon as the Scrooge character and is also one of my two favorite episodes of the current Doctor Who series. 

I'm curious to know what Robert Pope's favorite adaptation is (or anyone else who might want to chime in in the comments below). 

From the Archives - 16

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last posted a "From the Archives" entry. Here's a little something from the mid-late 1990s.

This is presentation material for a proposed graphic novel written by me with art by J. J. Birch, my artist from the first incarnation of Xombi.

The project began as a multi-part serial story for a proposed comics magazine along the lines of Heavy Metal, which never came to be. The first ten page installment was completely written, drawn and lettered. The material was then used as a starting point for a potential graphic novel being shopped around to investors by the same individual behind the magazine. Nothing wound up coming of it, but the material is still relevant, and if I can ever locate J. J. Birch, I may still try and do something with it, which is why I'm not including the actual story material here.

Instead, here is some more of the presentation material.

Opening Tonight

"Gadgets and Gizmos" opens tonight at the Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The group show honors various pieces of hardware and technology found in pop culture. The opening is from 7pm - 10pm and the show itself runs through February 3. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Humane Society.

I have two pieces in the show which can be viewed by scrolling down to the previous post.

Gadgets and Gizmos

This Friday, "Gadgets and Gizmos" opens at the Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The show is devoted to various bits of tech and hardware from pop culture. 

I've contributed two pieces to the show. "Robby the Robot" from Forbidden Planet, as seen above, and "Imperial Probe Droid" from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, below. Both are cut paper collage assemblages. Robby has some dimension to him, but the Imperial Probe Droid is a full 3-D piece. 

The opening reception is Friday, January 18, from 7pm - 10pm, and the show runs through February 3rd. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Humane Society. 

Help Save Metro Comics

For over two decades, Metro Entertainment has been the center of pop culture in the beautiful oceanside town of Santa Barbara, CA. Promoting comic books with its strong media presence, holding countless creator signings, and giving away thousands of free comics, it's done everything it can to keep the medium alive by bringing in new readers.

But now, due to owner Bob Ficarra's medical problems and the ensuing bills not covered by insurance, Metro is in danger of closing.

To help prevent this from happening, Simpsons artist/writer BILL MORRISON has organized this and many more original art auctions to come in an effort to save the store. Comic book greats such as Neal Adams, Dave Gibbons, Bruce Timm, Geof Darrow, Paul Smith and more have already contributed art to the cause. 

There is still a lot of great artwork available with more to come. Visit the ebay listings here. I've contributed two pieces of art with will be put up for auction at a later date. 

Ask Me Anything #26

It's the first Monday of the month, and the new year, and time for "Ask Me Anything."  I'll field any questions and try and answer them throughout the month.

Questions can be about anything at all; my work, my influences, my opinions, stuff I've watched, read, looked at, eaten, or listened to, or anything else you might want to know, and that I might have an answer for. 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. I've been asked a lot of good, thought provoking questions in the past as well as some really banal ones, all of which I tried to answer. You can see the previous questions by visiting Ask Me Anything  #1, #2 ,  #3, #4, #5, #6 , #7 , #8, #9,  #10,  #11,  #12 , #13, #14,  #15 , #16, #17 , #18 , #19,  #20,  #21, #22,  #23, #24, and #25.  Answers not found following the questions can be found in the archives section for each associated month under Ask Me Anything.

Now ask away. 

Some End of the Year Accolades for Xombi

Topless Robot has selected the trade paperback collection of Xombi as one of the ten best graphic novels of 2012.

It was also one of the best of 2012 at Armzrace Comics.

Here's a recent review from The Salt Lake City Public Library Alternative Press Blog.

Six-Hundred Monsters

If you like monsters be sure to visit my side blog, The Grim Gallery, where I've been sharing my vast collection of monster images at the rate of one per day. Today marks The Grim Gallery's 600th post, so there are a lot of monsters to look at and many, many more to come.

Judd Apatow Show Video

The Judd Apatow Tribute Show at Gallery 1988 ended a couple of days ago, but for those of you who missed it, you can experience it through this video.  You can view my pieces for the show here.

Up Next...

I'm currently working on my pieces for the upcoming "Gizmos & Gadgets" show at The Bottleneck Gallery.

Merry Christmas

No matter what you celebrate, a happy and safe holiday to you and your family.

Last Chance Before Christmas

Today is the last day you can purchase one of my cut paper collage portraits of various cartoon characters such as Ookla the Mok (above) or the Candy Cane Guy (below) and have it delivered in time for Christmas. The cut off time will be 2:30 PM EST.

You can, of course, buy any of these collages anytime after 2:30 PM, but I can't guarantee they'll get to you before Christmas.

You can view the complete selection of characters available as well as ordering information here.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen

When Brian Cronin asked me to contribute a list to his book Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent?, I had a tough time choosing between two topics so I sent him both. My list of the best characters from Grant Morrison's run of Doom Patrol appears in the book. My other list, which was cut due to space limitations, appears complete at CBR.

This is my list of my favorite covers from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen with my commentary on why I think they're so great. If you're wondering why the list contains a description of the artwork shown, which probably seems redundant, it's because at the time I submitted the list I did not know if Brain would be able to reprint the actual covers to the comics in his book.

Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? makes great reading as does Brian's previous book, Was Superman a Spy?


For more Jimmy Olsen covers go here.

Holiday Gift Guide

Hanukkah is already upon us and Christmas isn't too far off. If you need some last minute gift suggestions, look no further. Best of all, these support the artists directly an not an anonymous big box store.

 

On the shameless self promotional front, I have numerous books and dvds sure to please the comic book fans on your list, whether they are adults or kids. You can see what's available here, or check with your local comic book store or online bookseller.

 

For the animation fan on your list I have a large number of cut paper collage portraits of popular classic characters from the Flintstones to Bugs Bunny as well as bargain priced cut paper collage portraits of characters from the popular Cartoon Network tv series, Adventure Time. All of these can be found in my art store. 

For the lover of classic horror, the astounding artist, Belle Dee has a bunch of inexpensive prints featuring a number of characters from a variety of horror films of the past. You can order them here. She also offers some beautiful Halloween prints which can be found here and a pair of Christmas cards which can be purchased from ZaPow!

Tom Taggart has some amazing 3-D sculpted one of a kind clocks (such as the one seen above) and a whole line of great ornaments (sure to add a touch of eye pleasing oddness to your tree) and batches of paintings for sale in his etsy store. 

Horror scribe Steve Niles has a ton of books and comics for sale in his store and some nice incentives for purchasing from him directly, the best being that proceeds go directly to the creator, as do all of the purchases in this post. 

Judd Apatow Art Now Online

For those of you who could not attend the opening of "A Tribute to Judd Apatow" (hosted by Mr. Apatow and also attended by Seth Rogen and Martin Starr) at Gallery 1988 last night, don't despair. The show runs through December 30, so you still have the rest of the month to stop in and check out all of the great art.

For those of you who can't attend in person, you're in luck also. Gallery 1988 has put all of the artwork up on its website. It looks like the show was an immediate success and that a lot of art was sold during the opening, but there's still plenty of stuff available if you're looking to take something home with you.

Steve Weintraub also posted 80 photos of the show itself which you can see at Collider.com.

You can see the pieces I did for the show here.

Judd Apatow Tribute Show Tonight

"A Tribute to Judd Apatow" opens tonight at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. An RSVP to the gallery is required for attendance. I don't know if RSVPs are still being accepted, but contact the gallery if you are interested.

Judd Apatow will be in attendance as well as lots of great artwork. I have two cut paper collage pieces in the show, which can be seen above. "Freaks" and its companion piece "Geeks."

The show runs through December 30th, so even if you can't make the opening you still have a month's worth of opportunity to stop buy and take in the artwork.

Ask Me Anything #25

After a two month hiatus, "Ask Me Anything" is back. On the first Monday of every month, excepy October, I'll field any questions and try and answer them throughout the month during which they were asked.

Questions can be about anything at all; my work, my influences, my opinions, stuff I've watched, read, looked at, eaten, or listened to, or anything else you might want to know, and that I might have an answer for. 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. I've been asked a lot of good, thought provoking questions in the past as well as some really banal ones, all of which I tried to answer. You can see the previous questions by visiting Ask Me Anything  #1, #2 ,  #3, #4, #5, #6 , #7 , #8, #9,  #10,  #11,  #12 , #13, #14,  #15 , #16, #17 , #18 , #19,  #20,  #21, #22,  #23 and #24.  Answers not found following the questions can be found in the archives section for each associated month under Ask Me Anything.

Now ask away. 

Next Tuesday...

I have two pieces in the upcoming Judd Apatow tribute show at Gallery 1988. The show opens Tuesday, December 4 from 7-10 pm with Judd Apatow in attendance. It's expected to be a hugely popular show. In order to attend you'll need to RSVP with the Gallery prior to the event.

For a list of all the participating artists look here.

Inexpensive Adventure Time Art Available

Marceline is just one of many cut paper collage portraits of Adventure Time characters that I now have for sale in my online store. They're inexpensive and would make a great one of a kind gift for the Adventure Time fan on your list, young, or just young at heart. See them all here.

Underneath the Juniper Tree

There are just five days left to contribute to the Underneath the Juniper Tree fundraising campaign on indiegogo. Underneath the Juniper Tree is an online children's literature and arts magazine full of dark and sinister tales and images for kids. Now, they would like to compile a print anthology of these creepy contents which are a perfect way to introduce horror to a young generation of readers.

You can read various issues of the magazine here. If you like what you see and would like to help introduce kids to one of the most fun and engaging genres of fiction, please contribute what you can to their fundraising campaign. Thank you!