Liberty has its price, this time it’s $3.99 for 32 color pages!

What do Arthur ADAMS, Sergio ARAGONES, J. BONE, Ed BRUBAKER, J. Scott CAMPBELL, Darwyn COOKE, Garth ENNIS, Mark EVANIER, John Paul LEON, Mike MIGNOLA, Mark MILLAR, Sean PHILLIPS, Darick ROBERTSON & Rick VEITCH have in common?

LIBERTY COMICS.

All proceeds raised by this benefit book go directly to the CBLDF. All the writers, artists, colorists, letterers, designers, production people, publisher, etc., have freely donated their time and talents. The book will have ALL NEW material done especially for this comic. No filler stuff!

Stories by:
Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips provide a CRIMINAL tale
Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson bring us THE BOYS
Mark Millar & John Paul Leon give us their take on DRACULA
Darwyn Cooke delivers something entirely new
Mark Evanier & Sergio Aragones take us on a tour of the CBLDF

Additional material by:
Arthur Adams, J. Bone, and Rick Vietch (The return of BRAT PACK!)

Beautiful covers are provided by Mike Mignola & J. Scott Campbell.

Hellboy cover by Mike Mignola

Like many people, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a cause near to my heart. Last year, finding myself with some unaccustomed free time, I offered my services to the CBLDF. Over the years I’ve done a few things for the Fund, mainly putting together some charity art auctions and collecting money from players in a poker game I run every year at the San Diego Comic Con. But I wanted to do something a little more ambitious this time. So I called up my pal Chris Staros, who put me in touch with Charles Brownstein, the driving force behind the CBLDF. I suggested a benefit book.

I spent a few weeks calling up various folks to corral them into participating. It was actually pretty easy, the CBLDF crosses all boundaries, no hard sell required. The book is being solicited in the current issue of Previews, the one that went on sale this week. It’s in the IMAGE Comics section, on page 158. If you are a comic shop owner, please make sure to check out the solicits for it. If you are a comic reader, please bug your local comic shop to carry it. On sale date is July 23rd.

Abbey Chase Danger Girl cover by J. Scott Campbell

$3.99 is a small price to pay for Liberty!

The Editor Who Came In From The Cold

It’s just past midnight here in San Diego, April 1st, 2008. In the morning I’ll be starting as Special Projects Editor at IDW. A very appropriate day to begin a new job, don’t you think? It feels almost like when I came out to WildStorm in April of 1995, but I’m even more excited… and nervous as Hell.

Going to post this and then off to bed, I’ve got a big day ahead of me tomorrow. But I wanted to share something with you before I sleep, a present from my good friend Gene Ha. It showed up quite unexpectedly last week in my e-mail (followed soon after by a package with the original art). Something to commemorate the end of one life and the start of another, the note said. Gene calls it Scott Free. I like the sound of that.

Dave Stevens

Looking back, remembering the artists whose work I’ve loved, it’s usually very difficult for me to be sure of the first time I saw someone’s work; most blur into a steady haze of images that don’t correspond to time or place. But I very clearly remember the first time I ever saw the art of Dave Stevens. It was in Starslayer #1, back around 1982. The Rocketeer began as a back up series in the second issue of Starslayer, but the first one had this image on the back cover (although this version is from the next issue, with slightly different text):I was floored by it. Here was an artist I had never heard of, one who captured many of the styles that I loved while not aping them. The piece had elements of Frazetta, Eisner, Crandall, and Wood. But it also had its own new twist. And, man, it was just pure excitement! I don’t ever remember buying a comic before only for an ad, but I did with this one.

I didn’t know Dave particularly well but in all our dealings he was a straight shooter and a nice guy. A few years ago I tried to intervene on his behalf to get a Rocketeer/Superman mini-series going after it had stalled out at DC years before. Dave mentioned it to me at a show and then sent along his initial proposal. It was, as you would expect, a fun period piece, involving the Mercury Theater’s famous War of the Worlds broadcast. Dave was going to write it and draw the covers. unfortunately it was not to be, the project fizzled again, this time for good.

I would suggest all of you click here to read a fine remembrance by Mark Evanier, someone who knew Dave far better than I. And, lastly, here’s a great cover by Dave from the final issue of DNAgents. Its elegant simplicity has always made it one of my favorites by him.

That Damn Flu

So it turns out that nasty cold I've been battling more than a month now is actually the flu. Went to the doctor a few days ago and got several intense meds that seem to finally be doing the trick, including a very scary cough syrup that warns, "Taking more of this medication than recommended may cause serious breathing problems." So, won't bore you with more of this except to note it is why my blogs have been even more infrequent lately than usual. Should be posting a couple in the next few days and more next week--including some news on a very cool project I've been working on.

Wonder Con

Here's a batch of pictures, all taken Friday. For the sake of expediency I’m going to try and keep this briefer than my usual verbose descriptions.

Okay, you know you're in the right hotel when you walk in and see this.

Here's Jim Lee and his art dealer, Albert Moy, caught in the midst of heavy negotiations--gotta keep those art dealer types in line!
Oh, and is it me, or does that hat Jim's wearing look familiar...?
Here's a shot of writer/publisher Richard Starkings. Besides being the driving force behind Elephantmen, Richard also dabbles in lettering.On the left is JG Roshell. JG is the very talented designer who, amongst others, is responsible for the look of Astro City.

The gentleman below is my old buddy Peter Maresca who published the finest Winsor McCay book of all time a couple of years ago, So Many Splendid Sundays. Keep 'em coming, Pete!
Darwyn Cooke on the left, with his sometime collabortor J. Bone. I worked with these two fine gents on The Spirit and it was a pleasure to catch up with them again here. The animated version of Darwyn's The New Frontier will be screened tonight at the show, looking forward to catching it.
A happy Arthur Adams manning his spot in artist's Alley.
A few seats down from Arthur is Jeff Campbell, who was also riding shotgun on the drive up to San Francisco. Jeff's good company on a long drive, he can talk almost as much as me... almost.
Bob Wayne, gazing off dreamily, getting a peck on the cheek from Mimi Cruz of Night Flight Comics in Utah. I asked Mimi if it was okay to post this shot to my blog and she said sure, just not to tell her husband. So, anyone reading this, please keep mum--there are reputations at stake here.
Howard Chaykin, one of my favorite phone pals, and Glen Gold, writer of Carter Beats The Devil as well as a short story in Spirit #13.
I couldn't decide if I should put "The dreaded Wolver-Noto!" on this one or, "Crap, I forgot I owed Phil Noto money!" You decide.
These pictures have been all out of order but this was the last one of the night so I'm ending with it too. My old friends Mike Mignola and Mike Carlin. We didn't close the bar, far from it at our age, but had a lot of fun and much laughter talking and telling stories with them.And, I gotta say, Mike (Mignola) made my day when he told me how much his wife likes my blog--thanks, Christine, this one is dedicated to you.

San Francisco Bound

I’ll be heading to San Francisco first thing in the morning. Driving up with a good friend, hopefully we’ll arrive early enough to meet some other pals and get dinner. This will be my first comic convention in a year; the last was the previous Wonder Con. Looking forward to seeing friends, catching up, sharing some good meals. I’m bringing my camera and will try and post some pics over the weekend. That’s the plan anyway. Only one scheduled thing at the show, the Darwyn Cooke Spotlight on Friday from 4:00 to 5:00, the rest of the time I’ll be enjoying my first con in 20 years without doing booth duty. If you see me wandering the Moscone halls feel free to say hello.

What Do You Mean?

I previously wrote about my odd habit, from bygone art selling days, of flipping coins occasionally to determine the final price of a piece. The original post was about a deadbeat, the only time anyone had ever reneged on a flip, you can read about it by clicking here. Today’s story is also about a flip, and just as unique in the way it transpired, but with a much finer conclusion. Actually, I can’t think of any other flip that was so memorable or as much fun.

It happened maybe 13 or 14 years ago. I was set up at a comic convention, don’t recall which one but probably a Great Eastern show at the Javits Center, on the far West Side of Manhattan. Klaus Janson stopped by my booth as he was making his rounds, checking out the dealer’s wares. It was always nice to see Klaus; we were friendly acquaintances who used to run into each other on line at movie theaters, usually to see the new Woody Allen picture.

As Klaus and I exchanged pleasantries and caught up he checked out my display of original art. Hanging in the center was a drop dead gorgeous Jack Kirby pencil drawing of Dr. Doom. It was big, about 17 x 22 inches, and with a sticker price to match: $5000. Klaus liked the piece very much but at five grand he wanted to think it over. Who wouldn’t? He asked me to give him a call in a few days if I still had it so we could discuss.

The drawing didn’t sell at the show so early the following week I phoned Klaus. He said he’d like to buy it but the price was a bit steep; could I do any better? Sure, I’d knock off ten percent, making it $4500. Klaus laughed and said what he’d like to pay is $4000. I thought for a second and posed a question: was he a gambling man? “Why?” he asked.

I said to Klaus, “You can have the piece for $4500. Or we can flip for it, $4000 if you win, $5000 if you lose.” I can’t describe with any degree of justice the response I got back. Simply put, he said, “What do you mean?” But that doesn’t begin to convey the excited glee behind those four little words. If you know Klaus you know he has a great laugh. This was a hybrid of that; half laugh, half scream: “WHATTAYOU MEAANNN??” I explained it to him one more time, in greater detail. Once again, and in the same manner, “What do you mean?” was his response.

When he wrapped his head around the concept he said, “So when would we do this?” I told him we could do it right now. He said, “On the phone?” I said, “Yeah.” Then Klaus offered, a bit sarcastically, “And I suppose you’ll flip it!” I said, and probably with a certain degree of flamboyance, “No, you flip it, I’ll call.” For the third and final time, and just as before, Klaus said, “What do you mean?” “Go ahead,” I said, “I trust you!”

Klaus thought about it. I think it was a feeling of outlandish adventure, coupled with the sheer, unabashed idiocy of the proposal that pushed him over the edge; he agreed to the flip. So, with me sitting in my Upper East Side apartment and Klaus in his Greenwich Village one, we decided to go for it. The ground rules were simple, same as every flip; the coin goes up and lands on the floor, it’s legal no matter what it hits or where it lands. Klaus had a quarter in his hand and told me he was ready. All at once he yelled, “Call it!” I shouted back, “Tails!” There was a moment of incredible anticipation as I waited to hear the outcome. Suddenly a shrill scream came over the line: “SHIT!!”Dr. Doom as drawn by Jack Kirby. From the collection of Klaus Janson.