Monday, March 31, 2008

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.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

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.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

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.