Life is full of ironies. In this particular case I find it ironic that, though I don’t care for Elvis Presley either as a musician and/or actor, I absolutely love the guy as a monster assassin for hire. Yes, I said monster assassin for hire. Okay, I have to be honest; he isn’t necessarily an assassin per se, but rather a middle-age recluse who’s taken to battling all things paranormal for profit-and kicking the un-holy crap out of them in the process.
Black List Studios KING! is the first of a 4 issue series following former Mexican wrestling great Jessie King as a supernatural hitman for hire. Is this the same King that could not be filmed from the waist down in the 1950’s due to the amount of hormones he would unleash upon the then innocent youth of the world? I can’t honestly say. Is he an impersonator turned vigilante mayhem maker? Maybe. Writer Thomas Hall has not revealed this master monster killer’s origins as of issue 1. What he has done is sold me on the idea that Elvis, the King himself, is alive and well and saving the world one bus ride at a time with a pair of six shooters and brass knuckles (the right hand being Rock the left Roll).
Whilst reading I couldn’t help being reminded of two of my favorite Elvis themed masterpieces, 2002’s Bubba Hot-tep starring the great Bruce Campbell and the cartoon Johnny Bravo. Though the slight similarities to Bubba Ho-tep can’t be mistaken, Mr. Hall has taken his version of Elvis as a monster slayer to a whole other level. The humor is there; i.e. the King blasting the delivery man’s moped to rubble in his underwear, only to open a package containing a beating helicopter heart which delivers the message offering the King a zombie/demon killing job. The action is there and blood and mayhem ensue. The King gets down to business doing what he does best, and it ain’t singing I’ll tell you that.
Enter artist Daniel Bradford’s awesome panels. I mentioned Johnny Bravo because I was instantly reminded of that killer cartoon from the moment I first saw the cover to the last panel of the King as a sushi chief standing over a conquered monstrous calamari. That’s not to say Mr. Bradford’s artwork in KING! ripped from Johnny Bravo; Heck I don’t even know if he’s ever seen Johnny Bravo. I was simply reminded of the cartoon while reading. Though cartoonish, KING! is a far grittier and gory story than said cartoon and the artwork enhanced a rather basic, subdued story.
However, the simplicity of KING! is what makes the story work, for the King himself is a simple man. He obviously likes to lounge around in his chonies at his home in the desert, and on occasion kill various types of menacing monsters and demons hell bent on destroying mankind. Though his mode of transportation is the bus, the King gets around and you bet I’m going to follow him on the journey wherever it may lead baby. And you should too.
Few people within the entertainment industry have so successfully mastered and effectively entertained the masses across multiple forms of media as Rob Zombie. From his outrageously popular albums with White Zombie and as a solo artist, to his directorial efforts on movies such as The Devil’s Rejects and his Halloween remake (the highest grossing Halloween installment in history), to the animated feature film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, Zombie has emerged as a prototype of the culturally savvy post-modern Renaissance Man.
In addition to his well-documented exploits in music and cinema, Zombie has additionally carved out a thriving niche in the aggressive world of comic books. Since 2003’s Spookshow International title, the man known by millions as the Superbeast has maintained a steady presence in the four-color format. “I started collecting comics in the early 70’s,” he explains. “I remember the first book I ever bought was a Fantastic Four. Growing up, my comic tastes were pretty limited to either Marvel or DC. It seemed like there were only about ten titles, so it wasn’t hard to collect everything.”
Along with a sturdy diet of comics, this period of Zombie’s adolescence was also profoundly influenced by another publication: Famous Monsters of Filmland.“Famous Monsters was a part of that weird time period I remember as a kid during the late 60s monster boom,” he recalls. “But there wasn’t that much to be had for a typical kid. It seems absurd now because everything is everywhere, but I remember convincing our parents to drive us somewhere so we could buy Famous Monsters because that’s all there was. And looking through them and thinking wow, check out all these movies that we’ll never see!”
“Famous Monsters of that time felt like a cool club,” Zombie continues. “It wasn’t judgmental, because everyone reading it loved monsters.”
Bolstered by his devotion to comics and monsters, Zombie’s unique path through life was essentially assured. Before embracing superstardom, he worked as an art director for a porn magazine and as a production assistant for the television series Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, ultimately rocketing to national prominence with his band White Zombie. The success of his music career opened numerous creative doors that the tireless entertainer had been hoping to explore.
In 2003, Zombie and writer Steve Niles pooled their talents to form CREEP Entertainment International, a collective steeped in both men’s love of comics and all things horrific. “It is a rare moment when you can find someone to collaborate with,” remarks Zombie. “We did a couple of books together. The Nail was my idea, and we did another one, Bigfoot, which was his idea. And we each had one more thing but we didn’t get to go any further.” The venture at the time was intended to encompass movies and music, including a rumored Lords of Salem comic that would feature an album to be released in conjunction with the book. “For whatever reason we only did the two books. It was fun. We’re still friends and nothing ended for bad reasons. I had movies and he was busy with other comics.”
“I don’t feel like I’m up to speed enough [on comics] because I don’t really have time to read the books anymore,” Zombie says in regard to the current comic book scene. With a packed schedule of writing and recording albums, touring, publicity appearances, and writing and directing movies, it’s a miracle the horror rocker has time for any side projects at all. Fortunately, the storyteller in Zombie had something to say, and Image Comics gave him the forum to express himself with the recently released Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock?
“The inspiration came from living in Hollywood and from people I know,” Zombie explains of the eight-issue comic which reveals the fickle nature of celebrity through the story of Leon Stokes and his alter ego, the television horror host Baron Von Shock. “I don’t want to mention their names, but there are several people I’m friends with that are sort of that type of personality. They did a movie role 25 years ago and that’s their entire identity. One friend in particular…if a studio remade his movie and didn’t ask him to be in it he’d be so crushed, he would be destroyed.”
Unleashed on May 26, issue 1 of Baron Von Shock stunned the industry, and Zombie, by selling out in less than a week. “It took me by surprise, because you never know what to expect,” he says. “It’s not like playing a show and sensing what people are feeling. You just do the comic and it goes out into this vacuum. But the feedback has been amazing!”
More realistic in tone, Baron Von Shock eschews the signature creeps and beasties of Zombie’s previous comics work such as Spookshow International, Bigfoot, and The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, for a more dramatic, and surprisingly cinematic, storyline. “I kind of saw it as a movie,” he explains. “Baron Von Shock was something I had sitting around for a long, long time. And I hate when a project hangs in limbo. That’s why I thought I’d turn it into a comic, then a graphic novel, then you have something concrete that makes it getting turned into a movie that much easier.”
“With something like Superbeasto which was just every kid’s idea of what Scooby-Doo could be if it were filthy, there wasn’t a master plan,” he continues. “I would literally make it up as I went along. With Baron Von Shock I actually wrote the whole thing as a finished script from start to finish so it actually made sense. It’s more real life stuff, so there’s no cheap ways out of it.”
“The great thing about the people I’m working with on Shock,” Zombie adds, “Is that I was allowed to do whatever I wanted. My comics are a way of getting things out of my system, but it’s really hard to find people you can work with. We had one person who started the book and bowed out after a couple of pages. Some can’t draw nudity and some don’t like the language.”
With the release and success of Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? (“It’s the classic Hollywood story”), Rob Zombie has once again proven that his appeal as a multimedia horror auteur has far from waned. With regard to potential future plans in comics, Zombie is open, yet noncommittal. “There are a few ideas I have partially written that, again, if I can find a good artist that gets it, I want to do. So I’m just looking for the right person.”
When it comes to musicals, if I don’t enjoy the music I’m not going to enjoy the show. I have a similar issue with comics. If I don’t take to the artwork, Ray Bradbury could have written the story and I’d be hard pressed to continue reading the series. This poses a problem from time to time when reviewing comics. Say I’m on the fence about a story, if the artwork is through the roof fantastic I may be swayed to review the comic a bit better than I otherwise intended. What happens when the artwork annoys me so much I just can’t see past my minor issues with the story?
Thus is the case with Bluewater Comics follow up to the well received 2008 miniseries Insane Jane written by Darren G. Davis. Not being familiar with the original comic I was at a loss on my initial reading of the first issue of Insane Jane: Avenging Star co-written by Darren G. Davis and Zach Hunchar. Completely thrown off by GMB Chomichuks artwork (which I’ll discuss later in the review) I had to re-read the first few pages a couple of times just to harness any interest to continue reading. That is a big issue for me when it comes to enjoying comics. However, I know well enough that first impressions of any kind aren’t always the best impressions so I persevered and finished issue 1.
Did I enjoy the comic? That is a tricky question. Initially I’d have to say no, I didn’t care for the issue. That is not to say I didn’t enjoy parts of the story, or that I have no appreciation for the comic itself. The idea of a girl living in an insane asylum who believes herself to be a super hero is quite fantastic actually, and I rather enjoyed seeing the concept unfold throughout the pages. Unfortunately, I simply could not get emotionally attached to Jane or any of the other characters. Keeping in mind this is the first issue, I am hesitant to give Insane Jane: Avenging Star a bad mark.
As I mentioned earlier my biggest problem was the artwork. I did not like the artwork for this issue. To some, the skewed realism may seem apropos to the content of the fiction. I toyed with this idea for a while, and though I don’t disagree with said idea, I simply didn’t take to GMB Chomichuks work plain and simple.
I read comic’s for fun. I couldn’t tell you who the top sought after artists or writers are. I don’t make a fuss over who’s drawing a certain cover. I like what I like and that’s all there is to it. I realize by saying thus any hard core comic book enthusiasts reading this review may completely disregard my critique of this comic; as they should. My intention is to peak your interest in either direction so you may be curious enough to go out and pick up a copy and make your own decision. My opinion is noted, Insane Jane is a little too insane for me, but check it out for yourself and decide for yourself.
Issue 1 of Insane Jane: Avenging Star hits stores in August.
Logan is now on the run. He and Jessica have turned their backs to the world of the Thinkers and vanished into the ruins of Cathedral, the first step towards Sanctuary. Danger lurks at every bend. Gangs of adolescents known as Cubs prowl the dark recesses of the ruins, hunting whatever gets in their way, including Sandmen. Time is running out as Logan’s ex-partner Francis and Gant lead a team of Sandmen into Cathedral in pursuit of Logan and Jessica.
With issue 3 of Logan’s Run Last Day, writer Paul J. Salamoff has kicked the action and suspense into high gear. In Cathedral, Logan and Jessica encounter a young girl named Mary who gives them the passcode needed to summon the mazecar that will take them to the next stage of their journey. Soon after, Charming Billy and his gang of Cubs arrive to ruin the party. Billy is anything but charming and Logan is forced to handle the boys the only way he knows how. Bloodshed ensues, the body count rises, and the reader’s interest in this story spikes off the charts.
In this issue the gloves have definitely come off. One gets the sense that Mr. Salamoff has gained total control over the material and lets the story speak for itself. He’s aware of the limitations of the comic format when converting from novels – but he’s also aware of the benefits and he utilizes those benefits on every page. The pace is fast, the action is the best in the series so far – and that’s saying a lot. The story delves deeper and deeper into the world Logan and Jessica inhabit. The reader learns that Logan isn’t as evil as he may seem (though he is a killer, make no mistake.) And also that Jessica has become, in a lot of ways, Logan’s moral compass, even if he has yet to realize such.
As has been a staple throughout this series, Daniel Gete’s artwork and Joseph Baker’s colors continue to amaze and envelope the reader in the atmosphere of Logan’s Run Last Day. These guys have a perfect feel for their surroundings and captivate with every panel.
There is only one complaint I have with this issue and that is the cover. As I mentioned in my review of issue 2, I was less than happy about the Matrix-like medical robot. Somehow said robot managed to make the cover of issue 3. I felt the cover to be out of place; if anything it should have been the cover for issue 2. However, comic book covers often depict a phantom scene never portrayed, or even alluded to so it wasn’t an overwhelming issue.
Overall, Logan’s Run Last Day is a triumph of creativity and passion for an iconic sci-fi story. I look forward to each issue more and more and can’t wait to see where fate takes Logan. I feel as if I’m learning about Logan 6, Jessica, Runners and Sandmen all over again, and it’s damn cool.
Logan’s Run Last Day issue 3 is in stores now.
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The search for Bill Compton continues as werewolves descend upon the town of Bon Temps on True Blood, which kicks off its 12-episode third season this Sunday, June 13th (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.
For those who can’t wait to get a taste of True Blood season 3, HBO has posted several “Minisodes” on their website, and the second season is currently available on DVD and Blu-ray. If that’s not enough, a six-issue True Blood comic book series from IDW Publishing will make its debut in July at Comic-Con.
The comments on the internet forums go on for pages and pages, everyone saying the same thing, each in his or her own words. Frank Frazetta, 20th century pop culture and fantasy artist, showed generations of readers what the words in the books were saying. This is what Burroughs’ La of Opar looked like as she stood defending her jewels; this is what Tarzan looked like as he prowled the jungles of our minds… This is how it looks inside these pages. And we did stare, and knew he was correct — of course that’s what life on Mars looked like! How could it be anything other than that?
His output spanned book covers, magazine covers, film posters, comic strips and books, album covers, paintings, murals; it hangs in private collections and museums and wherever it is displayed, whether original work or print, people stare. Frazetta illustrated worlds. He described with brush strokes what writers described with words, and mesmerized generations with explosions of color and brilliant studies of the human form divine.
There are many who studied his technique and style, many which have followed and done wonderful works — but there was only one Frazetta and his loss will be felt for decades to come.
The Brooklyn-born Frazzetta (he started out with two Zs) attended the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 8. He studied for 8 years and when his instructor died and the school closed, Frazetta went to work, drawing for comic books while still in his teens and signing much of his work then as Fritz. His biography notes that he once turned down work with Walt Disney, preferring in the 40s and 50s, to work with Al Capp on Lil’ Abner along with creating the Buck Rogers covers for Famous Funnies, his own strip Johnny Comet, among others.
In the 60s, his work in MAD magazine is credited for getting the nod from Hollywood to do a poster for the Woody Allen film, What’s New Pussycat? Frazetta truly found his footing in the 60s when he created the cover for a new book of stories by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp about a guy named Conan. It was the cover of Conan The Adventurer that set the bar for fantasy novels; a standard still held to today.
His covers for Warren magazines Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella only cemented his status as the finest living practitioner of fantasy illustration. By the 70s he was in full stride and Frazetta was the man everyone wanted for everything. It has been reported that publishers would take a Frazetta painting and hire an author to write a story around it.
His wife of 53 years, Eleanor Kelly (Ellie), whom Frank credited with holding the business reins so he could handle the creative reins, died last year and shortly thereafter the family began fighting over the legal rights to their father’s work, housed in the Frazetta Art Museum in Stroudsburg, PA. Only recently the Pocono Record ran a story noting that the charges would be dropped and that all the problems had been worked out. It seemed everyone was friendly again, which is a blessing for the patriarch, knowing that the family disputes had finally been settled. The Pocono Record today reported that Frank Frazetta suffered a stroke Sunday evening and Monday, Frazetta’s business managers Rob Pistella and Stephen Ferzoco said his death was due to complications from that stroke.
Incredibly prolific, Frank Frazetta stands today as he has for decades past, unequalled and unmistakable. Sadly, we must now add one more thing; handsome, ornery, funny, generous, wonderful Frank Frazetta is mourned.
’Bye, Frank. I didn’t know you, but I feel we met in every Barsoom adventure I traveled — and I traveled them all. Thanks for the thrills.
The day is finally here! Famous Monsters of Filmland #251 is now on the FM Store for pre-sale. There you’ll have the option of buying individual issues or an annual subscription. Now, I know the question that is on many of your minds (partially because many of you have already asked): How do I get all four of the variant covers?
I am more than happy to oblige with an answer:
1. Primary Cover: Richard Corben – This will be available in all outlets that place orders through Diamond Comic Distributors — comics shops, book stores, etc. This is not currently available through our Online Store.
2. Incentive Cover: William Stout (pictured above) – This will be available at comics shops serviced by Diamond as an incentive cover, in a ratio of one copy to every 10 Primary Covers ordered. This is not currently available through our Online Store.
3. FM Online Exclusive Cover: Basil Gogos (below)- This cover is available only through the FM Online Store. It will not be sold through Diamond.
4. Famous Monsters Convention Cover – This will be sold only at the FM Con in Indianapolis.
And to satisfy all the rest of your FM needs, please stop by the store and take a look around. As more specific details become available on retailers and other sales info we’ll be posting them here.
Today finally brings some welcome news for Garth Ennis fans, albeit not perhaps what they’ve been expecting. According to Variety, Ennis’ 2008 ten-part comic book mini-series Crossed has been slated for development into a feature film.
The story follows survivors of a “zombie-like plague” that induces in those affected the state of mind to carry out their most evil thoughts and wishes. In other words, it’s a world filled with murder, rape, mutilation, arson, and other such atrocities. The title was published by Avatar Press.
Michael De Lucca, Jason Netter, and Kevin Spacey’s Trigger Street Productions are on board to produce the project. Ennis himself wrote the script, and they are now in search of a director to helm the project.
While this is great news in its own right, it’s surprising coming in the wake of so many years of development for Ennis’ best-known title, Preacher. Although that series drew to its conclusion in 2000, a film and/or television adaptation has been in some stage of development since the mid nineties.
Recently, in a report from Collider, we learned that they are still moving ahead with a big screen adaptation, despite the recent loss of reported director Sam Mendes. Producer Neal Moritz reveals that they’re talking to a new director, and shooting is likely to begin in 2011 for a production that is “definitely rated R” from a script by John August.
By May of 1998, Ennis himself had written three drafts of a feature-length script, based primarily on the Gone to Texas story arc from the comics. But the production halted when question were raised about the controversial nature of the story’s protagonist.
The protagonist in question is Jesse Custer, a broken down preacher in small town Texas who becomes possessed by a supernatural creature named Genesis following the destruction of his church. The comic series chronicles Jesse’s cross-country journey in search of God, all the while coping and accumulating to his new powers.
Attempts to pitch the story’s unique portrayal of religion to industry figures such as Kevin Smith and Bob Weinstein resulted in several announcements that the project would begin production, before it would slip back into pending status for one reason or another. It even proceeded as far as casting in 2002, with James Marsden set to take on the role of Custer. After that incarnation of the film was abandoned due to budgetary concerns, the series found new life at HBO, under the guidance of Mark Steven Johnson and Howard Deutch.
Initial reaction to this particular endeavor was positive, with the network electing to order a pilot before abandoning it as too stylistically dark and potentially controversial. Not long after the series fell through, esteemed screenwriter August (known for his collaborations with Tim Burton) announced that he had been hired to write a script for a feature to be directed by Sam Mendes. But then Mendes was wooed away by the James Bond franchise, and fans were once again left wondering where all this left the film.
Here’s hoping that the talented Ennis can see both of these projects on the big screen sometime relatively soon.
It was announced Thursday that Dark Horse and Hammer Films have entered a partnership to create a series of graphic novels and comic books.
Despite having an extensive catalog of 1950’s-1960’s “Hammer Horror” films, the companies revealed their first project will be based on Hammer’s new and upcoming thriller Let Me In, a remake of Swedish vampire movie, Let the Right One In. Dark Horse Comics is no stranger to the horror genre either, as they have acquired rights to make comic book adaptations to some of our favorites films such as Aliens, and Predators — needless to say, I think we can expect some good stuff to come in the future.
Not too much about the storyline has been revealed just yet, but the companies announced it “will incorporate some of the film’s characters and mythology with some fresh themes.”
Let Me In follows the story of an alienated 12-year-old boy (Kodi Smit- McPhee) who is bullied by his classmates and neglected by his parents. After meeting a mysterious new neighbor however, life begins to change. Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) will portray his neighbor, only friend, and unsuspecting vampire.
Mike Finch and Alex Litvak, the co-writers on the upcoming Predators, have been hired by Columbia Pictures to write script for Masters of the Universe, according to Heat Vision.
The film is based of the media franchise created by Mattel, often referred to as “He-Man,” after the lead character. The story centers on blond warrior Prince Adam who transforms into the aforementioned heroic He-Man. Along with his allies Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms, and Orko, he must defend the planet Eternia from the villainous Skeletor.
Since its inception in 1982, the franchise has put out six lines of action figures, four animated television series, numerous comic series, and one film. That film, directed by Gary Goddard, was released in 1987 to middling reviews, and was deemed a flop by the community at large.
But the series still has its diehard fans, as has been evidenced by the ongoing rumors of either a sequel or an unrelated film adaptation throughout the 90s and 00s. The project was most recently under the guidance of Joel Silver at Warner Bros., where the plan was allegedly to employ lots of visual effects, a la 300. After shuffling through several different writers and a potential director in John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda), the project was abandoned.
Columbia snatched up the rights this past fall, and appears to be beginning anew with the story. Because Mattel must reportedly give final story approval, Finch and Litvak “attempted to balance a treatment that would convince the studio it was cinematic and keep the toy company satisfied that its characters were being portrayed appropriately.”
Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch of Escape Artists are producing.
Things are moving ahead quickly on AMC’s television adaptation of The Walking Dead, and they kind of need to be. Even though as of last week only one actor had been cast in the project, it was recently ordered to a six-episode first season to begin airing this October. Well, now the next step has been made, as British actor Andrew Lincoln has been cast as the lead in the project, as per THR Live Feed.
Lincoln is best known for his role in the star-studded British rom-com, Love Actually, and the critically acclaimed comedy/drama series, Teachers, where he also held the lead. In Walking Dead, he plays Rick Grimes, the small-town cop who leads a group of survivors through the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, scrambling for their lives amidst the chaos.
Joining him is the previously announced Jon Bernthal, recently seen in supporting roles in Polanski’s The Ghost Writer and HBO’s ongoing war miniseries, The Pacific. Bernthal plays Shane, another survivor who was Rick’s police partner prior to the zombie onslaught.
The writer of the ongoing comic series, Robert Kirkman, seems pleased by the casting:
“Andrew Lincoln, wow — what an amazing find this guy is,” said Kirkman. “Writing Rick Grimes month after month in the comic series, I had no idea he was an actual living breathing human being and yet here he is. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how this show is coming together.”
The series begins shooting in Atlanta in June, with famed filmmaker Frank Darabont at the helm. Kirkman also serves as an executive producer.
Dick Giordano was a leading figure in the comic book industry for half a century, who was best known for his long association with DC Comics as an editor and artist.
Giordano was born in Lower East Side of Manhattan on July 20, 1932, and became fascinated with comics from an early age. He studied at the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan in his teens. He joined Chartlon Comics as a freelance artist in 1952, drawing numerous covers and working as an inker. He rose to the position of editor-in-chief by 1965, where he oversaw the creation or revitalization such characters as Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, the Question, Thunderbolt, and the Peacemaker as part of the company’s Action Hero line.
Giordano moved to DC in 1967, where he worked as an editor and artist. He edited such titles as Secret Six, Beware the Creeper, Bomba the Jungle Boy, Deadman, The Spectre, Blackhawk, The Witching Hour, Hot Wheels, and The Hawk and the Dove, and helped revamp Teen Titans, Aquaman, House of Secrets, and All-Star Western. Though most of the titles were only marginally successful, Giordano was admired for his ability to put together a team of creative talents that included Neal Adams, Alex Toth, Rick Estrada, Nick Cardy, Len Wein, Steve Skeates, and Jim Aparo. He also continued to work as an artist, pencilling Adams’ acclaimed Green Lantern/Green Arrow series.
Giordano left DC in 1971 to work with Neal Adams’ Continuity Associates studios, providing art for such publishers as Charlton and Marvel. He also continued to freelance, inking numerous Batman and Wonder Woman stories for DC, and illustrating the Sons of the Tiger series for the Marvel comic magazine The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. He also inked the first DC/Marvel crossover Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man in 1976, and the special Superman vs. Muhammad Ali in 1978.
He returned to DC full-time as editor of the Batman titles in 1980, and became managing editor the following year. He was promoted to Vice President and Executive Editor in 1983. Giordano was instrumental in overseeing the development of such landmark series as George Perez’s reboot of the DC comic universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne’s revamp of Superman in The Man of Steel, Frank Miller’s depiction of an aging Batman in a futuristic world in The Dark Knight Returns, and Alan Moore’s Watchmen, a tale of flawed heroes (based on many of Giordano’s Charlton characters) in a dystopian world on the brink of nuclear disaster. He also penned a monthly news and information column, Meanwhile…, which appeared in most DC titles.
Giordano retired from DC in 1993, though continued to work as an occasional artist and inker. He adapted Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blaise for a graphic novel from DC in 1994, and worked with Bob Layton on the short-lived Future Comics line in 2002. He also wrote and illustrated the 2005 book Drawing Comics with Dick Giordano, and provided cover and interior art for an issue of Jonah Hex in 2010.
Giordano died of complications of pneumonia while being treated for leukemia at a Daytona Beach, Florida, hospital on March 27, 2010, at age 77.
Life is full of ironies. In this particular case I find it ironic that, though I don’t care for Elvis Presley either as a musician and/or actor, I absolutely love the guy as a monster assassin for hire. Yes, I said monster assassin for hire. Okay, I have to be honest; he isn’t necessarily an assassin per se, but rather a middle-age recluse who’s taken to battling all things paranormal for profit-and kicking the un-holy crap out of them in the process.
Dick Giordano was a leading figure in the comic book industry for half a century, who was best known for his long association with DC Comics as an editor and artist.
