It's Miller Time...

Roger Ebert on The Spirit.... "(the film) is mannered to the point of madness. There is not a trace of human emotion in it. To call the characters cardboard is to insult a useful packing material."

I don't think he enjoyed it. Does anyone actually want to pay money to see this film?....

Quantum of Next to Nothing...

Someone convinced me to go see the latest Bond film yesterday, and I can't remember being more bored in a cinema for many a year. No characterisation (OK, I wasn't expecting any....), very disappointing theme song (OK, I wasn't expecting anything memorable, but really!) and the plot is so event driven as to be totally incoherent. I defy anyone to explain to me the plot of this film, and all the characters seem to talk to each other (when they are shooting at each other) in some form of code, with no narrative flow whatsoever.

Even the spectacular stunt sequences - and a lot of shit gets blown up here - are filmed so in-yer-face, and edited to within an inch of their lives, I was bored within minutes. Visual incoherence is unforgivable in a film like this.

Is this what happens when Hollywood hacks write film scripts instead of novels?...

That Bat Guy...

I've finally had time to finish off the last of the commissions I took at last months Armageddon Convention here in Melbourne. Previously I've tried to avoid any superhero requests, but at Armageddon I gave in and accepted a couple of Batman commissions. Of all the current superhero bunch - and there's just so many of 'em - I guess Batman is about the only character I feel anything for. Although I've avoided the current cinema release - my 10 year old is working his way through the earlier Tim Burton flics, and I'm amazed at how awful they look (and sound) - I had fun doing this, and if I ever get the opportunity to work on spandex, Batman would be the guy I'd go with.

2009

With 2009 already shaping up as a bumper year (more, I cannot reveal, at least until early next year), I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks sorting and cataloging my artwork from the 80's and 90's. There's a lot of it, and I've been discovering things that I can't even remember producing.... things like this.

The reason for all this activity? A limited selection of my earlier art for 2000AD, Blueberry, Point Blank, The Losers etc (but, as yet, no Star Wars art) is now available to buy online. Royd Burgoyne has kindly agreed to look after this for me, and the first selection of my work to be made available can now be seen at his online Comic Art Shop.

If you are interested in original artwork, keep an eye on this site as there are going be some interesting stuff available here over the next few months. And although my current workload prohibits it at the moment, early in '09 Royd will also be opening a Commission List for me.

Extreme Sports...

It's hard to underestimate the impact Underground Comics had on me when I first discovered these little devils in the early '70's. While Robert Crumb quickly became the big name to throw around, it was the graphic design of Victor Moscoso and Rick Griffen that really blew me away, and I even tried surfing (once, it nearly killed me) thanks to those two guys. Heaven knows why...

But the artist who left the greatest impression on my small, immature mind was S. Clay Wilson, handsdown. If ever there was a comic artist who's work represented everything extreme, over-the-top, and with absolutely no redeeming social qualities whatsoever it had to be this guy, and I still remember my absolute shock and delight on discovering The Checkered Demon for the first time.

That's why I've been following the news of his recent accident with interest. About a month ago S. Clay Wilson was found unconscious in the street with serious brain damage, probably following a drunken fall. It's been touch and go since then, but this Underground Comics genius is now out of intensive care and making a slow but gradual recovery. While it sounds like he has a long way still to go, this is good news indeed. Read about his recovery here.

Breakfast with the Stars...

Had breakfast the other morning with award-winning book author Shuan Tan. I've been a huge fan of his beautiful books for years, and so it was a real treat to finally meet the man, and discover for myself what a nice guy he is. And I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that he takes his work very seriously indeed... you can't produce books like that without paying attention to every minor detail.

Picked up some fascinating hints of his current project, but with my time being cut short by the attention span of my ten year old son - I'm baby-sitting for the week - I'm looking forward to meeting up with Shaun again and learning more from the master.....