A tribute to the classic

I didn't think I was gonna do any fan art for the longest time. But this week something just came over me I don't know if it's nostalgia or this chill work week I'm having so far or a combination there of. Just started sketching something last night with some of my free time and it started coming out pretty good. Earlier tonight I colored it and viola....my image montage of the classic ROM series is complete.  P.S. Fuck IDW Publishing

Gordon Henley as rebel X-Wing pilot Red Leader

I feel like I should give another recently passed away actor a little shout out here who isn't a house hold name but never the less has managed to cement their place in sci-fi history. Gordon "Drewe" Henley earlier this month died at age 75 from chocking on some food he was eating. Something of a tragic freak accident I would say especially coming on the heels of Carrie Fisher's death. For those of you who saw Rogue 1 you may have noticed him in the film appear in a couple of scenes exactly as he was back in 1977 when he led the rebel squadron that attacked and destroyed the Empire's first Death Star.
Unlike with The Grand Moff Tarkin and Princes Leia there was no well done CGI going on with Red Leader. That's because the producers of Rogue 1 actually inserted cut scenes from the Death Star battle from A New Hope into the ending space battle in Rogue 1. I absolutely loved that it made Rogue 1 feel that much more like classic vintage Star Wars and it was also great in terms of continuity. I can only hope that Henley was able to see Rogue 1 before his accident. Think about it, watching cut footage of yourself intended for a movie back in 1977 being used for a movie in 2016 I mean seriously how cool is that!? It should also be noted the same thing was done with the actor from A New Hope that played the rebel pilot with the call sign Gold Leader.

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January 28 update: My sketch card collection so far as of today.

Ever had your fan art show up at some comic shop over 3000 miles away from you?

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Just when I think I've finally run out of ROM stuff to blog about look what comes my way. Have a look at this photo Gary Martin Jr. sent me recently during a trip to Bridgeport (West Virginia) while at a mall comic shop (Four Horsemen Comics & Gaming). I wonder if whoever decided to lift my fan art off the net and make it part of this interior design series Marvel cover corner of wall tile had any idea that the ROM piece is just some fan art and not something that was ever published by Marvel? I made that almost 5 years ago originally for the now defunct re-cornered blog http://corneredblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/david-holsey-corners-rom-spaceknight.html but I've seen it turn up on Pinterest and who knows where ever else. I mentioned this before whenever I see this sort of thing I have mixed feelings about it. Just on general principle I think it's kind of a dick move to use someone else's art work with out they're permission or even at least accrediting them accordingly. On a side note I bet it cost who ever at The Four Horsemen a bit of a pretty penny to have a small image on the internet blown up into a large format print out.

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Just wanted to ad something here. This is a scan from my copy of a program guide for the 1989 Wonder-Con Comic convention in Oakland California. As you can see Miguel Ferrer was there who I just got the sad news about only moments before midnight today. I knew Miguel best from his fantastic role in the original Robocop film and from a small part he played in Star Trek III The Search for Spock. I also remember him guest starring along with another actor from the Robocop cast in the cop drama Hooperman which starred the late John Ritter who you probably best knew from the classic 80s comedy sitcom Three's Company.

The most under rated Marvel artist Ron Frenz

Let me just talk a little bit about THOR 383 first because it's really an excellent tie-in to the original Secret Wars 12 issue series. In the Secret Wars story line at one point The Enchantress temporarily magically transports herself and THOR off The Beyonder's Battleworld only to return there right in the middle of Dr. Doom's army of super villains. Not only in THOR 383 do we find out where they went for a while but we also get to see a recap of the entire fight between THOR and Doom's forces played out (as seen in Secret Wars 4) with new art work by Ron Frenz.

As you can see the art work kicks ass I mean seriously this is Sal Buscema level quality and that's pretty high praise coming from me as you all know. This is exactly what is meant when you hear about comic book art being done "The Marvel Way". It's very strange how Frenz doesn't have more notoriety in the industry like I said a really under rated artist.

It's rather sad that many of the same people who would practically drop to their knees upon hearing the name of a certain other artist who's work was out dated and woefully inadequate back in the 80s would probably be all but clueless about Ron Frenz and his fantastic work. That's just wrong.

Commission art by Ron Frenz

Serpentor and The Spartans

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Here's something else that was awesome from the 80s in Marvel Comics that doesn't appear to be anywhere on the internet so I'm gonna post it here. Now I'm sure at the time Serpentor making a Battle of Thermopylae reference wasn't all that much of a big of a deal. But ofcourse in this post 300 world we live in now this reference can be appreciated so much more. In case you were wondering the clip art in this posting comes from the last page of G.I.Joe 50 which was the first Serpentor appearance.

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And I also love what he says in the last panel.

Sal Buscema at some of his best!

From the pages of Incredible Hulk 288 (Bill Mantlo) this clip art of the Abomination being tortured into submission by Modok represents some of the most awesomely stunning art work from Sal Buscema I have ever seen from him out side of the ROM series. It's past time I made sure this takes it place on the internet for any body any where in the world to enjoy. I mean just look at how dynamic the action is drawn it almost seems to come right off the pages. Plus it also helps the reader really empathize with what the Abomination is going through. Such a damn shame that a certain washed up has been artist (who shall remain nameless) tried to fill Buscema's shoes on another title (which shall remain nameless) Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema had worked on.

SHOGUN WARRIORS 13

Yesterday I came across Shogun Warriors issue 13 (1979) at my LCS which was one of the very first comics I ever got my hands on as a kid. Unfortunately, it wasn't in a discount back issue box so this was one of those rare times where I bought a comic from the regular back issue section.

But then again what's a few bucks out of your pocket in exchange for a trip down memory lane huh? So it was worth it to me, especially since there's very little of the clip from the issue available on the internet. Well I'm glad now that I have a copy again I can do something about that.

A Shogun Warriors key word search on this blog will show you this isn't the first time I've blogged about them and of the fond memories I have of the toys and comics from back in the day. I almost forgot about this old photo I had from back in 1980 or 81 (back when I lived in Seattle) that's a scan from a old Polaroid of my action figure collection. You can see Shogun Warrior Gaiking right next to Vader at the top. Just below Captain Kirk is next to Maximillian from The Black Hole. For some reason I have Flash Gordon wearing Starbuck's cape and Starbuck wearing Commander Adam's cape (with a Cylon next to him). We also see Twiki from Buck Rogers along with an assortment of figures from the Fisher-Price adventure collection. No need for me to roll call all the Star Wars figures in the photo right?