Comics
Out of This World No. 3 Cover by Steve Ditko
It seems that in the 1950s there was an inordinate fear of giant hands appearing in unlikely places. Case in point: while mountain climbing or spelunking. March 1957, Charlton Comics.
Out of This World No. 1 Cover by Molno & Alascia
Ham-radio-operating dino dogs mess with air traffic control. In the 1950s, they thought this would be a pressing problem in the future. August 1956, Charlton Comics.
Out of This World No. 6 Cover by Steve Ditko
Out of body? Out of this world? Dead? Alive? November 1957, Charlton Comics.
Out of This World No. 4 Cover by Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko can fascinate and freak you out at the same time, and it started long before his run on Dr. Strange. June 1957, Charlton Comics.
The 1946 Chevrolet Suburban Calgary Police Paddy Wagon
Back in the summer of 1988 or 1989, there was a music festival on Prince's Island Park in Calgary. The police had brought out their vintage paddy wagon and in those pre-internet days, I had never seen anything like it before. I took a number of photos of it.
Colouring Bernie Wrightson Monsters
The late Bernie Wrightson is one of those ink artists that just dazzles with his work. From composition to lighting to his glee in creating scenes of horror, they're images that reward the viewer as you follow every line.
The Phantom by Jim Aparo
Jim Aparo is better known for his DC Comics work on such books as The Brave & the Bold, Aquaman and The Spectre. Just prior to moving over to DC, he was a regular artist on Charlton Comics' version of The Phantom.
Out of This World No. 14 Cover by Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano is one of my influences as a comic book artist. I only met him once at the San Diego Comicon in 1989, but back when I was a teenager in the early 80s writing letters to Batman comics, he was their editor, and he took the time to write a couple of short notes back to me. When I met him, he was at the helm during one of DC's best periods.
Atomic Robo : In the Lab
Atomic Robo is a great comic series published by Red 5 Comics out of Calgary. They have a few graphic novels out now. All are witty and fun, and deeper than they appear on the surface.
Batman : The Brave & The Bold
If you want to have a whole lot of fun packed into 30 minutes or less, watch an episode of the new Batman: The Brave & the Bold TV series on Cartoon Network in the US and on Teletoon in Canada. You also might find it – ahem – on the web while we await a DVD package.
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Craftint and Duoshade Tones in Photoshop
Comics
Craftint doubletone paper (DuoShade is another brand) is one of those things an ink illustrator had in their toolbox before the advent of the digital toolset or even rubdown tone systems like Zip-a-Tone. It wasn't cheap and it gradually fell out of use.
Defending Skartaris
If you blinked, relatively speaking, you probably missed it. Beginning in February 2006 with an April cover date, DC revived The Warlord. This time around the book lasted 10 issues. (The original had 133 and went through a number of ups and downs during the run.)