Age of Bronze

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Wake Up

Super Sleepy Bedtime Stories #1, published by Sitcomics Binge Books, just went on sale this week at your local comics shop. Super Sleepy is a little girl who always dresses like a super-hero--I think that's because her one-piece pajamas resemble a super-hero jumpsuit. Her stories have to do with bedtime. Her sidekick is a sheep named Schleepy--because, you know, counting sheep.

Super Sleepy's stories are reminiscent of those of the old Harvey Comics characters Little Dot and Little Audrey. If you look closely at the cover image at the right, you'll see that one of the kids looks as if he stole Richie Rich's haircut.

This first issue contains 68 pages, and I drew the art for one of them. In "Party Pooped," Super Sleepy attends a slumber party. Television writer Ursula Burton is credited with writing Super Sleepy #1. The story's cute. The whole book looks cute. Definitely for kids to enjoy.

Here's a sample panel from the story I drew.

Find a copy of Super Sleepy Bedtime Stories #1 at your local comics store or order from the distributor here: https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP211365.

Friday, December 17, 2021

Days of Stooges Past

Another iconic Marvel Comics cover parodied by the Robonic Stooges--and I drew it. It's published by American Mythology on the cover of Robonic Stooges #3 and is available now at your local comics store or online from the publisher here:

https://www.americanmythology.net/product-page/the-robonic-stooges-3-shanower-main-cvr?utm_campaign=b51ac7e1-4fd0-4551-b63f-00374b88cddb&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=37c488a6-1220-4197-9e31-bf14349e6984

I'm not sure the original for this parody cover is as immediately recognizable as the first two I drew. If you sort of look at it from a distance and squint a little, you should be able to recognize it. Or look really closely—the identities of the original artists ought to give it away in a flash.

In any case, the series of parody covers was fun to do.

Monday, December 13, 2021

Script for Age of Bronze #34 Available

About Comics has a new volume, Panel Three: Comics Scripts by Top Writers, in its series of books compiling various professional comics scripts. My handwritten script for Age of Bronze #34 appears in Panel Three.

I always write Age of Bronze scripts by hand. Scripts that need to be read by an artist or an editor I write on computer. Usually no one has to read an Age of Bronze script except me.

Now anyone can read issue #34's script, with plenty of cross-outs, revisions, and re-writing. About Comics publisher Nat Gertler wanted to include this handwritten script to widen the variety of scripts he's made available in his series. And look at the variety of writers you get in Panel Three, all listed on the cover image to the right.

You can purchase Panel Three from any standard bookseller, real or online. Panel Three is also available through a special Humble Bundle promotion here:

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/creating-comics-manga-animation-books

That Humble Bundle gives you 37 digital books about creating comics—including Panel Three—for a donation of at least $25.

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Talking at the Bradbury

As announced in this previous post, the Bradbury Art Museum in Arkansas currently has an exhibit of comics art, including pieces of mine. Sarah Hernandez interviewed me on video in connection with the exhibit. Here's a link to that interview, where I spout opinions on comics creation and the life of a cartoonist.

https://fb.watch/92yXTpDbpB/

And, yes, Jefferson was largely responsible for writing the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution. Oops.

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Wind Me Up

Playwright L. Frank Baum and composer Louis F. Gottschalk created a spectacular stage show that toured North America in 1913, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. Though generally forgotten now, remnants of the show still exist in scripts, sheet music, photographs, and published reviews of the show.

I've gathered as many of those remnants as I could find and am currently working on a book to reveal the never-before-told story of how The Tik-Tok Man of Oz came into being. You can get a taste of the forthcoming book in my presentation Tik-Tok People, originally presented at Oz Con International 2021 in July and now available to watch on Youtube.

Here's the link to the presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX_YHvMLQwM

Thursday, September 9, 2021

The Process of Making Comics

Helen's first appearance, featured in exhibit.

The Bradbury Art Museum at Arkansas State University will open a new exhibition on September 15, 2021: "Legends: An Exploration of Contemporary Storytelling from Frame to Experience." My artwork will be featured among that of other cartoonists.

This exhibit uniquely concentrates on the process of creating art, not just the final piece. To demonstrate the process, each piece of my original art will be exhibited along with notes, sketches, scripts, and thumbnails I created in preparing the final piece.

The pieces on exhibit will include several Age of Bronze pages, including the first appearance of Helen; a Star Wars cover; and an Iron Man double-page spread.

Other artists included are Sarah Anderson, Gustav Carlson, JooYoung Choi, Michelle Czajkowski, Neil Emmanuel, Sean Fitzgibbon, Peter Kuper, Chad Maupin, Mythic Times, Josh Neufeld, Trina Robbins, and Kevin Snipes.

The exhibit runs through December 8, 2021. For more info, here's a link to the museum's press release.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Shades of Kirby!

The Robonic Stooges are at it again. At what? Why, parodying another well-known super-hero comic book. I had a good time drawing the Robonic Stooges invading the Fantastic Four's world. And best of all, the colorist aped the original colors well.

The Robonic Stooges #2 went on sale last week with my cover based on Jack Kirby's cover for Fantastic Four #1.

For extra, added stooginess, look closely to find Shemp.

Get the issue at your local comics shop or order from the publisher, American Mythology, at this link.