A Note of Thanks To The Artists at the Hartford ComicCon

I have always found it remarkable how people don’t understand how truly talented they are.  Everyone reading this has a talent which is admired by someone.  The problem is we are never told how much we are admired and when we are we tend to shrug it off.

Why is it that we would love to be complimented then when we are we say, “Oh, it’s really nothing.” or “Anybody can do what I do”.  It’s an odd trait that we all have.  That trait was never more obvious than at the Hartford ComicCon this past weekend.

It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that I have my own group of favorite artists, writers, etc.  We all do.  But it’s rare to find many of them in one spot on one day and you can meet them all.  This is what happened to me.

With the risk of leaving anyone out my personal favorites are:

Paul Ryan:  Iron Man, Squadron Supreme, Thor and the Thing to name a few
Mark McKenna:  Listed on more than 500 comics and inking over 8,000 pages
Mark Texeira:  Jonah Hex, Ghost Rider, the original Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few
Steve Orlando: Midnighter and Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory to name a few
Kurt Busiek:  Astro City, AutumnLand, Trinity and Avengers to name a few
Chad Hardin:  Harley Quinn, Traveler, The Warlord to name a few
Ray Fawkes:  Batman Eternal, Constantine, Gotham by Midnight to name a few

They are all incredibly talented and I got to meet all of them except Kurt Busiek and Steve Orlando.

The thing that I noticed about all of them, though, was their incredible modesty.  The art that they have created is amazing and all of them were almost surprised at how much of a fan I was.  None of them asked me to pay for the autograph, although two did ask for a small donation to a special cause they were supporting which I gladly donated to.  On top of that several of them did something special for me as a fan.

Mark McKenna was extremely kind and more than willing to sit and talk.  Although he was drawing a custom picture for someone he told me how he much preferred speaking to the fans over drawing custom pics.  Since I did want a custom pic he offered to draw something special and personal if he could draw it at home and I pay a nominal fee (which is well worth it).

Paul Ryan took the time to talk about the cause to which he was taking donations.  He spoke with my son and I like he knew us forever and gladly signed autographs.  Not once did he ever make us feel rushed or that we were just another fan.

Mark Texeira was someone who enjoyed his work and it showed.  He was even surprised at how much we loved his work.  The thing about Mark was that he gave more than you asked for.  He not only signed my comic but he also drew a picture on the comic.  He didn’t stop there, though, he asked for the plastic that we kept our comics in and drew a picture on them!  I now need a plastic sleeve for my plastic sleeves.  He also asked for a modest donation to a cause and I gave him more than he asked for.

Chad Hardin was the first person I got to interact with and he was also incredibly friendly.  Although I did have a Harley Quinn comic for him to sign he was also selling a special Harley Quinn comic of which there were only 1,000 made.  For a nominal fee I bought the comic and he drew a picture of a zombie Joker on the front cover.  For those of you who follow me you know that I asked Neal Adams, at a previous ComicCon, to draw me the world’s only zombie Joker.  It was nothing short of awesome.  But Chad Hardin’s zombie Joker easily matched it.  The Joker he drew looks like it is actually part of the cover.

Ray Fawkes had a funny reaction to us coming to his table.  I was looking all over for him and simply could not find him.  It turns out I must have walked by him and his table 10 times and not seen him.  The reason?  Ray had no backdrop of his work, no fancy signs introducing him like the others had and was very modest.  When I told him we were looking all over for him he said, “For me?” as if he has never done anything worth talking about.  Ray was kind enough to take a picture with me and talk a little about his work.  He told me he was working on a really cool project that was being launched soon but said he couldn’t give any details.  Ray took my award for best dressed artist.

The bottom line is this;  ComicCons all over the world bring together some of the top comic artists together under one roof.  One would think that there would be a lot of big egos all fighting for the right to be the best, but there was no sign of that.  What I found instead were a group of absolute professionals, with a modesty like I’ve never seen.  All acted humble when I complimented them, most were surprised that I like them and their work (who doesn’t?), and all of them went the extra mile to make me feel like I was the only fan they had.  It could not have been a better day.

A note to Steve Orlando and Kurt Busiek, I hope to meet you face to face soon.

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The 10 Comic Book Movie Adaptations I’ve Tried To Push Out Of My Head

I’m not even sure I can tell you how much an “average” hollywood movie costs to make.  I suppose it depends on the actors, the topic, and the amount of special effects.  No matter how you look at it they cost more money to make than you and I make in...well...our lives.  On top of that we then spend our hard earned dollars to go see these money holes and hope they are worth it.

Here is The Comic Whisperer’s Top 10 Comic Book Movie Adaptations I’ve Tried To Push Out Of My Head:

10.)  R.I.P.D. - Which stands for Really Is a Pathetic aDaptation.  Arguably the love child of Men in Black and Ghostbusters, this film was terrible.  It’s no mystery that Ryan Reynolds was involved.  His acting is pathetic and you will see his earmark throughout this list.  Looking through the internet it looks as though this bomb cost $130 million to make.   This buddy cop meet supernatural thriller couldn’t even be resuscitated by The Big Lebowski himself Jeff Bridges.

9.)  Batman Forever (1995) - Just saying the title makes my stomach churn.  Those who saw the casting play out were somewhat hopeful when the Riddler was to be played by Jim Carry but were not thrilled at the casting of Val Kilmer as Batman and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face.  Then it was made even messier by the addition of the Boy Wonder.  At the time it was a hit at the Box Office, but at the time it was all you had.  The addition of the new Batman films has made Batman Forever a distant, but ugly, memory.

8.)  Jonah Hex - I think many would put it closer to the top but I gave it top marks for makeup.  The whole “skin across the mouth” thing was well done (although I confess that I still have no clue as to how one could end up like that and not take a scissors and just clip the darn thing).  That being said, whoever decided to make this a film should get a hearty slap in the mouth.  This old west bounty hunter deserves more than being made a joke of on film.  Remember, this was fresh off the heels of Blade and Ghost Rider, so the studio was only too glad to give it the thumbs up.  But with Josh Brolin not able to enunciate properly and the Director Jimmy Heyward seeing that doing this film was MUCH different than doing his Pixar films, it was terrible.

7.)  Ghost Rider - I know, I know, I just said that the studios approved Jonah Hex on the heels of Ghost Rider BUT, even though a small box office bounty, Ghost Rider’s campy script and ridiculous villains places it on this list.  I will admit that although I am a Nicholas Cage fan (for such hits as FACE OFF and LORD OF WAR) even he couldn’t salvage this film.  This should be shown in a film class on how to have world class special effects and good actors and STILL be a bomb people want to forget.

6.)  Trinity - Wait, isn’t that another Ryan Reynolds movie?  Why, yes it is!  I don’t think it’s a secret that Blade was an incredible film.  I even give Blade II props for putting together a stellar cast, strong special effects, and a great storyline.  But Trinity just made no sense from the beginning.  It also has the distinction of being the first movie to prominently feature the made-up Esperanto language.  All this on top of bringing in new people, killing off old ones, and Ryan Reynolds’ tired sarcastic monologues (yet, in all of Hollywood’s brilliance this chowderhead is cast as Green Lantern, which stank, and now Deadpool where his mouth may prove valuable).  Although I haven’t seen it I understand that the DVD’s “extras” include a scene where Goyer the writer interviews Goyer the Director.  It’s kind of like ramming your head into a wall but with less opportunity for reward.

5.)  Green Lantern - By this point you must think that I have it out for Ryan Reynolds and, frankly, I do in a way.  I’m not a big fan since his only acting consists of remarks that aren’t funny that he tries to make funny.  There’s not much range to his acting.  But, I’m not the only one who feels this way about the movie.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 26% green splotchy thing and it got a staggering 1.5 stars.  (See?  It’s not just me.)  What with Ryan’s usual lines of sarcasm and the incredibly dull writing, this film took an awesome comic character and smashed it to pieces.  I know Hal Jordan and you, sir, are no Hal Jordan.  Add this to the list of garage sale fodder.

4.)  Barb Wire - Many would like you to forget this movie based on a short lived comic series, especially Pamela Anderson who played the lead character.  Being a huge Pamela Anderson fan, and not for her acting, I could see why she shouldn’t be counted on to pull this movie above it’s poor premise and “Casablanca-esque” writing.  That being said, Pamela does have the “attributes” needed for the tight fit latex costumes that grace the super-heroines.  This film however did not have the “attributes” needed to make it a good film.  If you have a choice between watching this movie and jumping on broken glass weigh your options.

3.)  Catwoman  Watch how two terrible films effect one another...it’s kind of neat.  Tim Burton and Michelle Pfeiffer (remember her?  me neither) were given the thumbs up to make this film while the Batman franchise was all the rage.  Unfortunately, the script for this movie was delivered the same day that Batman Forever premiered and it was mothballed (this is a classic case of cause and effect.  you didn’t think you’d be learning physics today did you?)   After years of bickering Halle Berry was cast as Catwoman and French visual effects supervisor Pitof was selected to make the film work.  It didn’t.  It earned Halle a Razzie and Pitof an early retirement.

2.)  The Spirit (2008) - This was an epic failure on more than one front.  First, the effects in this movie were nothing short of horrific.  You could make better effects in your kitchen with a couple of eggs, some yarn, a paper clip and a pinch of oregano.  Second, they took a huge success in Will Eisner’s character The Spirit and reduced it to burning rubble.  If the name sounds familiar, yes, we are talking about THE Will Eisner who the prestigious Eisner Award is named after.  They took his baby, not just anyone’s baby, HIS baby, and trashed it.    It had unforgettably bizarre and disturbing acting from Scarlett Johansson and Samuel Jackson (who played the character “Octopus”).  The height of the movie is when The Spirit is bound in a contraption resembling a dentist chair while Jackson in an SS type uniform drones on about death.  That, in itself, pegs the gag-meter.

1.)  Howard the Duck - How could this possibly be the worst comic adaptation?  Easily.  This was George Lucas’ baby after he stepped down as president of LucasFilm to focus on producing.  He should have stayed as President and rested on his Star Wars fame.  It’s a shame, really, as Howard the Duck is a great character that has come a long way since his introduction in Adventure into Fear in 1973.  He has a certain style with his direct and cruel wit accompanied by his love of cigars.  The problem is that the character in the film was nothing like that.  He was amiable and lovable....NOT very Howard the Duck.  There was also a sexual side, which was never in the comics, that became evident in the female duck whose nipples were evident on her rather large breasts throughout her scenes.  I’m not lying, watch the film and you tell me.  It was a brilliant idea gone astray and, if a movie is ever made again, I will deliberate between laying out the money for a ticket and laying the money on the floor and burning it.

Well, there you have it.  The Comic Whisperer’s list of The Top 10 Comic Book Movie Adaptations I’ve Tried To Push Out Of My Head.  Let me know if you have any additions or subtractions.  No matter how you slice it Ryan Reynolds has to go.

A Story of Solid Appraisals and Humanity

My wife was watching a TV show the other night that was mildly amusing.  It's about a group of 3 guys that offer to clean out storage spaces (such as houses, garages, etc.) for free as long as they can keep the contents.  Frankly, I'm amazed at what people let them clean out for free because they were PACKED with valuable items.  It's called Garage Brothers.

The mildly amusing part is the guy who is in charge, his name is Kraig.  Although he is the brains behind the whole thing, and this concept is incredible on his part, he doesn't give off a strong visual impression.  He certainly doesn't have a comb.  His hair looks like it just came out of a blender, his glasses look they were run over by a bus then put back on, and he looks like he just rolled out of bed.  All that being said, the guy is a genius.  This concept he came up with is pure gold.  So he looks like that, with a big smile, all the way to the bank.  I admire that.

The reason I bring it up is because on one of the episodes he traversed into my arena...comic book stuff.  In one of the garages they found a statue of the Silver Surfer which was a limited edition.  There were approximately 350 made in celebration of the Fantastic Four movie, Rise of the Silver Surfer.  The movie was mediocre at best, but the statue was pristine.  No scratches, no breakage, nothing.  It was, as we say, Near Mint.

That wasn't the only thing they found, though.  They also found a drawing of the Ghost Rider done by Joe and Andy Kubert, legends in the comic book arena.  Unfortunately, Joe passed away in 2012.

So, Kraig said he was calling in a "Comic Book Expert" to value the Silver Surfer statue and the drawing of Ghost Rider by Joe and Andy Kubert.

Just to be on the same page I researched them both myself.  Not that I'm trying to prove anybody right or anybody wrong, I just like to stay in practice so I can be on top of my game.

Researching the Silver Surfer statue the prices ranged from $1,600 to $6,500.  The comic guy came in at the low end at $1,600.  It's a safe call on his part, but it's also the price it was going for on eBay at the time.  With it being a limited edition and not having a single thing wrong with it, the estimate seemed low.  That being said, he was giving market value as to what he felt it could sell for and that appraisal seemed reasonable.  So, although it may be appraised for $6,500 on the high end, the appraiser made a safe call with what he felt it would sell for.  Frankly, there's probably not much of a market for a 4' tall and 6' long Silver Surfer statues even if it was limited edition.  Also, I can't imagine that an appraiser with that much knowledge would go strictly by the eBay pricing.  The statue might draw a high price tag, but it would take awhile to sell, and it wouldn't be cheap to ship.  Good call on the statue.

The drawing, however, is another story.  I was first surprised that an established comic book person would not recognize the picture as the actual cover of a Ghost Rider comic.  After first looking at it he made some guesses as to what it could be, made some comments that were irrelevant about the front and back, and then said he had to go back and research it.  I appreciated the research part, the worst thing we can do as appraisers it take a wild guess as to what the value is.  It's a disservice to our clients. I didn't appreciate his comments about what should and should not be on the front and back, they didn't make much sense. That's a story for another blog.

As an aside,the creation of a comic book is an amazing and under-appreciated process that has changed over the years.  There are various stages such as pencilling and inking and there are a number of marks that can be made on the pages.  Many are artist notes or specific things to focus on during the process.  See below for some drawings and sketches that illustrate part of the process.

Anyway, he came back and valued the picture at a reasonable price between $4,000 and $6,000.  I believe he was dead-on based on the incredible standing the Kubert's have in the comic industry, the fact that Joe Kubert is no longer with us, and the fact that sketches like that can appraise very high, but sell for about half of the real value.  Good call on the sketch, but I am hoping some the the random comments were made for TV and inserted to sound impressive.

I give high marks to the appraiser's pricing but low marks to the comments he made and the inability to recognize a cover from Ghost Rider given the prominence of the title.  He should stick with the appraising and less with the pontificating.  I would say that by his vast knowledge (and I mean that sincerely) that he was coaxed by the TV crew to keep talking to fill space.  I applaud him for even getting in front of cameras where he can be critiqued by comic lovers everywhere.  It can't be easy.

The most impressive thing, however, was the ending of the show.  Remember, Garage Brothers is a show about emptying out storage spaces, houses, garages, etc. for free, but they get to keep what's in the space.  Kraig could have walked away with both the Silver Surfer and the incredible Ghost Rider drawing and netted a possible $6,000 - $8,000, but he did the thing I thought I would never see on TV.  He did the right thing.  He took the drawing back to the owner of the space, told him the value, and gave it back to him.  It turns out that the drawing had special significance to the owner.  It had an emotional tie because it was given to him by a loved one and it held some strong memories.  The owner said it was the hardest thing he would have had to part with and it was difficult for him to let it go.

Yes, you read it right.  Someone had the humanity to let the money go and give a high value item back to the owner even though, by contract, it was property of the Garage Brothers.  I was humbled.  I was taken aback.  In this day and age where shows like Pawn Stars offer excessively low values on items they buy, and then sell them for ungodly prices, we see a show with humanity?  Wow!

My hat is off to Kraig and all the members of the cast of Garage Brothers.  Some cynics may say that the network reimbursed Kraig for the drawing so it was no loss for him to give it back, but I prefer to think otherwise.  I prefer to think that this was a blatant demonstration of humanity in lieu of the almighty dollar.  Although I may not continue to watch Garage Brothers because it's not my cup of tea, I have to say it restored my belief in humanity.