The Orphan by Bob

OK. This one is fresh! Bob Solanović just finished his pin-up of The Orphan (a character from Milligan's X-Force/X-Statix) and I decided to share it with you. Bob said he doesn't mind and I said this one is good, it should be published on-line.

BTW, if you missed Milligan's X-Force/X-Statix (which I sincerely doubt, lol) - now is the final time to order those TPBs and enyoj one of the best contemporary comics ride. For me, that one is the greatest title that Marvel had in a long time. Bob is currently reading it (that's an explanation how this pin-up has came to life, lol) and I asked him what're his impressions so far?

Peter Milligan's X-Force reads like a lost Marvel Essential updated for the new century. Milligan simultaniously mocks the clichés of the superhero genre and pays hommage to classic superhero comics. Also, we need more heroes like The Orphan (leader of the X-Force team) who care more about saving people's lives than flag-waving. Both, in comics and in real life.

Cal McDonald

Za dobar strip nije dovoljno samo imati dobrog scenaristu i dobrog crtača. Nisam o tome prije razmišljao, pa me je malo iznenadilo kad sam ovih dana procitao cijeli (dosadašnji) run Cala McDonalda i kad sam vidio da dolaskom novog crtača na seriju, stvari više ne štimaju kao prije.

Serijal o detektivu nadprirodnih zločina, Calu McDonaldu, prevestveno je humoristični noire, sa pomalo potisnutim, prigušenim ironičnim humorom koji ovoj, već sto puta viđenoj temi daje znatnu dozu svježine i jedan novi, simpatičniji pristup. Cala piše Steve Niles, scenarist novije generacije koji se probio sa nezavisnom serijom 30 Days Of Night. Do sada je napravljeno 2 mini serijala i jedna specijalka, a prvi mini i specijalku, Criminal Macabre (2003) i Love Me Tenderloin (2004), nacrtao je Ben Templesmith.

Benov crtež je uglavnom vrlo stilizirana varijanta nadocrtavanja preko fotografija, pogotovo preko lica glavnih junaka, te njihova višestruka obrada na računalu. On nije onaj klasični, starinski crtač koji svoje umjeće drži u malom prstu, već je on moderni vizualni manipulator. Mnogi smatraju da nije niti pretjerano inovativan umjetnik, no, ipak, treba priznati da je besprijekoran kod stvaranja mračne atmosfere nedprirodnih događaja u stripu. Vampiri i ostala čudovišta postali su njegov trademark i odmah se, od početka, kužilo da lik ciničnog Cala McDonalda radi s velikim užitkom i simpatijom.

Templesmith je McDonalda i ostale glavne likove u stripu (dežurnu narednicu, te Calovog pomočnika ghoula Mo'locka) u nekoliko poteza linijom darivao bogatom paletom vidljivih grimasa, tj. osjećaja, koji su odlično potencirali Nilesovu humorističnu komponentu scenarija. Svaka fora u stripu, Templesmithovim je crtežom tako dobila snagu u svojoj realizaciji. Dovoljno je povezati neki glupi McDonaldov komentar sa izrazom na licima ljudi oko njega, pa da strip odmah na prvu postane drag i neodoljiv velikom broju čitatelja.


Nažalost, nakon prvog minija i specijalke, Ben je otišao raditi neke druge projekte (svoj vlastiti strip Singularity 7, a trenutno po scenariju Warrena Ellisa radi strip Fell koji će se pojaviti u jesen).

Na Calu McDonaldu ga je naslijedio Kelley Jones, dobro poznati majstor crtanja koji je klasičar i čiji je stil izgrađen na stilu horror crteža Berniea Wrightsona. Onako na prvu, reklo bi se – odličan odabir, nitko bolji nije mogao doći na ovaj serijal, pogotovo kad se zna da je Kelley već prije odlično nacrtao hrpu sličnih stripova (od svoga The Hammera, preko Deadmana i Batmana, sve do vrlo duhovitih The Crusadesa).


Ipak, po izlasku njegovog minija, Last Train To Deadsville (2004), pokazalo se da to nije dovoljna garancija. U globalu, Kelleyu se ne može zamjeriti da je strip loše nacrtao, da je fušao ili da si nije dao dovoljno truda. Opet, s druge strane, vidljivo je da Cal McDonald više ne funkcionira ni približno dobro kako je funkcionirao dok ga je radio Templesmith. Nilesov scenario je i dalje uglavnom na istoj razini, jednako je štosan u punch-linijama i duhovit u bezizlaznim riješenjima glavnih junaka. Jedini problem je to što, kod novog crtača, te stvari više ne dolaze do izražaja.

Dok sam čitao Last Train To Deadsville, uglavnom su mi nedostajale vizualne poente. Volim crtež Kelleya Jonesa i smatram ga vrlo dobrim crtačem. Čini mi se, jednostavno, da se ovdje on i scenarist nisu uklopili. Obzirom da je serija stripova o Calu McDonaldu odlično startala i da je mnogima on na prvu postao jedan od simpatičnijih strip junaka, šteta bi bilo da se sada, nakon što se fino zahuktala, ova serija ubrzo ugasi.


Uskoro će biti prilika za popravak na relaciji Niles-Jones (ovih dana je krenuo novi mini – Supernatural Freak Machine), a do tada, pak, ostaje misao kako za dobar strip nije dovoljno samo imati dobrog scenaristu i dobrog crtača. Potrebno je još i da se njih dvojica dobro razumiju, te da se ostvari međusobna kemija. A onda, ne treba sumnjati, neće izostati niti pozitivni kemijski proces između njihovog stripa i čitatelja.

Prodaja stripova

Evo, ovih dana pravim reda među stripovima, pa sam izdvojio nešto malo novih američkih stripova koje ću prodati. Neki su mi dupli, neki su već od ranije u prodaji (pa je sada cijena snižena 20%!), a neki moraju otići da bih osvježio fond za nove stripove koji su na putu.

Stripove sam stavio na aukcije na stripovima.com, uglavnom je uz svaku aukciju postavljena slika naslovnice + slika jedne unutrašnje table, te ih možete pogledati ovdje na linku 1 ili, ako je taj link trenutno u prekidu, onda ovdje na linku 2.

Na ponudi je, između ostalog, jedan novi komplet odličnog DC-jevog serijala Catwoman. Napisao ga je Scott Morse, "zvijezda" američke alternativne strip scene.

Klikni na sliku za direktan link gdje se ova aukcija može pogledati.

Ukoliko imate kakvo pitanje o ponuđenim (ili nekim drugim) stripovima, slobodno se javite na mail zveles@gmail.com, naravno, bez ikakve obaveze na kupnju. Hvala. :-)

Jedna od aukcija koju preporučam svima koji vole ludi alternativni crtež Teda McKeevera i pametni ironični scenarij Joea Kellyja je mini serija od 6 sveski - Enginehead.

Klikni na sliku za direktan link gdje se ova aukcija može pogledati.

Walking Dead 5

New issue of Serbian edition of Walking Dead (Okružen mrtvima, published by Lavirint) is out in two days (Monday) and here's the world's premiere of the cover. In this part of the world, we don't have the solicitations system for the comics (the market is different, but that's another story) and the cover art is usually kept as a surprise till the issue is out.

So, today I give you new cover in advance. As always, the art is done by fabulous Milan Jovanović. Not only that he's the great artist, one of Serbia's finest, but he's the provocative one who thinks behind his art. That's why there's not a main book character on the cover. Very brave cover, if I might say. And excellent as always! Cheers!



Here you can see previous cover (issue 4) of Serbian edition of Walking Dead.

Izlozba i druzenje u Virovitici

12.05.2005. u 19 h u Virovitici je otvorenje Strip izlozbe crteza i tabli domacih autora, Darka Macana, Boba Solanovica i Gorana Sudzuke. Vjerojatno ce biti i radova jos nekih domacih crtaca, ali o tome jos uvijek dogovaramo, pa update slijedi kad se bude znalo vise. Izlozba ce ostati otvorena mjesec dana u prostorima caffe bara Boom. Prostor je odlican i veliki, starinski namjesten, onako za usporedbu – djeluje kao da sjedite u necijoj dnevnoj sobi u kuci i atmosfera je odlicna za druzenje.


U sklopu otvorenja odrzat ce se i promocija novog broja Q magazina, a takodjer ce se predstaviti i stripovi Lavirinta – Nepobedivi i Okruzen Mrtvima. Uz Macana i Dekaru, zvanicni gosti na otvorenju ce biti i Bob i Dzuka.

Ovu pola manifestaciju, a pola izlozbu, nadahnuto naslovljenu «Strip izlozba u Virovitici» (lol) organiziramo jgoran5 i ja. Iskoristili smo poznanstvo i privatne veze, pa je onda i selekcija radova, tj. autora isto takva – prijateljska. Moram odmah naglasiti da izlozba ne odrazava nista konkretno u nasem svijetu domaceg stripa, te da nema nikakvih drugih ambicija nego nas okupiti i dati povod za strip druzenje. Na nasu molbu, selekciju radova i tabli za izlozbu napravit ce Darko Macan.

Dragi forumasi, svi ste pozvani i bit ce nam drago ako budete mogli doci. Veselilo bi nas da se skupimo u sto vecem broju i iskoristimo lijepo vrijeme da se malo maknemo od monitora i uzivo profestamo ono sto nas sve veze, a to je strip.

Sva pitanja u vezi organizacije i dogovora, mozete postati ovdje, na topicu na forumu, ili meni na mail zveles@stripovi.com ili preko moba: 091/7938-047.

Screw you, Fanboy!

I've been updating My Reading List today and I was preparing cover images of the comics that I read last week. Strangly enough, I noticed that two of these comics send not an usual message to their readers. I interprete that message as something like Screw you, fanboy! We're crazy and wild comics, we're on the edge and we're so good that if you don't pick us up it's your loose! That's not bad. Not at all! These comics are not old prehistoricall stuff and it's good to see that todays publishers don't consider their readers to be a mindless flock. Way to go! Screw you, fanboy, if you can't take a good joke!! :-)



She-Hulk is giving the elbow to the rest of the world. And that clown from Flinch has been beaten so bad in the head. What for? Just for an attractive cover? That deserves a finger. Nothing less! :-)

Y-The Last Man 32

Goran Sudžuka is Croatia's top artist. There is a saying blessed amongst women! Well, he definetly is. He enjoys to draw them and now when he is doing new four-parter of Y-The Last Man, his dream came true. And ours, too. Because his drawings of girls are simply magnificent! The first issue of the new story-arc Girl On Girl is out this week in the States and that's why I'm posting here a couple of Goran's Y-TLM pics (along with cover art by Massimo Carnevale). You can also read a short three-questions interview that I asked Mr Sudžuka earlier today over the e-mail correnspondence.

Q: What do you think of Y-The Last Man title? Have you been following the series before?

Sudžuka: Yes, I've read first ten issues or so, and I liked it very much! At that time I didn't even imagine I'd get a chance to work on the series. But, as I'm lazy and slow for ordering books from USA, I only get the chance to read the rest of the series when I get called for fill-in. Then, I read some 20 issues at once, fell in love with it completely.

Q: There's a lot of women around. Do you use the models for drawning them, or do you naturaly have an eye for beautiful girls?

Sudžuka: I have two natural eyes for girls!!! Although i'm heavily shortsighted, lol!
Well, I don't use models and I don't draw directly looking at pics. But Rose (one-eyed girl) looks a bit like Janine Turner, on BKV's (Brian K.Vaughan, the writer) request, and captain Kilina is my homage to Big John's Belith. I do love drawing girls (and women, too) and I like to flatter myself that I'm doing it good. Not so much in the sense how astonishingly hot they are, but also giving them a charachter and not drawing always the same ideal with different hairstyle and clothes.

Q: What are you doing right now, beside Y-TLM? And can you tell us some of yours plans for the future? Is there gonna be something new for American market? Or European?

Sudžuka: I'm finishing the last, fourth fill-in on Y-TLM, and preparing to draw third issue of Beyond Avalon, and I'm still working on French album (Arcanes) that's supposed to be done in October and published in January 2006. Besides one more issue of Beyond Avalon, and a weekly strip of Martina Mjesec (for Croatian web-portal stripovi.com), I have no future plans, except to have a good rest. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that I'll work with Jamie Delano again in the future (they worked together on Outlaw Nation for Vertigo), but it's too soon to say anything more.


If you like what you see here, go on. Go and buy the comic book, it's excellent! It is written by Brian K.Vaughan and inked by always fine inker Joze Marzan Jr.

Mister Goran Sudžuka is currently also working on his and Joe Pruett's project Beyond Avalon. Here you can see the world premiere of the Beyond Avalon cover for issue #3.

New ish of Dylan

I almost forgot that it's this time of the month when we get our monthly fix of Dylan Dog.
My saleswoman at the newsstand reminded me that the new issue arrived today and I choosed my copy (I have that habbit that I choose the mintiest copy inbetween all copies). This month is the reprint classic issue month, and this is the reprint of original Italian issue 31, while every other month is the month of the regular issue.

Dylan Dog is a great comic. It reminds of the Hellblazer because it's mystic and often there's a lot of magic in this thriller, but the main character is not as bitter as Constantine. And Dylan definitely has more luck with the women.

He is one of the trademark characters of the Italian publishing and creating company Bonelli Comics, and he's my favourite Bonelli character along with one Martin Mystery. Here in Croatia, these comics have been published for the last 20-or-so years, they're the bestsellers and in the same time they have a cult status among comics fans.

Some five years ago, Dark Horse published 6 issues (and later one more, the special Zed), but unfortunately Dylan Dog never accomplished big time in the States.

Dylan Dog Extra #31: Veliki Guignol (96 b&W pgs, Ludens, 2005) Story: Tiziano Sclavi.
Art: Luigi Piccatto.
Originally published as Dylan Dog 31: Grand Guignol.

Morrison Sells Out!

Well, not Morrison, but his Seven Solders #0!
Congrats! Congrats! :-)
PRESS RELEASE
Seven Solders #0, the powerful 48-page special written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by J.H. Williams III that leads into seven new miniseries, has sold out at DC Comics. Now, DC sends this landmark issue back to press for a second printing, which is scheduled to arrive in stores on April 20.
Seven Solders #0 Second Printing will feature a variant version of the original cover by Williams. This updated cover will feature the faces of the new Seven Soldiers team.

"Thanks to all the readers who took a chance on Seven Soldiers and helped the book become a hit," says Morrison. "No one was really sure how a story about super-hero losers and also-rans would be received, so the success of the project has been very gratifying. Much appreciated, and we hope readers will stick with us through the twists, turns and shocks that lie ahead! "

You can, errm... read (in Croatian, but lot's of pictures) a review of Seven Soldiers #0.
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On the other hand, yesterday, Comic Book Resources brought the report from Meltdown Hollywood where Grant Morrison talked with the fans.
Full story is here and I've chosen the part where he spoke of his recent misfortune:

Before the night was over, Morrison, at the urging of his girlfriend, told a very unusual and, we must warn you, extremely disgusting story. Quite recently, a gold crown broke out of Morrison's mouth while he was eating. He accidentally swallowed the crown, which wouldn't have been such a big deal were it not for the outrageous cost of replacement: $1600. In a truly remarkable display of thriftiness, the writer spent the next several days digging through his own waste with a spoon trying to find that gold crown, even developing new systems to increase efficiency along the way. "I was shitting in a bag!" Morrison laughed. "But before I'd discovered the technology, I was shitting in the sink!"
Tragically, the crown was never recovered. When asked if he would have put such a thing back into his mouth even if he had found it, Morrison replied, "That's the real question, isn't it? It's like Sophie's Choice."

Beyond Avalon 03

I believe this is the world premiere
of Beyond Avalon number 3 cover!

This is one of the best comics on the american market right now and if you don't read it yet, I don't know what are you waiting?! Publisher is Image/Desperado and this ish will be soon on solicitations for July 2005.

Supreme art is by Croatia's finest - Goran Sudžuka.
This mistic-adventure ep is written by - Joe Pruett.



Over at the official Desperado Publishing site you can read a preview of Beyond Avalon issue 2.

Bob Solanović

Robert Solanović, simply known as Bob, is one of the top Croatian comic artists, which is (to be fair) not a hard thing to accomplish, because we don't have many of them...


With the great proudness that Bob is my friend, I'm posting here some of his works. First, I wanna point out that he is not just an author, but he's still a comic fanboy, too. You can see that well in his works, and what's more important, you can actually feel his general passion for comics in his drawnings.


His most popular character is Mister Meow. He created the character some ten years ago and one of Mr. Meow's adventures was once published in the States by Radio Comix.

In Croatia, Bob is currently working on his second Mr. Meow Hard Cover Collection and, in the same time, he draws short comic Kljunovi (The Beaks) for the Q Magazine, the only regular croatian comic magazine.


Allthough, he's not a teenager anymore, Solanović is one of the authors that forms the youngest wave of comic authors from Croatia. Maybe, you've heard of some of them. That wave includes the late artist Edvin Biuković (Human Target), known writer Darko Macan (Grendel Tales), known paiter Esad Ribić (Loki) and fellow artists Goran Sudžuka (Y-The Last Man) and Goran Parlov (Black Widow). They all live (or lived, when it comes to the tragical loss of the talent that was late Biuković) in Croatia's capitol Zagreb and Bob belongs among them, but his time on the global (some would say - American) comic scene is yet to come.



He allready did some preliminary sketches for one US publisher, but the title was cancelled due to the publisher's other interests. Anyway, the future does look very bright for him, as he is drawing comics for local Croatian and Serbian markets and still waiting to be discovered by the publishers in the States.



More Bob's works can be found at ActionTrip Comics Archive (in English) and at stripovi.com (in Croatian language).

Soon to come - one complete web comic: The Adventure of Mister Meow!
Please check later this week! :-)

Comic Monsters

If you like comic monsters (and who dosn't? lol), the best place for them on the web is Comic Monsters site. Rob is the man behind monsters and on his web site you'll find all of them - from my currently-reading-favourite Constantine to Hellboy or Goon.

Also, you can win some free comics over on Comic Monsters.Ya-hoooo!!The whole month of April there will be a promotionof Chanting Monks Press comics.

Chanting Monks Press president and horror writer Joe Monks are joining forces with Comic Monsters for a month long promotion that features an exclusive interview, special project announcements, and a month of giveaways of Chanting Monks Press prizes.

Week 1: Signed copies of Roadkills & The Night Terrors and a copy of Zacherley's Midnite Terrors #1
Week 2: Signed copies of Roadkills, Stuff Out'a My Head
paperback and ZMT #2
Week 3: Roadkills, Stuff paperback, and copies of
The Night Terrors and ZMT #1 & #2
Week 4: Roadkills, Stuff, ZMT #1 & #2 and
The Night Terrors with tee shirt
Week 5: ZMT #1, #2, and #3 signed, Stuff Out'a My Head paperback and copy of the Flowers on the Razorwire DVD.
For a chance to win any of the cool prizes involved in this promotion, all you will need to do is go to ComicMonsters.com and register, its free. A winner will be picked each Saturday.Use this link to register for a chance to win. Good luck!
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Some new readings...

Hellblazer: Tainted Love TPB

(176 pgs, DC/Vertigo, 1998)

Story: Garth Ennis.

Art: Steve Dillon.
Originaly published as Hellblazer
issues 68-71, Vertigo Jam 1, Hellblazer Special 1 ©1993.

Story


Art

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Hellblazer: Fear And Loathing TPB (160 pgs, DC/Vertigo, 1997)
Story: Garth Ennis.
Art: Steve Dillon.
Originaly published as Hellblazer
issues 62-67 ©1993.

This one is definitely NOT my favourite Hellblazer book. There are some one-shots collected here, like the one in which his niece Gemma performs her first witchcraft and John is very angry with that. Also, here's the one when he celebrates his 40th birthday, and inside this book is collected one longer story-arc in which he gets back to archangel Gabe (who didn't want to help him earlier)... All of these stories are not half as good or intense as the first Garth's Constantine story Dangerous Habits, but, on the very end of this book, Kit breaks up with John and - at the last 22 pages - all Hell breaks loose. Damn you, Garth Ennis! It should've be only two stars for your script here, but on the accaunt of the last story, the complete mark goes for three.
Steve Dillon is NOT my favourite artist. Don't like how he draws. His simplicity is sometimes repulsive and sometimes it is not known did he draw a telephone or is that a tuna-fish. And, usually, all of his faces look the same, so that the reader would have to go for a haircut to differ a person... Not my favourite artist, but I'm giving him credit that he did here much better than he usually does.

Story


Art

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New releases in Croatia