The beat goes on with yet more cool art from the Mike Wieringo Tribute event. Above, Cyclops by Walter Simonson.
Below, the Hulk by Tom Raney:
And Psylocke by the inimitable Jae Lee:
Ah, you kids have been good, here's another shot: Tom Raney and Jae Lee in action.
Jim McLauchlin
By all accounts, Sept. 19th's Mike Wieringo tribute at Flatiron Joe's in Manhattan was a great time for all. In fact, here's one account from Marvel's Jim McCann:
"Joe Quesada and Todd Dezago gave some opening remarks, and then the artists got to work. The artists sketching included Jae Lee, Tom Raney, Dennis Calero, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Connor, Arthur Suydam, Paul Renaud, Rodney Ramos, Paolo Rivera, Joe Quesada (and his daughter Carly), and some guy named WALT SIMONSON!!!! MVP of the night had to be Walt, turning in close to 15 sketches for auction. Money raised thru auction, commissions and donations was in excess of $4,000 in just 2 hours!
"The entire bar was full as food, beer, and Mike stories flowed. It was loud, raucous, and filled with laughter. Because Mike would have wanted it that way.
"Thanks for letting me be a part! It was a night to remember!"
Our thanks to all who participated, ESPECIALLY the artists and Tony Tower, David Price, Steve Zegers and Ron Richards, who were Hero's volunteers on the spot. Money raised will be split between The Hero Initiative and the ASPCA, two of Mike's "pet" charities. Here's just a couple photos to whet the appetite, a LOT more to come from both Hero an Marvel.com tomorrow!
Jim McLauchlin
Immediate below, Walter Simonson, Amanda Connor, Jimmy Palmiotti and more showed up at Flatiron Joe's to do some sketches.
Below, Arthur "Red" Suydam showed up to do some damage.
Below, Joe Quesada and daughter Carly (Carly brought her crayons and sold a drawing for $50; she's a professional now!)
All the cool kids were at The Secret Headquarters on Labor Day weekend where The Hero Initiative rolled out The 3-minute Sketchbook (lookee here for more details:
http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=84 ). Our thanks to Brian Cunningham of Wizard, who helped put together the book, AND played Jimmy Olsen, snapping off these pics!
Immediate below, a close-up of the racks, showing work by Dick Ayers, Steve McNiven, Ernie Chan, Jim Cheung, Sal Buscema, Frank Cho and more!
Joltin' Joe Rubinstein was one of the many artists who showed up to do some ACTUAL 3-minute sketches in people's books. He's aided and abetted by Hero volunteer Erudite Elizabeth Thompson.
And just above, a close-up on some of the work Bongo Comics' Bill Morrison was doing.
The following from our own Kevin Brogan, who was on-site at Ye Olde Baltimore Comic-Con:
The Baltimore Comic-Con (www.comicon.com/baltimore) proved once again to be a great success for fans and dealers alike. With a cast of talent that rivals any other con, it is one of the largest independent shows based strictly on comic books and comic book art. The Hero Initiative has had a presence in Baltimore since its first show, adding to its attraction by bringing in some high-profile names, and special events. This year, our guests were Joe Kubert and sons, Adam and Andy, and John Romita Sr. and son, John Jr.—a Full House. Unfortunately, John Jr. was unable to make it due to last-minute travel problems. Hero’s big event this year was an auction of “three-minute” sketches, collected by Michael Finn and donated to Hero.
As some of you know, Baltimore is a two-day affair, so from early morning Saturday, we were hustling. Joe and his sons arrived right on time with a Hawkman piece ready for auction. Joe took his seat and began signing. He did not stop until the line diminished. Two schedule one-hour signings became an hour and a half each. An estimated 300 autographs patrons came in closer to 500, but Joe signed ’em all.
Since 3-minutes sketches were our theme, I thought Joe might do a quick sketch in one of his “How to Draw” books. And he did three books. Sunday he was to be busy with interviews and panels, but he still was willing to do another signing session while he waited for the interviewer. Finally, one of Hero’s traditions at Baltimore is to have our guests do a duet piece. Joe and John Romita were willing to do it, and Joe had the brilliant idea of videotaping it (video to come).
John, who always comes through for us at Baltimore, made the mistake of showing up early Saturday. I suggested that he rest, have his coffee, talk to fans, and start signing after Kuberts’ shift. He started immediately. Since he started early he was able to finish early, but then he agreed to do two sketches. I tried to limit his signing for the rest of the show, but he kept getting away from me, and did another shift, as well as a gang signing for The Ultimate Spider-Man #100 Project. His incredible effort has always been at the core of Baltimore’s success.
Finally, thanks to Adam and Andy and the three signing shifts they put in, and their sketching. Hero was able to keep the booth active when John and Joe needed a much deserve break. The 3-minute sketches auction closed out the show on a big bang. Hero auctioned off nearly 150 pieces in the closing hours of the show. It was a proper closing to a busy show.
But the high point of the show was the Harvey Awards, Saturday night where The Hero Initiative honored Joe Kubert with its Lifetime Achievement Awards, recognizing his incredible commitment to the profession and its professionals. I was privileged to be the presenter of such a prominent award to such a distinguished artist, teacher, and hero.
As a fan of 40 years, it was a great experience for me to work together with Joe Kubert and John Romita. Having Joe and John as Hero’s guest was a dream come true for me as a would-be artist, and as the booth coordinator. Along with Adam and Andy, the team surpassed all tasks, helping us raise one of the highest total funds of any Con. If you have not been to Baltimore Con you should seriously consider attending next year, September 27- 28, 2008, where we will have another fun-filled show.
Kevin Brogan
Joe Kubert is the winner of the Hero Initiative 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is a "legacy" award. Last year's co-winners, John Romita Sr. and George Pérez, chose Kubert as this year's recipient. For 2008, Joe will get to choose a recipient.
Any attempt to enumerate the lifetime achievements of Joe Kubert would be incomplete, I'm sure, so suffice to say that as a writer, an artist, an educator, and a great human being, Joe Kubert is all 31 flavors of deserving. He continues to inspire to this day. A more worthy recipient I cannot think of.
And hats off to the hyper-talented Tommy Allison of Mad Robot Studios. Tommy crafted this year's award, just as he did last year with Romita and Pérez. Heck, he even came up with the inscription on the back! A damn good guy, that Tommy fellow.
Jim McLauchlin
The Hero Initiative
11301 Olympic Blvd., #587
Los Angeles, CA 90064
818-776-1918
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