192. Flex Mentallo

Another great Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely book: Flex Mentallo.
I haven't read all of the run, but what I have seen I have loved.

191. We3

Crazy busy.
Here's a sketch of Morrison & Quitely's We3.
Great book, meh sketch.

190. Seaguy

Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled programming: Today is the continuation of the Grant Morrison Chronicles!
Seaguy!
Hey kids, did you hear? Seaguy is supposed to be a trilogy of 3-issue mini's ...and work has already started on the second arc. In fact, Cameron Stewart has a few pages from the second installment posted over at his Illustration blog.
Goooood stuff.

188. Gold Key covers

First off, whoops. 186, 187, 189?
Secondly, I want to do this entry right, so I'm going to have to come back to this.
Most likely, I'll do a wee-little painting.

189. Kill Your Boyfriend

I tried to do my best Philip Bond impersonation for this Kill Your Boyfriend sketch...
sorry, Phil.

187. Amalgam Comics

Amalgam Comics were nothing if not good-time, whacky fun. Maybe it's like Bill said: "This is something that worked far better as a concept than it did in execution." But he also said:"The Amalgam Comics 'events' produced some great comics and some even greater ideas, and was a simple spot of fun in an ever more complicated industry."
Once again Bill, you put it far more eloquently than I ever could have.

Also, I'd like to thank Brian Cronin for the kind words on Comics Should Be Good.
That beeping you hear is probably just the Brinks truck backing up to your door.

186. Archie Meets the Punisher

I don't think that this needs any explanation: Archie Meets the Punisher!!

185. Squirrel Girl

File this Squirrel Girl pic under: "thought it was funny at the time"

184. Speedball

oh, Speedball. What have they done to you?

183. Blue Beetle

Here we have fan favorite Blue Beetle. The last of the Ditko creations this week that were carried over from his days at the now defunct Charlton Comics.
The brilliance of Steve Ditko knows no bounds!
You need proof? Let's take a look at the most acclaimed work of Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons: the Watchmen. Most of the main characters were based (at least partially) on Ditko's Charlton Comics creations.
Rorschach= a mix of the Question and Mr. A.
Doctor Manhattan= Captain Atom.
Silk Spectre= Nightshade.
Nite Owl= our very own Blue Beetle.

Steve Ditko= Creative Genius!

182. Captain Atom

Here's Captain Atom.
Let Ditko Week never end!

181. Shade, the Changing Man

Wow, I had no idea that Shade, the Changing Man was a Steve Ditko creation. I was only vaguely familiar with the Peter Milligan Vertigo version of the character. I tried to get a good mix of the two here, but I'm afraid that whenever you put that crazy coat on him he tends to look all Vertigoed.

180. Hawk & Dove

I really wish I could spend more time on most of these, Hawk & Dove here included. This one is super-rough.
Well, hopefully tomorrow.

179. Mr. A

It's just like Bill Reed said: If entry #178 was the Question, Mr. A is the answer.

178. The Question

We continue on our journey of all things Ditko week with #178 on the 365 Reasons to Love Comics list: The Question.

177. The Creeper

I once saw the Creeper described as "the Joker if he decided to fight crime... with a feather boa."

...or something like that.

176. Spider-Man

We start off "Ditko Week" with what is easily his most popular creation: Spider-Man.
As the story goes; Stan Lee asked Jack Kirby to do some pages for a new character he had been mulling over, a teenage hero with spider-based abilities. I guess there was a magical ring involved somehow too. Anyway, Stan thought Jack had made the main character too heroic in his sample pages, he wanted Peter Parker to be kind of vulnerable, so he turned to the wonderful Mr. Ditko to work up something different. I think we all know how that all worked out. Steve ditched the spider-jewelry and gave us one of the greatest costumes in comic book history.

175. Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko.
One of the single greatest comic creators of all time.
I chose to use Mr. Ditko's creation of Eternity to represent him on this list, not only because it is such a great visual, but also because I hope his work will live on forever.
I can not wait to explore some of his fantastic creations over the next few entries.

174. The Amazing Screw-On Head

The Amazing Screw-On Head.
Do you really need any other examples of Mike Mignola's brilliance?

No, you don't.

173. Eye-Scream

I must admit, Eye-Scream is one of the major reasons I love comics. Well, not him specifically, but purely outlandish characters like him.

172. Ego, the Living Planet

"I talk to planets baby", Ego, the Living Planet
~MONSTER MAGNET
Dopes To Infinity (1995)

171. José Ladrönn

You know what? I'm not going to even pretend for a moment that I can mimic the fantastic style of José Ladrönn.
He did a lot of great work for the Planet Hulk storyline, so this pic is in that spirit.
Go and check out José's website too. His work is mind-blowing.

170. Cliff Chiang

I wish I could capture some of the magic that Cliff Chiang seems to effortlessly inject into every piece he creates. ...But, No dice!
oh well, at least this one's in color.

169. Lady Cop

To be honest, I still don't know much about Liza Warner AKA: Lady Cop. Despite Bill Reed's fine, fine work. Maybe I'm just missing something...

EDIT: Yes, I was missing something;
"Lady Cop was the story of one Liza Warner– a young woman terrorized by being the sole survivor of a massacre by a Killer In Boots. Haunted by the experience and vowing to catch the killer, she… joins up with the police force. What? You expected a cape and tights? Never! She becomes a policewoman, learns martial arts, kicks sexist pig ass, and teaches all her readers about the dangers of venereal disease."

~I will never question you again Mr. Reed

168. Joe Kubert

I realize that the "I love this artist" talk is probably redundant sounding, but it doesn't make it any less true. Joe Kubert is one of the greatest artists to ever work in the field, and I ... I love him.
There I said it.
Add in the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art and you have yourself one fine, fine man. He must be one heck of a teacher too, because his boys Adam and Andy, are superstar artists in their own rite.

Oh, this is a rendering of Tor from 1,000,000 Years Ago! ( a Joe Kubert creation! )

167. Conservation Corps

The Conservation Corps: Kid-friendly fun with an environment-friendly message. What's not to love? Let's bring the Corps back, people! We need them now more than ever!


Now that the anthropomorphism section of the list is completed, look for something completely different (...ish).

166. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Who doesn't love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Personally, my favorite version is the original. Even if they were a riff on the Frank Miller Daredevil stories of the time.
Heck, I even had some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comics. Probably still do somewhere.

165. Boris the Bear

Once again, my time constraints will not allow me to type endlessly about Boris the Bear. If it did I would have to get the Thesaurus out to find synonyms for transcendent. So I guess it's probably for the best.

164. Usagi Yojimbo

What can I say about Usagi Yojimbo?
Stan Sakai is brilliant, just brilliant.

163. Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon is great. I haven't seen much of his newer exploits with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I have seen I've really liked. Of course, I loved the original series.

162. Spider-Ham

This was a lot of fun, I wish I would have had the time to really do this one up right.
Here he is; Peter Porker, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Ham!

See you Monday, we'll wrap up this Anthropomorphism "Week".

161. Tawky Tawny

I like Tawky Tawny, the original Tawky Tawny. It seems that modern writers are not sure exactly what to do with him.
I actualy really liked the Astro City character based on him; "Looney Leo".

160. Bucky O’Hare

I wish I had the time to go on and on about how great Bucky O’Hare is. (Because he IS!)
But sadly, I gotta go.

See you tomorrow for more anthropomorphistic fun!

159. Hoppy the Marvel Bunny

Hoppy the Marvel Bunny?
Man oh man, you just gotta love the Golden Age. Don't ya?!

Oh yeah, that little fella behind Hoppy is Willie the Worm.

158. Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew

Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew.
Pure fun.

157. Destroyer Duck

Destroyer Duck is the result of the melding of two off-the-charts kinds of magnificent into one singular awesome!

156. Uncle Scrooge McDuck

I love Carl Barks.
Brilliant, just brilliant.
And his Uncle Scrooge stories are second to none.

155. Howard the Duck

Finally, some artwork!
Am I right people?!
Steve Gerber." was an awesome writer and Howard the Duck." was his brain-child.
Hence, Howard the Duck = über-awesome.

154. Enemy Ace

Again.
I really should get to work on these...

153. The Unknown Soldier

Also, on it's way...

152. The War That Time Forgot

On it's way...

151. The Other Side

Well, while I was on vacation, my dog ate it.
No, I honestly must have just misplaced it before I went on vacation. (In beautiful Door Co. Wisconsin.)
When I find it, I'll post it.

150. The ‘Nam

150! A milestone!
Hey, while we're here how about I let Bill Reed give a quick explanation about what we have going on here, directly from his original column;
"Welcome to the 150th daily installment of 365 Reasons to Love Comics, a column about creators, characters, titles, stories, and odds and ends that make comics great."
What do we have today?
"Today continues War Comics Week as we talk about a great series that stood out immensely, considering its era, The ‘Nam."
Since I'm still really busy, and because Bill does such a great job, I'll have him give an overview too;
"The ‘Nam was an incredibly well-balanced and realistic portrayal of American soldiers and a life at war. The series gave us some fantastic stories, and I advise you to pick up some of the issues out of your local back issue bin. It’s one of the best war comics ever put out."

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Stay Safe.

Medium: Pencil

149. Haunted Tank

The Haunted Tank is next on the list in war comics week, and it's a weird one.
Created by Bob Kanigher and the incredibly underrated Russ Heath, it's the story of a M3 Stuart being haunted by the ghost of a Confederate Civil War General, J.E.B. Stuart. And the guy who gets assigned to that very tank? None other than his (then) modern-day descendent, Jeb Stuart. Jeb and his crew then proceed to blow up all kinds of Nazi-ass!

Medium: Pencil

148. Sgt. Rock

Sgt. Rock is the card-carrying #1 certified toughest badass to ever walk the comic landscape. That's saying a lot, considering that's what a good majority of comic scripts are about. It's all documented here at Chris's invincible Super-Blog.

N.B: Joe Kubert is a certified badass of the art desk.

Medium: Pencil

147. Alex Toth

I don't think I can say anything about Alex Toth that hasn't been said much better by many others. The man was a truly a master, not only of comics but also animation and design.
Simply put: he was the greatest.

Medium: Pencil

146. Bob McLeod

Hey everyone,
I'm extremely busy right now, but let us conclude "Bob Week" by saying;
Bob McLeod is awesome!

Medium: Pencil

145. Bob Montana

I'm really enjoying Bob Week.
Bob Montana not only created one of the most enduring comics ever, but Archie Andrews and his friends have inspired innumerable imitators.
Let's all get "Archie-fied"!

Medium: Pen & ink

144. Bob Oksner

I was born too late.
I missed out on all of Bob Oksner's fantastic work. Bob did a lot of work on licensed humor titles, which means he took a lot of my favorite non-comic subjects, and put them in wonderful comic book form!
• The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis? ~ Check!
• Sgt. Bilko? ~ Check!
• Pat Boone? ~ Check!
• The Adventures of Bob Hope? ~ You betcha!
• The Adventures of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis? ~ I love Dean Martin. Check!
• Welcome Back, Kotter? ~ Che- wait, Welcome Back, Kotter?! Really?

Anyway, I thought I would showcase one of Mr. Oksner's creations, (and another of my favorites); Stanley and his Monster.
Pictured here is Stanley, Spot (his monster), Marcia (Stanley's babysitter), Shaughnessy the leprechaun, and Schnitzel the dwarf.
Monster humor books may be the best thing to come out of the 60's.

Medium: Pencil

143. Robert Kanigher

Robert Kanigher was a mad genius of the comic industry. He could write in any genre and make it maddingly entertaining! He also created multiple great characters: Black Canary, Rose and Thorn, Star Sapphire, the Sea Devils, Ragman, Poison Ivy, Lady Cop, and Rex the Wonder Dog. I know I'm missing some, but how awesome is that list?!
Probably his best known work was on Sgt. Rock with Joe Kubert (which I believe he also created). But since the Sarge shows up on our list soon, I decided to go with another one of my favorites. (Hey, it's my blog.)
The Metal Men!

Man, I love comics, and Mr. Kanigher is a big reason for that.

Medium: Pencil

142. Bob Haney

I was really torn on what subject to use for today's awesome reason to love comics; The award winning Bob Haney. I mean, there is just so much greatness to choose from: the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, Eclipso, Cain, Metamorpho (whom we've already covered), and ~are you ready for this? ~ the Super-Sons!! That's right Superman Jr. and Batman Jr.!
I instead went with one of his creations that I thought wasn't getting the attention it so rightfully deserved; B’Wana Beast! I loved his portrayal in the Justice League Unlimited series.
I LOVE Bob Week!

Medium: Pencil

141. Bob Burden

Bob Burden is brilliant! And I'm not the only one who thinks so, just look at some of the awards he has won: the Ignatz Award, the Inkpot Award, the ACE award, and an Eisner award.
Prestige!

Medium: Pencil

140. Bob Kane

Have you truly prepared yourself for the awesome might that Bill Reed himself has dubbed... "BOB WEEK"?!?

No? ...oh, ...um, well be ready TOMORROW!!! Wear loose fitting clothing and have a two minute song prepared.
Moving on...

A lot of things can be and have been said about Bob Kane. So, without getting too deep into things let me just say this: Without Bob Kane there would be no Batman, and no one would want that.

Medium: Pencil

139. Nick Cardy

Nick Cardy is one of the greatest cover artists that has ever graced the comic book industry, but that's not to say his interior art isn't also top-notch, because it most certainly is!
Also, check out his Website.

Medium: Quick pencil

138. Ramona Fradon

Today's 365 subject is the lovely & talented (& Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee) Ramona Fradon!
Now, I know she had a highly acclaimed run on Aquaman and also drew Batman, Superman, the Fantastic Four, Plastic Man, Brenda Starr and The Super Friends just to name a few. But I really wanted to showcase one of her co-created characters, not to mention one of my favorites; Metamorpho!
I really love that element man.
Thank you, Ramona.


Medium: Pencil