Revenge of the Sith and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Aw, poor Mace Windu. At least he went out like a man and not some punk. Here are a couple Revenge of the Sith cards where I erased my previous pencil sketch and was commissioned to do a new image in color. Initially it was just supposed to be the one card with Mace, but after the collector saw it he wanted Palpatine and Anakin on a second card.

I saw "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" directed by master filmmaker Sidney Lumet and written by Kelly Masterson earlier tonight. It's a powerful film about two brothers and a robbery gone bad. Lumet is still at the top of his game. It's cleverly written and acted. Wonderful performances by Ethan Hawke, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Marisa Tomei. I think the reason Lumet is still able to make good movies at his age and in such quick succession while other guys who've been at it for a while can't match his quality and output because he isn't afraid of new technology (this one was shot with a Panavision Genesis hi-def camera) and he isn't afraid to take chances. Fear leads to weakness and complacency.

Alpha Monkey

I have a new comic up on DC's online site. It's a comedy-adventure strip called Alpha Monkey. It's penciled by Matteo Scalera, colored by Oscar Celestini (yes, my talented crew from Hyperkinetic), co-created by Bobby Rubio, and written and inked by me.

Check it out and vote for it if you like it.

http://zudacomics.com/alpha_monkey

Happy Halloween

Konichiwa Kenny and I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Keep an eye out for everyone's new favorite comic -- Alpha Monkey. More info on that next week.

In the Zone

I'm not sure one can quite understand the feeling of being in the zone if one is not an athlete, artist, or writer. If you're an athlete, you can score at will and no defense can stop you. As an artist, your lines are going down effortlessly and better than you expected. When writing, scenes come out better than in your head and dialogue is coming out cleverly and fast. You can't put yourself in the zone. It just happens. Sometimes when I'm in that state when writing or inking, I'll lose track of time and forget to stop and eat and stuff like that.

I was in the zone when penciling this drawing of Emma Watson as Hermione yesterday afternoon. Then I went to a screening and party. I wasn't in the zone when I inked and colored it. I like the drawing, but I wonder how much better it could have been if I finished it in the zone.

Milla

Here's Milla Jovovich from Resident Evil: Extinction.

Doctor Who

Here are some Doctor Who sketch cards I did for Strictly Ink in the summer.

Danny Phantom

I did this as a birthday gift for my nephew Zach.

Maria

I will be at the West Hollywood Book Fair Sunday, September 30, 2007 at the Indie Comics Booth.

Here's a drawing of Maria Menounos.

Blink

I never got into Doctor Who as a kid. I don't know if it was because of the cheap sets and effects or because it was shot on video. When the new version came on with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor (and shot on film), I gave it another shot and was happy I did. The new version is quite good.

The latest episode (at least here in the great U.S.A.) "Blink" featured Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow. She pretty much carried this cleverly written episode. Surely the brain trust in Hollywood will soon recognize her talents and Carey will be starring in major studio feature films.

Petra

I dug Petra Nemcova's TV show A Model Life on TLC. I would like to see another season of it. Unlike other new model shows, the ones on Petra's show look like they could actually be fashion models. Petra also seems genuinely warm. This drawing is based on a photo.

Slave Leia

Princess Leia in her slave costume. A commission I just did.

Amber

Here's actress Amber Heard based on a photo.

Mike Wieringo

I know a lot of people in comics, but only few of them I consider friends and Mike Wieringo was one of my closest friends and confidant. He died yesterday. He was only 44.

I met Mike early in my career. He was one of the few big name pencilers that requested me as an inker. We spoke to one another often and seemingly endlessly. We talked about what we liked and disliked about the industry, our dreams and aspirations, and a bunch of crazy stuff that had nothing to do with art or comics. Whenever I needed him, I could always count on him.

Mike was an amazing artist and great human being. There is goodness in his soul. He will always be my friend.

Miranda

Here's Miranda Kerr from a photo.

Pineapple Express

Back to back nights for me of watching movies written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and the fellas score again. Pineapple Express (directed by David Gordon Green) is about a pot head (Rogen) and his dealer (James Franco) who are on the run when a major drug dealer goes after them after Rogen witnesses him killing a rival. Amber Heard (who I will draw in the near future) plays Rogen's girlfriend who is a high school student.

Having seen two Rogen/Goldberg flicks in subsequent days I noticed recurring themes: they have a fondness for homoerotic humor (there's a hilarious scene where Rogen and Franco try to escape from having their hands bound and end up in positions that look like they're having sex), male friendship is more important than the love of any woman ("bros before hos"), and they also set both their flicks in the town of Clark County (wherever the hell that is) where incompetent and/or corrupt cops seem to run rampant.

I like the two characters' idiocy and awkwardness in action such as when Franco has to kick out the windshield of a speeding car he is driving and gets his foot stuck instead. I would have liked to have seen that awkwardness applied to their use of guns in the big shoot out, but that's just a nitpick. The movie doesn't come out until next year so they might even reshoot that stuff. Whether they do or not, it's funny and worth watching.

Two Cool Dudes

Who were the two coolest dudes at this past San Diego Comic-Con? Clive Owen and Robert Downey Jr. of course. Since I don't have a photo of them, here's Pierre Bernard and me.

Speaking of cool dudes, I have seen Superbad twice already (one of the great things about living in L.A.). It's written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Greg Mottola. It's a funny movie about three high school losers trying to get alcohol for a party and score with chicks. Check it out.

Stardust

I have all the Stardust books, but have yet to read them. I did see the movie earlier tonight and I like it. It's about a young man who goes into a magical world in search of a fallen star to give to his unrequited love. In his journey he has adventures and finds true romance. There is also good humor with Robert De Niro and Ricky Gervais. Go watch it.

Ale

Here's supercool model Alessandra Ambrossio based on a photo.

Comic-Con in San Diego was fun. The highlight was watching an advance screening of Shoot 'em Up written and directed by Michael Davis. It stars Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci. It's the best gun-action (or gun fu if you prefer) movie that I have seen since the Hong Kong maestro filmmakers (John Woo, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam) were at the top of their game. Check it out if you like having fun at the movies.

I also got to meet my MySpace buddy Pierre Bernard (Late Night with Conan O'Brien) which was cool. I also ran into old pals such as Humberto Ramos, Randy Green, J. Scott Campbell, Gary Ham, Scott Tolleson, Alberto Ruiz, and Bobby Rubio as well as pretty much every one of my pencilers on my creator-owned books: Keron Grant, Kaare Andrews, Sanford Greene, Joey Mason, and Darryl Young (it's not a coincidence that I only work with super talented people).

Power Girl

Here's a pin-up of Power Girl penciled by my buddy Randy Green and inked by me.