Showing posts with label Blade Runner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blade Runner. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2026
PEOPLE WITH ISSUES Episode 27
Monday, February 16, 2026
Thursday, September 03, 2020
ZINE LOVE - SMALL (PRESS) OAKS
Iestyn Pettigrew asked me questions about my influences and inspirations over at Zine Love website.
I mention Peter Bagge, Blade Runner, Bugs Bunny, Comic Books are Burning in Hell, Danger Mouse, Steve Howe, Tim Kelly, Jack Kirby, James Kochalka, The Police, Treehouse, Carol Tyler, and Al Williamson.
Have a look here.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
THAT COMIC SMELL: Movie Chat part 2
New episode out now!
From the web:
"Welcome back to part 2.
Strap yourselves in folks. Our Mike is about to tell the tale of cinema.
This was supposed to be a top 10… Someone didn’t give Mike the memo. Dave and Tom book end this episode with their lists but this is Mike Sedakat’s Odyssey.
We chat on what seems like every movie known to human existence. We have such a great laugh doing so though. This was so much fun putting this 2 parter together and we really hope you’ve enjoyed/enjoy it.
We will be back to our regular comics chat next time.
We hope you are all safe, healthy and happy out there.
Here comes the movie chat on…
That Comic Smell!
Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @thatcomicsmell
Get us on…
Soundcloud: tinyurl.com/y8vzeh3c
Spotify: tinyurl.com/y2qtu2cs
YouTube: tinyurl.com/yajnxcno
Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/hwbqxab
Podbean: tinyurl.com/yxvecykj
and most places you find podcasts."
Friday, May 01, 2020
STAR JAWS #34
The new Star Jaws issue 34 is out now from Barnstormer Comics, featuring work from Robin Barnard, Martin Hand, and myself.
The comic includes part six of my "Los Angeles, November 2019", and another story called "T-Minus: Not Happening". The latter is previewed above.
Also included is the true story of how I saved Dirk Benedict's life.
More information at the Images Degrading Forever website here.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
STAR JAWS #29
The new issue from Barnstormer Comics is out now, featuring work from Robin Barnard and Martin Hand.
They've also began running my Blade Runner tribute comic, "Los Angeles, November 2019."
More information on Barnstormer Comics can be found here.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
Friday, November 22, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Monday, November 11, 2019
Thursday, November 07, 2019
Friday, November 01, 2019
Monday, January 14, 2019
THAT COMIC SMELL 36: Giant Size 2019 Annual (Bronze Age Top 3)
The new episode of That Comic Smell is now online.
Have a listen at iTunes, Soundcloud and YouTube.
From the web:
""Look out Gotham! The Joker’s back in town!"
We're back and bigger than ever! After a large bout of sickness, festive down time and technical problems we come to you with this Bumper Giant Size Episode. We begin by answering some VERY interesting twitter questions from listeners. Which takes us nicely into showing off our Christmas pressies/swag to each other. Some have more than others and we go all out to try and make each other jealous.
If that wasn’t enough for you, we even had a main topic of our Top 3 Bronze Age comics! As we find out though, we barely scratch the surface on such an iconic and defining era in comic history. That doesn’t stop us completely smothering ourselves in bronze-age goodness and sharing some incredible favourites.
This and all the usual comics chat on the only comics podcast that one day would love to be sponsored by a biscuit. I mean I think we eat enough…
That Comic Smell!"
Saturday, January 24, 2015
AL WILLIAMSON
[I put up the following piece at the time of Al Williamson's death in June, 2010. It has disappeared off my blog, so I am reposting.]
Al Williamson has died.
He worked in comics since the 1950s, when he was part
of the legendary EC comics stable. His longevity has meant that he has had an
impact on many generations. I became aware of him when he did the Marvel Comics
adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back:
Back then I could instinctively tell that this artwork was
superior to other stuff being published. It’s classical style clicked with me,
and coupled with the excitement about a new Star Wars, it was irresistible.
Williamson drew some of the spin-off Star Wars comics Marvel
published too. This is from 1981, issue 50:
He’d been well known for drawing Flash Gordon in the 1960s
too, taking on the mantle of artist from Alex Raymond – himself a big influence
on the young Williamson. The Flash Gordon movie of 1980 certainly had a
different tone than the comics, but the adaptation was handed over to
Williamson to draw, a choice which delighted fans:
I first saw Blade Runner on video in 1983 and was excited
about a new film with Han Solo in it. However I quickly grew tired of it and
went off to play with my cousins instead. A couple of years later Return of the
Jedi Weekly in the UK
began running Williamson’s Blade Runner adaptation as a back up strip. Wow –
what artwork once again by this guy. I had to see the film again to re-evaluate
it. The comic is beautiful:
By 1983 Return of the Jedi was ready to come out. The comic
was advertised showing parts of Williamson’s artwork. Again, it’s dynamite:
So he’s done Empire and Jedi, but not the original movie. If
only he could have a go at adapting the original Star Wars I thought to myself.
There was another Star Wars comic by Williamson in Star Wars issue 98 in 1985.
Bonus greatness:
I got my first taste of Williamson’s original Flash Gordon
work in one of Alan Class’ UK
black and white collections. These were little treasure troves with plenty of
prime Ditko, Kirby and other great little stories from the 50s and 60s. But
what did I spot in the newsagent one day in the mid 80s? An Amazing Stories of
Suspense cover featuring Flash Gordon which was unmistakably by Williamson:
An Art of Al Williamson book was released in 1983. I finally
got a hold of it years later. It contained something I didn’t know had existed.
Unpublished Star Wars strips drawn in 1977 chronicling the first movie:
After the Empire adaptation, Williamson got the job of doing
the Star Wars newspaper strips. I cut a bunch of them out of a huge pile of
Sunday Express magazines that were sat in the back on my biology classroom in
the late 80s. They really are beautiful:
In the early 90s, Dark Horse Comics re-jigged and reprinted
the strips, editing them so as to fit a standard comic book format, with
Williamson expanding on his artwork and sometimes drawing entirely new pictures.
So, for instance, the preceding Sunday strip became a two pager:
Beginning in the late 80s Williamson put more time into
inking comics. He made everybody he inked look better. Williamson’s work with
John Romita JR. on Daredevil is generally regarded to be the latter’s best.
In 1995 Marvel put out a new Flash Gordon two part series by
Williamson. Great stuff once again:
The last published new work by Williamson that I’m aware of
was a Sub-Mariner story from last year:
Great to still see those evocative lines in the sea
background, and lithe figure work too.
Another strip he drew for many years was Secret Agent
Corrigan, which is all going to be collected soon. Here’s a nice moody three
panels:
I’ve picked up other Williamson comics over the years. As
much as I could growing up in a town without a comic shop.
Here’s a nice page from Alien Worlds in 1984:
This is a 1990s reprint of Sound of Thunder from 1954:
There have been many more books on Williamson since The Art
of in 1983. There has also been a collection of all his Flash Gordon
work which looks tremendous. I’ve mock-complained with my friends that every
time I turn around, someone else has brought out a book on Al Williamson!
Didn’t stop me buying and enjoying them though…
I had just ordered The Al Williamson Archives which is due
out in September. It’ll be a bittersweet
experience looking through it now.
For many years my admiration of Williamson was such that I
thought the best word to describe his work was “impossible”. How could anyone
draw entire comic books to that standard? It just seemed impossibly good. As I
got older I realised that it came down to bloody hard work. Williamson didn’t
have a magic paintbrush that produced this stuff, he had talent and had to sit
down and put the hours in to make it all look so good.
I was paralysed in my own drawing by Williamson. For a long
time, I thought I had to measure myself against him. I could never reach that
level (no-one did), so I was stuck. I finally had to throw him away completely
from my thinking when drawing my own stuff, which finally liberated me.
Now I’m free to enjoy and marvel at the beautiful artwork
that is still there on the page.
Thank you, Al Williamson.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
R.I.P. AL WILLIAMSON
Al Williamson has died.
He'd worked in comics since the 1940s. He became part of the legendary EC comics stable. His longevity has meant that he has had an impact on many generations. I became aware of him when he did the Marvel Comics adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980:
Back then I could instinctively tell that this artwork was superior to other stuff being published. It’s classical style clicked with me, and coupled with the excitement about a new Star Wars, it was irresistible.
Williamson drew some of the spin-off Star Wars comics Marvel published too. This is from 1981, issue 50:
He’d been well known for his work on Flash Gordon in the 1960s, taking over the character drawn by Alex Raymond – himself a big influence on the young Williamson. The Flash Gordon movie of 1980 certainly had a different tone than the comics, but the adaptation was handed over to Williamson to draw, a choice which delighted fans:
I first saw Blade Runner on video in 1983 and was excited about a new film with Han Solo in it. However I quickly grew tired of it and went off to play with my cousins instead. A couple of years later Return of the Jedi Weekly in the UK began running Williamson’s Blade Runner adaptation as a back up strip. Wow – what artwork once again by this guy. I had to see the film again to re-evaluate it. The comic is beautiful:
By 1983 Return of the Jedi was ready to come out. The comic was advertised showing parts of Williamson’s artwork. It’s dynamite:
So he’d done Empire and Jedi, but not the first movie. If only he could have a go at adapting the original Star Wars, I thought to myself. There was another Star Wars comic by Williamson in Star Wars issue 98 in 1985. Bonus greatness:
I got my first taste of Williamson’s original Flash Gordon work in one of the Alan Class UK black and white collections. These were little treasure troves with plenty of prime Ditko, Kirby and other great little stories from the 50s and 60s. But what did I spot in the newsagent one day in the mid 80s? An Amazing Stories of Suspense cover featuring Flash Gordon which was unmistakably by Williamson:
An Art of Al Williamson book was released in 1983. I finally got a hold of it years later. It contained something I didn’t know had existed. Previously unpublished Star Wars strips drawn in 1978 chronicling the first movie:
After the Empire adaptation, Williamson got the job of doing the Star Wars newspaper strips. I cut a bunch of them out of a huge pile of Sunday Express magazines that were sat in the back on my biology classroom in the late 80s. They really are beautiful:
In the early 90s, Dark Horse Comics re-jigged and reprinted the strips, editing them so as to fit a standard comic book format, with Williamson expanding on his artwork and sometimes drawing entirely new pictures. So, for instance, the preceding Sunday strip became a two pager:
Another reprint came in 1992. Excellent EC work by Williamson - The Sound of Thunder from 1954:
Beginning in the late 80s Williamson put more time into inking comics. He made everybody he inked look better. Williamson’s work with John Romita JR. on Daredevil is generally regarded to be the latter’s best:
In 1995 Marvel put out a new Flash Gordon two part series by Williamson. Great stuff once again:
The last published new work by Williamson that I’m aware of was a Sub-Mariner story from last year:
Great to see those evocative lines in the sea background, and lithe figure work too.
Another strip he drew for many years was Secret Agent Corrigan, which is all going to be collected soon. Here’s a nice moody three panel sequence:
I’ve picked up other Williamson comics over the years. As much as I could growing up in a town without a comic shop.
Here’s a nice page from Alien Worlds in 1984:
There have been many more books on Williamson since The Art of... in 1983:
There has also been a collection of all his Flash Gordon work which looks tremendous. I’ve mock-complained with my friends that every time I turn around, someone else has brought out a book on Al Williamson! Didn’t stop me buying and enjoying them though…
I had just ordered The Al Williamson Archives which is due out in September. It’ll be a bittersweet experience looking through it now.
For many years my admiration of Williamson was such that I thought the best word to describe his work was “impossible”. How could anyone draw entire comic books to that standard? It just seemed impossibly good. As I got older I realised that it came down to bloody hard work. Williamson didn’t have a magic paintbrush that produced this stuff, he had talent and had to sit down and put the hours in to make it all look so good.
I was paralysed in my own drawing by Williamson. For a long time, I thought I had to measure myself against him. I could never reach that level (no-one did), so I was stuck. I finally had to throw him away completely from my thinking when drawing my own stuff, which finally liberated me.
Now I’m free to enjoy and marvel at the beautiful artwork that is still there on the page.
Thank you, Al Williamson.
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