Michael Turner, RIP

Aw, man ... another bites the dust.  This has been a sad year indeed.

I loved Witchblade.  And he was a phenomenal artist.  Never even knew the bloke was ill as he always came across as such a positive, nice guy.  Bloody hell, this just tears me up inside ...

RIP, mate.

From Aspen Comic's Vince Hernandez -

Hello all,

Unfortunately it's with great sadness that I must inform everyone that Michael Turner tragically passed away last night, June 27th at approximately 10:42 pm in Santa Monica, Ca. Turner had been dealing with recent health complications arisen in the past few weeks. More details concerning Turner's passing, and services, will be given shortly.

Anyone wishing to send their condolences to Michael Turner's family is encouraged to send to:

Aspen MLT, Inc.
C/O Michael Turner
5855 Green Valley Circle, Suite 111
Culver City, CA, 90230

Aspen also encourages anyone wishing to make a charitable donation to please send to Michael Turner's requested charities:

The American Cancer Society

Or

The Make-A-Wish Foundation


Turner was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma (a bone-based cancer that attacks the cartilage) in March of 2000, which ultimately cost him his right hip, a portion of his pelvis and several pounds of bone. Turner was very open about his cancer, making convention appearances throughout the entire time, and never giving in to the illness.

Mike got his major break in comics at Top Cow, where he made his name as the artist on Witchblade with a look that was reminiscent of studio founder Marc Silvestri, but was all his own. His work was highly in demand throughout his career, and he was a frequent cover artist for a diverse number of series over the years. Turner’s style influenced many artists in the new millennium, probably more than Turner himself ever realized.

Turner’s creator-owned Fathom debuted in 1998, and in 2002, he left Top Cow to found his own Aspen MLT, Inc. where he saw Fathom resurface, along with other projects such as Soulfire and Ekos. Turner had done a significant portion of work at DC early in the decade, providing covers for Identity Crisis and Flash, as well as for the “Godfall” arc in the Superman titles (which he co-wrote), and the interior art for “Supergirl from Krypton” in Superman/Batman, where he and writer Jeph Loeb re-introduced Supergirl into the modern DC Universe. More recently, he had been providing variant covers for Marvel titles, such as next month’s Uncanny X-Men #500. At his most recent convention appearances, both Turner, and later Aspen representatives spoke of how the artist was eager to complete his obligations to other companies, so he could finally get back to work on his own projects at Aspen.

Despite his illness, Turner was one of the most upbeat people at conventions and in the industry. He always radiated a sense of humility and gratitude to his fans, and always had time for a quick chat or a smile. In an industry that can and has beat the happiness out of many creators, Mike was resistant to it, and was ever happy to work and talk to his fans, and even talk to the press. From the first moment you met him, you were his friend, and he treated you like he'd known you all his life.

Since his initial diagnosis in 2000, Turner had several ups and downs, but, surely thanks in part to his positive attitude, he was seen as the guy who was going to beat it, and be drawing for years to come - he just had to kick this thing first. Mike was 37.

Solange S'Orange

There are days I really feel good about my self.  Not today as I am sick as a dog.  If the dog had asthma, bronchitis and the voice of Rod Stewart. 

Well, until I saw this photo of Solange Knowles.

And suddenly I felt marginally better.

Who the hell let her out of the house looking like that?  Beyonce, did you do that?  Why you be hating like that?  Tina, you designed that dress, didn't you?  How many times must I tell you to get some Barbie dolls and stop inflicting your daughters with your fashion mishaps?

The girl is 22 and she looks like a 32-year-old, failed showgirl from Vegas.  Or a Miss Clueless beauty pageant.

Come on!  It's even worse as her elder sister actually looks classy and fresh next to her while she looks like a hot, tranny mess.

That orange rosette explosion of putridness should be ejected into space.  Except alien invasion will definitely happen light years from now when they mistake that for a hostile attack.

For the love of all that's holy, someone give that girl a makeover!

The Devil Wears Prada, The Pope Wears Down PETA

I did not even know this but apparently the current pope has been labelled as the "Prada Pope".  Our man was even included by Esquire in its best-dressed men's list!  Really???  I wonder if it is going to become a habit - bada ching!  Sorry.

And I thought he was German.  "Burda Pope" might be more appropriate, ja?  

Dude, you're a fashionista and I didn't even know it!  Maybe being Catholic can be hip instead of a target for bad quips.

But perhaps my ignorance was bliss as it turns out all to be total hogwash.  

And all because ye ole Pope Benedict XVI wore red loafers.  And ermine.  I guess the devil may wear Prada but the Pope does not do communion with PETA.

Vatican paper says pope does not wear Prada

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The devil may wear Prada — but the pope does not. According to the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the bright red loafers that Pope Benedict XVI wears are not designed by the Milanese fashion house, as has long been rumored.

"Obviously the attribution was false," the Vatican newspaper said in its Thursday's editions.

"Such rumors are inconsistent with the simple and somber man who, on the day of his election to the papacy, showed to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and to the whole world the sleeves of a modest black sweater," it said.

Still, Benedict's fashion sense has often drawn media attention.

Three years ago around Christmas, he showed up for his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square wearing a fur-trimmed stocking cap that could have passed for a Santa Claus hat. The hat, as it turned out, is a "camauro," which dates back to the Middle Ages and figures in many papal portraits.

On a separate occasion, Benedict sported a sumptuous red velvet cape trimmed in ermine — another piece of traditional papal attire that had long been abandoned.

L'Osservatore Romano said the pope's interest in clothes has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with liturgy — what symbolism traditional garments can bring to the Christian liturgy.

"The pope, therefore, does not wear Prada, but Christ," L'Osservatore said.

 

Brazilian Waxing Unlyrical

This is bloody cruel, I say. It's not enough that women typically suffer from extreme anxiety over the state of their bodies when they have to put on their bathers ... they had to start attacking a leggy 5ft 11 Victoria Secret model for being fat.

Karolina Kurkova was recently attacked by the Brazilian press for having "back fat, love handles and cellulite on her butt". They were apparently "horrified" when the 24-year-old strutted the runway at a recent Cia Maritima show looking "uncharacteristically chubby".

Yo. Get a grip. If that is chubby I would hate to hear what they call Britney Spears.

OK, so Kurkova is not looking as fit and toned as she used to, which is rather unfortunate for someone at her age. But by no means is she chubby.

And don't forget the camera piles on weight on most women. I look like a chubby chipmunk on film when I weigh almost the same as one. Which is why I try to avoid cameras.

I reckon Kurkova has just been laying off the exercise the last couple of months and forgot to spray before going out on the runway. 

Still, as one of the highest paid models in the industry who allegedly earns $5 million annually with her famous body, she does have a responsibility to keep it in top shape during a swimwear runway show.

From a business point of view, it is not her weight that is the problem. But when the media and public get hung up on her alleged weight and no one remembers the swimwear line, it is clear than that she has failed in her job.

Note to self: Hit gym before wearing bikini when in Brazil.

Korean Engrish

Buying T-shirts in Asia can be rather entertaining. You see a nice one that is well-constructed and tailored (read: makes you look hot) and then you read the words in the front. Or back, sometimes.

Walk feild. See drims. Happy together.

Here we go loop de joop.

Cat happy. Miuow.

Say what? Er, pass ...

I suppose it's similar to seeing some white dude with a huge tattoo on his arm. It's a Chinese character and you can tell he thinks it's bitchin'. Except the words says Happy. If it was read in reverse image. It's the wrong way round, mate.

So it was with some amusement that I received an email of the new promotional poster of a rather famous singer (sic) in Korea, with the unfortunate name of Li Hyori, who has launched her latest album.

It is even more ironic as the warbler has a rather risque image (well, for Koreans anyway) and everyone who can speak English in Korea is sniggering at it.

I rid poster. Laugh small big. Now and just now.

Facing the World Without

When I read over the weekend a news flash that Natascha McElhone's husband had passed away suddenly at age 42 and that she was pregnant with their third child ... I felt my heart break for her.

A sudden, swift flood of grief overcame me briefly before I told myself to get a grip.

I did not know these two people so I could not understand why that brief sentence would reduce me to a weepy sap.  But somehow, the three elements made my heart ache for Ms McElhone.  Sudden and unexplained.  At their doorstep.  Pregnant with third child.

He came home to die.  Without realising it, his feet guided his last moments just enough that he could be home.  She was not home though.  Lord, I had to reach for the Kleenex.

I told myself it was probably PMS or something to that extent and swept it from my mind so I would not be a maudlin mess.

Then I read this article today.  Natascha McElhone's touching obituary of her late husband.  Simple.  Heartfelt.  Surprisingly joyful despite the obvious sorrow.  Intelligent without pontificating.  And ultimately ... heartbreaking.

Her beautiful eulogy included this -

I feel so ill-equipped right now in my sleepless, shocked state to write anything coherent, but I want to get in there and shout aloud his name, make sure no one misunderstands him.

Ms McElhone, you succeeded and there is no one who read your article who could not admire him as a man and both of you for sharing a love and mutual respect that deep and profound. 

I have always thought her an intelligent actress with depth.  Now I see her as a woman of much love and substance.  I do not doubt Ms McElhone will be more than a survivor.  She will flourish with the memory and love of her husband and children.  I wish her all the best.

And reach for more tissues.

Never Apart

Blood is a strange thing. We used to joke that if you even have 1/16th of Maori blood, you can claim all the rights due. Which makes almost anyone eligible.

People with a prince for a great-great-great-grandfather, will still claim royal blood today, even if they live in the projects and work in a kebab shop. It seems the tenuous mixing of white and red plasma clamps a much more tenacious fist onto our psyche than we know.

Having so many different bloodlines and living in so many places means being able to identify with more than your share of cultures, people and beliefs. It also means you are more easily buffeted by the winds of fortune.

As children, we sat at home and cried when we watched the trains derail in india, killing thousands. We wrung our hands and felt divided and torn as we saw the ravages of the Falkland wars. We mutely withstood the sneers and jeers as 911 happened. We made our homes available to refugees during the tsunamis. We kept a vigil as bomb threats overtook Christmas in Germany and worried about each and every relative still remaining at home. We waited at airports to welcome and comfort each distant relative returned from a war-torn country.

We are far flung and stand with our feet on more than one shore. Crimson rivers have strewn the ground where we stood as we shed our blood to protect the land we call home ... even if it was only for a few decades. We have planted and harvested and given back to the land we made our fortunes in. We have silently made offerings and amends, because our actions may be misconstrued in these times of deep distrust and paranoid but understandable suspicion.

This morning, I read the latest criticisms hurled at someone trying to do his part for charity. It made a heart already sorely wrung even more fragile.

I have not said anything about the Sichuan earthquake thus far. It does not mean I do not feel it less, or more. It simple means that some sorrows run so deep that only tears can express the river of grief.

Perhaps only Agnes can understand that the silent sorrow whispers more thunderously than the shouts of lament and platitudes of words.

It is unfortunate that a man donated $100,000 to the Sichuan earthquake rescue efforts and was criticised. Why? Because he was Andy Lau. 

The critics accused him of being stingy since he is such a big and successful celebrity and should and could have donated more. Quite right. How dare he? 

I mean, he only headlined and headed many of the initiatives to aid the rescue work. He wrote two songs and galvanised his other celebrity mates to sing and record the songs to raise money towards the efforts. He also begged all his mates to donate $100,000 each and then led by example by openly donating that amount first. The $100,000 was also set as a standard so there would be no comparison between each donor, so as not to take away from the issue at hand. How ironic.

I am no Andy Lau fan. I do not have any strong positive or negative feelings towards the man. But I think it is such mean-spirited criticism that is crippling charity efforts today. In Korea, it is much the same. Celebrities do not even want to be associated with charity work as it will garner negative publicity with evil-minded individuals accusing them of using it as a public relations tool.

It is true that true charity should be done quietly and without expectations and for the good of the beneficiaries and no one else. However, one of the biggest tool a celebrity has is just that. Their celebrity. They know their mere appearance will inspire fans and groupies to copy their actions. It is why celebrity endorsements work so well.

It is a double edged sword. You help the charity when you use your celebrity. But you get shredded by the critics for being a publicity whore. 

Perhaps that is Andy Lau's greatest sacrifice for the Sichuan earthquake victims. His reputation for their redemption.

Whatever his intentions, you cannot fault him for helping. Perhaps he did it because he is Chinese. Perhaps he did it because he has family and friends in Sichuan. Perhaps he did it because he just happens to like Sichuanese food. Or perhaps he did it because he is simply human.

Even if I disliked the lyrics to his song Promise, I will give a nod towards the man for silently bearing the criticism and not letting that deter or embitter him in his goal to lend a hand.

Rather, I prefer the lyrics, even if the melody is deplorable, of the song Never Apart, which was written specifically for the Sichuan victims. Sung by Jackie Chan, who really should not sing, and with the lyrics by Nan Shu, it is much more meaningful and profound. I apologise for my poor translation and can only hope Agnes can help me clean it up.

生死不離
In life or death we will never be apart
你的夢落在哪裡
Even in the place where your dreams have fallen
想著生活繼續
Life will continue
天空失去了美麗
Even as the sky loses its beauty in darkness
你卻等待夢在明天站起
You're still waiting and hoping to stand up again 
你的呼喊刻在我的血液裡
And your cries are engraved in my blood

生死不離
In life or death we will never be apart
我數秒等你的消息
I count the seconds as I await news of your return
相信生命不息
Holding on to the belief that life will never end
與你祈禱一起呼吸
I say a prayer with you, as I take each breathe with you
我看不到你卻牽掛在心裡
Although I cannot see you, I carry you deep in my heart 
你的目光是我全部的意義
To see your gaze means everything to me

無論你在哪裡
No matter where you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
血脈能創造奇蹟 生命是命題
Our shared blood can create miracles, life is the eternal answer
無論你在哪裡
Wherever you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
手拉著手 生死不離
Hand in hand, we will never be apart

生死不離
In life or death we are never be apart
全世界都被沉寂
The entire world is submerged in silent sorrow
痛苦也不哭泣
Tears unshed even in pain and sorrow
愛是你的傳奇
Love is your legacy
彩虹在風雨後堅強升起
The rainbow will rise in glory after the storm
我在努力看到愛的力氣
Our efforts will flourish from the power of love

無論你在哪裡
No matter where you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
血脈能創造奇蹟 生命是命題
Our shared blood can create miracles, life is the eternal answer
無論你在哪裡
Wherever you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
天裂了 去縫起
The sky has been torn part, let us mend it together

你一絲希望是我全部的動力
One thread of hope is all I need
搭起我的手築成你回家的路基
I raise my hands to form the road for your return home

無論你在哪裡
No matter where you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
血脈能創造奇蹟 生命是命題
Our shared blood can create miracles, life is the eternal answer
無論你在哪裡
Wherever you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
手拉著手 生死不離
Hand in hand, we will never be apart

無論你在哪裡
No matter where you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
血脈能創造奇蹟 大山毅然舉起
Our shared blood can create miracles, life is the eternal answer
無論你在哪裡
Wherever you are
我都要找到你
I will find you
天裂了 去縫起
The sky has been torn part, let us mend it together

手拉著手 生死不離
Holding each other's hand, we will never part in life or death


On that note, some have taken the route of criticising China for its oft-times misguided policies and stands, leveraging unkind statements such as "retribution", "they deserve it", even discussing their population, education and human rights practices in light of the recent tragedy. 

This is not the time to cast blame or to kick a dog when it's down. Whatever a nation's past crimes, real or alleged, a tragedy of this magnitude and sorrow should not be degraded or demeaned. Let us try to maintain some humanity and extend hearts and hands in good will instead of finger wagging. 

Until their land is healed and their people can sleep in peace without tears on pillows ... we should not add to their grief.

Dear John, You've Lost Your Family Jewels ...

I read in the Sydney Morning Herald that former PM, John Howard has been violated.  OK, OK, his house got broken into and apparently some jewelry was nicked.

These burglars have some balls.  Not only did they rob a former political leader, they did it in broad daylight!  The paper reported that the police were called to the "Wollenstonecraft home, on Sydney's north shore" at 4pm after the automatic alarm was tripped.  

Obviously no one was home, with the big man around the house out of the house, overseas.

Well, at least the burglars only did away with Mr Howard's family jewels ...

Baby, You Can Wear My Dress

I must be insane to post anything to do with being knocked up.  Not that I have anything against it.  It's just that everything abut it makes me queasy.  And not in the Oh Lord-I-am-expecting kinda way and more in the I-think-I-am-gonna-be-ill-and-is-this-contagious kinda way.

However, I have been noticing that Nicole Kidman is sporting a bump.  I knew she was preggers but I typically do not pay attention to bumps.  But she makes it really hard for you not to notice.  Especially when she is holding on to it in every frame as if it is a very heavy bowling ball she is afraid to drop.

Hey, that's better than me wondering if she is pressing on her uterus so she does not need to make a loo run and miss all the paparazzi!

But I must admit, the dress is a beaut.  She always has rather nice taste in clothes and it's good that she does not suddenly go bonkers and starts adopting muumuus and circus tents as clothing just because she has a 9-month growth.

I love the colour, lines and cut of her dress.  It highlights without objectifying her baby bump.  Really, I wish she would stop clutching it so.  Give the baby some space, would ya?  It's hard enough being squished in there for 9 months!

Anyway, I would so wear that dress even if I was not preggers.  Of course it is a YSL so that will make it as expensive as bringing up a baby for say, 5 years?

Dollhouse Faith

I confess I am a Joss Whedon fan.  I know.  I should be ashamed.

Intellectually, I chide myself in embarrassment.  Fangirly, I go woo!  In my defense, I just like women who kick arse. 

Sans Waterworld, I like most of Whedon's work.  Initially, at least.  He has always been current, unabashedly fanboy and best of all, humorous.  He has good ideas that clink pleasantly with my own sense of anarchic creativity.

But he tends to fall victim to what most creators, and not maintainers, suffer.  He gets stuck and boring after a while and cannot sustain a long-term project. 

I've seen him come up with blazingly popular bodies of work which I would follow slavishly.  And then somewhere into the 3rd season, or earlier sometimes, it becomes predictable and mundane.  You can see that he is questioning his longevity with the project as his own interest wanes. 

It explains why a number of his television projects fail as television is a genre that pushes for unrealistic  continuity.  So he moved to films and realised his fanbase could only sustain the box office to a finite and limited time.

But you cannot keep a good man down and he is slated to return with yet another Eliza Dushku vehicle, Dollhouse.

The latter is also a fab femme I quite like to watch as there is something arresting about her performance.

The storyboard looks good for Dollhouse but it could all fall like a house of cards.  Yet, if Ghost Whisperer can survive for so long, I would lay my bets with the Whedon/Dushku venture.

Let's just hope Fox does not bail out before the show can gain the cult following that always seem slow to build but then explode into a critical mass to make Whedon/Dushku fanboy faves.  I caught the interview in Los Angeles Times with Whedon and the man makes a fascinating interview subject.

I especially enjoyed the writers' strike reference.  And even more, Dushku's comment when Whedon devised the Dollhouse concept on the spot over lunch - 

"You're talking about my life. In my life, everybody tells me who they want me to be while I try and figure out who I am." 

Whedon said that comment spoke to him.  I think it speaks to all of us.  

White On White I - Erwin Olaf and Taste

I've never really thought about it but I do rather like white on white.  In images, that is.  Sometimes even in furniture.  But it is not something I can live with.  I need colour.  And lots of it.

Rich, jewel hues.

Vibrant, raw shades.

Muted, shy tones.

Yet white and white appeals to me and tends to be the one that draws my eye immediately even if it later keeps straying to it's more colourful brethren.

Why this shy hesitancy towards white on white?  Perhaps it was a childhood memory remembering my grandmother's sneering remarks about someone who was white trash seeking to overstep their past by overplaying the "classy purity of white".  Or maybe it is the much simpler and less disturbing fact that I am superbly clumsy and white would stain horribly under my careless hand.

Still, I totally got Coilhouse's decision to put together a white on white homage.  

Coilhouse's top ten choices include Erwin Olaf's spectacularly surreal depiction of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.  Well, the age of his model makes it more Sissi of Bavaria but the death wound suggests a time-space continuum.  

Also the nail file aka murder weapon looks more like a butter knife.  But still, it's a gorgeous piece of creamy loveliness.

I would also add his Poppaea, the second wife to Roman Emperor No-I-Am-Not-Insane Nero.  The woman allegedly conned Nero into killing his own momma, and then psychoed him into divorcing and later executing his first wife.  

She was probably the inspiration for all of Jerry Springer's programmes.

She was allegedly kicked in the stomach while preggers with her second child by Nero.  Some even claimed Nero poisoned her or leapt upon her in a "casual fit" of rage.  Gee, I wonder what his formal fits of rages were like.  

Or it could have been due to a miscarriage as Nero went into deep mourning when the woman passed away.  

Then again, he was a nutter and they can go all wonky like that after committing homicide.  I reckon they make the Addams Family look positively boring.

Olaf also included this rather handsome fellow (for a blonde) in the line-up.  Simply entitled Ludwig+1886, one can only deduce that it is King Ludwig II, another famous nutter.  

But at least he was a patron of the arts.  The reason for the confusion is the blood on Olaf's Ludwig's collar and sleeves.  

Since ole Luggie's death was never explained and he was found like flotsam in Lake Wurm, I am not sure what artistic license Olaf took or if it alludes to some other Ludwig.  

Perhaps he was making his own conjecture based on one of the rumours that a shot was heard by the river on the day the mad monarch went Ophelia on us.

Another stunner is his Tsarina Alexandra, the last of the Russian royalty.  Yes, her of the Rasputin infamy.  

The bullet and bayonet wounds as well as her last desperate move to make the sign of the cross in vain as she was shot and stabbed to death ... well, it is just a masterpiece.

No, I am not macabre much.

She was canonised in 2000, along with her family so brutally executed that hot and dusty day in July 1918.  Now known as Saint Alexandra the Passion Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church, I rather think it is poor compensation, don't you?

The last one I would point out in Olaf's lineup is a bit contentious.  To me anyway.  I was in half mind on whether I should include it.

Because it is a trite bit tacky and tastless.

Because it concerns a recent icon and could be construed as disrespectful to her and her surviving love ones and family.

Because it seems to mock the circumstance of her passing.

Because unlike the rest, where the theme touched on ancient history or at least a history that does not reach out its spectral hands to claw at the still aching heart of her mourners, this one is just too relevant.

But I decided I will let the readers decide.

Tacky and disrespectful? Or an arty statement?  If the latter, pray tell me what it is, please.

Heroes Sales On in May

It's no secret I am a Heroes fan.  The writers' strike really pissed me off as it cut short Season 2 of my favourite telly programme and sent me into a panic when it looked as if there might not be a Season 3.

So it was with much relief when the producers announced that Season 3 was back on and slated to air this summer after a resolution was decided upon with the writers.

I was patiently waiting for news and updates when I came across an interview with Tim Sales on Pop Candy by Whitney Matheson.  That's the brilliant artist who created the comic strip for the series featured as Isaac Mendez's art pieces.  I was already in love with the man's work and after reading the interview, I admire the bloke even more.  Talented, modest, great taste and down-to-earth.  And he's kinda cute too.  It's enough to make you sick.  With envy.  Sigh.

So, for the benefit of fellow Heroes addicts, I will just include some excerpts from the interview pertaining to the show.  There is a lot of to the interview and it is only the first in a two-part (I think) series but it was well worth the read, if you are into comics like I am.

A Q&A with Tim Sale, part one

One of my favorite aspects of last week's trip to San Francisco was getting to know Tim Sale, renowned comic-book artist (Batman: The Long Halloween,  Solo, Catwoman: When in Rome) and the man behind the paintings on NBC's Heroes.

"Everything is different because of Heroes," he told me. "And if they'd had a better finale the first season and a stronger beginning of the second season, God knows what it would be like!" he joked.

...

The "Me" here is Whitney Matheson, the lucky girl who did the interview.

Me: Are you working on the third season right now?

Not yet. I'm told that I have a job, and I've been told how it's gonna take place. These guys are really uptight about saying too much. The writers are back, but production doesn't start until May 1.

 I have been told what they're thinking of doing, and it sounds like a really cool idea.

Now tell me about the process you go through to make the paintings, since we're sitting next to a stack of them.

It's funny, I first got involved with the show through Jeph (Loeb, the co-executive producer). Jeph called me a couple years ago and said, "There's a guy I've known longer than I've known you -- so it's longer than 20 years -- who has a hit show on NBC called Crossing Jordan.  And Tim (Kring, the creator) has written this script. And it kind of has comic-book overtones -- nobody's wearing tights or anything, but there are powers involved. And what he wants to do is to have someone do illustrations for the script in order to make it more exciting for the suits."

So I spoke to Kring and learned that he's never read a comic book. ... And eventually, the script sold. So Kring calls me and says, "Can you come up to the studio?" I'm up in his office at Universal, and the director, producer, Kring, a couple of the writers, the set designer are all there. And they said, "Can you paint?" And I said, "No, I'm color blind." Then I said, "Let's go to my website, I'll show you what we do in comics to try to overcome that."

What I do is take a piece of comic-book paper and do some artwork on it in black, white and gray using wash and charcoal and ink and scan that at a high resolution. I send that file to Dave Stewart, who's my fantastic colorist in comics, and he takes that file and, on the computer, colors it. He then sends that file back to the prop department on Heroes, and they go to Kinko's or something and have it printed really big on canvas and they tack it up and it looks like a painting.

I was pretty nervous about what it was gonna look like, (but) it is really impressive. Plus, on the show it's only onscreen for a second. So the size helps increase the impact of the impression of the artwork.

...

Then there were some questions from the readers of Pop Candy.  Among them was this:

Is there any way to get ahold of prints from your Heroes work? -- Geist0

No. I don't understand why the marketing department at NBC hasn't done something like that. There is no "Art of Heroes" book, but they're planning one -- I've just done a cover. I'll be helping design that. Wildstorm is gonna be putting it out. I don't know when it's on schedule.

There are also an awful lot of other artists doing other things ... but I think it's primarily gonna be the paintings from the show, my process and that sort of thing. There is also a book that came out from Wildstorm last year with two different covers -- an Alex Ross cover and a Jim Lee cover -- that had some of my artwork in it, but it was basically the online comic. That's sort of it, and I don't understand why there isn't more, especially prints.

I cannot wait for both the second part of this excellent article and also to Season 3.

Rock of Ages

This is way cool.  A retrospective of the icons of rock. 

Saw this photo article in the Sydney Morning Herald and thought about how a pivotal generation of rock has passed.  I might sound like an old fogey but it sure isn't quite the same as it used to be.

The lineup chosen by SMH was a bit strange and I think someone there does not know the difference between rock and pop since the list also included Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Michael Jackson.  I could not even bring myself to include the last one in this post.

Here's to the legends.  Rock on.

They sure gave lots of us Satisfaction.  Gather no moss, mates, keep gathering no moss ...

Hopefully they won't be climbing the Stairway to Heaven anytime soon.

Actually I think she should stop trying to act like a teen and start acting a bit more her age.  Think Tina Turner, honey, not Rihanna.  And no, I wouldn't have categorised her as rock - not sure why she was in this lineup.

I'm sorry but Queen died the day Freddie did.  Still tears me up when I see his picture.  Damn.

Ah, Blondie ... every male mate's fantasy.  And looking damn hot even in her 50s.  Take note, Madge!

I always preferred Bowie myself.

One word.  Fab.

Crying Shame

Hands up the number of you who remember The Crying Game?

I remember watching that after school with my best friend and we had the misfortune of attracting the attention of the class perv who decided to follow us to the cinema.  He promptly sat next to my best friend and proceeded to make a bloody nuisance of himself till we threatened to castrate him.  He had no clue what movie we were seeing so it was a real shock to his pitiful system when he realised.

And they say there is no justice in the world.

Anyway, it is undeniable that the two most memorable things about The Crying Game is the shower scene ... and Jaye Davidson! 

Holy cow, how gorgeous was this androgynous beauty?  You could totally buy into the sexual ambiguity and total smitten-ness that this man could induce.

I'd forgotten all about him till I read an article in Coilhouse (which I totally love by the way) on this missing icon of our misbegotten youth.  I just had to share the gloriousness of a golden age here.

He's disappeared from the movie scene after Stargate, which was a complete waste of his time except to prove again how spectacularly gorgeous he is.  

I totally identify with his distate for the so-called fame and game of the entertainment industry.  Although I wonder how he equates that with the fashion industry (from whence he game pre-Crying Game) as it has the same level of shite. So, I can understand why he went underground rather than deal with the bullshite.

Hopefully, wherever he is now, he is still as effortlessly elegant and fashionably recherche as ever.