Sept 12th, 2007
Good times old and new

   Never before have I had such a backlog of comics to read, between all the new reprints and the cool swag I bought a month ago at WizardWorld Chicago. I have goofy tastes, such as musty old copies of The Comics Journal back when it's coverage was more mainstream. I'd elaborate more about why I haven't read it in eons, but I see the words "Gary Groth" and "lawsuits" in the same sentence more times than I dare count. I found in one of those old Journals a small news item in early 1982 that Marv Wolfman was working on an unnamed 12-issue "maxi-series" that would straighten out the continuity of the DCUniverse! I hadn't realized that Crisis on Infinite Earths was concieved that early, as it didn't come out until 1985, DC's 50th anniversary. More comics minutiae to fill my head with!

   Also, I really enjoyed the most recent edition of Modern Masters (Twomorrows) that focuses on Michael Golden, but....

   here's the but...

   like most influential comic artists, Golden is self-effacing to a fault. In short, the interview is a disappointment to read, but the art reproduced is worth the price alone, and thank goodness for that. When asked if he felt any personal connection with certain characters in stories, Golden brushes off most questions with "It was just a job." Arrrrrrgh! I've finally read an interview subject as frustratingly tightlipped as the late John Buscema. When you see all the stunning art that both men have contributed to our medium, you desperately want to tap into their thought processes on some level, but neither of them give (gave) any ground. I sat diagonally behind Golden at WizardWorld's Artists Alley, and there were moments where he was alone, and I was tempted to approach him, but I never worked up the guts. I've heard from Derec Donovan, Chuck Dixon and Matt Wagner that Golden is a regular, approachable guy, but I couldn't find a solid reason to interact with him. All I would be is another babbling fanboy talking about my childhood spent with his Micronauts, that Avengers Annual and that way-cool Batman Annual. Then what? And does he really need another servile flatterer? I felt that the best I could accomplish is NOT being an annoyance. So I'd just glance at him once in a while as he did sketches and signed books. Not in a stalkerish fashion, more in disbelief at seeing him at a show after all these years. Maybe some day I'll think of an excuse, but I haven't one right now. Luckily he's doing a lot of conventions lately.

   This week, I've loaded the site up with new art (okay, Webmaster Chris does the heavy lifting I'll admit)!

   The home page - A Power Girl commission pencilled and inked my yours truly.
   Commission Page 10 - four new pieces of art
   Rarities Page 6 - two new pieces of art

   And starting today, a weekly online comic, Hotwire!

   Not the Hotwire I've been yappin' about many a blog ago, but an earlier version that never saw print. Almost a decade ago I hired (underpaid) good buddy Jason Armstrong to draw some pages for me to ink, based on a script I threw together and I never got around to completing the inks on it. I've been sitting on the artwork ever since, mostly because vanity projects don't pay the bills, and I'm not going to screw up my day job, which is inking for others, primarily DC (and they'll have to throw me kicking and screaming off Gen13!). Years later, it finally occurred to me to serialize this story online as a motivational push to finish the damn thing!

   Since this version of Hotwire no longer resembles the one I'm currently preparing to foist on the world, I consider this an "unaired pilot" episode. And with each page, I'll be adding DVD-like commentary, looking back on what the hell I was thinking at the time. I tell ya, there's no end to my pretentions!

   Jason will probably want me to run a disclaimer about how his style has greatly evolved over the years, which is true. The lad's gotten good enough to collaborate with superstar Mike Mignola on Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus (Dark Horse)! The first issue came out last week and if you haven't picked up a copy, then shame on you!

   Hope you enjoy Hotwire! If you have any feedback, feel free to pop me an email (better yet, if you're a Hollywood producer with a bag of money that's getting too heavy to hold, let's do lunch!)
 
All characters & their images are property of their respective copyright holders. All original content (c) Drew Geraci. Please request permission before reprinting or reposting elsewhere.