Xmas List Quickie....

Adri Cowan asked me to do a drawing for her Twelve days of Christmas dealie on Comics Alliance. She assigned me the ninth day of Christmas, only instead of what the real song has for that day (nine ladies dancing, for anyone who cares), I was to do what I'd like my true love to give to me. Here's what I dashed off.

THEY LIVE

My friend Karl Heitmueller (Pops Gustav, to those who follow his blogs), is curating an art show at Maxwell's in Hoboken. The show, "One-Sheet Redux", invites the contributors to do their takes on movie posters. I was debating which to do, but then I got inspired by Jonathan Lethem's new treatise on John Carpenter's paranoiac classic sci-fi flick They Live. I love that movie (I dig lots of Carpenter's movies), and between acne-scarred, tough guy/baby faced, ruddy "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and super cool Keith David, I found my huckleberry.

Young Zombies in Love

I just heard about this new book by Amelia Beamer, called The Loving Dead. In honor of that, here's an old, unpublished drawing I did for fun, way back in 1987. You're seeing it here first.

Man, those hands are big. Jeez.

Caustic Cover Critic

I am thrilled to be featured, along with ace cover designer, Peter Lutjen, on James Morrison's fantastic blog, Caustic Cover Critic. I've long featured a link here (and hopefully some of you have taken a gander). It's a wonderful site filled with great and terrible cover art, exhaustively detailed. It's great. Check out the interview with Peter and me.

Another Day in Hell

DOTD

DOTD: Drawing of the day. Quickie.

The So-Called "Queen of Mean"

Just finished this illustration for the forthcoming issue of Royal Flush. For those of you unfamiliar with the subject, it's Lisa Lampanelli, comedy's "Queen of Mean." Thing is, she isn't. She slings insult jokes and ethnic and gay slurs around freely, but unlike Don Rickles, she projects a warm, "it's all in fun" vibe. So, I figured she has her cake and eats it, too. Or ginger bread men. Rude, politically-incorrect, gingerbread men.

Tiny thumbnail sketch to get the idea down.

Final art. Duh.

Demon with Dong-cudgel

Another quickie. Thinking, again, of demons for my Hell novel.

Girl and Critters.

Just for fun. Quick drawing. Don't ask. Going to try to do drawings most days. Maybe I'll post. At least the ones I like. The oval is a bit Bob Ross, but is that a bad thing?

Futzing with Hell

So, I've started working on my book The Hell of It (working title) as a straight prose novel, having basically abandoned the notion of it being a graphic novel. With Pariah due to hit the shelves (and internet outlets) on August 3rd, 2010 (so order yours now, in either spiffy trade paperback or spiffier hardcover!), I'm just feeling more and more that prose is the way to go. I enjoy writing novels enormously and I think I'm good at it. That said, I am doing some more prep art for The Hell of It, just to get me in that headspace; to help picture it. Here's a couple of quickies I just did. I'll post more later.

SKINNY-MAN

Like many budding kid cartoonists of my generation I was enamored of "Mad's Maddest Artist," Don Martin. I loved his work in the magazine, but what really set my mind ablaze were his paperback originals. These were maybe my first taste of graphic novels, and none so enthralled me as The MAD Adventures of Captain Klutz. Skinny-Man was my stab at "funny superhero" comics. The villains, "Super Cool Man" (who really looks more like Super Pimp) in particular, are pretty special. Same vintage as the others posted here (1975).

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Neurotic

This quasi-autobiographical strip is same vintage as Gerry's Comix and Super-Cat. The "hang-up" (what a knowingly loaded double meaning for something done in the '70s) in the back is oddly self-pitying. I think this one might predate the others. The art isn't as good. It's from '75, again, though. The Jaws reference was very topical.

BTW, I'm posting all this old stuff, 1) because I find it interesting, and 2) I don't have any new stuff at the moment to share.










This quasi-autobiographical strip is same vintage as Gerry's Comix and Super-Cat. The "hang-up" (what a knowingly loaded double meaning for something done in the '70s) in the back is oddly self-pitying. I think this one might predate the others. The art isn't as good. It's from '75, again, though. The Jaws reference was very topical.

BTW, I'm posting all this old stuff, 1) because I find it interesting, and 2) I don't have any new stuff at the moment to share.

Super Cat, Anyone?

Here's another "classic" from my larval stage, same vintage as Gerry's Comix.

Yes, Gerald Ford...

While other budding comics artists were probably practicing their takes on Spidey and Doc Doom, here's an early example of what I was doing. Presenting my 1975 (I'm guessing) Gerry Comix. I was ten. The Gerry caricature is blatantly stolen from Robert Grossman. I was enamored of his comic in New York Magazine. Maybe I'll scan and post some more of my childhood comics.





And yes, that's Nixon reading an issue of Playboy.

Frank Frazetta, RIP

My first summer job was working for a pet supply store called Ruffs Meow on Queens Boulevard. The owner was a guy named Dom who popped in from time to time to use the bathroom to smoke pot. He’d check on sales with the manager, a Jim Belushi-esque guy name Matthew, then disappear. I was fifteen and it was a good experience.

During my lunch breaks I’d usually go home for something to eat, but on payday I’d take the money and run nearly a mile from the store to Walden Books in Forest Hills and my first purchases with my hard-earned money were the Peacock Press/Bantam Books trades of The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta and its follow ups. I savored each page of his work. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have that much talent. His work had so much power and vitality. His women had big asses and hips and even dimples on their thighs. They were fleshy and hot as hell. I admired his composition and palette.

Many years later the Alexander Gallery on Madison Avenue had an exhibit of Frazetta’s work and seeing many of those canvases in person was mind blowing. As in the case of Norman Rockwell, seeing the originals blew any reproductions away. I was surprised at how small some of Frazetta’s paintings were, but though they were modest in size the art was barely contained in those frames. The colors and textures were unreal.

My own art never aspired to be like Frazetta’s. There was no way I’d ever come close and fantasy wasn’t really my bag, but he was, is and always will be an inspiration. I hope all the matters of his estate are resolved amicably and ethically. His legacy and work should be in museums to be enjoyed and admired for the ages.

FTA Does WTF!

I have known, on and off (though mostly off), the brilliant comedian Marc Maron since 1999. Prior to our actual meeting I had been aware of him because I’d enjoyed him as host of Comedy Central’s (or was it still the Comedy Channel at that point?) Short Attention Span Theater. He had a febrile intelligence that popped off the screen. I enjoyed his stand-up specials and whenever I’d see him turn up as a guest on talk shows.

I then saw him in Jonah Kaplan’s very funny short film Stalker Guilt Syndrome. I’d met Jonah through our mutual friend Dean Haspiel and told him how much I enjoyed the short, particularly Maron’s performance. Shortly after that I was having dinner at Olive Tree (not fucking Olive Garden, thank you very much), my favorite eatery downtown. Downstairs at Olive Tree, is the Comedy Cellar, an intimate spot to see stand-up. I spotted Maron seated at the table in the back where the comics who perform get their meals, so I introduced myself, telling him I’d just seen the short. Maron kind of frowned and said something like, “Oh yeah? Whudja think of it?” I told him I’d enjoyed it very much. I even got a copy from Jonah to add to my video library.

I guess Marc felt comfortable that I wasn’t going to stalk him (with or without guilt) because we exchanged info and started getting together from time to time. When I mentioned my burgeoning friendship with Marc to Jonah he said, “Yeah, good luck with that.” Hmmm.

In Marc’s company I got to know some of the ins and outs of the business of stand-up. I’d always been a fan of good stand-up but was now getting an inside look at how tough a career it was. I respected him and the craft even more. Marc was workshopping a one-man show back then (The Jerusalem Syndrome, which also became a great book). Michele and I attended several versions of it at The Westbeth Theater downtown. I think I was always the loudest laugher and the darker the material the heartier I laughed. I think Marc’s always had a soft spot for the guy (I’m guessing it’s almost always a guy) in the audience who is the only one to laugh at one of his uncomfortably truthful observations. Michele would look back and forth between me laughing and Marc performing and she’d afterwards tell me she thought Marc and I might be too alike in worldview. I dunno.

Then 9/11 came along, and swept up in the maelstrom of post-event trauma, our burgeoning friendship took a hiatus. Then a couple of years ago—maybe 2008—I’m at the urinal in the men’s room of the Comedy Cellar. Mid-leak a gravelly voice behind me says, “Is that Bob Fingerman?” I look over my shoulder and it’s Marc. We haven’t seen each other since maybe June or July 2001. I shake off and as I’m washing up—Marc having taken my place at the urinal—we catch up briefly:

Bob: How’ve you been?
Marc: Bad. Bad divorce. You down here or up there?
Bob: I’m up there. Dinner with a friend.
Marc: When I finish my set I’ll stop by.

And he did and we got back on track. None of this comes up in the conversation Marc and I had on the podcast. I don’t want to say any more. This is preamble. Backstory. Since he started the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Marc has hosted some of the greatest talents in contemporary comedy (not to mention authors, his parents and other interesting characters) and engaged them in something rarely heard these days: bona fide conversation. I was thrilled and honored to be a guest at the Cat Ranch and appear on my favorite podcast. Marc has a genius for keeping it real and real funny. DOWNLOAD AND ENJOY!!!

In the Cat Ranch

It had been raining but when the show was over the sun came out. Hallelujah!

CONTINUING THE HELL THEME

The character Dot works as a registrar in Hell. Impatient demons tap their hooves and expect miracles from her. This drawing was done very quickly, to keep it loose.

DEMON SKETCHES FOR THE HELL OF IT

Still working up some sketches to help sell my Hell GN. Going to work on some more, but thought I’d share these of some demon types.

This Blog on Top 100 List!

The website Online College has created a "100 Great Blogs for Art Students & Enthusiasts" list and the Art Blog Thinger makes the grade. That's pretty darned cool. Check it out!

MORE THE HELL OF IT

First sketches of the year. Joe the half-dog.