Sketch A Day #22: Dr Strange

We interrupt the Planetary sketches for a random Dr. Strange sketch that i did last night. i realized, to my horror, that i did not remember how to do his cape of levitation, nor how to do that damn funky collar. And i declined to Google it.

so there. What you get is what you get.

Still working on a pose for the Drummer that i like, and maybe a Dr. Dowling for the Planetary series.

Yesterday, for Valentines Day, my wife gave me a book, 642 Things to Draw, that breaks you out of your rut, if you follow the book, and i may be posting from that as well...

Dr Strange and Clea by Craig Hamilton

Only came back from Super-Con with one piece of artwork this year, but its a doozy. Already up on the wall of the studio. Its a prelim of the a Dr. Strange piece Craig is working on, and it takes me back to the heady Englehart/Brunner days of Doc in Marvel Premiere. Great stuff back then, great stuff now.

If anything, you could argue that Steve matured the character a little too quickly really. He killed off the ancient one, had Strange go back to beginning of creation and meet God (in the form of Sise-Neg), and battle and escape Death in the silver Dagger series. Not bad in about 12 issues in all, but geez, leave the guy something to do. These days, Steve could have taken the slower path and run that to two years at least. Gaiman could have turned it into 5 years given the opportunity.

Talking about Englehart, one of the best writers in comics over the last 35 years; his novel the Point Man has been on my book shelf for almost as long, and I'm delighted to see that he will finally have a sequel coming out next year, even if it has been delayed from this year. Given that I've waited this long, I think that I can wait a few more months. It does appear that there will be a new version of the Point Man as well, so I can finally replace the image of that 1979 haircut that I've for all these years.

Keep your eyes on Steve's official site, linked above, for further progress.

Newsarama: KISS Meets the Phantom of the Vishanti

When it comes to stuff like this, I just have to say something. This from a Newsarama article/interview with Simmons and Stanley of KISS about the new comic coming out:

GENE SIMMONS: (When it comes to comics) We can quote psalm and verse. For instance, I can tell you just about every title that Steve Ditko drew and inked, including how he also inked Jack Kirby’s Hulk.

Unholy was our idea about a malevolence that is kind of a next door neighbor to Steve Ditko’s Nightmare from Doctor Strange, maybe he also has a little Baron Mordo and some Eternal Vishantu with some Hoary Hosts of Hogarth.

Yes, thats right. The Hoary Hosts of Hogarth. Not Hoggoth like the Vishanti would like them to be called. But the Hoary Hosts of Burne Hogarth, Tarzan artist extraordinaire.

What is scary is that Simmons and I know the difference, for Dormammu's sake, but Newsarama doesn't.