MERRY CHRISTMAS

new comic reviews to come this week.

i hope everyone has a great holiday.

comics nov 28, 2007

again, i won't get to the shop until thurs, because of work

here's what i'm gonna pick up

All Star Batman & Robin #8 - i don't know why i'm still buying this. i love Jim Lee's art on this book & while i'm a huge Miller fan, i think Miller is laughing all the way to the bank.

DareDevil #102 - so far, so great.

Previews VOL XVII #12 - i always get Previews. i like to know what's coming out 2 months from now, it gets me giddy, like a little boy.

quiet week. i guess i'll get a trade (or 2)

sketches

look for my comic reviews tommorrow

here's some sketches of StrongGuy, done on the bus/subway

drawing this dude always reminds me of the classic Peter David/Joe Quesada X Factor issues from the early nineties.

here's to you, Milo.

comics - nov 21 2007

won't get to the shop until thurs , but here's what i'm gonna pick up

Walking Dead #44 - super amazing cliffhangers in this book keep me coming back. by Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn (greytones)

Umbrella Academy #3- so far, very great. by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba. & James Jean covers, i mean, come on.

Grendel: Behold the Devil #1 - i've never read Grendel before, but i picked up the 25 cent issue #0 in Aug, & this book is gonna be fuckin' incredible. by Matt Wagner

huh, that's it? no marvel , no dc. i don't know if that's ever happened to me.

hold on, let me double check.

no, that's it.

comics - wed. nov 14

these are the books I'm gonna pick up

Ultimate Saga (one shot) by CB Cebulski

This book is to bridge the gap between Ultimates 2 & 3. I'm not sure about the artist on this book. Marvel's site has solicited as Travis Charest & Trevor Hairsine, I'll buy the book based on any of these artists. I'm highly anticipating Ultimates 3. I haven't seen good Joe Mad interiors in a long time. If we get one good issue out of the guy, I'll be happy. Don't be surprised if Ultimates 3 is late.

All Star Superman #9 by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely

With Quitely on the art, I'd buy this book if it was written by a monkey. Luckily it's not written by a monkey, it's written by Grant 'Fuckin Insane' Morrison. Amazing series, I buy, I buy.

Thor #4 by J. Straczynski & Olivier Copiel

The first 3 issues have been visually amazing & the last 2 have been great reads. This book is worth the $$$ for Colpiel's art alone. Last issue Thor kicked Iron Man's ass. Next issue, I buy, I buy.

New Avengers #36 by Bendis & Leinil Yu

I love this series. I think this issue is dealing with the symbiote take over & Wolverine confronts Spider Woman about taking the Skrull body to Tony Stark. I don't really care what happens in this issue cuz , I buy, I buy.

World War Hulk #5 by Greg Pak & John Romita JR

Wrapping up World War Hulk, I think this issue is gonna be Sentry & Hulk kicking the crap out of each other. sounds great, I buy.

wednesday comics - what i got

I picked up my comics this week at one million comix , over on Yonge st. great shop

a quick run down

my new rating system is gonna be one word system to sum up the entire issue

BRILLIANT - i love every inch of this book
GREAT - i really enjoyed this issue & i would recommend to others
PRETTYGOOD (yes, one word) - it had it's moments
LAME - it was an effort to read, did not enjoy
YAWN - just not my taste


Astonishing X-men #23 - i loved it. Whedon finally uses Cyclops properly. You always hear that Cyclops is a great character but no one does him right. well, this is it. this issue shows why he's the leader of the Xmen. I love the back & forth banter between Wolverine & the newest Xman, Armor. John Cassaday's art, great as always. The only bad part is that Whedon & Cassaday have only one issue left. me = sad.

this book: BRILLIANT

New Avengers: Illuminati #5 (of 5) - great issue. lots a fightin'. great surprises. still not sure how i feel about the Skrull deal. It seems that Bendis & other marvel writers can now undo pretty much any story, cuz it could a been a Skrull. I love Jim Cheung's art. He is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. I especially love his Namor & would love for him to do a regular stint on a Namor book. best issue of the 5. only problem with this book is the timeline. is it before or after WWHULK? WWHULK #5 isn't out yet. i guess Hulk lost?

am i gonna buy Secret Invasion? you betcha.

this book: GREAT


Silver Surfer: In thy Name #1 (of 4) - I was really surprised. it was good. the story started off really slow & was very wordy. 1/4 of the way through, i found myself liking this book. The art is great. Tan Eng Huat + Jose Villarubia = excellent. I'm not usually one to go for cosmic books, but i loved Tan's designs for all the different aliens. Apparently the covers are gonna be done in this order, Mike Turner #1, Gabriele Dell'otto #2, Paul Pope #3 ( it looks amazing) ,& TanEng Huat #4. I was pleasantly surprised at Turners cover. I'm not a huge fan of Mike's. not that Mike Turner's bad , it's just not my taste. but this cover is exactly how the Surfer should look. the colours & line work are very sleek looking. good job. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series.

this book: PRETTYGOOD

my spontaneous pick of the week,
MoonKnight #13 - this is Charlie Huston's last issue on Moon Knight. This issue is about Moon Knight trying to register for the Superhuman Registration Act. It's pretty damn good.
I picked up the first 4 issues of this series , hoping for good things & was sadly disappointed. I love Dave Finch, but now i realize that it was his art, & not Huston's scripts, that was keeping me from enjoying this book. Sorry Dave , i love ya but i found myself not enjoying the issues. The artist on this issue is Tomm Coker. I don't know where this guy came from but i love his art. i've seen a few other images from Coker & was very intrigued. the splash page where Moon Knight jumps off the roof , after talking to Tony Stark is incredible. I wanna see more from Mr. Coker. there is a new creative team taking over on #14 , & i wont be picking it up , but that was a refreshing surprise.

this book: GREAT

OMEGA the UNKNOWN #2 (of 10) - loved it. the cover alone is something to look at. this is a very weird book with really great art. there is just enough robot smashing. it seems that there is alot being set up that is gonna pay off towards the end of the series. I love the character of Omega, he is very weird & mysterious , with a little bit of power , but not so much that he is a superman. Omega has yet to utter a word & he is easily one of my favourite characters. i wanna know more about him, but at the same time, i don't. can't wait for the next issue.

this book: BRILLIANT

for more opinions on comic goodness check out Digital Kontent for Milo's From the Rack to the Bin & Jason Troung (King of Toronto Comicons) 'Boughts & Thoughts'



next time , i will post some sketches of Omega the Unknown,
see ya around,

shane

My New Weekly Web Comic - Marcus Ninja

It was recently announced that I would be taking over the art chores for one mister Awesome Marcus Ninja.

I'll be working with , writer & creator of Awesome Marcus Ninja, Mr. Joel Buxton. If you haven't heard of Awesome Marcus Ninja, you can check out the archive of strips at http://www.marcusninja.com/. I will be taking over art duties for Ian McKendry, who has drawn the strip for four seasons.

November 9th 2007 is going to be my debut strip & it will kick off season 5. The new strips will be updated weekly.

For those longtime fans of AWN , i will do my best to stay true to Ian's version of the Marcus universe & hope you will enjoy what I have to offer. If you do enjoy AMN, then please subscribe to our mailing list & you will get an email reminder weekly , to let you know that a new strip is up. Awesome Marcus Ninja is gonna be a lot of fun & I can wait to get my pencils on this whole universe that has been built over the last 4 years.

please give me feedback & let me know what you think, even if you hate it.

Con Report

when: Sunday Oct 21 , 2007 11 am - 5 pm

where: Toronto Convention Centre
what: Toronto ComiCON , from Hobbystar

I showed up at the Toronto Convention Centre a little late (about 1140 am) because I had a little trouble printing copies of my new mini-comic 'the ALMIGHTY - pt 2 - the Shaman'.

If you wanna read it online , please check out my Comicspace galleries at http://www.comicspace.com/prettygoodcomics/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=15559

I was sharing tables with the Digital Kontent guys. The Digital Kontent table was already set & looking great. http://www.digitalkontent.com/

The show was held in one of the rooms at the Convention centre. To be honest, it was a little smaller than I hoped, but I guess that was the size that the amount of attendees demanded. cool.

the main things that stood out for me ,

Digital Kontent Table - it was easily the dopest table at the show. and exciting, don't forget

exciting.

- JohnBoy was doing a great job promoting all of our books & our raffle. & the Digital Kontent

DVD. thanks John.

- Milo was selling his great dialogue books , 'Camel & a Kiosk' (with covers by ME)

Milo actually sold out. good job Milo , it's really a great book.

- Iby was pimping his, wicked ass Sketchbook.

If you got a copy of this book then you are a lucky duck, cuz it is awesome.

It was good to see 'Toronto Convention King', Jason Troung at the show http://jtruong.blogspot.com/. I did a Usagi Yojimbo sketch for Jason the came out pretty good.

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=315827&GSub=49162&GCat=5686

Jason also hooked me up with a Captain America Fallen Son blank cover , that I'd been looking for. Thanks Jason , you are alright.

other notable attendees :

J. Torres http://www.jtorresonline.blogspot.com/

Agnes Garboska http://www.evilrabbit.org/

Peter from http://www.allnewcomics.com/Scripts/default.asp

Richard Zajac http://www.arponline.com/zajac/ who is also with,

'the HERO Initiative' http://www.heroinitiative.org/

Matthew Clark http://www.myspace.com/long_eyelashes

Squid & Ink magazine http://www.squidandink.com/

mini comic called Titty Terror http://wigu.livejournal.com/121393.html

All in all, it was a good show. Thanks to Kevin Boyd of Hobbystar for the invite. http://www.hobbystar.com/hobbystar/Conventions.html

upcoming show

i will be attending Hobbystar's Toronto ComiCON on Sun. Oct 21 , 2007, at the convention centre.

http://www.hobbystar.com/hobbystar/Conventions.html

i am going to have a table in the artists alley side-by-side with the boys of Digital Kontent, Johnboy, Milo, & Iby.

http://www.digitalkontent.com/

we will be giving away some comics & cool shit.
Iby & i will be doing sketches so definately check us out.
if you haven't seen Iby's art you have to come by & see him draw. Iby does some really cool stuff.

i will be selling copies of my mini- comic 'the ALMIGHTY' #'s 1 & 2.
i will also have some preview art for the new project that i am currently working on & will announce at the show.

please check us out. see you there.

doodles

i did these little doodles at work today. the upside down guy is my version of Batman. he looks more like a bat.

this is one of my warm up sketches from friday morning.

i usually draw a lot of wolverines.

i find him fun & easy to draw.

this wolverine is taller than i like to draw him , but whatever, it's just for fun.

My New Favourite Artist - John Paul Leon

just recently, I came across some amazing sketches by John Paul Leon, on Comic sketch gallery http://comicsketchgallery.com/. I was blown away.
when i was about 9 years old , i used to buy DC comics Milestone line of comics. i thought they were a bunch of really cool black superheroes , & i think all (or most) were written by Dwayne McDuffie . i used to get Icon , which was basically a black Superman. it was great, but my favourite was Static. in those days , i didn't know artists by name, all i knew was that Static looked fuckin' cool. there was no other book that looked like Static. Later on, after i rediscovered comics, i came across Alex Ross' Earth X from Marvel. the interior art on earth x was done by John Paul Leon (formerly the artist on Static). his style developed quite a bit & was ultra- realistic & dark & shadowy. at first, i didn't like that he no longer did the 'cartoony funky' style that he did on Static. i read the entire Earth x & realized how amazing JPL's art is. i am loving JPL's art these days. it is just amazing. i just wanted to share some of his art with everyone. check it out , below . there is some old & some new, but it's all great.
i've decided that , from now on, i will buy anything by JPL.
http://www.johnpaulleon.com/

(1) i just finished 'the Walking Dead' volume #7 - the Calm Before by Robert Kirkman (writer)& Charlie Adlard(pencils/inks) & Ciff Rathburn (greytones,very important to this book)

it is utterly brilliant

i love this comic

i'm not one to usually read zombie, or horror books but I kept hearing about this book & finally my comicshop guy ,Troy (http://thecomicroom.com/store.html) , convinced me to pick it up.

I got the first trade & I was hooked. At this point , there were already 6 trades worth. within a month I had 'em all . I didn't want to start picking up the singles , so I told myself that I would only buy the trade, & #7 was coming out soon, so it'd be alright. Well, after reading #7 , I'm gonna have to cave & go for the single issues now because Mr. Kirkman left me on the edge of my seat & I cannot wait 6 months for the next part.

everyone is talking about this book for a good reason. it is fucking awesome!

i suggest everyone read it . i love it

(2) another book I just finished is Captain America - 'the Chosen' #1

The art , by Mitchell Breitweiser, is excellent. I have a feeling this guy is gonna be amazing once he evolves out of the John Cassaday clone style. Don't get me wrong , I love John Cassaday, he is one of my all-time favorite artists , I just don't need 2 of him.

So far , the story didn't impress me. It's written by the dude who wrote Rambo , David Morrell . meh. Personally, I think this book is Marvels attempt to give us a bit of Cap, to tie us Cap fans over until they bring him back from the dead.

To be honest, the only reason I picked this book up is because of the Travis Charest covers. I really miss seeing Travis' art. ( http://www.travischarestgallery.com/ )

Charest is easily one of the greatest artists I've ever seen, but unfortunately , he is incredibly slow. & to be very honest, the Charest covers are good , but I have seen much better Captain America images from Mr. Charest.

I've decided to wait & hear what everyone is saying about this book & if it sounds good , I'll pick up the trade

(3) one book that I'm definitely picking up is Omega Unknown #1 , from Marvel.

it was shipped yesterday (Oct 3rd) & it looks really cool.

I have no idea what it is about but it looks nothing like a regular Marvel book. It almost has an indy look to it. I'm going to pick it up based on the fact that it just looks cool. Actually , I would say it looks , Bad Ass. I love it already.

new pages from 'the Almighty' 2

the ALMIGHTY pt 2 pages 1 - 5

I'm currently working on this

mini-comic & I will debut it on Sunday Oct 21 2007, at Hobbystars Toronto ComiCON

I will also have copies of 'the Almighty' pt. 1

hope to see you there

my new favorite comic : I Am Going To Be Small by Jeff Brown , from Top Shelf

i was strolling down Yonge st. last week, & i checked out , Grey Region (550 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1Y8 (416) 975-1718) & i ended up spending about $65 on cool ass indy books.





the best of my new stack is Jeff Brown's I Am Going To Be Small





i am a big Top Shelf & Jeff brown fan & this book is , by far, the funniest book Jeff has ever done.


one of the funniest books ever! if you're a fan of the Farside comic strip , then you'll love this.


it is a collection of sketches and cartoons & is a must-own for any fan of Jeffrey Brown.


it is fuckin' hilarious! i was literally laughing-out-loud (lol , believe it)





if you have any brains in your head or any money in your pocket you should buy this book!

i love it.

http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog.php?type=19&title=527

i also picked up

Books With Pictures by Sina Grace http://www.sinagrace.com/

this 'the Snake Lord' . he is Medusa's brother or maybe husband. He's got a beard of snakes instead of snake hair

copyright Shane Heron 2007