Posts Tagged ‘Rich Rankin’
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
Anyone who has been following The Heavy Adventures of Captain Obese by Don Lomax as it progresses weekly here at CO2 Comics knows that BIGGER is better!
Don’s morbidly obese super hero packs a BIG punch when he is wearing that Ring of Rings and is hell-bent on protecting his lovely, elfin sweetie, Oshna! The fact that he is fat just means that the rotund hero has more weight to throw around. Bad guys beware!
The adventure is BIG too! Captain Obese dukes it out with common thugs, the police, Neo-Nazis, the Vigog Dragon, hordes of Swamp-Nads, Mud-Hole Maggot Suckers, a New Jersey biker gang and, worst of all, Oshna’s daddy!
DON LOMAX, photo credit The Register-Mail, Nick Adams, Associated Press
Captain Obese creator Don Lomax is a BIG talent in comics and has enjoyed a career that has lasted over thirty years. Don, whose first professional comic work was Atilla the Frog for Heavy Metal in 1979 has been a journeyman as a comic creator with work appearing in a long list of publications for such publishers as Pacific, First, Fantagraphics, Warp Graphics, Apple Comics, Dark Horse, Marvel, DC and Transfuzion Publishing. Don has also done an enormous amount of comics for adult magazines, as well as strips for specialized markets about truckers, cars, law enforcement, and model railroading!
Check out Vietnam Journal
Don once told me he just has a BIG need to make comics. Ever since he was a young boy reading EC Comics in bed at night, thrilling his desire to be frightened, he knew he wanted to create comics. Don says that he has to draw comics, it is just his nature. He managed to sketch his way through his tour of duty in Vietnam back in the late sixties and it was those images that he brought back that ultimately led to his most celebrated work, Harvey Award nominated Vietnam Journal.
We couldn’t be happier working with a creator like Don Lomax who has comics just running through his veins. That’s why The Heavy Adventures of Captain Obese fit into our BIG publishing plans so well.
Captain Obese NOW AVAILABLE!
When it came time to produce our first CO2 Comics graphic albums, there was no doubt that The Heavy Adventures of Captain Obese by Don Lomax would be part of our BIG release that included Heaven and the Dead City by Raine Szramski and Ménage à Bughouse by Steve Lafler.
If you are one of the lucky ones that have already purchased any one or more of these graphic spectacles you can attest to the BIG decisions that we made as publishers. Take note that we refer to the products as graphic albums rather than the, now, popularly accepted term of graphic novel. This is in part homage to the late great comic creator and illustrator Jean Giraud better known as Moebius who played a major role in ushering beautifully packaged, perfect bound comics from Europe to America.
These books were referred to as graphic albums and had a BIG impact on us regarding the potential of publishing comics. The paper was better, the color was more brilliant and the art was BIGGER. Compared to traditional comic book size of 6.625″ x 10 .25″ the 8.5″ x 11″ format somehow seemed to be more respectful of the art, allowing it to breathe, giving the reader an opportunity to enjoy it more.
Comico Graphic Novels
We chose this size when we produced our graphic novels as publishers of COMICO the Comic Company as well. GINGER FOX by Mike Baron and Mitch O’Connell, GRENDEL, DEVIL BY THE DEED by Matt Wagner and Rich Rankin, NIGHT AND THE ENEMY by Harlan Ellison and Ken Steacy, RIO by the legendary Doug Wildey and ROBOTECH by Mike Baron, Neil Vokes and Ken Steacy, all had the benefit of this BIGGER format.
CO2 Comics Graphic Albums NOW AVAILABLE!
The term graphic album seems to fit our CO2 Comics publications better as they are each collections of the works. In the case of Heaven and the Dead City it is a newly developed work by Raine Szramski that unfolds weekly unveiling each new chapter over a period of time. Ménage à Bughouse is a collection of three previously published graphic novels by Steve Lafler that is also experiencing a weekly posting of its content on our collective site. The Heavy Adventures of Captain Obese by Don Lomax is a collection as well of chapters that were previously published as back-ups by Warp Graphics in the 1980′s and is also experiencing weekly serialization on the web here at CO2 Comics.
Now that we are all in agreement that BIGGER is better it is a good time to point out that this is only the beginning. We have just published our first graphic albums under the CO2 Comics imprint and have BIG plans for more in the future. CO2 Comics has planted a seed that we expect to grow into something big that all comic fans will enjoy.
Celebrating Thirty Years of Comics History!
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Apple Comics, Atilla the Frog, CAPTAIN OBESE, comico, comico the comic company, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Devil by the Deed, Don Lomax, Doug Wildey, EC Comics, Fantagraphics, First Comics, Ginger Fox, Graphic Albums, graphic novels, Grendel, Harvey Award, Heaven And The Dead City, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Magazine, Jean Giraud, Ken Steacy, Marvel, matt wagner, Ménage à Bughouse, Mike Baron, Mitch O'Connell, Moebius, Mud-Hole Maggot Suckers, Neil Vokes, Neo-Nazis, Oshna, Pacific Comics, Raine Szramski, Rich Rankin, Ring of Rings, Rio, Robotech, Steve Lafler, Swamp-Nads, The Heavy Adventures of CAPTAIN OBESE, Transfuzion Publishing, Vietnam Journal, Vigog Dragon, Warp Graphics
Posted in Latest Update | No Comments »
Monday, April 16th, 2012
Paul Zdepski makes a big point to regularly mention that he was born during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Can you imagine coming into a world during a fleeting moment of international distress instigated by impending Armageddon?! Paul’s first experience with raw emotion was the collective anxiety of the entire world! Thankfully for us Paul has channeled that empathy through his comics and illustrations where he is able to focus on the distinct reactions that his characters have when faced with the challenges of life whether they be unusual or mundane.
Emulating that threat to our national defense Paul Zdepski has managed to fly under the radar of Bill Cucinotta and myself, hovering on the edge of our social and professional careers for over thirty years, waiting for the opportune moment to strike with his unique brand of creative genius.
Paul toured the periphery of our college escapades as we published DUCKWORK at the then Philadelphia College of Art. Classmates with Matt Wagner, Mike Leeke, Dave Johnson and Joe Matt, he held a pass to our social network that also included me, Bill, Joe Williams and Tina Garceau all would eventually have an impact on either Comico and CO2 Comics or both.
During the heyday of Comico one of the most vibrant studios that produced work for us was Philadelphia based Bain Sidhe Studios, the creative realm where Matt Wagner, Bill Willingham, Rich Rankin, Joe Matt and Bill Cucinotta along with others, generated works for Comico, DC and Marvel. Paul was a welcomed guest in that circle as evidenced by the Comico swag he posts on his own blog.
When Bill and I began resurrecting our comic careers with CO2 Comics, Paul was one of our earliest followers, commenting on posts and chiming in on facebook pages. Now down in the Washington DC area Paul is a member of a productive group of indy comic creators called DC Conspiracy. A quick visit to his website will show what a busy and accomplished illustrator and educator Paul is.
The missile finally hit home when Paul announced that his mini comic SING-SING was awarded best Mini Comic/Short Story category of the year by S.P.A.C.E. Now in it’s 13th year, S.P.A.C.E. is the midwest’s largest exhibition of small press and creator owned comics. Sponsored by Back Porch Comics, the show’s held in Columbus,Ohio. This years presentation of S.P.A.C.E. will be held April 21 and 22.
Bill and I have always taken pride in our ability to spot and cultivate talented comic creators but somehow Paul managed to stealthily remain undetected while being in our own back yard the whole time. Now, much more than a blip on our screen, we are hoping the Paul Zdepksi will become a popular regular contributor to CO2 Comics, starting today with our proud presentation of his award winning mini comic SING SING!
Celebrating Thirty Years of Comics History!
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Armageddon, Back Porch Comics, Bain Sidhe Studios, Bill Cucinotta, Bill Willingham, CO2 Comics, comico, comico the comic company, Cuban Missile Crisis, Dave Johnson, DC, DC Conspiracy, duckwork, joe matt, Joe Williams, Marvel, matt wagner, Mike Leeke, Paul Zdepski, Philadelphia College of Art, Rich Rankin, S.P.A.C.E, SING-SING, Tina Garceau
Posted in CO2 Comics, Creationism, Encouraging Comics, The Comic Company, The Gutter | No Comments »
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
AZ #2
I recently had an opportunity to reread and old blog post by Tom Spurgeon on his site The Comics Reporter. In the blog post Tom takes a look at one of our old Comico publications, AZ by our late partner Phil LaSorda. Tom questions the cultural impact that such an obviously crude attempt at making comics may or should have on the market and the medium.
Now I along with my current publishing partner Bill Cucinotta who was also a partner back in those early Comico days may be biased but we also have a unique perspective just by having been there. We know, retrospectively, that the work we did in those days was seminal at best and was often criticized as being crap. It is easy to look back and be embarrassed by our rudimentary attempts to both create and publish comics. The irony, I suppose, is that as rudimentary as that material was, we are both still very proud of it for many reasons, so much so that we published it all again, right here on CO2 Comics.
Slaughterman #1
Skrog #1
SLAUGHTERMAN and SKROG may not have had many more redeeming qualities than AZ but they were all cornerstone publications that established a foundation that Comico, one of the most influential independent publishers of the eighties, was built on. For this reason alone, despite their critical ineptness, yes, they had, and continue to have cultural impact.
I remember a scathing review by Cat Yronwode in the Comics Buyers Guide that questioned, “who gave us the right to publish such crap?” My fiery response was that we all have the right to publish what we want to in America and that, crap or not, it will be the market that decides the success of the product. I wish I had those CBG articles today.
One thing we did well at Comico, in those early days, was to learn from our mistakes. It did not take long or us to realize our success would come from publishing others. It was, however, our relationships that we had developed hanging in artist alleys at comic conventions, and our ability to relate to young and maturing talent that allowed us the opportunity to work with the likes of Matt Wagner, Bill Willingham, Sam Kieth, Chuck Dixon, Judith Hunt, Neil Vokes, Rich Rankin, Reggie Byers and many many others.
We also published a new talent showcase called Primer where we published the earliest work of many other budding artists who were not quite ready for the Big Two.
Comico Primer #1-6
To me the biggest impact that Comico had on the comics industry, was that it gave evidence that if a handful of guys with apparently limited talent and experience could build a company that at one time was ranked #3 behind Marvel and DC in monthly sales, then maybe, just maybe, anybody can.
I believe we created an opportunity for creators to get bold enough to publish their own work or feel more confident when presenting it to others. We all did it as artists, looked at other work that we considered weak and say, “hey, I’m at least as good as this, if this can be published than so can mine.”
Gerry Giovinco, Bill Cucinotta & Phil LaSorda
We may have been naive or overconfident when we launched Comico but we had one mantra that we held to that was first spoken by Phil, “We don’t want to look back years from now and regret that we didn’t try when we had the chance.” To us, the fear of failure was never as great as the fear of never having the opportunity to make comics professionally. To do what we loved.
Today the internet is the greatest thing for young comic artists and for the entire medium. Anyone can publish on the web and, yes, there is a ton of incredible crap out there but more people than ever are taking a shot making comics and we fans of the medium are the winners because tremendous comic talent that may have never tried before is now offering our eyes a feast of variety that has never existed in comics.
So to answer Tom Spurgeon’s quote: “The question that many of us near comics ask — if only to each other — is if the art form can survive without the occasional cycling back to cruder efforts like this one, unpretentious material devoid of any hope for life or riches beyond its publication schedule that helped revitalize the art form four or five times during a low ebb.”
No! The art form, or more accurately the medium of comics or any medium for that matter, cannot survive without a cycle that includes cruder efforts. No crude efforts would imply no young talent and with no young talent to revitalize a medium, that medium will die a death of eventual mediocrity.
To paraphrase McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, “When you’re green you grow. When you’re ripe you rot.”
So, be brave and create! Express yourself as well as you know how and be willing to show the world. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Never stop growing. But when you do someone new will begin making their own mistakes and we will all have the pleasure of witnessing their adventure.
Holy crap, it’s the circle of life, comics style.
Making Comics Because I Want To
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Az, Bill Cucinotta, Bill Willingham, Cat Yronwode, CBG, Chuck Dixon, circle of life, CO2 Comics, comico, Comico Primer, comico the comic book company, comico the comic company, Comics Buyers Guide, DC, Independent Publishers, Judith Hunt, Marvel, matt wagner, McDonalds, Neil Vokes, phil lasorda, Primer, Ray Kroc, Reggie Byers, Rich Rankin, Sam Kieth, Skrog, Slaughterman, The Comics Reporter, Tom Spurgeon
Posted in CO2 Comics, Creationism, Making History, The Comic Company | 2 Comments »
Monday, July 4th, 2011
Can you believe it? Two years have gone by since we launched CO2 Comics hoping it would become a unique cooperative of comic talent featuring a collective of great comic features. Naturally we initially turned to our long time friends and allies that have had ties with us since our days as founding publishers of Comico the Comic Company.
Comico The Comic Company owners, Top: Dennis LaSorta, Phil Lasorda, Bottom: Gerry Giovinco, Bill Cucinotta
Chris Kalnick, Joe Williams, Andrew C. Murphy, Reggie Byers, Bernie Mirealut, Bill Anderson, Rich Rankin and Neil Vokes all contributed to the early success of the realization of our goals for CO2 Comics. The faith that they all had in our ability to present their work while respecting their rights as creators, supporting their complete ownership and actively promoting their features and services as artists was a complete and humbling honor.
It became our duty to surround their works with with other great features and talent. CO2 Comics was always intended to be a place where readers could come to enjoy one feature and discover other comic treasures that they may not have found if those works had stood by themselves.
In just two years the list of contributers has grown to include twenty-two talented creators and two dozen exciting comic features. The impressive list of talent yields a number of nominated and award winning creators along with brilliant new talent that will deserve recognition for their mastery of the medium.
Take a look at the roster of creators here at CO2 Comics and you are bound to be amazed at the comic book pedigree and variety that exists on our site:
Bill Anderson – Skrog
Kevin Atkinson – Eaten by Planet 29
Mike Baron – The World of Ginger Fox
Reggie Byers – Crescent
Bill Cucinotta – Death for a Dollar
- Skrog
Tina Garceau – Hot Topics
– Monkey and Bird
- There’s No Escape From A Deadline
Gerry Giovinco – Slaughterman
Robert Jackson, Jr. – The Amazing Liberteens
Chris Kalnick – Depth Charge
- Non
Onrie Kompan – Yi Soon Shin
Steve Lafler – Dog Boy
- El Vocho
Mike Leeke – The Amazing Liberteens
Liberteens Update
Don Lomax – Captain Obese
Bernie Mireault – Cable
- Death for a Dollar
- Isaac vs. Eli
- Of the Spheres
- To Get Her
- The Jam Lives (a motion comic)
Andrew C. Murphy – Pressed for Time
- Reflections
- Victor
Mitch O’Connell – The World of Ginger Fox
Rich Rankin – Gauntlet
Raine Szramski – Heaven and the Dead City
Frank Thorne – Ribit
Giovanni Paolo Timpano – Yi Soon Shin
Neil Vokes – Gauntlet
Joe Williams – Hot Topics
- Monkey and Bird
- There’s No Escape From A Deadline
Besides having published over 800 pages of comic art in the last two years we have also taken on the monumental task of publishing David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection. The first of the eleven volume set had 680 pages that were painstakingly cleaned and reproduced in both paperback and hardback editions. Volume two is currently in the works. This project is the testimony to our love of the comics medium and its rich history.
COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection
Our commitment to the history of comics and the current state of the industry is also highlighted weekly on our CO2 Comics Blog where we feature a weekly article covering everything from our Comico history, production techniques, creator’s rights and frequent editorializing on the state of the market have drawn a lot of attention industry wide.
As if publishing a ton of great comic related material on the web and in print is not enough for two guys, we needed to create a new imprint, CO2 Publications so we could publish a 372 page literary book, FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT A Memoir of Veteran discharged from the Navy for being Gay written by George Richard Phillip Zimmerman, Jr. which was just released over Memorial Day Weekend.
For The Convenience Of The Government
Over our first two years we have published nearly 2,000 pages of material and maintained a rigorous schedule on an exciting site that has attracted over 4.6 million hits to date.
The best part is, WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED! Last year, as we celebrated our first anniversary, we compared our accomplishments to our early publishing days with Comico and noted that we were far out front and we still are, thanks to the support of all the great talent that joins us and allows us to present new work daily.
We also need to thank our readers who continue to grow in numbers. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing with your friends. We became comic publishers nearly thirty years ago because we believed our comics were not finished works until they were experienced by the readers. We recognized early on that as publishers we played a significant role in the realization of a comic as a completed work and we intend to continue to be that conduit. CO2 Comic’s mission is to get great comics in front of as many eyes as possible. Please help us with your enthusiasm by continuing to share the comics you enjoy here with your friends and by returning often.
Finally, it is no mistake that we celebrate our anniversary over the Fourth of July weekend. As publishers we have always been motivated by the spirit of the Independent movement with our emphasis being on creator’s rights. Comics, for us, are a medium of freedom. Free thought, free speech, free enterprise.
We want to turn Independence Day into Independents Day for comic fans and make it a time to celebrate the diversity that all of the Independent comics publishers have brought to the world. There are a lot of great comics out there that are not brought to you by the usual pair of suspects and we hope hat you will continue to find some of the best of them right here at CO2 Comics.
Making Comics Because We Want To
Bill Cucinotta and Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Andrew C. Murphy, Bill Anderson, Bill Cucinotta, Cable, CAPTAIN OBESE, Chris Kalnick, CO2 Publications, comico, comico the comic company, COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection, Crescent, David Anthony Kraft, David Anthony Kraft's COMICS INTERVIEW The Complete Collection, Death For A Dollar, Depth Charge, Dog Boy, Don Lomax, Eaten By Planet 29, El Vocho, For the Convenience of the Government, Frank Thorne, Gauntlet, George Richard Phillip Zimmerman Jr, Gerry Giovinco, Giovanni Paolo Timpano, Heaven And The Dead City, Hot Topics, Independent Comic Movement, Independent Comics, Isaac vs Eli, Joe Williams, Kevin Atkinson, Mike Baron, Mike Leeke, Mitch O'Connell, Monkey and Bird, Neil Vokes, NON, Of The Spheres, Onrie Kompan, Pressed For Time, Raine Szramsk, Reflections, Reggie Byers, Ribit, Rich Rankin, Robert Jackson Jr, Skrog, Slaughterman, Steve Lafler, The Amazing Liberteens, The Jam Lives, The World Of Ginger Fox, Theres No Escape From A DEADLINE, Tina Garceau, To Get Her, Victor, YI SOON SHIN
Posted in CO2 Comics | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Comico was always intended to be launched in an anthology format. The first planned publication was Comico Presents which was to feature Phil LaSorda’s AZ, Vince Argondezzi’s Mr. Justice and my own Slaughterman.
Unpublished Cover
By the spring of 1982, however, the dynamics of the original group had changed.
Vince Argondezzi was moving on and Bill Cucinotta had joined our ranks bringing with him his creation, Skrog. Other talented comic artists, Matt Wagner and the very young Andrew Murphy, lurked in the wings.
It occurred to me that the anthology format had greater potential for us than we had originally planned. Rather than be merely a vehicle to introduce our own feature characters into the Direct Market, the format gave us a venue to feature the works of the many undiscovered talents that we were becoming acquainted with on the convention circuit.
I saw this publication as the foundation for which all future projects would emerge. It was the first coat of paint on which we could embellish illustrious careers as comic creators. This anthology would be our Primer.
PRIMER #1, Cover pencils by Andrew Murphy. inks Gerry Giovinco
Surprisingly, I do not remember it being difficult to sell the concept and especially the name, Primer, to Phil and Bill. We all knew that, in a market with titles full of Action, Adventure, and other Epic names, Primer was as dynamic sounding as white bread but to us it perfectly described the product and what we expected to accomplish with it.
PRIMER #2, Cover by Matt Wagner, 1st appearance of GRENDEL
We had hoped that by naming our comic book Primer, readers would expect something different, that the product would lay a foundation for what was to come and, most importantly, it would ignite an interest in our budding comic company. Primer would survive six issues and be our longest running black-and-white title. It did launch Comico and prime the industry for a unique independent company that blazed trails in creative and production quality, pioneered licensing for alternative publishers, championed creator’s rights and gave Marvel and DC a serious run for their money.
PRIMER #3, Cover by Jim Dever, featuring an early William Messner-Loebs story
The impact of Primer is still felt in the comics industry today.
- PRIMER #4, Cover by Barb Ramata, first of three to be edited by Matt Wagner
The ACT-I-VATE PRIMER
I can tell you that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Bill and I were both caught blushing when IDW announced that it would be publishing The ACT-I-VATE Primer.
ACT-I-VATE has been among our greatest inspirations while developing CO2 Comics. The presumption that our Primer may have had any influence on Dean Haspiel and friends was quite humbling to us (Guys, don’t tell us if it didn’t, it might ruin the moment!). Marvel’s Marvelman Classic Primer and Alan Moore’s Americas Best Comics Primer also find use of the Primer name which I like to believe would have never been used when associated with comics before the advent of the Comico Primer.
- PRIMER #5, Cover by Will Brown, featuring Sam Kieth’s Max the Hare
How-to Comic Primers pepper the internet and we at CO2 Comics have tapped the old Comico Primer for our own World Wide Web purposes.
PRIMER #6, Cover by Judith Hunt, the introduction of Chuck Dixon and Judith Hunt's Evangeline. Assistant editor CO2 Comics contributor Reggie Byers.
My Slaughterman, Bill Cucinotta’s Skrog, Andrew Murphy’s Victor, and Rich Rankin and Neil Vokes’ Gauntlet, features that all ran in Primer, are now featured right here on CO2 Comics.
They have all helped us launch this new and exciting web comics collective. CO2 Comics contributor Bill Anderson also graced the pages of Primer. Primer alumni, Matt Wagner, Sam Kieth, William Messner-Loebs, and Chuck Dixon have had stellar careers as comic creators. Their earliest published works can be found in those seemingly innocuous six issues of Primer making a few of them quite valuable as collectibles.
Other talents that were featured in Primer: Phil LaSorda, Vince Argondezzi, Jim Alderman, Rick McCollum, Bill Bryan, Jim Dever, Larry Nadolsky, Francis Mao, Barb and Bernie Armata, Ron Kasman, Will Brown, Chris Windle, Ajay Mclaughlin, Mark Lantz, Michael Lail, Grass Green, Judith Hunt and Al Wiesner. Primer was, unfortunately, discontinued along with the rest of the black-and-white line when Comico made its transition to color in 1984.
Pain
Works that were planned to be published in Primer that I am sorry we missed out on were Pain by Bill Cucinotta, Panda Khan by Dave Garcia and a little pre-turtle story by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
I have quite a few interesting stories that I can share about experiences publishing Primer that will have to wait for another time.
Next week I will pick things up a bit with a look at one of my favorite “Pie in the Sky” ideas from the early days of The Comic Company.
Making comics because I want to!
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: ACT-I-VATE, ACT-I-VATE Primer, Ajay Mclaughlin, Al Wiesner, Alan Moore, Alan Moore's Americas Best Comics Primer, Andrew Murphy, Az, Barb and Bernie Armata, Bill Anderson, Bill Bryan, Bill Cucinotta, Chris Windle, Chuck Dixon, CO2 Comics, Comic Primers, comico, Comico Presents, Comico Primer, comico the comic company, Comics, DC, Dean Haspiel, Direct Market, Francis Mao, Gerry Giovinco, Grass Green, Jim Alderman, Jim Dever, Judith Hunt, Kevin Eastman, Larry Nadolsky, Mark Lantz, Marvel, Marvelman, Marvelman Classic Primer, Michael Lail, Mr. Justice, Neil Vokes, Pain, Panda Khan, Peter Laird, phil lasorda, Primer, Rich Rankin, Rick McCullom, Ron Kasman, Sam Kieth, Skrog, Slaughterman, Victor, Vince Argondezzi, Webcomics, Weekly Update, Will Brown, William Messner-Loebs
Posted in The Comic Company | 3 Comments »
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Flashback to the Eighties!
Ginger Fox Cover
The World of Ginger Fox
by Mike Baron and Mitch O’Connell, originally published by Comico in 1986 as a 64-page graphic novel, is nothing short of stylish eye candy derived from the exciting nineteen eighties’ era of high hair, shoulder pads, and excesses of wealth.
Ginger Fox is presented anew beginning this week on the web pages of CO2 Comics.
The tale of romance, adventure and intrigue, set in the Hollywood of the mid-eighties featuring the smart, sexy and savvy Ginger Fox and a cast of strippers, martial artists, hit men, drug addicts, gat-toting bodyguards and celebrity cameos will be released in weekly installments and is available without fee or subscription as are all comics currently available at http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_comics.html.
One quick look at the credits of Mike Baron and Mitch O’Connell will give a good idea of what a treat to expect.
Writer Mike Baron has been one of the most innovative and honored creators in comics since he broke into the field with NEXUS in 1982 with artist Steve Rude.
He has written numerous mainstream comics, including Marvel’s The Punisher and DC’s The Flash. He is also the co-creator of BADGER, FEUD, SPYKE and a number of other renowned titles. He also penned the ROBOTECH graphic novel published by Comico.
Mike Baron Comics
Mike has been nominated for Best Writer in the Kirby, Harvey and Eisner Awards numerous times, and has won several Eisners for his work on NEXUS.
Illustrator Mitch O’Connell’s first graphic novel was Ginger Fox at the age of 25.
Mitch O'Connell Newsweek
His stunning illustration work since has been featured in magazines from Newsweek to Playboy, on the covers of million selling CD’s and advertising campaigns from McDonalds to Coca-Cola!
Mitch’s fine art masterpieces have been exhibited from New York to Berlin to Tokyo and his tantalizing tattoo designs are a fixture on the walls of tattoo shops around the word! Mike and Mitch join the ranks of former Comico creators, Bill Anderson, Reggie Byers, Chris Kalnick, Mike Leeke, Bernie Mireault, Andrew Murphy, Rich Rankin, Neil Vokes as well as publisher creators Bill Cucinotta and Gerry Giovinco on the CO2 Comics site that also features work by Tina Garceau, Robert Jackson Jr., Onrie Kompan, Giovanni Paolao Timpano, and Joe Williams.
There are over 400 pages of free comic art available to read at CO2 COMICS.
Tags: Andrew C. Murphy, Badger, Bernie Mireault, Bill Anderson, Bill Cucinotta, Chris Kalnick, CO2 Comics, Coca-Cola, comic books, comico, comico the comic book company, comico the comic company, Comics, DC, Eisner Awards, FEUD, Flash, Gerry Giovinco, Giovanni Paolao Timpano, Graphic Novel, Harvey Awards, Joe Williams, Kirby Awards, Marvel, McDonalds, Mike Baron, Mike Leeke, Mitch O'Connell, Neil Vokes, Newsweek, Nexus, Onrie Kompan, Playboy, Punisher, Reggie Byers, Rich Rankin, Robert Jackson Jr, Robotech, Spyke, Steve Rude, Tattoo Designs, The Gutter, The World Of Ginger Fox, Tina Garceau, Webcomics
Posted in The Gutter | No Comments »
Friday, June 26th, 2009
Primer 6
Neil Vokes and Rich Rankin are gracing us with the opportunity to present Gauntlet, their first published work which first appeared in Comico Primer #6. Neil and Rich were regular faces around the Comico studio mostly because they were fun guys to be around and true comic enthusiasts like the rest of us. We had no idea at the time that they would each play a role in the huge success of the ROBOTECH line of comics. Neil’s dynamic pencil work and Rich’s finely inked lines became staples in the craftsmanship that epitomized the series. While Neil was finely focused on the ROBOTECH series and graphic novel Rich spread his wings a bit and inked Matt Wagner’s Grendel DEVIL BY THE DEED and Bill Willingham’s ELEMENTALS as well as the ROBOTECH line.
Eagle 1
Both moved on to publish their own work Eagle with writer Jack Herman which they produced under the Crystal imprint. Eagle is currently back in print and available as a POD through Lulu.com
Rich later ventured on to start Comic Zone Productions producing a variety of somewhat controversial black and white comics. Today he is a performer in the Atlantic City area.
Neil has been a prolific penciler working continually since those early days. He is a regular on the convention circuit.
GAUNTLET
GAUNTLET is an opportunity for us to witness raw talent in action. It is the first work by two great talents and genuinely fine friends. We hope that we will have the opportunity to share more of their work in the future. Thanks Guys!
Gerry G.
Tags: Atlantic City, Bill Willingham, comic zone, comic zone productions, comico, Comico Primer, Crystal, Devil by the Deed, Eagle, Elementals, Gauntlet, Grendel, Jack Herman, matt wagner, Neil Vokes, Rich Rankin, Robotech
Posted in The Gutter | 1 Comment »
