Friday, December 17, 2010

Happy Holidays and Whatnot

Happy whatever, internet denizens!

Yeah, it's been mighty quiet round these blog parts. My old refrain: sooooooo busy.

Lots of work to finish up before the big trip. What big trip, you say?

Why my big trip to Africa upon which I embark in about an hour. Off to Tanzania for fun with the animals.

Speaking of animals, while Untrue Tales may be on hiatus, Kung Fu Monkeyface is still going strong.










We've got one last page for you before the holidays. You won't find it on Untrue Tales until after the New Year, 'cause I can't update from the dark continent. But you can check it out on Sunday or Monday over at the MonkeybunnyĆ¼berblog or on DrunkDuck, in the meantime.

Have some Happy old Holidays and a great segue into 2011!

Here's some more inky thingies by way of farewell:

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Sketchblog

Fooling around with some ink washes.














































I love messing around with ink.
I'd do it all the live long day if I could.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

Untrue Interruption

Aloha Unbelievers!

Today marks the end of part two of Gabe Stein's The Hunter and it also marks the beginning of a little hiatus for Untrue Tales on the whole. Got a lot going on these days, so I need a bit of a break on the Untrue Tales front for awhile. We will definitely return at some point, hopefully not too far down the road. Just got to wrap up some other projects and take care of some bill-paying gigs and we'll be back in the saddle. In the meantime, Kung Fu Monkeyface will be picking up the slack, so there'll still be plenty going on at the site.

So here's your final serving of The Hunter for the time what be:

The Hunter II page 28





















And here's your latest helping of simian sweetness:

Kung Fu Monkeyface page 18
























On another note, our good pal and fellow Hammerhead Rob Berry's been hard at work with the herculean task of adapting James Joyce's Ulysses to comic book format with Ulysses Seen and he could use a helping hand from all the sequential art aficionados out there.




















Check out the Ulysses Seen Kickstarter page to find out how you can pitch in. And check in on the work in progress here.

In movie news, seen a couple of good ones this week.

Robert Rodriguez' latest, Machete, is pure unadulterated badassery.
























You saw the Grindhouse fake trailer, right? Well, the trailer was so goddamn good they went ahead and made a whole movie. And it rocks. Don Johnson, Robert DeNiro, Steven Seagal, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, and even Lindsay Lohan kick all kinds of ass in this flick. And towering above them all - Danny Trejo, the scariest man alive, as Machete. This one's just B-movie heaven. It's bloody, brutal and hilarious. Kinda perfect really.

The other movie I saw this week is probably my favorite movie of the year though. The Kids are All Right with Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore.























I loved this one for the acting. Everyone just does fantastic work. Annette Bening should get an Oscar I think. I loved the story and I loved the writing and dialogue. In case you don't know, it's about a couple of lesbians who had a couple of kids via a sperm donor and the now teenaged kids decide they want to meet the guy that did the donating. Hilarity and pathos ensue. The fact that this is my favorite movie of the year probably testifies to the fact that I am old and married. But oh well. I frickin' loved it. On a side note, while watching the movie I couldn't help thinking how glad I was that Josh Hutcherson didn't get cast as the new Spider-man.  He's a fine actor, but all wrong for Peter Parker. While watching The Social  Network on the other hand, all I could think about was how perfect Andrew Garfield was for Spider-Man. So, in conclusion - I'm really looking forward to the new Spider-man movie.

Okay, how about some comics talk? Bought a whole bunch of Batman stuff at the con last month. Read Death and the Maidens by Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson.

















A bit disappointing really. The story seemed like it wanted to be a big deal but it never really grabbed me. Not Rucka's best work. Also thought Janson's art was pretty uneven. There's some great moody stuff going on, but a lot of the figurework seemed stiff and the characters often looked awkardly positioned. If you ask me, Janson does his best work as an inker rather than penciller. I did like it though, just not all that much.

Then I moved on to another Ra's Al Ghul sory -
The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul.
























I liked this one a bit better despite the cavalcade of writers and artists. I like the whole Son of Batman thing, dig the concept and everybody does a pretty good job of selling it here. There's a few weak spots in the art, but it's mostly pretty good too. Jason Pearson sticks out as the best of the bunch and his chapter with Damian wrestling with ghosts in a graveyard is top notch. Don't know which book that originally appeared in, but it's pretty cool.

Moving on to Battle for the Cowl - another entertaining read.

















It hits all the right notes to get where it has to - namely Dick picking up the Batman mantle. Nothing special or essential, but entertaining enough, with decent art.

The first volume of Batman and Robin is pretty good too.

























Not anywhere near the fabulousness of All-Star Superman, but I still really dig Quitely and. like I said, I like Damian too, so so far so good.

Still more stuff on the shelf to get around too. Kinda been a good year for Batman. But if you're looking for the cream of the crop, seek out any of the books by Paul DIni and Dustin Nguyen. That's the best Batman stuff around these days says me.

Okay, that's it for now. I'll still be blogging here and there when I got the time and something to type.

Have a good ol' good thing and whatnot.

Monday, November 1, 2010

November Already!

Jeepers! It's frickin' wintertime and all. Time needs to slow down and kick back a bit. I'm just sayin', is all.

New comics this week:

Hunter II page 27















Kung Fu Monkeyface page 17
















Look! Colorful kitties!

Found a sketch lying around too:























Saw a couple of movies this weekend.

Red, which was great. Really solid acting from a gang of pros. Brings the funny and the explodey. Great comic too by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Check 'em both out.

Also, saw The Expendables which was pretty much garbage. Stallone looks extra hideous and freaky in this one. I don't remember him looking quite so grotesque in the last Rambo and Rocky movies which I quite liked, but here he is completely back in self-parody mode. Couple nice scenes with Mickey Rourke though. Sure, he looks grotesque too, but somehow it works for him.

Keep it (not too) chilly!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Rainy Days and Monkeys

Hi ho!

It's raining on the far side of the world and once again, I forgots to blog!

New pages went up on schedule though if you were paying attention:

The Hunter II page 26














Kung Fu Monkeyface page 16
























Here's a sterling comic book recommendation for you:
The Hunter
adaptation by Darwyn Cooke.



















This is Cooke's comic book version of the first of those Richard Stark Parker books that I've been extolling here on the blog.











It's gorgeous and note perfect. Hardboiled crime comics at their absolute best. It's really quite a lot better than Gabe Stein's The Hunter. :)










Cooke really is a master. Not a line out of place. The design, the color, the lettering - the whole damn package is just top of the line. I got a chance to go to Darwyn Cooke's panel at the New York comicon. Very interesting guy with all the right opinions on all the right things. I spoke with him briefly and he was all kinds of nice. It's always gratifying to meet people you admire and have them not be dicks.

Check it out and I bet you'll snatch up the next volume The Outfit on your very next visit to the ol' comic shop.

Have a Happy Halloween weekend!

Monday, October 18, 2010

New York Comicon

So I got back from the New York Comicon and was immediately swamped by all the work I'd neglected. But worth it, it was. Met up with the old Zuda gang, many of whom have now rallied 'round the banner of the Comics Social Club. Truly, a nicer group of people one could never hope to meet. Had a grand time hanging with everybody, drinking beer and talking comics. Met quite a few people I'd only known through the magic of the internets and made quite a few new friends too. Got to go to the DC comics party which was a kick. Made me feel almost like an actual comics professional. Also, the free food and booze was a nice touch. Bought a ton of comics and an iPad too. And I discovered that Brooklyn is quite nice and bears more exploration. Plus, I got a keen comission from a familiar friend that'll soon be seeing the light of the web over on the MonkeybunnyƜberblog. Keep yer eyes peeled. Oh, and I got to meet my big hero Brian Bendis. A very nice guy. All in all, a fabulous weekend.

So here I am back at Untrue central with a couple of updates for ya:

The Hunter II page 25















Kung Fu Monkeyface page 15





















I probably should blog more, but the work she calls to me.

Enjoy the Octoberness!

Monday, September 27, 2010

I'm Back! Seeya later!

Oh blog, how I do neglect thee...

Been on vacation. Been sick. And then I just been lazy. Bad blogger I am. But hey, I'm back... to let you know I'm off on holiday again. To the great state of New York I go, to wend my wares at the New York City Comicon!

Aw, who am I kidding. I have no wares to wend. I'm just gonna browse the stalls and drink beer with my comic buds.

But in the meantime, here's an oh so seldom untrue update to tide you over:

The Hunter page 24























Kung Fu Monkeyface page 12




















What else can I say? Read a bunch of books on holiday. Nothing too terribly memorable though. Working my way through the Richard Stark Parker books which continue to be top-notch. Just polished off The Outfit.
























I might have to pick up the first two Darwyn Cooke adaptations at the con. Oh, I did read Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book.
























That was good stuff. Especially if you're kind of an overgrown ten-year-old. Like myself. Very keen Dave McKean illustrations too.

















On the movie front, a couple of little seen gems to pick up at the video store: the superfantasticawesome Doomsday from Neil Marshall.
























It's like The Road Warrior and Escape from New York made sweet sweet love and spawned an evil ultraviolent post-apocalyptic love child. Hilarious, desperately derivative and perfect in every way.

The other one of note is City Island starring Andy Garcia in the best farcical fucked-up family comedy since Moonstruck.
























Why had I never heard of these movies?

As for comics, my darling of the moment is Scarlet by Bendis and Maleev.

























This is the one I've been waiting for since the end of Alias and Daredevil. Two of my comic book heroes back in their wheelhouse and at the top of their game. Two issues in and looking goooood. Hellz yeah.

Okay, that's it for now.

Seeya in October!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Monday, August 23, 2010

Monday Round-Up

Good day, Untrue Believers!

A new week rolls in and we roll out the goodies!

The Hunter II page 23























Kung Fu Monkeyface page 7























And coming to ComiXology this Wednesday - The Hammer returns for a victory lap 'round the web!























I'm headed off to the land where titans clash for a couple of weeks of ocean and Ouzo, so no new Untrue updates until September. Keep your eye on the MonkeybunnyĆ¼berblog though for new goodies whilst I am away.

Enjoy the rest of August!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Hardcore

It's Friday! The gateway to the weekend!

Thought today we'd give you a sneak peek at page one of a little project in the works: HARDCORE

Hardcore is a comic I'm doing with Spencer Platt creator of Agent Happy Death and Dollface, among other things. I'm writing and coloring, Spencer is handling the line art. The story follows Flint "Hardcore" Wupaski, cop with an attitude, as he goes about his over-the-top 80s action-movie business. This thing started out as another 8 page Zuda pitched but poor Zuda went the way of the dodo before we were finished, so I wrote up another 8 pages to turn it into a done-in-one short story. Not entirely sure what we'll do with it when it's done, but gee, I guess we'll think of something.

Y'know, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Coloring is hard. I swear it takes me longer to color a page than it takes me to draw one. I don't know how the colorists in the comic biz do it. Much respect.

Have a good weekend!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Monday goings-on

Good morning virtual world!

Here's the scoop and the skinny on all things Untrue:















Hunter II page 22






















Kung Fu Monkeyface page 6

And the news of the day: The Hammer will be launching on ComiXology and the DC Comics App on August 25th. The first issue is free, so mark your calendas in Pink and get on board for the big ol' bunny reunion.























Have a great week!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Sketchblog

Thought I'd post the line art for that Deadly pin-up I did.
Just because.























Deadly issue 2 is out now on Comixology.
I really like that comic.
I may have mentioned that a time or two.
I may very well mention it again.
That's just how I roll.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Lothar the Mindkiller

Gee, I almost forgot...

I have a new comic too.


Check out Lothar here.

Licked

Check out Joshua Tyler and James (Deadly) Fosdike's new comic just out now: Licked


















It's wicked cool.