Cranboyz Online

2011 - Year Without A Theme?

2012-01-12T21:32:00.019-05:00

In 2009 we began a theme within our group to collect sketches of Snake-based characters for our Year of the Serpent event. We had so much fun with that, in 2010 we collected sketches of armored characters during our Armor Wars theme! But nothing was really clicking for 2011.

We were still feeling the loss of our friend JLAdam and chose to take a different approach to our sketch theme. In 2011 we decided not to announce it or make a huge deal, but we would collect as many DC Comics character sketches as we could, in honor of JLAdam!

Adam became JLAdam largely because of his love of Morrison and Porter's run on JLA. However, JLAdam enjoyed all the League's line-ups as well as the DC Universe in general. So, we did what we do best and set to work collecting sketches of some of our favorite characters!

Here we have Andy's sketch of the Sandman by Tom Feister, Dave's sketch of the Creeper by Comfort Love and Popa's sketch of the Psycho Pirate by GEORGE PEREZ!!
Representing the Batman corner of the DCU, Popa got Bane by Jeff Johnson and Karen picked up the Huntress by Jeremy Dale.

Popa ended up tackling the Flash's Rogues Gallery on his own! Here are his sketches of Reverse Flash by Robert Atkins, Captain Boomerang by Tom Fowler, Rainbow Raider by Adam Withers and another Reverse Flash by Scott Kollins!

JLAdam spearheaded my Titans sketchbook for me and a lot of Titans sketches were collected in 2011!

I picked up a Kid Flash by GEORGE PEREZ and Troia by PHIL JIMINEZ! My sketches of Blackest Night Terra by Jeremy Haun, Raven by Kelly Yates and Red Star by Greg Schigiel. Popa got this sketch of Jesse Quick by Craig Rousseau.

I got Deathstroke the Terminator by Robert Atkins and Ravager with Beast Boy (as a pug!) by Mike Norton! Hawk was sketched by Karl Kessel, Dove by Darryl Banks and Hawk II by Rebekah Isaacs.

Andy collected sketches of the first Starman by Darryl Banks and Jack Knight by Adam Withers. Starman was further represted by Andy's sketches of the Shade by Dan Govar and the Mist by Comfort Love.

Andy rounded out his Starman sketches with Hope O'Dare by Shannon Gallant and Stargirl by Lora Innes.

The Giffen-DeMatteis-Maguire run of JLI is a favorite of all of ours! We're just crazy fanboys that way! So is Tom Feister, who hooked up Andy with Blue Beetle, Popa with Booster Gold and me with Guy Gardner!
Popa got Fire and Ice from KEVIN MAGUIRE! (okay, Ice is from 2010, but you can't have one without the other!) Karen represted the classic JLA all on her own! She got Aquaman by Rebekah Isaacs, Martian Manhunter by Kelly Yates and Wonder Woman by Jim Fern.
Karen also got Firestorm by Adam Withers and Superman, Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter by Jeremy Dale!

One of JLAdam's favorite JLA villains is the Key and Karen got this sketch by Shannon Gallant. In 2007 JLAdam got a sketch from his pal Darryl Banks. He wanted a classic shot of Batman and Superman, the World's Finest duo! I have always loved this sketch and wanted to do something to go along with it. So I went to Darrylax and got Ultraman and Owlman of the Crime Syndicate! Darryl has always taken very good care of the Cranboyz and this was no exception!

JLAdam, this year was for you my friend!

Batman Arkham City

2011-12-18T18:31:00.006-05:00

------------------------------------------
DC Comics
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
NetherRealm Studios (iOS ver.)
Rocksteady
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Scripted by Paul Dini

Cast: (Just a few)

Batman - Kevin Controy
Joker - Mark Hamill
Harley Quinn - Tara Strong
Nightwing
Catwoman
Robin

Characters:

Hugo Strange
Two-Face
Penguin
Mr. Freeze
Calendar Man
Talia al Gul and father
Alfred
Oracle
Soloman Grundy
Clayface
Mad Hatter
Deadshot
Hush
Azrael
Vicki Vale
Nora Fries
Balck Mask
Killer Crok
Riddler

RATINGS
Review scores
1UP.com A
Eurogamer 9/10
Game Informer 10/10
GamePro 5 Stars
GameSpot 9/10
GameTrailers 9.3/10
IGN 9.5/10
Official PlayStation Magazine 10/10
Official Xbox Magazine 10/10
X-Play 5 Stars
Joystiq 4.5 Stars

It features a main plot and side-missions that develop their own sub-plots. The main storyline revolves around Batman's imprisonment in Arkham City, a sprawling new super-prison five times bigger than the original asylum and enclosing a wide variety of industrial districts, iconic locations and Gotham City landmarks. He must now stop mishaps occurring around this chaotic enclosure caused by Gotham's most notorious super criminals. The game has received universal critical acclaim, making it one of the highest rated video games released in 2011.Worldwide, the game sold 2 million units in its first week of approximately 4.6 million shipped units, compared to Arkham Asylum which sold 4.3 million units in its entire release. This made Arkham City one of the fastest selling games ever.

If you like video games and/or you like comics or action figures or a great story, or have a pulse; do yourself a favor, at the very least rent this game. It can finally be said after years of complaints from gamers and comic book readers alike that a game has been made worthy of the character being used. Now granted I was content with X-Men Legends and Ultimate Alliance from Marvel, but face it, it was like playing with tiny army men. This game hits the mark on cinematics, story, voice actors and graphics. Weeks later, releases of "skins" of Batman costumes have been released, amazing soundtracks both vocal and score, ringtones of the "game over wavs" are zooming flooding the internet. Alternative playable characters and a huge selection of villain in Bat's gallery are there.

SKINS
Original Trailer
Batman:_Arkham_City wikipedia

Starman

2011-11-30T12:58:00.009-05:00

For those who don't know, Adam was the person who introduced me to Starman, one of my personal favorite comic series. Back when the series was not long on the shelves, I had expressed an interest in it, and Adam gave me the first arc, Sins of the Father. I was hooked with the first issue, and ended up reading through the end of the series. So when it was decided that this year's sketch theme would be DC characters in honor of Adam, I knew right off the bat that I wanted to get a series of sketches of my favorite characters from the title that Adam and I both enjoyed so much. I started re-reading the series and coming up with sketch ideas!

I started out the year with this fantastic sketch of Ted Knight, the original Starman. I sent my book to Darryl Banks to do the sketch for Free Comic Book Day, and Shane was kind enough to pick it up at Bill's Books, where Darrylax was signing that day.

Although I wasn't able to make it to HeroCon this year, Shane brought my book with him so I could get this amazing sketch of Hope O'Dare from Shannon Gallant.

In September I went to Dragon*Con, and I picked up this cool sketch of one of the greatest characters from the series, The Shade, from Dan Govar.

I also asked Tom Feister to do a quick sketch of Wesley Dodds, the Sandman, to commemorate Sand and Stars, one of the best storyarcs in the Starman series. Adam and I both loved this storyline where Jack Knight teamed up with the Golden Age Sandman.

While at Dragon*Con, I set up sketches with our good friends Comfort Love and Adam Withers. I knew that Adam was a big fan of the series as well, and found out that Comfort also loved it. So, they were excited to take my book home with them and do a couple of amazing sketches for me. At Mid-Ohio Con, I picked my book up with this incredible sketch of Nash, The Mist's daughter from Comfort:

And this stunning sketch of the series' main character, Jack Knight, from Adam:

As a finale to this series of sketches, I asked Lora Innes to sketch Courtney Whitmore, Stargirl, for me at Mid-Ohio Con. The only catch was that I wanted a version of the character that had only appeared in one panel, where Jack Knight envisions her as the next carrier of the Starman mantle. Lora did an amazing job on the sketch.

So, that's it. Although it was bittersweet re-reading the series and getting these sketches, it really reminded me of Adam every step of the way, and was an awesome way to honor him with sketches this year. I'm going to close out this post with a sketch that I did for Adam in his book. I know that I am hypercritical of the work I do, but I was happy with it. And I like to think he was happy with it too.

Dragon Con

2011-10-11T18:40:00.001-04:00

I'd never been to Dragon Con but it's a show who's reputation always preceeds itself. As an actual comic book show, it's pretty good on its own. There's a great core of artists that make their homes in Atlanta and it's always great to see them and there's a solid group of artist alley guests and a few other name guests (J. Scott Campbell, Mike Grell and STERANKO were there this year.) It's a decent comic book show but, obviously, it isn't the comic book guests that are drawing 45,000 people to Atlanta every Labor Day weekend. The artists who were there were doing brisk business but the comic book room was probably the least packed of the rooms I went into -- except when George Perez was around, at which point it got a bit more crowded, as tends to happen when George shows up in a room.

I wasn't at Dragon Con as a fan, specifically, though, I was there to help my friend Shane run a weapons exhibit called The Armory, hosted by his friend Kevin Dockery, a military and fiction writer, who also hosted some panel discussions over the course of the weekend, that were, without fail, packed to the gills with fans of his work and expertise. So Thursday, Friday morning, Sunday night and Monday were dedicated to set-up and tear down of the exhibit which was exhausting work, especially if you're lame and out of shape like me. The exhibit itself seemed to be a big hit with people taking loads of pictures of the weapons while Kevin and a couple of his friends gave people all the information they could want about those weapons.

You'll generally hear 'you have to go to Dragon Con to understand it.' And that's true, even though Shane and last year's attendees took pictures and tried to describe it, words can't make sense of it. 45,000 people attend the show, which overtakes four of Atlanta's largest hotels and spreads over seven hotels total. Every room in those hotels is for Dragon Con guests and at night you can't get into any of them without a Dragon Con badge or room key. There are as many people in costume as not, some are obvious super hero/movie character types, while others are manga/anime characters that I don't get, or fantasy characters, some of which are of the fans' invention. At night the lobbies of the two main hotels are a sea of people that it can take an hour to wade through. The hotels are connected by sky bridges that are lined up as far as the eye can see.

Dragon Con is much more a fantasy con than a comic book con. The guest of honor was legendary writer Terry Brooks, who spent some time inside The Armory himself, talking to friends and admiring the weapons. I'm not a big fantasy fan at all, it was still pretty cool to be sitting around The Armory with Terry Brooks right next to me. Writers Timothy Zahn and Larry Correia also made their way through The Armory at one point or another, either to talk to Dockery or just to admire the exhibit.

At other comic book shows, most of the show is housed in one main room, where dealers and attending artists and guests share space and all the fans are in that same room. There might be an extra room or two for panel discussions. Dragon Con is EVERYWHERE. There isn't a central room at all. In fact, I'm not sure what fans do or where they go once they get admission to the show. The show is brokend up into dozens of 'tracks,' depending on your interests. Writers, costumers, and fans of all stripe have their interests mapped out for them in Dragon Con's 100-plus page program guide. There is a comic book dealer room but it's in a different hotel than the comic book artists. The Hollywood guests are in one hotel, branded the Walk of Fame, their panel discussions may be in a different hotel entirely. How the promoters move them from hotel to hotel without being stuck in the massive crowds is probably something resembling witchcraft.

And Dragon Con goes on 24 hours a day. Our friend Nick works out every morning at 5 am (because he's insane) and every morning as he got up to work out he'd pass attendees just coming in from the previous night's adventures. There are balls and raves and movie screenings at all hours. The Star Wars fans hosted a 'Last Night On Alderan' party, that I thought was a pretty clever theme for a party. There's a Villains Ball, there was a viewing of "Rocky Horror." Jefferson Starship gave a concert, as did several other bands, not to mention the knot of performers doing smaller gigs in hotel lobbies at any time.

There's a parade for the costumed attendees to show off. The Batmobile and Speed Racer's car were part of it. They want The Armory to get a tank for next year.

If I may get on my pedestool for a moment, regarding people in costume. Walking around dressed like your favorite super hero is not something you should do on a regular basis. And, no, not everyone at Dragon Con is the person you want to see stuffed into spandex. I will say, though, that more often than not, the people in costume were wearing costumes because its fun, no more, no less. The quality ranged from professional costumes that you almost believe were pilfered from a movie set to things that looked thrown together in a couple seconds. But, without fail, everyone there seemed to enjoy the work that goes into costumes, people were showing off, striking poses and playing around. They were thrilled to have their pictures taken and were generally taking pictures of everyone else. It's a celebration of all things geeky and I didn't see a lot of people in costume who seemed to be living in fantasy land (so to speak.) I'm sure there were people, particularly in the fantasy side of things, who may have been living too deeply in their 'character,' but overall, it's no weirder than a Halloween party, and, really, it's a lot more fun. If you don't come out of Dragon Con wanting to come up with a costume for next year, I don't know what to tell you. In fact, I was talking to Autumn Reeser, who was on TV's 'No Ordinary Family' and she wants to come back next year as a fan in costume. It's infectious, to be sure.

Luckily, Atlanta has a host of great restaurants right near the con. The problem is there are 45,000 people in the hotels who tend to get hungry around the same time. And even when we went to eat late, after midnight, the places open later were still packed and on a wait. And, yes, you'd see various super heroes and villains in full costume eating dinner wherever you went. I hear alcohol plays a part in many of the festivities -- there are mini-bars set-up everywhere. As you can expect, the price of a beer is a bit MUCH. The mini-market in the hotel had spectacular blueberry muffins in the morning, though, which I had every day.

Even though we were up to all hours most nights, we still didn't see much of the show. I'm not sure you could if you tried. The panel discussions were scattered all over the hotels, in fact, the Buffy panel I did want to go to was in the 4th hotel that I'm still not entirely sure how to find.

Dragon Con is considered geek Mardi Gras and that's pretty much on target. It doesn't feel as crassly produced as Comicon does these days, it's not a shitty Wizard World show, nor is it a straight-forward art-centric comic book show. It's it's own monster.

You should totally go if you have any geeky interests and want to immerse yourself. But don't expect to get a lot of sleep. Or to eat on a regular schedule. But you'll see things you never imagined seeing!

Con Season Begins

2011-06-18T19:08:00.021-04:00

Ok, so Con Season generally begins for the Cranboyz in April and now it's June! But I'm gonna write about April Cons, mostly because I've been too busy and lazy to do it until now!

In April I took my nephew, Josh, to his first real comic book convention, The Pittsburgh Comic Con! Pittsburgh has always been good to the Cranboyz, so we make it a habit to attend this show as often as we can. I've been promising Josh he could go to a show with me so this seemed like a good fit.

Josh seemed to have a really good time. He Bought some Legos and a few comics and got to take in the size and scope of a decent sized Con! I think it was a bit much for him at first, but by the end, he had it down like a pro! Speaking of pro's, the creator's were all great with Josh, wanting to meet him and hear what he thought about the show!

I have gotten Josh 2 sketches in the past, as surprises. This time I asked him who he would want, and he told me Bossk, from the Empire Strikes Back! I didn't see that one coming, but that's what he wanted!

Scott James had done a Rogue sketch for me to pick up at the show. Scott's a great guy and has done some great sketches for us, so I asked if he was interested in drawing Bossk. He said he was happy to draw anyone from the best Star Wars film! Josh was pretty much speechless when we picked this up! It is pretty incredible! My sister was even impressed and ran out and got a frame for it right away.

We only went out for the one day, but I managed to pick up some nice sketches and had some time to visit with a bunch of creators that we usually only see there. Josh loved it and was ready to go to more shows! The problem is, most shows aren't as close as Pittsburgh.

Case in point, the Comic Geek Speak Super Show!

About 2 weeks after Pittsburgh, Popa and I were travelling across the State of Pennsylvania to try out the Super Show in Reading. We checking into our hotel in the early afternoon and were aware that there was a Con gathering at a local bar later, but we were tired and hungry and wanted someplace to chill before we had to be social. Well, I pulled back the curtains to our hotel room to the site of a Hooters 50 feet from our door!
We spent a good amount of time and money at Hooters, ALL Weekend! But our girl Kierra took great care of us!

We did end up making it to the pre-Con gathering and met the promoters along with our friends Comfort Love, Adam Withers, Robert Atkins and Tom Feister! They are important because they are the main reason we decided to try this show out. All four of them, at some point, asked if we were going because they thought it was our kind of show and it would be great to hang out! How could we refuse that!

The gathering was fun, but crowded, so we bailed and hung out with Atkins and Feister back at the hotel (and maybe a quick trip to Hooters). However, we had a long drive in and had to be up E-A-R-L-Y! Why? Because that's what we do at shows! Pay attention!

Saturday morning, Popa and I tracked down the Expo center and were surprised to find a couple of things. there was no real signs for the Comic Book Show, there was a Gun show going on at the same building, and no one (NO ONE) was there for the Comic Show, yet.

So we headed in the front doors to find our spot. Except the only thing in the front doors was the Gun Show! I thought this was cool, but that's not what I was there for!

We decided to make our way into this converted factory/warehouse to locate the comic show. we were sure this was the right place, but all we found were locked doors and lots of empty storage space! Popa joked that we were going to turn a corner and come out smack dab in the middle of the comic show, but that didn't seem likely at this point.

And then, we walked around a corner, opened an unlocked door and walked into the middle of the comic book show! Why aren't there lights on? Because no one was there yet! no promoteres, no dealers, no guests, just a couple of Cranboyz! First in, Last to go, Indeed!

We did find the low-key entrance that was used the rest of the day. We were also kind enough to let the dealers and promoters in, since the door was locked!

Uniquely, the Con was on the second floor. This was fine until the elevator broke! Luckily, that didn't last long! Anyway, Popa and I headed downstairs to start the line, because that's how it works.

This map of the building was posted in the lobby.

It was a fun show. It wasn't huge, and it wasn't trying to be. It was like a big, local show, for the local fans. Guess we kind of crashed their party! But Hey, we were invited! There were only a couple of dealers, but it seemed like a hand full of locals were set up just to sell what they had. There was a lot of small press-type folks and a few big names, too. How big? Tim Truman. Tony Moore. Lee Weeks. Yeah, see what I mean!

Popa and I have known Lee Weeks for years and Popa has stayed in pretty good contact with him. Popa was first in line to pick something up from Lee and I was lucky enough to get something too! I say lucky because Lee just happened to have a mostly finished piece of Nick Fury, which is exactly what I wanted, and it is amazing! Couldn't have worked out better!

We hung out and picked up sketches from our friends Adam Withers and Comfort Love, who are so busy at Cons these days, it's wonderful! They deserve every bit of attention they get, they have totally earned it!

A lot of my time was spent visiting and drooling over the GI Joe artwork of Robert Atkins. (Note: The Simek sign on the back of his drawing board is from a photo taken at C2E2, which I was not at this year!)

It seems Tom Feister had to put up with us quite a bit too, poor guy! (no really, have you seen his Booth Babe? Not pretty!) I got to hang out with Tom a little at last year's Dragon Con, but we really got to spend some time catching up and telling Con stories at this show, it was very cool!

One of the things the Cranboyz tend to do is sniff out new artists to pick-up artwork from. And once we find someone, the whole gang starts lining up and we don't stop ! Some artists say they like the repeat business and loyalty. I'm not sure they have a choice!

Anyway, amongst all the other fun we had at Super Show, we got to meet Dave Wachter. Dave is an extremely nice guy and an absolutely superb artist. Popa and I both got sketches from him and they were some of the best from the show! It seems Dave does a few of the same shows we do, and I am positive we will be collecting more sketches from him.

Dave Wachter Croc Master for Shane:

Dave Wachter Dormammu for Popa:

Super Show was also the first time we met Rebekah Isaacs. Popa had seen some of her work before and after seeing the sketches she was doing, I had to get something too! Rebekah is super nice and was a good sport about us coming back for more at Heroes, but that's a story for later!

Rebekah Isaac's Hawk II for Shane:

Rebekah Issac's Mockingbird for Popa:

Overall, it was a really good time! It was a fun show with lots of people we know and like. You can't beat that, at all! I'm glad we went and tried it out and hope that we get the chance to head back for more!

THANK YOU!!

2011-04-07T11:32:00.000-04:00

We would like to Thank every single person who contributed to the Fundraiser, in any possible way! The Online Auction was a Huge success and the Benefit Dinner was just as successful and a lot of fun. It really turned out to be like a huge reunion, even for people who had never met before. Spirits have certainly been high throughout this entire event, and a large part of that is because so many people were willing to pitch in!

We will be leaving the Online Donation Button up, for now. The money we raised for The Cran was helpful, but this is a long, draining process. So, if you didn't get to donate, have a friend who would like to, or you would like to donate again, we appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

Gone!

2011-03-29T07:48:00.002-04:00

We want to express our most sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the Cranboyz art auction! To all of our generous contributors, thanks for your donations! To all of our auction winners, thanks for your bids! Because of you, we were able to raise $2,800 to support The Cran!

Don't forget, there is also a benefit dinner being held this Saturday, April 2nd at the Greentown Athletic Club in North Canton, Ohio. There will be door prizes, raffles and a silent auction including more original artwork, comic memorabilia and other great items to bid on! Stop by if you're able, and you might even be witness to a rare sighting of The Cran himself!

Going... Going...

2011-03-25T07:31:00.006-04:00

The day has finally arrived... the Fundraiser for a Friend has begun! All of the auctions are now live! Follow the link to check out all of the swag up for grabs, including original artwork, autographed books, movie memorabilia and even a set of 2 passes to the sold-out 2011 San Diego Comic Con! Place your bids now, because these auctions are up on Sunday!

All auctions are brought to you by The Cranboyz in support of John Randall and his fight with Lymphomic Cancer. 100% of the proceeds from these auctions go directly to benefit John Randall. We want to sincerely thank all of the contributors who donated to support our cause. We really appreciate your generosity!

Happy bidding!

Fundraiser Auction Art: Part Seven

2011-03-23T07:23:00.006-04:00

It's almost here! The eBay auctions will begin tomorrow. These 3-day auctions will include all the original artwork we've showcased here (and more), as well as several comic-related specialty items. All proceeds from the auctions will benefit The Cran, helping him to meet his medical expenses as well as his day-to-day expenditures while battling cancer. So take another look at all the artwork up for auction right here on the blog, or head over to our gallery at Comic Art Fans to see them all again!

On to today's updates! First off, we have an original 16" x 26"
fantasy pin-up, by Geoff Darrow:

And next we have this beautiful 9" x 12" marker sketch of
Gwen Stacy, by Joe Pekar:

Check back tomorrow for final updates and the start of the auctions!

Fundraiser Auction Art: Part Six

2011-03-17T15:00:00.006-04:00

The Art Auction is just around the corner... it starts at the end of next week! So, we're continuing to showcase the original artwork donated to help The Cran!

First, we have another whimsical pin-up from Scott James, this time featuring Jean Grey, The Phoenix, in a bit of an off-camera moment:

Next, we have an original 11" x 17" pin-up of the Mini-Marvels,
by Chris Giarrusso:

We'll continue to roll out the artwork right up until the start of the Art Auction, so we'll see you back here in a few days!

Fundraiser Auction Art: Part Five

2011-03-14T15:14:00.004-04:00

Today's auction update contains a couple of takes on classic characters from popular G.I. Joe creators!

First, we have an original 11x17 pin-up of Snake-Eyes,
by Jeremy Dale. Yo Joe!

Next we have a full-color, 8.5x11 pin-up of The Baroness,
by Shannon Gallant. Cobraaaaa!

Check back later this week for more artwork!

Fundraiser Art Auction: Part Four

2011-03-09T08:45:00.006-05:00

Welcome back for another update! To start things off this week, we're announcing that the eBay auctions will begin on Friday, March 25th. These 3-day auctions will include all the original artwork we've showcased here (and more), as well as several comic-related specialty items. All proceeds from the auctions will benefit The Cran, helping him to meet his medical expenses as well as his day-to-day expenditures while battling cancer. So keep checking back for more auction updates, and sneak peeks at the original artwork!

And speaking of original artwork, today we have a classic Marvel Team-Up!

First, we have an original pin-up of the Incredible Hulk,
by Scott James:

And finally, we have this spectacular 11" x 17" painting of
the Amazing Spider-man, by Gene Gonzales:

Check back soon for more original art!

Fundraiser Art Auction: Part Three

2011-03-01T09:47:00.006-05:00

Back again with another update!

Today's pieces include two donations from our very good friends Comfort Love and Adam Withers, creators of The Uniques and Rainbow in the Dark.

First up, we have an original 11" x 17" jam sketch featuring Nightwing and Jade, by Comfort and Adam:

Next up, we have an original 11" x 17" pin-up featuring an epic battle between the Human Torch and Iceman, by Adam:

Keep checking back for more updates and auction details!

Fundraiser Art Auction: Part Two

2011-02-23T07:38:00.004-05:00

The original artwork for the auction continues to roll in!

Next up, we have an original 11" x 17" pin-up of Dazzler,
by Todd Nauck:

Check back soon for more updates!

Fundraiser Art Auction: Part One

2011-02-15T14:09:00.006-05:00

The original artwork that will be auctioned off to raise money for The Cran has started coming in, so we thought we'd start showcasing it.

First up, we have an original 11" x 17" pin-up of Nightwing,
by Scott McDaniel:

Next, we have an Avengers #7 sketch cover featuring The Mighty Thor, by James Nguyen:

Keep checking back for further updates, including auction details and more original artwork!

Fundraiser on Fresh Ink

2011-02-11T18:39:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Blair Butler and G4 for spreading the word about the Fundraiser for Cran! (About 5 minutes into the clip)

We are getting Original Artowrk in and are organizing it for an online auction. We will post a few samples soon and will list all the details when we have the art and get a bit closer!

And Thanks for using the Donation Button at the top of the page to send The Cran some cash!

Video Game - E3 2011

Fundraiser Details

2011-02-10T21:02:00.006-05:00

Here it is in glorious Four Color! Details for the Fundraiser Dinner!

April 2, 2011 at the Greentown Athletic Club in Greentown Ohio.
Doors will Open at 3 and Dinner will be from 4 to 7. Silet Auction will end at 7 and Winners will be announced!

The Cran is currently going through Chemo and additional treatments that leave him unable to work. Running Land of Cran Comics for the last 20 years left him without Health Insurance. We are trying to raise as much as possible to help him with his bills and expenses so that he does not have to worry about these while receiving medical treatment.

We have more Comic Book Professionals donating their artowrk and even some of their books!
These items will be Auctioned with All of the proceeds going directly to The Cran!

Added to the list of gracious creators are:
Scott McDaniel (Batman, Nightwing)
Craig Rousseau (Perhapanauts, X-Men First Class)
Todd Dezago (Tellos, Perhapanauts, Super Hero Squad)
Jeremy Dale (GI Joe, Skyward, Absolute Zeros)
SL Gallant (GI Joe, Marvel Adventures: Avengers)
As well as Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing!

And please don't forget, if you are interested in donating money to help The Cran, the Donation Button at the upper Right of the page accepts Credit and Debit Card, as well as Paypal!

Fundraiser for The Cran!

2011-01-25T20:46:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends, and Customers,

It is with great regret that I write to inform you of the following situation. As some of you undoubtedly know by now The Cran has been diagnosed with Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia a slow-growing lymphoma (cancer that begins in the cells of the immune system). This form of cancer is a rare, only about 1,500 cases in the US annually and at this time there is no known cure for it, but there are several treatment options available to help control the symptoms of the disease.

The past few years have seen hard times for the store as evidenced by the downsizing to a smaller location and eventual closure, as well as for other small businesses in this depressed economy. Being a small business owner the Cran didn't have health care coverage, and most of his finances have been exhausted in trying to keep the store going. Adding this rare illness on top of all these other factors has been a huge financial burden for him, and he is unable to seek other work because of this disease. We are trying to organize a fund raising dinner to help raise some money for the man who means an awfully lot to us to help him meet his day to day expenses, as well as medical costs.

If Land of Cran was an important place in your life or you enjoyed your time shopping there, we are asking you for your generosity and kindness to help by either donating money, buy a ticket to the event, or place a bid on one of the silent auctions. Anything will be appreciated in this time of need.

Bill's Books & More will also have dinner and ticket information as it becomes available.

The Cran is a member of a local organization of friends and businessmen that call themselves the Pigdogs, and they are the ones who are putting together this fund raising dinner. They contacted Shane and myself to bring in the comics side of Cran's life to help make this event the best we can.

The event will be a spaghetti dinner at the Greentown Athletic Club. We are hoping to sell 500 numbered $20.00 tickets for a chance at a grand prize which will be a total gym courtesy of Fitness Quest Inc, Canton OH and door prizes (depending on donations),

From donations of themed baskets, corporate gifts, original comic art, sports tickets etc. money will be raised via "silent" auction, where bids are written on a sheet below the prize. Some of the comic artists involved with us are:

Robert Atkins (GI Joe)
Darryl Banks (Green Lantern)
Tome Feister (GI Joe Origins, Ex Machina)
Gene Gonzales (Pin-Up Artist)
Scott James (Mutants and Masterminds)
Comfort Love and Adam Withers (Mutants and Masterminds, the Uniques, Rainbow in the Dark)
Todd Nauck (Young Justice, Wild Guard and Amazing Spider-Man #583)
Joe Pekar (Pin-Up artist)

The key to make this a success is to raise most all of the funds before the event. All of you who where nice enough to say you would help in any way, or you do not live here and want to help, there is a paypal donation button at the top of this Blog and 100% of the money will go Directly to the Cran.

Benefit Dinner for The Cran!
Where- Greentown Athletic Club 9944 Cleveland av nw Greentown 44630
When- Sat. April 2nd doors open 3:00 Dinner 4:00-7:00 grand drawing 7:00
BYOB

For more details contact:
Shane Simek - 330 704.9026, simek108@earthlink.net

Terry Bigrigg 330.639.9349, t.bigrigg@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your contribution!

The Iron Spider

2011-01-17T15:09:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone! Hope 2011 is treating everyone well so far! As for me, I'm still moving forward with digital coloring, and here's a piece I did to learn a different coloring technique. It's called cel-shading, and it's used in primarily in animation and more graphic styles of illustration. I've shown the process in the series of images below. I used my sketch of The Iron Spider from Craig Rousseau from Mid-Ohio 2010.

First, I scanned the original line art into Photoshop and prepped it for coloring:

Next, I flatted the image, providing the base color for the character:

Then, the I used cel-shading to adds depth and volume to the character:

Finally, I created a cool spider web background to make the character pop off the page.

So, that's it! Hope you enjoyed it! Also, check out Craig Rousseau's blog entry for today, showcasing not the black and white sketch he did for me at the show, but my colored version!

Andy

2010: The Year In Cons: C2E2

2011-01-07T21:11:00.014-05:00

I remember either in late 2009 or early 2010 emailing Shane when the initial C2E2 guest list came out -- at the time the main names were Steve Epting and Butch Guice. Shane blew me off. He's like that. Jump ahead another month or two and I get a call from Shane asking if I'd seen the C2E2 guest list -- oh, it had grown! We went from having never mentioned the show before to buying plane tickets and making hotel reservations in about a day. And the list KEPT GROWING!

Now, with a big guest list comes big questions. As most of you know I'd been suffering from The Mystique Curse since 2000, when, after getting my Dr. Doom sketch from Steve Epting at Heroes Con I said, 'next time I see Steve, I'll get Mystique from him.' Well, years passed, Epting went and got famous (or as we Cranboyz realize, he finally got the credit he deserved for being one of the best artists in the business) so getting sketches from him got tougher. Then he went and killed Captain America and he became nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get. Cranboyz wept. Getting sketches from Steve Epting was one of the things that kept us going. As time went on, The Mystique Curse started to take on a life of its own; fearing I'd never get a sketch from Epting again I decided I'd get one from Ron Garney, a guy we saw fairly often, if not all the time. As soon as the decree was made, Garney went off the grid. I then decided to get her from our friend Cliff Chiang, who had delivered for us time and time again. We TALKED about it ... but the day came and Cliff got busy and didn't get to me. It happens. Especially when Mystique is involved.

Sooo ... I decided to make getting a sketch from Steve Epting my top priority at C2E2. I was going to get Mystique dang it!

But then Epting cancelled. The Curse lived on.

Seriously, though, that was, in its own way, a blessing in disguise for me at C2E2 as I then decided to set my sights on getting a sketch of Voodoo from the great Terry Dodson, who I'd never met and who rarely ventures to shows in our range. But getting Dodson is work. You've got to WANT IT. And what Cranboyz want, Cranboyz get.

Before C2E2 there was a retailer convention, now Shane and I aren't retailers but we did know a certain man named THE CRAN who ran a comic book store and who got Shane and I passes for the Diamond retailer convention that was to be held the days before the show. Now, Shane and I didn't necessarily care about the retailer expo but we did care about the fact that retailers got into C2E2 THREE HOURS EARLY the first day of the con.

Now, being who we are, Shane and I decided that since retailers get in at 10, we needed to be the FIRST retailers into C2E2 so we figured we'd get there 8'ish. We took the handy C2E2 shuttle to the convention center, along with a group of people who were going to an entirely different convention and who weren't pleased to find out they were being dropped at the polar opposite end of the convention center from where they needed to be. We went to registration and got our badges and then noticed something about C2E2: The security was kind of incompetent. They were letting ANYONE in who had a retailer badge, even though it wasn't 10 am yet. We pounced and beelined for Artist's Alley. I can say with absolutely no exaggeration that for about a half hour, Shane and I were the ONLY PEOPLE in artist's alley. "First In, Last To Go!" I got in my spot to wait for Terry Dodson, who would be at his table in a mere FIVE HOURS.

As time went on, I was joined by a few other anxious Dodson fans, most of whom I knew from other shows. We did what fans in line always do before cons start: hold spots in line while people line up other sketches! Honestly, it was a great time and the good company certainly made waiting for the show to start a lot of fun.

Terry Dodson showed up, of course and his pal John Popa was FIRST on his sketch list!

And Voodoo? Voodoo is one of my favorite sketches I have:

With that sketch setup, others fell in line: Jeremy Haun, Jim Calafiore and Bob Layton in the villain book, Jeff Moy waited for Dodson to draw in my girls sketch book and Jacen Burrows took my monster book.

Burrows wasn't doing full sketches, he was there with his publisher and was mostly doing head sketches. Still, he did a great Leatherface fo me.

Leatherface:

As usual, C2E2 was falling together the way a Cranboy con does.

After drawing a very ... subtextual ... drawing of Serpent Society member BUSHMaster, Jeremy Haun chastized me a bit. Jeremy and I share a deep love of horror movies and he was a bit let down to 'have' to draw a super villain for me, instead of getting to play in my monster book. Well, I'm never one to let my pal Jeremy Haun down so we chatted horror a bit and before long he was drawing Pennywise the Dancing Clown for me in my monster book.

The BUSHMaster:

Pennywise the Dancing Clown:

Jim Calafiore, known for drawing incredibly cool armored characters took on the challenge of drawing obscure Thor villain Kurse for me. Kurse is one of my favorite designs and Jim was excited to do the sketch. BEFORE he did it. When picking up his sketch, Jim smiled, shook his head and declared the armor "a real pain in the ass to draw." He said it with a laugh and then went on about how much of a big fan he is of Walt Simonson, Kurse's designer.

Kurse:

Legendary creator Bob Layton also hooked me up. I was a little torn, 2010 was Armor Wars for the Cranboyz and Layton is as linked to Iron Man as any other creator. But I'm also a big fan of Valiant Comics and wanted Master Darque from my favorite Valiant book: Shadowman. In the end, my nostalgia won out and I went with Darque. I swung by Layton's table at the end of the con Friday but he hadn't gotten to my sketch yet and asked that I stop by in the morning to pick it up. I asked if we was going to do it at night and have it ready first thing in the morning or if he was going to do it first thing in the morning at the con. Bob's response was "one of those two." I laughed. For the record, it was ready as soon as the show opened the next day.

Master Darque:

Jeff Moy delivered a great Tarot for me. Jeff's been one of my 'go to' artists for as long as I've been getting sketches. Unfortunately, we don't see him as often as we used to so I was thrilled to get him in my book AGAIN. His Tarot is great -- and my love for the Hellions knows no bounds. For the record, he had no idea who the character was. He's a DC guy.

Tarot:

As the weekend wore on, C2E2 was interesting in that a lot of the artist alley artists, guys that are usually bombarded at Heroes Con, weren't as busy. It was a lot of casual fans, more into the displays from the publishers.

Needless to say, when a Cranboy sees spots available on Chris Samnee's sketch list, we fill those spots up ASAP. The nice thing about Chris is we know him well enough that we can not only pick characters we like, but we can also pick characters HE likes. Once upon a time, Chris posted a sketch of Buffy on his blog and said something about being a huge fan, in later conversations he mentioned he'd do about anything to draw a Buffy comic. Well, I'm not an editor at Dark Horse, so I can't get him the Buffy comic gig but I CAN hook him up with the opportunity to draw a Buffy sketch for me. And he did something wonderful that led to something VERY cool that Chris and I are going to do as time goes on ... but more on that in the Heroes Con post.

Buffy:

Sunday morning rolled around and I still had one more wish on sketch list. My longtime friend Paul Pelletier was at the show. Like Steve Epting, we'd discovered Paul when he was barely known but he's gone on -- through his incredible talent -- to become a top hand in comics. Now, in the old days, he didn't like doing con sketches. He'd just sell me pages for cheap. Which was nice! Still, getting sketches is a cool thing for us and over the years Paul had started doing sketches. At C2e2 he finally broke down and took a list even. So Sunday morning I went over to him and asked if he could fit me in, and he obliged. I bought a splash page from Paul of Crystal from the Inhumans and getting a Medusa piece to compliment it seemed like a pretty logical thing to do.

Medusa:

Now, that was all the con sketches I got at C2E2. But, earlier in the year I'd commissioned the great Brian Hurtt to do a Wolfman piece for me and we'd agreed I'd just pick it up at the show, rather than make him ship it. Now I'm generally in awe of the art I pick up at a show, but, even still, when I first saw this piece I don't think I could even string together a sentence. It just blew me away!

Wolfman:

So that was C2E2, just in artwork. What else happened? Oh, we sought out some Chicago-style hot dogs and Shane pranked called me in the middle of the night. His excuse? He was trying to record me sleeping.

Yeah, it's creepy.

Next stop: HEROES CON 2010.

2010: ARMOR WARS finale

2011-01-01T18:05:00.031-05:00

With 2010 behind us, our theme of Armor Wars is now complete. We really had a fun time with this. My favorite is when one of us would get a sketch and say, "Hey, he can go in the Armor Wars!"

We certainly covered a lot of characters and different ideas with this theme. And really, that is the fun of it. I remember very clearly when JLAdam threw the idea out there, and it was obvious it was going to work. However, I had no idea it would be the cause of all of this!!

I will keep it simple, a roll call if you will. If you want to know more about the stories of any of these, check out our galleries at Comic Art Fans, or ask us, we'ld be happy to share!

The Cranboyz Present, 2010: ARMOR WARS!

Apocalypse by Todd Nauck for Popa:

Avalanche by Darryl Banks for Andy:

The new Blue Beetle by Karl Moline for Dave:

Cobra Commander in Battle Armor by Paul Azaceta for Shane:

Star Wars Clone Troopers Rex and Cody by Adam Withers for Shane:

Star Wars Clone Troopers Hevy and Echo by Adam Withers for Andy:

The Cimson Dynamo by Darryl Banks for Shane:

Cyborg by Jim Calafiore for Shane:

First Appearance Dr Doom by Darryl Banks for Popa:

Dr Doom by Bob Hall for Shane:

The Dreadknight by Casey Jones for Eric:

Iron Man Mini Marvels Hulk Buster Armor by Chris Giarrusso for Eric:

Iron Man post Armor Wars armor by Bob Layton for Shane:

Iron Man Silver Centurian by Darryl Banks for Eric:

Iron Man Space Armor by Uko Smith for Eric:

Kurse by Jim Calafiore for Popa:

Lilandra by Jay Fife for Shawn:

Lex Luthor by Andy Smith for Popa:

Mandroid Armor by Uko Smith for Shane:

Night Thrasher by Comfort Love for Shane:

The Predator by Brian Hurtt for Popa:

Spider-Man in his Iron Spider armor by Craig Rousseau for Andy:

Steeler of GI Joe by Chris Giarrusso for Shane:

Stingray by Greg Schigiel for Karen:

The Super Patriot by Scott James for Shane:

Ultron by Robert Atkins for Shane:

War Machine by Ron Frenz for Shawn:

War Machine Mini Marvels style by Chris Giarrusso for Karen:

Thanks for checking out our "sketch theme for 2010"!

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-24T20:45:00.002-05:00

It's Christmas Eve and I can't help but sit here and look back at the past year. I know there is still a week left in 2010, but I will be busy New Year's Eve, playing video games with a 6 pack! Tradition is very important to me, sorry.

So much has happened this year, the Cranboyz have taken a couple of big hits. The kind of things that really always stay with you. We lost our good friend JLAdam. Adam was a good friend to each of us and a very solid memeber of the Cranboyz. He was a big piece of the pie and things really are not the same without him. Even when he could not be right there in the thick of things, he was still a part of it and still let you know he was there in spirit. The cons we have been to since have still been enjoyable, but they really feel different. I still believe Adam is there in spirit, but I am greedy sometimes, and I want more.

Not long after Adam's passing, The Cran closed the doors to Land of Cran Comics. It was not by choice, more it was something that had to be done. The Cran did everytying he could, maybe for too long, to keep the ol' gal afloat, but it just wasn't going to happen. Things ended the best they could, and there were Cranboyz in attendance, right up to the last minute. But there would be no Cranboyz without that place! For 18 years we had our semi-official headquarters there. It was a place we all knew and loved and were apart of. I still drive by and it just seems wrong that it's not there.

There will always be Cranboyz though! We will proudly wear the name of the Cran on our shirts and portfolios and other nick-nacks! The Cran is still apart of us and we will never stop representing the name and reminding people where we came from!

How can I say that we will always do that? Well, Dave and Karen did their part this year! Little Alaina has been brought into the world and joined the ranks of the Jr Cranboyz! Actually, counting 2 nephews, the Jr Cranboyz just might outnumber the actual Cranboyz! How's that for keeping things going! I took my nephew to his first Con, which wasn't very good, but I have promised to make that up to him this year!

We had a lot of fun in 2010. We went to a lot of shows, a LOT! The shows we attend are becoming a bit more diverse and we are starting to see members who don't make it to many shows, make it to a few more. Even when the group wasn't going, we still had a member or two ventrure out and make a claim, pretty cool!

We went to the brand new C2E2 in Chicago, which was an experience I would love to enjoy again. Mega Con, Pittsburgh and Hero Con all made the rotation again, that alwas makes us happy! I made it to Joe Con with Robert Atkins, which was a good time like you wouldn't believe! And the Cranboyz also made an impact on Dragon Con, helping Kevin Dockery with his display, The Armory. Ontop of that show being rediculously entertaining, we got to rub elbows with guys like Stan Lee and Tom Feister!

And we have made SO many friends at these Cons! It is always fun to consider all the creators that we now know and hang out with, but we have made a lot of friends just from other people going to the shows and standing in line with us! Christopher, Leigh, Shannon, Billy, Chad and Paul, just to name a few! Cons are no longer just about socializing within our group, but with all of our new friends as well!

So overall, 2010 was not all bad. I am certain it will not be forgotten, possibly ever! And 2011, I am sure will be a good time. It just not might be the good time we are used to.

I would like to thank everyone of the Cranboyz, our friends, and our families for each of their contributions to 2010. It certainly would not have been as good as it was without you!

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!
Shane

DC Universe Online

2010-11-19T18:27:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to share with everyone that I was able to join the DC Universe BETA testing team. I had to accept the terms of agreement that included promising NOT to post details on blogs, etc. I will do my best to keep you informed without breaking the terms and any future opportunities to do this. Stay Tuned! You can get the basics here: www.dcuniverseonline.com

DC Universe Online Featured Art

Heroes of Insurance

2010-10-20T15:02:00.011-04:00

So, one of my company's independent agents decided that he wanted a super-hero themed ad campaign. Well, word got out that someone in the office enjoyed comic books, and so, I was assigned the task of creating the artwork for this campaign. I thought you guys might get a kick out of the results. So, here are the pencils for the campaign:

Shanahan

Kotecki

Dog

And here is the final artwork:

Billboard

Ad #1

Ad #2

Ad #3

Click on the pics for larger scans. Enjoy!
Andy

Rainbow In the Dark

2010-10-07T17:12:00.006-04:00

Hey Everyone!

I'm back again with an update on my foray into comic book coloring! The second issue of Comfort Love and Adam Withers' new comic, Rainbow In the Dark, came out this week, featuring five pages flatted by yours truly! I've got the flatted pages posted below. And go here to download the entire issue for only $0.99! Don't miss out, Comfort and Adam continue to outdo themselves with each issue they create.

Page #3

Page 7

Page #14

Page #18

Page #27

In addition, I've started practicing with toning. With much advice and guidance from Comfort and Adam themselves, I finished my first experiment. I've posted my first official attempt here for you to check out. It's my favorite panel from the second issue of Rainbow. This is just my first attempt, but I will continue to practice and post more in the future. So check back for more updates in the near future!

More soon!

Andy

Remembering Adam

2010-09-12T14:18:00.002-04:00

Adam and I were kindred spirits, no other way about it. And since this is the Cranboyz blog, what better ways to illustrate it than our love for comics.

I met Adam on the way to a small comic con in Buffalo Shane had invited me to. I'd heard about Adam but had never met him. He seemed quiet at first, which is what a lot of people thought when they met him, of course, over time that image would seem comically incorrect!

After that first show we started chatting on email, at first it was just months of "Simpsons" quotes, then we finally progressed to having an actual conversation. Soon thereafter we all went to Pittsburgh for a con, Adam to meet his favorite artist, Howard Porter and me to meet pro wrestler Mick Foley.

We quickly learned that our obsessive personalities were well matched when the rest of the crew wasn't heading to the con until later but Adam and I decided we wanted to be there as bright and early as possible. So at six in the morning we wandered over to the Monroeville Expomart to wait in line to meet our heroes. At that show a lot of the crew was heading back after one day but Adam and I stayed over one more night. That night was the first time we really talked about our lives both in and out of comics. We watched a hockey game at the local Max and Erma's, I'm not a big hockey fan but I'm a sports fan, another thing Adam and I would talk about incessantly.

In Adam, I found someone I could talk about some of the more obscure and artsy comics. He gave me my first copy of "From Hell" to read, I got him to read "Transmetropolitan." We liked the heavier, Vertigo-type stuff, written by those damned British writers. And, of course, we loved to quote those books and random moments to our endless amusement and possibly to everyone else's annoyance :)

There was nothing we liked referencing more than Grant Morrison and Chris Weston's "The Filth." "The Filth" is an aquired taste, to be sure, with an overtly sexual and crazy science fiction story. Most people gave up on "The Filth" but we loved it, especially bringing up the book's communist monkey assasin, Dmitri-9.

This story probably won't make any sense but I can't stop laughing about it to this day. At my old job I had all the time in the world to email Adam as we both trudged along at our office gigs. An email would start on one topic and within a few responses would venture off to any unexpected tangent. In this case somehow we started talking about Fraggle Rock and I mentioned the old adage from the show that "a doozer that doesn't becomes a Fraggle." Adam responded that he didn't know what it meant because to him it needed a verb, a doozer that doesn't DO WHAT becomes a Fraggle? So he suggested his version would be 'a doozer that doesn't READ THE FILTH becomes a Fraggle.' I didn't stop laughing that day and I found the email again before I left my old job and was cleaning out my old email files. And I laughed just as hard that time. That's what Adam could do, pull a reference out of NOWHERE that was so funny.

I know sometimes people thought we were being smug or condescending but, really, we just enjoyed obscure jokes and loved making the most obscure possible references as often as possible. We were just being funny. Sure, we knew it annoyed people sometimes but, well, we were just entertaining ourselves. We spent so much time together and had all the same interests, we understood that we only made sense to one another. And, of course, sometimes we enjoyed that part of it too :)

And Adam loved super heroes, like we all do. He took the piss out of them a lot and he'd lost interest in the current product but anytime we were out, comics and super heroes came up. The con circuit had worn him out a bit and it wasn't as much fun for him as he wanted it to be, he struggled with anxiety at shows and the lack of sleep and cramped quarters didn't help. But he knew we wanted him to go and tried to keep his interest, even when it was getting too expensive and too much for him.

Every con I go to now, I'll want Adam to be there too. That's never going to change.

Thanks, Adam!

2010-09-10T14:47:00.005-04:00

As the years go by, we will all continue to remember JLAdam with every story we tell, every convention we attend and every sketch we get. But there is one thing that will always, ALWAYS remind me of Adam. And that is Starman.

Back when I was in college, I was starting to branch out into the DC Universe more and more because I was enjoying how DC was telling stories dealing with the legacies left by their golden- and silver-age heroes. No title dealt more with this topic than Starman, by James Robinson and Tony Harris. It is still one of my absolute favorite series, and I doubt if I would have even tried it if Adam hadn't given me his copies of the first two trades. Later, at Mid-Ohio Con in 2002, Adam commissioned for me this sketch of Starman from Darryl Banks.

A year later, after many chats about the series, Adam commissioned me to do this sketch in his sketchbook, based on the storyarc entitled "Sand and Stars" where Jack Knight crosses paths and teams up with the Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds. This arc was a favorite of both of ours, and I was nervous as hell to do it for him because I didn't want to screw it up. However, I was very happy with how it turned out, and I like to think that he was also. I've looked at this sketch many times over the past week and a half, and although it still makes me sad to realize Adam is gone, it also makes me remember our shared love for this series.

Thanks for everything, Adam. You are missed more than you can imagine.

JLAdam

2010-09-09T22:57:00.013-04:00

This past week we lost our very good friend, Adam Hauenstein. Adam and I have been friends for over 15 years. Like most of us, we met through Land of Cran Comics.

Adam has been a valued friend and card-carrying member of the Cranboyz. Due to his love for the Morrison/Porter run on JLA, he started a JLA themed Sketchbook and became JLAdam.

Adam loved to joke and have fun, no matter where we were. Movies, comic book store, The Rock, Conventions, they were all made dramatically more entertaining by JLAdam.

A quick gag, a posed photo, or a phone call to Dave's comic book store in Florida, Adam was eager to lay the groundwork, regardless of how long it would take to pay off.

Even starting a Blog, under a friends nick name, knowing that we all knew it was him, he never admitted it. Not once. He always claimed to know nothing about it.

Adam was the mastermind behind my Titans sketchbook. When I was about to undergo surgery, he contacted Darrylax, Andy and Popa and they presented me with a brand new sketchbook with a sketch by Darryl.

I owe Adam Thanks for all he has done for me and put up with. He is greatly missed and will be remembered, always.

God Bless Adam Hauenstein. The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

"The League Needs More Thinkers."

Enter the Dragon

2010-08-30T17:26:00.004-04:00

Being a fan of so many things is a tough endeavor. Just the pre check list for our groups trips is enough to kill a lesser man or women. Being an IT Professional mixed with a videogame/comic/pop culture fan and adding a splash of military/law enforcement/security background it can be let’s just say less than affordable. That’s why when I was invited to attend this year’s Dragon Con I was more than a little hesitant. Not that I didn’t think the show would rock, trust me I’ve heard stories but, the shear magnitude of this show is going to be insane. Comic books, gaming, cosplay, sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, and celebrities like STAN LEE. I’m looking forward to working in THE ARMORY this weekend. A friend of the Cranboyz author Kevin Dockery will host a series of forums pertaining to all sorts of weapons on display as well as ammunitions, edged weapons, explosives and more. This is going to be a must see and I’m honored and stocked to be a part of it. On Saturday a freakin’ parade will charge through downtown Atlanta just for this event; Guinness World Record Attempts, art shows, contests, sneak previews, live DJ’s spinning tracks across four hotels to the wee early hours of the morning. This show is way bigger than that, it has encrusted a legacy as being the second best con in the U.S. only surpassed by San Diego Con. My own 15 year old daughter who loves cosplay is so jealous that we aren’t allowed to speak of the con until it’s over! Dragon Con has recorded a 1500 member volunteer staff, 1500! Now on its 23rd year this four day show has to have organization down to an art, at least I hope. If it’s as big as it’s 128pg pocket program guide, I will be in heaven.

I’ve downloaded it and thrown it in my dropbox, which syncs to my droid so I can view it on the go. (Just click on the link to download it yourself) You have to ask yourself if you’re a male in his thirties, what could possibly be better than hanging out with friends while helping display an actual ARMORY of military weapons, out of state, surrounded by other geeks – non-stop for a week(besides the freakin’ Super Bowl). I am not going to sleep for four damn days.…nuff’ said.

A Unique Tale

2010-08-23T12:43:00.008-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, so I wanted to share what I've been working on lately. About a year ago, I started playing around with digital coloring in Photoshop. I was reading books, watching tutorials, and practicing by coloring sketches and commissions from our own collections whenever I had free time.

Earlier this year, Shane suggested that I contact Comfort Love and Adam Withers, to speak with them about digital coloring. And now, thanks to the truly amazing Comfort and Adam, I've actually gotten to work in comics! You can check out my first published work here for free, in issue #6 of the Uniques Tales Anthology. In addition, I've posted below the original lineart by artist Dan Campos, my flats for the artwork, as well as the credits page from the issue.

So go check out the Uniques Tales when you get the chance! And be on the lookout for the second issue of Comfort and Adam's new series, Rainbow In the Dark, in which I've flatted several pages. More to come!

DRAGON CON!

2010-08-12T14:09:00.005-04:00

That's right, the Cranboyz are headed to Dragon Con!

Last year I got a brief taste of the Dragon Con Experience, and it was amazing! Like nothing else I have been to.

5 Hotels host Dragon Con and it is wall to wall comic books, gaming, cosplay, sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, celebreties (and More!!) for 4 full days! It is like the Mardi Gras of Cons! And it goes all night and all day! And just in case that's not enough, Saturday morning the Con hosts a Parade through Downtown Atlanta!

And as if That wasn't enough, this year we are helping author Kevin Dockery present an event titled The ARMORY!

This is going to be a presentation of Military Rifles, Handguns, Ammo, Explosives and Equipment that no one has seen this isde of a Military Museum or the History Channel! if you are going to be at Dragon Con, you really won't want to miss this!

And the Cranboyz will be in on the ground floor! Helping to run the display, on top of 4 days of Con madness!

It has been said that we plan for Conventions like other people plan military operations, now we are doing both!

PAID

2010-08-10T01:08:00.004-04:00

That's right everyone! Thanks to the patience of Robert Atkins and the help of some overtime and extra jobs, I have now paid off all 5 covers!

(4 pictured, the other is in an earlier post)

G.I. Joe Issue 21, along with Special Missions trade paperback Volumes 1-4, are all, legally, in my hot little hands!

Thanks Robert! It was fun being indebted to you, but I am a free man, now!

Cranboyz Aren't Hard To Find

2010-05-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

Some of us will be off to Heroes Con in Charlotte this coming weekend.

If you see us, say hey!

2010: ARMOR WARS

2010-05-11T01:10:00.009-04:00

So, not only did the Cranboyz have fun with the Year of the Serpent, we had a lot of positive feedback from artists, as well! Suddenly there was pressure to have a theme in 2010. Year of the Serpent just kind of happened. We didn't plan it, at least not at first. We certainly embraced it, but there was no effort to create a theme. So, we threw around some ideas but nothing really clicked.

Then, one night over a dinner filled with comic book and convention chit chat, JLAdam sai, "What about Armor Wars?" And it just worked! Not only was it a great idea, but a hot topic! The Cranboyz were in fevered debate over what characters were considered armored and who wasn't! I mean, Year of the Serpent was much easier, you were a member of the Serpent Society or you weren't! So, for the sake of our sanity and friendships, Armor Wars was opened up to any and all characters with armor.

We are only part way into the 2010 Convention season but Armor Wars is going strong! Here is a peak at what Armor Wars has brought us so far...

C2E2 2010

2010-04-24T01:24:00.022-04:00

Popa and I made the trip to check out the very first C2E2 in Chicago, IL. We got in Thursday with the show not starting until Friday, which gave us some free time to see a bit of Chicago. I enjoyed our commute from O'Hare on the L Train, however, the Navy Pier was very scenic. Best of all, were the Chicago-style Hot Dogs! I really miss them!

Friday, was show time! We got there way too early (like usual) and had a total blast! It is always great to visit with friends like Uko Smith, Jeremy and Kelly Dale, Comfort Love and Adam Withers, Robert Atkins, Chris and Laura Samnee, Brian Hurtt, Jeff Moy, Phil Moy, Jeremy Haun and I am sure I am missing a few!

I picked up my Covers that I have had on lay away with Robert Atkins. Robert is way too nice of a guy and he has gone out of his way to hook us up.

2010 brings the Cranboyz to our theme of Armor Wars! C2E2 was a great place to enjoy that theme, especially with Iron Man 2 right around the corner! Bob Layton being on hand didn't hurt either!

This was set up as a pretty huge show, and the excitement for it was everywhere! They had it set up as a big show with lots of room. You could tell they did put thought into things and were still learning as they went. I don't think the turn out was exactly what they hoped for, but it wasn't bad.

There were plenty fo costumes at this show, and folks seemed to really be trying. There were not too many lame outfits to be seen!

The show did wear us out. Nothing is close and we were always on the go. Overall, it was a good show, a great time and we got some awesome sketches! The trip was worth it and I would do it again!

And special thanks to JLAdam for picking us up in style!

C2E2: First In, Last To Go

2010-04-20T17:49:00.001-04:00

Friday morning at C2E2:

2009: Year of the Serpent

2010-04-11T11:44:00.040-04:00

John Popa and I have always been fans of the group known as the Serpent Society. We have also, always joked that we should just get sketches of the entire team, sometime. Well, one thing led to another, and in 2009, it happened. We decided that 2009 was the Year of the Serpent! Being the Cranboyz that we are, we had Andy create a logo, had shirts made, the whole deal.

So, we chose our favorite memebers and got to work collecting sketches of them! Not a lot of people are familiar with the Serpent Society, so we often had to explain who they were. They are a villain group that primarily fought against Captain America and appeared in his title in the mid 80's. They were led by Seth Vorhees, better known as Sidewinder. His goal was to create an established group that could bid on jobs and could offer the bonus of never having to spend time in jail. Sidewinder was a teleporter and would simply rescue his team memebers from incarceration so that they could continue to work. Brilliant!

Not all of the Cranboyz are such fans of the Serpent Society (don't ask me why!) but still wanted to particiapte in the Year of the Serpent. So, we decided that as long as you got some sort of serpent sketch, you were in! Well, that made for some interesting contributions!

Dave got this sketch of Fin Fang Foom!

Andy Decided to have some snakes added to his sketch of Indiana Jones!

And our mysterious member, Carl, picked up a sketch of his hero, Snake Pliskin!

Now, for the Serpent Society sketches of 2009!

I picked up ANACONDA by Adam Withers!

Popa got the ASP from Robert Atkins and I got her from Jay Fife!

Popa had Darryl Banks draw this perfect BLACK MAMBA. Comfort Love played off of the characters background, for me!

Mahailo Vukelic drew BUSHMASTER for me.

Classic Villain COBRA was drawn for Popa by Jeremy Dale and for me by Casey Jones!

CONSTRICTOR turned down an offer to join the Serpent Society, but ran around with Viper in the Serpent Squad. Tom Lyle drew him for me!

Shawn had Comfort Love add COPPERHEAD to our collection!

COTTONMOUTH was a founding member of the Society. Robert Atkins drew him for Popa, Sean McArdle drew him for me.

Mysterious and deadly, DEATH ADDER was drawn for me by Josh Medors and for Popa by Reilly Brown.

DIAMONDBACK left the Society to date Captain America and fought them at his side! She was drawn by Sean Chen for Popa and by Joe Pekar for me.

Uko Smith drew PRINCESS PYTHON for Karen!

PUFF ADDER is a newer member to the team. He could increase his bulk AND spit acid! He was drawn for me by Jeremy Dale and for Popa by Adam Withers!

Casey Jones drew the team's founder, SIDEWINDER, for Popa!

I had Uko Smith draw the beautiful and deadly VIPER!

There are still a few members we want to add. I know Popa still wants BUSHmaster in his collection and I have plans for SIDEWINDER! Overall, it was a lot of fun having a theme to shoot for. It makes it a little tough, considering that most of us have theme's for each of our sketchbooks! But we did it!

And a lot of the artists had fun with it as well! We have had many requests for a theme for 2010, but, that's a story for later!

Who (or What) is The Cran?

2010-03-30T16:06:00.008-04:00

Well, to be honest, This is The CRAN!

That probably doesn't help, at all. Chances are it scared quite a few of you! O.K., let's try it this way. The Cran (that IS the proper spelling) is the guy who owns Land Of Cran Comics. The name Land of Cran, comes from back when The Cran was in High School. Everyone just called him The Cran (a nickname based off of his real name). So, one day in study hall, one of his buddies, who was always doodling and sketching, handed him some art he finished of this alien-looking landscape. There were some mountains, and on top there was a flag with the word Cran on it. His pal said, "Here you go. It's The Land of Cran." And it stuck!

The Cran opened Land of Cran comics in February 1993, with his most faithful employee ever, ME! Well, pretty faithful. I ran the store for the Cran until September of 2000. Since then, Terry and Dave have taken turns at the counter, selling comics and dealing with the unique personality of The Cran!

Before The Cran started the store, he was running a mail order business and setting up at local conventions. When the time came to open the doors of Land of Cran Comics, we needed a sign and a logo. Being a fan of 1950's Sci-Fi, The Cran was inspired by the rocket ships of L.B. Cole and this design was created to represent the store.

The Cran was always been good to us, letting us hang out, host a few events at the store, and putting up with our ramblings of comic book shows and artists. It is has never been odd to see a few Cranboyz at the store, although it happens less these days, due to most of them no longer living in Canton. However, most of the Cranboyz met through me working at the store and we all just hung out, gamed together or started going to conventions.

Land of Cran Comics has been through some crazy times, and has relocated, twice. But It has always been found in the Market Place Plaza, on Whipple Ave NW, in Canton, Ohio. Currently at 4611 Whipple Ave NW.

If you are in the area, stop by! It is a great shop, clean with LOTS of Comic Books! If The Cran is there, he might even talk comics with you, as long as the comics you like are Bone, Walt Disney Ducks, Lobo, The Demon, Transmetroplitan, Jonah Hex or the Amazing Spider-Man (prior to the Spider Buggy).

Otherwise, Terry would be happy to chat with you about comics, movies, tv, gaming or whatever fun topics happen to come up!

The Cran even gave the Cranboyz his blessing when I showed him our logo, based 100% off of his. His exact words were, "Hey, not bad!" And if you know The Cran, you know that is high praise indeed!

So, those are our roots. Where we come from and why. It probably doesn't explain a damn thing to anyone, but now you know a little bit more about the Cranboyz!

My First Cover

2010-03-27T19:12:00.001-04:00

Granted, I bought it in 1995 :)

As published:

The actual artwork:

Cover Fire!

2010-03-25T11:19:00.009-04:00

I know I don't need to post new artwork here, everytime I pick something up. I know there is a very nice link, to the right, to ALL of my art, and the rest of the Cranboyz, on CAF. However, I just had to share this!

My very first cover! How cool!

Obviosuly, I am a pretty darn big G.I.Joe fan. If you look at my art collection, you may pick up that I am a pretty big fan of Robert Atkins as well. So, not a massive surprise that I would pick up a cover from him. Except, G.I. Joe has given Robert a nice boost and made him an even more popular artist, making it harder and harder to get artwork from him.

So, when I was lucky enough to see this art, before it came out, I asked if it was available. I mean, Flint is one of my favorite Joes and here he is, dead center on a cover! By Robert Atkins! I didn't even know what the cover was for at the time! And I got the cover! But couldn't really share it until it was officially relased by IDW. And now it is!!

I present to you, G.I. Joe Special Mission Vol 1 TPB Cover by IDW (reprinting the Marvel Special Missions run, for those of you that care!)!

I also included a copy of the colored cover, without the Logo and Text! Isn't it great! I certainly think so!

Thanks again Robert!

And Yo Joe!
Shane

Who (or What) Are the Cranboyz?!?!

2010-03-22T17:59:00.005-04:00

WE Are The Cranboyz! Of Course!

I guess there needs to be a little bit more explanation, huh?

The Cranboyz (and CranGirl) are a bunch of friends who mostly know each other from our local comic book store, Land of Cran Comics. We travel to Comic Books shows (or Conventions, or Cons) and collect sketches, commissions and original pages. We have drifted away from each other, in location only! However, we are always talking, calling, texting and emailing each other about our travels and collections. Always!

We just love this stuff! And not just reading comics and being at the shows. We plan these things non-stop! We are always making plans and trying to decide who the best artist is to draw a certain character for us!

Having been around awhile, we have made several friends , both from atendees as well as guests. This little corner of the internet has been sectioned off so that we can share all of our fun with any of them, or anyone else (who, hopefully, doesn't think we are too crazy!).

I am sure as time goes by, we will share a few of our secrets, some of the wild stories that make us laugh and maybe even a few of the reasons we do the things we do. If this stuff has continued to entertain us for all this time, someone else has Got to thinks it's fun, too... Right?

Well regardless, we will be right here, amusing ourselves with the best artwork and friends we can get our hands on!

Shane

Testing...

2010-03-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

The blog is looking great! I'll work up some Armor Wars art for the header...

Hey Guys!

2010-03-21T22:09:00.001-04:00

I'm on blogger but I never post to my own site. I usually just use it to post to other peoples stuff. So we can use this like the website Shawn has been working on?

Welcome!

2010-03-21T19:22:00.002-04:00

Welcome Aboard Everyone!
I hope for this to be a cool new way for the Cranboyz to share stories and art from the cons we go to!

Off to the side, there are a few groupings of links. One of those includes links to all of the Comic Art Fans pages of each of the Cranboyz. There are also links to Cons, Artists, our Message Board and of course, Land of Cran itslef!

I look forward to seeing everyone here!

Shane

My Test

2010-03-21T11:20:00.001-04:00

Hopefully, unlike college, I will pass this test :)

I Hate Tests!

2010-03-21T00:45:00.002-04:00

Here is the first entry on Cranboyz Online! A test, if you will, to see how this all works out!

Please stand by for actual posts...