Dave

When I was about 17 I got in touch with Dave Stevens while he was still living at his parents. I imagine I saw something of his art in some San Diego con related thing and was blown away by his perfect inking ability. He was friendly and even thought he was only an year older than me he was already a budding pro having been published in fanzines and having sent samples to Marvel something, I hadn’t even dared to do yet.

He used to ink my bad pencil swipes for comic book store flyers that ended up in the comic book buyer’s guide. I never looked so good. I remember just being in awe of his initials, so perfectly realized from the get go. We inked some comic book jobs together; he and Bil Stout making me look good on my inking jobs for Russ Manning or Mark Evanier when we all did Tarzan comics for overseas comic markets. Often he would come by my studio at my parent’s house just to pass the time in our lonely profession.

When I moved to LA he soon followed and that’s where these photos were taken, he modeled for a horror story I did for Bruce Jones. Not only was he a brilliant artist, his writing ability helped him to grasp every emotion instantly. I’d show more shots, but as an overwrought horror story the other photos would be in bad taste at this point. As thin as Dave was he was in his prime for these shots as Paul Power, Jim Gomez, Dave and myself used to go to the YMCA in Hollywood and train our balls off. Dave wanted to gain weight and would train until he dropped, but then would eat like he was on a diet. We would always goad him to eat hamburgers and he would order tuna salad.

Dave dated my sister seriously for a time, a hook-up that I hoped would lead to marriage, as I couldn’t think of a better brother in- law, but I think he was determined to be a free sprit after his disaster of a first marriage. I never got whole lots of details about it, as Dave was very private about romance and deep personal feelings. He was open with his frustrations with himself and his artistic ambitions and we spent many an hour bitching out everything in the world. We went to concerts and worked at the same studios, He being the one who made great friends I being the one to fuck up and alienate everyone. I’m sure I embarrassed him, but he never lectured me, I lectured him and harangued guys he loved who I thought gave me a raw deal and he didn’t hold it against me.

Dave was slow, but steady with his art, always striving hard to do his very best. On the contrary, he always said he hated working, which used to piss me off, as his ability was so high I couldn’t imagine being down on myself if I had that kind of skill. His big regret is he just didn’t have enough art education as we lived through the time of anti- drawing when conceptual art ruled, there were good artists out there, but It didn’t seem like it to us. I think we both shared that trait that there was so much more to strive for, but you work, you live life and then whoops you’re out of time to achieve that greatness you can see in others, but inexplicably not in yourself.
I used to love dropping by Bil Stout and Dave’s studio on La Brea… that was a place that breathed art.
At the peak of his success Michael Jackson was stalking Dave to draw a comic book about him. One night when the studio phone rang Dave asked me to answer it and if it was Michael to say he wasn’t there. This high voice asked for Dave and I went into my best Cheech and Chong. Dave? Dave’s not here? “Can you tell him Michael called?” Michael who? ” He knows me.” Dave had to run into the other room once he saw where I was going. When I moved to New York to study art seriously our friendship became strained as distance and the very busy phase of his career blowing up with the Rocketeer movie. I stupidly took that stuff personally and after not hearing from him in a situation I thought was important. I decided to get mad at him for 20 years.

I heard rumors about a “blood thing” over a year ago but chose to not believe it. After some therapy for anger management, I decided to start calling some old friends I had beefs with and at least try and make amends. About that time I heard how badly off he really was and decided to get hold of him. I didn’t have his phone so I wrote him a postcard and he was gracious enough to call me. Immediately the years melted away and we had some great long conversations. When he was up to it we had a lunch or talked on the phone, but he would be down often and I wouldn’t hear from him for weeks. Last time I saw him he came to an art show of mine. He looked good considering and was in typical form at dinner. I called to thank him, but didn’t hear back. I’ve been really busy so I didn’t try as hard as I should have to stay in touch, my poor rational is he mostly let me see the good days so I let my guard down. I didn’t think it would happen so fast. I hadn’t processed how long he had been struggling with this thing and those criminals at Kaiser.

I avoided the career info already covered on other news sites, just let out a few random thoughts. If you love someone and have had a fight, please, please call him or her. I’m really happy we made peace, but so regretful of all those missed years.

Horror, I did Horror

Back in the eighties one of the many things I wanted to do was to draw comics in the tradition of EC horror comics. I'm going to post a big selection of that work over the next few days as kind of a floating portfolio for a director I'm trying to interest in letting me work for him on a dream "horror" project. I've never tried to get much work in live action, closet to that was art directing Space Jam for a few months, but that's another story. If Frankenstein built an artist to work on movies he would have made me for this project. I'm used to dreams going down in flames, but send a prayer on this one for me.

First up is a story I never finished for no other reason I can rationalize other than I lost momentum due to the length plus a series of delays on my and the original publishers part. It's a fantastic story by Charles Beaumont adapted by Mark Burbey and myself. I disappointed myself by not finishing it, but I imagine it about killed Mark. As it was an amazing coup to get the permission to get this story and he was trying to get into comics writing. Sorry Mark.









Bruce Jones did Horror Comics in an EC twist style in the eighties and I was a dream working for him. I was young and raw but he saw something in me, I was a real honor to work for him alongside Corben, Wrightson, Ploog and many other Horror greats. Sadly my work for him was still formative I was just hitting a groove when Bruce sold his titles to Eclipse comics and where my work was improving, the working conditions were fucked.
The editor Cat Ironwood had a big problem with the objectifying of the female form and clamped down hard on the nudity Bruce encouraged. All the nudity you see here was censored. ( but not Corben's in a previous issue) She called me an encourager of rapists as I had a clothed man and a nude woman in the story and so we had a big fight on this job on every level. I re- wrote the story to make it more cinematically interesting (including adding the guns) and that was a tussle with her and the writer. She even got mad with the panel open the last page of the big guy in the empty street. She wanted to know who he was, convinced I was getting something over on her. All my changes were used by John Carpenter in the movie They Live that was based on this story, including the panel of the girl fucking the alien as the end shot. (Another fight with Cat, she caved on cuting it thank God.) Great choice on his part as the writers original ending was flat. Here are a few pages...

Playhouse Poster and Hans Bacher

I always wanted to do a Broadway or movie poster, my way. When the community playhouse in Sierra Madre asked me to do a poster for a modest budget, I volunteered to do it for free if they gave me total art directional control. The play is about two male actors who play women in a Shakespearian play. I ran out of time to do the lettering so I let them do the type, with minimal suggestions. Working for free makes me realize cartooning isn't dead to me, just art directors are.







Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation (Hardcover)
by Hans Bacher

Order this from Amazon-- The best I've seen on all elements layout.

More Samurai Jack

Since I didn't ask permission from Cartoon Network to post the SJ partings, the least I can do is promote the new DVD. Scott also sent along a few more of his BG's. Enjoy--

My book

Information on my fine art Blog. Support my book and I will post much great Clones Wars art by Scott Wills...:-)


http://williamwray.blogspot.com/

Samurai Jack

Scott and me sort of.

I think Scott referenced my key, but really made it his own this is very early on the first show. I think he felt his hands were a little tied at this point, but quickly took over and made SJ all his own.





Still more Scott





and more me.








More Me:









A few by me.











more Jr.










Scott Wills. Words fail me.

Friends

Here is one by the great Scott Wills. I twisted his arm to do this one just becasue I wanted to see how great it would be...from a Bob Camp layout. Gator is too.
I'll be doing a Sam Jack post soon. He willl be featured.



unused title card. Bob wanted it painted normal.