Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 14…

The previous few entries of this series have focused on the comic book posters in my collection. Today we’re looking at some posters from indy studios. First up is a poster that’s actually a parody of a Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring Janet Jackson (look it up). This one features Freefall and was drawn by the late Jason Pearson.

The next poster features an even more chesty character. Lady Death was a gateway comic for many young boys looking to get into macabre monsters, and giant boobs on undead vixens. I read it for the plot, really!

Of course some indy comic book heroines look even more amazing in real life. Such was the case for Vampirella!

Not every indy comics poster I got featured big boobies. I actually have one from the Ninja Turtles. I'm not a complete weirdo.

Are there any indy comics that you follow? Do you have favorite characters, or artists that don’t work on mainstream books? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 13…

In the previous entries I highlighted a couple of my favorite artists. Today I’m going to look at some posters / prints from Marvel studios. One of the biggest posters I have that hung on my wall featured the Fantastic Four. The family was one of my little brother’s favorites, and the art was by the absurdly detailed Geoff Darrow. In the poster you can see the Richard’s family taking on the Mole Man, and his minions. If you are a fan of intricate art I would advise you to pick up the books that Darrow illustrated for The Dark Horse books written by Frank Miller; Hard Boiled, and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.

This Guardians of the Galaxy print was actually a surprise. I was at the San Diego Comic Con, and my wife and I happened to be at the Marvel booth when a new Guardians book was being launched. We got the autograph from writer Dean White, and artist Ron Lim. I mentioned that my little brother clued me in to the work of Mr. Lim thanks to his work on the Silver Surfer, and the Infinity Gauntlet.

One of the boldest posters in my collection is a close up of Sabertooth, and Wolverine yelling at each other. The Hildebrandt brothers are amazing artists (RIP Greg) and worked on a card series for Marvel as well. You might want to track it down if you like this style of art.

Some artists were born to draw certain characters. In previous blogs I talked about how Dale Keown was born to draw the Hulk. I have the same regard for Mike Zeck. He could draw on any book, however his Punisher was unrivaled. I believe he used an airbrush on his covers, or in this case his posters.

The autographed Marvel Mania poster was sheer luck. My brothers were visiting Universal City Walk in LA. They just so happened to be there when they were celebrating the grand opening of the Marvel Mania restaurant. Stan Lee was signing, and all they needed to do was wait in line. Talk about a lucky break!

I actually had another, more colorful Punisher poster hanging in the room that my brothers, and I grew up on. Sadly it didn’t survive the flood in our old family garage. The same thing happened with a Todd McFarlane Hulk poster. I loved that poster because it showed that the “weaker” Gray Hulk was still strong enough to break out of the Vault, one of the most secure super villain prisons in the Marvel U.

Do you have any favorite Marvel prints, or posters in your collection? Do you have a favorite Marvel comic, or film? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 12…

In the previous entry I talked about Bart Sears, and some of the posters that I collected from the artist. Today I highlight another comic book artist whose work I love. Adam Hughes is, and will always be the greatest comic book pinup artist. It’s not even up for debate. Just like asking who is the best monster comic book artist and not saying Arthur Adams. He is simply in a class all his own.

He’s known mainly for his DC pinup pieces. There isn’t a female hero that Mr. Hughes couldn’t turn into a stunning illustration.

Even when he’s working with characters from Image comics Mr. Hughes was born to be a pinup artist.

One of the rarest posters I have of his work is from the short lived Penthouse Comix line. I should get it autographed one of these days.

There are some other fantastic artists when it comes to drawing pinups. Frank Cho is a close second to Hughes, as is J. Scott Campbell. Do you have a favorite comic book pinup artist, or favorite comic book bombshell? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 11…

Outside of Disney, and video game posters the largest amount of prints in my collection are from comic books. One of my favorite things from collecting comics are the occasional giveaway from a comic book store. For example a diploma from the Charles Xavier institute, or a detention notice for Impulse (a descendant from the Flash), announcing the launch of his comic book series in 1995.

Sometimes my brothers and I would score a poster for a hot cartoon. In the early '90s nothing was hotter than the Batman Animated Series. This long skinny poster belongs to my older brother, but I'm holding onto it for him.

Today I’m going to highlight Bart Sears. He is one of my all-time favorite artists. He drew mainly on Justice League Europe, and DC comics back in the ‘90s. His sense of anatomy was unparalleled among his contemporaries. He studied male, and female bodybuilders extensively so he could draw strong characters much more realistically than anybody else. One of his standout books was Eclipso. Writer Keith Giffen, and Ian Flemming took a minor character, and turned him into a villain with the potential to destroy the entire DC universe. It was great storytelling, with amazing art to carry the plot. I was happy when I got a chance to have Mr. Sears autograph my Eclipso poster.

Similar to the superstar artists that left Marvel to start up Image comics Sears eventually launched his own comic book company as well. Ominous Press has been around for over 25 years. At the San Diego Comic Con I picked up this print celebrating the company. It’s one of my favorite indy studio prints.

Were there any comic book artists that you admired? Did you collect any prints, books, or posters from them? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 10…

The previous entry on this series was about the Namco fighting game that was forgotten by the publisher. Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada said that in the early days of the Tekken, and Soul Calibur series there was a friendly rivalry between the teams. It wasn’t the only arcade-turned-home series that the company forgot about.

Splatterhouse was one of the early arcade horror hits. It got a few sequels on the consoles, and even a decent 3D adventure. Sadly the game is only remembered by die hard arcade fans. This poster from the 2010 game is absolutely massive. The top edge is a little worn, but I’m glad I still have it.

I have a lot of rare Namco things in my collection. Here’s one from the pages of Namco Graffiti magazine. A manga series that they published called Chana of the Labyrinth.

I love the UGSF universe, and consider Starblade one of the greatest arcade games ever made. I’m glad that I have these rare arcade flyers in my collection.

There would be no Starblade without Solvalou, the 3D follow-up to their arcade his Xevious. These are not the rarest Namco things in my collection, but I’ll talk about that in a future entry. Are there any rare Namco games that you wish would get rebooted? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 9…

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was amazing! I am grateful for all my friends, and family. I'll talk about the goodies I got at some point in the future. This is why today’s poster lineup is pretty short. You know I love fighting games. Here’s a few gems from the Soul Calibur franchise.

I wish Namco would reboot the series, however the Namco of the ‘80s and ‘90s is nothing like the Namco of today.

It’s a miracle that Tekken is still going. I’m sure that series would have been imploded if not for the advocacy of Katsuhiro Harada. He’s keeping that company more relevant in the fighting game community than they’d like to admit.

Are there any fighting games that you wish would be rebooted? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 8…

Today’s collection of posters is for mostly western games. Many of these I got from the E3. I’ve said it before but I really miss that expo. I was the west coast correspondent on Planet Tony Hawk.com and when I could I’d secure an autograph for the site founder Trevor “Slateman.” Here’s an autographed poster I sent to him. It had Mike Vallely's autograph, along with Bob Burnquist, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, and I'm not sure who the last one was.

I loved all the games in the series but do think the high point was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. By the time Underground 2 came out the series was feeling burned out. I blame Activision for that because Neversoft was made of talented developers that could have done any genre well.

I’m not big on first person, or third person shooters, but I do think the Borderlands designs were great.

Burning Road was one of those early Playstation games that captured the spirit of the great arcade racers. It felt like Sega Rally and Ridge Racer’s little brother. It gave me hope that other studios were going to create some knock out experiences for the home.

I never saw or played Exarch (Exarth?) but I was, and will always be a fan of Joe Mad’s art. I was happy to get an autographed poster at the E3.

I think this God of War poster came with a magazine. It’s hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old.

I’m also not a fan of Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row-type games but I am a fan of luchador hijinks.

I'm a big fan of skateboarding, not only in game form, but in real life as well. I attended the premier of the Mike Vallely documentary titled DRIVE. He was kind enough to sign this poster for me.

One of the greatest games I've ever played deserved a series. Sadly Crimson Skies came and went relatively quickly. It's a shame too, there was such potential to make it a franchise, I dare say on par with the Star Wars Rogue Squadron.

Are there any old western video game posters in your collection? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 7…

The posters featured today are a cross sampling of my interests, and shows, and events that I enjoyed in the past. It should go without saying that I’m a big fan of Bruce Lee, and his films. One of the prints that I absolutely fell in love with was by artist Justin Orr. I had to support the artist at the Wondercon in Anaheim.

Some of the prints in my collection I just picked up somewhere along the way. This old map of Los Angeles is a great reference. I should straighten out the folds, and get it framed.

One of the oddest posters in my collection actually belongs to my little brother. A lifetime ago there was a hilarious Nike ad featuring Godzilla battling against Charles Barkley. Trust me anything seemed to go with the old Nike commercials. We were at the mall one day and found a poster celebrating the collaboration. So my little brother got it, and I’ve been keeping it safe ever since.

The Hot Sauce poster was one that I created, and my friend that used to work at Kinkos got printed for me. I took it to a Mix Tape Tour game, and got the players to autograph it. Hot Sauce loved it, and asked to use my art on a couple of his own tours.

I should throw out the Eyvind Earle poster but I’m holding onto it because it reminds me of a trip that my family took to a special gallery event.

I believe that if you have the means you should support artists of all types. The art of Gary Montalbano really vibes with me. I had the pleasure of getting a poster autographed by the man at a San Diego Comic Con many years ago.

The giant robot project MORAV was one of those that had so much potential. It was going to be a live action series featuring animatronic robots. One of the designers / actors for the show was Grant Imahara of Mythbusters / Battlebots fame. Sadly Grant passed away suddenly, leaving us with memories of something that could have been truly exceptional.

Were there any gallery events, or independent artists that you really enjoy? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 6…

Several of my game posters came from either Gamest magazine, or its successor Arcadia. Today we’re going to look at some of the posters based on rhythm games.

I got a few gems from the E3, but easily one of the best was a mini poster celebrating the wonderful art of Muramasa.

I don’t remember if this was a free item I received from an online order, or if the Nier cards came from Arcadia.

The Pop ’n Music series has been around for a while, and this poster features every character that had ever appeared in the franchise.

Some arcade posters that I have are for games I’ve certainly never played. Not for lack of interest, but because some of them only came out in Japan. My big brother is a huge fan of shooters. Otomedius is a lighthearted shooter in the vein of Parodies which in itself is a parody of Gradius. One of the most iconic arcade shooters of all time.

Are there any rare Japanese posters in your collection? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!