Oswald & Homer, two rare cartoon characters reunited!

Hello friends, I hope that you are doing well. As you can tell there have been a lot of Disney posts this month. So I’m going to keep it up, and post a rare character illustration. As you may know I’m a huge fan of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. This was the character that Walt Disney created, and unfortunately lost the rights to. It took more than 70 years for the Disney company to get the rights back. I was wondering what it would happen if the studio got the rights to Oswald side characters. One of them was a little rascal named Homer.

The tiny cat first appeared in the cartoon Homeless Homer. It was a 1929 film by animators Friz Freleng, and Rudolf Ising for Winkler / Universal. A few years later Freeing, and Ising would become some of the best animators for Warner Bros. In the cartoon Oswald tried to take in the tiny orphan, but ended up fighting with the brat instead. The character would turn up in the comics a few more times, and become retconned as the little brother of Ortensia, Oswald’s girlfriend. In each appearance he was a thorn in the side of the rabbit.

I wondered out loud what it might look like if Homer was pulled into the Disney family. It shouldn’t be very difficult as he is now a public domain character. It would be great to see him start causing trouble again. So I drew up this poster. Are there any classic cartoon character that you want to see come back in animation, or even game form? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and 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 24...

Going back through my poster collection has been a present for my mental health. I had so many posters in my Capcom collection that I had to break them over several separate blogs. 

Here's a reminder for any Street Fighter, or fighting game fans in general. If you want to get into collecting the posters then try to track down the game guides from Japan. The gems in my collection came from Gamest. It was the premier arcade magazine through the '90s. When they published guides, which they called MOOKS after Magazine-Book they often included a poster. 

If I remember correctly many of the posters featured today I was able to get at the E3. You can see the autograph of Yoshinori Ono on several of them. Lord how I miss that convention.

BENGUS IS GOD.

The Street Fighter X Tekken event was another amazing show put together by Capcom. Lord I wish there were more of these. 

Thank you for joining me so far, I still have a few more posters to feature. Many of which I forgot I had. One day I’d like to get most of them framed, and put them on display, even if I have to cycle through them. Were there any you enjoyed? I’d like to read about them 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 23...

I had so many posters in my Capcom collection that I had to break them over several separate blogs. Here's a reminder for any Street Fighter, or fighting game fans in general. If you want to get into collecting the posters then try to track down the game guides from Japan. The gems in my collection came from Gamest. It was the premier arcade magazine through the '90s. When they published guides, which they called MOOKS after Magazine-Book they often included a poster.

My Marvel Super Heroes poster was actually autographed by AKIMAN, the father of Chun-Li. It was at the San Diego Comic Con at the UDON Booth. The booth did not want to honor their commitment to one autograph per person who purchased one of the Capcom hardcovers. I said I didn't want the autograph on the book, but instead the poster. They pushed back until I talked to the managers, then they told the staff that it was okay, in fact that I could get the autograph on my book too for the hassle.

There are two Muscle Bomber posters that I know of. The first is the same as the main art that most people are familiar with. This version I had no idea existed until I saw it pop up in a Japanese auction site. I was super happy with it, and was one of the official drawings by Tetsuo Hara where I could see the details on the CWA belt that I used as reference for the actual belt I commissioned.

I don't believe in wall scrolls since they usually steal licensed art. I bought this Marvel vs Capcom 3 poster under false pretenses, I was told it was an official poster, and was sent a scroll instead. You just can't trust people online.

The Pocket Fighter is too cute, as is this classic illustration of Sakura.

Do you have a favorite game, or character that you wish you had a poster of? I’d like to read about them 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 19…

I may have a lot of posters from cartoons, and comic books, but my biggest collection comes from video games. I have a few from Namco, and tons from Capcom. However I also have a decent collection from Sega.

A couple of the Shinobi, and Sonic silk screen prints I got from the Sega pop up booth during the San Diego Comic Con. The employees printed posters right in front of us, and zapped them with UV lights to get them dried, and rolled them up for us. It was a cool giveaway.

I have a few old posters from US game magazines. These were often the only ways to get some of your favorite games in poster form.

If you have ever played Sonic Adventure then you might remember the fictional Chao in Space movie posters around town. I was so happy to see Sega actually sell them. Now I just need to find some Soap shoes to frame them with.

Speaking of Sonic Adventure I still have a sticker sheet from the fantastic Dreamcast game.

Sonic Mania Plus was one of my favorite games of all-time. It was the only game in the series not made by Sonic Team that I absolutely loved.

Sega also dropped a cool glow in the dark poster celebrating the game. It took a few tries to get a picture of it in the dark. Thankfully I had a UV flashlight that helped me get the glow right.

My kid surprised me for my birthday one year, and got me this wonderful Sonic poster from an artist at a convention. She said keeping it hidden from me was the hardest part until my birthday rolled around. She also got me the Mighty, and Ray Missing posters, but I can't seem to find which box I stored them in. If I do track them down I will update this post.

She also got me the Mighty poster that was based on the same missing poster featured in the game. This was a limited run from the actual Sega store. It's very hard to find any collectables with Ray, and Mighty on them. I love that duo even more than Sonic and Tails.

NiGHTS Journey of Dreams was a tremendous disappointment for me. Especially considering that the original NiGHTS into dreams… was my favorite game of all time. I’ll never stop loving the character, and universe Sonic Team created. I can only hope that there might be a directors cut of the original NiGHTS in time for its 30th Anniversary.

Are there any favorite Sega games, or other studio games that you’ve collected poster for? 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 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 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!