Ben Templesmith is an Eisner-nominated Australian comic book artist, known for many things, among them Fell, written by Warren Ellis, and 30 Days of Night, written by Steve Niles. He’s also known for his love of tentacles, zombies, and making very special faces in photos. I spoke with Ben at the Image booth while he was hard at work on a sketch for someone’s future tattoo, and asked him for his top five songs for a Moody Monday.
Evan Dorkin is probably best known for his underground hit ‘Milk & Cheese’, but he’s been doing work for Dark Horse Comics since the early 90′s and has even penned a strange ‘Hellboy’ tale. His recent collaboration with famous water-colorist Jill Thompson on ‘Beasts of Burden’ has earned him nothing short of absolute praise, and garnered the creative team several industry awards including an Eisner. The hardcover collection of ‘Beasts of Burden’ is set to be released this August.
I remember the first time I wrote my name. I was 5 years old, sitting in kindergarten class, and I do recall being quite proud of myself for accomplishing such a feat. Now let me introduce you to Mr. Malachai Nicolle, AKA my “buzz kill.” He is 5 years old and in kindergarten, but HE is a renowned author of a hugely successful comic book franchise titled “Axe Cop.” yep, no shit, it’s the truth.
Joëlle Jones has been hard at work in the comics mecca of Portland, OR with several independent projects. Recently, she worked with ‘Dr. Horrible’ writer Zack Whedon on a sold-out issue revealing the back-story of Neil Patrick Harris’s character. Jones is poised to become one of the industry’s hottest talents with the release of ‘Troublemaker’, written by New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.
Guy Davis is the celebrated artist of ‘B.P.R.D.’ and the creator of the haunting black-and-white graphic novel ‘The Marquis’, which ‘Hellboy’ creator Mike Mignola called, “beautiful, smart, and very disturbing.” Last year, Davis won the coveted Eisner Award for Best Penciller & Inker in the industry. To date, Davis has drawn nearly one hundred issues for Dark Horse Comics.
Chris Onstad is the writer and illustrator of the popular webcomic ‘Achewood’ which TIME Magazine named the #1 graphic novel of 2007. His work has since gone on to win back-to-back Ignatz Awards and earn praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and humorist Dave Barry. He has two books with Dark Horse Comics – ‘The Great Outdoor Fight’ and ‘Worst Song, Played on Ugliest Guitar’ with ‘A Home For Scared People’ set to be released this fall.
I don’t have to tell you that this week DC Comics released the new look for Wonder Woman, by Don Kramer. It’s not only the comic universe that is in an uproar, but pretty much everyone that ever had a fond memory or attachment to the heroine. After all she was one of the only superheros who didn’t have a male counterpart come first. I mean, really…there wasn’t much of a need for a Wonder Man.
Just recently I started watching the original 1974 TV series with the gorgeous Linda Carter filling WW’s red leather boots. With the risk of dating myself, I remember catching episodes as a little girl and being absolutely titillated by her glossy brown hair and overt sexuality. My Mother thought she was a bit scandalous, which made me all the more interested in paying very close attention. I think for a lot of girls, Wonder Woman was the first female we had access to as a role model.