Review - Parking Garage Planet (Issue 1)

Parking Garage Planet hails from comic book creator Tim Rocks, whose previous artistic undertakings gave the world Goldbug, Slob-oids, and the Elite Leafblower Corps. Tim is a gifted caricature artist, and I always look forward to seeing what happens, when new ideas meet his artistic talent unleashed. This comic book is published under the Peak Fun label.

The front cover of Issue # 1 sets the stage for a horse of a different color. Billing two of the characters depicted on the front cover as "the most shocking new duo yet seen in print" - aka the Sale Sisters, the comic makes a bold grab for the reader's attention. Yet, if they are so shocking a duo, then why are they cowering on the front cover?

The real visual heavyweight that dominates the visuals on the front page is none other than the notorious Dubell Decka. Think big, as in a double decker bus, people, or a double-decker parking garage, if you prefer. She is upstaged on the front cover only by the colorful words which emanate from her mouth.

I won't say that Parking Garage Planet is Tim's best work to date, nor that the setting is one of my personal favorites, simply because neither would be true. But, in all fairness, this comic book does demonstrate, anew, certain aspects of the comic book craft that Tim Rocks excels at.

In an attempt to love this comic, I went back and forth through it multiple times. Nonetheless, it failed to grab me. The storyline isn't one that I want to sink my teeth into, and come back for more, issue after issue after issue.

Oh, it starts out well enough. The front cover's artwork may not seize my attention, but the dialogue does. Sentry gimps. Youthful fashionistas. Hoped-for heroes. Verbally, Issue # 1 is talking the talk, right there on the front cover, and soon enough, the reader is treated to a two-page Kirby-esque "splash page" of action. That's what the great moped jump scene reminds me of, anyway.

Without question, Parking Garage Planet flirts continuously with the imagination. Imaginative is one of Tim Rock's stock-in-trade staples of the comic book art form. His characters are imaginatively drawn. His dialogue tends to be heavily saturated with imaginative verbiage.

Parking Garage Planet is a smorgasbord of imaginative touches. Whether it's a character singing words from a Statler Brothers song, or the use of Goo-Goo Clusters as an obsessive literary device, or a villain who reeks of being a watered-down Darkseid, of sorts, Parking Garage Planet does not disappoint, when it comes to being imaginative, when it comes to utilizing ordinary things in an imaginative way.

When it comes to panels, however, while Tim Rocks is clearly comfortable at the craft of rendering sequentials, Parking Garage Planet Issue # 1 is tepid in its embrace of panels, themselves, as an artform. Why an individual possessed of such mastery in multiple areas of the comic book craft presented this story and its art within the frames of such an unimaginative set of panels is beyond me. It's not as though Tim Rocks possesses no skill in that area, either. The panels in Issue # 1 of Parking Garage Planet warrant Tim Rocks taking a trip into the Pit, way down in the sub-sub-sub basement level. Tim knows what I'm talking about, with this reference, even if you don't.

Story-wise, this issue carries us along with the Sale Sisters, as they deal with the "discovery" of their parents supposed double-suicide, by going shopping, in search of (what else?) sales. Along the way, they manage to end up on the Parking Garage Planet, even though they started out on Earth. Beware strange rings and even stranger elevators!

I think that what I hate the most about this issue of Parking Garage Planet is not so much what I, the reader, was treated to, but rather, that which I was only teased with, but which Tim squandered in passing.

The lady in the booth. The aunt and uncle that were flying in, but weren't. Tobiz.

Some of the more visually interesting characters to greet my eye during my flipping of the pages in this comic book turned out to only warrant the cameo treatment from Tim. It was almost as if Tim was more interested in an artificial page count than in grabbing the reader and yanking them fully into the full depth of his imagination unleashed. When some of the best eye-candy leads to visual dead ends, that can't be good for a comic book.

This issue builds to the crescendo of Dubell Decka's appearance, but then it becomes anti-climactic, after that. Ultimately, I'm left not really knowing what I think - or feel - about this issue, it's storyline, its cast of characters, or where the whole ball of literary wax is going.

I want to like it. I don't end up liking Tim Rock's art and comic book craftsmanship any the less than I did heading into reading this book. But, what's a reader to make of it all?

In the end, when all is said and done, I find myself wondering aloud to myself what the whole point of it all was. Yeah, sure, maybe it needs more issues, to allow Tim sufficient room to chart out this imaginative place that is the Parking Garage Planet and to expound upon the details and the personalities that populate this world.

But, without that, issue # 1 is what it is, and for my two cents worth, I'm not entirely sure what it is that I ended up with.

The lettering is sufficient. It's not bad. But, his lettering skill isn't nearly as developed as Tim's skill with dialogue. His skill with crafting dialogue is, in my considered judgment, superior to his skill at storytelling. He is better within a particular panel, than he is across panels.

And, maybe that's part of what' wrong with Issue # 1 of Parking Garage Planet. I think that, clearly, Tim's imagination was along for the ride - but, what about his heart? There are instances, segments if you will, that I love about this issue. But, do I love the story and its storyline? No, not really.

You can find Parking Garage Planet Issue # 1 online, if you want to check it out for yourself. It can be found here. Or, if you just want to check out Tim's blog and website, that can be found here, instead.

As far as I know, Tim Rocks did all of the writing, art, lettering, and color for Issue # 1 of Parking Garage Planet. The sum total of his talents and skill sets are many, and while I don't consider this issue or this title to be Tim at his best, nonetheless, I do applaud him for continuing to push the envelope on what he is willing to artistically dabble in.

NOTE: I was sent a digital copy of Parking Garage Planet, Issue # 1, in PDF format, so that I could review it.

Review - The Adventures of Punk and Rock (Issue 1)

The Adventures of Punk and Rock, Issue # 1, is a comic book that was sent to me, that I might review it.

It hails from the hands of artist Scott Twells and letterer Dario Reyes, with the cover logos handled by Bob W. Pierre. The writer is Austin Hamblin. It is being published under the auspices of Hamblin Comics!

It is the tale of two characters named Punk and Little Rock. Little Rock is a character who reminds me of The Thing from Fantastic Four fame, as far as his looks go. And Punk? Well, he's a thug, of sorts, one with a rather lengthy rap sheet.

Artistically, Issue # 1 is an exercise in gray scale. The gray tones dominate the visuals, albeit in an inconsistent manner. But, I will freely confess that gray scale is not my personal preference, when it comes to comic books. For this comic, I think that the gray scale approach worked better, when the gray was in lighter tones, rather in the instances where it was applied in a heavier, darker manner.

This comic book adopts a light approach to its subject matter. It encompasses humor lined with sarcasm.

The story is also told with an active narrator - one who directly injects himself into, and participates in, the storyline. This part of the comic book is handled competently enough, and the story moves itself along, without this approach unduly weighing the story down.

As far as the story, itself, goes, there's not a lot of depth to it.

Rather, it's just a short tale about one episode in the lives of Punk and Little Rock.

They are hired by a lady to retrieve a cat from her ex-husband, and this quickly proves to be an invitation to complications in their lives. The cat, you see, is in the possession of her ex-husband, a fellow who, as it turns out, just so happens to be an interstellar crime lord.

Did I mention that the cat is located on a planet that is one big strip club?

Of course, the point of a review is typically not to divulge the entire story, nor to spoil the ending for other readers, so I am faced with the balancing act of telling you about something, without actually telling you too much.

The story proceeds at a fairly fast pace. These two guys, Little Rock and Punk, they clearly are experienced at getting themselves into trouble - which is to the reader's benefit, since it doesn't take long before things begin to get screwed up, and our "heroes" of this little tale find themselves in the trouble that they are all too familiar with.

Of the two of them, I think that punk is the more visually interesting of the two. When they were handing out looks, Little Rock apparently found himself near the end of the line.

The greatest strengths of this particular issue are its dialogue and storyline, which are the province of the writer. The lack of depth to the storyline was intentional, since this is merely one take out of many from the lives of these two second-rate hoodlums. Honestly, I don't even know what I should call them. Hoodlums strikes me as too generous a word for the likes of these two fellows. They are incompetents, lightly coated in likeability. But, that's the whole point, isn't it?

Perhaps misfits is the right word. Like those broken toys from that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer animation that I used to watch as a kid growing up, Punk and Little Rock are looking for a home, it seems.

I want to like them. I certainly don't hate them. But, do I love them enough to give them a home by actively seeking them out in future issues?

Honestly, the answer to that question is, "Probably not."

It may well be, though, that the beauty and depth of these two characters is something that can be brought front and center over the long haul. But, what is it, I ask myself, that I - the reader - am supposed to fall in love with about this comic book and this cast of characters?

The art in this book is sufficient to carry a comic. But, to make readers fall in love with this series, the artist really needs to step up his game. To borrow some phraseology from Issue # 1 of The Adventures of Punk and Rock, visually speaking, this issue is sorely lacking in what the narrator of the book would call bad assery.

But, whatever criticisms could be directed at the artist, the weakest point of Issue # 1 is the lettering. The dialogue balloons are passable, but the narrative boxes cry out for substantial improvement in the rendering of the lettering.

Additionally, though this issue contains a multi-page fight scene, this comic book made sparing use of special effects lettering - and where it did occur, it came across as unimaginative and lazily rendered. Apparently, the letterer even had to enroll the services of the narrator, to fill the gap in certain instances.

 This comic book has potential. But, having potential and effectively exploiting potential are two very distinct things.

It's far from being the worst thing on the market, and in fact, it's better than most of the stuff that I see churned out by independent comic book creators.

But, it's not my place to make excuses for the shortcomings of comic books. Rather, it is the job of those producing them to not just publish a product that people can read, but to publish a comic book that people gravitate to.

This particular comic book was Issue# 1 of what I suppose is going to be a series. It's not that things cannot be improved upon in the next issue. Rather, Issue # 1 should be a grand attempt to grab the reader's eye and to command their attention. Otherwise, you stand to lose momentum for your follow on issue.

The Adventures of Punk and Rock is not without merit. It was enjoyable, to a certain degree. Not all comic books are. But, I believe that there is substantial room for improvement.

This issue did feature a color cover. But, even that ended up equaling missed opportunity. The pose of the characters on the front cover is animated, which is a plus, but the coloring is second rate and accomplishes nothing of note. If this comic book were sitting on the shelf of a comic book store, that front cover would get deliberately passed over by potential buyers, I do believe.

The saving grace of the front cover is not the animated pose of the Punk and Little Rock. Rather, it is the artwork of the title lettering.

If you want to judge this comic book for yourself, you can pick up a copy at their online storefront.

The credits for Issue # 1 belong to Austin Hamblin, Scott Twells, Dario Reyes, and Bob W. Pierre

Meet the Maestro of Stylish Horror

As a kid growing up, I didn't like art.

Not that I didn't like any art, for most assuredly, I did. Some of it, I found compelling, even back then.

But, it wasn't simply art, alone, that compelled me, that drew me in, that captured my imagination and freed my mind.

No, it was art in class, at school, that was the epitome of disinterest for me. The only thing that rivaled it was probably music...or health. Egad! What boring subjects. What atrocities of disinterest!

Fast forward through time to the present day. Back then, it was art combined with stories, in the form of comic books, that interested me. Michelangelo had nothing upon the artistry laid bare upon the pages of comic book superhero fare.

I read them. I consumed them. Due to the nature of what they were, I could gorge upon them, time and time and time, again. Is there a greater passion in one's youthful days?

Now, these days, I read relatively few comic books. I don't like them any the less. Rather, my tastes have changed. These days, I tend to gorge more upon the art of the comics realm, than I do upon the wholeness of the books, themselves.

Hence, why I tend to spend vast reams of time at an online locale called DigitalWebbing. In the forum, there, I encounter a wide variety of art, with artists in tow. Hence, how I first encountered Montgomery "Monty" Borror.

He had posted about a KickStarter project that he had launched called HP Lovecraft Versus Aleister Crowley.
 

Howard Phillips "H. P." Lovecraft is a name that has long since become synonymous with the genre of horror. Others have built upon the legacy that he authored, and in the realm of art, to suggest that Lovecraft has been an influence would be an understatement of unspeakable magnitude.

Which is why it is a true delight to encounter an artist whose body of work that I wasn't familiar with, before, one who is able to bring the Lovecraftian sub-genre of horror to life with strokes of pen and brush.

One of the true beauties of Lovecraftian-style art is that each artist that approaches horror, that they might render it visually, is that they each tend to evince a certain uniqueness in their style. Montgomery Borror's work has a very burnished aspect to it.

But, art is about more - far more - than merely mastering details and composition and various elements of the visual realm in rendered form. When I behold a piece of art, I want it to speak to my imagination, to awaken the person who lives within me. I want to see more than nicely rendered figures and details that bespoke unerring perfection. Something should click - inside!

Take Monty Borror's take on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, for example.

Cthulhu from the Black Lagoon, an imaginative take on what is, for myself, anyway, an old film. I recall watching this movie as a kid. Now, all these many years later, here's Montgomery Borror tickling my imagination. It's how the imagination expands, taking more than one concept and crafting something new, yet something eerily familiar. Thus expands the Cthulhu mythos!

This is exactly what the mind cries out for, to be engaged, to be entertained, and yes, my dear friend, at times, even to be terrified.

It is the horror genre of art that allows us to face and to push past our fears. Horror is often represented with blood and gore steeped in and taken to excess, but such visual trinkets hardly even begin to touch upon the core nature and true depth of horror as a tool of the human imagination. Indeed, at times, unlimited gore and scenes drenched in blood only serve to diminish the horror that they seek to pay homage to.

In comic book form, horror tells a story. Thus, that which leads up to the crescendo, whether in words or in art, is critical to setting the tone and the mood. One of the things that artist Montgomery Borror excels at is setting the mood. He tends to saturate the work as a whole in it.

The craft at which he excels is not limited to splash pages writ large, to mere instances where the horror climaxes in full measure on a grand scale. Far from it, in fact.

Horror, you see, must build. It is intrinsic to the core of what it is. Otherwise, the imagination gets short-changed. You end up with shock, but gutted of the greater part of its substance.

I am drawn to energy in art. It tantalizes the soul. It moves the heart to adoration. It is said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and what is art, but beauty by another name?

It has been interesting to track, and to follow along, the progress of Monty Borror's KickStarter project - HP Lovecraft Versus Aleister Crowley. One aspect of his art that I find to be interesting is that it mirrors Monty's subdued nature, something that manifests itself in various videos that he has done for his KickStarter.

He comes across as quite comfortable in conversing in front of the camera, as he speaks to his backers and potential supporters that encounter his KickStarter - which resides in the midst of so many other projects, all vying for the attention and competing for the support of the public at large.

Even still, Mister Borror is no cauldron of enthusiasm boiling over. He strikes a balance between down-to-earth and reserved. As a personality, Monty is no Lovecraftian horror to behold. He interacts with his backers, which might seem a rather obvious thing for anyone launching a KickStarter project to do, yet which they all too often fail to do.

In a relatively short span of time, I have come to embrace KickStarter as one of the primary mechanisms whereby I seek out the art of artists, particular those of the independent variety.

Browsing the project pages of KickStarter projects reminds me of watching episodes of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Invariably, creators fail to heed the same lessons, over and over and over, time after time after time.

The interaction with project backers is key to a given project developing a story within a story. Monty Borror seems to grasp this key fact. It is one of the reasons why I have transitioned somewhere along the way from being just a KickStarter project backer to being a full-fledged fan.

I like the fact that he's not scared to post updates, to keep his project backers in the loop, or to call out various backers by name in the videos that he makes. This approach helps him to maintain interest on the part of others in his comic book project bubbling with relevance, and it also helps him to make a personal connection with the people supporting him.

Can the "most wicked man in the world" stop Lovecraft from bringing on the Ragnarok? Find out, by supporting artist Montgomery Borror, the Maestro of Stylish Horror, in his KickStarter venture of:

HP Lovecraft Versus Aleister Crowley

Be sure to also check out more of Monty's artistic handiwork by visiting: 

FamousComicArtist.Com

Meanwhile, in Gotham City ... er ... KickStarter City

Wow!! It's been a long time.

Far too long, in fact. Time to blow the dust off this place, and get posting, again. This blog place was started on a whim, a mere whim I tell ya, but even that's no excuse to abandon a blog that holds such potential to...uh.....to...uh....to do what, exactly?

I remember saying something about a super villain lair, but then Starbreaker and Mordru showed up, and the next thing that I know, I was off trying to create a magazine of some sort.

Silly me.

But, now, I'm back. BACK, I SAY!!

Back with a vengeance.

Vengeance is mine, saith the LORD. OK, so vengeance is out. Let's just agree that I'm back, and leave it at that. Deal??

No! Wait!! If I wanted to leave it at that, then I wouldn't have fired the old blog's engine up, now would I? Oh, sure, it's sputtering, right now, but just wait until you see it flying. Just you wait and see/

What's that? Oh...You'll wait and see, eh? Fine, have it your way, just don't let it be said that nobody ever told you that I was back.

Oh, and did I mention, I've recently been taking an extended tour through KickStarter City?

I don't even have a KickStarter project, nor do I have a plan for one in the works. But, I have been busy trying to learn a little more about that medium, and going forward, you'll probably see me begin to explain what I have learned along the way.

You don't have to be the world's greatest detective to figure out that I have something under my sleeve. Hey, super villain lair, remember?

Anyway, KickStarter reminds me of Gotham City, somewhat. It has the upscale element of society (such as the Bruce Waynes of the world), and it has a seedier side - aka, the failures, as in KickStarter projects that failed. Touring the projects conjures up images of J.J. and Florida Evans. Those were good times, to be sure. But, like I was saying, whatever else that you may feel about it, KickStarter is a colorful place, to say the least.

Lots of colorful characters - many of which are seeking to fund comic book projects of their very own.

Of course, it's a lot easier to find a good comic book project on KickStarter to back, than it is to find a really definitive image of Gotham City on the Internet.

The Joker, Batman's arch-villain, personifies the bad side of Gotham City come to life, and run through a magnifying glass. Gotham City is a character unto itself, an entity that broods and looms over all who inhabit it.

How much of the KickStarter entity, the one that broods and looms over all KickStarter projects and their respective creators, will YOUR next KickStarter project reflect, I wonder?

The Art of Eliseu Gouveia: Visual Spectacle and Treatment of Subject Matter yield Glorious Art!

I've never been to Portugal. I don't speak Portuguese. And I probably can't even pronounce his name correctly.

But...Count me among the fans of artist Eliseu Gouveia.

My introduction to the artwork of Eliseu was a discussion thread over on the Digital Webbing forum, a place that I spend much time, of late. Specifically, it was this thread, for those who care to look.

Eliseu Gouveia has done me the honor of reintroducing me to the character, Wonder Woman - and he's done a damned fine job of it!

However, I am torn in different directions, torn by what I like the most about his approach to this iconic character from DC Comics. Is it his art that I like the best? Is it the underlying premise behind it, one based upon his own reinterpretation of the Wonder Woman mythos? Is it the research that he put into this project that really makes it stand out in my eyes? Or is it some combination of the same?

What am I missing?! Have I failed to point out - to highlight - some missing ingredient that would account for the appeal of Eliseu's take on Wonder Woman in his undertaking titled, "WONDER WOMAN - In The Name Of The Mother?"

If I had to sum it up in a nutshell, then what does it for me is that Eliseu Gouveia has risen to the proverbial occasion, and is in the ongoing process of delivering to the world a serious treatment of this super heroine.

Originally envisioned as a ten page undertaking, Eliseu's work of collective art on this particular subject matter has evolved well beyond that initial goal. Eliseu Gouveia, it seems, comprehends that, at times, it is best to just let things evolve naturally, rather than set arbitrary limits out of thin air, thereby stunting the character''s growth or shortchanging the story, itself, that is being told. This approach denotes maturity in comprehension of both characters and story-telling in the comic book format.

"WONDER WOMAN - In The Name Of The Mother" is a nice example, I think, of the whole being greater than the sum of its individual parts.

To really gain an appreciation for the strength of Eliseu's take on this character, the Digital Webbing discussion thread noted above can only be properly considered to be a starting point. It is within his commentaries on the character this this project that are scattered throughout his deviantArt gallery, profile, and concept portion of his Wonder Woman re-imagined section that really flesh out the substance of Eliseu's vision for this character that is Wonder Woman.

I won't say that all of the individual panels of artwork encompassed within this body of work achieved, to date, evoke equal enthusiasm from me. That said, the quality of the artwork embodied within this project, thus far, is significantly positive. Some of it, I adore. Notably, none of it is bad, much less terrible. In all regards, quality is present in abundance. It's biggest shortcoming, so far, is probably in the area of special effects lettering. There simply isn't much of that showcased in this project, to its current point.

In my considered opinion, while Eliseu Gouveia has invested a lot of detail into the underlying premise of what is being presented on the page, I cannot but help to think that, the truth be known, he has only really begun to just scratch the surface of what is possible with him at the helm of such a project.

One thing that I will say for Eliseu Gouveia is that, where his art is concerned, he definitely reveals an appreciation for how to approach the female form in the comic book format. A trip over to his Facebook page taught me that, if nothing else.

If I had to sum up both the artist and his art in a couple of words, what I would choose to go with would be "class act." He seems to instinctively know how to portray women as both feminine in nature and as individual characters of strength, simultaneously.

Eliseu captures the beauty of women, but not just the surface beauty. He captures their inner beauty, as well, and he presents this, amongst other things, to us, the readers and viewers, on the canvas of the pages that he offers up to us on the altar of public consumption.

Here is an artist well-versed in the art of visual spectacle. Whether he realizes that or not, I don't know. Whether he fully and intimately appreciates the value of this particular artistic gift, I honestly can't say. Perhaps, much like this particular project, his appreciation of his own artistic gifts, to include this specific one but not limited thereto, might well still be evolving.

I hope so, anyway. Because, if it is, then my mind gapes in awe of what may lie ahead.

Eliseu Gouveia, from afar, I salute you! Much is there about your artwork that is worthy of admiration.

I wish you only the best, as you pursue both this Wonder Woman project, specifically, and your artwork as a profession, generally.

I can only hope that you do not stop with just Wonder Woman under your belt, for what you bring to your profession that is art is the concept of treatment in action.

Straight from Goldopolis hails the Man with the 24-Karat Kick!

There's so much art out there in the world, what's a blogger to do? What do you single out for recognition, and what do you just let pass by, without so much as nary a comment, at all?

It all boils down to a judgment call, I suppose, and trying to comment on all of it would swiftly prove to be an exercise in never-ending futility.

So, when the hunt for good art is on, and when I'm looking for something that really catches my eye, something that has the glint of artistic gold about it, what better stroke of fortune can a blogger like myself have than to encounter a character by the name of Goldbug.

Goldbug is the handiwork of an artist by the name of Tim Rocks, and Goldbug is one of those characters that I instantly fell in love with. He has personality. He's a character with character. He's truly golden! How can you go wrong, when you've got a character the likes of Goldbug to work with?

The style of art that artist Tim Rocks utilizes to portray Goldbug to the world strikes me as a style more suited to a comic strip, rather than a comic book. But, that minor quibble aside, Goldbug is a character that makes me yearn to follow his adventures. It's a simple concept that's well executed. The world needs a character like Goldbug in it. Count me as a fan of the man with the 24-karat kick.

On the surface, Goldbug reminds me of the character known as Scrooge McDuck, aka Unca Scrooge. He has a subterranean lair, one where he hoards acre upon acre of the world's precious gold supply.

Say what?!

What's there to not like about that concept?

Because this comic book character is still in his comic book infancy, there's not exactly one heck of a whole lot known about him, as of this stage of his literary development. But, you know there's more - so much more - that lies waiting in the wings, just itching to be learned.

Goldbug's charter issue, The Bug Keeps Cool, treats the reader to humor and good, clean, wholesome fun in comic book form. But, even if it didn't, this character would still be a winner. He's corny. He's campy. he's Goldbug!

This superhero is flawed and imperfect. Yet, his greatest superpower is one that the artist, rather than the character, himself, possesses. Specifically, it is the power to tell a story, and to tell it in such a way that it makes the character shine.

It is for the very reason that Goldbug is imperfect and fallible that he's the perfect man for the job.

I mean, come on! He has difficulty escaping even the most simple of traps that his adversary lays for him. He gets snared. He trips up. He's clumsy. He's inept. He's wonderful!

This is one of those instances where the character is a greater concept than the art by which he is rendered and made possible for the viewer and reader to enjoy. Personally, I think that Goldbug is a true gold mine of an opportunity for cartoonist and illustrator Tim Rocks.

If you want to check out Goldbug for yourself, then head on over to Tim's blog, where you can find the entire twelve page issue of "The Bug Keeps Cool" just lying in wait for you. Or, you can drop by Tim's Facebook page for Tim Rocks' caricatures. You can also mosey on over to Tim's website, if you prefer to familiarize yourself with him more, by going that route, instead.

While you're there, you can also check out some of Tim's other imaginative works, which include "Planet of the Slob-oids" and "How I Infiltrated the Elite Leafblower Corps - and Lived to Tell about It!"

Catch the gold fever  - Catch the first issue of Goldbug!

Introducing Mikael Bergkvist: A Prolific Champion

Not so very long ago, I had never heard of Mikael Bergkvist. Yet, he is quickly becoming one of my personal favorite artists.

Why??

Not because I think that he's the best artist around, nor even because I admire any particular piece of his artwork.

Rather, what I really love about Mikael Bergkvist, as an artist, is that he is prolific at creating art - particularly art of the superhero or near-superhero variety.

While other artists are piddling around, or moving with the personified essence of sloth, Mikael Bergkvist is busy churning new pieces out, one right after the other in rapid succession. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, as Elizabeth Barrett Browning might say. The grandeur of Mikael Bergkvist's art can only be fully comprehended and truly appreciated, I believe, by trying to take in the sum totality of what he is producing, art-wise.

I don't care if his characters are imperfect, as they invariably are, at times. I don't care if his scenes are incomplete, with white space left untouched by his artistic hands. I don't even care if he's drawing the characters that I most want to see depicted or not.

No!

What I care about, and care about very much, in fact, is that Mikael Bergkvist doesn't know when to stop.

He's tackled a range of characters in a range of different poses. That's all fine and dandy, of course. It's even preferable, mind you. But, it all comes back to that engine of prolific power that runs non-stop inside of him.

He doesn't spend forever and a day on any given piece of art that he sets his mind to producing. And, maybe for our sanity's sake, that's for the best. Because, if his short time-limited stints produce what he's producing, and at the steady pace that he's producing it, then that approach just might be saving us all from some Mikael Bergkvist-induced stupor of wonderment at what a time-absorbed epic grand masterpiece might actually result in for art viewers like me.

One of the bad things about being a fan of comic book artists is waiting for the next piece of art to come out. Artists are like the goose that laid the golden egg. It's not quite as simple as killing the artist, so that you can get all of the juicy and delicious art out of them, all at one time.

Alas, no. It's just like it is with that accursed goose. Artists craft each art piece, one at a time, and all that the poor, hapless fans can do is to wait until the next one comes to fruition.

So, if there's anything that Mikael Bergkvist can teach other artists, especially ones of the up and coming variety, is the value that inheres in being prolific.

The perfect piece of art, you see, doesn't exist. It has never exist, nor will it ever exist. For inherent to the core nature of art is the desire to see more, to see bigger and better and more intricate things. Art has a certain degree of self-perpetuation built into it by our esteemed Creator. When it comes to being prolific as an artist, Mikael Bergkvist is definitely a speedster.

I first encountered his artistic handiwork over at the Digital Webbing forum, which, in turn, led me to Mikael Bergkvist's Facebook page, on which he has a multitude of his art pieces posted.

It's just one of those scrumptious finds, kind of like finding King Solomon's mines - full of visual treasures of various shapes and sorts. A king's ransom in artistic pleasures, for sure, if you're a fan of comic book superhero art.

I don't know Mikael Bergkvist, personally. I've never met him. In all probability, I'll likely never meet him.

Yet, just the same, I have become a fan of his. Something inside of me tells me that I am addicted to his prolific nature. Damn you, Mikael Bergkvist! Your value as an artist is more than you'll likely ever live to fully realize, much less appreciate in totality. Mikael wears the mantle of artist well.

If you get a chance, be sure to trek on over to Michael's Facebook page, the one where his art is on glorious display, and get a bigger whiff of his artistic excellence.

I'm warning you, though - don't blame me if you become addicted to his prolific nature, too! There's quite a bit to see there, and even after you spend lengthy swaths of time just browsing his collection, it will only leave you all the more hungry for more.

You've heard of Swedish meatballs? Well, Mikael Bergkvist is certainly no meatball of an artist, though he is a Swede. And for me, while Sweden may be a long way from where I call home, home is where the heart is, and finding Mikael Bergkvist's art collection is a lot like finding one's way home.

This vast tome makes me wonder why so many other artists take such a sloth march to generating art. I know, I know. Every artist is different. But, there is much to be said for artists who encapsulate an appreciation for the prolific beast within their overall repertoire of artistic weaponry. To conquer the throngs of fandom, to be prolific is one of the most powerful of artistic weaponcraft to include in one's arsenal of artistic talent.

Mikael Bergkvist's Facebook page for his art, titled Art of Amikael, is well worth dropping by. I heartily recommend the journey.

 A bit more about Mikael can be found here, over on the Lambiek website, Europe's first antiquarian comic shop.

Superheroes usually aren't gifted with the luxury of having all of the time in the world to get the job done. Whether it's the city that needs saving, or the planet, or even the entire universe, superheroes act with a sense of urgency to get the job done.

It's such a pity that so many artists don't incorporate this very same sense of urgency in either their approach to crafting art, or in their approach to gaining fans.

Typically, I don't wear a hat - but, if I did, then it would be off to Mikael Bergkvist. When it comes to being prolific at creating art worth looking at and worthy of being appreciated, Mikael is a true champion!