The Vali-Hi Drive-In Theater

Since our son came into our lives, Erika and I have discovered it is a complicated (and expensive -- babysitters aren't cheap these days!) process to get out to the movies together. Our rescue for the movie blues came in the form of the drive-in theater. Pop the youngster in the car seat, and most of the time he's asleep by the time the feature starts - though he stayed awake through Iron Man II, entranced by it all.

We're particularly fond of the Vali-Hi (in Lake Elmo, MN). They do a triple feature, though we never make it to movie #3. They also don't mind if you bring your own food -- a common sight is people firing up a mini-grill they've brought along! But the coolest thing is the snack bar -- which also features a game room and collections of vintage snack bar items, motorbikes and more. With September here, and cooler weather on the way, we'll be saying goodbye to the Vali-Hi for the season quite soon, but we look forward to next Spring and their re-opening.

I'm kicking myself for not getting a shot of the sign at the theater's entrance -- but here are some pics that will give you a sense of the coolness that is the Vali-Hi.

Plus, at the end, there's a pic of a mini plush Hulk from the crane machine, that may be the goofiest superhero toy ever.

The M.M.M.S. wants YOU!

I had copies of these posters from Marvel's M.M.M.S. (Merry Marvel Marching Society) fan club when I was a kid (I belonged to Marvelmania and F.O.O.M., too).  They're long gone -- I'm sure they got tossed after being torn and tattered from being taped and re-taped to my bedroom wall.  I found these scans on the web a loooong time ago -- they were a bit yellowed and worn, so I cleaned them up in photoshop.  I hope whoever originally posted them, doesn't mind me re-posting them here. I only wish they were larger -- but you can't have everything, can you? What wonderful, iconic images of these silver age Marvel heroes!  Face front, true believer!

Inking the "King"

Now that Big Funny has made its debut, I'll get back to posting more of my work, as well as various graphics and assorted "cool stuff" that I find worth sharing.  Today I'm bringing you a few examples of my inks over lightboxed Jack Kirby pencils from Jack's  "Heroes and Villains" sketchbook.  

These were initially done as an inking exercise -- but I ended up using them in a birthday greeting to Jack published in a San Diego ComicCon convention book.  Later, just for the heck of it, I colored them.  The originals were sold at auction in a 9-11 benefit at another convention.

I recently discovered these scans which I hadn't recalled making.  I'm glad I found them -- a nice surprise for me -- and I hope you enjoy them, too.  The experience of inking Kirby's pencils is such a pleasure for me -- I wish I'd been able to have really worked on something with him.