An open letter to comics fans regarding Rob Granito and others like him

Above: Rob Granito's version of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Below: the original Art Adams illustration from which it was swiped.

I posted this as a note on facebook earlier today -- it seemed worthy of reposting here on my blog.

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Dear comics fans,

You've likely noticed the fuss this week over a certain Rob Granito, a plagiarist who has been making the rounds of comic conventions for several years, selling prints that are slightly altered copies of works by other cartoonists or photographers. His resume is full of lies and, at best, half truths. See this:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/showthread.php?38476-More-Fun-With-Rob-Granito-Before-MegaCon

And yet, he's been selling these prints and "paintings" to fans, and seemingly making some real money in the process -- at least enough to hire an armed bodyguard to sit with him at shows (I'm not kidding about this -- it's documented).

Now the real blame for Rob lies with Rob. He's either self-deluded or too stupid to know what he's been doing is wrong -- or he's simply a liar and thief who doesn't care.

A little bit of blame has to go to the conventions who've been letting Rob (and others like him) set up to sell their fraudulent wares -- and that's a serious subject that needs to be dealt with, but I'm not to going to focus on that here. I'll let others fight that fight.

But the Rob Granitos of the world wouldn't be scamming people with their fake art if people weren't lining up to be scammed. Now I'm not blaming the victims here -- but I do have some suggestions that could help you to not be a victim.

If you love comics, take the time to learn more about the artists who create them. It's easier now that ever. A quick search on the web turns up this great comic book artist hall of fame: http://www.pigdogproductions.com/halloffame.html -- if you claim to love comics, you should know all these artists. Anyone who loves comic art will be thrilled by these images.

If you want to discover more current creators, then try the Drawn blog:

http://blog.drawn.ca/ (be sure to check out the work of twin brothers Asaf and Tomer Hanuka -- great drawing!).

If you're more drawn to characters than just comic art in general -- say you're a Batman fan -- then take the time to discover who created the Batman imagery you like best. You could start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Batman_creators (though why Bruce Timm and Frank Robbins aren't on this list, I have no idea). If you discover that Bruce Timm is the "Batman guy" you like best, and you familiarize yourself with his work -- then maybe, when you see rip-off artists copying his drawings and trying to sell them at cons (as Granito has done), you can know enough to say no thanks. That way you won't be taken advantage of, and you won't be supporting the work of a plagiarist.

Guys like Rob depend on the fact that their customers are not educated enough to know their swiped artwork from the real thing. Don't let these goons steal from you and treat you like a "mark." Educate yourself -- delve deeper into the world of comics -- there iswonderful stuff to discover and you'll be all the richer for it. Studying comics history isn't painful. If you really love comics it's a joy. Do you know Hal Foster, Alex Raymond or Roy Crane? If not, I envy you the joy of discovery -- look them up!

And next time you're at a con, how about looking at the work of new up-and-coming artists? I've been teaching in the comics program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design for some time now, and have had some remarkably talented young artists in my classes. Some are still in the Twin Cities area and will be at the upcoming Spring Con: http://midwestcomicbook.com/ Take a look at the work of a few of them, will you?

Evan Palmer: http://www.evanpalmercomics.com/

Maddie Queripel: http://www.madelinequeripel.com/

Bart King: http://www.bartaking.com/

Sean Lynch: http://www.tallsean.blogspot.com/

Anna Bongiovanni: http://www.annabongiovanni.com/

Renny Kissling: http://www.reynoldbot.com/

Tuo Vue: http://twovoo.blogspot.com/

There are so many more I could list -- all them them talented, sincere, original -- and far more worthy of the attention of comics fans than a hundred Rob Granitos. Don't hand your hard earned money over to the rip-off artists -- instead, I beg you to support the honest work of these (and many other) cartoonists who wouldn't dream of stealing from other artists or you -- because they are too busy putting their own dreams on paper.

All the movie promo, costumes, gaming and such that have flooded comic convention in recent years can be fun -- but, please remember this all started with the comics -- and those comics were all created by talented, hard-working, dedicated artists spending long hours putting ink on paper to create all those characters and stories that you love. Batman is just a fictional character -- but the artists who draw his adventures are real people -- many of whom are in the same "artists alleys" at comic cons as the Granitos of the world, and would be happy to draw a legitimate (as opposed to Rob's now notorious "legitomite") Batman sketch for you.

Don't be a mark for con artists, please. Support the real artists -- long-time pros and fresh new faces -- who create their own work with passion, honesty and skill. The world of comics will be much better without scam artists. Do your part to make them go away.

Thanks.

Terry Beatty

www.terrybeatty.com

PS: Please feel free to copy and repost this anywhere you like -- thanks.

Pins and Pinups: Memory Lanes in Minneapolis Sat. March 26

I'll be one of the artist guests for this event this Saturday night at Minneapolis' Memory Lanes. There will be burlesque performances, rockabilly music, bowling, beer and lots of art and comics from me. Admission is free -- though the bowling, art, comics and beer will cost you.

I put together a collection of prints of pin-up and pulp themed prints of my work to sell at the show -- you can see some previews below. All will be signed and available in limited numbers at the show. I may be offering them elsewhere later, so if you can't attend, you can still have a shot at getting them.

Some of the prints are digitally enhanced pieces based on pencil drawings of live models -- some of them the very burlesque performers you might be seeing at this show. Some of these, I can't show here, as they are a little too revealing.

Others are illustration work, taken directly from the original drawings and paintings -- these include the Johnny Dynamite pencil prelim for the tpb cover painting, the cover illo for the Mickey Spillane anthology, Tomorrow We Kill and the cover of the Ms. Tree novel, Deadly Beloved.

I'm also considering doing a similarly themed sketchbook, which would feature some of the same images -- though in black and white, not the color of these hi-res prints.

I'll have copies of the Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave comic book, Scary Monsters magazine and Batman comics, all featuring my work -- as well as a small selection of original art. If you're in the Twin Cities area, please come by. This should be a wonderfully entertaining evening!

Doors at 9PM, show at 10PM. 21+ For more info: http://www.memorylanesmpls.com/

Commission time!

About a month ago, I took on a small batch of commissions. I had set aside an entire weekend to work on them, and had planned to stick to the drawing board until they were done -- and then get back to my regular comic book and illustration work when Monday rolled around.

Of course, things do not always go as planned. About an hour into working on these I felt a tickle in my throat -- started to cough a little -- and an hour later was suffering one of the worst colds (or flu bugs -- or allergy attacks -- who knows?) I'd ever had. I spent the rest of the weekend curled up under a blanket on the couch, hoping I'd die soon and get it over with. The cough hung on for weeks.

So -- the commissions lingered, as I had to get back to my regular work. But I'd find a little time here or there to work on them -- and finally finished these today. Now of course, I have to make time to pack them up and send them -- and as busy as I am, that's trickier than it sounds.

And then I need tackle the last one -- which I haven't started yet! I will draw it, Richard -- I will!

But let's have a look at the ones that are finished -- starting with Daredevil and the Black Widow.

Here's a more elaborate piece than usual -- as the client wanted the character running through a swamp at night -- it's Marvel monster Werewolf by Night.

The Golden Age Phantom Lady and her flowing locks! How much time does she spending curling her hair, I wonder?

I've often been commissioned to draw Golden Age DC characters -- particularly members of the Justice Society of America -- so here, one more time, are Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman.

I do enjoy doing these -- and wish my schedule allowed for more right now -- but I need to spend the rest of this month finishing up (as much as possible) my pages for Return to Perdition. So if seeing these has you wanting to hire me to draw your favorite character(s) -- I'm happy to do so (for my standard fee) -- but it'll be a little while before I can take any orders. So hold that thought and get back to me in 30 days or so, OK? Thanks!

School days and a yard sale tale

Today's post is for my old classmates who follow my blog. The rest of you are welcome to read on, of course, though it won't mean as much to you as it will to them.

Growing up in a small town means that you go through the whole school experience with the same small bunch of kids. In my case, Muscatine, Iowa had several grade schools, two junior highs, and one high school. So, while you may have started out in different schools, you eventually got to know all the other kids your age by the time high school rolled around. This was my crowd from Jefferson Grade School. I know the teacher is Miss Douglas. I think this is fifth grade, 1969 -- maybe it's fourth grade -- I'm not 100% certain. (Note: I'm told by a fellow Jefferson student that it was fourth grade -- so 1968, not '69) (Note: years later my daughter attended the same grade school.)

The actual photo is in a folder with a key to the students written in my own grade school cursive scrawl. Here's the rundown.

Front row (L to R): Kimberly Ritz, Sheila Cozad, Roxanne Schram, Rachel (no name noted -- and I don't recall it -- or her!), Doreen Knox, Wm. Ravenscraft

2nd row: Miss Douglas, Greg Allison, Mike Woodworth, me, Coleen Rickey, Ricky Bluhm

3rd row: Shawn Carter, Mike Munday, Lorie Cozad, Mike Miller, Deb England

4th row: Katherine Ash, Jeffrey Elder, Stephen Draves, Ross Nelson, Rodney Swailes, Gregg LaRue.

I haven't kept in touch with anyone from this group. It seems most of my closest friends were made in junior high and high school -- my friend, Kerry Grady, was either in the other 5th grade class at Jefferson, or had moved across town by this point -- my memory is shaky on some of these matters. But I remember most of these kids fondly and very well, and have seen a few at class reunions over the years.

When I moved to the Twin Cities, I had a little contact with Mike Munday, who was (is?) also living in the area. Mike was born a few days before me, in the same hospital, and we were in the nursery together, our mothers roommates for a few days, so he's the first one of these kids that I met -- though I really have no recall of that! He also lived just up the street from me -- and back then he and his older brother had a nice collection of built up (all unpainted) Aurora model kits. Are you still out there, Mike?

Oddly, I have almost no memory of the students standing on either side of me, or the girl in front of me. I do recall that this was the first teacher of mine that I didn't like (sorry, Miss Douglas, wherever you are).

Looking at this brings back a lot of fun memories, but it's also bittersweet, as two of these kids didn't live long enough to make it to high school with the rest of us. Greg Allison and Ross Nelson (the later of whom I counted as my best friend at the time of this photo) died way too young.

Greg was a troubled young man - a friend who, for reasons I can't fathom, turned into a nasty bully by junior high -- and then, tragically, bought his own ticket out of this world. I won't speculate on the why of it all -- I just regret things went that way for him.

Ross had moved away before we got to junior high -- to Burlington, Iowa -- not that far a drive by car -- but for a grade school kid, a world away. I lost contact after the move, and a few years later I heard he'd died of a heart attack on the field during track practice. I didn't attend the visitation or funeral, as my parents thought it would be too upsetting for me (and it would have been) -- but I always had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that he was really gone. Moving away is one thing. Dying is another.

On my last day in Muscatine, moving van already packed for the trip to Minneapolis, I spent some time just driving around the town -- wandering from neighborhood to neighborhood. I'd lived there for 45 years and wanted to take one long last look at the place. Much of what I'd loved about the town was gone by then (my newsstand, hobby shop, downtown movie theater, junior high school, the drive in theater, etc.), but the neighborhoods still looked the same as always, and the drive brought back a lot of memories.

I also stopped at a yard sale. Of course, I always stop at yard sales -- one never knows what baby boomer-era (or earlier) treasure might be found. And I've found more than a few.

In this case, the sale was in a neighborhood well off the beaten path -- not a place I'd usually drive by -- but I was giving the town a thorough look, so here I was. Most of the stuff was the usual yard sale fare -- that is to say, clothes and junk -- but I did find one prize. In a stack of books, here was the 1969 Whitman Mission: Impossible hardcover. Cool! Whitman's illustrated juvenile TV series adaptations were something I'd long collected -- the Alex Toth illustrated Maverick volume being my favorite of the batch -- and I was glad to add this to my collection for a quarter. I quickly handed my twenty-five cents to the older fellow taking the money, thanked him, and was on my way, tucking the book away to look at later.

The next day was the big move -- and unpacking the truck on arrival in Minneapolis. It was some time later -- loading up a bookshelf with unpacked books, when I actually got around to cracking open the Mission: Impossible book to take a better look at it. When I did, I saw on the inside front cover, written in a child's hand, the signature of my old friend, Ross Nelson.

You tell me -- was that a coincidence -- or an old classmate saying hello -- or goodbye? Thanks for the book, pal.

SCARY MONSTERS #78

It's time for another Scary Monsters magazine cover. I just delivered this image for the wraparound cover of #78. This is the first cover I've done that is entirely digital. The drawing was done with the pen tools in Manga Studio and the color added in Photoshop. That's all for now!

Bob Powell's PIT OF THE DAMNED.

Thanks to the various websites where one can read or download vintage comics, I've come to have a great appreciation for the work of Bob Powell. As a comics addicted kid of the 1960s, I only knew Powell as the guy whose name also appeared on some of those Wally Wood issues of Daredevil (where I could see no sign of any artist's style but Wood) and who drew a few Giant Man stories -- which weren't the most spectacular comics ever. How could I have known about all those great horror comics he drew years before?

Well, thanks to the Grand Comics Database, you can look up all the comics he drew -- and find many of the public domain ones available for download at the Digital Comics Museum. I was thinking about posting some of Powell's fantastic work from Man in Black #1 -- but you can see the whole thing at Pappy's Golden Age Comic Blogzine. Pappy has a lot of Powell on display there, including some shot from the original art! Do yourself a huge favor and check out those posts. But wait until you're done reading this one, as you can get caught up in Pappy's blog for days!

You can also find much classic Bob Powell at The Horrors of It All blog -- be sure to read Colorama while you're there. While you're at it, check out this Emil Gershwin tale, too!

But enough plugs for all those other websites! Your special Scary Terry's World treat for today is Bob Powell's Pit of the Damned -- a tale which shows off the man's remarkable talent for drawing creepy creatures and tormented souls. The story has a carnival background -- and I have to say, having immersed myself in vintage horror and humor comics of late -- I'm amazed at how many stories feature the carnival or the circus. In this story, however, it's the whirlwind tour of the underworld that will stick with you more than the little bits the carnival that we see. I can't imagine any kids of the '50s reading this and not having nightmares for weeks after! Have a look and see why I consider Powell one of the great horror comic artists of all time.

ALL HUMOR COMICS!

The other day, I posted an Uncle Fuddly story from Quality's All Humor Comics. The Paul Gustavson-drawn feature is one of the highlights of the series -- but there's plenty more worth seeing in the pages of the comic. Ten issues of the 17-issue series are available for viewing at the Fury Comics website -- and for download at the Digital Comic Museum.

Below are a few select pages that I hope will send you to one or the other of those sites to check out this little-known but remarkably fun comic.

Check out this amazing splash page from Klaus Nordling's Odd Jobs Inc. As far as I'm concerned, that's as cool a splash page as anything Eisner or Cole ever drew. I love this sort of cartooning, and think it's a shame that there's pretty much no market in which to do this kind of work these days. We really need to do something about that....

Kelly Poole is the lead feature in most issues of All Humor. Most are signed "Bart Tumey," an artist I'd never heard of before. Very little information about him can be found on the web. The most detailed info I could find was in this Lambiek entry -- just a list of a few features he drew. The splash page below has a funky Wolverton/Elder feel to some of it -- but mostly, Tumey looks to me like someone who might have spent some time working for Al Capp on Li'l Abner. Seriously -- look at that 3/4 rear view face in the foreground of panel four in the story age below the splash. Could that be any more a stock Abner character? At the very least, there's a strong Capp influence here.

Harry Sahle contributes a feature called Hickory (originally Acorn Acres) to All Humor. There's some really great cartooning from Sahle here. The rough and tumble rural-based humor of Hickory proved popular enough that it eventually led to him getting his own comic book.

Even the lesser features in the comic are a lot of fun. Take a gander at the simple, appealing cartooning of Al Stahl on Bozo the Hobo.
And then there's the flat out weirdness that is Atomictot! Some Atomictot stories are drawn by Gill Fox -- others (in a truly odd drawing style) are clearly by another hand (Ernie Hart?).
If you like what you see here, check out the links I posted earlier to see more. In the meantime, I'm just going to wish we had comics of this sort (as well as the horror anthologies I've been posting from) on the market now. I would so much rather read well-drawn wacky, goofball humor stories and over the top horror/suspense tales the likes of which I've been posting here, than the turgid, overly serious super hero books dominating the market today.

A truly healthy comics market would have room for the modern equivalent of All Humor or Web of Evil. We've got to bring back cartooning to comics, folks. There is a market out there that's not being served. Kids still love good comics -- when they are exposed to them. We have to work on that last part.