Rest in peace, Willy--

Will Elder, collaborator with Harvey Kurtzman on MAD, Trump, Humbug, Goodman Beaver (panel above) & Little Annie Fanny passed away. He was, in my opinion, one of the greatest illustrators that ever worked in the comic strip form.

How cool is this?

If eveything goes according to plan, I'll be playing with the original trio of musicians I started out with in 1964, next Monday, in Long Island, New York. How cool is that?

So nice to have life-long friends!

I'll download our session, if I can.

That's me at the top,in 1976 in the Prince Valiant harcut, (yes I was really super hot!), and that's my guitarist, and songwriting partner, Lou Maresca in the next pic below. You should really try get to know him ladies, he's one potent dude. I'll include pix of our original guitarist George as soon as I can get them.

This last shot is from our 1975 show in Carroll Park, we used to play there every summer. Some long time residents still talk to me about those shows when I visit the old neighborhood.

This post is dedicated to the memory of
our dear friend Anthony Raimondi

another '70s-style sketch--

The '70s sucked. It was the worst of times, it was the WORST of times. Get the idea? In those days I didn't have two nickels to rub together. I'd get jobs that other guys would have killed for; Post Office, etc... and I'd put in enough hours to purchase a new set of Ludwig drums, that I still have. But I wanted to be a musician. Or an artist. One thing I definitely didn't want to be was drafted and sent to Viet Nam. I didn't even know why we were there. Not that it was all rosey on the homefront. It wasn't. But at least I didn't have some sniper trying to blow my effing head off.
Nowadays people look back with nostalgia at that dread decade, but the early part of it was no picnic for me and my generation. The best part of it was seeing that disgraced bastard Nixon run out of office. That was fun. But, for my money you can take the '70s and shove 'em!
This new sketch, like the other one a few posts below is dedicated to Ralph Bakshi, one of the few guiding lights in the old days. Go out and buy "Ralph Bakshi: Unfiltered". You'll get something out of it, I guarantee it.

more comic book covers--

Some ol' stuff--

I thought I'd wrap up the month with two of April's biggest fools; Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton. The Phantom and Lou Albano issues were big leaps away from what my idea of Honeymooners stories should have been, but when you've got partners that are footing the bill you have to make them happy too. The Phantom issue was a complete "sell out" cashing in on the then wildly popular play. But the Lou Albano one was done for a good cause- each copy came with an envelope that you could use to mail a donation to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Lou was a Fundraising Chairman.

The Lou Albano cover was laid out by the legendary DC comics cover artist
Win Mortimer. In the late '40s Win illustrated almost every cover of Detective Comics.









The flying '55 Chevy Christmas cover was one of the most fun pieces for me because I finally got the chance to do a panoramic shot of Brooklyn. My friend Ted Camut helped me with the car rendering and the airbrush effects. This was my attempt at a DELL comics style cover.

lazy sunday '70s-style stoner sketch...

I used to fill sketchbooks with this kind of stuff in the early '70s. I was inspired by Robert Crumb and Ralph Bakshi in those days. Lately I've been devouring the new book on Bakshi "Unfiltered", so I guess the bug has bitten me again.

naso rosso--

I've added the larger images again.
I guess people like big noses.

Who knew?