Monday of this week I went to Stephanie Buscema's Facebook Page to post a picture of her grandfather holding my copy of the Fantastic Four #300 that he had personalized to me back in 2001...

It was at that time I found out that Stephanie was enroute to the airport in Barcelona, Spain, to travel to a Special Exhibition starring her Grandfather's works in the city of Palma, Spain.  

This is what I found at her Facebook Wall about what had brought her to fly to Spain:

"There's actually an exhibition of my Grandfather's art in Palma, Mallorca at Casal Solleric. The translated show info can be found here:

Population: Palma de mallorca Palma de Mallorca
Centro: Center: Casal Solleric Casal Solleric
Dirección: Address: Passeig del Born, 27 Passeig del Born, 27
Fechas: Dates: del 17 de septiembre al 8 de noviembre September 17 to November 8

John Buscema (New York, 1927-2002) was attracted to the comics as a child, and copying the cartoons of Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, Burne Hogarth and Elzie Segar.

Guió sus primeros pasos hacia la ilustración comercial dada de su evidente capacidad para el dibujo realista de la figura humana tras dejarse influenciar por los clásicos (los europeos Rubens, Monet, Renoir, Rafael, y los yanquis Al Dorne, Dean Cornwell, Norman Rockwell y Robert Fawcett).

He led his first steps into commercial illustration because of its obvious ability for drawing realistic human figure after being influenced by the classics (the Europeans Rubens, Monet, Renoir, Raphael, and the Yankees Al Dorne, Dean Cornwell, Norman Rockwell and Robert Fawcett).

Stephanie Buscema is a grandaughter of Big John.  Here is a little bit about Stephanie, taken from her web site:

Stephanie is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist from Brooklyn, New York. Since 1998, she has worked on everything from comics and children's books to rock'n'roll art and gallery exhibitions. Growing up on a heavy dosage of comic books, early animation, 1950's-60's horror/sci-fi movies and punk rock helped fuel the creative fire at a young age.

Starting out as an inker for her grandfather, John Buscema, Stephanie learned how to make traditional sequential art with brushes and without computers. Being exposed to the art of Milton Caniff, Jack Kirby, Mary Blair (and about a hundred other inspirations) she longed to expand her skill and learn how to paint the traditional way. Soon, she became infatuated with mid-century advertisements, design and illustration.

You can find more about her at her web site:

http://www.stephaniebuscema.com 

I wish Stephanie a fun time at the exhibition in Palma, Spain.  It is very good that her grandfather's works are being shown world wide!  For those Europeans that are reading this Blog Post, You might want to stop reading this for a moment and add this event to your calendar to see!  Be aware that you only have until November 8th 2009 to see this!

BTW.... Whereas we don't have a special exhibition of Big John's works here at Make It So Marketing, we do have several back issues of John's comics and magazines, (plus his brother's Sal Buscema's comics), in our own online store. Plus please check out our other new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store that our blogs are based on! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!  We do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and other pop culture news and events including some TV shows and theatrical films!

~ Michael @  ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

As most of this Blog's regular readers know...

I've been around comics for most of my life.  Starting back in the mid to late 1950's when I first started reading them, and then with issue #72 of Journey Into Mystery, (cover dated September 1961), which started me truly 'collecting' them instead of just reading them!

I've also been very lucky to have attended several comic conventions, shows, or store signings during the years, where I have met comics creators.  

However, there are many creators that I've never met or seen.  Which is why fanzines or prozines that are devoted to comics creators or comics history make good reading for me.  Additionally those fanzines that are devoted to writing on just one comics creator always attract my attention.  

The above pictured fanzine edited by Michael Vance is one that after reading it proved to be blog worthy.  Michael worked with Grass Green on the three stories that are published in this first issue.

For those that are not familar with Richard 'Grass' Green, here is a brief bio from Wikipedia:

"Richard 'Grass' Green (May 7, 1939 – August 5, 2002) was an African American cartoonist notable for being the first black participant in both the 1960s fan art movement and the 1970s underground comics movement.  Popular creations included Xal-Kor the Human Cat and Wildman and Rubberroy. In the 1960s, Green's Harvey Kurtzman-like zany, action-packed, humorous comics parodies appeared in numerous fanzines. His "outrageous" 1970s and 1980s underground work used searing humor to expose America's racism and bigotry.

Hailing from South Bend, Indiana, Green was given the nickname "Grass" by his childhood friend Ronn Foss (with whom he later collaborated in Alter Ego).  Beginning in 1964, Green's fan art quickly became sought out, and his work appeared in zines like Alter Ego, Star-Studded Comics, Fantasy Illustrated, The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom, Rocket's Blast Comicollector, Komix Illustrated, Super-Hero, and Masquerader.

In 1967, Green broke into the professional comics world, collaborating with Roy Thomas on "The Shape" in Charlton Premiere #1. In the late 1960s, Green drew several more humorous strips for Charlton Comics, mostly in Go-Go Comics. (He also had work published in witzend.) He then became involved in the underground comix movement, where his work was published in Super Soul Comix and a Wildman and Rubberroy series. In the 1990s, Green produced work for among other places Eros Comics."

I had seen several stories during the years in other fanzines that were illustrated by Grass Green, but had never seen the three stories reprinted in this first issue.  (There are a lot of regional comic strips or cartoons that have not been published even yet for mainstream reading.)

Here is Jim's advertising blurb for this first issue:

Features the work of comic fandom legend, the late Richard "Grass" Green, in a publication lovingly compiled by his equally talented co-worker, Michael Vance. The book is comprised of material the two did together from the "Holiday Out" comic series, which is wildly outrageous.  

OK, I'll take it from there...

First off, even though I may enjoy fanzines like this one, I do realize that they are not for everyone.  This is a 28 page fanzine, and thus cannot go into 'depth' in just one issue on Grass Green's vast amount of comics work.  And this issue was not meant to.  It is however a good representation of the work that Grass did with Michael Vance.  Plus the stories are from publications that did not have mass publishing, so most people would not have seen these stories before. Which adds to the 'reading value' in my opinion.

Also, the inside cover text, where Michael Vance writes about his collaborations with Grass is informative and does present a good introduction for the three stories presented within. 

I believe that this is a good beginning for a series of issues devoted to Grass Green.  The price is right for a first issue, and the shipping charge is reasonable.  If you are already a fan of Grass Green, then this would be a good fanzine to see more of his work.  If you are new to his work, then it would be an interesting start to see just a little of what Grass illustrated, in this case on stories with Michael Vance.

I thank Michael Vance for putting together this first issue.  And to Jim Main that published this fanzine.  This is just 1 of the 48 publications that Jim has published that are currently listed for sale in his online store!

Details on this issue as follows:

Cost of this issue is: $2.95 plus 1.35 shipping.
$4.30 per issue postpaid in the USA.  Personal checks only, with checks made out to Jim Main.  Jim's web site to order is at:   http://www.mainenterprises.ecrater.com/  

Unfortunately we don't have many back issues of Jim's comics or magazines in our own online store at this time... However, Please check out our other new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store that our blogs are based on! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!  We do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and other pop culture news and events including some TV shows and theatrical films!

~ Michael @  ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Last Friday Night Tina and I were among many who attended the first film evening of the 2009 Leo Carrillo Film Festival...  

Which led me to blog about our evening there in conjunction with reviewing the HoRRoR Western Comic Book 'Boot Hill" Issue #1 from Main Enterprises the next day!

Last night Tina and I just went with our neighbor Vikki to the second film evening, instead of with the group that was sponsored by the Men's Group the previous Friday.   Plus this morning I don't have a comic book to review!

Sure I could probably take one of the forty issues of The Cisco Kid that were printed from January 1951 - October - December 1958 by Dell Comics and review that here, but I'll just post a photo at the bottom right of this blog post showing issue #29 that was more in keeping with last night's feature film co-starring Leo Carrillo as a fisherman.

Instead I'll just mention that even without our larger group sponsored by the Men's Group, we had lots of others out there on the lawn to watch the 2nd night of the 2009 Leo Carrillo Film Festival!  Approximately 250 persons gathered and watched another episode of The Cisco Kid that ran before the 1941 re-make film of Barnacle Bill that starred Wallace Beery, Marjorie Main, and Leo Carrillo. 

The above photos show the opening credits of The Cicso Kid TV Show episode that was shown last night.  It is really 'different' to sit under the stars at Leo Carrillo's Ranch and watch his TV Show episodes and then films he that played in.

The Film Festival audience is actually sitting near the pool and cabana where Leo and his family used to entertain their guests, mostly from Hollywood, who would travel down to the ranch that once comprised the Eastern area of Carlsbad that we now live in!  Matter of fact Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon there at the ranch many years ago!

The film last night was really good, a MGM flick with the great Wallace Beery.  Of course all of us had a good time, what with the wine and  picnic dinner that Tina and Vikki prepared.  The Ranch folks also cooked hot dogs and had popcorn and candy to eat while watching the TV show episode and film for those that didn't bring food. 

There will be three more weeks of the Leo Carrillo Film Festival should you be in the Carlsbad, California area, September 18th (Friday) & 26th (Saturday), and then back to a Friday night on October 2nd!  The 26th evening will be a special 'Phantom Of the Opera' showing, of the 1943 film.

My thanks to Denise who took a few photos of Tina, Vikki, and myself last night, (of which one is published above right).  And for the additional conversation with Denise's friend Anna, who just happened to enjoy and collect the old EC HoRRoR Comics.  Small World indeed when you make conversation with others sitting around you!

Also, last night before entering the Hacienda, I talked with Allan Kindle who is on the Board of Directors for the Ranch.   Upon hearing of my interest in buying / selling / blogging about comics, he mentioned that he had gone to the San Diego Comic Con International about five years ago to look for Cisco Kid Comics for their exhibit at the Ranch itself! 

Which reminds me... For more info on the Film Festival or just to learn about the ranch, check out the web site at:  http://www.leocarrilloranch.org/