Integrity Is Not Negotiable

“The chief commodity a writer has to sell is his courage. And if he has none, he is more than a coward. He is a sell-out and a fink and a heretic, because writing is a holy chore.” --Harlan Ellison

Rich Buckler on Meth

I'm delighted to add Rich Buckler to the team of comic artists that I am now working with. I grew up on Rich's Fantastic Four run and his cover work at Marvel is among the finest produced in the Bronze Age. I've had a sensational recreation of his Hulk #255 cover, which I comissioned, hanging in my home for years, and there are plenty more I froth over.

Rich will break his seeming silence here soon and I'll be displaying some of his cover re-imaginings. Subscribe to this blog (it's free) and you won't miss it.

The Green Hornet: This Is What I Was Talking About

That idiot Richard Saperstein, the producer who's scrupulous rectitude leaves much to be desired, is likely hounding his current screenplay writer (like he used to hound me) to change everything he's penning in mid-stream to read like the new Green Hornet film because that's what hacks do when something hits. But this was exactly what I was trying to do with Snaked, my screenplay which was based on my comic book series from IDW Publishing (which I see they've turned into something you can download now). Mix action with the right comedic tone and snappy dialogue and boom: That's entertainment.

The new Green Hornet film is the real deal--a perfect blend of laughs and action. Seth Rogen adds depth and charisma to a potentially flat character while Jay Chou makes the Kato role his bitch. Even the soundtrack was smart.

Move over Iron Man: This was the best super-hero film I've seen yet.

Michael Netzer: The Art of Responsibility and the Responsibility of Art

I've been staring at a blank sheet of blog space thinking about how to announce that I am now representing artist Michael Netzer. And then the title of this post came to me and I realized that if you know anything about Michael then you know everything about him--what he represents and how extraordinary he is.

A fan of Michael's as a boy, I had occasion to meet him once at a New York convention where he drew Batman for me. It was a prized addition to my collection. My generation regarded Michael Nasser (as he was known then) as the ultimate Neal Adams protege until he began morphing into someone wholly Michael, a unique artist who lived the ideals he put forth in his comics work; a creator who cared more about art than money, and more about people than art. His personal quests for enlightenment have kept fans and friends (and family, too, I suspect) often enthralled and sometimes frustrated, asking themselves and each other, "Where is Michael now?" His writings, when he writes, are equally enchanting, dangerously truthful, and uncommonly wise.

Michael and I have been friends for many years now, since first working as colleagues on ill-fated IDT Entertainment films. We rarely see each other these days as Michael resides on a settlement in Israel and I remain in the ruins of New Jersey, but I've picked up the phone when I needed the harmony that Michael restores to unbalanced moments; and offered him illustration and cover work as an editor when I sought someone who could deliver his unique blend of Continuity-trained, Silver-Age sensibility to a post-Digital, hyper-amped, seen-it-all-so-what-can-you-show-me-now audience.

I was pleased and proud when Michael Netzer recently approached me and asked me to represent his art. The invitation came out of nowhere and made all the sense in the world. He joins Gene Colan and the Dave Cockrum Estate as part of a creative portfolio that is frankly less a client list and more of a fraternity.