Denis Medri Takes The JLA Back To The Wild, Wild West

We have featured many artists here on CCD over the last few years, and it is always nice to come across one a bit down the road still doing great work. Denis Medri was featured here on CCD last August for his Star Wars High sketches, and now he is back with his take on the JLA. Medri decided to take these DC Comic mainstays on a trip down the ole trail, as he has re-imagined them in a style of the Old West. I like the distinct western characteristics he gave each of the original seven (plus Green Arrow), but I have to say that Martian Manhunter's mustache and Aquaman's spear are two of my favorite details. Batman is still king... no matter what! Check all of them out after the jump...

Thanks for the find Tommy!!!!

Carmine Infantino: 1925 -2013

After losing a film legend like Roger Ebert, it would have to take someone major to pass away to make my day any more miserable. But just a few short hours after I found out that Ebert had passed away, i got the news that comic legend Carmine Infantino had also passed away. While Infantino may not be as well known amongst the mainstream as Ebert was, to geeks like me he is one of the golden gods of the comic industry and a titan among men. Infantino was directly responsible for ushering in the Silver Age of comics, and he did this by redesigning The Flash's costume to the familiar hooded red & yellow suit that we all know and love. Those stories focused on the rebootable aspect of comics, and the future inclinations of classic DC characters came shortly after.

Read more after the jump...



Infantino has a storied history in the comic industry, doing major work for both DC and Marvel. He is widely considered to be the greatest penciler of all time, and has done major work on books like Flash, Star Wars, Batman, Avengers, Iron Man, Superman, and Daredevil just to name a few. He also created characters like Deadman and Barbara Gordon as Batgirl during his run on Batman. He is also pretty much responsible for the multi verse in the DC universe. The guy is just a legend... and I was lucky enough to meet him!

A few years back i got press passes to attend the 2010 Big Apple Comic Con. I went on Fri & Sat and conducted many cool interviews with people like Erin Grey, Doug Jones, the cast of The Human Centipede, and many others. But on Sunday I brought my son by to his first big convention. he was like 7, and he was in awe. When we went down to the artist room, he was a bit shell shocked at all the creators being present. It was the first time he began to realize that these great works of art were created by real people. When we went down an aisle and saw Carmine Infantino, I made it my business to stop by his table. I am a realist, and Infantino was getting old. he wasn't going to be around forever, and I wanted my son to meet the man responsible for the Flash he knows and loves so much. So we walked up to the table and began to talk with Carmine. I asked him if he could do a quick sketch in the book I had been putting together for Mikey since he was young. His handler immediately jumped into the conversation and said "Carmine could do a quick Flash symbol in the book for 100 bucks". I was going to pay it, I swear to god. This man is a legend. but Carmine stood up and said "No..., no way am I charging this guy 100 bucks to do a lightning bolt!". the handler began to grumble with Carmine, but Infnatino was hearing none of it. "Shut up... mind your business!!!" Infantino said in his thick NY Italian accent. I had to smile and laugh, as I was reminded of my grandfather. Infantino continued to argue with the handler and his protests, cursing under his breath and smiling at me while shutting down the money making part of his table... much to the chagrin of his handler who was obviously placed there to maximize profits. Infantino told me that if I bought one of his books he would gladly sign it for me for free, and I was pleased to find out that that he was selling the book for 5 dollars LES THAN COVER PRICE!

So cool of him, and I was still getting the autograph. So I chose his awesome art book, he signed it, and then he asked if it would be OK if Mikey came around the table to take a pic with him. Was it OK? Um.... YEAH!!! Mikey went back behind the table, took what ended up being a shitty pic (that's on me), and shook the hand of a legend. That is what being a dad is all about... and was one of the coolest things that could have ever happened to a comic fan like me.

I will always love Carmine's art and all he has contributed to the comic world I love so much. I have many faves in the comic world, but meeting Infantino and having that funny situation will always be a part of my memories. Rest in Peace brother Carmine... you deserve some time off to enjoy yourself after all your hard work!!!!

Here are a few of his art pieces that I love so much....

      

Alter Egos by Coran 'Kizer' Stone

It is always interesting to see another artists take on a character, specifically when they make it their business to redo a bunch of characters that are really well known and loved. Deviant Artist Coran 'Kizer' Stone has done just that, and he is doing God's work. His Alter Ego series takes on not only the hero version that we all know and love, yet also feature their regular everyday personas as well. It is nice to see and artist's take on the cool details of a hero, but that is done over and over. Very rarely do you see an artists show us the regular side of the larger than life characters we all know and love. Thanks to my main man Cal for putting me on to this guy. Check out more at his Deviant Art page and my personal faves after the jump...

Justice League of the Round Table by The Comic Fan

My main man Cal up in Canada sure does find some gems to post on his awesome blog The Cave of Cool. One of the cooler things he has posted in the past few weeks has got to be these medieval renderings of The Justice League of America by a Deviant Artist who goes by The Comic Fan. I love the way he recreated each individual character in a way that befits their counter parts of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Pretty great detail and innovative ideas on how to make the more mystical characters like Martian Manhunter & Green Lantern into Knights without sacrificing their original looks. I would love to read a book like this from DC in the vein of Marvel 1602, especially if Neil Gaiman was writing it. All around pretty cool. Thanks for another winner Cal... check out the pieces after the jump!

Polygon Superheroes by James Reid

There is no love lost here at CCD for superheroes... heck, we post something comics related almost every day! There is definitely no superhero hangover occurring on this site. Need more proof that we love superheor themed art? Check out these awesome polygon art creations from New Zealand based artist James Reid that take on both Marvel & DC Comics characters. These are just wonderful. Click here to buy prints and other items with these awesome pieces, and click after the jump to see my faves...

JLA Paint Blots by Nicholas Hyde

I am always a fan of anytime we get a representation of the big 7 from the Justice League, but these minimalistic  paint blotted styles for the 7 characters just absolutely took my breath away. Artist Nicholas Hyde really gets the basics right on these, but gives them his own special spin to make them unique. Click after the jump for all 7 pieces...

Bloops Takes On The Justice League, Minimalistic Style

I have been featuring more and more artists who have taken to expressing themselves in the minimalist format for some reason. I'm not exactly sure why, but i think it has something to do with the simplistic nature of the designs that go into a minimalistic take on something. While someone might think that since the designs are simple then they must be easy to create, if you see truly good minimalistic art then you know that this is not the case at all. While they may be simple, the artist must capture distinct details of the subject matter in order for the pieces to work. Case in point: Check out artist Bloops take on the Justice League of America. These are wonderful... just wonderful. You can see the whole crew represented after the jump...