New Sketch

It is good to finally post something. This Deathblow sketch is by Lee Bermejo artist of the Batman/Deathblow crossover as well as other books and countless covers. Lee did this sketch for me in Chicago 2004 or 2005. He was not even a scheduled guest but signed my books and did this sketch while talking with myself and my friend Joel. Lee wasn't able to finish it as much as he wanted to, as he had to run to a panel for DC. Lee can be found at his website here.

Happy Holidays!

To everyone who has taken the time to stop by my blog, no matter what you celebrate I hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you for coming by.

Geoff

Well that was painful!

Finally I have fixed my computer... and it only took about a month and a half although it felt like forever. New posts will be coming soon. Sorry everyone.

When she was bad...

This latest sketch is the Ravager when she was still a bad girl. How do I know she was still bad, easy, she still has both eyes. Rose didn't realize that daddy dearest Deathstroke was screwing her over until she had already carved her own eye out to be just like him. Anyway this sketch was done at a comic convention in Toronto by Todd Monk, formerly of Bright Anvil Studios. I don't know what Monk is up to these days, but feel free to leave a comment if you know.

The Flash

This latest sketch was done at Wizard World Chicago in 2006 by Dustin Nguyen. I love it when an artist adds colour to a sketch... takes my scanner a lot longer to scan but it looks great.

Bumble Bee

This latest sketch is by artist Chris Chua. I really like Chris's style and the way he designs a sketch. You can find lots of his fine work over at his blog. This sketch was done in Chicago at Wizard World in 2005.

Nightwing - Final Course

Well, this is the last of my Nightwing sketches (including the Ivan Reis shown a couple of weeks ago.) This sketch was done at the 2006 Wizard World con by former Nightwing artist Joe Dodd. Joe is a former member of Bright Anvil Studios.

Thanks for coming to check out the blog everyone. See you at the next post, I haven't decided which sketch it will be yet but I guarantee it is not Nightwing.

Nightwing - Second Course

This Nightwing sketch was done by Marvin Law. Marvin is a member of Bright Anvil Studios out of Toronto Ontario Canada. It does not appear that Marvin or Bright Anvil have websites at this time.

Nightwing - First Course

The first of the Nightwing sketches this week is by inker extraordinaire Andy Owens. I wasn't able to locate a website, My Space, etc for Andy but he has worked for all of the major comic book companies on some of their highest profile books.

In Brightest Day...

This is Green Lantern as sketched by Ethan VanSciver. This sketch was done by Ethan at Wizard World Chicago 2007. This sketch is actually not in one of my sketch books but inside the front cover of my Green Lantern: Rebirth hardcover.

The Unknown Restaurant's First Special

Next week will be Nightwing week here at the Unknown Restaurant!! Over the course of the week, I will post all of my remaining Nightwing sketches.

Even Cheekier!!

Cheeks did this sketch for me in my theme-less sketch book in 2004. Why the Scarecrow you ask? Simple, he asked if he could do the Scarecrow from Batman the Animated Series when I requested a sketch. I said sure. The Scarecrow has never been a favorite of mine but I really love this sketch. I think I just like anything Cheeks draws.

Gettin' Cheeky

This sketch of Robin was done by Sean "Cheeks" Galloway based on the animated Teen Titans version of Robin. This was the second entry in my Teen Titans sketch book back in 2005 (I think.) Cheeks is very well known around the net, as I have had several artists ask me if this sketch had been done by him.

Nightwing

I actually have a few Nightwing sketches now in my Titans sketch book, which is funny since I had to actually request him the first time as everyone seemed to avoid drawing him at first. This is my most recent one by superstar Ivan Reis. Ivan drew this up for me at the Toronto Comicon earlier this year. Like my friend Joel over at 4th Worldly, I wasn't able to find a website or blog for Ivan, so just enjoy the sketch and you can also check out his work on the regular Green Lantern monthly.

The Man with Many Names

Another Logan Lubera sketch, this time of Red Arrow... ummm Speedy... I mean Arsenal. Yeah, Arsenal. Tough to keep this guy's name straight. I think this is the only sketch that I have with an "action" pose, probably because this was the only sketch where I asked for an action shot. I may need to start doing that more often.

The One Superboy

This is the one and only Superboy sketch that I have gotten in my Titans book to this point. It was done by Canadian artist Logan Lubera. Logan has worked for most of the big companies at one time or another but has a heavy focus on toy design at Hasbro. Logan is also the founder of Bright Anvil Studios in Toronto.

New Restaurants

I have added links for Mike Norton, Todd Nauck, Mike Cho, And John Gallagher's Sky Dog Press to the "Other Restaurants" section of the blog.

I also changed the template to include a little extra colour as the old one just depressed me a lot.

Now Kids Don't Talk like the Bunny

This is a bunny that Tim Seeley drew for me back in 2003. This is where I learned my lesson about insisting that the artist draw whatever they want. If the artist asks you what you would like even after you have said "You can draw whatever you like sir" then tell them what you want them to draw. I am pretty sure Tim drew this to spite me but the jokes on him... I LOVE THIS BUNNY!!!! HaHA!! Kidding aside I am a big fan of Tim's work. Tim currently works for Devil's Due Publishing and has drawn many books for them. He is also the creator of one of my favorite books Hack/Slash which is a twisted take on slasher flicks.

Another Update

I have changed all of the links to "Other Restaurants" so that they now carry the restaurant theme. That is all.

Updates

I say updates but I mean update. I added a banner at the bottom of the page for B. Clay Moore, Scott Chantler and Steven Griffen's Hawaiian Dick. This is a new ongoing version of the series that was first published in two separate limited series (both of which are now available in trade paperback.) Clicking on this banner will take you to the Hawaiian Dick website where you can learn more about this amazing series.

Happy Birthday to Geoff

Well my birthday is in August and my friend Joel and I were in Chicago for Wizard World from the 10th to the 12th. Unknown to me Joel had commissioned our friend Jeremy Haun (Atomic Revolver) to do a Robin sketch for me as a present. Now for anyone who is unaware of it, Robin is my favorite comic book character and has been since I was 5. Wow the math on that is a little scary... This is the sketch that Jeremy produced, in his words it got a little out of control. In mine, it is absolutely F#&!%$# FANTASTIC!!! This is without a doubt my most prized sketch, and I love all my sketches... except maybe the Thanos one. Thanks Joel and Jeremy, you rock!! And special thanks to Clay for adding some violence to the story, he punched Jeremy A LOT on the 10th when he almost told me about the sketch by mistake.

Fred and Barney

My latest sketch is by Mike Cho and has also been posted on my other blog "Hanna-Barbera Town" Mike has been showcased here in April 2007 as well.

Goodbye Mike

Thank you.

Jeff Easley

This dragon sketch was done for me back in 99 by Jeff Easley. Easley is well known for his fantasy art on book covers as well as in the RPG industry.

Buzzboy

This sketch of Buzzboy was done by John Gallagher, Buzzboy's creator. John is easily one of the nicest guys I have met at a con. He did this sketch for me in 2003 I think in Chicago. John is one of the creators I wish would come back to the Wizard World show in Chicago. John is also the creator of More Fund Comics where the profits go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Todd Nauck

Ok I have pretty much come to the conclusion that posting my thoughts in a blog will never be insightful or interesting... but I do like posting my sketches, so here is another one. This one is by Todd Nauck. Todd did this sketch of his character The Human Shield for me in Chicago a few years ago. The Human Shield is from Todd's book Wildguard. Although he did not make the Wildguard team he is still my favorite of all the characters that Todd introduced. Todd can usually be found on the Image Comics forums or at his own site Wildguard.com.

Erik Larsen

Alright I keep meaning to post these but for some reason I keep putting it off. No more of that, here are my Erik Larsen sketches. Erik is the brilliant creator behind Savage Dragon and is the only Image founder still drawing his own book. Erik did both of these for me in Chicago at Wizardworld I think in 2002 and 2003 but I could be off by a year or so. The Bumblebee resides in my Titans sketch book, while the Superpatriot is in a book of random stuff. Erik is easily found at the Image Comics website forums.

Cyborg

Jeremy Dale did what I think is a very cool Cyborg. Probably my favorite of all my Cyborg sketches.I am not really sure what makes it stand out to me except for simply enough, the effort that Jeremy put into it. I think he went above and beyond what I expected in a simple sketch. Jeremy can be found on his website where he has art for sale as well as his goings on.

Grendel

OK, in honour of my opportunity to meet Matt Wagner a couple of weeks ago at the Toronto Comicon, I am posting my Hannibal King Grendel sketch. This is the Hunter Rose version of Grendel, which just so happens to be the first. It was interesting that after I asked him to do the Grendel sketch, he told me that he had worked with Wagner on Grendel (it what capacity, unfortunately I don't remember. It was 7 years ago.) I absolutely love this sketch, despite the fact that King seems to have Rose's staff shooting energy. King has done a lot of work for different gaming companies but I am not sure what he has been up to over the last little while.

Tim Sale

Ok here is another sketch... this a quick Tim Sale sketch of the Joker that he did in 99 or 2000 at Wizard World Chicago.

Brother Blood

I believe this is the first sketch I got in 2007. Aaron Lopresti did this sketch at a small Fan Appreciation Con in Toronto in April. I am not sure that there is a company out there that Lopresti has not worked for in some capacity. He has been around for years, quietly producing great art just below the radar of today's "fans." Check out his website here to see what he has been up to. This sketch is of the new Brother Blood although he does look a little older then the teenager he should be, either way how can you not love a villan with a bone helmet!!

More Tone

I posted a Frankenstein sketch done by Tone Rodriguez a couple of months ago, but I did not yet have this one scanned. Here is the Batman sketch that Tone did for me in 99 or 2000 at Wizard World Chicago, I lean towards 2000.

"Dastardly" Scott Chantler

The Toronto Comic Con was last weekend, and provided me with the opportunity to start my new Hanna-Barbera sketch book. Scott Chantler was gracious enough to be my first entry, and chose some of the best characters. Dick Dastardly and Muttley!! I was also able to get one by Andy B and another from Mike Cho but I will save those for later!!

Phil Hester

Phil Hester is a legend in the making. Artist and writer for various books, currently he is pencilling The Irredeemable Ant-Man for Marvel. My favorite work by Hester is without a doubt Firebreather which he wrote and published through Image Comics. Phil did both of these sketches for me in Chicago. The Raven was done in 2005 or 2006 and I don't remember which year the Green Arrow was done in. The Green Arrow reminds me of the old Superfriends cartoon animation from Hanna-Barbera, and for anyone wondering... yes, that is a good thing.

Scott Chantler

Another guest of the upcoming Paradise Con, is Scott Chantler. Scott is the writer and penciller of Northwest Passage and the upcoming Hawaiian Dick ongoing series with B. Clay Moore. Scott has also pencilled other books like Scandalous and Days Like This and both are fantastic works with J. Torres. You can find Scott from time to time hanging around the Image Comics Forum.

Con Season

Con Season is finally upon us... yeah I know Wizard World LA already took place and a few others as well... but I am talking about MY con season. The first one is the Toronto Comicon on June 8 - 10 2007. I have come to prefer the Paradise Cons held in Toronto over the "other" Toronto Con guy who's name is slipping my mind. With guests like Matt Wagner and Nicola Scott, not to mention Marv Wolfman and Gail Simone, how can you go wrong. Can't wait!

What the hell do I do now?

OK, so all of the shows that I watch are over... Lost, Heroes, The Office... all done for the season! No tv to watch. Now I have to find ways to entertain myself? Huh... well that should be interesting in itself.

I could actually finish building our book shelves. (Labour sucks.)

I could pick up my pen and take a shot at writing something. (If I could think of something to write about.)

I could build a website. ( I could use the practice.)

I could finish reading my book. (It is actually pretty good.)

I could... fuck it, thinking sucks. I'm going to go watch WKRP in Cincinnatti.

All you can eat at Dodger Stadium

Wow this just seems crazy to me. Maybe it is the fact that I have actually started working out and trying (stress trying) to eat right that makes me think it is nuts. Does anyone really need all you can eat hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, soda, etc? I can already see someone taking a header down the stairs when his heart stops because he just ate 15 Dodgerdogs and 5 nachos.

Of course I would be right in line for this if I was a baseball fan!! :)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-dodgers-allyoucaneat&prov=ap&type=lgns

Atomic Revolver

What can I say about Atomic Revolver that hasn't already been said? Probably a fair amount as they haven't been around for very long as an official group. Atomic Revolver is made up of B. Clay Moore, Jason Latour, Jeremy Haun, Seth Peck, Tony Moore and Jason Aaron and this may be the most talented collection of comic book professionals ever. That's right!! EVER! Clay has carved out a place with his writing with Hawaiian Dick, Battle Hymn, the yet to be finished Expatriate and countless other stories. Jason Aaron is in the process of doing exactly that with his books Scalped and The Otherside, both of which have been critical successes. Tony Moore is the artist for The Exterminators from Vertigo, as well as being the co-creator of Fear Agent with Rick Remender. Seth Peck is a new writer just starting to make a name for himself with Sorrow (also with Remender) from Image as well as a book called 76 that is currently planned for Dec. Jason Latour and Jeremy Haun are two of my favorite artists working in comics today. Jeremy has done the art for books like Battle Hymn, and The Leading Man (both written by Clay) as well as an Iron Man/Captain America one-shot for Civil War. He is currently doing the art for Marvel's Excalibur. Jason is the artist for The Expatriate (Clay again,) and has also done work for the 24/7 anthology both from Image. He is well aware that we are all waiting for him to drop that "Neutron Bomb of Awesome" know as Expat #5.

OK, now that I have gotten the who they are out of the way... the most important thing I can say is that Atomic Revolver's talent level is definitely surpassed by what great people they are. Some of the nicest people I have ever met. You can find most all of them on the Image Comics forums, as well as at their respective sites or blogs which as usual I have tried to link through their names.

Oh yeah the sketches... the first one is Kid Flash by Jeremy Haun, I love the design he used on this sketch. The second is my Jason Latour Deathstroke the Terminator, I really like Latour's grittier style on this character. And finally Beast Boy by B. Clay Moore, I had to insist on getting this sketch from Clay (hence the lesson he wrote next to it.) That lesson is why it is one of my favorites.

Back to the sketches with Andy B.

This Speedy sketch was done for me by Andy B in Toronto at a very small fan appreciation con. Andy has quickly become one of my favorite artists to see at cons as he is always enthusiastic and friendly. It doesn't hurt that he is a fan of Lost.

Jason Latour

Not so much a sketch, but I haven't had a chance to scan my Jason Latour Deathstroke sketch yet so here is a page from Expatriate. Jason has very quickly become one of my favorite artists, it doesn't hurt that he tells a great story. I think his art just keeps getting better and better. You can find Jason ranting on his blog or bouncing around the Image Comics forums.

Jonboy Myers

All of this art is by Jonboy Myers, all of them with the exception of Raven are from the DC VS card game. Easily some of the favorite things that I own, I am a huge fan of original art (when I can afford it,) and Jon was nice enough to sell me these at different times. Jon is currently working on some interiors and covers for the Wildstorm Ninja Scroll book. Jon can be found in a couple of places. He has a blog "From the Can" and website, he shows off a fair amount of his art both sketches and production pieces on both. Jonboy was actually the very first person to contribute to my Teen Titans sketch book. He did the Raven sketch above in Chicago at Wizard World a couple of years ago, hopefully he will make it back to Chicago again one of these years.

Mike Norton Badger

The Badger was one of my absolute favorite characters when I was a teenager. His original series by creator Mike Baron still has a place in my heart. I didn't think that some of the later series by Baron had the same feel to the stories and were not as enjoyable but when he had Mike Norton on the book, there were definitely no complaints about the art. I love the fact that in this sketch Mike has The Badger holding a Point beer and saying "Woof" both of which were big parts of all the Badger runs. I have heard rumours that Baron is planning on bringing The Badger back again, which I can only hope is true. Here's to hoping that he is able to recapture the fun of the original series as well. Mike Norton can be found on his website or on his blog or he can sometimes be found bouncing around the imagecomics forums despite the fact that he is now exclusive with DC comics.

Tone Rodriguez Frankenstein

This Frankenstein sketch currently resides in my book o' random stuff. It was done by Tone Rodriguez, the former artist of Violent Messiahs. I am not sure if there is anywhere that you can find Tone on the web but I have met him a couple of times at Wizard World in Chicago and he is a very cool guy. I take it back... here is a link to his My Space.

Sometimes...

a sketch should just be fun. This sketch is all about the fun. Art Baltazar did this sketch for me at Wizard World Chicago in 2005. It is still one of my favorites, hands down crushing my B. Clay Moore sketch of Beast Boy!!! :)

Mike Cho Original Titans

Here are two of the original Titans, Robin and Kid Flash as sketched by Mike Cho. Mike was gracious enough to do this sketch for me at a small Fan Appreciation convention in Toronto and it has quickly become one of my favorites. If anyone wants more information on Mike, check out his blog. I love that Mike tends to work with single colours like the green used here. Mike is a huge Jack Kirby fan and Kirby's influence can be seen in Mike's fantastic work.

Gotta start somewhere...

so it might as well be with my favorite. Robin has been my favorite character since I was a kid and this is my favorite of all my Robin sketches. It resides in my Titans book. This sketch was done by Chris Giarrusso the creater of G-Man and artists of the Marvel Minis.

Pic

My profile picture isn't actually me... it is my son, Sebastian. I didn't have a pic of me handy and everyone says he looks just like me so let's face it... it is a far better choice, then one of me.

Should be interesting...

Well, my friend Joel and his 4th Worldly blog have inspired me to create my own sketch blog. Currently I have 2 sketch books in the works, a Teen Titans book with approx. 40 sketches in it and an all purpose book with approx. 22 sketches. My plan is to start 2 more books this year. The first is going to be a Hanna-Barbera Cartoon sketch book, I can't wait for a Hong Kong Phooey!!! The second I am still a little torn over but will probably end up going with a Nocturnals/Monsters book, maybe with a little Hellboy thrown in for fun.
Why 2 more you ask... simple. While I do have some repeat artists in my current sketchbooks the plan is to NOT repeat artists in any given book. By adding 2 more books it will help me avoid this temptation.
Thats it for now. Why write more, no one is reading it...