Meeting Big Chris of BigChrisArt.com

Earlier in my blog I mentioned meeting and talking with Josh and Mike over at Gotham City Comics...I failed to mention that I also met a local comic artist, "Big Chris." Like his name, he is a big (tall) feller, and his work is INSANE! I was fortunate to meet him and see him working on an incredible piece! As his card above shows; he is a very well rounded guy in the fields of Comics, with various talents when it comes to art! 

I MISSED the AZ Comic Con....geeeze

It's Monday morning and I'm still trippin' about the fact that there was a chance for me to go to my first Comic Con (right there in Mesa).....and I missed it.  I remember my Wife pointing out a bilboard on the 10 awhile back, but traffic was crazy that day so I never saw it...and I rarely have need of driving the 10 so it never came up again. I found out as I was setting up my blog and facebook accounts last night. Epic bummer.... ~ WmD.

Pitt and Poof - WIZARD Magazine Contest

I remember the 1st time I picked up a Pitt comic. I was blown away with both the art and the storyline, but really enjoyed the art of Dale Keown. I didn't recognize the fact that he had worked on HULK for awhile before introducing his Pitt character to the world, but I became an immediate fan. I was never one for creating a bunch of 'fan work' when it came to existing characters, but I thought I'd give ol' Pitt a try since I really liked his 'look.' The illustration began as a piece for my own personal studio and quickly became a part of a contest that WIZARD Magazine was sponsoring back in '95. I was fortunate not to have to send in my original work at the time since in most cases it was not returned (i.e., my Spidey in his new suit illustration). Although a lot of my family, friends and 'fans' felt that I should have won 1st place in WIZARD's contest, I was happy with being 1 of 4 picked as a 'runner up.' The original piece can be found for purchase at Gotham City Comics on E. Main St in Mesa, AZ.  ~ Wm D.

A Better View...

This is a close up of ol' Spidey in his new suit. At some point after winning, I heard back from one of the judges and was told that they really liked the 'old suit in a web-bag' idea!  ~Wm D.   P.S . ~ I have this piece displayed over in Gotham City Comics for purchase.  ~ Wm D.

a New Suit for Spidey....

Once upon a time there was a popular comic guide called HERO Magazine. There was also a contest sponsored by HERO to redesign ol' Spiderman's suit. Within a few hours of learning of this contest, I was pretty much done with my redesign concept and was happy with the way it turned out...I'm was honored to be one of only 3 people picked at the end of the contest (bottom left of page shown). ~ Wm D.

introducing AXXE...

AXXE was the 1st character I created way back when I was heavily into comics. Since dusting him off, my Wife has pitched a really good foundation for a 'storyline' concerning AXXE that I'll be using to flesh him out in the coming months. Meanwhile, this original piece can be purchased over at Gotham City Comics in Mesa, AZ (google them). P.S. ~ AXXE, despite his appearence, is one of the 'good guys.'  ~ Wm D.

Gotham City Comics ~ Mesa, AZ

A few days before New Years 2011, my Wife and I were down on W. Main Street in Mesa, AZ visiting a local music shop when we noticed Gotham City Comics. What caught my Wife's attention about this particular comic shop was the fact that they offered coffee (a HUGE plus in her book)!  Although I've visited most of the shops in the valley, Gotham City Comics had a different feel to it. I was immediately inspired to dust off some of my previous comic illustrations as well a few ideas I'd kept on the backburner for a number of years. On that particular day we talked with Josh, one of the owners, and he explained that they had only been open for a short while. I asked him about setting up some consignment work since GCC seemed so cool. I met back with Josh and Mike today (Saturday, 1.8.2011) and they agreed to set up a few of my ArtWorkz illustrations for the public to purchase. WoooHooooo! ~WmD.