billie holiday on the board

From the ‘cursed movie’ department...

...ever see the movie “Sorcerer,” based on the French film “Wages of Fear,” directed by William Friedkin, and starring Roy Scheider?

Friedkin, who had just made The French Connection and the Exorcist and was riding higher than a kite in Hollywood, supposedly acted like a complete prick during production of Sorcerer. So much so that when the film was released (on the week of June 24, 1977, the same week as another little film called “Star Wars”) and bombed, he was ruined as a director. Everyone who he had been a horrible monster to on the way up, made sure he crash landed on the way down.

Originally set to star Steve McQueen (and also turned down by Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Paul Newman, and Jack Nicholson), Friedkin eventually ‘settled’ on the “lesser” star, Roy Scheider.

Oddly, even though it’s considered one of the biggest flops in Hollywood history, it’s one of my favorite films, starrring one of my favorite actors. Scheider is awesome (as he is in Marathon Man, Jaws, The French Connection, and The Seven-Ups), so I did the (below) sketch of him...

on this date in the year 1630...

...the Massachusetts village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston.

That sorta has nothing to do with Babe Ruth, but I just wanted to post this portrait of the Bambino.

did I ever tell you about the time...

...a few years ago, when I took my (then 11 year old) son Jack to the first Iron Man movie:

he nudges me during the scene when Tony Stark is making his prototype IM armor and whispers to me "Poppy, they used your cover!" It was my finest moment ever in the comics business.

and then he asked..."do they pay you for that?"

er...um.

well, THAT'S a first...

In the (very) crowded DC booth at the (very) crowded San Diego Comic Con:

A fella taps me on the shoulder with a gun..."Mr. Chiarello?"

I turn around and the Vigilante says "Remember that cover you did?"

I'm sure Mignola gets people dressed as Hellboy coming up to him all the time, but this was the first time a painting of mine came to life and said hello.

and speaking of MONSTEROUS books...

if you haven't picked up your copy of COVER RUN: THE DC ART OF ADAM HUGHES, well than I'm just ashamed of you. ashamed.

It's without a doubt the best, most jam-packed book EVER published on a comics creator. Sketches, designs, full-page color reproductions, all with Adam's hilarous commentary to keep you warm at night.

remember: ashamed.

attack of the 50-foot comic book!

towering over the competition...it's WEDNESDAY COMICS: the collection!

We made it to Barnes & Noble, ma!