My Blog

RIP Dave Stevens

abeanstalk — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:49:27 GMT

Comic artist Dave Stevens dies Created 'The Rocketeer' By VARIETY STAFFComic book artist and illustrator Dave Stevens, who created "The Rocketeer," died on March 10, due to complications of leukemia. He was 52. Stevens was also known for his classic pin-up style drawings and paintings, an interest which led to him almost single-handedly resurrecting the career of 1950s pin-up queen Bettie Page. Born in Lynwood, Calif., he started out the Tarzan of the Apes and Star Wars newspaper comic strips. Stevens worked for a time at the Hanna-Barbera animation studios. After leaving Hanna-Barbera, Stevens joined his friends, illustrator and film designer William Stout and science fiction paperback cover illustrator Richard Hescox, becoming a member of their art studio on La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles. Stout also shared offices with Steven Spielberg at the time. On Stout's recommendation, Stevens was hired to storyboard the harrowing truck fight sequence for "Raiders of the Lost Ark." With "The Rocketeer," first published in 1982 by Eclipse Comics and then by Comico and finally Dark Horse, Stevens successfully wove classic pulp fiction heroes like Doc Savage and the Shadow into his 1930s narrative. Stevens based the physical appearance of "The Rocketeer's" female lead on Page, whom Stevens later befriended, helping her to set up a licensing business so she could collect from publishers using her image. The film rights to Dave's comic were purchased by the Walt Disney Company in the late 1980s. A full length live action feature film was released in 1991 directed by Joe Johnston, for which Stevens co-wrote the screenplay and was a co-producer. He is survived by his mother and a sister. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982273.html?categoryid=21&cs=1&nid=2562

An explanation about my internet use to a fellow Triber...

abeanstalk — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:23:58 GMT

I always felt with much of my personal work on the 'net, and never minding, that if I put it there, I can't mind if people use it and do not credit me. I also felt that if something I want to use is the first or near the top of a Google search, that either others are probably sharing this as well, or the poster knows about this and/or doesn't mind. However, I have been scolded often about posting lyrics, and felt guilty, and started crediting all song lyrics. Later, most or all of the musicians joined my friend's list on MySpace, and some actually befriended me to some extent. Some were always connected to me. When I explained this online recently, I got more and more grief and realized this was to be. Now, I want to always credit my source of every image I clip and use, but feel I need to think long and hard about whether to pursue the people who clip and use my art. My other option of removing most everything or leaving the 'net is too extreme at this point. I never defriend people either, but recently did with two here, as one was harrassing ladies I knew and the other changed his or her screen name to (an evil reference). In the past, I was always cool with that and almost anything, but began to get much grief regarding connections to others of that nature.

Tribe

abeanstalk — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:56:16 GMT

We have an obligation to treat all human beings with the highest level of respect. Today, think of someone you don't treat with the respect that you know you should. The next time you interact with that person, go out of your way to treat him or her with the respect.

Scott & his nonsensical journey:

abeanstalk — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:21:17 GMT

I realized when I lost my ID, I got a xerox of my ID and SS card and took a chance and hightailed it to Penn Station. It was no problem, I was lucky and got on with a minute or so before departure. On the train, I met someone who seemed to know my art studio partner in crime. He did magic tricks, and I asked him how I can keep from making good food, money and opportunities disappear. He said, "Have a good attitude". (Hocus pocus!) I asked the Amtrak employee why the people who paid the most and going the farthest are in the smallest two cars in the back and all in every seat, while the rest sprawled out, one to two seats, in luxury. She said to go back to my car and put on my shoes or I'll be thrown off of the train. In Chicago, my first layover, I had lunch with Michael Reidy, who animates Super Bowl commercials and was the photo model for the actual main Uncle Sam character in Alex Ross' book. On reboarding the train, I was informed that my photocopied ID's were rejected and to leave the station. I found the Amtrak police and they said they got the call to stop accepting them while I was enroute. I said New York has a tougher security job, and they said, now I am in Chicago and in danger of being arrested. The computers went down, and I tried to buy a phonecard. The only available cards were the Amtrak brand calling card machine, where I was able to get 2 minutes of long distance for $5. I thought perhaps putting in quarters would be cheaper, and the clerk at the duty free stand said he can't get change either until the computers go back up. Leaving the station, the employee approached me on the downlow, and said he hates Amtrak and will never ride with them, not to tell anyone, but he hates to see how they're treating me and gave me $3 in quarters out of his pocket. I called my parents, and all my father could think of was to fly to Chicago and drive me to California. The phone kept getting disconnected then jammed. My dad wasn't on a cellphone, so I joked maybe Amtrak was jamming it, and we suddenly got crystal clear reception. In all fairness. Amtrak rejected a 80ish woman whose purse was stolen before changing train for having no ID and a man whose driver's license had expired by a month, and whose father got him on with his own ID, before he changed trains. On the way out of Union Station, the cop was laughing at me and I asked him if he knew why Chicago was called the Windy City. He had a twinkle of anticipation in his eye and asked why. I said because when people returned to New York in the day and said they said a city nearly as big as NY, the response was that they were full of wind...I said that people should help one another rather than find someone they can call guilty and punish them. I thought of the wind and the sun story. http://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/north.html I walked miles with heavy bags to Greyhound. Amtrak said since I used part of the $200 ticket it was void. I bought another $200 ticket for the bus. I called my ex fiancee's mother on a lark and she was sweet. I was so happy I said the holiest prayer which brings good luck and good magic, and Curtis Sliwa walked up to me. I asked him if I could draw him, and he said sure, but he has calls to make while I do. I drew him and wrote: To the Unmitigated Master of Travlin' Radar Deedz, and he gave me a $50 bill. 4 people then asked if they could pay me to draw them. A hour or so enroute to Cleveland, a private plan crashed about 100 yards next to us and exploded into a giant fireball. As we looked at it miles back it got bigger and bigger. In St. Louis, a Russian girl sat next to me, and she said she came to America to marry her boyfriend and found out he had just died in a car accident. She was emaciated from not eating in a week. She hadn't slept much.She asked me to draw an idyllic scene, so I did. She said her mother was a great artist and she would show her. Our legs touched we looked into each other's eyes and everyone was swooning, watching us, then it was her stop. I hugged her goodbye. The bus driver enroute from Denver to Riverside told good riddles, and one was what are the farthest most states in America, north, south, east and west. The answer was Hawaii (south) and the rest were Alaska (north, and is divided by the international date line). He then had a riddle about the first 7 presidents before Washington, and I told him what you said that they weren't real presidents, and he agreed. He poured his heart out to me and was looking for wisdom and all I could think of was that I felt hot wasn't the opposite of cold, but lukewarm could be. Hot and cold activate the same nerves with pain, and our mind tells us which is which. I said I didn't understand zen, and isn't that an is? He said the last two questions were for a dollar each. The first was what came out of a jet stream. I didn't know it was ice. He then asked what happens to the ice and I said it sublimates. He forgot to give me my dollar, just as well, because we were in Vegas next, and we were overbooked, and I always win there, and with my luck, I would be winning big of a dollar and mss the bus. California, once I got used to the mentality, was pleasant and the weather was warm on the skin, sunny with a nice cool breeze.

What is the media and networks thinking?

abeanstalk — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:57:41 GMT

I heard a tragic news story, and wondered why we give networks and the media a pass on encouraging bad behavior... Even 'Sex in the City', which is on syndication late nights, can be accessed by any minor. When a child passes by the TV with that show on, as I did last night, will he ask, "What does intercourse mean?" As I did... Then I asked what does 'interface' mean, because I hear that in prime time...

The Bat and Two Weasels

abeanstalk — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:16:07 GMT

There was a bat flew headlong - thud! into a weasel's nest, who said: 'For that, I'll have your blood, you nasty rodent pest. Of all the animals I find not nice, the ones I like the least are mice. Unless I'm not a weasel, you are Mouse: a rodent through and through 'Excuse me, said the little Bat, 'What tittle-tattle told you that? A mouse with wings? The thing's absurd. It's plain to see I am a bird, thanks to the Lord of All on high. Long live the race that oars the air!' The weasel saw that this was fair, and let him fly. In two day's time, our flitter-brain flew blind to trouble once again. The weasel hated every bird, and here was one... 'Outrageous!' he exclaimed. 'No feathers: can't you see? A bird has feathers: I am furred. I am a mouse. Long live the rats, and Jupiter confound all cats.' After this deft repartee, he went scot-free Many such there be in dangers such as this who wisely change their tune to suit their company. These turncoats show sage reasoning! 'Long live the League!' 'Long live the King!'

abeanstalk — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 21:00:05 GMT

"What we obtain too cheap we esteem too little; it is dearness only that gives everything value." Thomas Paine