In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle...

This week, we've been featuring the original art of Adriano Batista on Jungle Girl from Dynamite Entertainment on our eBay auctions.

Our eBay ID is originalcomicbookartsource and we're featuring art from issues 2 and 3 of that miniseries.

Here's a few samples of the pencilwork available to prospective bidders....








This is page 06 from issue 02, showing Jana, the Jungle Girl going up against a deadly fin-back dinosaur!

























This closeup of the lovely Jana comes from page 14 of issue 03.














These particular auctions end soon, but we have more pages from these and other issues available at our own site, Art and Comics store!

Mike

Long Walk to Freedom

Almost 25 years ago, I bought the album (yes, the album, not a CD) "Graceland" recorded by Paul Simon. Back then Simon's career was relatively stagnant, with his previous album, "Hearts and Bones" not having sold well. Since I was a fan of his work, I bought the album, unhearalded, sight unseen, never having heard a single song from it.

It was a vast departure from anything I'd ever heard. The closest I'd really come to hearing the music of South Africa was the Americanized versions of old folk songs.

But Graceland changed that, as I heard the music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo for the first time, on the haunting "Homeless". Then there was the triumphant appearance on Saturday Night Live, where the group too the stage with Paul Simon to perform "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes".

Wow. These guys could SING.

Over time, I gradually learned more of the group, in bits and pieces, but hadn't really heard much more of their music.

Recently, a friend sent me a copy of their 2006 release, "Long Walk to Freedom". Tonight, at 4 a.m., with no air conditioning in my home (an ongoing odyssey about which the less said, the less swear words used.), I listened to the album. (yes, I know they're called CD's now. Bleah.).

Again, wow.

The album is a musical journey from their musical beginnings, in a South Africa still suffering from the cruelty of Apartheid, through their triumphant appearance on Graceland, and moving on to more recent songs.

Unlike "Graceland", which saw the group working under co-leadership with Paul Simon, this album has Ladysmith Black Mambazo clearly in musical charge. This time around, they gather a variety of guests who have to blend their styles into the group's musical style. We're talking about people like Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris, Natalie Merchant, and Taj Mahal. Some songs--like "Diamonds" or "Homeless"--are performed in English, with others in their native language.

I can't say how profoundly the music affects me, even though I don't speak their language. Perhaps it was the late night/early morning, with the birds singing their own background in the hot night air. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what the group has gone through--some of it truly harrowing--on their long journey, which they are still making.

Or perhaps, it's that these guys can still SING. Wow.

I've included this link to the official website of Ladysmith Black Mambazo so you can see and hear for yourself.

Mike

Happy Birthday Carlo Pagulayan!

Some time back, in response to the increasingly grim, gritty, and nealry despondent state of comics characters and storylines, Marvel Comics published an all-ages series of books under the catch-all title of "Marvel Adventures". Among these, was "Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four". The stories were cool and upbeat, for all ages without dumbing anything down, and the art, initially by Carlo Pagulayan (with inks by Jeff Huet) was cool.

Since then, Carlo did the art for a storyline known as "Planet Hulk", and became quite well-known for it. We did have a number of pages for that series on sale at our site, but eager buyers have whittled that down to a single two-page spread from Hulk 93 (pages 21-22).
(Two notes--first, as always, pages shown here are for sale on our online store site, www.artandcomicsstore.com at the time they're posted. Second, you can click on the image to see a much larger version.)

But back then, he wasn't quite so well-known. We're currently auctioning some of his work from Marvel Adventures : Fantastic Four on eBay, (our ebay ID is originalcomicbookartsource ), with the rest on sale at our online store.

I thought I'd share some of the artwork here with you, partly to encourage people to shop, but also just to enjoy the high quality artwork!







For example, this page is from the very first issue! Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #1, page 18, where the Thing and the Human Torch are under attack by some very familiar characters!

Where's Ripley when you REALLY need her??






















Here's another cool page--Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four 2, page 20.

It's a Big Honkin' Gadget to use on Annihilius




















Sometimes, people forget just how powerful the Invisible Woman is...not to mention she has a temper hotter than that of the Human Torch when her family is threatened, as the soon-to-be-airborne Klaw is about to learn!











I'd like to add that Carlo's birthday was last week, and we are selling this art on his behalf! So this might be a neat way for both of you to get a present!

Mike