He Lived Long, And He Prospered

 Actor Leonard Nimoy, best known for his portrayal of "Mr. SPOCK" on Star Trek, passed away yesterday at age 83.

  He appeared as an extra in numerous television shows and movies, and portrayed a wide array of characters.

 An accomplished stage, tv and screen actor, he had a distinctive voice and was an excellent singer and narrator. He was the host and narrator of tv's "In Search Of", a show pertaining to unsolved mysteries and the supernatural.

He was also notable for his work on "Mission: Impossible", and most recently the sci-fi series "FRINGE".

R.I.P. GARY OWENS, The Voice of SPACE GHOST

Famed announcer GARY OWENS, who emceed Laugh-In and numerous game shows, has passed away at age 80, according to Variety. To ME, he is most memorable as SPACE GHOST, as well as a myriad of other cartoon voices for Hanna-Barbera and Walt Disney.
 Read the article HERE.

Talented Disney Designer Seipermann Dies

Harald Siepermann, accomplished Disney Character Designer, passed away yesterday after a brief battle with cancer. R.I.P.

Read the full article HERE ....

The very prolific and influential comic book artist JOE KUBERT died last weekend. He was 85.
Read the full article HERE.

Also a pretty thorough read HERE.

When I was a young kid, I didn't appreciate his work because I thought it too 'sketchy' and sloppy. "How can people think that's good...?", I thought aloud. Later, I marveled at his body of work and the strong composition in his drawings. He was a master storyteller and and darn good artist.

Sci-Fi Icon Ray Bradbury Dies

Prolific Science Fiction writer RAY BRADBURY (Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles) passed away recently at age 91. Read the entire article HERE.

Children's Artist/Author MAURICE SENDAK Dies

Maurice Sendak

Famed Illustrator/Artist/Author MAURICE SENDAK passed away after a stroke suffered Friday.

 He was 83.

From "philly.com": Famed Children's Book Illustrator/Author Passes Away

Winner of the prestigious "Caldecott Award" for children's illustration, SENDAK was often paired with Mercer Mayer and had several books to his credit.

"Where the Wild Things Are"

From "Once Upon a Sketch": Maurice Sendak Dies at 83

"Painter of Light" THOMAS KINCAID Dies

Say what you will, but the man was talented, prolific, AND HE MADE A FORTUNE!

Read the article HERE

MOEBIUS, Classic Comic Artist, Succumbs

Legendary French comic book/fantasy artist Jean Giraud, better known as "MOEBIUS", passed away this morning. He was 73.
Talk about an influential artist. I remember first seeing his work in the 70's "HEAVY METAL" magazine, and being just blown away. His composition and line work was extraordinary, and his ARZACH character (below) was even featured in the HEAVY METAL Movie.

Read the article in COMIC BOOK RESOURCES HERE .

R.I.P. "Ziggy" Creator Tom Wilson

Read the entire article from Animation Magazine HERE ..!

Rocky & Bullwinkle Creator Dies

Alex Anderson Jr., creator of such iconic characters as Dudley Do-Right and Rocky & Bullwinkle, died Friday in Carmel, Calif. He was 90.

Read the ENTIRE article by clicking on the title of this post.

Legendary Frank Frazetta Dead at 82

An icon has passed. One of my artistic heroes died yesterday, and the sci-fi art world is greatly saddened. Frank Frazetta was one of the most influential illustrators of the twentieth century.

The official news release can be read here .

"The Death Dealer"

Here's a nifty write-up from the L.A. Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/05/frank-frazetta-painted-with-fire-.html

And another fan site dedicated to Frazetta's artwork: http://frankfrazetta.org/

Legendary Comic Artist Dick Giordano Dies

Self portrait by Dick Giordano for Nov. 2003 tome

DC NEWS: SILVER AGE INKER/EDITOR DICK GIORDANO PASSES AWAY

- Comic Books Resources (www.comicbookresources.com/) reports that Dick Giordano, legendary penciler, inker, and editor for DC Comics has passed away at age 77. A freelance penciler and inker from the 1950's into 1965, Giordanobecame editor in chief of Charlton Comics, the company in which Steve Ditko created characters under his watch such as the Question and Captain Atom. He also gave first breaks to other legendary artistic talents such as Jim Aparo and writer Denny O' Neil. A New York native, by the end of the 1960's he had been hired by DC as an editor as well as an inker, always producing by deadline. He often worked alongside Neal Adams on runs on BATMAN as well asGREEN ARROW/GREEN LANTERN, among other projects such as SUPERMAN VS. SPIDER-MAN and SUPERMAN VS. MUHAMMAD ALI. He became Executive Editor in 1983 and held that position until 1993. During that reign, the two most famous works he authorized were "CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS", which helped create and cement the "cross over event" in comics, as well as Alan Moore's "WATCHMEN", where he encouragedMoore to create characters based on Charlton Comics characters rather than use those characters outright, to make it more timeless. Talent such as Marv Wolfman heralded Giordano as a "line editor" - an editor who advises without heavy handed orders. In his later years, he worked for Hero Initiative, an organization which seeks to help old retired comic book creators and artists. Current DCartist and Wildstorm editor Jim Lee stated how it was Giordano's brief words of encouragement in a rejection letter that helped Jim Lee continue to plug away and try to enter the industry (which he did, at Marvel Comics). Current top DC editor Dan DiDio called Giordano "an inspiration" and Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment, stated that, "Dick Giordano has left a lasting legacy as a comic book artist and as a DC Comics executive." His long time collaborator and friend Neal Adamsstated, "Inking my work was the LEAST significant thing that Dick did for-meant to me. I loved Dick like a brother and a friend. He cared for and loved me. I was made better by him. For a time, we were partners, on a handshake. NO ONE didn't like Dick Giordano and respect him. Who can say that? Look at that face. JUST,...look at it." Another giant of the comic industry, gone. R.I.P.

R.I.P. EVEL KNIEVEL

Dude. The greatest stuntman of my generation finally cashed it in. Oddly enough, he didn't go out in a fiery crash. Who can forget the "abc's Wide World of Sports" intro replaying his ill-fated jump of the Caesar's Palace fountain? Or the anti-climactic Snake River Canyon attempt (after he was not allowed near the Grand Canyon)?
An entire generation of would-be daredevils (myself included) was inspired to ride recklessly and build ramps to jump ditches, wagons, culverts, garbage cans or whatever we could scrounge. Johnson & Johnson made a FORTUNE in bandages and medicine off of my neighborhood alone.
And for the record, my 'Evel Knievel' figure with motorcycle and gyro was an 'action figure', NOT a doll. He was MY generation's 'G.I. Joe', a hero/hapless victim subjected to whatever daring stunts or poorly executed adventures we could dream up. (Note: per Sam Anthony, the 'Steve Austin:Six Million Dollar Man' was also an 'action figure' and not a doll.)
Burials. Drownings. High-impact collisions. Parachuting from trees.(For the record, the wire-reinforced soft vinyl construction of the Evel Knievel was nowhere NEAR as durable or flame-resistant as the G.I. Joe)
Here, for your enjoyment, is a video tribute: