# Love Tinkerbell Wallpaper
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
More left-wing wackery from the USCCB
Not surprisingly, the USCCB has come down on the side of illegality with regards to the new Arizona law.
Part of the news release says:
"The U.S. Catholic bishops stand in solidarity with the bishops of Arizona in opposing this draconian law. We call upon the Administration to review its impact on civil rights and liberties. "
Boo hoo. Not a word about the civil liberties and rights of CITIZENS to not be shot and killed, or robbed or raped by hordes of mongrels prowling our streets. No, that's okay. In fact, I guess in the eyes of the Bishops, we should gladly open our doors to theft and assault.
These jokers can be counted on to come down on the wrong side of practically every issue. And even on the occasional time when they get something right, they're so mealy-mouthed about it that it's embarassing.
Read the news release (try not to laugh too hard):
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-080.shtml
**And look for my exclusive cartoons to appear on a recurring basis in the pages of the New Oxford Review beginning in May!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Eric Roberts and Wife's Crossword puzzle for the Dandy Book 1969
My father did sometimes produce the crosswords for the annuals, but it was actually my mother that compiled the crosswords. from Erica
Its nice how the clues are illustrated by Eric.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth
ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH is finally in the stores!
'Nuff said.
Steve Mellor
Steve writes:
Thank you, Steve, for the wonderful comics. They really create this perfect cartoon world- I wish I could live in them! Very inspirational.
Let Steve know how much you love his comics!
S.
Steve adds:
It is really cool to see all my work on the Spider-Ham backup stories in one place. It makes me wish they'd publish a collection. Interesting also to see the style/technique progression from Goose Rider to Secret Furs. Just when I felt I was getting in a groove, Marvel cancelled the book. You can find puzzle illustrations I did in old Games Magazines and a one shot I did called Rock Lobster in a publication called Pure Entertainment put out by a guy named Pete Friedrich (probably impossible to track down). There is a Spider-Ham article in a recent issue of Back Issue, so between that and this, it is nice to be rediscovered. Thanks for posting my stuff! Steve Mellor
Thank you, Steve, for the wonderful comics. They really create this perfect cartoon world- I wish I could live in them! Very inspirational.
Let Steve know how much you love his comics!
S.
Steve adds:
Thanks for all the nice comments. My career in comic books was pretty brief. I never made a lot of money at it and being self-taught I was frequently frustrated by my own limitations. Being appreciated 25 years later (yikes!) and finding out that my work actually influenced and inspired other cartoonists makes me realize it was all worthwhile. Cartooning at its best can be one of the most personal of art forms. Like most of the things I've done in my Iife, I fell into and out of professional cartooning and maybe one of these days I'll actually get paid to do it again. But if not, it's nice to know I made a small mark in the field. Thanks again and keep on making and enjoying funny little drawings. Steve Mellor
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Review: "Crisis On Two Earths" and "Absolute Justice"
It's a wonderful DC weekend for my family and I. Attended five hours of revision lectures taught by a gay professor yesterday. Thankfully, I got to pick up the second half of Smallville: Season 9 on DVD in the evening. Saw the first two episodes and the Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths DVD (that I picked up some weeks back). I haven't had the chance to watch the animated film earlier and was surprised by how good it was - especially I wasn't really in much of a "DC"-mood over the past several weeks. After all, I spent several weeks reading old X-Factor issues (aside from my countless hours working and preparing for my LLB exams).
If you're wondering, the animated film is done in the classic Bruce Timm style with voice direction by Andrea Romano. It's a cross between the over-the-top stuff by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely a few years back but mixed with the Silver Age "Crisis on Multiple Earths" flavour. Former JLA scribe, Dwayne McDuffie, is responsible for scripting it. My kids and I agree that it's the best DC animated feature film so far - even better than their previous GL, Wonder Woman and New Frontier stuff. Especially Owlman - a very frightening villain whose real struggle was with his own existential questions. He reminded me a lot of Ozymandias from "Watchmen".
You'll love this animated film if you like any of the "Justice League" cartoons on TV. Continuity-wise, it's somewhere between the earlier "Justice League" stuff and the later "Justice League Unlimited". In fact, this is the one where Batman and the others finally recruited new members such as Black Lightning, Black Canary, etc.
All in all - highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in superhero stories. :)
Visited my grandma this morning. Nearly all the other family members are back here already. She's really getting weaker by the day due to her illness but she's very happy that everyone is back to visit her.
My kids got to watch "The Brave And The Bold" on TV. The episode featured Batman teaming up with the Outsiders and also Jonah Hex against Despero and Mongul. I was spending time talking to my grandma so I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on in the episode. It's good to see that she's facing everything in a very peaceful manner. Spent about 3-4 hours with her.
In the afternoon, my family and I got to see the double-length Smallville episode entitled "Absolute Justice". It features my favourite superteam of all time, the JSA, so that alone is reason to watch it. It's also written by Geoff Johns, who's responsible for some of the best JSA stories ever - including the under-rated "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.S" series that first featured Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl). Johns was able to add in a lot of detail to delight longtime comic fans - like he did with the "Legion" episode that he also scripted (see my review here). Some highlights include:
Hawkman and Green Arrow dukin' it out. The ultra-conservative versus the flamboyant-liberal!
Courtney (Stargirl) telling Chloe Sullivan how the JSA is more of a family than just a group that meets for missions. Then, Chloe, Ollie and Jonn reflecting on how the Watchtower could be more homely.
Dr. Fate's helmet - Nabu and everything!
Flashbacks showing Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Ted Grant, Al Pratt and even Ma Hunkel resisting the government (while not openly referring to McCarthyism - every comic fan recognises the reference).
Jonn getting his powers back again - with Dr. Fate's help.
Star-Spangled Kid (the original Sylvester Pemberton) fighting Icicle. Then Wesley Dodds as well. Stripesy is also mentioned, possibly for the first time ever on prime time TV.
The JSA Brownstone and Museum is a central feature throughout.
Hawkman explaining his origins - and Shiera Hall's as well. If you thought that Geoff Johns should be commended for streamlining Carter Hall's convoluted past in the comics, you'll hold him in even higher regard that he actually dared incorporate the entire thing into 2-3 minutes of prime time TV!
A glimpse of the Superman cape in the vision that Dr. Fate shares with Clark - another push towards his destiny as the Man of Steel.
Lois Lane as the one clearing the criminal accusations hurled against the original JSA members.
Pam Grier as Amanda Waller and the revelation that Tess Mercer is also an agent of Checkmate!!!
In short, this is as close as the Smallville series actually got to embracing the entire history of the DC universe. It's unbelievable that Geoff actually injected in so much of the delightful history that have thrilled comic readers for close to a century into two hours of prime time TV. Here's hoping for an even better Season 10 (if Geoff agrees to write more episodes, that is).
Here's a small video featuring scenes from "Absolute Justice":
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Eric (Robbie) Roberts by the daughter Erica Farmer
Robbie relaxing in the 1950's
Robbie in RAF
Studio in the Strand
Eric (Robbie) Roberts
1910-1982
My father was born in South London in 1910.
His family were involved with the theatre and he had one sister.
My father was always called ‘Robbie’ and following theatrical tradition we were brought up to call our parents by their first names of Robbie and Barbie.
His parents and sister moved to Flushing, Long Island, New York after the Second World War.
My father always said he never passed an exam in his life, but obviously realised his talent was art and he was accepted and studied at (Central) St Martin’s School of Art, London.
He had a studio in the Strand in a circular tower and the shape made it very difficult to fit furniture in. The building is still there today.
In the Second World War he joined the RAF. Thankfully they used his talents as an artist and he soon broadened his work from technical drawings into poster and cartoon work bringing humour into instructions regarding safety and security procedures and this was officially appreciated and encouraged.
He met my mother, Barbie, during the war. She was in the WRAF.
They got married in a Register Office with two passers-by as witnesses in about 1947 and moved into my mother’s family house in Purley, Surrey.
I arrived in 1950 and was named after my father, ERIC Arthur Roberts and my sister, Amanda, arrived in 1953.
My parents lived in that same house in Purley until my father died in 1982.
My earliest memory is of my nursery which had a large frieze of pictures of Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto etc painted by my father in his style using radiant water colours with an Indian ink black outline which I loved as it was like stained glass.
After the war I think my father freelanced for Amalgamated Press and in the late 50’s I can remember my father covering for other artists and drawing Billy Bunter and Sinbad the Sailor.
Then he had a freelance contract with D C Thomson which included clauses that he was not allowed to work for anyone else or sign his work.
He would send his work to DC Thomson by rolling it into a spool, then wrapping it in thick brown paper, tied up with string and then sealing wax was applied to the knots and it was posted by the due deadlines. He was extremely professional and he would never even let the family post his work to D C Thomson for him. If there were postal problems he would deliver and collect his work to Fetter Lane or Fleet Street.
He always worked from home and his lifestyle was quite reclusive, although he had a very good sense of humour and could be extremely sociable.
He usually slept during the day and worked through the night.
His easel desk, plan chest etc and all the tools of his trade were in our front room, which co-incidentally was called our drawing room.
He was a pipe smoker for many years, smoking Golden Virginia Rough Cut tobacco and had a collection of pipes in a bowl by his side.
It was quite a large house and he had a back room downstairs as his DIY work room. He was definitely a hoarder of bits and pieces and they were everywhere that he said might come in handy at a later date. He enjoyed carpentry and was good at it and built us a very substantial see saw in the garden.
He always said that being an artist did not come easily to him and I think his work shows how regimented he was and his attention to research and detail. He was his biggest critic and worked extremely hard.
Because the comics came out weekly and there were the annuals to fit in, I never knew my father to take a break or a holiday and he was always working against time. When we were small he used to drive my mother and us to friends in Cornwall in the summer holidays, get the train home the next day and then come down and collect us. Latterly we went on our own.
The other reason he did not take a break was if he did not work he did not get paid.
I can only remember him being ill once with a very high fever and then he had a heart attack in the mid 1970’s and lung cancer in the early 1980’s, which he died of in 1982. Therefore I do not think many artists had to cover for him.
His work routine was he either received scripts from D C Thomson, or he came up with some of his own scripts, which would be sent to DC Thomson for alteration/approval. When they were approved he would map out a rough pencil draft of the strip and again post it to DC Thomson’s for alteration/approval before producing the final strip on special thicker white paper in Indian inks. He worked about eight weeks ahead of publication.
My father penned his own captions, which were always in capital letters. His actual writing was quite idiosyncratic.
My father did not have any contact with other artists and about every 5 years he would go up to D C Thomson’s in Dundee or his boss would come and stay with us. He was called Albert ‘Bert’ Barnes and he had a thick Scottish accent and facially was reckoned to be the inspiration for Desperate Dan.
We all had to be on our best behaviour for these visits and the house was cleaned from top to bottom.
Bert Barnes was the only person I ever remember calling my father Eric.
One bonus for us as children was if the comics ran a competition they needed a winner for the first week and we were often named as the winners......as no one could have had a chance to enter the competition, we ‘won’ and were given a collection of tartan scarves, hats and purses over the years.
My father did sometimes produce the crosswords for the annuals, but it was actually my mother that compiled the crosswords.
My father kept working till 1981 when he became ill with lung cancer.
After my father’s death in 1982 my mother was contacted and visited by a well known collector on the TV. He took the majority of my father’s work, comics and annuals to look at them, value them and perhaps offer to purchase them. She never heard from him again and he did not return her contacts. She did not feel able to pursue him further at that point in time.
Erica Farmer
Nee Roberts
April 2010
Dear Peter
Thank you so much to you and your wife taking the time to visit us today.
It was great to meet you both.
Thank you also for taking the time to bring over the comics and annuals for us to see.
I attach the documents I gave you.
I wish you every success with your cards, we were really taken with your work.
Also thanks for all your dedicated research into my father's work.
Let me know if you have any queries or updates.
Take care both of you.
Erica
I had a lovely time meeting Erica and her husband and lovely cakes..:)
Was sad to hear she had none of her Dad's drawings I'd suggested she contacted DC Thomson and maybe they could do a good scan of a original work for them.
Thanks Erica for your time and interesting information on top talent Eric 'Robbie' Roberts.
Peter
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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