Saturday 12 November 2011

The Amazing, Sensational, Spectacular SPIDER-MAN!

During my comic art career, I've been known not only to draw big, green (and sometimes grey) skinned Goliath's, but also a certain web-slinging wonder as well! I was just looking through some of the DVD artwork I produced for Clear Vision's line of Marvel Comics DVDs, and thought I'd present them here.

These are covers that were produced for the 90's Spidey cartoon show DVDs. I know I've posted a couple of these before.. but here they are unabridged, without logos etc (and as I originally intended them to be... before C.V's in-house designers altered the characters around to the covers.) I really enjoyed working on these, as I got to work with legendary Marvel artist/inker (and all-time favourite of mine) Joe Rubinstein... as well as my Auto Assembly bro-in-arms Liam Shalloo. I also went on to work with Liam on covers for the 60's Spider-man show. I may post these sometime in the near future.

Hope you enjoy these covers as much as I enjoyed drawing them.

Venom! I really love drawing this character.
Inks by Joe Rubinstein
Spidey versus the Goblins! Inks by Joe Rubinstein
Black Cat! Inks by Joe Rubinstein
Doctor Doom... I was asked by Clear Vision to draw these
covers in layers, so they could animate them for the DVD
menus (the name of the layer for Doom's swoosh effect is called
'Swoosh'. Honest!). To cut costs, they asked me to re-use the
 background from the Black Cat pic. Inks by Joe Rubinstein
Inks by me this time... with colours by Liam Shalloo.
I coloured the others myself.. but you can see the
difference it makes when you get a colour artist to
colour your work. Liam did an outstanding job on
this.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Fantastic Four 50th Anniversary pin-up...

... featuring pulse-pounding pencils by 'Jolly' Jon Haward, and sensational inks by 'Sizzling' Simon Williams! (and now updated to feature colours by 'Jazzy' Jason Cardy... featuring a Gray Hulk variant exclusive to this blog! Check out the 'Green Hulk' version of Jolly Jon's pin-up here!)

Pencils by Jon Haward

Inks by Simon Williams

Old-school colours by Jason Cardy.
This is the first time I've ever inked another artists work, and I must say I really enjoyed it. Jon is a long-time artist for Marvel/Panini UK, having worked mostly on their Spectacular Spider-man Adventures title, as well as cover artist on Panini's line of Marvel pocket books. You can find out more about Jon and his artwork at www.jonhawardart.com. But in the meantime (and in the spirit of classic Mighty marvel from yesteryear!): enjoy this titanic Marvel masterwork, as the fabulous Fantastic Four team-up with the ever Amazing Spider-man... to battle the forces of Doctor Doom and ol' Jade Jaws himself, the Incredible Hulk!

Truly this is the Marvel age of bombastic bloggery!!

Tuesday 11 October 2011

The Avengers trailer... AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!

At last... here's the trailer for Marvel's upcoming Avengers movie! Needless to say, it looks awesome... nay, not just awesome... INCREDIBLE (yes, check out how cool the Hulk looks!!!)!!



Here it is true believers:


The Avengers will be hitting the big screen next year in true Marvel style, directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson.

Avengers... ASSEMBLE!!!

Friday 30 September 2011

Marvel Heroes and Spider-Man Annuals 2012

This years MARVEL HEROES and SPIDER-MAN Annuals, published by those fine folks at Panini Comics UK both feature a little dose of Soulmania! Yep, both books feature comics strips by yours truly!


First up is MARVEL HEROES Annual 2012, which features among others, an Incredible Hulk strip of mine.... and is a re-print from MARVEL HEROES #5. I drew this strip wayyy back in 2008, and am still proud of it to this day. I'm doubly thrilled to see it printed in a hard-back format as well. It's a great little story written by James Peaty... and features ol' Greenskin against the forces of Hydra (as seen recently on the big-screen in this years awesome Marvel movie, Captain America: The First Avenger)! Other strips in this awesome annual feature Captain America, a Doctor Strange/Hawkeye team up, Iron Man and a certain web-slinger, who does whatever a spider can!

Which brings us to this years SPIDER-MAN Annual, which features not one, but THREE Spidey strips... reprinted from my work on Panini Comic's SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ADVENTURES (all inked by Simon Ecob, with colours by the brilliant Jason Cardy)!!
First up there is a Spidey/Thor team up from SPEC SPIDEY#129 (also recently re-printed in MARVEL HEROES #34).. written by Ferg Handley. Then there is the Spidey/Fantastic Four two-parter (as featured in SPEC SPIDEY issues 119 & 120).. written by Mitch Scanlon. Add to that a Spidey/Avengers team-up from SPEC SPIDEY issue 126, and you've got an action-packed annual featuring a multitude of guest-stars!


With Christmas coming up, would make some MARVELous stocking fillers! Both annuals are out now in all good UK bookshops, priced £7.99.

Sunday 11 September 2011

The proudest moment of my career....

Here is a recent commission I was asked to do by comic art fan/collector Kevin Moorhead. Kevin, who commissioned me awhile ago to do a cover recreation of the Frank Miller/Al Milgrom cover to Incredible Hulk #258 (which you can see here) asked me this time to do an imaginary cover for Savage She-Hulk Annual #1... featuring the She-Hulk versus classic Hulk villains the U-Foes (who Kevin had me feature in the previous commission, replacing the Soviet Super-Soldiers). In Marvel continuity, it was the Hulk who first did battle with the U-Foes (in Incredible Hulk #254)... but for the purposes of this commission, Kevin asked if I could do a 'What-If' style cover, in which the She-Hulk is the first to battle the villainous U-Foes, who were created by Marvel Legend Bill Mantlo.

This cover was great fun to work on, but the thing that makes it so special for me is who Kevin commissioned to ink it.. none other than my all-time hero in comics, the legendary Sal Buscema!! Here is what Kevin wrote on his comicartfans gallery page:

"Seriously, how is it possible that Simon isn't drawing something for one of the big guys? Seriously!



I've loved Simon's Bronze Age look since I first saw it. Such a wonderful mix of the Buscema's styles. Sal's poses and John's curved lines. After the first commission that I got from him (the Hulk cover) turned out so well I knew that one day I'd want to ask for something else. A few months back he and I started talking about just what that'd be. I forget what I originally suggested but it very quickly came to She-Hulk vs. the U-Foes (Vector, Vapor, Ironclad and X-Ray). Simon stepped up to the plate and went for a full cover. A long lost original cover for She-Hulks first annual. At the time I was only able to go with the pencils but still, ~man~, was it a good looking piece of work.



Things changed and I was able to look into getting it inked and, with Simon's approval (and a big grin on his face) I approached Sal Buscema about inking it. I'm also a big fan of Sal's and he created the Foes along with Bill Mantlo during their great Hulk run. Sal agreed and not only turned out a great piece of work but also talked about how much he liked Simon's work. Sal's a class act, as is Simon. Now if I can only hit the lottery and have them do the rest of the book ...



Original size 11x17"

And without further ado, here is the finished piece of work:

The Savage She-Hulk... versus the U-Foes!
Pencils by Simon Williams, Inks by Sal Buscema.
Image property of Kevin Moorhead, and featured here
with his kind permission.

To say that having Sal ink my work is a dream come true... well, that is a huge understatement... but to hear that he likes my work as well really means so much to me. I'd like to say a big thank you to Sal not only for the kind words, and also for the many years of joy and inspiration that his work has given me. Plus the stella job he did inking this piece as well. Plus of course, big BIG thanks to Kevin for making this happen!

And Kevin... if ever you do win that lottery, it would be my pleasure to draw the rest of the book... ;)



Friday 15 July 2011

Let there be FUNK!

I thought you'd all like to see what's on my drawing board at the moment... so here's the first page from my upcoming DISCOTRONIC FUNK COMMANDOS! I'm really enjoying working on these characters again after so long, and also working under my own autonomy. I'm hoping that this will see print towards the end of the year.

So until then, enjoy the preview.... and let there be FUNK!

DISCOTRONIC FUNK COMMANDOS are ™ and © 2011
Simon Williams. All rights reserved.

Friday 24 June 2011

RIP Peter Falk... September 16, 1927 - June 23, 2011

Wow... two greats gone in one day. I've just heard the news that Peter Falk, best known around the world as the legendary but lovable Lieutenant Columbo has passed away at the age of 83. Peter's role as Columbo established him as a firm favourite... and is certainly one of TV's most famous and legendary detectives. I can imagine that had they had him on their respective show... CSIs Gil Grissom, Mac Taylor and Horatio Caine's jobs would have been a lot easier.

Never mind the wife.... I am a big fan. Rest in peace, Lieutenant... and thank you for the wonderful memories and years of entertainment.

RIP Gene Colan.... 1926 - 2011

Today the comics industry has lost another great... the legendary Gene Colan has passed away. Gene produced a huge amount of work for both Marvel Comics and DC Comics, but it his Marvel work on classics such as Daredevil, Captain America and especially Tomb Of Dracula that I'll always remember him for.

Rest in peace, Gene 'The Dean' Colan... and thank you for the many wonderful pieces of work that entertained myself and many a comic fan over your long, illustrious career. My thoughts and prayers go out to Gene's family and friends at this sad time.

Monday 13 June 2011

Metalhead sketch - and the Discotronic Funk Commandos

Here is a Jack Kirby homage-style sketch of my character Metalhead, who is one of the main antagonists of my very own Discotronic Funk Commandos. I've just recently discovered the joy of drawing in blue-line pencil... and am really pleased with how this sketch turned out.

The Maniacal METALHEAD.
™ and © 2011 Simon Williams. 

The Discotronic Funk Commandos are characters I created wayyyy back in 1996 (which makes this their 15th anniversary! Wow!). They are a group of superheroes from the 1970s, each character being a parody of various bands and musicians from that time. Although never seen in print (not yet, anyway), I have worked on several stories featuring the sensational seventies crime-fighters. Check out the cover below (drawn circa 2000... a homage to Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum's cover to Giant-size X-Men #1), plus a great review by UK cartoonist/Marvel UK legend Lew Stringer here on his excellent comics blog.

The DISCOTRONIC FUNK COMMANDOS
™ and © 2011 Simon Williams. 

Let me know if you'd like to see more of the Discotronic Funk Commandos... I definitely plan on doing something with them in the near future.

Friday 20 May 2011

'Macho Man' Randy Savage RIP - November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011

I have just heard the terribly sad news that legendary pro-wrestler 'Macho Man' Randy Savage (real name Randall Mario Poffo) passed away today as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. News reports that he suffered from a heart attack whilst driving which caused him to crash his vehicle. The 'Macho Man' and his wife, to whom he got married last year were rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries shortly after. His wife fortunately only sustained minor injuries. Officials say that both were wearing their seat-belts, and that alcohol wasn't a factor.

I've been a fan of Randy ever since I first started watching wrestling in 1991. I'll never forget the first time I saw this incredibly flamoyant, but charismatic performer. It was the then WWF now WWE)'s Tuesday In Texas event, which saw the Macho Man embroiled in a vicious feud with the legendary Jake 'the Snake' Roberts. And man what a feud it was!! After what was one of my favourite matches that night, the evil and sadistic Jake Roberts slapped Randy's beautiful wife Elisabeth while a helpless 'Macho Man' could do nothing but watch... which led to an out-of-control Randy Savage attacking the 'snake-man' at every opportunity! Savage's wild, intense high-flying wrestling style was always a joy to watch as well... and he entertained this wrestling fan throughout the years with awesome matches with the likes of 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair (another classic feud involving the beautiful Miss Elisabeth), 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page and the Ultimate Warrior. These, coupled with his equally entertaining promos and legendary catchphrases (OOOOOOOOOOOO YEEAAAAHHHHHHHHH!) made the Macho Man one of my all-time favourites to watch.



Imagine then, how thrilled I was when, back in 1993 I attended a WWF event in Cardiff... and one of the main events was Macho Man Randy Savage versus then Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (I'm sure it was HBK.. if anyone who reads this was in attendance that night, please let me know if this is right). Again, one of the best matches of the night (as was the usual for me when the 'Macho Man' was on the card).. and when the match came to an end, and Randy was going past all the fans at ringside... I was absolutely ecstatic when the 'Macho Man' high-fived me (well, the tip of my hand anyways... but the fact is he reached out to me, which meant the absolutely world to me). That is a moment I will always, ALWAYS treasure.

I can't put into words how saddened and upset I am right now. I know that today the wrestling world lost one of it's greats... and I have lost one of my all-time heroes. Rest in peace Randy Savage... and thank you for the wonderful memories and years that you entertained us all. God bless :o(

Saturday 7 May 2011

Commissions

Here is a recent commission piece, featuring the ever-Incredible Hulk (who I've been known to draw on a professional basis on several occasions ;o))

The Incredible Hulk. Image courtesy of Jason Loker.

If you are interested at all in commissioning a piece of artwork from me... please contact me at simon (at) soulmaninc.co.uk.


Thursday 24 March 2011

Today's the day, yes?

Yes folks... Marvel Heroes #33 is now available from all good UK Newsagents. And unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past couple of months, you'll know that this issue marks the return of the legendary Marvel UK character Death's Head, in a battle with the ever Incredible Hulk.

I can't put into words how proud I am of this issue... as I've spoken about in previous posts on this blog, this is a story I always wanted to see. The fact that I got to DRAW it is a dream come true... part of me likes to think that this story was waiting for me to draw it.

Today is honestly the proudest day of my career. It's going to take something pretty darn special to top this.


Marvel Heroes #33 from Panini Comics... out now. Don't miss out, yes?

Saturday 12 March 2011

Another interview, yes?

The upcoming Marvel Heroes Hulk vs Death's Head strip certainly seems to be making a bit of noise in the comics world.... what with the recent Newsarama feature, where Newsaramas Vaneta Rogers interviewed both myself and writer/legend/Death's Head creator Simon Furman about the aforementioned strip.

And now, iFanboy.com is featuring an interview with yours truly... where I talk about not only the upcoming Hulk/Death's Head strip, but also why I'm a fan of both characters, plus my work both past and present (future remains to be seen).

I'd like to say a very BIG thank you to Gary M. Miller for not only taking the time to interview me, but also run a review of my original Hulk vs Death's Head strip (which you can read here). Gary has gone out of his way to help get the upcoming strip noticed, and I really appreciate it. Thanks Gary... you're a star, yes? I highly recommend you all go follow Gary's excellent comics blog Delusional Honesty... where he talks all-things Hulk, comics, and Hammer Horror! And you can read the iFanboy interview here (which features an exclusive colour preview of the upcoming Hulk/Death's Head strip!)

And don't forget... Marvel Heroes issue 33 is out very soon, on March 23rd at all good UK newsagents. Not long now, yes?


Monday 28 February 2011

Newsarama interview, yes?

Check out this Newsarama interview with Simon Furman and yours truly... where we talk about the upcoming Incredible Hulk/Death's Head story which will appear in the upcoming issue of Marvel Heroes (issue 33... available March 24th from all good UK Newsagents).
It's great that this strip is making news... fan feedback has literally been incredible, and I want to thank everyone for all the kind words and support. At this past weekends Cardiff International Comic Expo (which I will discuss in an upcoming post), Death's Head was shown a LOT of love... I spent most of the day drawing sketches of the freelance peacekeeping agent for fans!

Death's Head sketch - drawn this past weekend at the
Cardiff Comic Expo for my good friend Patrick Montgomery.

Getting to draw this strip is a dream come true. As a fan of both characters, it's a story I always wanted to see, but never dreamt would ever happen... much less get to draw. But it's nearly here folks...

Death's Head is back, yes?

And the Hulk going to be there as well......

Friday 4 February 2011

Soulman Inc Sketchbook - Incredible Hulk vs Death's Head review

I'd just like to send a shout out to the wonderful guys and gals from the Underbase for their awesome review for my original Hulk vs Death's Head comic strip.... which you can listen to on their latest Moonbase 2 podcast right here.

Again, a big THANK YOU to Adam, Aimee and Matt for the very kind words and the glowing review. You guys are stars!

Friday 21 January 2011

Death's Head RETURNS!

For the past month or so, I've been making hints on both my Facebook and Twitter accounts in regards to a certain project that I've been working on... a project which I truly believe is the most exciting thing I've worked on since breaking into the comics business in 2003.

Well, after numerous weeks of teasing the masses, I can now finally spill the beans!! What is this project that is so big, so exciting that it caused your ever lovin' Soulman to squeal like a little girl when I received word from MARVEL HEROES editor Ed Hammond? Well, despite the title of this post being a slight spoiler, it's a project that as you can imagine... is a dream come true for this artist:

Yes.... Death's Head is BACK!! The original Freelance Peacekeeping Agent is returning to the pages of Marvel UK (for the first time since 1991 I believe?) in the pages of Panini Comics' MARVEL HEROES... in a tale written by original Death's Head creator Simon Furman, with art by yours truly (and is the second part of a two-part story, the first part written by Ferg Handly with art by John Ross. Death's Head grand entrance however isn't until our part of the tale!!!).
Now, it's no secret that I've been campaigning for the return of Death's Head since I broke into comics... so I can't begin to tell you how excited and proud I am to be part of this.

And you know what the icing on the cake is?

Death's Head will be fighting none other than THE INCREDIBLE HULK!!!



Yes, a story which I wanted to see so much that I drew it up myself (as part of my SOULMAN INC SKETCHBOOK) is now a reality. Honestly, my job could never get any better than this, and I want to say a big THANK YOU to Ed Hammond and the guys at Panini for making this happen. I know for sure that a lot of Marvel UK and Transformers fans out there are going to be very pleased with this news!!

So there you have it: MARVEL HEROES issue 33, available 24th March. Death's Head is back... and it's about time, yes?

Monday 3 January 2011

Wally Wood's 22 panels

Wally Wood's 22 panels that always work. Every comic artist should look at this.