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Beau Smith

by beau Smith

From 1991 through the year 2000, I worked for Todd McFarlane. I was his head of promotions, VP of sales, marketing, executive of Publishing, writer, you name it; I pretty much did whatever job Todd asked of me. It was a terrific job(s) and I really delighted in being there, from just five of us working for him, to the point where it was well over 100.

It was never dull. Never.

Boof and The Bruise crew #1. Art by Tim Harkins

Todd was one of, if not the most, interesting person I’ve worked for. He is really 50/50 on being creative and a very instinctual businessman. It seems that when Todd was in high school and college, it was a very creative time for him. As legend has it, those were the times when he came up with the idea for not only Spawn, but another interesting group of characters as well. Those characters were Boof and The Bruise Crew.

It was around 1993-94 when we at Todd McFarlane productions had a lot of company folks knocking at our door. The success and sales of Spawn as well as the start of McFarlane Toys, had everyone’s attention, especially those who saw a chance to do company with Todd and make some money. Walmart was one of those folks. Paul Burke, who had worked for Todd for a long time, was a real navigator in making this happen.

We had done some early company with Walmart a few years before, thanks to Paul, but now they were wanting to amplify that business. Being a family friendly retailer, the darker side of Spawn was a bit edgier than they really wanted to go. but they were very much interested in Todd creating something that would hit the ages of grade school to high school. That was when Todd dug into his old school notebooks and pulled out Boof and The Bruise Crew.

Todd’s schedule was, and is, hyper-intensive. His 9 to 5 day is jammed to the gills. He always made a point to shut off at 5 and dedicate the rest of the time to his partner and family, without fail. I can say that my greatest admiration for Todd has always been the fact that he is one of the best fathers and spouses I have ever seen. His art and company sense will always pale in comparison to him being a spouse and father.

Boof #1 Art by John Cleary

So, I was working in my office here in West Virginia when my fax device (You remember those…right?) starting spewing pages and pages of sketches and hand written notes from Todd. No sooner had I started cutting the pages from the roll (Thermal paper that came on a tube), when Todd called. He went on to discuss that this was what he wanted to develop for Walmart as a comic book and possibly toys, plush animals, trading cards, and more. He told me about coming up with these characters when he was in school and that they needed fleshed out with background, back stories, and character details. He wanted me to look them over and see if I would be interested in fleshing them out and writing a six issues series for the character Boof, aimed at high school kids that liked Beavis & Butthead as well as Ren & Stimpy (both very popular at the time with the general public and with Todd) and then another six issue series with Boof and The Bruise crew aimed at grade school and middle school age kids.

It didn’t take but a glance at the sketches to know that I wanted to do it. Besides, in those days, Todd paid very well and I didn’t want to miss out on that paycheck.

According to Todd’s notes, the character Boof and his pals were aliens from another planet and were on earth due to some spaceship malfunctions. He had given all the characters names; Boof, Bunny, Zeek, Opee, Caddy, and Sarge. It was up to me to fill in the rest. At the time, Todd was kinda busy with another character that he created called Spawn. You may have heard of him.

We tossed around the idea of providing the two series to the direct comic book market, but we knew there was really no demand for kid stuff or humor comics at the time. This was the early 1990s and mainstream superheroes were wearing the sales crown. If memory serves me correctly, we had a guaranteed pre-sell of 300,000 issues for both six issues series from Walmart. Not bad for a humor book, eh? Of course, they had the option for much more if needed.

Boof #1 Art By John Cleary

Todd and I talked about artists for the books at length. For the Boof series, we wanted someone who had a resemblance to Todd’s own work only much more exaggerated. Todd was always receiving submissions in the mail and pulling out the ones that interested him. one of those was from a young artist from Kentucky named John Cleary. John had done some tryout stuff for Erik Larsen on savage Dragon as well.

John was a very good kid and full of passion, but not a veteran of the business, so it was part of my job to help him along into the big pool. John’s style really was an exaggerated version of Todd’s. At times, it was like Todd on some sort of acid trip, which is a scary thought if you know teetotaler Todd.

Boof. Art By John Cleary.

John filled every panel up with art and added loads of detail. You could also tell that he really wanted to do superhero/horror stories because in each issue of Boof, all the characters looked evil, even when they were doing good deeds. By issue six, everything and everybody looked pretty scary.

Boof and The Bruise crew #3. Art By Tim Harkins.

For Boof and The Bruise Crew, we wanted a true Saturday morning cartoon look, very open and very friendly without being My little Pony. The artist I had in mind was Tim Harkins.

Boof and The Bruise Crew. Art by Tim Harkins

Tim, a Kubert school graduate and teacher, was already well recognized in comic books as a letterer for DC Comics, marvel Comics, as well as many other publishers. He was also a noted inker. What many in the comic book world didn’t know was that Tim was also a wonderful penciler and writer of strips and gags in magazines such as Cracked, CARtoons, and other humor related publications. Tim had a real Jack Davis style that could be comprehensive or very open. He was ideal for the job and Todd agreed. Tim also plotted the Bruise crew issues with me. We had a ton of fun and I really appreciated his knowledge of gag work.

With the creative teams all in place, we kicked the books into high gear and started the machine. I have to say, other than working with Pat Lee on Wynonna Earp, I had never worked with artists that stayed this far ahead of schedule and turned in such professional work. No cutting corners and no sloppiness. John and Tim were full throttle pros.

As we were working on the issues, word got out (not that it was any secret) of these books to the direct market. sellers were in somewhat of an uproar that they were not provided the books. They were right. They should’ve been provided the books, even though we knew they probably wouldn’t come close to matching the then current image Comics numbers. We still ought to have given them the chance to sell them.

We ended up working out a deal with Walmart so that we could offer the books to the direct market. The stipulation was that the books could be sold to the direct market six months after their release in Walmart. We also gave the direct market their own exclusive covers. Walmart didn’t have to do this, after all, it was their exclusive. but they wanted to work with Todd and this showed their passion to work with him.

Again, if my feeble memory serves me right, I think we sold best around 40,000 of Boof #1 and Boof and The Bruise crew #1 within the direct market with the rest of the series having lower sales in accordance to typical mini-series percentage drops. As we suspected, the direct market didn’t do gangbusters with the series because they were humor comics, but I was happy they were out there and readers got a chance to pick them up if they wanted.

Boof and The Bruise Crew. Art by Tim Harkins.

I have to admit, I really delighted in writing them and putting out something that wasn’t all gloom and doom. For a while, it really looked like both series were going to end up as TV animation series; there were a lot of studios that were knocking on the door. Both Boof series also came very close to being a McFarlane toys toy line. In the end, Walmart didn’t do as well with the comics as they thought they would and interest soon died out with them. They also had second thoughts on the ads that were in the books and the fact that Todd’s comics were not what you would call family friendly enough for Walmart. In reality, it all ended up the way we figured considering the market then and where interests were.

I would’ve loved to have seen the Boof series go into other mediums. In the Boof series, I modeled the kid characters after my own three sons by name, Nick, Dana and Brad, as well as our dog, Buddy. It would’ve been fun for them to see themselves on the screen and in video games.

I have to thank Todd not only for the terrific paycheck….but the total freedom he gave me in writing these books. Todd has always been terrific for hiring people for what they do best and then letting them do it. You just have to remember that he owns it at the end of the day.

If you get the chance to find Boof or Boof and The Bruise Crew, please give them a shot. (There are some available as back issues best here at Westfield. You can find them here. – ed.) They really have that 90s humor feel of Beavis & Butthead as well as Ren & Stimpy, lots of poop and fart jokes, over the top cartoon violence, and even a couple of catch phrases that ought to have caught on. On a personal note, I also doubled the size of my house and we purchased two brand new vehicles. thanks to you, Boof, for a while, I was thrillin’ and skillin’!

Not sorry for one money grabbin’ moment,

Beau Smith

The flying Fist Ranch

www.flyingfistranch.com

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Roger Ash & Walter Simonson

by Roger Ash

Some people believe that the San Diego Comic-Con is the be all and end all of comic conventions. and while it is the biggest and pretty darned impressive, it’s only one of the many conventions that compose what I think of as Convention Season. This is the time of year when the majority of regional and national comic conventions take place, which this year seems to be bookended by C2E2 in April and the new York Comic con in October. I wrote about my adventures at C2E2 here and at Heroes here. I was disappointed to miss the Chicago Comic-Con this year as it’s usually an annual event for me, but it conflicted with other plans. This weekend, I’ll be at the Baltimore Comic-Con. I scheduled the panels for convention organizer Marc Nathan again this year, so you’ll stand a good chance of finding me in the panel area if you’re there and want to stop by and say hello. and you’ll be reading of my adventures at Baltimore right here in a week or two.

So, I think it’s fair to say that I enjoy going to comic conventions. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. First, it’s fun to spend a weekend with like-minded people. That may sound like an odd thing to say since I work for a comic retailer and think and talk comics each day at work. The difference is twofold. First, I am surrounded by the same group of people each day at work. I am NOT complaining about this, but it’s nice to get out and hear what other comic fans are talking about. I love hearing about what comics other people are reading and are excited about. Second, at a convention, you’re around comic and pop culture fans all day. That’s nice and it gives you plenty of time to talk with people about the things we love. At the end of a convention, I’m always reinvigorated about comics.

Secondly is meeting friends. In my job at Westfield, I have contact with a number of different people in the comics industry. but we’re all scattered across the country and don’t typically see each other. Conventions bring us all together. It’s terrific to get together with pals I’ve made through work over the years. I’ve also become pals with some folks from the John Byrne Forum and we always make a point of getting together at conventions. In both cases, we’ll get together for meals or drinks and late night BS sessions in the hotel bar. It’s basically a big, fun family reunion.

Roger Ash & Sergio Aragones

Thirdly is meeting creators. We’re really lucky to be comic fans in that the creators of them are so willing to meet with the fans. I got into comics because I’m a fan of comics. meeting a favorite creator in person or hearing them speak at a panel is out and out exciting. meeting folks like will Eisner, Joe Kubert, gene Colan, Steve Gerber, Nick Cardy, Steve Englehart, John Romita, Walter Simonson, George Perez, Sergio Aragones, and many others over the years has been a privilege, an honor, and a thrill.

The Swedish chef convention sketch by Roger Langridge

Finally, there’s the shopping. If you’re looking for anything comic related from that hard to find back issue to that toy you had as a kid and destroyed, chances are good you can find it at a convention. While I’m not looking for any particular back issues any more as so many comics are collected these days, there is always that special, unexpected  find. Recently, I’ve been enjoying finding old Dell cartoon-based comics like Yogi Bear and quick draw McGraw. These have never been collected and can get expensive, but the stories are terrific fun and make me happy, so they’re worth the price. Also, a number of years back, I started collecting convention sketches. I love having original pieces of art by my favorite comic artists. looking at them always brings a smile to my face. When I started, dinosaurs roamed the earth and the sketches were fairly inexpensive, with $50 being a really, really expensive sketch. Today, prices have gone up and can range into the hundreds of dollars , but the sketches have become more elaborate and more like commissions than sketches. The thing is, you don’t have to break the bank to get convention sketches. You can find something to fit nearly any budget. and many artists typically sell sketch books that collected many pieces you won’t see anywhere else. These are terrific for fans of comic art like myself.

So, those are my top reasons for going to conventions. If I were to bottom line it, it comes down to I think they’re fun. They will wear you out, it usually takes me a couple days to recover after a convention, but it’s worth it. If you’ve never been to a comic convention before, I urge you to give one a try. I think you’ll have a terrific time. For those of you who have, why do you go and do you have any convention stories to share? If so, post ‘em below!

Now, go read a comic!

What is it about person Gardner that makes him so appealing to some green lantern fans? maybe it’s his devil may care attitude, or his abrasive and overbearing personality. Whatever it is, it’s made Gardner the favorite green lantern of some, and for these readers the a lot more person makes himself hated by everyone around him, the better.

Since he was introduced as Hal Jordan’s back up, way back in 1968 (was it really that long ago?), person has angered nearly every character he engages with in the DCU. originally introduced only as Hal Jordan’s potential replacement, person Gardner eventually earned his own ring and a place on the green lantern Corps. person is even considered a better fighter than Hal Jordan or the other GL’s of earth (John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, etc) considering that his ferocious will power and unwillingness to back down from a fight (read: any fight) makes him a fierce opponent. popular in the DCU considering that his introduction, person has been a member of the Justice league and the JL International, revealed to be an alien (?) and has recently –since 2008- become a Red Lantern.

Green lantern #59 (March 1968) – first appearance of Gardner

“Earth’s other green Lantern!” is the story featured in this comic. The hot headed ginger GL first appears here, courtesy of the original team that gave us the modern (Silver Age) green lantern reboot: John Broome and Gil Kane. When DC relaunched and re-branded green lantern in the early sixties, they gave it a sci-fi twist. early issues of green Lantern, subsequently, featured space opera style stories and were readable enough, but by the late sixties the book needed a shake-up and we got it with the introduction of person as the backup GL of market 2814. Apparently, in this hypothetical tale facilitated by a plot device known as ‘the Memory Machine’, all the memories of all GLs are recorded and kept by the Guardians on the planet Oa. When Hal Jordan views the memories of his successor Abin Sur (the original owner of the power ring who crash arrived on earth in showcase #22 and selected Jordan to take his place), he learns that he was not the only choice to become GL. Hal was chosen, in effect, because he was closer to the crash site of Abin Sur’s spacecraft, however person Gardner in east City could also have been chosen and is as a result a potential GL. The rest of the comic gives us a ‘what if’ story showing what Gardner would have done if he and not Jordan had been chosen to be the GL of earth. This comic is a Bronze Age crucial that has maintained its value through the years. currently returns are excellent, especially on 9.4 copies (%170.05!).

Green lantern #87 (December 1971) – second appearance of Gardner, first appearance of John Stewart

Gardner’s second appearance features him suffering the first, of many, injuries. After he gets hit by a bus, the third green Lantern- John Stewart- is introduced, considering that the Guardians figure out that Jordan need to always have a replacement. other than his getting injured, Gardner does very little in this story but it is his second full appearance and the first appearance of John Stewart is what makes this a useful comic. best returns have been on 9.8 copies which have seen a %117 rise in value over the last few years.

Green lantern #116 (May 1979) – first time Gardner takes over as GL of earth for Hal Jordan

Gardner wasn’t always an overbearing jerk. Originally, he overcame a horrible childhood to become a teacher for disabled children. After suffering brain damage (mostly as a result of prolonged time in ‘the Phantom Zone’, where he was tortured by general Zod), Guy’s personality changed. Upon returning to earth he became the big-headed bellicose Gardner he still is today. Gardner’s tragic disappearance to the Phantom zone takes place at the end of this issue. The story starts with person finally becoming the green lantern of earth after Jordan leaves for a trip to Oa. Unfortunately, Gardner’s first shift doesn’t end well. Although he does manage to save the day by defeating a robot created by the league of Assassins, the reason Jordan had to leave earth in the first place was because his power battery was acting up. Although the Guardians manage to supply him with a new battery, before Jordan can get back to earth Gardner vanishes after an explosion results in his trying to recharge his ring on Jordan’s old (defective) power battery. best returns on this Gardner crucial has been on 8.5 grades (up %57.9 over the last four years), prices are actually down on higher grades, so now would be a great time to get a comic that will nearly certainly spike in value if (or, perhaps, when) person Gardner makes a big screen appearance.

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Blue Beetle: road trip is the second book in the series about the young superhero, and it’s where the stories really start clicking. Jaime Reyes has an alien scarab bonded to him, and it gives him the power to fly, to create armor, to fire blasts… and to get in over his head combating intergalactic threats.

Jaime’s got a background different from many teen superheroes: he lives in El Paso, and he’s Hispanic. The art (especially the colors by man Major) does a good job of capturing the flavor of the Southwest. The book’s stories are drawn by Cully Hamner, Duncan Rouleau, and Rafael Albuquerque with emphasis on open skies and broad vistas.

Jaime’s relationships are also unusual. For one thing, he doesn’t hide his abilities or responsibilities from his parents. Instead, he depends on their assistance and example. It’s refreshing to see a tight-knit, caring family that doesn’t lie to each other as part of the basic premise.

For another, his pals are great. There’s the strong, faithful Paco, and Brenda, a redhead whose attitude covers up for her hurt over losing her parents and living with her aunt, who turns out to be a crimelord. For superhero guidance, there’s a new Peacemaker, a tattooed former military type who has an unsuspected connection to Jaime’s scarab.

The book opens with Jaime recapping his recent adventures in space with numerous other superheroes, including Batman, Black Canary, and green Arrow. This leads to writer John Rogers’ best bit of dialogue in the series:

Green Arrow (to Black Canary): “Blow it up” is your big suggestion for the rookie?
Black Canary: This from the man who fights everything from robots to aliens by shooting them with tiny sticks.
Green Arrow: very fast sticks. fast and pointy!
Black Canary (to Blue Beetle): Don’t mind him. He’s just upset this fight won’t give him a chance to make a speech about poverty.

After the catch-up, which conveniently serves as a terrific starting point for the reader as well, Jaime, Brenda, and Peacemaker set off on a road trip to research the beetle with help from Danielle Garrett, granddaughter of the original Blue Beetle. There’s also the story of how the Peacemaker concerned be and a trip to another planet with a barbarian fighter and a civilization of killer squirrel-like things.

Blue Beetle is a kid who didn’t ask to be given superpowers, but he’s trying to do his best to live up to a heroic tradition in a really modern way. He’s not scared to be truthful about his emotions with his family and friends, and the result is an pleasurable superhero book that pays homage to tradition but updates the challenges to offer a fresh take on the history.

This book reprints issues #7-12 and follows Shellshocked. The series continues in reach for the stars and Endgame.

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