Scott Kress at Catskill Comics is the exclusive agent for Mike Grell commissioned art. Fans looking for comic art originals or wishing to commission a special piece for their wall can contact Scott at: www.catskillcomics.com

These guys are legit @WCollapseComic. Met them in Nashville a couple of weeks ago and was impressed. Please pass along.

M

>>> The Wave Collapse Comic has now launched! For the first 48hrs, backers can get 20% off the physical comic!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wavecollapse/wave-collapse-issue-1/description

For some reason, I’ve been tapped to write part of a trilogy of novels based on Richard Carpenter’s hit TV series ROBIN OF SHERWOOD. 

Oh, gosh! Don’t throw me in that thar briar patch!

Mike

I only met Stephen Colbert once in 1991 at GenCon in Milwaukee the weekend Jeffery Dahmer was captured about 6 blocks away. Mike Gold introduced us and Steve (before he was Stephen, he was Steve Colbert – pronounced Coleburt) moderated a panel focusing on my comics.

My one regret is that I never rose to the level of fame that would gain me a place on stage to take THE COLBERT QUESTIONERT. So, I’m doing it anyway and I invite everyone to celebrate the last night of THE LATE SHOW STARRING STEPHEN COLBERT by joining me in taking the quiz. Don’t be shy. Have fun and let’s celebrate a guy who provided decades of much needed humor in our darkest hours and stood up to those who tried to silence his voice. I’m sure the best is yet to come.

Stephen was absolutely right: the Emperor has no clothes… and a tiny little winky…

    —Mike Grell

  What’s the best sandwich?    

AN OLIVE BURGER – preferably with venison. Finely chop jumbo Spanish olives together with black olives and layer on a toasted bun with a generous slab of sweet onion and tomato. Add burger and top with whole grain mustard. YUM!

  What is the scariest animal?    

A BUG. Doesn’t matter how big, they have six legs…MINIMUM… and they use those extra two to GET ON YOU.

  Apples or oranges?

APPLES. Granny Smiths are the best available, but the winner of all time is the WOLF RIVER! They originated on the banks of the Wolf River in Wisconsin and don’t ripen until after the first frost. About the size of a grapefruit! You can make a pie with just one.

  What was the first concert you saw?    

JOHNNY CASH while I was at college in Green Bay, 1965. He was stoned, but June Carter and The Statler Brothers carried the show.

  Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?    

Yes, several but the most memorable was MILTON CANIFF, creator of STEVE CANYON and TERRY AND THE PIRATES.

  What do you think happens when we die?    

Those we loved and lost are waiting to guide us back to where we came from. After all, we are stardust.

  Favorite action movie?    

INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

  Favorite smell?    

LILACS. There was a hedge growing outside our house as a kid and I have two bushes grown from cuttings in my yard in Wisconsin

  Least favorite smell?        

FARTS. Anybody’s but mine.

  Dogs or cats?    

DOGS. A cat only cares about how long it can feed off your dead body.

  You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?     

Lena Horne’s SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME.

  What number am I thinking of?     

4. Stephen, I know damned well you’ve been thinking of 4 all along!

  Describe the rest of your life in 5 words.    

Always looking forward, never back.

Guys-

This is what Mary was doing when I first met her. So gratifying to see someone calling attention to her hard work.  If not for her partner’s failure to secure a consent and release form from John Pertwee, she’d have been off and running. Then, again, I never would have been able to catch her…

Hi, guys –

After 50 years of doing business as Creative Fire Studio, Inc., I’m launching a new venture under the name FIVE CENTS CHANGE ENTERTAINMENT LLC to better reflect my goals and end confusion among those who thought I was a freelance arsonist.

The name comes from the good old days of Saturday Matinees when mom and dad would drop the kids off at the local movie theater with a quarter and pick them up three or four hours later, having spent the free time doing whatever married folks did when there were finally no kids around. For that one quarter, we got to watch two cartoons (at least), a short feature (usually THE THREE STOOGES), a two-reeler, sometimes a serial chapter and a double feature. Admission was a dime, popcorn and soda were a nickel each, leaving FIVE CENTS CHANGE to buy enough penny candy (usually three or five pieces for a penny) to keep you whirling like a dervish in class for a week.

With that memory in mind, the goal of Five Cents Change Entertainment LLC is exactly that, entertainment. I will be producing content for all media, including film, television, audio books and dramatizations as well as continuing to develop comics and graphic novels. The first project is already underway for DC Comics with more to be announced in the coming year under my publishing imprint Masterstroke Studios Entertainment LLC, which is handling omnibus reprints of JON SABLE. FREELANCE and MAGGIE THE CAT as well as a very special project: MIKE GRELL’S MATINEE.

Stay tuned for updates as we continue to push forward while pushing the envelope.

You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Mike

I just learned of the passing of Tatjana Wood, one of the greatest comic book colorists of the last century. And she made it through almost the whole thing, coming up less than three days short of her 100th birthday. I’m pleased to say I knew her for over half of that and proud to say she colored covers for my book, THE WARLORD.

When I found out Tatjana would be working on my book, it made me want to do better work and she always gave back more than she got. But, in my opinion, her very finest work was on DC’s SWAMPTHING. Her beautiful colors and soft, subtle tones were a perfect match for the subject.

I first met Tatjana in the hallway outside Joe Orlando’s office at DC Comics. We were introduced by Wally Wood, whom I had met just a few minutes earlier. I told her how excited I was to learn she’d be working on my book. When Woody left, she kissed him warmly and watched him go. “My ex-husband,” she said. “Unusual, don’t you think, for us to be so close?” But I noticed there was a tear in her eye. “I love that man so much,” she said, “but I just can’t live with him.”

I believe that, when we come to the end of our run, we go back to being stardust and all those we loved and lost are waiting on the other side to welcome us.

I hope they found their way home. 

–Mike Grell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hi, Guys –

I’m sorry to say my scheduled appearance at Route 66 Comics in Sapulpa, OK near Tulsa has been cancelled. Given the state of the economy and the uncertainty of the world we find ourselves in, I can find no fault in the sponsors decision to cancel.

I’m sorry to disappoint the fans who were looking forward to getting together, but I know we’ll meet again down the road. While I have cut back on the number of my appearances, I’m not done by a long shot. Watch this site for announcements of upcoming shows. 

Bestest,
Mike

Guys –

I will be appearing at 3 ALARM COMICS 15218 Lemoyne Blvd, Biloxi, MS 39532 on Mardis Gras Weekend–Valentines Day February 14 (and maybe 15^th if I’m sober enough). The annual Biloxi Mardis Gras Parade kicks off right in front of the shop and it’s going to be a heck of a party.

Also appearing will be AUSTIN ST. JOHN, the RED POWER RANGER!

Come and see us! 

Mike

Hi, Guys –
I tuned in LATE NIGHT WITH STEPHEN COLBERT to catch Hugh Jackman promoting his upcoming film THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD. After the show, I did a search for a trailer, when I spotted something familiar, a small image being touted as a promotional poster for director Michael Sarnoski’s film.

I clicked on it and this is what came up:

Flattery only goes so far before you begin to realize you’ve been ripped off. That’s my art, a commission piece done through Catskill Comics several years ago, no doubt lifted from the internet and used without permission, credit or compensation.

Whoever is responsible, I am issuing an immediate cease and desist. Mr. Sarnoski, if you wish to continue to use my art to promote your film, i’m willing to negotiate fair compensation. If not, please immediately remove my art from all promotional material, digital and otherwise.

Mike Grell

My DC editor Alex Galer has been stalwart in his support and tireless in his efforts to get the WARLORD omnibus editions off the ground. When I thanked him , he asked if there was anything else I needed to 

My pat answer has always been: a pony… with stripes… horizon, not vertical like a zebra. Then, when I was hospitalized earlier this year, my nurse Rebecca presented me with a drawing and a tiny plastic pony… with horizontal stripes. 

So I told Alex I wanted a Red Ryder BB gun.

This arrived today!

Thanks, Alex!! (I probably should have asked for a Lamborghini…)