Star Wars Is To Blame For All This.

I came across this old photo of myself and a good chuckle was had. I'm guessing around 16 yrs old, surrounded by a little hobby I used to have. I was one of those Star Wars nuts. I had all the Star Wars toys, every action figure, trading card, art book, toothbrush and whatever else they made, I owned it and had it displayed. I also started collecting the Star Wars comic title. (1. seed planted)

There was a collectables dealer at a local indoor flea market near my house. He had all the rare and hard to find Star Wars stuff and I spent so much time there that he finally just hired me and put me to work. (He knew he couldn't get rid of me and I took merchandise for payment.)

He and his wife owned a comic shop in town and I eventually started working there as she needed more help. (2. seed watered) I was able to complete my Star wars Comic run and being exposed to all those other comics, I started reading and collecting other titles. (3. seed fertilized)

Before I knew it I was working comic conventions for the shop and meeting all these new people and cool comic artists. One con in particular, we were set up right next to Mike Zeck. I got to talk with him all day about his job and whatever else. Really nice guy and I came to realize that comics could be a viable career. (4. seed growth) Which was good because I was also one of those kids that had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

After awhile, I quit the comic shop, (and eventually quit my next job at McDonalds) and ventured off to cartooning school.

Thats how it all started.

in a really tight pair of jeans....

Any and all comments on the picture are welcome.

Later

WM

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Warren Martineck

Casual Friday #10

Welcome to Friday.

It's always a good thing.

I've started going through the suggestions for Casual Fridays from a few posts ago. Looking forward to hitting some of them, but one email just said, "Something with a gun."

So, by request, here's "Something with a gun", (aka "The Black Widow")

There's a Rum & Coke for me out there somewhere. Must go find it now.

Later

WM

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Warren Martineck

Casual Friday #9

I know it's Saturday, but this was drawn on Friday, so I think it still counts. Phone calls, family, food, sleep, all the stuff that requires attention, you know what I'm talking about.

This lovely lady....

I'll let you attach a story to this image. She'll be anything you want her to be.

It's called "Lantern Light".

Later

WM

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Warren Martineck

Bruce Sakow

I met Bruce Sakow about 6 or 7 years ago. His girlfriend and my wife were friends through work back when we lived in upstate NY and they wanted to get together again and catch up and to meet Bruce. We all got together for dinner & drinks and Bruce and I hit it off very well. He was a screenwriter, big into movies and music, had even written a few Marvel comics as well, and was just an all around good guy. We had a lot in common and had a lot to talk about.

About a year or so back, Bruce got in touch with me about a screenplay he had written that he wanted to make into a comic and would like to have me do the artwork for. We all got together again at their home in NJ to talk it over, have dinner, and spend some time catching up on life. The girls talked shop upstairs, Bruce and I hit the basement, broke out his Stratocaster, plugged in, kicked back, played guitar and talked about comics, movies, music and things guys talk about when they get to just hang.

We had decided to stay in touch more and we went to their wedding the next year. It was a small wedding with their kids, family and close friends in a Buddhist temple in Manhattan. It was very cool and we were honored to be there.

Subsequent get-togethers were put on hold as Bruce had developed some medical issues. Bruce talks a little about it in this Video here. We stayed in touch through emails working on the Comic together and keeping each other updated on life.

Last night Bruce passed away with his family by his side.

He was a good man and very kind. We will all miss him.

Bruce, enjoy your further adventures.

So long, pal.

Casual Friday #8

Today kinda snuck up on me. I've been trying to catch

up on a lot of things in the studio, and out, that I've been putting off for the last month or 2. This week ripped by and if it wasn't for an email I got today mentioning my Casual Fridays, I would have completely forgotten.

But I sat down after dinner, pulled out my portable drawing board, hit the couch, and started working out a wispy sort of spectral figure.

So, here is The Spectre. I've always liked this character, he's really cool to draw and in my head I came up with about 13 different ways or scenes I would liked to have drawn him in. But this "screaming out of the mist" was the first one I went for.

Not that I have a shortage of characters I would like to draw, but feel free to comment on characters or ships or whatever you might want to see me draw. I realize CF's are meant for things I want to draw, but you never know...

Later

WM

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Warren Martineck