Tony DeZuniga dead at 71

I have just heard that another of my favorite artists has died.

Tony DeZuniga, whose artwork graced the pages of just about any comic book genre you care to mention--passed away today in a hospital in his home country of the Philippines. He was 71. The cause of death has yet to be announced, but he had a stroke this past Tuesday and was already suffering from pneumonia.

I am particularly fond of the work he did on DC's and Marvel's horror titles; DC's "V", "Arak", and "Jonah Hex"; and Marvel's "Fool Killer" mini-series (even if he was unceremoniously and rudely dumped from the title before its completion) and "Conan" black-and-white magazine material. John Buscema reportedly did not like the way his and DeZuniga's styles interacted, but I thought they made a great combo. I also thought he was one of the best inkers for Carmine Infantino... as much as I loved Infantino when he was inked by less "heavy-handed" artists, DeZuniga had a knack for making Infantino more accessible to those who might not otherwise appreciate his unique style. (Their collaborations in the pages of "Spider-Woman" and "V" are ones I was particularly fond of.)

Here are some samples of DeZuniga's artwork. Click here to see other posts featuring some of his art, as well as reviews of graphic novels featuring his work.

Picture Perfect Wednesday: Three Norns in One

A random photo of silent movie star Lillian Gish.

Picture Perfect Wednesday:Who's that girl who's looking (mostly) normal?

Does anyone know?

Picture Perfect Wednesday: The Substitute Easter Bunny

Hilary Swank is ready and willing to step in should the Easter Bunny be unable to perform his duties.

Cover illo for the latest ROLF! supplement

ROLF!: Escape From Eden is available from RPGNOW.com and DriveThruRPG.com for a measly $0.50.

Why We Honor the Easter Bunny!

He brings eggs that are the source of Badge- Booth- and Playboy Bunnies, as proven by this photo!

April 8th is Easter Bunny Day! Today is Exclamation Point Day!

Tone Loc: Wild Thing

Workin' all week 9 to 5 for my money
So when the weekend comes I go get live with the honey

Happy 70th Anniversary, Casablanca!

I've been told that today, March 21, 2012, there are numerous theaters across the United States that are showing "Casablanca" on the big screen in celebration of the film's 70th anniversary.

I hope you're lucky enough to have it showing somewhere near where you live. If you've never seen this fine film--which stars Humphrey Bogart, Igrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and tells the tale of an American in Nazi-occupied Casablanca who is forced to choose between love and righteousness when he has the opportunity to regain his old flame by letting her resistance-fighter husband fall into the hands of the German-allied Vichy-French.

With its near-perfect balance between suspense, comedy, and romance, this film is a great example of the kind of films that once made Hollywood great.