A Long Time Ago...

The brand new Dark Horse comics reprint compilation "Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space" hit the book and comic store shelves yesterday. Why am I mentioning this?.... well back in the late 1990s I just happened to collaborate with comic book legend (and pal) Ken Steacy on a couple stories that were originally serialized in Star Wars Kids, a Scholastic, and then newsstand, magazine. Ken did the rough layouts, and I did the finished pencils, the rough lettering and half of the inks (Ken inked the humans, I inked the ships, droids and hardware).

Those very same stories are featured, along with tons of other hard-to-find Star Wars comics going back to 1978, in this great volume. Check it out!

And here's one of our original pages of art from the series before the colors were added for good measure...

One day in the future I'll write about the other 64 page Star Wars mini-comic, and the eleven Star Wars kids books I collaborated or assisted Ken with during the same time!

Saturday Sweets

A bear on a motor scooter stealing a giant pot of honey. That is all.

I was saddened this week to hear that Zachi Telesha, the 12 year old boy who was the driving force behind the "Hero Up!" superhero book / comic I illustrated last year had passed away on Monday. Zachi's strength while battling cancer for five years was an inspiration for many including the folks at Rodale publishing who helped the book happen and asked me to join the project. 

I never got to meet Zachi but I know his vision and positive outlook will live on in those he touched, and in the Hero Up! book which is can now be purchased to raise funds through the Angel34 organization, which raises money to support those with childhood cancer.

The Lehigh Valley Express-Times (Pennsylvania) has a remembrance of Zachi and his story and has posted a couple videos Zachi filmed recently to tell his own story...