Free Comic Book Day Bun Toons! YAY!

It’s Comic Book Day! Like Easter and Christmas and Losing your Virginity all at once! Only with comics!

I have arisen this morning and left my home within minutes…no time for an original Bun Toon (the rules are very strict…I gots to do ’em the morning I get up, folks and folkesses!) But….since it is…

…there is a feast of FREE COMICS here on the Bun Toon, for you to enjoy.

We’ll start with the Rules:

————————————————————————————————–

Okay, sure, that was a free cartoon on my website, but what about a free Ty Templeton Spider-Man comic book at my local store?

We have you covered there as well…

Apparently, if you pick up the new Rocket Racoon Free Comic Book from Marvel, it includes a back-up story by me and Joe Caramagna from the Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures series.   That’s the first page of a rollicking space adventure up there, and you can have the rest of the story FREE at any participating comic store!

Wait!  You want more free?  Here’s a complete Spider-Man story by Ty Templeton and Dan Slott!

Yeah, that’s from about three years ago, but if I posted anything more recent without permission, Marvel would vaporize my backside.

If you’re in the Toronto/Brampton area, come and watch me give out free comics in person at:

Stadium Comics at Shoppers World Brampton (Hwy 7 and Hwy 10, more or less)  

With all the traffic problems in Toronto, it’s probably an easier drive that anywhere downtown.  Come and see me…anyone under ten years old gets a free sketch!  Adults must pay through the nose and call me Lord Highmaster.

———————————————————————————————

THANK YOU, AL FELDSTEIN

When I was eleven years old, I saw the movie THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE with my mom, and felt very grown up to have seen a film with swearing in it.  A couple of days later, I saw this issue of Mad Magazine and had enough money on me to buy it.

At eleven, I was already waaay into comic books, and drawing, and I couldn’t get over the idea that a comic book had a painted cover that looked sort of like Norman Rockwell had painted it.  But…oh my…the interior artwork…

I copied every artist in this book over and over again.  Tried to paint that cover with acrylics and draw like George Woodbridge and Mort Drucker and Dave Berg and Paul Coker Jr. and Bob Clarke and Angelo Torres and Al Jaffee and everyone involved in this issue.  I couldn’t believe the level of artistic skill on display in a comic book that made me laugh like a monkey when I was eleven.

So I got the next issue and the next…and immediately I was a subscriber.  It was the first magazine I ever subscribed to.  The first issue that came in the mail had THIS cover:

In this age of the internet, it’s hard to understand the level of subversion involved in this cover.  I understand it was banned in a number of stores and even a few American states wouldn’t let it be displayed within their borders.   Take that, developing taste in pop culture!

Mad Magazine rather quickly became a cornerstone of my personality.  At the age of 20, when it first occurred to me I might actually have the skills to make a living in this biz, I sent samples of my work out to Playboy, the New Yorker and Mad Magazine (it never crossed my mind to work on Super-heroes at the time, I was a gag cartoonist…)

All three magazines rejected my work (as they should have, the work was terrible), but the rejection from Mad Magazine was a treasure to me, because it was signed by Al Feldstein, editor.  It was like an autograph, and the rejection hung over my desk for years, somewhat proudly.

Al Feldstein: Grinning mischievously after rejecting me, the callous bastard.

We lost Al Feldstein this week at the age of 88.  I never got a chance to meet him in person, but he absolutely changed my life when I was eleven, and kicked me in the pants when I was 20.  He retired when I was about 25, so I never worked for him…but…

This was the first issue of Mad Magazine to include my art.

I finally got to his magazine.  Thank you Al Feldstein, for ruining my life with your sense of humour and subversion, and forcing me to become one of the Gang of Idiots.  It’s all your fault!  I could have been a plumber!

———————————————————————————————

Not another one!

R.I.P. Efram Zimbalist Jr.

This silver haired devil had the coolest name in show biz.

A television staple throughout my childhood on FBI and a number of other shows, I always dug this guy’s off-beat name and too-handsome-for-the-room mustache.

But the world of Batman knew and loved him as the voice of ALFRED PENNYWORTH, butler to the cave.

“anything else you need cleaned up, Master Bruce…?”

Thanks for all the memories, Efram.

Ty the Guy OUT!

————————————————————————————————–

For last week’s Bun Toon about Fanboys and their difficulties with Fangirls, click here…

For the Bun Toon archive, click here

 

 

 

FREE Comic Books!!

Everyone knows about FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, but that was waaaaaaaay back in May. Too long to wait for the next one! In its infinite wisdom, Diamond Comic Distributors has created a Hallowe’en version of Free Comic Book Day intended for the kids:  HALLOWEEN COMICFEST.

There are lots of comics from many publishers all available for free, but there are two of particular interest to Ty Templeton fans:  both DC Comics and Marvel Comics books’ feature stories by Ty and Dan Slott.

sez DC Comics,

“…fans will be excited to learn that comic book stores nationwide will be distributing the all-ages Halloween ComicFest exclusive BATMAN/SCOOBY DOO! Flipbook for FREE! Reprinting classic BATMAN and SCOOBY-DOO tales, this collection comes to you from the creative teams of writers Dan Slott and Chris Duffy and artist Ty Templeton amongst various others.”

Marvel Comics is offering up a book with both Spidey and the Avengers (based on the animated shows). Sez them,

“One product in particular is Marvel’s Halloween ComicFest book, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN AND AVENGERS. This all-ages book translates all the action and excitement from the television shows “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!” into a comic book that will not only entertain young kids but engage teenagers and adults as well. “

THIS SATURDAY, October 27, Ty will be at STADIUM COMICS in Brampton, Ontario (at Shoppers World mall, Highway 10 and Steeles Avenue). The event is HUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGEEEEEEE; they say they’ve booked over TWENTY comics creators.

Ty’s really looking forward to this–he’s heard so much about Stadium Comics but not had a chance to check out the store yet. And he’s looking forward to seeing YOU! He’ll be signing copies of the FREE COMIC BOOKS from Marvel and DC, signing other books you bring him, he’ll have prints for sale, and he’s bringing some blank Batman sketch covers…  He’ll be doing sketches as well. And–as always–he’ll be telling tales…

Stop by and get your free books, get ’em signed…and you can ask Ty questions about his COMIC BOOK BOOTCAMP, and hear about the upcoming classes (which start in ten days…registration is almost closed for WRITING FOR COMICS PART TWO, still spaces in LAYOUT FOR COMICS, and INKING FOR COMICS).

(Next Wednesday, which is actually Hallowe’en, Ty will be at The Comic Book Lounge & Gallery…but we’ll tell you about that when it gets closer to the date.)

Keiren

All Ages Awesomeness 2!!

Working away on my next set of pages for Marvel Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures (#5 I think?) after spending the weekend in Texas! I haven’t been out of Canada in fifteen years, and I think it was the first time I’ve spent more than a layover in Texas.

I was invited to the second annual All-Ages Awesomeness 2 at Rogues’ Gallery Comics & Games in Round Rock, Texas. I spent the day sketching and signing along with other creators who work in all-ages comics; Shane and Chris Houghton, Chad Thomas, Evan Bryce, Mike Bullock, and Yehudi Mercado. The Houghton brothers led the kids in making a comic book right there in the store; I was really impressed with how good they both were in working with their audience. Not an easy thing to keep the attention of kids.

I did dozens and dozens of sketches–I’ve seen a few posted on line thanks to the Rogues Gallery Facebook page. I’m hoping that a few more get scanned and put online–I did a couple that I was really happy with. As an artist, I often get frustrated with convention sketches–doing something quickly, without reference, with an audience watching…

Friday night, Rogues Gallery co-owner Randy Lander took all the creators out to The Alamo Draughthouse for dinner and to watch Brave. I loved the movie, loved the dinner, loved the concept–I want someone to open a movie theatre/restaurant in Toronto! What a great idea!

Here are a few quick pictures from Rogues Gallery Comics & Games’ Facebook fan page:

*

The girl in the first picture was there with her sister and they both wanted Spider-Man drawings. I did a close-up and an action shot and told them they got to pick who got which.

And…Alana got the headshot!

This was a fun drawing to do…a couple with two girls had just adopted a boy from Seoul, Korea. A toddler, his few words of English include “Spider-Man!” so they asked me to draw Spidey swinging from the Seoul Tower so he could have something recognisable from his old home and his new home. Was very happy to do this sketch.

A quick Joker sketch. I liked how this turned out.

Pretty cute kid–who was concerned enough to point out to me that his Cap is missing a foot…

All in all, a fun weekend. Though I was glad to get back home to the wife and kids–and to finally give in to the temptation I’d squashed all weekend, and spent about ten minutes talking with a Texan accent.

 

Unseen Batman Art…unseen by me, at least.

A good number of years ago, I had the lovely privilege of getting to draw a McDonalds Happy Meal box (original art for sale HERE) featuring Batman, Robin and their supporting cast of villains.   I was sent a set of the toys available with the promotion…

And I still have the original artwork (which you can see for sale on this very blog…).  But I never got a chance to see the actual box itself as it was only part of an American promotion, and we didn’t get the boxes here in the Northern land of frozen igloos and French hockey.    But at a convention a couple of months ago, I was given a copy of the box in mint condition from a fan.  Very Cool!

That’s the “front” (if there is such a thing on a Happy Meal Box).

And that’s the back.  I’m delighted with how it looks in colour, and delighted that my copy is flat, and free of French Fry grease.  It’s one of the few things I’ve done that I never had a copy of, and though it was a long wait, I’m really happy to have the box.

Of course it turns out, I could have bought one off of ebay for two bucks.  But how was I to know?

As for today, I’m back to work drawing Batman doing something awful with a toaster, I’ll let you know when it’s coming out (soon, I hope).

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your bonus Gotham City/McDonalds moment.

More Unseen Batman Adventures Rejected Covers!

Ol’ Batman has been hovering around my drawing board this week, as I’m doing portraits of Bob Kane and Bill Finger all day long for the Finger project.  But since I’m rummaging through the Gotham City wing of my studio anyway, I dug out some unused designs sketches for past Batman Adventures covers that were cruelly rejected…and since I’ve been encouraged to toss these unseen bits of nonsense up on the blog in the past, I’m going to do just that, because that’s my way.   If people like it, this may be the first of many such posts.

These thumbnails were for Batman And Robin Adventures #7.   I don’t recall why these first two ideas were turned back.  It might be that Batman was too small on either of them…

Or it might have been the live gunfire, or smoking guns on the covers, I do recall that the policy about guns was pretty strict.

Unless you were pointing the gun at a wooden puppet, then it was okay.  Still they rejected this one as well, but I do recall that I was encouraged to go back to this theme and try another angle of this idea.  Aiming the gun at the puppet was fine.

The final sketch that was approved.  This might have been the first of many covers editor Scott Peterson said yes to, that didn’t have Batman on them at all.  As I look over the run of many dozens of issues, it’s odd how many don’t have Batman on the cover.   I love that openness in an editor.

You’ll notice how little changed from the original little sketch to the final art.  I was so happy with the big bold lines on the sketch (originally three and half inches by five inches high!), that I blew it up and light-tabled it at 10 x 15.   That was a pretty common trick for me, to keep the simple look of the designs.

So do you agree with the editor?  Did we do the right one?

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your BONUS rejected cover moment:

This is the ORIGINAL cover to Amazing Fantasy #15, drawn by Steven Ditko, and rejected by Stan Lee, who asked Jack Kirby to re-design the image into the famous cover we know today.   Which looks like this:

…in case you’ve never seen it.

Unseen Batman Adventures from Beyond Time!!

The other day I was cleaning up the studio, and I came across the one and only rejected cover I did for the Batman Adventures series.  It was the original version of the cover for #4 (from the first series).  It’s never been put online or shown at a convention or anything, so I thought it might be fun to show it off here.  It was rejected because 1)  It’s not very active, and 2)  The logo was too small in the image.  I’m not sure why I penciled and inked it, as mostly we chose covers from layouts, but this one somehow got penciled and inked before everyone decided it possibly sucked.

That’s not the original colour, as it never got THAT far through production.  I just tossed some colours on to give a sense of what it should have looked at in final form.

The story was a two part script about Scarecrow taking away the ability to read from the citizens of Gotham, which naturally frightens everyone.  Here’s the cover we did use…much better in the long run, so no harm done in tossing the first idea.

And just to finish up the thought…here’s Mike Parobeck’s cover for #5, the second of the two parts, which finally featured the not-being-able-to-read aspect of the image from the rejected cover.

There’s still tons of unseen Batman Adventures stuff in my studio, including T-Shirt designs, style-guide art, coloring book covers, product art and bunches of stuff….but this is the only actual comic cover we never used.  Since I found it this week, I put it online this week.

Maybe not the greatest work I ever did, but still fun for folks to see it, nevertheless.

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your Batman Moment of the Day:

I wish I knew who created this image originally so I could credit their great work.  I saw it online a couple of weeks ago and tried to track down who did it, but have turned up nothing so far.  If you know who made this, please let me know, he deserves a salute!

————————

And CLICK HERE for The Top Ten Catwoman Actresses!

Harley says, “It Gets Better”

For years, I used to write the Batman Adventures comic books, and while I was there, I got to be quite friendly with one of the characters, Harley Quinn…

Many of you might know that Harley has morphed into a more-or-less real person in the body of an Australian woman named Elise Archer.  Elise is without a doubt, the cos-play Harley that all others are measured against, and has traveled the world bringing joy and happiness in the guise of a sociopathic super-villain with a heart of gold.

As Elise became Harley, Harley became Elise. A couple of panels from Gotham Adventures #10

Well, recently Harley made a video for the “It Gets Better” project.  For a fictional character, she’s delightfully real in this vid, and it’s worth going and checking it out, if not just for the fun of seeing Harl walking around in the real world, but for the message of acceptance contained within.   ‘Specially for folks from the land down under….

Elise channeling Harley, or Harley inhabiting Elise. I'm never sure...

Go.  Watch. Feel good that the world is getting better….

And on another personal note, my friend Heather, who is a fabulously talented writer and all-around super person (just not a super-villain) has made an “It Gets Better” message herself, also very much worth watching.  There are no references to insane clowns in Heather’s vid, but it’s equally inspiring.

Go HERE for Heather’s video.

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your comic book moment of zen:

Joan Hilty might have a reason to be Bitter Girl.

Ah , the restructuring at DC continues, and it’s hit at a couple of my peeps , downsizing DC mainstay Joan Hilty this week (creator of the comic strip BITTER GIRL, if you didn’t get the reference in the title).

Editor Joan becomes freelancer Joan!

Joan and I worked together a few times, and made some great comics while we did, so I’d like to give her a proper send -off with a quick Top Seven list.  Here now, the Top Seven books Joan Hilty edited while at the home of the Bat and the Cape.

7.  Flash

Waid is back. Acuna is off and running!

– Everything about this run of the Flash was delightful. The creative team, the covers, the plots, the whole feel of it all.  When it ALL feels right, you know there’s a hand on the wheel, steering.

6.  Flinch

Beautiful and creepy. The comic equivilant of a peanut butter cup.

– a daring, fun run of creativity.  Joan does the thankless job of editing an anthology with lovely results every damn time.  The line up of talent was stunning.  Go find ‘em and read em.

4. Steve Gerber’s Hard Time

Brilliant, and no ducks, whatsoever.

– unquestionably the best of the DC FOCUS books, and Gerber’s last GREAT series.  I thank the lucky stars that we all got a chance to join in.

5.  Blue Beetle

Say goodbye to the goofy super-hero.

-The Silver Age Blue Beetle was beloved by JUST enough people to ensure he’d never succeed in his own series.  This series proved you can re-invent for the modern reader and make it work.  Hilty goes stepping into the shoes of Julie Schwartz quite well.  (For other fun re-launch Joan comics, see OMAC PROJECT and MANHUNTER)

3. Birds of Prey

word balloons on a cover! Be still my heart.

-one of the best runs of the series since Dixon and Land started it all.  Joan presided over its re-birth as one of DC’s most fun books after a bit of a lull.  Simone and Benes certainly helped.  Great team, all around.

2.  Batman Adventures, (and related series).

Batman-less Batman at its best.

-People seemed to like this world of stories, so I include them.  I can’t gush too much about the whole enterprise without seeming like a ego-maniac as I wrote about a quarter of ‘em, but let’s point out how wonderful ALL the issues were, not just the ones I grubbed my hands all over.  Dig those crazy Gotham Girls!  And how beautiful were those BATMAN STRIKES covers?

1. LOONEY TUNES

Chuck Jones would be proud

– For years, this was my hands down favorite DC comic, I kid you not.  It was funny, witty, beautifully on-model and in the spirit of the original Termite Terrace, no matter who the writer or artist was.  One of the unsung GREAT DC series that no one read, and making it this consistently good when it was that far under the radar is the proof that Ms. Hilty knew how to do her job.

Honorable mentions:

Along with Looney Tunes, Joan did fantastic work keeping other “toon books” the best they could possibly be for years.  Anyone with an appreciation for this almost lost craft should check out Joan’s high water runs on Krypto the Superdog, Scooby Doo, and Powerpuff Girls.

–On the Road To Perdition

This unexpectedly terrific sequel to the original masterpiece deserves a special mention just for Joan coaxing the legendary Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez into a graphic novel’s worth of new artwork.  Anyone who hires the bizarrely-underused greatest storyteller of a generation gets my thanks.

Way to go, Joan.  You have much to be proud of for your years at DC, and your contribution to comics and art is assured.  See you ’round the funny books.

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your comic book moment of zen

The farcical and the fleeting

Ty Templeton Ink!

I was talking to someone recently about inking a project for them, and to rummage up some sample inked pages, I did a Google search for the above words “Ty Templeton ink”.  It seemed so much quicker than digging through my own files.  The internet is my friend.

I got what I expected, a bunch of pages from my various inking jobs over the years that people had in their collections and have scanned and put online.  All fine.

But I didn’t expect to find this:

WOAH!

That’s my cover to Gotham Adventures #1…or a version of it…burned into someone’s arm with needles and pain and the oh boy, sweet glavin! The arm belongs to Craig Kandiko, and this and the other images I’m going to show you are taken from his MySpace site which you can find here.

Craig is a Batman fan.  A serious Batman fan, and he’s focused the meat and flesh of his fandom on the Gotham Adventures comic title as all of his tattoos are from covers of that series.    This is an ongoing project for Craig, as he’s added to the Batman Animated gallery on his legs and other arms as the years have gone by.  I’ll let you go to his site to see all his tattoos, some based on Bruce Timm, and some by Bob Smith –  but since this is MY blog, I’m showing you the two other tats he has with my artwork on his largest organ!

The Mr. Freeze is from Gotham Adventures #5. The Two Face is from a story I wrote, but it's drawn by Rick Burchett.

Gotham Adventures #5. Brrrrr.

This Penguin pose is from a set of T-Shirts I did with the villains as the subjects.

My Penguin is hiding there on his leg.

This isn’t the first time someone has tattooed my artwork onto their body.  I’ve been sent a couple of images of a Riddler tattoo that a girl put on her lower hip a few years ago, and another one that features a JOKER I drew that ended up on someone’s shoulder….and a friend of mine has a design between her shoulder blades that I designed for her.  These are all small, singular tattoos that take up just a bit of someone’s body, and I’m flattered to see someone wanted my drawing or my character on them for life.  Craig is clearly the biggest Batman Adventures fan on Earth from this level of dedication.

So Craig, I salute you, and feature you on my blog.  I’ll just say this, I often erase and redraw my figures while I’m working on them.  Next time, I’ll realize the importance to your very skin that I get every line right!

Ty the Guy

To share post:

–

Animated Harley and Ivy, sort of…

I know I should wait for Christmas, but I only just saw this today.  My friend Elise Archer (Harley Cosplayer Supreme) tweeted, or posted, or did whatevah one does with animated gifs, so I repost it here…with a thanks.

It’s the cover for a Christmas catalog I drew from about ten years ago.  (The only time I’ve ever actually drawn Harley Quinn for any publication, oddly enough) But it’s been animated much more recently than that.

Fun, what shows up online.

Ty the Guy

(Ty’s memory is shot–all the LDS he did in the 60s-–he’s drawn Harley a couple of times.  But this was the first!–kts)

To share post: