First and foremost, a man who has been an inspiration in the comic book industry, a pioneer of weird in the paneled worlds of news pulp and ink through the late '70's to the current, and an artist and writer who has thoroughly influenced me by embodying the pure, distilled essence of what makes comics fun. His name is Bob Burden. This man is responsible for an off the wall hero by the name of Flaming Carrot as well as the blue collar hero team, The Mysterymen. He's managed to capture the spirit of comics, especially the black and white ones I read as a kid while a lot of people were just content with Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. I had the pleasure of meeting him, though I regret to say that I have more to talk about and ask of him now then I had in those few brief moments when he was gracious enough to sketch me Flaming Carrot and sign my Mysteryment graphic novel. This guy's a class act, in a class many aspire to inhabit and many ignore the point of.
Next there is the creator of one of my favorite comics titled Madman, Mike Allred. Influenced by pop art, glam rock, classic comics Allred spins out works of stunning beauty, with talented wife and colorist Laura Allred. Together they've provided me with an incredible reservoir of entertainment and inspiration. Not to mention, they are incredibly nice people, based on what I've heard, seen, and experienced, as well as from the little indirect communication I've had with Mr. Allred himself. I'd recommend checking them out, if you're new to comics, or not, and you're wanting to get in on THE good stuff.
Also, in that same comic vein, there is the master of horror imagery, himself, Bernie Wrightson. Not only is he the co-creator of Swamp Thing and a masterful illustrator, he is also a very nice gentleman. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, MI in 2008, and he was very kind in signing an issue of Swamp Thing I had brought, even though I was too nervous to say anything to him (sheesh). Great artist!
Then there is Adam Phillips, animator extraordinaire and creator of the fantastic Brackenwood series, a Flash animation masterpiece. I stumbled upon in thanks to Dungeons and Dragons actually. Mr. Phillips did some of the promo animation for the release of the games new 4th Edition. Here's a shot of his character Bitey of Brackenwood.
There is also fantasy artist Justin Sweet, whose dreamy, gorgeous compositions throw my imagination into overdrive and are so incredible to behold I almost want to cry (sad how much I take good artwork to heart, no?).
While there are many who inspire me, in actuality, I'll conclude with the last of the great inspirations, Bill Watterson. This is the man who made my childhood with his work on one of the most incredible newspaper comic strips ever, Calvin and Hobbes. I defined much of my early perceptions of comics, art, writing, thought, and humor on this strip. It means a lot.
