Wednesday, June 15, 2022

The era of comic books revised

 

I have never liked the "Olympic medal" eras of comics as it breaks down after Bronze. What's after that? Tin? Dumb. It never made sense to me as a) It infers that everything after Golden is inferior when nothing could be further from the truth - from an art and storytelling perspective to the way the books are created and manufactured. b) The metal eras doesn't address what's next after maybe "dark" and that was almost 30 years ago and c) doesn't take into effect too much of the history of comics both in terms of publication content and editorial decisions.

I, myself, have taken some cues from the classifications of genres used in film studies which are: Primitive (or Pioneer), Classic (or Golden), Revisionist, Parody, Post-Modern, Nostalgic and modern (which is used as a sliding scale to whatever is the "current" era). I've applied this to comic books and came up with the following classification system*:

Primitive: 0 - 1935 (Proto-comics to New Fun #1)
Classic (or Golden): 1935 to 1952 (Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #1, etc.)
Revisionist (or Atomic): 1953 -  1970 (with the passing of the Comic Code, Incredible Science Fiction #1, Showcase #4, Fantastic Four #1, ZAP #1, etc.)
Post-Modern (or Super): 1971- 1985 (Green Arrow 85 , Amazing Spider-Man 96, Crisis on Infinite Earths)
Dark: 1986 - 1994 (Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight, Spawn )
Nostalgic: 1995 -2000 (Marvels, Astro City, Zero Hour, Starman)
Ultimate (or Marvel): 2001-2010 (Marvel Ultimate, Alias, Wolverine: Origin, Editorial changes at DC)
Post-Revisionist: 2011 - 2015 (Flashpoint, New 52, Marvel NOW!, Ms. Marvel)
Modern: 2016 - present (DC Rebirth, etc.)

Granted I realize that the "edges" of these eras aren't as clear as I'm making them out to be, but ya gotta draw the line somewhere! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this classification system of mine!

* I freely admit that my classification has a bias towards American superhero comics in general and DC published books in particular.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Bedbug shirts return!


It's been awhile since I've offered Bedbug T-shirts but I've created a new store over at SpreadShirt with some old favorite designs. Check them out!

And keep a look out for more new Bedbug designs in 2020!


Friday, May 31, 2019

Bedbug appears in Lucky Shot #1!

Bedbug's latest adventure can be found in Lucky Shot #1!





Lucky Shot #1

Former gangster Michaela Saez balances being a public hero and a single mother as Lucky Shot, the tiny titan of crimefighting! Lucky and her coworker Andromeda work to make the world a better place for humans and superhumans alike, all while learning to get along with each other! By Araujo, Wade, Monsanto, Hebert, Birch, Lozano and Casseday

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Bedbug appears in POWERUP board game!




Ramon Redondo Perez is a Spanish designer whose video game inspired board game POWERUP is currently on Kickstarter.



I was immediately charmed by the clever concept (a 2D dungeon-crawl - why didn't I think of that?) and the 16-bit graphics (having been a video game artist earlier in my career) and I backed the game. When Senor Perez discovered I backed the game, he excitedly asked permission to included Bedbug as a character in the MERC expansion.
 
No sooner had I said "yes" than did he produce the card that will feature Bedbug! I must say, Bedbug looks pretty great as a retro-video game character. I wonder if Player One would approve... more likely he'd get jealous!


If you want to buy the game (which is due out this fall) and the MERC expansion with Bedbug, back the game at the DELUXE level.  And many thanks to Ramon for including Bedbug into his awesome POWERUP game!

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Bedbug to appear in World Wide Warriors!

My friends over at Red Anvil Press are creating a new comic book called World Wide Warriors! 


In addition to the Mighty Titan, Mantis, Shadowflame and Power House, issues 1 and 2 guest-star none other than Bedbug!
The adventure begins when Buddy and Elvira visit a local science center where they a strange experience that results in trouble!

The art looks absolutely amazing with artist Allan Goldman doing a stunning job! I can't wait for this to come out!

 

Look for World Wide Warriors #1 coming to your local comic shop in the near future!

Monday, September 26, 2016

Shooting Star Comics 15 year anniversary!


Wow! Has it been 15 years already?

The gang at Shooting Star Comics have put together a commemorative website celebrating the anniversary! For those of you wondering, Shooting Star Comics was where Bedbug first debuted! Check it out and join in on the celebration!

http://www.shootingstarcomics.net/





Monday, September 19, 2016

Shooting Star Comics the Fighting Game??!!!


Bedbug vs Scott McCullar's Yellowjacket! Who would win!?

No, this isn't a "real thing" - just something I was fooling around with. Would you want this to exist in real-life? Write a comment!

Monday, May 2, 2016

Happy Free Comic Book Day from Bedbug!



Hey all!

Saturday, May 7th is Free Comic Book Day all across America and to celebrate, I've created a special Bedbug Digital Comic just for you! (and you and you and especially you!)

The comic features Bedbug's first encounter with The Grave Robber, three fact-filled character bios, a cover by Something Terrible's Dean Trippe and special pins-ups by great comic artists including Star Wars' Tom Hodges, Lazerman's Chris Hebert, Scapula's Aidan Casserly and Sonic the Hedgehog's Mike Kazaleh!

UPDATE: Sorry, but now that Free Comic Book Day is over, so is this offer. I hope you had a great Free Comic Book Day and enjoyed the Bedbug Comic!

All the best,
Scott

Saturday, September 26, 2015

The 10 best Batman stories you've never read.

Since the creation of the internet, everyone with a computer and a passing knowledge of Batman has posted their "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Written" lists. Most of them are redundant or just flat-out suck. Their lists all read the same. They always have the "The Dark Knight Returns" (awesome) and "The Killing Joke" (awesome) and "Death in the Family" (not very good) on them. If you are a newbie bat-fan, you might not think there are any other good stories out there.

But there's a reason why Batman has persisted through out the years. There have been scores of great stories written about him and his amazing world. I'm not bragging (well, maybe a little) when I say that I've read every Batman comic story ever printed. And here is my informed list of great Batman stories you might have missed or not seen on any of those other more predictable lists (comics are not listed in any particular order, they are all great):


1. Batman #12 - "Brothers in Crime" by Don Cameron and Jerry Robinson
Batman has a lot of cool collectables in the Batcave. Batman fans might know about the T-Rex robot and the Giant Penny (which is NOT from a Two-Face story btw) and the Red Hood, but do you know about the chain-mail vest? In this classic Golden-Age story, Peter Rafferty is released from prison, but his attempts to go straight are thwarted by the influence of his brothers, who force him back into a life of crime. They plot a crime spree centered around a chain-mail vest and what happens is the stuff great storytelling is made of.


2. Detective Comics #711 - "Knight Out" by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan
Of course, a comic numbered 7-11 has to start in a convenience store! Batman doesn't make much of an appearance in this Bruce Wayne centered issue, but it shows that no matter what Bruce is doing, he's Batman 24/7. There's one especially great scene where Bruce ID's all of the crooks working as waiters at a swanky party they're about to rob. 


3. Gotham Knights #3 - "Broken Nose" by Paul Pope
The main story is pretty forgettable, but the real star of this issue is the back-up black and white story by the always amazing Paul Pope. Batman gets his nose busted for the first time battling the armored villain, Dr. Mabuse and Pope's description of what it feels like to have a broken nose is dead-on. The ending has a great pay-off too.


4. Secret Origins Special #1 - "When is a door?" by Neil Gaiman and BEM
Published during the rise of the "grim and gritty" trend of the late 80's, the Riddler laments the loss of innocence in Batman comics - something we still have never recovered from. It's touching and funny and a great reward for long-time Batman readers.


5. Detective Comics #571 "Fear for $ale" by Mike Barr and Alan Davis
Over the 75 plus years of Batman comics, there have been dozens of Scarecrow stories where the villain has scared victims to death and tried to discover Batman's greatest fear. In this story buried in the middle of Barr and Davis' amazing run on Detective Comics, Barr flips the script. The Scarecrow is removing fear from those who need it and blackmails them into buying the antidote. When Batman's greatest fear is revealed, it serves as a melancholy harbinger just a few years before DC's 1-800-KillRobin stunt.


6. The Joker: The Devil's Advocate - by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan
This is the best Joker story you've never read. When Joker is finally sentenced to death, Batman realizes that the clown prince of crime might not actually be responsible for the crime. As the clock ticks down, Batman struggles between seeking justice and upholding the law. A great potboiler with some of the best characterization of the Joker since the Killing Joke.


7. Detective Comics #450 - "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy" by Elliot S. Maggin and Walt Simonson
Batman is faced with one of his greatest deathtraps when an assassin is hired to recover the caped crusader's cowl. The story is twisty fun and has one of the best punch lines in a Batman comic. The art by a young newcomer (at the time) named Walter Simonson is pretty amazing stuff.


8. Batman Adventures #10 - "The Last R?ddler Story" by Kelley Puckett and Mike Parobeck
Although Bruce Timm/Paul Dini's perfect Batman story "Mad Love" gets all of the attention, many of the issues of Batman Adventures are really good, with incredible art by the late, great Mike Parobeck. When the Riddler encounters a riddle he can't solve, he turns to the next smartest person he knows to solve it - Batman. It's a fun romp featuring appearances by the Bat-editors Denny O'Neil and the late Archie Goodwin.

9. World's Finest (3 issues mini-series from 1992) by Dave Gibbons and Steve Rude
Batman and Superman team up to stop a feud between Joker and Lex Luthor (what? again?) but what makes this story special isn't Gibbons' (the artist of Watchmen) light-hearted writing or Steve Rude's amazingly deft page layouts but the fact that Batman and Superman actually manage to work together again six years after the World's Finest friendship was destroyed forever in Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns (and subsequently in the mainstream comics and the upcoming movie) The story is a nice reminder of what made the Batman/Superman friendship so great to begin with.


10. Green Arrow vol 3. #5 "The Anatomy Lesson" - by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester
While the title of this story is a homage to Alan Moore's classic Swamp Thing story, the homages don't stop there. Batman examines Oliver Queen's unconscious body to prove it is really the Emerald Archer back from the dead and not a clone or a robot. Batman lives up to his title as "World's Greatest Detective" as he cross-references appearances from stories printed in Detective Comics (where Green Arrow was a long-time back-up features) based on his scars and other physical features. It's another love-letter to readers of both Batman and Green Arrow stories and Batman comes off as actually brilliant - something that hasn't been done in years since.

Well, there you have it. The ten best Batman comics you've never read. Happy Batman Day 2015 bat-fans!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

June 14th is Bedbug day!

What is Bedbug day?

It's the Mighty Bedbug's Birthday. Celebrate by sharing your artwork of the greatest indy single-father superhero!

We want to see your drawings of Bedbug and his rogues gallery! We want to see your digital paintings! We want to see your drawings! We want to see your sculptures! We want to see your digital models! We want to see your custom action figures! We want to see your knitted figures! Please send us your Bedbug art!*

And the best part about Bedbug day? It's Bedbug's birthday, but YOU get the gift!! When you create and send a jpg of Bedbug fan art, I will draw and send you an original Bedbug drawing!

Send a jpg of your art to Boneyard0@aol.com and we'll showcase it here, on Twitter (@mightybedbug) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mightybedbug) on June 14th - Bedbug day! Be sure include your name and address so we can give you credit and your sketch!

Here's a few beautiful pieces of Bedbug art to get you inspired!

 
Knitted Bedbug doll by Amy

 
Digital Model by Simon
 
 
Drawing by Mike

 
Drawing by Daniel
 
 
3D sculpture by Evelyn
 
 
Digital Drawing by Jeremy
 
 
Action figure by Scott
 
*Please, no artwork with profanity, obscenity or ultra-violence. Punching a bad guy in the face is OK, though.
 
NOTE: Only pictures received before or on Sunday June 14th, 2015 will qualify for a Bedbug drawing. By sending a picture, you allow Scott Rogers to post or print the image for promotional and bragging purposes. Thanks for participating!
 
 

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day!


 
Happy Father's Day to our fellow dads!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Hero Initiative X-Men auction! (or who let this guy in?)

There is a great charity organization called the HERO INITIATIVE that helps comic book creators in their time of need. They started a series of projects (the first one I heard of was the Ultimate Spider-Man 100 covers project: http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/ultimate-spider-man-100) that featured original covers by some of the best creators in comics. The best part was, fans could own these comics by bidding on them in an auction and the money would be used to help comic creators. Or in their own words:

The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit over 50 creators and their families with over $500,000 worth of much-needed aid, fueled by your contributions! It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

When I was asked to take part in their next X-Men related 100 covers project, how could I say no? Here's the comic cover I ended up creating:

 
Then I saw the covers of the other artists involved (you can see them here: http://www.heroinitiative.org/spage.asp?p=108&ti=The+Uncanny+X%2DMen+100+Project )
 
Amazing covers by some of the best artists ever in comics - Alan Davis, David Bullock, John Romita Sr., Rick Leonardi, Chris Bachalo, Michael Avon Oeming, Jerry Ordway, Phil Jimenez, John Cassaday, Fred Hembeck, Dan Brereton, Bill Sienkiewicz, George freakin' Perez!!! The list goes on and on!
 
HOW THE HECK DID I END UP IN THE COMPANY OF THESE AMAZING ARTISTS???
 
Doesn't matter! Here's what does. My contribution comic is up for auction on eBay. I not only want to raise as much money for the Hero Initiative as I can, but I don't want to be the comic that sold for the lowest amount (They are currently selling for around $200 or more!)
 
 
Please help the Hero Initiative by bidding on this comic. It's for charity! Thanks in advance for supporting the Hero Initiative! (For more information visit http://www.heroinitiative.org/)

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy 75th Birthday Batman!



When I was six years old, I fell in love with Batman. He was the first superhero I remember seeing and I learned how to draw just so I could draw Batman.

The first superhero I ever drew that wasn't Batman was a very similar character called "The Black Beetle." Over the years, the Black Beetle evolved into the Bedbug we know and love today, but Batman's shadow still looms large over Bedbug, his adventures and his universe.

Happy 75th Birthday Batman and many thanks to his creators, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson and all the others who gave us the greatest superhero ever, thanks for years of thrills, action and mystery, fueling our imagination and inspiring us to create heroes and worlds of our own.

Friday, January 3, 2014

SOLD OUT!

BEDBUG #1 First printing is SOLD OUT!

Thank you to everyone who purchased a copy!

Look for issue #2 coming Spring 2014!

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Bedbug #1 is almost SOLD OUT!!


You are looking at the last five issues of BEDBUG #1! I printed 500 copies of these babies and this is it. If I reprint BEDBUG #1 it will be with a new cover or in a trade paperback. This is your last chance to get my comic! Click the BUY link on the right of this page and THANKS!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Happy Holidays from Bedbug!

Hey all,


It's been a heck of a year. I promise Bedbug will return in 2014! In the meantime, have a great holiday!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

There's a (bed) bug in Scribblenauts Unmasked!!

So there you are, playing Scribblenauts Unmasked the new DC Universe themed puzzle game from Warner Brothers Interactive (for the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Microsoft Windows) and all of a sudden you see...!!!
 

Wait a second, is that Bedbug in Scribblenauts Unmasked? Why yes it is! Let me repeat that... BEDBUG IS IN SCRIBBLENAUTS UNMASKED!!! My very own creation Bedbug appears in the highly anticipated puzzle game that features over 2000 characters from the DC Universe... and one mighty bug-hero from the world of independent comics!


Hold the bat-phone!!! An indy superhero in a major comic book company's video game?! THIS IS A FIRST IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY! But how the heck did Bedbug the single-father superhero, end up rubbing shoulders with the likes of Batman, Superman and the Justice League?
Many years ago, while I was a creative manager at the video game publisher THQ, I was lucky enough to work with Scribblenaut Unmasked's super-talented developers 5th Cell - the creators of Drawn To Life, Drawn to Life The Next Chapter and Lock's Quest (three excellent games you should play!) and became friends with the team.
 
 
When I was going through chemotherapy for cancer earlier this year, I used my disability time to write and draw Bedbug #1. (available here!) Well, it just so happened that the President of 5th Cell was following my trials and tribulations on-line and asked if I'd like Bedbug to appear in their upcoming game. I was thrilled, but even more thrilled when he told me the game was Scribblenauts Unmasked.

 
 

I couldn't believe it would happen, but at San Diego Comic Con, I was able to see it for myself. If you enter "Bedbug" or "Buddy Sprang" into Scribblenaut Unmasked's word editor, the leapin' lawman himself will jump into action!

 


 

What makes this extra special is, not only do I really like the Scribblenauts games, but I am a HUGE DC Comics fan and knowing that Bedbug will be standing side by side with DC's iconic heroes and fighting against the vilest villains (especially my favorite, the Killer Moth!) - well, this comic fan's dream has come true!

 
Bedbug vs. the Killer Moth!

 
I got to thank some of the Scribblenauts Unmasked creators in person at San Diego Comic Con

I really want to thank the fine folks at WB Interactive for making this happen and my good friends at 5th Cell for being so thoughtful and generous. Scribblenauts Unleashed is available everywhere video games are sold, so go buy a copy and tell 'em Bedbug sent ya!