Nic Klein has the goods, baby. He draws his ass off, paints traditionally and digitally, and he friggin’ rocked it on Viking, his 2009 Image Comics mini-series with writer Ivan Brandon (Secret Invasion, NYC Mech). Oh. And he’s about to do it again with his next book, Dancer. 

We've never met Nic face-to-face, but we know people who know him. He hails from Germany (Kassel, to be exact), and is pals with former Marvel Comics exclusive artist Marko Djurdjevic. As a matter of fact, Nic was part of the staff for Marko’s MADE symposium back in 2010. In the interview, he tells us all about the experience and doesn’t spare any of the funny bits. HIGH-larious!

Nic is also boys with Wizard of Oz artist Skottie Young. Skottie told me in an email that Nic was the first guy he knew of (other than Jon Foster) who could paint digitally and make it look just like his traditional stuff. And Nic all but confirms this in our talk with him.

After a slew of covers for New Warriors and other Marvel titles, and after getting much fan love for the conquering Viking (see what I did there?) — here comes Dancer. Due out tomorrow, it’s an espionage tale (of sorts) with full art by Klein and script by Nathan Edmondson (Who is Jake Ellis, Olympus). We’ve seen the previews and it's really killer. Very different, too, from Nic’s other work.

See, told you he had the goods. You gotta change it up or get stale. Go, Nic.

- SWAiN

Around these parts, we don't usually do movie reviews. But Marvel's The Avengers was so top notch, and so well done, that we had to make an exception. Joss rocked it, the cast rocked it, and the Siblings had to gush! There ain't much more to it than that, partner.

Excelsior!

**Spoilers a-plenty. Consider yourself warned!

Gerald Brom has a lot in common with Prince, Madonna and Sting. No, he’s not a musician (that we know of). But his art so singularly represents him that one name, his last name, is enough, really. And it’s a kick-ass name, too, by the way!

Born here in Georgia, and raised all over the world (a military brat), Brom has gone on in his creative endeavors to become a fantasy writer and artist almost without peer. The author of amazing books like The Plucker, The Child Thief, and his upcoming Krampas the Yule-Lord, his fans are legion. You can count all three of us in that group, too.

In today’s interview, we cover some background on Brom, TSR and life in rural Wisconsin, working traditionally, picking up the writer handle, and everything in between.

Plus, we talk a bit about him being a special guest at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live which is going down in just over a week in Kansas City, MO. We’ll be there as well and hopefully we can grab a beer with the guy. He was awesome.

Can. Not. Wait.

- Swain

Recently, the fellas and myself realized that this year, 2012, marked the 20th anniversary of Image Comics. In 1992, seven formerMarvel artists struck out on their own to make the kinds of books that they wanted to make, and inadvertently started a revolution.

Now I can imagine the eye-rolling going on from those of you who remember chromium covers and every other Image title called Blood (fill-in-the-blank). And that sort of derision is deserved to some extent. But putting aside all the gimmickry, it cannot be denied thatImage Comics changed the industry forever in ways, ultimately, for the better.

As you'll hear on the roundtable, back in 1993, it would have taken a triple gatefold cover to contain my excitement for that initial line ofImage books. That period was my personal 'Golden Age'. And Swain and Dwight both temper the conversation righteously with some great recollections of those days pulled from their memory banks.

From comic book millionaires to having an underground garage of exotic sports cars, to the direct market crash to becoming a respected independent publisher; we cover the gamut of Image's history — to the extreme.

-ADRiAN

If you listen to this show with any regularity, you know that 1) we are comic book fans, 2) we are art nerds, and 3) we are huge pop culture junkies with an unending fascination for TV and movies. So, of course, a conversation with filmmaker Ernest Dickersonwas right up our alley. 

Ernest made his name as a respected cinematographer for years before finally planting himself down in the director’s chair.Brother From Another Planet, Krush Groove and several of Spike Lee’s first feature films (Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X) all bear his lush but tasteful style. Dickerson and Leeactually met as students at NYU film school where they became friends and eventual collaborators. 

Ever since his 1992 directorial debut, Juice, which starred then unknowns Omar Epps and Tupac Shakur, Ernest has been “calling his own shots”. And over the last eight years, his presence as a director and storyteller have been felt exclusively on television shows like The Wire, Heroes and Dexter, and more recently on HBO’s Treme and AMC’s The Walking Dead.

Adrian and I chatted with Dickerson at length about his craft, choices, the business as a whole, and the kinds of projects that he would like to produce. And it was like that.

-SWAiN

**Our sincere thanks to Ernest for coming on the show with us. He was awesome! Also, many thanks to his managerJennifer Levine and storyboard artist Warren Drummond(BFAM) for making this interview happen.

And check for the Easter Egg at the end. We play some "Either Or" with our guest and it ends with a surpising Hollywood horror story.

For every whole, there is a better half. At least we’re sure that’s what that saying is supposed to imply. And that brings us to Spousal Support.

Over the last five years, we have talked to a ton of creators. During that time, we’ve heard tales of incredible triumph, and in some cases, incredible challenge — and everything in between. We thought it would be fun to see, well, how the other half lives. So, we did. We sat down with four women who are married to, and/or, committed to creators and geeks, and had a blast doing it. The chosen four (as it were) were very open, honest and forthcoming, and we think you’ll really enjoy hearing what they had to say. Here they are:

Kellie Warring of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia chatted about life over the last year and a half with her beau, Darren Yeow. Darren is a concept artist and has a company called Stylus Monkey Design. Janis Renzi of Charlotte, North Carolina shared some of her story. She’s married to colorist Rico Renzi, who is also the creative director of the Charlotte-based Heroes Convention. Atlantan Samantha Johnson talked to us about living with none other than our own, Adrian Johnson. Adrian is obviously one of the hosts of this podcast, but is also an artist himself. And last up is Monica Torres, a former New Jerseyian who now makes her home here in Atlanta. Monica is married to Wilfredo Torres, a working comic book artist whose star is on the rise.

Many thanks to these ladies for braving the geek waters and joining us on Spousal Support. We know we have a reputation for being silly and a bit cheeky, and we're pretty sure we maintained that rep solidly throughout all of these talks (ha).

- SWAiN

I do not believe in providence. Not at all. Doesn’t matter that we’ve been fans of illustrator David Grove for forever. Doesn’t matter that out of nowhere, a friend of the show emailed us and basically offered to hook us up with him. Doesn’t matter that while he wasn’t a podcast guy (at all), David graciously agreed to chat not knowing what it would entail. And it doesn’t matter that a wonderful career-spanning art book on Grove came out not four months ago. Nope, that ain’t providence.

Okay, thinly-veiled sarcasm aside, this interview was a coupe. If you’re at all a student of illustration, and by that I mean the hey-day of it, you know David Grove. He worked throughout the 1970s and ‘80s and left a trail of broken art-loving hearts when he finally retired from commercial work in the ‘90s.

Book covers, editorial illustration, national ad campaigns and movie posters were his bread and butter — and he knocked them all out, folks! The Outsiders, Pale Rider, Something Wicked This Way Comes and Vision Quest are just a few of the films Grove painted posters for. And they made him a star of his industry.

We would be telling a big fat lie if we said we didn't have an awesome time on this one. David was witty, warm and charming, and he told terrific stories. And if you know anything about his life, you know he’s got a few. Last year, Norfolk Press put out an art book called David Grove – An Illustrated Life. It is chocked full of drawings, sketches, color illustrations, photographs, and yes, tales from Grove’s past that will curl your hair.

Do grab a copy of the book from his site. It’s well worth the asking price ($35). And while I don’t believe in providence, I do love and believe in great art. David Grove’s kind of art.

- SWAiN

The fortunate son makes his debut on SiDEBAR (okay, that’s a little too cheesy even for me).

Former illustrator and now fine artist Eric Fortune stopped by to hang out with us and we’re happy that he did. We’ve known this young lad for a couple of years now, so it was 'bout time. Eric is an Ohio-based artist and a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD). He tells us in the interview that being an Ohio resident has had its unintended perks. Over the years, he’s become friends and colleagues with two other local guys, who at one time, were his artistic heroes: Chris "C.F." Payne and John Jude Palencar. Payne is the dean of illustration at CCAD where Eric received his BFA, and Palencar has been a visiting speaker and lecturer at the school (both are awesome, by the way).

Take a looksee at Fortune’s beautiful and ethereal paintings and we’re sure you’ll agree with us when we say, "they are the stuff that dreams are made of". Gorgeous!

And check him out on-line at his blog and website, or at Muddy Colors, the art blog he contributes to with other lauded painters like Justin Sweet, Greg Manchess, Jesper Ejsing and Daniel Dos Santos (just to name a few).

Yeah, it’s like that.

- SWAiN

**As fate would have it, we recorded our talk with Eric the day after legendary illustrator and designer Ralph McQuarrie passed away. At the end of the episode, there's an Easter egg discussion between us on the life and career of McQuarrie. It wasn't something we really prepped for, but it was from the heart.

Welcome to the return of Bookshelf Babble-On. It's been right at a year since we've done one of these and it feels good to get back. On these episodes, we do what the title suggests — run off at the mouth. But for good reasons! We each pick a book off our shelves and do a quick, little mini-review. Very laymen in approach, but we try to keep it interesting. Check it:

Swain’s pick was Kent Williams’ Amalgam: Paintings and Drawings 1992 - 2007. If you know me at all, you know there is a certain brand of painter I adore, and Kent fits that bill in spades. He’s one of the Fab Four (he was college roommates with George Pratt, John Van Fleet and Mark Chiarello), started out in comics, and has since became a fine artist and part-time teacher. Amalgam was published in 2008 and collects about 15 years worth of personal work by Williams. It’s a beautiful book that definitively showcases his visceral and provacative approach to picture-making. And it was well worth the three years I waited for it to be discounted on-line before buying it. Hell, I’m patient if nothing else!

Dwight’s weapon of choice was a graphic novel called Transient by our friend, Justin “Coro” Kaufman. Coro is the co-founder of ConceptArt.Org and Massive Black Inc, but is also a brilliant artist in his own right. He’s been a guest on the esteemed SiDEBAR microphones before, and during our chat with him, he spoke at length about the process of making Transient. The book wasn’t finished yet, but he had us salivating with descriptions of the tale and teaser images. Well, our appetites have been satiated. Transient is here, it’s hot, and Dwight Clark has it. And Coro’s work on the story is quite good both as writer and artist. We highly recommend you put your eyeballs on it. Go here, true believers.

Closing it out is Adrian with a collection of art by Spanish artist, Sanjulian. If you don’t know Sanjulian’s work, you need to. Truly, one of the best painters and illustrators of the last 40 years — be it fantasy or any other genre. Adrian snagged his pick recently at a local comic convention here in Atlanta, and is to be applauded for doing so (it's amazing). The book was put together by European publisher, Glenat, and it's all in French. But we'll be the first ones to say that great art surmounts all language barriers. In other words, we feel Sanjulian! This tome (named after the artist) covers everything he excels in — fantasy, adventure, romance, horror, sci-fi — everything. Sanjulian’s name gets compared to guys like James Bama and Frank Frazetta during our discussion, and that is not hyperbole. He’s that good. Check his stuff out wherever you can.

- SWAiN

We used the word "legendary" in the tagline on this one, and for good reason. Mark English has earned it. After years of brilliance in his chosen field, and after influencing an incalcuable number of younger artists — it applies. Period.

Mark is someone who has been on our radar for a very long time. Dwight and I (and now, Adrian) delayed asking him on the podcast until now because we wanted to make sure that we were ready for such a talk. That our collective skills for gab were up to the task. That (and this is being completely honest), that we wouldn't sound like three chickenshit art nerds with nothing of substance to say to an artistic hero. After all, Mark is someone who entered a field where guys like Austin Briggs, Al Parker and Bernie Fuchs were already doing it real big. And he not only held his own with those fellas, but made his own mark (no pun).

Over his career, clients like RCA Records, GE, Ford Motors, Redbook, McCall's, TIME and Sports Illustrated were all well served by English’s talents. And he went on to receive hundreds of awards for his work, at one point being the most awarded illustrator in the history of the Society of Illustrators. Also important to note, in 1983, Mark was elected to The Illustrators Hall of Fame in New York alongside venerated predecessors like Maxfield Parrish, N. C. Wyeth and Frederick Remington.

Nowadays, Mark is retired from the illustration game. After three decades of knocking them out of the park, he decided to start painting for himself. And yes, he kicks ass at that, too. Have you seen his personal work? Geez.

We hope you enjoy our interview with the legendary Mark English. Again, he’s earned that title.

- SWAiN