Thing sketch cards, part 2

Hey, let's take a look at some more of the Thing sketch cards I have!  WHY NOT!!

Puis Calzada - Like many of these cards, I grabbed this card on eBay, and if I think about it, I'd say that this is the card that really got me into collecting these things.  It's another example of a card with color, and it's a full body shot - two things I don't see too much of in the sketchbook.  It's a pretty cool image.

Roger Andrews - The art on this card might look somewhat familiar.  If you think you've seen it before, chances are that you just might, because Roger Andrews is an artist whose art can be seen on Marvel's Super Hero Squad-brand toy packaging.  This art is indicative of the style of the kids cartoon branding, and it's got a whole lot of action packed in to such a small space.

Ken Hunt - I ran into and harangued artist Ken Hunt into drawing me a Thing sketch at a recent Steel City Con.  Ken's been moving up in the comic book world recently; pay attention and you'll see his name attached to a big-time project coming up very soon!

Alan Gallo - Alan's name is a familiar one around these parts.  He's worked on such comics as Teddy and the Yeti and the two-page Franks and Beans story.  I recently bought a few pages off of Alan and, never missing an opportunity to put my friends in a tight spot, I managed to get him to send me a Thing sketch as well.  This is definitely Alan's style and I love it.

Rafer Roberts - Here's a classic Kirby-inspired Thing from Rafer Roberts.  Rafer is another familiar name around these parts as he's worked on previous volumes of FUBAR.  I picked up this sketch card after I pledged a few bucks to a Kickstarter project.  I love the look of this one.

There are more to come at some point!  This is all a part of my master plan to deluge the internets with images of the Thing!

Do-it-yourself Yeti action figure; a step-by-step guide!

A while ago I went to the Pittsburgh Steel City Con, which is basically a toy and comic show that happens several times a year.  While I was there I dug though a toy bin and found a Marvel Legends Sasquatch figure for pretty cheap, so I bought it and brought it home with the intention of repainting it to look like a Yeti.

Months and months and layers of paint later, I'd say that I'm 95% finished - there are always new spots of brown that I find hidden in joints so I'm sure that touchups remain, but for most purposes the figure is done.  I'll be bringing it along to the Baltimore Comic-Con and...I don't know, probably hanging it off of something.

As this is obviously a modern artistic feat, I've decided to post a meticulous step-by-step guide to creating YOUR OWN (wow!!) Yeti figure.  Perhaps one day it can even look as good as mine (but probably not).  Let's begin!

Step One: Buy a Marvel Legends Sasquatch figure.  Assuming that Alpha Flight characters haven't suddenly and inexplicably risen in popularity (even from "not at all popular" to "moderately unpopular"), you can find one for a couple bucks or perhaps a few shiny pebbles.

Step Two: Buy paint and some paintbrushes.  I used Testors oil-based paints for two reasons: first, the name sounds somewhat dirty, and that is funny; second, I still had some in my desk from the last time I painted a model, about 20 years ago.  I did have to go out and buy some purple, though, and was happy to find that Testors (heh heh) had not gone out of business in the meantime.

Step Three: Just...paint it.  Really, how else was this going to end?  Paint one side, and when that side dries, flip it over and paint the other side, and then repeat until it's all covered.  And then you'll have your own Yeti figure, which will be cooler than all the other toys in the neighborhood.

In searching Google Images for the above picture of the unpainted Sasquatch, I came across this Marvel Legends variant figure, which features...a completely white Sasquatch.  DAMMIT!  Buying this figure instead would have cut down my workload by like 80%.  Ah crap.  Well, I suppose I still have my memories.

Celebrity Endorsement

Hey, look!  It's TV celebrity John Schneider from such shows as the Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville!  This picture makes it obvious that Mr. Schneider is a huge fan of Teddy and the Yeti.  Well, okay - all it proves is that he reads Teddy and the Yeti.  All right - okay!  All it proves is that he was coerced into taking a picture holding the book in a manner that made it look like he was reading it.  Fine!  Geez.

This all came about thanks to my friend (and yours) Larry, who is not only an avid supporter of T&Y or a dedicated co-star of Internet sensation Franks and Beans, but also probably the biggest Dukes of Hazzard fan on the planet - and that's no lie.  Larry has one of the most impressive (or disturbing, depending on your point of view) collections of Dukes material that you're likely to see, and he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to spend some time with John Schneider, who was in town attending Pittsburgh's Steel City Con, a toy and pop culture show.

Larry was able to take a few issues of Teddy and the Yeti with him, and managed to make plans to get the book in a number of stores that otherwise hadn't had any copies, including one from Canton, Ohio.  Unless I'm mistaken, I think that this comic store (I'm still waiting to hear the store's name) will be the first to carry the book in the entire state of Ohio, which is a little distressing seeing as I have a number of comic book reading friends from Youngstown.  Why can't they be as reliable and as selfless as Larry?  Perhaps we'll never know.

Mr. Schneider got hold of Teddy and the Yeti's second issue - and I'd like to make the offer right now (I've mentioned his name so often in case he has a habit of Googling his name, which I've never been known to do): if he wants the first issue (or the third, for that matter), I'd be happy to mail it to him.  He doesn't even have to pay for them!  That's right, people, if you are a celebrity, you don't have to pay for stuff!  Why is that?  They're the ones who can easily afford stuff!  Oh well, I guess that's just another one of the many ironies of life.