Before we get to the main event, I have a story, “Encephalopoditis” in the new WATERBORNE anthology, available now in ebook (with more formats to come). In “Encephalopoditis,” occult PI Dex Craven is hired by a single mother whose daughter has been seeing “sea monsters.” Then things get WEIRD.
Oh, the anthology also includes an incredibly stacked lineup of authors including Heather Graham, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jonathan Maberry, and more! This is going to be a lot of fun so make sure you check it out!
Sal Buscema: An Appreciation
Legendary comic artist Sal Buscema passed away a few days ago just shy of his 90th birthday. If you’ve ever read a Spider-Man comic, you’ve probably seen his art. He was also known for creating the Defenders, Rom, and more. Sly Stallone’s Starhawk character from GUARDIAN VOL. 2? That was Sal. Lady Deathstrike in X-2? Sal again. Oh, and if you loved Valkyrie in THOR: RAGNAROK as much as I did? By now, you should know who to thank.
Sal Buscema’s one of those rare individuals who was incredibly talented, prolific, AND universally regarded as one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to me. And as it so happens, I have a story about that.
When I was a kid, going to my local comic convention once a year was basically a holiday, an occasion on par with Christmas or my birthday. Nothing excited my imagination more than learning there was an entire world beyond the spinner rack at my local 7-11. Not only could I score back issues of my favorite comics, but I was also stunned to find out there were comic companies beyond Marvel, DC and Archie.
AND there were people who got paid to make said comics.
Sure, I understood what a writer, penciler, inker or colorist did in broad strokes, but the idea you could make a living in comics was an abstraction to me.
Until I met Sal Buscema.
I must've been 8 or 9 at the time. He was the first comic artist I met. The first WORKING ARTIST in any medium. The idea that the hand I was shaking also drew the comics I browsed every week in that aforementioned 7-11 spinner rack BLEW MY MIND. Holy shit. He's a real person. And he's RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF ME.
I was obsessed with John Buscema's Wolverine book at the time, so I probably said something vaguely embarrassing like "You're John's brother!" But Sal was super cool. I mentioned wanting to be a writing and I wish I could remember what he said, but I'm sure it was encouraging. And then he drew me a picture of Captain America.
Because I was a kid with zero filter and didn't understand there were people in line behind me, I blurted out, "Can you do one of the Hulk, too?"
And he did, with a smile.
All these years later, his sketches are some of my most prized possessions. They're hanging in my office, so every time I need a little jolt of inspiration I can swivel around in my desk chair and take a peek.
Best wishes, Sal. You were the first artist I ever met, and your momentary kindness to a small, somewhat greedy child made him believe he could be one, too.