Atom vs. Ant-man: #2 - Gary Gretsky

The bout has come to a conclusion, with the Atom's K.O. of that bug only slightly delayed. As you can clearly see, Ray has done this with both brains AND brawn.

Gary graciously did this for me even after my insane reaction to the first piece, which is very cool of him.

Nice job Ray, we all knew you had it in you!

You can view countless Gretsky sketches over at his site, here, free of charge. No height requirement. Fair warning should be given though, there's the occasional raunch!

Michael Netzer Atom and The Martian Manhunter sketch #2: We will not go quietly into the night...

Michael Netzer is at it again! Amidst the maddening Martian manslaughter attempts, Mike has managed to give birth to two beautiful works of Atom & J’Onzz camaraderie.

If you’ve been here before (or there, or elsewhere) you know at this point in time Mr. Netzer has launched a worldwide plea to stop the eradication of The Martian Manhunter, offering up his comics wizardry services which the character is in dire need of. You can get yourself up to speed, lend your voice, and keep up to date at his site, here.

The first of the Atom/JJ sketches that Michael whipped up for me, featuring Ryan Choi possibly leading the duo hot on the trail of someone/something, can be seen here.

After commenting that it was in fact the first Ryan Choi sketch I had received, Michael went ahead… and did a Ray Palmer sketch… within the same setting!

Ray is at the feet of The Martian Manhunter while Ryan rides the brow helm. Could it be foreshadowing?

Is Ray to step to the side while Ryan (whose book sales do not exactly justify it) comes to the forefront as resident Atom? If we listen carefully, will we be able to hear the tiny shouts of the world’s smallest superhero as he’s thrust into the Petri dish of comics’ oblivion?

Or will he just meet the same end that is threatening J’Onn J’Onzz and that Aquaman with the shoulder pads?

Ryan has been offered a permanent chair in the Justice League by none other than Wonder Woman, so there could possibly be something there.

I've made my Ray Palmer bed and by God I will lie in it!

Regardless of what happens, Ray looks awesome here, dishing the upward sass at the two preoccupied heroes. This is just another outstanding piece of artwork from a severely talented man. One whom should be re-routing a certain green, bald man-hunter’s life.

Maybe JJ, Arthur, and Ray can form their own squad in their own comic.

They’ll be known as:

M.A.M.L.S.S.

(Multiverse, air, micro-worlds, land, sea, space)

(it’s a work in progress)

Perhaps the first page will read:

"We will not go quietly into the night... we will not vanish without a fight!

We're going to live on!

We're going to survive!”

Four minutes prior to typing this, I would have bet you my house that I’d be the last person on Earth (this one or any other) to quote Independence Day.

Damn me.

Too bad for you.

Michael Netzer Atom and The Martian Manhunter sketch

This beautiful, gorgeous beast was born out of Martian madness, which is currently delved into a post below in my own nonsensical ramblings.

To date I've never had a Ryan Choi sketch done. Generally when I'm talking to someone, "Ray Palmer" will involuntarily blurt out. It's particularly ineffective when speaking to someone with no knowledge of comics, and not named Ray Palmer.

And that's where Mike Netzer, with myself just showing a little support, gave birth to this!

I seriously considered just putting the thing up and leaving it at that. Doesn't really even need to be talked about. It's just awesome.
HE'S SITTING ON HIS GIANT ALIEN BROW!

As Frank Lee Delano and I have talked about, The Atom and J'Onn J'Onzz haven't really hung out together. They haven't even really talked to each other, despite being in the same friggin league.
There's one point in POTA where J'Onn tries to talk Ray into re-joining the league, but it's possible that's not even Ray. And J'Onn may have been on something.

So to see something like this, is really nice. Perhaps it's a glimpse into a very near future where Ryan Choi and the Manhunter team-up to bust somebody up!
Of course, where does that put Ray? I don't even want to think about it. I'm no better than Jean...

ANYWAY! I could see this as a great pillow case. Perhaps one wall, just this. Or maybe just a nice frame, as it hears the call of the Atom shrine...

Gorgeous, fantastic drawing Michael. Thanks so much!

Fred Hembeck sketch

I messaged Fred informing him that I had put up his and Bill Anderson's JLA/JSA meeting, here.
He was quite enthusiastic about it, apparently having forgotten he had ever done it!

I figured then was as good a time as any to get an Atom sketch out of him.

As you can plainly see, it's the greatest thing ever created.
Look. At. That. Mug.
I often sat here and wondered what he was going to send back, and this topped anything I could have thought of.

He also included a little drawing of himself as the Atom, which I have to say, puts him in my mind as the next guy to wear the suit.

Thanks Fred!

JLU Atom sketch double header!

I figured it was about time I threw another sketch up here. What you didn't figure was I'm throwing up 2! It's a combo of two unknown and under-appreciated artists, whom the world may never fully understand.

I approached the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art table at an NY con to see what all the commotion was about. Sitting at the table was a guy named Adriano, blowing through character sketches left and right. I chucked a small donation into the donation bin, then got into talks with the museum barker (I don't know what his official title was) trying to flag down people as they walked by. He spotted the JLU Atom figure hanging out in my pocket, we started talking about Ray until he asked me if he was dead (the conversation just happened to end there, I didn't flip the table over on him or anything... I was tired as it was). Adriano pointed to JLU Ray, I handed him over, and this is what he handed back to me (along with Ray) 5 minutes later, signed "Adriano the Merciless."

It's a very devious looking Ray. I'd expect him to be hiding out in the grass, waiting for some magnifying glass wielding villain to stumble upon him and this is what he's greeted with.
I enjoy the whole top heavy Atom going on here, and it's impressive for the amount of time it took to put this together. It is in color after all.
I tried to find out more about this guy (how bout a name?) to give him a bit more credit here, but the "MoCCA" website and Myspace page are... uncooperative. As in they don't respond.
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This beauty was done by my 2 and a half year old nephew Jake!

I saw him doodling today, asked if he would draw a picture of something for me, and he said he would. I retrieved JLU Atom in hopes that Jake would produce a master piece that I could double up with Adriano's, and he did not disappoint!
Jake's Atom here is much more serious. The driven, dedicated Ray Palmer that I've come to know and love. Give it a click for the easier to see version, he went about it lightly.
I think he felt that it didn't represent his best work, and therefore refused to sign it. I told him that I would take credit for it, but he just didn't care.
That boy is all art, no glory!

Norm Breyfogle sketch

Simple yet stoically awesome. It would seem that my favorite sketches are the simpler ones, and this, my most recent one, is no exception.

I waltzed up to Norm at the last NY comic con and asked if he'd do a basic Atom sketch for me. He looked up and his eyes and "The Atom?" told me he thought maybe I was thinking of a different character.
I replied with "oh yeah, a lil Ray Palmer. I'm that guy." (whatever the hell "that" guy means.

He proceeded to put a dot on a piece of paper, pushed it forward, and gleefully exclaimed "There you are! One Atom!"
I enjoyed that for so many reasons, and he was surprisingly the first one to do it.

He didn't let me keep the dot though.

But he cranked this out right in front of me while he and my friend Ed talked Batman, and before I knew it he handed over to me a serious looking ass kicker of a Ray Palmer.

I spent the rest of the con telling all those who asked, that it was Norm's interpretation of me in the Atom suit.
Incidentally, most bought it and now I'm kind of liking the idea of getting people to do sketches of me in the Atom suit.

Hopefully I'll get over myself before the next con or else be met with blank stares and embarrassment.