Disney to buy Marvel

Disney will buy Marvel in a deal worth $4 billion. Analysts have been saying that this deal will benefit both companies since Disney will gain 5,000 new characters and Marvel will gain from Disney's worldwide distribution channels.

Only the future will tell if this is a disaster for fans of Marvel or an expansion of capabilities that only the financial strength of Disney could provide. We can only hope that Marvel's artists and creative teams are allowed to work without "interference" from Disney. The last thing we want to see is the Marvel characters turned into kid friendly versions of themselves.

One major plus side to this story is that if Disney merely provides money and stays out of the way, we could be in for a increase in comic series, graphic novels, movie adaptations, etc.

Wouldn't it be cool to have a Marvel theme park? Imagine that...

MetalLife.com Interview With Jim Balent

By: Terry Bunch

1. Music plays an important role in all of our lives and for most people, music provides more than just entertainment. What type of music is your favorite to listen to and who are your favorite bands?

Jim. Wow, that's a big question. It really depends on my mood or what I'm drawing. The music I listen to can range from soundtracks like the original Conan the Barbarian movie sound track to Kiss, Motley Crue , Danzig , Rock Bitch and Spinal tap.


2. Do you listen to music while you are drawing? And if so, does the music help inspire the art or is the music chosen based on the art project at hand?

Jim. Both. If there is a project that needs to get done and I have the perfect music that goes with that project, than yes, I will listen to that CD to help in my creation. Sometimes the reverse will happen . I will play a cd and be flooded with images that need to be drawn out. So it works both ways.


3. Frequently, the cover design on a CD helps tie together the concept of the music contained within. Have you ever been inspired artistically by the artwork on a CD cover?


Jim. I love cover art! I'm a very visual person and I will be drawn to CDs because of the artwork. I have even bought a small library of CDs of a certain group because I enjoyed the visual look of their covers and of their interior booklets. In my day, when my music came in the form of Albums, there was this explosion of excitement when you held a 12 x 12 image of the new album cover in your hands! Now everything is so small. Cd cover art still make an impact but I still prefer my art to be as large as possible. I've asked a few rock stars who have both albums and CDs, if they feel that the small cd has a lesser impact visually then the 12 inch album covers and they all said "yes".


4. Have you ever been approached by a metal band to do CD cover art for them?

Jim. Yes, a metal band from Europe and my work has been used on the cover for ICED EARTH .


5. Are there any characters in Tarot that have been inspired or influenced directly by your taste in music?

Jim. Crypt Chick. She's a metal head. Or was. She's a ghost now that wanders the earth. But she's still a metal head at heart.


6. When you're not drawing for Tarot (as if you have time to do that), what do like to draw?

Jim. From pin-ups to fantasy art to cartoons, I like to draw it all. Even on my days off, if I'm not sketching , I feel like I forgot to do something that day. Sounds crazy I know, but that's just me.


7. Danzig has been seen at your booth at San Diego's Comic Con, are there other metal artists that have contacted you about being fans of Tarot or your art in general?

Jim. Danzig is a great guy. Not only is he a fantastic musician and stage performer but he is an incredible businessman. Another amazing quality about Danzig is that he is probably the most honest Rock star I've ever met. He's not a "Car Salesman" . He's not feeding you crap just to sell his product. Too many times Rock Stars turn into that fake pitchman just to make a buck. Glenn is not like that and every conversation I have with him the more I respect him. Also! Glenn has a huge justice streak in him that you don't often see. He's a straight shooter, will tell you like it is, very fair person. But if you cross him, cheat him or you don't fulfill your promises to him! Look out! He will bring Hell fire down upon you. I have never crossed him but I have seen others who have and The Hammer came down! And! He has always treated Holly with respect, as an artist and as a girl in this industry, he has never hit on her or played the Rock star in that manner. Not all Rock stars are that professional. And we have cut our ties with those who have crossed that line. As for other rock stars who have liked my work. I've have met Gene Simmons a few times and I even drew him an illustration of Catwoman wearing his Dragon boots. When I last saw him he told me he still has the illustration and that it is hanging in his house. I've also met Ricki Rocket from Poison and Lita Ford. Both great people to meet and work with.





8. It is our view that heavy metal is a lifestyle not just a musical genre. Do you live a metal life? What concerts have you attended recently? What is your favorite recent movie?

Jim. The traditional Heavy Metal lifestyle means Sex, Drugs and rock n roll! Always on the move and orgies all night long. You may be surprised on how many TRUE ROCK STARS don't live that lifestyle. As for me... I'm not into the drug thing. Recent concerts I've been to are... Motely Crue and Spinal Tap. Favorite recent movie... Ironman and the Dark Knight.


9. Tarot is very "occult" in nature. Are you drawn to metal bands that are also "occult" in their lyrical content and imagery?

Jim. I never thought of that! But now looking back I will have to say, yes, I guess I am.


10. And lastly, what appeal do think Tarot has for fans of heavy metal?


Jim. Tarot has a lot of strong imagery that involves Witchcraft, Strong sexy women and dark fantasy. I think all these elements will appeal to the Heavy Metal Crowd.

Metal Head Guide to Comic Con

Booths To Check Out

- 13 Flames Empire (Booth: H2)
"Zombie Jesus" and "Champions of hell" comics, "Zombiefeast" DVDs, metal CDs, and more. Stop by and meet the artists and crew.

- Activision / Blizzard (Booth: 5001)
Bringing us some of our favorite games such as Guitar Hero, Diablo, Warcraft and many, many more. There will be lots of things going on at the booth all week.

- After Dark Films (Booth: 4035)
Horror production company behind the "After Dark Horrorfest", also known as "8 Films to Die For". Meet "Miss Horrofest III", check out the "confessional" and get the details on HorrorFest IV.

- Alien Entertainment (Booth: 3848)
They operate several online stores selling collectibles from sci-fi, horror and other genres. They operate the "Star Wars Trading Post", "Star Trek Depot", "DrWhoStore.com" among others.

- Ancient Squid Media (Booth: Small Press: P12)
Publisher that produces "Broken Girls", a violent, sexy survival comic. Girls locked in a prison/school that must fight their way out amid mutated hordes.


Full Article

A History of Rock Comics

By: Terry Bunch

When someone mentions a comic book fan, most often, people do not picture a heavy metal fan. However, a lot of metal heads are into comic books in one form or another. Comics have as many subgenres as movies and likewise as diverse a fan base. Frequently, heavy metal fans are drawn to horror, supernatural and fantasy comics, but like all forms of art, different comics appeal to different people.


In the 70's, a lame attempt at rock comics was made by Marvel when they released 2 magazine comics about Kiss as super heroes. These were not "metal" in attitude, but by then neither was Kiss. In 1979, Marvel released an issue of Marvel Premiere featuring Alice Cooper playing a character more in line with his own persona, but still not that cool of a comic.

Then came the 80's when it was popular with society to blame rock and metal music for everything that was wrong with world. A socialite turned politcal force by the name of Tipper Gore tried to all but outlaw heavy metal during this dark chapter of America's musical history. Congressional hearings were held to discuss the effects of metal on the minds of the youth. In response, Revolutionary Comics began publishing a series of comics called "Tipper GORE Comics". They featured short horror stories each with a moral such as bad parenting creates bad kids, the evils of hypocrisy and other similar subjects. Since these comics were an "in your face" insult to Tipper Gore, they were shared by a many a metal head at the time.

From December 1989 until early 1992, "Rock Fantasy Comics" published 1 series of rock and metal themed comic books. They featured an issue on Def Leppard, Guns n Roses, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Motley Crue, Ozzy (helping the Rolling Stones in issue 2, and Van Halen. Issue 5 was titled "Monsters of Rock" with a story that pokes fun at the backstage world of touring. It features Metallica, Poison, Ozzy, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford and a fictitious band called G-Force that the story centers around. These comics were some of the first metal themed comics and were quite popular while the run lasted.



Another popular comics run came from Revolutionary Comics in the form of "Rock n Roll Comics". These ran in the early 90's until the creator and publisher, Todd Loren, was found murdered. The vision of the comics was to provide a short biographical look at rock and metal bands in comic book form. Todd Loren was sued by "The New Kids on the Block" for the comic about them and he fought for and won the same legal rights to publish unauthorized biographies as mainstream books already enjoyed. With that precedent in place, they produced over 60 comics about various rock and metal legends. The metal bands covered included Guns n Roses, Metallica, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Kiss, Whitesnake, Warrant, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Poison, Van Halen, Queensryche, AC/DC, Anthrax, Ozzy/Black Sabbath, and Scorpions. They became ingrained into pop culture and it was common to see them and hear people talking about them. The Metallica issue was used as a prop on the TV comedy "Married...With Children". Gene Simmons of Kiss can be seen wearing a Revolutionary Comics T-shirt on the cover of "Kiss Alive III".




Revolutionary Comics also published "Hard Rock Comics", which included issues on Metallica, Kiss, Def Leppard, Panera, Van Halen, Megadeth, Motorhead, Queensryche, as well as some "All Star" issues which featured various people from several bands. While Revolutionary Comics was gaining in popularity, others tried to cash in on the rock n roll comic idea. Marvel tried again with "Marvel Rocks", which only lasted a few issues. Rock-It Comics from Malibu featured Metallica, Black Sabbath and Ozzy but it too was canceled after only a few issues. In 1992, Celebrity Comics did two Metallica and two Guns n Roses issues, but not much else of interest. Unfortunately, Revolutionary Comics succumbed to bankruptcy in 1994. To truly accept the power and popularity of these comics remember this - in 2006, Motley Crue licensed the issue about them for a reprint. But that alone would not spark a resurgence in rock n roll biography comics.

Although the rock n roll biographical comic has come and gone, metal fans can still find great comics in the form of horror comics such as "30 Days of Night", "Wormwood" and "Walking Dead" and many more. Other comics of interest span the great expanse that is the comic book world and will be explored in future articles.