The Quarrymen in: "Welcome To The Second Stone Age!"

 It's been a while since I have featured The Quarrymen, one of this blogs first teams.  Who better to usher in a new Stone Age, after all?

The Quarrymen in: "Rock and Rule!"

 

I'm surprised that it took me until the fourth appearance of The Quarrymen to pit them against Terrax.  It seems like a natural confrontation, and I am betting that this former herald of Galactus will give them a run for their money.

The Quarrymen (The Animated Series!)

 

The Quarrymen continue to evolve in their fourth appearance.  The team began when The Thing met Igoo in STF #163, Blok joined in STF #270,  Badrock was recruited in STF #1185, and now they have their own cartoon show!  Despite the similarity of stony forms, these heroes all have very different personalities.  I bet this would actually be a fun group to follow.

Concrete and Ant-Man

 

Paul Chadwick's Concrete is one of those comics that is great to loan out to readers who aren't into traditional superhero fare.  The stories are thought provoking, the characters are very well defined and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous.  I was lucky enough to pick up a sketch by Paul Chadwick several years back: 

Animal Man, Man-Thing and Concrete (Vs. The A-V-M Man!)

When I first featured this trio together in STF #2425, more than one commenter felt it only natural that they face off against the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, so - here you go!

Today is my 50th Birthday,  and I honestly still feel very young at heart. This blog has been a part of that - reading, collecting and creating comics brought me a lot of happiness as a kid and this project has helped me stay in touch with the good feelings that the hobby brings.

Animal Man, Man-Thing and Concrete

I like all of these guys for their offbeat natures - Concrete would prefer to be a pacifist despite his powerful new body, Animal Man is conflicted by the very nature of his being a fictional character, and Man-Thing's silent nature always makes his motives tough to figure out.  It might be fun to have them thrown together to face a common enemy.

Concrete and Thor

I'd love to see Concrete in other media.  Though it stars a near indestructible character, his tales revolve more about emotion and human interaction than action sequences, so a Concrete film would definitely stand out among other comic book movies.  It would still demand a visionary director though, to show how concrete perceives the world with his enhanced senses p Paul Chadwick did a great job illustrating that aspect and it would be very cool to see it translated to the big screen.

Concrete and Yoda

I remember reading The Art of Star Wars when I was a kid and discovering the work of Ralph McQuarrie.  His advertisements, matte paintings and concept art absolutely blew me away, and gave me a real appreciation for the skill that goes into creating a fictional world.  watching the original trilogy again, you can see his artwork or influence in almost every scene.

Concrete and Aquaman

I still hope that one day we will see Paul Chadwick's Concrete on the big screen.  There is so much potential there, through the unique visuals offered by Concrete's perspective on the world and the story lines that follow a decidedly different path than the usual super powered comic book character.  Get a great voice to go with a CGI Concrete and it could be very cool - heck, I'd even like an all animated version if Pixar took the property on.

The Quarrymen

Back in STF #270, I presented the beginnings of this team.  A few commented that Badrock from Image Comics would fit right in with the group I had assembled, and I have to agree.  So, now with their return appearance, they have added him in as a member,

Finally clear shots of The Thing from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot have been making the rounds, and I am less than impressed.  I was happy to hear that they were going with a CGI Thing this time around because I figured they could make him look just like the comics.  Then design they came up with is way off - His size seems to change from image to image, his face is all wrong, he has too many fingers and for some reason he's not wearing pants in any of the pictures released.

Concrete and Tarzan

Joe Kubert's Tarzan and Paul Chadwick's Concrete have some of the most beautifully illustrated scenery in comics.  The lush backgrounds help to reinforce the respect that their title characters have for their  environment.  That's just one of the reasons that those comics are so enjoyable to reread time after time.

Swamp Thing and Concrete

I'd love to see a story that unites these two characters.  Once human, each was transferred into an incredibly powerful new body and status quo.  Despite the extreme change in their outward appearance and altered perceptions, their intellect and thoughtful natures are constant reminders of the men that they once were.  Their stories are filled with beautiful artwork and mind bending ideas, and it would be a treat to see them cross paths some day.

Igoo, Concrete and Blok

I think that this would be a fun group in that despite their outward appearances, they all have very distinct personalities.  Igoo is the strong silent type, while Concrete would be more likely to use eloquence over brute force.  Blok brings in the youthful attitude and future perspective, while The Thing is the everyman that would unite the team together.  Between these four, I can see all sorts of possibilities for adventure.

The Thing and Concrete

As soon as I decided to do some MTIO covers, this team-up was a no-brainer. It would make a fun story too, because the two characters could not be more different beyond the initial visual impression.

I had heard good thing's about Paul Chadwick's Concrete for a long time, so I picked up a copy of Concrete: The Complete Short Stories, and was absolutely floored. The artwork was beautiful, especially when depicting what Concrete sees with his enhanced vision. The stories were all very thought provoking, too. I must have read that whole TPB in one sitting, and I soon acquired all of Concrete's other appearances. I haven't seen a new mini-series in a couple of years though - I really hope that another is forthcoming soon. Concrete is one of those comics that I like to give to my non-comic reading friends to try.

Batman and Concrete

This one is a little more light hearted, as Concrete is hardly a traditional superhero. I encourage anyone who hasn't to go and check out some of the collected editions by Paul Chadwick, they are a revelation. They are filled with thought provoking stories, fully three dimensional characters and jaw-droppingly beautiful art. I think I read Concrete: The Complete Series and Concrete: The Complete Short Stories all in one weekend, I could not put them down. There have also been a bunch of mini-series featuring the character, but I haven't seen anything new in a few years. Hopefully that will change soon.

I had been wanting to do a Concrete cover for a while, but Chadwick's art was too different from Jim Aparo and I wasn't having much luck. I saw a Legends of the Dark Knight cover by Seth Fisher, and thought it would be a good fit. Not a perfect cover, but I think it worked out OK.