The #1 Sylvester Stallone Fan Site in the World!
The piece above was drawn by Jeff Johnson at last year’s Heroes Con. Jeff is one of the founding fathers of Drink and Draw [along with Rev. Dave Johnson and Dan Panosian]. When I asked him to autograph my hardcover Drink and Draw, Volume 2, I also asked Jeff about doing a Stallone piece for my collection. Jeff was up for it and chose Cobra. He then proceeded to kill it with this sketch.
Hopefully, Jeff will be up for another Stallone piece in the future.
SFGate.com posted their choices for the Best Stallone Films along with the films that readers picked. You can see the choices above or here.
Today we have the return of Evan Bryce and his riff on Sly as Cobra. I’ve been a fan of Evan’s art for a few years now and we’ve become friends via the internet. We’d met just once at Heroes Con in 2009 and I got a cool Sly from The Expendables sketch.
Evan didn’t make it back to Heroes in 2010 and he wasn’t supposed to be there this year. However he surprised everyone and made the trip. I asked for a Stallone character sketch of his choice and he went with Cobra and threw in the car and cityscape background as a bonus.
Evan is an exciting artist and one to keep an eye on. You can see more of his work at his blog or his Deviant Art site. Plan to spend a while.
AMC recently posted their choices for the Top Five Stallone Eighties Movies. Here’s a taste of the piece:
1. Rocky III (1982)
The third movie in the saga changes the pace, and Sly deftly walks a fine line between the Oscar-worthy drama of the movie’s predecessors and straight-up action… Rocky III is bigger, better, and more exciting than any sports movie that came before (or after)…
2. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
… one of the greatest action flicks of all time.
3. First Blood (1982)
…First Blood has a realism that is lacking from many eighties action movies…
4. Cobra (1986)
… Cobra is like Dirty Harry after five shots, three Red Bulls, and a trip to a military arsenal.
5. Rocky IV (1985)
The Rocky formula is taken to a whole new level with better training scenes and musical montages, bigger opponents (the truly monstrous Russian, Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren), and Cold War themes…
You can read the whole article here.
From Entertainment Weekly’s April 15, 2011 issue.
And while we’re on the subject of Sly’s cars… on March 30, 2011, TMZ broke the news that after 17 years, Sly is getting his Cobra car back!
The TMZ story was also covered by…
Recently I posted that Nick Martinolich and the fine folks over a Media Potluck declared June to be Cobra month! Earlier this week I received the following from Nick…
Nick Martinolich and Media Potluck wrapped up a month’s worth of Cobra celebration with an interview from StalloneZone’s Craig Zablo, guest blogger Chris Michaud
comically reviewing the film in “What’s So Funny About the Crime Problem,” and a Cobra Resource Guide including links to fan art, alternative DVD commentaries, rip-offs, and more.
Nick Martinolich and the fine folks over a Media Potluck have declared June to be Cobra month! They’ve created a podcast, are filming a fan made version of Cobra, are having a double feature night [Cobra and Cop Land] and are even going to post an interview with me.
They are asking all Stallone and Cobra fans to get involved and send their thoughts, opinions, and critiques of the film to mediapotluck@gmail.com or on Twitter with #cobrafilm.
Working with Pony Ghost Productions the team is setting out to work with the online community to re-imagine a low budget “sweded” version of Cobra. Everyone involved will get to direct a sequence from the film and put their own twist on this classic. No money, a love for explosions, and a whole lot of match sticks. Head over to http://www.facebook.com/l/1c88d;www.mediapotluck.net to get involved in the festivities!
Want to join in on the fun? Just click here.
On December 1, 2009, TMZ broke the news that Sly is suing to get back the famous 1950 Mercury used in the filming of “Cobra”. Sly first reported the car as stolen in 1994 and recently came across it in an internet ad offering it for sale. When the current “owner” refused to return it, Sly went after it through legal means.
According to TMZ, “a suit filed in in L.A. County Superior Court begins with a quote from the movie — “Crime is a disease. Meet the cure.'” You gotta love that. Sly is suing for an immediate return of the car as well as three million dollars in damages since his name and image were used without the proper permission to promote the auction.
You can read the full piece at TMZ, as well as see more photos of the Cobra car by clicking here.
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Here’s Andrew Charipar’s take on Stallone as “Cobra” and a humorous story that goes with it. I got this sketch from Andrew at the 2009 FX con. Although I regularly visit Andrew’s blog, I’d never met him. A few weeks before FX, Andrew posted that he’d take requests for sketches to have ready for anyone attending the show. I put in for the Stallone character of his choice. A few days later, Andrew posted the Stallone piece you see here and said I could pick it up at FX.
The weekend of the show arrived and I found Andrew’s table. He had art available for sale, his sketchbook, and comics spread out. A small group of folks were around his table ordering or picking up sketches. I waited my turn, stepped up and said, “Hi. I think you have a Cobra for me.” A puzzled look crossed Andrew’s face and he replied, “I don’t think so.” Now I was the one looking confused. Andrew asked, “Are you sure you requested a Cobra from me?”
Now I know that he’s drawn the piece — I’ve seen it on his website, but I can tell by the look on his face that he has no idea why I would think that he’s drawn me a Cobra sketch. I go on, “My name is Craig Zablo. I requested the sketch through your website and you decided to do Stallone as Cobra.” It’s like a light went on and Andrew replied, “Oh, a Stallone Cobra! My buddy and I were just talking about GI Joe and we thought you were referring to ‘that’ Cobra.” Andrew then proceeded to pull out the piece you see above.
Andrew’s a cool guy with very reasonable prices for his sketchbook and originals. Check out his blog and give him some props.