by John | Feb 12, 2019 | Uncategorized
Happy Valentine’s Day from me and my pal (& frequent collaborator) Mike Pascal.
I’m not sure why Mike and I keep coming up with zombie LK comics for V. Day. We’ve also done a fair amount of Cupid gags for the holiday. Hmm. I can see where this is going and—no, Mike, we’re not a doing zombie Cupid comic next year!
(Unless, of course it’s very, very funny—and tasteful.)
Art by Dick Giordano from the story “My Secret” in First Kiss #27, Aug. 1962.
Transcript:
SCHOOL GIRL #1: My Valentine has heart!
SCHOOL GIRL #2: Mine has brains!
ZOMBIE GIRL: Mine had both…and they were delicious!
1962 Art: Dick Giordano Color: Allen Freeman & Mike Pascal Zombie Makeover & Dating Advice: Mike Pascale
Art Code: 27.1.1.2_MP
↓ TranscriptSCHOOL GIRL #1: My Valentine has heart!
SCHOOL GIRL #2: Mine has brains!
ZOMBIE GIRL: Mine had both...and they were delicious!
1962 Art: Dick Giordano Color: Allen Freeman & Mike Pascal Zombie Makeover & Dating Advice: Mike Pascale
Art Code: 27.1.1.2_MP
by John | Oct 29, 2017 | Uncategorized
Happy Halloween from me & my frequent collaborator Mike Pascale. May all your tricks be treats! —John
Art Notes: Few pieces of Last Kiss art have gone through as many changes as today’s comic. Here’s the original 1963 FIRST KISS art:
Art by Vince Colletta Studio from FIRST KISS #33, 1963.
And here’s the art after I asked Allen Freemen to extend the drawing (of the woman on the left) back in 2009. (To simplify the art and focus on the coffee drinker, I also asked Allen to omit the woman on the right:)
Years later, I needed a higher-res version of the image for a zombie coffee gag for a Finnish licensee who put it on a travel mug. So Diego Jourdan Pereira re-drew Allen’s art for me and then Mike Pascale added the zombie touches:
And then this year—when Mike and I were scrambling for Halloween gags—I suggested he modify his coffee zombie (removing the coffee and adding some blood around the mouth.) See? Simple! (When!)
Transcript:
SCENE: Zombie woman thinking.
ZOMBIE WOMAN: When we broke up, he told me to…eat my heart out! But his was so much tastier!
1963 Artist: Vince Colletta Studio Re-Creation: Diego Jourdan Pereira
Master of Macabre Modifications: Mike Pascale
DJP.lk77_MP_17WHearts
FK33.3.7.5
Art by Vince Colletta Studio from FIRST KISS #33, 1963.
↓ TranscriptSCENE: Zombie woman thinking.
ZOMBIE WOMAN: When we broke up, he told me to...eat my heart out! But his was so much tastier!
1963 Artist: Vince Colletta Studio Re-Creation: Diego Jourdan Pereira
Master of Macabre Modifications: Mike Pascale
DJP.lk77_MP_17WHearts
FK33.3.7.5
Art by Vince Colletta Studio from FIRST KISS #33, 1963.
by John | Jan 12, 2017 | Uncategorized
My sister (Lisa Hernandez) has been a major help with my Last Kiss business. She has more business acumen—and more commonsense—than silly, impractical me. And she often helps me out at comic conventions.
But it never occurred to me that my sweet sis would want to write a Last Kiss comic. And it seemed even less likely that my cat-loving, zombie-hating sister would ever make a joke about a mangled feline. But…geez, what do I know?
Hey, Lisa. Got any vampire cat gags?
—
(Many thanks to Mike Pascale and Diego Jourdan Pereira for the revised art!)
1954 artist unknown. From the story “Chip on Her Shoulder” in TEN STORY LOVE #196.
Transcript:
SCENE: Very mangled (half-zombie?) cat says something to a woman who’s standing nearby.
CAT: oops! I thought that was life #8!
CAPTION: Be careful! It’s Friday the 13th!
Art: Diego Jourdan Pereira & Mike Pascale
Dialogue: Lisa Lustig Hernandez
DJP.lk54
↓ TranscriptSCENE: Very mangled (half-zombie?) cat says something to a woman who's standing nearby.
CAT: oops! I thought that was life #8!
CAPTION: Be careful! It’s Friday the 13th!
Art: Diego Jourdan Pereira & Mike Pascale
Dialogue: Lisa Lustig Hernandez
DJP.lk54
by John | Nov 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
Don’t be a brainless zombie. Vote!!!
Courtesy of Mike Pascale and me.
Art by John Tartaglione from the story “To Stella with Love” in FIRST KISS #3, 1958.
Transcript:
SCENE: Woman looking back over her shoulder at a moaning zombie guy.
ZOMBIE: BRAAAINS??
WOMAN: Sorry, I’m using mine to vote!
1958 Art: John Tartaglione Non-Zombie Color: Allen Freeman
Zombification & Dead-On Dialogue: Mike Pascale
3.1.4.3Zombie
↓ TranscriptSCENE: Woman looking back over her shoulder at a moaning zombie guy.
ZOMBIE: BRAAAINS??
WOMAN: Sorry, I’m using mine to vote!
1958 Art: John Tartaglione Non-Zombie Color: Allen Freeman
Zombification & Dead-On Dialogue: Mike Pascale
3.1.4.3Zombie
by John | Oct 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
This is—by far—the most widely seen Last Kiss comic of all time. It appeared on an episode of
The Big Bang Theory. Many thanks to
Mike Pascale for the goofy gag—and the gore.
Cover of FIRST KISS #2 by Charles Nicholas & Vince Alascia, 1957.
Transcript:
SCENE: Zombie and blonde woman are in the woods. He’s bitten into the top of her head to eat her brains, but she doesn’t notice.
WOMAN (thinking): I know he has his flaws…but I’ve forgotten them for some reasons!
ZOMBIE: Mmmm…braaains!
Art by Charles Nicholas & Vince Alascia
Nonzombie Color: Allen Freeman Zombification: Mike Pascale
FK02
↓ TranscriptSCENE: Zombie and blonde woman are in the woods. He's bitten into the top of her head to eat her brains, but she doesn't notice.
WOMAN (thinking): I know he has his flaws...but I've forgotten them for some reasons!
ZOMBIE: Mmmm...braaains!
Art by Charles Nicholas & Vince Alascia
Nonzombie Color: Allen Freeman Zombification: Mike Pascale
FK02
