If you follow this blog it's probably not much of a surprise to hear me say I like Mike's early stuff the best. It's a combination of the style and the fact that those were the first sketches by him I had seen. I got into the hobby with the 2008 "Clone Wars" product- the animated movie, of which I was a big fan. Obviously all those sketches were of animated characters. So when Topps announced it's next product.. Galaxy 4.. I was all in (well, all in for as much as I could afford). Being a noob to the hobby, at first I didn't realize how big of a deal this set was going to be. But I was frequenting the Scoundrel Art message boards multiple times daily, and I soon found out. People on there were FREAKING OUT! And when I say FREAKING OUT! I mean "running around screaming, hands in the air, then falling on their knees and crying, then curling up in the fetal position and sucking their thumb FREAKING OUT!" And looking back, that was the appropriate response. Not only was this the first Star Wars Galaxy product made by Topps in 14 years, Topps was loading it up with all kinds of goodies. One Sketch per box, for the first time ever (in a Star Wars product) Shaped (die-cut) Sketches, Printing Plates, Artist autographed cards, Retail only Sketches, Foil Art insert cards with bronze (1:box), gold (#/500), and refractor (1/1) versions, Etched Foil inserts with the chance (1:44,000 packs) to pull the original artwork done by Joe Corroney, Lost Galaxy inserts, Retail only (and mega rare to find now) Galaxy Evolution Foil insert cards, and the piece de resistance... Lost Yoda Reprints, and signed (by artist John Rheaume) Lost Yoda Reprint cards. When you look back it was mind-blowing. I think the artists doing sketch cards for the set also realized what a milestone set this would be, because previews we were seeing of artist approved cards on Scoundrel Art were top notch amazing!

   I, of course, was looking forward to seeing what my favorite artist was doing for that set, and Mike crushed it! Which leads us to today's card. This card was a gift from a good friend as part of a major trade deal we had worked out. He knew Yoda was my favorite character and this one, well.. what a scene! The death of Yoda. Luke Skywalker by his side, mourning the death of the Jedi Master who taught him most of what he knew about the Force. Pretty powerful piece.

   And it's not like this piece is loaded with fine detail- it's not, but Mike conveys the moment in a beautiful way. I love it and I hope you do too!

   Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! Stay safe and check me out again next week.

#starwars #michaelduron #locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #yoda #masteryoda #jedimaster #dagobah #lukeskywalker #luke #jediapprentice #jeditraining #topps #toppsgalaxyfour #favoriteartist 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Today's post is about one of the most beloved characters in all of Star Wars. A character who has been in (a tie for) the most Star Wars movies ever... ten (10). He was Luke's favorite companion, and although I have never understood a word he said I still think he's cool. He's my favorite droid and yours... R2D2! Or as R2 would say "boop beep beep boop!". 

   I picked up this Revenge of the Sith Widevision 3D sketch last year in (I believe) the Star Wars Card Collectors group on Facebook. Mike did a few of these "close up" views of characters for this set. In fact I believe I posted a General Grievous in this style a while back. I've probably said this before, but I'm a big fan of Widevision sketch cards because they give the artist more room to work. To be 100% honest, I'm not a huge fan of these close up sketches by Mike. Personally, I'd rather see the whole character, especially one like R2D2. But I still love having this sketch in my collection. 

   I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the actor who played R2D2 for most of his Star Wars movies- Kenny Baker. He passed away in 2016, but he was a key member of the core actors that made the original trilogy so special. Thanks Uncle Kenny.

   That's all for this week. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #r2d2 #artoo #r2 #kennybaker #anewhope #empirestrikesback #returnofthejedi #thephantommenace #attackoftheclones #revengeofthesith #theforceawakens #thelastjedi #riseofskywalker #rogueone 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Months without a comic book cover post, and now two back-to-back. Truth be told, I just got this one in off Ebay last week and I might be trading it to a good friend as part of a 3 person trade, all parties Duron fans and all parties receiving Duron cards and or comics in the deal. But back to the custom comic book cover at hand..

   The Hulk has always been a favorite of mine since the Lou Ferrigno/Bill Bixby "The Incredible Hulk" TV show of the late 1970's- early 1980's. Yeah, you go back and watch it now and the special effects are almost laughable, but I was 10 years old when that show debuted and I thought it was awesome at the time! Plus that show is 44 years old, so cut it some slack lol. So I have been a big Hulk fan for a long time. I wasn't as much of a fan of the 2003 Eric Bana "Hulk" movie, but I did think the 2008 Marvel "The Incredible Hulk" movie with Ed Norton was pretty good. I know there are many haters of that movie out there, and maybe I liked it because I'm a fan of both Ed Norton and Liv Tyler, but there it is... I liked that movie. And of course the latest version of Hulk has been played brilliantly by Mark Ruffalo in various Marvel Avenger and Marvel superhero stand alone movies. I thought the Hulk stole the show in the first "Avengers" movie. Best line in the movie (in my opinion) was after Hulk ragdoll thrashed Loki in Tony Stark's building and as he walked away muttered "puny god". Two words bring a smile to any Hulk fan.. and those two words are "Hulk smash!"

   This custom comic book cover is from 2014, so not too long after the "Avengers" movie came out in 2012. I love how Mike drew Hulk- in all his glory! Mouth open, fists clenched... you can almost hear him say "Hulk smash!". One small detail that I also like is how low the Hulk's ears sit- kinda makes me laugh when I look at them. That's what Mike's art has always been about for me- it makes me smile. 

   Well that's all for today. I promise next week won't be a custom comic book cover, it'll be back to a card. Thanks to all for stopping by and reading!

#marvel #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #theincrediblehulk #thehulk #hulk #theavengers #markruffalo #edwardnorton #ericbana #louferrigno #billbixby #stanlee #jackkirby #ironman #captainamerica #thor #blackwidow #hawkeye #nickfury #loki #kevinfeige

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    So it's been awhile since I posted a custom Comic Book cover by Mike, but I just got a new one today (subject for a future post) so I thought I would reach into my small collection of them and bring one out for today's post. I honestly can't remember where I got this one at, but I believe it was an Ebay purchase. 

   This one is a Darth Vader and Stormtroopers on a Darth Vader #1 comic blank cover variant edition. Vader. Lightsaber. Stormtroopers. It's awesome! If you ever have the chance to commission an artist like Mike to do a custom comic book for you, go for it! At Cons, many artists will bring both blank cover comics ready for commissions, or comic books with the artwork already done and ready to buy. It's a fantastic way to support an artist you like. And there are many different comic book titles to choose from, so you can find a book for pretty much any character(s) you want drawn. 

   Back to today's comic book, it reminds  me a little of the opening scene of "A New Hope" where Vader was coming aboard Princess Leia's ship. I think all the shooting was over by the time Vader boarded the ship, so I don't remember him having his lightsaber drawn, but that's why I said it reminds me "a little" of that scene. I also like how Mike uses the familiar (to Star Wars fans) background designs on each side of the cover. Another thing I like is that Vader has his fist clenched as a signal of dominance, and it's very cool how Mike has Vader towering above the Stormtroopers, showing off his impressive size. And that brings me to my last point for this post- another big plus of getting a custom Comic Book cover is it's a bigger piece of artwork to enjoy. I love sketch cards, but there is so much room for an artist to work on when they do a comic book for you. 

   Well, that's all for this week. Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithapprentice #Sithlord #jamesearljones #davidprowse  #Stormtroopers #lightsaber #anewhope #empirestrikesback #returnofthejedi #thephantommenace #attackoftheclones #revengeofthesith #theforceawakens #thelastjedi #riseofskywalker #rogueone #anakinskywalker #anakin #comicbook #comic 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

 

    Another recent pick-up and again from Topps first Indiana Jones set from 2008- Heritage. My last Indiana Jones post was a card from the very beginning of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and this one is also very early on in the movie... Indy's "reunion" with Marion. 

IJ: "Hello Marion"

Marion: "Indiana Jones... always knew someday you'd come walkin' back thru my door" 

Okay, "reunion" might be a stretch. Indy turns his head after that line and she punches him in the face lol. Payback for young love gone astray. 

   I'm a big fan of when Mike "frames" in a sketch with a border, like he does with this sketch. I also like the perspective of this sketch- the far away shot so you can see the shadow on the wall. I went back and watched that scene today and Mike nailed it. I also like how Mike does the shadows in this sketch, as in the shadows on Marion's clothes and even in the top corner of the card. It's the little things like adding a shadow that make Mike a master of his craft. And this sketch was from 2008! He's gotten even better since then. 

   I've been a little under the weather today, so that's it for today. Thanks all for stopping by and reading!

#indianajones #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #raidersofthelostark #harrisonford #indy #marionravenwood  #marion #karenallen #indianajoneskingdomofthecrystallskull

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    More Chewbacca love!!! Who doesn't love Chewbacca? You in the back with your hand up... get out!

   If you go back to my "Chewbacca punch!" post from October 14th of last year, you saw five of Mike's versions of Chewbacca. A good friend of mine (Justin) traded me today's Chewbacca- It's an earlier one, from Galaxy 5. It's fun to see how Mike's style has morphed over the years. In fact, another good friend (Brian) has tried (so far unsuccessfully) to get me to do a blog post about Mike's style thru the years. I told him if he writes it, I will gladly take the credit and post it lol. This Chewbacca sketch isn't really detailed, but it doesn't have to be- it's still a great depiction of Chewy. I like how Mike almost always draws Chewbacca with the ammo belt around his shoulder. And this version of Chewbacca looks more like a dog than a Wookie. That's okay though. No matter what version he draws, Mike always finds a way to show the essence of a character. Maybe I'm biased. Okay, no maybe about it... I know I'm biased. Mike's art just speaks to me. 

   Anyways, that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #chewbacca #chewy #petermayhew #anewhope #empirestrikesback #returnofthejedi #theforceawakens #thelastjedi #riseofskywalker #soloastarwarsstory

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Samwise Gamgee. "Sam". Frodo Baggins' best friend and gardener. Frodo's loyal companion, and some say the true hero of the Lord of the Rings saga. Sam was played on-screen in the latest Lord of the Rings trilogy by Sean Astin, and voiced by illustrious actor Roddy McDowall in the "Return of the King" animated movie in 1979. I have been a big Sean Astin fan since "The Goonies" and "Rudy". I do have to mention, since this is my blog, that Sean ripped my heart out at a Con in December of 2019. Sean and Billy Boyd were to be at Steel City Con outside of Pittsburgh so I bought tickets for the show and got a CUSTOM PIECE OF ARTWORK made by (you guessed it) Michael Duron featuring all 4 Hobbits of the Shire (Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin), and what did Sean Aston do? Cancelled on the show two days before the show started! Noooooooooooooo! I was bummed. Okay, enough of my personal Sean Astin tragic heartbreaking schedule changing disappointment. 

   One of Sam's greatest attributes is his loyalty. When Sam said he was going to show up somewhere, he did. He didn't let his Shire agent schedule a conflicting gardening job. He showed up! He didn't disappoint hundreds yea thousands of fans or Fellowship members, whichever the case may be. 

   That's all for today folks.. too many painful memories of a Sean Astin-less Con flooding my memories. 

#lordoftherings #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #fellowshipofthering #thetwotowers #returnoftheking #samwisegamgee #sam #seanastin #roddymcdowall #thegoonies #rudy #steelcitycon #lastminutenoshow #schedulingconflict #whyseanwhy

Note: Although I was disappointed by Sean's late cancellation, all references to that subject are just my attempts at comedy. I have and always will be a big Sean Astin fan!