Ernie Colon

You may have noticed I carry an Amazon ad for the new 9/11 Commission Report: Graphic Novel edition, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon.

I had a dream about Ernie last night. Just saw him nearby, and said hi to him. I have never met him, but some years ago we had an email correspondence and he was such a great guy. I even pitched a children's book to him to illustrate, which he agreed to do, but I could never go anywhere with it. He generously shared some odds and ends of his art with me that he found in his studio, and which I still have and enjoy.

I enjoyed Ernie's work even as a kid, as he was one of the major artists on the Harvey Comics line--Casper, Richie Rich, etc. When he moved over to Marvel and DC (his Arak series with Roy Thomas I thoroughly enjoyed), I followed him. He also did some killer work for Warren in Creepy and Eerie. I always thought his style was unique and fun but also slightly edgy and wicked. Funny for an old Harvey artist! But he was such a friendly guy, and I regret now losing track of him.

So when I saw that his new book had hit the New York Times bestseller list, I was so happy for him. I'm reading it myself right now. It's very illuminating. I recommend it highly (so does Stan Lee, on the back cover).