BEACH BUM COMICS : READY FOR ACTION - ANYPLACE, ANYTIME

Friday, October 23, 2015

READY FOR ACTION - ANYPLACE, ANYTIME - THE ROOK !!!

The "Master of Time" finds himself alongside iconic figures of history and legend when his exploits take him from the eras of long-lost lore to the fantastic and infinite possibilities of futures yet to unfold. The Rook fights to right history’s wrongs while exploring his own fascinating historical roots and saving those he loves from the ravages of time.
Bill DuBay.

The Rook premieres in Dark Horse Presents #14.

Restin Dane is ready for action—anyplace, anytime! The Rook is back! Bill DuBay’s time-traveling adventure classic returns, penned and illustrated by innovative comics masters Steven Grant and Paul Gulacy! Are you as excited as I am? By the way, The Rook first appeared back in Vampirella #70. Gulacy went on to do the cover for Vampirella #85.

My first exposure to The Rook was in Warren Presents #2. What a vision that was! Gulacy's cover hooked me from the get go. Bill DuBay (creator of The Rook, with Budd Lewis) took me the rest of the way. Fantastic stuff! Here's a primer for new and old fans alike, of the intrepid adventurer.

From the rookcomics.com website!

Scientific industrialist Restin Dane has a penchant for dressing as an old west gun-slinger as he travels through time.Restin Dane is the grandson of Adam Dane, the man who told his story about this adventures in the future to his friend H. G. Wells, who turned his account into the book The Time Machine, but at Dane's insistence withheld his name.

The Rook met up with Vampirella not only in Warren, but Harris Comics.

Restin Dane’s time machine is the Time Castle, a dark-energy powered vehicle that resembles a large rook chess piece; which is how Restin became known as The Rook. The Time Castle was created by Restin, with help from his grandfather’s, Adam Dane’s journals. Restin is no stranger to the space-time continuum either; having an undergraduate degree from Oxford in Engineering Science and Physics and a PhD from Caltech in both Materials Science and Applied Physics-Quantum Mechanics. While at Oxford, he discovered artificial intelligence with his creation of two sanitation robots, Nuts & Bolts. Restin would later create a more complex robotic servant known as MAN-RS, an acronym for Man’s Robotic Servant. The Rook’s journeys through time reveal the illusion of human history and the separation between past, present and future.

The Rook #1
Seeking his roots, a time traveling adventurer stumbles across history’s darkest secret: an immortal genius who has terrorized and shaped human culture since the dawn of man. Though seriously outgunned, he begins a lone guerrilla war across time, in pasts unheard of and futures undreamed of, to free humanity from the immortal’s unending grip.
Written by Steven (Punisher, X, American Flagg) Grant with cover & interior art by Paul (Master of Kung Fu, James Bond, Batman) Gulacy.

Vampirella #70
"Ghostly Granny Gearloose"
First appearance of Restin Dane, The Rook. Continuation of a story from Vampirella #69.
Written by Bill DuBay with Gonzalo Mayo artwork.

Love viewing the full picture, used on the cover of Eerie Archives Vol. #17.

Warren Presents #2
"The Man Whom Time Forgot"
Reprinted from Eerie #82.
The day Before Tomorrow"
Reprinted from Eerie #83.
"Yesterday, the Final Day"
Reprinted from Eerie #84.
"Lost to the Land of Nowhen"
Reprinted from Eerie #85.
Written by Bill (Creepy, Eerie, ) DuBay with art by Luis Bermejo.

The Rook Magazine, from Warren, ran 14 issues with new and some reprinted stories. Artists included Rudy Nebres, Luis Bermejo, Lee Elias, Bill Draut and John Severin to name a few.

Lovely print of the Shang-Chi by Paul Gulacy!

Since we're mentioning Paul Gulacy, I recently noticed Marvel coming out with a four volume Master of Kung Fu Omnibus, beginning the the Summer of 2016! Best news this year! Looking forward to reliving the series Paul Gulacy cut his teeth early on. Fantastic news!