I always mention the birthday of Fred Hembeck on this blog, not just because he’s my friend, but because he very specifically got me into blogging. When I discovered his blog in October 2004, not only did I read it, I went back and read everything on his site, going back to its inception on New Years Day 2003. Subsequently, I gave him an idea or two for his blog, then I decided, “Hey, maybe I should do my OWN blog.” Whether that’s worked out is for you to judge.
Moreover, he promoted my blog several times in the first several months. Not only that, he had a boatload of links to check out, so I did. I would comment on someone’s blog, that person would check out my blog, and directly or indirectly, most of my blogging buddies are a result of Fred’s roster.
Fred is still blogging regularly, though not daily, as he was in the beginning. He does have a separate section where he talks about films, Hey, Did I Tell You About That MOVIE I Saw Recently? which is my favorite current feature. He also shows some of his cards and his classic cover redos, some of which you could buy on eBay. Or you could commission Fred to do a drawing for you, as Mike Sterling did.
Of course, there’s THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS, featuring 912 (!) pages of material written and drawn by Fred.
Some interesting, and in the case of the first one, peculiar Hembeck-related links:
Fred Hembeck interviews Wonder Woman for World Of Strange
Sketch Maven Comic Artist Profiles: Fred Hembeck – fairly short
Anthony Vukojevich covers Fantastic Four Roast 1
Anthony Vukojevich repanels Fantastic Four Roast
Anthony Vukojevich repanels Dateline
Anthony Vukojevich repanels The Hembeck Files
There’s a semiannual comic book show in Albany (actually Colonie) that I attend almost every time, and one of the primary reasons is to see Fred and his wife Lynn Moss. Our family used to visit them in the summer, but due to conflicts, we didn’t in the last couple of years (and won’t in 2011 either). Maybe next year.
Anyway, happy birthday, Fred. tell me how being 58 is; I’ll be there myself soon enough.