Destruction
I did this for an anthology, but they don't want to use it now so I thought I'd just post it up here instead.
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June 30, 2008
June 22, 2008
Caption promo
Saw this on Flickr, looks like they've used my drawing for the Caption flyers. Sweet!
June 18, 2008
Manga?
Hey all!
What's with Manga? I'm running some comic projects at the moment and many kids want to do Manga, without reading it or being in to comics. Is it television? Is it advertising? When I look back, the comics I liked best as a kid were tie-ins to cartoons (a lot of the Marvel UK stuff) and none of my friends were in to comics. I guess it's a bit similar for children these days, but Manga is such a trend you can be interested in it without ever reading any.
So from comics based on cartoons to cartoons based on comics...(aah..another lovely, seamless link) I'd like to recommend Tekkonkinkreet and New Frontier. Neither are half as good as the comics, but both are great in their own way. Tekkonkinkreet takes the essence and feel of Matsumoto's work and creates a new and stunning take on the book. It's really beautiful and every bit as unique as the book. New Frontier is a good effort, but the animation doesn't do justice to Cooke's original artwork. But I'm a harsh critic, I love Cooke's work way too much. It's a good cartoon and it has some lovely touches.
And, speaking yet again of critics, I thought I'd mention Contraband, a book I reviewed recently for Comics International magazine. I enjoyed the book (although there were a lot of typos, hopefully this is just a kink that'll be worked out in a new edition), but I found the dialogue a bit clunky. However, it seemed deliberately written in this way and the rest of the book seemed very carefully planned so there was clearly a reason for it. I assumed it was part of the social commentary of the book and asked the writer about it. He said (not in these exact words) that it was based on research he had done in to mobile social networking channels and it reflected the way people use these to put their opinions across (just like I am doing now, in a long rambling monologue.)
Unfortunately, not all reviewers will pick up on this and will just take the dialogue at face value. Reviewers like this.
Has he ever got anything good to say? Does he even like comics? Anyway, don't let that put you off the book . And I really liked Phil Elliotts artwork.
June 11, 2008
pencils update and some reviews
About half way through the pencils for issue 4 of Monstrum! There will be a new web page to go with it. I might run issues 4 and 5 together.
On to some reviews:
Michael Burness says this about 'The creator' (Art by me, story by Tony Hitchman, for 'Zombies' anthology published by Accent UK:
"Not great art wise but a cracking read with an excellent twist at the end."
Glad to say that I will be teaming up again with Tony in the future, he writes good stuff and supplies nice layouts with the script (he has a good visual eye too so it's fun to draw)
Stephen Holland had this to say about 'Green' (the charity comic I blogged recently):
"Do You Want To Kiss It Better #1 (£2-50) by various. Published in support of the World Land Trust - and printed on recycled paper using vegetable oil-based inks on presses run on 100% local wind power by people eating dandelions and non-dairy buttercups grown free-range in their gardens - this is, like many a worthy endeavour, a mixed bag of Quorn. "Cause And Effect" by Shiro (not Matsumune) may well be lifted from - sorry inspired by - USAGI YOJIMBO or some other Buddhist tract but even if so, elevated it has been into a wonderfully fluid series of panels with some fabulous curves, superb brush flourishes and unusual and dynamic camera angles. It's an anthropomorphic life lesson whose figures Mike Kunkel (HEROBEAR AND THE KID) wouldn't have been disappointed in. "Introducing The Opossum Shrimp" by Leonie O'Moore was commendable succinct and bang on-target, whilst the rest... the rest of the people mean well and are therefore saved from my usual range of heartless, caustic witherisms. Details of how to make your purchase can be found at the link."
Yep...I was quite surprised at how well I came off in that review.
June 02, 2008
It has begun....
Pencilling is underway on Issue 3 of Monstrum. And this time I might actually finish it. Yay.
I am having quite a few problems with this blog, sorry if you encounter any spam or have difficulties leaving a message, I'm trying to sort it out!