COMIC ART _ Some Short Press

(poster by Craig Thompson) 

Small Press Expo 2011 is right around the corner (Sept 10 and 11) and there will be a number of premieres there. Cartoonist bud Mike Dawson will be releasing his Graphic Novel TROOP 142, mentioned in the previous post.

While I was working on FEEDING GROUND I also had the chance to collaborate on a few short stories that are out now or will be out soon.

THE GATHERING #4

 

(cover by Aaron Bir)

The first is called SPARKLER, a two page tale written by my FEEDING GROUND co-hort Swifty Lang that appears in the horror issue of THE GATHERING Anthology by Grayhaven Comics. Not easy to tell a story in two pages but I think Swift found a unique entry through childhood memories and into horror that gets under your skin. And, we came up with an ending that keeps burning.

I had also contributed to the first issue of THE GATHERING and #4 is on sale HERE. 

AMERICANS/UK ROCKTRONIC MIXTAPE #2

 

(cover by Blake Sims) 

I'm really excited to be included in the ROCKTRONIC MIXTAPE #2 anthology also premiering at the Con. The comic is full of shorts illustrating the songs and adventures of the real-life band Americans/UK as told by lead singer, writer, and mastermind Jef UK. I'm in the mix illustrating their song SONS OF BA'AL as a biker battle between the band and the combined forces of God, Death, and The Sea. Some concept art HERE.

The book will also feature a host of some of my favorite cartoonists: Aaron Bir, Blake Sims, Ben Rosen, Zees, and John Mathias. All said, RAWK!

SONS OF BA'AL_ It is Finished.

My 11-page comic adaptation of the Americans UK song "Sons of Ba'al" is done and delivered for their ROCKTRONIC MIX-TAPE VOL.2 anthology dropping this Spring.

I was also recently treated to the cover by one of my favorite new cartoonists Blake Sims. Blake's got a fully-formed style that could make him the next Matt Groening in terms of the way it transforms and interprets other characters as his own. It was so cool to see his version of my design for Demon Jef UK (below).

With this strip, I got the chance to experiment with layouts and blow things up. Really proud to be a part of it and I'll offer more thoughts and details as they come.

Character Design _ SONS OF BA'AL

For my latest freelance gig, I'm illustrating a comic adaptation of the AMERICANS UK's song "Sons of Ba'al" for their anthology ROCKTRONIC MIX TAPE #2 (now available for purchase online HERE!). Very cool to be a part of the 10th Anniversary of this band. It's my favorite song of theirs, mixing glammy Bowie swagger and Ramones goonish-ness at full throttle. Frontman/ writer Jef UK envisioned the comic as an epic biker battle.

Below you can see his descriptions of the characters along with my thoughts and initial concept sketches. I tried to subvert expectations and you can get a sense of how I tackled the assignment. Great collaboration and, like playing with action figures, it's the most "boy" thing I've ever illustrated.

SONS OF BA'AL: a rock n’ roll, demon, motorcycle gang.

Members:

Demon Jef UK – big horns, wicked grin, wears goggles and leather, carries a big knife strapped to his waist. He rides a cool bike with a sidecar.

My initial reaction was to undercut the badass by also making him seem a little goofy and laconic. A belly, biking spandex, and flip flops to enforce the idea that he doesn't give a meatball about what you think.


Cyborg Demon JTR3—his motorcycle attaches to his torso, some sort of demon space gun replacing his right arm.

I think at the time I read the script I also I saw a documentary about killer wasps who were just brutal to their bumblebee prey. Rather than bulk him up I wanted JTR3 to be bug-like with slender arms. The visor is also taken from a robot that appears in Americans UK's ongoing comic series drawn by Paul Ciaravino.


Hot Demon Chick—jet black hair, small horns, tall boots and small clothes. Tattoos galore. What a hottie. She rides in Jef UK’s sidecar, but usually by standing on top of it like she’s surfing, sorta. She uses a glowing laser Frisbee as a weapon, and has several hanging from her belt. I’ll call her Demona in the script.

I've never, ever, drawn "hot chicks" before. I plumped her up a little and drew the title as a tattoo instead of a leather jacket logo. The font is actually based on one my friend drew over and over in grammar school. At first I toyed with the idea of having her totally bottomless but the posing started to get weird when I had to be concerned about hiding her business.



THE GOD GANG: the Sons of Ba’al’s mortal enemies.

Members:

God—Old man, bearded and burley God rides a Harley, wears a gold and white helmet of Roman design. Shirtless with a white fringe vest. Symmetrical gold eagle tattoo design on his chest.

I like Jef's description as containing conflicting imagery from different cultures. Rather than the white-bearded "God" I wanted him to have a dark, curly, Middle Eastern beard. He's equal parts Dr.Teeth and Brian Blessed from "Flash Gordon."


Death—Death is sleek, like a Japanese rider on a Japanese bike, fully covered in high end racing gear, all black, wears a black helmet with a skull painted on the visor, red eyes glowing through. He uses a hand held scythe as a weapon.

Done. With a ridiculously large scythe. There's so much phallic imagery in this thing. One detail that gets lost is that I want to the painted skull to be specifically based on the dimensions of a baby skull. It's all about attention to detail.


The Sea—the Sea is a woman. Her outfit and motorcycle should evoke the oceans somehow, sort of like a He-Man vehicle would. She has a trident strapped to her back.

Rather than a squid or mermaid sea monster, I drew inspiration from goblin sharks, deep sea anglers, shrimp, and eels. A few of my favorite things.


I should be wrapping up the strip next week and I'll give a holler when it's available.

Rawk!

KING CON_2010

Last year, Swifty and I attended King Con comic convention in Park Slope, Brooklyn and immediately took to the community of artists it assembled. We set a goal to return the following year and join them as creators. This past weekend, we did just that. Although we carried pins and T-shirts based on FEEDING GROUND art (see below) the real benefit was reaching across the table and talking with hundreds of people (readers, editors, other cartoonists and writers) about our story and connecting with a room of professionals and fans who dig the same stuff.


Over the last year we've become friends with members of the Act-i-vate website and Deep Six Studio and have gotten tighter with friends and Con regulars GB Tran, Fred Chao, Mike Dawson, and Jeffery Burandt (whose band Americans UK transmorgrified the Brooklyn Lyceum into a comic dance party the night before). I didn't have the chance to leave the table all that much, but I just wanted to shout out a few new discoveries I made this weekend:

NELSON DIAZ:


One of the many Don't Look! co-conspirators, I'm a big fan of Nelson's cartooning and I discovered that, like myself, he's got the other foot in the world of animation. A one-man studio he's recently designed and animated show opens for The Food Network and for Nick Jr.'s "Role Models" campaign.


RACHEL FREIRE: A few months ago I was tipped off to the clean-line grace of Rachel's work through a preview of her book FCHS with writer Vito Delsante. I mentally checked it, eagerly awaited its release, and then, nada. Turns out, they didn't meet the minimum order for Diamond distribution. BUT, they are now self-publishing and I was fortunate enough to be diagonally situated across from her at the con.

FCHS (Forest City High School) exists in some netherworld that at first feels like Happy Days but is posited in a 1990s with a 90210 libido. Every line of Freire's work seems to be formed in the exact right place but breathes in a human way akin to the work of Xamie Hernandez and the best of Archie comics. It is the marriage of lucid cartooning and soapy subjects that gives FCHS its compelling frisson and I'm on board for whatever Rachel chooses to do next.

Here is a guileless sketch she did for me of Xaime's "Maggie" character (one of the greats):
And, you can download the PDF Preview of FCHS here.

THE INK WELL FOUNDATION:


I was already a fan of Rami Efal's spontaneous-seeming linework when we had a chance to chat for the first time at NYCC but I did not realize he was also the director of The Ink Well Foundation. The group organizes professional artists who would like to donate their time to draw with and for hospitalized children. What a great way to share your talents. I've been looking for a new volunteer opportunity and I will be looking towards future Ink Well events. You can learn more and donate to the cause at their website.

"BILLY DOGMA" MOTION COMIC:

Up until now, the "motion comic" has been a Frankensteined beast. It was conceived as a way to deliver comic material to new audiences on digital platforms but, often cobbled from pre-existing comic art and puppeted animation, the hybrid betrays both media and is barely alive. To my taste, the closer a motion comic aspires toward full animation, the more it reveals its shortcomings.

Enter: the Billy Dogma motion comic, based on Dean Haspiel's comic short and animated by Daniel J. Kramer.

For me, this is a step in the right direction. More like a guided pop-up picture book than animatic, it plays to the strengths of the comic design and most of the animation acts as motion graphic story reveals instead of acting or moving figures in space. Other environmental movement gives the piece a little more life on the screen. And, maybe most importantly, it's punchy and to the point.

It plays better on an iPhone screen but you can watch it here. Note: it's called "Sex Planet" and, depending on your job, not safe for work.