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!