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Archive for ‘April, 2009’
34 results.
These were preparatory sketches for a “Women of Johnny Saturn” poster we did, although almost all this work got revised once it made it paper. Below is my first attempt at a Turnaround for Staff—Clearly, she was not yet the character she would become! Staff is one of my favorite characters, so these old, old drawings strike me as awkward.
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My wife is the coolest person in the world. Today, she ordered me “The Watchmen Absolute Edition,” a tome that I’ve dreamed about for a good while. So, let me repeat, Benita Story is the essence of cool!
Phil mentioned our Alliance Stumble Group last night on the TGT podcast. I’m happy he did, but also very sad that I missed the episode, because Phil Foglio was their guest and I am a huge Girl Genius fan. I didn’t miss it because I forgot—instead, we had a lightning storm going on, and we felt it prudent to unplug our computers. Replacing slagged computers, and tons of original files, is not in our budget, I’m afraid.
We added a new webcomic list, Family Webcomics, to our little collection of such lists, as seen near the upper part of the right column on this site.
Benita and I have lately had to tighten our belts, and that means we had to cut off most Johnny Saturn advertising. I’m delighted to report, however, that the loss of traffic has been minimal, and it shows us that, if anything, our core audience has grown considerably. I guess what I’m saying is, you, the fans and readers, have really come through for us! You make Benita and I feel like real winners! Thank you!
On an entirely unrelated note, I watched “James Bond: Casino Royale” last night. This was a terrific James Bond movie, a sort of cross between James Bond and the style of the “Bourne Identity” movies. Gone were the cheesiness, cheap comedy, fancy gadgets, and ridiculous one-liners and quips. Judi Dench rocked as M, and Daniel Craig made a great debut as the ice-hearted, all business, and somewhat taciturn James Bond.
Yet, one thing bothered me. There is an excellent scene where James Bond leaps onto a moving jet fuel truck from above. He barely catches hold, but then succeeds in climbing to the walkway on top the truck. Then, he swings down, into the cab, and fights viciously with the terrorist-for-hire villain.
Where have we heard this series of events before? Hmmn. Thinking, thinking. Oh, wait, that would be in “Johnny Saturn No. 2,” wouldn’t it?
Well, I doubt there’s a connection, and many elements of this scenario also date from “Raiders of Ark” and its masterful truck chase scene. Still, watching this scene in James Bond was a little like watching one of our own scenes played out in big budget splendor.
Scott.
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Hi, Folks!
Benita and I had a nice weekend, but I’m completely pooped. We went to Indianapolis Art Center yesterday, and model was quite good, but I was so tired that I lost my focus and found it hard to draw. I hate that, because I love going to the Art Center and drawing, and leaving early seems so wasteful. Ah, well.
I’ve caught the first two episodes of the cartoon “The Brave and the Bold,” and I love it! I had no use for the weird, anime version of Batman that had been running for some years, with its ape-like, barefoot Joker, so this new take came as a pleasant surprise for me. By “new,” I guess I should say “retro.” The art is a mix of Dick Sprang’s Batman, Alex Toth’s “Superfriends” Batman, and the Adam West Batman show from the 60’s. From what I’ve seen, Batman plays something of a father figure to younger, learning heroes.
In “The Brave and the Bold,” we learn a few things. For example, Batman can fly whenever he wants, because he has a folding jet pack, and (like the recent movies) he can make his cape solid and use it as a glider. He also apparently has enough fuel and good enough insulation in the bat-suit to fly from the ground into outer space, and there tackle an incoming asteroid. Yikes! Talk about suspension of belief!
Cartoons often take tremendous liberties with physics. There was that scene in the Batman/Superman animated movie where Batman leaped about 30’ feet straight up while fighting giant battle-bots. Neat trick.
Well, however you look at it, Warner Brother’s new “Brave and the Bold” cartoon is excellent!
Scott.
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So far the most we’ve seen of Symphony is after his downfall, when he’s tortured by his perceived cowardice. In truth, he’s much more than he appears, and will be turning up in the comic in rather surprising ways. This was my first sketch of him, and I pretty much stuck with the design of his outfit.
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This is my first drawing of Greg Buchanan, in preparation for his appearance in “Johnny Saturn” no. 1. Initially, the plan was for him to never remove his sunglasses, and we held to that for a long time. After Greg became Johnny Saturn in his own right, the sunglasses issue no longer made sense, nor did the facial hair. I’ve never been completely happy with Greg’s hair in any of his incarnations.
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