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Archive for ‘June, 2009’
26 results.
Hi, Folks!
Sorry I haven’t done any direct blogging in a while—it’s not that I’m avoiding you! Indeed, I’ve missed this.
This Friday is the last episode of Johnny Saturn no. 9! After this, we’ll be moving into the realm of double digit issues! Benita and I have been hard at work on writing issue 10, and I can promise that it delivers. Big action, big reveals, big shockers—its all there! This is not me trying to be a circus announcer, promising things that may or may not be true to bring the crowds in. Issue 10 will deliver the goods!
Issues 7 and 8 of Johnny Saturn have arrived from the printer, and they look gorgeous! I will let you know when I put them up in the store. With issue 9 essentially done, we may well have it printed in time for Wizard World Chicago this year. I still have a few mistakes to correct, and a cover to paint, but otherwise it’s done.
Inside the Book, our long-running behind-the-scenes feature, will begin with a new phase of material next week. It’s cool!
Scott Austin, creator of Heroes Inc., one of my favorite webcomics ever, made an interesting ad—this kid has great reading taste! If you have not read Heroes Inc., I fully endorse it. Tough as nails action, old superheroes, it’s all right down my alley. In other words, if you like Johnny Saturn, it is very likely that you will also enjoy Heroes Inc.
This piece was created in Sketchup by my new friend, Joe Singleton. I took and immediate liking to Joe, because he’s around my age and we share a lot of the same references. Joe is also an excellent cartoonist, and has created a thrilling webcomic, Ad Astra. Ad Astra is unique among the strips I’ve read in that it comes with a long, highly developed history, giving its world a sense of substance and realness. I’ve added Ad Astra to my RSS feed, and you should too.
Scott.
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Hi, All!
Yesterday I went to Downtown Comics, my local comic shop, bought a few things, and gabbed with good friend Pete Kilmer, one of the DTC managers. I hadnÆt been in a comic shop for a good while, and it was pleasantly overwhelming to see all the comics. Really, if I could afford it, there are things I would buy: For example, this Dark Reign storyline and the Avengers line as a whole looks right down my alley. It would be great to chart the rise, and eventual fall, of Norman Osborne, the key villain in the Marvel Universe.
Yet, I have to wonder, would it be that great to follow it? Marvel has begun raising its comic prices from $2.99 to $3.99. Four dollars is an awful lot of money for a magazine thin enough that you can read them in fifteen minutes. Some fans would argue that you donÆt just read comics once, that you read and re-read them. True enough. I do that.
I stopped buying the monthly comics because of two reasons: It cost too much, and I was running out of room in my house to store them. When I can, I pick up trade paperbacks. IÆm not alone in this change of purchasing trends.
When I dropped away from the monthlies, and turned to trades, I discovered that my buying habits in trades are different from the monthly titles I collected. Suddenly, I was not so quick to purchase Thor, or Fantastic Four, or Avengers, or JLA, or JSA, etc. Now, in trades, I had quirkier buying habits. Supreme, Black Summer, Watchmen, Project Superpowers, etc. I still loved good superhero stories, but I wanted stories that actually had something to say and a witty way of saying it.
At Downtown Comics, I was pleased to see that they had set up Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Warren Ellis, and Neal Gaiman sections, and this had reportedly done well for sales. These writers are the superstars of the comic industry, and with good reason. Pete noted that he should put up a Grant Morrison section, and I heartily agreed. Morrison is my favorite writer, after all.
Scott.
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Hi, Folks:
As you have probably already read, as the new flies around the planet, David Carradine is dead. For reasons unknown to us, he took his own life by hanging.
I’m sad. Not only for Mr. Carradine, and whatever sad thoughts spurred him to his end, but for me as well.
When I was little, my dad made sure that we were gathered when it was time for Kung Fu to come on. As a kid, I was frankly thrilled by Kwai Chang Caine’s improbable adventures in the Old West, and I marveled at the Shaolin secret skills that he would display on a regular basis. I remember riding the school bus, and fervently arguing with the other kids: who would win in a fight, the Six Million Dollar Man, or Kung Fu? (Apparently Kwai Chang Caine was too much to remember, and we simply referred to the character as Kung Fu. Hey, we were kids!)
A few years ago, I purchased the first season of Kung Fu on DVD, and I was delighted to find that they held up pretty well.
I was there in the 80’s, when they made a series of Kung Fu movies, and in the 90’s when Kung Fu came back to TV as a modern crime drama of sorts. I greatly enjoyed Mr. Carradine in Kill Bill, as well.
I’m sad for the Carradine family, and the undoubted grief and trauma this passing has undoubtedly caused them. I’m sad for me, for the little boy who argued in favor of Kung Fu over the Six Million Dollar Man.
Until we know more, and sources are confirmed, I cannot say more.
Scott.
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Epic Fail is a young webcomic, only twenty-two episodes old at this point, but it’s an interesting take on playing Dungeons & Dragons, or some similar tabletop role-playing game. Dwarves, elves, gnomes, kings, treasure, you get the picture.
I know a bit about table-top role-playing games. I began playing Dungeons & Dragons in earnest in 1977, and continued playing (along with my wife Benita) till about 2003. Maybe we would have continued beyond that point, but it had just gotten too difficult to get our friends together-we all had busy lives, after all. Still, in those twenty-six years of avid playing, we had a great time, made lifelong friends, and met many styles of players.
Which brings me to Amuletts, the focal character of Epic Fail. Amuletts wears her heart on her sleeve, cares more about money than ethics, and brings chaos to almost any situation. I know this type of player, and one of my best friends who gamed with us for about twenty-three of those twenty-six years was just like that. There was never a solemn occasion he could stand to pass uninterrupted, never a block of exposition that he could let stand unbroken, never a plot line that he couldnÆt wander far afield from. In other words, if you prepared an adventure, he would find alternate ways to enjoy it, ways that had nothing to do with what you prepared for.
Amuletts is the same. She can be rude, conniving, and set your beard on fire; or she can be very affectionate. Amuletts, when affectionate, doesnÆt recognize any personal boundaries or ideas of personal dignity the other character may harbor.
In terms of art, Epic Fail is outsider art, plus a high level artistic anarchy thrown in for good measure. It is a full page comic that updates weekly, and while there is an ongoing story each episode usually includes a gag.
Scott.
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This is my first attempt at Titanium Tom. I had originally conceived of him after seeing an all stainless steel bathroom at a Mexican restaurant, and the idea of a human battleship and anti-hero was born. His glasses and military style haircut have been hallmarks of Tom from his conception.
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Hi, Folks:
Lately I’ve reviewed quite a few webcomics and graphic novels, so I thought it might be worthwhile for me to explain the rationale behind what I’m doing. Essentially, in-depth reviews are a way for me to improve my own cartooning, and to learn from other cartoonists’ strengths and weaknesses.
↓ Read the rest of this entry…
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Titanium Tom version 2! I rather like this version, but in the end it was just not what I was looking for. This was too Booster Gold combined with Captain America for my tastes. The flag represents Tom’s rabid nationalism.
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