Today would typically be Super Tuesday around here, my weekly column on superheroes in other media. I’m doing that tomorrow this week, in part because I have other stuff I want to talk about today, and in part because running Super Tuesday on Wednesday seems a little ironic and post-modern. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t, but the idea amuses me.

So, check back tomorrow for Super Tuesday.

First up, here is the interview Benita and I did on TGT, aka Two Guys Talking Webcomics, found over at Frumph’s Webcomic List. We had such a good time, and I think of these guys as friends now. For best results, right click on the icon and choose “Save Target As,” letting you save this rather sizeable MP3 to your hard drive. The show went over an hour, so it’s pretty big.

[audio:TS-147537.mp3]

Next up, here is one of the covers I just finished for Mat Nastos, publisher of Nifty Comic’s “Cadre.” I just did the pencils and inks, and colors will be handled by someone else. I’m really happy with how this turned out, because the White Dwarf has such a distinctive look. Click on the picture for a full-sized look. 

Cover to Nifty Comic's "Cadre"

Finally, here’s a picture of me that local cartoonist and caricaturist Bob East. He did a great job, but I think he missed the imposing, authoritative aspect of my character—You know, sort of like Captain America with a paint brush?   Click on the image for a larger view.

Scott, drawn by Bob East

Yesterday, Benita and I went to Columbus, Ohio for the Mid-Ohio Convention; this is about a three-and-a-half hour drive each way, but the trek was worth it many times over. We got to catch up with many old friends, and meet lots of new friends. (I know that sounds really clichéd, but the truth of the matter is that many of these people have become full-fledged friends, and others are well on their way to becoming fast friends. The comic community is small and pretty tight, and we spend a lot of time together in person and on-line.)

Benita and I appeared at the Comic Related booth from noon till just after 3:00 PM. Chuck Moore, owner of Comic Related and pod caster extraordinaire, invited us to use half the table he had there. Chuck is about the nicest guy you could imagine, and he’s a real brother-in-arms in the war to bring indie comics, and comics in general, to the forefront. I strongly suggest you visit his site, Comic Related. Benita and I also had the opportunity to appear again on his pod cast, which has not been posted yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as it is.

Benita and I also had the opportunity to catch up with Bob Hickey. You’ve probably heard me speak about Bob in my blog many times; as well as being our friend, he is a creative overachiever and the person behind Blueline Pro, Sketch Magazine, Art Unleashed, and many other ventures. He’s also a comic creator and publisher himself, and the force behind next year’s Pop Culture Con, a new convention that I’ll write more about as the situation develops. Bob and I were able to talk a little business, and I think it’s safe to say that we’ve got some excellent plans in the works. I’ll talk about those more as things develop. At very least, expect to see a lot more of my words coming up in Sketch Magazine.

I also had the pleasure of catching up with writer Steve Horton. Steve is an impressive guy, because he has a way of making things happen. He is widely published in the magazine, comic, and mainstream art book world. I picked up his new book, Webcomics 2.0, and I’m really looking forward to reading it; I thumbed through it last night, and it looks packed with webcomicky goodness. I met Steve when we were both on Graphic Smash; Later, he became the editor of Komikwerks, and he lured us over there. Then, eventually, we both ended up back at Graphic Smash.

There were other people of note that I got to meet or catch up: Brant Fowler of Wannabez, and a former editor of mind at Rogue Wolf Comics; Dara Naraghi, webcartoonist and writer at IDW, also a fellow Komikwerks cartoonist; Paul Storrie, a widely published writer with a great last name; Mike Indovina, convention regular and cartoonist on Satyr; John Wilson, writer at Comic Related and colorist-in-training; and Kenn Minter, webcartoonist on “I’m Not From Here”; and Mike Easton, who contributed a pinup to the Johnny Saturn Pinup Gallery.

I know there are names I’ve probably forgotten to mention, but the whole day has become a blur to me!  Sorry!

On an un-related note, here is a caraciture of me done by good friend and fellow, Indiana-based artist Paul McCall–I absolutely love this!  It all relates back to an earlier blog posting of mine where I jokingly referred to myself as looking like “Captain America with a pencil.” 

Hi, Folks!

Over the years, as I have continued working on my art and webcartooning, I have been asked one question again and again: Why do you do long-form comics? Why not do a gag-a-day strip? Gag strips are easier to promote, and they are generally more popular, are they not?

Yes, gag strips are more popular, by many magnitudes, than long-form webcomics. There are a few exceptions, but none I can really think of. Girl Genius is long-form, but it usually has humor and often includes humor. The Dreamland Chronicles? Maybe.

Here are my reasons for doing a long-form webcomic.

• This is the story I want to tell. It’s tragic, dramatic, and edgy, but it’s rarely funny.
• I don’t know how to write jokes. In person I can be funny and I’m good at getting the laughs, but I have no clue how to communicate that in a comic.
• I grew up reading titanic tales of adventure, both in prose and comics. I didn’t read funny animal comics, or humor comics, so I don’t have much history with that.

Back when I read monthly comics, my favorites were usually team books, such as JSA, JLA, the Avengers, the Defenders, and the like. As far as the individual characters go, Batman, Captain America, Daredevil, Thor, Conan, these are what I dug. Later on, it was books like Planetary, the Authority, and Hellblazer. You can probably see elements of these teams and characters in Johnny Saturn.

Those are the kind of stories I loved. This is why I produce long-form adventures. I loved Calvin & Hobbes, Far Side, and Bloom County too, but I just didn’t feel the call to follow that path.

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.

I’ve written quite a few times about “Heroes Inc.,” the excellent webcomic created by artist Scott Austin.  If you haven’t been reading it, shame on you.  “Heroes Inc.” takes a pretty intriguing take of the Nedor/Standard Comic Lines.

I’ve been a fan of these old Nedor characters for a long time.  Originally published from 1941 to 1949, these characters since have fallen into the public domain.  No one bothered to copy write them, and there are no heirs to the Nedor estate.

This turn of events is probably the best thing to ever happen to these characters, because their public domain status made them sort of open source darlings, familiar characters that can be used again and again by anyone.  In the succeeding years, these characters have been published by AC, Image, First Comics, Eclipse Comics, Wildstorm, and Dynamite Entertainment.

Most of these later comics have revolved around the most popular Nedor character, the Black Terror.  The original Daredevil, Skyman, Catman, the Black Cat, the Fighting Yank, and others have all made numerous appearances.  How they have been put to work varies tremendously, publisher by publisher.

These characters are really cool, because they are pure Golden Age characters, with all their improbable storylines and origins, and none of muddy continuity between that time and now.  Much is made of the “Greatest Generation,” the Americans who won World War II and set the country on its course to be a world power.  The Nedor characters essentially are the Greatest Generation in garish costumes.

In Wildstorm’s  “Terra Obscura,” the Nedor characters were trapped in the past and released in the modern day.  This holds true for Dynamite Entertainment’s “Project Superpowers,” which is still ongoing.  I can’t really speak as to how AC Comics, probably the most prolific publisher of these characters, has handled them because I have had a hard time finding back issues.  When I find them, I grab them, but I don’t have many.

“Heroes Inc.” has taken a different approach from “Terra Obscura” and “Project Superpowers.”  In the Heroes Inc. world, where the Allies lost World War II, most of the old supers lived and fought during World War II and the decade that followed, but now they are retired, dead, on death row, or even insane.  When super violence rears its head in the 21st century, some of the surviving heroes search for all the old heroes, collecting blood samples to recreate a new generation of heroes.

In Marvel’s “Captain America,” the writers are able to get a lot of mileage off the old warrior with ideals and patriotism, and how he functions in a modern society of cynicism and distrust for patriotism.  The same holds true for the Black Terror and Company.

I really like trade-paperbacks.  I do not like single issues, which now cost $2.99 to $3.99.  As far as I’m concerned, the economics are way against collecting the floppies.

Dick Grayson makes a fine Batman.  Is it really important to the franchise that Bruce Wayne returns?  Sure, I know it’s only a matter of time before he’s back, but does that make for a better story?

Norman Osborn is a fascinating character.  I love the way Brian Michael Bendis’ mind works, because the Dark Reign stuff makes for a compelling read.  This is one of those cases where the villain makes a lot more sense than the heroes, after all.  I love villain-centered stories, and I wish I had dreamed this up first.  Alas, I did not.

Digital comic distribution seems to have arrived.  As usual, the way was paved by the pirates and all their file sharing.  ComicsXP is my favorite of the new digital distributers, and you can watch an excellent presentation about it here.

Does comic coloring seem darker and more dingy than it used to appear?  Overall, I’m tempted to say “yes.”  It seems to me that the current technique in widest use, coloring from dark to light with lots of screen effects, is the cause.  Many of these colorists, very talented in their own right, seem to have forgotten the need for clarity and contrast.

In my opinion, Freddie E. William’s book “The DC Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics” is perhaps the most important book on cartooning written this decade.  I like “how to” books, but most of them cover the same time-tested material again and again.  William’s book is something new, a new way to cartoon.

I’ve been reading Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America.  It’s easy to see why he won his Eisner’s.  Because of the rich supporting cast and super writing, the book has continued on for several years with the main character dead.  I haven’t read any of the Rebirth material yet, because it’s not collected into trades, but I have high expectations for that too.

So, the Black Widow is the new Captain America’s (James Buchanan Barnes) girlfriend.  Natasha has been around the bend a few times, also having had relations with Hercules, Daredevil, Hawkeye, and Iron Man.  There are probably others, but I just don’t remember them.  She doesn’t rank as the most sexually active Marvel character, though, because that seems to be a long-running contest between Tony Stark and Matt Murdock.  Those dudes get around!

I’ve got an interview coming up in the new ComicsXP magazine, available free at http://www.comicsxp.com.  This magazine has not been released yet, but the interview is by John Wilson, and some of my answers may surprise you.

After coming to the conclusion that I have no place to sit in and read in our house, I have taken it upon myself to remodel our guest bedroom into a hybrid bedroom/den.  I have idyllic visions of myself, sitting in my grandfather’s easy chair, drinking coffee or perhaps tea, and reading in a pleasant, well-lighted environment.  I’m only about halfway done clearing out the room, however, because I’ve managed to hurt myself several times working on it, and most recently I sprained my drawing hand.  I remain undaunted.

I have taken it upon myself to create a master Photoshop resource file on my computer, one that includes all the brushes, textures, tool presets, custom shapes, custom paths, filters and patterns that I’ve either collected or created myself.  This file also contains my photographic morgue, as well as Sketchup files I use regularly.  I backed this file up a few days ago, and it took two DVDs to hold it, and would have taken 9 CDs.  Yikes.

Lately, when I do watercolor, usually at the Indianapolis Art Center, I’ve foregone drawing the subject matter in pencil and gone straight to watercolor.  I’m so used to using a brush that this is not that difficult for me to sketch in color.  Yay me.

Over at the Webcomic Planet Collective forums, I’ve been given two sub forums to run, one on Photoshop, another on Sketchup.  These will be collections of resources, and advice, and initial reactions to these are positive.

Scott.

Working on turning the guest bedroom into my den is continuing right on track.  Today I cleaned out the glass cabinet of Batman goodies I stored there.  Handling this collection again made me smile—I mean, there are Batman bandages, Batman chicken & noodle soup, Batman cake toppers, a Batman night light, Bat signal projectors, Batmobiles, Batman Easter Egg set, etc. etc.  In my defense, most of the stuff in this collection was pretty low cost, all the Batman Pez dispensers, Batman tooth brushes, Batman suckers, Batman pencil toppers, etc.

But, back to my future den.  This is going to be my secret hideout, with a wall of shelves holding all my graphic novels, prose fiction books, and art glass, and maybe some upper end action figures.  When I’ve got it done, I’ll post pictures.  My grandfather’s easy chair is going in there, as well as my Alan Lee framed print.  Soon, we’ll paint the room (this room has never been painted, and still has primer colored walls) and tear out the nasty old carpet.

Today, at the Indianapolis Art Center, I enjoyed a three hour pose with a model dressed head-to-toe as a Roman Centurion.  The costume is impressive.  I kind of blew it, because I got in a hurry and didn’t take the time the picture deserves.  But, that’s OK!  I’ve got pictures, and I will pain this to my satisfaction.

Last night, I watched the video of Dr. Steven Greer’s speech to the exopolitical crowd in Barcelona, Spain.  The show was about an hour long, and it had some very intriguing moments.  I’m not sure what to think of Dr. Greer, to be honest; he is vain, self-impressed, and a name and innuendo dropper, yet he also seems to believe what he’s fighting for.  Much of the disclosure that has happened is a result of Greer’s pressure in the higher levels of government.  He is a showman and a committed believer at the same time, so I find him perplexing.

Are traced photos the future of comic book penciling?  I’m starting to wonder.  I understand that the minimum threshold is much higher now than it was, say, in the 1980’s.  I really became aware of this trend when Greg Land went public on his technique—the controversy has raged on to this day!  Well, as you can imagine from my work, I prefer hand drawn and inked comics, but traced comics, if done well, can be quite beautiful too.  Here’s the crux of it: If the traced photos are stolen from other media and photographers, that’s bad; if the penciler took his own photos and traces from those, that’s good.  I don’t really care for comics traced from Poser figures, either, but I reserve judgment on whether the artist can make it look fluid and good or not.  So far, my experience has been “not.”

I haven’t read any of this Blackest Night event at DC.  When the trades come out, I will probably read the main series, but skip most of the supporting series and crossovers.  I’m looking forward to it, though, because the concept is cool and Doug Mankes’ art is really impressive.  I’ve been a fan of his since the Seven Soldiers’ “Frankenstein” mini-series.  To be honest, I also hope they use Blackest Night to return some of their cooler dead characters to life.  While I was still buying the monthlies, it seems DC comics were all about death, death, and death, and it was getting me down.

What change will Disney’s acquisition of Marvel have on the content of their books?  I’d like to think “none,” because many of their titles (Captain America, Daredevil, Avengers (whichever title) are outstanding.  In fact, with this current group of writers, including Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Ed Brubaker, Greg Pak, and Matt Fraction, this has been the richest time in Marvel comics since the 60’s.  Needless to say, I’ve been bowled over by their books in the last few years.  Let’s hope Disney doesn’t mess this up.

Have I rambled enough?  Let’s say yes.

Scott.

Item: Tonight, I got my copy of the extended cut “Watchmen” DVD.  Very exciting.  I’ll report on the quality and quantity of the extra features as I explore them.

Item: Soon, “Johnny Saturn” 1 through 9 will be available on Panelfly, a service that goes through iTunes and reads on iPhones.  I’m not positive when they will be available, because I really don’t know how much work goes into formatting it, but I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

Item: I’m still waiting on my ISSN numbers from the Library of Congress, because once I get them I’ll bring the “Johnny Saturn” series back into print, selling through Comics Monkey and Indy Planet.  These new printings are updated, including all the corrections and modifications that went into producing the trade paperback.

Item: “Johnny Saturn” 1 through 9 and the Pinup Gallery are all now available on ComicsXP!  These are available in CBR or CBZ formats, and ComicsXP has a reader of their own, as well.

Item: I’m reading the new “Captain America” trade paperback, the “Road to Reborn.”  Honestly, I’m not sure superhero comics can get better than this.  I really like Bucky as Captain America.  I know Steve Rogers is coming back (he may already be back in the monthlies, for all I know), but Marvel had the golden opportunity for a changing of the guard—In effect, they could leave Steve Rogers dead, and Bucky could remain Captain America.  I’ve come to the same conclusion about Batman: Leave Dick Grayson as Batman, and leave Bruce Wayne dead.  I love the characters of Steve Rogers and Bruce Wayne, but the chance to really refresh and recharge the franchises seems like such a great opportunity.

Item: Mark Millar is all right. When “Civil War” ended, I was upset with what I perceived as a mishandling of Captain America. Later, when I reread the trade, I still felt uncomfortable about Captain America, but I was quite moved by the whole piece. I must also say that I really enjoyed the “Ultimates” vol. 1 and 2. That was eye-opening stuff! And…

Item: today I picked up “Wanted.” I have never seen the movie, and I am unlikely to, but the story looked diverting, so now I’ll read it.

Item: Today I turned 45, and I’m cool with that. 45 seems like a good, solid sounding year. I’ve still got my health and my wits and most of my hair, so I’ve got big publishing plans for this year of my life. I’ve enjoyed my 40’s more than any time in my life, but then almost anything would be better than my 30’s!

Item: Today, as it was my birthday, Benita and I went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, a world-class museum, and visited the “Sacred Spain” exhibit. To be honest, I didn’t expect to find it as moving as I did: some of those paintings and sculptures incited deep stirrings within, and many of these 17th century pieces held powerful energies.

Item: I also picked up “Batman: Battle For The Cowl” today, written and drawn by Tony Daniels. The first chapter read well, and I look forward to reading it several times. In my experience, most graphic novels require multiple readings to really get the full scope. Sure, some graphic novels are terribly disappointing, and don’t warrant revisiting, but many do. Over the years, I’ve read “Watchmen,” “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” “Authority,” “The Invisibles,” and others, again and again. I once read “The Invisibles” and marked everything that I had questions on with post-it notes for further study. This is what really introduced me to the work of Grant Morrison, and my life has been much richer for it.

Item: “The Mindscape of Alan Moore.” My admiration for this man is unbounded.

Item: And, let us not forget my other favorite British writer/magician, Grant Morrison. This is going to rock!

I haven’t had the opportunity to prattle on with my lop-sided opinions lately, so it’s time I make that right.

When I saw the solicitations for the new graphic novel, “Neil Young’s Greendale,” I was momentarily confused—was I reading about music or comics?  Well, as it turns out, both.  I haven’t seen this comic yet, but chances are I’ll buy it.  On the album “Greendale,” I consider the songs “Sun Green” and “Be The Rain” to be masterpieces, and deserving of their places among Young’s other great songs.

Lately, I’ve been in intensely studying the human head, and how to draw it better.  Here are a few observations: 1) Andrew Loomis’ books (“Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth” and “Drawing the Head and Hands”) are the standard by which every other illustrator should aspire to; and 2) I have a high opinion of Jack Hamm’s books, too, as well as lifelong admiration for “How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way” by Stan Lee and John Buscema.

Most of the rest of my art books in my library fall well short of these classics.  In fact, many of these art books dish out incorrect information!  I was stunned by some of the wildly inaccurate proportions and measurements these books push!

You know what’s wrong with most art books created today?  They are trying to sell you a genre, not drawing skills.  You get all this “How to Draw Zombies” crap, or dragons, or faeries, or superheroes, or vampires, etc. ad infinitum!  These books usually include basic art instruction, but why not just teach artists how to draw!  Once the would-be artist gets a handle on drawing, then he can draw all the zombies and supers and dragons he wants!

Whew…  Settling down now.

This is why I’ve never written an art book.

In other news, you can now purchase “Johnny Saturn” issues 1 thru 9 from Graphic.ly via iTunes.  I just got to play with an iPad the other day, and I was very impressed with it—it makes a great comic reading device!

How did motion comics get popular?  They seem pretty much the same format as those terrible 1960’s cartoons featuring Captain America, or the Sub-Mariner, or the like.  In those cartoons, they cut up the original comic pages and then moved the two-dimensional characters around.  Well, modern motion comics aren’t that crude, but are more like movie animatics.  They are neither fish nor fowl, comic nor cartoon.  Marvel’s motion comics have looked pretty impressive, really, for all my complaining.  I’m speaking of the “Spider-Woman” webcomics, and the “Iron Man: Extremis” material I’ve seen.

Honestly, if I had the manpower, I’d produce a “Johnny Saturn” motion comic.  I have the source material, and the software, after all.  I just can’t make motion comics and keep up with the weekly comic work.

OK, enough blathering from me.  You may now return to your scheduled broadcast.