brb

Some old sketches...

I'll be out in San Francisco for a few days.

Try not to make a mess of things while I'm away.

s'long

bootcamp

In preparation for the 4-page backup story I'll be doing for a future issue of Atomic Robo (published by Red 5 Comics) I'm trying to brush up on my skills in an attempt to look like I know what I'm doing. 

More mucking about in future posts.

(edit: god, Robo looks so chunky in this it's not even funny. He must be pounding the hamdingers and hostess snack cakes or something. Oh well, it was more of a coloring exercise anyway...)

hanky

Yup.

two heads and a wookie

Chewbacca, originator of the messenger bag.

(edit- make that three heads)

more sketching

The stupid things I draw during lunch. 

Iron Man

So I went and saw Iron Man last weekend. 

And then I went and saw it again on Tuesday. Because that's how much I enjoyed it. The movie was all-around enjoyable and it was really refreshing to see smart, witty dialogue and a solid story line in a movie of this subject matter. Because, let's face it, comics-based movies tend to get the short end of the stick, due to a variety of issues. I thought Iron Man succeeded because of several factors:

• Contrary to popular belief, story and plot are important. Funny how much things benefit when they are used well. The pacing and story elements of the movie provided a solid backbone on which to build.
• They didn't rush the origin story. Too many movies are so eager to jump headlong into the "cool" parts/big action sequences that they treat the story and character origins as merely a quick nibble before the main meal. For shame. The origin is crucial to infusing a story or character with believability and likeableness. If the audience doesn't care about the character, then by the time the big moments of the movie arrive, they will feel lackluster and not nearly as powerful.
• Appropriate use/balance of CGI and special effects. This one is a no-brainer. Special effects are a tool. The moment they become more than that they'll threaten to overwhelm the story and end up removing the audience from the experience entirely. The previews before Iron Man included the particularly painful trailer for Speed Racer, which by watching, little parts of me died on the inside.

Keep in mind that these points apply to any movie, not just the nerdy ones that I go to see. What I loved above all though, was how much the movie made my imagination go bonkers. Maybe I'm just highly impressionable, but in the end the ticket was a small price to pay for the two hour geek high I enjoyed after leaving the theater.

Science Content:

You should check out what the real scientists and engineers have been working on.

sketching

Atomic Robo. He's either about to punch something or he's dancing a jig. Possibly both.

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Holy lack of posts Batman. Apologies for the lag. Let's get the ball rolling again, shall we?

Doodle of scrimshaw in my sketchbook.

The Lagoda, the world's largest model ship.

A couple of weekends ago I took a zip car down to visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum. As anyone can tell you, I'm a nut for things historical, and visiting museums are a great way for me to gather reference material for illustrations and fill up the space in my brain allocated to useless trivia. 

Now, I know what you're thinking. But it wasn't like that at all. The museum was well worth the visit. Highlights included beached whale advertisement posters from the 1800's, naturalist's drawings of various whale species, a scrimshaw gallery, and the world's largest model ship.

For the full account of my trip, view my picture album.

sketching

Sketches of Hellboy and a bat-creature...

Comics You Should Be Reading

I don't profess to being one of those people who learned how to read via comics, or to have followed a particular comic religiously since childhood. On the contrary, I really only got into comics around 2002 and during college. Don't get me wrong, I knew all of the major super heroes growing up, mainly from all the cartoons I watched along with a smattering of general pop culture. I knew that the Flash was fast, that Batman had issues, and that Gambit and Rogue should just kiss and get it over with. My first real brush with comics came in college when a friend of mine lent me some of his Hellboy comics with the assurance that I would like them. I did. Since then I've slowly been exposed to the vast world of comics culture, and have discovered, both on my own and through friends, comics that I really enjoy and that inspire me. So here's a quick list of comics that I get a kick out of, and you might too.

• Hellboy - Being an avid fan of folklore, mythology, and history in general, Hellboy delivered a one-two punch to my geek gut and introduced me to the incredible art of Mike Mignola as well. I could ramble on about all the little nuances of composition and use of light and shadow but let's just keep it to the fact that these books are a treat and always delight me on many levels. 
• B.P.R.D. - An offshoot of the Hellboy universe, BPRD brings to life some of the greatest and and most bizarre characters and has become perhaps one of my favorite series to date. The outstanding team that puts together these comics never fail to deliver solid top-notch stories that I look forward to every month. Guy Davis' art and Dave Stewart's colors make me incredibly happy.
• Atomic Robo - This newly published comic combines the comforting pb & j goodness of what comics should be: action-packed, funny, and just plain enjoyable. I mean, really, when it gets right down to it, I just want to be entertained here. A robot built by Nicola Tesla that battles Nazis, giant radioactive ants, and all manner of weird stuff while still managing some great sarcastic wit is all I ever need. Indiana Jones-Rocketeer-X-Files-Pulp-era-goodness. And an awesomely-designed robot...that wears pants.
• Nextwave - Even if you don't read comics, you need to pick up the trade paperback of this series. I don't think I have ever laughed out loud on so many occasions while reading as I have with this comic. Seriously, don't even attempt to so much as drink a Hi-C juicebox when reading this thing, or it will come out your nose. Also, Stuart Immonen's drawings are awesome. 'Nuff said.
• Casanova - I don't think I could describe this comic in any way that would make sense. Let's just say that it's beautifully bizarre and you should probably just read it.
• Fables - So if you took, oh, I don't know, every fairy tale, folk legend, tall tale, nursery rhyme, ever in existence... and presented them in a modern day setting you would have the insanely intertwined fairy tale soap opera extravaganza that is Fables. I read the first issues that came out back in 2002, but fell behind in the onslaught of continually released issues. I think there are about 9 trade paperback collections out now, and I've slowly been catching up every now and again. James Jean's covers for the series are breathtaking and never cease to amaze.
• DC: New Frontier - Aside from the Justice League cartoon, these books were my first introduction to the rest of the DC comics universe. As if it wasn't enough that Darwyn Cooke both writes and draws these comics, they're really good too. It seems unnatural.