So, I've transferred the PDF's into tiffs and just completed 4 straight hours of digital cleanup. Things are moving along pretty nicely. Tomorrow I will commence with the lettering. I figure I should have the book lettered by the end of the weekend. I can letter a regular sized comic in one night if I push myself. And of course each time I letter I get a little bit better and little bit faster. Agnew supervised the entire process, and will continue to do so. I figure he deserves an executive producer credit in the graphic novel. At least something. Two of my friends just sneak peeked the inked pages. They were both stunned and laughing the whole way through. And they can't wait for the finished product. Venus is also very excited to see the book completed. It was a lot of hard work for her. The biggest project that both of us have undertaken to this point. And now that she is a mom, this type of work may not be coming along very often. So I suggest that you snatch up a copy when you see one. Cause it is easily both of our best works in my completely non humble opinion.
While at wings today, I began reading book 1 of 4 of the Eastman & Laird Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. It's good stuff. And it holds up pretty well. Especially considering that I didn't read it as a kid. The story flows pretty well if a little bit too fast for my liking. But then again it didn't grind to a halt like Alan Moore's stuff. He has a tendency to ramble and use way too many words. Thus is the British scribe way.
Last night I also booked my hotel at the Hyatt for Phoenix Comic Con. I am also going to register as a professional for San Diego Comic Con in the off chance I can get time and money allotted for that trek. It would be awesome. I have a friend who is going to share the hotel with me for Phoenix Con so maybe I could share the room with her for SDCC. Registration for pro's is all the way until May. So I still have a shot. Last year it was only open till January. It would be the very first time I would attend SDCC as a professional. I have heard if you go as a pro, you can get into all kinds of behinds the scenes workshops and tutorials and interviews and stuff. Plus, if I do go it'll be a lot less I have to spend, cause I won't have to pay the membership fee.
I cannot think of anything else to write at this moment. So until next time this will have to do.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Bedhead Vol. 2 to also hit Memorial Day Weekend
I decided I think I have enough sketches and assortments of new drawings to fill probably another few volumes of this sketchbook. The first on hit at Phoenix ComiCon in 2008. And I decided its time for another one. In conjunction with the prints and Fuzzyface, we're gonna have quite a bit of new stuff for sale. Plus other new stuff from last year's Cactus Con include, Got Crayons? vol. 2 "iCon," Youth in Asia #5 which has the first appearance of The Step Monsters, plus Em talks for the first time (in print anyways).
Things are looking good, although I have been in a creative rut these past few weeks. No real new drawings other than finishing up Fuzzyface. But I guess after a project of this size, it's probably normal. Especially considering that I don't have a usual writer I work with other than myself, and I try not to write ahead of myself otherwise I might get bored with the storyline, considering how slowly I usually work.
Look for a bunch of new Kyle and Grrry drawings in Bedhead vol. 2.
Things are looking good, although I have been in a creative rut these past few weeks. No real new drawings other than finishing up Fuzzyface. But I guess after a project of this size, it's probably normal. Especially considering that I don't have a usual writer I work with other than myself, and I try not to write ahead of myself otherwise I might get bored with the storyline, considering how slowly I usually work.
Look for a bunch of new Kyle and Grrry drawings in Bedhead vol. 2.
Tricked!; A HArdcore Review
Just finished reading Powergirl 8 and 9 and Kick-Ass 8. Finished the graphic novel, Tricked by Alex Robinson this past weekend too. Remarkable work. Robinson hits "slice of life" out of the park with everything of his that I have read. The fact that he included a character from Box Office Poison was a really nice touch. And the way he wove the tapestry of several individuals into a total mind fuck was some of the best story telling I have ever had the pleasure of reading and viewing, since it's a graphic novel. Robinson tells the story of a semi washed up pop rocker, his new personal assistant; Caprice the holdover from Box Office Poison; her two bosses; the counterfeiting sports memorabilia store employee and his double life; the estranged daughter who never knew her father; and the dejected nervous wreck who loses his job and then his mind.
Tricked! is a fascinatingly fast paced ride through the lives of what is one of the most interesting ensemble cast of characters this side of Wet Moon. The way Robinson draws you into the lives of people you must pass on the street is enthralling. Anybody wishing to write "slice of life" stories should take notes with Robinson's work on Tricked! It is easily one of the best indie graphic novels of this new millennium.
Rating Tricked! on my usual scale this time around gave me a great idea for a grade. After coming back from an 8 month layoff due to rupturing (legitimately) his left quadriceps muscle, Triple H received massive fanfare and a push to the WWE Unified World Title at Wrestlemania 18. The problem was, his wife Stephanie McMahon Helmsley wasn't getting enough attention. During a tantrum Stephanie demands the couple renew their wedding vows, which trust me is a whole other grade in and of itself. She reveals she is pregnant, and gets Triple H to agree to the spectacle. After viewing the sonogram an preparations in the coming weeks on Raw and Smackdown the couple get ready to renew their vows in full black tie regalia. Linda McMahon sends Triple H a video tape of the very same "doctor" who performed the sonogram doing a vacation infomercial. In typical Triple H anti-face fashion, he goes down to the wire of the ceremony until it's his turn to recite his prewritten vows. He rips into Stephanie for all of her conniving, deceitful, two faced actions as of late, only to be physically attacked by the near geriatric Vince McMahon. Triple H "Pedigrees" the father of the bride and tears the wedding set asunder, makes his way up the entrance ramp with Stephanie scorned. I stand by this grade even though you would have to see it to have full effect, rather than read my freaking dissertation of it.
Tricked! is a fascinatingly fast paced ride through the lives of what is one of the most interesting ensemble cast of characters this side of Wet Moon. The way Robinson draws you into the lives of people you must pass on the street is enthralling. Anybody wishing to write "slice of life" stories should take notes with Robinson's work on Tricked! It is easily one of the best indie graphic novels of this new millennium.
Rating Tricked! on my usual scale this time around gave me a great idea for a grade. After coming back from an 8 month layoff due to rupturing (legitimately) his left quadriceps muscle, Triple H received massive fanfare and a push to the WWE Unified World Title at Wrestlemania 18. The problem was, his wife Stephanie McMahon Helmsley wasn't getting enough attention. During a tantrum Stephanie demands the couple renew their wedding vows, which trust me is a whole other grade in and of itself. She reveals she is pregnant, and gets Triple H to agree to the spectacle. After viewing the sonogram an preparations in the coming weeks on Raw and Smackdown the couple get ready to renew their vows in full black tie regalia. Linda McMahon sends Triple H a video tape of the very same "doctor" who performed the sonogram doing a vacation infomercial. In typical Triple H anti-face fashion, he goes down to the wire of the ceremony until it's his turn to recite his prewritten vows. He rips into Stephanie for all of her conniving, deceitful, two faced actions as of late, only to be physically attacked by the near geriatric Vince McMahon. Triple H "Pedigrees" the father of the bride and tears the wedding set asunder, makes his way up the entrance ramp with Stephanie scorned. I stand by this grade even though you would have to see it to have full effect, rather than read my freaking dissertation of it.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Fuzzyface "The final production notes" Pt. 18
With less than one page of inks left to finish, I am nearing completion on production of the biggest project of my young career. Fuzzyface: The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre is an epic told in 54 pages of explosive hilarity and tribute. This project has been "in the works" for nearly 4 years now. As I first conjured up the idea back in 2006 (I believe) when I drew a picture of a dismembered and gutted Grover. The idea was to produce the image as a t-shirt with the slogan, "Childhood Sucks!" I then took this to thinking about the character Agnew, and my love for the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The concept was to have Agnew, in the guise of Leatherface, hunting down stuffed animals and wearing their "fur" as masks.
When I was in the midst of a relationship with Venus of Necro, I told her about the story. She loved the idea and after writing the script for GS: The Book of Grrry #2, she demanded to write Fuzzyface. Knowing about her acumen for writing, and her knowledge and love of the Youth in Asia characters, I let her imagination run wild. She finished the script in lat 2008. And I began working on the art. However, due to the relationship ending, I decided to put the project on hold. I didn't pick up the script again until about September of 2009. I began doing layouts for the book. And after putting out about 20 something pages of layouts I decided to start the actual pages. I got into the teens and then decided to finish the layout pages. I finished with 53 total, and then added another page to make it an even number and to add another kill scene.
I met with Venus on a semi weekly basis to go over the artwork. In light of one small change, she agreed with everything I put to the 11X17 Bristol boards. I worked on the project while I was in San Francisco for APE Con. I worked on pages while I sat at my booth and conversed with my fellow exhibitors. I then came back to Tucson and worked on the book while attending Tucson Comic Con. I continued penciling pages while at work and at rest at the neighborhood coffee houses. After I completed pencils, I quickly decided to ink the project solo. I hit up a few people, but thought in the end, like Youth in Asia, Fuzzyface is my concept and my baby. I don't think I would have been happy with myself if I let someone else ink it. The inking process for my past books has always been murder on my wrist. Sometimes I would have to strap on my wrist brace and just muster though. Occasionally it got so bad that I could maybe ink one or two lines before I would have to massage my wrist. The inflammation got so horrible at times. This time though, the only thing that hurt was my elbow, and my fingers from gripping the pens really tightly. See, when I pencil, I'm looser and freer with my line work, but when I ink I tend to get tense and hold my wrist and instrument really tightly. It doesn't help that the pens I use don't have gel grips. Towards the end, meaning these last few pages, I have used a brush pen and a brush on some of the inks. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the brush pen, but I know I need to practice with the brush to begin to mast it.
So, I honestly think that people who have been waiting for this project are going to be happy with end result. The humor. The tribute. The whole concept. It is golden. And after we debut Fuzzyface at Phoenix Comic Con 2010 Memorial Day Weekend, we plan on submitting the book to various indie publishers so that we can hopefully we can get national exposure. So, my advice to you, is get to Phoenix Con this May and make sure you get your first print run, which will be modest, to say you were there when the stuffing hit the fan.
"Oh yes there will be stuffing!"
When I was in the midst of a relationship with Venus of Necro, I told her about the story. She loved the idea and after writing the script for GS: The Book of Grrry #2, she demanded to write Fuzzyface. Knowing about her acumen for writing, and her knowledge and love of the Youth in Asia characters, I let her imagination run wild. She finished the script in lat 2008. And I began working on the art. However, due to the relationship ending, I decided to put the project on hold. I didn't pick up the script again until about September of 2009. I began doing layouts for the book. And after putting out about 20 something pages of layouts I decided to start the actual pages. I got into the teens and then decided to finish the layout pages. I finished with 53 total, and then added another page to make it an even number and to add another kill scene.
I met with Venus on a semi weekly basis to go over the artwork. In light of one small change, she agreed with everything I put to the 11X17 Bristol boards. I worked on the project while I was in San Francisco for APE Con. I worked on pages while I sat at my booth and conversed with my fellow exhibitors. I then came back to Tucson and worked on the book while attending Tucson Comic Con. I continued penciling pages while at work and at rest at the neighborhood coffee houses. After I completed pencils, I quickly decided to ink the project solo. I hit up a few people, but thought in the end, like Youth in Asia, Fuzzyface is my concept and my baby. I don't think I would have been happy with myself if I let someone else ink it. The inking process for my past books has always been murder on my wrist. Sometimes I would have to strap on my wrist brace and just muster though. Occasionally it got so bad that I could maybe ink one or two lines before I would have to massage my wrist. The inflammation got so horrible at times. This time though, the only thing that hurt was my elbow, and my fingers from gripping the pens really tightly. See, when I pencil, I'm looser and freer with my line work, but when I ink I tend to get tense and hold my wrist and instrument really tightly. It doesn't help that the pens I use don't have gel grips. Towards the end, meaning these last few pages, I have used a brush pen and a brush on some of the inks. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the brush pen, but I know I need to practice with the brush to begin to mast it.
So, I honestly think that people who have been waiting for this project are going to be happy with end result. The humor. The tribute. The whole concept. It is golden. And after we debut Fuzzyface at Phoenix Comic Con 2010 Memorial Day Weekend, we plan on submitting the book to various indie publishers so that we can hopefully we can get national exposure. So, my advice to you, is get to Phoenix Con this May and make sure you get your first print run, which will be modest, to say you were there when the stuffing hit the fan.
"Oh yes there will be stuffing!"
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