Artwork from hard work.

Helloooo,

I was planning on being on a plane tonight. on my way to the UK land of tardises (tardi?) Wizard schools and and lion gods– and the Thought bubble convention.

I’m stuck in Canada because of a resident card that I needed to have renewed to travel taking a lot longer to return than I’d thought it would. Sooo sorry about that. My pal Robin is still going and I’ve asked him to return with comics for me & I’m still doing a couple UK interviews over the phone. If anything I’ll use the time to catch up on deadlines and draw some kickstarter things.

Here’s a comic I did about my morning.

The irony that I drew this after typing on twitter all about how played out corporate comics are. Anyway batcaves, what are you gonna do…

So yeah, Warheads putters on.

Prophet putters along. Here’s the new Earth War cover by Ron Ackins and colors by Paul Davey. (this is EW #5)

Prophet has fallen behind it’s deadlines but I think it’ll be worth it for the end run of the series. I think I’ve stopped thinking of it as issues and more as the final trades. hmmmm

8house Arclight is going along too. Here’s one of (my significant otter) Marian’s pages for it. (she’s working on the cover to #1 tonight & I’m working on the final text)

Also, also Marian made these knives!!

& she made booklets for each one telling their back stories & the serious dudes that weilded them.

She’s selling them on her site store hereeee

A sketchbook thing. I drew the guy and the air and Marian drew that fine portrait of me on my high horse (seems like a cool dude)

Here’s some books I’ve been looking at—-

I got this Animage with a NYC Patlabor cover when I was in NYC. –It seemed fitting.

I like their little fist punch logos. CLAT! ( Crime Labor Attack Team)

This issue has a spread on that shame of shames Robocop steaming #2. I like the cell style ro-butt on it though.

and these designs

that CLAT lady looks like a member of the 70’s UK show UFO’s SHADO, the Supreme Headquarters, Alien Defence Organisation

I dunno what the connection is, I never watched much Patlabor or UFO. All I could find was this Japanese UFO coloring book. 

Also in that Animage, a 2 page Nadia Starwars thing:

And this tea guy. I like this guy

My pal Robin gave me some Don Simpson Megaton man issues with the sci fi –Border worlds as the back ups in them.

I like the look of the Dune Stillsuit outfits they wear in it. It feels like 70’s sepia rock in roll space.

I was reading this Amazing heroes interview with Simpson about the series:

In the interview he talks about taking influence from slick magazines
“The interesting thing about magazines is they spend millions of dollars on art direction and they are working with words and pictures, to create an effect” “They’re dealing with conveying a language”

I always like the idea of working in comics being able to take from everything words and pictures around you.  I have a real fondness for the design of late 90’s magazines, I feel like they’re belived that the future was just around the corner.

I like the late 90’s work of Graham Rounthwaite–who did this series of Levis ads. That at the time they came out seemed like the coolest thing in the world to me.

Rounthwaite also did a lot of magazine design. There’s a thing on his studio here. 

This is from some other mag layout that I think would look nice cannibalized into comics.

but back to Don Simpson. It feels reading these that he was almost using a rock promo steeze worked into his comics design. like long hair and sepia jackets beyond the stars.

The book has a great feel to it. with big clunky technology and panels that feel like letterbox.

Knowing Simpson from his cartoony Megaton man

There’s something so cool about seeing him draw grizzles old guys with that same weight to them,

another 80’s sci fi thang I found at Lucky’s comics up here in Vancoover was this comic adaption of a movie I’ve never seen. Starring Star Trek’s Walter Koenig. Chekov without his accent. The trailer looks pretty fun. 

Here’s the highlight of the comic: and this guy is an astronaut.

When I was in Spain, my 8house bruther Xurxo got me to pick up some Arno comics. A French artist who died at only 35 (in 96).

Kids has such a deceptive cover.

The inside of the book is all shorts about life during war. Such clean and pretty stuff huh.

Arno also worked with Jodorowsky, on the series ‘Alef-Thau’. About a guy who is born with no arms and legs –slowly gaining limbs, and losing an eye over the course of the story.

Here’s a page where he astral projects some arms and legs onto himself.

& another page from the book. I like the design on the guy on the top right. and that house.

The guy reminds me of a human Marsupilami

Also I’ve been looking at this a lot (1984) FM by Ruben Pellejero drawing (who is doing the new Corto Maltese comics)  and Jorge Zentner writing

I always like rounded edged panels and the way Pellejero shows light and space in this stuff kills me.

I like how he uses light on this page to show that it is night time in a city. It looks loud and late to me.

and then late in the book how well he shows a bright morning with heavy shadows.

and the black of this warehouse just making it look more like a bright day.

Another thing I like in the book is how he shows weather. This scene with a beach getting rained on is great.

I feel like one of the main goals or at least one of my main goals with art is conveying how something felt to you– even if it’s through space wars or talking rats — and seeing light and shadow used the way he does makes it feel like something I know. Impressive comics mann.