tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294852122024-03-13T13:17:22.634+00:00D'Blog of 'IsraeliBloggery-pokery by Matt Brooker, comic artist and cat botherer;
because ev'ry day's a holiday in the wacky world of comics!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-50666149882945593762013-06-06T12:58:00.000+01:002013-06-06T13:16:41.498+01:00Stickleback: Number of the Beast at 2000AD Covers Uncovered<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3v-cyhgLce4/UbB2RCatABI/AAAAAAAACbk/yFuCqoZy6o0/s1600/Stickleback-NotB-Cover-3-Approval-Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3v-cyhgLce4/UbB2RCatABI/AAAAAAAACbk/yFuCqoZy6o0/s400/Stickleback-NotB-Cover-3-Approval-Black.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2000AD <i>Prog 1835, the cover for the final episode of </i>Stickleback: Number of the Beast.<br />
Stickleback <i>copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Stickleback Number of the Beast <i>created by Ian Edginton and Me.</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8gYqpCZ_KZU/UbB2RQc_zlI/AAAAAAAACbo/4cQlubIghEI/s1600/Stickleback-NotB-Cover-3-Approval-White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8gYqpCZ_KZU/UbB2RQc_zlI/AAAAAAAACbo/4cQlubIghEI/s200/Stickleback-NotB-Cover-3-Approval-White.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
So, we come to the final curtain for this series of <i>Stickleback</i> - after such a long time away, I'm glad to see him back and set up for more adventures. Stickleback remains close to my heart - aside from the joy of working with me old mucker Ian Edginton, Stickleback is the first character I've helped create where we've got to go back and tell the continuing adventures. He represents a change of gear in my career.<br />
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To celebrate this landmark, I've got together with Pete Wells at <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">2000AD Covers Uncovered</a> to put together a mammoth 3-part video post on the creation of this week's cover from first roughs to last TIFF file. It's packed with hints, tips and as much process porn as a body could want! <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/disraeli-old-age-mutant-codger-hoodlums.html" target="_blank">Part one is up now!</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Left: the original version of the cover with a white background.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-73251274343655606122013-04-11T17:14:00.002+01:002013-04-11T17:14:55.443+01:00Stickleback: Number of the Beast Part Three References<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Something's brewing down in the depths</i><br />Stickleback Number of the Beast<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />Stickleback Number of the Beast<i> created by Ian Edginton and Me</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KnP3RJ1Rzpk/UWbZYziT9GI/AAAAAAAACZo/VbobNn_FWr8/s1600/01-Page-1-5-Days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KnP3RJ1Rzpk/UWbZYziT9GI/AAAAAAAACZo/VbobNn_FWr8/s200/01-Page-1-5-Days.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Panel 2: “My five days” </b></div>
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Stickleback has an arrangement with the White Lotus Empress that he can visit his son on one day each year - he’s lost five years to his regeneration, hence he feels he’s owed five days.<br />
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Page 4 </h2>
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Panel 1: Lots of stuff here:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2lhKP0xGjmA/UWbZZT-n8eI/AAAAAAAACZ0/N2JZ9Bz7uv4/s1600/02-Page-4-Wold-Newton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2lhKP0xGjmA/UWbZZT-n8eI/AAAAAAAACZ0/N2JZ9Bz7uv4/s200/02-Page-4-Wold-Newton.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Wold-Newton Tours</b><br />
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In the fictional biographies <i>Tarzan Alive</i> (1972) and <i>Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life </i>(1973), writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Jos%C3%A9_Farmer" target="_blank">Philip José Farmer</a> introduced the Wold-Newton family tree, a genealogy that bound together all of the best-known characters from the pulp and speculative fiction of the late 19th and early 20th Century. The idea was that the bunch of extraordinary individuals all sprang from common ancestors who were affected by radiation from a meteorite during a coach tour to the village of Wold Newton in Yorkshire. The notion of characters from one fictional world “crossing over” into another was not new - it had occurred in pulp fiction and was commonplace if the world of comics - but was usually limited to characters owned by a single publishing house. Farmer not only cast his net wide across the popular fiction of a whole era, but he worked out complex rationalisations to allow these sometimes-conflicting continuities to exist all in the same world. Farmer himself produced only a few novels depending on the Wold-Newton continuity, the most notable being his insanely pornographic “Doc Savage meets Tarzan” novel <i>A Feast Unknown</i>. In the UK, writer Kim Newman took up the baton with his novel <i>Anno Dracula</i> and its sequels, and in this century writer Alan Moore and artist Kev O’Neill brought the genre back to comics with the <i>League of Extraodinary Gentlemen</i>. Ian and I are manfully following in all these fine gentlemens’ footsteps.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Jcl13ZThww/UWbX9lIdJAI/AAAAAAAACY8/pagASde4Ep0/s1600/03-Page-4-Lord-Talbot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Jcl13ZThww/UWbX9lIdJAI/AAAAAAAACY8/pagASde4Ep0/s200/03-Page-4-Lord-Talbot.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>The Lord Talbot </b><br />
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A tribute to writer/artist <a href="http://www.bryan-talbot.com/" target="_blank">Bryan Talbot</a>, whose <i>The Adventures of Luther Arkwright</i> (1980-84) lays claim to being the first British graphic novel, and also possibly the first example in comics of the genre that would become known as steampunk. <br />
Bryan also drew the bulk of the first-ever steampunk story in <i>2000AD</i>, <i>Nemesis the Warlock Book IV: The Gothic Empire</i> (1984, written by Pat Mills, first episode drawn by Kevin O'Neill.)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R4F6OPY1UOw/UWbX_XKUrBI/AAAAAAAACZE/kKpABViV_5M/s1600/04-Page-4-Adam-Admanat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R4F6OPY1UOw/UWbX_XKUrBI/AAAAAAAACZE/kKpABViV_5M/s200/04-Page-4-Adam-Admanat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Adam Ant and Adam Adamant </b><br />
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1980’s pop idol <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2a6l6wM2k" target="_blank">Adam Ant as The Dandy Highwayman</a>*, walking alliteratively beside Adam Adamant, the swashbuckling Victorian adventurer played by Gerald Harper in the 1966 BBC TV series <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Adamant_Lives!" target="_blank">Adam Adamant Lives!</a></i> Presumably this encounter occurs before Adamant’s nasty hibernation accident. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Initially I was going to miss this one out, as for some reason I felt too scared to mention him.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljUQ3XuaL3g/UWbYAzbVOLI/AAAAAAAACZM/AO2lqO3zJnc/s1600/05-Page-4-Trotters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljUQ3XuaL3g/UWbYAzbVOLI/AAAAAAAACZM/AO2lqO3zJnc/s200/05-Page-4-Trotters.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Trotter’s Independent Trading </b><br />
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Run by the forebears of Del-boy and Rodney from the popular BBC TV sitcom <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Fools_and_Horses" target="_blank">Only Fools and Horses</a></i> (1981-91). Items on the stall (including a chandelier and a Batman mask) refer to famous incidents from the series. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ECDXSSW8SLo/UWbYCofgdVI/AAAAAAAACZU/BTCJJoGnzBA/s1600/06-Page-4-Kim-Newman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ECDXSSW8SLo/UWbYCofgdVI/AAAAAAAACZU/BTCJJoGnzBA/s200/06-Page-4-Kim-Newman.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Kim Newman with Kate Reid and Genevieve Dieudone </b><br />
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Writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Newman" target="_blank">Kim Newman</a>, whose ingenious re-combinings of characters and setting from popular culture have provided inspiration for both <i>Stickleback</i> and <i>Scarlet Traces</i>, promenades with two of his most famous female characters. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nboq932v4IU/UWbYEBxBHOI/AAAAAAAACZc/08jmdkCDcn4/s1600/07-Page-4-Eckert%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nboq932v4IU/UWbYEBxBHOI/AAAAAAAACZc/08jmdkCDcn4/s200/07-Page-4-Eckert%2527s.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Eckert’s Alternatives</b><br />
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Over the years I've slipped in various references to odd or fictional comestibles into my strips; fishpaste is the obvious one, also Zopto-Bemsol ("Effulgent and Prim!") and Mongue ("You know it's wrong!"). Eckert's Alternatives ("Good for a change!") are Ian's contribution to this noble tradition, his first since Captain MacLean's Old Rot Gut made its debut in <i>Leviathan</i> ten years ago.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qbG6SIaYH4Q/UWbYFmiLkoI/AAAAAAAACZk/_ddamDzAGdo/s1600/08-Page-5-Piranesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qbG6SIaYH4Q/UWbYFmiLkoI/AAAAAAAACZk/_ddamDzAGdo/s200/08-Page-5-Piranesi.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 2: The Vaults (Piranesi)</b><br />
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The underground vaults in which the Sorrys lurk are directly inspired by the Carceri d'invenzione ('Imaginary Prisons’) of artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Piranesi" target="_blank">Giovanni Battista Piranesi</a> (1720-1778). This series of 16 prints, first published in 1750, consist of black & white etchings of vast, vaulted underground spaces, and have been claimed as an influence by both the Romantics and the Surrealists. Given how wonderful the Carceri are, it surprises me to note that I haven’t ripped them off more often ; the last time was when completing the final section of Scarlet Traces back in 2002.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-80306489009213084072013-03-29T11:00:00.000+00:002013-03-29T11:00:10.682+00:00Stickleback: Number of the Beast Part Two References<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RoRzGd03IK8/UVQLnALr1rI/AAAAAAAACYQ/ueE8Tea4o54/s1600/01-Camera-Obscura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RoRzGd03IK8/UVQLnALr1rI/AAAAAAAACYQ/ueE8Tea4o54/s200/01-Camera-Obscura.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Pages 1 & 2 - Camera Obscura</b></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Based on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura" target="_blank">real pre-photographic projection device</a>, in which an image of the outside world is projected into a darkened room through a tiny pinhole (“camera obscura” is Italian for “dark room,” and is where the English word “camera” comes from.) Later versions employed a rotating turret containing a lens and mirrors which projected a circular image down onto a flat viewing table, as with our design, which is loosely based on the camera obscura on the <a href="http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/" target="_blank">Royal Mile in Edinburgh</a>, round the corner from the flat where I was living while drawing the first series of <i>Stickleback</i> in 2006. </span><br />
<br />The 3D projection aspect owes more to <i>Star Wars</i> than any real technology, though. It’s interesting that even retro-futuristic technology has to have this extra level to it now; I suspect ten years ago we might have limited the capabilities of such a devise precisely to show that we were in the past. I think of this as “super-duperness inflation.” <div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V9NrjEyKGx0/UVQLnT_oCWI/AAAAAAAACYE/CUSFq121iFM/s1600/02_02-Lost-World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V9NrjEyKGx0/UVQLnT_oCWI/AAAAAAAACYE/CUSFq121iFM/s200/02_02-Lost-World.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Page 2 Panels 1&2 - The Lost World </b><br /><br />The original home of the Sorrys obviously draws inspiration from the dinosaur-filled plateau of Maple White Land from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1925 Professor Challenger novel <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_(Conan_Doyle_novel)" target="_blank">The Lost World</a></i>. Our Professor Challenger is based loosely on actor, explorer and national institution <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Blessed" target="_blank">Brian Blessed</a>, whose real life exploits were inspired by the character, and who played a parody of him, Sir Basil Champion, in BBC Radio 4 Extra’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarifyers" target="_blank">The Scarifyers</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/139" target="_blank">Project Gutenburg free ebook download: <i>The Lost World</i>.</a><br /><br /> <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_Sl8Vi7eOk/UVQLlzjHfcI/AAAAAAAACX8/cSptYTK21H8/s1600/02_06-Factory-Farming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_Sl8Vi7eOk/UVQLlzjHfcI/AAAAAAAACX8/cSptYTK21H8/s200/02_06-Factory-Farming.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Page 2 Panel 6 - Factory Farming </b><br /><br />While obviously playing on modern anxieties about the factory farming of animals (chickens in particular), the batch breeding of a sentient but compliant workforce also has echoes of Aldous Huxley’s 1931 social parody, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World" target="_blank">Brave New World</a></i>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.huxley.net/bnw/" target="_blank">Read <i>Brave New World</i> online.</a><br /> <br /><br /><br /><div>
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<b>Page 4 Panel 1 - Oriental Tropes </b><br /><br />This panel was an absolute bitch to draw; there are as many references dumped in here as the next two episodes put together. Also, due to my limited talent at producing likenesses, there’d be no reason to recognize most of them without this handy-dandy guide. From left to right: <br /><br />Li H’sen Chang and Mister Sin from the 1977 Tom Baker-era Dr. Who story <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/talonswengchiang/detail.shtml" target="_blank">The Talons of Weng Chiang</a> (itself a play upon Sax Rohmer’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu" target="_blank">Fu Manchu</a> stories). </div>
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<br />The Three Storms versus a Victorian-ified version of Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton from John Landis’ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China" target="_blank">Big Trouble in Little China</a> (1986). <br /><br />(Background) O-Ren Ishii and her bodyguards, the Crazy 88’s (their costumes a reference to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee" target="_blank">Bruce Lee</a>’s costume in the television series <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Hornet" target="_blank">The Green Hornet</a>), from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Tarantino" target="_blank">Quentin Tarantino</a>’s 2003 gore-fest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_Bill" target="_blank">Kill Bill. </a><br /><br />(Midground) John Carradine twice, once as Kwai Chang Kaine from the 1972 television series <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_TV" target="_blank">Kung Fu</a>, and once as Bill from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_Bill" target="_blank">Kill Bill</a>. <br /><br />(Foreground) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Wolf_and_Cub" target="_blank">Lone Wolf and Cub</a>, from the Manga of the same name (Japanese: <i>Kozure Ōkami</i>) by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuo_Koike" target="_blank">Kazuo Koike</a>. A total of seven live action <i>Lone Wolf and Cub</i> films were made in Japan during the 1970's, two of which were cut together to make the English-dubbed <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Wolf_and_Cub#Films" target="_blank">Shogun Assassin</a></i> (1980).</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BC7xQ38ZWEk/UVQLphn2KXI/AAAAAAAACYk/nWhi-PVkT3c/s1600/04_02-Sonny-Chiba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BC7xQ38ZWEk/UVQLphn2KXI/AAAAAAAACYk/nWhi-PVkT3c/s200/04_02-Sonny-Chiba.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Page 4 Panel 2 - Sonny Chiba </b><br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Chiba" target="_blank">multi-skilled Japanese actor</a> here reprising his role from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_Bill" target="_blank">Kill Bill</a>, this time making Sushi from a baby <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu" target="_blank">Cthulhu</a> (therefore referring obliquily to <i>Stickleback: England’s Glory</i>.) <br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /></div>
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<b>Page 4 Panel 4 onwards - Miss Scarlet’s Make-Over </b><br /><br />Miss Scarlet has always been woefully under-used (the penalty of a large ensemble cast is finding them all something to do) but with this new series Ian was determined to bring her to the fore and give her more to do. Her new, orientalised look gave us the chance to give her a more modern, “flapper”-style vibe, suggesting someone looking towards the 1920’s and 30’s rather than back to the Victorian Era. For myself, I kept in mind Shanghai Lil from Hugo Pratt’s wonderful <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzyHMB_crk" target="_blank">Corto Maltese in Siberia</a></i> when drawing her. <br /><br /><br /> <br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">
Page 5</h2>
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<b>Page 5 Panel 2 - The Court of the White Lotus Empress </b><br /><br />Introduced in the last episode of <i>Stickleback: England’s Glory</i>, the Empress is a female analogue for Sax Rohmer’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu" target="_blank">Fu Manchu</a>. A <a href="http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.com.es/2008/03/stickleback-englands-glory-part-12.html" target="_blank">detailed breakdown of the characters in the Lotus Empress’s court can be found here.</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-82321283340768709202013-03-23T11:00:00.000+00:002013-03-27T15:08:56.762+00:00Stickleback Number of the Beast Part 1 References<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stickleback: Number of The Beast<i> Part One</i><br />
Stickleback Number of the Beast<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Stickleback<i> created by Ian Edginton and Me</i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">WARNING: THESE SPOILERS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS</span><br />
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To minimise spoilificatiousness, I've left these nearly a week from delivery of subscription copies. Since subscribers will already have part 2 by the time I post this, It's time to get going.</div>
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<b>Panel 1: Dark Satanic Mills </b><br />
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Based loosely on the landscape of Bradford in my native Yorkshire.
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<b>Panel 3: Sentinel Steam Lorry </b></div>
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The sentinel was a real steam powered lorry produced by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel_Waggon_Works" target="_blank">Sentinel Waggon Works</a> from 1906 till as late as 1950.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Page 5</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYSr1LXy6Fo/UUyydERmPJI/AAAAAAAACU0/iyOgE1EvncA/s1600/05_01-Talos-Harpies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYSr1LXy6Fo/UUyydERmPJI/AAAAAAAACU0/iyOgE1EvncA/s200/05_01-Talos-Harpies.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panels 1 & 2: Talos and the Harpies </b><br />
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The severed head of the giant ambulatory statue Talos and several stuffed harpies from the 1963 Charles Schneer-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen" target="_blank">Ray Harryhausen</a> film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_and_the_Argonauts_(1963_film)" target="_blank"><i>Jason and the Argonauts</i>. </a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v95aP0FMems/UUyyd3mmp8I/AAAAAAAACUk/szvGrcZ54G0/s1600/05_02-Gorgo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v95aP0FMems/UUyyd3mmp8I/AAAAAAAACUk/szvGrcZ54G0/s200/05_02-Gorgo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 3: Gorgo </b><br />
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The “British <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla" target="_blank">Godzilla</a>,” from the 1961 film of the same name. <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film)" target="_blank">Gorgo</a></i> was the second of three monster films directed by Eugène Lourié. The first, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_from_20,000_Fathoms" target="_blank">The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms</a></i>, kickstarted the career of animator and effects wizard <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen" target="_blank">Ray Harryhausen</a>, as well as inadvertantly spawning the whole Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiju" target="_blank">Kaiju</a> genre when Toho made <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla" target="_blank">Godzilla</a></i> (<i>Gojira</i>) in 1954 to cash in on the terrific success of <i>The Beast</i> in Japan. Ironically, Lourié ended up adapting the Kaiju “rubber-suit-mation” technique to create the monsters in Gorgo. His third monster film, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behemoth,_the_Sea_Monster" target="_blank">The Giant Behemoth</a>, brought him together with veteran effects animator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_O%27Brien" target="_blank">Willis O’Brien</a>, the man behind Hollywood classic King Kong, and mentor to the young Ray Harryhausen.<br />
Gorgo enjoyed considerably longer life in comics than in movies, enjoying a 23-issue run in his own title published by Charlton Comics. The comic featured early work by Steve Ditko.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cs1H7b3CGeE/UUyyhG6xcjI/AAAAAAAACVo/owVJDJxKnr8/s1600/05_03-Konga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cs1H7b3CGeE/UUyyhG6xcjI/AAAAAAAACVo/owVJDJxKnr8/s200/05_03-Konga.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 3: Skeleton of Konga </b><br />
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The “British King Kong,” from the 1961 film <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konga_(film)" target="_blank">Konga</a></i>, about a gorilla who accidentally drinks super growth serum and ends up ambling amiably around London while sqauds of hysterical Tommies shoot at him for being out of scale (still a capital offence in the 1960’s). <i>Konga</i> is also notable as the film in which veteran British actor Michael Gough (later to play Alfred the butler in the Tim Burton Batman movies) succeeded in the delivering the line, “if I hadn’t shot her, pussy would have started to swell uncontrollably,” with a straight face. Charlton Comics adaptation of Konga is notable as the first published professional work of Steve Ditko, who went on to co-create The Amazing Spiderman.
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<b>Panel 3: The Cavorite Sphere </b><br />
Professor Cavor’s anti-gravity space vessel from HG Well’s novel <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Men_in_the_Moon" target="_blank">The First men in the Moon</a></i>, also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Men_in_the_Moon_(1964_film)" target="_blank">filmed by Schneer & Harryhausen </a>in 1964. <br />
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<b>Panel 3: Time machines </b><br />
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From left to right, on the balcony rail: <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7zJoyWdPllU/UUyyhefw-BI/AAAAAAAACV0/8ZF3lhpwLXA/s1600/05_03-Sewell-Time-Machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7zJoyWdPllU/UUyyhefw-BI/AAAAAAAACV0/8ZF3lhpwLXA/s200/05_03-Sewell-Time-Machine.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
HG Sewell’s pocket-watch shaped time machine from Ian Edginton’s and my <i><a href="http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.com.es/2007/06/dredd-again-again.html" target="_blank">Tempus Fugitive</a></i> stories in Judge Dredd (2004-2007). Sewell himself has made brief cameos in <i>Stickleback</i> as an inmate of Bedlam. <br />
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The elaborate glass lens design from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268695/" target="_blank">Simon Wells' 2002 version of The Time Machine</a>, starring Guy Pierce.<br />
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The classic George Pal model from his <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054387/" target="_blank">classic 1960 version</a>, starring Rod Taylor. <br />
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The time machine ridden by Malcom McDowell as HG Wells in pursuit of Jack the Ripper in the Nicholas Meyer's 1979 film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080025/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Time After Time. </a><br />
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<b>Panel 3: Kali </b><br />
The animated sword-fighting statue from Schneer & Harryhausen’s <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1537460126"></span>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad<span id="goog_1537460127"></span></a> (1973)<br />
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<b>Panel 4: Insect monsters </b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Lt4aTfDxpY/UUyyioeDR3I/AAAAAAAACWc/PAktb5LgAco/s1600/05_04-Zarbi-%2526-Menoptera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Lt4aTfDxpY/UUyyioeDR3I/AAAAAAAACWc/PAktb5LgAco/s200/05_04-Zarbi-%2526-Menoptera.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
An ant-like Zarbi and moth-like Menoptera from the Willam Hartnell-era Doctor Who story, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/webplanet/detail.shtml" target="_blank">The Web Planet (1965) </a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efhR5Zlj86U/UUyyieKi3tI/AAAAAAAACWM/XK1bFKVAQFc/s1600/05_04-Wirrn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efhR5Zlj86U/UUyyieKi3tI/AAAAAAAACWM/XK1bFKVAQFc/s200/05_04-Wirrn.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
An adult Wirrn from the Tom Baker-era Doctor Who story, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/arkinspace/detail.shtml" target="_blank">The Ark in Space (1974)</a>. Not shown here, Wirrn larvae were huge featureless maggot things made by wrapping an unfortunate BBC extra from head to foot in bubble wrap. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pCrll4mRTRg/UUyyhmE0NaI/AAAAAAAACWI/b3hJZSw1xSA/s1600/05_04-Green-Death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pCrll4mRTRg/UUyyhmE0NaI/AAAAAAAACWI/b3hJZSw1xSA/s200/05_04-Green-Death.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
A giant maggot from the John Pertwee-era Doctor Who story <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/greendeath/detail.shtml" target="_blank">The Green Death (1973)</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w9H1lZJY8gI/UUyyh1mhCNI/AAAAAAAACV4/3t6wz3m6xCQ/s1600/05_04-Mosura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w9H1lZJY8gI/UUyyh1mhCNI/AAAAAAAACV4/3t6wz3m6xCQ/s200/05_04-Mosura.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
(Shown in framed photograph) Mosura (Mothra), the giant moth guardian of Infant Island, from the Toho film of the same name (1961). The most popular Kaiju after Godzilla, Mothra was the first Toho monster to cross over with the Big G in <i>Godzilla vs. Mothra</i> (1964). She appeared in 14 Godzilla fims in all three series, and is the only Toho monster to spin back off into a solo series (The Rebirth of Mothra, 3 films 1997-9). Although, in the original film <i>Mosura</i>, the meddling Western power is coyly renamed "Rosilica," the film still exhibits an rather startlingly overt anti-Amercianism, making it one of the more interesting ones of its type. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-modfUkXyPuU/UUyyiIUKHeI/AAAAAAAACWU/dEYSKvK2sLw/s1600/05_04-Peanuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-modfUkXyPuU/UUyyiIUKHeI/AAAAAAAACWU/dEYSKvK2sLw/s200/05_04-Peanuts.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 4: The Peanuts </b><br />
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The two tiny figures in the glass case panel left are the telepathic twins who mediate intercede with Mothra on behalf of the world, variously called “The Fairies” or “The Cosmos” in different versions. In the earlier films, they were played by twin sisters <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peanuts" target="_blank">Emi and Yumi Ito</a>, who performed on stage as “The Peanuts.” The jar of peanuts on the case above them is a reference to this. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VpC8jo5n0kA/UUyyjN9RsQI/AAAAAAAACWk/djKk4gb9tKQ/s1600/05_05-Prague-Clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VpC8jo5n0kA/UUyyjN9RsQI/AAAAAAAACWk/djKk4gb9tKQ/s200/05_05-Prague-Clock.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 5: The Prague Orloj </b><br />
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The timer for Stickleback’s regeneration machinery is a copy of the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Astronomical_Clock" target="_blank">multi-faced astronomical clock</a> that stands in the old town square in Prague. It's the third oldest astronomical clock in the world, and the oldest still working.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Page 7</b></span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7IwUU3NOD0/UUyyi-KJpGI/AAAAAAAACWg/cdrFmZw8lg0/s1600/07_02-Musix-Box%252C-Key-Time%252C-Lament%252C-Mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7IwUU3NOD0/UUyyi-KJpGI/AAAAAAAACWg/cdrFmZw8lg0/s200/07_02-Musix-Box%252C-Key-Time%252C-Lament%252C-Mirror.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Panel 2: Surrounding Stickleback in this panel are; a Lament Configuration box from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellraiser_(franchise)" target="_blank">Clive Barker’s Hellraiser</a>; the box, the musical box (wound up and ready to play) from the opening titles of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camberwick_Green" target="_blank">1960’s childrens’s stop-motion puppet series</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWNR-08Ff0w" target="_blank">Camberwick Green</a>; <a href="http://grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com.es/2008/12/chris-lowder-and-brian-lewis-malvoisins.html?zx=82cc7d71f0ed93dc" target="_blank">Malvoisin’s Mirror</a>, from the strip of the same name written by Chris Lowder and drawn by the excellent Brian Lewis for <i>House of Hammer</i> #6; and on the bottom right, the fully assembled Key to Time from <i>Doctor Who</i> season 16 (1978-9). <br />
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On re-reading the script for this post, I discover I was also supposed to put in the Maltese Falcon, but I forgot. Oopsie.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oi45KkpZkOg/UUyyjlQtxSI/AAAAAAAACW0/BeHq1lL6bvY/s1600/07_05-Frankenstein-Gear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oi45KkpZkOg/UUyyjlQtxSI/AAAAAAAACW0/BeHq1lL6bvY/s200/07_05-Frankenstein-Gear.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 6: Frankenstein’s Apparatus </b><br />
The equipment shown in flashback behind Orlando Doyle is all apparatus from Frankenstein’s laboratory in the classic 1931 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(1931_film)" target="_blank">James Whale/Boris Karloff</a> version. Designed by Kenneth Strickfaden, this gear was still showing up in horror films as late as the 1970’s. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Page 8 </b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6I95pJfOJdQ/UUyyjsJleaI/AAAAAAAACXM/QhA_WSoCYhU/s1600/08_05-Judas-Silver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6I95pJfOJdQ/UUyyjsJleaI/AAAAAAAACXM/QhA_WSoCYhU/s200/08_05-Judas-Silver.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Panel 5: The Judas Silver </b><br />
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Previously mentioned in <i>Stickleback: England’s Glory</i>, Judas Iscariot’s 30 pieces of silver have been paid by Stickleback to Orlando Doyle in return for future favours. Stickleback’s resurrection clears the debt. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9qwlZiGOuA/UUyyjgZeUvI/AAAAAAAACW8/c-rGFFT27jg/s1600/10-Construction-Robots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9qwlZiGOuA/UUyyjgZeUvI/AAAAAAAACW8/c-rGFFT27jg/s200/10-Construction-Robots.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>The Construction Robots </b><br />
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The skeletal construction robots with their scaffolding-like limbs are a tip of the hat to Kev O’Neill’s classic Trebuchet robot from <i><a href="http://shop.2000adonline.com/categories/nemesis_the_warlock" target="_blank">Nemesis the Warlock</a></i> Book III. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhMWxtq2qeo/UUyykDdznPI/AAAAAAAACXI/v6ybZhKzZAI/s1600/10-Dray-Brontosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhMWxtq2qeo/UUyykDdznPI/AAAAAAAACXI/v6ybZhKzZAI/s200/10-Dray-Brontosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Dray Brontosaurus </b><br />
Stickleback is set in an unspecified late-Victorian era, so there’s none of this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatosaurus" target="_blank">Apatosaurus</a> business yet. We’ll find out why there are dinosaurs in the streets of London next Prog. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rJkrUobBPv8/UUyykBVvhnI/AAAAAAAACW4/A3vF018SYkQ/s1600/10-Monkey%2527s-Uncle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rJkrUobBPv8/UUyykBVvhnI/AAAAAAAACW4/A3vF018SYkQ/s200/10-Monkey%2527s-Uncle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>The Monkey’s Uncle </b><br />
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A reference to the controversy surrounding the theory of natural selection proposed by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r9rxr" target="_blank">Alfred Russel Wallace</a> and Charles Darwin (who appears on the pub sign, lampooned as an ape.) <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4JVaZB4V93k/UUyyk67WTsI/AAAAAAAACXY/82aOTBkZ0Q8/s1600/10-Overground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4JVaZB4V93k/UUyyk67WTsI/AAAAAAAACXY/82aOTBkZ0Q8/s200/10-Overground.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>The London Overground </b><br />
The notion of the overhead monorail as a symbol of futurity goes back many years; real examples have been built, most famously in the Disneyland and Disney World amusement parks in the US. The overhead design here is loosely based on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn" target="_blank">Wuppertal Schwebebahn</a>, opened in Germany in 1901 and still in service, though I’ve simplified the overhead support considerably. The name London Overground is a recycling from Ian Edginton’s and my graphic novel <i>Scarlet Traces</i> (<i>Judge Dredd Megazine</i> 2002-3/Dark Horse 2003)
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DJJs8eT9JTo/UUyykzNcK_I/AAAAAAAACXk/SOFm9S9v6rg/s1600/10-Steam-Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DJJs8eT9JTo/UUyykzNcK_I/AAAAAAAACXk/SOFm9S9v6rg/s200/10-Steam-Man.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>The Steam Man of the Prairies</b><br />
Written by Edward Ellis in 1868, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Steam_Man_of_the_Prairies" target="_blank">The Steam Man of the Prairies</a></i> is considered the first US science-fiction "dime novel." It's the story of Johnny Brainerd, a teenage dwarf who build a non-sentient steam-powered automaton capable of pulling a carriage at speed. Despite the somewhat bizarre premise, the story was enormously popular, seeing reprint 6 times between 1868 and 1904, and spawning many imitators, including the long running <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Reade" target="_blank">Frank Reade</a> boys' adventure series. It's one of the earliest examples of the invention-based genre known as the "Edisonade."<br />
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<b>“Sorry’s”</b><br />
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These evolved dinosaurs were inspired by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Russell" target="_blank">Professor Dale Russel’s</a> famous (and controversial) dinosauroid thought experiment - an attempt to map where dinosaur evolution would have led if they had not become extinct. His own proposal was for a strongly anthropomorphic intelligent dinosaur, though our version follows later thinking that posits creatures that are more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theropoda" target="_blank">theropod</a>-like. Just why the streets of London are alive with these little critters will be revealed next Prog, so I’ll say no more. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-60985224212325490852013-03-20T18:01:00.000+00:002013-03-20T18:01:33.389+00:00Stickleback Number of the Beast: 2000AD Prog 1824 Cover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The new Stickleback steps out of his tank on the cover of </i>2000AD<i> Prog 1824.</i><br />Stickleback Number of the Beast<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />Stickleback <i>created by Ian Edginton and Me</i></td></tr>
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<i>2000AD</i> Prog 1824 see the start of our new Stickleback story, <i>Number of the Beast</i>, and sports a cover featuring the new Pope of Crime himself! Pete Wells at <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/disraeli-all-hail-new-pope.html">2000AD Covers Uncovered</a> has kindly hosted a step-by-step demo of the making of said cover, including a short video segment showing exactly how I produce those texture effects. <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/disraeli-all-hail-new-pope.html">Check out the demo here. </a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-11956500155818568962013-03-18T21:25:00.000+00:002013-03-18T21:25:15.609+00:00New Stickleback!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rYtN7z7Z43A/UUeDdpeXSAI/AAAAAAAACTo/wRjm6HX96Yk/s1600/New-Stickleback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rYtN7z7Z43A/UUeDdpeXSAI/AAAAAAAACTo/wRjm6HX96Yk/s400/New-Stickleback.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>First try at Stickleback's new look - we dropped the streaks, he looked a bit too Ra's Al Ghul</i><br />
Stickleback Number of the Beast<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Stickleback <i>created by Ian Edginton and Me</i></td></tr>
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So, after nearly three years, Ian and I have finally squirmed out of the corner we'd painted ourselves into, and a new series of Stickleback begins!<br />
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I'll be doing the usual catalogue of references for each episode, but I'm leaving that towards the end of each week to keep the spoilerificatiousness down to a minimum.<br />
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Pete Wells at <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.com/">2000AD Covers Uncovered</a> will be publishing a step-by-step demo of this week's Stickleback cover soon (he'd have already done it if I'd had the bits ready, sorry Pete!), so I'll link to that as soon as it's up.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-57113489051939228322012-12-26T00:18:00.002+00:002013-01-02T14:02:23.008+00:00Merry Christmas One and All!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasseye/8308821234/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Christmas Daleks by The Glass Eye, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Daleks" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8308821234_4ebfb85623_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-20920021609981707322012-11-27T10:56:00.000+00:002012-11-27T10:56:09.899+00:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzP8OzZUTts/ULSZmlXaRYI/AAAAAAAACQc/ctlpHsXOPtE/s1600/Prog+1811_17+Shadow+Textures+(Finished).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzP8OzZUTts/ULSZmlXaRYI/AAAAAAAACQc/ctlpHsXOPtE/s1600/Prog+1811_17+Shadow+Textures+(Finished).jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wraparound cover for </i>2000AD <i>Prog 1811 - I had a real blast doing this</i><br />Lowlife Saudade<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint </i></td></tr>
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I've been getting a lot of positive feedback about the big wraparound cover for this week's Prog (1811). If you'd like to know a bit more, Pete Wells has kindly hosted a full step-by-step demo showing how the cover was done on his excellent <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/disraeli-luna-city-bang-bang.html">2000AD Covers Uncovered</a> blog.<br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-79315231829552057732012-11-17T11:21:00.001+00:002012-11-17T11:22:55.919+00:00Lowlife Aliens Quiz Answers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The host of Aliens from the last episode of</i> Lowlife: Saudade<br />
<i>All characters copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Lowlife <i>created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint </i><br />
Judge Dredd<i> created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra</i><br />
<i>Creators of individual characters listed below</i></td></tr>
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Answers to last week’s quiz: I’ve included Prog numbers for each characters first appearance, plus the “JDCF” number tells you which volume of <i>The Complete Judge Dredd Case Files</i> that story is reprinted in.</div>
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To the best of my knowledge, all these characters first appeared in stories written by John Wagner; artists are credited below.</div>
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1) Already introduced in the story and this blog, but I’ll not leave them out; the Kleggs, Alien mercinaries intoroduced by Judge Cal to keep the poplulation of Mega-City One in line during the <i>Day the Law Died</i> saga, (first appearance Prog 94, JDCF 2), first drawn by Brian Bolland (in an episode inked by Gary Leach.) </div>
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2) Just some guys, y’know?</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ODzvzmoYbJ4/UKdwdLH500I/AAAAAAAACPw/9lEFkyJGMaU/s1600/Trapper+Hag.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ODzvzmoYbJ4/UKdwdLH500I/AAAAAAAACPw/9lEFkyJGMaU/s320/Trapper+Hag.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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3) (From the race of) Trapper Hag, an alien bounty hunter who caused all sorts of trouble for Dredd back in Prog 305 (JDCF 6). Armed with a hi-tech force field, formidable physical strength and some nasty alien hounds, Hag killed a number of judges in the pursuit of his human prey. Despite his name, there's no indication as to whether Hag contains less caffeine that other comparable trappers. Artist: Steve Dillon.</div>
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4) (From the race of) the necromancer Murd the Oppressor, the vile sorceress from the <i>Judge Child Saga</i> parts 15 &16 (Progs 170/171, JDCF 4) Native to the planet Necros, she was the guardian of the giant toad Sagbelly, the only source of the drug Oracle Spice, which Dredd needed to find the Judge Child Owen Krysler. Murd pops up again in flashback as the mentor of the necromancer Sabbat in the Judgement Day saga. Artist: Mick McMahon.</div>
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5) A Guardian, servant of Murd the Oppressor, from the same story (Progs 170/171, JDCF 4). Artist: Mick McMahon.</div>
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6) This one’s a real pig - he appears in only one panel during part 17 of the <i>Judge Child Saga</i> (Prog 172, JDCF 4). He’s playing a board game with Prosser, The Jigsaw Man, just before we get the big reveal and see what Jigsaw Disease is. Artist: Brian Bolland. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-26547691538972441752012-11-07T11:37:00.000+00:002012-11-07T11:37:14.885+00:00Who's Who?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dirty Frank gets zapped in the last panel of</i> Lowlife: Saudade<i> part 4</i><br />Lowlife Saudade<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint. </i></td></tr>
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Quick pop quiz: can you identify the various background aliens in this panel? They're all from early on in the history of the Dredd universe. The Kleggs you already know, of course.<br />
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(The two humans aren't anyone in particular - it's the aliens we're after.)<br />
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Answers on Saturday morning.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-75807744461834243872012-10-31T11:57:00.002+00:002012-10-31T11:57:42.790+00:00Look Kids! Free Stuff!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've finally got round to restoring my downloads page for digital resources, D'Freebies of 'Israeli - the original was lost when Apple discontinued the iDisk service a few months ago.<br />
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The new version exists as a page within this blog - check the far right tab at the top of the page - and I've also corrected the link in the Resources section of the sidebar.<br />
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It'll take me a while to restore everything - I have to find some of the files in my backups - but as a start there's a handy set of painting brushes and a CMYK-safe old-school comics colouring swatch set for Photoshop, plus a 2000AD format page file for Manga Studio.<br />
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Enjoy!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-48460982115631891872012-10-29T13:43:00.000+00:002012-10-29T13:58:20.469+00:00Lowlife: Saudade Part Three: Sharkitecture, or Slaughter Your Darlings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Luna-2 from</i> Lowlife: Saudade<i> part three. The most complex drawing I've done since the end of </i>Leviathan<i> (2003).</i><br />
Lowlife Saudade<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint.</i></td></tr>
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I'm very lucky working with Rob Williams, as he's always on time with script. Over the years, I've often been kept waiting (the clock ticking away but my deadlines not shifting…) or received script in dribs and drabs as the writer's working on it (which can be a minefield for continuity). But Rob? Always prompt. While I was working on <i>Lowlife: Saudade</i> part three, he even got me the script for part four in advance, which is very unusual. I hardly ever get to see what will happen next when I'm working on an episode.<br />
What's even more unusual is, this was the only time in my career when getting a script in advance caused me a whole load of extra work… but without it, the double page spread of Luna-2 (above) would have looked very different…<br />
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<b>(Before I start this story, I want to say this isn't intended in any way as a criticism of Rob Williams, who really saved my butt by turning out scripts for me at very short notice after I'd had scheduling problems with another project.)</b><br />
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There's no such thing as foolproof. However carefully you specify something, there'll always be someone who can get the wrong end of the stick. And, dear reader, that someone is usually me. Take a look at the description of the double-page spread shown above from Rob's script:<br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Pages 3 and 4 (Two panels)</b><br />
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Double Page Splash, effectively (panel two’s a small indent bottom right). Now we see what’s being built at the bottom of this HUGE moon crater. And it’s LUNA-2. It’s a brand, shiny new GOD CITY. Unsullied by industry or people living in it. If Mega City One and Luna-1 look old and lived in, this looks not yet out of the box. And it looks better and more modern and more hi-tech than any Dreddworld city we’ve ever seen. It looks like an idealised representation of a future city. And the Overdrive Inc logo is very overtly on lots of the city blocks etc. Its scale if simply enormous. Workers are working on it, as you’d imagine. That’s who the people were coming in on the transport we saw last episode. The city’s not quite finished yet. There’s small transports carrying workers whizzing around. In the far left foreground of this shot we can see the viewing window with Frank and Overdrive in it, staring out at this simply extraordinary sight.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;">Now, that certainly conforms to the image you see above, a big wide shot of the city. Frank, after all, is in a spaceport, which you'd assume would be at the edge of the city. So now take a look at these two panel descriptions from page 6 to see where I went wrong:</span></div>
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We’re on the ground of LUNA-2 here looking up at its spires high overhead and, in the sky above, high above the crater, in the distance, we can see the EARTH.</blockquote>
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Panel Two<br />
Frank now, in a viewing area, alone, it looks out over LUNA-2 and has a glass ceiling to allow him to look up at the sky. </blockquote>
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What's actually intended here is that we have one shot <i>inside</i> the city and then another one <i>outside</i>; but reading "looking up at its spires" and "look up at the sky," I added two and two, made five, and placed Frank's observation dome <i>inside</i> the city. I then set about designing the sequence accordingly.<br />
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Designs for Luna-2 architecture. To make the city look a bit different, I hit on the idea of using shark forms; tails, fins, snouts with open jaws (I like to think of this as "sharkitecture.") On the left are layouts for the first version of the double page spread, with the observation bubble set inside the city.</div>
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The first, incomplete version of the double page spread, set inside the bounds of Luna-2. Halfway through work on this I received the script for part 4, which indicates that Frank's location is in fact some distance outside the city with a view of the whole thing. </div>
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Bum.</div>
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Now, I <i>could</i> have gone back to Rob and asked for a rewrite, but this business was really my fault… and then, looking at the action from the following episode, and seeing the possibilities of a big wide shot of the city… it would be a real pain in the arse to re-do the spread, but there was<i> just</i> time, and it could be really brilliant…</div>
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Sometimes it's just worth making the effort. Back to the drawing board.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tg9yVx5Lb1I/UI5iSOksduI/AAAAAAAACOQ/rlYuBBy4tts/s1600/Luna-2-Plan-View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tg9yVx5Lb1I/UI5iSOksduI/AAAAAAAACOQ/rlYuBBy4tts/s320/Luna-2-Plan-View.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In my 3D program, I made up a simple model with the plan view of Luna-2 inside its concealing crater. Following the "sharkitecture" theme, I made the city plan a sort of fat shark shape. I used 3D because we were going to see the city at a low angle and the perspective of the complex curved shape was the key to showing the scale of the thing. It's easy enough to draw something so the reader <i>knows</i> it must be big, but I wanted them to <i>feel</i> how big it was. I wanted this to be a real "money shot."</div>
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I generated this view in 3D, using a wide-angle virtual camera to create strong perspective effects - this is the key to the sense of scale. I've only made a flat outline as it's easier for me to draw in the rest of the city than try to model it - this view is just a guide.</div>
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The 3D rendering pasted into the double page spread in Manga Studio EX 4. I've used the Perspective Ruler tools to add a perspective grid over the top of the image, though it's hard to see at this scale.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bx9XLncgtYw/UI5iJ4vNAdI/AAAAAAAACNs/57bcgewbC4g/s1600/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS3+Rough+Pencils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bx9XLncgtYw/UI5iJ4vNAdI/AAAAAAAACNs/57bcgewbC4g/s640/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS3+Rough+Pencils.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Rough "pencils" over the top of the 3D rendering. I've "rescued" the foreground bubble containing Frank and Overdrive from the previous version.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CqoW8QXGlCM/UI5iLe6KfSI/AAAAAAAACN0/PF0_XKgwQBs/s1600/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS4+Pencils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CqoW8QXGlCM/UI5iLe6KfSI/AAAAAAAACN0/PF0_XKgwQBs/s640/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS4+Pencils.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Pencilling" added in bright colours over the rendering and rough pencils. Though I often use colour coding to indicate different parts of the drawing, in this case the bright colours are just to help the drawing show up against the brightly-coloured rendering.</div>
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Because I'd already spent time on the abortive first version, I was running a bit late, so I pencilled everything very loosely with the idea of doing most of the drawing at the "inking" stage. With fantasy architecture, I'm pretty confident at just doodling in buildings, especially at such a small scale. Note that I add a bit more detail to key landmarks - the tower at the top of the hill, for example.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CR3yN4VANg/UI5iNG6bvfI/AAAAAAAACN8/ItvQaVyIw4U/s1600/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS5+Inxses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CR3yN4VANg/UI5iNG6bvfI/AAAAAAAACN8/ItvQaVyIw4U/s640/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS5+Inxses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The "inks" over the pencils and rendering. This was a couple of days' work on its own. With this sort of repetitive detail work, patience and stamina are much more important than drawing skill. I find the best way to do it is listening to something absorbing on the radio - a good drama, say, that occupies the attention - and then it's almost like doodling. I also broke the fine detail work into chunks and interspersed it with work on other pages to give myself a bit of variety.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7a4rq_wW-KA/UI5iOxF2h2I/AAAAAAAACOE/FnTuEmvCf-s/s1600/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS6+MSEX+Export.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7a4rq_wW-KA/UI5iOxF2h2I/AAAAAAAACOE/FnTuEmvCf-s/s640/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS6+MSEX+Export.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The spread with greys added, ready to be exported from Manga Studio. The striking false colours indicate areas where I'll drop in subtle gradations in Photoshop, which handles grads much better than Manga Studio. The blue on Frank's face is a mask where I'll drop in a "grot" texture.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yXVPl13yq40/UI5iQwTrqeI/AAAAAAAACOM/IpEWgLoTsLc/s1600/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS7+FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yXVPl13yq40/UI5iQwTrqeI/AAAAAAAACOM/IpEWgLoTsLc/s640/Lowlife+Saudade+03+DPS7+FINAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The finished piece, with grads added in Photoshop. I'm pretty happy with this, but there's a reason I only do one of these big spreads every decade :-)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-apK7EMP6n-s/UI6GE1ESPYI/AAAAAAAACO0/9p5ic3-WaDI/s1600/Page-5-Revision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-apK7EMP6n-s/UI6GE1ESPYI/AAAAAAAACO0/9p5ic3-WaDI/s320/Page-5-Revision.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Luckily, there weren't that many other changes needed; I had to tweak the views out through the bubble on page 5, but that wasn't much work. The biggest change was re-drawing the background to page 6 panel 2, taking Frank's observation bubble from the centre of the city to the crater wall. All of this was made easy not only because I work digitally, but because I have the habit of drawing foregrounds and backgrounds on different layers - I could erase the cityscape in one go without touching the bubble itself.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-46417326785714963222012-10-22T10:30:00.000+01:002012-10-22T10:51:28.348+01:00Lowlife: Saudade Part 2: 21st Century Foss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, last time I talked about the delights of drawing stuff I remembered from the <i>2000AD</i>’s of my childhood (in particular, Luna-1). But that was nothing… because this episode I got to draw…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r42sODi-3zg/UILvSC-3hpI/AAAAAAAACLg/KIK92zsEKcs/s1600/Klegg-Hai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r42sODi-3zg/UILvSC-3hpI/AAAAAAAACLg/KIK92zsEKcs/s640/Klegg-Hai.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Kleggs copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Kleggs created by John Wagner and Brian Bolland(?)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>KLEGGS!</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SGPDBgHHhng/UILvQ4blPkI/AAAAAAAACLc/4yh0tczF62w/s1600/Klegg-Dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SGPDBgHHhng/UILvQ4blPkI/AAAAAAAACLc/4yh0tczF62w/s320/Klegg-Dance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kleggs love to sing and dance</td></tr>
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These crocodile-headed mercinaries first appeared during the long-running Judge Dredd saga <i>The Day The Law Died</i> (aka <i>Judge Caligula</i>). They combine the utterly menacing (reptilian giants with huge jaws full of razor sharp teeth) with the faintly ridiculous (thick as bricks, tiny little legs, like to sing) and as a result, were fondly remembered by <i>2000AD</i> readers and have made a number of appearances in the Prog and the <i>Megazine</i> since. </div>
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Though the art chores for <i>The Day the Law Died</i> were shared among four regular artists, Brian Bolland seemed to do the bulk of the epsiodes involving the Kleggs, so keeping up with his incredibly precise drawing style was going to be a big challenge. I made sure to do lots of boning up on the facial structure of crocodiles, especially that odd zig-zag jawline they have, which makes them look so very nasty.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rqVZCDCjzXE/UILvPgAO0fI/AAAAAAAACLU/NRpYhoNNkL4/s1600/Dirty-Frank-%2526-Klegg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rqVZCDCjzXE/UILvPgAO0fI/AAAAAAAACLU/NRpYhoNNkL4/s320/Dirty-Frank-%2526-Klegg.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dirty Frank meets his first Klegg in </i>Lowlife: Saudade<br />
Lowlife Saudade<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint </i></td></tr>
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In the end I was quite pleased with how my Kleggs turned out, though I did fluff some of the behind-the-head shots a bit.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FIRiZibtdTY/UILvT-uMWLI/AAAAAAAACLw/Y5916Iuxes0/s1600/Lowlife-Lunar-Shuttle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FIRiZibtdTY/UILvT-uMWLI/AAAAAAAACLw/Y5916Iuxes0/s200/Lowlife-Lunar-Shuttle.jpg" width="101" /></a></div>
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Designing the giant transporter ship on page one gave me the chance to pay tribute to one of the great names of SF illustration - <a href="http://www.chrisfossart.com/" target="_blank">Chris Foss.</a> Famed for his “big yellow spaceship” school of design, Foss burst onto the scene in the early 1970’s, and was in the vanguard of a new wave of artists who SF design away from the sleek, polished metal designs of the 30’s towards the gritty, industrial look that became so fashionable following Star Wars in 1977. Besides dominating the UK paperback market for more than a decade, Foss also produced the early concept designs for the classic Eagle Transporter in Gerry Anderson’s seminal <i>2001</i>-influenced TV gloom-fest <i>Space:1999</i>, and was a contributing concept designer on Ridley Scott’s SF-horror game-changer <i>Alien</i> (1979).</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: the transporter chip from page one</span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zy3kurPlgHo/UILwOFPWhBI/AAAAAAAACM0/ZjjhUmliE9o/s1600/Shuttle%2526Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zy3kurPlgHo/UILwOFPWhBI/AAAAAAAACM0/ZjjhUmliE9o/s400/Shuttle%2526Eagle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left: the Io shuttle from the movie</i> Outland<br />
<i>Right: An Eagle transporter from the TV series </i>Space: 1999</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span> My transporter ship design borrows elements from the Eagle Transporter and the Io shuttle from the movie <i>Outland</i>; both models constructed by British modelling whizz Martin Bower (who also oversaw the building of the starship <i>Nostromo</i> for <i>Alien</i>).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHbLuAjUGqg/UILvXDjaXdI/AAAAAAAACME/FvUEzUDzRCk/s1600/MartinBowerNostromo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHbLuAjUGqg/UILvXDjaXdI/AAAAAAAACME/FvUEzUDzRCk/s400/MartinBowerNostromo.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Martin Bower with the large model of the starship </i>Nostromo<i> from </i>Alien.</td></tr>
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For the landing scene, I borrowed the agressive backlighting employed by Ridley Scott for the <i>Nostromo’s</i> planetfall in <i>Alien</i>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-La3i65m1S9w/UIL0fdeb-bI/AAAAAAAACNE/LXQhgUavpbA/s1600/Landing-Triad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="576" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-La3i65m1S9w/UIL0fdeb-bI/AAAAAAAACNE/LXQhgUavpbA/s640/Landing-Triad.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Top: The landing of the starship</i> Nostromo<i> in the movie </i>Alien.<br />
<i>Bottom left: The transporter ship touches down on the moon on page four of</i> Lowlife: Saudade<i> part two.</i><br />
<i>Bottom right: the 3D model I made to establish perspective and shadows for the ship and landing pad.</i></td></tr>
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I built a simple model of the ship in 3D so I could get the shadows right. The rendering for the final image, with its careful use of spatter and tone effects, was inspired by memories of Gary Leach’s outstanding work in the early 80’s on The <i>VC’s</i> for <i>2000AD</i> and <i>Warpsmiths</i> for <i>Warrior</i>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pp9u33SS34/UILvYxNLOeI/AAAAAAAACMM/_V9MefDc9fU/s1600/NostromoArticle_1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pp9u33SS34/UILvYxNLOeI/AAAAAAAACMM/_V9MefDc9fU/s400/NostromoArticle_1_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A rare view of the first, yellow-painted incarnation of the </i>Nostromo<i> from </i>Alien.</td></tr>
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Finally, while I was researching this post, I came upon some pictures of something I’d only heard rumours of previously; that during the early stages of the production of <i>Alien</i>, the model of the <i>Nostromo</i> had been painted up in a bulldozer-yellow Chris Foss-style paint scheme before being resprayed a dull battleship grey for the final film. This post on <a href="http://www.propstore.com/nostromocomp.htm">www.propstore.com</a> tells the full story, including what happened to the huge model after shooting had been completed.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-88734220653422276062012-10-20T11:00:00.000+01:002012-10-20T11:00:02.621+01:00Lowlife: Saudade Cover at 2000AD Covers Uncovered<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CBhQ7xOPess/UICST1RM-TI/AAAAAAAACLE/8VQC9McOTd4/s1600/Lowlife-SD-Cover-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CBhQ7xOPess/UICST1RM-TI/AAAAAAAACLE/8VQC9McOTd4/s400/Lowlife-SD-Cover-01.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover for </i>2000AD<i> Prog 1805</i><br />
Lowlife Saudade<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint.</i></td></tr>
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If you're into process-y, step-by-step demo-y goodness, there's more to be had at 2<i>000AD Covers Uncovered</i>, who have kindly agreed to host a detailed demo of the process behind the cover to last week's Prog - <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disraeli-dirty-frank-grot-doodle.html" target="_blank">go get it!</a><br />
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And a big "get well soon" to Pete Wells at <i>2000AD Covers Uncovered</i>, who's been suffering from the 'flu all this week.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-7667175485912047952012-10-19T15:11:00.000+01:002012-10-20T00:11:16.693+01:00Lowlife: Saudade Part One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CBhQ7xOPess/UICST1RM-TI/AAAAAAAACLE/8VQC9McOTd4/s1600/Lowlife-SD-Cover-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CBhQ7xOPess/UICST1RM-TI/AAAAAAAACLE/8VQC9McOTd4/s320/Lowlife-SD-Cover-01.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover for</i> 2000AD <i>Prog 180. Click to embiggen.</i><br />
<i>A full step-by-step breakdown of the making of this cover is available on</i> <a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disraeli-dirty-frank-grot-doodle.html" target="_blank">2000AD Covers Uncovered</a><br />
Lowlife <i>copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />
Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint.</i></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, back in the saddle for another Lowlife!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(If anyone’s wondering what happened to the new <i>Stickleback</i> series I tweeted about a couple of weeks ago, have no fear, I’m working on it now; <i>2000AD</i> often commissions material months in advance, so <i>Lowlife:Saudade</i> represents work I did between February and June this year).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the delights of working for a comic you read yourself as a child is that sometimes you get to draw stuff you remember fondly; thus I was happy to find myself working on a story set in the Dredd universe’s moon colony, Luna-1. Although I wasn’t a regular Squaxx until Prog 86 (when <i>Starlord</i> merged with <i>2000AD</i>), I picked up the odd issue here and there (often on day trips) and there seems to have been a little cluster during Dredd’s tour of duty as Marshall of Luna-1 - the Face-Change Gang, the Lunar Olympics and The Oxygen Board, all stories drawn by Brian Bolland. (Quick digression - the first Judge Dredd story I ever drew, Master Moves, revisited several of the themes of the Lunar Olympics.)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One thing I wanted to do was really establish the cityscape of Lunar-1; previous renditions of the city tended to show the domes from the outside, but avoid any sense of enclosure once you were inside - not that I'm being sniffy about the efforts on my predecessors; the geometry of the inside of a dome is horribly tricky to plot by hand, and the only way I did it was by modelling the domes in a 3D program. Not only was that technology unavailable to Messrs. Bolland, McMahon and Gibson back in the 1970’s, but they only had about half as long as I do to draw a single episode. Nevertheless, there was a gap in the visual landscape of the Dredd universe that I felt could be usefully filled.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I built the domes in Carrara 3D* using transparent spheres embedded into squat, wide cylinders on an infinite plain; I added various small blocks around the edges of the cylinders to simulate smaller support structures. The shape was loosely inspired by the design on the moonbase in 2001: A Space Odyssey. I’d made the domes themselves transparent by adding a glass shader to them, but I needed a bit of structure as well, to help me add details like support struts (I generally build as little as possible in 3D, preferring to add a checkerboard pattern to objects which allows me to accurately place hand-drawn details such as windows, struts and panels on the surfaces of complex objects.) To get transparent domes with a checkerboard pattern on them, I copied the domes, pasted the copies back in exactly the same positions (in 3D modelling, two objects can exist in the same space), replaced the glass shader on the copies with checkerboard, then reduced the opacity of the checked domes down to about 10% - giving the effect of a checked frosting on the “glass” dome (there’s probably a more sophisticated way of doing this by editing the shader directly, but I was in a hurry and this worked).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">*I don’t especially recommend Carrara, it just happens to be the descendant of a 3D program I was given back in the late 90’s, and I’ve stuck with it out of familiarity and the fact that upgrades are cheap. If you’re starting from scratch, Google Sketchup is probably a better bet; the basic version is free, it’s easy to learn and ideal for the sort of simple modelling needed by comic artists.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XCF0BNGZiE/UICSSGAYy6I/AAAAAAAACK0/lBWks-OCkHc/s1600/Lowlife-SD-01_03-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XCF0BNGZiE/UICSSGAYy6I/AAAAAAAACK0/lBWks-OCkHc/s400/Lowlife-SD-01_03-Stages.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Four stages of work on page three (click on image to embiggen)<br />Top left: imported 3D render. Top Right: perspective grids and rough pencils<br />Bottom Left: finished pencils. Bottom Right: inks over pencils and 3D render.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the models were built it was just a question of placing a camera inside one of the domes to give the effect of looking down from a tall building near the crown of the dome. I’d already drawn a rough of the page to help me work out what angle and field of view I wanted. Once I’d got the view right in Carrara I did a screen grab and imported it into Manga Studio; there I could use the 3-Point Perspective Ruler to build a perspective grid that mapped onto the perspective of the scene. With the grid in place, I could sketch in the bubbly organic Dredd-world towers by eye. Obligingly, the checker pattern I’d applied to the 3D shapes mapped onto the circular cross-section of the base cylinders as a sort of dart-board target pattern, so I had the rings of concentric roads inside the domes ready laid-out for me!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDOszz1Nxxs/UICSQMdtZBI/AAAAAAAACKk/Ec_XA4wzr_4/s1600/Bolland-Oxygen-Tankers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDOszz1Nxxs/UICSQMdtZBI/AAAAAAAACKk/Ec_XA4wzr_4/s320/Bolland-Oxygen-Tankers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Brian Bolland's splash for Judge Dredd: The Oxygen Board, </i>2000AD<i> Prog 57</i>.<br />Judge Dredd<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<br />Judge Dredd<i> created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One last detail I made sure to add was the oxygen tankers docking with the crown of the domes - this comes from the Dredd story <i>The Oxygen Board</i> way back in Prog 57. I love finding these little connections back to the past history of the Dredd universe.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-60z5YxiAAnA/UICSQ0JkSYI/AAAAAAAACKo/CSTfVjQTM9Q/s1600/Lowlife-SD-01_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-60z5YxiAAnA/UICSQ0JkSYI/AAAAAAAACKo/CSTfVjQTM9Q/s320/Lowlife-SD-01_02.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lowlife: Saudade<i> part one page three, with its eleven panel layout.</i><br /><i>This is still only the same amount of work as six panels with two figures in each.</i><br />Lowlife Saudade<i> copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/</i>2000AD.<i> </i><br />Lowlife<i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve been a little surprised at how much attention page 2’s received due to its 11-panel layout. I guess I’m bucking the trend these days but I absolutely LOVE this dense style of storytelling - on the rare occasions I’ve written for myself, I tend to do very high panel counts, going up to 20 panels a page in the A4 pages of <i>Timulo</i> (<i>Deadline</i> magazine, 1989-90) and averaging 12-16 panels in the US-comic-sized Consequences (Autocratik Press, 1999, both stories now available in the collection <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/disraeli-demon-draughtsman/timularo-the-complete-timulo/paperback/product-13838024.html" target="_blank">Timularo from Lulu.com</a>). It’s ironic, but dense pages always feel spacious to me, from the storytelling perspective; you can show the minutiae of action and reaction, take a character through a thought process; explore the environment that surrounds him. A lot of artists shy away from high panel counts because it looks like lots of work, but generally, because you can’t show as much per panel, you don’t end up doing that much extra drawing. Well, I don’t anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s a pity we don’t get to do more of this in 2000AD - unfortunately it’s a more contemplative style that’s probably at odds with 2000AD’s status as an adventure comic. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but a few years ago there was a 2000AD style guide that suggested no more than seven panels to the page maximum in order to keep the stories moving. But then again, Si Spurrier and I got away with a four-tier, eight-panel grid on <a href="http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/vort-part-1-back-to-future.html" target="_blank">The Vort.</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-14510213748945800062012-09-01T19:16:00.000+01:002012-09-01T19:27:44.315+01:002000AD Signing in Birmingham<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks to everyone at FP Birmingham for making today's signing such a fun event! The event went swimmingly, with myself and Mark Harrison (who I had the pleasure of meeting properly for the first time, and is a real gent) kept busy sketching and signing for the whole time. Everybody was very patient, as both us artists had forgotten to bring pencils, so some of the sketches were a bit ropey!<br />
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It was lovely to catch up with my old mucker Ian Edginton too (who was signing, but being a writer, not sketching.) Special thanks to the staff at Birmingham FP for the TLC and chocolate fingers, and not kicking me out for licking the Daleks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RvkuSSSEbFc/UEJKm7dIZ_I/AAAAAAAACKU/FgojaY09yLI/s1600/Sept-01-Birmingham-Sketchees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RvkuSSSEbFc/UEJKm7dIZ_I/AAAAAAAACKU/FgojaY09yLI/s1600/Sept-01-Birmingham-Sketchees.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketches from the 2000AD/Dredd signing at Forbidden Planet in Birmingham <br />
(click to see full-sized images on Flickr)</td></tr>
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I've been pretty bad about posting my "sketchees" photos over the last couple of years (I have a backlog going back to Bristol <b><i>2011</i></b>), but this time I decided I'd get straight down to it. Where I don't know names, I've labelled the photos with the subject of the sketch. If anyone is unhappy with having their photo up here (or wants me to add or amend information, <a href="mailto:disraeli.demon@gmail.com" target="_blank">please get in touch.</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-4283467566311910592012-04-20T09:17:00.002+01:002012-04-20T09:34:50.855+01:00Leviathan Hits the States!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-szWyzGM6cdE/T5EUoNOiN2I/AAAAAAAACE0/oclpavCd_X0/s1600/leviathan_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-szWyzGM6cdE/T5EUoNOiN2I/AAAAAAAACE0/oclpavCd_X0/s320/leviathan_01.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover for the new </i>Leviathan<i> US Edition (based on a </i>2000AD<i> cover from 2003)</i><br />
Leviathan<i> © 2012 Rebellion Developments/</i>2000AD<br />
<i>Created by Ian Edginton and Me.</i></td></tr>
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Delighted to announce that Leviathan is finally getting a US edtion - official release date was the 17th so it should be available for order from your favourite comics shop, or you can <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Leviathan/Ian-Edington/9781907992698" target="_blank">buy online</a> from the publisher, Simon & Schuster.<br />
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<i>Leviathan</i> is an occult murder-mystery story set on a mile-long ocean liner that's been adrift on strange seas for more than a decade. The guys at Broken Frontier did us an <a href="http://www.brokenfrontier.com/columns/p/detail/leviathan-cruises-the-infernal-seas" target="_blank">excellent review with page samples</a>, and the press release from 2000ADonline is <a href="http://www.2000adonline.com/news/13-03-2012/the_leviathan_is_setting_sail_this_april" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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The original UK hardback edition of <i>Leviathan</i> is now out of print, but for UK readers who missed it, a <a href="http://shop.2000adonline.com/products/leviathan" target="_blank">new trade paperback edition</a> came out last year.<br />
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Finally, a confession; I'm a little embarassed by the cover to the US edition. This was done originally for <i>2000AD</i> when Leviathan was running as a serial. <i>2000AD</i> has a history of parody covers, and this one was a direct take on the movie poster for the 2002 film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288477/" target="_blank"><i>Ghost Ship</i></a> (itself a take on the poster for the 1980 film <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080603/" target="_blank">Death Ship</a>.</i>) I did a different, much subtler cover for the UK edition, but the US distributors preferred this one. So if you're thinking you've seen this image before… yes, you have, and yes, yes, I know…<br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-68248580512108861002012-01-04T12:00:00.000+00:002012-01-04T00:47:06.969+00:00Happy New Year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wi5_KfS4gU/TnR-p2MaKGI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/h9e4Xz64PUY/s1600/Lowlife-Hokusai-Cover-Colour-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wi5_KfS4gU/TnR-p2MaKGI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/h9e4Xz64PUY/s400/Lowlife-Hokusai-Cover-Colour-1.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Lowlife "Hokusai" Cover for </i>2000AD<i> Prog 1752<br />
Dirty Frank © 2012 Rebellion Developments/</i>2000AD<br />
<i>Dirty Frank/Lowlife created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was delighted to discover that the Dirty Frank "Hokusai" cover for 2000AD Prog 1752 has won Cover of the Year 2011 on the<a href="http://2000adcovers.blogspot.com/2012/01/results-of-great-2000ad-cover-vote-for.html"> 2000AD Covers Uncovered</a> blog. Thanks to everyone from Covers Uncovered, ECBT2000AD and the 2000AD messageboards who voted. It's been a corking year for 2000AD, so competition was stiff, and I'm proud to have placed in a field that included Greg Staples, Cliff Robertson and Henry Flint (no less than 3 times!)<br />
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Thanks where thanks are due: Tharg-in-Residence Matt Smith came up with the idea of basing a cover on a Hokusai print, and also approved what is a very radical take on Dirty Frank. 2000AD design stalwart Simon Parr also deserves thanks for his ever-sensitive design work. Thanks, gentlemen.<br />
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Finally, and at the risk of turning into Richard Attenborough, thanks to Pete Wells of 2000AD Covers Uncovered for his ongoing work showing the time and effort that goes into the cover art for the Galaxy's Greatest every week.<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-16683147673901649532011-10-28T13:59:00.004+01:002011-10-28T14:05:23.107+01:00Lowlife The Deal Part Eight: My Hand Nearly Dropped Off<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0GbSNquWqpc/Tqqgaals3vI/AAAAAAAAB8s/wRVKOgcF_Jw/s1600/Lowlife-TD-08_03-Approval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0GbSNquWqpc/Tqqgaals3vI/AAAAAAAAB8s/wRVKOgcF_Jw/s400/Lowlife-TD-08_03-Approval.jpg" width="306" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zXX1QdIPxzU/TqqgcO5C1NI/AAAAAAAAB80/d4qq39oPzxU/s1600/Lowlife-TD-08_04-Approval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zXX1QdIPxzU/TqqgcO5C1NI/AAAAAAAAB80/d4qq39oPzxU/s400/Lowlife-TD-08_04-Approval.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lowlife: The Deal</i> part eight pages three and four. A flashback scene rendered with lots of hatching as a tribute to the works of Carlos Ezquerra and Henry Flint.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lowlife</i> and associated characters © 2011 Rebellion Developments/<i>2000AD</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lowlife</i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pages three and four of the current Lowlife episode gave me a new appreciation for my fellow <i>2000AD</i> art droids. Although I like to pack loads of detail into my pages, I've always used a relatively simplified art style that made drawing all those details fairly quick and easy (even the seemingly-elaborate faux "paint 'n collage" technique of Stickleback is a kind of sleight-of-hand in terms of effort put in for detail on the page.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But for this particular flashback sequence, I thought it would be nice to borrow a trick from <i>2000AD</i> titan Carlos Ezquerra, who used to drop out the solid blacks in favour of blocks of hatching to indicate a flashback sequence:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mzlal6hmfZM/Tqqg4Gu-jpI/AAAAAAAAB88/3WVZhahfemk/s1600/Ezquerra-Flashback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mzlal6hmfZM/Tqqg4Gu-jpI/AAAAAAAAB88/3WVZhahfemk/s320/Ezquerra-Flashback.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flashback scene by Carlos Ezquerra from <i>Judge Dredd: The Apocalypse War.</i><br />
Note the use of hatching to replace solid blacks.<br />
Judge Dredd © 2011 Rebellion Developments/<i>2000AD</i>.<br />
Judge Dredd created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. </td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd not really been intending it, but with some of the darker areas (such as Frank's coat on page three panel four) I ended up using a sort of denser scribble that is closer to what Henry Flint was doing in his early Lowlife work:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKOzB4_pNF0/Tqqk5DQ4jLI/AAAAAAAAB9E/0HDDxGXXrCQ/s1600/Dirty+Frank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKOzB4_pNF0/Tqqk5DQ4jLI/AAAAAAAAB9E/0HDDxGXXrCQ/s320/Dirty+Frank.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Flint draws Big Frank's first appearance in Lowlife: Paranoia.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lowlife</i> © 2011 Rebellion Developments/<i>2000AD</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lowlife</i> created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint.</span></span></div></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got to say, it's the first time I've ever done a page, looked at the result, been really pleased , and straightaway said, "Never again!" Why? Because my bloody hand nearly dropped off doing all that hatching, that's why. It took <i>ages</i>. Full kudos to Messrs. Ezquerra and Flint; guys, you are hardcore and I but a mere lightweight. I don't know how you did it, you must have wrist muscles like a bull's neck.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Respect due.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-87018727165055756362011-10-14T17:51:00.000+01:002011-10-14T17:51:00.834+01:00Lowlife: The Deal Parts Four to Six - If You Knew Kaiju Like I Knew Kaiju<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some crave superbly crafted stories, for others it's wonderful acting or beautiful cinematography. But when I sit down for a bit of cinematic entertainment what I'm really looking for is two Japanese stuntmen bashing into each other at random while a load of fireworks go off around them. Yes, I'm a devotee of Kaiju, Japanese rubber-suit monsters, and the last few episodes of Lowlife: The Deal have given me the chance to scratch that particular itch in public. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngSg9t3zyCc/TphcXdcMxgI/AAAAAAAAB8A/D4pwKV75qvg/s1600/Hedorah+Analogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngSg9t3zyCc/TphcXdcMxgI/AAAAAAAAB8A/D4pwKV75qvg/s400/Hedorah+Analogue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Frank's avatar, based loosely on Hedorah, the Smog Monster (from <i>Godzilla vs the Smog Monster</i>, Toho studios 1971). I described this creature to Rob Williams as "a giant ambulatory turd," which seemed a perfect <i>alter ego</i> for Dirty Frank. The little doodles top left are me working out his rough body shape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3rMkRBFutk/TphcVM0ekwI/AAAAAAAAB7o/fczQVj2UCTk/s1600/Anguiris+Ananlogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3rMkRBFutk/TphcVM0ekwI/AAAAAAAAB7o/fczQVj2UCTk/s320/Anguiris+Ananlogue.jpg" width="313" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y43R_gDzbyY/TphcYB2Q4JI/AAAAAAAAB8I/Uvbw3sJwNiw/s1600/Jigsaw+Godzilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y43R_gDzbyY/TphcYB2Q4JI/AAAAAAAAB8I/Uvbw3sJwNiw/s320/Jigsaw+Godzilla.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The two monsters from the initial sparring session in part three. The one on the left is based on regular Godzilla bit-part player Anguiris (a name that derives from the Japanese difficulty with saying Ankyllosaurus, first appearance <i>Godzilla Raids Again</i>, Toho 1955)). The one on the right is half-Godzilla, half Spinosaurus Egypticus (the crocodilian head), half jigsaw set (in the strip, I extended the jigsaw pieces all over the body too, making me glad I only had to draw him for one episode).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_rpE9-UTcI/TphcWuvYo9I/AAAAAAAAB74/Hi_7AdAI5Kc/s1600/Ghandi%2527d+Gamera+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_rpE9-UTcI/TphcWuvYo9I/AAAAAAAAB74/Hi_7AdAI5Kc/s400/Ghandi%2527d+Gamera+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This guy is based on non-Toho star player Gamera the giant turtle (first appearance <i>Gamera The Giant Monster</i>, Daiei 1965, most notable appearances in three revival films<i> Gamera Guardian of the Universe, Gamera II: Attack of Legion, Gamera III: Revenge of Iris</i>, Daiei 1995-1999) . His burning claws are a kaiju-nerd reference to the "flame hand" used by Gamera to kill the monster Iris at the end of <i>Gamera III: Revenge of Iris</i> (Daiei, 1999). But why the little glasses, moustache, white loincloth and (in the finished version) spinning wheel symbol on his chest? Because he's <i>Ghandi'd Gamera</i>, that's why.<br />
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</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8zDlW4SsHE/TphcZE_gsuI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/jIz2YEqzpp8/s1600/King+Ghidorah+Ananlogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8zDlW4SsHE/TphcZE_gsuI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/jIz2YEqzpp8/s400/King+Ghidorah+Ananlogue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No giant monster slug-fest would be complete without the prettiest monster of them all - giant three-headed golden dragon King Ghidorah (First appearance <i>Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah</i>, Toho 1964, most notable appearances <i>Invasion of the Astro Monster</i>, Toho 1965, <i>Destroy All Monsters</i>, Toho 1968, <i>Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, </i>Toho 1991, <i>Godzilla: Final Wars</i>, Toho 2004). KG is a difficult one to pastiche because his profile (three heads, bat wings, no front legs) is so distinctive. My eventual solution was to turn him into a Chinese dragon - which then gave me the idea of him using the 'pearl' (Chinese dragons are traditionally shown chasing a pearl) as an emitter for his death-ray.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gVDwihhC_g/TphcZsOyeOI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/XfLR77PxpYo/s1600/MochaGodzilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gVDwihhC_g/TphcZsOyeOI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/XfLR77PxpYo/s320/MochaGodzilla.jpg" width="294" /></a></div> This guy appears briefly in the background of a couple of panels in episode 6 (he's really just there to make up the numbers). Why a robot dinosaur with a cup of coffee for a head? Because he's <i>Mochagodzilla</i>, naturally (see Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Toho 1974).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLjWvPH8NnU/TphcV8_ilxI/AAAAAAAAB7w/ltIkBAI0jM8/s1600/Auguste+Rodin+the+Flying+Monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLjWvPH8NnU/TphcV8_ilxI/AAAAAAAAB7w/ltIkBAI0jM8/s320/Auguste+Rodin+the+Flying+Monster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This final one isn't from Lowlife at all - it's an old sketch from 2001 showing my long standing love of giant monster puns. Behold - Rodin the flying monster!</div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-41662643754348420622011-09-20T14:51:00.003+01:002011-09-20T14:56:33.650+01:00Lowlife: The Deal Part Three: After Hokusai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wi5_KfS4gU/TnR-p2MaKGI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/h9e4Xz64PUY/s1600/Lowlife-Hokusai-Cover-Colour-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wi5_KfS4gU/TnR-p2MaKGI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/h9e4Xz64PUY/s400/Lowlife-Hokusai-Cover-Colour-1.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover to </i>2000AD<i> Prog 1752, based on a print by Hokusai</i><br />
<i>© 2011 Rebellion Developments/</i>2000AD<br />
<i>Dirty Frank Created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't have that much so say about this week's episode of Lowlife: The Deal, but, luckily, Prog 1752 is the one that gets my Hokusai-derived Dirty Frank cover, which has been getting a lot of nice feedback, so I'll blat on about that instead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both;">Tharg-in-Residience Matt Smith sent me a very loose brief - a shot of Dirty Frank "done in a Japanese, Hokusai-style." Luckily, as a fan of the graphic works of Japanese print-master <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai">Katsushika Hokusai</a>, I already had plenty of reference for his work to hand, so I set about searching for compositions with figures who were bowing, bending or otherwise inclining - ones that could easily be adapted to make a slump-postured Dirty Frank.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w1SNOXcUkjI/TnR-GBgJiRI/AAAAAAAAB7M/l-mPK7oWmoM/s1600/Samurai-72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w1SNOXcUkjI/TnR-GBgJiRI/AAAAAAAAB7M/l-mPK7oWmoM/s400/Samurai-72dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>"Musahshi Goro Sadayo Dies in Battle at the Age of Fifteen" (right) <br />
was the source for the figure of Dirty Frank.<br />
From the </i>Illustrated Book of Heroes of China and Japan in the Style of Katsushika.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both;">To give you an idea of what I was looking for, here's the source material for the final cover, from the <i>Illustrated Book of Heroes of China and Japan in the Style of Katsushika.</i> I realized that the dying Samurai on the right-hand page could be easily turned into Dirty Frank striding along holding a staff.</div><div class="" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both;">I came up with three main possibilities, which I worked up as roughs on a 2000AD cover grid:</div><div class="" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m8H6jklPSJ4/TnR-fDUn2TI/AAAAAAAAB7U/8qMCYZ8qT-U/s1600/Lowlife-Hokusai-Cover-Roughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m8H6jklPSJ4/TnR-fDUn2TI/AAAAAAAAB7U/8qMCYZ8qT-U/s400/Lowlife-Hokusai-Cover-Roughs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three cover roughs - in the end, I only submitted the centre one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first is Dirty Frank and a stylized Aimee Nixon (the symbol of Frank's quest in Japan). The second is Frank on his travels, striding towards Hondo-Cit . The third is a Warrior Frank looking out over the city.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ZFPEwAhZM/TnR-XvOiWcI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/veu2-R6ZFDg/s1600/Hokusai+Landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ZFPEwAhZM/TnR-XvOiWcI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/veu2-R6ZFDg/s200/Hokusai+Landscape.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After thinking on it a while, I decided the second image was so much stronger than the others that I'd just submit that one, keeping the others in reserve. Luckily Tharg-in-Residence Matt Smith liked it, so away we went.<br />
<br />
I wanted the backgrounds to have the correct flavour, so I borrowed the countryside portion of the background from this print, <i>Aoigaoka Waterfall at Edo</i> from <i>A Tour of Japanese Waterfalls</i>. I flipped the image left-for right to fit the composition, omitting the figures to focus attention on Dirty Frank.<br />
<br />
There being no Hokusai prints of Hondo-Cit skyscrapers, I just made that bit up, using a sort of rough <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthographic_projection">orthographic projectio</a>n to match the not-quite-but-nearly perspective that Hokusai employed in his drawings.</div><br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wQxDOx2Di9A/TnR_tW-73tI/AAAAAAAAB7c/XUK9xilrcQc/s1600/Japanese-Brush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wQxDOx2Di9A/TnR_tW-73tI/AAAAAAAAB7c/XUK9xilrcQc/s200/Japanese-Brush.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up of the lines in Dirty Frank's<br />
coat, showing the lines created by<br />
Manga Studio's brush tool.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Samurai I was using for reference was wearing armour, and I wanted a "Hokusai-i-fied" version of Frank's normal outfit, so I copied the folds in the cloth from other Hokusai prints. I also noticed that Hokusai was using a brush for his cloth folds - the lines are more irregular that the ones on, say faces and hands, which I'm guessing are drawn with a bamboo pen - luckily I was drawing this in Manga Studio, a Japanese program which has analogues for the sort of Sumi-E brushes you'd need to get this effect. I can't say I controlled the lines all that well (see left), but it helped to give verisimilitude* to the drawing.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*I've always wanted to say that, "give verisimilitude.</span>"<br />
<br />
The final stage was to export the drawing to Photoshop for colouring. Since I was imitating the effect of woodblock printing, I used flat colour with no modelling or shading, just a couple of gradients (an effect Hokusai produced by mixing inks on the printing blocks). I opened the file in Corel Painter and "mussed up" the gradients a little using a blender brush to stop them looking too mechanical.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hokusai printed his work in lovely bright colours, which have subtly faded over time. To get the character of the colouring right, I sampled most of the key colours from scans of Hokusai's prints, filling in with a few colours of my own as needed. The final stage was to add a subtle texture over the whole image - appropriately enough, one I made myself from a photo of the weathered paint on the back door of our local Chinese grocers. This gave the impression of paper texture and helped to break up the too-perfect flat Photoshop colouring a little.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, after all that effort, do you have anything more than a big cold swipe? Well, I made sure to sign the cover "After Hokusai," the standard artist's way of crediting the person who's work is being quoted (thanks to the guys at 2000AD for including this in the cover credit). For those who already know Hokusai's work, it'll hopefully be an amusing pastiche, a fun way of summing up the themes of this series of <i>Lowlife</i>. For those who haven't heard of Hokusai before, hopefully it'll be a way of spreading the word; and if you'd like to know more, his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai">Wikipedia page</a> and <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=hokusai+gallery&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=bJV4TreDE8Kx8gPjqN3nDA">this Google search</a> aren't a bad place to start.</div><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-17936825924631556612011-09-16T20:01:00.001+01:002011-09-17T14:08:31.605+01:00Lowlife: The Deal Part 2: Details, Details<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2v-GFujnHM/TnOVfUjqyqI/AAAAAAAAB68/ioXDiSproac/s1600/Lowlife-TD-02_02-Approval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2v-GFujnHM/TnOVfUjqyqI/AAAAAAAAB68/ioXDiSproac/s640/Lowlife-TD-02_02-Approval.jpg" width="489" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 20px;"><i>My version of Hondo Cit from </i>Lowlife: The Deal<i> Part Two.<br />
Lowlife/Hondo Cit © 2011 Rebellion/</i>2000AD<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Hondo City Created by Robbie Morrisson and Frank Quitely</i></span><br />
Lowlife created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote><i>No workee<br />
</i><i> </i><i>No eatee<br />
</i><i> </i><i>No pay mortgage<br />
</i><i> </i><i>Sleep on streetee</i> </blockquote><blockquote><i> </i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-The Freelancer’s Lament </span></blockquote><br />
So, the problem with making comics - one of the <i>many</i> problems with making comics - is time. <br />
<br />
I spent most of 2010 living in Greece, which is a lovely place, friendly people, terrific climate, but a bastion of the Protestant Work Ethic it is not. Where the Spanish are famous for saying “<i>Mañana</i>,” (wait till tomorrow), the Greeks say “<i>Theftera</i>,” (wait till Monday). And while I find it hard to decry a philosophy that always gives you the weekend off, it did make it hard to concentrate on the distant Anglo-Saxon notion of deadlines, especially when there were so many nice cafés to try within a one-mile radius of our apartment. At the time I was working on <i>Lowlife: Hostile Takeover</i>, which I’d been told needed to be done by October 2010, with no intervening deadlines set. A blissful state of affairs, I thought at the time, except it turns out I need the Fortnightly Fear to keep me motivated. <br />
<br />
Coming back to the UK in August last year to find myself tight on time and low on funds, I settled down and started dragging myself back onto the fortnightly schedule usually allowed for <i>2000AD</i> episodes. All went pretty well until the start of December, when I was meant to start work on <i>SVK</i>. A whole set of unfortunate circumstances - schedule clashes, Warren being unwell, me being unwell - plagued production, and a deadline that had been pencilled in for mid-February ended up being pushed back till early April.* Aside from the loss of income that involved, I also received my biggest-ever tax demand, based on the year I’d received a big wodge of royalties for the <i>Absolute Sandman: Kindly Ones</i>. <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*Thus causing series 4 of Stickleback to be delayed, if you were wondering where that had gone. </span><br />
<br />
So, when I started <i>Lowlife: The Deal</i>, I was climbing back once again onto the episode-a-fortnight wagon, and financially running on empty, so I pretty much just had to get down to it. The result is that the first few episodes of <i>Lowlife: The Deal</i> were done in, not exactly a rush, but at the limit of my recovering stamina. And under those circumstances, something has to give. <br />
<br />
What usually goes first is not drawing quality, but thinking time; that extra half-day to mull on an idea, find the best angle on it, the spare hour in the schedule to re-draw a panel or add some neat extra detail you’ve just thought of. When I look at Part Two of <i>Lowlife: The Deal</i>, that’s what I see; the missed opportunities. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i-Hu3zKfUxg/TnOVgtNILEI/AAAAAAAAB7A/aAKDwemEbmk/s1600/McMahon-Texas-City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i-Hu3zKfUxg/TnOVgtNILEI/AAAAAAAAB7A/aAKDwemEbmk/s640/McMahon-Texas-City.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Mick McMahon's double-page splash panel of Texas City from</i> Judge Dredd: The Judge Child<br />
Judge Dredd <i>© 2011 Rebellion/</i>2000AD<br />
Judge Dredd <i>created by John Wagner and Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Take that big splash panel of Hondo-Cit on page two; in a lot of ways I’m pretty pleased with it. I wanted to come up with a singular vision of Hondo; my solution was to swipe an idea from Mick McMahon’s* classic double-page spread of Texas City from the Judge Child saga; incorporate symbols of the culture into the architecture. So my Hondo-Cit has buildings in the shape of Samurai warriors, Geisha girls and Samurai swords; a buddhist temple and pagoda-shaped towers. I also recycled my unused Christmas-tree style VTOL airport design from <i>Lowlife: Hostile Takeover</i>. I think the drawing does a fairly good job of getting across the scale of the city, and the fact that it’s not Mega-City One. Where it falls down a bit is on what I call <i><b>significant</b></i> detail.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*To be fair, McMahon drew it, but I don't know if he or writer John Wagner came up with the idea.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ljNhv9BMyls/TnOViK9gFyI/AAAAAAAAB7E/1IjOFY0poX8/s1600/Otomo-Akira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ljNhv9BMyls/TnOViK9gFyI/AAAAAAAAB7E/1IjOFY0poX8/s640/Otomo-Akira.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A densely-detailed cityscape from Katsuhiro Otomo's</i> Akira<br />
<i>© 1988 Katsuhiro Otomo/Akira Committee</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>What’s the difference between significant and non-significant detail? The easy way to explain is by showing. Take a look at this first panel, from <i>Akira</i> by Katsuhiro Otomo. It’s a beautiful piece of work, densely packed with detail, but the detail is all impersonal; buildings, windows, no people, no signage. Manga is designed to be read quickly; the idea is to give you a strong impression of dense urban clutter and the on to the next panel. This detail isn't intended to slow down the eye or be studied in itself - therefore it’s <i><b>non-significant</b></i>. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OH8TOI8-4VU/TnOVd29Vx6I/AAAAAAAAB64/wUM5NHd-R_o/s1600/Darrow-Comics-%2526-Stories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OH8TOI8-4VU/TnOVd29Vx6I/AAAAAAAAB64/wUM5NHd-R_o/s640/Darrow-Comics-%2526-Stories.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From</i> Geof Darrow's Comics and Stories<br />
<i>© 1986 Aedena & Geof Darrow</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now take a look at this panel from <i>Comics and Stories</i> by Geof Darrow; although Darrow is an American, this book comes from the Franco-Belgian storytelling tradition, one in which the stories are generally much shorter (and/or slighter) than in Manga, but the pace of reading is meant to be slower. Here the detail is on a human scale, more personal, with lots of figures, each one an individual and remarkable character with their own actions going on, legible posters on the wall, and in-jokes such as the train with the front-end of a 1950's American automobile. Detail is used to make the eye linger, with rewards for those readers who return for a second look. This is <i><b>significant detail.</b></i><br />
<br />
I did manage a bit of significant detail on that Hondo-Cit splash; there’s a little tribute to Osamu Tezuka’s <i>Tetsuwan Atomu (Astroboy)</i> in the advertising figure atop the building bottom left, and down at the bottom panel you can see a Godzilla-style monster chained to a truck on the highway. But I didn’t have time to go through my Manga collection and collect cool buildings from the worlds of Katsuhiro Otomo and Masamune Shirow to drop into the backgrounds. I’m still kicking myself for not having the Phoenix from <i>Science Ninja Team Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets</i> or Battleship Yamamoto landing at the airport. And most of all, I lacked the time to contact any of my Japanese-speaking friends to supply joke text for the Hondo-Cit signage. As it is, all the Japanese text in the first five episodes is taken from Basho’s famous Haiku <i>The Frog</i>: <br />
<br />
<i>An ancient pond <br />
A frog jumps in <br />
The sound of water </i><br />
<br />
<br />
But I didn’t come up with that particular wheeze till after I’d finished the page. <br />
<br />
And that’s the nature of the beast, as a comic artist; do the page then let it go, there’ll be another one along in a minute. Not that I wouldn’t backtrack to fix a major error (like the time <a href="http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.com/2006/08/only-human.html">I forgot my main character had lost an arm</a>), but overall? Let it go. Living with a certain level of disappointment comes with the job; I think of the great comic artists who’ve influenced me, and it’s true for them, just as much. I once read an interview where Mike McMahon dismissed his classic <i>Judge Dredd</i> stories as cluttered and difficult to read; in another, Euro-Comics titan Jean “Mœbius” Giraud could find nothing better to say about his strip-that-literally-changed-my-life<i> Les Yeux du Chat</i> than “there was some good architecture in it, I suppose.” I have heard stories of the great John M Burns sorting through piles of his gold-standard comics pages, despairing of finding anything good enough to put in his portfolio. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RutR6V7SPoY/TnOcKYSsmcI/AAAAAAAAB7I/U1SyZEkVtJA/s1600/Robo-Baggage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RutR6V7SPoY/TnOcKYSsmcI/AAAAAAAAB7I/U1SyZEkVtJA/s320/Robo-Baggage.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baggage retrieval at Hondo-Cit <br />
Airport: I was quite pleased<br />
with this panel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>If you’re going to make a living in commercial art, the ability to draw is just part of the story. If you’re to have any sort of peace of mind in the world of regular deadlines, you have to have the confidence to believe that the odd failure is part of the mix and won’t matter in the end (and sometimes the thing you’re embarrassed about is someone else’s favourite bit). There’s no relationship between actual talent and the level of self-belief; if anything, the better an artist, the more likely they are to be tortured by self-doubt. This explains two phenomena common in the world of comics; the brilliant artist who only churns out an issue once every three months, and the apparently dreadful artist who inexplicably gets tons of work - the latter because he can always hit his deadlines. To all brilliant guys who are held back by self doubt, I can only say how thankful I am; I’d never have established a career in comics if you’d been able to churn it out. <br />
<br />
If this is all starting to sound a bit grim, I’d like to end on a positive note; when I was looking back over episode two for this blog there were a few pleasant surprises; the facial expressions on page one, the scribbly flashback effect on pages three and four (which worked better in print than on screen) and the robotic luggage carousel (and porter robots) on page three. It’s just very difficult to judge your own work per se, more so when you’re still so close to it. <br />
<br />
Ask me in a couple of years, I’ll probably give you a different opinion. <br />
<br />
See you in the funny pages.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-54065359726729583712011-09-03T17:34:00.001+01:002011-09-03T17:35:20.177+01:00Lowlife: The Deal Part One - So What’s The Deal with Dirty Frank?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QcfpNgQz604/TmJR3nS2EPI/AAAAAAAAB50/NVxzjpDnuos/s1600/Frank-Uniform-Turning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QcfpNgQz604/TmJR3nS2EPI/AAAAAAAAB50/NVxzjpDnuos/s320/Frank-Uniform-Turning.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dirty Frank in Uniform in part one of </i>Lowlife: The Deal<br />
<i>Dirty Frank/Judge uniforms © 2011 Rebellion/</i>2000AD<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Judge uniforms created by Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra</i></span></i><br />
<i>Dirty Frank Created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I’ll never be rich and here’s why; the big money in comics lies in drawing handsome muscular guys and cute muscular girls in Lycra, and that just nain’t my strong point, not nohow. Sure, I’ve drawn characters like Judge Dredd and Batman, but with questionable success; where I’m really at home is at the less glamorous and more outlandish end of the character spectrum. Think Lazarus Churchyard (depressed stinking plastic junkie), think Lament from Leviathan (sagging middle-aged bloke with drink problem), think Stickleback (venomous 70-year-old with atypical spine placement choices). <br />
<br />
Think Dirty Frank. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-suYdg6SNcNc/TmJVoUyPC4I/AAAAAAAAB6A/CbF6RDQ1Nyc/s1600/Dirty-Frank-Restrained.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-suYdg6SNcNc/TmJVoUyPC4I/AAAAAAAAB6A/CbF6RDQ1Nyc/s200/Dirty-Frank-Restrained.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dirty Frank looking <br />
surprisingly restrained<br />
(From<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Lowlife: Hostile Takeover)</span><br />
</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was lucky to be offered the chance to draw Frank at a pivotal point in his career. In his previous solo appearances (drawn by the estimable Simon Coleby) he’d mostly been a bit of comic relief, a way of doing Lowlife as a palate-cleanser from the seediness and corruption of the Aimee Nixon stories. But my first series, Lowlife: Creation, delved into Frank’s back story, turning him from a lovable but rather stinky cartoon character into a more rounded personality, a man whose flights of madness sprang from a deep past trauma. As the tone darkened further in Lowlife: Hostile Takeover, I found myself working harder and harder to capture the different sides of a character who was a babbling street-bum one minute and a steely-hearted Mega-City Judge the next. <br />
<br />
One effect of drawing this back story was that it subtly changed the way I drew the present-day Dirty Frank. My concept sketches for Frank were based very closely on Simon Coleby’s version, and my first episode reflects this; but as I thought more about the young, handsome Judge Frank we see in the flashbacks, the more I toned down the caricature elements; my Frank ends up quite good-looking under all that hair and grot.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FZeKXfBwDw/TmJVmYAvfyI/AAAAAAAAB58/4ueGTz7t36E/s1600/Dirty-Frank-Unrestrained.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FZeKXfBwDw/TmJVmYAvfyI/AAAAAAAAB58/4ueGTz7t36E/s200/Dirty-Frank-Unrestrained.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dirty Frank looking<br />
unsurprisingly unrestrained<br />
(From</i> Lowlife: Hostile Takeover)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>With each new series I undertake, I try to find some area of my work to change, improve, or approach differently. This is partly for my own sanity (I’ve been drawing comics more-or-less six days a week for the past ten years, so I need some way of ringing the changes every now and again) but also as a bulwark against staleness, which creeps in unnoticed if you sink too deeply into comfortable habits. In the case of Lowlife: Creation, I made some radical changes to the way I constructed my figures at the preliminary drawing stage. This was part of a process that had started with me bringing the characters more to the fore in the first series of Stickleback. <br />
<br />
By happy coincidence, this change to my basic drawing made it much easier for me to give the characters’ body language a greater range and subtlety. Put simply: their “acting” improved. When Rob Williams came back to me to do Lowlife: Hostile Takeover, I assumed it was for my big-scale portrayals of the city; I was happily shocked when he said what he most valued was the degree of expression I could get into the characters. From then on, I really started concentrating on character “performance” (years ago, when I was a tiny wannabee artist-thing, Gary Leach once told me that a comic artist is the director, cameraman and entire cast of a movie all rolled into one; I’ve thought of drawing character expression as “acting” ever since). I think Hostile Takeover contains some of my best “acting” to date. <br />
<br />
This new series provides new challenges. We start with Frank back in uniform - cleaned up, hair trimmed, stooped straightened to the best of his ability; wild behaviour reined in, so no extreme expressions. Finding a way to hold on to the essential “Frank-ness” with most of his props gone made this one a fascinating episode to draw. I don’t suppose it’s too much of a spoiler to say we’ll soon be dirtying Frank up again - though the new Frank won’t quite look the same as the old one…<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STlqEjWzzcQ/TmJS3d5hIRI/AAAAAAAAB54/43KE67sCyGo/s1600/Long-Walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STlqEjWzzcQ/TmJS3d5hIRI/AAAAAAAAB54/43KE67sCyGo/s400/Long-Walk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Frank's Long Walk parade is supervised by Judge Lola, from the<br />
Judge Dredd time traveller stories I did with Ian Edginton.</i><br />
<i>Lowlife/Judge uniforms/Judge Lola © 2011 Rebellion/</i>2000AD<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Judge uniforms created by Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra</i></span><br />
Lowlife created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Judge Lola created by Ian Edginton & Me </i></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-85892987988710539622011-01-18T11:00:00.002+00:002011-01-18T11:00:12.431+00:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CHfcL6vQT9Y/TTRc6baMoyI/AAAAAAAAB3k/2E2MRVuT3Hw/s1600/Timulo-Page-45-Variant-Cover-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CHfcL6vQT9Y/TTRc6baMoyI/AAAAAAAAB3k/2E2MRVuT3Hw/s400/Timulo-Page-45-Variant-Cover-2.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover to Timularo Edtion 45 for Page 45 comic shop, Nottingham</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CHfcL6vQT9Y/TTRc5qzXbnI/AAAAAAAAB3g/ztOKrud7fJk/s1600/Timularo-45-Frontispiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CHfcL6vQT9Y/TTRc5qzXbnI/AAAAAAAAB3g/ztOKrud7fJk/s200/Timularo-45-Frontispiece.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>Following the ripping success of last month's signed and sketched Page 45 Special Edition of <i>Timularo</i>, those fine folk at the Page 45 comic shop in Nottingham have come back for more with <i>Timularo Edition 45</i>, a limited run of 45 copies, each signed and sketched-in with a special cover (above) and additional interior plate (left) to frame the sketch.<br />
<br />
This edition is strictly limited and available on from Page 45 in Nottingham, and also available through their website at <a href="http://www.page45.com/store/Timularo__The_Complete_Collected_Timulo__Page_45_Special_Edition__Signed_.html">page45.com</a>. Don't hang about, though - the first edition sold out within <i>one minute</i> of going on sale!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29485212.post-77382368820896176622010-12-06T23:02:00.000+00:002010-12-06T23:02:42.421+00:00Leviathan TPB Announced!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CHfcL6vQT9Y/TP1o_wBmweI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/x0JgwhywCp8/s1600/lev_cover_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CHfcL6vQT9Y/TP1o_wBmweI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/x0JgwhywCp8/s200/lev_cover_big.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Rebellion have announced the new edition of <i>Leviathan</i> will be available from Thursday 9th December - this 2nd edition will be a trade paperback, formatted to match the rest of the Rebellion TPB line.<br />
<br />
Ads in <i>2000AD</i> are pointing readers at <a href="http://shop.2000adonline.com/categories/graphic_novels">Tharg's Future Shop</a>, though it isn't listed on the site as of today (6th Dec); you can also <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leviathan-2000-AD-Ian-Edginton/dp/190751919X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291676147&sr=1-2">pre-order from Amazon.co.uk</a>, though they say they won't have stock till 14th December.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Leviathan <i>© 2010 Rebellion Developments/</i>2000AD.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Leviathan <i>created by Ian Edginton & Me.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02982284633069836213noreply@blogger.com5