Integrity
Posted by admin | Filed under Rants, Work
Toughest part about getting comic jobs when you’re still starting out as a penciller/inker is getting people to pay attention and appreciate your style. More often than not, especially when you’re still learning the ropes (like I am), some of the writers you’ll want to work with will have a specific art style in mind. They may have a unique sci-fi concept, but in their minds they picture it as being drawn by Charest or Hughes. They may have an absolutely new fantasy epic, but are completely mentally locked into having it look like Joe Madureira drew it.
Where does that leave you as a newbie? Do you change your style just to land the gig? Or do you stick to your guns and absolutely refuse to abandon your artistic identity even it means passing up a project you really, really want to do? It’s a pretty thin line, but it’s incredibly tough to cross either way. And that’s all without even bringing up the dough yet.
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Eno Card says, “Simply a matter of work.”
Huh.
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Fuck it. Ain’t budging.
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As good as done with the first issue of MASK of MANOLO. As far as I know, issue two ain’t supposed to begin production till mid-November or so, so that allows me time to shift gears for a bit and work on other stuff that have had to be placed on hold. Pin-up commissions, other books, and the like.
Make it swift, man. Make it swift. Right across the jugular.
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Another tough thing I’ve noticed about actually doing the work already is this: It may take you only one day to do one clean page of comic book art, but what happens when you have to do it for days in a row, sometimes for seven days out of a week, week after week, until you do all twenty-two or more pages?
Short answer: If you don’t take it a day at a time, it will will destroy you.
Granted, of course, that I’m not exactly the most disciplined guy around, but there is something to be said for being too lazy to even sleep. I shit you not. But yeah you know what I mean.
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A toy convention is being put together by some local enthusiasts, and Santini and I were approached to spearhead the artsy-farsty side of things. Two “featured artists” if I may be so bold. Unfortunately I’m not gonna be in town for said shenanigan, but we’ll see how it evolves into something more awesome, considering I won’t be around to fuck it up. I still have a hand in it though, so HAH! Suck it!
Tags: Art, artist, comics, work ethic
Tres Komikeros 07
Posted by admin | Filed under Work
This week’s hot books were Astonishing X-men #27, Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #3, and Iron Man #34. Alex wasn’t around, so John and Alex devote some quality time to making fun of him… as well as maybe talking about other comic-related news like Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as War Machine, as well as details about the Captain America film.
Maybe…
Download the episode here.
Tags: Final Crisis, Iron Man, X-men
Tres Komikeros 06
Posted by admin | Filed under Work
This week features Action Comics #870, Ferryman #1, and Marvel Zombies 3 #1. Each of us also also do quick reviews of other books out this week and give our opinions on the Watchmen motion comic and the rumors about Megan Fox’s possible comic films. We also talk about what we think of summer comics events and its implications on the future of comics.
Download the episode -> click it!
Tags: comics, DC, ferryman, Marvel, marvel zombies, megan fox, Superman, watchmen
Week Five
Posted by admin | Filed under Work
Holy shitcocks! We’re closing in on the deadline week! I haven’t exactly been slacking or anything, but I think it’s safe to say I’m not gonna make the October 15 deadline unless I make some serious sacrifices in quality. No one’s been sending angry emails or anything… yet… so I’ll just carry on at this steady pace. Not too happy about missing my first professional deadline, but I am juggling two books. Looking back, overcommitting might not have been the smartest, most responsible course of action possible… but fuck it but I gotta focus on making these pages the best they can possibly be.
Still in talks about doing that horror book with the horror guy, but I haven’t had time to do the concept sketches yet. Watched From Hell for reference though. Hint. Also, Heather Graham as a redhead prostitute? Win. I’ve had to make the horror guy wait, though he does know I have books on my plate. Oh well, he’ll drop me if he drops me.
Cut to image of a battered Luke Skywalker from Empire, “Don’t drop me, horror guuuuuuy!!!”
Yeah, that was in the special extended edition.
Also had to turn down a potentially fun project with a published writer this week on account of the fact that the logistics of it weren’t quite… desirable. Wow. Welcome to Vagueville. The split-ownership deal was sweet though, so it’s definitely worth revisiting. Cool guy too, so we may yet get to do something in the future. Hope hope.
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Sully’s finally piecing together a mini to pitch. Whether or not I’m the guy to draw it still remains to be seen, but I’m just glad he’s actually moving on it already. Guy’s got some good ideas. Short attention span? Sure. Gaming addiction? Definitely. But I’ll bet my Pope John Paul II comics (really) that whatever he’s got up his sleeve is just gonna melt everyone’s balls off. Chunkily.
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A buncha friends from town are returning to their roots and stepping up their sequentials as well. Fantastic, that. Couldn’t be more glad. Coz when you’re the only one ever doing it, the feeling that it’s all self-indulgence honestly can’t be avoided. Being in a group lends it a semblance of legitimacy at least. Viking and Mike are whipping up Hellboy five-pagers based on a plot I hacked out while Santini’s doing Spidey. I can’t be more excited.
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Sifting through Suicide Girl photos with co-genius Matt.
Research.
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BEAST BOY JOE (yes, yes, I know) will be scrapped, reconceptualized, and rebooted. The tentative new title is JOHNNY BEASTLING since JOE EVOLVER just sounds too much like… vulva. No yeah really, that is the only real smidgen of real thought that went into that. I don’t know. I’m dumb. Traded brainfarts with Derrick Fish via magical clicky machine about how to make the main character not seem like too much of a furry. God help me.
Tags: Art, comics, Justin Jordan, Mask of Manolo, Overthrow, Patchwork Comics, Sully Eliot
Tres Komikeros 05
Posted by admin | Filed under Work
This week’s reviews feature Batman #680, Punisher War Journal #24, and Terror titans #1. We also showcase a handful of books in our quick shots as well as some pretty nifty new comic-related news in War of Thumbs. Finally, in the panel discussion we talk about what the comic industry needs in terms of genre variation and the like.
Download the episode here
Tags: Batman, punisher, skrulls, teen titans, terror titans
