Play Pinball
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Rants, Work
A friend who teaches animation and character design at a local university blackmailed me into serving as a panelist as his students presented their equivalent of a thesis last week. Granted a law school dropout with a dubious degree in political science may not be the ideal judge for someone’s creative work, I like to assume I have more right than most people (…in the area). Well my teacher friend does, at least. Quinton Hoover plagiarism and complimentary donuts aside, it’s definitely weird being called “sir.” Where did this respect come from, you weirdos?
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There’s been a bit of a lull in the art posting here on the journal. I’ve been pretty swamped with the pitches I’m handling and making sure PLUCK comes out on time. I should be able to post some really neat stuff momentarily though. More than anything, it’s just a matter of permission. Soon though.
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I got caught up on Hickman/Eaglesham’s Fantastic Four this week, and recent reviews on the podcast have made me see more and more the Pinball Nature of mainstream comics. I mean think about it — If you start reading a book at its five hundred and seventieth installment, there’s no logical reason why you should understand what the fuck is going on. But I did.
What does that mean?
Two things.
First off, every time a new writer gets onto a book, it’s a soft reset. Hickman may be following up on some of Millar’s Nu-World stuff, but really, everything else can be latched onto quite easily by any new comic reader or fanboy who has just come back to the medium after an extended absence. The FF is still a family of explorers. Ben’s still ugly, Johnny’s still a dick.
Second (and this is really just an expansion of the first point), nothing really changes in mainstream comics. You can take away Wolverine’s adamantium; You can turn Superman into an electric gimp; You can kill the goddamn Batman. But it all goes back to normal eventually. Give it a coupla months, give it a decade (hey Bendis), but things will reset. Now raising these two points may sound suspiciously jaded or cynical, but there’s something about this cyclical nature that’s comforting.
And this is why comics are like a pinball machine. It’s not a question of how many pinballs you have left, or of how long you kept one ball live. No. What matters is where that pinball went. What did it hit? Where did you think you were gonna lose it? And most importantly, How did you save it?
The answer to that last bit, of course, is that it saved itself; but you were along for a great ride.
Tags: comics, cyclical, industry insight, mainstream, work ethic
Tres Komikeros 44
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Work
John, Alex, and Migs volt in to bring you reviews of Millar and McNiven’s Nemesis #1, Green Lantern #52, and Uncanny X-Men #522! After a round of quickshots, the boys discuss the official news about Evans being Captain America, the Image Guardians of the Globe teasers, and the Scott Pilgrim movie trailer. Lastly, the panel discussion has the boys asking the question: “Which comic character should already die of old age?”
Also look out for the new segment entitled “Spoil Me” interspersed throughout the show. Deal with it, kids.
Download the episode here
Tags: alex cipriano, anne curtis, blackest night, captain america, chris evans, comic, DC, doug mahnke, geoff johns, green lantern #52, guardians of the globe, image, jad montenegro, john amor, komikero, mark millar, Marvel, Matt Fraction, miguel santos, nemesis #1, philippines, Podcast, reviews, scott pilgrim trailer, sinestro, steve mcniven, uncanny x-men #522, whilce portacio, white lantern
Tres Komikeros 43
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Work
John and Alex team up to bring you reviews of Brave and the Bold #32, Green Hornet: Year One #1, and Siege #3! After a round of quickshots, the boys discuss the rumor about Evans being Captain America and then go serious to discuss the trend of violence in comics and how it hurts the industry.
Download the episode here
At the tail end of the show, John makes a personal announcement and introduces the TK Book Club — the monthly group reading activity that TK will spearhead to expand comic fan interaction. April’s TK Book Club Pick is Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing (volume one). Listen to the show to learn more.
Tags: aaron campbell, aquaman, asgard, avengers, brian michael bendis, captain america, chris evans, comics, cthulhu, dark reign, DC, demon, dynamite, etrigan, green hornet, j. michael straczynski, jesus saiz, kato, lovecraft, Marvel, matt wagner, olivier coipel, review, sentry, siege, thor, violence
Drop
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Trash
Tags: animated gif
Kick-Starting 1888
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Work
Tags: 1888, comic, horror, jack the ripper, mystery, wolfgang parker
Pluck 180 (and a bit)
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Art, Work
It took me a coupla tries before I got to a version I was actually happy with. Managed to solve the asymmetry of the first version and ended up with this. After magically avoiding an alternate version that came dangerously close to looking like “Prick,” I think I’ve come to a final draft.
Tags: ambigram, pluck, webcomics, word art, zuda
Tres Komikeros 42
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Work
John, EJ, and Migs volt in this week (but not the way you would think… sicko) and review Flash: Rebirth #6, New Avengers #62, and Blackest Night #7. After a round of Quick Shots and War of Thumbs, the bastards discuss the possibility of burn out caused by an over-saturation of comic book films in the cinemas.
Download the episode here
Tags: asgard, barry allen, blackest night, brian bendis, captain america, comics, daniel acuna, DC, ethan van sciver, flash rebirth, geoff johns, green lantern, ivan reis, john carter of mars, kick-ass, Marvel, new avengers, review, siege, sinestro, Spider-man, spiderwoman, stuart immonen, thor, white lantern
FTLO 003
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Art, Work
Tags: ftlo, humor, jad montenegro, john amor, webcomic
Pluck 180
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Art
I like to fiddle with ambigrams and word art sometimes, so I figured I’d do a test logo for PLUCK, the series I draw for Zuda Comics. Obviously I’ve taken a few liberties in this case, as the closed belly of the “u” prohibits any effective 180-degree flippage, but I find it neat anyway.
Read the webcomic here.
Tags: ambigram, gabe white, matt white, pluck, word art, zuda comics
To Snowtown
Posted by johnamor | Filed under Photos, Trash
Tags: casting, fell, jeffrey combs, snowtown, warren ellis
