OCB and Maus

  A couple weeks ago, I checked out Scott McCloud's book, Making Comics, from the library. Afterward I immediately purchased a copy for myself because of just how valuable it is to me. I could go on for pages about that book and how it helped me. Beneath the invaluable lessons in effective storytelling techniques, it carried a message that hadn't been made quite as clear to me before. Comics is an art form FAR larger and deeper than the action hero genre I've been worshiping since my preteen years. It inspired me to seek out all types of comics with all kinds of stories because, after all, stories are what I'm passionate about.

  I've become best friends with Amazon (one might call it an addiction). It makes it so easy to get lots of books to me quickly, and it's cheaper than a bookstore. Needless to say, the books just keep on coming.

  I started off with a book called Old City Blues, which was a successful webcomic that eventually got published. I love the art in Old City Blues; its what convinced me to buy the book. Sketchy and dynamic lines and inking. It was more of an action book, and the story was a little predictable/cliche, but I still enjoyed it. 

  Next I purchased Maus, which I had heard of for a long time (it won a Pulitzer Prize), and decided now was a perfect time to try it out. Amazing. The story follows the author, Art Spiegelman, as he interviews his father, Vladek, about his experiences in Poland during WWII. Not only are you immersed in the story of the atrocities Vladek endured, but you also view a rickety relationship between father and son. The art is also very good. Spiegelman chose to depict the characters as animals (animal heads on human bodies). Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Poles are pigs, and Americans are dogs. It's no surprise this book won so many awards. It will definitely be remembered as a prominent personal account of the Holocaust.

Weekly Inspiration 2: Actors

  This week I read a lot, and was inspired by a lot. But nothing topped tonight. My beautiful and talented girlfriend Emmalee is part of a high school alumni drama performance. During my years with her I've become friends with most of the people involved in the drama department, and they all inspire me greatly. I've also realized that, even though I can't act, sing or dance, we're a lot alike. We all have a passion for bringing characters and stories to life. The only difference is the tool we use to manifest our stories. These talented artists use their bodies and voices to breathe life into characters; and I use pencils, pens, and colors.
  I really respect every person I've met in the drama department. Their passion is an inspiration to me every time I see them on or off the stage.

Weekly Inspiration 1: Lankhmar

  I've come up with an idea that will hopefully keep me blogging regularly. Weekly Inspiration. Every Friday I'll write a post about something I read, watched, saw, experienced, etc. that inspired me artistically.

  As for this week, I just finished reading the first book in the Lankhmar series by Fritz Lieber, Swords and Deviltry. Fritz was one of the early guys to jump on the sword and sorcery wagon started by Robert E Howard (Conan).
  I first was introduced to Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser in the comic adaptation my Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) and Howard Chaykin. After reading that great work I had to hunt down the novel. 6 bucks on Amazon and a short wait later, I dove into the story.
  The book was great. A goal of Lieber's was to make his heroes a little more human than, say, Conan or Tarzan, and he did it well. In short, Swords and Deviltry is about two young men, one a red haired barbarian from the north named Fafhrd, and the other a small-framed wizard's apprentice from the south named Mouse, who later calls himself the Gray Mouser. The first two-thirds of the book is separated into each hero's backstory, which end with them each finding a lover an heading toward the great city of Lankhmar. The characters meet in the last third of the book and become companions, embarking on an exciting adventure fighting the city's Thieves' Guild. The story ends with them leaving the city, down-trodden and heartbroken.
  The book inspired me in many ways, giving me a ton of material to apply to Avalir. Everything from Fritz' writing style, dialogue, descriptiveness etc. will have an impact on our comic. I especially loved his sense of character-building.

Silent Progress

  I haven't been posting, but "Avalir," named for the continent in which our story takes place, is coming along very nicely. ...Except for the fact that I haven't drawn a page yet... Let me explain.
  I actually have drawn one page. The first one. And it was so poorly drawn and unstable that I forced myself to a screeching halt, and turned to research drawing. I've been drawing landscapes, villages, villagers, studying and drawing clothing styles, etc. In short: I really need to improve before laying this thing down.
  I needed a more solid model of my characters, and needed to draw them ten thousand times in order to keep them consistent. These are my final say on Ferrit and Owan.

  I've been reading Darkhorse's Conan series, one: because it's freaking amazing(!), and two, to study the cities, costumes, poses, weapons, backgrounds, landscapes, etc. Lots to absorb and apply. But after all of that absorbing, to state the painfully obvious, drawing is the only way to get better at drawing. So hopefully from here on out I can apply the things I observe in my reading to my drawing.

  As for the story, Ben and I revised and reworked the first issue to make it more solid and, frankly, it's pretty damn good. We're constantly workshopping and developing ideas for the future, and I can't wait to get underway. Just gotta keep drawing.

Practice, practice, practice, practice practice! That's what will bring this thing to life.

P.S. On a side note, Today I finished a sketchbook! Sure, I have several full sketchbooks from years past, but this one was the first to be filled with diligent, regular, (almost daily) sketching. I opened up my next sketchbook, and man is that first blank page intimidating.

The Fun Begins.

  Oh boy am I excited about this one. My friend, Ben and I have always talked about writing comics together. We had a few good ideas going (see Cud and BenBen ideas from earlier), but we're really onto something now, and it's moving along at breakneck speed!
  Ben and I are both HUGE lovers of fantasy. Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Conan, The Elder Scrolls, you name it. Anything concerning swords, wizards, elves, dwarves, dragons, warriors, etc. could (and does) keep us talking for hours, almost as if we leave this world and adventure somewhere else, somewhere better.
   We decided we're writing a fantasy comic. For real. I don't know why it took us this long, but the idea finally punched us both in the face at the same time, and our heads EXPLODED with ideas! We each went home and wrote a few outlines of possible stories. The next day, we settled on a combination of stories we had each written, and Ben went to work writing our first issue.
  As for me, I had a lot of drawing to do. Our story centers around a blacksmith, forced by circumstance to become a warrior, and a ranger, a nomad that travels far and wide with nothing but a bow and his wit.
  First I started with the smith. I promise any resemblance to Ben was unintentional...*cough*

  The smith, Owan, came easy enough, on to the next. I've always favored stealthy archer characters so I couldn't wait to bring him to life. Here are the first attempts.

I really liked this look for the archer, whom Ben named Ferrit, much to my liking. I slept on it, and the next day I didn't like the design anymore. He looked too young, too innocent and fresh-faced, and, well... too much like me. Out with it, I said, and went for an older, more grainy fellow who had been around long enough to be wise and wary.

  After I had our heroes down, of course the next logical step would be to show them kicking serious ass. I made it so.

  I hope you like what you see. The most exciting part of this is that the first issue is completely written. Ben is an awesome writer. And even better, I've got the whole issue blocked out in thumbnails and ready to be drawn full-size in all its glory.

  The story is, and will continue to be great. It's not just action/adventure. Ben and I are story lovers, and a good story has to contain it all. Action, humor, romance, revenge, you'll find it in the yarns we spin. Be sure to stay tuned.

  We'll be setting up a website and uploading our comic to the web, and hopefully in the future, publishing it. Because that's truly how comics should be read.