More on 'Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?"

Author Andrez Bergen is kicking a** with reviews and mentions on his upcoming book, and I must thank him for utilising my illustration pic for the promo so much. I'm very appreciative, considering the other renditions I've seen on Andrez's character.
The image for the book cover has been released, and it's very cool- fits in with the whole art deco/noir vibe of the story, and reminds me a great deal of my favourite animated Superman cartoons by the Fleischers.

Anyways, links below of some of the more recent press, otherwise, follow the labels below to take you to the original blog post. Awesome work, Andrez, and thank you again. 

Via the Jack Kirby Museum "Kirby Dynamics": http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/dynamics/2013/02/26/from-andrez-bergen/

Via "The Momus Report": http://themomusreport.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/who-is-killing-great-capes-of-heropa-by.html

Via "Comic Bastards" (Spoilers, 5/5 review): http://www.comicbastards.com/homepage/2013/3/1/review-who-is-killing-the-great-capes-of-heropa.html

Cover: Rodolforever Reyes

Who is killing the great heroes of Heropa?: the upcoming novel by Andrez Bergen

A few months back, I completed this image for an upcoming novel by Australian writer Andrez Bergen (Tobacco Stained Mountain Goat), currently residing in Japan. The brief was Andrez's childhood  concept of 'the Southern Cross', in a Jack Kirby-style homage to the cover of Captain America #109. Andrez actually sent off his design to Stan Lee, who really liked the idea, but was vetoed by then Editor in Chief, Tom DeFalco. A nice little story there in itself :)

More details can be found here: http://greatcapesheropa.weebly.com/

And on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WhoIsKillingTheGreatCapesOfHeropa

UPDATE 29-12-2012: Some web love from BLEEDING COOL NEWS and FORCES OF GEEK, featuring the image :D Thanks again, Andrez.

Inspiration: Steve Ditko

Pencils for Issue #3 Soldier Legacy have begun!

Preview of Splash page for issue 3 (11 pages penciled so far). This page is a poor man's attempt of a Jim Steranko style page- was reading his few issues of Captain America he did while Kirby was looking to move off the book and really like the contrast in visual page layout he had in comparison to then penciler Jack Kirby's more traditional grid layout. Kirby is the favourite but there was a surrealist influence in the signs and symbols Steranko gave to his storytelling images (conceptually diferent). This point in the soldier book allowed for that sort of 'break away' from the more reality based images needed for the story.

Anyways, I'm waffling again, that's guys. Maybe I'll see you this weekend at Armageddon Expo, Sydney Olympic Park, Satday and Sunday 26th-27th Feb 9am-6pm :)

Soldier Legacy #2 Is in Store NOW!!

Just a quick update, happy to say "The Soldier Legacy # 2" is now available at Brisbane's 'Comics Etc'. More info to come, but definatley want to say that the book will also be available at Sydney Armageddon Expo (26th-28th Feb 2011), Brisbane Supanova (1st-3rd April 2011) and Melbourne Supanova (9th-10th)!

More details soon, brain is fried from typing up the finishing touches on my confirmation paper for my DVA research :Z

Oh, if you get a chance, head to http://www.talenthouse.com/pmason83 and click on my Superhero submission 'Unite', and help me by voting for my Superhero character for the Stan Lee Foundation competition...I'm getting hammered in the votes :( Oh well, perhaps the character 'Unite' will make it into a future comic book project. Stay tuned

"The Soldier Legacy # 1" to be available from COMICS ETC. Brisbane!!!

I am pleased to announce that the fantastic Brisbane-based comic store "Comics Etc." will be stocking the comic book edition of 'The Soldier Legacy' as of next week. Though I'll be a metaphorical goldfish against the Blue whales that are the American comic books, I sinceley hope that the first issue does well sitting on the "New Releases" wall and then the "Monthly" wall next to the likes of Marvel and DC.

So please! If you're in Brisbane, pick up a copy and you'll be supporting Aussie comics and making a battlin' artist very happy! If not in the area, why not email the guys there and see what they can do, or better yet, let me know too :)

The new comic book edition published under the CFCA Indie banner (Kevin Scarfe's Cult Fiction Comics Australia), boasts 32 full colour semi-gloss pages with beautiful high gloss cover (thanks to "Nova Press" on the Gold Coast) and includes a 2 pages of preview pics from Issue 2, due out Feburary. The colours have been improved from the first 'Special Edition' run so I'm so pleased to have this available.

Thank you again to James, Dave and the Guys from Comics etc. in Elizabeth street Brisbane for allowing me to stock the book.

To visit their store online, visit www.comicsetc.com.au

P.s.: More updates soon as I reach the homestretch in colouring for issue 2 and pencils commence for issue 3.

Concept Thumbnails Session 1

A little bit too bulky but this is one of the first drawings here that has jumped out at me. I want to keep him grounded in some sort of realism, but I don't think the clothes will be black, but certainly dark. The visor I wanted to enhance his vision in the dark- not infra red though, not night vision....I'll think of something. I like the idea of a backpack. The over-the-shoulder bag has been done, and I liked how "Captain America" had his shield straped to his back. He can't just web his stuff to a building like "Spider-man" so this could do. Maybe smaller, just to carry clothes, a digiatl camera for gathering evidence (?), homemade weapons, bandages, cable ties etc.
Something similar to the bottom right may be the final suit. The pillow case masks that I've been scribbling look a bit too ninja-ish. The logo I've almost decided on, will be a fist symbol from the I.T.F taekwon-do logo, as I'll have the hero train in it. Still haven't decided on whether he has any powers or not. Anyways...

Still toying with ideas and costume designs- at the moment just going for a mask/face. I think the fact that I'm talking street level hero or vigilante that the images of a "Daredevil" type of design keeps creeping in. Also, considering Jack Kirby and Joe Simon's first "successful" Superhero ("The Red Raven" apparently didn't sell well) for Timley comics was "Captain America", I wanted to have some kind of touch in his mask. I like the idea of a cheap, inexpensive costume, so the zip up jacket, pants, gloves and runners will probably be the go. Maybe earlier on, the pillow case mask and the t-shirt with the logo on it will be the way to go. I'll keep playing, this stuff was only my preliminary thoughts and doodles.

Colouring process test for Comic pages...

I've been toying with some different colouring techniques that may aid me greatly this year if I choose to run with the graphic novel approach. Not quite finished yet as I've been busy on the holidays trying to semi-cement my ideas, working, reggie strips, folio stuff and trying t get over a small bout of sickness, but I've picked up a great deal of knowledge thanks to a great book "The DC comic gudie to Colouring and Lettering Comics".

Basically the book has some great photoshop techniques in order to prep artwork to colour and administer colouring via channels (something I've always wanted to learn.) Also it has made me very consious in regards to what Colours I pick for what (flats) and their temperature (warm or cool) and aiding the artwork in creating the main focus points for the viewer.

So I've been practicing on a splash/cover page I penciled for CFCA involving a fight scene (See above); problem is the page wasn't inked so I really had the play with the pencils for a while in order to get them sutibly dark enough to begin applying colours. I basically faked the inks by running over the areas that needed to be black with digital blacks.

I'm finding CMYK to be handy to work in as the concept of mixing the colours to get something similar to what I need makes more sense that mixing RGB which is based on light and not ink. Anyways, here's some of my progress. I havent touched the picture in a few weeks, I have started modelling shapes with shadows and have applied mild gradients to the larger block areas and am almost up to the highlights stage.

I realise that I'm lucky to pull off decent pencilling let alone colouring, but it's fun to dabble in something else. There are so many concepts and rules to consider with just pencilling alone, let alone inking considerations and colouring, but it's a challenge and I love the storytelling and depth/focus theories being it. My other main problem is that I don't have a wacom tablet so all the "inking" and colouring has been done with a mouse so it's a little slow.

This is a greyscale look of the finished colour flats. The book says it's good to have a variety of contrast. If your colouring looks like a bunch of greys with no lighter areas then it looks bland (hope that's right anyway...)

Colour flats. Tried to make the main colour of the page seem like a sunny day, and have warmer colours for the foreground characters such as the guy bottom left with the bloodied face, and then the main focus of the work ie: the heroes have warmer tones for their main colours- ie warmer greens for Sea Dragon. Problem is with Blue Flyer is that he's blue, which tends to be cooler but Im hoping the eye at least travels around where Seadragon is, sees the red of blue Flyer's goggles, and is also drawn to the guy in front, who in hindsight could have been made darker/ cooler so not to draw so much attention and maybe even enchance the middle more...I don't know, it's my first real attempt at this sort of thing :P

Brainstorming for Project 1

Brain Storming for Honours Project 2009.

Art Style/Influences:
Jack Kirby
John Romita Jr
Tim Sale
Klaus Janson

Graphic Novel? How many pages (Colour or Black and White)
Think of the workload- plot, pencil, ink then scan prepare page, flat colours, shadows, highlights for EVERY page…?

Series of Issues making up a Graphic Novel/Story Arc?

22 page or 12 page?- (Stan Lee era stories where Marvel had two for one superhero comics that went for 12 pages eg: Tales of Suspense starring Iron Man and Captain America, Tales to Astonish starring The Hulk and Submariner etc.)

Tie in with animated trailer/s (similar to CFCA work experience project)?
Include printed promo material

Or animated Comic panels
- Depth of Field
- Moving Elements eg: Fire, Smoke, rain etc.
- Speech Bubbles (Dialogue?)
- Slight Movement of characters eg Hair) (similar to storyboard/animatics)
- Recorded Dialogue? Sound effects?
- Adobe After Effects?
Similar to “Batman Begins” Special Features comic or a more animated short piece version “Hellboy 2 Epilogue”

Dialogue/Music/Sound- Would need to storyboard/Animatic to co-ordinate timing.

Themes:
Ø Australian Superhero?
Ø Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era (beginning 1962) form of origin (atomic age powers/cold war era)
Ø Modern Setting- Brisbane? Sydney? Both?
o Or “The Phantom” Esk period- Linage of Vigilantes thru different eras?
Ø Man gains powers, unsure how to use them?
o Good: protects neighbourhood
o Robs Bank?
o Fame and fortune seeking?
o Police/army/overseas?
o Modern perception?- 1940’s Captain America political

Action comic
- Vigilante?
- Guns difficult to obtain, maybe makeshift weapons (Black Jack?)
- Costume?

Villains?
- Gangster? (period-Sydney)
- Corrupt Cops
- Graffiti gangs?
- Biker gangs?
- Street Race gangs?
- Terrorists?
- Ethic /white gangs?
- One main villain?
Big, Scary type (Similar to Kingpin in size and stature?) Long Black Hair? Drug Baron? (Cliché), People smuggling? (Cliché) Ex- Military or Rich Family Immigrant
Petty Crime gangs tie to main villain?

Political/Racial issues?
- Saves a Muslim shopkeeper from Bigots?
- Homeless
- Corporate villain- is he rich or poor?

Story hooks?
- The struggle to do good in modern context? –( Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Spider-man) or similar (Bendis and Mark Bagley)
- Kid? (Don’t want to copy concept of “Kick Ass”)
- Teenager? (Don’t want to copy “Spider-man”)
- Army Reserve? Martial Arts?- Don’t want to rehash “Ninja” stuff like Millar (Daredevil, Wolverine) or Iron Fist or Shiang Chi
- Taekwon-do angle?
- Poor? Middle Class? Prison? Ex-prisoner? Or villain ex-prisoner?

What Abilities?
- Trainer Fighter? No Powers?
- Super Strength? Flight? Jump? New Powers? Laser vision? (nah, too Superman/Cyclopes)
- Super Solider-like powers?
- Origin?
o Freak Accident? (“The Hulk”, “Fantastic Four”, “Spider-man”)
o Chemical/Science? (“Captain America”)
o Mechanical? (“Iron Man”)
o Magic? (“Shazam!”)
o Alien (“Superman”, “Captain Marvel”)

Ideas- session 1:
- Write based on own experiences – Brisbane/Sydney
- Start in Action before telling origin? Or discovers origin?
- Trailer- Sitting in Centrelink office interview
o Being told off for not making designated job interviews (Stopping crime on the way)- Sounds too Peter Parker ish
Costume:
Someone with limited resources and time
- Beanie with holes/Ski mask? (look too bank robber-ish
- Pillow case mask? Cloth wrapped around head?
- Not Ninja looking- “Amazing Bag Man”
- No Black Jacket- Been done to Death…(Matrix, Punisher etc.)
- Surgical Mask/Dust Mask?
- T-Shirt/Black Turtle neck?
I really like sometimes how the Punisher is drawn with a T-shirt with logo. Or a zip up jacket with a logo (or something like “Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider”)

Is there a definite style of Outfit or do they all evolve over time? From Pillow case to mask/outfit? (not spandex looking)- more functional like Punisher or Ultimate Captain America.

Pillow case- Baseball Cap and Dust Mask-could be mistake for robber/bad guy?
Jumper hood and mask around mouth? Sunglasses/ski goggles/Paint ball mask? (Maybe would become too much like the same process that lead to the “New Goblin/Harry Osborn” character in “Spider-man 3” Film.)