"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
-Lewis Carroll

No posting for a couple of weeks. I'm off to Disneyland. Pray for me.

Stalking Whitechapel

I've been having loads of fun over at Warren Ellis's Whitechapel forums these past few weeks, what with the weekly Remake/Remodel of golden age characters going on. Here's a few samples of what I've been up to (all descriptions come from Jess Nevins by way of Whitechapel):

Ivan Brodsky was created by “Victor Rousseau,” the pseudonym of Victor Rousseau Emmanuel (Jim Anthony, Clifford, Ronald Gowan, Professor MacBeard, Dr. Martinus, Pennell, Shawm, Thorne), and appeared in eleven stories in Weird Tales in 1926 and 1927, beginning with “The Case of the Jailer’s Daughter” (Weird Tales, Sept. 1926).

Ivan Brodsky is a Big-Headed Dwarf Genius Occult Detective.

Ivan Brodsky, the “Surgeon of Souls,” works as a “professor of nervous diseases” at a London hospital. He is a “dark, sinewy, undersized man, with a great head absurdly disproportionate to his body, and flashing eyes that seemed to pierce through you and read your thoughts.” He is “a cross between two races whose blend of shrewdness and mysticism was probably accountable for the production of so remarkable a personality as his own.” He is unassuming and doesn’t socialize, but is “all-dominating” in his hospital, where he performs experiments for treating “obscure brain lesions.” He is an expert hypnotist who receives cases from around the country. His particular cases involve psychic matters of reincarnation and possession, and he believes in an “oversoul” to which individual souls return, so that the execution of a brutal murderer will “be the release of just so much additional force of evil” to the oversoul.


Moris Klaw was created by Sax Rohmer (better known as the creator of Fu Manchu) and appeared in a series of stories in 1915 in the All-Story Cavalier Weekly and which were later collected in The Dream Detective (1920). Klaw is something of an occult detective, ala Dr. Silence and Carnacki, but most of his cases dealt more in psychic than in overtly magical phenomena. Klaw is a tall man, stooped and gaunt with age, usually wearing threadbare clothing and looking unkempt. He lives in a poor part of London, not far from Wapping Old Stairs, in a "decayed curio shop" of most unpleasant seeming. It is also inhabited by a parrot, which shrieks "Moris Klaw, Moris Klaw, the Devil's come for you" when someone enters the store. Klaw is an antiquarian, full of oddball information, but his true advantage, and the thing that is of most use to the police (who are welcoming of his help), is his clairvoyance, which is heightened when he sleeps. It is not uncommon for Klaw to sleep at a crime scene. When asleep, he is more receptive to psychic impressions; when he sleeps, Klaw takes in all sorts of information, and uses it to explain things to both the other characters and the readers. Klaw is full of self-regard, and his speech of is full of self-satisfaction and affectations.

Klaw is helped by three other characters. Searles, the narrator… Detective-Inspector Grimsby of New Scotland Yard works as Klaw’s contact with the police. And Isis, Klaw’s daughter, lithe, dark, and mysterious, aids him; she is the one with access to Klaw’s notebooks, and her French accent and smoking of cigarettes indicates what other aid she might be able to give in the service of Klaw.


The Bat was created by Eden Phillpots, under his pseudonym of "Harrington Next," and appeared in Number 87 (1922). The Bat is Paul Strossmeyer, a Yugoslav trade representative who grows concerned with the short-sightedness of various world politicians, especially with regards to the discovery and application of atomic energy. So Strossmeyer begins a series of terrorist acts, from the disintegration of the Albert Memorial to the destruction of various Christian Science churches to the assassination of several politicians, from Britain, Japan, America, and Russia. In each case the assassination was done by a needle-thin puncture near the heart and the transmutation of various elements of the body. Also in each case, a mysterious figure was seen near the crime; this figure, the Bat, is larger than a man, has glowing eyes, and leaves behind a foul stench.

Strossmeyer is the Bat, who worked with radioactivity for decades and discovered Element 87, which allows for the easy splitting of the atom and the production of enormous amounts of energy. Strossmeyer used Element 87 to power his flying suit, his weapons, and his bat-shaped aircraft, which can fly through the upper atmosphere at 100,000 miles an hour.

It all ends badly for Strossmeyer, of course, who destroys his fortress and then heads off into space to kill himself.
I'll probably be doing one of these each week until Warren gets tired of hosting the darned thing, and I'll post the occasional collection of the best here. Now I'm off to work on that Captain Justice vs. Irma Vep remake....

Ideas and Monsters

Over at Amazon, I've just finished reviewing the latest good read from Apex Publishing, R. Thomnas Riley's "The Monster Within Idea". I won't repeat it all here, but here's a quick taste:

"This is an excellent exploration of the short story form. Riley is very adept at creating an engaging setting or situation in as few words as possible, then playing out tense, gripping scenes within those worlds. In this fine collection of stories, ranging in length from 2 to 30 pages, he crafts bold, and often bloody, dramas in which the players are driven as much by the demons that live inside as much as by those that lurk outside. The results are variously entertaining, thought provoking, and chilling. "

If you'd like to know more, go on over to the book's Amazon page and check it out. If you like it, you can order the book there, or directly from the Apex store, or in ebook format at Fictionwise.

100 Artists 100!

It looks like I'm going to be in on the sketchbook phase of the 100 Artist Project after all, which is good news to me. I've already sent in my submission for the mailer portion of the project, and I'm looking forward to contributing to the second phase.
For anyone who's not familiar with it, the 100 Artist Project is "a charity endeavor created to help raise money for artistic and creative organizations." Original pieces of art are created to compile a books that are sold to benefit charity foundations such as The Hero Initiative and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. I'm pleased to have been a part of the first book, which is now available for sale at IndyPlanet, and I've just gotten word that I'll be included on the mailing list for the sketchbook for the second volume.
The project is still looking for people, so if you're an artist interested in supporting their cause, or would just like a little bit of good exposure, why not go over to their site and sign up? Or, if you're a webmaster or blogger, how about grabbing one of their banners (like the nifty one above) and flying it on your site? I'm sure they'll appreciate any help they can get.

Fresh Fish!

Just a little something done to have a go at scanning and coloring pencil work. Any comments on quality, or suggestions for improvement are welcomed.


Also, done because I really felt like drawing a guy with a goldfish bowl for a head. Some days, you gotta go where the muse takes you, ya know?

Who'll Be Watching the Watchmen?

Like most sentient beings on this side of the world, I'm looking forward to seeing "The Watchmen" this weekend. This is sort of a holy grail of comic book movies, so regardless of Alan Moore's opinion of adapting his works, there's no way I can miss this.
In preparation for seeing the movie, I'm rereading the graphic novel (and if you haven't done so, you absolutely owe it to yourself to do so as well, even if you're not a comic book geek like me).
Being a little older than the typical comic geek (somewhere more than a decade and less than an epoch), I remember reading the adventures of the original Charlton heroes on which the Watchmen were based. The Peacemaker, Thunderbolt, Blue Beetle, The Question (not so much Phantom Lady; she didn't get much play at Charlton), and their missing contemporaries Dr. Graves and E-Man, were part of my earliest comic reading experience.
So when I read Watchmen, I can't help but wonder how different the book might have been had it been done using those Charlton heroes as Alan Moore originally intended. That, of course, leads me to ponder an alternate reality in which it is those characters, instead of their revamped versions, that made it to the big screen.
So here is the result of several wasted lunch hours pondering the question, "What if the Charlton heroes were used in the movie version of the Watchmen?"


I recommend clicking to get the full view on this one, BTW.

To Your Scattered Body Go...

It's all over my news sources this morning that SF author Philip Jose Farmer passed away yesterday. At 91 years old, it's not exactly a tragedy, except in the sense that humanity hasn't discovered a way of making its better representatives immortal yet, but nevertheless his passing should be noted. In a perfect universe, he'd be on a riverboat with Sir Richard Burton and Tom Mix right now.

Farmer was one of my first and strongest science fiction influences. He, along with Robert
Heinlein, was responsible for blasting open the doors of my developing teenaged mind. "Image of the Beast" remains a very conflicting novel for me, more than 20 years after first reading it, while "Riders of the Purple Wage" was an early philosophical influence. His work on Doc Caliban and the other icons of the pulp age was a clear inspiration to many of my favorite writers and my own writing as well.

Farmer was one of those eclectic writers, like Harlan Ellison or Stephen King, who was capable of going in any direction with his work, often delighting and surprising with an unexpected change of course. From hard SF to eroticism to pulp fiction to dead-on humour, his fiction was always rewarding to read.

If you've never read any of Farmer's work, it's worth your while to seek some out. If you'd like to start out with something on the cheap, why not try the heavily Edgar Rice Burroughs influenced "Green Odyssey" audiobook available for free over at Librivox.

Sail on, sail on, Philip Jose Farmer.

Join the Sky Club!

An image from one of my recent projects has recently gone online. Late last year, I completed a set of image for an upcoming CD from the band "Sky Club". The album is called "Ipodius" and it's due to be released later this year from Umbrello Records. You can find out more information about the CD on its Umbrello page. Here's the cover:


This is obviously only a thumbnail of the image; you can see a larger version at Umbrello.

One of the cool things about this CD is that one of the musicians is science fiction author Mack Maloney, creator of the Wingman, Starhawks and Superhawks series of novels. Besides being an entertaining author, Mack's quite an accomplished keyboardist, judging by the samples I've heard from this band.
If you're a fan of good progressive rock (of which I don't think there's enough any more), then take it from me that this will be an album well worth listening to. I'll update here as soon as I know that the album's available, and will try to get permission to post another image or two from the insert. Inn the meantime, keep an eye on their Umbrello page for more news and information about the CD, and while you're at it, check out some of Mack's books for some good reading.

 Quick update:
The album is still a go, but it has switched distributors, and there has been a title change, so I've removed the link and the original cover thumbnail.  I will create a new post with new information soon.

Femmes Fatale

Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, here are three ladies of classic horror. Once again, if you have to ask who they are, shame on you. Turn off "Saw the Umpteenth" and go watch some horror with class.

Three Faces of Evil

Some rough sketches for a piece I'm contemplating; all are based on old publicity stills. If you have to ask who these gentlemen are, then you probably don't need to know.

Spacehawk Redesign

I recently signed up for Warren Ellis's Whitechapel forum, mainly so I could participate in his weekly remake/remodel sessions. Each week, Warren selects golden age comic characters and invites the more artistic members to redesign those characters for the modern age. It's great fun, and a good way to hone the character design skills.
Here's an example of a recent character that was put up for redesign. I didn't join in time to get in on this thread, but put together a piece, just for the fun of it. The character is Basil Wolverton's "Spacehawk" (see more about him here), and my take is somewhere between Hilary Barta and Tom O'Finland.

Local Hero

Here's a piece I did a few years ago as an entry for an SPX collection. For reasons unknown, but probably having something to do with image quality, it didn't make it in. Nevertheless, it's a piece I enjoyed working on, not least of all because it pays tribute to the owner of the best comic shop I have ever set foot in, Strange Adventures. I've frequented the place for about ten years now, and it remains one of the coolest, most interesting shops I've ever seen.
The pages from the story, "Local Hero" are below, but if you'd prefer, I've also created a .cbz file for reading with CDisplay or your favorite comic reader. Get it here. Enjoy.

Knighthawk!

Here's another piece done for Robin Reed's book, Powers vs. Power. This time, it's her character Knighthawk, this piece being used for the back cover of the book. In case you haven't done so already, check out Robin's book over at Lulu.com. You can even read some of the stories online at Metahuman Press. Trust me, it's worth a look.

Aiming for "Peak" Traffic

Returning visitors will notice the nifty new Apex Book Company widget off to the left. I figured after the previous post, I should put my money where my mouth is and lend them some support. Not only have I purchased some of their books, but I'm flying their widget here for the foreseeable future, to keep both you and me informed of their literary doings. There may be other news here, but more about that later...
Once again, I'll reiterate that anything from this company is worth checking out. I've yet to be disappointed with a purchase from them, and don't see any reason why that should change. I'm currently reading Michael Burstein's "I Remember the Future" (available from the Apex store in hardcover and from Fictionwise in handy ebook format), and I'm enjoying it so much that I've purchased a hardcover copy for a friend of mine. As I said in my note to said friend, this is a book that makes you feel more human for having read it. Burstein manages to combine just enough hard sci fi to convince you that you've learned something, with humanist themes that appeal to your empathy. It's good sci-fi, not space opera, in the tradition of some of the great masters like Asimov and Clarke, and well worth the read.
So, once again...Apex. Read. Buy. Go.....

Looking Ahead, Odds and Ends

It's been a busy time, folks. I've recently finished up a set of illustrations for a CD project that won't see the light of day until the new year, but I'll post some samples here as soon as I can get permission. Also, I've just finished up a little project for the Canada Revenue Agency...a little thing known as a tax audit. Yeah. Fun.
In the new year, I'm looking forward to doing less commission work, focusing instead on bringing some of my own projects to the point where I can start selling them in various forms. That's not to say that I won't take a commission if it comes along, but it won't be my main interest like it was in the past year.
I'm still doing odd sketches and whatnot that I'll be posting here soon, just to keep building this blog as my online portfolio. A lot of my hits seem to be coming from people who want to see the tattoo flash I've posted, so maybe I'll put up some more of those, just to keep the punters happy.

In other news around the web, I see that Leo Baubata has posted a new, free ebook over at Zen Habits that will probably be useful to people getting by in today's economy - Thriving on Less - Simplifying in a Tough Economy. I generally stay away from the doom and gloom pundits who talk about how bad things are getting worse, and I haven't read this book yet (hey Leo...pay for some more bandwidth, why doncha!), but I've found Leo's advice to be the sort that's helpful at any time, and if nothing else, this book should provide more food for thought.

Another sign of the times was brought to my attention this morning from one of my favorite horror and science fiction publishers, Apex Publishing. Apex briefly published Apex Digest, which was the only magazine I've subscribed to in the past ten years. For better or worse, it's since gone digital and they have been giving more attention to book sales. They publish books by such notable writers as Jennifer Pelland, Matt Wallace and Lavie Tidhar. I've not read anything offered by them that's not pleased me.
Publishing being the mercurial business that it is right now, Apex is finding itself in need of cash, but quick. They figure about $2500 in revenue in the next two weeks to stay afloat. So if you've got a few post-Xmas dollars to spend and are an avid reader or would like to discover a new author, now's a perfect time to head over to the Apex store and try one of their books.
Myself, I prefer their ebook offerings from Fictionwise - the only source from which I actually buy ebooks - and from recent reading can personally recommend Matt Wallace's "The Next Fix", Fran Friel's "Mama's Boy", and Jennifer Pelland's "Unwelcome Bodies". You can also get back issues of their magazine through the site, and each is guaranteed to have something to please the sci-fi and/or horror fan. I've been nagging editor/publisher Jason Sizemore to offer more items through Fictionwise, and maybe if that wing of their store gets enough attention, they'll actually do it. At an average price of just below 4 bucks, it's probably the best bang for your fiction buck, and it will help keep a worthwhile publisher in business.

But enough begging...here's a glass raised to the new year, with a wish for health, wealth and happiness. Keep the good times rolling, and ride it til the wheels fall off!

Cover Up!

Astute readers will notice that I haven't been posting much here lately. It's not that I've stopped caring, nor even that I don't have any material to post. It's just that I've been very caught up in current projects, with nary a minute to spare for things like putting together blog posts.
The good news is that some of those projects are finally starting to see the light of day, and I should be able to start posting samples soon, starting with the image below.

This is the cover to "Powers vs. Power" by Robin Reed, now available from Lulu.com. This book is a collection of superhero-based short stories, all connected within the frame of a larger story. I've read the stories myself, and I think they're quite enjoyable. This is not so much biff-bam-pow superheroics, nor what Warren Ellis calls "underwear perverts". Rather, it's solid writing with believable characters in a realistic setting. While a certain amount of power fantasy is unavoidable in this genre, the stories depend more on character development and strong narratives, which makes reading the book time well spent. Fans of stories like "Astro City" and "Kingdom Come" would do well to check out this book; they'll find the same kind of storytelling with a respect for the genre that does not have to resort to "Watchmen" style deconstruction to succeed. All in all, good value for the money.
"Powers vs. Power" can be previewed and purchased via it's page on Lulu.com. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Book Review: Bold Visions

I recently picked up Gary Tonge's "Bold Visions" on a whim while browsing the art section of a local bookstore. I generally tend to avoid the "how to" books on comics and fantasy art, other than a quick glance through the pages. This is mainly because I find that most of them teach very limited material, showing how to draw very specific characters in very specific poses, without really exploring the fundamentals of drawing or character design. Even rarer is it to find a good book on digital painting and illustration.
I hadn't scanned "Bold Visions" very far before I knew that this book was something different from the usual, and it practically demanded that I take it home and give it more attention. For the price ($21.00, less if you order it online), I was well rewarded with a book that is both inspirational and informative, and that I think would make a welcome addition to any aspiring artist's reference library.

Tonge's book stands out for three reasons:

1) the author is very good at explaining his process in as few words as possible, with only moderately technical language. His descriptions of his usage of layers, special effects and the basic tools of Photoshop are clear, and encourage experimentation, whereas some books on the subject scare off the reader with jargon. Beginning artists will find much of value in this book.

2) as obvious as this might seem, the book is full of pictures! Rather than relying on blocks of text and captioned images to communicate his methods, Tonge has used a simple yet brilliant technique of using well-labeled images to show the comparative effects of various tools. For example, when describing layer effects in Photoshop, he uses one large image broken down into smaller square areas, each area showing the result of applying the layer effect. The composite picture shows quite clearly the difference made in each case, and communicates the point much more clearly than could be done with traditional text and captions. This may seem obvious, but a quick glance at many art instruction books will show that it is not a technique in widespread use.

3) Tonge is a very good artist. Many of these books, I find, are done by artists who are mediocre, whose work does not really stand out. Take, for example, the many comic and manga instruction books authored by Chris Hart. While they're fine for raw beginners, or those who just want to draw action figures, the art itself is below the standard of even the better than average comic artists working in the market, and as such does not generally inspire the reader to want to take pen to paper. Tonge's work, as the title states, is indeed bold. It is well executed, polished and powerful. Tonge has a wonderful sense of color, and some of his digital paintings have the depth and detail of a John Berkey or a Syd Mead. Seeing this proficient work explained in such a simple way is great motivation for the reader to take mouse or stylus in hand and try some of the things he writes about. If nothing else, this is just an enjoyable book to look at, and makes a fine portfolio book for fantasy art collectors.

Aside from magazines like "Sketch" or "Draw", I've only added a few reference books to my library in recent years, great ones like Scott McCloud's "Making Comics" and "How to Make Webcomics" by Dave Kellett, Kris Straub, Brad Guigar and Scott Kurtz. "Bold Visions" will hold a welcome place among them, and I hope that more publishers will see the value in producing similar books by quality artists. This is the kind of stuff I really need in my collection.

For anyone who's curious about Tonge's work, you can see it for yourself at his website, VisionAfar. It's definitely worth a visit.

Anything?

This is one of the few times I'll post someone else's art to this blog....
Comic artist D.J Coffman, creator of the highly enjoyable webcomic Yirmumah has outdone me in the cheap sketch department by offering to draw anything you want for $2. He's currently up to drawing #342 on his site, and still going strong. My own $2 went with a request for him to draw his favorite comics character and here's the result:


He's had many stranger requests than mine, and appears to have done a fine job by all of them. Drop on by his site, why don't you, and see the work he's done to date. While you're at it, throw him $2 and play stump the artist by giving him something truly weird to draw.

Can't Sleep...Clowns Will Eat Me

For reasons not quite clear, but probably having something to do with lack of sleep and poor dietary habits, I felt that I needed to draw a zombie clown today. Thank heavens for the internet, where I can pass my crazy on to you, dear reader.

 

I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that I can't get Alice Cooper's "Look at You Over There, Ripping the Sawdust From My Teddy Bear" out of my head?

Is It Drafty In Here, Or Is It Air On My Shorts?

The podcast "Air Out My Shorts", hosted by the loquacious Preston Buttons and the liquored Word Whore, is once again running one of my stories in their latest episode, "Catcher In the Eye". The story is titled, "Dawn of the Spooge" and is very, VERY NSFW. It may also cause eye irritation, runny nose, restricted circulation, blue skin, loss of consciousness, violent convulsions, and finally...death. Take only as prescribed by a blogger.

I love this podcast, really I do. However, I must be honest and say that I think they do a really bad job of reading this one. No, really. I know I'm no William S. Burroughs, and they make no bones about their literacy, but I do think the story was better than they present it, and suffers from a half-hearted treatment. Still, it's amusing if you can follow their meandering version of it. So give it a listen...if you dare!