Archive for May, 2008
13 items.
Kids, don`t drink underage. And once you come of age, don`t drink too much. Adults…well, you`re kids who have come of age, so take heed. Alcohol can do plenty of damage on its own and it can wreak havoc on other bodily systems that you will pay for later in life.
But of course, I`d be remiss if I ignored its comedic potential.
I had this idea in my mind, but wasn`t sure how I would get the proportions quite right between the panels. It`s not too bad. I sketched it in my sketchbook and drew a box around the guy`s head to frame the first panel. It really helped keep things in perspective.
Had a great time at a reception. That`s why we`re up a day late. To be fair, I never had five bottles of beer in my hand at once, though I did see someone with two flutes of champagne and two bottles of beer. I wonder why they call them flutes?
Here`s a double-length day for you. On time. Congratulations. You`ve earned it.
I would like to say that I did not see the movie or anything more than previews before I designed this comic. I pulled the craziest ideas I could think of (and Cate Blanchett`s character) into what I thought would be an interesting composition. It kinda works.
Also, I saw the new Indiana Jones movie today (opening day!). No spoilers here, I promise.
First things first: clearly it is a showcase for ILM. Lucas made sure the movie was half an Indiana Jones movie and half a computerized special effects showcase. With that out of the way, If you are a fan of Henry Jr., you`ll want to see the movie, especially the first half. The opening sequence is your standard pulp action fun, spiced up with some nearly seamless effects. Then, you settle in and there`s some good development. Next? Cue the shark-jumping.
I`m a big pulp action fan, so the movie was everything I expected it to be. If you`re a Jones purist, and thought Raiders was the only good movie, don`t waste your time. If you`re looking for some good, over-the-top fun, this should be on your list.
I got this idea from the third panel. Parents. The Last Crusade is still probably my favorite movie of the three (give me a break, alright?), and one of my favorite scenes is when Sean Connery tells Harrison Ford, “I think those men are trying to
kill
us.” I know, dad. If that`s a spoiler, you`re 20 years too late: I can`t help you. Anyway, that`s what`s going on there if you`re not familiar with the scene. The other two top panels should be pretty self-explanatory.
You may notice that none of these panels (save the first) actually occur anywhere. They almost do, but not quite. I had to recompose them to be interesting. They`re definitely in the spirit of the film, but that`s an advantage of film over comic: They get 24 (?) images every second. I had to pull the key elements and put them together in one frame. I think the composition was done pretty well for these shots.
Let`s not forget that I`m working with a lobster, too. That poses some unique challenges that Mr. Ford was capable of overcoming.
I`d like to say something about my choice of “Jump the Shark”. I picked it because I thought it was funny, not that I felt the movie was forced. Plus, it gave me a great center image of Maine Lobster (Indiana Jones? Get it? Bah, whatev). A lobster jumping a shark on a motorbike with a sidecar? I just HAD to draw that.
I admit, I phoned this one in. It`s not up to the usual standards I try to hold myself to, but I am in kind of a rush. Work is picking up pace again, I have a busy weekend planned and I have an awesome strip idea I`ve been trying to get ahead of (unsuccessfully). I apologize, but it`s still a far leap forward from
Day 1
…
Alright, alright. I promise that I`m done with the outdoor shots for awhile. I like playing with formats, and this extra-wide one posed some composition problems for me…especially since I`m still learning the trade. I`ve got some good ideas for strips coming up, so I should have some good practice with composition coming up.
I admit it: I did this comic because I wanted to draw the last panel. I spent too much time considering the last panel, however, and screwed up the third panel pretty badly. Oh, well. I guess you could say I couldn`t see the forest for the rest of the comic…though that`s nowhere near as elegant as the phrase I butchered.
In an amazing departure from my normal method, I know the entire story line already, and I even have a few comics ahead inked. They`re not ready for prime-time, but now it won`t be a series of last-second rushes. I like it. I think I`m going to try to stay ahead. We`ll see how that works out.
I can`t be the only one this bothers. So many times I have been sitting at my computer, thinking, “Man…If only I could acquire some 15m satellite imagery at 15m satellite imagery prices and turn it into 50cm imagery with magic software. The proof that this technology doesn`t exist? Every imaging laboratory in the world would own a copy and everyone would be getting traditional X-Rays instead of CAT scans. Oh, and spy satellites wouldn`t have to be able to see which face of a coin is up or read license plates…If you can see what appears to be a vehicle, hey, just run it through the enhancer and determine what kind of fly is on the license plate.
While we`re at it, we can tap the expertise of a bugologist* to determine that the fly is a very specific fly that only lives in one apartment of one particular apartment building, which happens to be the apartment of a mole who insists he`ll never tell our spyhunters anything then gives it all up five seconds later. But, that`s for another day…
* – Yes, yes, entomologist…