Manic Wednesday!

Welcome back! It's Manic Mon-...Wednesday! Well, it's also Christmas recovery time, so it actually doesn't feel that manic around here, the opposite actually. The presents are opened, the family(ies) are hosted and the kid is happy. Life goes on though and 2012 is just round the corner. Time's a'wastin'... let's do this!

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How was everyone's Christmas? Things went pretty smooth around these parts. My wife had the genius idea of avoiding the malls to get all her shopping done. I wish I'd gone the same route. -sigh- Never again, San Diego malls, never again!
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My wife got a me (among other things) a swanky case for a tennis ball that I caught at the 2008 US Open. It was hit into the crowd after Roger Federer won his match, and it's still maybe my favorite sports memory. I never got a proper case for it while in New York, and then we moved out to San Diego and it stayed in a closet until remember by my wife. It's got a purdy, new home now and it makes me smile when I look up at it from my desk.

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Anyone see Hugo? Was it as good as everyone is saying it is?

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Speaking of good stuff, how the hell did I miss Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen doing a cover of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair"?!? How, I ask you, how?!? My god, it's amazing. It's here, go check it out. You're welcome.

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I'm working on Hatchepsut day and night right now, and hacking away at it as best I can. The first page is now penciled and lettered, and , well.. here ya go! Thoughts, comments, the highest of praise... all of it is welcome. Mostly. ;-)

Manic Monday!

Man, the holidays are insane! And we've still got two weeks until Christmas! Time's a'wasting! It's Manic Monday, let's do this!

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I've been writing for Giant Fire Breathing Robot for over a half a year now, and the guys and gals there have been great. If you haven't checked it out you should! If not for me, then for the other awesome writing on television, comics, movies, games and all things geek.

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One of the best television shows on the air right now has to be CBS' The Good Wife. It is incredibly nuanced, dynamic, involving television and the entire cast is stellar. They really know how to set up a good narrative for the season, explore it, twist it and then break it to find something else inside. Lots of shows will upset the status quo and shift directions season to season, but none currently do it with the heart and conviction of The Good Wife. Go stream an episode and check it out for yourself.

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Speaking of television, I'm still liking Glee but damn... that show has been all over the map this season. Good great, some horrendous episodes and most dancing in the middle.

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Over at Comics Should Be Good, one of the Internet's best comic sites (after GFBR of course!) I've got a piece in a contest to become a new sketch artist for the site. It'd be very nifty if you would head on over there and vote for me. It's super easy: The link is here, find my name, check it, click okay and you're done! And I'm happy. :-)

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Work continues this week on my Egyptian graphic novel. Here's a taste of the intro I'm working on. I've been able to get incredible feedback from friends and family, comic and non-comic readers, and they've really helped me nail the feel and direction of this project long before I'd even gotten to the boards. This page will probably pop up on this blog again later this week, after it's done and I've got a day to place it in. Till then... Egypt!

Manic Mon-... Thursday!

Welcome back to my artblog. I've slowly but surely gotten this thing back up and running. Drop me a line, leave a comment, all caps and really angry if you want... I love it all!

It's Manic Mon-... er, Thursday now. There's art to get done, comics to be read and a kid to be entertained. Let's get this show on the road!

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I finally got around to watching "Horrible Bosses" this week. We had a free evening (what with the kid having a sleepover with her meme) and we had a nice meal, and wanted to have a low-key movie to round out the evening (Melancholia, which I do want to see, was naturally discounted). I'd heard good things about "Horrible Bosses" so we decided to give it a try. It was entertaining, and I think the whole cast did a great job. Colin Farrell, Jennfire Aniston and Kevin Spacey all did great jobs as the 'bosses', and Aniston in particular did a hilarious job with the script that was given to her. I'd recommend it if you're looking for an easy, entertaining comedy.

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Rolling Stone has now come out with its annual list of Best Albums and Best Singles for 2011. Predictably, Adele is topping both of those lists. I can't fault "Rolling In The Deep" at all; that song rocked and had some major staying power. The album itself I haven't listened to enough to judge whether its top spot was worthy or not. Thoughts?

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It is cold lately! Well, for San Diego anyways. Just sayin'.

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Second round is up for Comics Should Be Good's The Line Is Drawn Tryout! (Holy Crap in a basket, that's a mouthful) (That's what she said) ....Sorry, too much coffee there.. .Anyways, yeah, go check it out. My contribution to this week's theme of Mash-Ups is The Spirit meets Batman (specifically the old cranky Bats from Dark Knight Returns). The voting is happening here.

Go vote for me! ...Please?

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Speaking of the Spirit, in looking for reference I stumble upon this awesome article discussing the way-ahead-of-its-time title modifications of the book by creator Will Eisner. It's a great article with some phenomenal art. Go get your art on.

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Speaking of art, here's the aforementioned Batman/ Spirit piece. Lots of fun with this one.



See you tomorrow!

Manic Monday.. er, Tuesday!

Greetings my blog readers (or is it reader? I've been negligent, I don't expect there's many of you out there right now). It's Monday and the Thanksgiving week is over. I am about forty pounds heavier (thanks to Pre-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving and various other get-togethers) but a lot more rested. It's Manic Tuesday, let's do this!

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Did you see that Jim Lee and Geoff John's Justice League #1 is going to a fifth printing? Eegads, that's a sizable accomplishment! I cannot for the life of me remember the last issue of any comic that went to five printings. Congrats Jim Lee and Geoff Johns, and to DC Comics. The 52 experiment is looking less experimental and more rock-solid every day.

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I saw the new Muppets film this past week (I told you I was busy!). I went with a few friends and my daughter. I thought the movie was pretty damn good, and my daughter loved it. Seriously, she did not move the entire time, and she's three! At one point I tried to hug her and she shooed me off, saying "Dad, Dad, let's just watch the movie."

Parents, you will always lose to Kermit. Always.

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George W. Bush, I just learned on Rachel Maddow, has been photographed a lot rubbing bald men's heads. I don't really know what to make of that, other than the fact that I never ever want to be bald now, especially in Texas.

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Your art piece for this late start of the week is a funny little take on a classic comic cover. The cover is Thor #337 (you can find it here) and I decided that the world should see what that cover would look like if we subbed in the musical artist Prince instead. So I did. Here we go!




Pretty fun. Might just have to try this again sometime.

See you tomorrow!

Manic Monday!

It's Manic Monday! The sun's out today but it's been raining a lot this month. It must be fall (what can I say, it's San Diego; we measure the seasons like that) and the pile of work on my desk is beckoning. Let's make this return a good but fast one!

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Holy crap, it's been awhile! I've had a LOT going on lately (all of it good, so no complaining there) and the blog kinda slipped through. But I'm back in full effect. (Famous last words right?)

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How's the DC 52 launch been working out for you? Retailers, readers, casual observers? The two comic stores that I frequent have have had most stuff in stock, but it's all been moving briskly. I still don't have a Justice League! Forth printing anyone?

One of the stores is charging pretty inflated prices for scarce issues and I'm not sold on the idea. I understand supply/demand (I'm an artist, but there's some non-art smarts bumping around up there. Somewhere) but for a line of comics designed to be a massive jumping-on point it seems short-sighted to make a quick five extra bucks now but maybe lose a loyal reader of that book who would be spending that extra three a month.

Is it just me?

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Last week was a lot of thumbnailing, which is not that much fun to see, and a studio renovation, which I guess isn't really that much fun to see either... Productive though! I'll start rolling out the pencils for you to see as I get 'em done. Get 'Em Done!

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I just recently saw the 1984 re-release of Fritz Lang's classic silent film Metropolis. Metropolis is generally thought of as the first sci-fi movie. It was released in 1927, but in a heavily-edited version that left out a lot of back story, elaboration and cool stuff. Over the years, snippets are found here and there, in random warehouses and film lots and they're re-added and re-released in theaters. The 1984 edition of Metropolis is WAY more than just that (though it does have footage not in the original release). The '84 release had a musical score, sound effects and limited colorization all overseen by disco impresario Giorgio Moroder. In addition, songs for the film were done by Bonnie Tyler, Pat Benatar, Adam Ant and Freddie Mercury.

Holy. Shit. It was amazing! Your mileage may vary, and vary WILDLY, but I thought it was a brave, exciting, and well-executed modern take on the classic film. Like Picasso riffing on Goya, it's a bold statement of inspiration and indebtedness. Amazing. I saw it at a local art film theater, but it's available now on Netflix Instant Streaming. Check it out.

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One of my more exciting projects recently was a caricature piece unlike any I've done. I was contacted to do a caricature of a guy and his girlfriend where he "hires me" (quotes will make sense very soon) to draw them together in the park as a cool thing to do. I meet with them, draw the two of them, and then turn the drawing around....

...and it's actually a drawing of him down on one knee proposing to her.

It was an awesome idea (why didn't I think of that?!? Haha) and I had a blast doing it. The day was beautiful, she was genuinely surprised and everything went as planned.

And yes, she said yes!

Here's my initial sketches for it



He liked 'B' a bit more (I'd agree) and I drew that up with their features roughed in.



I then did a finished drawing of them, and left the background for the day of, so I'd have something to do while I pretended to draw them! I gotta say, it's not easy pretending to draw. "I'm an artist, not an actor Jim!" Anyways, enough yapping. Here's the finished piece! (And congrats again to the happy couple!)

See you tomorrow everybody!

Manic Monday! (Okay, Tuesday)

Hope everybody out there had a good Fourth of July. It was rockin' around the Nunez house: neighborhood parade early in the morning, small group of friends over for BBQ and beer in the afternoon and then a night of Trivia, hosted by my team. (We rocked it, I gotta say)

Now? Back to the grindstone and all that.

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A couple new posts are up at Giant Fire Breathing Robot by yours truly. One is an opinion piece about comics and movies and the funny dance they do with each other. The other is the first in a continuing series I'm doing about Uncollected Classics; comic book gems that haven't been re-released since their publication. There's a lot of great stuff out there that still goes unrecognized. I'm hoping to spotlight as many of them as I can. First up, a Gene Colan drawn issue of Secret Origins.

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I love a handful of pizza places here in San Diego, but I always end up missing New York City pies. Damn you NYC and your impossibly high standards.

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The same can be said of bagels, but multiplied by... a bajillion, we'll say.

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I can't think of a more "fun" series in the 1980's than DC's "DC Comics Presents", a team-up book that paired Superman with various other heroes. It generally had a high level of talent, on average. Totally worth looking for in a quarter bin at your local store or comic convention. I'm writing about one of my favorite issues of the run for my next installment of "Uncollected Classics". I'll keep you posted.

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Here's a sample of a caricature I'm working on at the moment. This is a rough, but at this point it's important to start getting the likenesses down and to make sure the composition is suited to the project.

See ya tomorrow!

Manic Monday!

Things have been piling up, but this week we get this train back on track.

It's Manic Monday, let's do this!

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Lady Gaga's album has been out for over a month now and there's definitely some high spots and definitely some low spots for me. One of those high spots right now is "The Edge of Glory", which is also the third official single from the album. It's been receiving attention too because it was sadly one of the last recordings made by saxophone legend Clarence Clemons before he passed away. The video's out for the song here.

It's very stripped down, by Gaga standards, but I like it and the juxtaposition of the intimacy of the video (featuring just her and Clemons and a New York City soundstage row of brownstones) with the bombast of the song.

My favorite moment's got to be at 4:01; it's in the middle eight and Gaga bends down and kisses the sidewalk like a lover or a loved one. It completely and emotionally encapsulates the relationship between an artist and the city-as-muse, especially and personally New York City.

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The line-up for the DCnU Justice League seems to have been released; randomly it was first spotted on a cup on Facebook. I'm not sold on the character redesigns, at least in this image. I don't imagine that the intricacy of...well, everything... is going to last. It can't really. The extra lines on the Superman and Batman uniforms, the needlessly complicated boots for Superman, Batman and Flash, Cyborg (all of him!)... none of that is feasible for a wide range of artistic styles to try to keep straight.

It's a start, I guess.

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I know have more bourbon than I know what to do with. Seriously. I got a lot of bourbon for my birthday. A lot. I'm not complaining of course! I just never thought I'd have a bourbon collection going. New favorite? Maker's Mark 46. Shit's good.

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Comic legend Gene Colan recently passed. He was a true legend, and an artistic that could tackle anything. I've got a post up at Giant Fire Breathing Robot if you want to read some more.

R.I.P Mr. Colan.

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My ACLU comic is just wrapping up. Here's a finished panel from the thing. I'll see if I can post up the whole thing when it's done; I've gotta check with them on that. Till tomorrow!

Manic Monday!

It's cloudy here in Sunny San Diego. It's gotta happen at least once a year, right? There's work, work, work on the desk for today, but this weekend was fun, fun, fun. The batteries are charged and ready to go.

It's Manic Monday, let's do this!

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I downloaded the original cast recording for "The Book of Mormon" this past week. (Legally of course; thank you Amazon!) It is...amazing. I generally enjoy listening to scores and soundtracks while I'm working, but this one might not be such a good idea. I was stopping every minute or so to laugh. F'ing brilliant work.

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Grant Morrison will not be leaving Batman with the reboot of the DC universe in August. Huzzah! It wasn't ever really in doubt but-...why does this sound so familiar. Oh yeah! I wrote about this in my newest article over at Giant Fire Breathing Robot. (Go!Go!Go!)

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The Graphic Novel Project at High Tech High Chula Vista has launched their newest venture. May I present... "Dino In Dino"! Check it out, more to come soon.

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I'm still in the midst of various assignments. Good thing. My ACLU comic is going smoothly. There's been a correction needed on part of it, but nothing big. Shifting and moving of various pieces. Here's a sample of where I'm starting today. I'll try to get a finished version of this live for tomorrow.

Manic Monday!

Whew! This past weekend was the Rock N'Roll Marathon here in Sunny San Diego. Yours truly took part in it (for the second year running, no pun intended). It was a lot of fun, and it's always an awesome atmosphere. There was an Elvis Impersonator running, and well; he almost beat me to the finish line. I'd passed him up around mile eight, but as I started to hit the wall he passed me around mile twenty four. "Fuck you Elvis!" became my ralying cry for that last couple miles.

And yes, I beat him.

It's Manic Monday, let's do this!

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The most awesome book of all awesome books is quite possibly "Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.". Really, it's amazing. I'd read the book in its monthly installments back in 2006-7, and I'd always look back fondly on the zaniness. I decided to get the softcover "Ultimate Edition" of the book, which collects all twelve issues, along with all the Q-and-A's and letterpages. It was impossible to put down.

It's on loan to a friend, and then to another friend after that. So...get in line. Or, get your own. Now....Read the Book!

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My new article's up over at Giant Fire Breathing Robot. It's about Grant Morrison taking over the reins of Superman, and what questions and ponderings that's inspired. Morrison's got a long and varied history with Superman, having written the most critically acclaimed Superman story of the last thirty years (All-Star Superman) as well as the most exciting pitch that never happened (the Superman 2000 Proposal, alongside Peyer, Waid and Millar).

Check out my article here.

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I am still sore. Still so very sore...

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What's everyone's favorite tracks from the Born This Way album? Lately I've been rocking the country/rock ending trifecta of "You & I", "Edge of Glory" and "Born This Way (Country Road)". Lot of punch in those eleven minutes.

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I'm in the middle of an ACLU project of the moment. Here's how it's coming along. Enjoy the week!

Manic Monday!

It's the middle of the French Open, it's Memorial Day (formerly Decoration Day; who knew?) and I've got a lot on my plate (most of it art related, which is great). Let's do this!

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Speaking of the French Open, I was watching Novak Djokovic the other day and I started thinking about comics. (Know me long enough and it's bizarre combination I'll often find myself making) Novak Djokovic, for those of you that don't know (and why don't you?) has been on a tear in tennis lately. 'Tear' actually doesn't do it justice (it's been five months now) and that's not the part of it that's intriguing to me.

It's always interesting to me when athletes, musicians or artists make what seems a leap in their progression. Steps are so often incremental and invisible, much like trying to notice a child growing. Sometimes though there's a point where you go, "Man! That guy's different from last week!" Just interesting.

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Summer in San Diego is like the museums, events and art in New York. You pay for the culture in New York City (and do you!) and in San Diego you pay for the weather (sweet, glorious sunshine!) Having a kid makes me value the later in a way I haven't, ever.

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Have you been over to Giant Fire Breathing Robot yet? Awesome-ness.

What? Why yes, I am writing for them. And yes, I'm still totally impartial about their awesome-ness. Completely.

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Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" is an amazing albums. Not without its faults, of course, but a great work of art. I think I'm even going to do a full length post on it. Kinda rambling, kinda fun, kinda Jesus, kinda Madonna.

Later this week.

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I'm working on some pages with Supergirl and Batgirl right now, which I've loosely adapted from an old 70's story where they fight Cleopatra. Yeah, pretty awesome. Anyways, here's a couple pages of roughs till I get something more substantial going.

Manic (Not) Monday!

It's Monday! Er... okay it's not, it's Friday. But I'm trying to get my blog something like on schedule. It's beautiful outside, Go, Diego, Go!'s on in the background, the peoples are running around for Memorial Day and the coffee's brewing. Let's do this!

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I've got a new computer! It arrived a couple weeks ago now. It's one of the new iMacs. I'm incredibly excited. I'm going to start dipping my toe into the digital production end of comics. I'll let you know how the experiement goes. In the meanwhile, here's a book recommendation: The DC Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics. I know, not the most catchy title. But everything else is great about this book. It's a huge resource of how to create comics digitally, and also on how to adapt a traditional (pen and paper) workflow to something somewhere in between traditional and digital. Written by Freddie Williams II and priced at a little over twenty bucks, it's a great investment.

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I'd seen such a wide range of opinions on the new Thor movie that I had absolutely NO idea how the movie will actually be. After seeing it I'm very in the middle. Many things were done really well, some were done not so well, but there was plenty that was closer to the former and that makes me happy. Oh, and this.

I think I'll have something more of a review soon. Maybe.

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What's that? I haven't talked about "Genius, Isolated", the new book about Alex Toth, yet? That's because I already have, suckers. Go read my review over at Giant Fire Breathing Robot, where I'm a regular contributor (at least until they kick me out).

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Speaking of which, Alex Toth inked by Vince Colletta is the most bizarre idea anyone ever had. But it happened! In Hot Wheels #3 (1969). I don't know what's more amusing, picturing Dick Giordano (who was editor) when he realizes what's about to go down, or Toth, when he (I'm positive) stormed into Dick's office, demanding Vinny never touch his pencils again.

Man. Comics, everybody.

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I'm busy at work on my next turnaround. It's a recent character, and another one from the Green Lantern universe.

A preview:

Manic Monday!

It's an amazing San Diego day and it's hard to stay indoors right now. Let's get through this Manic Monday, manic-lly!

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I have seen paradise and it is Genius Isolated, a book just put out by IDW. It's about Alex Toth, and yes, know I've posted about it before, but I just got my copy in the mail and dammit I'm excited! Really, it's amazing. It's bigger and thicker than I thought ("That's what she said") and the production value of the thing is astounding.

I can't recommend the book more. Well worth it. (The link up there is to its Amazon page, where it's only thrity-two bucks right now)

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Beyonce's got a new single out. "Run This World (Girls)" is classic Beyonce. And by that I mean, awesome, ass-shaking and just bizarre enough to keep you engaged through the coming years. Her discography is seriously aging well, better than most wines. Honestly I think she tacked the parenthesis-Girls-parenthesis onto the title to be nice. We all know who runs the world, Miss B, but thanks for extending the royal hand.

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I've got another, semi-serious writing gig coming up. I've just, just started, so I'm going to keep it light and not jinx it. I'm excited about it. More to come soon!

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Progress on my Egyptian Frog Goddess has been made! Not quite done yet, but the inking's moving along nicely. Here ya go!

Manic Monday!

Well, it's another Monday. It was a busy, crazy weekend here and Easter's come and gone (and I've got no bacon left in the house!). Fun, fun, fun... now let's see what's been going on in the world.

It's Manic Monday, let's turn this mother out!

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Yeah, I went there. Deal with it. You know you love it.

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I think that the greatest untapped market right now is 'Easter songs'. I mean, besides "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", what is there? And yet, look at the market! That's a simple issue of supply and demand, my friends. Nothing in sight.

Well, except for this gem. My god...

Ya know what? Nevermind, no Easter Songs. We're obviously not advanced enough yet as a race to get them right.

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So the highly anticipated (at least by me) book about Alex Toth, "Genius, Isolated", is due next week. I cannot recommend this enough. Having seen some preview pages and read some of interviews, its' an amazing look at one of comics' certifiable legends.

It's going to be a series of three books, looking (roughly) at his early, high, and late career. This is one of those books that I think is a no-brainer purchase, whether you're a fan of comic books, animation (Toth created Space Ghost and had a big hand in the Fantastic Four and Super Friends cartoons) or just great art in general.

Or, maybe if you're lucky, I'll let you borrow mine.

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A couple links for your Monday perusal:
* Awesome San Diego food blog Sasha Eat World ,with great photos and wit. What more do you want?!?
* I've linked to it before, but if you're not reading Agent of S.T.Y.L.E., I have to wonder what's wrong with you.
* Slightly off the 'pop culture' beat, if you want an accurate, honest look at American politics, Glenn Greenwald is your man. He makes most mainstream 'journalists' look like high school reporters.

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Last week (or so) I started on this piece on Heket, Egyptian frog goddess. Here's step two in the process.

Tick tock, tick tock...

Manic Monday!

It's Monday, and as my daughter would say "A new day has come!". (She's really into Dora The Explorer and someone said that once. Or something.)

Let's do this!

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You heard Lady Gaga's new single "Judas" yet? If not, go listen then we'll talk.

Back? So, what'd you think? Here's my review: I'm enjoying it, though I'm getting neither the immediate sense of satistfaction or surprise (as I did with "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face") or delayed, 'A Ha!' enjoyment (as creeped up on me with "Telephone" and especially "Born This Way") The criticism against "Born This Way", that was a retread of area mined by Madonna, is a more accurate descriptor of "Judas".

To me, it sounds incredibly similar to "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance"; the stuttering, high dance beat of the former mixed with the time changes and aural atmosphere of the later. The middle eight/ bridge is great (the spoken elements contrast nicely with the clear, 'clean' chorus). The gothic feel is also nice, but again feels so similar to the world created to "Bad Romance" as to be not surprising.

Perhaps it's context. If this had been a B-side to "Bad Romance" or another single from "Fame Monster" it would be much more of a standout, but as something that is carrying the new album in the wake of "Born This Way" it feels a little bit like Gaga's treading water.

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Another Trivia Night has come and gone. We didn't do so well, but what can you do? Besides drink another IPA of course.

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I just picked up a book on the Super Friends cartoon. Yeah, that Super Friends. You know when Super Friends doesn't suck, and I'm sorry to fans out there but it mostly does? It's when you've got comic legend Alex Toth involved.

Legend is a word, like genius, thrown around to often and mostly applied to people who just do particularly good at their job. Legend and genius are words, especially in a young medium like comics, that need to be saved for special instances. Kirby. Eisner. Adams. And Toth. This book is just picked up has some Toth pieces, both written and drawn, about the Superfriends cartoon and the process of creating it. This model sheet is from the cartoon, but not from the book. Imagine if that pretty crappy cartoon had had this much effort and life behind it?




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On my artistic shelf this week: I'm listening to the Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds" (better than every Beatles album except Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's), starting a novel "City & City" that I'm borrowing from a friend, and finishing up a fascinating book on the various social classes in Ancient Egypt. Research, that one, but still really interesting. Nice when those two sync up!

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Here at the Nunez house we've had a return of the gophers from last year, and I think I scared them off (i.e. killed them. Sorry.) with some strategically placed pieces of Juicy Fruit. Really works, it's true! (That saccharine crap's good for something!) I decided I'd honor my worthy foes by creating a super-villain in their names.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Gopher! I promise to pass on any royalties to their gopher families.

Manic Monday!

Well, we're almost on schedule (this post is only a few days late now, as opposed to a month!) Let's get crazy (put your hands up). It's Manic Monday!

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It's the Inkwell Awards! Recognizing the best inkers in the comic industry. Have you voted yet?

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Your song recommendation of the week: Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - "Two Against One (ft Jack White)". It comes from a Spaghetti Western inspired album titles "Rome" which is out later this year. It rocks. Hard. (YouTube link here)

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A month or so ago I started on a picture of Lucia as an Orange Lantern, which is a group of comic characters. (They're motivated by self-preservation and greed, and if that doesn't (sometimes) fit young kids to a tee I'm not sure what group does! Anyways, I wanted to do a more traditional caricature of her, so that's what we're doing today.

The photo was chosen by me, but Lucia insisted that she be Tinkerbell. In fact that was the second thing she said when she saw her Orange Lantern self ; "It's me!", was quickly followed by "I want Tinkerbell!".

Everyone's a critic!

So, here we are, and here's Lucia Nunez as Tinkerbell!

Manic Monday!

It's Manic Monday! You may have noticed that the last couple weeks were a bit of wash here at Pop/Life. I bit off.. not more than I can chew, but a piece that took a little bit longer to chew, if I can be allowed to stretch that metaphor to its legal limit.

I started trying to get done an extra comic page, in addition to my blog stuff and my usual motley crew of assignments, and it's taken a little bit longer than I'd anticipated to integrate into my schedule. Let's see if this week we can get back on track, yeah?

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It's no secret, here on this blog or to anyone that's talked to me for more than five minutes, that one of my absolute favorite comic artists is Kevin Nowlan. Nowlan is a thirty year professional in the industry, and he's one of those rare talents that's on the short list for mastery of penciling, inking, coloring and lettering. He's really, really good.

It's pretty rare anymore for him to take on penciling jobs (he's spent more time doing covers and stellar inking jobs over guys like Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez) but Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy, has somehow lured him into doing a Hellboy one shot. This highly anticipated book is due next month. Kevin Nowlan's really gone all out on this one: he's doing the pencils, inks, letters and colors. I'm incredibly excited. Yay for comics!

There's a brief but interesting article over at Newsarama on the project (and dig those sweet pencils!)

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I don't know what I'd do if I didn't own an espresso machine, I really don't.

Okay, that's a lie. I'd go to the excellent Lestat's Coffehouse, here in Normal Heights. I'm just a block away, and I feel lucky.

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I'm always interested in how other artists produce their work, and what steps they take and when. Along those lines, there's a great process article about a recent Venom cover by Joe Quesada over at Comic Alliance. Go check it.

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So, the Sandman page I promised on Friday is not done yet. BUT. I've got a nice looking panel to show you! Last week (or the week before that, really) I posted a rough I was working on for the page. Well, the pencil-ness is done for that one. Here ya go!




See you tomorrow!

Manic Monday!

It's Manic Monday, and I'm somehow caught up! Let's not change that now. Tally ho!

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My comic book recommendation of the week: Night Music by P.Craig Russell. Man, this stuff is good. Russell is one of my favorite artists. He's really got an amazing way with both pencils and inks. His pencils have a lush, Art Nouveau-tinged quality to the work; there's a degree of precise but delicate draftsmanship that he's been able to maintain for over thirty years now. Just astounding. His inking is much more common than you'd think. He's inked a wide variety of guys, including Mike Mignola, Rick Leonardi, Kelley Jones and Michael Golden.

Night Music is a small number of issues (eight? nine? ten? I forget...) published by Eclipse in the eighties. It's an assemblage of small one-off stories and some larger multi-issue works. There's a lot of stuff to like in it; it's a treat to see an artist this good cut loose and do a varied selection of genres, styles and lengths.

It's highly recommended. Go get it!

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I mentioned on Friday that I've started a goal of tackling a different comic page every week. I'll be posting this first one (from Neil Gaiman's Sandman) on Friday.

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The recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophes in Japan have been incredibly awful, surreal and beyond my scope of imagination. I really recommend, if you haven't, donating to the Red Cross. Every bit will help.

I've also found Rachel Maddow's recent segment on the nuclear reactors (and their possible meltdown) very smart and informative. With stuff this big and potentially destructive I find it helps me to listen to people that really know what they're talking about. Maddow explains everything that she can clearly and concisely, and the stuff that she can't she has other smart people on to talk about.

I'm a big fan of television that doesn't dumb itself down. Bravo Rachel Maddow Show.

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Your non-comic book recommendation of the week: Harold Bloom's "The Book of J". This fairly easy read (not always a given with the erudite Bloom) is an intriguing look at the the possible writer of the first 'version' of the Old Testament, and a commendable attempt to recreate that original first document as well.

These stories (if you'll forgive my referring to text sacred to millions of people as such) are so culturally embedded and almost unconscious remembered that it can be hard to look at them with a fresh, and in this instance literary, eye. Bloom has made a very strong case for the early works found in the Torah/ Old Testament as a beautiful piece of literature, and has taken them out of a moral context, something I would never have thought possible with the Bible.

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Time to get a'crackin' on the day. Your art today comes from my comic page mentioned above. It's another rough, subject to change before I get to the finish line. I gotta say, I love the way the the colored pencil takes to the page. It's a nice, albeit temporary, change from the normal monochromatic palette the penciler (or inker) works in.

Enjoy!

Manic Monday!

It's Monday, it's crazy, it's time to do some art!

Let's do this! Manic Monday, GO!

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Did you see my comic page that I posted up? It's my entry for a
So last week I mentioned the rather excellent Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. on Newsarama.com. I also linked to the first part of a few posts on the various Flash costumes over the years. Well, the next couple posts are up! And they are indeed excellent. Flash Fact: There's been some great costumes in the Flash universe, and there's been some awful costumes in the Flash universe. This series of articles covers them all. (Parts one, two and three are here, here and here) Enjoy!

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I've been looking at a lot of Alex Toth recently (shocking, I know) and I'm really convinced that he's one of the most important artists in comic history, right there with Kirby, Eisner and Wood. If you're looking for somewhere to get started, or looking for something new, you can do a lot worse than Creepy #139. It's a full issue of that classic magazine devoted to showcasing the work that Toth had done for the magazine up to that point.

It's an amazing book, maybe even more for the non-successes. It's fascinating to see the process of an artist so conscious and deliberate as Toth, and with works that aren't perfect I feel like you can see a bit more of his process and where he was coming from and where he was going. If that makes sense.

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Ancient Egypt continues to blow my mind. I've been watching some documentaries, and there's a lot that we still don't know or completely understand. Here's an adequate but not completely successful example: Picture the pyramids. Easy right? Big, colossal structures. Everyone can picture them, but did you know that they were all originally cased in limestone? The surface area would have been completely flush and gleamed light in the sun.

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Hey Internet friends! Here's a rough from a panel in the page that I finished last week. (Have you voted yet? Go here and read them rules! Really. You want your vote to count, don't you?) I'm usually not that into my roughs (not that I don't like them, just that I don't think that people are into seeing them much) but this one I thought was fun.

I think the markers help. Markers always help. Primary colors too.

And Batman. Always Batman.

(In my best James Brown) Uggghh!!!

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Manic Monday

Its been a little crazy in "professional life land" these last couple weeks. I'm letting myself off the hook (it's my blog and I can do that), so we're skipping last week and jumping head first into this week. Me and the family spent this past weekend in Desert Hot Springs and now I'm rested and ready for a fresh week of insanity.


It's Manic Monday, let's do this thing!

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The Grammys were on? I missed the memo somehow. I think I'm still catching up on all this teevee I can now record with DVR. Ah, sweet sweet cable...

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Three songs I've downloaded recently which I'm enjoying:

* "Born This Way" -Lady Gaga
This song is really good. It took a little while for me to really get into it (and by 'a while' I mean a few days), but I'm really digging it now. A couple things that stand out: I love how effortlessly and yet how scandalously she mixes sexual orientation with God. Great mix there. I also like how such a strong message (by strong here I don't necessarily mean morally commendable; I mean rather the majority of lyrics being given to 'the message') is contrasted with such a mainstream, likable beat. It's going to be played everywhere, I think Gaga formed it to be played everywhere, and that makes it as ballsy and strong its own way as "Bad Romance" was. Top shelf stuff.

* "Tightrope" -Janelle Monae ft Big Boi
Janelle Monae rocks. She rocks hard. Her first album was great stuff, and this first single from her new one is possibly even better. I'm not sure what genre fits what Monae does; it's some weird combination of R&B, pop, soul, funk and prog rock. Or something. She's also a better dancer than you and your mom.

* "Dog Days (Are Gone)" -Florence+the Machine
This song is like a lot of the folk pop that you've gotten out of the east coast the last few years, but with a lot more scope and musical and artistic ambition. I don't know but I'd guess that Bjork, Radiohead, PJ Harvey and Kate Bush are somewhere in her mix of influences. And really, any two of those should be intriguing enough to give this one a spin.

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I just realized that of the three songs that I listed up above, the Lady Gaga song is the only one without a music video, which is funny. The song is of course new, and a music video is around the corner I'm sure. It's just funny that I'm recommending videos for "Tightrope" (here) and "Dog Days Are Done" (here), but for Gaga I got nothin'.

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Have you checked out Agent of S.T.Y.L.E. lately? It's an awesome weekly post over at Newsarama by Alan Kistler and is an in-depth look at the costume choices and 'looks' of various heroes and villains over the years. It's well-written, awesome and you should love it like a child.

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Nevermind about Gaga, I got somethin'. Here's the video* for her performance of "Born This Way" at the Grammys. Did she in fact build a time machine and scalp Madonna circa 1990? Discuss amongst yourselves.
*note: The Grammys often get their musical panties in a twist about footage online. I'll try to keep an eye on the link.

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For a round of sample pages that I'm doing I thought I should go ahead and do a turnaround for the main antagonist, Cleopatra. Before that I realized I had to design something for her to wear. The turnaround will be tomorrow, but here's the costume design.




Have a good week everyone, see you back here tomorrow.

Manic Monday!

I am back from a wonderful weekend getaway up to LA, and I am rested, ready and... have a cold. -sigh- Let's see if we can't muster through a Monday, perhaps a little less Manic than usual.

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Los Angeles is, as the saying goes, "A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there". I really enjoyed the museum we went to (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and the food was great wherever we went. That said I kept feeling like there was something... missing. I've been to my share of big, bustling cities, from NYC to Rome to Istanbul to Paris. There's something that's a little lacking in LA compared to those (or even lesser cities like Montreal, Toronto, Philly or Florence). I think it's some combination of a) the lack of public transport connecting the city and people, b) the fact that everything's so spread out and disconnected because of it and c) the relative lack of history in the city.

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That said, one of the big high points was the aforementioned LA County Museum of Art. It's a collection of buildings, rather than your standard colossal museum, which takes advantage of the near-perennial sunshine southern California. There's also a nice mix of works on display, from Ancient Egyptian mummies to Jeff Koons, and everything inbetween.

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If you're not watching "The Good Wife" on television, you should be. Just sayin'.

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Something I forgot about the LACMA: There's an amazing sculpture group out in front of the museum called "Urban Lighting". It's a collection of arranged street lamps of varying age and style. Anyone who knows me knows that "street lamps of varying age and style" is one of my favorite sentences. Really. I could pontificate about the beauty of New York City street lamps for hours (and have).

Here's a photo of "Urban Lighting". It's pur-tty.

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Most people reading this blog know that I'm pretty active on Deviant Art. There's a lot of great artists on there, and a lot of great people. I've been into a design lately for a character called Blue Jaye. I'm doing a picture of the character, just for kicks. Here's my rough/ breakdown.

Enjoy your week!