22 October 2007
30 September 2007
Crazy Uncle Jasper and the Town of Broken Promises
"Uncle Jasper has remained the most successful carpetbagger in the Land of Make-Believe, and remained one step ahead of an ever-growing list of angry villagers, by following one simple rule: 'never re-visit a town you've previously bamboozled.' Now, when their magical riverboat runs out of its vitally important supply of Magical Boat Oil, Uncle Jasper finds himself returning to the Town of Broken Promises, where he and the children come face to face with the hilarious consequences of his past visit."
"Welcome to the Town of Broken Promises!"
"I hate visiting villages with thematic elements. It never leads to anything pleasant."
"The City Where Unicorns Give You Candy wasn't so bad."
"...we've never been to the City Where Unicorns Give You Candy!"
"Oh, that's right. I was going to take you there, but I decided it would be more fun to visit the Town Where Everything Is On Fire!"
"...we hate you, Crazy Uncle Jasper."
"Uncle Jasper has remained the most successful carpetbagger in the Land of Make-Believe, and remained one step ahead of an ever-growing list of angry villagers, by following one simple rule: 'never re-visit a town you've previously bamboozled.' Now, when their magical riverboat runs out of its vitally important supply of Magical Boat Oil, Uncle Jasper finds himself returning to the Town of Broken Promises, where he and the children come face to face with the hilarious consequences of his past visit."
"Welcome to the Town of Broken Promises!"
"I hate visiting villages with thematic elements. It never leads to anything pleasant."
"The City Where Unicorns Give You Candy wasn't so bad."
"...we've never been to the City Where Unicorns Give You Candy!"
"Oh, that's right. I was going to take you there, but I decided it would be more fun to visit the Town Where Everything Is On Fire!"
"...we hate you, Crazy Uncle Jasper."
19 September 2007
T Shirt Design for 'Arvard 'Ard Boyz
I used Xerox brand copy paper, micron archival ink pens, Mirado Black Warrior pencils, and translucent vellum (because vellum is awesome).
Color version (full sized and resized), followed by penciled and inked versions, and the sketch by the designer I worked from:
Color version (full sized and resized), followed by penciled and inked versions, and the sketch by the designer I worked from:
09 July 2007
29 June 2007
Page Four - Inked Without Inset
The process of inking was done by laying a transparent sheet of cotton-based vellum over the penciled sheet, and utilizing Pigma Micron pens. This particular page will be the base of the fourth page of the first issue, which takes the form of an advertisement for the model kit of the MRK-04 TT Mandrake Triumphant, Alexia Nickelovich's unit for the majority of the story. The core module (right) of the 04 TT is launched into space along with it's partner, the MRK-06 TT Mandrake Hivemind, where it joins with the armor module, resulting in the left image. The joined form of the Triumphant is strictly for space use, and is stored in space due to the hefty cost of launching such a large mecha every time the Earth is threatened. The module's legs are entirely for show; they are chicken-legs, rather than straight legs, due to the designers' realization that the model kit resulting from the mecha would be unable to stand.
The barrels on the armor module's arms are not cannons, but rather arrays for the mecha's laser blades, which are capable of emitting a sustained blade up to a quarter mile in length. The grids on the surface of the armor are all solar energy collection panels, which recharge the module while it sits in the Earth's orbit between missions. In the model kit, the solar panels are functional, and are used to provide power for the LED lights. The model kit carries a hefty 120 dollar price tag, beyond the range of all but the most hardcore collectors.
It should be mentioned that the existence of in-story model kits is an essential part of the plot: the U.S. government realizes that they can essentially build zero-cost high performance test vehicles by opening up the Mandrake program to a full range of merchandising. The only thing teenage boys love more than giant robots are real giant robots, and the effect is much like the cultural impact of Pokemon; only, in this case, the merchandising represents an actual paramilitary force which saves the world at least once a week.
The Mandrake program is led by Boris Nickelovich, pilot of the 01 TT Mandrake Thunderlord. Other members of the six-pilot team include his two daughters, Alexia and Anya, and Anya's boyfriend Jimmy. As the almost-exclusively teenage team is constantly in the public eye, Anya and Jimmy's relationship has become a celebrity relationship, and numerous tabloids offer constant speculation over when the two will finally tie the knot. It should be added that Boris is not overly impressed with Jimmy, and that Jimmy is constantly trying to win his boss's respect. Anya finds this humorous, and spends considerable energy unraveling Jimmy's attempts to win her father's favor. The other 2 members of the team, Cynthia and Flora, bemoan the fact that the only teenage boy on the team is spoken for, and constantly push for the expansion of the team to allow for more (male) pilots. They will get their wish when the MRK-07 TT Mandrake Deathwing is activated, but not in the way they expect...
Presenting: Everybody Gets Nuked
Note: Images will be of higher scanning quality once they are inked. This work will be penciled on standard xerox paper, inked on translucent vellum, and colored digitally.
You've heard the same story, time and time again: a giant robot crashes in the backyard of a special young boy, who becomes its pilot, embarking on a series of exciting adventures to save the world from evil... and of course, the boy quickly becomes adept at operating the complex machine, surpassing even the most hardened military professionals by the end of the first storyline; after all, he is no ordinary boy.
But Billy is an ordinary boy, and when a bizarre series of coincidences places the most powerful military vehicle ever constructed, the Mandrake Deathwing, in his eager little hands, he displays all the enthusiasm of an obsessive giant robot model kit collector, and all the hand eye coordination of a one-eyed elephant trying to walk on a freshly waxed floor... and he has no idea what any of the buttons do.
The greatest day of Billy's life turns into a nightmare when, in an attempt to save New York City from an alien attack, he accidentally kills over 20 million people. Now, he's on the run from the justifiably furious team of elite robot pilots for whom the Mandrake Deathwing was intended, fleeing to the (relatively) safe airspace of the People's Republic of Canada, the last bastion of sanity in an increasingly bizarre world where genetically engineered Greek gods roam the land (it seemed like a good idea at the time) and aliens eat laser beams for breakfast, washing them down with a tall, cold glass of awesome.
Prepare yourself for a dark comedy of catastrophic proportions. This Summer, Everybody Gets Nuked. Be ready for anything.
You've heard the same story, time and time again: a giant robot crashes in the backyard of a special young boy, who becomes its pilot, embarking on a series of exciting adventures to save the world from evil... and of course, the boy quickly becomes adept at operating the complex machine, surpassing even the most hardened military professionals by the end of the first storyline; after all, he is no ordinary boy.
But Billy is an ordinary boy, and when a bizarre series of coincidences places the most powerful military vehicle ever constructed, the Mandrake Deathwing, in his eager little hands, he displays all the enthusiasm of an obsessive giant robot model kit collector, and all the hand eye coordination of a one-eyed elephant trying to walk on a freshly waxed floor... and he has no idea what any of the buttons do.
The greatest day of Billy's life turns into a nightmare when, in an attempt to save New York City from an alien attack, he accidentally kills over 20 million people. Now, he's on the run from the justifiably furious team of elite robot pilots for whom the Mandrake Deathwing was intended, fleeing to the (relatively) safe airspace of the People's Republic of Canada, the last bastion of sanity in an increasingly bizarre world where genetically engineered Greek gods roam the land (it seemed like a good idea at the time) and aliens eat laser beams for breakfast, washing them down with a tall, cold glass of awesome.
Prepare yourself for a dark comedy of catastrophic proportions. This Summer, Everybody Gets Nuked. Be ready for anything.
18 May 2007
17 May 2007
13 May 2007
09 April 2007
Panels 12-14 (page 5)
As someone commented to me earlier today, my lines from inking are much cleaner. I also think I have a better color balance. Plus, the fire is pretty.
The first clear look at the cat! Hooray! (The cat started as a funny exchange of lines on page 8, but quickly developed into a consistent companion for Crazy Uncle Jasper... despite his eagerness to foist the nameless feline on anyone who would take it.)
The first clear look at the cat! Hooray! (The cat started as a funny exchange of lines on page 8, but quickly developed into a consistent companion for Crazy Uncle Jasper... despite his eagerness to foist the nameless feline on anyone who would take it.)
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