Stuff and Junk.....

Sorry to all you Loyal Legionnaires out there, but again sorry for not posting. Honestly I just haven't had anything to post. I was working on some things, but again honestly to use an old phrase, I have hit the wall. My rheumatioid Arthritis is really driving me crazy. What little work I am doing is at about quarter speed. Which, pardon my french, really pisses me off! My mind is rattled with this all. I can't get going. I have finally been to the new specialist, and I just don't know what is going to happen from all that. Again honestly, not much hope in some areas.

I just don't know how much money and time this is all going to take.

Anyway enough whining, I will just suck it up for now I guess. So I offer yet another cover idea in process for 'Solo Flight'. I pasted in a photo background to get some reference. It won't look like that too much when finished. It is just to give kind of an idea and placement for the buildings. I started taking a look at covers lately, and kind of got tired of the fact most of them don't have a damned thing to do with the comic other than some fancy mood shot of a brooding hero. And I found out I was trying to do the same damned thing. So I decided to do something about it. And yes this scene kind of appears in the comic so it gives a taste of things to come.

So with slow going things, including this blog, I will try harder to keep all informed as to what is happening. We all just have to keep the faith as they say.

Legionnaire Roundup and happenings...

Here at Lightning Legion Secret HQ on Saturday morning while waiting for the pain meds to kick in so I can get some work done, I thought I would post an update from the drawing table.

First off, above you will see the project cover to the science comics I have been working on lately at the day job. See there that 'Action Science' tag line isn't a bunch of whooie, I actually have been doing science comics. This piece contains one of the 'virus' characters from each of the stories that Martin Powell has written.

Below that is a concept for a lady character. I started this as just a warm up drawing earlier in the week. You know one of those throw away kind of drawings to get the joints working and the brain cob webs cleared out. Well then it evolved into an idea for a character with kind of a pun for a name. 'Liberty Girl' is what I wanted to call her, but then realized someone already used that name. I don't know if they named their character because of the term or what. You see a 'Liberty Girl' during WW2 was kind of a bar-fly/hooker/gold digger type that hung around the army/navy bases and tried to hook up with soldiers or sailors. Anyway once I remembered that name was taken, the idea kind of fell apart. I can just use the costume idea for another character or something.

One thing I would like to mention is I like more functional looking women's costumes. Oh don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with sexy outfits....they just have to be used at the right time and on the right person. Maybe this could be another outfit for Jack since she is mostly all business when she flies her plane. But, probably at a later date, this looks more 40's to me. More like a WW2 pilot or WASP type flying outfit.

Then as always I pound away in the spare time, what little I have, to move forward on the ever present KiGor 11 page story. So here is a progress shot of page 6. And yes someday I will get this little story done.

And with all of that, I am still working on the layouts for Captain Spectre's first issue. Which I am afraid is turning into a larger story than I thought it would. After all there are no limits when I do it all myself.

Thanks for tuning in for your Legionnaire update all you Loyal members.....

thanks.......

Letting off a little steam....or the new Captain America movie is not for me.

Forgive me a bit while I let off some steam.

Ever since I heard about the new Captain America movie I have been going up and down about even setting foot in the theater, or just watching it for that matter since I don't go to the movies anymore.

The casting rumors when they first started worried me. Also I should mention in this rant there will be good things and bad things I think, or thought they are doing. But when Chris Evans was picked to play Cap/Steve I was thinking well that is a good thing. I liked Evans as the Torch, yes I finally saw those FF movies. Yikes I thought but one of the only things I liked about those was Evans as the Torch. So to me Evans is a good choice for Steve.

Also I understand why they do the Hydra during WW2 thing. Because you can't have Nazis in a movie showing overseas in some places. It still amazes me on this point, it is like comics with Nazi bad guys in them aren't sold in Germany. It is one of those things like on the Avengers animated series that just started up, WW2 was fought between the Allies and Hydra....I don't know if Hydra invaded Poland but I guess they did to help fuel WW2's beginnings. Of course when you think about it why would Hydra want Poland?

So I assume that the mention of Germany and Nazis will be at an all time low in the new Captain America movie.

I guess I could live with that, knowing that they want the movie to play overseas, I am just sad we can't admit to our past and get over it. It's just a movie after all.

The costume is my next rant....I HATE IT. I have read many many forums and boards lately on or about the movie and I am totally sick of people saying it looks cool and like it is more WW2 looking than Jack Kirby's original design. That costume looks like NOTHING that ever came out of the 40's. I know it is based on the Ultimate universe Cap costume. I have actually never read any of the Ultimate universe stories. And once again I am going to say that for a fighter like Steve/Cap is all those pouches....and ammo pouches at that hanging all over a costume would make it harder to fight. Cap is a acrobatic style fighter and a metal helmet, belts, buckles, and pouches flopping all around doesn't seem like reality to me. Reality is the reason most of these things were added as I understand it in the Ultimate comics stories.

I like that they set the first movie in the time period of the World War 2. I think that was maybe one way to get me to see it. But all these other things are going to keep me away.

Believe me I could go on and on about all this....but I just read the clincher for me.

In an interview with the guy playing Bucky he stated that Bucky and Steve are both orphans so they have that bond.

Well that did it for me. One of the strong points of Steve's character in my mind is his parents. Or a family of some kind. I think it takes a piss poor writer to have to change a character like that just to make a bond between two people. I know it is probably a minor thing to most people, but it is kind of like getting divorced...people state problems like not putting the top back on the toothpaste as a reason when there are deeper problems they don't realize, like being feed up. Well this was the top on the toothpaste for me with this movie.

I was hoping that this movie would at least capture the flavor of the strip, but I just don't know anymore. I thought the Iron Man movie did a good job of capturing what I thought Iron Man was about. Hell I even thought the Xmen movie did a decent job of that. I am not really a X fan I quit buying that book with X men number 10 in the sixties when Jack Kirby quit drawing it.

I just wish they could have done a bit better with some of the character details on the Cap movie. I have been a Captain America fan all my life, well since I bought a copy of Avengers #4 and was totally hooked when Sgt Fury 13 hit the stands. I quit when they recently killed Steve off, I figured it was a good time too. I wasn't enjoying the book except for the art. Hell really that book hasn't been good since they split Tales of Suspense up. But I was a fan and have every issue of Cap, except those Liefield pieces of dung.

Sorry for the rants, and I don't expect anyone to read it all or agree with me. It is just my two cents, and the fact I am feed up with it all. At least they didn't make the Red Skull italian like they did the last one....ha.

deadlines make my head hurt!

Well, one of my day job projects is reaching a way-point. The HIV science comic written by Martin Powell, and 'the committee', is almost finished. With a meeting tomorrow I am sure there will be more changes, but for the most part it is finished. At least the print version. It will need some tweeking for the Ipad version I am sure.

And I am glad, and sad. Glad because it has been a long drawn out process. And sad because I have been able to work on it from home. It has been so great to not have to drive into work, which if I haven't mentioned is 52 miles one way. With rising gas prices and no raise in over two years it is getting tough. Also the dog has loved having me around all day.

Another good thing is I have another one to do starting next month so maybe I will get to work from home some more. Which is great since we got nine inches of snow the other day.

Also I am going to a new doctor, a specialist, on the 25th. Hope some good comes from it. My arm, wrist and hands have been getting worse by the week.

Work has slowed on all side projects because of this, which I hate!!!!! This has got to stop for sure.

Anyway thought I should update all the loyal Legionnaires out there.

With this big project out from under my belt, maybe now I can get back to the old schedule and be able to turn out more night work.

Also point to notice in the above piece is that except for some pencils this piece is all digital. Digital inks, some digital pencils, and of course color. I am a horrible colorist for sure so please forgive that part of it. I try to do my best on coloring but it is my weakest process. Hopefully I can do better when the Captain Spectre title is ready to be colored. Wish I could afford a colorist, but with medical bills lately and stuff there is no way.