Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Iowa....here i come!


 First off some art to look at.

Page 2 inks for the 'touch and go' story


cover concept for the first Captain Spectre print comic


I know it has been a long time since the last update.  I do apologize for the time going by so fast.  Again it seems the older you get the faster time slides by.   And thank the gods that election is almost over with.  Oh sure the winners will shout it out, and the losers will gripe and yell about how evil the winner is, and all that.  Probably a good bit of voting problems too.... computers not counting right, and all that sort of hanging chad type of stuff.   Man i am just plain sick of it all.  Almost 99 percent of it all is name calling and laughing at the other side.   Again i will never talk politics on this blog, as what i believe is what i believe and it is private..... and just something i am not truly interested in talking about.  Anyway most of the posts on facebook and the like just make me sick, no matter which side people are on.  If people talked or posted like that about other races, or sexual orientation they might be arrested.  I just don't understand it all.  I will shut up about all that now.

Ok on to the comics and Captain Spectre.   I have posted some new art.  I want any feedback you Legionnaires feel like giving.....as these are your books and stories too.  I wanted that cover to reflect the 'mystery man' kind of thing......maybe that is Captain Spectre and maybe not on the cover.  Also it will make a bit more sense when you read the whole story. ha.

Also I need some advice...... i am of course trying to take this series of books back to the good old days, so in that i am bringing back the thought ballon.  I have read articles about what non comic readers don't get when they read new comics.  One of the things is the thought block, you know the yellow block with inner voices in them.  People in these articles didn't know who was talking or thinking.  So the thought ballon will clear that up.... i want these books to be as accessible to everyone as possible, long time comic readers as well as new comic readers.   People also griped about not really knowing who the characters were....they were just showing up without any explanation at all.  So of course with that this is sort of an origin story as to who Chris Manes / Captain Spectre is.

But also i have been thinking about sound effects too..... in the on line strip i haven't used sound effects that most comic readers are used too.  I was going for more of the Alex Raymond/Flash Gordon or Foster's Prince Valiant thing with the on line strips.    So what do you loyal legionnaires think????? Sound effects or not????? So sound off and let me know. ok.

Anyway i do hope you Legionnaires enjoy this little story when i finally get it done.  I am keeping it fairly short and done in one so again it is accessible to all readers.  But even though it is 'done in one' it does set up alot of ideas and more story to come.

I will also be appearing at the ICON in Des Moines Iowa this coming weekend.  So if you are in the area... pop in and chat awhile.

thanks......

3 comments:

  1. Hi, Tom! It is so good to see your post, I was getting worried. Election? I don't watch TV, so I miss out on the "fun" of the campaigns. I'm lucky for that, I hate to take THAT many baths.:)

    The cover IS a mystery, and I like it. Is the spilled drink and food, and their reaction fear or shock? I want to know!

    As for the thought balloons, YES! I wan't to know what they are thinking, it does have a bearing on a story.

    As for the "POW" "CRUNCH", NO! Leaving them to the reader, is like in the films we grew up on, where the off screen stuff was more terrible than what it could have been on screen, because we used our imagination. And, what an imagination we had!

    As for the origin story, all Heroes need one, to better understand his motivation for doing good.

    Take care my friend, and a new drug, Xeljanz, was just approved that might help you to battle the evil villain you fight, Rheumatoid Arthritis. Here's hoping!

    Lloyd, Loyal Legionnaire

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  2. Based on the fact that its sort of a 'tec comic book (rocket packs and energy guns)I say use the sound effects! It should be fun.

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  3. To tell you the truth, I never realized there was an absence of sound effects or thought balloons when I read Capt. Spectre online. That could be because I can switch between tradition comics, news print strips, and old stuff like Raymond,Foster, etc. I say, do it the way you want to do it and feel good about your decision. Most writers and artist create for themselves, with the hopes, that it will also please others--it's hard to figure out what the public will enjoy after all...

    When I look at a comic on the stands these days (which is kind of rare, sorry) I think I mostly concentrate on the cover first, that grabs my attention first, then I thumb through it and look at the art, I wonder if the subject matter will appeal to me, and then buy it, and read the story.

    I think if you are pleased overall with the end results, most others will be as well.

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