Number 13 (Monster Men) progress

Well Loyal Legionnaires, I was wanting to post this in a finished state, but it just didn't make the grade yet. But here are the inks progressing. I really have most of it finished, just need to put the jungle, the vines on the adobe walls and fix a couple of areas. Which will have to wait for a few more days. My hand just won't take anymore this weekend. 

Just six months ago, I could have inked this piece in a day. This is close to two days work and looking at another one for the background. I really hate this stuff that is attacking me. It is getting worse all the time.

So anyway that is about it Legionnaires, I am sorry I wanted to post some Captain Spectre stuff, but nothing new has happened. That is nothing new in the art area. Even tho this stuff is slowing down my hands, it hasn't taken over my mind. So I am learning more about writing all the time. Hopefully all this behind the scenes work that I really can't show will improve the stories greatly. I can only hope. It is a complex thing to design and trim a story to get it into a comic. I think short story or novel might be easier. More room to get the points across. The comics have to be lean and mean, trimmed down to get you to want to turn the page.

Anyway, I am off to my big chair to watch a bit of tv and write some more, and rest my arm and hand.....

Swift, Sure and True.....Legionnaires.

Nov 13 update...

Well folks, and of course Loyal Legionnaires from all over, it seems I just can't keep up. I have a couple of additions to throw at you so here goes.

The first are the finished pencils for a piece produced for the project 'Number 13'. An ERBurroughs adventure published in 1913, adapted by Martin Powell. Number 13 is the original name of 'the Monster men'. We are going to use the original tales' name to try to keep things straight.
This is a piece that I roughed out, sized up in photoshop and fixed a couple of things, then lightly printed out onto board, then I finished the pencils on the printed board. It is a great way to get things composed and organized on the page before committing to highly finished pencils or even inks.

The second piece is the finished cover design to 'PreFlight' which is taking over, kind of cutting in line in front of the promised 'Solo Flight' issue of Captain Spectre. Again the reason for this juggling of issues is that 'PreFlight' will be a short tale, and easier for me to get to. It will be an introductory tale to Captain Spectre....kind of setting the stage. But it isn't an origin story. It will have a taste of an origin to let new readers know who, what, why, and all that of the Captain Spectre story. But nothing long and drawn out. I have posted this before, but it didn't have the cover treatment done to it. 

And if you want to know a bit more I will post this below the actual good stuff up top. The reason I haven't posted much, is I haven't been able to get much done. I have had many bad days lately and things just aren't moving along at a decent pace. I hate it, and I hate even writing about it. I feel like I am whining, and have never been know to whine much about myself, just about my day job and stupid things. ha. Anyway I will continue to post the medical stuff below the art so as you Loyal Legionnaires pass over the art, you can ignore the last paragraph of my posts. Here's to better days and more art which leads to more posts. 

Busy weekend.

Here is a quick edition update to the last entry I posted. I knew when I inked the Captain Spectre piece it was going to need color to clear it up some...so I couldn't rest til I saw it with some color on it. So thought I would post it sooner than later.


Also with more and more conventions starting up in the central plains/midwest area and with my new plan of starting to get to more of them and advertise a bit more, make some friends and fans, and actually get some work published ( the number 13 from Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse) and self publishing Captain Spectre...I figured it was time to look into a new banner. As I was looking around I found a place that has those roll up display banner things at a good price. Those things used to be so expensive I couldn't justify them, but now it seems they are cheaper and you can get two for less than just one of them used to be. So I decided to promote two things, my art - myself, and Captain Spectre and Action Science magazine. So here are a couple of designs I churned up.

Legionnaire Express update

Well things are starting to shake loose and move forward again, even I have to exclaim, 'it's about time'!
Here are the inks to Virginia Maxon splashing in the water, as her new future friend 'number one' looks on. A true stalker before the term was used.

This piece was done with a bit of a new process, no the brush was still pulled across the bristol board and all that labor and sweat still prevails in the piece. But I did incorporate a bit of technology as I sketched it out until I was fairly happy with the drawing, then printed the pencil drawing in light blue on the bristol board, then inked that board. This was done with the help of a new printer. I haven't had a printer at home for about six years and sometimes it has been a real pain. So I finally sprung for a large format printer that can handle bristol board and most papers up to and including 13x19, for some reason but I have never seen 13x19 paper sized anywhere. Anyway it will print an 11x17 borderless and that is what I wanted. I hope it improves me drawing speed a bit since I can now sketch out panels for a page concentrating on just the panel image, then scan them all and composite them in photoshop to get the sizes and panel flow just right. I then print them out in a light blue or very light grey and I can ink them. It kind of skips the full blown pencils stage, but with me inking my own work full blown pencils are destroyed in the process anyway as after i ink them i erase all the pencils. So anyway experimenting with it all to get the best results with consideration of upping my production rate, which is very slow.

Also another 'concept' cover to Number 13. This one goes for the creepy got to grab the reader at the newstand kind of marketing. Plus I had fun doing it and like it alot. It is done totally in photoshop, so no original to sell. Alas the curse of a digital world.

Also I know I have neglected Captain Spectre a lot lately. With all my problems and jobs and things going on he never leaves my mind. I am planning several things which I will reveal in the future. But for now a little taste of some good ole' Captain Spectre. 

Also this is one of those pieces that just screams 'finish me'! So expect to see some finished pencils and inks sometime very soon. 

Yet another long overdue report!

I am truly sorry for the lateness of this progress report, such as it is. More than a week ago I woke up with a leg that was throbbing with pain. It felt like that nano second when you get a super cramp. The problems were that it covered my entire leg, not just one muscle or muscle group. It went from my hip socket to my toes. It had that sharp cramping feeling, but the cramp never came, just the pain. And it lingered for a couple of days. I was still under the assumption that I had some form of cramp. I have had alot of cramps in my legs since I was a kid, but this was something new. So I gave it a day or too. Nothing changed so I got worried. Again thinking it was something to do with the fibromyalgia, which it did turn out to be. But before the doctor would own to that, I was checked for other things like blood clots and all that. Especially since all I do is sit. I drive to sit, then get up to drive to sit some more. I am a professional sitter, ha. Anyway I was scanned, poked, drained and prodded and it seems more nerve things are going on. Oh boy. I am still kind of down and out because of this. Even tho I am sitting 99.9 percent of the time, the pain is kind of distracting for sure. Anyway add that to the arthritis and the rest of the fibromyalgia I have and it makes for a great combo of pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles. So needless to say things have been moving slowly here at Lightning Legion secret HQ.

Here is another concept piece for Number 13, enjoy the pencils because I am gonna slop some ink on it soon.....

Also when I was in a late night pissed off at all the pain I started a impro kind of life strip that I will try to work on when the pain is too much to do any kind of quality work...ha.

I actually did two strips of this before the pain got too bad and my mind was traveling elsewhere with the doctor appointments and pain and tests and all....so enjoy both as the plot heats up....ha

And once again I will try harder to keep you loyal Legionnaires updated as much as possible. Just sometimes I haven't made much progress, and even I get tired of myself complaining about the pain....

thanks Legionnaires for baring with me.

Lightning Legion update....overdue

Well Legionnaires, it is about time I posted an update. Sorry for the delay in postings, but as you know from past mentions, my home computer went down with a video card malfunction. So many dollars and days later I finally have it back and am up and running. Also there are some health issues, which is going to be a constant in my life from now on. So I am still getting used to all of that too. Then throw in the day job, domestic duties, and all normal things and life really zooms by. Also I am beginning the layout process for 'number 13', the adaptation of ERB's Monster Men novel.

Speaking of the 'number 13' project, I will be pimping it at the I-con convention in Des Moines Iowa this coming week. On Sept 17 I will be at the Adventure Land inn in Des Moines at this great little event. It is a one day con with tons of Iowa comic fans. Such a good group of people put on the con and attend it too. I haven't been to a con in quite awhile and really don't have anything to sell, other than myself, ha. But I need to get out more and will be there all day on Saturday, the day of the con. I will try to do as many sketches as I can for fans.....so if you are in the area please drop by and shoot the breeze as I try to get more people to join the Lightning Legion and look forward to the 'number 13' book.

Here is a bit of a teaser I am working on. Not final of course, I am working on the coloring and all, but I needed something quick to make a table sign out of, and don't have time to do a new piece, just enough time to finish this one up. So an in progress work for sure......

Also here are a couple of thumbnail layouts for the juicy fight scene between number 13 and number 1....

I am still working on costumes, and have actually asked a person that is a professional costume designer to pick some period costumes for me in this project. We are keeping the period the novel was set in which is around 1913, so that will be a challenge in itself. 

Also so many little things have happened and are going on since the last update. I received my two action figures and they are more AWESOME than any photos can do justice too. Hence I don't really have photos of them to show other than the ones you have already seen here. But they will be making the journey to Iowa with me, so they will make their premiere at the Iowa I-con show at my table. It is what I got them for was to attract people to the table, so I can tell them all about the strip and stuff. ha. 

Stay tuned....Loyal Lightning Legionnaires!!!

oooops....Legionnaires!

My home computer has taken a dive! I think it is the video card, or memory, or motherboard.....but since it is an iMac and all in the screen I can't do anything about it, so it is in the shop. So no real update for awhile......but stay tuned Legionnaires!

Progress report for Aug 14

First off another shot of Captain Spectre in the production line. Man I just can't wait to get my hands on these two figures that Jonathan over at packratstudios is producing. They will both be on display at my table at future comic cons that I can afford to go too. Looking good, and check out that Thompson!

Next, a couple of warm up sketches from the past week. I must of had a reaction in my sub-con mind about all the huff about women in comics these past few weeks. So I figured I might develop a Jacqueline O'Brian back up feature for one of the comics. You see yet another reason to retire early, I have so many damned things I want to do, and I just can't get anything done it seems. Fighting medical conditions, the day job, time, freelance, domestic duties, and even yardwork it is a tough life just doing anything anymore it seems, oh and throw old age in there too. ha. I am even rethinking the first Captain Spectre comic. I was wanting it to be a novella and tell a good long story, but maybe it would be better to do a short and sweet little story to sell at the cons and get things going a bit more. Damn I hate not having all the time I need. 

But speaking of 'Solo Flight' here is a redone page 8. The first one I did had some minor problems so this week I redid the lower tier of panels. 

Production is about to start and ramp up on 'Number 13', the adaption of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Monster Men - written by Martin Powell with art by me. I have started receiving the first pages of the script and am looking forward to starting in. Since I only have a bit more than a year for this graphic novel it is going to be one hell of a year. So stay tuned Legionnaires believe me I am actually doing it so Captain Spectre can benefit from it getting published by Dark Horse. The more my name gets out there the more success Captain Spectre will have when it comes out. I know it is a messed up way to run a railroad, but this industry is running with alot of screws out of place. 

Forging ahead, as always...

As always during the week I produce tons more drawings than I post....it would be nuts to post them all. But I do like to pick a couple of warm up drawings from time to time. So that is what you see above. These of course are just drawings that end up with no thought process other than something snaps in the old brain and I sketch it out. Sometimes it is as I am working on a problem or a pose or something. You can never tell what the results will be.

Here is a bit of a teaser. I posted the title treatment before, now comes the ideas that are behind that title. I like doing these little teases for stories. So thought I would show this one off. Interested yet? ha.

Also knocked out this commission for an author of his character John Sterling. I needed to ink something today as I was getting rusty for lack of inking. Had trouble with deciding what to do as far as the pose, but think it came off well once I got going on it.

Also let me post that I am having a solo show at the Waterworks gallery in Salisbury N.C. coming soon. I hope I get to go to the opening. And I owe this show to my good friend Irene. So tune into their website, also managed by her for all the details. Waterworks Visual Art Gallery

the many Captains...

Things have kind of been crazy lately, but here is some progress made on another page of Captain Spectre's 'Solo Flight'.  I have changed the layout for this page several times, in an effort to try and get as much story as I can in these pages. So there are some fast scene changes, and some compressed story telling, which is sore point in new comics to me, is the decompression to the fact sometimes in an issue of a new comic.... nothing happens!. Anyway hope you enjoy, since it has been a bit tough. My pain problems have been an issue the last week or so. 

Here is some great progress made on the secret Captain Spectre six inch action figure!....Wow is about the only word I can get out of my mouth as I look at each new picture of the work of Jonathan at PackRat Studios. He is doing some great stuff, and even casting the head. Man this is gonna be cool. Once finished it will have a great display base and in one of those glass domes for display at the con table when I start returning to those. Hopefully next year he and me will be making the rounds. Of course when not at a show, I will be playing with the figure......hey, we here at the Lightning Legion test all our products....that is the fun of it all. 

So get over to Jonathan's site and check out the progress shots of Captain Spectre, and all the other cool stuff he does....amazing. 

Ok, you win, I am officially eating my hat....as I said I would. I actually liked the Captain America movie. Oh sure there were parts I didn't like....but I thought the spirit of the character made it into the movie. The origin was the best parts of the movie. And Chris Evans pulled off the character nicely. It was sure nice to see a hero on the screen that wasn't wallowing in his own self pity. 

During the war I admit Steve Rogers didn't have too many demons he wore on his sleeve. And many people gripe that Rogers is a flat character. I on the other hand don't think he is. He can be written as a good character without having demons hanging on his shoulder all the time, which is what people want it seems. But in the end Cap has one of the largest demons of any hero .....EVER (Superman has the same problems). He wakes up to find his whole world gone....not just his parents, or something. He has lost a world, a way of life and all he ever knew. And Chris Evans nails the last line of the movie showing this. 

Going into the movie I hated the way Bucky and Steve's relationship was changed. But actually in the movie not much of that comes thru. And actually to me the Bucky character wasn't much at all. I just pretended he was a regular friend and member of the team, and it didn't phase me much at all. Even his death was toned down. The Bucky I know and like is the one from the rebirth stories in Tales of Suspense and the early Avengers. Bucky on the buzz bomb yelling to Cap that he sees the fuse and can stop the bomb, as Steve falls down into the water. The bomb blows up as Bucky is trying to save people's lives. Over the years writers have changed this alot. Hell even when they show it on the new Avengers cartoon show they change it too Bucky telling Cap to dive off the buzz bomb as Bucky's foot is stuck on the bomb. Not that he is trying to save people, just that he is stuck and can't get off so decides Steve is more important and needs to leave him behind.   Sometimes Hollywood or modern writers forget what a hero is. 

Then of course is the costume. I still don't like it, but I guess by the end of the movie it was growing on me. Actually it changes so much thru the film and even into the Avengers movie that it is kind of interesting to watch it's evolution. 

Also just like an old comic, we figure Red Skull is in Asgard or one of the nine realms, and of course we didn't see Bucky go splat, so both can come back at a later date. I hope not, but they may. 

Anyway it was an enjoyable movie, sure it had it's problems, like the lack of any story other than the origin. It also had it's good parts, and again the origin is the best part, that is who Steve Rogers is. 

Still chewing on my hat, as I will buy the DVD....kind of wish I had seen Thor now. But will get the DVD's of them all. Actually looking forward to having a Tales of Suspense movie night.....Iron Man, then Captain America viewings in one night.