The People’s Publisher

My apologizes for the delay on this weeks Best Bang fer yer comic buck. Feeling very icky, cold and burnt out today. I think its the weather. Before I begin too far down the comic road I want to mention this…

I am glad to hear that Richard Zednik is doing better. Anyone who watched hockey would have known about this but Richard Zednik got his throat cut open last night in an accident with a hockey skate. Luckily he made it to the bench in time to get immediate help. You can read more about that here:
http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=229405&hubname=nhl

Alright then, this weeks comics are ranked top to bottom with the lovely head of dear Starlight from The Boys.

Also this weeks comics come to you from Hourglass Comics in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada!

Annihilation: Conquest #4 of 6 (Marvel) Again you can take all of Civil Bore, World War Bunk and Messiah Craplex and they don’t even come close / compare to the great fun this book brings page after page. I really loved the mix-up of all the former mini-series books together with the big “twist” involving the High Evolutionary. Nice!

Scalped #14 (Vertigo) Vertigo has a few very strong titles these days and this is one of them. Great build up of crap for Bad Horse to deal with while the big bad tries to regain control of the entire situation. If anyone wants to know how to write Darkseid, they should look at how Jason Aaron writes Red Crow! Man this is a great series!

The Twelve #2 of 12 (Marvel) Another book that surprises me between each issue. The last issue was tough for me, it worked and didn’t while this issue got me right into the characters and wanting more. I have this feeling that this series will be a big sleeper hit of the year so check it out!

The Boys #15 (Dynamite) This book goes from so-so to okay to bad from issue to issue. I am interested in the new storyline with Hughie having to deal with Teenage Kix again plus the whole Starlight from the Young Americans who had to give sexual favors to stay within The Seven dealing with her life falling apart. The two of these characters crossing paths should be interesting.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 #11 (Dark Horse) Buffy coming to grips with who she is in the role of a world of slayers. I did not mind the way they brought in the big “bad” villain (or perhaps ally) and without Zander this title does nothing for me. The wannabe Nick Fury aka Zander makes the book very enjoyable.

Wildstorm: Revelations #3 of 6 (Wildstorm) Stunning artwork, great & fun story all worked really well for me. I didn’t think I would enjoy this series but I am happily surprised by it! Always good to have a panel of WWI Canadian solider - can never go wrong with that!

Detective Comics #841 (DC) I always enjoy a good Mad Hatter story and this comic delivers with brilliant artwork and great story. Wild cover as well.

Star Wars Legacy #19 (Dark Horse) The big faceoff with Cade Skywalker and Darth Krayt and it was a decent issue. I missed enough of the issues that I need to catch up to really get into it but after getting the first trade, I am prety hooked. Looking forward to more of this!

Justice Society of America #12 (DC Comics) I was tempted not to buy this issue as the whole building towards this Kingdom Come storyline was almost to the point of going to far. Then this issue comes out and brings me right back into what the entire JSA is all about - heritage, heroes and a good story. Call me interested!

Countdown #12 (DC Comics) I cannot remember where I read this online but it rings true for me. Darkseid is not about being EVIL, he is about CONTROL. Somehow in this weekly series, I think they forgot that along the way.

Uncanny X-Men #495 (Marvel) The X-Men disband (for 5 issues until Uncanny X-Men #500) and for the next 5 months this book will focus on the X-Men wandering about and realizing that sh*t they need to get all weepy, emo and team-up because being on their bloody own is too much for them in the cold, harsh Marvel Universe. *le sigh*

Ah yes, here we are again and now a wee chat with the author of our ReBoot comical book Professor WhizzyWig!

But first, feast your eyes on this wonderful page of ReBoot art created by Ale, Luis and Franco:

1- Professor, please tell the reading audience your full name and family
background.

My full name is Professor Horatio Pei-Ta WhizzyWig. I was born in Calgary, Alberta to two white people.

2- Where do you live (country, state, town. Population? Neighbors? Roommates? Pets?)

I live in Vancouver! Which includes both North America’s most HIV-infected neighbourhood and the most densely populated neighbourhood (not to mention Canada’s richest and poorest area/zip codes!- Ed). Thankfully, they’re not the same neighbourhoods. And thankfully they’re not the neighbourhoods I live in. I live in Fairview! That’s about all the location info I’m willing to give out to you freaks.

I have two cats (Steve and Laika), three Angel fish, four cat fish, a Ghost Knife, and a level 39 dwarven priest named Choram. Come find me in The Venture Co!

3- When did you start writing?

I have been writing for a LONG time. The first story I remember writing was called Black Wings. It was about a magical black cat with bat wings that abducts this nice fellow and takes him on a train ride that teleports him to the beach. I think I was eight when I wrote it.

4- Who are your major influences (comics, or writers in general)?

Uuhh… you know, I generally hate comics. I’ve had a Heavy Metal subscription for years and it really depresses me. Literature-wise, my favourite writer is Frederik Pohl. Go read Gateway if you haven’t yet.

5- Did you attend post-secondary school? If yes where, if not, where did you
get training?

For storytelling, I attended the Vancouver Film School Writing for Film, TV, and New Media program. I highly recommend it. Every opportunity I’ve received since graduating has extended directly from attending VFS. Presuming you’re not a total idiot, that program can get you on the right path.

6- How have you enjoyed the experience of creating comics the Z2H way?
What are the good points/bad points?

I think I should reserve my opinions until after the comic is done. I’m looking at the exercise from a point of view involving the comic’s success. Hard to say how I feel about it until I see the whole strategy play out.

7- You and Shaun Martens (ReBoot Art Director) work well together. How did you two meet?

We met during the contest! We got assigned to each other, so it wasn’t by choice. Matt Toner and Paul Gertz hooked us up, I believe.

8- If you could work on any comic book/project of your choice, what would it be? Why?

My own! Duh! Actually, I’m writing a samurai comic right now and a friend is penciling it. Ideally, I’d like to do a hardcore sci-fi comic.

9- Now that the ReBoot comic is nearing completion, what would you say was the most challenging aspect of the process? Why?

Hold on a second - the first book is nearing completion. We still got 6 books to go!

But really, the most challenging aspect has been dealing with the fear that the series won’t go on after this first book. I think that would be a real letdown to the fanbase and a real disappointment to me. Plus, it makes it hard to justify a full commitment to the project. If we got the go-ahead from Rainmaker to do the entire series, I’d be so far-gone into developing the further episodes that I wouldn’t have time even to answer these questions.

Furthermore, I’d like a full comic story to add to my portfolio and to use it for applying to game companies. My ideal day-job would be writing video games.

There you have it: a gentleman and a scholar!

Julian

Hey everyone!

In this weeks episode… I mean blog post, we look at the coloring of Gustav Hayes. Last week we covered the script, pencils and inks of Page X. Now for the coloring of the book.

Those that remember, we wanted to make Gustav Hayes different than other comic books that are produced these days. A key to accomplishing such a task is with the usage of half tones and colors. Morgan Jeske made reference to the toning & colors during the early development of the Vision Document. The idea is to capture that old school 1980’s (and earlier) feel with the half tones and bright base colors of that era of comic books. Where Spider-man’s costume depended as much on the toning as it did the pencils and colors. Just take a look at some of the Essential Marvel books and you can see good examples. This was the look & feel we wanted on Gustav Hayes.

We informed the colorist, Cristian Valdes, of this style choice early in our discussions. Cristian had made the initial Page X come to life with his use of toning and colors. Now he has done a great job again on our latest Page X, just have a look:

As you might have noticed, the coloring on Page X appears when the main character, Gustav, begins to “sing”. This is to signify the usage of Gustav’s special powers and visually express the idea that Gustav’s song, and more importantly he may have the power within to (perhaps) start changing the grey world in which they live in. In this scene, Gustav comes out of the bathroom in a drunken state, kicking the door open (with inward wind, YES inward wind - a great script from Morgan! *smile*) to try and save the day. This moment of action deserves attention so it was requested that the panel be colored. It’s an old visual trick.

I believe that the toning and coloring is one key factor to the book. One which gives the book its own look and feel. Making it special and different, much like Gustav Hayes himself. You will see more examples of this “effect” when we have the more of the pages done.

Speaking of other pages, John Daniel Bradford has been working extremely hard on the full production of the book. Here are some of Bradford first few inked pages.

Let us know what you think! Next week more Gustav Hayes pages and an interview with John Daniel Bradford and maybe even Cristian Valdes.

Cheers!

If I had a nickle for every time I have been asked this question…

After discussing it with a friend of mine, I made this point: “an Editor is like special effects in a movie; if you’re doing your job right, no one should be noticing”. After thinking more about it today, I have also realized that being an editor can also be akin to being a CEO. It doesn’t matter who screws up, it’s ultimately your responsibilty for the success and the failure of the people you are responsible for.

An editor has plenty of roles to play in the production of the book. They are the cheerleader, motivating their team when at times is can seem difficult to complete the project. They are also the secretary, making sure that everyone is communicating properly and that everyone has what they need to complete their assignments.

Unfortunately they also have to be the drill sergeant, making sure that everyone is hitting their deadlines. This is probably my least favorite part of the job as it can put an editor in an awkward position. I enjoy the people I work with, and friendships are also built between us, but at the same time I am also there to represent the interests of the company, and, just because we are friends, I can’t overlook the fact that your work is not coming in on time or up to par. My neck/job is on the line, and it reflects poorly on me when you aren’t pulling your weight. Making comics is an assembly line production; a delay further up the line is going to cause domino effects further down the line. A small delay at the beginning can spiral into a week or two delay by the end, and a delay can mean reduced sales as readers get tired of waiting. Word also gets around about people who can’t cut it in a deadline oriented industry. You DO NOT want to end up on this list. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and deliver what you promised.

Another job I have had in the past as an editor is a talent scout/appraiser. I am always looking at peoples’ porfolios to see what they are doing and how they are improving. It can be quite interesting to see the progress they made.

I am looking forward to seeing more pitches, and I have enjoyed what I have read so far. There are some that require more work, but if you want it bad enough, you should be willing to put the time and effort in.

Cheers

j

Hey everybody.

As much as I love talking about myself, I want to know what you guys want to know. It can be about anything from writing and pencilling to lettering and prepress. If I don’t know the answer, I will do my best to find it out for you within my contacts.

Leave your questions in the blog, and I will do my best to answer them in future blogs. If I get enough response, I may up the number of blog posts per week.

Take care guys.

j

  Hello and welcome to what might very well be the final posting on the blog for The Mix, by Ian Goodwillie.

We are very close to finishing The Mix, I am hoping before Valentine’s day it will all be wrapped up. All of the pencils and inks are completed and more than half of the pages are coloured. 

      Now that the pencils are done, Ian Sokoliwski has been working like mad to put the finishing touches on the artwork for the book. Ian’s task has been to both complete the inks and all of the colouring on the finished pages, so he is responsible for the final look of the comic pages for The Mix.

 Ian used a muted, low contrast palette, and he acheives a remarkable range of tones which come off as rich and varied without being too bright. This really enhances the dark mood of the story, and lets the reader know that the action is taking place at dusk, as the colours reflect sunlight filtering through the polluted atmosphere of New Unity.

 Both the “inks” and colours are created digitally, though we still speak of the black lines which outline the forms in a comic as “inks”, because many artists still lay the blacks down with india ink and scan the page even if the book is to be coloured digitally. Here’s another great page.

Hiya All!

Before I begin, I want to give a great cheer out to the New York Giants in their wonderful efforts on pulling the upset. Was a fun and memorable game to watch! Congrats!

This week on Best Bang, lots of Avengers stuff, gun wielding Captain America, Alpha Lanterns emerge, Star Wars Vector begins and thankfully NO X-Men this week! So lets get to it. This week, we are using Dr. Strange’s head as a rating system and as always, top to bottom rankings…

Also this weeks comics come to you from Hourglass Comics in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada!

New Avengers Annual #2 (Marvel) - I am calling it right now: Doctor Strange is a Skrull! After The Hood’s Blue Velvet bit with Tigra and the rest of his villainy crew taking on the New Avengers, Doc Strange again takes himself out of the Marvel U in this bullshit of saying that he has to make amends for all that he has / hasn’t done. Bull-fricken-shit. He’s a Skrull and was about to be caught! Great issue though, great!

Avengers: The Initiative #9 (Marvel) - Can this book get any better? I am sure it can but I do not know how. Skrulls, MVP, mix mash with the last few issues, Taskmaster and Gauntlet stepping up. I am sad to think that this great comic will be ending soon when the entire Initiative run ends. Wonderful writing and brilliant artwork makes this one of my favorite books to read each month!

Green Lantern #27 (DC) - Why they do not call this title “Green Lanterns” is beyond me. It is not being focused on any one Lantern and I like that. The Alpha Lanterns come to the for front in this issue with John Stewart turning down the offer to become one *PHEW*. Now the Lanterns have their own internal police force to watch over them. A mix between the Lanterns and the former Manhunters. Interesting. I like the sub-plot of the search for the power of the Anti-Monitor as well!

Captain America #34 (Marvel) - Bucky becomes Captain America! Captain America takes down A.I.M. and starts to help bring chaos from Washington D.C. with the help from Black Widow. Some of the best comic book art being done to date is in this book. From pencils, inks to colors and lettering - this book is one of the best titles to hit the shelves each month.

Batman #673 (DC) - Wow. This was a complete mind f**k issue with so much jumping around from place, to place, time to time and classic batman to current, it made me itching for more of the story. Looking forward to where this goes.

The Might Avengers #8 (Marvel) - The Vemon bomb storyline finally wraps up with a quick, and I mean quick - like you need to read New Avengers to know that the team goes from Venom bomb to assualt against DOOM quick, final splash page. One thing I noted when re-reading this issue is that I am not fond of Bagley’s work on Might Avengers, something is not working for me on it, seems more than rushed but like the pages are being pounded out of a template.

The Death of the New Gods #5 of 8 (DC) - Superman takes on Mantis and Kalibak while Metron talks to the source of the DCU? It was interesting, lots going on and happening with a nice feel of the older Action Comics crazy adventure. Decent and I am interested in what they are planning on doing with this series. Great to see Darksied at the end with screenshots of Countdown mixed in. Finally Countdown starts to make sense with the rest of the DCU and series out on the shelves.

Fantastic Four #553 (Marvel) - Future FF vs Future Doom vs current FF mixed with time stream math and some quick jokes and hints to the future of the Marvel U. Did it make for a great comic? It was okay.

Star War: Knights of the Old Republic #25 (Dark Horse) - Vector part 1 of 12. This issue’s art was too cartoony for me to enjoy it. Nice coloring but the art distracted me from the overall story and threat that Vector was to bring. I expect more next issue of this “cross-over” in the Star Wars comics.

Countdown #13 (DC) - The end cannot come quick enough for this book. I am so bored of this, I flip through faster than I can drop the book. Nothing interests me and I wonder if I will keep picking it up to the bitter end?

Trade Bait
Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire (Marvel) - I have yet to read this but I was and do like the X-Men space stories so I think I will find some ammusement from the issue, even if it has the Emo X-Men apart of the storyline.

Back Issue Bin
Surban Glamour #2 (Image) - I am a little late in this series because of missing issues. I picked this up and I guess will try to find the missing issues before the trade comes out. Stunning art and nice Fae in todays world storyline! I enjoyed this issue a great deal. Look forward to finding more of the issues!

Howdy and hello readers. I am pleased to present the first in a series of interviews with members of the ReBoot Creative Team.

First up, we have Amazing Ale Aragon. I sent him a series of questions and his candid replies offer unique insights into the world of this very talented artist.

1- Ale, please tell the reading audience your full name and family background.

My name is Alejandro Aragón.

I’m the second of three sons. I was raised in a middle class environment. I never suffered any needs, nor did I live with many comforts. I mean, I come from a working family, who built his present with a lot of hard work and sacrifice (like most of the families in Argentina).

I´ve been living with my girlfriend for almost 4 years now, and with my child “Alma” (who is actually my dog)

2- Where do you live (country, state, town. Population? Neighbors?)?

I live in Argentina, in a very small city (I don’t even think you´ll find it on a map) named Fray Luis Beltrán, near Rosario (the second most important city in my country), in Santa Fe.

There are around 16000 inhabitants in my city. It´s a really quiet place to live (maybe TOO QUIET) So, in my free time, I’m generally in Rosario visiting friends, also comic book artists or just… walking around.

3- When did you start drawing comics?

I was really young, when I drew my first page. Maybe around 6 or 7 years. I do remember drawing on my primary school notebook. There´s a funny thing about this story, because, I had no sequence sense, there was no sense between one picture and another… so, as a result, there was a page with six panels and no sense at all.

I have always been sort of a lonely guy, and that behavior got bigger, when I moved from my city, around 11. There I was, with no friends in Fray Luis Beltrán, and in a neighborhood full of old people! Shit… In that time, the art was my way to get away from the sadness. I was drawing all day long. I was drawing around 8 or 10 hours (age 11 or 12) laying in my bed all day and I gain like 10 kilos (22 pounds) in two months

Then, I started high school, so, I was reconnected with the outside world, sports, and real people. ^_^

4- Who are your major artistic influences (comics, or art in general)?

Well… I think I´ve been influenced by thousands of artists. Right now, I don’t have much time to read, but a few years back, I was a compulsive comic book buyer… and I think all the influences get settled, in the brain, in a conscious or unconscious . It would be a better answer if I divide this in two different phases: My adolescence and my maturity. The first stage is when it hits you with a bigger passion and fanaticism about some things. This was the only moment of my life when I became a huge fan of a series, and that was PITT and a little less, SPAWN. Dale Keown y Greg Capullo were my heroes, those days.

Later on, when you read the comic, beyond the “pretty picture”, I´ve taken new masters, such as Eduardo Risso, Marcelo Frusín, Leandro Fernandez, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola and Jae Lee.

5- Did you attend art school? If yes where, if not, where did you get training?

I went to no school of art. When I was 15 I started and finished a 12 month mail course ^_^. Alter that, almost with 20 years old, I started to draw in Rosario, with a teacher named Esteban Tolj. I stayed there for a year. Later on, when I finished university, I received my major degree in Psychology (that´s another long story), right there I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life as a comic artist, so I spent many many hours, with my ass nailed to the bench, drawing, for 8 to 10 hours, every day, even Sundays, until I´ve got my first payed job. Alter that, nothing could stop me. Now I m lucky enough to be able to make a living of it.

6- How have you enjoyed the experience of creating comics the Z2H way?

Good points/ Bad points?

The experience is… AMAZING. I love to work for Z2H and I would never go away. I´ll be eternally thankful to Matt Toner y Jessica Clark for the trust they lay on me and for picking me to draw two double pages of Zombies… back in March, 2007.

If I must say something is that Z2H, when working with clients, the revisions are… excessive ^_^ I´ve worked on many projects, with many editors and artists, who have some limits in a creative way, and a bigger tolerance. If you limit the creativity of and artists, you´re not letting him give 100% of himself. I agree with revisions, with the hope to improve the art. But sometimes, revisions are all about “I don’t like this” or “I´ll would never put it down that way”. Alter a certain quantity of revisions, you can get to feel kind of tired, because, doesn’t matter how hard you try, it is never enough. Anyways, I think it is better off to be prepared for everything, be strong, and wake up every day with energy to show that you know how to draw, you can draw, and that there´s a reason why you´re standing here.

The good stuff about Z2H are:

The professionalism. The contention. The respect. The disposition for always listening and helping work out troubles. The responsibility. The good money the pay ^_^ the good people they are.

7- Franco has done some excellent colours for your art. How did you two meet?

We met in a comic forum of Argentina. I was following his work, but we never talked. Someday, he told me how much he liked a cover for a horror comic, and our relation began there. I remember contacting him trough MSN, to check if he wanted to work on some of my stuffs, but he had no time. Nevertheless, we talked, during the nights. When I drew my first pin-up for Image Comics, “Strongarm #3”, Franco liked it so much, that he asked me if he could add some greys on it. The final work was EXCELLENT. Weeks later, he painted my first drawing of a character from “Hell Patrol” (a Visionary Comics issue, in which I drew around 6 pages) and when I saw it I said “woow… amazing!”… He didn´t just color the picture, he added some elements, that made it really awesome… From that day on, I learned that Franco is one of those artist, who not only does a great job, they also add some things, leaving a characteristic signatura in every piece of art they´re involved in…

Three weeks later we entered the Z2H contest, about ReBoot.

Franco is the best colorist I know, and is going to be one of the best in the whole world. No doubt about it.

8- If you could work on any comic book/project of your choice, what would it be?

I cannot die, without drawing a Pitt issue… and a Spawn issue too^_^ I no longer follow the series, but I have to accomplish this dream, that got stuck in me since my youth. It would be a dream to work with Paul Jenkins, Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison.

In a more personal way, I would like to work and draw in the Thriller genre, with dark tones, where I can play with many elements for creating environments or climax…. I love to use black (obviously I didn’t do so in ReBoot cuz I thought there was another air, another vibe, in the series, besides, talking with Franco, he felt more comfortable putting the lights on the scene. That´s the reason why in my pencil there are almost no shades)

Actually, any story is welcome, I know I’m capable of adapting to any kind of genre.

9- Now that the ReBoot pencils are all finished, what would you say was the most challenging page to do? Why?

Every single one of them! ^_^

I think, the harder part, was the first page (page X) In my case, I always find the beginning kinda hard to do, but as I go drawing along, I’m raising the level, page after page. Many artists begin with a great level, but alter that, for getting tired or whatsoever, the next pages looses quality in huge amounts. Well, I’m the opposite of that. I started really uptight, with many revisions and corrections. After 4 or 5 pages, I wasn’t happy with the final result of my work. It was tough, but, like many other times in my life, the obstacles cannot stop me, they only make me stronger, I CAME back with everything, with more energy, and I raised the level of quality, step by step…. I started to feel “pressure free” alter the first 17 pages ^_^ that was the point when I could relax, think and let the art flow from inside out, and to give 100% of my level… Was a hard job, but, I have no doubt, I’m improving a lot, I know I’m much better now, than I was two months ago. I grew up a lot, thanks to this team

10- What projects do you have scheduled for the future?

Well, in this profession, there´s not such thing as “certain” (unless you sign a contract for a 6 to 12 issue, which is not my case) because, things, tend to change. Currently, I’m finishing a horror comic, I must be 5 pages from ending it, and it may be published this year. I´ve got two more projects to be approved by editors. I’m also working with Josh, a script writer from San Diego, with many projects on track… He´s a really talented writer.

Finally, to conclude, I would like to add, that in my future, Z2H, is totally included. They know where to find me and what can I give to them.

Next Week: Professor WhizzyWig

Hey all,

As mentioned last week, we have moved to a new artist, John Daniel Bradford, on the Gustav Hayes beta book.

John Daniel Bradford’s work can be found on the Z2H galleries. I am happily impressed with Bradford’s work, speed and communication which have all been top notch. We are moving along very well!

Here is the new pin-up of Gustav Hayes…

Also I had mentioned showing more of the steps to development in a comment recently on Josh’s post. So here is a shot of the Page X script and inks (Bradford works straight to inks) so anyone who is familiar with the magazine Write Now will notice how this is laid out…

Now we are working on getting page X colored and lettered. Once those are done, I will post them up so everyone can see all the steps to the process.