Puppets Comic Book Series

Monster City

2015-07-21T12:45:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite comic. It's actually two of my favorite comics and a cartoon: Paul Chadwick's Concrete, Sam Kieth's The Maxx and Big O. I've wanted to see all three of them combined for awhile now.


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Beach Raid

2014-07-10T01:43:00.003-04:00

Beachhead for a rampaging monster coming to shore. The Army is there and firing high explosive rounds into the creature from tanks - but it looks like bad for the good guys. The creature known as Cement drags in the tide in waves that slam against the concussive force of the rounds.

This two-page spread is on my desk right now and ready for a final couple of color passes. This stage shows how the sky need separated from the ocean and the tanks need details.

Want to see this page printed? Me too! Help an artist out and buy work direct from me. There is plenty of original art and comics listed at my ETSY page.

Go there, already! Order some work! Get my books, original art and posters. Keep in mind that I ship to USA/Canada only.


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Revenge Of The Glob

2014-03-14T13:42:00.001-04:00

An enormous, gelatinous entity threatens to devour everything in sight downtown. Starting with City Hall!

How to get everything done? I don't know. I find four things wrong for every one thing that is "right" in my comic pages. It's crazy frustrating but I have heard many other artists grumble on along identical lines.

The best part of this sample page is the form and line work in the Glob. The expressions and the tension work. The color for him, on the body, works pretty well, too.

That being said, it's time to move onto the pages surrounding the encounter on this page.


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Mercury

2014-03-09T03:07:00.000-04:00

A steam-powered automaton that performs in Miette's grandfather's magic shop.

Lately, I've been having much more fun designing characters like this one. Mercury is a steam-powered robot that Miette has put together. He works her grandfather's the magic shop as a performer - and also as a bouncer when required. I really like how he turned out.

The concept behind him is a Medieval Clown with his gypsy vest, formal ruff around his neck and a jester's brightly colored, over-sized clothing. This line of robots are called "The Muldoons" named after a 19th century hoax called the "Solid Muldoon" that revolved around fake fossilized remains of a "giant" or nephilim.

Right now, I'm down to just a few more character sheets for the remaining cast. After this point I'll be sorting out the thumbnails for the first book. Subscribe, follow, like and stay tuned.


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Ratso!

2014-01-25T09:09:00.001-05:00

A bizarre traveler of the dark places under the earth.

Finished up with a new effort to give this character a better design. Ratso is primarily a subterranean dweller. A deep debris morlock. A twisted villain with a strange affinity with rodents of a peculiarly vicious temperament.

If he had a Marvel handbook entry it would read: Ratso's real name is never revealed. He is a megalomaniac villain of normal strength with the ability to regenerate limbs and control rats and rodents using telepathy. He dwells in abandoned subway tunnels, sewers and beneath abandoned buildings in Central City.

Of the five main characters in Puppets: Miette, Cement, Ratso, Grandpa and Kirby, Ratso is the third to have a full character sheet created. I plan on making at least two more sheets plus two more monster sheets.


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Sweat Shoppin'

2013-12-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

An illustration with all of my original characters gathered together.

My original characters, myself and my most irreplaceable studio assistants, the dogs, crowded around my drafting table.

Left to right: Mississippi Sis, Cement, Miette, The Grand Roach, myself, Johnny Rocko, Man Who Bled Roses, Slave (yellow mask), Ratso (back right), Shroomy and Bubba Rex.

Please stick around for more comics and a Roaches cartoon coming in 2014. Have a Happy Christmas until then, Internetland.


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Art Poster Sale 24x36

2013-08-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

This large, red illustrated poster for Puppets is 2' X 3' and available at my Etsy store.

Supporting my upcoming release of Puppets I've made some large 24" x 36" posters. The over-sized poster at my Etsy store. Free stickers and a free hanging kit when you order any poster from me.

These are a limited edition and look great having been printed by Star Photo a local photo shop that specializes in high-quality imagery. I hate to let them go for so cheap but I know that they will find good place in living rooms, studios, stores and workshops out in the world.

Squatch is another original character potentially in the works as a self-published title.

All of these new and limited posters are reasonably priced, at 50 bucks plus shipping. They are each available right now only at my Etsy store. Go pick up these posters and the rest of my work. Be sure to hit the "like" and "follow" buttons while you are there. Support original, independent art and publishing at a grass roots level, already.

Your individual support goes a long, long way!


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Ratso

2013-05-29T17:54:00.000-04:00

New character art updates and clarifies the original Ratso character style.

Ratso is one of the central villains in the blog. His pages are largely separate so I can sort out where he comes into the story. He plays a large part with the history of the Magic Shop, Miette and her Grand Dad.

He's like a Morlock - a dweller in the periphery of culture that only wanders in and out of the book to provide some foreshadowing. It's his rat wave that does all the real damage. Ratso thinks he's Dr. Gone from The Maxx.

Original digital inks for this character without shading or color in AI.

Thought that I would also post some process pieces with each one of the final images to provide an idea on how this stuff gets thrown together from inks to colored art.


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Puppets Web Art

2012-11-26T19:12:00.002-05:00

Miette stands alone in Central City near dusk - not exactly her best idea ever.

The color. My color skills are now getting to a very reasonable level! After watching demos from many artists who have an absolute mastery of color I've decided to develop this side of the artwork as much as possible. I mean, some of the guys and gals working as colorists and toners are unquestionably rendering complexity with color alone. The line art disappears and the form emerges. I am very impressed over here.

While I am describing form with line alone they are rendering light, shade and form with color. I am very impressed with these colorists and their work.

After careful study and practice I think that I much more comfortable with color going forward. It's time to let the color take up some of the form description. I think it really adds a depth that I want for this title. What do you guys think?


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New Page: Rat Horde

2012-11-05T19:20:00.002-05:00

In a city crawling with muggers - Ratso is an unlikely crime-fighter.

The current color style and execution is not exactly what I'm aiming at for this title. The shading is not cutting it either. I've broken out my watercolor and acrylics in order to take methods from my fine arts skill set and apply to them to the coloring phase of my process.

It's weird. You can spend years in Photoshop and still only master a small number of techniques. I need to work on my color techniques and see what I come up with.


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New Page: City Streets

2012-10-14T17:48:00.001-04:00

Miette's city is very dangerous. Cheap thugs run around with guns day and night.

This is the first encounter between Kirby and Miette. Kirby is a bugged out crackhead. In this section of the book Kirby wants to casually rob Miette at gun point for some more drug money.

There are a few unexpected turns in this robbery when Ratso, another evil character, appears and interrupts Kirby with a horde of hungry over-sized rats.

I think it's really interesting the way the story unfolds. This is the result of Derek Edward's writing style. These main characters go from hating and fearing each other to becoming quick allies only to turn on a dime and go directly back to hating and fearing each other all over again.

There are some fun pages surrounding page twelve that set up the events in the rest of the book by establishing Kirby and Ratso as threats to the Miette and to the city on two different levels.

As a fan of Kentaro Miura and Albrecht Durer I have set a very high standard for production. I believe that I can reach it in a timely manner as I get more inked pages complete and ready for texture and tone passes.


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New Page: City Jail

2012-10-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

Ratso has a few thousand tight buds he kicks it with. Rat buds.

This is the sixth and fourth page (in that order) from a self-published graphic novel in a 3-part book called Roaches. This art is also going to be used in another edition of the book due out in Summer of 2013.

I'm continually developing the art for this book while Derrick Edwards has already written six chapters that have added many twists and turns to the story.

The first edition of the book is available in the greater Indianapolis area at: White Rabbit Books, Dan's Downtown Records, Indy Vinyl And CD's, Reader copies and Downtown Comics.


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Production Art

2012-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

This slideshow playing above is a very quick look at where I'm currently at with the next version of the Puppets book. I have set aside some more time to bring the art from the previous book (Roaches) up to proper speed. I'm further implementing a new digital production technique of taking my notoriously incomplete pencil pages then inking and painting these as clean, shaded black-and-white illustrations.

As you can plainly see, there are some pieces of art that seriously need addressed!

However, I must say to you that I'm incredibly happy to have this kind of original book to work on. These characters remind me of some of those in my own favorite series such as 70's Godzilla films and the seamy characters that Sam Kieth's The Maxx brought to life in the 1990's.

These characters all embody aspects that I have admired or hated in the places I have been to: old magic/book stores, decrepit falling-down cities, finding roaches and rats crawling merrily through my building or the unwavering enthusiasm of my nieces, nephew and friends in comics and animation.

As this new stage of art production gears up, I will continue to update this site. Please look at the tabs in the main menu, above, to find new Character Art, Color Pages and Whiteboards.

As you can see from the image above I have been able to address form and shading issues in the second edition of this book. There were many inconsistencies in the previous version that are now being hammered out. Moving forward with the new technique is the next step. Thank you for tuning into this book everyone. I think that I will have something really remarkable for you all to enjoy in the very near future.


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Whiteboard Sketches

2012-08-17T03:44:00.000-04:00

Self-portraiture is like looking in a mirror covered in grease. It can be hard to make out anything clearly.

Here's a few of my sketches of a cross-section of the people from the old neighborhood.

Two blocks down from where I lived I used to sit and read outside this run down little laundry-mat. There were always bums demanding smokes and packs of screaming kids running in and out of there. Kafka and Tide packets were a welcome distraction.

Sometimes you find old friends in new places. Justin was one of them.

My friend Justin is a real fixture in the neighborhood. He is something of an urban legend in his own right for surviving being a chauffeur for blues and rock acts for 20 years - he is also known to wield a mean punchline.

Clearly intractably adorable. I have no idea why she gave me the time of day.

Above, Girl #1 that I was sick deep infatuated with. She reminded me of an Elliot Smith song from New Moon. "You're so pretty and smart, So why do you feel that you have to hold your toungue?"

Trouble comes in all varieties and shapes. This woman had seen her share of it.

Girl #2 that I was also very sick deep infatuated with. I never got more than her name out of her but she was always pretty close to where I was seeing a show at - for like 5 years. I couldn't decide if she was a New Face in Hell or just stalking me. All I really knew was that she was beautiful.

The best thing about being an artist is also the worst. Inspiration is like being drunk.

Like I said, Girl #2 would show up in the neighborhood a lot. This is a good example of something stupid that us guys think about chicks that give us ragers - she is purchasing a bagel and I am busy trying not to picture what her legs look like. However, this was not really meant to be. She ended up meaning something to me anyhow.

Also, neither one of these intensely sexy, unique women ever took it upon themselves to camp out in front of my building or testify that I was about to murder them. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Never, ever, argue with a man who has just told you he is Harry Houdini.

This guy was the craziest bum in OTR - speaking in tongues, Manson arms, the whole 9 yards. He has my lighter in his hand in this drawing. We were outside Kaldi's, when that was open in 2008, arguing about the odds of me getting my lighter back.


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New Merchandise

2012-07-07T09:20:00.003-04:00

Brand new bookmarks at my Etsy store free with any purchase at my Etsy store.

Supporting my upcoming release of Puppets, later this year, I've made brand stickers and some bookmarks - both in color and in black-and-white. These color boomarks are 7.75" x 1.75" are available in sets of 5 (five). Get them, or some 24" x 36" posters, over at my Etsy store. Get a free 4 x 3.5 stickers and bookmarks for FREE when you make a purchase.

Brand new black-and-white stickers for all your junk. Yes, all of it.

All these new products are reasonably priced and available now at my Etsy store. Go check them out and support independent art and publishing at a grass roots level, already.


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Comic Cons

2012-05-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

Of all the days to have a downtown court date - I had to go on the Monster Apocalypse.

This year, I'm very happy to announce that my self-publishing effort, Gargantuan Media is actively showing at midwest Comic Cons. I'll be at ASH in Indianapolis in June 10th and at Summit City in Fort Wayne May 12th. Summit City is being held on Saturday May 12th 2012 at the Grand Wayne Center at 120 West Jefferson Boulevard in Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802.

Summit City is being held at the Grand Wayne Center 120 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN. 46802.

Tickets are only $10, kids 12 and under are admitted for free. Tickets are on sale right now. Get your tickets and come see me in Artist's Alley at Table A13. I am in the front row. I will will be armed with freebies for you guys.

The 2012 Gargantuan Media convention table is strong with the Force, it is.

This has been a weird year. I have met so many mofos. I mean, soooo many. So far I have met nine book/record store owners, a bunch of indie comic folks from the 80's to now, a young guy who started his own record label, a few really nice and knowledgeable comic con organizers, a nice couple who run a B+B in Fort Wayne and a bunch of artists who make webcomics. Who knew? Like I said: it's been really weird.

Summit City is my biggest con to date and I will be loaded up with Roaches, posters and maybe even some mini-comics for all future cons. I'll also autograph books, new posters and custom merchandise with purchase. Come and get art and books from an Indiana artist at an Indiana comic con why don't you, already?


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War Cry: A Web Comic

2012-01-27T00:42:00.001-05:00

War Cry is a full-color web comic being built at Smack Jeeves.com.

Another web comic I have going is called War Cry. For you guys that really are into Japanese animated shows like Berserk and Fist Of The North Star you will immediately see similarities in this story. I figure: if I am going to be influenced (i.e. "steal") then I am going to be influenced by the best.

This material is 18+ Mature Horror. Rated R for boobage and blood.

War Cry is a full-color web comic being built at Smack Jeeves.com.

The War Cry web comic started as my October 2011 24 Hour Comic Challenge pencils and just sort of exploded into a full story set on another planet w/in aboout 2 hours. The original drawings are over also at WAR Cry on Smack Jeeves. I'm making and uploading newer versions with these Star Trek setting/colors.

As the print editions of Roaches and Puppets are getting printed in black-and-white books it's great to use color in a story. Both of these current books are TEEN and up but War Cry is unabashedly Adult - no sex, but a lot of gore.


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Puppets Cover

2012-01-11T03:01:00.000-05:00

This book is in development using emerging technology and a traditional print run.

Art is the biggest challenge for me on the first Puppets book due to the fact that I'm currently the only artist on the project. However main pencils for the book are cleaned up and the story-telling duties are being ably arced by my friend Derek Edwards. The art and story for the central characters of Miette and Cement are taking shape despite time and energy being in short supply!

I'm surprised with the growing interest level in the book. Thank you to all that continue to subscribe to this blog!

Today, the original script for this title (all two pages of it!) has been re-written and arced by Derek Edwards as 6 individual chapters w/a severe and much needed professional tweaking. The graphic novel is moving daily and getting closer to becoming a finalized product on book store shelves in Indianapolis books stores in March of 2012.

In future chapters I've added a Hedora character, The Blob, that gets itself splattered across the city only to reform itself and attack the concrete giant. I added this monster for a bit of the old monster-on-monster grudge match.

Also, I want to tell you guys about the real bad guy character from this book, Ratso, who is a morlock styled mutant. Ratso spends his time chasing Miette around on a wave of rabid rodents that he rides through the gutters of the city. Some art and drawings of Ratso and his hairy minions are located over here.


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Glob(s) Attack City!

2011-04-26T03:00:00.000-04:00

The Blob, merrily eating it's way through Midtown in Central City.

This is a Kaiju book. Kaiju is Japanese for "strange beast" or often "monster" like Godzilla and King Kong. In the page above, Cement is surprised by another monster, the massive Blob - an American kaiju. This "Glob" busily dissolves people and buildings when coming into contact w/ARC equipped military elements.

The Blob gets smashed up into smaller parts by an enraged Cement. This scene features Cement, Miette and ARC troopers and the Glob. That makes two principles (Miette, Cement) plus 1 hostile Kaiju (Glob) plus misc. ARC soldiers (7-12 of them firing ARC's) and tanks (3-4) to animate here. That's a total of like 14-19 plates spinning around at once, minus the flames and smoke!


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Puppets: Raw Inks

2011-01-28T03:12:00.000-05:00

Cement crosses the Mittman Street Bridge into Central City.

Pencils To Inks
Inks for this project are more fun than I originally anticipated. I'm trying to get more of the central pieces of art finalized and finding some interesting panels. A few of these drawings are cracking me up with the facial expressions in some of the individual panels.

Currently I'm inking digitally over 120+ penciled panels. I'm finding a few tight little compositions like these, including the silhouetted hero shot for the BOOK. Yep, I did say 120+ panels. That's about 17 pages.

Ratso is kinda psyched about stuff. Rat stuff.

Digital Production Techniques
These pages start as seriously eff'ed up drawings - real messy graphite. Then, the original drawings get scanned in and dumbed down to 150 dpi reference art. This "art" layer PSD lives w/in an AI document.

Adobe Illustrator easily accepts the Photoshop PSD "art" layer when the PSD is imported with the "individual objects" setting checked in AI. After the line work is completed in AI the image is exported as another PSD for color detail and lighting. In this way, a page can be sent from PS (as pencils/colors) into AI (as inks) and back into PS (for final colors) keeping a very sharp vector line.

Usually my AI vectors/inks AND the PSD are saved in two docs: INKS.ai (illustrator) and LAYOUT.psd (photoshop). The next step is using InDesign to assemble the pages. For you hardcore book designers please note the "Import Options" check box when placing your art. You find some very robust tools in this option!


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Puppets Inks

2009-08-09T07:50:00.000-04:00

An updated page from Puppets demonstrates the new style for the webcomic.

This is a raw page, early in the digital inking phase, from Puppets - a self-published comic under development for launch as a webcomic. The book version contains three stories. This page is from the anchor story, Puppets, focusing on a strange young girl named Miette and the revenge she seeks through a concrete giant.

Puppets is heavily kaiju influenced. When the story begins, we are introduced to small 9-year-old Miette and her large and odd collection of marionettes. We are helpless to intervene as Miette is savagely attacked by burglars - leaving one of her arms badly broken.

After Miette runs away from a hospital where she's being treated her revenge comes in the form of a collosal concrete monster. Miette orders the monster to find and destroy her attackers before they attack anyone else - even if it destroys the entire city in the process.


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Roaches: The Graphic Novel

2009-02-01T05:35:00.000-05:00

Ya ever wonder what the official rules to being a cockroach actually are? Follow this nifty guide, complete with handy suggestions, to scrounge for crumbs and scurry in the darkness. Achieve a state of perfect verminhood! Written by and for cockroaches by his Lowness the venerable Grand Roach hiself.

This highly anticipated official field guide is scheduled for a late 2010 release for anxious roaches everywhere.

Roaches exist in over 4,000 forms across duh planet, although only a few species, such as Blattella Germanicus, ever have direct human contact. Simply click on the image of this remarkable species for a wallpaper-sized image.


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Whiteboard Sketches

2009-01-18T03:01:00.000-05:00


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