tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336228602024-02-07T19:46:43.591-05:00Red Flag ComicsArt, ideas and comic books by Joe WillyJoe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-6389672738590253792020-07-07T10:51:00.001-04:002020-07-07T10:52:22.626-04:00Do people still read blogs?Ever rediscover your old blog that you haven't looked at in 8 years is somehow still functional?<br />
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<i>Amazingly</i>, the readership has remained steady (zero). Its like finding my old journal from high school when I didn't have the courage to ask a girl out so every day I would record what snacks I bought her at lunch. She ate my snacks but then eventually dated another guy.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">History is basically a form of pattern recognition. </span></b><br />
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There is nothing more sad that seeing your own past pathetic earnestness laid bare in stark black and white. The essays and art posted here were meant to gain a foothold in the comics industry. Much like the girl from high school, the objects of my pursuit almost always choose to go with a more promising suitor. No matter how much I think I have to offer there seems to be someone ready to make you a better offer. My comics collaborator James Hitchcock would often comment how much the comics industry was like going to a school dance where everyone was looking to pair up with a better suitor. Jim was going through a divorce so most of his advance was in the form of relationship metaphors. <br />
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Ever look at your life and realize that you seem stuck in patterns that you are somehow unable to break? Is it fate, genetics, a social class system we pretend doesn't exist in America, my own failings as a human being? It would be nice to feel like I had ever made any progress toward any of my goals but like the snacks bought for someone who seemed oblivious that they came with other intentions, the blog posts and other online activities in the past always amount in watching the object of my pursuit find happiness elsewhere.<br />
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I spent untold hours engaging in message board discussions and various other activities that for most people lead to connections in the industry, making a friend, finding a collaborator or even (GASP) a fan. When I meet someone online I look into them, read their bio, follow the link to their portfolio or blog or whatever else they have done. Even close friends and co-workers who offer effusive praise of my skills without prompting aren't interested in my other pursuits. I learned this lesson the hard way when I published a comic, assuming the break even costs might be met by people I knew and that I only had to grow out from that base of support I was always promised existed yet even a $1 "ash can" comic book was too much for them to support. I even remember one co-worker saying "don't I get a free copy?<br />
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It's really hitting me now how alone I feel and how finding this dead blog is like being shown the ghosts of Christmas past but without the portions where I get the epiphany of knowing what mistakes I need to correct. The funny thing is all the pursuits I have engaged in since this period have unfolded the exact same way.<br />
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Looking back at this blog the broken links seems very poetic. The long screeds about the comics industry that were never read, the promises to myself that it was all going somewhere, the art posted that went almost entirely unseen. All of it feels like a metaphor for my life. Here I am, with nothing to show for it all and starting all over from zero.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">I don't even know what it is I am starting. Or maybe this is the ending. </span></b>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-71449772490539065522012-12-04T09:25:00.004-05:002012-12-04T09:25:34.846-05:00Taking an art breakI haven't been drawing much lately as I've been working hard on doing stand up comedy. I've been getting a lot more positive feedback from comedy than I had been my art so I've been really working at it. It's been going fairly well. Here's proof. These are highlights from a few of my 13 comedy shows, mostly open mics around West Michigan:<br />
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<br />Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-40020315505449281142012-08-16T20:26:00.004-04:002012-08-16T20:26:46.773-04:00A talk with Joe WillyKen at The Lottery Party asked to interview me a while back. I wasn't going to turn down an interview but I was definitely happy to do one with him since most interviews in comics seem to me like press releases rewritten with obvious "questions" that lead to pre-programmed answers that check off every marketing talking point one by one, but I knew with him it would be different. He's got a pretty interesting mind and there's not enough people in comics besides him with the ability to really lay out a good argument without resorting to some sort of hipster one-upsmanship of references in a comics dork version of Dennis Miller by way of Gary Groth. Anyway, I started connecting a bit with him on Twitter (his account has since been deleted for mysterious reasons). He runs <a href="http://thelotteryparty.com/" target="_blank">a really amazing site</a> which people should check out if they're into comics and fringe culture. He has a ton of reviews, interviews and in-depth discussions of culture and whatever else is in his head at any given time.<br />
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I was pretty candid with my answers and he surprised me with the quality of his questions. I think it made for a really great talk though I know will you charge me with having a bias. <a href="http://thelotteryparty.com/interviews-joe-williams/" target="_blank">You can read the interview here.</a>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-85840603281139266472012-08-16T20:13:00.004-04:002012-08-16T20:13:50.218-04:00Another reviewRichard at The Lottery Party gave some love Red Flags #1. The original, groundbreaking series from Red Flag Publishing! <a href="http://thelotteryparty.com/red-flags-1/" target="_blank">Check out his review here.</a>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-29001615796993795392012-08-16T20:07:00.004-04:002012-08-16T20:07:50.399-04:00A reviewWe recently had<a href="http://thelotteryparty.com/red-flags-vol-2-1/" target="_blank"> a review of Red Flags #2</a> (vol. 2 no. 1 actually - because that's the kind of shit you have to do in comics to get people to notice. As if I know... which I don't so <u>please</u> read the review <b>and then <a href="http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4182" target="_blank">go buy the book at IndyPlanet</a>!</b><br />
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<a href="http://thelotteryparty.com/red-flags-vol-2-1/">http://thelotteryparty.com/red-flags-vol-2-1/</a><br />
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<a href="http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4182">http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4182</a>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-81230928194900525682012-08-08T20:57:00.001-04:002012-08-08T20:57:43.222-04:00Mister Makabre: motion comic or trailer?I made this video a couple of days ago in iMovie. It's almost a motion comic without the bad animation. But it's also like a long trailer that's a bit more than a tease (though it does show a little leg). Anyway, it's to promote my latest comics story. A nasty little story about economic anti-heroes who go after the big bankers who destroyed the economy. Enjoy a taste:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LwgBwNG3wC4" width="560"></iframe>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-19547218775105362882012-07-16T11:15:00.001-04:002012-07-16T11:15:07.701-04:00Chaos&Main<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A couple months back I went to an improv workshop and after a call back audition was asked to join a new group starting at a theatre just outside of Battle Creek, Michigan. These are some quick posters I pulled together for our next shows. Someone in-house at the theatre did postcards for our first show and I was trying to pitch that I could do something a bit better so this was more like a proposal which why I have the placeholder TBA dates.</span>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-51188344140473205992012-03-19T14:46:00.000-04:002012-03-19T14:46:21.720-04:00Sans lettering<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLtcL7SUcFuT3WfDEoCxfxQveazY8wvc_D-vl8XoRjVBU8v1FHQUDHVczTh7qwTbVx8mXfFNAiwUePGD8ELY90EyFC2b1d0IsqVidH4_582mu8SypLVIGICaBP40U_gzMjiG9fg/s1600/pg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLtcL7SUcFuT3WfDEoCxfxQveazY8wvc_D-vl8XoRjVBU8v1FHQUDHVczTh7qwTbVx8mXfFNAiwUePGD8ELY90EyFC2b1d0IsqVidH4_582mu8SypLVIGICaBP40U_gzMjiG9fg/s640/pg1.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1IpUOIbyQs0hPf1oGqdALE3JuF95egaXeKZJMz_XOq7-cnbIM4vAT8cjn8H3pF6a_9v8f_chlN8k9iKYAacYMYVqJr_JFsEYREnPaYpwkfUcgE7j0k5rdFtsDhNzgdsThQDuhA/s1600/pg5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1IpUOIbyQs0hPf1oGqdALE3JuF95egaXeKZJMz_XOq7-cnbIM4vAT8cjn8H3pF6a_9v8f_chlN8k9iKYAacYMYVqJr_JFsEYREnPaYpwkfUcgE7j0k5rdFtsDhNzgdsThQDuhA/s640/pg5.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-48397179855508707272012-03-19T14:43:00.004-04:002012-03-19T14:43:53.465-04:00Wood Nymph<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXb2hCFNWZGNjFYrJX0X7_JFL-z_cN1pPIr-0mjRxtxpW1n2U7UojmkmtAai5Ag3jCU7ZOjItQuXd5I_GGnPVWjp5Po313kl2Ys3YDV5wSGDSnzMpUjmEo3DQPJkaxmTmSNAEGA/s1600/wood+nymph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXb2hCFNWZGNjFYrJX0X7_JFL-z_cN1pPIr-0mjRxtxpW1n2U7UojmkmtAai5Ag3jCU7ZOjItQuXd5I_GGnPVWjp5Po313kl2Ys3YDV5wSGDSnzMpUjmEo3DQPJkaxmTmSNAEGA/s640/wood+nymph.jpg" width="603" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-49648382329622176122012-03-19T14:42:00.000-04:002012-03-19T14:42:13.801-04:00Archer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIowxLb7F7I4egQiXbYw177M1FXzxE1Ja1nu-QLLRSxbad2x__WANFgUK3uOYRDr9EnP7NaqQS82tfyKtbnrKcIn6MK-t5Efry57s3q2iw90nVpbjuRejnp1wuI2RZat0zSEFKQ/s1600/archer_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIowxLb7F7I4egQiXbYw177M1FXzxE1Ja1nu-QLLRSxbad2x__WANFgUK3uOYRDr9EnP7NaqQS82tfyKtbnrKcIn6MK-t5Efry57s3q2iw90nVpbjuRejnp1wuI2RZat0zSEFKQ/s1600/archer_small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was done on my old eMac when the monitor was going bad. It got so fuzzy I could hardly see the details. This was one of the last pieces I did on it before finally upgrading.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-32639932394894648672011-11-29T08:47:00.000-05:002011-11-29T08:47:10.953-05:00More Man-Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Zwf9D0fGYi9GM6dcnMXZFg9YKm9dyfQAWtnDMBCYfG9C68PK0f6x3LWWf78bMbOOcUr1sqXh4MTxzJy8kOeLjSDxwRD3Degxz6fk5UTBr9DVO0ok8HY4SsXDYTJBZ1fwyHzslA/s1600/manthing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Zwf9D0fGYi9GM6dcnMXZFg9YKm9dyfQAWtnDMBCYfG9C68PK0f6x3LWWf78bMbOOcUr1sqXh4MTxzJy8kOeLjSDxwRD3Degxz6fk5UTBr9DVO0ok8HY4SsXDYTJBZ1fwyHzslA/s640/manthing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-90871834603979217142011-08-09T08:36:00.002-04:002011-08-09T08:36:53.206-04:00Another day, another tease<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTD68ubxhhRUtLl7jsSKnswu9VpGfPF9ICzuAUHsf2lGyZarDS30clZAwPNa_QlBdWEzGsIH4ADA7HvaD2b5G-52w1UvJmeluUDzb3IrNOo8DZa7rmAq4aRkJ7E1VisRi1eY7HA/s1600/P1012822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTD68ubxhhRUtLl7jsSKnswu9VpGfPF9ICzuAUHsf2lGyZarDS30clZAwPNa_QlBdWEzGsIH4ADA7HvaD2b5G-52w1UvJmeluUDzb3IrNOo8DZa7rmAq4aRkJ7E1VisRi1eY7HA/s640/P1012822.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-47097743269380312572011-06-28T11:35:00.000-04:002011-06-28T11:35:33.709-04:00Color test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdJT7cNXvxapDP3CSwkice7k6LtyiGHm6rhhBPfA_1Zl9J_LliAg280slRKtts5juN3VmnFl0vWQPopkvYLFrFpGCl_QFNiDh86XFXMcVSswPq-pcSCgi5wq_0auDUdBpjGU3nQ/s1600/makabre+page+sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdJT7cNXvxapDP3CSwkice7k6LtyiGHm6rhhBPfA_1Zl9J_LliAg280slRKtts5juN3VmnFl0vWQPopkvYLFrFpGCl_QFNiDh86XFXMcVSswPq-pcSCgi5wq_0auDUdBpjGU3nQ/s1600/makabre+page+sample.jpg" /></a></div>I don't think I ever posted this one (looks like I posted the scan of the pencils a while back) and it's probably been too long since I uploaded any art. My legions of fans shall not be left wanting!<br />
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This is a bit of a test (lots of stray marks and color, some areas not really developed) trying to duplicate some techniques I've seen other guys use (OK, mostly Ben Templesmith and lots of guys trying to imitate him as well). I was trying to incorporate some of that style of techniques but then I kind of went my own way with it anyway. It's mostly a failure but I'm posting so people can see some of the steps along the war to the finished product which hopefully will finally drop in the next month or so (TEASE!).<br />
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I've mostly avoided using color in my work until recently, but the ease of coloring with a Wacom tablet and Photoshop and the free color afforded by the web there's no reason to not try to do the next project in color. While this has some touches I like it's nothing like how it will actually appear. My style has changed a few times just looking at different methods and styles. The hard part is limiting yourself and that's why so much computer coloring (including this example) turns out so bad.Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-21157364600811953892011-06-06T23:28:00.000-04:002011-06-06T23:28:13.116-04:00DaredevilHour and a half long digital sketch w Wacom tablet in Photoshop.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BvlwqZKpKbY/Te2asXtD7FI/AAAAAAAAAds/lvHH9vN5iVk/s1600/Daredevil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BvlwqZKpKbY/Te2asXtD7FI/AAAAAAAAAds/lvHH9vN5iVk/s1600/Daredevil.jpg" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-7051708858612538552011-05-23T16:35:00.001-04:002011-05-23T16:35:38.125-04:00A macabre gentlemanWhy not keep going while I'm on this posting "hot streak?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLQwQSVg7P4/TdrDQIPjPLI/AAAAAAAAAdo/OM_fMVQE0vM/s1600/Makabre+gentleman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLQwQSVg7P4/TdrDQIPjPLI/AAAAAAAAAdo/OM_fMVQE0vM/s1600/Makabre+gentleman.jpg" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-4041136016557866402011-05-23T15:09:00.000-04:002011-05-23T15:09:51.583-04:00Some more art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-554YqwWkRag/TdqwjyZiX5I/AAAAAAAAAdk/7y4KQoeGPH4/s1600/frankie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-554YqwWkRag/TdqwjyZiX5I/AAAAAAAAAdk/7y4KQoeGPH4/s640/frankie.jpg" width="464" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lcDoLAYVjag/TdqwMV62JpI/AAAAAAAAAdg/x_A_vbSan9Q/s1600/fetal+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lcDoLAYVjag/TdqwMV62JpI/AAAAAAAAAdg/x_A_vbSan9Q/s1600/fetal+woman.jpg" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-9234408136696880072011-04-26T07:55:00.000-04:002011-04-26T07:55:27.290-04:00A macabre figure of mystery and mayhemDon't want to give much detail for now but this is a character study piece for an upcoming project.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh4tCCS99NIdHJeZnC0Qqk9FgNT-K9xC-NuKliPBwQHFRDc5ChLqAcBtU6LN68egjhTVCRsfqpGSVc0mggyXv5ntJTHGq8BIHBzTqjsReI1B40oNGK1rkOpViE4Ste3AoRd5Wmw/s1600/prowler+Makabre4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh4tCCS99NIdHJeZnC0Qqk9FgNT-K9xC-NuKliPBwQHFRDc5ChLqAcBtU6LN68egjhTVCRsfqpGSVc0mggyXv5ntJTHGq8BIHBzTqjsReI1B40oNGK1rkOpViE4Ste3AoRd5Wmw/s640/prowler+Makabre4.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-29292164586768888112011-03-28T21:35:00.000-04:002011-03-28T21:35:09.304-04:00Black Panther<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFclCsEwThj6uedV6ClO6qRhaWQPw52g4t1vkbqyVuGQplr-e63nSqPD7MSRLk4UxO4JsmdPWk4voUI4KQNkByj1swc_VzKrf3lZHIsYw2hViU9xke7lG97ukHdu4TYbZ4op8XuQ/s1600/T%2527Challa+aka+Black+Panther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFclCsEwThj6uedV6ClO6qRhaWQPw52g4t1vkbqyVuGQplr-e63nSqPD7MSRLk4UxO4JsmdPWk4voUI4KQNkByj1swc_VzKrf3lZHIsYw2hViU9xke7lG97ukHdu4TYbZ4op8XuQ/s640/T%2527Challa+aka+Black+Panther.jpg" width="521" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-50527411049013003082011-03-28T21:27:00.000-04:002011-03-28T21:27:59.820-04:00Human Torch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T-c4-4bh8KM/TZEfbJr0khI/AAAAAAAAAcU/meTlhIy7nRg/s1600/Human_Torch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T-c4-4bh8KM/TZEfbJr0khI/AAAAAAAAAcU/meTlhIy7nRg/s640/Human_Torch.jpg" width="425" /> </a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T-c4-4bh8KM/TZEfbJr0khI/AAAAAAAAAcU/meTlhIy7nRg/s1600/Human_Torch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>I've been practicing my digital painting technique. Watching lots of tutorials online. You can practically go to art school for free with just YouTube. I could have saved thousands.<br />
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Photoshop had just come out when I hit college (yeah, I let myself get old somehow- kids, don't let it happen to you!) and the teachers at my school, I don't think, were prepared for how dominant it would be in art. I'm kind of glad I didn't keep going to school. I would have dropped a lot more cash and probably not been too much farther ahead. Sometimes I wonder though.<br />
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Since college I've been hunkered down in a tiny print shop letting my art skills devolve and letting things pass me by. But I've made a concerted effort lately to step my art game up. I've decided to spend the spring and early summer working on portfolio pieces to try to finally make a real effort of making more than pocket change from freelance.<br />
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I realize I've got a way to go. I feel like in my short time at art school I learned how to draw the human form a little but I never really put the rest of it together. It's time to take a critical eye to my own work and to learn from looking at the work of others as well. Time to crank out some work and just try things out, play around and see what happens, but working towards an end goal. I have it in my mind now.<br />
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So, I started with the human form in the form of the Human Torch, figured I could so some cool fire effects, play off the warm/cool colors and collage a city background to make a sample cover. I could take it further but for right now I'm planning on churning out a few dozen prospective images and then seeing which ones have the most potential to be kick ass portfolio pieces.<br />
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P.S. Which reminds me that I just added a gallery page and just threw in some pieces I'd posted on the blog. As I begin to post up the new digital pieces I will add to it and probably pull the old stuff out.Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-89250193044012434962011-03-08T10:32:00.000-05:002011-03-08T10:32:36.981-05:00Samurai girlA female samurai with hot pink hair. Still a work in progress but figured I'd share as I'm not sure I will really try to take it any further for now.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xCIjLWQIjZM/TXZJ-tTe4PI/AAAAAAAAAcE/_MdGVzEFlTg/s1600/samurai+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xCIjLWQIjZM/TXZJ-tTe4PI/AAAAAAAAAcE/_MdGVzEFlTg/s640/samurai+girl.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-11836162061931726892011-03-08T10:29:00.000-05:002011-03-08T10:29:56.316-05:00Galactus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pApiMYn-z6g/TXZKFBUn4wI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/3ZfAa0uC0Vk/s1600/Galactus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pApiMYn-z6g/TXZKFBUn4wI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/3ZfAa0uC0Vk/s640/Galactus2.jpg" width="506" /></a></div>My reimagine/redesign concept of Marvel's <b>Galactus</b>. In mine he is sort of the same thing as his ship which is a nanotech swarm version of the Borg.Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-29854321601702953852011-02-22T12:00:00.000-05:002011-02-22T12:00:46.171-05:00Character studyThe evil doctor- you might want a second opinion!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAaMgkQlGbloosCwsXtsnX03fRaTiF_C-zQijRxSOAgvfflfx1tFpkh3OWvNhsUNxKUJqCumlrJD335NHnXiFKJ0EEi9FEvGFPODTfz3jtWwKKCFGe7J4ViVylQh9PpofXF6nVQ/s1600/Doktor+G+chcracter+study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAaMgkQlGbloosCwsXtsnX03fRaTiF_C-zQijRxSOAgvfflfx1tFpkh3OWvNhsUNxKUJqCumlrJD335NHnXiFKJ0EEi9FEvGFPODTfz3jtWwKKCFGe7J4ViVylQh9PpofXF6nVQ/s640/Doktor+G+chcracter+study.jpg" width="323" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-21744263725382688502010-12-27T19:54:00.002-05:002010-12-27T21:45:40.060-05:00Bookstore as comics' savior? Not so muchMy visit to Barnes & Noble today ended up serving to be a cautionary tale to the comics people who may still think that the direct market is a pile of crap that can be discarded because we have bookstores that will sift out the endless volumes of spandex-clad super emo warfare and only serve up wonderful graphic novels that have been reviewed by the New York Times and NPR. Hey, I think I noticed it because <b>I</b> was one of those people. Maybe it was just hope that outside of NYC, Chicago, LA and a handful of other cities that people could still find good comics. <b>You know, the ones you hear about but can't find</b> unless you go to a convention and personally take part in the industry or purchase them online with shipping costing as much as (or more than) the book itself. And just so you know, I live within 30-40 miles of 3 decent size cities with various size B&N locations.<br />
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Out of an entire half aisle of comics you already have half that are manga. Very little "literary fare" is found here from what I see. That's going to sound like a diss but I do have manga I like. Not a ton, but enough to know that like the North American comics publishers I guess it gets lost in the shuffle. It does seem like the crap to good stuff ratio is even worse than the rest of the Graphic Novel section but that's probably just because there's so much more of it (and popular titles often take up rows of space for multiple volumes while literary, artsy manga tend to be single volumes).<br />
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You wouldn't find anything from the more literary manga pubs like Ponent Mon and from Vertical I only noticed "Peepo Choo" and "7 Billion Needles" though I might have missed a few since I'm not at all familiar with their output (since I never see them in stores) Not much else here for anyone who's not already a manga fan who knows what to buy. No sign of any of the D&Q reprints of Tatsumi's work either. Some good stuff could be found here- I grabbed "Not Simple" and "Solanin" which are both from Viz as I noticed when I went to write this. It also occured to me while writing this that comic shop manga sections always seem heavier on Tokypop (because that's most of what I've bought in the past) and lighter on Viz where bookstores seem to be the opposite.<br />
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So, then the other half of the half-aisle of GNs and manga is "North American comics" for lack of a better term- and it's a <b>really</b> bad term because that's also where the European stuff gets put (but I'm not huge on those semantic arguments so whatever). Minus of course a shelf at the top of gaming resources and books in the Dungeons and Dragons vein. I'd say that except for two shelves the North American comics section is pretty much all DC and Marvel. And not even their better books. Sadly, most of the DC and Marvel seems to be the usual trades stocked at a comics specialty retailer. <b>You know, whatever new company-wide event after which "nothing will ever be the same" that gets done just about every year. You know, the book where the third-rate loser villain from the 70s get "reinvented" by some hack writer as a psychopathic killer and rapes and murder a third rate superheroine. In other words, "The Killing Joke" volume 549.</b><br />
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So, our of those final two shelves we get one <b>that's mostly GI Joe and Transformers books from whatever horrible fake indy/wannabe DC/Marvel publisher puts those out now days. Boom, IDW, Crossgen, Now- I can't tell them apart half the time. They pop up every ten years with the same publishing plan and fade into the back issue bins unless they get lucky and get a movie made that doesn't completely suck.</b> Oh yeah, that reminds me: throw in some Hellboy too. Yay, Dark Horse. But basically this is the "indy" section most comic shops obligingly stock for the 1-10% of their customer base that doesn't quit looking at their copy of the "Previews" catalog after the name "Zatanna" or whatever ends the DC section and begins the "crap 99% of comic shop owners don't care about" section. I assume Marvel still is too good to be in with the rest? God, I fucking hate the comics industry...<br />
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So, anyway. Now we have one shelf, maybe another half for the odd-sized giant books, of an odd assortment of books most comics fans would recognize as "indy" comics in this bookstore. It's a catch all. You have R. Crumb's newest, "The Book of Genesis," and a fluke remainder copy of something earlier. You have several copies of Julie Wertz, a book or two from a New Yorker cartoonist trying their hand at the"graphic novel thing." However, I didn't see ONE D&Q book. <b>ZERO</b> from either Hernandez Brother. <b>No</b> Seth. <b>No</b> Chris Ware except for a paperback copy of the fat Jimmy Corrigan. <b>No</b> Acme Novelty Library volumes. <b>No</b> James Sturm. <b>No</b> Dungeon. <b>No</b> David B. <b>No</b> Eddie Campbell. <b>No</b> Craig Thompson. <b>No</b> Gary Panter. <b>No</b> Jason.<br />
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However, the comic strip reprint section, outside of Zits and a handful of other strip collections, is now mostly from indy comics publishers. Obviously, the Peanuts reprints really changed the dynamic there. It's awesome to see Seth's design on the John Stanley albums (that's what they look like to me) on a bookshelf. There's Tove Jansson books too. Hooraay for good comics!<br />
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I guess the success of the reprint books just made it even clearer to me: <i>It makes me wonder if this push away from floppies and into hardcovers aimed at bookstores from companies like Fantagraphics and D&Q is really working any better than the old way?</i> Not that they had a choice. But I'm just sayin'...<br />
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Now, I'm sure maybe they've ordered copies of L&R or Acme that have sold out. I'm sure they've had books from all the missing authors I mentioned and what we're seeing is a lot of stuff that's been hanging around because it's mostly crap that won't sell. Maybe they sell a ton of whatever indy comics GN is new and hot. But then wouldn't they have put them in one of their 3 or more aisles of clearance stuff? Speaking of which, why do you almost never see comics there? I do see comics at Bargain Books, a chain selling remaindered stuff at deep discounts, but that's mostly stuff that obviously got very much over ordered based on hype or some glaring order form error where 2 copies where made into 200 or something.<br />
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Maybe I'm frustrated knowing that I can't sell copies of my own comics while the people getting paid to find sales at "big" companies might not be doing much better. <b>But really I'm just frustrated that I can't ever flip through good comics in person and decide to purchase them on my own. I have to investigate and special order like it's an obscene fetish only available through mail order or if I fly to a big city and attend a special meeting of my fellow freaks. I might as well be a furry.</b>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-83150115515092381652010-11-21T19:33:00.000-05:002010-11-21T19:33:11.342-05:00Status Update (or: Selling Comics at Reptile Shows)Reconnected with my Red Flag Publishing partner-in-crimes against humility, James T. Hitchcock aka Biff Humble aka OB1 Shinobi. He's R.F.P.'s Editor in C.H.I.E.F. (Correctly Hustling Information, Education and Funnies). Jim also owns <a href="http://rainforeststationpets.com/">an exotic pet store</a> and spends his weekends schlupping newts, hamsters and other critters and the accessories to keep them alive across the midwest. He wanted some copies of <a href="http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=4182">the new issue of Red Flags</a> because I kept telling him to put up a display to test how the reptile show audience might respond to an indy horror comic. Heck, I wanted to test how ANY comic might fare outside of a comic book-only venue, where there've been stuck since news stand distribution, head shops and indy record stores died. It just so happens that we self-published our particular comic with all its limitations. It's an imperfect study which maybe will say more about the quality of our book or our salesmanship than the venue and audience.<br />
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I never understood why comics couldn't be made that appeal to other audiences outside the direct market and then marketed to them in other venues besides direct market comic books stores in strip malls behind windows covered with Magic the Gathering ads (and 10-20 bohemian shops one the coasts and a couple major Midwest cities that sell 90% of indy comics). But anyone who tries it is basically in for a one man battle against the indifference and ignorance of the world toward comics. But now more than ever it seems both possible (due to manga, webcomics, the recent GN boom and even popular superhero movies) and necessary (due to not only the Great Recession but also to the fragmenting of the market with DM shops doubling down on the Big 2 and "indy" comics now becoming slight departures from the Big 2 such as IDW and Boom Studios as opposed to Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly).<br />
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I don't know that I know yet much of anything but I did make some initial observations after attending half of one reptile show. We only sold and gave away a handful of books with a hastily made sign letting the people shopping for iguanas know about our self-published horror anthologies.<br />
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First, I couldn't help but notice the similarities and differences between a comic convention audience and reptile show attendees. Both are obviously different elements within a wide variety of "nerd culture" that would include video games, sci fi, horror movies, etc. I also didn't realize how much of the audience at a reptile show is a repeat crowd. I guess I forgot these things tend to be monthly affairs, more like a flea market than a convention. I wonder if the repeat nature of the business and the familiarity that ensues will help sales. Jim seems to have a large customer base and made a lot of contacts here. I guess we might get the same thing if I can ever afford to hit some comic conventions.<br />
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Here's some art as a thanks for listening to my musing...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZnLaiwVMco4/TOm58Y3Wy6I/AAAAAAAAAa8/drBzMNzRjDc/s1600/angel+statue+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZnLaiwVMco4/TOm58Y3Wy6I/AAAAAAAAAa8/drBzMNzRjDc/s1600/angel+statue+crop.jpg" /></a></div>Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622860.post-24869026838841776882010-11-01T15:31:00.000-04:002010-11-01T15:31:18.329-04:00All thumbsI never seem to scan any of my art and when I do I'm not even sure I pick the right stuff. But here's what I'm working on lately...<br />
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This is some rough art for a new comic I'm working on. I've been doing pencils on some layout paper from where I work. It's a small print shop which still does some paste-up (actually, to my embarrassment/horror they still do a lot of it)! They have these awesome 11x17 pages with blue line boxes for every inch and pica. I draw on the back and can just see hints of the blue lines through the paper so I can better eyeball my straight lines and try to eliminate using a straight edge. One of the pages has the main lines already inked.<br />
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On this project my goal is to just let my art be ugly and gritty- it fits the ugly nature of the story which really tries to get at the core of the decay of morality in our society (and I don't mean that in the conservative God and gays sense but in the liberals- look how the rich are fucking us all- sense). Our model is Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." One of my problems as an artist is that I try to polish the turd and draw too "clean." I get tight and attempt to draw too much like Charles Burns or Dan Clowes instead of Paul Pope or Eddie Campbell- guys who embrace their stray marks and construction lines. I need to try to draw like Gilbert Hernandez instead of Jaime Hernandez.Joe Willyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12061116533355938097noreply@blogger.com2