1000+

    Well…after 2 years, my deviantart site has finally reached over 1000 page views. The morning of the 19^th started off around 980, and by noon it hit over 1000.  I know I’m excited, how about you? Regardless, you should check it out.

            In other news, I have now reached act 3 of my script project. Good news, I really enjoy how act 3 is turning out. Bad news, acts 1 & 2 will require major rewrites for act 3 to make any sense. Grmbl.

            Now, it is time to divulge future plans. Someone asked me the other night “What do you want to do in 10 years?” The only answer I had would be to continue what I am already doing, only bigger and better. Which means, hey, a lot of fun is yet to come. So, prepare…things will be getting real good real fast. Tell your friends, tell your family, and tell your coworkers, because once the hammer falls, everyone will want to be on the ground floor. Don’t leave anyone behind. Become that cool friend/sibling/child/employee that introduces people to the hot new trends in media. Be the person they remember when asked “Where were you when you discovered Mark?” Step up soldier! It’s time to change the world.

***

Today’s illustration is in commemoration of 1000 page views.  I’m still excited about that massive leap.

100 Years and Going Strong

            For any artist or storyteller, today is a holiday that trumps every holiday, whether national or religious, for it is the 100^th anniversary of the first animated cartoon being released to the public.

            Emile Cohl, the father and creator of the first animated cartoon, was born in France while it was under the rule of Napoleon III and was a member of the long forgotten Incoherent Movement in art.

            Fantasmagorie, the title given to Cohl’s creation, is named after a mid-19^th century magic lantern, the fantasmograph. The cartoon is comprised of 700 double exposed images, and totals about two minutes in length. It follows a stream of consciousness narrative that followed in the main tenants of the Incoherent Movement. The individual cells were drawn on white paper with black lines, however Cohn reversed the negative, so the entire animated sequence looked like it was done on a chalkboard. Further, the cartoon combines animation with live action.

            Today, animation is far more sophisticated with the replacement of computers over the traditional cell-based animation. However, knowing the process that went into creating Fantasmagorie makes it even more revolutionary for its time by utilizing techniques that are both common and uncommon in film today.

 

***

The illustration for today is a bit of “fan-art” commemorating Emile Cohl’s achievement.

Bond James Bond

If there is one thing I love, it is a Bond film. Before the days that sunless hair ran my body rampant, Bond gave me a view of what a life could/should/would be like given the proper discipline. Granted, I have never been one for discipline. Still, fantasy is a nice escape, aye?

Anyways, come November 7^th, I will have another taste of the sweet, sweet nectar that Ian Flemming left the world. Given the trailers for “Quantum of Solace”, this could be another great Bond film. However, being the armchair detective that I am, it turns out that “QoS” may not be the most action packed adventure that bond has faced.

            For those of you not floating down the river of trivial knowledge, here is a brief synopsis of “QoS”:

"Quantum of Solace"

"Quantum of Solace" is not a spy story and James Bond appears only in the background. Told in the style of W Somerset Maugham, the tale has Bond attending a boring dinner party at the Government House in Nassau with a group of socialites he can't stand.

Bond makes a remark after dinner when the other guests have left in order to stimulate conversation, about always having thought it would be nice to marry an air hostess. This solicits a careful reply from the elderly Governor of The Bahamas who tells 007 a sad tale about a relationship between a former civil servant he calls Philip Masters, stationed in Bermuda, and air hostess Rhoda Llewellyn. After meeting aboard a flight to London the two eventually married but after a time Rhoda became unhappy with her life as a housewife. She then began a long open affair with the eldest son of a rich Bermudan family. As a result Masters' work deteriorated and he suffered a nervous breakdown. After recovering he was given a break from Bermuda by the governor and sent on an assignment to Washington to negotiate fishing rights with the US. At the same time the governor's wife had a talk with Rhoda just as her affair ended. Masters returned a few months later and decided to end his marriage, although he and Rhoda continued to appear as a happy couple in public. Masters returned alone to the UK, leaving a penniless Rhoda stranded in Bermuda, an act which he'd been incapable of carrying out merely months earlier. But Masters never recovered emotionally, nor recaptured any spark of vitality. The governor goes on to tell Bond how after a time Rhoda married a rich Canadian and seems to be happy. When Bond remarks that she hardly deserved her good fortune, the governor says that Masters had always been rather weak, and that perhaps Fate chose Rhoda as its instrument to teach him a lesson. The governor then reveals that the dinner companions whom Bond found so boring were in fact Rhoda and her rich Canadian husband. Bond then tells the governor Rhoda was much more interesting than he had thought.

While the story does not include action elements, as other Fleming tales do, it attempts to posit that Bond's adventures pale in comparison with real life drama. Bond reflects that the lives of the people he passes somewhat superficial judgements upon can in fact hide poignant episodes.

            -Taken from Wikipedia

            Okay, so in all honesty, that is NOT a true synopsis of the film. Instead, the film, like many of its predecessors, borrows the name from an existing Bond story, and takes liberal liberties in adapting the text. In this case, “liberal liberties” translates to no actual loyalty to the text whatsoever.

            Still, that being the case, there are a couple Bond movies I hope are made which stay true to the source material. For example:

"The Hildebrand Rarity"

In "The Hildebrand Rarity", Bond is on holiday in the Seychelles Islands with his friend, Fidele Barbey. Through Barbey, Bond meets an uncouth American millionaire named Milton Krest who has offered the two the job of aiding him in the search for a rare fish named "The Hildebrand Rarity". After agreeing to help, the three as well as Mrs. Elizabeth Krest set off aboard the Wavekrest in search of the fish. During the journey Bond learns that Milton verbally and physically abuses everyone around him, specifically his wife whom he punishes with the use of a stingray tail he dubs "The Corrector". After finding the Hildebrand Rarity, the party returns to the Wavekrest and sets sail for port. Along the way Krest gets drunk and insults Bond and Barbey and also schedules an appointment for his wife with "The Corrector".

During the same night Bond hears Mr. Krest choking, after which Bond discovers Krest has been murdered and the rare fish was stuffed into his mouth. So as not to be entangled in an investigation for the murder of Krest, Bond throws him overboard and cleans up the scene of the crime. The following day, after the Wavekrest has reached port, no one knows what had happened to Mr. Krest and all presume he fell overboard. Bond investigates both Barbey and Mrs. Krest and finally comes to the conclusion that Mrs. Krest had murdered Milton in an act of revenge for the way in which he had treated her, although she never admits to committing the crime and Bond never asks

            -also taken from Wikipedia.

 

            Really, what is better than a fishing film starring James Bond? Of course, if ichthyologic adventure isn’t your cup of tea, there is always this classic 007 yarn:

 

"007 in New York"

A brief tale in which Bond muses about New York City, and his favourite recipe for scrambled eggs, during a quick mission to the Big Apple to warn a female MI6 employee that her new boyfriend is a KGB agent. It is notable only for including a rare humorous conclusion, and for its mention of Solange, a young lady of Bond's intimate acquaintance who works in a shop, Abercrombie's, "appropriately employed in their Indoor Games Department".

            -yet again, taken from Wikipedia.

 

            So, if you are looking forward to faithful adaptations of already established literature, look no further. Seriously! You will probably never find any. Instead, be GLAD that people take time to make films more interesting than the literature they are meant to represent. I mean, there is honestly some pretty boring stuff out there.

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Now Viewing: Girls Like Boys 3

The Green (Skinned) Mile and "Impressions of a Tree"

            Of all the odd dreams a person can have, this was in contest for the prime position.

            Have you ever had a dream that makes you feel overly emotional? One where you feel like crying because you sympathize for the plight of the characters involved? Personally, I was just moved by the life of Killer Croc from Batman: TAS.

            Apparently, the dream consisted of working for a nearby prison. It was my responsibility to represent the prisoners. One of my “clients” happened to be infamous Batman villain Killer Croc. The more I got to know him, the more I started to care for him. The guy received a bum rap from life. Everyone misunderstood him. And, a few days before his execution, I had the opportunity to see the soft, creamy center hidden by his tough, calloused hide.

            In the dream, KC was charged with kidnapping and eating children. Except that he never ate meat. Evidenced from my time with him, he was a strict vegetarian who, even for his last meal, chose not to taste the bitter flavor of flesh. Furthermore, in a turn straight from The Green Mile, he tamed and befriended a squirrel whom he named Chipper.

            At the end of his life, I didn’t see the monster shown to the world, but the sorry, repentant man that he had developed into. Literally, instead of waving goodbye to KC after spending time with him on his last day, he looked like a skinny Michael Clarke Duncan. In the end, the experience was moving, yet I’m not sure why.

***

The illustration this week is taken from photos snapped while doing research for a piece of commissioned artwork.  With still images like this, I always have trouble coming up with a name. On my deviantart account, it is called “Tree in the City”. Looking at it again, the name “Impressions of a Street Corner” seems more appropriate. What are your thoughts?

 

Skate Fate

            If it weren’t for the power of the warranty, I would be in the midst of a very expensive habit.

            As some of you may already know, in-line skating is a major escape for me. When I blade, it takes hours upon hours, miles upon miles. It feels great before, during, and after the journey is complete. Unfortunately, my skates can’t handle it.

            Yesterday, I received my third pair of skates in under a year. The first pair was paid for, while the second and third was exchanged due to manufacturer defect. The first defect involved the wheels splitting down the seams. The second pair of skates had the same problem, but instead of replacing the entire skates, the wheels were switched out initially. Later on, though, I had to bring the skates in because half of a front axel had fallen off. They found a replacement part, fixing the problem. Then, they noticed that the boot portion had torn from the skate. Hence, the second exchange under manufacturers defect.

            It is not my intent to disrespect the company that makes the skates I am using. K2’s are the most comfortable, smooth riding skates I have ever used. Theoretically, a less fanatical skater would find the K2’s to be everything they want. Me? The guy at the repair shop summed it up:

            “We should cut some aluminum around your foot and add wheels. That will probably keep you from burning through your skates before the end of summer.”

(BTW: The picture above was taken during a trip to Geneva, MN for Project: Earth. It was edited to emphasize the most dramatic, narrative portions, and describe the overall feel of the event.)

Barely There, Again and Again.

            You know how before, I was alluding to a secret project? Well, it is finished. At least, the first step of the first step is completed.

            Act One of Barely There and Back Again is written. It is going through the steps of being edited, and layouts will soon be polished off, meaning that fully finished pages are right around the corner.

            For anyone unfamiliar with Barely There, it is the comic strip that haunted me throughout college. It was in the college paper, and showed me just how hard it is to be a syndicated cartoonist. BTBA is different from that, however. BTBA stars all the characters from BT, as well as some new ones. It will contain jokes, but will mostly be a journey for Mike. It is the comedy adventure I would like to read. And it will be long.

            In terms of display, each page will be displayed here. I haven’t decided whether I will post a page-a-day, post a group of pages a week, or just post it all at once. If anyone has any suggestions, please share. The first page, however, won’t hit the site for another week at least.

Until then, here is another old illustration from the same period. It is a single, colored panel from the other comic I created during that time. So...Enjoy!

            

A Comic Survey

         Having thought about this for a while, it is my decision to update this at least once a week. From my standpoint, once a week still grants a self-imposed deadline while not interrupting my general creative work.

         With that said, this week is going to be a cop-out of sorts. I’ll be going to help my brother out at camp for the next few days, and I found the following survey while browsing my favorite sites, which eventually lead me to back-link to the original survey. So…enjoy this window into my creative psyche.

 

PART ONE: COMICS PERSONALITY TYPE

 

Name: Mark Elton

 

 

Age: 24

 

 

Sign: Cancer

 

 

Introverted or extroverted?

         Both. During the winter, I am generally more intro. Summer, extro. Overall, it really depends on my mood.

 

What are your top 5 procrastination tools?

1. Research

2. Internet

3. Napping

4. Movies

5. Cleaning (seriously)

 

What gets your juices flowing?

         In order for me to get inspired, there generally needs to be incredibly good art, activity, or some combination of the two.

 

PART TWO: COMICS CONSUMER

 

What kind of comics do you like to read?

         I read most comics, but predominately find more enjoyment within the works of independent creators.

 

What kind of comics do you dislike?

         Superhero books featuring major tier characters (Batman, Spiderman, Superman, etc.) are snorefully dull. Comic books that feature a combination of those major tier heroes are the paramount of stagnating prose.

 

When were you first introduced to comics?

         The Sunday comic strips were present at an early age, but comics go all the way back to third grade, where a classmate passed me a copy of a Pizza-Hut promotional X-Men comic. After that, I would pick up random single issues of various books at gas stations during family vacations that would usually occur over the holidays. The event that pushed me into inescapable fandom, however, was when I received an entire long box filled with an assorted collection of comics, ranging from Avengers to X-Men, Ewoks to Heathcliff.

 

 

What were some of your first comics?

         The first comics that really hooked me were X-Men, probably because of the cartoon that was airing around that period of my youth.

 

 

When did you first get "The spark"?

         I’ve always enjoyed drawing. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at a café table, asking my mom to draw me dinosaurs, and then trying as hard as possible to imitate the drawing. As years passed, notebook after notebook would be filled with TMNT, X-Men, and various Disney characters. When I realized that people could get paid to draw these characters, I was hooked into reading whatever comic strip or book I could get my hands on, including a foreign collection of Donald Duck in a language I could barely read.

 

What is your favorite animated movie?

         My favorite animated film is actually Fantasia. Every new musical segment presents a fresh animated film. It could possibly be considered as the first animated anthology.

 

What is your favorite anime series?

         I don’t watch much anime. There was a period during my sophomore year in college that included an embarrassingly dedicated addiction to Naruto. Thankfully it was only a phase. Now, however, Futurama never seems to get old, regardless of how many times the episodes are watched, and Venture Bros. is utter genius!

 

PART THREE: COMICS CREATOR

 

What kind of comics do you make?

         My work is best described as an amalgamation of action-adventure stories and philosophical discourse.

 

When did you first start making comics?

         In early high school, the first pathetic seeds of comic-strippery developed. As a freshman in college, the first full-page, full-color creation was made. Sophomore year brought the first multi-page story, while junior year introduced the serious study of page-layout and character design. Finally, senior year was the cherry, where I had the opportunity to draw a weekly comic strip for the college paper and a monthly, multi-page serial for the gaming club newsletter.

 

What are your favorite comic artists right now?

         My fave artists at the moment include Bryan Lee O’Malley, Skottie Young, Darwyn Cooke, Dan Hipp, Mike Mignola, Masashi Kishimoto, and the ever-lovin’, immortal work of Jack “King” Kirby.

 

What are your main influences in comics?

         Jeff Smith’s Bone is an epic size story with Disney-like sensibilities. Mike Mignola’s blend of gothic horror and traditional folklore displayed in his distinctly dark, noir-nouveau style encapsulates the balance of art to story relativity that I strive to achieve. Kirby has an immense divinity on the page; one of the few artists that can actually capture a massive, celestial scene within paper borders.

         Given that comics is probably fifty-percent art, maybe more attention should be given to writing. Grant Morrison is a creative genius within the fences of mainstream work (Seven Soldiers of Victory, All-Star Superman), and an utter savant within the free-ranges of independent books (The Invisibles, We3). Alan Moore, writer of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, stunned me with the brilliance of Black Dossier. Seeing him seamlessly sew the common comic book format with retro pulp prose opens doors to the future possibilities that comics can contain. And, of course, Neil Gaiman, though not nearly as out-there as the two previous poets, has a way with words that harkens back to Shakespeare. He’s tomorrow’s bard in today’s books.

On an international stage, Moebius has a tounge-in-cheek, cross-genre fantasy leaning that is missing very little, if anything. I have probably read Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1 at least ten times in the past two years. O’Malley’s story is completely relatable while still being utterly fantastic. Finally, Osama Tezuka, the Manga-God, is an inspiration because of his mature stories hidden within Disney influenced art.

 

Artistically?

         I really feel like this is the third time this question has been asked, so let’s shake it up a bit. The art of Alphonse Mucha and Norman Rockwell really jazzes me in the traditional sense.  Masashi Kishimoto’s line is realistic without losing any stylistic leanings. Darwyn Cooke’s page layout is reminiscent of the best in cinematography.

 

Who do you admire in comics?

         The guys at Penny Arcade have captured the future in terms of entertainment marketing. Their business model is a sterling example of the future of capitalism - a digital economy.