THIS MAN'S ARMY

THIS MAN'S ARMY was a mini-comic I did as a limited edition offering at the Small Press Expo back in 2004. It was completed over a 3 or 4 day period, if I recall, and was largely influenced by the work of Joe Kubert. It shows its age a bit but I thought you all might like to see it. In remembrance of Mr. Kubert, I thought I'd post it today.

Do yourself a favor and seek out the work of Joe Kubert. This comic below is a meager salute to his brilliance. Joe was a teacher and comics advocate that pushed along the careers of countless artists and storytellers, whether they attended his school or learned from afar through his comics work, like I still try to.

Joe Kubert did many incredible things for the world of graphic storytelling. I hope he rests well.

TR!CKSTER: commissions and info!

Hey people- It's been awhile. I've been busy. I wanted to fill you in a bit on what's been keeping me off the grid here. TR!CKSTER 2 is almost upon us. This thing is an incredibly crazy endeavor. It's run out-of-pocket by me, Ted Mathot, and Anita Coulter. That's why we're using indiegogo to help offset the headaches. If you can pitch in a bit, please try. We want TR!CKSTER to continue to succeed and breathe life into the creator-owned, DIY world of storytelling. DONATE HERE

Now, at TR!CKSTER this year I'll personally be doing a few different things: I'll be moderating the SYMPOSIA, which are ticketed workshops on writing method and art demos by today's top storytellers. Grab a ticket at that link...there's limited seating and these are INCREDIBLE chances to learn how working storytellers do their thing first-hand.

I'll also be producing what might be my last commission-style work in awhile. I'll be doing these commissions daily from 2-4, Thursday-Saturday, in the Art Workshops. I'll be doing two sorts of commissions while my hands hold out: $100 commissions that'll fully benefit TR!CKSTER, painted directly in copies of the TR!CKSTER book. Anything you want, but it'll be painted in the book. I'll also be doing a limited number of stand-alone commissions at $250 each. Hit me early at crazymorse *at* sbcglobal *dot* net if you want something.

***UPDATE***I just found a box of ANCIENT BOOK OF SEX AND SCIENCE that I'll have on hand, as well. These are WAY out of print, featuring art by me, Lou Romano, Don Shank, and Nate Wragg. I'll be painting originals in each one sold at the show and this incredibly rare book will run you $100 a pop. Act quick.

I won't be doing paintings of licensed characters. Original stuff only. Creator-owned stuff.

Now, this is likely the last chance in a long time you'll be able to get a commission from me as my workload has gone insane at Pixar. I'm doing something pretty great there that requires more of my free time. So that means fewer cons and no more commissions.

Speaking of Pixar, though, I WILL be one of a handful of folks looking at portfolios IN THE CONVENTION CENTER ONLY at booth 4800, Thursday-Saturday. Story portfolios. Character design portfolios. Bring your best work and wow us.

See you at TR!CKSTER. Be prepared for the time of your life, people.

Ralph McQuarrie was rad.

FILM SKOOL: NORTH BY NORTHWEST

God, I wish I could pull off wearing a fedora any day of the week. The tall kind, the kind the “professor” wears.

And yeah, yeah, yeah, there’s nothing more “American” than Mount Rushmore. Maybe. I’ll go with Jazz, and bourbon. And you should, too.

So, the 20 year Pappy Van Winkle, switched to Noah’s Mill Bourbon about 45 minutes in, should make you giggle like a school girl as Cary Grant escapes harm via fabricated hijinx in the auction house. Seriously, NORTH BY NORTHWEST is one of the obvious go-to films for “learning”. I was shown the cornfield crop-duster sequence at age 18 in my freshman year story class at CalArts. The problem with freshmen is that you’re dealing with people who you ASSUME have seen certain films. At age 18, I’d heard of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, but never seen it. So the crop dusting sequence was marvelous to behold, even out of context, but still…it was out of context. And out of context, in a story class, is almost useless. Story happens in two ways: details, of course, which, with the crop-dusting sequence, still come across as marvelous…but the second way is “broad strokes”. Big, sweeping story elements. And these, my friends, are what establish context for something like the crop-dusting sequence.

Still, LOOK FOR DETAILS in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. The use of hands--human hands--and how they articulate. Grant and Eva Marie-Saint use them to great effect. Their first meeting, on the train, has them in the throws of passion: the cross cutting keeps the consistency of splayed fingers in hair, conveying a certain charm in the moment. Later, when they meet again, after Grant has been betrayed, Marie-Saint keeps her fingers splayed, but Grant, he holds his hands away from her, unable to touch his Judas. THIS is something that doesn’t show up in a script. THIS is NORTH BY NORTHWEST.

ALSO! Watch closely during the introduction of Van Dam. He accuses the unknowing Grant of “playing games”, yet Van Dam, that wily Sher Khan, enters in full light, crosses to a curtain, draws it closed, crosses to a lamp, turns it on and stand IN FRONT OF IT, back-lighting himself, then crosses yet again to light the room in full once more. Games, and control of how he’s perceived. This is a villain. This, too, is NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Charm: in the dialogue...the uses of lenses…the choices of shots.

It was a complete accident that I accented this flick with bourbon. That’s the happy film gods playing their role to a “t”, as Grant is forced most of a bottle, then requests it once more near the end of act 2. Bourbon. And Pappy Van Winkle is perfect for viewing this thing. The switch to Noah’s Mill was out a low supply of the Pappy’s. Try to keep to the good stuff.

ALSO! After the bad guys are on to Eva Marie-Saint (watch for two nice conventional camera tricks: focus, and a move, to a God’s eye view of the snakes in the grass), you’ll want to watch for an artful use of COLOR. It’s subtle, but as Grant climbs the outer wall of the mountain retreat, there’s a unique separation of warm and cool values: inner rooms warm, outer cool. Villains and prey inside…our hero, outside, in the cool.

And a train has never meant so much. Set up early in act 2. And the last shot says it all.

Details AND broad strokes. Watch the whole thing. The crop-dusting sequence is iconic, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Dem Birdsh

This'll be up for sale to benefit the Cartoon Art Museum. It's some birdsh. Dey gots some berriesh. Birdsh gotta eat, too.

This is painted with cel-vinyl from Cartoon Colour. You people are always asking what kind of paint I use. So there ya go.

Cartoon Colour.

WOMEN OF WONDER DAY!

Here's a little something for WOMEN OF WONDER DAY. Go support, people!

Sonny walks the Monster

"...more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation."
--Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN

When my pal Steve Niles recently told me his dog Sonny had to undergo chemo I knew I had to step up to help a bit. I know what it's like to have a best buddy like Sonny. There's no end to a life like that no matter what's on the horizon.

This art will be made available as a print and the original will also be for sale shortly. Watch for details over at Steve's website.