Nearing the End

Hey there sports fans Al here with the latest:

GALLERY WORK:

This weekend I will be traveling down the Gallery to drop off my work for the BIG 300 this year.  The funny thing is that at the current time I have been running into several artists at the art store I work at and have them scrambling to get the work done and completed.  This kinda makes me laugh a bit because I know the frustration of working on something that looks awesome in your head but never quiet makes it out onto paper or wood or canvas.  Actually I just had a situation just like that happen as I was working on doing a color piece with our Man-bird of the Future called "Cosmic Flight".

  The piece didn't  come out the way I had hoped with the effect I was looking for but I think I know a way around it currently I'll give it another shot.

Perhaps I will be able to apply the idea to other work as well.

CORRAX THE SEEKER NEWS:

"Cosmic Flight" 8"x10" Clayboard with Markers
2012 copyright Alan Bennett and BBVA

I have been working on the transfers to bristol for issue #4 and have been basic inking and blocking of black on issue #3.  So where does this leave issue #2?  Good question.  Like a tide I have had this tendency to go back and forth between serious drawing and inking and computer color.  This also happens when I am working on a story especially when I have a really strong image already thumbnailed out instead of just working on a script I will continue to keep thumbnailing out a story and fill in the dialogue later.  The idea being (at least to me) is the fact that you should be able to follow what's happening without the words.  

I think that years ago when Marvel was having their Assistant Editors month (I belive.  It was a long time ago for the kid.) going on Larry Hama had a complete issue of G.I. Joe issue 21 "Silent Interlude" without dialogue or narration.  It was a great piece.  And in my mind proved that a book like that could really tell a story well.  

OF COURSE THIS LEADS INTO.....

WERID ATOMIC TALES - VOLUME 2?  Say it ain't so.

Well there is a very good idea that it this is in the works.  In the past working with working with NEOtrash Comix Jason Pott and I have formed a fairly good working relationship and just a good friend to have. 

Maybe one day within the next year he and I will work on a Spaghetti Western Comic together.   I know that would be right up his alley.

 I know that he has a plot written for War Ram since he (the character) came out in the last issue of Weird Atomic Tales as the back up story.  Jason really liked that character and the like of Corpse Cop as well. During a break at work he pitched me a story idea with War Ram in it.  Originally this was a Corpse Cop story idea but he just polished off some of the other outside stuff and narrowed it down to War Ram.   I think that the idea of a comic destructive force rolled into one character really appeals to him.

So Jason of has been working on a WAR RAM story recently for me to illustrate.  Now there is a possibility that I might be able to work on this in between redesigning "Dreams of Elysium"  but we'll see how it comes across.  Jason wants a traditional black and white illustration with the computer color like what I have been doing with CTS.  Initially I wanted to do War Ram in scratchboard because of the dark nature of the unstoppable engine of destruction!  But I could see how this would work out art wise but the length of the story in the book might hold it up.  Printers like their comic book projects at a certain page count.  SO I PURPOSED an idea of a back up to War Ram with Doktor Plutarius being the crux of the story and a new character- "DestructO!".

When I showed this one image that I had seen posted by our mutual friend Tim Goodyear on Facebook one of my art store buddies Nicole told me that it reminded her of the Okami.  I didn't understand what she meant by this so after work I looked it up online. There are several entries of a Japanese myths of Tiger Gods in the folklore but most of this was based  mainly on her playing  a video game  called "Okami" and the programs various characters there within called Brush Gods.  I had to start working on a story after looking up artwork  putting my twist on this icon looking figure.  I think that after looking on line at all the things that had to do with legends of white tigers, looking at Japanese myths and folklore I think that I may have a good feeling about how to deal with DestructO.       

Of course I am still playing around with this character and concept but I think that it would be fun to do.  And may be heavily influenced by Kirby like the original War Ram backup.  We'll see.