Anyone who’s heard of the art/comics/animation blog DRAWN! knows what a great site it is. DRAWN! updates frequently with artists– 2D and 3D, still and animation– that are always interesting. If you’ve never visited, click the link and bookmark it… you’ll be glad you did.

I was scrolling through they’re newest posts this morning and saw a video they’d linked from YOUTUBE called SIGG JONES. That’s the subject of today’s sketch. Now, the sketch isn’t of SIGG himself… but rather of what I’m assuming is his manager. The clip is an amazing fight scene between SIGG and this manager character…. it has to be seen to be believed. I don’t know if this is from an upcoming movie, or an ad campaign (it does feature some NIKE kicks rather prominently)– but they’ve got a web page up , even though it’s just the main page with no links. So something’s afoot. Anyway, I think the animation is wonderfully done and the fight scene choreography is just amazing. So… I thought I’d post the video link here. Beware, though… you’ll need a high speed connection to watch it, otherwise you’ll be waiting all day for it to load.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avyWjn1uV5I]

OK.. that’s it for another Wednesday.

This is Entry 366.

Mike

I was still in the mood for drawing THE SATURN KID … and so I drew another generalized image of him and the Princess. Unfortunately, although I have a broad idea of the story for this project– and many of the characters that would be featured in it– I haven’t had the time to work out any specifics of story, plot and character… so I haven’t been able to do focused designs for any of those secondary characters. So I just stick with the two leads. That’s OK with me for now, though… I have fun drawing them. I won’t, however, fill the blog each day I post with sketches of the same two characters, though… so fear not. I wouldn’t want it to get boring around here.

OK… I’ve got to get to work… and go pick up my tax materials from my accountant. Joy.

Have a great day.

This is Entry 365.

Mike

This week’s REMAKE/REMODEL subject over at Warren Ellis’ ENGINE forum is SHERLOCK HOLMES. After reading the descriptions Warren furnished of the different aspects of Holmes’s persona… I started thinking about how I’d remodel him– and my thoughts turned to “Steampunk” for inspiration. It was hinted that perhaps Holmes used narcotics… and I started from there. I imagined Holmes later in live– having abused drugs for decades– to the point where his body was virtually destroyed and dying. Because of his value to Scotland Yard, British authorities undergo the drastic step of severing Holmes’ head and attaching it to a mechanical body that would keep the head and brain alive. Holmes goes on to help solve crimes that frustrate British police for years afterward.

I got a bit bizarre with the design of the mechanical body… but that was the fun of the exercise.

OK… gotta run off to work. Have a great weekend, everyone.

This is Entry 364.

Mike

I think that of all the characters and stories that I came up with when I was a kid, my SATURN KID idea is the one I’d like to flesh out the most. It’s not, by far, the idea that I did the most work on when I was younger… I drew many full issues of some of the superhero characters I came up with. They were, however, usually very recognizable knock-offs of already existing characters from Marvel and DC. While, to be honest, SATURN KID owes a huge nod to JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS for its inspiration, it’s still pretty distinct in story and the visual trappings… and I find my mind turning to the idea quite often. I think that if I ever get the opportunity to produce a solo creator-owned project, SATURN KID just may be the one…

OK.. gotta keep it brief today. Have a great one, all.

This is Entry 363.

Mike

Brandon Graham is one of a new group of comic book creators who have their feet planted in two worlds– that of American comics, and Japanese manga. Graham and others like Brian Lee O’Malley (SCOTT PILGRIM), Becky Cloonan (AMERICAN VIRGIN, DEMO, EAST COAST RISING) and Cory Lewis (SHARKNIFE), are creating some very exciting comics that mix some of the iconography and storytelling of manga with a western sensibility that– for me– is a very invigorating thing to watch unfold.

Graham recently released KING CITY through TOKYOPOP– and it’s a book I instantly found fascinating. KING CITY is infused with tons of wonderful and imaginative concepts and characters. The story follows Joe and his cat as they wander in a seeming aimless fashion through the title city. Joe’s cat has the ability, with the right injection, to become any tool that Joe may need at any given time. Throughout the book, the cat becomes in turns a perisope, a skateboard, a parachute– and performs an autopsy…. all the while, maintaining his feline appearance. During the course of the first book, Joe finds himself mixed up in a situation of dark intrigue that ends up pulling in the few friends he actually has by the end of Book 1 (it’s a 2-part story). Grahams art seems to be a wonderful mesh of many influences like Paul Pope, Mobeus, Jaimie Hewlett as well as tinges of the aforementioned manga– which all flows together into something new and wonderful. The story vacillates between high tension and a laconic pace in its storytelling. That creates a dream-like quality that just enhances the reading experience. There’s a sense of alienation… of not belonging… as an underlying theme to KING CITY. As we follow Joe, and meet his friends along the way, there’s a pulse of dread and danger thrumming under the surface of what seems like an almost idle existence that Graham’s characters lead. KING CITY is a two-dimensional reverie that I truly enjoy immersing myself in.

I highly recommend KING CITY to anyone looking for something that’s unusual and truly different from what’s being published by the Big Two. You can find examples of Brandon Graham’s work at his DEVIANTART gallery.

OK… have a great day, all.

This is Entry 362.

Mike