Crossovers

Adventure Time X Regular Show!

~ J.Ho

Adventure Time X Regular Show #2 is out today, and one of the variant covers is by me!

 
They asked me for an homage to Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson’s famous Superman vs. Flash cover… as luck would have it, I’ve got a little experience homaging that particular cover.

 
Here’s a look at my rough pencils as well:

 

GL of Earth-616

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment

I was thinking about Simon Baz and the idea of Green Lanterns + guns, then I was thinking of the traditional Green Lantern Corps uniform with white gloves and what other characters wear white gloves and then this happened:
 

 
Notes:
– RE: the ring-construct weapons… I dug up photo reference of various weapons at angles that would work for what I had in mind, arranged them fanning out in a somewhat wing-shaped collage (I bit that idea from one of The Expendables movie posters), then I did a simplified sketchy trace-over.
– The costume is basically an inverted Hal Jordan/GLC uniform mashed-up with Frank Castle’s traditional Punisher costume.
– I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that after drawing Green Lantern characters for two weeks I randomly felt compelled to draw a super nerdy crossover. This isn’t the first time I’ve drawn an unlikely Green Lantern mash-up! (Previous incidents: HERE, HERE, and HERE)

Okay, back to regular GL characters, there are still a lot that I want to draw!

Three Cops In One

~ J.Ho

I’ve been watching a lot of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 recently and tweeting about it, mostly while I’m drawing. A few weeks ago, this happened:

@jasonhohoho: Odo, Robocop, and John McClane are my favorite cops.
@slimebeast: @jasonhohoho Your drawing challenge: Odo. Robocop. ODOCOP.
@jasonhohoho: @slimebeast CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. One moment…
@jasonhohoho: My three favorite cops, combined. (Challenge issued by @slimebeast) #startrek #ds9 #robocop #diehard http://instagram.com/p/UdQCfti4Fr/

Thanks to @slimebeast for the inspiration–he and I have been buddies since the old days at He-Man.org. (Old days = circa 2007)

Oh yeah, I forgot it was 2013 and signed this drawing 2012. :-/

Hand and Foot

~ J.Ho

Here’s a dual post to cover last Friday as well as today. I had two pieces of sturdy cardboard lying around, so I grabbed some markers and did these two pieces:

 
click either image above for larger view

 
Sketched in color pencil, lineart inked with a Sharpie, silvers filled with a Sharpie, and reds and blacks filled with Marks-A-Lot markers.

I’m sure similar such cross-over pin-ups have been drawn before, but I thought this wold be fun! (For those who don’t know, Eastman and Laird’s TMNT was inspired by Frank Miller’s seminal run on Daredevil.)

JLF

~ J.Ho

JLF, as in “Jedi Life Form.”

I’m continuing to mine old drawings for coloring practice/blog posts. This gem is a nerdy mash-up from about 9 years ago, and features a Melmacian Jedi. Melmacians being from Melmac. Melmac being the home planet of Gordon Shumway. Gordon Shumway being the full name of the alien known as ALF.

Listen, people, I don’t have any explanation for my behavior, past or present, so let’s just go with it, okay?

click above for larger view

 
I’ll be honest, when I drew this, it was pretty much for a cheap larf. As such, I didn’t do the requisite research, which would have revealed to me that Jedi Padawan only have one braid. Would two braids mean that this guy skipped a grade? Or was held back? Man, I don’t know.

Anyways, flash forward to the present… I colored this particular Melmacian with dark skin and sun-bleached fur so that he would look distinct from ALF. I mean come on folks, a Melmacian Jedi is one thing, but it’s just plain laughable to think that Gordon Shumway would become a Jedi. For starters, the Star Wars movies took place in the past, so we don’t even know if Jedi exist in the present. And second, it seems highly unlikely that Gordon would have the discipline to become a Jedi. I’m just saying.

Ahem. The background was cobbled together purely in Photoshop with some digital smoke and mirrors. You know–cheap parlor tricks. However, I think it more or less works, and adds some appropriate atmosphere.

In conclusion, all I can say is…

Ha! I kill me!

You see, because that was ALF’s catchphrase… I should just go now…

WAIT A MINUTE, this is MY blog! Why don’t YOU go!?

Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it–I want you to stay and take a look around. Let’s be friends.

*transcript continues on for another 10 pages*

(This counts as post #1 for this week. Keeping steady at a deficit of 4 missed posts.)

Moldie Oldies: Teenage Mutant Ninja ‘Tubbies

~ J.Ho

This is the kinda junk that I thought was funny back in 1999. Okay, I still think it’s funny.

 
To be honest, I was, and still am, totally freaked out by the Teletubbies. Are they hairless cats? Why are they wearing footie pajamas? WHY IS THE SUN A BABY? The whole affair is terrifying. However, by mashing the Teletubbies up with the Ninja Turtles, I converted my fear into a super-dorky joke.

TAKE THAT, YOU TERRIFYING HAIRLESS CAT FOOTIE PAJAMA BABY-SUN-WORSHIPPING ABOMINATIONS.

MACHO WEEK!!! (Part 2 of 3, The Moldy Oldie Edition)

~ J.Ho ~ 3 Comments

MACHO WEEK continues, with a piece of vintage nerdery from my archives, drawn and colored in 1999. TWELVE years ago.

Let’s think about this people. That was before 9-11, before the dot-com bust, before the (still ongoing) energy crisis, before I owned a car or a DVD player. I was fresh out of college, just starting out full time at the day-job after interning there for 2 years (same day-job that I have today, by the way), and living in a tiny studio apartment that paradoxically had a huge walk-in closet (which I filled up with comic books and action figures–mostly Beast Wars at the time).

So… I confess, this was drawn to impress a geeky girl who I was talking to at the time. Believe it or not, the subjects in the illustration were our common points of interest–and there’s the Macho One himself, front and center! Oh, and I’m in the picture too, inbetween Optimus Prime in Pikachu, because apparently I have a raging ego. For what it’s worth, I think the girl was in fact impressed by this. However, things didn’t work out for a number of complicated reasons which I will not bore you with. You know how it goes.

click above for larger view

Man, just look at this thing. It was one of the first things I ever colored in Photoshop, and I thought I was pretty hot stuff, using the Dodge/Burn tool to render the shading. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

And yet, here we are, twelve years later. My drawing is a little better, and my coloring is much better. And I still pretty much won’t shut up about Macho Man, Transformers, Batman, Pokemon, Miyazaki movies, and Bruce Lee.

Tune in on Friday for the final installment of MACHO WEEK!!!

I’m back, but more importantly: TRON x STAR WARS

~ J.Ho ~ 6 Comments

Very briefly: I’m going to start posting again, but I think I’m going to ease into it first… let’s see how one post a week goes until I get back into the swing of things, shall we? I’ll talk a little bit about my hiatus in a future super-boring post, but for now (if anyone still reads this thang), let’s just get right back to the main event: ridiculously dorky nerd art.

So, Dave and I were talking about Tron and Star Wars action figures, and the following happened:

6:40:11 PM ME: so i opened my white light cycle
6:40:14 PM ME: and it’s awesome
6:40:21 PM ME: but i had two thoughts
6:40:39 PM ME: 1) white light cycle would match ackbar’s white uniform
6:40:42 PM ME: or
6:41:12 PM ME: 2) blue lights would match a blue mon calamari, but i would have to put the mon cal head on a tron body w/ blue lights
6:41:16 PM ME: ._.
6:41:18 PM ME: just sayin
6:41:35 PM DAVE: lol
6:41:37 PM DAVE: oh man
6:41:46 PM DAVE: you ponder that some more
6:41:47 PM DAVE: or DRAW IT
6:41:52 PM DAVE: and put it on your sketch blog
6:42:04 PM DAVE: TRON CALAMARI
6:42:06 PM DAVE: omg
6:42:13 PM DAVE: i basically just gave you that for free
6:42:15 PM ME: O_O
6:42:18 PM ME: NICE

And thus was born a custom figure created from Star Wars action figure Ibtisam (info/figure) and Tron: Legacy action figure Sam Flynn (info):

click above for larger view

I’m not an experienced customizer by any means, so this was a pretty basic head and arm swap. First, I used the boil-and-pop method to remove the relevant body parts from the original figures. Ibtisam’s forearms plugged right into Sam Flynn’s elbows, but as a result the custom’s arms are a bit short. The socket in Ibtisam’s head was too big, so I bummed some Epoxy putty off of Hammers to partially fill in the socket, and then used the superglue method to make the ball joint fit tightly. Aaand then I drew this:

click above for larger view

So, for those of you keeping track at home:

  • I have purchased Tron: Legacy toys.
  • I have made a custom Tron Calamari figure.
  • I have drawn dorky fan-art of Tron Calamari.
  • I am listening to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack at home, in my car, and at work.
  • I have been flipping through the pages of the Tron: Legacy artbook.
  • I have not seen the movie yet…
  • … but have tickets for a 3D IMAX screening on Saturday morning.

It feels good to blog again. If you’re reading this, thank you.

Worlds Collide!

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment

For today’s post, I’m offering up a rare crossover betwen my day job and my blog.

In the past, I’ve mentioned a few times that I work for Bongo Comics, publishers of a variety of Simpsons and Futurama comic books and collections. Well, last Wednesday, this gem finally hit stores:


This deluxe collected edition features both Simpsons/Futurama Crossovers, which were written by the very talented Ian Boothby, and pencilled by the equally talented James Lloyd. The hardcover book measures 7.5 x 11 inches (larger than standard comic dimensions), clocks in at 208 pages, and comes in a robust die-cut slipcase. It retails for $24.95, which is already a great value, but can be found for a significant discount from the usual online book-sellers. Please check the book out–it’s very funny, smartly written, gorgeously illustrated, and (I say this as a fan, not an employee), it’s truly one of my favorite Bongo stories of all time.

This new collection has some bonus materials, including some great preliminary sketches and character designs from James Lloyd’s sketchbook, and a pin-up gallery featuring Alex Ross, Sergio Aragonés, Geof Darrow, Kyle Baker, Glenn Fabry, Tone Rodriguez, Peter Kuper, Ty Templeton, Bernie Wrightson, and more. Well, somehow, there’s also a pin-up in there by a total unknown, AKA yours truly. If I may present today’s post, my pin-up, titled, Cosmic Brouhaha:

click above for larger view

(Apologies for the watermark)

I’ve been at Bongo for well over a decade (basically my entire adult life), so this piece has a great deal of personal significance, as I feel like it represents my growth both on and off the job. This pin-up really gave me a chance to stretch my wings, and I think it’s my most ambitious color piece to date. Stylistically, I chose to keep the characters relatively on-model, but in terms of the general crowded cross-overy energy of it, I did my best to channel George Pérez. Overall, I really had a blast with this!

Things That Should Not Be: Hurm.

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment

I think today’s post manages to top the dumbness and nerdiness of my previous record holder. Here’s Rorschach of the Watchmen, resurrected as a Black Lantern, presumably planning to extract vengeance from Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias:

click above for larger view

This one turned out a little better than I expected. As I was drawing it, I had no idea how I was going to approach the coloring, but things ended up working out. Occasionally that happens. Occasionally.

For those who missed this particular detail–the ink blots on his mask are in the midst of forming the Black Lantern symbol–you can thank Josh for suggesting that! And the ring construct grapple gun is fairly accurately derived from Rorschach’s device in Watchmen.

My apologies to Alan Moore. I love the man’s work, but I can’t resist the lure of stupidly awesome nerd crossovers! I’ve got another Watchmen-related post in the “Things That Should Not Be” category… I think I might have it ready for next week. Stay tuned, it’ll be hi-larious!

What? Seriously?

~ J.Ho ~ 2 Comments

To The Powers That Be,

To the best of my ability, I have determined that Disney’s Purchase of Marvel Comics is neither a hoax, nor a fever dream, but indeed a reality, true believer. To that end, I demand that you produce the Disney/Invaders ongoing series that fans have been clamoring for since the 40’s. Also, I demand that you negotiate with Warner Brothers/DC Comics, so that we may also see the long awaited Disney/Invaders versus Looney Tunes/All-Star Squadron crossover.

I would be happy to write and draw these books for a nominal fee. Enclosed is a piece of sample art, proving my nerdish devotion to pointless, but awesome, crossovers.

Regards,

J.Ho

The pose is loosely based the standard Mickey Mouse images turned up by my internet research. This whole thing took me about three hours, which is fast for me. Yes, I’m painfully slooow.

What a strange world we live in.

What the what?

~ J.Ho

Question 1: Is this the dumbest thing I’ve ever posted? Probably.

Question 2: Is this the nerdiest thing I’ve ever posted? Almost certainly, but I have every intention of trying to continually out-nerd myself.

Question 3: In spite of being both dumb and uber-nerdy, is this also the most awesome thing I’ve ever posted? I think so, yes.

For reasons unfathomable even to myself, here is Darth Vader, if he were an Alpha Lantern of the Sinestro Corps:

click above for larger view

If you’re still reading, you’re probably still asking yourself, why? Well, I’ve been enjoying Green Lantern since the Sinestro Corps War, and I really like the idea of the Sinestro Corps having high-profile members like Superboy Prime, Mongul II, and Hank Henshaw. So my naturally nerdy brain was scanning its archives for other characters capable of instilling great fear, and since I had already crossed over Star Wars with the Green Lantern mythos, once or twice–I came up with Darth Vader.

Before you protest–yes, I’m aware that this concept wouldn’t really work in the continuity of either Star Wars or the DC Universe due to the fact that Darth Vader died a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… long before the Sinestro Corps had ever been formed. If I had to come up with an explanation, I would say that the ghost of Anakin Skywalker was psychically controlled/driven insane by Parallax, and had regressed into the psyche of Vader once more. With his spirit trapped in the hollow shell of his suit of armor, and powered by a yellow power battery, Darth Vader is now forced to serve the Sinestro Corps as perhaps their most powerful enforcer.

It had occurred to me that Vader could have made a good Red or Black Lantern. However, I’m not so into the Red Lanterns, and I’m not entirely sure how the mechanics of the Black Lanterns work. Overall, I find the fear-based Sinestro Corps to be more compelling.

The really scary thing is that these hyper-nerdy thought-processes basically all occur without conscious effort. I’m just walking around doing normal things, like drinking Vitamin Water and playing with Legos. Meanwhile my brain is running these dorky match-ups between continuities in the background, and I’m only aware of them in a vague semi-conscious manner. BAM, next thing I know, I’m drawing Darth Vader with a yellow lantern embedded in his chest. It’s a blessing and a curse, people. A blessing and a curse.

Going Green (Part 3 of 4)

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment
Today’s post is probably my favorite of the set (I know, I always seem to shoot myself in the foot by posting my favorite sketch in a set second-to-last, but there’s a good reason the next post is the last in the set). Anyways, here’s a rookie Rodian Green Lantern:

click above for larger view

For my first take on this guy (left), I gave him the traditional Green Lantern insignia, but on the second take (right), I gave him Kyle Rayner‘s insignia, to emphasize his rookie persona. The next post is NOT a Green Lantern whose species originates from outside the DC Universe.

Going Green (Part 1 of 4)

~ J.Ho
Let’s dial up the nerdiness here… a while back, I had an idea for the Green Lantern Corps which could never ever be officially made–the gist of it was to populate the Corps with aliens from various science fiction franchises. And even though it could never be officially produced, I still drew up a bunch of character designs. Yes folks, this is how I choose to spend my free time.

These sketches were done quite some time ago–for the first installment, a Skrull and a Wookie:

As you might notice, these are blue pencil sketches, hastily inked and colored with marker. I basically just wanted to get these down on paper, rather than stress out over them. I’m not trying to make excuses though–that Skrull’s foot is terribly contorted and way too big. The next installment will be better, promise.

SLAYER (Also, another rare mention of the day job!)

~ J.Ho ~ 5 Comments
(Posting early so I can get moving on some other stuff…) 

 

Today’s sketch has been drawn and scanned for several months. I finally slapped some colors in it to commemorate the release of Halo 3 earlier this week:

Halo Kitty’s battlefield pragmatism shows through in her army-green Meowjolnir Mark IV armor, but her favorite color is actually pink–that’s why her weapon of choice is the Needler with its razor-sharp crystalline pink ammunition.

So yeah, I’m far from an expert on Halo, but we play Halo 2 (Slayer or Team Slayer) at the day job sometimes (a lot). This week one of my co-workers brought in Halo 3 which we played a few rounds of. The controls are amazingly smooth, to the point that I felt like my mediocre playing ability was embiggened by the controls. In reference to my in-game squirrely-ness and how difficult it was to kill me, my co-worker said, “you’re like a monkey from hell.” That’s probably just true about me in general.

(EDIT: I am not the originator of the concept for Halo Kitty, please read THIS.)

Speaking of the day job–it somehow slipped by me that Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #13 was unleashed in comic book stores this past Wednesday. It features a seven-page story written by Comedian of Comedy Patton Oswalt, pencilled by yours truly, inked by the steady neuro-surgeon-like hands of Mike Rote, and colored by Hammers. The story is called They Draw and is a parody of the excellent cult classic They Live. Check it out in stores now, and if you’re in the Los Angeles area, there’s going to be a signing for the book on October 13th at Golden Apple:

click above for larger view

FIRST ATTACK… 500 POINTS!

~ J.Ho ~ 3 Comments
Here’s a little something I whipped up for Super-Munkyboy‘s Art Jam over at Deviant Art. The subject was Samurai Jack versus Shredder. Check out the other entries here.

click above for larger view

As you can see, I drew Jack in my own style, rather than matching the look of the show, and I was a little pressed for time, so I “cleverly” figured out a way to avoid drawing Shredder (except for his arm, obviously). I think it more or less works, though I really feel like my recent stuff has been suffering from a certain degree of blandness. I think I need to try something completely new to shake things up here.

Post Script: Oh yes, and for those who did not make the deduction, I started a Deviant Art (DA) account which you can find linked on the sidebar. But if you don’t want to move your eyeballs 15 degrees, just click here. Anything I post on my DA account will show up here as well, but you may be interested in going to my page to check out my Favorites, so you can see other people’s art that I’ve been drooling over recently.

Post Post Script: And if you scroll down to the post just below this and read the comments, you can see that me and a few of my regular commentors are having a grand old time! Check Mark’s Hale’s blog for more.

Post Post Post Script: Last one, promise–I caught up on replying to comments, all the way back to the Bumblebee post!