The perfect substitute for a real post.
Think of the Children!
Drawn for the charming young offspring of an old friend:
A rare foray into traditional media–loosely sketched with a blue pencil, inked with a brush pen, and colored with a random assortment of color pencils.
Boy Meets Monster
Johnny Monster #1 (written by Josh Williamson, art by J.C. Grande) came out last week! Click here to see the cover for issue #1, and click here to check out the upcoming covers.
Here’s a little fan-art to celebrate their debut:
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Head to your local comic shop immediately and purchase a copy of Johnny Monster #1! DO EET!
Super-Obscure (Part 2 of 2)
In the late 80’s, Taito produced a Superman arcade game. Last Friday’s post depicted a female character who appeared in some unused sprites from said game–people speculate that she was intended to be a Player 2 sprite. The actual Player 2 sprite in the game was a red and grey palette swap of Superman.
Check out the original sprites in question here, and below is my own interpretation of Player 2:
This piece and the previous one were both drawn rather small, probably because they were done somewhat spontaneously. I interpreted the Player 2 Superman’s grey and yellow colors as silver and gold–in my opinion this clashed a little less. I was somewhat at a loss when it came to rendering the hairstyle of the unused Wonder Woman-esque character, but I finally settled on a somewhat anachronistic feathered Farrah Fawcett-esque style.
Who are these characters? Do they hail from an alternate reality known as Earth-Taito? Or perhaps they’re modified clones created from the DNA of Superman and Wonder Woman? Maybe they’re descendents of the heroes we know so well?
I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, but it bears repeating–I really love obscure characters. Obscure + mysterious is a bonus. I also have a fascination for bootleg toys (hence the blog URL), and these two characters have such a charming bootleggy/knock-offish quality about them, I can just imagine discovering cheap action figures of them in Chinatown.
Super-Obscure (Part 1 of 2)
What arcade game is this super-obscure heroine from?
HINT: she’s not actually in the game, but appeared in some unused sprites for the game. The answer will be revealed in next Tuesday’s post.
Ape in a Cape
Drawn for a re-design challenge at the He-Man.org fan-art forums. The subject is Gygor, a never-made concept for a He-Man toy, as described by a former Mattel employee. Read up on Gygor, and check out the other entries in the challenge’s thread. My post can be seen here. First round polls are here and here. Final poll is here.
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It was tough making the colors from Gygor’s description work. Maybe they don’t work? On the other hand, the description of Gygor’s colors very much paralleled the garish colors of Battle Cat, so maybe if the colors don’t work that means they are working? Anyways, I designed Gygor’s helmet to mirror Battle Cat’s as well. The guns are all modelled on Stridor‘s armaments. The chair mounted on Gygor’s backpack should give you a sense of his scale.
A garishly colored giant gorilla decked out in a cape and high-tech energy weapons… hmmm… something’s missing. Oh, I know–how about some supplemental nerdy background info, written by yours truly? Here you go:
* * *
PROFILE: Standing at well over 13 feet tall, the ancient being known as GYGOR is one of the most powerful entities on Eternia. His physical strength surpasses that of He-Man, his wisdom rivals that of the Sorceress, and his knowledge encompasses aeons of Eternia’s rich history. His helm is made from the hide of a powerful prehistoric Eternian beast, and he is outfitted with a battle harness powered by an enchanted gem. The harness is armed with two heavy shoulder blasters, two hip mounted stun rays, and rotating light rapid fire blasters mounted on the back turret. Gygor rarely needs to rely on more than his brute strength and great wisdom, but he has also demonstrated powerful spellcasting abilities from time to time.
HISTORY: Gygor was already ancient in the days of King Grayskull, and in fact, records indicate that Gygor was a staunch ally and advisor to the legendary king. Allegedly, in modern day Eternia, Gygor has been sighted travelling towards Castle Grayskull. Has Gygor returned to aid the heroes of the land in the dark times that have descended upon Eternia? Only time will tell…
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Number Sixteen
Abraham Lincoln‘s birthday was yesterday, and Monday we observe President’s Day here in the States, so:
The blog has been a little lethargic recently, due to my preoccupation with plagues and unusually large apples inhabited by millions of people… I’ll be back next week with something elaborate and nerdy, more befitting what you have grown to expect of me.
Yes, I drool in my sleep.
Back from NYC, all tuckered out. Bedtime is now. TTYL.
King Kong ain’t got nothing on me!
This is a pre-recorded auto-post. I am taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Leave your comments at the beep.
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Semi-Related Topics: Johnny Monster and the New York Comic Con
At the peak of my vile plague I was barely blogging and missed out on telling you all that Johnny Monster #2 was solicited. And now Johnny Monster #3 is available for order in the current issue of Previews.
Johnny Monster #3 (of 3)
Story by Joshua Williamson
Art and Cover by J.C. Grande
32 pages FC $3.50 April 15The peaceful habitat Johnny Monster created for the monsters has been invaded by violent mercenaries causing utter chaos! As a result, the largest monster the world has ever seen has been unleashed on New York City on a quest for revenge! Only Johnny can stop him… but does he want to? Don’t miss the exciting conclusion to this monster-ous mini-series!
Check out the covers to both #2 and #3, drawn by the talented J.C. Grande and colored by yours truly:
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Be sure to ask your local comic shop to order Johnny Monster #3! It’s on page 170 of February’s Previews catalog, and the Diamond order number is FEB09 2437.
Annnnnd, if you happen to be attending the New York Comic Con, be sure to drop by and visit Josh Williamson (writer of Johnny Monster, Dear Dracula, and Necessary Evil) and Vinny Navarrete (Dear Dracula penciller, Necessary Evil inker, and Johnny Monster logo designer). Those young ruffians wil be sitting with Shadowline at the Image Comics booth.
Post Script: Make sure you check out the Shadowline website, which has a cool Johnny Monster animation at the top of the page.
Flashback Tuesday!? Booooooo!
Drawing myself in a bacta tank must have helped, because I’m feeling much better. But I’m terribly short on time this week. Here’s a sketch from quite a few years ago, inspired somewhat by a slick-looking billboard that I saw on Olympic Blvd every time I drove home from ye olde daye jobbe. That billboard was up for so long it eventually faded to the point of being nearly unrecognizable.
This was completely done in Photoshop. I really should probably post more pieces like these–not super old stuff from the archives, but spontaneous sketches that aren’t so planned out. Thinking aloud stops here.
Help me 2-1B, you’re my only hope!
I should be in a bacta tank, healing from this vile plague that ravages my delicate constitution:
But instead I’m blogging a drawing of myself in a bacta tank, healing from a vile plague that ravages my delicate constitution.
A Belated…
My momentary burst of energy over the rebirth of Scrabbulous was but a lapse. I am now returning to the cough syrup-induced haze from whence I came.
PLEASE READ: On a serious note…
Now, I don’t really talk about anything serious on this blog. I talk about seriously nerdy stuff, but I never talk about serious topics. Today, I thought I’d make a little exception–I hope you all don’t mind if I get a little personal, and a little serious.
Some time ago, I suffered a great loss. No one died, but it was a great blow to my morale… and in a way, my innocence died. I realized how fragile happiness can be. I found myself lacking motivation. I was anxious and listless at work. In short, my heart was broken. Over time, I healed–the loss faded from the forefront of my mind. I moved on, but I never truly forgot.
But recently–as I suspect you all know by now–something amazing happened. Something big. This didn’t just affect me, but the whole world. A move that gave me a reason to hope, to dream… to live again. The loss that I had suffered, was now erased, and replaced by something more stable. Something beautiful, and inspiring.
Of course this loss and subsequent inspiration that I’m talking about is the death of Scrabulous and its recent rebirth as Lexulous.
I have a reason to live again. Praise Thor, god of thunder and wordplay! I think that’s right, isn’t it?
Sick as a…
Spring is not in the air
Here’s something I whipped up a few months ago… I had some notion of holding on to it until the spring, but I’m a bit short on time these days and in need of a post:
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I sketched this out in non-photo blue pencil, and inked it with a Sakura brush pen. The idea for this illustration just randomly sprang into my head, and I decided to use it as an opportunity to try some new Photoshop techniques. Um… enjoy?
That Girl(?) is Poison
Today’s post is for yet another re-design challenge at the He-Man.org fan-art forums. The thread is here, my post is here. The first round voting threads are here and here (my entry didn’t get enough votes to proceed), and the final vote is here.
Apparently, in an issue of the UK He-Man comics, Hordak disguised himself as the “Dream Mistress,” and tried to deceive Stonedar… Stonedar didn’t fall for it (lucky for him). [Place your own cross-dressing joke here]
I chose to interpret the Dream Mistress as a shapeshifting entity who works for Hordak as a spy and saboteur. Here she/it is, in both Horde (right) and non-Horde (left) garb:
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The non-Horde version isn’t significantly altered, so I threw in the Horde version as a re-design (or alternate costume, at the very least). The pose is rather generic, pretty much just a minor variation of a standby that I go to when drawing women (or shapeshifters that look like women). I was a bit short on time for this one.
Army of One
Sometimes people (such as Kevin) suggest that I draw things. And I do. I just take forever to get around to finishing and posting said things. Here’s OMAC, done up old skool:
I was kind of strapped for time, so I just grabbed this piece because it was already drawn and prepped for coloring. I actually ended up having fun pulling this one together, even though it’s pretty simple.
Yet Another…
Green Lanterns seem to pop up on my blog with surprising frequency. Here’s Guy Gardner, the hot-tempered and loud-mouthed hero:
I drew Guy as kind of a rough-looking, broken-nosed, tough guy–this is how he was most often depicted in the 80’s and 90’s. More recently, Guy tends to be drawn as better looking, which is apparently more accurate to his original appearance.
The pose I gave him is awfully stiff… and his torso is too short. Bah!
The Big Oh-Two
(Posted early for the New Year)
So, I’ve now been at it on this sketchblog for two full years! Please, hold your applause until the end of the post. I just want to take a second to thank anyone and everyone who’s dropped by to take a look or leave a comment. I hope you all stay tuned, I’ve got plenty of nerdy sketches left in me yet.
And on that note–I started this blog with an illustration of Skeletor, so here for my second bloggiversary, at last, is Skeletor’s mortal enemy, the hero of Eternia, He-Man:
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My take on He-Man is primarily drawn from the cartoon version, but with a few minor creative liberties. I rendered the red elements on He-Man’s baldric as Korodite crystals, and made the straps on the baldric a darker color. I gave him slightly longer, more unruly hair (with sideburns), instead of his original, inexplicable, pageboy hair cut. I wish I hadn’t drawn the legs so hyper-elongated. But I am happy with how the colors came together.
Also posted on the He-Man.org fan-art forums. My post is here, the entire thread (including some of my previous sketches) is here.