Rob Lopez In Progress

The DigiCon September 10th-11th

2011-09-03T00:11:00.000-07:00

Hey, gang, I'll be doing The DigiCon the evenings of Saturday, September 10th and Sunday, September 11th from 10pm on. Pop online and say hi or stay for awhile and chat!

What is The DigiCon?

The DigiCon is the first dedicated virtual comic con featuring web and print comic creators, writers and artists. DigiCon brings the Con to you with live video chat, panels, commissions, free sketches and a comics mega store with prints, shirts, books, original art, back issues and more!

How did The DigiCon start?

DigiCon is the brain child of Ryan Fisher of Gin and Comics and Casey Curtis. "We couldn’t make it to San Diego Comic Con this year and neither could a lot of you. We started to realize that there were creators and fans who would never get to attend a con because of where they lived and honestly, that sucks. We’re lucky enough to live in Seattle, home to Emerald City Comic Con, a mecca of geekery and we want others to be able to experience (at least in a small way) the fun of attending Comic Con; meeting creators, sitting in on panels, buying merch. And that’s the experience we’re striving to provide here. September 10-11th, 2011 marks our first full-scale Con and we’re stoked to see where it takes us. We hope you’ll be there!"

And I hope you'll be there too! There was a trial run in July, and I met some cool folks during the chats and got to see the processes of a few of the creators and the possible birth of a new webcomic! So I encourage you to come on down, but before you do that, pass the word along and bring friends! Maybe host a DigiCon party at your place and have everyone bring their laptops, ipads or iphones, LAN-style!

The fun inclueds:

Panels

Videostreams

Sketches

Commissions

A Comic Megastore

And much more!

There are more than twenty creators scheduled for the event so far, including Jeff Courtier of Horde of Neurons, Ran Brown of the end, Dawn Griffin of Zorphbert and Fred, Harrison Pious of my little world and Hushicho of Incubus Tales. Casey Curtis noted on G+ that "The applications are flying in," so more creators are being added to the schedule daily so check back often.

If you're a writer, artist or merchant and would like to join DigiCon, click here to register.

To get the latest updates on The DigiCon, follow them on twitter @digicontweets!

Forsaken Stars at Comic Genesis Reviewed!

2011-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

So Rob O'Brien, creator of Sh!t Happens R decided to start a webcomic review thread at the Comic Genesis forums. Being my first official review, I asked him if I could link or repost this and he graciously allowed me to repost wherever I liked. Since he reviewed FS on Comic Genesis, I thought it would make the most sense to repost it here at my In Progress Blog, which serves as the blog for FS at Comic Genesis. Anyhow, without further ado, here it is:

Re: Webcomic Above You VI - Return of the Comics

by RobboAKAscooby on Thu Jun 02, 2011 6:25 am

Before I get into the review I'd like to mention that I wrote this review while reading the comic so there is a mix of initial reactions and afterthoughts.

Okay here goes...

Review of Forsaken Stars

- First Thoughts -
First thing one sees when starting on the comic (after something dark and mysterious busts out of a coffin) is the lead character in the shower, now I like non-gratuitous fan-service (and there's plenty here) as much as the next person so this isn't a problem for me however I do think that your Web14 should be above the comic - perhaps on the banner - rather than below it where honestly most people won't scroll to and by the time they've seen the warning it's too late anyway.
Just a little nit-pick here but I'm curious as to why on this page she went past the t-shirt for the little singlet instead? Most girls would grab the quick cover-up of the t-shirt instead in that kind of situation I think.

- The Art -
First impressions are of a callback to the pulp-sci-fi comics of the 50s - and I like it, there's a certain charm to the art that's missing from a lot of modern comic styles - but with just enough tweeks to make in feel new.

The other big first impression is that the blacks just aren't black enough, they're a washed out gray that doesn't quite blend properly with the background fills or the on-page text. I have similar problems with my comic and would suggest you adjust the levels a bit in whatever editing program you use - since you don't have to deal with colour it will be an easy task.
But as it stands the gray linework on mostly white pages makes it difficult to look at for long periods and honestly gets a little boring after a while, which is a big shame because the artwork itself is very well done. The occasional touch of colour does a wonder.

The character designs are nicely done and usually fairly consistent, even if sometimes the facial expressions don't match the mood.
Unfortunately at times Sera's body looks a little masculine due to the lack of hips, even small/athletic women will have more of a curve to them so this is something you might like to look at, however I do appreciate the small boobs (especially in a genre where big is the standard).
The assortment of different beings that make up the council are an impressive array, to be honest I would like to see more of them outside of the council environment but I'll talk about that later on, so the appearance of more aliens later on was a nice treat.
The only character design I have problems with is Azzi, a monster like him should be menacing - and I think you've tried to write him that way - but I just can't look at him and take him seriously. And it just gets worse as the story goes on, he becomes almost muppet-like.

Also something I noticed is that occasionally in long shots like the last frames here the simplified character design clashes with the detail of the rest of the page, including the background of the same frames.

Your action sequences are reasonably well drawn (better than mine that's for sure) but on occasions there is a lack of power and knowledge of fight bio-mechanics, for instance in the page I linked Azzi's arm would be more bent - plus as a tip from a former martial artist his long talons would make an effective fist impossible, I'd suggest a strike with the elbow or heel/blade of the hand.
The space-battles on the other hand are beautiful - I could see full colour wallpaper of that being very popular.

Last word on the art - I'm not sure whether your shading is done with pencil or ink but (aside from a few place where it looks rushed) it works, there's a loose flowyness to most of the linework that I find appealing - I find I lose a lot of the looseness in my art when I ink so kudos to you.

- Story -
I hate to say this - and I'll admit it comes mostly from personal bias - but I did not enjoy the story that much.
Which was a pity because I really like the artwork and the pulp-sci-fi type world - I liked just looking at the pages - I've actually been looking forward to checking out you comic for a while so I was disappointed to not like what I found

I'm not into proselytizing or theological opinioning - which is how Forsaken Stars often reads - and there are many points in the first two chapters (particularly with the council) that this occurs and it became hard to keep reading. In fact the overwhelming theological overtones to the story are a major turn-off.
However, for what it is, it is well enough written and there is definitely an audience out there for it. However I think you've made the opposite mistake to what I myself did - information vomit as opposed to no info - there is just too much trying to be said early on and it's about things that should be the undertone of the story instead of feeling like it is the story itself.
Big themes need to be treated delicately in a medium such as webcomics, where the storytelling is ongoing, unlike books or movies you can't edit the finished product for balance before release.

Now I said it was mostly personal bias, the other problem is that the characters just aren't that likeable, which becomes a bigger problem as it becomes apparent that Azzi's story is one of redemption, for the story to work you need to care about the characters and by the time more of their back-stories come out it takes some effort to care.
The early characterization of Sera makes her seem little more than a spoilt teenager than the captain of a ship that runs less-than-legal missions - a character should be shaped by their experiences - and even though this improves as the story goes on there are still moments where she comes across as a Hollywood cliche character.
In general the characterization improves as the story goes, they're still not quite likable enough - and this has nothing to do with niceness, bastard characters can still be likable - but they're becoming more entertaining which is a step in the right direction.

That being said I found the chapters after their escape from Ohmworld far more enjoyable - even if the light-hearted turn it takes is a bit jarring with the earlier stuff - with those beautiful space-battle scenes, this is where I started paying full attention again.
The addition of Fabius has me intrigued. As does the sudden crispness of the writing - so I certainly won't be giving up on the story (consider it bookmarked & linked) - I hope that you keep it up as it is flowing much better now.

- Final Thoughts -
There is a lot of promise in Forsaken Stars - the artwork alone is worth giving it a try.
Almost all of the problems I had were in the first three chapters, I think Forsaken Stars suffers from the same problem that mine does which is a weak beginning - in your case it's due to lumpy dialogue, the beginning is a real hard slog to get through - but there is something really promising building up in there. So although I didn't enjoy the read through I do have hopes for where it is going.

Also don't forget to darken those blacks.

A final nit-pick, the bunch of fan-art at christmas and other places in the middle of the story kind of ruins the flow, it would be best to archive it or move it to between chapters where a reader can just skip over it.

Keep at it dude.

Last edited by RobboAKAscooby on Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

Comic Creators Alliance to fight Human Trafficking Fund Drive Now LIVE

2011-01-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Tuesday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In honor of the event, I teamed up with the Comic Creator’s Alliance–a group of over 100 comic book creators (both web and print!) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. It won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.

So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single image! This year's theme was "The Brady Bunch." There is so much going on in this image--you can look at the wallpaper for a long time and still find something new! All of the artists included in the drive are amazing and some of the fan favorites are: Scott Sava (The Dreamland Chronicles), Adam Hughes (Star Wars, Wonder Woman), Sarah Ellerton (Inverloch), Bryan Glass & Victor Santos (Mice Templar), Beau Smith (Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars), Billy Tucci (Shi), Mookie (Dominic Deegan), Crystal Yates (Earthsong), Lora Innes (The Dreamer), Thom Zahler (Love and Capes), and Alison Action (Bear Nuts). View the full listing of contributors here: http://comicalliance.weebly.com/the-people.html.

Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. Or, this year you can buy a print! The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th – 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love 146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.

To learn more about the CCA and to donate visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

My Nominations for The Webcomic List Awards 2010

2010-12-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

If you follow my tweets, or other webcomics, or you're a webcomic creator yourself, then you probably know that on November 8th, 2010, the webcomic list awards 2010 nominations page went live.

"Anybody involved in the creation, distribution or promotion of comics, either online or in print can nominate comics, but you're not allowed to nominate your own comics or comics made by any of this year's judges or organising committee."

There are nine categories, and you can vote for up to three comics per category.

The nominations will close on Monday, December 20th, so there's still plenty of time, if you're a webcomicker, to get your ballot in!

I turned mine in last week, and let me tell you, it was tough. I don't make as much time as I should to read many of the great, great webcomics that are out there, and choosing from the thousands that can be found on the webcomic list, topweb comics, Comic Genesis, ComicPress etc. can be a daunting task. So I asked myself, who deserves it, who works hard, who is new and/or could use a leg up, and what do I like?

I also had some help from my better half, Ali, who has helped tremendously in the development of this website, my work, the Forsaken Stars facebook page, and getting the word out, so if you don't like my choices, blame her. Just kidding. She has a great eye for what's good.

The nomination ballots are secret, but a few creators have posted their ballots to help get the word out and encourage fellow creators to fill out their ballots, and I'd like to follow suit, so, without further ado, here are my nominations:

BEST COMIC
Currhue by Steve "Kloob" Thompson

Menage a 3 story by Dave Zero 1 and Giz, art by Giz

Tinkers of the Wasteland by Rulo Treviño

BEST NEW COMIC
(since Nov 1st)
SCBOTS.com by Josh Stratton and Steve Macleod

Apocalypse Meh by Jonathan Westhoff and Bobgar Ornelas

Tribes story and script by Michael Geszel and Peter Spinetta art by Inaki Miranda and color by Eva de la Cruz

BEST COLOUR ART
Astray3 by Eldon Cowgur

Blue Milk Special Story by Rod Hannah, Art by Leanne Hannah and 3D Models by Geoffrey Padilla

Sophia: The Awakening by Terrence Bernard

BEST BLACK & WHITE ART
The Princess and the Giant by Ben Chamberlain

The Marvel: A Biography of Jack Parsons Words by Richard Carbonneau, Art by Robin Simon

Endstone by Anthony Theisen

BEST NON-TRADITIONAL ART
The Legend of the Knyghtmare by John East

A Softer World by Emily Horne and Joey Comeau

Crowbar by Derek Paterson

BEST CHARACTER
Questionable Content 's Pintsize

Gross of Goblins ' "sort of thing that was the source of that strange fluid that seems to collect at the top of the mustard container."

Tinkers of the Wasteland 's Milla by rulo treviño

BEST GAG A DAY COMIC
Agent X Comics by Scott Hampson

disquietville by Daniel Spottswood

Treading Ground by Nick Wright

BEST LONGFORM COMIC
Love is in the Blood by writer Greg Carter and artist Elliot Dombo

Westward by E.T. Toman

Wayward Sons: Legends by Benny R. Powell

BEST WRITING
Sandra and Woo by Powree and Oliver Knorzer

Mansion of E by Robert M. Cook

1977 The Comic by W. Byron Wilkins

Yeah, plenty of these are in my blogroll, and have banners on my comic page, but that's because I follow them and love them and would love for them to be recognized. I did do quite a bit of searching and reading other webcomics before making my decisions. It's my first year voting, so who knows, maybe next year I'll expand my horizons even more. But I have a feeling I could easily nominate several of these again if they continue to keep up the great, great work.

The Robert M. Cook Interview (Creator of the Mansion of E)

2010-10-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

[Last year, when I started up Forsaken Stars at Comic Genesis, I was almost immediately drawn into a Secret Santa Gift Exchange via their forum, and I was assigned Robert M. Cook's alternate-world fantasy the Mansion of E. Wanting to put my best foot forward, I threw myself into reading the strip, following the adventures of Sylvester, the Earl of E, his brother Mortimer, and warrior companion Rosemary, having no idea that it had been going for the better part of a decade, and that it had a wandering, tangential plot with veritably hundreds of characters. This wasn't just a strip, this was world-building at it's most obsessive, and I spent countless hours trying to develop a single strip that captured the essence of MOE. In hindsight, that's impossible. Any one strip is just the tip of a wondrous, strange iceberg.

Fast forward one year later as I prepared to interview Mr. Cook, and I came to realize a few of his plots have suddenly come together and bear fruit! What's up? I asked myself. What's changed? Or was this planned from the beginning? George R.R. Martin is still trying to figure out how to bring his Song of Ice and Fire novels to a close, maybe he should talk to Robert Cook!

Who is Robert M. Cook? His About page gives us this modest, self-effacing nugget, “Not much to tell. I'm a balding slacking Gen-Xer who lives in the Pacific Northwest and still somehow enjoys drawing cartoons on his computer.” He's a mainstay within the Comic Genesis community, currently hosting a Halloween Costume Swap for the characters of several strips, and he presides over the Mansion of E Forum hosted at talkaboutcomics.com. He's approachable and friendly, and an eagle-eyed google search will uncover his love for older pc-based games, blogging and even his political views.

Robert recently added Forsaken Stars at Comic Genesis to his Links page in honor of Forsaken Stars' first year online, which in turn brought me to this illuminating, informative and humorous interview covering Mr. Cook and his incredible, minutely crafted and long-running Mansion of E.]

What is your favorite [movie] quote? - If I had to pick just one, it would be this from Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein: "Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long.. fifty-four inch wide.. GORILLA? IS - THAT - WHAT - YOU'RE - TELLING - ME?!?”

What is your favorite Shakespearean play? - While I understand the importance of his work, I’ve never really been a fan. Again, if I had to pick something.. The Tempest. I’ve actually seen it performed, which helps, and the general weirdness appeals to me.

Describe your evil twin. - He draws a wildly-successful sell-out webcomic starring a big-breasted fan-service bimbo.

If you could time travel, what would be your first stop? - I would go visit my father’s hometown when he was a kid; it was a strange little place evidently, and I could see my paternal grandparents, who I never knew.

What is your creative process? Hardware? Software? Have you updated and upgraded since you began? - I create the MoE entirely on my midrange Windoze computer, using an old copy of Paint Shop Pro, which is like Photoshop without a lot of the bells and whistles, or the huge price tag. I collect all the fonts I use from free sites on the Internet. That’s pretty much how I’ve been doing it from the start, although I’ve learned a few shortcuts over the years to speed up the process.

Did you ever think you would be working on Mansion of E for as long as you have? - Probably not. When I first started, it was more a gag-a-day thing and I had no idea the mass of continuity it would eventually turn into. Even now, while I know (roughly) how the story ends, I don’t know how long it will take to tell it. Or where exactly the best place to leave off is..

Who is the MOE character with which you identify most? - Sylvester; he’s a younger, thinner version of me with more hair. He and Rosemary’s relationship was inspired by the one between me and my sister when we were children.

How did you come up with Sundays in Subshaft 44f? - It was my attempt at doing a little less work the one day a week where I get the fewest
visitors anyway, while still publishing -something-. 44f started as a one-time gag involving “scenes around the Mansion”, but I quickly realized I could use these three poor suckers some more. Spoiler: I think I will be switching to something else on Sundays in the not-too-distant future...

MOE has a sometimes frustrating and sometimes whimsical way of meandering and going off on tangents, and it seems as if it's taken seven years to get to some real, mind-blowing, somewhat satisfying payoffs. How much do you enjoy meandering versus planning? - I do the strip because it amuses me, and not because I’m trying to build an audience, but yes, I regret now the meandering, because it’s almost certainly driven people away. If I were starting over, I would stick much closer to Rosemary/Sylvester/Mortimer/possibly Comshaw. Or not do it as a webcomic at all, maybe instead as a website where every room in the Mansion/Basement is depicted, and a visitor can just wander around at will... Failing that, I have made a deliberate effort in recent months to wrap up a bunch of the plot-threads and get the action moving forward.

SPOILER ALERT! Skip the next question if you haven't been reading MOE in the last couple months or so! So go read, then come back to this one!

And how satisfying has it been for you to bring so many threads suddenly together recently? - Again, it felt good to finally move things forward. I had long planned Rosemary and Sylvester’s confrontation with Villipend, for instance, but I admit it, I stalled getting them there, because I kept agonizing over the details.

What works have influenced you? - Douglas Adams. H. P. Lovecraft. The Muppets. The old Infocom text-adventure computer games. Terry Prachett. Isaac Asimov. Robert Sheckley. Stephen King, particularly his Gunslinger novels. Tolkein.

Where do you do your best work? - World-creation, coming up with niddling little background details. Yes, I’m well aware my art isn’t that great. I ever win the lottery, I’m hiring some starving real cartoonist...

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? - I’ve never been anywhere I like better than my current home, the Pacific Northwest..
Good climate, lots of trees and water, no poisonous bugs or snakes, halfway sane politicians..

What is your favorite word? - Sasquatch.

What makes you emotional? - Reading about people being horrible to each other. I’ve deliberately tried to avoid putting any out-and-out villains in the MoE.. Even Villipend was more Horribly Broken than Pure Evil.

What makes you laugh? Comedy influences? - My favorite comedy writer is an American outdoor humorist named Patrick McManus. I like Bill Bryson’s comedic travel books, and I’m also very fond of the Jeeves and Wooster stories by the English author P. G. Wodehouse; Hector the robot is my overt
Jeeves homage.

If you were an animal in the wild, what would you be? - Maybe a seal, something that’s good at swimming; it would be fun to explore the ocean
without having to lug along scuba tanks.

If you could travel back in time, what mistake(s) would you want to correct? - My choice of colleges. I had fun, and it’s a fine school for the right sort of person, but I should have gone somewhere more practical. Like art school.

Is Rosemary based off of anyone you know? - As noted above, she’s an exaggerated version of my sister, both in looks and personality.

If you had only six months to live, what would you do first? - I would like to see New York City once before it or I die.

What are you most proud of in your life? - Drawing two thousand comic strips without cracking up. My biggest claim to Internet fame, however, may be the alternate tile-set I drew for the computer game NetHack. (If you don’t know about it, don’t ask, it can suck away months of your life..)

Do you own any pets, and if so what do you have? - None at the moment.

Who do you admire most? - I’m not much of one for collecting heroes, but I like how Gary Larson did The Far Side, making it funny and smart without being a Great Artist, and knowing when to call it quits.

What person would you like to meet least in an elevator? - Rush Limbaugh. Runner-up, Cthulhu.

Favorite Place to Eat? - Any good seafood restaurant. Another reason to live in this part of the world.

What are some of your favorite Disney or animated films? - The Emperor’s New Groove, which may well be the funniest thing the Disney company
has ever produced. Yellow Submarine is my favorite from non-Disney stuff. Any of Brad Baird’s work, but particularly The Iron Giant and The Incredibles.

Define yourself in 3 words - Sheltered weirdo cartoonist.

What is your favorite TV show? - At the moment, probably Mythbusters, with Top Gear being a close second. (Despite my dislike of cars in general.)

What is your favorite place? - I suppose the small lake I grew up on, although I don’t have any real urge to go back there in person, and see it all changed and built-up. The memories are fine.

If you could have one super human power what would you choose? - If I could wave my hand and summon a finished cartoon into existence every day, that’d be cool.

What is your favorite song of all time? - Tom Lehrer’s “The Vatican Rag”. Warning: Catholics will either find it hilarious, or be horribly offended. Mr. Lehrer’s another one I admire, for writing witty and catchy songs and being horribly subversive while he’s at it.

Hat creatures, globules, sneetches, talking, prophetic horned toads, Weirdos, beaver sharks... Tim Burton has nothing on you! Have you ever thought about writing a spec script for MOE as either an animated or stop-motion feature? Or looking into amateur animators to create viral Youtube videos? - Yes, I’ve often mulled over what a MoE film would be like, and who would voice characters and such; and yes, I think a quirky spindly stop-motion work like Burton’s stuff would be the best fit. But seriously? I simply don’t have the fan-base to make such a project feasible.

MOE has such a massive cast of characters, what process do you use to keep track of them? - I have almost two hundred pages of typed notes, and a database listing the details of every single strip, including who appears in them. And yes, I consult them constantly.

Are many of them based on townspeople you've grown up alongside? - I lived out on that lake, a long way from town, so no, not really. However, see below..

Do you have a large extended family? Any strange or kooky favorite family members? - Sadly, there aren’t that many Cooks left in my branch of the family; most of the current generation (myself included) didn’t have any kids, and we’re slowly dying off. Crazy Rhid, however, was heavily inspired by a cousin of mine who loved to play around with explosives and.. died one day doing what he loved. Growing up I had a collection of interesting aunts, one who supplied the name (but not the personality) for Rosemary’s Aunt Eva. Uncle Frederick probably came from them, with a sex-change along the way.

Any juicy tidbits you'd like to share about the next seven years of Mansion of E? The next seven months? The next seven days? - There’s one soon-upcoming revelation that will change things in the Basement in a very fundamental way; I’ve tried to drop a few hints, so I don’t know how big of a surprise it will actually be to readers. After that, the action planned for “tomorrow” may be ranging a little further afield than people are expecting. And very long term.. it’s possible that someday I will end “The Mansion of E” and pick up the plot under an entirely different name... because MoE would no longer be an appropriate title.

Finally, any other projects you're working on or have a hand in you'd like us to know about? - As noted already, I’ve always been proud of the alternate tile-set I created for the ASCI-based game NetHack; it’s gotten fairly good reviews from people who use it. If people really want to fall down this particular rabbit-hole, (at least it’s free) they can learn about the standard game here: http://www.nethack.org/ and my tileset is here: http://cook.web.eschelon.com/nhack.html

Thank you so much, Robert, this interview has been invaluable. It's almost like the advice to new webcomickers glows between the lines! Both what not to do and what to do, and above all enjoy what you do. Anything other advice you'd like to give aspiring or current webcomickers? - "Don't start doing it", I suppose. :-) Unless you absolutely literally -have- to draw; such people exist, evidently. If this doesn't cure you nothing will.

OK, one word of encouragement. Your art doesn't have to be perfect. You can even use stick figures, if your ideas are good enough. That's something else I'd do, if I had to start over, is probably follow the lead of The Order of the Stick...

Yeah, I love Sticknia Comics myself! So good. Thanks again for taking time out to chat with me and I hope your readers and mine found it just as enjoyable.

- Thanks for doing it. It was fun.

To learn more about Robert M. Cook and the Mansion of E, please click on the banner below:

My Favorite Vamps

2010-10-02T03:27:00.001-07:00

I thought about following up some of my film lists with my top ten vampire movies, but decided to change it up by putting the focus on my favorite vampire characters, and the actors who played them, from films and television. In no particular order:

Count Yorga, played by Robert Quarry in Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) and its sequel The Return of Count Yorga (1971), always infuriated me because he was that really bad, bad guy that always got away. For me, he was the Jason Voorhees of vampires. [Yeah, I know, quite the ironic statement considering the subject.]

Viktor, played by Bill Nighy in Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006), and the prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), gave us an immortal that was as bad ass as Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game imagined one could be, and I loved how he tossed the Lychans around. Nighy made the character such a powerfully intriguing one that the filmmakers couldn't resist putting him in flashbacks in the sequel, and making him a central villain again for the prequel.

Dracula, played by Bela Lugosi in Universal's Dracula (1931) and Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's [and Francis Ford Coppola's] Dracula (1992), "across oceans of time." Both gave classic, romantic, gentlemanly performances. Lugosi surrounded by hokey effects and static sets, and Oldman empowered by some of the most stunning and lavish effects and make up of the time, are standouts in a role that has been played by so many and imagined by millions. Everyone has their vision of Dracula, and these are two of my favorites.

Spike/William the Bloody, played by James Marsters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (97 episodes, 1997-2003). If you had a hit series based on a the forbidden love between a vampire slayer and a vampire cursed-with-a-soul, and wanted to break it into two successful shows, would you try to recreate the chemistry of the original show by bringing in another vampire with a soul? I know I wouldn't! But Joss Whedon and his gang of geniuses did exactly that [over time] by bringing in the Billy Idol-esque Spike, first as a major villain, then neutering him with an anti-violence chip in his brain, and then sending him on a spirit quest to gain a soul to become worthy of the slayer with which he fell in lust and then love. Marsters' Spike proved such a writer's dream--saying what most people keep to themselves, and with a British edge to boot--that when Buffy ended its run he was moved to Angel, where he once again became the perfect foil to the brooding titular hero.

Lestat de Lioncourt, by Stuart Townsend and Queen Akasha, by Aaliyah in Queen of the Damned (2002) were sensual, powerful, and deliciously overwrought. Though the filmmakers had more limited budgets and time than the lavish Interview with the Vampire, this sequel did so much with what they had! With the help of Korn's Jonathan Davis, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, and Disturb's David Draiman, Townsend's Lestat became every bit the Rock Star the story needed for it to work. Of course the story also needed a regal, seductive and horrifying figure in Queen Akasha, and Aaliyah provided that, bringing a certainty and icy grace to the role despite her youth. [The major failing of the film, in my opinion, is the unfortunate miscasting of Marguerite Moreau as Jesse Reeves. With Vincent Perez as Marius and Lena Olin as Maharet rounding out the immortals, Marguerite was simply out of her depth. Maybe I'm out of line saying that, but I found her performance awkward and wooden, but that may have been the filmmakers' intent, as she was a woman trying to find herself. But it didn't work for me. But I digress...]

Claudia, played by Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994). While child vampires weren't exactly unheard of in literature or cinema (Joshua Miller as Homer in 1987's Near Dark comes to mind), Dunst's turn as an eerily beautiful undead living doll was so chillingly perfect she outshone both Brad Pitt's melancholy Louis de Pointe du Lac and Tom Cruise's Master Vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (though he was quite a treat playing the piano in zombie-like tatters).

Ali looked over my list and found my choices to be on the heavy side, and I do so prefer the horrific to the camp, but I did enjoy Chris Sarandon's tongue-in-cheek vampire neighbor Jerry Dandrige in Fright Night (1985), and, God help me, George Hamilton's Count Vladimir Dracula in Love at First Bite (1979) is probably as fundamental to my subconscious vampire ideal as Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker is to my subconscious sci-fi hero ideal! Or as Ralph Macchio is to my subconscious reluctant martial arts fighter ideal. [They all hit me when I was my most impressionable. Timing can be such a bitch.]

There are also a few really scary, not very talky vampires out there, but my favorite vampires are those that seduce, or brood or philosophize, and make us face our greatest fears through their own fall from grace. They are elegant and brutal, sensuous and menacing, conniving and emotive. I myself have played more vampires than I can recount in various roleplaying games, and I reveled in the imagined power, romance, and horror of having to hunt, scheme and kill to remain immortal. There's nothing quite like it.

If I'm in the mood for more fangs, blood and terror than gothic romance, if I feel more like self-loathing than self-indulgence, then I turn to werewolves. But that's a whole other list...

Fanboy/Fangirl Quiz

2010-08-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

[Awhile back, when we were just getting started, I posted a fan quiz. I think maybe a couple people took it. I'd like to hear from a few more of you this time around. This one is actually a more general sci-fi/geek quiz I created for my myspace page years back. I'll start it off with my answers and then you can cut and paste your own. If a certain section or question doesn't pertain to your likes, skip it, that's why it's not numbered. Enjoy!]

What is your favorite science-fiction novel? End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

What is your favorite horror/fantasy novel? A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

What is your favorite sci-fi/horror/fantasy genre tv show? Doctor Who, but the first couple seasons of Battlestar Galactica re-imagined have been the best sci-fi I've ever seen ever.

What is your favorite genre film? Blade Runner/Ladyhawke/Star Wars

Who is your favorite vampire? Lestat, as played by Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned

What is your favorite genre magazine? DreamWatch. It's pricey, but it's goood.

Who is your favorite genre actress? Amy Acker (Fred/Illyria on Angel) She went from geek to goddess and I believed it!

Who is your favorite robot? It's a three way tie between Star Trek: TNG's Data, Futurama's Bender and Daneel R. Olivaw from Asimov's robot novels!

Who is your favorite scream queen? Kari Wuhrer

Who is your favorite genre actor? Harrison Ford, Lance Henriksen, Rutger Haur, Doug Bradley, James Marsters...the list is long and distinguished

What genre actor/actress do you wonder what became of most? Gil Gerard. Tarantino should bring that guy back like he did with Travolta and Pam Grier.

What is your favorite comic book? X-Factor by Peter David

Who is your favorite comic book hero? Spider-Man

Who is your favorite comic book supporting character (sidekick, girlfriend, boss, etc.) and why? Mary Jane Watson. She's the life of the party and has always been there for Pete.

Who is your favorite comic book villain? Doctor Victor Von Doom: Genius, a master of technology and sorcery!

Who is your favorite comic book writer? Chris Claremont & Peter David.

Who is your favorite comic book artist? Alex Ross, Mike Choi, Greg Land, Jim Lee, Art Adams, John Romita Jr. and Sr. are all tops in my book!

What is your favorite comic book company? Marvel

Put together your dream team (7) of either the X-Men, or Justice League or Avengers. X-Men Dream Team: Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Colossus, Wolverine.

What is your favorite roleplaying game? Vampire: The Masquerade I loved the atmosphere and the system (at least at the beginning).

What is your favorite rpg character class? Usually someone with a lot of skills or knowledge, like a thief or wizard or scientist. But God love a troll
fighter!

What is your favorite rpg setting/time period? Science-Fiction/Future

What is your favorite rpg weapon or power? Telekinesis

What is your favorite rpg spell or skill? Dream Control. Okay, I made it up!

Recall a cherished rpg memory/moment, in-game or otherwise. Roleplaying until sunrise an X-Files/Heroes game I cobbled together with my buddies Sean, Brian and Kevin. It played like the pilot to a sci-fi teevee show I would have loved to watch. Good times!

Recall an embarrassing moment where your love of genre created an awkward situation: Those age recommendations on the rp boxes are there for a reason. I once scared the bajeezus out of a cousin I was watching over while running him through an Aliens inspired rp, bringing him to tears. I never
watched over the kids again. (jk)

Favorite halloween costume (yours)? Okay, okay, I dressed up as a Klingon once. It's true. And I totally looked the part! A few years later, James T. Kirk.

What is your most prized genre prop that you own. If you don't own any, which would you like to own? I've never been one for props, but I've would love to own the Angel puppet...

What is your most prized collectible that you own? It's probably not worth much, but I am pretty happy that I found an action figure of Illyria from Angel! Of course, there's also my expansive comic book collection, including a signed X-Factor #1 by Peter David and editor Andy Schmidt!

Favorite old school video game? Asteroids, natch!

Current favorite video game? Well, I've got too many hobbies to afford an xbox or ps2, but if I had one I'd probably be all over that Mass Effect!

Favorite video game franchise? Mebbe Tekken.

Favorite video game song? The Tron theme song.

Favorite online games or links? http://roblopez.comicgenesis.com and http://forsakenstars.com!

Favorite social media (myspace, facebook, twitter, etc.)? Twitter's been a bit of a revelation to me!

Favorite tech toy? I don't know where I'd be without my Bamboo pen and Manga Studio Debut software.

Artist Unique Art Show and Demo

2010-08-06T02:44:00.000-07:00

Fresno artists Augustine and Rita Vargas, known collectively as Artist Unique, are holding an art show and demonstration at Allard’s Art and Frame Supplies on Saturday, August 14, 2010 from 11AM to 2PM. They are abstract impressionist artists and work with oils on canvas.

The pair married in 1980. Augustine Vargas has been painting for 30 years, developing a stream-of-consciousness style of painting characterized by blended colors and textures that are reminiscent of mist, light, energy, and familiar shapes such as windows, doorways, caverns, figures, planets and more.

Rita Vargas’s hobbies include sketching and photography. Two years ago she became Augustine's apprentice, learning his oil painting techniques, working more from references than stream-of-consciousness to create luminous interpretations of people, nature and celestial images.

Allard’s Art Supplies, Framing and Fine Pens, located at 5350 N Blackstone Ave, Fresno, CA 93710, has been serving the community of Fresno for approximately 35 years. Allard’s provides art products for nearly every medium, has an in-house custom frame shop and serves as a gallery for local artists. It has been a welcome venue for experienced and budding artists alike.

“One reason I like to do the show is that Allard’s encourages artists to participate and it’s the truest way to connect with people and teach them about what you do through your art,” Augustine Vargas said.

This will be his fourth showing at the gallery. He kicks off each show with a demonstration of his creative process. Rita Vargas has assisted with every art demo prior, but this will be her first year showing her own work and holding her own demonstration. She expressed her excitement about the upcoming show and Allard’s participation in the art community.

“It’s a great way to reach people and promote the arts,” Rita Vargas said. “Art is so important and deserves to be in the spotlight.”

You can catch Artist Unique online at www.myspace.com/artist_unique and http://www.youtube.com/user/abstractunique.

Comic Con Wherever You Are

2010-07-24T02:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know SDCC, right? San Diego Comic Con. The modern Mecca of Pop Culture. You're not a true geek unless you're right there. Well, let me tell you, a lot of us geeks are broke or have responsibilities, or are just turned off by throngs of people in a space that was probably out grown three years ago.

So I'm enjoying Comic Con from the comfort of my own home. That's right, several very reputable and kick-ass agencies are doing everything they can to bring the sweet, geeky goodness to the whole world.

Here are the people and companies I'm following on Twitter who are on the floor at SDCC, follow them and open yourself up to a world of links of pictures, video, blogs, live streaming blogs of the Comic Con Convention floor, booths, and panels, which typically include cutting edge movie trailers, sneak peeks and previews:

Syfy The Syfy Channel and/or blastr which is powered by Syfy

jimlee00 One of the greatest comic/graphic artists in the world (X-Men, Batman, etc.)

mtvsplashpage Great for celebrity interviews! And they've partnered up with myspace to livestream here: http://www.myspace.com/comiccon

g4tv Gaming and Pop Culture hub

AdrianneCurryAmerica's Top Model Winner 1st Cycle/Season, Star Wars Fan, Cosplayer and wife to Christopher "Peter Brady" Knight

WalkingDead_AMC

EW Entertainment Weekly

BambolaBambina Alessandra Torresani of Caprica

JasonThibault Webcomic Creator and Blogger Extraordinaire

Marvel

Agent_M Ryan Penagos THE Marvel Blogger (And he LOVES Tacos)

BRIANMBENDIS One of the Great Comic/Graphic Novel Writers of our times (Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man, etc)

MichaelAusiello Writer and Spoiler Master for EW Magazine

DavidBlue Ely from SG-U

DarkHorseComics

CBCebulski Longtime writer and talent scout for Marvel Comics. Recently promoted to Senior Vice President, Creator & Content Development of Marvel Entertainment

TheNerdyBird Jill Pantozi, runs the Has Boobs, Reads Comics blog and is a journalist for Newsarama and MTV Splashpage

Newsarama

ForsakenStars And of course, Yours Truly, though I may not be on the SDCC floor, I'm glued to my comp (erm, when I'm not drawing of course).

Enjoy, and you're welcome.

Oh, and if you know anyone or think I've missed some critical Comic Con connections, let us know in the comments section below!

Spread the Word

2010-06-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

New web banners to spread the End of the Future gospel that is Forsaken Stars.

If you've got a spot for web banners on your site, I've made these in three different sizes, hopefully one will fit your needs.

Original Issue #1 Cover Art in Color Banner 468 x 60

Azzi and Sera in her Captains Quarters int. art sample 250 x 250

Forsaken Stars Captain Sera Bikini Top 120 x 240

Free Summer Shipping at Lulu.com!

2010-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

FREE SUMMER SHIPPING at Lulu.com on print orders over $19.95. So if you pick up a copy of Forsaken Stars #1 and #2 [and #3], you Qualify! Order your copies today at the Forsaken Stars Lulu Storefront!

Free Comic Book Day Saturday, May 1, 2010

2010-05-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, Free Comic Book Day. From what I remember it was created to bring new readers to a struggling industry, but I have seen it grow into a feeding frenzy. The gang over at Heroes comics keeps things orderly, but there is usually a big line waiting for them to open. I gave Dave a call today and he said they’ll be open from ten am to six pm, Saturday, May 1, 2010, and if you want to avoid crowds, come later! I think last year I went later and they still had some pretty good comics available. And yeah, they’re free.

Typically it’s one free comic per customer, but each shop has their own policies about how to get more than one.

For more on Free Comic Book Day, and to find a participating comic shop near you, and even preview the comics they’ll have available, hit the informational website at http://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Heavy Ink, an online source for comics, is celebrating Free Comic Book Day ONLINE! That’s right, if your comic shop is just too far away, or you can’t get out of the house for whatever reason, check them out at http://heavyink.com/fcbd.

Here’s the Heavy Ink Lowdown:

* Free Comic Book Day at HeavyInk.com/fcbd begins on Saturday May 1st at
10 AM EST (9 AM Central, 8 AM Mountain, 7 AM PST).

* First come first serve, maximum of 3 comics per person.

* The comics are free, and if you’re a regular customer they’ll ship
with your next shipment at no extra charge. If we ship them separately
we’ll charge only $2.99 for first class shipping. If you happen pick
up a graphic novel or a few other comics while you’re at the site
everything ships for just 99 cents!

* Comics ship starting on Wednesday, when we ship our regular weekly
subscription shipments.

*We’ll be giving away a different title every 10-15 minutes. There are around 30 different titles, so
we’ll be giving away comics for most of the day. Iron Man, Stuff of Legend, Atomic Robo, Mouse Guard, Green Hornet…

Thanks!

The HeavyInk team
Travis, Pete, Andy, Caryn, and Dan

So that’s it. For us here in Fresno, California, that means the Heavy Ink Online Free Comic Day starts bright and early at 7AM! But like their details state, they should be giving out comics for most of the day. Unless of course, this thing goes viral… So if you’re reading this at oh, six o’clock in the evening, like I always seem to do, “Oh, no, too late, AGAIN!” Check them out, you may get lucky.

Forsaken Stars Promo Trailer #2

2010-03-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

This trailer is a bit more comprehensive than the original teaser, seeking to answer the newcomer's question: "What is Forsaken Stars about?"

Well, let me show ya...

Have you seen the Forsaken Stars Trailer Yet?

2010-03-23T01:25:00.000-07:00

Can't seem to get it to embed on my WordPress/ComicPress blog under the comic at forsakenstars.com, but it works fine here and at facebook. What do you think? Pretty simple, a fast flash photogallery, really, but I thought it'd be a decent intro teaser for the comic.

Also, I put this scene together from the last two pages of the comic for maybe a banner:

Fan Appreciation

2010-03-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Ali had a PR Unplugged event this weekend, and she invited me to come along. At first I was hesitant to go because it reminded me of what I used to do (marketing), but I thought they might have some ideas on how to improve the visibility and interactivity of Forsaken Stars. So I went and there was a speaker, Peter Lang, who spoke primarily about social media, which was just what I was looking for! I took copious notes, but couldn't quite formulate a question I should ask, but later I checked out his own site and sent him a thanks, and he responded right away, saying he liked my site, and recommended I get a facebook fan page.

So, it's up, and I would love your help with it! Because I want the page to be by the fans for the fans! Of course, it's great for my ego, and I'll post exclusive info and content from time to time, but I want to hear your input on the story so far and what you're hoping to see in the future! If you have a little trouble getting started, here's a quick questionnaire:

1. Which character do you like most so far?
The Vampire Azzi, Captain Sera, Prophet Ambassador XTL, Mr. President, or Sleath?

2. What's been your favorite moment so far?

3. What do you like least about the comic?

4. Which character(s) are you most anxious to see?
Space Ninjas? Fabius the Angel, Naura the Mermaid, Leander the Gotham, Leelee the Fairien? Herman the Unicorn? (Okay, there isn't really a Herman the Unicorn. Maybe a Sheldon.)

5. What do you want to see more of?
Robots, spaceships, ghosts, zombies, aliens?

6. Aside from the comic, what do you like best about the forsakenstars.com site:
Links: Have any recommendations on links you think I should have?
Blog: What topics would you like to see me cover?
Pages (Synopsis, Praise, Gifts, Store): Would you like to see some of the pages expanded? Do you have some fan art you'd like me to post?

That's it! Post your answers here, or as comments at the Forsaken Stars facebook fan page! As always, thanks for reading and have fun!

Forsaken Stars #1 & #2 Now Available on Lulu.com

2010-03-03T04:03:00.000-08:00

After months of preparation, Forsaken Stars #1: Constituo Theatrum is now available on Lulu.com for purchase in paperback! It's a bit on the pricey side, for a comic book, but it's bigger and it's on nice, shiny paper. Now, to be honest, I loaded up Forsaken Stars #2: The Flames of Purgation first, and received the proof of that recently, and it came out fine, so I went through the same steps to publish issue one, but instead of waiting for that proof to come via snail mail, I thought I'd go ahead and let you all know if you wanted one right away. Or you could wait about a week until I get the proof for issue 1 and let you know how that one comes out. But the PDF file looks great, and that's available for immediate download And if you haven't clicked on either of the above links yet, you can go here to visit my Lulu Storefront. Soon I hope to add a few other things I've been meaning [my whole life] to publish, so check back from time to time!

The months of preparation included utilizing my new Bamboo tablet, Corel Painter Essentials 4, and Manga Studio Debut 4 to completely redo all of the word balloons and text, add blacks, tones and textures to many of the panels (which I'd meant to do for all of the space & stars shots), and just get both these issues looking as great as possible with little to no budget, before publication. All the remastered pages have been loaded up on http://forsakenstars.com and http://roblopez.comicgenesis.com for your enjoyment, both issues are now online in their entirety, and hopefully the next few issues will look as good or better!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, and of course, the visuals of said story. Thanks for reading, and take care!

Modlife // Angels and Airwaves LOVE Album FREE Download

2010-02-15T03:03:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that one of my favorite bands, Angels and Airwaves, has released their latest album as a FREE download. Check them out if you love what I call "hopeful rock," along the lines of U2, Relient K, and the Rocket Summer.

Enjoy, and let the love flow.

Modlife // Angels and Airwaves LOVE Album FREE Download

Posted using ShareThis

www.Forsakenstars.com

2010-01-19T23:22:00.001-08:00

I got the new site going! A few weeks ago Comic Genesis had a server problem, and I figured it was about time I set up the second site, just in case. After much beating my head against the wall trying to figure out how I was going to create similar updating and archiving software, a fellow webcomicker let me know about the free Comicpress theme on Wordpress. So I got cracking on it and about four sleepless days later (it was much easier than it sounds, but there was a LOT of content to load up and a few things I had to figure out), I have a simple, streamlined webcomic site. It's not quite as personalized as my Comic Genesis site, but it does a lot more, particularly the blog/commenting features, than what I can do on my own at CG. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new site, and please drop by and say hello. Thanks!

The Fan Art is Flowing!

2009-12-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am on a fan art high! This weekend I learned my Secret Santa for the other Webcomic Gift Art Exchange I participated in was none other than Robert M. Cook, creator of Mansion of E, for whom I had the pleasure of being Secret Santa in the Comic Genesis Gift Art Exchange! Here is the very keen art he did for Forsaken Stars:

Check out all the webcomic gift art exchange fun here!

I'm also totally jazzed about a totally unexpected piece fan art from my dear friend Mari. It's sexy and cute and definitely captures Sera's take-n0-guff attitude:

You can check out more of Mari's wonderful work at her deviantART page!

I know I have a few Forsaken Stars pages to blog about, but I've got a serious amount of gift-wrapping to do, and as always more comic pages to bust out, so hopefully I'll get a chance to squeeze in some page commentary over the weekend!

Thanks again to the talented Mr. Cook and the sublime Mari for their gift art, and may they and you, dear reader, have a joyous holiday season!

My First Fan Art!

2009-12-17T00:37:00.000-08:00

It gives me great pleasure to present the awesome and kick-ass work of Sergio J. A. Ragno III, creator of Red City http://redcity.comicgenesis.com and Gnerds2000 http://gnerds.comicgenesis.com; this is his gift to me out of the 2009 Comic Genesis Secret Santa gift art exchange:

I love it, and I hope he enjoyed creating this two-page piece as much as I enjoy looking at it. It's a special kind of awesome to see one's characters drawn by someone else, particularly by someone with such a great sense of style and humor. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I feel truly flattered.

BEAT.

And I can't wait for more! I'd love to see your fan art (or even fan poetry) for Forsaken Stars, dear reader! And don't forget to check out more of Sergio's stuff at Red City!

Fan submissions can be sent to forsakenstars [AT] gmail [DOT] com with the Subject Line Fanstuff.

Happy fanaticizing!

Forsaken Stars Monday November 30, 2009

2009-12-10T00:22:00.000-08:00

Issue 1, Page 21
Three aqua-styled ships land in a valley on the world of Gana, beside a tower not unlike the tower of Babel. A cloaked, floating being strides out from the first ship to meet a rather dashing satyr. They quickly exchange pleasantries--"Welcome, Ambassador XTL," "Thank you Ambassador Kyle"--and turn to the tower and to the business at hand, namely the signs of the end of the universe.

We've been out in space for the last twenty pages, in what could be for some people a rather claustrophobic environment (I suppose that's why I never really gave Star Trek: Deep Space Nine a chance--not just sets that were too cramped and smokey, but the idea of a whole show wrapped around a single space station seemed the antithesis of a show named Star Trek.) so I thought it was time to cut to a lavish vista, a lush world, and hopefully tease you the readers with what you'll see in the next issue. We have the introduction of the Council of Others, a United Nations if you will of peoples from across the galaxy who came together to explore the mystery that is our Solar System, and why the refugees from said system have claimed that the One True God has returned to said system, particularly this tiny planet called Earth, and sequestered it from the rest of the universe for the last thousand years. And what's more, it seems that the tales of these refugees--since dubbed the Soulless--have a hint of truth in them, because there are signs and portents that the universe is crumbling. "The Thousand Years of Peace, of Heaven on Earth are over, and God is set to take his Chosen and leave this universe, presumably for Heaven Proper." Uh-oh. What does this mean for the rest of the sentient beings in the galaxy? The Council of Others is bound and determined to find out, and they are hoping XTL, a "Prophet Ambassador" is about to give them good news.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. We don't actually see the interior of the Tower of the Council of Others until page twenty-two. So turn the page already!

Forsaken Stars, Thursday, November 26, 2009

2009-12-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Issue 1, Page 20
We see Sera in her Captain's quarters, surrounded by antiques and Wizard of Oz memorabilia. Mommy is going over Sera's accounts and she's coming in at a loss for the year, due to having lost a cargo shipment and having paid her crew bonuses for rescuing her from a Vidoru prison. She and her crew escaped in two different directions to confuse the indecisive Vidoru. Mommy wonders at the wisdom in this, since Sera is now without a crew, and without her second mate, Shon, whom Mommy teases Sera had feelings for. Sera denies having feelings for someone who is a "killer and a thief," but Mommy turns it around on her, accusing Sera of having stolen Azzi's ring. Sera rationalizes that Azzi must have stolen it from someone else, and reveals her big plan: return Azzi to the Ohm Megacorporation and return the ring to the family of the proper owner, whom she believes Azzi must have killed.

So lots of information on this page, and what I hope is another feast for the eyes. We have Sera in a lovely nightgown, palming the ring she swiped from Azzi and we have all this priceless clutter around her, from the Tiffany lamp to Dorothy's ruby slippers, from figurines to snowglobes, from miniature replicas, particularly Rodin's Thinker, to a tailor's dummy sporting something 19th century, all intending to give the air of serious collector, and yet someone unafraid to be girly. Driving that point is her dresser of parfums and jewelry chest, and of course the four poster bed. On the bed is a small panda bear, inspired by my own bear, Chicco, that I had throughout my childhood. (In retrospect, I should have made this bear the one that floats out of Azzi's space tomb on page three.)

We've also got a checkbook graphic showing the names of a few of her crew, and in the panel below that, we actually get a shot of three of her bridge crew--the Soulless Shon and Kurk, and the Delven Zuzu--keeping the Vidoru space pirates at bay.

Bridging the second, third and fourth panels is an oval-framed pencil drawing of Shon, Sera's second mate and insinuated love interest. I thought the pencils gave it an air of age and authenticity, like an old cameo, brooch or the inside of a locket.

I truly wish there was more room in the script to tell more of his and his company's story, but it's pretty packed as it is. I'm toying with a Tales from Forsaken Stars anthology series, but one comic at a time...

Forsaken Stars Monday, November 23, 2009

2009-11-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

Issue 1, Page 19
Sera ties Azzi to the fission core column, wondering all the while if she's taking the correct course of action, remarking that her father once told her never to make a deal with the devil. Azzi counters with the idea that it's not so much a deal as mutual favors (as if that's somehow a completely different animal). After all, when did the devil last surrender to make a deal? To further make his point, Azzi assures the Captain that he has no interest in her soul. Sera laughs at him and counters with the fact that she is a Soulless, a human born outside the Godshield, outside of God's purvue, and therefore she has no soul to steal. But Azzi isn't so sure of that.

But more to the point, you the readers know that the only soul Azzi is concerned about is his own. As she leaves the fission chamber, he quietly thanks her.

So this is a bit of craziness, inspired by the X-Men films' Cerebro and Astonishing X-Men's Danger Room. This is the interior of the big sphere that is the Bluebird's power source and main source of normal space propulsion, the fission chamber. I thought it would make a great set piece. It sets up Azzi for some intense, Christ-on-the-cross-style suffering, which you'll see in issue two. A vampire in a fission chamber? It's like a matchstick in a brush fire. So why would he agree to this? Maybe he sees it as part of his atonement, a requirement on his road to redemption, the only choice Sera, and perhaps fate, left him with.

"The narrowest path is always the holiest." --Depeche Mode

Other Projects

2009-11-21T06:02:00.000-08:00

Occasionally, and not very often, since I don't consider myself a professional artist, have no schooling in graphic design, and by no means have a side business as an artist, someone will ask me to create a piece for them as a gift for either themselves or a loved one, and even more infrequently, someone where I work will want to utilize my talents for a greeting card or newsletter or other attention-getter.

These last few years, I've even been asked to do some wall art. My friend Sandra asked me to create three different pieces for her kids' bedrooms, and once my brother Gary got wind of the first one, he asked me to do up his own twins' nursery before they were born. These pieces are fun and always a challenge, since I don't paint unless asked to, so I'm always having to relearn how each and every time I do it.

Most recently, between jobs and pouring all my artistic energy into my webcomic, I was asked by my friend Wes to look into a project happening at his IT company that was looking for more traditional illustrations for an upcoming presentation. There I met Dave, who really plugged into my art style, and I've been producing illustrations/renderings for him and his company, particularly Mini Blue, the student laptop store they just opened, for the last two months. Exciting stuff. You can see much of the art at my deviant art page, and then you can swing on over to my myspace page and check out some photos from the grand opening itself!

With having met all the Mini Blue deadlines, I can now return to Forsaken Stars. You can look forward to more promotional art, including wallpapers, and sneak peeks at the second half of issue two!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ali, for her patience and her steady hand. She actually took up a brush and helped me finish this last piece, filling in edges, unpainted blocks and even a few tree trunks in those last hours. Ali, you're my Sun and Stars.
Also I should apologize for falling asleep during the midnight showing of Twilight later that night--I did my best to stay up for the werewolves, and got a kick out of seeing Michael Sheen turn up as Leader of the Volturi, after having been Lucian, leader of the Lychans in the Underworld films. It was a cool movie, and we thank Liz and Grant for inviting us AND treating us like VIPs! They is Awesomesauce. Liz, you name it and I'll draw it. Grant, you need fan art, let me know, it will be yours.

That's all for now, gang! Enjoy your weekend!

Forsaken Stars Thursday, November 19, 2009

2009-11-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

Issue 1, Page 18
Azzi offers himself up to Captain Sera as a prisoner rather than face ejection from her ship. But she is no officer and she has no cells aboard. He suggests the fission core, where he will be too weak to be a threat. Sera knows he will very likely die in there before they reach the interior of the galaxy, but he says she's given him no other choice.

As much fun as this page was to draw, given the widescreen style panels, and dizzying exterior view and final punch close-ups (the close up on Sera in this page reminds me of Liz Phair, whom I was definitely crushing on at the time I drew it), it was definitely a tricky scene to write. I had to come up with something so outrageous, yet believable enough that Sera could consider allowing this seemingly invulnerable creature to remain aboard her ship for even a minute longer. The fission core-as-prison sounds so insane, especially for a vampire, that it gave me quite the satisfying shiver. AND it sets up a great visual if she decides to go for it.

So tune in next Monday to find out!

Forsaken Stars Monday, November 16, 2009

2009-11-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

Issue 1, Page 17
Azzi relents under Captain Sera Besh's bluff(?) that she's willing to blow up her ship rather than give him passage. He acknowledges her crazy and asks if they might retreat to more comfortable surroundings and have a civil discussion, but Sera simply wants him off her ship. Azzi asks for his ring back, but she pockets it.

So I thought I'd offer quick page summaries here on the blog, and follow them up with whatever commentary might be appropriate to the given visuals. Hopefully this should make the blog more valuable to you, Dear Reader, and further motivate me to actually keep up with the blog side of things and not let it slide until something momentous happens.

Of course, I did write this issue about eight years ago, and began illustrating it not too soon after that, so I may be a little hazy on the why's, how's and wherefor's. Still, the second half of this issue is only about four years old, so it shouldn't be too tough, right?

I do remember having a tough time with the backgrounds on this page. Perspective and landscapes are my weakest areas--it's why I didn't become a comic book artist fifteen, even ten years ago. But I thoroughly enjoyed writing the first encounter between the 1000s year old cultured vampire and the ballsy, street-tough 19-ish year old girl space captain. And how frustrating it is for him to not get his way, despite all his powers of manipulation and self-imposed humility.

New Stuff!

2009-11-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

Lot's of stuff going on!

I jammed on a Ladies of Forsaken Stars wallpaper, you can download it at http://robsojourn.deviantart.com/

Got myself a twitter, follow me at http://twitter.com/ForsakenStars

And currently I'm knee-deep in a commission for a company that's opening a computer store for kids, with the deadline being Wednesday! (The Grand Opening is Thursday.) So I'm using quick-drying acrylics, and let me tell you, it's not the easiest medium to work with. Here is a shot of the warm-up piece, the HP head:

This is 11"x14" and the final will be a 24"x48" skyline. Wish me luck!

New Kickass Banner!

2009-11-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

This one has been in my head since I thought about turning Forsaken Stars into a webcomic. Had to have the lensflare!

New Dimension

2009-11-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

There's going to be an added dimension to the second issue: light washes. This gives the art texture and depth, and more contrast. The downside is that it takes significantly longer to finish a single page. So I may try and find a happy medium for future issues, maybe the occassional wash for emphasis. What do you guys think? Here's a sneak peek at one of the finished pages:

New Sexy Banner

2009-11-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

So I'm gearing up to market Forsaken Stars to build a readership. There is a requirement of a minimum of 20 comics in the archive before I can pitch/pimp my comic on the Comic Genesis forums themselves. So far twelve pages have been uploaded, and the rest of the first issue will be parceled out through the first part of December.

So until I can pitch within the CG community, I figure I should be pimping it everywhere else. In the real world I'll be passing out cards and flyers, and on the interweb, I'll be whipping up banners of varying sizes and themes and posting them to various comic sites. Hopefully my nearest and dearest friends won't get sick of me talking it up during this 'press junket.'

In reading up on 'how to pimp my webcomic,' I've learned sex sells just as good here as anywhere else, so here's the first of many sexy Sera banners:

Big Doings

2009-10-11T02:08:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted in here 'cause I've been hard at work setting up the NEW FORSAKEN STARS SITE! YES! Okay, if you go there, you won't find much yet. Turns out getting free hosting has a downside: you've got to create your site from scratch, and that means learning html. You'd think after twenty years at the keyboard I'd have learned something about the magic script that exists behind the hundred-thousand or so sites I've visited since the internet was invented. But what I know could probably fit on the tip of my little finger. Thank God for my college-aged girlfriend, or as I'd like to call Ali, a child of the internet. I read tutorials 'till my eyes bled, and she helped me get through the FTP and then a smidgen of web page design. Hopefully the site will get spruced up in the months to come, at least close to what the site was under the homestead site host and builder. At least that's the dream. My sources told me this was the way to go, and it does look like I've become a part of a very large, wonderfully geeky community. Much thanks to the gang at keenspot and comic genesis.

Today I've been having fun designing banners for the site, now I've got to figure out how to link the web url to the following images:

Oh, if only it were as easy as the linking was on this blog...

About a Page Per Day

2009-10-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

The thumbnails are done for issue #2, and considering I started sometime at the end of August, that averages out to about a page per day. And while about half of them are finished pencils, that still leaves a lot of drawing to be done, and I have to admit I will most likely want to ink every page before it's scanned. (I'm thinking of leaving flashbacks in pencil.) Only then will I feel comfortable putting in the word balloons, captions, etc. I sure hope it doesn't take another month to complete this issue. The big comic book publishers like to be at least six issues ahead of the issue they're putting out, and even independents like to be two to three months ahead. So that's where I'm trying to get before I feel like I can relax. Looks like 'personal time' is going to take the hit for awhile, but most of my friends and family are pretty busy themselves these days. But at least I can say I've got a solid visual layout for issue two down!

New Characters and Detailed Thumbnails(?)

2009-10-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

The seventh issue will involve some cage fighting, so I figured I should design some fighters. Here are a couple: one a robot meat-grinder, the other an undead hulk.

Don't worry, I'm hard at work on the second issue. So much so that my thumbnails through page ten have become nearly finished pencils! Here's a peek:

I'm also working to find a new home for the comic. Much thanks to everyone who has provided their feedback and encouragement! And for those who haven't, what are you waiting for?

Variant Cover to Issue #6

2009-09-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

I know it's funny to have a variant cover before the actual cover, but I imagine the primary cover to be quite a collage of characters, something of a Star Wars-esque style movie poster, the kind I whip up for my roleplaying game campaigns. Anyway, this is a simple character sketch of Naura, the mermaid.

Issue #5 Cover Art and More Thumbnail Theater

2009-09-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is Fabius, an angel, and the Lord's Gun outside the godshield. As far as bad-asses go, he is the Ultimate Bounty Hunter. And he has a List. And a few of our heroes' names are on that list. The fifth issue introduces him and tells his story. Rather than just use the common wing found in angel depictions, something akin to a dove's wing, I chose to use more of a hawk wing arrangement of feathers.

Here are thumbnail pages three and four for issue #2, and I'm playing with figuring out if I want to use a simpler, easier style than what I created for the first issue, and if I should ink subsequent issues, or simply increase the contrast on my pencils after scanning them into the comp.

My Muse In Color

2009-09-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

My Muse. A sketch I've wanted to digitally paint for a while now.

Issue #3 Cover In Color!

2009-09-13T02:27:00.001-07:00

I had a feeling that the cover to the third issue would be best served by color. I've always wanted Forsaken Stars to be a black and white comic. Have you ever seen the old Star Wars comic strips inked by the great Al Williamson? He inked a few of the Star Wars Marvel Comics back in the 80s too, and I've always loved the textures and contrasts he could evoke with simple black and white. I should have cultivated the ability to ink with a brush, but alas, I spent my formative years using #2 pencils and black fine felt tipped Pilot pens. These days I tend to use Gilette .7 mm gel ink writers and Pilot V2 .5 mm pens. Or, I'll just mess with the brightness and contrast on a drawing after it's been scanned, with whatever software is on my comp. But now that Forsaken Stars is on the net, color will be a valuable tool.

Issue #4 Cover In Color!

2009-09-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

Playing with digital paint for the cover to issue #4.

Thumbnail Theater

2009-09-09T01:47:00.000-07:00

Just updated the site with a page I lovingly call 'Thumbnail Theater,' which will be where I put the newest sketches--thumbnails--to work out what the next issue might look like. Of course, being anal, my thumbnails are coming with word balloons and lots of detail. I will be working to increase my sketching speed and learning to let go and relax while I draw, so after awhile I'm sure they won't look so complete. Of course, a lot of my conceptual designs are pretty detailed...uh-oh. Anyway, here are the thumbnails for page one of the second issue.

Here we introduce Captain Sera and the Vampire Azzi, now ostensibly her prisoner, while she readies her ship, the Bluebird for a hypercurve jump. Which won't be good for the vampire, as he's tied to the fission core. Yeah, ouch. Sera's also set herself up for some light reading...

Wiring and Concept Chat

2009-09-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

No drawing or writing today. Installed a new stereo in my car so that I wouldn't have to fuss with plugging in an FM transmitter and having to connect my mp3 player, and always having to disentangle all those wires. The irony. Well, even after cruising several sites to prepare, I didn't realize that they made 'wire harness adapters,' so I spent all day cutting, stripping and sorting wires. It wasn't until late into the evening that I caught a point of verbiage on one of the sites that allowed me to realize a wire I'd left dangling was pretty much the power wire. So I finally got it going. Now all I have to do is hunt down a 'mounting kit' so that the new stereo isn't sitting in a gaping hole in my dashboard panel.

But that doesn't mean I don't have new scans. Here's how the work is coming along, and some sketches I did earlier this week:

This is a jet design for the baddies, heavily drawing from WWII Fighter craft like Messerschmidt, Mustang and Spitfire jets, and giving it that Forsaken Stars cuteshrink once over.

Next is Jono Besh, an ancestor of Sera (have you read the first issue yet?) And you should see him coming up in issue #2. He's in a flashback sequence that has a strong Victorian sense to it, but he's quite the rough guy, so I dashed him up with that mutton-y 'stache.

And to wrap up, we've got a couple of ambassadors. The dragon is in the first issue, last splash page, and the Faerien Princess Lumirya may show up briefly in issue #2 or somewhere down the line.

So that does it for the character sketches, now I can go on to discuss the scan from the first blog posting, which I threw up quickly 'cause I had to run an errand and didn't explain at all. Actually, it makes a lot more sense if I post it again now that it's a little further along.

Forsaken Stars works on several levels, and hopefully it's unlike anything else that's out there. It has obvious inspirations, and obscure ones and I will generally be the first one to point them out.

One of the obvious ones is The Wizard of Oz. While Sera is much more worldly than Dorothy, and Azzi and Kyton each share traits similar to both the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, and XTL hides her fear much better than the cowardly Lion ever did, they are all on a journey to visit their 'Wizard,' ultimately in this case God himself. But in the second issue of Forsaken Stars, Sera is off to see the President of Ohm, of which Azzi states he is the true CEO. So this particular piece has our four main characters walking on a brick road of some kind with the city proper of Ohm in the background. Sera never gets to see the current President, but she finds something out that sends her on the actual odyssey of our story. And there will be an alternate version of this piece with the other location as the background, and quite possibly a third version with a more surreal backdrop.

Forsaken Stars

2009-09-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have so many unfinished projects, that it really requires a Herculean strength of will to focus and build momentum, and connect and network with people to get the job done. I have a few short stories, novels, a roleplaying game, and a few comics in mind. But I believe Forsaken Stars has enough work put into it that it has the best chance at not only completion, but capturing a readership and possible fan base. So I put it all the work and support material together and started up a webcomic. This will be the blog that details it's development, and feedback from you, the would-be readers.

Enjoy!

To check out the nascent site, click here.

And here's some art I'm working on for the site: