Alexis E. Fajardo's Blog, page 4
April 27, 2020
Book Four – The Final Page!
This past weekend I wrapped the pencils on book four and shot a little process video. There are so many stages to making a graphic novel it never seems done, but it felt good to hit this milestone. Now it’s on to inking, coloring, lettering, etc. For those wondering, the music track is from “Fountains of Rome: The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset” by Ottorino Respighi, which seemed appropriate. This track also happened to be part of the larger soundtrack I compiled to write the book.
April 15, 2020
Revisit The Song of Roland
Revisit the age of Charlemagne, his Paladins, and The Song of Roland, beginning Monday, April 20th, on GoComics! I’ll be posting the story page-by-page, three days a week in refreshed color by Jose Flores (formerly seen only in the book). The Song of Roland is one of my favorite stories and features characters who I always enjoy spending time with, I hope you do too!
December 31, 2019
PREVIEW – The Tarpeian Rock
2020 marks the start of a new year and a new story – the fourth installment of the Kid Beowulf saga, The Tarpeian Rock, begins online today!
This is a big adventure for Beowulf and Grendel and it begins their long path toward self discovery. All the things they learned about their past in the first trilogy will manifest here as each one discovers a part of themselves neither knew existed. Meanwhile along the Tiber River within the Seven Hills of Italia, two tribes are at odds: the high-born Sabines who have made the land their own and the poor Latin farmers forced to till it. Compelled toward change, a young Latin girl named Tarpeia incites a revolution no one is ready for, particularly the pair chosen to lead it: twin brothers, Romulus and Remus!
The story will update weekly exclusively on the KidB. patreon page throughout the year. Patreon is a subscription based service and subscriptions start at just $2/month. Along with weekly story updates, I’ll be posting behind-the-scenes material, production art, and other goodies. Becoming a Patreon subscriber is the best way to read new content and help me make more comics, so it’s a win-win for both of us!
If you’d like to get a taste for the new story, hop on over to my patreon page where I have uploaded the first couple of episodes for free. Happy new year and happy reading!
December 17, 2019
Reviews – The Slings & Arrows Graphic Novel Guide
The most excellent review site, Slings & Arrows has posted a nice review of book three!
“The cartooning is a delight, loose and expressive, with Fajardo really putting in the effort, regularly featuring several people per panel, and frequently as full figures. When needed, he’s great with movement, the cast having a real life to them when in action or running, and Fajardo also gives character to the pig that accompanies Beowulf.”
They have more good things to say and have given high praise to the first trilogy. The crew of Slings & Arrows knows their stuff too as they’ve reviewed over 7500 comics and graphic novels! I especially appreciate their point of view coming from Europe, since many of my own comic influences come from that tradition.
August 20, 2019
#ShareYourStudio
It’s #ShareYourStudio day, a fun promotional idea brought to you by the fine folks at Patreon. Here’s a quick little tour of one of my very favorite places filled with original art, sculpts, unsold inventory, and dusty corners. And click this feed for a glimpse of other artist’s and their work spaces. Enjoy!
July 30, 2019
Marin Comics Fest 2019
The Marin Comics Fest returns for its third year this September!
Organized by long-time comics connoisseur, Ron Evans (who always thought Marin County needed a comics fest and decided to make one) and sponsored by Marin County Libraries, The Cartoon Art Museum, Blue Moon Comics, and Copperfield’s Books, it’s a month-long celebration of comic arts and storytelling. I’ve been a part of the festival since it began, so when Ron asked if I’d be interested in doing the poster art this year, I jumped at the chance.
I thought it would be fun to feature a variety of characters carousing around one of Marin’s best known landmarks and chose the distinctive Marin Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as the place.
As for the characters those featured come from the guests, a talented and eclectic group of artists, cartoonists, and storytellers. Among them: illustrator Eda Kaban’s, pirate girl; Judd Winick’s HiLo; Brian Fies’s The Last Mechanical Monster; Ian Lendler’s lion, MacBeth; Mat Heagerty’s Unplugged & Unpopular; Alex Schumacher’s Mr. Butterchips; a zombie ballplayer from Scott Morse; and of course, the Dragon from me and KidB. The poster was brought to life by my long-time colorist, Jose Flores.
I’ll be giving a talk Saturday, September 21st @ 1PM at The Point Reyes Station Library. The full schedule is listed on the Marin Comics Fest website, where you can learn more about the fest and the authors mentioned above, so be sure to check it out.
Admission to these events is free to all readers, hope to see you there!
May 31, 2019
Interview – Blockhead Podcast
I was recently a guest on the excellent podcast BLOCKHEAD – a Peanuts Tribute podcast hosted by cartoonist, professor, and podcaster, Geoff Grogan. I’ve been enjoying Geoff’s podcast since it began earlier this year; he really knows his stuff about comics history and Schulz’s place in it so I was excited to be asked to join him in conversation. We had a ton to talk about and it’s a lively discussion. Click here to listen now!
March 25, 2019
El Cid Storytime with PCS Reads
When The Rise of El Cid came out I was interviewed by Laura Given for her excellent PCS Reads Podcast. Full interview here. Laura is a great interviewer and at one point she asked me to do a reading from the book, so I chose the passage where Rodrigo meets Babieca. Laura was gracious enough to lend me the audio to compile the video above. Enjoy!
January 28, 2019
REVIEW – No Flying No Tights & El Cid
For this new adventure, Fajardo chose the Spanish epic The Song of My Cid for his story and characters. He retells this ancient poem using a combination of dramatic scenes and comedic characters, along with plenty of action panels that keep the reader’s attention. The characters’ motives and personalities help the story along, whether they are seeking revenge or redemption. Even the brotherly banter between Beowulf and Grendel provides some dramatic action and a few comedic asides. Fajardo continues to use his cartoon artistic style, with a vibrant color palette, unique character appearances, and comedic onomatopoeia.
The crew of smart and engaged reviewers at No Flying No Tights really know their stuff so I was I excited (and relieved!) to read their glowing review of The Rise of El Cid. You can read the full review here.
November 5, 2018
INTERVIEW – Comic Lab
I had a great time chatting comics on a recent edition of Comic Lab (the most excellent podcast about webcomics, hosted by Dave (Drive) Kellett and Brad (Evil Inc.) Guigar.
I’ve been listening to Comic Lab since it began a year or so ago (usually while I’m at the drawing board), so it was a real treat to be a guest. We covered a lot of ground in this episode, from my day job at the Schulz Studio to my night job on Kid Beowulf, to figuring out whether I should do my own patreon or not. Ultimately, Dave and Brad inspired me to relaunch my page, so I’m taking a lot of the suggestions they offered in the episode and putting them into my newly relaunched patreon. Anyway, give the show a listen – it’s a fun one!
