Todd Klein's Blog, page 163

Pulled From My Files #59: BACKLASH LOGO

Images © Image Comics.

in 1994 I was asked by Bill Kaplan, who I had worked with at Marvel, and who was then the new editor-in-chief at Image, to design a logo for their character Backlash. Several batches of marker sketches were done, I don’t have all of them. I think this is the earliest. It’s very readable and has energy, but perhaps is a bit taller than it needed to be.

This version is less tall, with very wide letters, and in front of them a “psychic energy whip” which the character could apparently produce from his hands. Having not read any of his appearances, this would have come from reference I was given.

Here’s one that uses just the idea of the whip cutting through the letters. Not sure why I left out the horizontal bars of each A, guess it was just a design idea.

I think I got feedback and perhaps a sketch from the book’s artist that sent me in this direction. This look seems more like a FLASH logo to me.  Lots of motion and still fairly readable.

This version runs the bottoms of the letters together, making them much harder to read, but it’s what they wanted. Notice I’ve penciled in a lower foot for the C to make it read better, a change that would be on the final logo, but the L is still tough. Also note in my written message to Bill Kaplan I mention Fedexing the final logo to him. I didn’t have my first Mac and scanner then, I would have been faxing these marker sketches. It sounds like they were under pressure to get the book out and needed the logo as soon as possible. There was a lot of that at Image at the time. (Really, there’s always a lot of that in comics everywhere all the time.)

Here’s a photocopy of the final logo I did and sent in. I can’t say I like it much, I still find it hard to read and I think the letters are too thin. I would have gone with one of the first three sketches.

When the first issue came out, my logo was not on it. Perhaps they decided at the last minute it was too hard to read, or just didn’t like it, and there was no time to ask me for anything else. The logo used starts with type and adds the whip effect similar to what I had done on one of my sketches. In fact, this is pretty close to my sketch #5, above. At least it’s easy to read, and as they paid me for what I did, no problem here.

Starting with issue 12 a new logo appeared that I again find hard to read. The K is barely comprehensible, the B is not much better. I don’t know who did either of the printed logos. That’s all I know about this one!

Sketchbooks from Gianni and Sakai

Image © Gary Gianni.

Here are two sketchbooks given to me by the artists at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Gary’s is much larger, 9 by 12 inches, and the 64 interior pages are black and white on bone colored paper. These are sketches and layouts done for the George R.R. Martin novel, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which I reviewed HERE.

While that book had many great illustrations, both line art and paintings, there’s much to be learned from Gary’s sketches for them, and his notes and comments. If you are a Martin fan and have the book, this is something you’d want, though I’m not sure how much it would cost, or where you can get it, unless you see Gary at a convention. You might try contacting him on his WEBSITE. You can also find him on Facebook.

Stan Sakai gave me a copy of his “Usagi Yojimbo Sketchbook” #14, which is 5.5 by 8.5 inches and 24 pages, some in color. Stan’s art is great, and in addition to many sketches, there’s a brief comic strip.

Some of the sketches, like this one, are marked as for the animated Usagi Yojimbo cartoon that appeared on the Nickelodeon show, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” recently, and perhaps there will be more of that. Hope so. Usagi is cool, and it’s always nice to see Stan and his creation expanding their horizons. You can find this sketchbook and lots of other fine stuff for sale on Stan’s WEBSITE.

Pulled From My Files #58: AGE OF APOCALYPSE: THE CHOSEN

Images © Marvel.

In 1994 I was asked by Kelly Corvese at Marvel to submit logo designs for one of the hundreds of new books the company was pumping out at the height of the speculator boom, a one-shot spin-off of a then-current series. The letter shapes of APOCALYPSE here are similar to a style I had originally developed for the Sabretooth logo, and then at Marvel’s request, used for a new Spider-Man logo. I’m guessing this was suggested by Kelly, though I no longer recall. The telescoping behind the two top lines is something of a throwback to logos of the past, as is the banner for the third line, really, but I think this holds together pretty well.

The second marker sketch drops both the banner and the telescoping and uses a different serif style for the first and third lines.

The third sketch goes in a different direction with squared block letters for everything and a lower arc on APOCALYPSE. I think any of these would have worked, but none were used.

The printed cover uses a Comicraft font for APOCALYPSE that does not go well with the other two lines, and I find this logo kind of awful. So it goes sometimes. I have no idea what the thinking was. At least it was a one-shot!

And Then I Read: UNFOLLOW #18

Image © DC Entertainment.

Final issue, and as it opens we’re down to just four remaining of the 140 original Unfollowers. Unfortunately, I can’t really empathize with any of them, or see why they are the chosen few. No matter, three of them will die in this issue anyway. The one thing I did like is the just treatment, finally, of billionaire Larry Ferrell, the instigator of the scheme that has led to the deaths of so many. Other than that, I found nothing here that felt worthy of the trip. No catharsis. Perhaps your results will be different.

Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: HAL JORDAN & THE GL CORPS #22

Image © DC Entertainment.

This book begins a new story in a new place: the planet Vault, touted as the largest bank in the cosmos. Bolphunga, leader of the Cepheid Raiders, has found a way in and his men are looting the place. Back on Mogo, the partnership of Green Lanterns and Yellow Lanterns gets its first test, as teams head to Vault to deal with the attack. Hal Jordan leads the Greens, Sorak leads the Yellows. Some interesting side stories develop in what seems like a fun space-opera plot by Robert Venditti. The art by Ethan Van Sciver is nearly as photo-realistic and detailed as that of Brian Bolland, and he also entertains me with a host of cool alien creatures in the backround of many pages and this cover. Fun reading.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERNS #15

Image © DC Comics.

I’m only trying to keep up with a few regular DC comics these days, but even so, the twice monthly shedules of some, like this title, have me way behind. About five months behind on this one, I think, but I wanted to be sure not to miss reviewing it.

The issue focuses on Jessica Cruz, one of the two newer Green Lanterns featured in the series, and specifically, her struggle with anxiety attacks. From the outside, Jessica seems to have it all: intelligence, strength, looks, a Green Lantern power ring and the will to use it. On the inside, just getting up in the morning is a massive struggle. How Green Lantern comics have changed since I started reading them in the 1960s, when such a story line was inconceivable. Jessica’s partner, Simon Baz, is trying his best to understand Jessica’s condition, and having a hard time with it. She manages to hide her true mental state often, as in the mission with the Justice League shown on the cover, where she manages to out-power Superman briefly, but the real battle is one only she can face, and she faces it every day.

Wonderful story written by Sam Humphries, art by Tom Derenick, Miguel Mendonca and Scott Hanna. Even if you’re tired of super-heroes, you might want to read this one.

Highly recommended.

 

Pulled From My Files #57: BATMAN LICENSING LOGO

Images © DC Entertainment.

The very first entry in my “Pulled From My Files” series (see them all in the topic link on the sidebar) was this single image from the early 1990s. I was asked by DC’s Janice Walker to submit designs for a new Batman logo to be used for licensed products. I don’t have a final version of any of these designs, which means I wasn’t able to give them what they wanted, or they decided the existing Batman logos from the comics would work better for them. I’m sure I was paid a fee, so no problem there.

This time I’ve found five more versions that I drew up in markers for the assignment. Version 1A is the same as version 2 except that the outlined outer shape is wider, making this one easier to read, I think. Or, maybe not so much in black and white, but probably in color.

Version 2 ditches the bat shape and just has the letters, which are more square and wider.

Version 2A again uses the same layout, but removes the drop shadow and makes the letter edges a bevelled shape.

Version 2B puts the same layout back on the bat shape, minus the bevels.

Version 3 is a different but similar take on the letters with a black drop shadow.

While I think I did okay on these sketches, I certainly would agree that there are many existing Batman logos from the comics that are better, and my guess is that’s where DC went, but that’s only a guess. I don’t see many licensed products.

And Then I Read: CANYONS by Gary Paulsen

Cover illustration by Kazuhiko Sano.

A desert canyon near El Paso, Texas is the scene of two stories in different times. In the past, we follow Coyote Runs, an Apache boy who wants desperately to take on the privileges of manhood, including having a horse of his own. He’s invited to join a raid on a herd of horses over the border in Mexico, but to get there and back, his small band of raiders must cross through territory patrolled by US soldiers who want the Apaches out of their area. In the present we follow Brennan Cole, a solitary boy with few friends who likes to escape his dull life by running, not to compete, but simply to get away. The stories alternate until they intertwine. Coyote Runs and his raiders capture a large group of horses, but stumble into an Army patrol on their way back. Separated from the group, Coyote Runs tries to escape into Dog Canyon where he hopes the soldiers will not follow. In the present, Brennan goes on a camping trip to Dog Canyon and finds an object that seems full of memories and visions. He brings it home with him, but soon finds his life haunted by the memories of Coyote Runs. Eventually he realizes that he must return the object, and runs away from home to do so. As the two stories merge, Brennan makes a desperate attempt to set right an old wrong, with police on his tail.

This was an exciting read once I got into it and understood the premise. Well done, reminds me of the books of Will Hobbs as well, but with just a touch of mysticism.

Recommended

And Then I Read: KAIJUMAX SEASON THREE #1

Image © Zander Cannon.

When I see friends at the San Diego Comic-Con, they sometimes give me samples of current work, and that was the case with this comic from Zander Cannon. Though I’ve liked everything Zander has done in the past, and have enjoyed working with him on TOP 10 and other projects, I haven’t yet read any of his new series KAIJUMAX. Jumping in at the beginning of the third series is probably not the best way to go, but that’s what I did.

The premise is easy to understand, and Zander has a fine one-sentence summary on the inside front cover: “On a hidden island in the South Pacific likes KAIJUMAX, a high security prison for giant monsters.” So, think of Japanese monsters in particular like Godzilla, and put them in a prison movie, and there you are. I’m not a big fan of either giant monster or prison films, but I’ve seen enough of each to get the idea. It’s a scenario that could be played a lot of different ways, from comedy to drama, crime thriller to science fiction. This issue seems to be going for a realistic prison drama where the main characters are tough guy monsters, gang members, except for the protagonist, a smaller goat-like monster kid named Daniel, who is well out of his depth, and being taunted, abused, and played by the seasoned inmates. I found myself empathizing with this character from the start, even while knowing he was in a world of trouble with no easy way out of it. Daniel is, indeed, in the lion’s den. When his mother comes to visit, it gets all the more poignant. Daniel’s mother seems to be human-size, making the relationship puzzling, and his mother is not, herself, very sympathetic to Daniel’s plight. But a ray of hope appears near the end of the issue when Daniel witnesses a prison crime, the knowledge of which may help him in the future.

This is just as cool and compelling as all Zander’s work, with less humor than I expected, but thoroughly involving. I hope to read the rest of the series at some point.

Recommended.

Watching IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS (1962)

Images © Disney.

I remember liking this live-action Disney film when I saw it at age 11 in a theater, and after reading the original book, I wanted to see it again. The film has its flaws, but both Ellen and I enjoyed watching it.

The book is quite long, and the film is well under two hours, so I expected it to be much abridged, and it is, but the script does a good job in the time allowed. For starters, headliner Maurice Chevalier as the Frenchman Paganel and co-star Hayley Mills as Mary Grant, daughter of the missing Captain Grant they are searching for are teamed up from the beginning. In this version, Paganel has brought Mary and her brother Robert (Keith Hamshere) to the steam yacht of Lord Glenarvan with the message in a bottle he’s found telling of Captain Grant’s shipwreck. Lord Glenarvan (Wilfred Hyde-White) is dismissive and skeptical, but his son John Glenarvan (Michael Anderson Jr., not in the book, but essentially replacing Lady Glenarvan) is attracted to Mary Grant and sympathetic to her desire to find her lost father. He convinces his own father, Lord Glenarvan, to undertake the search for his lost Captain. (Unlike the book, Captain Grant worked for Glenarvan in the film, which ties them together nicely.)

The story cuts quickly to the first adventure in the Andes of South America, where an avalanche becomes a Disneyland ride with effects that look pretty silly today. Excellent background paintings by Peter Ellenshaw in this film, but some other effects seem poorly done by today’s standards. There are more adventures in the pampas of eastern South America, including the group being stranded in a giant tree by a flood, one of the best moments of the book, and handled well in the film.

This is not a musical, but there are a few songs for Chevalier and Mills by the Sherman Brothers, nothing very memorable or helpful to the plot, but entertaining enough. Soon the story moves on, skipping most of the Australia third of the book except to introduce villain George Sanders as Thomas Ayerton, former shipmate of Captain Grant, who promises to help the search party, but has other nefarious plans. The finale takes place in New Zealand, and involves laughable Maori warriors and a volcano, which again has poor effects by current standards (this was a Disney B-picture, so budgets were constrained). Wilfred Brambell is entertaining as a half-crazed shipmate of Captain Grant long held prisoner by the Maoris, who helps the party escape them.

In all, still fun to watch. Hayley Mills was not only charming, she was an excellent child actor, and it’s easy to believe each character she portrays, at least for me. Chevalier is also fun and entertaining. The rest of the cast is pleasant enough, but those two are the standouts, and deserved their top billing. So, while the book has lots more story, the film is not a bad abridged version.

Recommended.