Chidi Okonkwo's Blog, page 31

HEAVY SCI FI ARMOR, CYBORG ZOMBIES, A STAR WARS RIP-OFF AND OTHER STUFF!

Over the weekend I saw these pics drawn by an artist named Zabolight over at CGHub. They were cool looking Sci Fi pics, yet I found them a bit hard to swallow... since the heavy battle armor seemed just a bit too excessive to accept as functional gear.





 



  Does that arch-angel combat armor look epic? Yes, it does. But is it truly functional? Probably not... and I'll explain why.

   

Consider a human soldier in a fantasy world wearing that angel armor and heading out into the battlefield. Yeah, he will have big guns and flashy wings, but he has just  made himself a bigger target for snipers to hit. And even considering maneuverability, he / she really cannot fit into tight corners or hide away behind barricades, due to the excessive horizontal and vertical protrusions of the armor.

Perhaps flying high and fast would be the only saving grace of having such bulky broad battle armor... but even then, a human soldier being flying around with that sort of angel armor is now inserted into an aerial zone where there are much bigger metallic birds in the sky, bird with 40mm autoguns and heat seeking missiles, who will blow the human angel to "infinity and beyond."

Relax, I'm just thinking out loud, the same way I was thinking aloud about "deadly cyborg zombies" when I posted that other pic on the right side in facebook. But rest assured my friend, zombie cyborgs with flesh-ripping claws do not exist :)



A few months ago I wrote an article that showcased female fantasy armor from the Galaxy Saga mobile gaming franchise [shown over Here]. And today, we have another pic of a Space Knight from the "Galaxy Saga galaxy", located above on the left. First of all, it should be clear to see why it almost looks like a Star Wars rip-off, per the light sabers that the knight is wielding, almost like some fantasy Jedi. Perhaps if the dual swords had more unique shapes, then perhaps it wouldn't be so easily linked to Star Wars, from a conceptual point of view. BTW, did you ever realize that "Jedi" is a dictionary word?? LOL!! George Lucas made history and even additions to the English language!





BTW, the cyborg zombie pic was drawn by concept artist Randis, while the Galaxy Saga Space Knight was drawn by the guys at conceptarthouse. And the last image of a sexy female sniper with a big butt was done by artist Jibro. There should be links to more archived articles with concept art shown below!- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

VIN DIESEL VS WRESTLER DAVE BATISTA IN THE FORTHCOMING RIDDICK 2013 MOVIE! [MOVIE PREVIEW AND WALLPAPERS]

A few days ago, the first extended trailer for the forthcoming movie Riddick [or the Chronicles of Riddick 2, if you are keeping count] was released. And it showcased a rough synopsis of the coming sci if movie, one that I'm eagerly looking forward to.



As it turns out, the Alpha Furyan [Riddick, played by Vin Diesel] has been abandoned upon a wasteland planet, and left for dead - this may occur halfway through the movie, or it may be tied to the intro. And after he launches a distress beacon for help, the Mercs show up to collect the bounty on his head. Now he has to fight his way through them and he also has to elude a host of new vicious alien creatures that roam this particular arid planet, seeking warm flesh to devour. The movie trailer purposely shows a dark undertone amidst the desert-styled sci fi landscape. And at the same time there is something enigmatic and appealing about the focal character, Riddick, who has enhanced physical abilities [although he is not superhuman] and he can also see clearly in the dark.

 



 



[Riddick on the Throne of the Necromongers]
 



 



                                                   [Riddick battling the alien monsters]



 



 





                       [Dave Batista as Diaz, and Katee Sackhoff as Dahl; they are part of the Bounty Hunters]





There were so many avenues for plot expansion based upon the previous Chronicles of Riddick movie, which was released back in 2004. And I had hoped that we would get to see Riddick as a conqueror and king of the Necromongers [since he defeated Lord Marshall in the former movie], rather than see him as a forlorn abandoned fugitive, striving to get back to his throne / save his loved ones.





Check out the new movie trailer below:
















[You may need to click on the word link below that says "Read More" to the see
the rest of the pics in this article!]


And that brings me to the topic in my header; Dave Batista VS. Vin Diesel! In the forthcoming movie, Ridick and the buff bounty hunter Diaz [played by Batista] have a one-on-one fight scene, in which they lock horns and battle amidst a thundering downpour of rain. And from the preview clip, we don't fully know who wins that fight. Yet you can rest assured that Vin Diesel does get his ass kicked quite a bit, since he is clearly outgunned and outnumbered; and he even gets captured by some of the surviving Mercs, before all hell breaks loose.



I'm a long-time Wrestling fan of Dave Batista, even dating back to his premier role as an apprentice of Rev. Devon Dudley of Team 3D [this was after he had a stint as The Leviathan, back in his early OVW days]. And that apprentice gimmick preceded the formation of the wrestling team known as Evolution, in the WWE. And that team saw a lot of action, since they were pretty much the "premier bad guys".



Bottom line is, Batista is built for action movies. And in my opinion, he can be as tough as The Rock Dwayne Johnson. No, they don't have the same persona or the same stage presence. The Rock talks, and then he opens up a can of whop-ass as he lays the smackdown. Batista doesn't talk that much, but he definitely knows how to lay the smackdown as well. The latest rumor about Batista is that he will get to play "Drax the Destroyer", a Marvel character, in one of the forthcoming Marvel movies [which may be linked to their future Gaurdians of the Galaxy movie]. 



Switching gears from Batista, there is a female kick-ass bounty hunter named Dahl in the forthcoming Riddick movie, who is played by actress Katee Sackhoff [shown on the left]. She has also stared in the Battlestar Galactica Sci fi TV series as Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, and in the 24 TV series. Plus she was the voice of Bo-Katan Kryze, a female commando / Mandalorian warrior in the Star Wars: Clone Wars 3D animated series. Bo-Katan was part of the DeathWatch, a group of bad guys that fought against the Jedi.

In the new Riddick movie, Katee wields some heavy guns and apparently she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty. Most of the close-up shots of her in the movie trailer showcase her face void of any makeup, and she looks like one tough rugged blonde. That should make for some more sci fi entertainment.



Karl Urban, who played Lord Vaako in the first Riddick movie, will also return for this sequel. But the depth of his role is yet to be fully determined... Anyway, Spanish actor Jordi Molla, who played the Cuban villain in Bad Boys II [back in 2003] with Will Smith and Martin, is set to be a bounty hunter as well. And his on-screen name is Santana.



I have a strong feeling that this new Riddick 2 movie is a bridge - a filer, like the Bleach Anime fans know all too well about - and I say that because Vin Diesel has announced on his facebook page last year that the big wigs at Universal Studios were asking him and Director David about the time frame for prepping and releasing two other movies colloquially tagged as "Furya" and "Underverse". Furya is Riddick's home planet, and the Underverse seems to be the planetary system of the Necromonger bad guys [or maybe its their home world].



Honestly I do not enjoy every single sci fi flick, since I'm rather selective. But being a sci fi fan at heart, I am looking forward to seeing what director / writer David Twohy did with the Riddick franchise.



Here's a little history on David Twohy... he was the director behind the hit movie The Fugitive [1993] and also... the infamous box office disaster, Waterworld [1995]. The thing is, Waterworld became a cable TV hit, after it failed at the box office... and David also directed the first Chronicles of Riddick [abbreviated as COR] back in 2004, and it also did not do well in theaters - but it became a cult hit when it stated airing on cable TV. Apparently sometimes directors fall into methodical slumps; and by that I mean they do certain unwise things repeatedly in their movies, or they just release a good hit movie at a bad time.

David Twohy seems to have made those types of errors repeatedly in his directing career. He cut out a TON of scenes in Waterworld and in COR, thus making both movies shorter. Yet those deleted scenes were critical to helping both movies to make more sense to the fans... I got the COR DVD several years ago, so I saw the extended directors cut - and it was practically 10-times better than the truncated version that was released in the movie theaters. Plus as far as timing goes, Will Smith released I-Robot in 2004 a week after COR hit theaters, thus the first Riddick movie was completely overshadowed by another movie with greater star power.



Nevertheless, I am now glad that David Twohy has agreed with the movie distributor Universal Studios, to release Riddick 2 waaaay after the summer blockbusters have had their premier runs, so movies like Man of Steel will not overshadow Riddick at all [since Riddick comes out in September 6th]. And Thor 2 does come out in November, so that's even further down the line. 



And since I'm in critic mode, I will boldly say that Thor 1, another sci fi movie, completely SUCKED. Yes it did; you know I'm right. It was rushed, hastily put together; it had a great deal of potential, but the greedy guys at Marvel Studios simply wanted to put together a rough prequel to The Avengers 2012 movie.



Anyway, lets stay focused. Riddick 2 will be the second movie starring Vin Diesel that will be released this year; and Fast & Furious 6 will be the first, hitting theaters on May 24th. Hopefully the success of that blockbuster will bleed over and cause fans to desire an encore... one that will come in the form of the dark thriller Riddick 2... So Stay Tuned!- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

FEMALE SCI FI / FANTASY CHARACTER CONCEPT DESIGNS - PART 3

I've gathered a few more concept art posters and wallpapers from around
the Web. They showcase mostly fantasy armor concept designs for female
warriors, including light knight armor, light exo-suits, barbarians, and other sleek battle armor.









When you download the images to your desktop, you should see the names of the artists intertwined  in the description. Special thanks to: Kveldulv, june99, Datouxiaozuo, Hinew and George for their great art!



The so-called "controversial busty redhead Sorceress art" poster shown above is from the forthcoming video game, Dragon's Crown.
The name of the artist behind those two pics is George Kamitani... not sure why the Sorceress
is using her magic staff as a stripper pole, but hey, I didn't draw any
of this stuff so I make no apologies or explanations for it.



George is clearly a
Cheesecake artist, and a lot of people on the internet [Trolls, who obviously
have no jobs or anything else better to do] have been ridiculing his
artwork, per the exaggerated female proportions. Honestly that stuff is
trivial and should not bother anyone. What he draws is his prerogative;
plus the game publisher has to approve of the concept art before it's
accepted and animated.... so the guys at ATLUS and VANILLAWARE must love
his busty chicks and their big butts and huge boobs. Do I care about what
they like? Nope. Makes no difference to me at all. I've got better
things to do than bitch about the artwork / art-style of someone else.



Plus if
you don't like it, then when the game comes out in a few months, then
don't buy it. The game will be released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation
Vita on July 25, 2013 in Japan, and North America on August 6, 2013.

There are more links to the previous blog articles below: - Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

COOL [AND FUNNY] BEHIND THE SCENES POSTERS FROM IRON MAN 3 MOVIE!

You can consider this article as a movie preview rather than a review, since it doesn't have any spoilers - Tomorrow, May 3rd 2013, Tony Stark [Robert Downey Jr.] returns to give fans his uncanny mix of humor, wit, high-tech gadgets and drama. I gathered these images from around the Web and decided to post them. Right now the Iron man 3 movie has grossed over 300 million dollars oversees, after about 2 weeks in the foreign box office. And Marvel Inc. is hoping that it does the same in the US. Will Iron man 3 movie be better & more profitable than The Avengers movie? I dunno, guys; but both movies have clearly been contrived around Robert Downey's entertaining armored character.



Some online reviewers have already stated that Iron man 3 is the best installment of the trilogy. And while there is no news right now on whether Robert Downey Jr. will be back for a 4th ride [he'll have to sign a new contract with Marvel Studios for that... and it won't be a cheap one], fans can rest assured that they will not be let down by this third movie.











I must confess that I wasn't certain who was behind the Iron Patriot armor last year, when I wrote an article about Iron man 3 - rumors about a certain villain named Coldblood were swirling around that time. But now it's clear that it was actor Don Cheadle wearing the Iron Patriot armor [shown above], who played as War Machine in the previous movie.



[image error] In this 3rd movie, the insidious movie villain, the Mandarin, is played by Ben Kingsley [shown on the left]. And apparently Guy Pearce has a role as a bad guy as well, from the movie trailers -- I'm not sure who he is yet, but he probably locks horns with Iron man half-way through the movie. Additionally, I'm not sure if an excess of explosions in an action movie can be a bad thing, but that's what the reviewers who saw the early movie screenings keep hinting about.



OK, the very last image above on the right made me laugh... almost made me think that Russel Westbrook dressed up Robert Downey for that movie premier - LOL. That pic was taken in Munich Germany, last month in April 2013.- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

YATALIA [FROM THE DSNG SCI FI SERIES] AND KATHY BENTLEY!

As most fans of this blog know, I often use real life models as guides for my comic & sci fi book characters. Coco Austin is one of the most popular art references that I use as an outline, and Kathy Bentley is another young lady that fits into that category, per her sexy hourglass shape.





 













Having earned the rank of Commander, Yatalia is a female Alpha Senturi [black-ops] soldier in the DSNG sci fi series and she has extremely long hair and very powerful legs. Being an Averan by birth, Yatalia is a superhuman being capable of flight and projecting biothermal energy pulses from her hands. And yes, she is quite "thick". She's also a Muay Thai specialist; so she knows how to utilize her limbs expertly while executing lethal combat techniques. I've done several articles on her, so you can see more pics of Yatalia over Here. And more pics of Kathy Bentley can be seen over Here.- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

ELENA EDEN AND NICOLE AUSTIN [COCO] - PART 3

Today I'll post some fan art of Elena Eden wielding a katana blade; she is one of the main characters in the DSNG sci fi series. The original article introducing Elena was posted a few years ago, over Here. Anyway, I commonly use Hip Hop model Coco Austin as a base model for Elena, in terms of her voluptuous physique.





 



Part 1 of this article with more sexy pics of Coco and Elena is over Here!- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS FROM THE OBLIVION 2013 MOVIE STARRING TOM CRUISE!

Check out these cool posters, from the new Oblivion sci fi movie! As you can see, the compact spaceship / carrier pod that Tom Cruise [who plays Jack Harper] uses does look rather light and agile - and weird - but it still has exceptional maneuverability in the movie....




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As shown in the sci fi wallpaper above, Tom does has a sleek futuristic laser rifle in the movie. I did an article last year that was focused on concept art showing over 20 different laser rifles & weapon designs, over HERE- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

JAMIE FOXX AS ELECTRO FOR SPIDER-MAN 2 AND HENRY CAVIL AS SUPERMAN!

Just saw this pic of Electro wearing some sort of Marc Ecko Hoddie on Yahoo earlier today. And I truly did not know what to say or think at first.This is just one of those costume design remixes that leave you rather speechless. Truthfully, the classic Electro costume [shown below, and looks like a yellow firecracker went off in front of his face] has never been something that looked sensational or worthy of transplanting from a comic book into the big screen [kinda like Wonder Woman and those blue star-spangled panties.... I mean, what the hell were the creators thinking when they made that costume??]



Nevertheless, after I sat back and reflected upon the scenario, I realized that change is not always a bad thing. Plus as it pertains to the forthcoming Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie and all of its swirling rumors [which is slated for release on May 2,  2014], this isn't even the "new costume of Electro"; this is "the skin tone of the man that will be wearing the new costume of Electro". I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the final costume will be.











Speaking of final costumes, the attire worn by Henry Cavil in the forthcoming Man of Steel 2013 movie does look a bit too... strange for me to digest. The two last pics above are from a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Anyway, Zach Snyder, the guy behind the director's chair for the past movies 300 and Sucker Punch,
seems to be the one that green-lit the costume of Superman, along with
the execs at DC comics that approved it and presented it to him. But
Zach Snyder has never been known for bright colors and radiant hues in
his movies. Thus the new Superman doesn't really look as bright as he did in the
old  80s movies. This new Superman looks almost like a futuristic cosplay for the 2013 San Diego Comic Con. Not too sure if it was Jim Lee who designed Superman's movie costume, getting rid of the red speedos and giving him just the blue tights. But I could've sworn that Jim Lees New 52 version of Superman had a damn belt. [Jim's latest Superman costume design is over Here].



Well, all we can do at this point is sit back and hope that Superman does not fall short of the fanboy
expectations.... if not, rest assured, DC Comics will be rebooting it
again in the next 3 years, as they try to copy Marvel and what they're doing right now with the Amazing Spider-Man 2!


- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

COOL SUPERMAN ART, MADAM MIRAGE, SEXY PINUPS AND A PAWG GALLERY

Today I'm presenting a forthcoming comic cover for Superman #22, featuring the cover art and interior pages by Kenneth Rocafort. I first got introduced to Kenneth's art via Hunter Killer, a sci fi black-ops book he did for Top Cow / Image Comics back in 2005. And in 2007, he penciled the Madam Mirage comic series written by Paul Dini, which gave Kenneth an avenue to showcase his skills in drawing voluptuous female heroines. Kenneth currently resides in California and he works for DC Comics.

You can check out the sexy curvy Madam Mirage covers / comic pages below, along with the Superman art:





 

I've seen a lot of artists over the years who showcase a variety of styles. And whenever I meet a new artist [he may be old in the game but new to me], I usually study their visual style, and the way that they draw men & women. I look at roughly 5 things: Anatomy, Perspective, Balance, Entertainment [the Wow / Pop factor] and Realism. But when the art is really catchy, most people just focus on the Wow / Pop factor, which is related to entertainment, while they completely forget about realism.



For instance, a lot of Manga and Anime from Japan commonly have a tremendous Wow / Pop factor, but they just don't look... real. Honestly guys, when was the last time you were at work, school or at the mall, and you saw a beautiful young lady with giant eyes, huge boobs and pink hair??!! For instance, consider the pic shown on the right [from the fan-service-packed anime High School of the Dead] , and you'll see that it has a tremendous Entertainment factor, but has Zero realism.



On the other hand, when the artwork has good balance and it looks both real and entertaining, you have a win-win scenario in my opinion. And thus, I view Kenneth Rocafort's art as well balanced. Kenneth is on facebook, over Here.

Anyway, I have no doubt that he draws what he likes; most artists do that. If you like curvy blonde female superheroes, then that is what you'll draw. If you prefer thick goth chicks, then that is what you'll express when you grab your pencil / Wacom Intuos tablet. That's really you're prerogative as an artist. Those familiar with this blog and my art already know what my style is like. I do believe in entertaining the fans boys / fan girls, thus I often exaggerate proportions, making the guys that I draw really muscular and giving the female characters like Elena alluring curves.



Basically it boils down to a marketing gimmick... And trust me, it sells.....



Alright, as promised, here is a new thick & sexy PAWG Gallery with pics of Coco Nicole Austin and other hip hop / urban / latina models, included for those pervs [the young guys and the dirty old men] who would not be watching this blog at all if I didn't include stuff like this LOL









 

 

And what the hell is that pic at the end?? Could those be the twin sisters of Mario and Luigi??!! Now that has either entertained the hell out of some people, or completely polluted and ruined their childhood memories of the two innocent plumber brothers. Either way, I respond to the look on your face by saying: YOU'RE WELCOME ;)

Don't forget to Like & Share this article on facebook! - Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS & WALLPAPERS FROM G.I.JOE 2 RETALIATION!

All right, I'm not going to give an extensive review or display any spoilers from that new movie..... but the buzz around the internet about G.I.Joe 2 Retaliation hasn't exactly been uplifting.... I mean, how good can it really be when DUKE DIES?? BTW, that is NOT a spoiler; the info about that onscreen disaster leaked in the summer last year, when the toy line from the movie was being featured at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con and at other comic conventions, before the Hasbro toy makers and the Paramount movie distributors decided that they didn't want 2 Battleships to sink in the theaters, one right aftyer the other! LOL

Anyway, check out these behind the scenes photos and wallpapers from the movie!

 



 



  



 



BTW, the new girl in the red costume [the red female ninja] is Jinx, played by Elodie Yung, a french actress; yet a lot of people are mistaking her for Lady Jaye [played by Adrianne Palicki], who also wears a red evening gown in one particular scene at a dinner party / fundraiser shown in the same movie. The distinction is that Adrianne has brown hair, while Elodie has black hair.- Article written by the artist & author of the DSNG Sci Fi Series
[http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com]