Nick Davis's Blog, page 29

Writing Without Fear – How I Would Bring Miles Morales In As The Marvel Universe Movie Spider-Man

This has been bugging me a little bit, we’ve had five Spider-man movies now featuring Peter Parker and we have well established the origins of the Web head. Now we have the potential to sit through another origin story as Spider-Man finally gets absorbed into the Marvel Movie Universe (MCU). The question though is… Do we need Peter Parker as Spider-man now? Should the torch be passed on to his legacy character Miles Morales. I think his time has come, and this is how I would do it.

Spider-man has long been established as one of Marvel’s flagship titles, and Peter has had a long career as Spidey, but has he become to long in the tooth for MCU? To change-up into Miles Morales you have to change the Spider-Man movie into a passing of the torch movie, not another bloody origins movie.

How I Would Have Wrote It

You set up Peter as the older superhero formally known as Spider-man, give him a 60’s opening title swing through to establish all the touch points of origin, and his many trails and tribulations, and fights with the Green Goblin who is revealed to be Norman Osborn. In his last battle with the Green Goblin he finally defeats the Monster before mysteriously disappearing as the Web Slinger and actually having a happily ever after with MJ. We fast forward to now and Peter is living a fairly normal life, largely ignored by the world. The reason he turned his back on being Spider-man was his powers just stopped working – Peter eventually explains using the same allegory as a viral infection, he simply burned the virus out.

We then have an incident that gets him involved with Miles Morales who is a fairly ordinary kid, worried about his family and were he is going to school. I am going to run with they get involved in a mutual highway car accident; Peter has the same rare blood type as Miles and is on hand to give his blood to save the kid. While Peter has avoided this all his life, he does because he still believes in great power equals great responsibility. (yes I am keenly aware this is not Miles actually origin but stay with me.)

After the transfusion Miles recovers at an amazing rate, and once released from Hospital discovers he has super-human abilities like camouflage, increased agility, some sort of stun blast, and can climb any surface like a Spider. He then discovers via the internet the 60’s Spider-man, and puts the answer together in his head that Peter was Spider-man! After a little detective work he tracks down Peter, who refuses to acknowledge that he was once Spider-man, but advises the kid that he should hide his powers because there are people who would try to use Miles to hurt people.

Miles doesn’t listen and goes out one night to test his new powers, and as he saves someone from a mugging his heroics are filmed by bystanders, and the videos and pictures go viral. Miles wakes up the next day to find he has been dubbed the New Spider-man. With the Daily Bugle of course calling him the new webbed menace.

Norman Osborn is also still alive sitting in prison and learns of the reappearance of Spider-man, and it triggers a transformation into the Green Goblin, that allows him to breakout. Finally he will have his revenge on Parker!

Learning what Miles has done, Peter calls Miles and invites the kid to visit him. Peter reluctantly reveals to Miles he was once Spider-man, and once again tells him to hide his powers. This is the moment the Green Goblin attacks Peter’s home, and Miles is forced to use his powers to save Peter and his wife from the rampaging monster. It all goes horribly wrong and MJ finds herself once again kidnapped by Osborn as the Green Goblin.

Knowing he needs Miles help to save his wife he gives the kid his old costume and web slingers, and says he had a plan. He has one vial of anti-goblin serum left from his old adventuring days, if they can inject Osborn with it he would return to normal. If Miles appears as Spider-man it might give Peter the chance to use the serum.

We then go to the classic stand-off on Brooklyn bridge, Peter turns up to confront Osborn who wants to know where Spider-man is. To which Peter replies it isn’t him anymore… In swings Miles knocking Osborn off-balance, Peter saves MJ, we get a superhero/supervillain fight that seesaws over who has the vial, and Peter having to swing out on a line to get it. Eventually the Green Goblin is subdued, and changes into Norman who Peter knocks out (used to hurt less when I punched people). The authorities start to appear, and Peter tells Miles to disappear and we end with helicopter search lights illuminating Peter and MJ standing over an unconscious Osborn.

Then cut to a hero shot of Miles Morales dressed in a darker version of the Spider-man costume, and we have established Peter’s legacy and passing it on to a new hero for a new age.

There you go, this is how I would have written it. Whadda ya think?

Drawing Outside Your Comfort Zone – Never Give In

A common thing I hear from up and coming artists is, ‘I will never be good enough,’ or ‘my art sucks.’ When I am at conventions I hear it all the time, in today’s culture everyone is looking for that shortcut to make it happen… Instant gratification… 

Sadly drawing, like writing, playing music or anything in the creative arts, and to be honest really anything in life, you only get better with practice… By doing… And by in large you are going to suck for a very long time, even if you have a natural talent. Because like exercise you only get stronger if you work out. You have to commit and never… EVER… Give in…

I know I have a long, long way to go… But with every drawing, with every line, concept, medium I get better… I get stronger. This cartoon by Solar Citrus aka Colleen Butters called ART sums up the creative soul struggle perfectly.

ART by Solar Citrus aka Colleen Butters

Remember, this advice from Kevin Smith, ‘It costs nothing to encourage an artist, and the potential benefits are staggering.’ You can view Kevin Smith’s advice over on Zenpencils.com

So encourage the creative in your family, it is not silly, stupid or a waste of time. But a route to free the soul from everyday burden.

Onwards!

The Very Last Calvin And Hobbes Story

On December 31st, 1995 the very last Calvin and Hobbes story was syndicated and these two friends went into legendary status as one of the best cartoon strips ever published. Even now it resonates and attracts new fans, such was the power of Bill Watterson’s work.

This very last cartoon strip marked the end of stellar eight year run that started in April 1987. But, was this the end of story of Calvin and Hobbes? Readers of course clamored for more, and Pants Are Overrated did a fine job with the limited Hobbes And Bacon strips they produced. Featuring a much older Calvin, his wife Susie and their daughter Bacon, as she is introduced to Hobbes.

Such is the influence Calvin and Hobbes had on me. I inspired me to draw my own limited run cartoon called Unconditional Hugs, about a Teddy Bear and his Boy, and while I have a long way to go to perfect my storytelling skills in a four panel format, it was an education and a joy to explore.

Below is another imagined ending of Calvin and Hobbes written and drawn by Raging Pencils (Formerly the Far Left Side)… Be warned it is a tear jerker…

Writing Without Fear – Taking Another Look At Legends Of An Englishman

On Saturday I bumped into an old friend, she was part of a writing club I belonged too where we all dedicated time to write our opus. It reminded me how long it really has been since I’ve written any long form prose and crafted a novel. I have been very busy writing comic strips, short children’s stories about heroic Teddy Bears and occasionally knocking out some flash fiction. I have been neglecting novel-writing, is time to return to crafting a contemporary fiction story?

In this special Writing Without Fear I present to you the complete opening chapter to Legends Of An Englishman, the last full prose novel I started to write, and drifted away from due to many other life obligations… But may be returning to… After all if Fabula Zero taught you anything, you have to find your ending.

Chapter 1 – Because the Lady Loves

Click To Begin Reading
I believe everyone’s life is far from ordinary and we experience many adventures every single day of our lives. Some pass us by; some carry us along, some we only have a part in the telling before it’s our time to move on. One thing they all do have in common is we don’t always know we are having an adventure until it’s far too late and it’s passed us by. This is the story of my life, the series of very little adventures I found myself and the consequences of them all. You see, every single decision has led me to this one moment. In about thirty minutes from now, everything is going to change for me forever.

How, I hear you ask? Okay, maybe I don’t hear you ask that, but I am standing here on a dreary August morning at Heathrow Airport looking at a departure board. On the verge of taking the biggest leap of faith in my life, about to head out to live in the USA, to leave everything and everyone I’ve ever known for the love of one woman. How I got to this point, how this happened, how one woman stole my heart after the very many I’ve loved is hard to explain, even to myself. I was about to set off on the biggest little adventure I will ever have and with no idea how it all really happened to me. They say life comes at you fast when you’re busy living it… Well, this one moment hit me square in the face.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself and should start my story from the beginning. That’s what all stories have, a beginning, middle and an end, right? I have been told when you write about your life you should start with the most tragic thing you can think of, that way you will have the audience’s sympathy on your side. After that it is a walk. This is my story, my life, how a small town lad from an East Midland town ended up standing here in a departure lounge waiting to head out to the USA, and everything else that happened in between. So instead of starting with tragedy I’m going to do something very different. I’m going to start with one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done. Not sure if it’s going to get your sympathy. I am sure though it will give you an idea how far I’ve come. The journey has been a bumpy one, sometimes silly and mostly fun. It’s full of life, love (I believe whole heartily that the love you make is equal to the love you take), idiocy, insanity and more than a little hardheadedness. I swear to you now with my hand on my heart that this is a completely true and factual account of my life with absolutely no embellishments. Everything that I tell you here is completely utterly true and no matter how ridiculous it seems it has really happened to me… Honest.

Okay, we good?

Right, let’s start… I’m going to turn the clock back, way, way back to my youth in the late eighties, time of bad clothing, hair bands and summer sound tracks, when I was a gawky awkward teenager growing up in Melton Mowbray, a town famous for Pork Pies and producing a cheese that was named after another town. It’s not a bad little place; of course it’s much bigger now and lost some of the small town charm. This was where I grew up; I was that odd kid, lost amongst hundreds of other kids, nothing special about me, slightly taller than I should have been at my age, quiet and actually fairly shy. I went to school where I was invisible, hung out with my mates, and lived in fear of hand-me-downs from my two very much older brothers. This is where it all began and the place where I executed one of the dumbest things I have ever done in my life.

Let me introduce you to my two mates. First off there was Roy, short kid, black hair, wide shoulders, totally unable to string two sentences together without lying outrageously; and John, shorter, blonde and always fidgeting. Together we were counted amongst the school invisibles, the nobodies, never invited to the cool parties, picked on by the school bullies and generally experiencing the rougher side of social interaction. If school life was a ladder we would be below the dirt that the ladder stands on, and really I think we didn’t even rate that high. We grew up in the era of the VHS movie tapes and BBC Top of the Pops which had a huge influence on us and our spare time. Of course we didn’t spend all our time glued to a TV. We did what every teenager did–we rode our bikes thinking we were on big ole’ American hogs, talked about girls, tried to date girls, worked part time badly paying jobs, and generally found ways to waste time. No matter what we did though, we always returned to our steady diet of bad American teen movies where the underdog always got the girl. It didn’t take long for us to find out that watching these movies was a great way to see half naked girls, but also it convinced us that the way to get a girl of our dreams was to make an insane grand gesture, preferably with a good soundtrack urging us on. Hence our youth was filled with bad movie clichés where we all failed in amazing ways to get the girl. Looking back it was a wonder I ever kissed a girl, let alone finally making it the promised land of going all the way.

My grand gesture and my dumbest moment both go hand in hand and involve a girl named Samantha Jenkins, she of fairy blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes, a voice so gentle and soft you swear birds sang, and little violins played when she spoke. Every day we would pass in the school hallway and she would smile at me, and it was like a ray of sunshine on a very wet day. She was, for this hormonally charged teenager, the most perfect girl I had ever seen. I was determined to win the heart of this fair maiden and we would live happily ever after, have a romance that would make the stars weep, or at least be worthy of a movie musical montage.

You see, I had a plan to win her over. It was so cunning it couldn’t fail. During my childhood, a popular mixed chocolate confectionery ran this amazing advert where a mysterious man in black would risk life and limb overcoming amazing obstacles, diving out of planes to deliver this tray of chocolate confectionery to his lady. He leaves with a calling card of a silhouetted man in black, instantly winning the girl’s heart. She would swoon in his arms and the announcer would say ‘Because the Lady Loves…’ Very James Bond, and most importantly the chocolates were affordable on my weekly joke of paycheck money. I would find a way to sneak into Samantha’s home and leave the chocolates with mystery man card in her room. She would see I would overcome any obstacle to show my confectionery affection and I would win her heart. Then cue music, titles and a happily ever after.

The entire operation was cleverly planned and would take place that Saturday night. Skillful observations from the week before had informed me that her parents went to the local Tennis Club, and they had no pets, specifically dogs, that I could see. Which would make my task of stealthily infiltrating the Jenkins household that much easier. It was winter time, so I rode my eighteen-speed mountain bike to the edge of her street, taking care to arrive just as it was starting to get dark, and readied my commando gear of woolly hat, black gloves and bomber jacket, just like what the man wore in the adverts. I parked my bicycle in a hedge and, using my experience from years of reading weekly Warlord comics, sneaked up on the Jenkins house which was right at the end of the street, and oddly enough was the last house on the outskirts of Melton itself.

As I got to the house a light came on in an upstairs window and I quickly shrank back into the shadows as demonstrated by Agent Warlord in my last comic book. There framed in the window was Samantha, wearing a white nightgown, hair down, blue eyes shining as she shut her curtains. Even now I remember her looking like a goddess and I almost dropped my chocolates right there and then. I combat-rolled into the front garden and slinked up to the side of the house. I saw my egress point, and thanks to Samantha now knew where her bedroom was. The drainpipe would lead to the window, but how would I open it? As I pondered the point, I heard a car pull up and I scarpered into the back garden of the house. In the darkness, I ran straight through what felt like a small marsh and almost lost one of my prized fake Nike basketball trainers.

However, the back garden did yield an easier entrance as the back door was unlocked. Clutching my chocolates, I made my way into the house, which smelled delightfully of Samantha, and paused in the kitchen. I caught some movement in the front room and, leaving muddy foot prints all the way, I went up the stairs spider fashion, the end of my quest almost in sight. I glanced around the landing–no lights on except what was filtering up from below–and I delivered the chocolates with card to her room, putting them on her dressing table. Wow, I was in Samantha Jenkins room. I was in a girl’s room who wasn’t related to me or my mates. This was previously unknown territory to me. I was breaking new ground and the kudos later would be tremendous. I looked around; it was crammed with posters, pink fluffy things and her smell. I had made it!

Then I heard voices on the stairs, Samantha wasn’t alone. She had another boy here with her and I recognized the voice. It was Nick Carlton, he of Bros Band blonde hair, he who was eighteen months older than me, he who had a car that was a Ford Cortina MkIV (the first car owner’s Ferrari), and therefore by extension easily got all the chicks. He was here with the love of my life (okay, of that week). My anger knew no bounds and I plotted revenge. Until I heard them come upstairs. Nick Carlton had one more defining feature. He was taller than me and from all accounts could handle himself in a fight. Me, I was an abject coward who had grown to like his face in the order he saw it in the mirror. Thinking quickly, I opened Samantha’s side window, feeling for the drainpipe. Then I swung out, deftly closing the window behind me in a display of dexterity and athleticism that would have left my Physical Education teacher speechless.

Of course gravity had something else to say about this, and the drainpipe popped from its moorings, sending me speedily sliding down the front of house. In my panic I let go, swinging around to the side of the building, thinking for some reason there was another drainpipe to grab. Instead I collided with the side of the house and fell back first into the Jenkins marsh and lay there feeling triumphant. I had, despite my state, succeeded in delivering my chocolates and got away undetected. I lay in the marsh slowly sinking into the ooze with a huge smile on my face until I heard a growl just behind my ear. Not only was this unexpected, it wasn’t a growl from a normal-sized dog. It was a growl from a very pissed off, biggest looking Alsatian I had ever seen, and it was sneering right at me. It seemed the Jenkins actually did have a dog, although given the size it could have been a small horse. It looked at me, I looked at it. It growled, I smiled and slowly wiggled away from it. It snarled, I quickly sat up, feeling the mud suck at my clothing and found my feet. I felt more than saw it leap and it hit me square in the back, but I wasn’t stopping for any one. I left one of my basketball trainers sunk in the marsh as I ran from their property, the dog snapping at my heels all the way.

All around me I saw the lights in the neighborhood go on as I scrambled away from that dog. Somehow I managed to lose my other shoe, which became the dog’s chew toy. I yanked my bicycle out of the hedge and rode back home as fast as I could, where I was rewarded with an immediate grounding when I couldn’t really explain why I was shoeless and covered in mud. Still, I had done it, despite Nick Carlton being there. My grand gesture would win out. She would see what I was prepared to do for her; we would have our musical montage. Then it hit me: My plan was flawed from the beginning. I had made the card in perfect mimicry of the commercial and it was a silhouette of a man–no name, no clues of who could have left them. Samantha would have no idea where the chocolates had come from… Epic Fail!

My cunning plan had cost me my fake Nikes and a weekend’s worth of grounding. I was out the money for the box of chocolates, and Samantha Jenkins would be none the wiser it was me. I would remain invisible on her radar, just a nobody she would smile at in the hallway because she really was genuinely a very nice person.

The scale of my failure became clear that following Monday, as I went over the details of my Saturday night shenanigans with my mates. Roy delighted in telling me that Samantha’s entire neighborhood was out searching for a Peeping Tom that had sneaked into her bedroom, and vandalized her father’s water garden. Even the police had been called out. To make things even worse for me, and cutting any hope I would have of telling Samantha it was me that left the chocolates, a sketch of yours truly appeared in the local newspaper, which caused some worrying bowel moving moments. Thankfully it was the era of identikits and it looked nothing like me. The only evidence I had left at the scene was my pair of fake Nikes and they were never found, no doubt eaten by that Alsatian Donkey Horse Dog they called a pet. There you have it, one of the dumbest moments of my life and I still look back at it and try to figure out what on earth was I thinking? And now you all know about it too.

Right, now I’ve got yours and most likely Melton Mowbray’s cold case division’s attention I would like to welcome you to my life, my legend…

So maybe this will be something worth returning too, eh?

Facebook Art Auction To Help Raise Legal Funds To Help Fight For The Custody Rights To See My Children #Art #Auction #FathersRights

My Facebook Art Auctions

This is a small selection of the illustrations I have drawn over the last four years. If you are interested in taking part look for the #Auction on my Facebook profile or scroll below. This isn’t selling for the sake of selling though… I have a very valid urgent reason why I am parting with so many pieces.

I am stuck in the middle of a custody visitation battle to see my children that has got nasty. The proceeds of these auctions is to raise legal funds to pay for a Lawyer, and to support my fight to retain my rights as a father to see my children.

I am not asking for money for nothing, and I am putting up original pieces of art up on Facebook to be bid on. Several pieces have already been sold and I will adjust this list as they sell.

To bid click on the link of the item that interests you, and then put your dollar amount in the comment section below the Auction item, all payments will be made via PayPal and I will send payment requests to the winning bidder. Once you make a bid someone has until midnight to counter bid, if they do not you win that piece. It is that easy!

Thank you for your time, if you are taking part good luck and please if you can share.

The Following Original Art Auctions Are Still Live

I AM GROOT –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055845331394&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Mighty Mouse –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055603325344&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Rocket Raccoon & Groot –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055516763180&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Batman –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055450041512&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Star Trek OS Teddy Bear Mash-Ups –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055363999361&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Star Wars Bears Chewbacca, Han Solo & Princess Leia –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062698702724&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

My Little Pony Pinkie Pie –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062568459468&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Popeye the Sailor Man –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062122408317&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Lefty Love Shark –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207061932283564&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

I AM BABY GROOT – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207070215330635&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

HONG KONG PHOOEY – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069179584742&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

MINIONS – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069334908625&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

DEADPOOL TEDDY BEAR – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069449831498&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069556954176&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

ROCKET RACCOON AND BABY GROOT – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069630636018&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

DANGERMOUSE AND PENFOLD – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069721918300&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

MATT SMITH DOCTOR WHO TEDDY BEAR –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069844241358&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

ELSA – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207069989204982&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

MY LITTLE PONY DEADPOOL – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207070064886874&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

 

Original Facebook Art Auction To Help Raise Legal Funds #Art #Auction #FathersRights

My Facebook Art Auctions

This is a small selection of the illustrations I have drawn over the last four years. If you are interested in taking part look for the #Auction on my Facebook profile or scroll below. This isn’t selling for the sake of selling though… I have a very valid urgent reason why I am parting with so many pieces.

am stuck in the middle of a custody battle that for no reason has turned nasty and I am being blocked from seeing my children for no other reason other than my ex-wife can. The proceeds of these auctions is to raise legal funds to pay for a Lawyer, and to support my fight to retain my rights as father to see my children and to give them a say in their custody futures. I want to give them the independent voice to make their own choice.

I am not asking for money for nothing, and I am putting up original pieces of art up on Facebook to be bid on. I’ve sold several pieces and I have more to post.

To bid click on the link of the item that interests you, and then put your dollar amount in the comment section below the Auction item, all payments will be made via PayPal and I will send payment requests to the winning bidder.

New Auction sets go up Noon (EST) USA with one item posting every fifteen minutes until all items are up. Thank you for your time, if you are taking part good luck and please if you can share.

The Following Original Art Auctions Are Still Live

I AM GROOT –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055845331394&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Winnie The Pooh Hulk –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055715288143&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Mighty Mouse –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055603325344&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Rocket Raccoon & Groot –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055516763180&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Batman –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055450041512&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Star Trek OS Teddy Bear Mash-Ups –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207055363999361&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Star Wars Bears Chewbacca, Han Solo & Princess Leia –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062698702724&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

My Little Pony Pinkie Pie –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062568459468&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Dynamic Action Tristan the Teddy Bear –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062370654523&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Baby Winnie the Pooh & Tigger –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062248291464&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Popeye the Sailor Man –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207062122408317&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Lefty Love Shark –  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207061932283564&set=a.2119684988543.2129382.1138345890&type=1

Check Out The Full Cover For The Cuddly Defenders Comic: Out Of The Attic 2

Hello Teddy Bear Fans, here is the full cover for Out Of The Attic 2; this dynamic cover by Josh Lyman showing our hero Tristan the Teddy Bear and the evil Blue Skin Shaman Ex Cearula being sucked down a portal. Lots of fun, lots of action and motion in this piece. You can view the complete cover after the jump, and pre-order this adventure comic here.

Into Strange Lands we go, as Tristan keeps to his quest to keep children safe from the Monsters under the bed, you can start reading his illustrated and comic book adventures here.

Drawing Outside Your Comfort Zone – Learning How To Draw

The last couple of years I got asked this question at every show, ‘what advice can you give me about learning to draw?’ It confuses me a little bit, because my skills are not overwhelming and are limited. My reply is normally gesturing at my work and saying, ‘are you sure you asking the right person?’

My art has been part of a long journey for me, I am really only in my third year of picking up a pencil after an almost fifteen year break, the reasons for picking up that pencil are personal and part of a long healing process that pulled me out of a tail-spinning depression.  I am under no illusion about my skills and I can only ever best describe my illustrating prowess as a work in progress. I have though got better, and can offer this advice.

First Pencil Back – April 2012

You Get Better… August 2015

It Is Like A Muscle

Drawing, indeed any skill is like exercising a muscle it only gets stronger. For this to happen you need to exercise as often as you can and you need to vary that exercise to develop that muscles shape and tone. In short you want to learn to draw… You have to draw. Art schools, teachers and classes can increase your technical skill level, but they cannot teach you how to draw.

Calvin And Hobbes by Me

That comes from you, from practicing, from growing your skills, not being afraid to draw outside your comfort zone and applying what you learned to new work, evolving your style.

Yes, I Went To Class But…

Now I went to art class at school and college, and it was a large part of my Graphic Design degree course. I had the benefit of learning techniques, but with all art classes you are limited in what you are allowed to explore. Again it comes down to you… At the time I was reading a lot of 2000AD, so like any comic book fan who could draw (a little bit) I spent hours copying from my contemporary masters- the likes of Simon Bisely (ABC Warriors), Carlos Ezquerra, Mike McMahon (Early Judge Dredd) were a huge influence on me at the time… This is how many illustrators learn, first you copy, they you learn your form, and you create.

Chinese Dress Anime Nurse

Hero Ted Origins – First Page

Keep Pushing

No matter your route into drawing, into illustrating, you need to keep pushing yourself, learn new things, new techniques, play with different mediums and seek to improve yourself. Only you can push yourself down this path and discover your own way. No one else will do it for you, you have to learn what works for you and keep trying to expand your skill base, and figure your drawing style… Only you can create art.

Good luck, don’t stop and keep pushing.

If you are interested in viewing my art, (and you have been warned) click art tab at the top of this page.

Be good to the world now

A Father’s Love

It was not until I became a Father did I learn,

the weight of responsibility it brings.

Only then did I see what my Father did for me.

It means sacrifice, humility, patience and pain.

A shield against your child’s world,

you take the hit, deflect the blow, protect,

always protect…

You live to see that smile,

the laugh, the hug, and the moment of connection.

To see them win,

to carry them across the finishing line,

to help them unlock their potential…

One day perhaps when you are grown we will sit down and talk,

for even when I am locked away from you,

barred by paper bounds, thoughtless actions,

words that seeking to control, to limit,

that have no sense other than to feed a lie,

but control so much…

That will take away my means to help and embrace you.

I hope you know…

While my heart still beats I will never stop fighting for your happiness…

That I love you…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Turn The Superhero Movie Gold Rush Into Fool’s Gold

Superheroes… Superheroes… Superheroes… There has been an explosion in Superhero movies this decade, from Marvel rolling out the really quite well done Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and with DC finding their footing with the awkward start to the DC Movie Universe (DCMU) with Man Of Steel.

We also have FOX churning out X-Men movies and still trying to figure out the Fantastic Four (it really isn’t that hard? Dysfunction family with super powers that explore other worlds and uses science yo!) and Sony trying (and finally giving up) with Spider-man. Then we can count all the independents that with various successes that have appeared, are we now perhaps hitting saturation point?

An Act Of Will

I cannot blame the studios, it is a gold rush and anything with Superheroes attached to it is almost a guarantee to make money… almost… FOX really did find away to turn gold into fool’s gold, all they had to do was forget about the characters, the source, employ a one-trick director and operate on a we know better than our audience level.

Instead of a superhero adventure movie featuring the first family of Marvel, who are essentially science explorers and are known for their dysfunctional dynamic. We ended up with an over-boiled trudging plot disaster, that was gritty and dark where it really wasn’t needed, (yes, I am talking about the Fantastic Four), and effectively scared away almost its entire audience base.

Now that takes a significant act of will to execute.

You Got To Have Character

In comic books all characters have certain tropes that signify who they are, for example Captain America is a genuine good person, Superman is the ultimate Boy Scout, Wolverine is a borderline savage killer, Deadpool is a jerk, Tony Stark is an egotistic futurist, Reed Richards is a fixated scientist, Black Widow is scarely efficient, and Batman is a grim-crime fighter etc… etc…

When the character moves away from his tropes the movie is in trouble and you end up with a mess (ain’t that right Fantastic Four). Respect the source material, the spirit of the book, the character personalities and you can so easily get a good movie without breaking a sweat, (explain to me again why they just didn’t make both the Storm siblings African-American?)

It Is Escapism, Not Realism

There is an odd movement in comic books at the moment that you have to make Superheroes realistic, that you have to explain their powers or the audience cannot connect with the character. This is nonsense, audiences connect with the characters personality and their traits, not with their powers (character first!) And anyhow… You’re filming a movie about a bunch of people who have nonhuman powers and dress up in tights (and sometimes cape) to fight crime/aliens/super-villains. What has realism have to do with it?

Superhero movies are pure escapism, if you get bogged down in trying to explain how powers work you lose the point of what a Superhero movie is (again looking at you Fantastic Four). The audience is already has decided to buy into your work, and has a suspension of disbelief built-in. So… Take them for a ride. One of the reasons the first Kick-Ass movie worked so well is because it was an ultra-violent parody that didn’t trying to explain anything, it went over the top and reveled in what it was… And Kick-Ass was supposed to be a movie about what happens in the real world when people put costumes on and fight crime.

Batman was overloaded with grit, darkness and morality and did very well because in the end it stayed true to the Dark Knights world, and again that was another movie that supposed to represent Batman in a more realistic way. Guardians of the Galaxy proved that audiences will accept absurdity, I mean come on a talking Raccoon and a Walking Tree is not the best opening pitch for a movie; and that did bank because it leant on its space opera origins.

What made them work as movies was tropes… Character and story… They stayed true.

Fool’s Gold

We’ve seen in the hands of the big boy studios like Sony popular characters like Spider-man flop so hard they gave it back to MCU. FOX is on a personal crusade to release confused messes involving the X-Men and the Fantastic Four is totally failing to gain traction, (again how hard is it to make a Fantastic Four movie?). We are witnessing the DCMU struggle to find its feet basing their universe of the woeful misery that is Man Of Steel. At the moment we only have the MCU getting it right, (although they are running the danger of getting to formulaic). Unless attention is paid to the character, to the story, a Superhero movie is nothing more than fool’s gold.

Audiences vote with their feet, in this social media age if that Superhero movie is a five-finger stinker then word get’s around pretty fast, and you end up with a $120 million turd, wrecked careers and a franchise that really does deserve better treatment becoming almost untouchable (really do I have to say it again who I am talking about?)

They deserve better… The characters and the audience.

Bubble Popping?

With Superhero movies everywhere at the moment we do stand a very real chance of the super-bubble popping and the audiences starting to yearn for more grounded action. It already happened for the Minions, audiences turn so very easily… So no resting on the laurels, tell a good story, keep to the character tropes and that Superhero property will be golden.

Okay… I’ve said enough… Peace…