Nick Davis's Blog, page 54

A Teddy Bear Tales Guest Comic published on Time for Hugs

Great news everybody, Time for Hugs has green lighted my Teddy Bear Tale Guest Comic for their marvelous Grim Sleeper webcomic, and they released it today. Check out the full Teddy Bear webcomic here.

A Teddy Bear Tale Comic Strip – Unconditional Hugs

A Teddy Bear Tale Comic by Nick Davis

Up to this point I’ve drawn single bears, small groups and some concept illustrations – Unconditional Hugs is my first ever Teddy Bear Tale Comic. A little rough, but I hope it tells a touching little story.

Out of the Attic – a story concept pencil for Tristan the Teddy Bear and the Cuddly Defenders

Out of the Attic – Pencil Concept by Nick Davis

Out of the Attic, is a concept pencil for the next set of Tristan and the Cuddly Defenders adventures. I’ve had this image in my head for the last couple of days and it was not until today I’ve had chance to sketch it out.

I use concepts to visualize story elements I want to use in the Teddy Bear Tales. In this case we see Tristan looking down from the attic watching Archer peeking into a room. The concept is full of small story hooks that may well appear in the next set of Cuddly Defender stories.  See how many you spot.

Surviving a Trip around the Sun a Slightly Foggy Look Back at 2013

Gosh, the year is almost run and as I sit here to write my year in review there is only 2 Calender days left until 2014 starts its long march. Since most of you are still with me it appears we’ve largely survived our yearly trip around the sun, it is that time I review (rather hazily) the last years events. See you after the jump.

Now how did 2013 start for me? Professionally I was stuck in a job that promised to be one thing and turned out to be something very different. Now I try in every working position I find myself in to learn what I can from my Managers/Supervisors in this case I learned what not to do. The job had great prospects and the potential was there for something great it never really was going to happen with the Manager I had running the show. Thankfully, I’ve managed to change that and now working hard to make a difference in a company that appreciates the effort, and not belittle it.

On a personal level the start of the year was rather mixed up and I wont replay events here why it was. If you have the time and patience to shift through my tweets and posts you might guess why. Things are a lot clearer now, just the courage to stay the course has to remain.

The biggest event for me this year was finally getting my unconditional Green Card, a very important document that means I could remain with my family in the USA and no longer have to go through the gut-wrenching ordeal of waiting for my Employment Authorization Document to be renewed. To finally have it my hands on my Green Card, after years of fighting for it was a surreal moment. I had come so close to being deported in 2012 and now to finally have the official right to build my life in the USA elevated me. It gave me relief and was the start of the upturn of the year for me.

Other events of this year include getting in a minor Twitter skirmish with Adam Baldwin, writing my first comic book with Tristan and the Cuddly Defenders, meeting Jim Cummings and finally replacing the radiator on my Jeep. Yeah… Big  earth shattering stuff, eh?

I mean it has been a great year for space exploration, a large rock falling from the sky,  an asteroid near miss, we’ve seen an increase in extreme weather, the sad death of actors and sports heroes, revolutions turn in on themselves, and a new Doctor on Doctor Who. And these are just worldwide events off the top of my head of this years events which are far more spectacular than mine… but I do live a fairly ordinary life, my world is not as global as some and revolves around a handful of people. I am lucky to have the talent enough to write stories that are gaining popularity and enough ability with a pencil to be able to illustrate some of those words (over 150+ pieces of Teddy Bear themed art). I am far from good, but at times I am able to glimpse at a little wonder.

This year also saw an increase in my convention attendance, a marked effort to increase the reach of the Teddy Bear Tales. I’ve appeared at Eastern Shore Con, Awesome Con, Baltimore Comic Con, Annapolis Comic Con, Southern Maryland Comic Con, Baltimore Book Festival, in store events, Free Comic Book Day at Chuck’s Comics, Virginia Comic Con and a the Annapolis Book Show. In itself this is momentous, I am terrible at selling myself, almost embarrassing so, taking these steps outside my comfort zone is incredibly difficult for me, but it is important if I want to show Tristan to the world and only I can make this happen. Change does not come to you after all, you have to make the change.

I’ve also stood in front of a classroom of children to talk about the joy of storytelling, moderated a panel on comic book writing, volunteered to run an art camp, taught my son and daughter how to draw, told fairy tales and wrote a comic.

So… What else has this year held for me? I’ve seen my kids get a year older and wiser, seeing them grow over the year has been amazing. I forget how much I am blessed by them and reminded how hard it is to not have them around. This I feel will have to change.

I am so sure so much more has happened, but my addled memory cannot recall it.  I have to say 2013 has been very much a rebuilding year for me, a spring-board onto bigger things (I hope) in 2014.

t will be impossible to predict what is to come, I know I would like to see the Teddy Bear Tales to gain some significant traction next year, that I would like to finish my latest arc with the Wonder Tales, and maybe, just maybe finish the first draft on my Legends story.  Along the way improve my illustration skills and provide better for my family. All little things, and with things with the future it is possible.

Now though we have come to the end of the year, a new one approaches, a new journey around the sun is about to begin. New stories are to be told, new adventures and a undiscovered country ahead to find them in.

I wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous new year…

Now hold on tight because here we go…

Opinion – When Did it Become Okay to Hate? #NewAEShows

This has been bothering me for some time, a shift in attitude over the last few years which has become more evident and getting the point you are rewarded the more you hate, the more you spread fear and loathing. Does that seem right?

After all when we are kids we are taught (mostly) to be good, to be kind, to be nice and that if we re it brings rewards; but what is the media teaching us? That meanness is the way forward? That the Jerk will win.

Look at the number of Reality Stars/Talking Heads that make thousands, millions even, from being controversial, from being mean, from hating, from being outrageous they get $$$ heaped upon them and their own TV shows.  A pulpit to preach their gospel from to the masses.

Many of you know I like to poke at things, I come from England and we have long satirical history of poking fun at fun at the absurd, at establishments and those who make the dumbest of decisions. Like the A&E Networks decision to let a Homophobe with hateful thoughts about Gays, some ‘Rose-tinted’ views about the Jim Crow era and some very interesting (scary) views on Child Marriage back on TV, for no other reason than the money the Network will earn from the show means more than any ‘values’ they have.

In essence they rewarded hate… After all isn’t money the all important thing in a capitalist society?

You also know that I have a huge issue with organized religion, but even more so with the Right Wing Christian Church, a group that claims to have christian values while using the Bible to justify their hatred towards minorities, because Jesus told them too? I always thought God was about love, not about how superior I am to you because this book written five hundred years after the Birth of Christ based on half-remembered legends tells me I am…  That is wrong…

So on Twitter last nice the hashtag #NewAEShows was trending, I was a little annoyed and starting poking at it, I’ve posted them in the gallery below, click-through it you want to view the barbs.

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I am tired though,  I guess the old saying that the nice guy finishes last is true, in this society, those that peddle fear, that preach hate that feed this industry of paranoia in the USA are the new cool, and that is kind of sad.

Who knew we lost, eh?

Excelsior!!! Happy 91st Birthday Stan ‘Da Man’ Lee

Stan Lee (right) meets the Dollar

Hey True Believers, love him or hate him, Stan Lee is Da Man and has helped shape wonder and imaginations of millions. He is the creator, the writer, the visionary and the man most associated with comics, and bringing them in the modern age…

Happy Birthday Sir! Excelsior!!!

And in case you need a reason to love Stan ‘Da Man’ Lee more check out the 16 Reasons Why We Love Stan Lee Lists on Buzzfeed.

Try my Ramen Noodle Christmas Left Over’s Casserole Recipe

Ramen Noodle Christmas Left Over’s Casserole after the family attacked it for first servings.

Face it… You don’t really want warmed up Turkey/Ham Christmas meal again, but you don’t want those left overs to go to waste, so here is the solution the Altworld Ramen Noodle Casserole Recipe. Trust me your family will love this thrown together moor’ish meal.

You will need:

4 packs of Ramen Noodles (pot noodles work too)
Turkey Gravy (not essential)
Turkey
Christmas Leftovers
Casserole dish

Then follow the directions below:

Open the ramen noodle packets, put the flavor packet to one side.
Break noodles up into the casserole dish.
Add vegetable left overs, spread around dish.
Pre-heat oven to 400F
If you have mash potato and stuffing add that next, spread around the dish.
Break up turkey and spread around the dish.
Layer with leftover corn casserole (or use something similar).
Pour turkey gravy into measuring cup (two cups needed or close as)
Add two cups of water to turkey gravy, then add ramen noodle flavor packets mix together.
Pour turkey gravy/ramen noodle flavoring mix over casserole spread evenly if possible.
Cover and place in over for 45 – 50 minutes.

Before serving check to see if noodles are soft, add topping like french onion or cheese then serve. Enough for a family of five and a dog.

Enjoy

Behind the scenes of Time of the Doctor and my review of the Eleventh Doctor’s final hours

Okay, I took the day to process the Time of the Doctor and Matt Smith’s final hours as the Eleventh (or is that really thirteenth) Doctor. I’m not going to beat around the bush or make this overly wordy. As episodes go, as finales go it really wasn’t that good, but in many ways that sums up the entire Matt Smith Doctor tenure. The last couple of seasons we’ve seen some really poor Who episodes only held together by Matt, and Time of the Doctor pretty much was the same thing.

It was too fractured to be really enjoyable, and instead of what I thought was going to be helter-skelter ride into darkness starting with the teleportation into the field of Angels (and the only part that was true heart stopping Whovian danger), the pace changed, stopped and shunted into a montage, slowed down and didn’t really speed up. I feel it was struggling with the vastness of the special effects and suffered for it. After all the best episodes of Doctor Who have always been the most intimate and the worse have been pure effects driven.

We were though rewarded with a very touching regeneration scene, and words that were just as touching as the infamous ‘I don’t want to go’ line of Tennant. That was done well and the final showcase of Matt’s acting talent, and the dropping of the bow tie was beautiful piece of visual storytelling… Bon voyage Sir! You did the legend proud…

You can view the behind the scenes Doctor Who confidential after the jump.

Mecha Rising in this First Teaser Trailer for the Live Action Patlabor Movie

I am a fine of realistic mecha anime shows and this Live Action Patlabor movie seems to be shaping up nicely, with sneak peeks of the ‘life-size’ Patlabor in use around Tokyo and now we have a Teaser Trailer. Check it out after the jump.

Tristan and the Cuddly Defenders dress up and sit for their Christmas Protraits

Tristan the Teddy Bear as Santa Claus

The Cuddly Defenders sat for their Christmas portraits this weekend. Finished in black ink and Derwent Inktense pencils. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all

Wilma Bunny as a Christmas Elf

Archer and Fernando as an Elf and Reindeer