 |
||
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Here is another great comic strip by Bob Toben. Car humor is always appreciated at Champion City Comics.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
COMICS FROM THE EDGE #136
 |
||
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
After a long absence, Bob Toben has returned with another delightful addition to Comics From The Edge.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
BLACK CANARY PIN UP BY A. KAVIRAJ
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Our resident artist and comic book guru, A. Kaviraj, has delivered yet another great piece of artwork. This pin-up of Black Canary is fun and all I can say is, "Baby got back".
Friday, December 21, 2012
SWITCHBLADE GUNSMITH AT KICKSTARTER
Johnny Jaye is a friend at Champion City Comics and his Switchblade Gunsmith is currently looking for backers at Kickstarter. Click here to view their page. For those of you not familiar with Kickstarter, it is a site where comic book creators pitch their stories to the public and earn donations for their projects.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
THE ABSURDITY OF SUPERHERO COSTUMES
Ok let's talk about some absurd superhero costumes. We are supposed to believe that Superman is unidentifiable because he wears glasses, and Green Lantern as well because he has on an eye mask. Supergirl wore a wig, so does this mean that if Superman had a band aid on his face he would be unrecognizable?
'Hello Lois.'
'Who are you???'
'I'm sorry-let me take off this band aid'.
'Oh! Superman! I didn't recognize you with that band aid!'
People in the comics world seem to be suffering from some kind of facial recognition brain disorder. The worst is Wonder Woman. She looks the exact same as Diana Prince but no one knows she's Wonder Woman? WTF?
A really absurd costume is Yellow Jacket's:
Why someone would block his peripheral vision with a getup like that and go fight crime is a mystery.
Another absurdity is why superhero chicks find it necessary to stick out their butt when they fight. The men don't do that.
What if the guys had to dress like this:
Here's another one-imagine trying to fight in a getup like Spawn's:
Do I have to explain why this would be self-defeating? Yeah, I'm gonna go fight crime and wear an elaborate opera getup. It would be difficult to just sit down in something like this much less fight. Criminy.
What about Arsenal:
Dude has a metal arm, which should weigh a ton even if it's made out of the lightest strong metal titanium-wouldn't he get scoliosis from something like this pulling on one side of his spine???
And how does the THING even go to the bathroom? Does someone help him wipe? Cause....
A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, Rapid City #2, and The End of Paradise.
'Hello Lois.'
'Who are you???'
'I'm sorry-let me take off this band aid'.
'Oh! Superman! I didn't recognize you with that band aid!'
People in the comics world seem to be suffering from some kind of facial recognition brain disorder. The worst is Wonder Woman. She looks the exact same as Diana Prince but no one knows she's Wonder Woman? WTF?
A really absurd costume is Yellow Jacket's:
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Another absurdity is why superhero chicks find it necessary to stick out their butt when they fight. The men don't do that.
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
What about Arsenal:
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Dude has a metal arm, which should weigh a ton even if it's made out of the lightest strong metal titanium-wouldn't he get scoliosis from something like this pulling on one side of his spine???
And how does the THING even go to the bathroom? Does someone help him wipe? Cause....
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, Rapid City #2, and The End of Paradise.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
PERSPECTIVE (ADULT LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE)
Writer: Darrin O'Toole
Pencils and Ink: A. Kaviraj
Lettering: Magnus
Check out the latest noir thriller!
Perspective
Pencils and Ink: A. Kaviraj
Lettering: Magnus
Check out the latest noir thriller!
Perspective
Monday, December 17, 2012
COVERS PROJECT: DETECTIVE COMICS #371
Our resident artist and comics guru, A. Kaviraj, likes to send me comic book covers for posting. Last week he sent me Detective Comics #371 from 1968 which features Batman fighting a group of thugs while Batgirl faces a major problem of her own. I think it is good to post this cover because Gail Simone, the writer of Batgirl, was recently notified via e-mail that she was no longer working on the title. Ouch!
A GREAT REVIEW OF THE AMAZING MISTER X
The Amazing Mister X is an anthology of stories inspired by the 1940s superhero. Darrin O'Toole and our very own A. Kaviraj and Magnus won second prize for a competition that resulted in this anthology. The Amazing Mister X is getting some good press and Down The Tubes has a great review.
Here is an excerpt: The book then goes on to publish the strip by the Dundee Comics Prize winner, Steve Marchant, which Chris says "undercuts the tome of the usual superhero story with a playful satire on the mythology of the superhero". Personally I prefer the Darren O'Toole written and A Kaviraj illustrated runner-up strip (above) which sets the scene for a potential ongoing series that the actual winner did not, while the other runner-up, Gavin Boyle, presents an amusing Scottish themed tongue-in-cheek version of the character. A further 11 stories from the competition cover a multitude of styles and ideas, some rather more interesting than others, giving a total of 14 new strips with the character, echoing the original number of 1940s episodes.
Here is an excerpt: The book then goes on to publish the strip by the Dundee Comics Prize winner, Steve Marchant, which Chris says "undercuts the tome of the usual superhero story with a playful satire on the mythology of the superhero". Personally I prefer the Darren O'Toole written and A Kaviraj illustrated runner-up strip (above) which sets the scene for a potential ongoing series that the actual winner did not, while the other runner-up, Gavin Boyle, presents an amusing Scottish themed tongue-in-cheek version of the character. A further 11 stories from the competition cover a multitude of styles and ideas, some rather more interesting than others, giving a total of 14 new strips with the character, echoing the original number of 1940s episodes.
Friday, December 14, 2012
JEFFREY BROWN AND TALES FROM THE VOID
Jeffrey Brown is a comic book artist and writer. His works include The Incredible Change-Bots and Darth Vader & Son. Jeffrey sent A. Kaviraj, the artist for Tales From The Void, a sketch this week that was inspired by Tales From The Void. This is fantastic!
 |
|
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Thursday, December 13, 2012
ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE AMAZING MISTER X
The Amazing Mister X has been printed and you need to pick up a copy of this fantastic comic book. Back in October we posted a story about how Kav, Darrin O'Toole, and Magnus won second place with this comic, we'd love for you to grab a copy, so to order The Amazing Mister X .
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
COMICS FROM THE EDGE #135
COMIC BY BOB TOBEN
Here is a little Christmas humor from our very own Bob Toben.
Friday, December 7, 2012
COVERS PROJECT: JIMMY OLSEN #79
Our resident artist and comic book guru, A. 'Kav' Kaviraj, sends me images of comic book covers for posting, and his most recent selection is the 1964 release Jimmy Olsen #79. Titled 'The Red-Headed Beatle of 1000 BC', we see Jimmy playing some sort of horn to a crowd of Dorthy Hamill clones. Awesome.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
MEGAMAN BY JOE HAEMMERLE
 |
||
| Click to enlarge |
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A URITORCO PREVIEW BY VICTOR POZZI
Champion City Comics artist and writer, Victor Pozzi, has submitted another preview of his upcoming webcomic titled Uritorco. If you missed the first pages he submitted then click here to view. Enjoy.
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Monday, December 3, 2012
WHY WE CREATE
I met a girl recently who saw one of my drawings and said, “Wow, you must have a lot of free time.” I took offense to this, not because it implies I’m just sitting around with nothing to do and think to myself "Maybe I’ll draw a picture". I took offense to the logic of it. All time is free time. This is your life, you only get one, and you decide what you do with it. After you’ve satisfied the human needs for food and shelter, and companionship and belonging and blah blah blah, the rest of your day is up to you. You can choose to follow national sports, be a bird watcher, have a huge family, or watch television. Some people choose art and, specifically, to create comic books. Why is that?
Artists draw because they can’t not draw. They draw on napkins, grocery lists, homework sheets, steamy shower doors, everywhere. People talk to me about politics or sports, or my wife says, ‘We need to talk about finances’, or my doctor says, ‘We need to operate because that cancerous forehead tumor is growing,’ but I just find myself thinking about my latest drawing, or studying their facial features (“how does the far eye wrap around in 3/4 view?”, “the corners of the mouth do line up with the inside of the eye”, “impressive brow ridge, I wonder if he’s got Neanderthal DNA …”). And those that are committed choose to study in a field that is as innate to human culture as farming; it involves an understanding of chiaroscuro, atmospheric perspective, the importance of contrapposto and more; and the fellow students and masters along the way include Polykleitos, da Vinci, NC Wyeth, Will Eisner, Al Williamson, David Mack and thousands of others.
Comics are an ancient art form. The use of sequential images to communicate a narrative goes back at least as far as cave drawings. The Egyptians and Greeks both used them to communicate their religion, history and culture. It predates writing by thousands of years and was a precursor to modern writing: ancient alphabets were an amalgamation of representations and abstract symbols, much like the Chinese alphabet is now. It’s also a precursor to modern television, being a combination of sequential images and text/dialogue/narration. For the last century it’s gained popularity as a children’s medium, but it’s also created cultural and politically iconic figures and won prestigious literary awards like the Hugo and Pulitzer.
The beauty is it being both accessible and limitless in nature. Comic books can be anything the creator decides to make. Apart from the brilliant artwork and masterful writing, comics are exceptional in that they are a medium where the final product is as close as possible to the creator’s original intent. There isn’t interference from editors, market researchers, PR-people, bloodsuckers and leeches. Storytellers can take chances in comics because there aren’t millions of dollars at stake. Are you tired of every sitcom being the same, tired of another Law and Order spinoff, another damn Michael Bay movie? Comics can uniquely combine the depth and insight of literature with the visual bad-ass-ness of Hollywood, and, sometimes, depending on the right collaborators, the sweeping beauty of a poem.
Let this then be a challenge to all my fellow creators, as well. This is a unique opportunity we all have; let us do something extraordinary with it. Never before has there been such a potential audience within reach of every day people. If you have a mind-bending story, put it out there. Want to draw a story backwards, with the characters slowly eroding from photo-realism to stick figures to metaphorically communicate whatever, do it. The only limitations are your imagination and skill, and both of those, like any muscle, are both expanded through practice.
Any time I see a Kickstarter project for a comic about someone whose parents were murdered so they don a costume to avenge injustices, I see a missed opportunity. Taking a tired idea and adding a twist isn’t enough; Mark Millar may be making millions off it, but if you’re just starting out, bring something new to the table. If someone is looking to read a story with a familiar backdrop, they’ll do it with the familiar character by the familiar creator’s and the familiar publisher. If you’re just starting out doing webcomics, self-publishing, or independent work, take the chances now.
That said, keep an eye out for my upcoming webcomic. It’s about a group of individuals born differently from everyone else, and they must learn to live in a world that fears and hates them. One faction will want to peacefully co-exist, the other will want to secede and force it’s will upon the others. I think it has potential.
Ryan Cairns is a contributing writer and comic book artist at Champion City Comics.
“One night I lay in bed, and I hear Momma and Papa talking. I hear Papa tell Mama, ‘Let that boy boogie woogie. Because it’s in him, and it’s got to come out.” – John Lee Hooker
Artists draw because they can’t not draw. They draw on napkins, grocery lists, homework sheets, steamy shower doors, everywhere. People talk to me about politics or sports, or my wife says, ‘We need to talk about finances’, or my doctor says, ‘We need to operate because that cancerous forehead tumor is growing,’ but I just find myself thinking about my latest drawing, or studying their facial features (“how does the far eye wrap around in 3/4 view?”, “the corners of the mouth do line up with the inside of the eye”, “impressive brow ridge, I wonder if he’s got Neanderthal DNA …”). And those that are committed choose to study in a field that is as innate to human culture as farming; it involves an understanding of chiaroscuro, atmospheric perspective, the importance of contrapposto and more; and the fellow students and masters along the way include Polykleitos, da Vinci, NC Wyeth, Will Eisner, Al Williamson, David Mack and thousands of others.
Comics are an ancient art form. The use of sequential images to communicate a narrative goes back at least as far as cave drawings. The Egyptians and Greeks both used them to communicate their religion, history and culture. It predates writing by thousands of years and was a precursor to modern writing: ancient alphabets were an amalgamation of representations and abstract symbols, much like the Chinese alphabet is now. It’s also a precursor to modern television, being a combination of sequential images and text/dialogue/narration. For the last century it’s gained popularity as a children’s medium, but it’s also created cultural and politically iconic figures and won prestigious literary awards like the Hugo and Pulitzer.
The beauty is it being both accessible and limitless in nature. Comic books can be anything the creator decides to make. Apart from the brilliant artwork and masterful writing, comics are exceptional in that they are a medium where the final product is as close as possible to the creator’s original intent. There isn’t interference from editors, market researchers, PR-people, bloodsuckers and leeches. Storytellers can take chances in comics because there aren’t millions of dollars at stake. Are you tired of every sitcom being the same, tired of another Law and Order spinoff, another damn Michael Bay movie? Comics can uniquely combine the depth and insight of literature with the visual bad-ass-ness of Hollywood, and, sometimes, depending on the right collaborators, the sweeping beauty of a poem.
Let this then be a challenge to all my fellow creators, as well. This is a unique opportunity we all have; let us do something extraordinary with it. Never before has there been such a potential audience within reach of every day people. If you have a mind-bending story, put it out there. Want to draw a story backwards, with the characters slowly eroding from photo-realism to stick figures to metaphorically communicate whatever, do it. The only limitations are your imagination and skill, and both of those, like any muscle, are both expanded through practice.
Any time I see a Kickstarter project for a comic about someone whose parents were murdered so they don a costume to avenge injustices, I see a missed opportunity. Taking a tired idea and adding a twist isn’t enough; Mark Millar may be making millions off it, but if you’re just starting out, bring something new to the table. If someone is looking to read a story with a familiar backdrop, they’ll do it with the familiar character by the familiar creator’s and the familiar publisher. If you’re just starting out doing webcomics, self-publishing, or independent work, take the chances now.
That said, keep an eye out for my upcoming webcomic. It’s about a group of individuals born differently from everyone else, and they must learn to live in a world that fears and hates them. One faction will want to peacefully co-exist, the other will want to secede and force it’s will upon the others. I think it has potential.
Ryan Cairns is a contributing writer and comic book artist at Champion City Comics.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)