The First One

May14
by on 14 May, 2012 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Season 1 Hiatus: 2012

Given the lengths to which I’m going to redo all the artwork for 6-Commando, I thought it might be interesting to see where it all started.  This, aside from some sketches, was the first 6-Commando drawing I ever did.  It’s actually at the bottom of the page, as well, in with all my publishing disclaimers.  Originally Mike was a lot smaller, more like a very heavy conventional tank.  I have no idea how his turret was supposed to traverse with those two sensor masts at the back, and the Sentinel tanks have a much more conventional look, now.  Speaking of which, if you want to Vote To See What Mr. Average Drew This Week, you’re welcome to do so!

This was a very busy and exhausting week for me.  I did a lot of travelling, had meetings with contractors, subcontractors and clients, wrote enough boilerplate to fill a binder – a BIG binder.  I also had the pleasure of seeing one of my oldest, closest friends get his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology, and win an honors award for his work in the field, AND have several of his professors tell him he was the most sophisticated and well-rounded psychologist they’ve ever known.  It was extraordinarily well-deserved, and I was thrilled to be able to be there.  It was also, of course, Mothers’ Day in the United States, so I went to see my ma.

Also, on my travels, I happened to have the opportunity to see, first hand, an M60 “Patton” Main Battle Tank at an American Legion post as I was passing through Pennsylvania.  They had it on the lawn.  So I thought what the hell and just went over and took a ton of pictures.  Though I have a very large library of reference photos, it’s rare that I have the opportunity to get such detailed and close-up ones as I did this week; it was really fascinating to be able to approach a subject that closely.

So all in all, an excellent but very worthwhile on all fronts.  And now, I rest.  And don’t forget, next week the guest story begins!  I’m looking forward to it, myself!

All the best! And don’t forget to give the fabulous contributors below some love!

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Guest Art by Shailendra Singh

May07
by on 7 May, 2012 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Season 1 Hiatus: 2012

I was going to post one of my silly little minicomics, but on Friday, quite out of the blue, I received this amazing gift by email, and I could not resist sharing it with all of you.  The artist is Shailendra Singh, who in addition to being an urban planner (sound familiar?) is the author and illustrator of a book called Sacrifice, currently up for one of the last-ever Xeric Grants; let me tell you, it’s a shoo-in.  The guy is a total, and I mean TOTAL superstar, and this piece literally blew me away.  I was just getting back from a meeting with a contractor and was sitting down to write a report, and this knocked me right out of my seat.  I had to pace around my apartment for about ten minutes to calm down enough to write back coherently.  Total awesomeness.

Samples from Shailendra’s book, by the way, can be found at his website, which you can reach by clicking the icon to the left.  And he joins the ranks of a shockingly large group of really awesome artists who have gathered to help cover my posterior on this while I pause to edit this baby for print.  I owe Shailendra and everyone else a HUGE debt for this, and his beautiful piece here gives me an awesome segue to begin the really fun part: Plugging Other People’s Work!

If you’re a frequent reader of 6-Commando, you’ll know that I always do my best to cultivate relationships with artists who intimidate me with their amazing skills in writing and drawing, and the following folks are, to me, the cream of the crop in the webcomics and graphic art world at the moment.  They are all working on guest art for 6-Commando’s Season 1 Hiatus, in the form of, (Drumroll please!) a complete guest story arc, which will begin posting here in two weeks! These amazing folks have gone out of their way to help me out, and I hope each of you will return the favor with the thanks, praise, and attention that their own work so richly deserves!  These artists include:

Chris Wrann, Author, Prisoner of War; Author and Illustrator, Aquarium Drinking.  Chris Wrann is the ringleader in all of this, and wrote the script for the guest piece you’re all (hopefully) going to be reading this summer!  He’s also published short stories and writes and draws the weekly comic Aquarium Drinking, a dark comedy about a group of friends and the many ways they find to ruin their own and each others’ lives.  He’s one of the few people in the comics world I’ve been able to talk to personally (we met at WebcomicsCon last fall) and his constant encouragement, as well as his willingness to go out on a limb to write a story for 6-Commando, leaves me greatly indebted to him!

Emily Weber, Author and Illustrator, May The Rain Come. I found Emily’s work on deviantArt.com, and was immediately enthralled by it – her style and storytelling put amazing depth and feeling into her story, far more than most people might expect from one with animal characters.  Her work is only on deviantArt at the moment as far as she’s told me, anyway (I’ve been telling her to get a website and start putting this beauty in print!), but I urge you to give it more than one look – it’s really quite amazing.

Andres “Drezz” Rodriguez, Author and Illustrator, El Cuervo. Drezz gives new meaning to “high contrast.”  His online graphic novel El Cuervo, which is drawn in sharp black and white, is an engrossing crime drama which draws heavily upon classic cinema and film noir, and his artwork is clean and high-style, and clearly quite unique.  El Cuervo is worth more than a quick look – it’s packed with nuance and detail in the art and story alike, and you’ll need more than one reading to take it all in.

Anthony Bourne, Author and Illustrator, Gen-Eg and The Smashed Infants. Tony’s illustrations take comic art in directions I’ve rarely thought possible.  He manages to make the “cartoony” and the “serious” styles meet in a way that I’ve never really seen before.  I can only really aspire to the kind of mastery his work shows, and I place him on a level with the likes of Spiegelman, without a doubt.  I actually met him briefly at NYCC last year, in my Mortal Guise, and the guy is a class act, into the bargain!

Denny Fincke, Animator, Graphic Artist; Author and Illustrator, Twit-Troo of the Moon.  Yet another class act, and another connection I made through NYCC (see a pattern developing here?  O yes!)  Denny is one of those people whose work millions have seen, even if they don’t know it.  An artist for TV shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Venture Brothers, Denny has also turned his pen to webcomics, with Twit Troo of the Moon, a fantastic adventure satire that I love, and I know you will, too!

Aviv Itzcovitz, Designer, Graphic Artist, Author and Illustrator, Stupid Snake, and others.  Aviv is one of the handful of these fine artists I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to in person, if only via the internet.  Based in Israel, Aviv illustrates an ongoing epic comic titled Stupid Snake.  Massive in its scope, hauntingly beautiful and engrossing, a work of pure graphic mastery entirely without words, two volumes of Stupid Snake are already available in print, and I cannot possibly recommend them highly enough!

Jason Brubaker, Animator, Graphic Artist; Author and Illustrator, reMIND. Jason and I “met” through the Flight Forums and started corresponding on all manner of comic-related things on a pretty regular basis.  I occasionally pitch in to help edit his comics-related site makingcomics.com, and his work is by now well known throughout the indie comics scene – and rightfully so!  Jason’s first graphic novel reMIND made a huge splash last year, and he’s now posting new pages weekly as the second part moves towards print.

James Hohenstein, Author and Illustrator, Stymie. James’ comic Stymie is one of the most unique blends of genres I’ve yet seen.  Other people have taken on the task of doing Noir-style stories with animal characters, but for my money, few have managed to execute it as successfully as James has.  His intimate understanding of the visual and storytelling conventions of the film noir, combined with his heavy, moody, cross-hatching style, have made Stymie one of the most striking comics of its kind I have yet seen.

James Francis, 3D and Graphic Artist; Author and Illustrator, Outsider. James is one of the first people I talked to when I went to set up my website for 6-Commando, and it was his early advice that really helped me get off the ground.  If you read his online comic Outsider, a slick, epic, golden age space opera, you’ll see quite clearly that I owe a great deal of my inspiration to his sharp linework and cel-shaded coloring style.  And his comic has hot blue warrior women in outer space, so what’s NOT to like?

Joost Haakman, Graphic Artist; Author and Illustrator, Semmie the Forest Gnome. Joost, by this point, needs no introduction.  Hell, he’s a character in the story now, for goodness’ sake!  Joost and I connected through the Flight Forums a long time back, and he and we’ve kept in contact ever since.  His book Semmie the Forest Gnome is a personal favorite of mine, and he’s even done some very lovely pieces of guest art here in the past, as well!  His book is now available in print (in hardcover, no less!) and I personally recommend it to everyone!

Tazio Bettin, Comic Artist, Graphic Artist; Co-Author and Illustrator, Rufus, Bren Gattonero, and others.  Based in Padova, Italy, Tazio Bettin is an artist of a level of skill that even the slickest professionals have reason to envy.  I can’t really say anything about it but that you have to see it for yourself.  Really.  Linework, coloring, shading, the whole nine yards – the guy knows his business.  He’s currently working on one or two short comics, but believe me, he’s a talent to watch, and no mistake.

Peter Hon, Animator, Graphic Artist; Author and Illustrator, Malden. Peter Hon is an artist who understands the allure of the bizarre.  His comic Malden draws on his own everyday experiences and mixes them with an underground comix sensibility (and a hearty admixture of street art, anime, and dozens of other influences) to produce a twisted, seductive and unmistakably unique work of art.  I have no idea what’s going on in Malden, but it is so perfectly paced and masterfully drawn that I just can’t take my eyes off it.

Matt Fitzwater, Illustrator, Made In USA. I have been a HUGE fan of Matt Fitzwater’s work on Made In USA, right from the very start.  A war story of a kindred spirit to 6-Commando (I won’t say how – just read it!) Matt’s line and ink work, if you can believe it, is done entirely by hand!  Simply amazing.  I’ve mentioned his work on the blog before, and with good reason.  I do not lie when I say that I covet his level of artistic skill, and I am certain that you’ll all agree that Made In USA is a work of pure artistic brilliance.

Tiffany McLeod, Painter, Digital Artist; Author and Illustrator, Crystal Dream. Tiffany’s work draws heavily on Manga influences, but it is by no means that – she has turned her style into something totally unique.  Her use of light and shadow and her ability to convey enormous depths of emotion with incredible economy of linework belies her self-description as a “hobbyist.”  I could hardly believe it when I found out that Crystal Dream was her first full work – I only wish I’d been as capable when I started 6-Commando!

So that’s the team!  Are you as excited as I am to see this?!  You better believe it.  But does this mean I’m just putting my feet up?  No way!  As a matter of fact, I rode this week’s high, which shattered my previous highs for readership, and plowed the energy into one of the most difficult parts of the revision, first thing: rewriting the opening scene.  Not drastically, just… Sarah seemed so passive, and she got captured so easily, and… well, if you want to, you can check a little feature I’m calling Vote To See What Mr. Average Drew This Week!  I think you know how it works.

So.  Here we are then!  Hope you stuck through this enormously long post this week, and know that there’s a lot of good stuff left to see while 6-Commando is on hiatus!  Until next week, folks!

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Pondering, Pondering…

Mar30
by on 30 March, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Posted In: Interim Postings, Ch. 2

Yes, the fateful time of year is upon us when another chapter of 6-Commando draws to a close, and as ever, is coinciding with a perception on my part of unreality as I go about my daily routine, podering at the back of my mind what to do next.  Add to that a bout of insomnia from which I briefly recovered, only to be plunged back into its depths almost at once; a very long commute on one of the most underdeveloped mass transit systems in a nation of underdeveloped mass transit; a large amount of work at… well, at work; and a generally delayed springtime in New England that is leaving me feeling a little depressed – put that all together and it’s hard to keep my brain in focus.

So, although I know it’s unlikely that you’ll see this, tucked away down here, unless you’re getting the RSS feed on this (which I recommend, by the way!) I thought I’d seek a little clarity from the readership to help me sort out what’s going to happen next with 6-Commando.

That is NOT as ominous as it sounds, by the way, I promise.  I’m not quitting or stopping or going on “the permanent vacation” so to speak, none of that.  I’m simply trying to decide what the most productive thing to do next would be, and since you guys are the beneficiaries of my madness, as it were, I thought a little reader input might help.  Yeah, that’s right, I’m opening up THAT can of worms.  So for starters let me preface this all by saying that though I’m soliciting comment, I make not guarantees that I’ll take any suggestions – think of me as the FSR, not the UNA.  Not a democracy.  But I do feel a little torn on a few things, and so I’ll lay out what’s circulating in my mind, to wit:

  • I’ve received the form email from the New York Comic Con informing me that Artist Alley registration is open;
  • I’ve recently made alterations to my process and style that have changed the general tone of the comic, art-wise (on my end, anyhow);
  • Chapter 2, though at an end, is not, as it were, “finished,” due to the computer failure in the first third of the chapter that left several pages incomplete;
  • Chapter 1, though satisfactorily completed in full color and with all lettering and line art, needs a serious overhaul before press;
  • I’ve assessed the likely financial situation for this comic, vis-a-vis the likelihood of being able to self-publish my desired “deluxe edition” of 6-Commando, Part 1, and it does not at present seem feasible unless I go for Print-On-Demand;

And so, with all that, I’d like to see what the general thought is on these issues:

  1. Is it worthwhile to try to print each chapter via POD as an individual unit?
  2. Is it worthwhile to bother rectifying the art for Chapter 1 before doing so?
  3. Should I bother to apply for space at NYCC this year?
  4. And perhaps most importantly, do you want to see Chapter 3 start up right away, or would you rather see Chapter 1 and 2 “digitally remastered” for what would effectively be a relaunch of the series?

I know this is probably all obvious to you but for whatever reason it really isn’t to me, so I’d like to know what the thought is.  To say where I am at the moment, by way of comparison, my leanings are:

  1. No
  2. Yes
  3. No
  4. Maybe

So what do you think?

9 Comments

First Strike Fails!

Jun01
by on 1 June, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Posted In: Interim Postings, Ch. 1

Well, after all that waiting and waiting and waiting, followed by more waiting, and summed up with additional waiting, 6-Commando has been denied space at New York Comic Con’s Artist’s Alley.  Ah, well.  I don’t take it personally – having worked in admissions and hiring, which is a similar kind of job, I know that sometimes you just end up getting cut, and that’s that.  And 6-Commando is a very unconventional kind of comic; with all the superheroics and vampires and Amerimanga, a cartoon-style Cold War nuclear drama in Central Africa is hardly what they expected to see, I bet!  However, I’m not one to be deterred easily.  I issued orders to my units in the field to retarget our missiles, which is to say, I’m looking into alternative exhibition space at NYCC.  And failing that, I’ll just try to go anyway and pass out cards or fliers or whatever, just to spite them!  So fear not!  The War Effort is continuing, no matter what!

And you can help!  Pass the website to friends, vote early and vote often, link 6-Commando in on your website!  And as to personal demands sent to the organizers of NYCC, I’ll simply say that you may very well think of doing that, but I couldn’t possibly comment!  (Just kidding on that last one – don’t bug anyone.  But you get where I’m coming from, at least.)  So keep up the support, because the more you do, the better the chances of 6-Commando making it in the “real world!”  I can’t do it without you – the readers!

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A few interesting side-notes…

May19
by on 19 May, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Posted In: Interim Postings, Ch. 1

I’m bound to thank everyone for their recent posts and emails of encouragement – I wasn’t fishing for them, I assure you.  Actually, my mother (who loyally reads my comic – thanks, Ma!) called me the other night and said “I don’t understand why you’d post such a downer statement on your blog.  Be more confident!”  Well, I will.  Frankly, I was really just tired at that point and my self-doubt got in the way.  Really, in the end, I am satisfied with the page.  Joost hit it on the nose (see his comment on Page 25) that the problem I had was probably that the page happened not to have a single “masterpiece element” like some others do, but he pointed out, quite correctly, that if EVERY page has some single super-drawing on it, it’ll lose its impact.  Some artists like Geof Darrow and their ilk can get away with that kind of thing, but I don’t really like to have every page at full volume.  it makes the story into a kind of sensory overload.  And in the end, this was a tension-building transition page, and suited its purpose quite well.  So I am happy.

By the way, I don’t know if it’s a sign of increased noticeability on the net, but the past two days have seen a titanic fusillade of spam on the site.  My lovely spam filter has caught it all so far, but don’t hesitate to contact me if you suspect you’re getting some bad mojo off this site (unsolicited email, browser redirects, and associated spam hijinks).  To combat the problem I’ll shortly be installing a Human Verification System for comments.  I know these things can be a hassle, but it’s best to nip spam in the bud and keep the site nice and clean.  So just, you know, fair warning.

And finally, I have to say that I love the localization function on my analytics screen.  It doesn’t give me personal information about anyone, of course, but it lets me narrow down visitors by city, ISP, and a lot of other criteria.  I mention it because I was scrolling idly through the lists this afternoon, and noticed  we had a visitor from the Baikonur Cosmodrome checking out the site on Monday.  I apologise if this puts you on the spot, whoever you are, but I find it just unbearably cool that someone at Baikonur took an interest in 6-Commando.  Keep ’em flying, friend!

Alright, enough outta me.  Back to the drawing board – where I belong!

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