In Brightest Day!

My Friend Martin is a massive Green Lantern geek, and I too enjoy the character of Hal Jordon. I was a bit miffed they didnt have him in the Justice League cartoon because they needed a 'Black Guy' so tell me who would have sold better as a toy Hal or John Stewart?? Well although we may never know the fact the Green Lantern figures were the ONLY ones left on the shelves might prove this theory of debate.

Anyway back to Hal, I think once DC got over the lets make him go insane storyline and everybody else started doing it they realised what an integral character he was in the Universe and began cleaning up their mess.Darwyn Cookes main use of Green Lantern in 'The New Frontier' I think solidified that Hal was a man to be reckoned with.

So this will be my last picture post for this year tomorrow I'll look at 2008 as a whole and review the personal highs and lows!

The Year Without an Xbox360!

This Picture of me was taken at Disneyland I think it was called 'Animation Studio' but that was a bit of lie. All you did was copy an artist drawing a character no animation was to be used. For this session it was how to draw Jack Skellington! Thanks to Mona for the Photo!!
I hope everbody has a great Holiday season this year, despite me spending it at home on my own well thats not totally true I have my dog to keep me company. I got some presents left for me but I knew what I was getting before I opened them! A couple of video games for my Nintendo DS Wario: Master of Disguise and Super Mario Bros. And the only dvd I recieved was the Platinum edition of the classic 101 Dalmations. Billie my dog didnt miss out either he got a new Squeeky Toy to play with!

I still don't have a new X-Box 360 I guess that will come next year.

So prepare yourselves..........It is with heartfelt regret that I inform everyone that my Perhapanauts cover will not be out in January 2009 in fact not for awhile. This is nobodies fault no-one is responsible. I'm upset yeah who wouldn't be but you know crap happens and worse things are going on in the world today to give a damn about a stupid cover.

I was emailed today by Todd and he told me the news and the reasons behind the decision and it makes alot of sense. I'm not the only one to have lost out in this, I only worked on the outside but a bunch of people worked on the inside of the special Halloween issue and now it will be skipped and may be released september of 2009. If I had to look at an upside my name will be published again in a future previews heh!

So what for me now? I have always tried to keep an honest blog. If something happens I tell it as it is! I'm totally Broke, Broker than Broke really. I've been calling around trying to get work one thing as an artist is that everybody wants something for nothing that your art is just a hobby and you should feel honoured they like it and want to use it. But nothing doesnt pay the bills!

Quite a few times have I been in this trap. A few years ago a friend of my fathers came up with a grand plan for selling t-shirts my dad told him that I was an artist and he wanted to see me. I didn't want to do it I could smell a waste of time. But on my dads constant harping I agreed to look into it. After five minutes in the meeting I knew this was just crap and wanted nothing to do with it. But my dad wouldnt let it go so I did the work, and then the guy turned around and said we've decided to no longer pursue this. Man was I pissed. The guy was a Locksmith and if he put some locks in for me and I turned around and said hey you know I've changed my mind and am not gonna pay you It would be just EXACTLY the same but no they do not understand this for anyone who is not of an artistic nature.

Well my christmas movie tonight was Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. This is believed to be the first time that Frankenstein's Monster was referred too as 'Franky' But as we know he was really called Herman hahah. Funny Movie though Been a longtime fan of the Wolfman too so was great to have Lon Chaney Jr back in the role and a great cameo by Vincent Price!

A Christmas Spectacular!!

Its been great to actually DRAW again after so long, I'm beginning to get the angst of is it 'good enough,' once again which isn't a feeling I've had for well over a month! I've really missed it, well the Drawing part!
As you can see from the above image my Christmas Card is finished and been sent out to most of my online friends. I say most because I have so many thanks to myspace and facebook I'm bound to forget someone, If you never recieved one my apologies its been so difficult remembering everybody!!

Watched a few films lately, I finally watched the Sinbad: Eye of the Tiger. Seeing a young Jane Seymour was very funny know what a cold and heartless woman she is in real life. What was the point of the Minotaur character or 'Minoton' as they called it seemed totally wasted!! I also found out later that Peter Mayhew 'Chewbacca' was the guy behind the Bull Mask prior to doing chewie! The blonde girl was certainly fetching but when a girl falls for a Baboon you need to ask questions. Serious Questions....

Dellamorte Dellamore this is right up there with my all time favorite horror movies, Made in Italy and going under the name of Cemetary Man in the US I caught this on late night television on SBS years ago. I love this film so much I imported this dvd especially from Italy because it still hasnt seen a release here for whatever reason.



Also as a special Christmas treat our local digital station ABC2 on Saturday Night gave us a screening of HR PufNStuf The Movie! One of my earliest memories as a toddler is seeing Jimmy Battle it out with Witchiepoo for that magic flute on saturday mornings every week. I only ever saw the movie once in a school hall. So it was cool to see Jimmy in the real world first before he landed on Living Island! I felt I was reliving my childhood in those two hours too much fun! One think that always bothered me was when Pufnstuf was on other shows he never looked the same he always seemed off unless it was on the show. I dont think they ever got the extra puppets right for him.

My new phone came with a redeemable voucher for a 'free' wireless pre paid access usb dongle thingy so I will be able to use that whenever I am visiting Melbourne, Bruny Island or out and about from now on with my laptop. Unless I dont have any money for credit then I'm screwed!

The Cartoony Bettie Page Tribute!

As you know a few weeks ago I recieved the most degrading comment I have ever recieved at an interview the word 'Cartoony' is an insult I will not soon forget and indeed it continues with other comments I have recieved since then on numerous forums and email rejections. So Bloody What?? I just dont get the justification that something HAS to be PHOTOREALISTIC!!

Am I alone in this? Should I bow to pressure and look at just trashing a style I have honed and nurtured and that people seem to like That I Like!! To start again and draw like Alex Ross does? I dont think So......

Please Let me know what you think of my Bettie Page tribute yes its 'Cartoony' grrrrrr.

Frank Castle

One day Frank Castles family were brutally murdered. As he held his bloodied wife in his arms he promised that day, he would avenge their deaths by systematically killing everyone involved in the slaying. Which He Did......

But it never stopped Franks 'One Man War' against every Scum continues and the only way it will stop is if he's dead first!

From all accounts the new Punisher film 'Warzone' hasn't done too well at the US Box Office, I personally believe theres been an overload of Comic Book related works this year. And I think this may be the major reason reason for its failure. I havent even seen the Original Thomas Jane film as yet. Yes I have seen the Dolph version dont hold that against me.

Despite this I always liked the character of Frank ever since I read my very first punisher story that was a reprint of his first appearance in Amazing Spiderman. Remember 'Marvel Tales' ?

When I was at comic con this year I picked up a Punisher figure that was supposed to be a representation of his first appearance but to be honest its very generic looking they didn't even put those weird eyebrows he originally had. With that in mind my versions more in line with the latest take. No weird eyebrows But I love the classic costume so it stays and those weird web things behind him are supposed to be bullet holes yeah I know they look like retarded webbing oh well..........

and Yes I have been feeling guilty of not posting artwork for awhile.

Death Blow!

I finally began the arduous task of designing my Christmas card this weekend. For those in the know I've been suffering from chronic Back and Chest pain this past week believed to be the after effects of my very bad cold I have had. It was getting to the point of ridiculous and I needed to get out of the mindset of 'I'll be alright' to actually going to the Doctors. So I have and thankfully it wasnt pneumonia but an infection. I have all the necessary pills now to hopefully clear things up!

'Last Rites' has been set back quite alot because of my health, so much I know I'm not gonna make my self-imposed deadline at the end of the month for it. So I've had to extend and delay working on it a little longer and it will be January now.

This week I also lost Two people in my life in the spate of the same day, First My step-grandmother who passed away suddenly my parents and I were at her house the other day we couldnt do much as the police were there with Forensics and Police detectives which seemed surreal. We were trying to find stuff to contact her relatives she had left it up to my mother to do all the work of organising that which was really unfair of her. My Nan was a very selfish woman she always seemed bitter and towards the end she got just nasty to everyone. I remember being five years old and her giving me a Boiled Lolly I swallowed it whole and almost choked. They also had ducks and chickens I used to always visit and say hello too.

The Man she was married to my fathers dad, I loved dearly he died 8 years prior. I remember visiting them and he would always start throwing punches and wanting to fight me, this went on for years until one day I punched him back and it stopped hahaha!! I miss him so much.

Her relatives and neighbours are what you would call vultures, as soon as they heard she had died they began calling wanting to know where the will was and how much the house was worth.
As we are not blood related we get nothing when my pop passed it all went to my nan so as she never had children it goes to her relatives.

The second was Bettie Page, I first learnt drawing women from pictures of her. I have two books one was her Autobiography 'A Life Of A Pin-Up Legend' and the second was a release of artworks for Dark Horse Comics.

You should check out the first book she had a very hard life and was totally a very nice lady. I really wish I could have met her, but it seemed it was never meant to be.

Artists like Olivia and the late Dave Stevens both used her for inspiration. She meant alot to alot of people. Atleast in her pictures she will forever be the Immortal Bettie Page!

Sorry for their being no happy post this time around I hope that next one will be more cheery!

Saving a Princess

I haven't updated in a few days, I've been a bit of aloof while I work these things out, that which I hate most that being 'Life'. From this weekend I will be spending the rest of my Christmas alone. No chestnuts cooking on an open fire and No Jack Frost nipping on my nose. Oh well its not the first Christmas and it wont be the last!

I got myself a new phone as the other was 2 years old and despite being good for what I needed. My contract was almost expired and it was a better option . The fact it came with a great gift certificate didnt hurt so I got a Nintendo DS with it.
So with my birthday money in hand I got some games Professor Layton and Zelda. A friend had one and since I'm such a Nintendo Addict wondered why I never bought one (main reason no money). When I got the opportunity a few weeks back at the video game expo to play some games it was the DS that stood out. So I had a friend who works at the store show me the best valued which turned out to be the Guitar Hero Version! So I have been rescuing princess' all weekend and having fun playing with the stylus!

I also had a big blowout with my ISP recently they screwed my account well and good this month and have had nothing but problems with them since getting back home. They act as if its my fault but they screwed up!!

Been trying to catchup with my Summer Glau Obsession, I'm almost up to date with the all the Sarah Connor Chronicles and also fell behind on the new season of Heroes which lets face it, has gone major down hill since all the actors have become famous and the stories rubbish!



Finally saw Mysterious Island, it was very different to how I had remembered it. One thing that annoyed the hell out of me was it took 20minutes to get onto the island, as most of that was set on the balloon. So the pacing could have been better, I'm glad they got some of the monsters in it as they werent going too.

Skeletons of Harryhausen

A few weeks ago I got a three dvd pack of all the Sinbad films that Ray Harryhausen created. I have fond memories of renting the videos back in the 80's and I would watch them over the school holidays.

Harryhausen movies were wonderful movies to me, I remember seeing Clash of the Titans again and my brother complained that I had already seen it. But I loved that film so much and still do. I remember watching the first 10 minutes of 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' only to have the tape self-destruct inside the machine I hated when that happened. So I have been reliving my childhood memories of seeing these films again after so long. I guess this was back when I loved these movies and wanted to work in animation moving battling skeletons to fight men so they can stab them.

My favourite of course was 'Jason and the Argonauts' which I have watched again after so many years. I really fell in love with the Figure Head of Hera on the Argo and that Jason would talk to while her eyes would open and look around. When those skeletons come out of the ground it always freaked me out how they wobbled and were so fast moving. I love how jason and his men try to stab them in the ribs expecting them to die what a stupid thing to thing to think, yeah that will work!!

Dreamworks Tried to recapture the Harryhausen magic with their Sinbad movie but it didn't quite work and if I remember correctly this was final nail in the coffin for traditional animation.
I only got the dvd to this because Rodolphe Guenoden worked on it and he was featured in the extras. Rod is one of the nicest animators around.

So next up is 'Mysterious Island' which is on my queue to see, I think I remember a giant Bee in that one.

Words getting out about the upcoming comic and people wanting to see it. I'm reluctant to share but I guess you will see it eventually now won't you.
Also be sure to pre-order your copy of Perhapanauts #6 due in January 2009.

The Fall of December!!

Wow Christmas Season already, I have been very good this year Santa!!
As always I'll be designing a card and sending it off to my friends.

Theres alot going on this month I plan to finish the first part of my cowboy book 'Last Rites'. It may suck but I dont care just to know that I actually Started AND Finished something that I and maybe someone else can enjoy will be a wonderful feeling. This first part introduces all the characters and gives pieces of what is to come in the future and if more is needed then that would make me extremely happy and accomplished.

The Perhapanauts cover has been given an unveiling at Todd's site, It is however an early working of the cover hes posted as I was coming close to deadline and sent it off to make sure things were heading in the direction for both me and Todd. Its the only one he had as I couldn't find the completed version and I've been fighting this flu!

It is however my first mainstream published comics work and I really hope you'll go out and buy it and support me and maybe I'll get the chance to do more and maybe get paid in future. Todd said he's only had positive reactions to it and so if you like to know how I work then its a great way to find out SEE IT HERE!!

Back in my misspent youth in the 80's I used to watch alot of Television. On Sunday Nights it was an hour of 'The Wonderful World of Disney' I hated the nature documentaries they would have but occassionally there would be the movie of the week split over Two Weeks. One such movie I remember and thinking was fantastic was 'Child of Glass' about a boy helping a girl ghost to release her from her deathly curse. I only saw it once but I could swear it was one of the best live action disneys ever. This movie has never been released on DvD, and I never saw it in the store to be honest I couldn't even remember its name. So it went into the back of my mind into legend of a great lost classic.
Until I recently decided to do a search for it, I remembered one of the actors in it and discovered its name once again. And found it had been available on VHS back in the old days but only in America.

Thankfully I was able to get a copy of it using alternate sources and I watched it last night and........ well it wasn't how I remembered it!! The acting was not great and the effects somewhat poor. However I did find out that the actress playing the sister looked familiar it was none other than an older Violet Beuragarde from 'Willy Wonka' and she was still attractive back then.

But you know somethings are best left to a childhood imagination!