Friday, March 29, 2013

Bored

Lately, I've lost all enthusiasm for RPG's. At first, I thought it was just the uglosity of the online community, or maybe internet addiction or something lame like that, so I unplugged from forums and G+. Weeks passed,games were played, internet was largely ignored.

Nope, still bored.

Prep, which has always been fun for me is now a horrible fucking chore on which I can't bring myself to spend 15 minutes. When we play, I can't wait to be done, so we can do something else. Also, it fucks with my other creative endeavors. I've already broken it to the group, but I'm not even sure I have the juice to get to my proposed close date. We had an unexpected cancellation on Sunday and I was totally fucking psyched about it. I took that as an indication that it was time to lay off.

Why am I blogging about this? I dunno, maybe somebody else feels this too and just needs a reminder that you can walk away at any time. Any time.

So long, best of luck.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Flesh Rotting Friday: Grave Robbery and more old media observations...

i was a bit taken aback to learn that this was a thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_robbery_in_the_United_Kingdom

A story about a gang of its more famous practitioners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Hare_murders

An excellent radio drama from the 1940's, which sent me on my wkihunt.
http://vimeo.com/49401911

Anyway, it seems to me that American media from the first half of the 20th century contains a lot more references to history than what has come since. I also learned about Tamerlane and Bayezid I through an old Harold Lamb novella in the July 1921 issue of Adventure. You'll have to forgive my previous ignorance; my interest has traditionally tapered off after the invention of agriculture.

 

 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Rummaging Through the internet Attic #1

As I've said before, the arrival of the ipad triggered a sea change in regards to how I use the internet. I won't bore you with my app choices for the most part, but I would like to talk about some of the stuff I've been consuming.

First lets talk about comics:

Most of what I'm looking at comes from the Marvel Unlimited service, and is not, strictly speaking free. However, when it comes to comics, I can read a fuckton in an evening, so at this point, I'm in pennies on the dollar territory, which is close enough to free for me.


The most interesting thing I've read lately is Jim Starlin's early marvel work, in the form of his runs on Captain Marvel and Warlock respectively. I liked both of these comics, and Starlin's art and writing are pretty much at their peak here.
The character arc in Captain Marvel takes a standrd hero and leaves him as a sort of messiah figure by the time things wrap up. Warlock starts as a messiah figure and ends as a sort of nutjob waiting for his own preordained death. The best stories in both collections involve Thanos, of course. He is Marvel's adversary and and Warlock's ally.
In regards to supporting characters, Rick Jones is an over emotional tool and I'm pretty sure Pip the troll is not smoking tobacco.
Read these.

The worst thing about Starlin's comics is they led me to read the Kree- Skrull War (Avengers 89-97 1972-1973). To put it as bluntly as possible: these comics suck. The only good things that can be said about them is both Sal and John Buscema bring their A game in regards to the art. Neal Adams, however, turns in a slick but soulless performance. Even given Adams shit-art, however, the real blame for the unbearable banality of these comics must be laid at the door of Roy Thomas.

Thomas, is at least in this case, the very definition of a hack. He draws out what could have been a two issue story and makes it last forever. Nothing happens in most of these issues. Nothing. I think maybe the Vision cries once.
The writing reminds me of the weaker parts of some old Republic serials in a lot of ways. But those writers had a certain amount of time to fill and very limited budgets to work with. Roy could have had the artists draw whatever he could think of, space battles, alien landscapes, ands whatever, and although there is a little bit of that stuff in there, it is all in the last issue or so and none of it really pops. Thomas, instead relies on hackneyed soap opera shit, and a long drawn out and fucking boring subplot wherein the Skrulls are impersonating a powerful american politician, who is gunning for the Avengers. You keep reading thinking something is going to happen, but every time, nothing happens instead.
Thomas is also responsible for the single worst thing about these comics. Clint Fucking Barton, AKA Hawkeye AKA Goliath (in this arc). He is a fucking horrible sexist, accusing the Wasp of "thinking with her hairdo" and a God botherer, taking time out from important conversations to remind everyone to stop and pray, and also... Thor isn't reeeeealy a god.. Okay? Clint is also a whiner. I think he may have been RT's favorite character.
Anyway, I'm begging you, do not read these comics. They are D&D movie bad.



I was going to get into radio shows, today, but that will have to wait, I've gone on long enough and I want to cook a tortilla now.



Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Character design

This is the current design for the partner/side-kick character from the comic thingy I'm working on. I will subject you to it once more after I ink and color it. I'm attempting to push for more depth in my work.
In other news, the final technical hurdles to making a full on comic have been overcome, so I can maybe accomplish something this year. Oh, and my friends and I are going to make some radio plays.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Nsfw, sensible armor in color

I finally figured out the basics of computer coloring last night. This is my first attempt. It's rough and I'm not happy with the palette, but it is a beginning.
In related news, I've decided to really, really focus on my drawing this year and see about taking it up a notch or two.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

NSFW- Sensible Armor and some drawings.

Some you've seen, some are new; all are first time on the blog in their current form. The 'unsafe' one is at the bottom of the post.

First this is a scene from Skull. I've posted partial versions of it before, but here is the finished product.

Next here is a grey warrior, certain to be a prominent NPC in my up coming ME game, but also an illo for Jack Shear's Devilmount projct:

The atmosphere plant at Abyss Island, Caves of Empire

Another atmosphere station, this one in  the remote Magus Cave.

A map of the HPL's Dreamlands Underworld; it is where my Gothic group is right now:

And the NSFW you were promised; I give you Sensible Armor