We all collect things, sometimes so many things that they get in the way of our time with Family, Friends and most importantly with God. When that starts to happen you need to think of the Dragon and his "Stuff" he never leaves his cave because he is so fearful of someone taking his "stuff", so he loses all the time enjoying life. Don't let stuff rule your life.
I have always been been amazed at the wonder of God around us, even the smallest thing always reminds me of the power of God. I think of myself as being lucky to know Gods love and wonder, I hope others will do the same when they look around themselves.
Josh Medors Benefit Auction @ ECCCWed, April 23rd, 2008 at 2:30PM PSTUpdated: Wed, April 23rd, 2008 at 4:30PM PSTOfficial Press Release23 April 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - Unknown to the general public, FRANK FRAZETTA'S SWAMP DEMON, RUNES OF RAGNAN, WILLOW CREEK, GI JOE and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT artist Josh Medors has been fighting cancer for the past several months. In his time of need, Image Comics and Frazetta Comics have stepped in organize an auction with all proceeds going straight to Josh."Josh is a good friend, father and artist. With the support from the comic industry that he loves so dearly, we can all help with costly medical bills and ease his pain just a little would be most appreciated," said Frazetta Comics Editor/Artist Jay Fotos. �š��žúWe are under a crunch, for the show is just a few weeks away, so anyone that would like to donate please contact me as soon as you can so we can get your donations there for the auction in time, we are also taking PayPal donations as well that go directly to Josh.�š��žùMany of the industry's finest are donating items to auction, including Frank Frazetta himself. Any other creators interested in donating are encouraged to contact Jay Fotos at jayfotos@cox.net.The Josh Medors Benefit Auction will take place Saturday, May 10th at the Emerald City Comic Con. If you would like to make a PayPal donation, please do so to jmedors1@insight.rr.com.Contributors thus far:Frank FrazettaJerry BeckBrian HaberlinTom BelandMark KidwellTodd McFarlaneNat JonesTony MoorePeter BergtingRichard StarkingsSteve NilesKody ChamberlinJay FotosRick RemenderChristian BeranekAhmet ZappaImage ComicsIDW PublishingZenescope Entertainment
Read more…
Hey all,I'm already at work on issue 2, but I've been encouraged by the response I have gotten so far on issue 1! I'm please to be able to share some of them with you today:"I recieved a Knightmare in the mail today. It was great!Good job with the sequentials. I loved all the close ups of the faces (the doctor and the pastor talking with the kid). Nice!Can't wait for issue #2!" - Mark"I just got my copy of Jakket Knightmare #1, it's a very fine book:) The story drew me in, and I'm looking forward to seeing the next issue very much." -Gerry"I got my issue today! Love it! ABsolLUTly Love it. The manga made me laugh out loud. More of that please. The story and art are solid. The pacing was excellent. I want more! LOVE IT!" -Mike"More, pleazze! Really enjoyed it. You got us hooked... keep at it!" -Henry"I too loved it! The manga style is excellent. Very simple and clean. The story line is exceptional and unique. Lot's of potential." -RichardFinally, you can read a online review of JK 1 and view a few pages from it at: http://www.bible-stories-library.com/christian-comic-velvet.shtmlIf you have your own reviews don't hesitate to add it here!Beloved in Grace,Souba
Read more…
Posted by Donald Ensign on April 18, 2008 at 12:34pm
Since September of last year we (Steve MacDonald & Don Ensign) have been bringing you a series of weekly reviews of current and recent comics with Christian themes or comics produced by professing Christians. We hope you have enjoyed and been enlightened by the sheer variety and quality of Christian comics that are being produced. We encourage you to take the time and effort to seek out some of these comics to read and enjoy. The creators of these works need your support if they are to continue. At this time we are going to take a several break from adding new reviews.However this is not the end. In the upcoming months we will be producing the 2008 Guide to Christian Comics. The Guide is an annual review of what is happening within the realm of Christian comics. It lists important people, events, companies, web sites, projects and publications within Christian comics publishing.We have produced Guides for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. They can be purchased for $2.50 each (add $2 for postage and shipping). If you are interested in purchasing any of these informative publications please get in touch with Don Ensign for further details (densign8@dakotacom.net).God bless and support Christian comics.
Read more…
Becoming enamoured over someone else's work to the point that I have to top them has been the key to me being multitalented as well as my downfall, naturally. This time it just a walk cycle exercise; the teacher already gave us a template he made to follow from*; but I decided I was going to do one in perspective, and not only that, I've been dying to animated these characters for months now! HaHa. Well it started out ok, I even pushed it up to ones which is on this attachement here: (32MB) MillieWalkOn1s.mov However it's too happy. I wanted a walk more like this one, except the arms had to be moving as part of the requirement. It was ok I thought, I just had the head bob slightly from side to side and that would sell. Then I made a BIG mistake. I didn't redo the walkcycle, I just rendered Millie onto the happy walkcycle and adjusted the spacing and the poisitioning of the head. Now was when I found out Millie is exceptionally hard to keep on model. In fact I got into so much trouble in trying to get just the facial features correct, It almost got be back taking my wellbutrin again! I think I wasted over 200 sheets of animation paper over a 16 drawing walk cycle! On top of that, everyone I showed it to, teachers and students, kept calling her a boy! I know admit, the origionall creator of Millie is at fault for not adding any visual cues to let those who don't read webcomics (or at least all anthro ones) to Millies geneder. From waht RHJr has rumoured it could be because he's against the notion of "gender," and the reason why I suffered so terribly through this project is because God want's me to stay away from him and not attept to get this to replace "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy." Anyway this is the SECOND to last assignment I turned in before giving up(618KP Loops Hopefully): MillieWalkPersp.mov Well guess what? The head was still going too fast and too far! The technicall probelem I think; this being a 32 frame walk cycle on 2's; was that her head reached it's farthest right extreme exactly when her right foot reached it's farthest extreme. That drawing being key 17, it meant that for a notmal walk, the head oscilation compleates once per step, but I had taken 1/4 of that oscilation and stretched it out to the full walk cycle. Well I was too pooped to redo the whole thing, so waht my teacher said do was, just as a test, stretch the cycle to two steps, and have that 1/4 cycle streched so that it was finished on a 63 frame walk cycle, on twos. In other words have the body on twos but the head on fours. So I just split the layers in Photoshop and stretched the keyframes in AfterEffects and this is the best I could come up with (18 MB): MillieWalkHeadSlow_Comp 3.mov Yeah It looks choppy, because It needs inbetweening, but I've had it. I may never do another scrap of fanart again... * (btw, be careful of copying walk cycles directly from a book, ESPECIALLY if it's the Richard William's one. He's constantly showing us how to do things the wrong way or it tends to be extremely eccentric and isolated as a style. Just take those examples with a grain of salt. If you actually tried the walks on there that are physically possible, they are still redicuously beyond exxageration)!
Read more…
On http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ several posts are being dedicated to the passing of the Last of Disney's First and foremost animation crew dubbed "The Nine Old Men," Ollie Johnston. He was my favorite as his style was so loose and incomprehendable and he had such a casual time in making his magic! Several art and movie blogs across the globe are paying tribute to his passing, but not one of my relatives, nor anyone in my city would even know his name. Ollie Jonston was to me as Tupac or James Brown is to them, that's the reality of it all. I could never geek out about these animators even in a comic book store, because nobody cares anymore. Animation as fallen to the wayside as much as Reinassance art has. I'm the only one left who goes into extacsy over seeing the charm and beauty when a film is done in the full "Illusion of Life" sense, where all the principles have been mastered, and life is created all over again, a greater creation and a greater reality to me than the one in Genesis, imho. No one, even in the Christian artist circles has ever come to admire this persons talent, despite he being infinately superior to all of us. Why did God do this to me? Why did he take Ollie and all my joy for what little I'm able to do away?
Read more…
Not too worried...this IS what I begged and begged my HMO for...despite my only diagnosis being Asperger's Syndrome...Though I thing I got that from being raised inside a PBS home but living in a MTV/BET culture... the charter schools were even worse than the public ones! The best case scenario I have right now is I lose only HALF of my brain...hopefully the left side...but keep me in your prayers that if things don't work out...The effects wear off over time....
Read more…
Riddler’s Fayre:The Vaults of the Mind (2006), Usharp Comics. Written by Steve Carroll Art by Jeff Anderson and Richard Thomas, 53 pp. Hardback Historical fiction is something we don’t see a lot of in current comics. Marv Wolfman said if well in a recent Comic Con panel. “I made up all the stuff” in a series of character studies he did for DC comics some years ago. For the History of Israel graphic novel Wolfman is currently working (now published) on he is doing a massive amount of very time consuming research. Sometimes it is just easier to make up your characters and worlds out of imaginary whole cloth. You don’t have to worry about little things like historical facts and context. Steve Carroll sets his story in the Summer of 1199 in medieval Europe shortly after the Third Crusade. This story revolves around an ambitious French nobleman, Comte Ludovic Parvell of Clermont and his ruthless quest for the Philosopher’s Stone that can turn lead into gold and grant eternal life. The story involves a mysterious knight with a young teen boy who has no memory and arcane symbols emblazoned on his arm, a beautiful Roma girl, a wise Muslim scholar, a wandering Jew, kindly nuns and plenty of action and plot twists to keep you going to the end. The story is well plotted and visualized with engaging characters. This book makes you want to read more to see had the tale unfolds and how these characters grow during the course of the story. The story reminded one of Prince Valiant, but unlike the saga presented by Harold Foster or his successors, people of faith are a given (as they were in the middle ages), not something to be largely ignored. This is the first in a series of Riddler’s Fayre adventures that will be continued in the next book called “The Game of Revenge.” Jeff Anderson provides thoroughly professional work in supplying the pencils and inks with Richard Thomas doing balanced and restrained color work. This graphic novel places historical fiction squarely within the context of current Christian comics. Bravo for Steve Carroll, Jeff Anderson and Usharp Comics. (This review was written in August 2006.)Read more…
Wow. Springtime is here already.I honestly have no idea how other creative types can keep a daily blog. I'm doing good if I update my pages every few months.Maybe it's my job. I work all day doing digital graphics production work and preflighting for a printing company, so I'm stuck behind a computer for a good 8 or 9 hours every day. So when I finally get some time to work on my personal creative projects or ministries, the last thing I want is to sit at a keyboard again.Still, I'm glad to read the frequent postings of others here. Great to see so many creative-types glorifying God with their talents online.Future postings on the status of my own projects currently under development will be along eventually -- Lord willing.
Read more…
Hi Guys!We've finished issue #1 of the "733" miniseries and have test drove it at the Orlando MegaCon earlier this month. We've been in constant communication with the readers and we've gotten a lot of feedback. Some was good, some not so good. But you take the good with the bad. Most of the complaints were on the quality of the publication. Well, that's not really an issue since they are ash-cans printed on a very large laser printer in my garage. We are about to go to print with "Ka-Blam!" and have a short run of a few hundred printed for marketing and advertising purposes. We hope that next January, we will be publishing through Brenner as we release the series into the mainstream via Diamond Distributors, who have showed great interest in the work.If you would like to order a copy of the book for yourself, it will be available on-line next month at our website. I just need a few days to set it up. These "pre-release" copies will be signed and dated and, if things go well, may actually have value some day. So, this is an investment. ;)Here's a real quick synopsis of the story, in case you are curious:A government contracted company is making clones based on the DNA of a super-human (also known as a variant). There are ten series of clones (i.e. Series 100, Series 200, Series 300, etc.) and each series had a specific purpose to perform. During the course of production, a single clone in the Series 1000 has stood out as the "Perfect Human". Basically, the Adam or Eve of cloning. In order to reproduce this clone, all the other cloning projects were ordered terminated and the clones destroyed. The one single perfect clone was to be studied, disected, and reproduced. Sabotage throws the termination of the project into chaos as a lone man risks everything to save the perfect clone. The 10 series of clones are awakened and released instead of destroyed and they have only one thing on their minds; survival at any cost. In order to cover up this massive blunder and restore order to the choas, a specialist has been called in to deal with the situation. His orders are to capture, contain, and erase the entire ordeal before it becomes public knowledge. 1000 wayward, frieghtened, and powerful creatures are loose and they have the ability to sample the DNA of any human and take that human's identity. How will he find them all and put this travesty to an end. And what of the "Perfect Hunman" clone? Will he be able to find it and bring it back before it is too late? Through a series of events, watch how a seemingly out-of-control situation is divinely guided by the hand of God. Exciting, violent, and action packed, this comic series isn't for everyone, but if you are a sci-fi lover, you've got to read it!Our goal is to have one new issue out every three months available for purchase in paperback or download from the internet up until the January 2009 national release. Get it, read it, and comment. We want to know what you think!Keep us in your prayers.God bless!The RabidFrog Team
Read more…
Jackket Knightmare issue 1 in now available to purchase online through the website http://www.velvetnightmarestudios.com/ or through http://www.christiancomics.netYou can also purchase them in person at the Dallas Comic Con convention April 5,& 6!For those who pre-ordered your copies are in the mail as 03-27-08, I look forward to hearing what you think about issue 1!Beloved in Grace,Souba
Read more…
Well my back is still very sore. I see the doctor tomorrow. I haven't been able to get much done in the past week due to this health issue. Prayers needed.I'll write more after I talk with my doc. I'm able to begin to live with the pain now, which is a good thing. I'm hoping to get back to work on stuff limitedly this weekend, and be back into full swing after my trip down to Chicago from the 7th of April to the 24th.
Read more…
Well hollywood's cartoon theme roundup this time around is wither kung-fu or space, and I'm vieing for the latter despite what a sensation "Kung Fu Panda" is already being claimed as. What am I talking about? Well so far I've read announcements for Wall-E, Astro Boy, Space Chimps, Planet 91, Monsters Vs Aliens, and some sci-fi anime which isn't worth mentioning...I feel these will be difficult to sell due to the abundance, perhaps the most abundant, of this genre in filmmaking and stories in general. That and there isn't much more to add on to the creativity I saw on the scince and other 'educational' channels on Cable and PBS. I'm vieing for it because I'd really like to se Don Bluth recharge get back in the game and animate the story of Laika. NIck Abadzis rendetion of her story is too intense as it is already without adding millions of more frames onto it, but it would be just the ticket Don needs to resurrect himself as one of the great stars in Animation HIstory. I just don't like the way he faded away after Anastasia, and I think he still has some life to really go to town on a story like Laika's. If I get a chance to meet him I'll definately sell this one story to him!
Read more…
During Sping Break i had an opportunity to watch the DVD I AM LEGEND with Will Smith. I reall didn't have any expectations for it, good or bad. I'd always intended to read the book or at least watch the Vincent price movie THE LAST MAN ON EARTH which is based on the same novel, but i've never had the opportunity. So my ignorance kept me from developing any sort of opinion, for the most part. I don't Will Smith has made a movie i don't like. I still watch Fresh Prince occasionally. Before i watched the movie i had to check out the animated comics in the special features. These Comics are incredible. I made a regular habit of watching them before each viewing of the movie, just to set the mood. I love the kinetic style of the art and the stories really set you up for the movie without giving too much away. One of them has voice acting that was really well done. This isn't the first time i've seen comics animated. Animated comics are a happy medium between regular comics which, to date lack the ability to dazzle the eye with actual movement, and cartoons/movies which lack the ability to internalize the character. I'm seeing more and more of these animated comics and this is the second DVD i've seen with such comics on it, so hopefully this new thing will catch on.As for the movie itself, Will Smith does an excellent job of portraying a man slowly succumbing to the effects of extreme isolation while bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. This story manages to engagel and entertain through multiple viewings despite almost no supporting cast and scant action sequences. This one is heavy on the drama and suspense. It reminds a little of the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, or perhaps WAR OF THE WORLDS in the sense that the whole point is survial and the action is downplayed. Neville Sinclair isn't going to save the day with bombs and machine guns. Its literally him versus the world.Something worth noting is the Biblical imagery towards the end of the movie. His pleading to the Darkseekers that he can fix this, to let him Help them, Let him save them, is very Christ-like and creates a very vivid picture of how Jesus probrably thinks and feels as he looks upon an uncaring and unloving mankind. The cure for the Darkseekers conditions lies within the blood extracted from the test subject, who in turn was cured from Nevilles' own genetic immunity. The cure was in the blood. This further parallells Neville with Jesus Christ, depicting spiritual truths using a scenerio we can understand. Then theres his little spill about God's plan:"All right, let me tell you about your "God's plan". Six billion people on Earth when the infection hit. KV had a ninety-percent kill rate, that's five point four billion people dead. Crashed and bled out. Dead. Less than one-percent immunity. That left twelve million healthy people, like you, me, and Ethan. The other five hundred and eighty-eight million turned into your dark seekers, and then they got hungry and they killed and fed on everybody. Everybody! Every *single* person that you or I has ever known is dead! Dead!"People i've discussed this with believe this is a pretty accurate description of the Saved, The Lost, and the backslidden. Those lukewarm the the lord will spew out of his mouth. I realize that these allusions are, more than likely, purely coincidental, and not at all intentional, but thats what i see when i see this movie. And there are those who would argue that that is the whole point.
Read more…
Sadhu Sundar Singh, (2006), Published by Calvary Comics, Alec Stevens, (writer & artist)48 pp, Full color, $6.95 Recently Christian artist Alec Stevens’ published a graphic novel on the life of Sadhu Sundar Singh. Stevens is a professional illustrator who has worked for the several of major comic book companies. Several years ago he came out with two issues of a comic book called Glory to God which illustrated true stories of famous Christians (with art by himself and others). The graphic novel (perhaps more accurately a graphic biography) is Steven’s most ambitious work so far and he did an excellent job. Singh was an early 20th century Indian evangelist who preached widely in India, Burma, China, Japan and made trips through Europe, Great Britain and the United States. Singh had an extraordinary life. I found his Christian conversion experience (he was born into a Sikh family) similar to what a number of Muslim seekers encounter today in closed Islamic societies. Also it is similar to the apostle Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus. This book is filled with fascinating accounts of the suffering and persecution Singh experienced for his faith. Once while traveling to Tibet he was rescued by a 300 year old hermit who gently challenged the young evangelist’s thinking on Christian believers being imbedded in Roman Catholic and Hindu societies. Later in America Singh preached sermons much to the discomfort of his listeners rebuking rich American Christians in the early 1920s for their materialistic lifestyle. He would probably be physically ill if he came back and saw the American Christian church in the early 21st Century. Singh had opportunities to meet and witness to Gandhi and encouraged a young Corrie Ten Boom (of The Hiding Place) in her walk with God. Alec Stevens has done a fine service in illustrating the life of this remarkable Christian evangelist. This book is inspirational in the best sense of the word. www.calvarycomics.com Originally written in July 2006
Read more…
Well I had this santa story that started out very simple and then got bigger and bigger with every probelem that I came up with...now I found a solution for the first story, but now there's two completely different versions:I came up with the concept of Santa's Reindeer having heard dogs that flew as well...and then I kept adding extra features like a competition amoung the animal kingdom as to which species/team got to drive Santa around the world...and then the Kringles becaume a charity foundation with international bases that were more popular than Disneyland! The issue comes to light when they decide on adopting a human child; who finds out they were just as unscroupluous as any megacoperation and were only doing the things they did for influence and popularity. However another secret they have is that they aren't even from earth! The realm wich they inhabited is compleately covered with magical beings such as they, but in that world they were the lowest class...virtually hobos in our language. So they came here to use what abilities they had to give power and other blessings to the kings of Europe from the Middle Ages to Even the 18th Centurary! They then decided that the benevolant route was the way to go for them and that's how they got so popular today (yes they don't move about in secret anymore they're they top of the top celebrities)! So angry Mark (their adopted human) is at this; he decides to take a few of the Kringles animals, a sleigh and other items to cause a ruckus in their world, to prove the worth of humanity to them, even though human beings do not have magical powers. Unfourtanately the only explination I had to Mark's reaction and is concurrent course of actions was that he's a teenager...The more basic story however still kept the controlling aspect of the Kringles (they sorta resemble Early English/Snobbish Nobility) with a somewhat meaner persona to them; but focused more on the hearding dogs, who were Samoyed specifically. One of them desperately wants to be the lead dog who escorts the Reinder with Santa around the world, but isn't allowed to do so and isn't even wanted due to her disability (three legs). So she runs away and raises her own sleigh team (teaches them to fly and everything) to prove to Santa that she still had what it took to do the job. What I did to make this story harder than it was was to add on this extra conflict of her running away attracted monsters from this realm I was talking about who were also wanting to take over the world and destroy the Santa family and legacy altogether...but I don't suppose that's needed is it?Anyway I still need the samoyed becuase I actually went to a rescue home for disabeled samoyeds...though they mostly had a cancer of some sort...and took hundereds of reference photos and did sketches of them for this project...and I don't want to let them and their owners down...
Read more…
