Connections, of the Subjective Variety

At the atomic level, the electrons in the outermost shells of the atoms that make up our bodies, when brought near the electrons of another object- say, another person- repel each other.  That repelling of like-charged particles is what gives us the illusion of contact.  However, in a very real sense, we never touch. 

Is that why we spend our lives trying so hard to make an emotional connection to each other?

Progress Report; Or, Slow and Steady Gets You Somewhere, Eventually

Greetings, all.

Just wanted to let you know I actually am still working on a project to post.  I'd like to say it's pretty epic, and in a way I suppose it is, but it's a case of me perhaps biting off more than I can chew (surprising, I know).  I've had the idea for this picture for a long time- probably about 4 years or so, ever since I heard this song... or at least the germ of the idea.  But what I didn't realize is, though I had the idea, I didn't know exactly what the idea looked like.  And that's where I'm getting a bit hung up.  I'm also figuring out some new approaches to drawing/PSing that is taking some time, but is an important addition to the toolboxes of both. 

As to what I'm trying to draw, well- imagine Hell.  As a physical location; 'other people' doesn't count, Joey.  This time, at least.  Okay, have an image?  Now draw it.  That's what I'm working with here.  (Joey, no fair- it was a rhetorical statement.  Just cause you can draw backgrounds really well...)  It's a neat idea, and like I said, based on a song.  Probably not a song you're expecting, either.  We'll see, ultimately, how well this comes out.  I'm hoping I can at least get some of the idea across, if not the full effect I'm looking for.

If you've gotten this far in the post, thanks.  I know these all-text posts go over like a pager in a crowd of zombies, but sometimes (all the time) it's good for me to go on a bit about whatever's in my head.  And this is only part of what's in my head; it's been a pretty crazy week or so, kiddies, in all the ways that make life so much better than the alternative. 

So- since I've got you here for this long, I've been thinking (as I've said)- I've been thinking of taking some weekend trips here and there this year.  Mostly just the weekend, but maybe and extra day off here and there.  Going low-profile, as it were; no Ritz-Carlton for me, thanks.  But I'm looking to put some more miles on the car, maybe get into some adventure- or just go somewhere and see something new.  Hell, just to be somewhere other than right here for a day or so.  So- any suggestions?  (no, Hell does not count, thanks peanut gallery).  Responses greatly appreciated.  Feel free to post here (I do appreciate the attention to the blog) or email me at tinkerd711(at)ay oh ell(dot)com. 
Thanks as always, for stopping by and visiting. 

Peace-

S.

PS- for those so inclined, I'm on twitter:@karloffsghost though i don't post to it nearly so often as I do facebook, as 140 characters is barely enough to begin scratching the surface of my wit.  So until it becomes the focused totality of my wit, it'll be fairly random... you know, just like everything else I write.  Wow.  If you've gotten this far, you are just the best.  Thanks for not knowing when to stop. 

Music: For some current favorites of mine, check out Pandora (the other Pandora, not the box, not the planet) over on the right.  Been loving new Snow Patrol, The Avett Brothers, Muse, some older Sarah McL, Rodrigo y Isabella's just awesome classic acoustic guitar married to a latin metal sensibility. 

"I do not think that word means what you think it means..."

Okay, a really bad Princess Bride picture, but I was thinking about the movie a lot tonight, so thought I'd just goof around for a couple minutes in PS and do this.  Not at all the PB picture I'm planning on doing, but fun to scribble out.  Just shows I'm not ready to draw directly into PS. 

One of the greatest romantic movies of all time, of course.  And funniest.  And has one of the greatest songs ever written- there were only 5 songs of true love that were the most passionate, the most pure, and this one leaves them all behind. If you tell me you haven't seen it yet, well, that's just...

inconceivable. 

Music: "Storybook Love" - Willy deVille, of course. Check out an amazing acoustic performance of the song Here

man, i'm tired.

a lifetime ago

Like a moth to the flame, so i am to the past.  Particularly when the past comes back.

"and like that, she was gone."

And not to worry.  Just externalizing some headspace.  I'll have some more artsy stuff posted before long.  working on an idea or two, it's just slow-going.

Music: "Love Untold" - Paul Westerberg

Steed and Peel

[Click on picture to view full-size- no really, half the post doesn't make sense unless you look at it full-size]

Based on a 1960's BBC program, The Avengers was a critical and commercial disaster when it was released back in 1998- doing so poorly, even cable tv is afraid to play it. 

I kind of really enjoyed it.  It's completely insane, makes about no sense, and some of the criminals are dressed as giant teddy bears.  Giant.  Teddy.  Bears.  But I still enjoyed it a lot.  One, it has style to spare.  It's a pretty slick and stylish production.  Two, and probably the real reason I enjoyed it so much, it has Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes in it.  They have a great chemistry together, and the characters are very much like the original iterations of them (plenty of flirting, almost nothing physical)- I really enjoyed that old-school romantic tension.  Don't get me wrong, though- I'm not recommending you watch it.  I'm just saying I enjoyed it. 

Which leads me to the picture.  I originally drew this shortly after watching the movie- about 3 months ago, maybe- and was pretty pleased with how it turned out.  No, it doesn't look like the actors, but I was't really looking for that.  I just enjoyed how the poses and such came out.  And then it sat in my sketchbook, waiting for me to scan it.  And then, once scanned, it sat on the hard drive.  I haven't been very interested in drawing much recently, so everything was on hold- no motivation makes it tough to get started.  A couple days ago, I finally decided I should start on posting something.  I figured I could clean up a sketch, then post it.  Good enough.  Then I came across this- I'd already cleaned it up, and figured I could color it pretty fast and post it.  As I was getting ready to start shading it as I usually do (different layer, apply shades, repeat), I realized I should do something with the background, too.  A second later, I thought I could do something as an homage to the Warhol/Steranko/Pop Art style of the late 60's- the era The Avengers originally appeared in.  So, a few hours later, I came up with the background you see above (the simple stuff in PS is always the hardest to figure out).  And then today, I realized the perfect compliment to the background, which went nicely with the fact that I never did shade the pic:  zip-a-tone.  [For those not in the know (non-art-nerds) zip-a-tone is an adhesive paper composed of a pattern of dots of varying size and spacing material artists (especially comic artists) used to create shades and tones.  It's mostly fallen by the wayside with the advent of digital coloring, but still appears from time to time- in American comics, I should say.  In manga, where black and white is the norm, zip-a-tone is as popular as ever.]    I figured I could just find an easy pattern already in the computer, highlight a bunch of stuff, press a button, and be done.

Cue three hours later. 

Not a long three hours- figuring out new ways of doing things in Photoshop is one of the things I find most creative about art.  It's such a deep program- there are always several ways to achieve the same result- that it's always fun to discover something new to me. It also makes me want to do more with it.  So, after learning how to make the zip-a-tone, it was a matter of painting it in.  Using the zip was really fun for me- even though I had trouble figuring out if I wanted the zip on their faces.  Not sure how often it'll be appropriate to use in a picture, but it's another tool in the toolbox.  

Hope you liked it.

In other news, I've added some widgets to the site, over to your right.  I found this great website, Goodreads.com, that lets you see what I'm reading, and what I think about it.  Essentially, it's my review site, but much easier to maintain.  It lets me do a starred review, as well as post more in-depth (but still rambling) reviews when I can get my thoughts together enough to write.  It's a great way to see not only what I'm reading, but what others are into as well- I'm hoping it'll maybe lead to some online book clubs, perhaps (anyone, anyone?).  Also, I've added Pandora.com over there.  Think of it as my virtual playlist.  A lot of the music I mention in my posts has some kind of meaning to me, or is just something I really love, and this is a great way to share that. The more I work with it, the better it will get. Click on 'Karloff's Muse' for my station. 

Okay, that's it for now.  I'll be back soonish, okay?

Music: "Maybe" -Ingrid Michaelson

(edit- reposted with slightly tweaked picture 2/21/10)

Different Devils I Have Drawn

Well.  I've completely abandoned my original intent of posting 'retro' pictures, for now at least.  I've enough newer items that it might be worth looking at them rather than putting up stuff that, at best, is a throwback to the days when I drew almost every day.

I did this... oh, about a week ago.  The original pencil work, at least.  I know, it's another Daredevil drawing, how original.  But, there's a reasonably good reason for it.  I was sitting at the drawing table, and I was completely without ideas.  Like normal.  I wanted to draw, but no ideas were coming to me.  So, I thought about what Joey has repeatedly told me: look back at the old drawings and draw them again, using what I've learned (assuming I've learned) since then.  Since I'd posted so many DD drawings in the recent past, I thought maybe I'd take a look at those and try my hand at them. 

I was originally looking at the one I posted with him doing a handstand on the corner of a building- I would redo that, with some hopefully better results.  It only took a minute for me to realize that wouldn't work.  I couldn't figure out how or why he would be in such a position if he were leaping off a building (yeah really- realism in a blind guy jumping off a building to fight crime.  Don't judge me too harshly), so I took another thought at the idea of him leaping off a building, and arrived at Parkour, of course.  Parkour, to sum up (no wait, there is too much) is basically a method of moving from one place to another in the coolest means possible.  Check out the opening sequence of Casino Royale or the entirety of District B-13.

Scouring the internet for some good inspiration, I found this nice one of a guy backflipping off a building.  Seemed like something DD would do, so I took a stab at it.  I was going for that more loosey-goosey style I came up with last time, but just couldn't do it- DD decided to stay a traditional-looking hero.  I kind of dug the picture, but realized it was just too close, physically, to the real-world inspiration (for clarity's sake, please note that the DD picture was drawn completely freehand; I used photo reference the same way most artists do- for inspiration).  And so it sat on the desk.

Until today.  I scanned in a few things and decided I was going to go to town in Photoshop on one of them, or draw something completely from scratch in PS.  I came across this one and realized I could do some of both in this one.  Two hours later, and it was all done.  It's basically all layers above and below the original pencil drawing, with some effects thrown in.  And then, once I was done, I realized I forgot to turn DD a bit for a more dynamic pose.  So, a bit more thinking and tinkering, and here you go.

Speaking of layers, I realized partway through that I'd shaded/colored enough of the picture that it looked pretty okay without the pencils (I did this to a lesser extent on the Christmas picture as well), so I've posted the 'original' picture without the pencils (check out the tilt of DD's body).

Okay.  There you go.  Time for me to go eat dinner.  Plus, it's so cold in here I can't feel my fingers.  Thanks for visit, and please stop back again.

Music: "I and Love and You"- the Avett Brothers

Sketchbook Am

What the hell- something new(ish). When it comes to drawing, I really don't have a 'style' per se (some might argue I have no style, let alone 'a' style). I find that I tend to draw according to what the idea or drawing dictates. If I have a very firm idea of what the picture or character should look like, I tend to draw in a somewhat cartoony fashion- or at least pretty stylized.  A lot of that comes from me visualizing characters as shapes rather than as people- which is why I can sometimes draw a pretty good rendition of a person, but other times, not so much.  I can see the figure as a whole, as shapes, but not how the anatomy actually works together.  If I don't have a good idea, or I'm trying to find the image I want to draw, I tend to draw very loose, sketchy forms- far too many lines for a cartoon.  A lot of that leads to me 'finding' the drawing in those lines- I will see the finished form somewhere in all those lines. And often, I don't try to bring that out in the final picture; I kind of like the looseness of the figures. 

As an indicator of why I draw like this, two of my favorite artists are Sean Phillips and Mike Wieringo.  Pretty much at opposite ends of the spectrum, Phillips uses a loose, naturalistic style with liberal inks- and no worries if every line matches up just so.  Wieringo, on the other hand, drew in a very cartoony, animated style- lots of clean lines, suggesting rather than actively rendering a lot of detail.  However, I love both their styles.

So I wondered, can I draw in a cartoony, yet sketchy/scratchy/realistic(ish) style?  I've pondered this for quite some time, and in the interim, a number of artists have come along who do just that- chief among them Skottie Young.  To me, he's the very definition of the style I'm trying for.  For a long time, his art was so clean it could've been animated- now he's taken that exaggerated style and bent and stretched it into this loose, scratchy, yet still cartoony style.  It's just amazing to see.  Well here- go look for yourself.

Anyway, one night this popped into my head, pretty much as you see it.  It's more along the lines of what I've been thinking of- a bit cartoony, a bit sketchy.  It'll never be mistaken for Young's or Phillips' art, but I kind of like it.  I like the exaggerated, cartoony faces and heads, but I'll always tend towards drawing a more 'realistic' body- so trying to drag the two together is something I struggle with a lot.  This wasn't much more than an exercise to see how the picture in my head would turn out, and I'm pretty pleased with the result.  Just for kicks, I gave it a bit of color, also in a mostly 'sketchy' fashion.  If I were to take a more serious stab at drawing a picture in this fashion, I would approach the colors in a very different fashion- much more like my holidays post (here) than this. 

So, hope you liked this bit of newness and look into what I'm trying to achieve when I draw.

Music:  "Brick by Boring Brick" - Paramore

Are you SURE you want a new post?

Seriously, I had NO intention of making a Twilight post.  Really.  But, my good buddy Joey has been politely suggesting I post new art instead of the decade old junk I have been posting (my words, not his).  And believe it or not, I actually do have a few new things to post- but they're not really at any stage at which I'd like to present them.  So, I'm left with this.  God help me. 

These actually came first.  As you can see by the dates, they were done on New Year's Eve/Day- so if I were a smart man, I'd chalk it up to the alcohol.  Except I wasn't drinking.  Nope, my usual NYE tradition is to sit down with a bunch of movies and watch them till I fall asleep, then wake up and keep watching.  This year, for a number of reasons, I wasn't really feeling the desire to watch movies- the ones I picked weren't catching my attention, my mind was distracted, I was just pissed at something, take your pick.  But weirdly enough, though I was all over the place and in a not-good mood, I did feel like drawing.  Except for the fact that I had no idea what to draw.  As usual.  What to draw, what to draw...

I borrowed Twilight from my niece because I figured if I was going to keep hating on it, I should at least try to watch it first.  Then go on with hating, but informed hating.  Hating out of ignorance is so gauche.  'Hate out of knowledge', that's my motto (well, that and 'not in the face!' but that's another story).  I didn't watch it then- what are you, crazy? the night was already sucking- but it was lying there in my line of sight.  I saw the cover of the dvd case and thought to myself- 'dude, his face would be SO EASY to caricature.'  So, struck by the urge to draw ANYTHING, I took a stab at it.  And, honestly, I kind of like it.  Silly, not terribly accurate (I'll leave that to many other more talented people), but I thought it worked.  So, drunk on my 'success', I decided to try to draw poor Bella.  That one didn't turn out quite so successful as Edward- her face is just too boring to really sink my artistic teeth into (though she's certainly a pretty girl in real life, just not a very striking face to parody).  She did have those nice gothy eyes, so I tried to give them a little life.  Overall, I did get a kick out of it, and was surprised by how well it worked, even as an exercise in drawing something I had no interest in- except to HATE!

Cut to This past Sunday.  Bored.  Boredboredbored.  What to watch?  No fresh netflix, and not ready to dive in to the last season of The Sandbaggers just yet.  Hmm... LotR?  Too long, too late... Hitchhiker's Guide?  Nah, not feeling the humor.  Well not that kind of humor.  Hmm... Jeez- There's friggin' Twilight.  I should probably get this over with.  So, I sat down and watched it. 

And you know what?  It was actually pretty go----  HAH!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  LIKE I'D ACTUALLY SAY IT WAS PRETTY GOOD!  Please.

It didn't suck as badly as I thought.  Make no mistake, it wasn't all that great- the acting was... uneven, the effects very low-grade (when I heard ILM worked on this I nearly spit out my beverage), and the story... well, I know it's not written for me, but neither was Harry Potter but I can still get something meaningful out of that.  What meaning I get out of this was, 'I'll never be able to predict what's popular.'  But for all that, it wasn't terrible.  There were some amusing moments in there (like the random synaptic firings of someone remembering they'd once been told a story of a trip to a theater where they showed a really bad copy of a John Hughes teen movie) and I really did get a kick out of VAMPIRE BASEBALL.  I also liked Alice- she strikes me as batsh!t crazy. 

As I've described it, It's a SciFi Saturday movie as produced by the Lifetime Network.

And all things being equal, from what I've heard, I'd rather watch this a dozen times than read the book once. 

And that, my friends, is why you've got this as your new art.

Oh, and one last Twilight observation.  The soundtracks for both of the movies are actually really good.  The music is easily superior to the films, and the lead tracks ('Decode' by Paramore for Twilight and 'Meet Me on the Equinox' by Death Cab for Cutie for New Moon) are both do a fantastic job of conveying the emotions I think the films are trying (and failing) to get across.  If you want a good summary of the movies, watch the videos.  Shorter, and better.

Okay, one more thing.  Sorry for any inadvertent puns in the above- it was how my mind processed this stuff.

Cheers!

Music: 'Meet Me on the Equinox'- Death Cab for Cutie (It's a really good, dark song- honest!)

From the Crypt v.2, Item 13: Daring Devil

9/27/93

Yet another DD picture.  Don't know what to say- he was one of my favorite characters at the time.  This is just him in his 'new' suit (the 90's were all about recostuming heroes- I think every major superhero went through at least one costume change back then), balancing on a building corner.  This was a fun draw- you can tell I wasn't too concerned with every last detail, which is a lot how I sketch nowadays- and I enjoyed putting him in a different pose from normal.  That's all I have to say about that.

And for you long-time readers (all two or three of you), you'll notice no 'year-in-review' this time around.  I was kicking around a couple ideas for something to post, but figured honestly, it doesn't matter.  Suffice to say that this year was better than some, worse than others, and I expect 2010 to be more of the same.  Take that how you will.  Hopefully I'll continue to post art on here throughout the year, maybe even some new stuff.  I accuse myself of living in the past too much as it is; all of this old art probably isn't helping.  I'm feeling pretty directionless with the blog right now, so I'm not terribly motivated to do one thing or another.  Anyway- if there's something you'd like to see on here- more writing, more new art, more retro art, whatever- please let me know.  Feedback is always welcome.

Next: probably more old art ;) 

Thanks as always to you two or three long-time readers for sticking around.  I don't hear from you, but I know you're out there. 

Music: "The First Noel/Mary Mary" - Sarah McLachlan (sure, x-mas is over, but this was SUCH a great song)

...on this winter's night with you

She and I never knew what we were supposed to be to one another.  We were friends from the first- meeting  through a common friend, finding each other in a common class, finding ourselves spending more and more time together.  We were easy friends- easy to talk with one another, easy to be quiet with one another. But it always felt like there was something else between us- deeper currents, maybe.  I never knew how I felt- when I finally did ask her out, she told me no- she didn't want to jeopardize our friendship.  Later, when she told me she felt something for me, she was half a world away.  Our relationship ebbed and flowed, sometimes one thing, sometimes another.  When she told me she was leaving, I found myself torn even more- I was by then in love with someone who loved me back- but she still held hold of part of me.  I said goodbye, for once with no other words to give her.  I remember listening to a tape she'd give to me, over and over.  We kept in touch through the mail, off and on, and I remember thinking, as I listened to that tape, that I knew how she truly felt.  I wrote her this long letter explaining how I felt, and how I knew how she felt.  Well, I was wrong.  I haven't heard from her since that last letter.  I think about her every so often- I wonder where she is, if she's happy, if she ever thinks of me... but I always think about her when I hear one particular song...

It was the middle of winter in State College.  We had made plans to go out that night, for dinner or something, and we found ourselves walking across campus.  It was later in the evening, and the snow was coming down- big fat flakes, drifting lazily down onto the walkways and grounds.  There was no wind, just the falling snow.  The whole campus was hushed, as though everyone had decided it was better to stay indoors. 

We walked across campus, just the two of us, and we talked.   We stopped to make snow angels- it was cold then, but we laughed so much it still felt warm.  We walked through campus, onto the streets of the homes near the university.  We walked under the streetlamps,the lights making halos of the falling snow.  Sometimes we walked arm in arm, sometimes we roamed back and forth across the streets, drifting in and out of each other's orbit.  We talked about things we'd never discussed before- some of it, I don't know if we'd ever talked about with anyone else.  I don't know if I'd ever felt closer to anyone before than I did that night.

I walked her back to her apartment.  We stood outside the door and kissed in the falling snow.  It wasn't a kiss of passion, or a kiss of love, or even just a kiss goodnight.  It felt like an unspoken acknowledgement that come what may, just this once, we both knew who we were to each other.  For a few short hours, we could be two people who had the whole world to themselves, and could just be with each other, on that winter's night.

The lamp is burnin' low upon my table top

The snow is softly fallin'

The air is still within the silence of my room

I hear your voice softly callin'

If I could only have you near

To breathe a sigh or two

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

On this winter night with you

The smoke is rising in the shadows overhead

My glass is almost empty

I read again between the lines upon the page

The words of love you sent me

If I could know within my heart

That you were lonely too

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

On this winter night with you

The fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim

The shades of night are liftin'

The mornin' light steals across my windowpane

Where webs of snow are driftin'

If I could only have you near

To breathe a sigh or two

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

And to be once again with with you

To be once again with with you

--"Song for a Winter's Night", Sarah McLachlan

From the Crypt v.2, Item 12: Somebody Called About the Cable?

8/21/93.

Nothing terribly clever to say this time around. Too tired. More of the typical work of the time, though it looks as though I was moving away from the super-detailed muscles and towards less overrendering... which I guess would just be rendering. Biggest thing I notice about this pic is that I had the patience and creativity to make up all the crap on Cable's body- none of that's really original to the character, I just thought it would make for a fun picture. Might've been some kind of backstory to it, but I can't remember anything.

Later.

...oh.  Before I go, I direct you to Library Card of the Damned, my new blog.  It's hopefully going to be me reviewing books, movies, and god knows what else.  Check it out if you want to know what I think about what I read, watch, listen to, and otherwise occupy my days with when I'm not thinking about how to get out of posting anything new here ;)

Music- "Powerpuff Girls Theme" (cause it's STUCK in my head...)

My New T-Shirt Idea

I thought this would make for a fun T-Shirt, or a Christmas Card.  Clever?  Or just silly?  YOU DECIDE!

Undated; probably around November 1993.

Well, it's The Crow again.  This is hardly unfamiliar territory for the blog, right?  This time (or that time, when I drew it), I decided to approach the character slightly differently from past attempts.  This time around, I decided I'd focus on what was really the heart of the story, Eric and Shelly.  As you may or may not know, Eric comes back (or is brought back) from the dead to avenge his and Shelly's murders.  The effectiveness of the comic book comes from the numerous flashbacks to their relationship interspersed throughout the book.  So, while it's an all kinds of crazy revenge story, the book does a pretty fantastic job of highlighting just what they both lost. 

Also, when you're 19 years old, this kind of story just kills.

Anyway, the picture is something I'm actually quite pleased with.  Something a little different for me back then, I think the set up and layout of it works at least reasonably well.  I'd probably approach it differently now, but I like how it works.  Who knew?

Music: "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" - Dead Can Dance

From the Crypt v.2, Item 10: The Hell(raiser) You Say

11/7/93.

Let me get this out of the way now: I didn't draw this on black paper- I drew it just like every other drawing I did back then, and I just now reversed it. If black-and-white photos look better than color, white-on-black drawings look much cooler than black-on-white. At least, drawings of Cenobites do.

I was a big fan of Hellraiser back in the day. Mostly because of the stylized look of them- if Freddy and Jason were cool icons, here was a whole Manson family of characters to choose from. It was gory, it was sexy, it was clever- all the things guaranteed to appeal to young people of a certain age. And of course, if it appeals to a girl the young person likes, then so much the better excuse to draw. Not that I ever gave her the drawing- somehow a little far afield from the gift of flowers, right? But, you had to know her to appreciate that she was as likely to enjoy the drawing as she was the flowers. Ah, the good old days. (I didn't realize until sometime later that Hellraiser was essentially a treatise on sadomasochism. But really, is that the kind of thing you want a 19-year-old to know much about?)

Nothing fancy about the drawing itself- mostly adapted from pics I most likely found in Fango (Fangoria magazine to you not in the know), with what I believe are some adapted lines from the movie.

Music: "Christian Woman" - Type O Negative

P.S. Ask Joey sometime about the true Leviathan (the 'big bad' of Hellraiser II)

Tryptophan Overdose

Sorry folks- due to an unexpected assault of tryptophan over the past few days, I won't be posting anything just yet.

Well, other than this.

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend with whatever you got into. I have a couple ideas for various projects- like always, we'll see how far any of them get along.

Cheers!

PS- it is now acceptable to listen to Christmas music.

From the Crypt v.2, Item 9: The Devils I Know

7/1/93 (Happy Belated Birthday, Mark!)

Well, unintentionally, I'm continuing the theme of Hell and the Devil with this retro post from '93. It takes two of my then-favorite characters, Daredevil and Grendel, and puts them in a dynamic, but dangerous, confrontation.

As you can see, still going with the super-musculature here. Lots of blacks (Grendel's outfit is meant to be black, but it's pretty hard to show detail like that). For me, a pretty decent dynamic to the figures. I remember enjoying drawing this a lot- like I said, a lot more dynamic than most of the things I drew (then and now), and they were two of my favorite characters.

Most of you probably know who Daredevil is, from the mediocre (at best) Ben Affleck movie if nothing else. But to sum up: Blind Lawyer by day, Blind Vigilante by night. Grendel, however, is a bit more complex. The character of Grendel (in comics) first appeared in the guise of Hunter Rose, a millionaire playboy who dressed up in a stylish costume and went out into the night (sounds like Batman, right?). But in this instance, Grendel was the villain of the piece. In fact, he only lasted for one story; he was killed at the end of it. The story's title, Devil by the Deed, began to make 'Grendel' and 'Devil' synonymous. The character became a cult hit, and was revisited repeatedly, even showing a meeting with Batman, and eventually, Hunter Rose/Grendel became the driving force for the entire planet. Gone was the thief/murderer Hunter Rose; in his place was Grendel, the spirit of aggression. A large number of stories were told in this future world, and how the spirit of Grendel (more metaphorical than literal) affected every single part of the world. I've not revisted the Grendel universe in many a year; perhaps it would be worth another trip. I remember quite enjoying it back in the day.

Anyway, the picture: mostly, I just thought it was a nice opportunity to take two 'devil' characters and put them together. Plus, with Daredevil being a pretty close analogue to Batman, I thought it would work well. No story beyond that.

Happy Thanksgiving to all; I'll be back sometime next week.

Hell and The Necromancer; my book report by Karloff's Ghost

I read two books in a row. One was called Hell by Robert Olen Butler and one was called Johannes Cabal, The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard. They were both about Hell, though I didn't plan to read them both in a row. I guess I should worry that I subconsciously chose two books in a row about Hell, but I won't. They were very different from each other, but were both very good.

Hell took place, unsurprisingly, in Hell. The main character is Hatcher McCord, the newscaster for Hell's evening news. Hell is not like most ideas of Hell we've seen in the past. There's fire and brimstone and acid storms, but it's a big city (Hell enough for some people) that runs just like a terrestrial big city. Hell is a lot more devious than lakes of fire. Hell is pretty subtle- doing things you know will not work, or will only disappoint you, but being compelled to try anyway in the hopes that, maybe this time, things will be different. Hope springs eternal in Hell, as does disappointment. Hell is populated with quite the array of guest stars: Humphrey Bogart, the Clintons, G.W. Bush, Hitler, even (though implied rather than stated) the author himself. And not just them- a number of surprising folks turn up. Some of the most interesting and thought-provoking parts of the novel are the descriptions of the sufferings of the famous. But, this isn't simply a 'Who's Who' of the damned. When Hatcher learns there may be a way out of Hell, he begins a journey that takes him from one end of Hell to another, and a journey through the ideas of personal pain and suffering, human connections, free will, and the possibility of redemption.

It's not light reading, by any means- though the language is hardly florid, the directions Butler takes with his characters, often veering off into stream-of-consciousness internal monologues on the suffering of the damned, can take you out of the 'plot'. However, these side trips into their suffering are really an integral part of the meaning of the book. Some of these moments, especially when revisiting the damned, make for some of the most emotional moments of the book. By the time the novel ends, you have traveled nearly as far as Hatcher has, and the ending hits the reader profoundly, all the moreso for its understated nature. Its impact is only reinforced as you look back across the events of the novel. I found myself repeatedly thinking about the novel after I'd finished it, wondering at the deeper meanings of some of the events. It has been said that Hell is other people, but after reading this novel, I believe that the author, at least, thinks that Redemption might be other people, as well.


Johannes Cabal The Necromancer does not take place in Hell. Or at least, not entirely. Most of the story takes place in a carnival. Which could be like Hell for some folks. Especially those not liking clowns. I'm not really sure how best to describe the story- though the plot is pretty straightforward: Man sells soul to the devil in order to discover the secrets of life after death, decides that wasn't the best way to learn, then renegotiates his contract, trading one hundred freely-given souls in one year's time for his own back. And he has to collect them using a carnival. It takes places in an unspecific time and place- I was convinced it took place in Victorian England, until they started referring to things like radio and genetics. it's somewhat reminiscent of the mysterious European country that so many of the Universal monster movies took place in- filled with superstitious villagers alongside modern technology.

I found myself often rooting for Cabal, then realizing he was still collecting the signatures of people to send them to Hell. Hardly a typical good guy. In fact, there's very little immediately likable about him- he's not only soulless, but pretty much amoral as well. However, he's very good at what he does, and his determination and unflappability in the face of Satan himself, help to make him a more sympathetic lead. The whole book is written in a quirky, slightly off-center way that's become very popular in recent years. I found it very reminiscent of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens, or the movie version of Big Fish, though with a bit drier sense of humor. The novel is populated with an interesting array of characters, not least among them Cabal's business partner. The novel itself, once it gets rolling (so to speak; it's a carnival that travels by train), unfolds in a series of vignettes at each stop along the rail. Each stop brings some new challenge to Cabal's plan, or to Cabal himself. It's not meant to be as philosophically engaging as Hell, but is quite enjoyable as an above-average supernatural humor/adventure story- one that also deals with ideas like suffering, human connections, and the possibility of redemption.

Those were the books I read. I would recommend them to anyone who likes to read and isn't afraid of the Devil or Hell or laughing or thinking or all of the above. I do not recommend reading them both in a row, or letting people know you are reading books about Hell- they might wonder what's going on in your mind. Or not, if they know you well. Thank you.

The Burgh n'@

Not misspelled, spelled the way a Pittsburgher says it. I love my hometown.


And, I just really liked this. It was about 70 that day.


More later. Probably about Hell, but maybe something artsy. We'll see. Cheers!

Music: "My Hometown" - Bruce Springsteen

From the Crypt v.2, Item 8: Devil May Care

6/29/93.

Back to the past, as it were. This one was still in that super-muscled phase I went through back then, but at this point I was starting to come into my own by making it a little more stylized. Daredevil was a long-standing favorite character of mine, and it was a nice change to do something slightly more action-oriented (for me), while still giving a somewhat iconic pose. Of course, there're tons wrong with the picture (anatomy, still not a strong suit), but I was pleased enough with it. I liked using the other inks to make 'highlights' of the picture, and this was more shading (fake though it was) than I normally used. It was a bit of a different picture than I was used to, but I still like it.

Probably nothing to post next Monday. It's been quite the week thus far, and with friends coming in from out of town this weekend, I'll most likely not get a chance to prep anything Sunday. So, see you Wednesday.

Music: "Devil Inside" - INXS

The Remembrance Table

This Table set for one is small -- Symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner alone against his oppressors. Remember!

The Tablecloth is white -- Symbolizing the purity of their intentions to respond to their country's call to arms. Remember!

The single Red Rose displayed in a vase reminds us of the families and loved ones of our comrades-in-arms who keep the faith awaiting their return. Remember!

The Red Ribbon tied so prominently on the vase is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn upon the lapel and breasts of thousands who bear witness to their unyielding determination to demand a proper accounting of our missing. Remember!

The Candle, the candle is lit -- Symbolizing the upward reach of their unconquerable spirit. Remember!

A Slice of Lemon is on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate. Remember!

There is Salt upon the bread plate -- Symbolic of the families' tears as they wait. Remember!

The Glass is inverted -- They cannot toast with us this night. Remember!

The Chair -- The chair is empty. They are not here. Remember!

Remember! -- All of you who served with them and called them comrades, who depended upon their might and aid, and relied upon them, for surely, they have not forsaken you. Remember!

Remember! -- Until the day they come home, Remember!


--Larry H. Tassone, USAF (Ret)

Today is a day to honor all veterans, but I thought it would be an especially appropriate time to post this picture, taken this past Memorial Day at the Plum Legion. I'd never seen this tableau before- I've been to more than one Memorial Day tribute, but this was new to me. The solemnity and reverence with which the men of the Post attended to this table, and to the reading of the above, truly touched me- all the more remarkable given I was there for a ceremony honoring my father, as well as all those members who passed on over the past year.

So often, when I think about all those men and women who have served America, I think about all the ones who died, fighting for their Country, or their Family, or just the Soldier next to him. Or I think about those who lived, and came back to their Country, and to their Family, and to their fellow Soldiers.

Not often enough do I think of those soldiers lost to us- those Missing in Action, unable to come home to their Country, to their Family, to their fellow Soldier; and the Prisoners of War, who sometimes do come home, but are always haunted and marked by their time kept away from their Country, their Family, their fellow Soldiers.

So please, think about them all- think of the veterans living, deceased, and lost...

Think.

And Remember.