ACTIN' UP

So after 5 years of animation school I feel pretty comfortable with "acting out" scenes with my characters. I rarely use the mirror anymore to mime out facial expressions and all that jazz...

I remember when i got my first Marvel gig on New Mutants like ages ago...(it still amazes me when people pull those books out for me to sign @ shows...Ungh...those books are laced with pain and suffering...;) )

Anywayz-

I remember the writers on telling me that most of the books action was happening within the characters. I love that. SOmehow down the line in my career i got labeled...the hot chick drawin' guy to the big action guy...not much happening in the middle ground...

It's funny- i spend SO much time on other parts of my game. Things like page layout. Panel placement. Shot selection.line movement.Mood.ect...

Well- this is from my last batch of Ghost Rider pages...Mercy (which goes on sale in August! Look for it!) I spent a good amount of time on this scene that plays out over 3 pages i do believe...Nice character moment between Blaze and a Young Sheriff's deputy.

I really loved the way the page turned out and thought i would share it.

Feast.

M.

WEIRD SCIENCE!

"Plastic tubes and pots and pans..."

Sign...Who remember's that movie "Weird Science"? Show of hands?

Anywayz- So i'm sitting there at Wizard World Philly and along comes Citizen Arkane...

Who is Citizen Arkane---Well he's basically the most awesome(-st) rabid comicbook fan on the planet. He's a good man and a true fan of the madness I call a career.

Well- anywayz,back to it...

So the Citizen comes along and we get to talking like we do about comic nerd stuff...And I show him my Bane VS. Venom bit and he's starts wailing off a ton of Spidey villians VS. Batman foes combos and here we are...

SO this image is one of those combos we got around to imagining in a Spidey/Bat vs. fiasco.

If i need to tell you who these two "mad scientist" are...then you need to take your broke rhymes back to rap rehab.

Feast.

M.

DISENCHANTMENT

Ok.

No art. Just thoughts...(see below)

Been wrestling with concepts of what to take on per say for my next project creator owned wise.

I feel it's time to step back away from doing the round about work i have been doing with Marvel and DC. Not that i'm sure that I'm doing stuff in the future with them...It's just that to be honest...There really is NO job security in comic books unless yu are superstar status...or have a contract or deal.

Not that i wouldn't mind having that (because i would) it's just that the grind of that wears on you. I want more things out life i suppose. I want health insurance. I want to take my girl on vacation that has nothing to do with Comics or Stormtroopers involved.

I kept using the word "Disenchanted" @ WWPHILLY when i talked to comic fans and the like about how i feel these days. With the passing of my Dad. My mothers health problems. And the up and downs of never knowing when i'm working next or who i will be working for-

I miss normalcy of the old days when i worked a day job and did my work on the side a couple hours here and there and my stuff was my own and it spoke to me. I miss doing my own stories...my own ideals.

@ The philly show my artist alley table was placed next to the dude who is doing MOUSEGUARD...i forget his name- i want to say Brandon Peterson? I was sick as a dog and i really didn't feel like talking to the dude...But he was there and he had all of the mice with him. He was hot.

Well- his MOUSEGUARD product was so to speak anywayz. It was inspiring to see that people gave a shit about his own ideas and creations rather than the normal...O look- Wolverine! O schnap! that Batman is badass!

I took a long look at my work at one point and realized i'm selling myself on other people's ideas and inventions. My portfolio is stacked with known Marvel and DC characters...Bloodrayne and Storm Shadow in the mix as well...

I have 2 images in there from COCKFIGHT. Just two out of dozens. It's a concern now. I think it's time to do something else.

I have been wrestling (and writing ) BUBBLEGUMROCKZ now for about a year? And i don't feel quite right on it yet. Maybe it's not time i feel. The story is not all there because i need it to say something that I can't find the words to say yet.

So i have shelved it. There is no art to show here because it's nothing i haven't put down here before- so i feel if i feel it's the same old same old...Then why wouldn't the viewer see it that way as well.

So here it goes...

My next mission statement is sorta kinda more a light fun action horror adventure book. As soon i finish all my Marvel work and clear the desk I will start doing specs and sketches of this world and the process that goes with creating something from scratch. I thought it would be neat to do all that here.

The pitch for this book is Akira meets The Warriors in a punk rock vampire epic.

If you can see that then good.

It's called SUNSET CITY DEVILS FOREVER!

So here's to it. Let the good times roll.

M.

THE CONSTANT

Ok.

It's been awhile...I know. It's been a difficult past couple of weeks.

My father just lost his life to a bout of cancer...I wanted to put something up to honor him. But i can't really get around to drawing things new. So this is old.

Something that i just received from my inker Mark Irwin on the Spidey/Ms Marvel project that seems to be slated for September now? Who knows...

I guess why i'm posting this for him is because his passing made me realize that I have things in my life that I should cherish more.

Namely...My girlfriend.

She doesn't like it when i post shit about me and her up here.She's private. Feisty. Strong.

(i.e.- she deals with my constant bullshit...anyone who comes here knows that being any kind of artist comes with bullshit. it's the high cost of dreaming on a constant basis of a life unimaginable. it's taxing to everyone around you because i realize i live in a constant state of make believe at times.)

So back to my point of the post...

Ms.Marvel...

3rd panel in is totally Her. Classic Skute. I use her to model my version of Ms.Marvel. Because Ms.Marvel is Bold,Beautiful and scrappy...Constanly a bad-ass.

and that's not made up.

It's funny how life imitates art.

M.

THE DIRTY DURTY OF IT ALL

I lied Part 2.


Here's a sneak peek @ Ghost Rider.

Medium-

This is a 8X11 photocopy of the original 11X17 bristol board.Been practicing on those sheets in my down time where ever and when ever I can. It's mostly ball point ink pen with Microns (.005 those little itty bitty points).

I'm still experimenting with style. I get this a lot when i post on DW--" it just looks like you traced over the original pencillers lines".

Ummm... I AM the "Original penciler" so wouldn't that make sense for it to maintain my line weights. Not that i don't get what they are saying...But i guess i don't "get" inkers who rationalize that they understand a pencillers thought process just because they have a bristol board of pencil work laid out in front of them.

*Shrugs*

I guess it's all a matter of what you like when you see it. I went for this look a few years ago when i was producing COCKFIGHT. But wasn't happy with it totally...Can't say i'm totally happy with it here as well...But i'm experimenting with it at least.The trend sorta kinda continued on Storm Shadow- but i wasn't happy the way that came out on the production end of things- but judging from the reviews of that book a lot of critics and the like were digging the style i was reaching for and I got the monicker -

Dirty American Anime.

(which i love btw)

And as of last week--- I asked the powers that be if i could ink myself on the book just like you se here basically (nothing fancy - just the dirty part)...Taking these to Philly Con in two weeks and i should get solid feedback there from the masses...Until then for your eyes only...


Feast.

M.

30 YEARS LATER...

I lied.

Been in the weeds and trying to cope with life things. But i got this awhile ago from my inker on the MS.MARVEL project and i'm pretty proud of it and i wanted to share. It's a big piece. Double page spread of "inky goodness" as Mark Irwinputs it.

When i was 5 o r6 years old my Mom told my that she bought me a box of crayons and left me alone with them for a while in my room. Upon returning to check up on me...She found that i pulled out the red and blue crayons only and doodled Spidey all over my bedroom walls.

I had that in mind when i did this spread.

Feast.

M.

THE BURNING MAN

More inks on GhostRider.

M.