Drawing full-sized pages

Page 6 of Monster Chompster #1

It’s my first issue of Monster Chompster!!! I created Chompie years ago when I was in college as the main character of a comic strip. I think I drew maybe 20 three-panel strips, and IIRC, like 4 of them were actually printed in the University newspaper (I have a few copies of the papers somewhere). Most of the time that I spent “creating” the character was devoted to building my website, writing up character bios, drawing desktop wallpapers, etc. I talked more about what I planned to do instead of actually doing it.

This time around, I’m doing things differently. So far, I have 5 pages penciled, and the rest of the issue is plotted and more or less scripted. Being that I’m going with a full-on cartoon style, the actual drawing is very fast. The much larger barrier is the emotional resistance that I have. For some reason, I have to push myself to draw each panel. I suspect that maybe it’s because I’ve wanted to see this project done for so long, that I’m terrified of seeing it realized, and that the final product will be less than what I was hoping for. Or that people won’t enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed it in my own head. I don’t know.

The important thing though, is that I’m doing it. Even if it’s slowly progress, at some point I’m expecting to break through the psychological barrier, and will be able to throw down pencils speedily. I’ve got three stories written so far, and my pencils are the biggest barrier to sharing them.

X-Factor’s Gambit!

I drew this years ago; colored it tonight. People may not remember when Gambit was a member of X-Factor, but it was one of my favorite books Marvel’s published. I’m sad that we may never see the Quicksilver/Remy friendship again, but at least I can still draw from that era (pun intended). #x-factor #allnewxfactor #x-factor

They paid $2.2 million; did they know it wasn’t Batman’s first appearance?

A copy of Batman #1 just sold for $2.2 million. That’s insane! Batman #1 was the first issue of Batman’s solo series, but the world’s greatest detective actually appeared for the first time in Detective Comics #27. To put the ridiculousness of this sale into perspective, the most expensive copy of Detective Comics #27 sold for only $1,075,000: less than half of what Batman #1 sold for. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Batman #1 is a valuable book. It contains the first appearance of Catwoman and the Joker and previously sold for $567,625. But if I’m going to pay $2.2 million, I’d rather spend it on Batman’s first appearance. Which leads me to wonder, did the purchaser know what he or she was buying? Did they know that Detective Comics #27 existed?

Biggest barrier to completion

When a drawing is coming out well, I’m afraid to finish it because I don’t want to ruin it.

I either start at the drawing forever, taking forever to make the next β€œmove”, or I’ll stop working on it and instead pick a new project to work in that I care less about. Then, if the new project starts coming out well, I’ll stop that one too.

Professor Xavier; I did the pencils 7 years ago.

Case in point, both of these just started out as jank practice drawing. The drawing of zorofessor X was original a sketch I did 7 years ago that I didn’t like. I decided to ink it for practice after I paused coloring this sketch of three of my Angels & Alchemy characters. πŸ˜’

Halted Tomorrow, Boom Whisper, and Ghost Nimbus

WiP: My cover mock-up for the fictional All-New X-Factor #21

All-New X-Factor #21 cover mock-up
This issue doesn’t exist.

I had never been more crushed than when this book was cancelled. Peter David hadn’t written Quicksilver since I was a kid. You pair him with Gambit, and two of my favorite New Mutants: Doug ‘Cypher’ Ramsey and Warlock. It was incredible. PAD hasn’t been paired with an artist of A-list caliber since he worked with Dale Keown on The Incredible Hulk. I pushed this book so hard when it was around. But alas, it was canned. I didn’t think sales were that bad, but whatever “universe shaking” cross-over event was happening at the time moved the landscape beyond what this book was trying to do. Sales weren’t strong enough for it to survive that, and Marvel opted to take it’s chances with a newer concept.

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