INTRO:
Wow, there's a TON of comments on this last post i did! I tried to throw up at the bottom of the comments section, but my comments to yours... were too many characters to fit.
So were going to try something different this time. Here are my replies to the last Hellraiser story post, along with snippits of little pieces of newer-ish art you probably haven't seen... to make it more interesting.
You can also open the 'comment window' to the last blog, and read along so it's not too confusing who i'm responding too.
duh. shouldn't have known you'd all figure that out. : )
Okay, won't do this all the time, but here we go....
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REPLIES TO LASY BLOGS COMMENTS:
One thing's for sure, either this Hellrasier story's aged better with time, or seeing it in black and white gave it a second chance? Remember ANY comics an artists does that you DON'T like the art in? Remember, that art is buried under colors, many times BAD colors too.
But to be fair, many of the old colorists were paid crap and given no time, a day or so, to urn around a whole issue… so it's a wonder any comics look as good as they do.
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cody, yes, i am tripping. it's a specialty of mine. Yeah, weirdly enough i really DO like Clive's raw almost primitive drawings and charcoal stuff. But if he was foolish enough to draw comic covers and used tons of TINY little lines early on in his career?
Then he might be unfairly raked over coals for these raw more primal expressionistic drawing how he does today, huh? ; )
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Marcus, publish my blog? I think i already am 'publishing' it, at least online…. least this way i'm not killing any trees! Great story about meeting Lana/Larry. Cool place to met her too, in Coppola's Gallery. I've heard this too, Kevin Nowlan ( who got the Hulk movie concept gig) told me the same thing, you do tons of sketches, and it looks totally different. I was so spoiled on the maxi cartoon, they USED much of my art, so that why it look so much like the book. That's so rare too.
My art, or what little is out there, sales for anything from a few hundred for a zero girl pages to thousands for certain covers or color work.
Yes, 'Nor Cal cons': I'll work on trying to hit a few cons and not do just san diego, but the seasons pretty much over now.
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Derek,
Neil is funny that way. Neil Mike and i are screwed for life because of that sandman book. We're as bound together as the Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer are. Though not as rich or famous. But i feel a weird automatic affection for both of them, even though we've gone years where we rarely speak to each other.
It's ironic Neil would say that. Never say never, right?
Btw, i did NOT say the Hendrix/Beatles quote, but since it's on Sandman wiki page now, it's useless trying to refute it. Neil is quoted as saying i said it, but i have no memory of saying it. But who knows? It's been so long, maybe i could be wrong.
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Mas, yes if they follow designs, but that's also a crap shoot. Just depends what mood the director or producers are in right? I agree the creation of a world/city would probably my by favorite part… more so than the action stuff. just not an action sort of guy.
Yeah, concept/ideas/character - amen!
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danman,
thanks for solving the riddle of if that story was reprinted. I figured it made it's way into some GN out there somewhere..
Yeah, i agree about the Matrix. Just a weird fit for me. It's odd i'd say that before even seeing the script, but seems they did go in a whole other direction after bound, so i was right on the front.
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Tomek,
Yeah, a real life story WITH a plot twist… but looks like i may have spoke to soon ( see further down)
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Thanks Jeff,
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Sjors too!
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aftermathcomic,
Yeah, contrast was the GOAL there. I wanted to shake things up a little. a LOT actually. Yeah, i feel the same way about crazy artists and fans who love 'em. Those Biz covers on doom patrol were about the only thing i'd bother to pick up for a while.
You could really feel him building up to something huh? Later, it was so weird to finally talk to him on the phone too. But i also get the same feeling by old guys trying NEW stuff too. Even if it doesn't work, their like sharks and keep swimming forward.
Shameless admission: Most of my favorite artists draw *differently* now, Kyle Baker when he switched from 'Saturn' to how he drew 'You Are Here', or Dave Mazzucchelli who's work in 'Asterios Polyp' operate in a whole different level than his mainstream Batman work.
Both are cool and there's room for both. Yeah, some times 'later work' doesn't cut it. It happens. But i'm blown away buy guys who TRY at least, even if it falls flat, it's in the trying.
I 'should' prefer Talking Heads, and i still love a tons of it, but i tend to catch myself these days listen to Byrne's solo stuff more. But that's just me. Personal taste.
The cool bit is we can like old Biz stuff, but also turn each other onto NEW stuff too, i wouldn't have found HALF the cool stuff i have if guys and gals on the sire like you hadn't opened my eyes to it.
Keep lurking dude ~ safety in numbers!
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Aaron,
Ahh Aaron. Magic? wow… if i only could have heard you say that the editor balled me out!
: )
Thanks buddy.
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Arjan,
Thanks for the link to these color pages..
http://www.buzzcomics.net/showthread.php?t=44652
But you know what? it looks like i'm *wrong* about Larry writing that story!!!
The credits on this story page say it's NOT Larry Wachowski - but someone named 'Nicholas Vince'. Shoot. I assumed it was Larry because someone ( the editor?) scribbled his "larry wachowski-sam kieth" on the first page of the original art.
Larry did write another Hellraiser story… i remember seeing his name on some credits.. so maybe the editor just was jotting names down or something? Or got confused?
Weird. The mystery continues..
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Adrian,
Glad your dig the 'old days' stuff. I liked some of it too, (bot all) - but if the stuff i'm doing now *isn't* doing it for you, for Pete's sake man, i have the IDEAL solution for you: stop looking at my stuff now! ; )
Seriously, nostalgia stuff aside, i don't ask everybody to "like/get/be excited" for how i draw now. It's a continuum, not hard edges. When i was in my teens i liked Zappa's later satirical slick work, later i preferred his early 'Mothers' period, and now i settle on the middle Roxy and Elsewhere" years.
He work changed and changed.. just as my taste changed grew and morphed. It's all good as long as you adjust your expectations along the way.
I've even given up worry or beating myself up about 'changing ( …a first, for me!). To me that's a good problem. That i've changed. Not changing, or trying to be someone i can't anymore, that, for me, would truly suck. You can't go home. Why would want too?
Don't wanna rain on your parade, but believe me, it would be lame watching me trying to and 'recreate' the past. Doesn't work. Not possible, even if i tried. Long as my fans don't expect it of me, and just take what i CAN give them, then we both win.
If not, no hard feelings and i mean this sincerely. I don't mind old stuff, i'll throw it up sometimes too. looking back is cool. But it hurts my neck looking back too much, plus i tend to run into things that way.
Someone once said, "the Past is nice place to visit, but a horrible place to be stuck in".
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Okay folks... sorry i rambled on there. You guys were much more concise and to the point than i was, obviously.
I'm going to try a few shorter- but more frequent posts in the near future... ever three days or so? I'll still do longer 'process posts' sometimes, but i feel like it's a good idea to keep the flow going, give us all a reason to check back in every three days or so ~ sound good?
Thanks again everyone!
- sam
