SHOW NOTES: Art & Story 002-The Big Character

Jerzy

In this week's episode, Mark and I discuss our processes for creating and developing characters.

We also started a new segment called The Big Honor, where we honor some of our favorite creators by fawning over their work for a bit.

This week's Pics:

Jerzy: Ty Templeton (Justice League International #20)
Image reference:
JLI #20, Page 18
JLI #20, Page 12

Mark: Ramona Ferdon (Showcase Presents: Metamorpho and DC Archives: Aquaman)
Image reference:
Showcase Presents: Metamorpho, Page 64
Showcase Presents: Metamorpho, Page 78
Showcase Presents: Metamorpho, Page 97
DC Archives: Aquaman Vol. 1, Cover
DC Archives: Aquaman Vol. 1, Page 19
DC Archives: Aquaman Vol. 1, Page 28
DC Archives: Aquaman Vol. 1, Page 29
DC Archives: Aquaman Vol. 1, Page 31

_________________
Don't mess with Sgt. Slaughter, He's as strong as they come,
'Cause he can take on a hundred Cobras, And set them on the run!

Wyrmphreak · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:54 pm Post subject:

You mentioned, Jerzy, that the young, impulsive character combined with the wizened, older character is a good storytelling device. Do either of you ever worry that by using archetypes in your stories you won't be able to make them your own characters?

Wyrmphreak · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:04 pm Post subject:

One other thing that was mentioned in this podcast......comics being visual, shorter, and having fewer words do you always have to worry about conflict in the story? Jerzy, you gave the example of Opal not really caring one way or the other about Galen so you said you had to up the volume on that. Is it a "have to" kind of thing? Is that your personal style or an absolute need if you are telling a story in comics?

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of a story being so condensed and how anyone can make that work as well as prose.

Jerzy · Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:15 am Post subject:

Tom Foolery · eating cereal Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 84

Wyrmphreak · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Jerzy!! That was a fantastic exercise to use in pointing out just how much the visuals are a part of the story. As I said, I was aware of that but I didn't think about in quite those terms before. I do want to make it clear that I am totally aware that there can be and is depth in comics. I just find it amazing that people can tell those kinds of stories using so few words. Again, it's that lifetime exposure to prose!

Jerzy · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:00 am Post subject:

Wyrmphreak · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject:

What kinds of prose do I like? You would think that would be an easy question to answer for someone who has read prose all her life......or at least since she learned how to read. In the tenth grade, I went through this phase where pretty much all I read was romances. I tried to be a little bit more high brow with them and tended toward ones with either a twist (suspense, the paranormal) or ones that were historical, though I have to admit I did enjoy just your basic, simple romantic story. Then I switched to fantasy in the 11th grade and totally immersed myself in it. I loved all the elements that fantasy had to offer (creatures, magic, sweeping landscapes/worlds, quests) so gobbled up anything that caught my fancy at the library. That sustained me for many a year until at some point, I don't know exactly when, my tastes started to shift toward general and non-fiction. I haven't left behind what I used to love, but I can't get into it as broadly as I once did. I'm kind of all over the place now, having about three books at a time that I'm reading since I keep hopping back and forth between them based on what I feel like getting into.

I'm not sure if I've given you much of an idea of what I enjoy, so I'll name a few authors and hopefully that will provide you with something a bit more concrete.

Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, Good Omens, Stardust)
Laurell K. Hamilton (both Blake and Gentry)
J.D. Robb
Nora Roberts
Poppy Z. Brite (foodie fiction)
Michael Crichton

Ty the Guy · Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:01 pm Post subject: Just heard the podcast

Hey there guys. A student at one of my comic book classes in Toronto told me to come here and listen to your podcast, cause you mentioned me. Um. —blushes, and looks at his shoes…—thanks for the mention. I appreciate the scholarly look at the work, not just of my stuff, but of Ramona’s as well (one of my heroes growing up, along with Marie Severin. The only two women in comics, and they were both GREAT!) If you want to see more of Romana’s work that you didn’t mention, check out her very lovely run on Plastic Man in the Eighties (my first exposure to the character in anything other than history books) and her terrific Justice League run in the SUPERFRIENDS title of the same period. You’re right, she had an elegant brush line, and a tremendous sense of character and page design. Metamorpho and Aquaman, obviously my two favorites as well. I actually am OLD enough to have bought the Metamorpho’s when they came out. Still have ‘em too.

Now, as for describing my work as dignified, I appreciate that very much. I’m sure it comes from a childhood obsession with the work of Curt Swan and Wally Wood, two highly dignified influences that are still with me to this day. A little too much Norman Rockwell in my life back then too. I didn’t come to my Neal Adams and my Kirby until I was a teenager, (and Gil Kane,Alex Toth, Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, Brian Bolland, etc. etc. etc. until much later) and there’s something about a person’s basic personality built in the first ten years of your life, that I"m stuck onRockwell, and Wally and Curt. I still find aspects of their work, literally the perfect way to do things, as the Platonic ideal. As an adult, I try to shake the influences and do something that’s just ME, but they’re bedrock in there. Part of my comic DNA.

But as for describing me, personally, as being dignified… You’ve obviously never met me. Good lord, clearly not.

I think the best way to clear the air of that misconception is to link to my latest film: you can see it at

www.hoverboy.com

just click on the section that says documentary, HOVERBOY, HERO OF A THOUSAND BUCKETS,

or much better yet, head on over to funny or die

http://www.funnyordie.com/browse/all/walking_tall/highest_rated

to watch it on Will Ferrell’s site. That way you can vote for it and keep it highly rated.

This film includes a clip of me running through a forest wearing nothing but a bucket, slamming into trees. If there’s anything less dignified than that, I don’t know what it is.

And of course, if I could humbly plead for you guys to link to this hoverboy website or film from YOUR website somehow (so that we could wave at your webtraffic and humbly offer them this silly movie), that would be cool. We’re coming out with a new Hoverboy comic early next year, and a man willing to run into a tree wearing a bucket on film, deserves some promotional sympathy for an indy comic that will never make him money, don’cha think?

Ty the Guy. Clearly undignified in his wanton begging.

Jerzy · Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject:

Okay, after watching the video, I agree. Art: Dignified. Artist: Well...[/Lucille Ball]

Wow, thanks for listening to our messy rants! All I hope is that we did your work justice in the discussion. And, as I said in the podcast, I'm a huge fan of your work. I just finished reading the Marvel Adventures Spider-Man/Human Torch digest, and it's the best read I've had all year. Few artists can tell a story like you can.

But I'm getting sloppy. Ahem!

We'll be sure to mention Hoverboy on our show and sites. That video is hysterical--it's incredibly authentic, and I nearly had a spit-take when you did the bit about how Hoverboy brought about the Comics Code. We'd be happy to plug it for you, even if we weren't fans of yours.
_________________
Don't mess with Sgt. Slaughter, He's as strong as they come,
'Cause he can take on a hundred Cobras, And set them on the run!