ULTRAIST STUDIOS

Here is a “behind the scenes” look at the making of SPY GUY #1 Page 7.  This one is interesting not only because it is the “hook” for issue 1, but it also contains the very first gag ever created for Spy Guy.

Back around 2004 I got to thinking that every comic book should have a “hook”.  A page that while you’re flipping through it in the comic book shop, it catches your eye, and you go “whoa!”, and in that moment you are given enough information to get a gist of what the book is about, and are enticed to learn more.  It would most likely contain a splash page image, and should contain a joke or one-liner that can be absorbed in an instant.  When I began brainstorming what the issue #1 hook should be, this gag came to mind.  It is one of the earliest Spy Guy drawings ever done, circa 1988, and is what I consider to be an iconic image for Spy Guy.  What better place to use it than in the very first issue of the Unlimited Series.

Pretty good gag. But for the comic it had to be more dynamic. That became very apparent while I was putting together the mock-up copy that I use to pace out the comic with.

Once I started the full sized roughs of the new dynamic pose, I realized that I wasn’t getting the drawing right at all. Once you tilt it at a bit of an angle, you start getting some perspective and the way the trench coat falls gets more complicated. I needed photo reference.

In doing video reference for animation, I discovered how much superior using video reference is compared to using photo reference, because you can capture thousands of frames to chose from, and you get better action because you don’t get stiff as you hold still for the camera.

From there I did some pencil sketches in front of the computer on 11 x 17 paper.  Here is the 11 x 17 rough I created.  The sharpie work was done on the bus on route to the GO Train back when I had a daily commute and was featured in a blog journal post a while back.  I find the sharpie is useful for really blocking in some forms to base the final pencils around.

From there I took the sharpie rough, and did a tracing paper pencil over it to tighten the drawing before transferring it over to the S-172 Bainbridge illustration board.

For the final pencils and inks, I pulled out the gun reference that I keep beside the drawing board at all times.

And this is what it looks like in the final page.  You can read it in context right here.

The page has gotten quite a few comments, so I can only assume that it accomplished what I set out to do with it. Now there you have it;  the making of SPY GUY #1 Page 7.

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Chuck Palahniuk gets a question about electronic books (kindle) vs. traditional print (books): Answers with a story about his dinner with (name dropping tourettes) NEIL GAIMAN in ITALY… it’s a great answer.

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Episode 259

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I’ve been watching Survivorman non-stop here in this final stretch to get SPY GUY #1 done.  For some reason I find it very comforting.  Here is the Baffin Island episode (which reminds me of Greg Hyland’s Lethargic Lad Survivor comic from way back in 2001-04-17 – I’d provide a link for the strip but he’s taken it down – this is the book it’s reprinted in).

“I’m here to survive for seven days, alone, without food, with very little gear, and no camera crew, in the basement, at Ultraist Studios.”

It’d be funny to make a short parody video to post, but I don’t have the time for it – heck, I shouldn’t even be blog journalling.

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Chuck Palahniuk quote:

“Slide.”

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I love this dorky stuff…

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This administration has once again been brought to you today by a cabal of globalist banksters and their New World Order.

Talk about psi-ops, as part of the mass hypnosis program, the script even had Obama flub his oath of office. Watch for yourself here. Enjoy the next 4 years America! That said; we now leave you with this musical interlude.

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ADDENDUM 1:
Click for an AFP Special Report: WHO IS BARACK OBAMA?

ADDENDUM 2:
Here’s more information from a guy who predicted things right: WEBSTER TARPLEY.

ADDENDUM 3:
Alex Jones new film to expose Obama and his agenda: THE OBAMA DECEPTION.

ADDENDUM 4:
An excellent article by David Icke: BARACK OBAMA: THE NAKED EMPEROR.

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Filmed in February 2005, Scott McCloud gives an interesting semi-autobiographical lecture on Understanding Comics at TED.
Click here for TED.

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I have been working on my own list of “action items” to make this world a better place, and to make living in it a more enjoyable experience, and found this list created by the folks at Chycho.com, and since many of the points mirror conclusions that I’ve come to myself, I thought it would be worth while to post below, as this list is already typed and coherent.

Below are some suggestions and resources by Chycho.com to help in bringing about a positive change:

1. Spend time with who and what you love. Surrounding ourselves with love should help us to remember the beauty of life.
2. Learn to filter and recognize propaganda. It is corporations that profit from wars, not individuals. Always apply the filter: ‘Ownership determines content’. “If we accept that it is desirable for individuals to practice moral agency as fully as possible, then we should seek to create a different kind of media system.”
3. Your body, your voice, your mind, and your spirit are required at peace rallies for us to reach critical mass. Additional information at the following news sources: CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Raging Grannies, ANSWER Coalition, Stop War, United for Peace, Guerrilla News Network, Move On, Anti War, Common Dreams, bellaciao, PEJ News, OpEd News, Information Liberation, Project Censored, Rense, Information Clearing House, Global Research, Prison Planet, The Raw Story, Gush Shalom, and Truthout
4. Stop watching corporate news on TV, they do not provide information, just propaganda. Frequent legitimate unbiased news sources such as: The Real News Network, Democracy Now!, International News Net, Sub Media TV, Free Speech TV, Link TV, and Alternative Radio: Audio Energy of Democracy.
5. Stop supporting corporate education and entertainment. Learn about your rights , how society functions, what we have done, and are doing to each other and the planet. Watch and learn from movies and documentaries such as: Earthlings, America: Freedom to Fascism, A World Without Cancer, Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre, Chemtrail: Aerosol Crimes, The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror, ‘The Future of Food’ and ‘The World According to Monsanto’, Liquid Crystal Vision, Marcus Garvey: Look for me in the Whirlwind, The Doomsday Code, Iraq For Sale, Plan Colombia, The Revolution will Not be Televised, Freedom Downtime: The Story of Kevin Mitnick, Zeitgeist, and Loose Change.
6. Learn about the financial institutions that have been established to profit from the ultimate consuming machine known as war. Watch and share: ZEITGEIST, The Movie: Part 3 of 3 (47:05), and the animated Money As Debt (47:07).
7. Stop supporting mass media that has been the voice of government and corporate propaganda and the driving force behind the recruitment, promotion, and continuation of the war agenda. Begin to acquire your news from actual people blogging and reporting on the true nature of life. News blogs such as: What Really Happened, Ya Ya Canada, Dahr Jamail’s MidEast Dispatches, Desert Peace, Daily Kos , plus countless others available on the Internet.
8. Write, call, and personally contact your representatives in government ( US and Canada), demanding that they begin to represent you and your family, not corporate money. Realize that most of our representatives have not even begun to grasp the “terminal” path that we are on.
9. Not only should you be consuming less and locally, but also producing locally. Corporations over the years have destroyed the infrastructure of local economies, but it is time for us to rebuild. Additional information at Post Carbon Institute, People and Planet, BALLE, 100 Mile diet and numerous other sources available on the Internet.
10. Reduce your dependency on oil by using public transportation and or alternative means of transportation. See Critical Mass for additional information.
11. Downsize your car and/or convert to hybrid transportation. The sooner you do this the better. This will not only save you money on fuel, it will also allow you to sell your large gas-guzzler before the rise in fuel prices reduces the value of your car to nothing. And you better hurry, because the waiting lists for hybrid cars are long and used models are selling for more then the new cars.
12. If you are working for an organization which is actively supporting war then try to find a different occupation which does not require of you to promote the destruction of humanity.
13. Begin to invest in yourself instead of Stock markets who launder money while profiting from war. Additional information for Canada at Stop Pension Plan Investments in War!
14. Begin to work with nature and not against it by learning about natural resources available in your area. Additional information at: World Changing, Planet Friendly network, and NI Business Info.
15. Make healthy eating choices. Studies have found that most bankruptcies are due to medical bills, and since the passing of the Bankruptcy Bill you will no longer be cleared of your debts if you declare bankruptcy in the US, which means that you will become a slave to the banking institutions. This will take away your freedom and force you to abide by their agendas, the main agenda of which is war.
16. Support artists against the war and boycott those that support the war. There are many artists who have officially spoken out against the war and are proactive in their attempts to bring us peace. Some of these artists are: Immortal Technique, System Of A Down, Ben Harper, Dead Prez, Dixie Chicks, Serj Tankian, Anti-Flag, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Charlie Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Rose O’Donald, Banksy, Carlos Latuff , Ben Heine, Simon Regis, and even Sean Penn.
17. Participate in civil disobedience. Peace organizers are now advocating “people in the antiwar movement to move from protesting to performing acts of civil disobedience that ‘get in the way of the war machine.’”
18. Understand that we are one people occupying one planet, and that we are and will be held accountable for the actions of our governments. Learn about our history by reading books such as: Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, A People’s History of the United States, Hegemony or Survival, Wilhelm Reich in Hell, Mass Psychology of Fascism [PDF], Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope, The Shock Doctrine, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, and War Is a Racket written by America’s most decorated general US Marine Corp Major General Smedley Butler.

To read the original post in it’s entirety go here:

WW3 Has Already Started or: 18 Ways To Stop The Bomb

Add your thoughts and comments below.

Postscript:  Here is an additional video by TheopoulaGR in the same vein posted at Infowars.com

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The following article found via PVP Online via Publishers Weekly

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The Kirkman/Bendis Debates: Let’s Do the Math
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on November 25, 2008
by Todd Allen

Over the summer you might have stumbled onto Robert Kirkman’s plea for comics creators to leave DC and Marvel behind for independent publishing (or to come to Image, if you read it with a cynical view). You may also have heard that Brian Bendis attempted to call BS on Kirkman’s plea and debated him on the topic.

While the debate didn’t have a clear winner, the stances were clear: Kirkman wishes more creators at DC and Marvel realized how much money they could make by going independent. Bendis thinks Kirkman’s sales are too high to be a reasonable example, finds his Marvel deal (including a page rate, royalties and placing Powers at Icon) preferable and kept talking about the value of trade paperback reprints.

Unfortunately, nobody really got into the numbers of the situation, despite reports of Kirkman having some charts on hand. Fortunately for you, I don’t fear math, so let’s find out what you could reasonably expect to make as a comic creator under the Image deal.

READ MORE

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Roll them up.
This follow up story originally appeared in PVP Online on November 27th, 2008
by Scott Kurtz

So, let’s get to first things first: Are Todd’s numbers right for PvP? Yes. PvP sells on average around 3k a month. It breaks even and makes anywhere from 300-500 bucks for me per issue. So to categorize the monthly title as “making beer money” is pretty accurate. Used to be a lot more but I’ve done a lot to ruin that profit margin. Here are some tips for those of you who want to make your own monthly titles.

READ MORE

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Mission Statement

This story originally appeared in CBR News on August 13th, 2008
by Robert Kirkman

Below is the original Robert Kirkman video that sparked the Kirkman / Bendis conversation:

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