000101 - knight-edge #4 preview & august summarised

preview: cover for knight-edge #4 and some of the pencilled pages.

i've been quite busy penciling pages for the newest issue of knight-edge. i worked it out that i have about 30 working days since the start of september (so not including weekends) to get it finished and ready for the printers so i'll have it for supanova sydney convention at the end of october. so far, i'm averaging a pencilled page per day, and i've just finished page 10, which isn't bad. however, i still need to ink, grey-tone or shade and letter these pages! plus, originally it was about 30 pages for this issue but i've since cut it down to 24 pages. i don't know if i'll make it in time but i'm gonna try my best.

again, i'm going to have pinups, so if anyone is interested in drawing their interpretation of some of my characters, please feel free to submit. details of the submission can be found here and the due date is October 1st.

in other things comic art related, i've also finally finished my 24 hour mystery thriller comic, "trigger", which ended at 26 pages in total. it's been kind of different and fun making a photo comic, i hope people will like the ending and 'get' it.

this month, i also volunteered to do the door knock appeal for the heart foundation along my street. doesn't take that much time, but it is interesting seeing what kind of people live where i do (basically all retirees).

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august began with a job interview where the opening question was if i could start work right there and then. when i drove home afterwards, i felt how uncomfortable i was working there and had lots of doubts. while the experience (pre-press with some graphic design role) would have been beneficial to my resume and folio, i didn't feel like it was the right step to the career i wanted, so i turned them down the next morning.

work-wise, august wasn't even a particularly busy month either. i did another 6 more pages to my 24 hour "trigger" comic for the something wicked 2 submission, made requested changes to a freelance illustration job that's turning out to be a bit of a pain in the butt and did some small illustrations for a children's religious activity book. also slowly worked on the long overdue 12one21.com website design.

one big highlight for august was being part of one of my best friend's bridal party. it was quite a long day honestly but everything went pretty smoothly in my opinion and am very glad the happy couple finally tied the knot.

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anyway, other highlights included the following...

Comics:
Flight 3 - this was quite expensive but well worth the price of admission i thought. i've only read about half of the stories but i think the quality have risen again from book 2. Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse #1 - the new creator-owned book by Ben Templesmith is pretty good. First issue introduces the reader to quite an eclectic cast of characters and was an enjoyable read. She-Dragon - the art by Franchesco! reminded me a lot of Adam Hughes which i've alwasy been a fan of. The story itself actually ties into the Savage Dragon current storyline, so dragon fans should get a kick out of that. Rival Schools #2 - was a great fight comic. i'm a fan of Corey "REY" Lewis' work and have played all of the rival schools video games before. i recommend this book to non-fans of either though.

also recently started reading a korean manga called Shin Angyo Onshi (known as blade of the phantom mask) - a fusion mix of korean wuxia / history with fantasy by the creators of island and zombie hunter. another manga called Until Death Do Us Part - about a blind swordsman and a little girl he rescues and protects.

Movies:
Ultraviolet - this movie was very disappointing, in fact it was pretty crap. Install - this was a quirky and often times funny japanese movie starring the lead actress from azumi. The whole generalisation of internet chatrooms for the masses is a bit disturbing though. Fearless - this was meant to be the last martial arts film that Jet Li made. the story itself is not that different to other martial arts / tournament journey films but it challenges the theme of revenge quite well i thought. Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest - enjoyable and funny but i liked the first film much more. i think they made the plot too convoluted for it's own good. Miami Vice - this movie was a snore for me, particularly the first half. there was no closure to the opening scene and then rest of the movie was a whole lot of meaningful stares. the sounds of guns were great but i like Michael Mann's heat and collateral much much more. Silent Hill - even though i've yet to play the games by konami, i felt the movie got the look and feel of the games down. i like a good thriller / horror every once in a while, it did get a bit too much for me, in terms of gore, towards the end though.

The Host - i missed the screenings during the melbourne international film festival, so was determined to catch it when there were more screenings of this korean film here in melbourne. this was probably one of the best movies i've seen this year so far. it's got a bit of everything and it's very well acted. the cg of 'the host" (by the orphanage as discussed quite vividly during semi-permanent06) and vfx is just right and not too much over the top or too dodgy either. highly recommended viewing.

Games:
Guitar Hero - finally gave into temptation and bought one of these in august. when we went around to get it, almost every place had sold out of it. i have to admit that i totally suck at rhythm-type games, so i've just been playing on easy to unlock some of the music. gotta love all the songs you can play along to. my favourite set is currently the 4th. anyway, haven't played it more for a while due to the increased workload or deadlines.

speaking of which, i better get back to the drawing board!