Lego of Me

Lego of Me

Is that Batman?

No, It's not. Everyday last week in the summer camp I would make a couple new mosaic.  And every time, one kid would ask me "Is that Batman?" Do you know who Batman is, kid? Do you?

Idea Dump

Idea Dump

Where Ideas come to Lie.

Another dump of images that I've been working on for the past few weeks.  Might as well get them out here, right?  So here we have some renditions of The Flash, Captain Cold, Giganta, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Star Sapphire, Powergirl, and Ultra Humanite.

The 50 States Project!

The 50 States Project

A Project.

North Carolina: 

Killed by a horrific crash, the mysterious Phantom Driver has come back to life to spread send wrongdoers down in flaming wreckage. with his fiery NASCAR and catalog of in-state endorsements, He climbs behind the wheel and takes a left turn for justice... and another left... and another left... and another...

 More Stately Heroes here!

The 50 States Project!

The 50 States Project!

A Completed Project!

Huzzah!  I finished it!  One hero for every state! It wasn't always easy as some states are so fricken boring, but I managed to get a character out of each of them.  Check the link at the bottom to see them all!

New York

The Empire state is in need of a protector that can reach out and touch everyone's needs. And for that, there is only the Fabulous Fondue, The Human Melting Pot! With the power to alter his or her appearance at the drop of a hat, Fondue can be every ethnicity and sex, but also not entirely so. For in trying to be everything at once, she or he cannot fully be anything. So if you want anything to separated, you better not ask for the steaming hot goo that is Fondue!

ALL the rest are Here!

Comic Dan's: Quantum and Woody

Comic Dan's

It's not the crappy font.

Today, it's time for something different.  I figured that since I'm a fan of comic books, I might as well say something about them here!  And to start off, I want to support a new series published by the revitalized company Valiant!

 Quantum and Woody was apparently published back in the 90s by Valiant before the comic, and the company, failed.  I never read it and so I am unfamiliar and unaware of any previous character iterations.  What drew me to this book was the subtitle: The world's worst Super-hero team!
That premise was enough to earn my interest and, evidently, my money.

I've only read one issue (Issue 1) and it starts out with some great characterization and establishes a rich dynamic between the two titular characters.  The two, being brothers, both have their own problems, and seeing them play out in a superhero book sounds appealing to me.  There's a nice balance of heart and humor that I hope is a standard that the series continues.
Character design for this comic is pretty solid.  I like the contrast between the two get-ups relating to the personality differences.  They apparently did this in the original run, but from what I've seen of the old series' look...

I think it was smart to ditch the leather jacket over a bodysuit look, but I definitely dig the white cape.  What is with the blandifying homogenization of Super-suit design these days?  Though The Incredibles was a great movie, I like capes.  And furthermore I like high collars, I like Jack Kirby-esque flamboyant do-dads, and, by all that is considered sacred, I like victorian-era strongman underpants!

So in case you haven't got the gist, I think this is shaping up to be a fun book that you should pick up.  Try it, you might like it.
If you need more convincing, there's a preview right here.

I'm Only Funny on Paper

I'm Only Funny on Paper

A comic.

The 50 States Project.

Another installment of my Superhero for every state idea.  This week it's Missouri.

This uncompromising hero gets villains drunk.  'Nuff said.

I'm Only Funny on Paper

I'm Only Funny On Paper

A comic.

Monday Edition!

The 50 States Project!

So its not Monday, who cares!  I had a lot of stuff to do.  Anyway, I'm going to pop off 2 posts today to make up for my laziness.  Ya dig?

New Hampshire

From the Granite state comes what would appear to be a mild-mannered Mountaineer, but the truth is when this hero clicks his L.L. Bean duck boots together, he turns into Old Man Mountain, a being of solid stone. The only problem is that once he turns into the mountain, he's stuck in that position until he changes back. His greatest foes: Father Time & Erosion... definitely Erosion.

I'm Only Funny On Paper

I'm Only Funny on Paper

A comic.

The 50 States Project

Michigan: 

For another state I have lived in, though briefly, I wanted to try and unify the varying isms and uniqueries of the state of Michigan. Car manufacturing seemed obvious, along with Motown and winter.  what I ended up with was a pretty downbeat hero that looks like he belongs in Detroit.

With a Motown beat in his heart, The Motor City Mitten Man drives hard for his state. With lakes aplenty and jobs sparse, the Mitten Man has his mittened fingers cut out for him (or rathere wishes they were). His only weakness, his lack of dexterity, is often exploited by enemies who tempt him with a telephone to dial.

I'M Only Funny on Paper

I'm Only Funny on Paper

A comic.

The 50 States Project

For our latest installment of the 50 states project, I'll bring you to the state of my birth, Ohio.  I had all kinds of wacky ideas for Ohio's superhero (Taft in a tub, The Mighty Porker-pig avenger, Mr. Wright, Drew Carey) but I was struggling for a coherent theme.  Eventually I settled on focusing on the sky, since the Wright brothers, Neil Armstrong, and the Air force call our state home.  It seemed fitting since Ohio always had a kind of deluded idea of itself, wanting to be a state of great cities and ending up with a bunch of second bananas (lousy Illinois/Tennessee/California). So, here he is, full of lofty ideas and not a lot else, Here's Buckeye.

Rife with delusions of grandeur and an obsession with its own progressiveness, Buckeye is a spaceman-like hero who has a ray gun (Which is actually a flashing light) and flies around in a Wright brothers plane (so, 4 feet off the ground at thirty miles per hour, often getting caught in trees) that converts into a riverboat (that gets caught on sandbars when the river is low or on fire). Evil beware! Buckeye Rocks! (Like Cleveland).

I'm Only Funny On Paper: The 50 States Project

I'm Only Funny on Paper:

The 50 States Project.

This project started from an idea I came up with while talking to a friend about superheroes.  The specific comment made was, "What would a superhero inspired by Ohio be like?"  I took that comment and set out to create a superhero for every state, representing their state as critically and humorously as possible.

Super American Patriot Man

Though not inspired by a state, He was a bi-product of when I started drawing  concepts for various state-based Superheroes.  The result you see here is something I'm equally proud and ashamed of.

The Hero that Started it all. Wanting to create a more perfect version of Captain America, I stumbled upon Super American Patriot Man! He is a self-proclaimed supersoldier with a ninth grade education and a fist aimed squarely at justice.. er, IN-justice. With his bat "Ol' Glory" and his twin "Screamin Eagles" this hero is out to save your day... after he makes a stop at McDonalds. Ideal Casting: Kevin James

Creators: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Creators

A growing list of inspirational Artists, Writers, Filmmakers, and Poets.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Like spaghetti and meatballs, bacon and eggs, or politics and corruption, the team of Siegel and Shuster is a set of words that just goes together in your head.  And what follows immediately after is there irreplacable contribution to world History in their character: Superman! Not bad for a couple of poor Jewish kids from Cleveland, eh?

Actually Joe was from Toronto originally.  These two guys had a rough go of it starting out in the business because everyone was telling them no.  I'm sure they all felt like the red sox a few years later.

Oh yeah, and originally the idea for superman came from this terrifying comic where a man gets telepathic powers and takes over the world.  Thankfully he gets taken out in the end.  As you might guess, the story was a hard sell, so Jerry kept the name and retooled the concept.

So instead of a Lex Luthor wannabe with telepathy, Siegel made a Samson and Moses hybrid with a Buck Rogers background, and sharp eye looking out for the oppressed.  And then Shuster gave him a circus strongman's tights and briefs with Zorro's cape, and Whammo!  We have the first superhero.  A modern day demi-god with amazing abilities, a secret identity, and a heart of gold.  This was the first step into our modern mythology, which had heaping helpings of the old myths to get it going. 




I love these guys, not only for creating Superman, but for creating a new Mythology for all of us to dream in.  They took the stories they were familiar with, that many of us grew up with, gave it a new context and form, and released it in beautiful 4 color glory.

Thanks Jerry and Joe