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More Mythica concept art

August 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Matt Campbell; Mythica; Silvas; comic book art; concept art; ww1 comic book;

Another concept for Silvas of Mythica

Yesterday i showed you some sketches and concept art for an upcoming character in Mythica named Silvas. Last night i doodled another one. This is still not a final design but i am liking it. It sort of has a little Desperado look to it, yeah? This character is from Spain but it takes place in WW1. Added to that he ends up running around with a rather rough bunch of Scots and Irishmen. I want him to stand out but still fit in if that makes any sense. Soon i will do a character line up to compare the characters side by side to insure that they all have distinguishing silhouettes and all look different enough.

Filed Under: Comics, Indy projects, Mythica Tagged With: ,

Mythica concept art

August 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In a recent poll some people requested to see more sketches and early concept work. I aim to please so today i have some quick sketches and concept art i did for Mythica. This first set of sketches are some early concept drawings for Silvas. Silvas is a character that will be coming into play in the Mythica series very shortly and will be a regular character. He is of Spanish decent and as you may have guessed by the images,wields many blades. As with many of my characters, this character is based off of a good friend of mine, Josh Silvas.

Matt Campbell; concept art; comic book art; Silvas; Mythica; Spainard; Spanish assasin

Concept art for Silvas from Mythica by artist Matt Campbell

These first sketches are just that, my first attempt at discovering the look of this character. I sketch quickly and don’t go into too many details. Here i am trying a few costume ideas just to get a launching point. I’m not really happy with any of these designs yet so i am sure i will do several more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roughing out a comic page

Matt Campbell; concept art; comic book pages; Mythica; demon; Magnus MacDracken

Concept art for pg 9 issue 1 from the Mythica comic book. Mythica & artwork © Matt Campbell Illustration

Matt Campbell; concept art; comic book art; Mythica; demon; Magnus MacDracken

Concept art for pg 10 issue 1 from the Mythica comic book. Mythica & artwork © Matt Campbell Illustration

The image on the left is a rough sketch of pg 9 of Mythica. On the previous page there is a big splash page showing Magnus squaring off against this demon. You may have seen this if you have seen the Mythica preview edition. So this next page starts the battle between them. The first panel is a swing and a miss from the demon with it’s nasty hook arm. Magnus ducks just in time. For some added flavor i’m thinking a little chunk of his hair flying through the air to help push the idea of how close the demon came to making contact. The next panel Magnus thrusts his sword into the belly of the beast. I felt this would be a great place for a Frank Miller style silhouette. Then the last panel has the beast come right back at Magnus despite the sword and slamming his head into the wall.
The image on the left has a few panel sketches for page 10. Pinned against the wall in the grip of the demon Magnus has little recourse but to go for the face. I’ve always wanted to do a scene like this. Whenever i have seen people with lots of face piercings i have always thought how dangerous that would be in a brawl. It was because i wanted to do this scene that i designed the demon with eye piercings. Except this demons piercings essentially make it blind as they go right over its eyes. I imagine it’s gotta hurt when they are yanked out as seen in panel 2. The last sketch is just a study i did inspired by some Mike Mignolia art.
So there you have it. Some Mythica concept work and a peek at the early development stages of a comic page.
On a side note i am looking for a letterer for Mythica. Someone who is good with custom made sound fx and knows how to make dialogue balloons flow well and east to read. If you are interested shoot me an email with samples of your work.

Filed Under: Comics, Mythica, News Tagged With: , ,

Indy artist of the week: Tom Rasch

August 24, 2011 By 3 Comments

Well thank you all for participating in the facebook poll. After the votes were tallied the number one thing that you all voted to see more of was local and independent artist and projects. Secondly you said you wanted to see more about Mythica and the progress of the comic. Well, you’re in luck. Today’s post has both of those! I’ve decided based on the feedback that i will try to do a feature on an indy artist or project every week. I’m not sure what day is the best day so if you have suggestions please leave them below.

Magnus; Magnus MacDracken; Mythica; Mythica comic; highland warrior; Tom Rasch

Magnus fanart from the Mythica comic book by artist Tom Rasch

Black Alpha; Matt Campbell; Black Alpha comic book; comic fanart; Matt Campbell

Black Alpha fanart by comic artist Matt Campbell

So the first featured artist of the week is my friend and super talented artist,Tom Rasch.

I first met Tom a few years ago at the Art Institute. He was there with a panel of other artist from Net Devil and Idol Minds talking about the gaming industry. That was here in Colorado. Tom has since moved to California and is still working as a game artist. As i started posting art and info about my comic project, Mythica, Tom seemed very interested and gave me a call. We have talked several times and have discovered that we are both working on personal projects that we are both passionate about.
Tom came up with this great idea of exchanging fan art of our characters. He quickly went to work on an awesome rendering of Magnus from my Mythica book and i just finished making this version of his character Black Alpha. Seriously, just finished. Some of you might even be seeing it before he does. Click on the images above to see the larger version.

So what is Black Alpha?

Black Alpha is a project that Tom has created first and foremost for an animated TV series. I asked Tom to describe it in his own words for you.
“Black Alpha is a story I’ve wanted to do for many years,since i was in grade school really. My main goal with this is to present the the tropes of the super hero myth against the back drop of sci-fi space opera. Our tale is about the guardsmen of the Caratian star systems or the provinces as they are referred to by the people of the realm. Each guardsman is bonded and forged with a cell suit–the cell suit gives the pilot the equivalent of super powers like super strength,speed,agility–basically amplified traits of each soldier–this warrior elite is divided into chapters that serve the magistrate and the provinces as a whole. A mysterious threat has been destroying chapters of guardsmen one by one however–leaving certain systems–namely the fringe territories, unprotected. The fringe has now become a land of lawlessness full of corruption,crime,and war. Our lead character grew up in the fringe and has lost family and friends from the destruction of his colony, later he discovers a cell suit and star cruiser of a fallen guardsmen and uses these tools to bring justice to those he believes are responsible. Black Alpha is going to be a downloadable comic book mini-series published thru Graphicaly–its going to be a great ride full of intrigue,action,character,and heart–dealing with themes of redemption and restored hope by creator and artist Tom Rasch,and writers Drew Hunt and Michael Keirns. The comic will also support the animated web series as it’s in production. The Black Alpha blog also has a trailer and a peek at some merchandising items.”

Here is a trailer that Tom has put together for his awesome upcoming animation.

Well i am super excited about the Black Alpha project and can’t wait to see it. From the sounds of it Tom is gaining all kinds of support in California and getting the project in front of the eyes of the right people. Tom already has shirts, and toys made for Black Alpha. How cool is that? Let’s show this guy some support. Leave your comments about what you think of it below!

If you are or know of an indy artist or project that you think deserves some recognition please email me a link.

Filed Under: Comics, Indy projects, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Ghost Rider pisses fire!

August 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Ghost Rider, pissing flames, Spirit of Vengeance, Nicholas Cage

Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider pissing flames in Spirit of Vengeance

The first trailer of the upcoming film by Marvel Entertainment, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has been released on itunes. The film still stars Nicholas Cage. I wasn’t a big fan of the first movie but i loved the bike. I will probably still go see this movie based on what i see here in this preview. The movie is scheduled to release on Feb 17th. In the few seconds of watching this trailer i had a flood of ideas for my Mythica comic. I mean they fight demons in Mythica and i have yet to have a character in flames. What was i thinking!
Check out the trailer! Tell your friends where you saw it. Leave your comments about what you think about the movie, or Nicholas Cage or even Mythica for that matter.

Filed Under: Comics, Movies, News Tagged With: , ,

Mythica writer, William Tooker, gets published with Trestle Press

August 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

I know i said my next post would be from Chicago comicon but i couldn’t wait to post this. I just can’t give enough props to my writer on the Mythica comic book series, Mr. William Tooker. As i have stated before Will has been able to get inside my head and help bring the dreams of my fantasy World War one comic to life.  A few weeks ago Blue Water productions released Vincent Price presents # 32

Vincent Price presents, William Tooker

Vincent Price presents #32 written by William Tooker

 

Merely a few days later Will was contacted by Giovanni Gelati over at Trestle Press. They wanted to see more of his work and now only a few weeks later William is getting a collection of his stories published in a book! The book entitled, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” is coming out for kindle first then in hardback form! I am so excited and happy for you Will! You can read more about this new book over at Gilati’s blog.

I just have to add this little bit. When i first decided it was time to start getting serious about making the Mythica comic book into a reality i knew that i needy a good writer.  For years as i lay in bed at night i would have dreams about Mythica but i would see them in scenes like a movie director. I would wake and jot them down. Over time i rearranged, shuffled and strung them together into a somewhat cohesive order and started to realize the overall plot of the story and what great potential this had. I knew that in order to tell this story i was going to need at least 30 issues.  I also knew that although i had an outline of what was to happen and a back-story of the characters i still needed a good series writer to make each issue entertaining in it’s own right yet keep the big story moving along.

As i began the search for a writer and tried several out i realized what a monumental task i was asking to put on a writer.  Take this huge pile of notes and scribbles and get inside my head and help me write 30+ issues about it. WOW! No wonder i had a hard time. I found many that were capable but either not willing or their style just didn’t quite mesh with my vision of Mythica. Then i came across William. My friend Pamela, who is another amazing artist and writer,  introduced us. Will’s background seemed to be in horror comics and that intrigued me. Mythica was to contain a lot of horror type content what with demons and all so we talked. As we talked William must have saw something in Mythica because he agreed to take a closer look. Not long after i sent him tons of notes and my cannon.  For months we discussed characters and plot points over the phone. When will sent me the rough draft for the first issue of Mythica i knew he was a perfect fit. Issue one will be coming out shortly and William is currently working on issue 2. From what i have seen of it so far it just keeps getting better the more he dives into the characters of Mythica.

Be sure to check out his stuff to get a taste of what is to come. I have a feeling Mr. William Tooker is not going to timidly knock on opportunity’s door, rather i think we are catching the first glimpse of him kicking the door down and making it his time to shine.

 

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The Week in review: 08/0711 Superman and Catwoman costume glimpses

August 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Well let’s see, what happened this week.

Apes take over, Superman’s new costume, Anne Hatheway as Catwoman, Thundercats cartoon and more!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out in theaters on Friday. Perhaps it is because it is the last big movie of the summer but i swear i have seen more advertising for this movie than any other movie this whole summer. The film starring James Franco and Andy Serkis was originally  going to be called Ceasar based on the ape that we follow throughout the movie from innocent infant to aggressive adult. However the producers felt it best to capitalize on the popularity of the classic Charlton Heston films. For those fans of the original films i hear there are some scenes that give homage to the old classics, particularly in the opening credits. I just don’t think they can make a reboot of the original without using the “damned, dirty ape” line made famous by Heston. I have yet to see this film as i have been preparing for Chicago Comicon but i’m sure i will.  From what i have heard it is a good story. Not as much action as might be led to believe in the trailers but all in all a good film. We shall see.

Costume sneak peeks from DC!

Superman, Man of Steel movie, Henry Cavill, Superman costume

Henry Cavill dons the new Superman costume in the upcoming "Man of Steel" movie

We got some special sneak peaks at some costumes for characters that many people have been waiting to see.  The first glimpse was of the new Superman costume in the upcoming “Man of Steel“. The Man of Steel film is being directed by Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill as Superman and is scheduled to release in 2013. What was wrong with Brandon Routh? One thing Routh had going for him was how much he looked like a young Christopher Reeve. Who is Henry Cavill? A British born actor who is most notable known for his role in the Tudors.  You may have caught a glimpse of him in a preview of the upcoming film The Immortals. A film that strangely looks a LOT like 300 which was directed by Zack Snyder. Zack Snyder told Hero Complex a while back that he prefers the more muscular style of Superman created by comic book artist Jim Lee. Looking at his other movies that is no surprise. Cavill is taking that to heart and training for hours everyday and in-taking 5000 calories a day! Let’s not go overboard here guys. Remember, Superman isn’t human. His power comes from the sun and his anatomical make up not his caloric intake and his gym routine. I mean come on Tom Welling pulled of ten seasons of a very successful show without being Super cut. As far as the costume goes i am on the fence. One thing that stands out to me is that damn mesh material. Do the studios have stock in that material? I am seeing it everywhere. It looked pretty cool on Spider-man but i hate it on this costume. What makes it even worse is that the mesh even goes on the chest emblem. Weird looking. When Mythica gets turned into a movie i hope they are over this phase of using this material. Can you imagine how silly Magnus would look running around during WW1 in this material? ugh. …but i digress.

Also this week we got to see a glimpse of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises film

 

Anne Hathaway, Catwoman, Dark Knight Rises, Sexy catwoman costume, Seleina Kyle

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises film

Honestly this image doesn’t tell us much. We can see that she is on the familiar Bat-Bike from previous films. Hopefully she is stealing it. We can’t see much of her costume. From what i can see i hope that this isn’t truly her costume. As many of you know i am a big fan of Catwoman and have drawn her many times at conventions. I even have a pinup of her that i made. I love her costume especially those reently depicted by my favorite artist Adam Hughes. What we see here in this picture could be anyone. It doesn’t show anything telling us it’s Catwoman. It looks more like Triity from the Matrix. However, again i will not judge too early. This could be any number of things. Maybe she hasn’t put on her costume yet. Who knows. I just hope it doesn’t look like this throughout the film.

 

Thundercats, Thundercats cartoon, Thundercats characters, Lion-o

Lion-O battles the Ramlak in episode 2 of Thundercats cartoon

Also this week the second episode of Thundercats aired on cartoon network. Last week i discussed briefly the new cartoon series. This weeks Episode “Ramlak Rising” has Lion-o, Tigra, and Cheetara come across pirates who sail the quicksand sea. Ironically the pirates are fish people. The Captain of the pirate ship is bent on getting revenge to the Ramlak creature from drinking up all the water (i couldn’t make this up) The Captain takes a liking to Lion-O as he also seems on a quest of vengeance for the death of his father.  At one point Lion-o actually says the words, “We’re on a mission to avenge our father”.

In a classic learning his way type story Lion-o finally comes to the realization that he has lost site of what is important when he sees his friends are in danger. Not that original of a story and the Ramlak looks an awfully lot like the Kracken form Pirates of the Caribbean .  Now this episode struck a cord with me as the whole pirate theme becomes pretty prevalent in my comic, Mythica.  One of the main characters, Magnus MacDracken; who is also the Captain of the crew, is also determined to avenge the ones who killed his Black Watch crew. The difference is that Magnus is now in the same situation he was when his first crew died. He is responsible for them and they look to him for leadership so he constantly faces the dilemma of catching and destroying his enemies over the risk of endangering his crew. He has survivors remorse. Despite having a new crew now and wanting to protect them at all costs he still sometimes loses his internal battle which is one of the things that makes Magnus an interesting character.

Well that’s all i have for this week. I’d love to hear your input on any of these topics.  I will be leaving for Chicago Comicon this Wednesday and not returning until Monday the 15th. My next post will be the highlights of that show!

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