Saturday, November 22, 2008

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

AMAZING pilot. Now, I'll add that I've accepted that the original Batman: TAS was a fluke. A combination of hard work and a ton of luck. And I'll always admire Bruce Timm's crew for riding that fluke and changing the entire action cartooning game. Unfortunately, the days of a 50 piece orchestra accompanying your cartoon are pretty much over (unless your name is Seth McFarlane...).

In one short first sequence, the show quickly explained what producer James Tucker had so much trouble explaining without losing fans. This new Batman was less dark and funnier, but kept all the important elements to make it work.

In the pilot, "Rise of the Blue Beetle", Jamie Reyes (one of my new favorite DC characters), finds himself on an unplanned adventure with the worlds greatest crime fighter. By the end of the episode, Jamie learns the superhero business from the master himself, while Batman watches an inexperienced kid become a legendary hero.

The show had about 2 or 3 laugh-out-loud moments, with plenty more cool action sequences and interesting cinematic staging (familiar ground with WB Animation). What's really interesting about this new Bat-entry is the "brush pen" look. The clean-up drawings are given line-weight for the first time in recent memory, to further simulate that "old-skool" Dick Sprang look.

In a sentence, I dug it. Maybe you will too. Check it out on the CN.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Clothed Figure: Annie Oakley






I gotta tell you...a lot, A LOT, A LOT of crap went down between that last post and this one. Without going into detail, pretty much all of it was my fault. We've all been through it; those moments where you're the Chief Idiot in the room. This made it all the more important not to screw this assignment up, if it killed me. I needed to remind myself what I'm capable of.

I rode that feeling all the way to my first "A" in the semester (A-, and proud of it!). Ironically, I had a lot more fun with Ramses, but hey. Of course, even my best work isn't without it's "goofs". As usual, lay those critiques on me!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

More Clothed Figure HW



Did them in a week (3+ days). All-nighters were involved. They were met with "mixed reactions" at school. Looking forward to the day when I can look back on this level of turnover and laugh.

Questions/ comments/ critiques welcome.


PS: Imagi Studios (TMNT, Astro Boy, Gatchaman) will be visiting AAU this Thursday (tomorrow), I think at 5pm. I have to work, so if anyone is going, PLEEEEEEASE tell me how it went. TMNT Director, Kevin Munroe really comes off as a passionate guy who seems to want to protect these kinds of properties and give them the treatment fans want. I'd like to work for a guy like that someday.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Holy @&*#, Obama actually did it!

I'm watching MSNBC with my jaw dropped.

Congratulations, President Obama. Now's your chance to change the world. 'Hope you're ready.