Movin' On To New Projects!

So Randall is done. Well, not done in a finite way but it’s done enough for me to leave the story alone for a while as it goes through weekly updates over at Pixestrips again. Thank god for the Comic Geek Speak Episode 300 show for giving me a hard solid deadline. Otherwise I’d still be sitting on the darn thing.

Oh, and if anyone from the show is stopping by the ol’ LazyBlog be sure to drop me a line. The show itself was fantastic. A nice small show but with a very diverse group of artists… artists of webcomics, minicomics, animators, writers, inkers, colorists you name it, independent guys and mainstream guys. I sold a bunch of comics and did some sketching as well. I think it’s safe to say a great time was had by all.

Anyway so now I’m in that weird place where I wonder what I’m going to do next. There’s that graphic novel that has been written and rewritten over and over again for over a year now. It’s something I really want to get started on but it’s such a daunting task. As it stands it like a 70-plus page story written in screenplay format so I have no idea how the page and panel breakdown will work. I’d love to do it as a 96 pager, that way I can break it down to three 32-page chunks. Then I kinda fool myself into thinking it’s not one 96-page behemoth. Nevertheless there’s a ton of reference I still need to do before I seriously get started but it’s gone from a project in the back of my mind to one that I’m just about ready to tackle.

One thing I am going to start right away is some new NYComix. It’s been so long since I’ve done them and the feedback at CGS 300 as well as follow-up emails after the show from folks asking to see more makes me realize that I need to get new stuff out there. I’ve wanted to take NYComix a bit further than what they are now, more complex longer stories that combine the things I’ve learned from the earlier strips. And I’m working a new angle in them that I’m really excited about.

Again, getting back to how a deadline really makes me get things done I applied for a table at the 2008 New York City Comic Con… so if I get a table I’ll have another deadline in April to work towards. I have no clue if I’ll get a table but we’ll see. I dunno if they’re reviewing my work before they grant me a table or what. With my luck I won’t get a table and I’ll walk by an empty table where Rob Liefeld was supposed to be sitting. But I digress…

So in the meantime hit up Pixelstrips every Wednesday for new Randall pages. It’ll take ya right to the end of the first issue.

Oh, and watch out for the long ago announced LazyComix Conversations… I swear, it’s coming. Only in live action video! All YouTube style like the kids do.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
--Randy

Randall Cover

I'm in the midst of putting this one together for this weekends Comic Geek Speak Episode 300 Gala. Only 25 copies so be there or you'll be forced to wait until I do another batch for a later Convention.

All Star Superman

When All Star Superman came out, I had my doubts. Morrison is one of those writers that is just hit or miss with me. He starts off strong and just fades away before the finish line. So going into All Star there was some trepidation mixed with hope. Hope that there would be a Superman comic that I would actually love to read. With the release of the 7 issue I’m forced to gush over this book. Maybe it’s because my beloved “The Goon” (Eric Powell) is on a hiatus but I actually read All Star 2 times in a row in one sitting. Issue 7 is a 2-Part Bizzarro storyline with an amazing cliffhanger backing up a fun, action packed storyline that made me laugh-out-loud and just enjoy a good old-fashioned superhero story starring the original superhero. It’s worth mentioning that this 2-part storyline is as long a “storyline” as you’ll find in this series. If memory serves me right, this is the first multiple part storyline of the book. Check out Morrison’s 1 page, 4-panel, 8-word retelling of Supes origin. There’s no “Decompressed” storytelling going on here.


I can’t recommend this book enough. Even if you’re one of those readers who isn’t a huge fan of Grant Morrison the incredible art by Frank Quitely is worth the cover price. (The colors by Jamie Grant are amazing by the way.) The hardcover of the first 6 issues just came out so you can grab the whole run in one trip to the shop.

So I hope you enjoyed my gushing.

Gent signing off.

--Randy

p.s. Go read Randall over at Pixelstrips.

Randall Reminder

We're weekly again! The adventures continue every Wednesday at Pixelstrips.

If you want to brush up on what has already went down here.

Thanks for looking and feel free to write me at Randy@LazyComix.com

Randall Is Back!

Next week kicks off All-New Randall pages going live every Wednesday over at Pixelstrips. Check out a preview here and I'll be sure to remind ya'll come next Wednesday...

-R

Vote For Gent

The Eagle Awards are something I’ve never heard of. They’re based out of the UK and from what I hear they’re the longest running comic awards. The reason I bring this up is because I’m nominated. But not in the category I want to be in, which is “Best Web Comic”. Don’t ask how I could’ve gotten on in the list of nominees, cuz I have no idea.

Winning best letterer is like a weird popularity contest. Obviously Todd Klein and Chris Eliopoulos are the big guys that have won more of these things than they can probably count, but I think most fans vote for the letterer based on name recognition and/or a quick flip to the credits page of their favorite book…hence Comicraft winning on occasion. If they actually voted based on the craft, it would be Klein or Chris… throw John Workman and John Costanza in there too.

Check out this post about removing lettering from the list...by the moderator of the website, no less. Man, lettering is just a thankless job. It’s like being the guy who walks behind the horses during a parade and shovels up the crap…

Nevertheless head on over and vote… you can write Randall into the top of the category. (If you want to, just don’t vote for a video game comic)

Thanks, folks!
--Randy

Pixelstrips and Reviews

Yesterday marked Randall’s debut on Pixelstrips. Back when I was doing NYComix on there I had to upload each page individually every Wednesday. But now the uploading process has been improved allowing you to upload as many pages as you want and to assign the corresponding date in which the new page replaces the old. It’s a neat feature that takes a bit of the stress out of hitting that weekly deadline. Fortunately I’m just reposting the pages from Randall Month, so I’ve got a real nice cushion as I work on the next chapter. Although I am inserting a new page in previously published stuff, just to give it a better flow. There’s a bunch of stuff I’d love to tweak but I’m afraid that if I go down that road I might wind up redrawing panels, etc. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’m really feeling the need to finish this story. I’ve got to get it out of my system so I can move onto new things. When the time is right, I’ll go back to it… but it won’t be for a while.

I’ve got 3 pages of the next sequence penciled and it’s shaping up. The story continues to evolve and go places I didn’t expect but I’ve more comfortable with the outcome now than I was during Randall Month. When I usually work I write a full-script and then thumbnail the pages, etc. This time around I’m jotting down what happens in each sequence and thumb nailing it out that way. The dialogue is coming last. Kinda like the Stan Lee “Marvel Method” but only with one artist.

So feel free to check out the pages over at Pixelstrips… Let's see if we can't bump our pal Randall into the Top Five...

In other news I made it out to the comic shop last night and walked out with one monthly and a looooooong awaited trade paperback.

So here are some quick reviews.

All Star Superman #6 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
I can’t believe I’m still reading this book 6 issues in. I find Morrison’s writing always hooks me early on and then by the end I’ve completely lost interest as the story just turns into an esoteric train wreck. It happened with New X-Men as the end of that turned into something that to this day I still can’t even begin to figure out. I’ve read message board threads full of hardcore X-Fans who still can’t decipher what happened with that storyline years later.

Superman hasn’t done that yet and I really hope it never does. Issue 6 even had Krypto in it and I still liked it. I don’t know the back-story of what is essentially a dog-version of Superman but I always giggled at the presence of a super powered canine, but hey, it worked here. Quietly’s art is always solid and the Digital Inks and Colors by Jamie Grant are beautiful. They complement the pencils as opposed to overpowering them, like a lot of colors are doing these days. So I’m still on board with this book… let’s hope it stays that way.

Batman Year 100 by Paul Pope
I picked up the first issue of this back when it was originally released and loved it so much I decided to wait for the trade so I could get the whole story in one shebang. One thing I can’t figure out is why DC waits so long to release trades. Why not get the things out right after the monthlies wrap up and the book is still fresh on people’s minds? Waiting for months and months only allows people to forget about it and move on to something else.

Anyway Paul Pope’s art and writing is just fantastic in this book. His art particularly stands out as just flat-out gorgeous. The more I look at it the more I think that his version of Batman is my favorite and that includes Frank Miller. There’s a real neat little sketch extra in the back with Pope’s thoughts on why he designed Bats the way he did. Big clunky combat boots with laces. Sleeves that don’t quite reach his gloves and a mask that is a cross between an old-fashioned football helmet and a Mexican wresting mask. His inks are beautiful and his use of blacks while allowing a brush stroke to look like a brush stoke is a breath of fresh air in a time when light-boxed, magazine referenced and over rendered art is slowly taking over.

I can’t recommend this book enough and I can’t wait to get my hands on some more Paul Pope comics. Check out his blog for more cool stuff.

So that’s it, folks! I’m off to lettering…

Thanks for reading!
--Randy

Big News and a Plug

Rocky Balboa

If you’re a regular reader of this Blog you might remember a few posts about my favorite Sylvester Stallone movies and especially the Rocky Franchise. While I loved Rocky 2-4 and like most fans, didn’t enjoy the 5th one very much at all, the original Oscar-winning Rocky flick is one of the most enjoyable and inspiring flicks ever made.

I was finally able to get out this past weekend to see the sixth and final film: Rocky Balboa. Naturally, I was a little hesitant after the debacle that was Rocky V, but after reading a few Stallone interviews as well as the subsequent reviews, I was excited to hear that this one was getting back to what made the first 2 films so great.

Rocky Balboa was old-school Rocky. Moving, funny, inspiring and just a well-written love letter to Rocky fans. If you’re one of those guys who watch the old movies every time you pass them on TV, you’ll love the references and throwbacks to old characters and settings. Stallone created one of the greatest characters in the history of film and I can’t recommend this movie enough. If you loved the original Rocky and hated every sequel, you’ll love this flick.

Go check it out!

In other news related to LazyComix I’ve got a few announcements that I think are pretty exciting.

I’m going to do my best to spread the LazyComix word this year and to do that I’m going to have to get the word out in as many different ways as possible.

First up is the aforementioned “LazyComix Conversations”.

I’ve always envisioned LazyComix.com to be a place where comic fans can come by and read not only my webcomix but also get some comix reviews, plugs and just any and all comic jazz I think fans like myself, might enjoy.

“LazyComix Conversations” is the first step in that direction. Plain and simply it’s going to be a monthly (maybe even bi-monthly) Creator Interview segment. The inaugural segment is already set-up and I couldn’t be happier with the first guest. Stay tuned, folks!

Second up is that Randall will now be published on my former online publisher, PixelStrips. The site was once a subscription pay-site but now it’s an all-free service with the #1 strip getting about 8000 hits per month. I’m really excited about it as now I’ll have Randall and NYComix rolling on 2 sites with reader potential much higher than if I only ran the comic on my site. I’m going to kick-off the Pixelstrip run with the “Randall Month” run but with an added page “Special Edition” style. After that, staring with Chapter 2, you’ll be able to catch a new page weekly or, if you’d rather wait for the strip in one complete chunk, (“waiting for the trade”) you can catch that on LazyComix.com.

So stay tuned and thanks for reading… things are about to get a li’l more interesting around here!

LazyComix Special Editon

I’ve been lettering all day and haven’t been able to fit in a blog… after Randall Month I got pretty used to posting every Wednesday. Being that I work from home with only 3 cats to keep me company (all 3 are sitting on my desk right now for some reason), my main source of human interaction is internet message boards. I’m a pretty avid user of the Bendis Board but I also peruse various Star Wars message boards. (My screen name will stay a secret as I have the death sentence on 12 message board systems) The hottest topic of Star Wars message boards isn’t as much the polarizing Prequel Trilogy as it is the Original Trilogy and its various Special Edition versions.

Now I’m admittedly a Star Wars and George Lucas fan. The flicks inspired me beyond imagination and I admire the flannel-shirt-wearing curmudgeon for doing things his own way, even if people don’t like it and give him endless crap for it.

Sure the Prequels weren’t the originals but I still say they’re better than your average Hollywood studio fare… most of them are focus group tested generic flicks with 8 different screenwriters. I just watched X3 a few weeks back and how they managed to screw that up after 2 successful predecessors and literally volumes of amazing stories already written for them, I never figure out.

Back to the Special Editions topic, there’s a huge group of Star Wars fans that believe that Lucas has no right to go back and tweak the Original films. Some think the movies are so beloved that they no longer belong to him but rather to the fans, while others think that his tampering is ruining the films. Both of these theories I strongly disagree with.

On a much smaller scale when I look back at my old comics there isn’t a page that goes by where I don’t want to redraw or rewrite panels. I’m never happy with my work and I don’t think there are many artists who are. Comic book great Erik Larsen wrote about it in his weekly column over at Comic Book Resources.

Even during Randall month I went back and added captions and tweaked dialogue and I’m sure I will again when I put the mini comic together. Creating is a never-ending process that, hopefully, is constantly evolving and improving. You learn more every time you do it. If a guy who made billions from his creation still thinks he can do better… that’s a pretty healthy thing.

As many great athletes have said when they retired… "once you feel like you’re not getting better it’s time to hang ‘em up."



Anyway, Chapter 2 of Randall is in the penciled stage. I’m not going to go back to weekly updates as originally planned but rather to one huge chapter update. Looking back, I think the story lost something when you could only read it one page per week… with the strip moving into more story I think it’s important to give all the information in one shot.

So, if you have yet to join the LazyComix Mailing List… head on over and sign up. You’re guaranteed not to miss a page if you do.

Thanks for reading,
Randy

Randall Month Concludes!

So after as much fanfare as I could muster, Randall Month has come to a close and I gotta say, I really enjoyed the weekly updates and I hope all of you that have been reading did as well.

Here’s the link for the last 2 pages of Episode 1. (2 whole pages this week, folks!) Please write back and let me know what you thought of the strip… questions, suggestions, bashes, whatever… I’d love to hear them.

I want to keep this train rolling but I’m going to take one week off so that I can hopefully get 2-3 pages stockpiled and then start this thing over with weekly updates for Episode 2. I’d rather there be a small break between Episodes than between pages. Right now, the whole story is looking to be 5, possibly 6 Episodes… I’m really digging working on the strip right now and I want to finish this thing and have a 25-30 page Randall comic to print-up… so right now, that’s the plan… I will be mixing in one other 2-pager, the second LazyComix Presents... that will be posted on another site…. But that’ll likely be after the holidays and between Episodes of Randall.


I’d also like to take a minute to direct all of you over to this link. CNN picked up on the passing of comic legend Dave Cockrum. Check out the story and go rummage around in the longboxes for some of your old Cockrum X-men… it’s great stuff.

Randall Month - Week 4

Only one more update to go! Catch the latest bit of action here!

And if you're new to Randall... see the story from the beginning here!

Thanks for reading and have a happy Turkey Day!

--Randy

Randall Month - Week 3

Randall Month continues! Check out the latest page here!

And if you missed any pages, catch the story from the beginning here!

Thanks for looking and feel free to write me at Randy@LazyComix.com or to leave comments.

--Randy