April 2016 - page 1
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APRIL 2016
Hello, Ambassadors! How are we already up to issue 5? That’s one away from 6, which would mark 6 months of doing this. That’s CRAZY. It only feels like 3, tops. But they say time flies when you’re having fun, and we certainly have been this year. Not only is it a blast to put out such amazing titles, but its even MORE fun when those titles get recognized with awards and nominations! In fact, in the past couple of weeks, we’ve been floored with a number of awesome nods: LOVE: THE FOX won the Gold Medal for Best Graphic Novel at the Independent Publishers Awards, and just today we got great news from this year’s Eisner Award committee -- A GLANCE BACKWARD has been nominated for Best U.S. Edition of International Material, and both Federico Bertolucci and Tony Sandoval were nominated for best Painter/Multimedia Artist! It’s gonna be a great race to see who takes home trophies at this year’s ceremony in San Diego... Not coincidentally, (Eisner Award nominee) Federico Bertolucci is featured as part of our cover story on the upcoming release of LOVE: THE LION. It’s another breathtaking volume in the celebrated series, and we sit down to ask some questions to Fed and writer Frederic Brremaud. (And there’s a gorgeous gallery of some of Fed’s other work thrown in that story to boot!) We’ve also got a spotlight on the always-exciting BEN CALDWELL, who’s work has been gracing shelves more and more these days, from DC’s PREZ to Marvel’s A-FORCE. The guy is a drawing machine, and every gear-turn produces magic, some of which we’ve got on display right here. Brace yourself for it. As usual, we also have another page of THE LEVIATHAN’S DAUGHTER, illustrated by Caio Oliveira, some more IMAGYMNASIUM fun, another look at WHAT WE’RE DIGGIN’ ON this month, and more. If you have any feedback or suggestions, you know where to find us! Enjoy!
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THIS ISSUE: pg 2..... WELCOME pg 4..... THIS MONTH!
BRUCE LEE: RISE OF THE DRAGON and KLAW
pg 6..... KNOW YOUR NOMS:
2016 Einser Award nominee A GLANCE BACKWARD by Paquet and Sandoval
pg 7..... FEATURE INTERVIEW: FEDERICO BERTOLUCCI and FREDERICK BRREMAUD on “LOVE” pg 16... THE IMAGYMNASIUM pg 18... THE LEVIATHAN’S DAUGHTER pg 19... WHAT WE’RE DIGGIN’ ON: ROCKET SALVAGE, THIS WAR OF MINE, HALT AND CATCH FIRE, and KINOBE
pg 21... ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: BEN CALDWELL pg 28... WHAT’S IN THE BOX? COVER ART - page from LOVE: THE LION, illustrated by Federico Bertolucci
“Dinosaur storyboard” by Federico Bertolucci
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KNOW YOUR NOMS! A GLANCE BACKWARD
illustrated by TONY SANDOVAL, written by Pierre Paquet
EISNER AWARD NOMINEE 2016
“BEST U.S. EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL MATERIAL” and
“BEST PAINTER / MULTIMEDIA ARTIST”
Eleven-year-old Joey’s world turns inside-out when he finds himself pulled inside the walls of his own home, seemingly trapped in a strange and surreal place. As he searches for a way out, he discovers a myriad of strange, intriguing, and frightening characters, who ultimately lead him to complete the greatest journey of them all: growing up. A fantastical trip through a strange landscape that explores the changing perspective of a young boy facing adulthood. As surreal as Alice in Wonderland, with a powerful truth underneath it all. This beautifully illustrated, watercolored tale will make readers long for the simplicity of youth while embracing the wonderful complexities of adulthood: RESPONSIBILITY, LOVE, CONSEQUENCE, and ultimately the shocking, inevitable realities of LIFE and DEATH. Written by Pierre Paquet, this honest portrayal of a moment from his own life will take readers to a land of contemplation and adventure. Get more details at www.magnetic-press.com/aglancebackward
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First: Congratulations! The LOVE books are getting a lot of, well, “love” from fans and press, with many starred reviews, awards, and nominations. Did you think the books would find so much appreciation in North America? Federico: It makes us happy to know that our work is much appreciated and we are always surprised to receive awards and nominations. We already had some major awards in Europe, but to have them in the United States as well is real confirmation that LOVE is a project that can please everyone all over the world. It may soon be published in Asia, too, we’ll see!
The first two books (THE TIGER and THE FOX) were released last year, and THE LION is getting ready to release in June. What made you choose these particular animals for these stories? Federico: We chose the characters based on stories that we wanted to tell, and we made a kind of “casting call” in the animal world. We chose the tiger for the first book because we wanted to represent the daily difficulties of one of the strongest animals in the dangerous jungle, at the top of the food chain... yet in his loneliness. The fox was chosen because we needed an animal that was not too hard but not too helpless, to tell how she survives in a world that is about to be destroyed. Unlike the others, the lion is an animal that lives in groups, so he gave us the opportunity to speak of the type of love that is the bond of social relations.
Previous page: - top: “Animal studies for LOVE: THE LION” - bottom: “Tiger (personal study)”
This page: - background: “Character studies for Richard the Lionhearted” series - left: watercolor reproduction of a portion of “The Coronation of Napoleon by Jackques-Louis David, made during a visit to the Louvre. - right: watercolor studies for an unrealized project
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THE LION is a very lonely story, with a very powerful ending. It is certainly more dramatic and emotional than the first two books. Without giving away the finish, what made you choose to tell such a story with such a different mood? Federico: Yes, in fact this story is pretty tough compared to others in the series -- my daughter, a girl of 8 years, cries when she reads it -- but we wanted to talk about the consequences of a love denied. The key is all in the quote by Orson Welles from “Citizen Kane” that we put at the beginning of the story. (“I don’t think any word can explain a man’s life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a... piece in a jigsaw puzzle... a missing piece.”)
Frederic: THE LION is perhaps the most surprising volume in the series. And without revealing the end of the story here, we thought it was important that the central animal has a very different destiny compared to that of the tiger or fox. It was necessary to stage a brutal nature, where death is always present. It is often said that after reading this volume, THE TIGER and THE FOX take on another dimension. A conscious recognition of other hazards.
This page background: “Animal studies for LOVE: THE LION”
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These books are all quite accurate in the animal behavior and representation, not just in the beautiful artwork, but even in the motivation and actions that the different species take. How much study and realism did you hope to achieve? Federico: In the classic fables of Phaedrus, Aesop, or the latest Italian Trilussa, the animals are always used to construct metaphors, to tell real stories of Man. We have done a bit the same thing, and the characters that we used had to have certain characteristics. The tapir in The Tiger is none other than the typical idiot who gets away without even knowing how (who has never met someone like this?). In The Fox, the bear is the classic bully who tries to take advantage of a dramatic situation taking place around him. The lion hunts the wildebeest, which for me are all those people who do something just because everyone else is doing. In short, the research of the typical behavior of each animal used has always been based on the story, the plot.
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You also have a new series of books aimed for younger readers called LITTLE TAILS (coming in the Fall). They also focus on different animals, but with a different style. What was the inspiration to create this series on the side? Federico: The success of LOVE among young readers surprised us, and we realized that we would have liked to do something lighter, to give children a way to learn about the extraordinary world of animals while having fun. We then created two small characters, a wimpy dog and an enterprising squirrel playing across the doorway of imagination and living small adventures around the world. The nice thing is that the color images and illustrations intersect with simple, very classic, comic strips. While drawing, we always had in mind the work of great cartoonists like Bill Watterson, Charles Shultz, Jeff Smith, and the beautiful background of the classic Disney cartoons
PREVIOUS PAGE: - top: “Hippos” from LITTLE TAILS IN THE SAVANNAH - bottom: “Fox” from LITTLE TAILS IN THE FOREST THIS PAGE: “Walking Together” from LITTLE TAILS IN THE JUNGLE
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Federico, you worked for animation companies, like Disney, in the past – did this influence how you approached the story and character design? Federico: Certainly, the Disney-style affects everyone who tries telling stories with animal characters. I personally took my first steps with Disney comics in Italy and, although I never did any animation, the basis for realizing Disney comics is the same that is used to make the cartoons: the dynamics of acting, the fluidity of the movements. This taught me a lot and I drew LOVE with the characters treated simply with a little more realism, but based on drafts very much inspired by the Disney style. For example, to study the movements of the tiger, I watched video, but I studied the work of the animators who created “The Jungle Book,” Milt Kahl in particular. I hope that I approach their great art!
THIS PAGE: - top left & right: Character studies for fun - far left: Original character study for the book ROCAMBOLE - bottom left and right: Illustrations from the book ROCAMBOLE NEXT PAGE: - top right: Cover for LEONID vol.1, illustrated by Stefano Turconi - bottom right/background: page from LEONID vol.1, illustrated by Stefano Turconi - bottom left: concept sketch for unrealized project “Cats in Paris”
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It’s also fun to challenge characters with different physical qualities, which ultimately have to compete as equals, but using each of their qualities as their own. Again, it multiplies the possibilities.
Next is THE DINOSAUR, coming later this Winter. What made you choose dinosaurs for this story? Federico: We wanted to do something that has a great impact on the audience, and I think that dinosaurs are always a topic of great interest. Frederic: The series volumes are all very different. THE DINOSAUR will speak of friendship, but also treachery. The theme was there. But for the environment, we told each other that a trip back in time would change us.
What other animals do you want to explore in the series? Federico: There is the idea of joining different characters together in the same story that are equally important. But for now, we talk about the environments in which we would like to include them, but there is still nothing definite. Frederic: Nothing specific, it’s true, but the aquatic world, life on the surface near the coast and in the deep seabed attracts us...
THIS PAGE: “Leda” (Personal project) by Federico Bertolucci NEXT PAGE: Character study for Fred and Fed’s next project... stay tuned for more info!
YOU CAN SEE MORE OF FEDERICO’S BEAUTIFUL WORK AT HIS BLOG, http://federicobertolucci.blogspot.com/ AND HIS TUMBLR, http://federicobertolucci.tumblr.com/
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April 2016 - page 15
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THE IMAGYMNASIUM is a place where you can practice using that universal tool called “Imagination,” to stretch that grey-matter muscle between your ears in a way that is not only fun, but useful when applied to everyday creative problem solving. Think outside the box and see things that aren’t there. Conjure reality!
You’ll need a 6-sided dice and something to write on/with. (analog or digital, doesn’t matter.) 1) Complete the following sentence by rolling a 6-sided dice for each of the three blanks:
I had already had my fill of (A) , but then So I started (C) .
(B)
.
2) Use those numbers (in order) to fill in the blanks from these corresponding lists:
A 1. depressing news 2. garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes 3. baffling foreign words that I swear were just being made up on the spot 4. uppity hipsters and their superior brand of not giving a sh*t 5. Brandon’s negative attitude 6. Logan’s bathtub gin
B
C
1. the cat gave me this look, like it knew what I came here to do.
1. to recite the state capitals in alphabetical order.
2. Jacob opened the box on the counter.
2. eyeballing the rest of the room, waiting for one of them to notice.
3. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” burst from my cell phone’s caller ID. 4. I saw the clock. 5. Dave dropped the F-bomb. 6. I remembered what Grampa used to say.
3. taking off my clothes, slowly, as if I were invisible. 4. to compose a tweet to end all tweets. 5. beat-boxing. 6. to imagine how the weekend would unfold with one less person at the poker table.
3) Complete a five-paragraph scene using the resulting sentence as the opening line!
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1) Google “MARBLE TEXTURE” on any internet browser image search engine. (Yes, we know we used “google” as a verb followed up by “any search engine.” Their fault for becoming a verb.) 2) Pick a nice, marbled candidate. 3) Relax your eyes and stare at it. Stop seeing marble and start seeing FACES. They are there, you just have to find them, in the dark and light portions, randomly creating something your mind could read as a volumetric face. It could be a profile, front-on, an angle, an animal, anything. 4) Once you have found that face, print out that marble image onto a sheet of letter-sized paper. Make it lighter so it is just a guide, if you have that ability with your software/printer. 5) Take a pen to that print out and DRAW THAT FACE.
Here’s an example from our own practice: The blank marble: The face we found:
Do you see the grinning monkey man face in the marble, once it has been illustrated? You’ll find all kinds of faces in random color patterns all around you! You just have to ease your mind into finding them, relying not on lines and details, but color values and volume. ...at least we hope you can see that same monkey man face in the blank marble, and that we’re not just experiencing post-college-experiment flashbacks. Seriously, it’s there. All of the faces are there. Find them before they start talking to you.
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PAGE 4
What happens next? 1) Are the badguys still behind her? 2) Does she run into different trouble? and 3) if so, what? We’ve set up a survey for you to vote on those very questions, so go there now and let us know what happens in the next set of pages! Head over to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SZV22JZ (or use the button below, if your viewer supports it) and vote BEFORE April 2nd, 2016, and we’ll keep the story rolling in next month’s magazine!
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What we’re reading: ROCKET SALVAGE
- by YEHUDI MERCADO and bachan
Who doesn’t love a good sci-fi scoundrel? The blue-collar neutralgoods just trying to get by in a Universe divided between lawfulgood Jedi and chaotic-evil Sith. The scoundrels are the ones we can identify, even in a trippy, alien-filled sci-fi scenario. And that’s what ROCKET SALVAGE is: a trippy, intergalactic blue-collar adventure. Yehudi Mercado, creator of BUFFALO SPEEDWAY and PANTALONES, TEXAS, has created a star-spanning universe of madcap characters thrust into equally madcap conundrums brough to live by artist Bachan (IMAGINE AGENTS). Former racechamp Primo Rocket is now a down-on-his-luck salvage yard owner (after pretty much destroying half the city in his last race) who is pulled into exponentially more dangerous circumstances between the warring Galactic Republic and the Republic of Galaxies, both in search of an all-powerful secret weapon that apparently only he can locate. Vexed by crooked politicians, criminal organizations, mad scientists, and his pair of bickering clone kids, Primo’s lucky just to keep sane. The 5-issue series hasn’t been collected into trade yet, but you can still find the full arc digitally on comixology. If you love sci-fi scoundrels, you’ll love this book. https://www.comixology.com
What we’re Playing: THIS WAR OF MINE (PC, PS4, XBox One, iOS, Android, Mac, Linux)
In a video game landscape overpopulated by Zombies, Assassins, Space Marines, regular Marines, Space Zombies, and Zombie Assassins, its stunning to find a game where the act of killing, or even the idea of maybe killing, another human makes you pause and contemplate whether or not that really is the best idea. On the surface, THIS WAR OF MINE looks like another post-apocalyptic survival horror game, but there are no zombies or plague-ravaged monsters -- the only horror you must survive is the grim prospect of day-today existence in a city ruined by civil war. You must guide a random collection of characters through the ruins of houses, schools, hospitals, etc in search of food, supplies, and materials with which to build things. In RPG fashion, you’ll craft tools that will improve your abilities and quality of life, but every night you’ll have to go out in search of more goods while hoping your own home isn’t attacked by looters. This stealth-heavy platform game will have you carefully avoiding attention while questioning the morality of your own looting (which in many cases is “stealing”). The consequences of your actions carry real weight as your characters will respond positively or negatively to the morality of what you chose to do. And their mental health is just as important as their physical health (sickness, hunger, etc). When one of them dies (and they will die), things can devolve quickly into depression, which must be monitored and managed. There is no “winning” this game, as much as seeing how long you can survive, but each playthrough provides a whole new dramatic story. While it probably sounds depressing as Hell, the amazing level of immersion and gripping contemplation will have you hooked. When one game ends, you’ll likely immediately start another one to see what you can do better. http://www.11bitstudios.com/ April 2016 - page 19
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HOT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:
BEN CALWELL April 2016 - page 21
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When Ben Caldwell wasn’t drawing, he was thinking about drawing. When he wasn’t drawing he was playing with a hodgepodge of battered action figures, making up strange characters and having them smash into one another in some surreal, over imagined setting. Usually while blurting out incomprehensible bon mots. He was lucky to have an extremely supportive family whose core value was self-excellence, so if he wanted to be an artist it was assumed he would give that the same energy and care everyone else in the family had devoted to their own paths. Money and scholarships were cobbled together for art lessons, acting lessons, anything to fuel his creativity. (And to him, half of what he does is acting, anyway.) He was fortunate to have had fantastic teachers at great schools and programs. April 2016 - page 22
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While he always wanted to write and draw comics as his default setting, he also wanted to create worlds in a variety of other ways, so for better or worse he dithered around in a host of different studies and jobs. He went to Parsons for fashion and history, but abandoned fashion almost immediately. He stayed with history, though, while immolating his way through metalworking and product design before realizing he could skip all that and simply DRAW whatever he wanted in the illustration department, with fewer mashed fingers and singed eyebrows. Well, relatively fewer.
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Title page :
character design for Dazzler, for Marvel’s A-FORCE
PREVIOUS page:
(top) a scene from THE SECRET OF ST MICHEL, where orphan Ann-Marie Belloc confronts The Great Bacca, lord of the wilderness. (bottom) Ann-Marie Belloc prepares for the holidays
THIS page:
(above) no Ben Caldwell project would be complete without mountains of bogus logos and designs… (below) test pages for a French BD manga based on the anime “Dofus”
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His grand plan was to create a touring museum of artifacts from vanished (and completely imaginary) civilizations. But he had a lot of grand plans and not a lot of practical problemsolving skills. So he accidentally got a job as an assistant children’s book designer, albeit a very unsuccessful one. He followed that with an equally accidental, but slightly more successful, stint as a toy designer at Marvel’s Toybiz. After several years, he finally built up the proactive steam to become a freelance comic/animation artist. Over the past decade or so, he has worked on mountains of toy, game, and animation designs, of which will never be seen by the public. He has also worked on various comics, including his original, creator-owned THE DARE DETECTIVES (originally published by Dark Horse, later collected in hardcover by Archaia). Other comics work includes the surreal WEDNESDAY COMICS: WONDER WOMAN story, the how-to-draw ACTION! CARTOONING series, and the ALL-
(top) Maria Dare and Sarah Kincaid thwart tropical kidnappers in THE DARE DETECTIVES “The Kula Kola Caper” (above) Red Dingo schemes anew in “The Kula Kola Caper” (right) Toby Taylor and Sarah Kincaid whisper sweet nothings while on the run in “The Kula Kola Caper”
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(left) Maria Dare goes undercover (right) Fairchild, from a promotional comic of DC’s GEN 13 (bottom left) SENSATIONAL COMICS: WONDER WOMAN variant cover (bottom right) DEADPOOL variant cover
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ACTION CLASSICS comic adaptations of literary classics “Dracula” and “The Wizard of OZ”. More recent work includes DC’s satirical miniseries PREZ, and currently Marvel’s A-FORCE, but he is trying to pivot back towards more creator-owned work, including a sequel (or nine) to THE DARE DETECTIVES, a project about obnoxious super powered teens, and a sort-of-gothic-Frenchfairytale/revolution story THE SECRET OF ST MICHEL.
THIS page:
(top background) Chief Inspecteur Brutux, from THE SECRET OF ST MICHEL (right) a mischievous loup-garou from THE SECRET OF ST MICHEL
NEXT page:
promotional art for the video game THE LAST OF US
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FOLLOW BEN ON TWITTER @bencaldwellart April 2016 - page 27
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