Chasing the Dragon

I think I may have discovered the secret to more frequent blogging. Post something you can't stand to look at, so you're forced to post more just to force that image off the screen!

The image above is a wrap-around cover I did a while back for a manga adaptation of a novel called Chasing the Dragon. Published by Houder & Stouton UK, The story is the first-hand the account of author Jackie Pullinger's misadventures in the massive lawless slum Kowloon walled City, or KWC as it is affectionately known to it's many admirers. No joke, I'm one of them. How could I say no to this gig?

From the excellently comprehensive KWC section of archidose.org:

Inhabiting a block the size of the Tokyo Dome, Kowloon Walled City resembed a
living, breathing creature, born from its inhabitants over its long lifespan.
But the walled city was more than a physical conglomeration of buildings and
people, it was an inadvertent symbol of the long struggle between China and Hong
Kong, ruled by neither. It was an "in-between zone" whose remarkable existence
today can best be comprehended through images, statistics and interviews. These
pages give a brief overview of Kowloon Walled City (KWC) in historical,
personal, architectural and political terms.

Sadly KWC was finally demolished in 1993, but not before getting immortalized as a set piece in Bloodsport (!).

The other Flash

Welcome my friends to the first of many studio sketch-offs. Yes that's right, after a hiatus of almost two years, we're back in action. We're going to try to keep them up every Monday, as a way to keep sharp, get the work week rolling right, and to offer a momentary escape from our various obligations.

Today's topic: Flash Gordon. Participating today: Action Andy B and Ragin' Ramon Perez, and, of course, me, your humble narrator.

Being a child of the 80's, Flash to me will always be a flaxen haired Sam Jones, in tight, tight pants. But that's just me! The beauty of the sketch-off is, you can interpret the topic any way you want! For my studiomates' interpretations click here and here.

The verdict? I'm rusty. These'll be good for me.

Not as exciting as art but...

A short summary of a talk I gave on the life and lot of the comicker to the Sequential arts illustration students at Max The Mutt Animation school.

http://www.maxthemutt.com/blog/index.php/2008/10/27/guest-speaker-kalman-andrasofszky-comic-book-illustrator/

Max the Mutt is, to my knowledge, the only school offering any kind of hands-on Sequential art/graphic novel/comics illustration program in Canada. It's pretty cool that they're in my hometown.

I'll also be teaching there next semester, but that's a tale for another day...

The Force Unleashed

A long time ago, but not so very far away (it was right here, in fact,) I did some interior art for the new edition of the Star Wars RPG. All was quiet for a long time, but earlier today I got a handsome FEDEX box with some comp copies of the book, which apparently is called The Force Unleashed (on sale now!), so I guess it's safe to post.

Also, please note the change in email address. As of today any mail should be sent to evilkalman@gmail.com as the old mail, the horhaus mail, no longer works, and any correspondence sent there will go spinning off into a yawning black void.

Queen Takes Pawn

So I'm burning the midnight oil tonight, which is not at all unusual, but it makes for a nice opener. NYX #3 is out this Wednesday at finer comics selling establishments. In honour of that fact, I'm posting nothing at all to do with NYX!

Even after all this time, I haven't added my Checkmate cover run to my gallery. Yeah, I'll cop -- I'm lazy, and way more concerned with drawing new things, but since I can't post new things here yet, here's a tast of that run, out from the archives.





Checkmate marked my first regular comics gig working on something I actually enjoyed as a reader (NYX is the second such gig), so it was an important turning point, at least for me. The cover to #21 (second from the bottom here) is probably my favorite image from the run.

Shazap!

So under the gun...

That's where I've been, under a big, black, heavy gun.

While doing a bit of, um, research today I stumbled across this video review for NYX #1, so I thought I'd throw it up here so there'd be something this month.

This guy says some really nice things about Marjorie, and about Joe Q, and, well, everyone but me...

But who has time to be bitter when you're wrestling guns?



Also: Best song ever. For now.



Also also: Redecorated.

Toronto Fan EXPO

Happening this weekend, August 22-24 at the Metro Convention center. I'll be there, along with all my RAID studio cronies. I'll be doing sketches and commissions (like the one pictured above) and I'll be sporting the usual array of goodies too - prints, original art, comics, and also some extra-special NYX mystery merchandise.

Come say hi.