Archive for June, 2010



Beyond Neil Gaiman

There are a few artists out there whom I believe to be the best at what they do. Being a writer I’m better able to talk about them then say architecture. For me Douglas Adams represents the style of writing I most wish to emulate. His flagrant mis-use of words came off as almost Shakespearian in it’s originality. But when it comes to story telling it’s Neil Gaiman that has stolen the cake. The worlds he reveals rival Tolkien in their intricacies but surpass them in one key aspect: I want to believe in them. I don’t mean there were a lot of cool new things told. No, I mean I would rather live in his worlds then reality (at least while reading his books). He’s that good.

It was maybe a year after reading Neverwhere that tried to go back to Comedity. That comic has to be one of the great tragedies in our little world but at least the months of hiatus led us to Finder’s Keepers. I practically squealed with delight. Reading through the first 40 pages in about 30 seconds, I knew there had to be some Gaimon influence there. So as a little homage I had to make sure Door appeared somewhere in the FK jump and that’s who we see standing behind Life and opening the door for the team.

Be assured there will be many more Mr. G references through DSA, not just this particular arc. Sit back and enjoy!


Some Extra Thoughts ~ON~ Episode 5, Page 1

Let it be known that there is a good reason for doing character sketches. And not only doing them, but making sure they’re done ahead of time. Case in point, the new character introduced in this arc, Life.

Life was meant to be a laid back, chill guy, something of a surfer dude with a little more insight and determination. Think Matthew McConaughey, shirtless disposition and all. Straighten the hair a bit and you’ve got Life. As you can see from the first sketch above, my first pass wasn’t even close. To me, that looks more akin to Jesus Christ starring in a romantic comedy.

Pass number two got away from the Messiah look, but it also made Life boring and unoriginal. This Life had no life, sadly, and was quickly tossed aside. Eyes too close together, not really diggin’ the teeth to the side look, and the forehead could use a little shortening.

The third and final take finally resulted in something I could use and use multiple times without it becoming repetitive and mundane. This Life finally had that spark that could jump off the page, with eyes that could show a range of emotion and a face that retained a manly, muscular rigidness while also offering that softer, low-key demeanor of someone who just wants to live. Not quite a hippie, but also not a stereotypical chauvinistic brute. Perfect.

I also now know how to spell Matthew McConaughey’s name, so it’s a win-win for any rom-com reviews I might write in the future.