L'USINE DE LA BANDE DESSINEE

Witz Des Tages IV

2008-06-26T13:25:00.006+12:00

2 Wurstsemmeln fohrn auf da Autobahn. De ane sogt zur aundern: „Wennst mi no amoi überhoist, nimm i da a Radl weg!“

More hilarity from Austria (danke Sabine!)

The Nobel Prize?

2008-06-23T10:45:00.009+12:00

Robot Julius suggests optimistically to Connie she may be up for a major humanitarian prize, Connie on the other hand suggests otherwise. We will have to wait till next time to see who was correct...

It has also come to my attention the 'Infinity Serum' has been used before in the Marvel comic Nick Fury! I'm now looking into to finding an alternative, it's a shame as nothing is going to sound cooler than 'Infinity'! (Except when it's Tim Allen doing that horrible Buzz Lightyear catchphrase.)

Witz Des Tages III

2008-06-20T10:23:00.007+12:00

A Gummiringerl und a Glosaug’ liegn in da Dochrinna. Es Gummiringerl sogt zum Glosaug’: „Schau’ ned so deppat, sunst schnoiz’ i da ane!“

"The Last Magic Show" Movie Poster

2008-06-18T10:47:00.006+12:00

Andy Conlans 'Last Magic Show' movie film has been playing at various cinemas around the country, the poster credits music from both Jessica and the Jawbreakers and The Holiday Girls and the songs are used to full effect. Go see it then buy the CD here

Tais Toi Mon Coeur

2008-05-25T15:28:00.003+12:00

Retro Sci-fiction Mania

2008-05-20T11:09:00.011+12:00

Yesterday I was on a panel to judge and critique pitches for 3rd Year animation students from Freelance Animation School. We assesed group projects and gave feedback on areas that could be improved. My biggest surprise was the amount of retro-science fiction themes! Does this mean we're also going to see a rash of feature films like this over the next few year? I knew of John Carter of Mars under development by Pixar due in 2012 but according to Variety there's now a Buck Rogers film due in 2011. It's a very difficult genre to get 'right' and can only think of about half a dozen exmaples that didn't just mimic, parody or piss on the form (unintentionally or not). Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was just awful...

Technically speaking...

2008-05-15T12:17:00.003+12:00

Panel 4 - Robot Julius explains to Connie she's not immune to death as she stated in the previous panel, she could still be killed by acts of god and is safe only from growing old, which isn't bad if one takes care of oneself and plays it safe. Connie seems indifferent to her Robot's comments, of course what he's saying isn't news to her, Julius is simply wasting his breath. More to come...

The Infinity Serum

2008-05-11T22:59:00.012+12:00

Panel 3 - Connie, with one hand holding the Infinity Serum and the other a glass of delicious French champagne, says a few words to celebrate the completion of her DIFFICULT and IMPORTANT work: a secret liquid formula to conquer DEATH! A scientific breakthrough so PROFOUND it must come with all sorts of DANGEROUS and EXCITING consequences. And what's her robot assistant saying? Ha ha, Correct! It's the proverbial Hebrew "L'chiam!" or "To life!"

Better come back soon and see what those consequences are...

Somewhere Near the North Pole...

2008-05-09T00:57:00.005+12:00

Panel 2 and the story begins. Here we see Connie Radars top secret observatory/laboratory in the middle of the coldest place on earth. No visitors to distract her from her difficult and important work which, as she states, has just been completed. What has she been working on, you ask? Find out in the next post...

Le Monde À Venir

2008-04-30T11:01:00.005+12:00

Here's the first panel to a new 2 page Connie Radar comic strip for the anthology Hotwire #3 (Fantagraphics), the deadline is looming, but it's on it's way...ca va!

Joke du Jour II

2008-04-29T13:58:00.002+12:00

Deep in the jungle two explorers suddenly found themselves about to be chased and eaten by a large hungry lion. The first explorer quickly pulls out some running shoes and starts to tie up his laces, noticing this the second explorer says to him "are you crazy? There's no way you'll out run that lion!" to which the first explorer replied calmly "I don't have to out run the lion, I just have to out run you."

"V" 48 Second Film Competition

2008-04-28T09:53:00.003+12:00

The famous Photo Booth Scene from Buffalo '66 recreated for the V 48 Second Competition. Here's the link to vote for it VOTE

UPDATE
Unfortunately Vincent Gallo requested this parody be removed due to what he felt was a copyright infringement.

A simple request...

2008-04-15T11:54:00.005+12:00

Please take the time to vote for Alex Dron's animated short "FOT" at Channel Federator HERE. Click on 10. Kiwi Award and select the appropriate box (that being FOT). Much appreciated!

Connie Radar

2008-04-08T11:03:00.003+12:00

Panel 4 from the new science fiction comic "Connie Radar". Ray guns, rocketships, hostile aliens, robots, it's all there, on the way, in the future...

The Last Magic Show

2008-03-31T15:29:00.007+13:00

Debut feature film from Andy Conlan whom I've collaborated with on numerous projects. It's a romantic comedy about a depressed magician that finds love in the most unexpected place, a hospice! The Last Magic Show features music from Jessica and the Jawbreakers and The Holiday Girls.
The Last Magic Show official site is HERE

FOT

2008-03-28T13:10:00.002+13:00

Fot:Champion of the World is an animated short by Alex Drom whom I am forced to work next to at Yuk Foo Studios. It's a nice looking short and pretty darn funny too, it's pleasing to know there's more FOT in the works. Check out the official FOT blog HERE

Joke du Jour

2008-03-27T14:28:00.008+13:00

Q: Why did God invent mormons?
A: So christians would know how jews felt.

Fresh Freddy

2008-03-26T13:12:00.006+13:00

I took this photo about 10 years ago while living in Dunedin and have treasured it ever since. Another fine example of the weird phenomenon known as "Suicide Food", for more examples there's an entire blog dedicated to it HERE.

I intended to write a comic strip based on Fresh Freddy but never got around to it but it goes something like this:

Fresh Freddy is at his doctors office, his doctor is suprised to see him looking so well, "What is this? Last time I saw you Freddy, you were looking terrible! I even gave you only a few weeks to live!". Freddy lights up a cigerette and says "Ha ha! I know, I was so distressed I started smoking, I smoked so much it's cured me!"

The Original Art of Basil Wolverton

2007-07-18T11:05:00.001+12:00

The hilarious spaghetti-and-meatball style caricature art of Basil Wolverton has been a huge influence on such art luminaries as Robert Crumb, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Robert Williams and Drew Friedman. This publication of The Original Art of Basil Wolverton represents the very first time that the art of one of comicdom's major legacies will be presented in a fine art tome. The entire book is photographed in full color from all original artwork to retain the authentic look of the black-and-white graphics and reproduced at the highest quality available to date. The majority of the work has never been published before. The book is comprised of the collection of Glenn Bray, the premier Wolverton collector. The book includes essays by Bray, Basil's son (and artist in his own right) Monte Wolverton and art writer Doug Harvey.

"I hate this cliche, but it's true: Basil Wolverton's work BLEW MY MIND!!! He's the main inspiration for me to do what I do AND the first to appreciate the beauty in ugliness... I even love his name!" -artist Drew Friedman

About the author:
Glenn Bray met Wolverton in the early 1970's and in the following few years bought most of his stock of unsold original art from the 1920's through the 1960's. He then commissioned him to do new cartoon work, which later brought Wolverton, at the age of 64, back into the spotlight as an artist when PLOP! magazine was published in the mid-1970's.

Price $35.00
www.lastgasp.com

The Comics Show - New Documentary

2007-07-10T11:00:00.000+12:00

The writing and drawing of comic books in New Zealand is the subject of a documentary at this year’s Film Festival. The Comics Show will have two screenings at the Academy Cinema as part of the Auckland season – on Saturday 14 July at 1pm, and on Monday 16 July at 1pm. In the Wellington Festival, the film screens (by itself) on Wednesday 1st August at 12.15 and at 1.45 pm, in the NZ Film Archive theatre at 84 Taranaki St.

The Comics Show surveys the history of local comics (including Eric Resetar, the 1950s anti-comic panic, and the arrival of Strips) then focuses on a number of contemporary artists (including Barry Linton, Karl Wills, Chris Knox, Jared Lane, Robyn Kenealy, Coco and Pretika, Jason Brice, Tim Bollinger, Grace Campbell, and Cornelius Stone, among others). It visits comic shops (such as Cherry Bomb and Gotham), websites, events (such as Armageddon, Craftwork and the Eric Awards), and groups (such as Funtime in Christchurch). It looks at comics’ links with animation (such as Ant Sang and Bro’Town) and with music (from Flying Nun to hip hop). It also takes a trip with Dylan Horrocks to the comic shops of Paris, confirming that comics from New Zealand have a growing reputation in the land of la bande dessinée.

Russian Hebrew Poopsheet

2007-05-12T04:58:00.000+12:00

Look what I have made for my foreign friends! By popular demand, Jessica's Good Deed in Hebrew and Russian! Click the image to get your copy. And go visit Poopsheet too, hundreds of self-published titles to choose from.

Also new comic series starting soon...

Bramble Bushes

2007-05-02T16:52:00.000+12:00

New song "Bramble Bushes" added to the Jessica and the Jawbreakers myspace page. The album is now included in the purchase of the complete set (books #1 - 13) with a price tag of $75.00, otherwise it's $15 and can be purchased on it's own HERE. If your local comic store doesn't have it in stock ask them why they hate comics.

Advance Copies

2007-04-23T23:28:00.000+12:00

Early copies of the new Jessica and the Jawbreakers CD/comic can be purchased exclusively from Parsons Bookshop; 26 Wellesley Street East, Auckland City. Maybe great book stores that specialise in Art and photograhpy isn't your thing, perhaps you'd rather purchase it while seeing some great live music? The Brunettes, Teenwolf and Pie Warmer are playing April 27th (Friday) at the Kings Arms, the Jawbreakers CD will be on sale there too. True.

Comic Friend Part 1

2007-04-02T16:10:00.000+12:00

The comic that never was. Comic Friend was an aborted attempt to produce a Manga inspired free monthly comic book. It was to be as thick as 2 telephone directories (white pages not yellow) and in full colour, every issue would have had a free novelty gift such as x-ray glasses and toy ray-guns, licensing aggreements for original characters exclusive to Comic Friend were already being argued over between our high price lawyers and cartoon networks. This was, in all likelihood, to be the greatest comic book phenomena ever seen... so what happened? Over the next few posts I will be discussing Comic Friends' steady and calculated downfall by the jealous enemies of the most popular art-form on earth... stay tuned.

Jessica and the Jawbreakers Button #2

2007-03-09T00:38:00.000+13:00

Look what I have made for you! Another Jessica and the Jawbreakers pin-back button, this one based on the album cover. A friend of mine wore this to a party and everyone asked her where she got it but she wouldn't tell them so they stole it from her and now I'm not talking to her because she refused to send customers to me. Click HERE to buy something that people will steal from you.