KNIGHTS MISSIVE 12/11/2015

KNIGHTS MISSIVE 12/11/2015

Gryphon Knights announces the publication of Millennials #1! This series, written by Dimitrios Fragiskatos, drawn by Guillermo Villareal, and colored & lettered by our own SirGryphon .  


The book was successfully crowdfunded and completed and was released on November 25 along side the Frank Millers Dark Knight III in a David vs. Goliath launch. Both a parody of and homage to The X-Men, the comic takes us on the adventures of... Entitleman! Mr. Hideous! Buzzgirl! Cyber Bully! and Know-It-All! Featured in Bleeding Cool the comic was crowdfunded and received press from sites like the 13th Dimension The comic MILLENNIALS hit stores in late November and sold through the first run quickly, Dimitrios also appeared and talked about the book on the Midtown Comics Podcast; we couldn't be more proud.  

The Second Issue is Due out in late January but we will keep you up to date on any changes!

More coming soon...

This article was written by Tony Wolf who is the creator of Greenpoint of View and True Tales of Comics Series featured on Gryphon Knights Comics. He is also an actor and writer and you can find more about him as well as his social media on his site (Tonywolfactor.com)

Graphic Novel Review: Last Days of an Immortal

Last days of an Immortal is a French graphic novel published by one of my favorite companies Archaia. Its written by Fabien Vehlmann and illustrated by Gwen De Bonneval. This novel follows a man named Elijah who is a member of the philosophical police, as he journeys through the universe trying to not to solve crimes but to resolve them by helping different people understand, and come to accept vastly different belief paradigms and practices.

This book may be one of the hardest things to deliver to audiences because just as Elijah tries to rationalize diverse socio-cultural systems to others De Bonneval is trying to help us understand and ground oneself in this distant Utopian future, where intergalactic travel is so commonplace it doesn't bear mention. In a world where death is all but extinct thanks to mediums called echoes, except for the death of ones furthest memories which are lost when merging with an echo of oneself. It seems a difficult task but she remedies this issue by starting with something carnal and familiar as Elijah investigates a grisly murder scene.

This murder was committed all by a misunderstanding, as an alien who mistook an assassins gunshot in his direction as a sign of affection and the large beast returning that affection ended up murdering his attacker. Elijah is then responsible for resolving the feelings between the human, now revived because of his echo, and the alien and helping them understand where the misunderstanding occurred. This introduction mimics the overarching story as Elijah is trying to resolve the motives of two ancient alien races the Aleph and the Ganedan. Millions of years ago an Aleph ate a Ganedan prince and the Ganedans responded in kind-this conflict was the foundation of each groups customs and culture and now in the present future their conflict threatens to plunge the current society into war. Elijah and his echoes are trying to rationalize what started the original attack between these species all while he is trying to resolve the reasons his friend has chosen to completely die.

Bonneval's artwork is an interesting complement that is hard to fully describe but it is really easy to absorb and take in. This simplistic rendering has a sort of reminiscence to how Americans perceived elements of the future in the 40s in a type of Italian futurism; it makes an unimaginable future perceptible without the distraction of drowning in overwhelming ad nausea details. The artist takes much care in the setting of scene their artist style morphing to fit the mood and changing mediums (ie from ink to a watercolor wash) to help certain effects stand out.

Last Days of an Immortal  was extremely gratifying to read, while it was initially hard to get into and certain parts seem to be waterlogged with exposition the book helped to challenge my perspectives of science fiction and give me a grasp of what might lay beyond the perceivable. It also puts forth a remarkable demonstration of individual, interpersonal, societal responsibility for our actions and understanding ourselves in these various roles, and what death and memory mean as individuals.

It is a read for someone who enjoys sifting through a heady novel a couple of and times as then sit and simmer in the ideas it presents. Otherwise it can easily go unappreciated as a preachy or dull to the impatient laymen.

I'd like to thank my brother Sean Griffin  for gifting me this book.

The artist SirGryphon sometimes likes to overthink things and will illustrate them as humorous anecdotes in a series called MEANWHILE... or as a fun scifi adventure in WOW Signal. Both books can be found at Gryphon Knights Comics!

Comic Review: EERIE SERIES Pat the Werewolf

At a convention from last year we had the pleasure of meeting punny mathematician Jason Deeble and was introduced to his webcomics series Monster Haiku. After chatting he was kind enough to give us a copy of his book or the EERIE SERIES. I know its been some time since I recieved it but this Halloween I finally got a chance to read the volume he gave me featuring comic strips of his character Pat the Werewolf.



His series is a very family friendly strip that easy to follow and straight to the point, often using play on words to emphasize the punchline. You can tell this just from the titles of his collections in the series "Pat the Werewolf", "Carpe Demon", "Rob the Zombie." He also pokes fun at typical monster tropes including werewolves having dog like qualities, zombies being stinky etc.

The series is amusing and you don't need to read the previous 1000 strips to know where you are as they are all self-contained. The cast itself is so familiar from the volumes of horror characters universal made familiar back in the 20-60s and have been a vital part of the film industry ever since, that these creatures are already familiar in our minds without any long introduction. The art and the humor actually feel like a spiritual heir to Bill Amend's "Foxtrot", a comic series that was daily from 1988-2006, its humorous that even the creators share a similar education and interest in mathematics and physics.

These lovable monsters Deeble presents us with might be a little to simple if you are looking for heady highbrow finishers but for kids and families its a no miss. A collection would make a great gift for anyone who was a die hard monster, or Foxtrot fan. In addition his store has many fun collectibles and merchandise including a rob the zombie hat!

SirGryphon is an artist for GKCOMICS where he toils and helps produce another comic series called MEANWHILE...

The Path of the Artist: My Teachers

I think there has always been something romanticized about the path of an artist. We create worlds, we delight imaginations and bring to light concepts that seem infinitely difficult to conceptualize. It all seems so glorious as long as you ignore the difficulties and dangers along the path.

In school growing up I was always "doodling during class." I always had difficulties concentrating and had an immense amount of energy. This activity was something the staff silently conceded to, as drawing quietly was the best concession they made for me. I stayed out of trouble, and they hoped that I was absorbing something. The public forum I was creating in meant that everyone knew that I was an artist. So I had, from as early as middle school, my identity reduced to an occupation, an occupation that I would often fight tooth and nail for many years after.

An extremely old drawing done on graph paper.

It didn't start like that however; my parents thought my talent should be kindled and had me train at an early age with a local fine artist Mrs. Shepherd. A lot of what I learned from her wasn't how to "draw better" rather it was a way of looking at things. Two lessons of hers stand out: The first was about trees, she asked me one day, "What color do you think trees are?" I thought I knew the answer and replied "Brown." She went on to tell me that it wasn't that simple, that they may seem "brown" but that trees were made up of a variety of colors, and that I had to look closely. She then had my draw a tree and color with just the primaries with water color pencils-I drew but saw a colorful mess, that is til' I swathed over it with some water, and the image came alive. With her guidance I was able to make grey green trees, brown trees, and the variety of colors mixed brought the image more alive because of the texture of the colors intermingling. Imagining the world made up of small bits and colors was mystical as a child.

Her second lesson was more concise: we were at an art exhibit together and she asked which painting I enjoyed the most, I told her, and she questioned, "Why?" Her next words won me a certain admiration and respect, "realism is not what makes art great." Those words reminded me at the time of Yoda's words to Luke, "War does not make one great," and reflecting back it is amazing what we think qualifies something for greatness, and how important that seems to be.

I stopped attending classes with her after getting abducted by aliens, and become a cold introverted child. It was only years later that I came out of my shell a bit. I began attending art lessons with a friend and my second teacher, Joe Tomasini, wasn't as philosophical as my last. He believed that it was only through practice and discipline that a person would improve. However, trying to have two 13 year old boys concentrate and practice and do art homework as well as their regular curriculum was as difficult as trying to rub a cats belly, all we were interested in was talking about girls.

The lesson I learned from him was more cynical and grounding. Tomasini was the original creator of Gargoyles! The show came out a year after he presented artwork and storylines to Disney, work I was privileged to see and was astonished in the similarities, Goliath especially seemed ripped directly from his concepts-it was appalling that even
without tweaking any details they could blatantly steal his concept and still win. Win they did however, as after three years and being drained dry by attorneys the judge ruled in favor of Disney. Ideas are valuable and it is sometimes it is in poor judgement to trust someone with them.

During the time I attended lessons a mothers friend of a friend happened to know Dan Jurgans, who has worked with various comic book companies throughout the years. It was the mid-nineties and he was a rising star in the industry. They were able to get me a chance to talk to him on the phone I was hopeful excited and naively idealistic that I would soon be a true comic book artist. He told me that to succeed in the industry I had to be able to draw everything at every angle and be able to do it well--He also mentioned that even if I was able to do that there are hundreds if not thousands of capable artists and getting a job would be even more difficult. He mentioned how even if I was able to get a job succeeding in it was a whole other story, as the 90s were rife with companies struggling, floundering, and going bankrupt, finally he left me with a "Well, goodbye, and good luck."

I realized that this path was not going to be an easy one, and I wish I could say I pushed ahead in spite of overwhelming odds, but I think that's just a phrase used in films and stories. I think that people who push forward no matter the odds are those who have either no literal or psychological other way they can go. They push on in spite of the corpses of those who have tried before, not because they feel they are brave or better able, but because in their core they feel they have no other choice.

SirGryphon is just a guy who doodles. Doodle a lot and it may get you somewhere, as for him he doodles for Gryphon Knights Comics a collective rife with artists and outcasts trying to push forward because they don't see another way to go. You can help them along the way by becoming a patron!

Indie Comics Review: Salvagers ISSUE 1

SALVAGERS: Visual Storytelling Done Right

There are many space opera sci-fis out there. Stories where you watch characters go from nobodies on a farm to galactic heroes whose names are spoken in awe by its denizens. SALVAGERS is not one of them; though that's not a bad thing.

I was given the opportunity to read their first issue when the creators of Salvagers graciously gave away free PDFs of the book to celebrate 10k followers. This premiere of the series quickly introduces us to the crew of the Harrier, the calculating Teagan bickering with the computer A.V.R.I, the quirky Brigby, Mighty T'yr, and of course the roughneck Cpt. Roanick. The first novel introduces them not as heroes but blue collar labor, a theme of the series that originally drew my interest. These "Salvagers" are a group of people trying to make money harvesting old wrecks that are drifting through space post a huge galactic war.

Bob Salley really nails a few features of this first book. In a one page blurb without too much text he is able too give you context so that you can grasp the state of this galaxy and basic economics, it was so short and sweet that I wish George Lucas could have seen it before making episode 1 whose dialog was washed out with economic and trade discourse. The first issue also really drives home the relationships of this crew, while they are concerned about each other, they aren't tight as family; rather they are coworkers - trying to do a job while not getting killed by automated security in

Its this "let the page speak" presentation that I really admire as a fellow comic creator. Too often you have huge blocks of text that are hogging otherwise beautifully rendered pages that try to educate the reader about the world their entering but only end up alienating them, even more so if the book is a science fiction piece. It is something that I feel plagues the industry especially "the big 2" who often need these word chunks to outline decades of prior history and timelines of their characters. Its terrible, and that is why Marvels "nuff said" series in the 90s really spoke to me... No pun intended. They used pictures exclusively! That was remarkable for the entertainment industry that has gotten too reliant on narration, reading large blocks of text,
and seemingly unable to leave things implied.
otherwise dead warships or sucked out into space. In just 24 pages he is also able to give you a firm grasp of who these characters are using subtle hints in the communication between each crewmember, such as Brigby betting on T'yr destroying something emphasizing that character as a bruiser sort of archtype.

Let me get off the soapbox simply to say that Salley has started strong. It allows the artist that he works, George Acevedo to create really engaging gritty images. These are chock full of Jim Lee levels of detailed backgrounds, and he creates doodads and circuit panels and so many other eyecatching inventions to fill the image. One page I really liked visually was page 5 where Teagan is arguing with the computer , Acevedo doesn't just fill the screen with nonsense, he has actual blueprints displayed their of the wreck they are investigating. A ton of work for such a simple detail that only seen on one page. That's crazy! I like that kinda crazy. As far as his visuals his visual story telling and even his stylistic leanings remind me of early Adam Kubert work, specifically on the 90s X-men. Its this ability that really moves the action along and allows your eye to flow smoothly along the page.

As far as lettering goes there isn't really anything groundbreaking or special there and the letterer does a capable job telling a story. That's not to downplay that ability as early letterers often can make a mess of the page. The one thing they may have considered is when transporting the letters from whatever program they use they might want to consider adjusting its color as black text moved from a program like Illustrator to Photoshop lose their crisp black element, and you end up having words and word bubbles that are grey and it just looks a little lazy and sloppy.

Those minor nitpicky grievances aside my interest was originally peaked in Salvagers because of a little number called Starlight Tavern. A comic-strip comedy that is an extreme foil to Salvagers, as Salvagers tone overall is dark and has muted colors and thick dark inks, the Starlight Tavern, meanwhile, is fun and bright and welcoming. Both series are worth as shot, and I think these guys really have something special. They have 2 other issues of their book out and a 4th on the way so you don't have to worry about the series ending on a frustrating cliffhanger... You can salvage them from Comixology or their store.

All in all, Salvagers was a refreshing break from the norm of glorified farmboys in space, and I have to say I'm looking forward to more.

This guy SirGryphon is a scifi junky and he eats it for breakfast and dinner. He works on his own scifi over at Gryphon Knights Comics called the WOW Signal. 

Knighthood: Justin Melkmann

Many of our contributing artist's tend to work in a variety of mediums often not limited to illustration.

Justin Melkmann is one of them, creating his webcomic Earaches & Eyesores while touring with the band World War IX and making some awesome noise. His comic details much of his travels with the band, their gigs; their parties, as well as his much more personal decision to quit drinking. 

In this "knights" spotlight we get to discover a little more about what makes ol' Justin tick, the inspiration for his book as well as the fuel for his musical passion.

With a diverse range of creative options what made you decide to start a comic book?

Well, I wanted something that is both heart-warming, as well as knee slapping to read, so I figured I’d have to do it myself! All not kidding aside, I wanted to catalogue/bind together the oodles of material that I’d drawn for the mighty NYC barroom monthly art and music paper, The New York Waste. Roughly every two years I’d have enough Waste material for a new book. Oh wait, are you asking why did I print them in book form, and not just post on the web? I like having an old school genuine comic book to have and to hold. Plus, if it falls in the toilet, I’m only out $3 and not $5000. iPads cost about $5000 right?

Your book currently has 4 full issues, however two are no longer in print. Why did you stop printing the first two issues?

Actually there’s 5 issues of Earaches & Eyesores, and one other book that chronicles my devotion to one of punk rock’s most polarizing figures, GG Allin. That’s my best seller. That one’s called Slap In The Face: My Obsession With GG Allin. As far as why I don’t reprint the first two issues of my Earaches & Eyesores series…I’m embarrassed of the artwork. The stories and the writing hold up just fine, but the drawings? Oy vey. Not good. I’d been drawing/doodling all of my life, but I didn’t develop any kind of discipline or style until I started with The New York Waste.

What do your bandmates think about the comic as it often features them? Do they have any input to the book?

They love it! In fact, it’s odd, they all seem to like the ones that feature themselves the most!!! “You know which one is the best? The one with ME doing that hilarious THING, that’s your best work man.” And yes, they absolutely have input. Our drummer Jon is always noting which gut wrenching scenarios would make for a funny comic. Our bass player Brian recently told me how disappointed his 15 year old self would be if he could see him now. He wasn’t pitching it as a comic, but man, I’d love to do it as one.

With all the crazy stories in the book are there any you didn't include?

Sure! I got a million of ‘em! I love being in a band, so when even something that may seem boring or stupid happens, it seems larger than life to me and comic worthy. Walking to practice could be a freaking comic. But you asked for a crazy story. I don’t know about crazy, but there’s plenty of absurd Spinal Tap-like stories. There was the time my wacky idea to have a bubble machine completely backfired on me. I wanted to spruce up our live set with a bubble machine, but when I switched the cheap assed Halloween store machine, a wall of soapy suds just poured out in a narrow stream all over my head. I wanted the room to fill up with bubbles like it was New Years eve, but instead I was merely covered in sticky dish washing soap. Just recently we got to play with The Murder Junkies, which had been a dream of mine for about 15 years, and during our set the sound system crapped out. That fucked me up mentally for days. There it was, my big chance at playing with some of my heroes, and we blew it. Talk about embarrassing.

How does music influence your creative outflow?

Music influences my creative flow a ton. I listen to music while I draw, so I can only assume that if I’m listening to Tom Waits, I’ll draw something very different than if I’m listening to say The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. Sometimes I’ll pick a band to listen so as to create a mood. I can’t very well draw kittens and flowers if I’m listening to Poison Idea. Though, those would be some fucked up flowers and kittens. Plus, most of my ideas come to me while I’m listening to my ipod while I’m walking to work.

Have you created any other comics or have plans for anything new?

Well aside from the GG Allin book I mentioned, I’m doing a comic a week for the most excellent hardtimes.net. That’s that killer punk rock satire site that’s in the style of The Onion. Also, I’m writing and drawing the definitive, no holds barred World War IX bio-comic. My band has been through, and done a lot over the past 12 years, and our story MUST-BE-TOLD! Beside, who the hell else is gonna tell it but me, right? All I read is rock biographies, so I wanted to add to the pile.

World War IX has toured much of the states, made a bunch of music and have had numerous highs and lows: so what's next for the band WWIX?

More of the same I hope. We’re going to do what we’ve always done, make records, play shows, produce music videos, fall on our faces, throw temper tantrums, pat ourselves on the back, make fun of each other’s short comings, lose money, get stuck in traffic, and laugh ourselves silly. We’ve already got a few new tunes being worked on, and there’s a bunch of places around the country that we’re looking forward to playing again.

The artist formally and still known as Justin Melkmann can be found all over the web! Including tumblr; his book "Earaches & Eyesores" can also be read on Gryphonknights. You can find his band World War IX and pick up some merch on their website! 

Webcomic Review: Starlight Tavern

Starlight Tavern is a enjoyable sci-fi comic strip created and Written by Bob Salley and Jason Sparich and illustrated by Juan Calle. This hilarious series of strips pokes fun at many archtypes and tropes in the plethora of science fiction franchises.

The Starlight Tavern is its own absurd restaurant at the end of the universe run by a plucky ragtag group of peoples who are just trying to keep service running smoothly despite inevitable chaos that often haunts their little deep space establishment. They are often visited by familiar denizens of the galaxy such as the Lost in Space crew, Mr. Spock or even Flash Gordan singing his own theme song to provide some entertainment (A comic that I had to share in this blog as it is my favorite as of yet!).

However, not all their patrons are as well behaved as those mentioned; like most drinking establishments its not without its bit of scum and villiany as monsters litter it's tables and restrooms as well.

Even with these recognizable guest stars the cast  of Starlight holds its own, and refuses to be overshadowed by such well known faces. The colorful cast of the overworked and underpaid staff try to make it by interacting and flirting in a well executed sci-fi version of "Waiting." The wait staff are emotionally inviting providing more than just punchlines, as a welcoming lens of familiar in the midst of the strange intergalactic goings on that passes through their establishment.

They add to the a-list by adding their own new alien characters to the mix, exploring strange scifi what ifs. Like the more recent strip where they reenact elements of Deer Hunter in space. They also relive other famous movie moments often calling In its supporting cast whose unique hijinks keep things familiar and fresh. Such as its own Stormtrooper knockoffs that act as the Moe, Larry, and Curly of the group getting into trouble and sabotaging each other.

Flash Gordan serenades the bar

Though a parody comic, they don't hold back on the art, which is well crafted using thick lines, bright colours and two-tone shading techniques to bring the book to life. One of my favorite things to see is watching artists expressing familar characters from popular series using their own style, and its exciting to consider who might show up next. I have been hoping to see a Farscape cameo, but none as of yet-which means I just have to keep reading.

But it doesn't start at Starlight Tavern as it seems to be its own spinoff of the creators comic series, Salvagers; a story that explores the dirty blue collared element of the galaxy. You don't have to read Salvagers to get Starlight as it holds its own even without a strong linear narrative. Instead I find myself curious about the comic from reading the webcomic. A humorous webcomic featuring much of the familiar in scifi is an innovative way to invite interested readers into a whole seperate series which features elements that are found in Starlight Tavern.

So i'd recommend giving Starlight Tavern a pour and then try out some Salvagers for the next round!

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is a blue collared fellow, that is dead broke from illustrating books like WOW Signal for biscuits. You can see his work at Gryphon Knights Comics.

Bib
http://www.starlighttavern.com/salvagers.html

http://gryphonknights.com/wow-space-race.html

The Archie Kickstarter: Good Business or Bad Business

By now I believe most in the comics industry have heard about the Kickstarter that Archie Comics had put up. They were asking interested parties to help them crowdfund $350,000 to help reboot their age old franchise of Archie comics and accelerate the production of three new comic book series. The backlash of a large 75 year old company asking for handouts was immediate and while the Kickstarter quickly garnered over 600 contributors in the short time it was active, Archie Comics chose not to deal with industry outrage and shutdown their Kickstarter.

A date with Archie as a kickstarter reward? I
bet most of the money came from Veronica

Did Archie do the right thing? They obviously had supporters, and perhaps the flaming was simply the overstated voice of trolls; also was this public frustration justified? Other notable individuals like Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Old Boy) have also used Kickstarter to fund and create projects without so much negative feedback. It could be that since the comics industry while rapidly growing is still very small, and an individuals voice has more weight. Archie wasn't even trying to make a ton of money, just accelerate production of these titles so they could bring their audience more content sooner and appeal to a new generation. Marvel has been doing something similar with its titles; hitting the refresh button for this new consumer, but Marvel has the financial backing to reboot over 20 titles. Between the Panels made a great point citing that "...this situation serves as a reminder that when it comes to comics, everyone that isn't Marvel or DC counts as 'the little guy.'"

I think more recognized names, like the respected Archie Comics, or even the derided Uwe Boll, shows that Kickstarter is changing, it is no longer just for indies. As big names seek out funding for their larger projects it may seem untoward that Kickstarter, the company that have put many independent creators on their feet is now kowtowing to individuals and companies that many would feel have an unfair advantage financially as well as their reknown. I can't agree with this perspective, however, and firmly believe that larger companies reaching out to crowdfund projects is the evolution of business and only advantageous for us as the consumer and the company itself.

Crowdfunding mediums allow direct access to the consumer-ideally that means the product being created end up with less hands sullying it. Less editorial, less interference from large investors who have way too much sway in how the product ends up. Editorial is how Sam Rami's Spiderman 3 ended up being as terrible as it was. Those providing funding or running the studio wanted to throw in as many villians and popular characters not to tell a story but to push its wow factor and allow for more merchandising. As has been seen time and again this kind of creative interference can destroy a product, it also perpetuates the concept that a few individuals wielding too much power can ruin everything for everyone. So when a company is trying to create something and has a really stupid idea its less likely that individuals will put out money to make it happen. In fact its almost like a really solid entertainment democracy that happens. It means when fools like Uwe Boll, (responsible for such terd nuggets as Bloodrayne, and Farcry films) try to start a Kickstarter campaign the get phenomenally shot down! Suddenly instead of investors interested solely in profit they have investors that are interested in the product. Money coming direct from the consumer helping regulate trash media, and things that belong in the garbage get there while its still in the conception stages and not before tons of person-hours or even product are left as refuse.

Some of the Atari dump

Filtering terrible products and entertainment, crowdfunding evidently can also help on an environmental level. When the videogame industry went bust it was no secret that Atari had to trash large portions of its stock because it was effectively worthless. Companies have always faced this issue-where is the sweet spot in supply and demand? Certain books can be overprinted, marketing can miss their target and a bunch of stuff created can end up as trash. Garbage product is still a concern, but companies can use the level of success of their crowdfunding project to predict earlier the amount of demand that a creation might have. Not only can they use that to figure out how much to create, they can also find out where their contributors are from and use that to better target the region that has shown interest.

So what if a big company like Archie wants to crowdfund a few books. Who cares if some of their rewards seem silly, such as following a contributor back on twitter. To some people that may be important; if you are a comics creator having a large comics company on social media can really help you garner a following. Either way if you don't like the reward, then you don't donate-its how our system works. Money equals support, ideas that aren't supported do not get money.

I think the big dogs using crowdfunding media means that there is a potential for a creative golden age as consumers have more say over the media they want. Does this mean that Indies are now bust as far as funding? No. There are so many other crowdfunding outlets-Patreon, Indiegogo, T-spring.

I think the outrage was just growing pains from new innovations being homogenized by the industry-its evolution in a nutshell, its painful scary, and also temporary because soon something different will come along. Archie Comics good for you for trying something new!

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is just some another Millennial who is evolving to better understand his place in the comics industry and the universe.

Bib.
"Atari E.T. Dig- Alamogordo, New Mexico (14036097792)" by taylorhatmaker - Atari E.T. Dig: Alamogordo, New Mexico. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg#/media/File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/15/between-the-panels-archies-kickstarter-sheds-light-on-a-larger-problem

Knighthood: TONY WOLF

These artist spotlights give people a chance to learn about the people we work with as well as insight on what they create and their inspiration behind it.

With a Metal name like "Wolf" you can only anticipate excellence, and Tony delivers. A jack-of-all trades in the entertainment industry, he is constantly pushing himself to his creative limits. He's hosted a webshow, been a host for glamorous celebrity fundraising affairs, performed as voice-over talent, acted in both theatrical and televised media... but before all this, he was an illustrator and especially his work with hand illustrated text make him a talented creator.

A Greenpoint resident for almost two decades and comics aficionado, Tony was eventually inspired to write and illustrate his own autobio comic, Greenpoint of View. 

---

Between performance and Illustration, do you have a creative preference or do you simply like creating?

First and foremost, I'm an actor and voice-over guy, and my goal is to be acting and voice-overing full time.  There's something about the full-body enjoyment and expression of performing - plus the joy of the collaboration that performing always entails - that's very special to me.  Drawing and comics come second on the list, but they are certainly dear to my heart.  And creating in general is always fulfilling and exciting, even when - at times - it's frustrating.  Really, I just want to make things.  I'm a huge fan of movies, music, storytelling, and comics, and to have a chance to contribute anything to those fields is really gratifying.

What books are you currently reading? How do they inspire you?

I read a lot of comics and graphic novels, but I always take care to read some prose and novels (especially biographies or autobio books) once in a while so I don't start to view things through an only-comics lens.  Although lately it's been more comics than anything else. Just read a graphic novel from indie publisher Hic & Hoc Press called Unknown Origins & Untimely Ends: A Collection of Unsolved Mysteries, which is amazing.  I'm really digging Silver Surfer by Dan Slott & Michael Allred, Daredevil by Mark Waid & Chris Samnee, and Alan Moore's Crossed +100 series lately.  Seth Kushner sadly just passed away after a battle with cancer, but he'd written several comics that will be completed by the artists and co-creators involved - The Roman Nose with George Jurard and The Brooklynite with Shamus Beyale.

Greenpoint of View is not your first comic project. Can you tell us about previous comics you've worked on?

I wrote and drew an 8-page short story with writer Alex Hernandez about the open-source character Jenny Everywhere, called 'Say The Word'; otherwise, I've worked as a storyboard artist for several indie films and was always writing and drawing my own comics from elementary school onwards, including the very silly 'Super Pickle' (done in 4th grade) and my Gamera ripoff comic series, 'Beware of the Turtle.'  I did a continuation of the Star Wars saga after return of the Jedi based on a weird dream my friend Jason had called 'Return of the Jedi 5.'  Wrote and drew a superhero comic from 7th grade to first year of college which was my homage to 80s superhero stuff a la John Byrne, Frank Miller and such. And I drew a 5-page flashback sequence for your book 'Frankenstein vs. Dracula' where I got to draw the two iconic monsters battling atop the Hindenburg blimp!! That was actually what really got me back into drawing more frequently, so thank you, Gryphon Knights team!

What inspired Greenpoint of View?

I had a lull in my acting and voice-over work last year, and was itching to create something. Something that wouldn't require me being picked for someone else's team. Friends like filmmaker Mike Turney had prodded me for years to get back to making my own comics, and I had always been a big fan of autobio comics like Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, Dean Haspiel's work, Maus, Persepolis, and the Schmuck series by comics creator Seth Kushner.  Reading Seth's Schmuck series (stories about his dating life in the years before he met his wife) inspired me to make my own autobio series... but what would I write about?  I didn't want to do the same autobio stuff we've seen many times before... I wanted to be a brutal editor on myself and at least attempt a new angle on something.  

I had just read one of Harvey Pekar's final works, Harvey Pekar's Cleveland - and he seamlessly (along with brilliant artist Joseph Remnant) wove his autobio material into the history of the city itself.  It was like half the story was about the city, and half was about Harvey. I recalled that anytime I was at a party and told people I'd lived in Greenpoint for over a decade, they would always go 'Whoooaaaah!!'  Once I realized I had a unique perspective, having lived in Greenpoint for (at that point) 17 years, and was there before people even cared about nearby Williamsburg, I figured it might be fun to try the same sort of Harvey Pekar's Cleveland approach, making the comic as much about the environment / neighborhood as it was about me. (This was also a way to get around my perceived weaknesses as a writer and a possibly boring life.)

When I told my friend Mike the basic concept for the series (I hadn't even brainstormed a name yet), he said immediately "And here's your title: Greenpoint of View."  I said "Done! Sold! That's it."  So he got a special thanks in the book itself. 

What other stories do you want to tell in this series?

Greenpoint of View #4 will be about a surprising encounter I had in the subway, on the G train, back in 1996.  Future stories will involve more history from the neighborhood and the time I had to break into my own apartment. I have about 12 stories total in mind for the series.

Are there any other projects are you currently working on that you wish to share?

Having gotten a pretty good reception from the first 3 Greenpoint stories, I got the idea to do occasional autobio short comics stories that have nothing to do with Greenpoint... to open up my storytelling beyond the neighborhood.  I just started work on the first one, which is about being a teenage comic book fan in the mid-80s. Just did a pin-up for Sean Griffin and MJ Steele's crime comic from Gryphon Knights, Getting Away With Murder. Also did a double-page spread for actor/writer Gianmarco Soresi's upcoming charity children's book.

Any nuggets of advice or encouragement for those trying to break into the entertainment industry?

Honestly, the arts are just very difficult in general. You have to just do your best work possible, hold yourself to very high standards and continually put yourself out there. Networking matters a lot - you can be doing solid work, but if no one outside your friends knows about it, it may just end up in a void. Practice as much as you can, and realize that total strangers (in the comics world, editors or reviewers) will need to be moved or excited by your work. It's that balance between making art for yourself and challenging yourself, but also thinking about what might interest your audience. Persistence is key. We've all heard of writers and artists collecting tons of rejection letters from publishers. Also, as we often hear: "Make the story you'd want to read."

Self-publishing is also essential now - even creators like Brian Bendis started out as small press guys and self-publishers of their work. Connecting with other creators who are passionate about what they do - like the Gryphon Knights comics collective - is really helpful as well. Using your time efficiently matters too, especially since most of us - myself included - have to hold down a regular job too. Charles Soule is a practicing attorney and still writes about 3 hit Marvel Comics a month, plus his Image creator-owned project! That demands serious time management. Those 3 hours of the day in which you might usually just unwind and watch TV could be used to write or draw your own comic! So get to it!  :) 

Self-Portrait of TWolf from GPOV

You can find Tony Wolf on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tonywolfness and at his personal site http://www.tonywolfactor.com/

Webcomic Review: Starveil

David Rapoza is an artist that continues to grow in popularity and whose thoughts on the freelance industry are great to chew on. His artwork is gritty and detailed and fun to stare at, he even has instructionals on his process up on youtube. What gained him a lot of notice was the hi res, & detailed ninja turtles that he created over 4 years ago.

Its always interesting to see when an artists creates solo work, the piece he started a few years ago was a webcomic called Starveil. This webcomic kinda feels like an homage of everything that was awesome as an American boy growing up in the 90s. It seems to have elements of Dragon Ball Z, Mad Max, old anime, space operas all thrown in a blender. "Will it blend?" Hell yeah it does.

Along with his gritty style the book is fast paced and displays plentiful and powerful action. The palatte he chose for the backgrounds allow for his characters to pop off the page, and the faded pastel colors make the world he's crafted thus far seem truly alien. A feature that is emphasized by his use of negative space is sublime as certain elements spill out of the panels and into the gutters.

My only qualm artistically with the book is his lettering. While I still love his color choice in bubbles and have no issue with his decision in font, its the layout that bugs me. It seems to have many errors of a neophyte letterist, such as bubbles being to long, or dialogue not being centered and touching the bubble borders... Bubble Borders.

The story isn't anything ground breaking, as of yet, as the "hero" of the book is trying to rescue a beautiful stowaway from his crashed vessel and encountering antagonists on the way. What is innovative is how Rapoza takes advantage of tumblrs' gif ability and uses short animations featured in certain panels that help bring the book to life. Action scenes come alive as characters walk toward you, or energy beems fly across the page and increase the already speedy pacing of the book and makes you feel like you should be listening to DragonForce while reading.

The dialogue tends to verge on being a little slow, and self aggrandizing. Though I feel like this element is homaging the taunts and challenges of characters from certain series like Dragon Ball Z or Conan the animated series. It could also be a nod to the silver age of comics as panels used to be densely packed with words and exposition.

What I've really enjoyed from the series isn't even in the book itself but in his extras, the portrait gallery. The character designs there are so eye catching and colorful as classic cartoon heroes used to be. Its even more enjoyable when a character from the gallary enters into the book and you can see them in action. Its kind of like when your favorite X-men was finally featured on an episode of that 90s X-men animated series.

The series so far has me wanting more but unfortunately there has not been an update in a while. Rapoza has a patreon running for the creation of this webcomic and has said that certain contractual obligations have forced him to keep it hush hush for now. He has also posted random images from the book on his tumblr showing that work is still continuing on it and it may yet still see print. However if you want more of his comic work now you can always check out his hilarious series Steve Lichman about a Lich trying to get by in these crazy modern times.


That guy Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is okay, but overhauling the Gryphon Knights website has driven him batty. You can see his own sci-fi work on series like FvD or WOW Signal.

Webcomic Review: George Jurard's STAR WARS in 365 Days or (Darth Days!)

Escape from Mos Eisley

I missed "May the 4th be With You" but while its still "Revenge of the 5th I wanted to share a Star Wars webcomic with you.

While not a webcomic in the traditional sense, nor holding an original narrative of its own George Jurard's A scene a day of the original Star Wars trilogy, or "Darth Days", acts as a countdown clock to the release of Episode VII.

Darth Vader in his Tie Fighter

It captures all the pivitol scenes and dialogue of the original trilogy in beautifully rendered landscape panels. Each panel varies in its portayal, some with detailed colors while others use a monochromatic or limited color palatte. Seeing a new panel everyday will have your mind wandering back to your multiple viewings of the OT, and hungering for the newest chapter.

The below panel, a scene which portrays the first meeting of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in person, (that is outside of the new Star Wars comics continuity). This pane while my least favorite in the nostalgic inducing series still has some remarkable intuitiveness to it. In the films the scene was rich in color, powerful warm red reflections off of cold metal interrupted with pillars of blues; I still feel anticipation when rewatching the as Luke slowly walks into the room. Here its rendered almost as if those colors were inverted and desaturated. You would almost say that the image doesn't capture the elements of the original. That is also why I love this piece, because Jurard seems to do three things in creating these art pieces.

1) He never repeats a patter, if you look at the over 100 images he's created so far you'll notice not one is colored or rendered the same as another, and you can imagine the struggle it is to think outside of a linear pattern of production. Perhaps the reason this room isn't red and blue as image 19/365, which I've also included above in this blog, already has these color elements.

2) This is his own telling of the original series, in this way he's become the director, and created these thumbnails that are reminiscent of the film while unique in their presentation.

3) He captures the emotions of each scene plucking those most memorable instants to retell the whole of the trilogy in only 365 images!

These are not easy tasks as trying to create artwork that properly homages a creation that has become a classic and legendary in itself, bears with it a fear of misrepresenting that franchise and angering a ferocious fanbase. Something that this franchises own creator has encountered. Its been a work that I've thought about for a while, and how he overlays his own vision onto a scene without stealing that emotion you felt when first watching the films. If anything his portrayal is more accurate to how we see images in our memory, similar to what is but not clear or exact to what was.

I  look forward to every new update and as George Jurard is almost 2/3rds into completion of his project I hope that he is able to encapsulate it into a book, that is simple to flip through, so that in a glance one can return to a galaxy far far away...

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is no Padawan to Star Wars lore, he has enjoyed the EU and is looking forward to the retelling of  the series including the prequel remakes Disney has planned. In the Meanwhile he is telling his own sci-fi on Gryphonknights called the WOW Signal!

Creating a Comic: The Initial Concept

The Quack Addict? 

Creating is a strange process, at times its like we are possessed and the only way to excise the muse is in forging a world. A story can be crafted after years of notes, writes or rewrites, as in the case of the exhaustively detailed lore of Middle Earth, at others its a few notes and a doodle on a beer napkin a la Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Either process took bringing a concept from mind to paper.

Its not just full time artists who have ideas burgeoning in their head. Plenty of people have had conceptualizations that knock around in their brains from childhood, festering as they get older. A creative thought can decay the longer you have it in you, losing bits of it as time go by. Outside of it your brain though, that's where a brainchild can evolve.

I made it the bad habit to follow the former path. I was often impatient in the planning processes and so I never made notes, never wrote an outline or a script, didn't create sketches, or conceptual drawings or even storyboard. I just began illustrating comic pages. Some interesting stuff came of it, but honestly, while I improved artistically, the stuff I created was real dren. I ended up starting over, the right way making notes, storyboards and outlines, and the book, WOW Signal, ended up being much better for it!

I suppose I went in with a rather arrogant assumption that my raw creativity was the best work, and that any sort of edit or revisions simply
watered it down. Sure I wanted work out there as fast I could, but overestimating the value of my initial concepts ended up creating wasted time. So I guess my first point would be that it doesn't hurt doing things the right way.

This is a space cruiser I created in 1996

As far as creating a concept itself, sometimes I would take old work I had done, some of which was decades old and recreate it in the present breathing new life into it with more refined ability. Sometimes these old creations we made up during childhood with a little tweaks can be remarkably awesome. Going through old sketches I found a galaxy worth of doodles of planets with notes on each, and while some was I'm sure lifted from TV at the time others were quaintly bizarre.

I would warn people who want to get ideas, that watching, reading or just hopping into other media makes it easy to an set you up for hijacking creative material without meaning to. Instead just make notes on things in life that inspire you, and you can add a fantasy or sci-fi twist, like how some monsters are made by combining to regular creatures or how Henchgirl is as autobiographical for the author as it is fantastical! If you feel you need something to inspire you then consume older public domain work that you can be influenced by with fear of legal retribution.

As you go about crafting a world, bring a pen with you everywhere. You never know when inspiration will strike, and I'd say carry a notebook too but for me that's cumbersome. Instead I write notes on random pieces of paper, envelopes from opened mail, my hand, and napkins among other things, which are certain not to get lost.

When you've got enough put together its always nice to bounce thoughts off others, just to help further refine good ideas and bad ideas. Just don't bounce ideas off Stan Lee who knows where they will end up

That guy #SirThomas is okay, he's been making stuff since he was young and not all of it was poop. You can see his work on books like Frankenstein vs. Dracula, or many of the issues of Meanwhile...

Getting Away with Murder: A Comic Book Kickstarter

I can’t say I had it tough growing up. At least, not in an outward way that would make sense of the heroin cravings and passionate strangulation of “Getting Away with Murder: A Lowlife Story”.

For me, the mental maelstrom and cynicism I experience daily is what shapes my characters. This inner struggle reacting to an outside force is where my stories start. The chaos and constant fight of addiction and the overwhelming corrosive force of guilt are the internal struggles of the nameless main character in, “Getting Away with Murder: A Lowlife Story”.

Back when I was more of a musician, playing shows all around New York, my band had played a show at this lounge in Brooklyn. The lounge has since closed down and at the time it was not thriving with activity. But when you walked in there was a huge empty floor with a couple pillars disrupting the view across the lounge. There was a stage that was painted the same matte black that coated the whole interior of the building and just past it was a hallway to a couple dressing rooms. There were three acts playing that night and only two dressing rooms. We were first to arrive so we put some of our equipment in one of the dressing rooms thinking ourselves grand that we had as large a room to occupy before going on.

However, as the other acts showed, we were relegated to the hallway, letting the “bigger” acts have the preparatory space. I remember having forgotten a piece of equipment in our former dressing room. I opened the door while knocking, not expecting anyone to be naked but instead seeing the 12-piece band, the headliner that night, all turn to look at me, aghast that someone should walk in. The lead singer was hunched over in front of the makeup mirror, the kind with the clear bauble bulbs so bright you don’t see a crevice in your skin, with a line of coke just below his nose. Their brief look of fear quickly changed to anger. Who the hell was I and all that nonsense.

But really, who the hell were they? We were, all of us, nobodies.

Our story, “Getting Away with Murder: A Lowlife Story” came somehow and somewhere from that idea. The main character, a rocker who had a brush with money and fame, now forced to live a middle class life not only addicted to heroin but addicted to the thrill of playing. He thirsts for the old days of people cheering for him, of having “rock star privileges”, and the parties where he’s the focal point. He’s on the downslide of stardom, plummeting toward being a nobody and it’s the most painful thing. Also, he just killed his ex-groupie.

Two MoCCAs ago, I was walking the floor when I met MJ Steele (MJ's Site). He had an 11” x 14” inked drawing of Kurt Cobain mid-air playing his lefty fender strat in a warehouse to a silhouetted crowd, the Seattle Space Needle seen through one of the warehouse windows. No doubt about it, I had found the artist to help me tell this story. 

MJ’s style could be compared to more known talents like Sean Murphy or Rafael Albuquerque. Could be. If I were forced to make the comparison. The reality is, he draws inspiration from those artists while still maintaining his own unique style. He’s a balance of precision and broad strokes. Sharp black lines meeting swooping water colors. MJ studies illustration and cartooning at the School of Visual Arts.

Once MJ started churning out fully inked and beautiful pages, we need a letterer. We were lucky my brother, Thomas Griffin (Tom's Art), who can do any part of comic work artfully and skillfully, stepped in. He lettered the pages without the black outlines typically seen on word bubbles and captions. This let the bubbles fit MJs artwork without the obvious outside source that can sometimes disconnect the words from the pictures.

Currently, we’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to help us raise the funds and some buzz for this one-shot comic. Check it out at this link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/583569168/getting-away-with-murder-a-lowlife-story

Help support us by donating and sharing. If you donate a minimum of $10 and mention this blog post you’ll get a special little something extra.

Article by Sean Griffin. Sean is a writer and co-founder of Gryphon Knights Comics. He currently writes the comic book "Hero" for GK and is studying Creative Writing for his MFA at Manhattanville College.