Art Blast April - War on Drugs

This War on Drugs strip is one where  my art finally did Alan Grant's scripts some justice. The only thing I wish had been done differently is the grey on Johnny's teeth in the last panel.  It looks like he has badly coffee stained teeth!

Who knows? Perhaps he does.
 

Art Blast April - War on Drugs, a.k.a my first published work

I probably SHOULD have started Art blast April with this, but I didn't, because that would require being much better organized than I currently am. ;-)

This is my FIRST published page, and the one that started it all. The importance of seeing this published in Northern Lightz at the time ( over 10 years ago!) cant be overstated. I was thrilled! I felt like I had finally made it, and resolved then and there that I would be a professional comic artist.

I was very lucky to have Gary Erskine ink this one, and he did me a lot of favors. He basically re-drew the helicopter in the big panel, as the one I had sent in was pretty weak by comparison. Alan Grant wrtoe this one and it marks the first appearance of 'Johnny K' from the War on Drugs, which went on to run in 2 magazines over in the U.K.

Tales of the Buddha - Renegade Arts edition by Jon Haward and Alan Grant

Back in the WASTED magazine days, along with 'War on Drugs' there was another  re-occurring strip in every issue. It was written Alan Grant and wonderfully illustrated by Jon Haward. It was:  TALES OF THE BUDDHA

I'm happy to report that these strips are FINALLY being collected in one volume by Renegade Entertainment ! Now people worldwide can now enjoy them.

 

Right now its being offered as a digital down load, and a print book is scheduled to follow. I was very happy to contribute a pin up to be included in the "Tales of the Buddha-before he was Enlightened" collection. 

 

As you can see, the Buddha strips were drawn in a VERY different style than the way I draw! That said, this is my take on Buddha, along with Narcobitch from the War on Drugs.

 

The reviews are great, as are the strips. I should know... I've read them all! Please have a look and don't be shy to purchase this great little digital comic. You can do that right here! 

 

 

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - What happened to WASTED?

The question I've been asked the most this month by FAR..."What happened to WASTED?"

For those that haven't heard, WASTED magazine is no more.

The message on their website reads as follows:

Due to unforeseen and adverse circumstances, Bad Press Ltd is closing down. Thank you to all our writers, artists, colourists and letterers; to all of our customers, supporters, distributors and advertisers; and to all who only came to browse.

Please note, all existing email addresses and points of contact are in the process of ceasing business. For any further information, please contact:-
bp.liquidation.info@gmail.com


An article over here provides a bit more insight.

So, it appears that a lack of support for small independent books like WASTED has reared it's ugly head again.

I've gotten the impression that some of the people asking about the situation have been looking to hear 'sour grapes' and bitter, negative comments from me. That ain't gonna happen! The WASTED crew and Alan always treated me like gold, and I enjoyed every minute of working with them. So much so, that I was surprised how gutted (to use the U.K. expression!) I was when I got the bad news in early July. It really bummed me out for a few days. I had just started working on Alan's latest script for issue #9 at the time. I'm hoping that the pages will it one day see print...and they might.

The fall of Bad Press in no way restricts or prohibits our ownership/rights to the characters. I'm hopeful that Alan and I can find the "War on Drugs" and Johnny K a new home in the future. (If anyone can suggest any magazines/anthologies looking for this type of content...hit me up!)

So there you have it.

Here is strip from issue #2 that was one of my favorites. Let's go out with that.




As always, if you have a question …just ask! I’ll be back next month on the 11th to answer another question. They can range from very technical comic art ones, to very general questions- there is no such thing as a bad question. What I answer will depend on what gets asked. Feel free to email me at gibsonquarter27@yahoo.com , ask it in the comments section below, or shoot me a message on Facebook.

Other 'A3on11' blog posts can be found by clicking here.

Wasted #8 now out!

A package of Wasted #8s just showed up in my mailbox, so it's official...Wasted #8 is now out in the U.K. at newsagents everywhere! For those that don't live over there, just stop by www.badpressltd.com and they'll sort you out. 64 pages of comic mayhem! This issue sports a cover of mine and a six page 'War on Drugs' adventure with everyone's favorite American overzealous drug cop, Johnny K.


Alex Ronald's 'Vampire Vixens' also stop by this issue, again in full color! The writing on this one is by the Emperor.


'Tales of the Buddha' by Jon Haward drops by as well.

All this and about 45 MORE pages featuring various comic strips of all shapes and sizes. The last issue sold out VERY quickly (thanks Vixens!) so don't delay!!

Wasted 8 is available right here!

Hippy and Trippy!

My pages for Wasted #8 are in the can!

I'm quite happy with this panel in particular...Alan Grant's script called for:

"Large panel. Johnny is massively stoned, with half strenght images/visons of peace, love, flower power, dancing naked ladies and a hippy band playing behind him.
JOHNNY: I QUITE LIKE IT! "

I think I got the message across, even is the girl isn't quite dancing. ;-)

By the way, I hope the folks that wanted it grabbed Wasted issue #7, as it has now sold out! I figured it would, but man...it went SUPER quick!

Wasted 8 will be out in mid May. I'll post details when I get them, so check back here for details or head over here.