Final short story is now DONE!!!

on February 10, 2022 at 7:09 pm

Oh man this was a journey! I kept spotting mistakes and things I’d missed on these panels up to the last minute but I hope the end product works!

So yeah, this is my final short story (I seriously doubt there will be an extra page for this) for LatB issue #17 but rather than an ending this now opens a lot of doors for my work on the rest of the book! But hey, first let me show you the two Mignola-eque pages that is my nod and massive appreciation to Mike Mignola’s work (in my kinda style).

So there’s was a few updates to my first Hell-Lloyd-Bear panel and the full page itself.

Firstly I changed the doorway in that original panel as my big thing was that although I wanted to give this story a Mignola type look it still had to have design elements from LatB itself and them Shoal likes curved doors. Well, except docking bays…. um…..

Secondly (and I only noticed this after I’d thought I’d finished the second page) I’d missed icky Bear-goblin out of all but that first panel so had to go back and add him back in!

I kinda feel the crazy amount of lines on the Demon-Shoal is seriously NOT Mignola but I have a reason why I went down that road which I’ll post soon(ish?)

So, where does this leave us? Well, I now get to sort out which story goes where in the book and work on the wording for each story. I also have a TON of aliens to design for the panels between the shorts (see how on that second page – and previews I’ve shown before – there’s an empty panel? I need to design/lob an alien for panels like that)

And yeah, then I get to post about it and give you guys a clearer idea of what’s going on in this issue!

Also! I get to post my designs along the way AND (hopefully) some more thoughts on what I’ve done!

I’m seriously excited about this!

More soon! Bear hugs!

First page, final short, LatB #17, DONE!

on February 4, 2022 at 5:43 pm

So the first of our final two (maybe three) page short story is finished-ish!

Okay, that made little to no sense but first, check out the page!

So yeah, obviously I’m missing the first panel which will be added as I work on the other matching sized panels throughout the book (and the second panel on this page will just be text) but otherwise I’ve finished the first of the two page final short story for LatB #17! I’ve set it up so it could be three pages (room permitting) but if I don’t have the room the story will run fine as a two pager.

And once that second page is done I just need to fit in all the other panels I’ve already worked on that will fit around the short stories and then add text.

I’m really looking forward to the whole writing part of this as I did already write out the first short story but since then really didn’t care for it and been working on a whole new voice for that and the other stories in this book (which I’ll be discussing in a later post for sure!)

Oh! And going back to this page! That final panel had to get reworked so much! I’ve mentioned before how much a fan of Mignola’s work I am but man I’ve never really studied how each individual line is used (and how) and I sure hope I managed to get a good enough feel of his work in this story!

Okay, more soon! Bear hugs!

Latest panel done for LatB #17!

on February 2, 2022 at 6:47 am

So I figure this gives the game away on who’s work I’m aping/acknowledging for the final short story in LatB!

I’ve been a big fan of Mike Mignola’s work since I read the Rocket Raccoon limited series (I think it ran as a backup in the UK Star Wars comic…?) and although I dipped in and out of his work since it was Hellboy that really made me fall in love with Mignola’s work!

And this here is my nod (well, one panel of it so far) to his work!

If you’ve been at my table at conventions (or checked the old website) you might have seen a parody print I did called Hellbear.

I’ll be honest, my first idea was to go with Bear again as the main character but I kinda figured I’d done that and as Lloyd wears a red outfit plus I’d already drawn a large version of Bear in another short story I thought I’d mix things up (it also didn’t hurt that it was easier to ‘explain’ Lloyd with a giant arm as he’s got his Bubble Armour).

The big surprise (even for me) was how Bear ended up! I had various designs I tried out but when I came up with drawing Lloyd I added a wee beary goblin thing on his arm and I liked how Bear looked so the design stayed!

I dunno, I think he looks kinda gross and I feel bad for that but I just really liked the look!

I’ll post more panels as I get on with the page so more real soon!

Bear hugs!

Latest short story for LatB #17 is finished!

on January 23, 2022 at 5:27 pm

This last week I’ve been busy on a one page short story for issue #17 and continuing my nod (and love) of artists that have inspired me through the years.

With this page it’s an absolute love letter to Barry Windsor-Smith and the covers to Machine Man (namely issue #2)

When I started on this page I went straight in and started drawing Lloyd and Bear as they are (and yes, totally in a Composite Superman/Batman type look – hmm, is there a story idea here…?) and realised that, of course, it should – like the other short stories – look like how I’d imagine BWS would draw our main guys. The thing is, going through all books I have done by BWS I couldn’t see anything that really shouted out to me on how he’d draw a kid (and bear) but also include his line work (I found that any kids were very flat with no wrinkles or the like – which totally makes sense)

So yeah, I stuck with keeping Lloyd and Bear as they are (although as robots) and then working out from that with using the cover of issue #2 of Machine Man as a guide.

I LOVE Machine Man and there’s no other comic book I have in a number of editions. If you haven’t read it I would absolutely recommend hunting it down in back issue bins, eBay or on Comixology. Hey, it was written back in the 80’s and set in 2020 which looked really bleak back when I first read it and…. yeah, who knew?

I really hope I captured the look of the Machine Man cover with this. I love BWS’s work and had just finished reading Monsters – which was gorgeous, loving, horrifying and sad. I don’t think I’ve ever read a piece of work like it before (also totally worth picking up)

So yeah, I have absolutely one last short to do and that’s it. It’ll be a 2 page story and I realise that pretty much all (seriously, I think just ALL) of the artists I’ve picked out to imitate are from the same period. Any ideas who I’m picking this time? It’s linked to a parody print I did of the main character….

Ooh, a mystery!

More soon! Bear hugs!

Who is ‘Fenton Hud – Member of F.A.C.T.’?

on January 15, 2022 at 2:24 pm

Fenton Hud came about from both the previous few years of new where terms like ‘Alternative facts’ were used and also a discussion I had with my better half where I revealed that moon rays were a thing… (and hey they do, at least in the comic now!). I realised then that my stupidity/madness could be utilised in creating a new comic (hey, write about what you know!) so I thought this would be an awesome side project for me!

I had no intention in stopping Lloyd and the Bear (my then main book) so I figured what I’d do is work on this during my lunchbreak while on the day job. It would be simple! There would be little in the way of planning, I would sketch and ink each panel on an individual sheet of paper and then scan it, then add it – like a patchwork quilt – to a digital page. Yup, no issues there other than the fact that Covid and lockdown came along and I was working from home! That being said, I found that instead of working on the comic in my lunchbreak I would jump between this and LatB in my spare time and unexpectedly this gave me a chance to refresh my ideas and energies on the book I wasn’t working on at that time!

All good! And also (and sorry for finding a silver lining to Covid and lockdown) but with the streets empty around London at the time it gave me a chance to take a load of photos that I could use as background scenery in the panels of the comic! So yeah, it’s creation came about at a strange time and even though at time of typing this I’m already working on issue #2 I still find it hard to describe what the books about!

So what’s it about? Erm… Well, it’s about Fenton Hud who is out in the world cataloguing facts and saving us all from falsehoods! He’s accompanied by his sister, Tabitha, and his best friend, Cuddles who help him along the way and offer him support!

Each issue is broken in to small scenes that are connected by adverts I’ve made up. The adverts relate to something that just happened in the previous scene and are there to save me from worrying about writing full issues! I do a scene, insert an ‘advert’, and then have the next scene take place elsewhere with no need to explain how the characters got there. It’s also been a great way to provide any exposition that I need to throw out without slowing the story down. So yeah, it’s an odd concept (has it been done before? I don’t…. think so? I mean, since I started on this Wandavision came about but I’d argue their use of adverts was different. Yeah?)

Anyways, my intention of writing as I draw has stuck and that – along with the adverts – means I plan in the moment and don’t think ahead which I oddly enjoy as it really adds to the absurdity of the book!

My plan is for this book to only be a four issue series and I’ll be releasing it as individual comics rather than a collection like Lloyd and the Bear. There was going to be a Kickstarter project for it (and that might yet happen) but at the moment I have no plans. Hey, that’s very much the vibe of the book and all so why not?

All I know is that it’s been a great help to me with getting through these last couple of years and I’m so happy for that!

And hey, if you want to check out some pages why not click on the Fenton Hud button under previews?

More soon! Bear hugs!