You may remember a few posts ago I Started work on a 3D factory for the background of a Strip I have been working on for Future Quake. Traumatised Astronauts by Chris Stiefvater-Thomas Is set partially on earth, the moon and an orbiting factory and it’s the factory that I have decided to build fully in 3D Using an old copy of Cinema 4D.

My perception of CG artwork will be forever coloured by the games graphics and cut scenes of the late 1990’s, games like ‘Z’ and Star Craft, command and conquer, dune 2000 and Tekken 3. when compression was a must and the Polly count had to be kept low. I can still vividly remember how impressed I was the first time I watched the opening FMV for Quake 2 and how much I loved the blocky and amateurish cut scenes for Dark forces. It was the 3D games revolution that prompted me into my expensive and difficult uphill quest to learn how to make my own CGI work.

By the time I Had pushed thumped and battered some basic skills into my deeply un-technical brain the world of computer graphics had moved on and left me behind. I Sill fire up the odd Application from time to time and have a crack at a new model or background but almost always it would have been quicker for me to just draw it. Working in 3D is like all the rest of my small press work, it’s doing something I love for fun no matter how impractical or out of date and no matter how far below the professional bar I am.

Johnny Lydon was for a brief moment in the 70’s of cultural importance. He was lead singer and the often bemusing but verbose front man to the sex pistols who burn briefly but oh so brightly across the cultural landscape. They weren’t the best punk band and they weren’t the first punk band but they were the poster boys of punk, the counter culture pin ups of a post peace and love nileistic youth. Sid Vicious overshadowed him and in many ways still dose. He wasn’t anywhere near as important to the band as Johnny Rotten and he never really had much to say, he wasn’t the spokesman or a self publicists but by taking punk and nihilism to its logical and fatal conclusion He has become the immortal icon.

Why am I talking about this has been spokesperson for a movement he didn’t really represent in a Blog About comics? Johnny Lydon was at the mojo awards recently and made one of his trademark semi coherent rants. He insulted the journalist and every other musician and the awards but for some reason still turned up to collect one for the sex pistols. He’s like an angry old man trying desperately to cling on to his youth, trying to be vital and important and counter culture but just coming across as a jerk and a smug fucking bully. He was once the voice of an angry generation but that generation has grown up got jobs and become the establishment as youth always do. He’s no longer the voice of anyone he’s just a aggressive old cunt.

Why was he at the awards? Why did he spew venom ant any one that would listen? Was it like he would have you believe, to honour his band mates who do care about that kind of thing, or was it just to get his face in front of some cameras?

2000ad was once the punk of comics but as it’s readers have got older it’s mellowed, 2000ad now wears a cardigan and comfortable slippers. Maybe that’s what all old punks should think about doing.

Fighting crime is not a job. It's a crusade.

Coming soon...

Although it might seem like the Massacre For Boys metaphorical empire is currently lying a tad dormant, behind the scenes we are working as studiously as ever to expand the figurative imperium.

I have now completed 16-pages of the Death on the Rock script, and when I next get some quality writing time will be using it to juice up the plan for the finale before completing scripting duties on this mini-epic. Steve is still working on a Futurequake strip. He'll be returning to the fold soon enough, though.

Meanwhile, I am delighted to reveal that the artist for the forthcoming Crusader tale is none other than the muli-talented Bolt-01

Bolt's now posted his first sketch of the slightly suspect superhero on his own blog and jolly fine it is too. I am very pleased because it's a story that I am particularly proud of and after seeing this I am now even more confident than ever that it is in safe artistic hands.

I am really not sure discussion forums are a good thing for me to be involved in. I haven't really frequented many over the years, and of those I have stuck with only the Doctor Who forum formerly known as Outpost Gallifrey has been outside the world of comics.

However, I've decided to knock that on the head following a rather irritating exchange regarding Rob Shearman. Now he's a writer I quite like, but it's manifestly obvious that he hasn't been asked back to Doctor Who since his season one episode, Dalek. Sadly, Mr Shearman in common with several people involved with the new run of the show frequents this forum and my comment it seems is something of a painful home truth for him. Hence he posted a response which, whilst not contradicting the assertion, clearly showed he was rather irritated by it. Probably justifiably.

Still, much as I hate the idea of annoying people I respect and who's work I admire, I think there's absolutely no point in discussion forums that aren't allowed to discuss anything that might annoy the subject of the discussion. I've seen this in the comics world too, at places like 2000AD Review although in fairness there's a lot less toadying from other posters to "the talent" there.

Now my problem is that in my capacity as a fan I can be quite critical of even my absolute heroes. Indeed, I am more likely to be, as it's their work that interests me the most and I have nothing really to say about people who's creative output I can't stick. But I have no particular wish to share these feelings with the people concerned. I don't really think Alan Moore needs to know my views on his dealings with Hollywood and similarly I didn't really want to tell Rob Shearman I suspect he was ditched because Dalek was rubbish (even if that probably wasn't even his fault).

Furthermore as someone that could conceivably end up on the other side of the fence if my comic writing ever becomes the subject of an Internet discussion I need to seriously consider how I would feel if I were in Shearman's place and some other "fan" in mine. Probably a tad annoyed.

So I am going to back away from these forums for a bit. I just don't have it in me to be a sycophantic twat, and I also really don't want to annoy people who basically I think are great.

The best thing about the small press is the lack of any intense deadline. It’s partly a product of no one really having enough free time to complete a comic on a short deadline and partly from every one giving there time for free. That’s the practical side, the fun side is the chance to really go crazy and experiment with impractical techniques that you could never get away with commercially. That’s the set up, that’s the kind of opportunity that it would be rude to refuse.

For about the last 10 years I have been mucking about with 3D software, using it mostly for layouts and background perspective. Integrating 3D into a comic page is a bit like using a photograph for a background, it rarely works. I think the Glimmer rats By Mark Harrison is the closest any artist has ever got to getting away with it and he spent years on Durham Red with varying degrees of success. Kevin walker gave 3D what could be considered A brave but massively flawed Stab on his Demonifuge strip, so you can understand why I have been hesitant to try my hand at something that even good artist at the height of there powers have largely failed.

Up until now my largest single project in 3D has been an animation I did at university that had limited construction but lots of animation. This Project for Future Quake is the most complicated modelling task I have ever set myself. I’m going to keep the Blog up to date on my progress so I’m not going to say too much about the Strip now because it would leave me with nothing to write next time, but it’s a story set in space and the section I’m building is a giant automated factory. The big difference this time is that I’m not just blocking in objects for perspective, something to draw over, not for an animation or a computer game or an architectural Pr-visualisation, I’m trying to build a model for publishing, for a comic.

For practicality I’m trying to keep it reasonably low resolution, it’s going to be in black and white so I’m not really worrying to much about texturing except to add detail and I’m not trying to smooth out all the hard edges. It will be interesting to see from hear on in how much of a success or mess I make of what has to be the worst way to approach a comic strip.

Alas, I can only report failure in our brave bid to take an Eagle:

The voter's favourite black and white comicbook - British was How to Date a Girl in 10 Days, a very different kettle of fish to our own modest effort.

I was convinced that Eleventh Hour would take the trophy, as it was the only professionally published comic in contention and I wanted Futurequake to do it because those guys are great and so is FQ. Still, I am delighted that a work like "How To..." can get recognized by what are effectively the BAFTAs of comicdom, my heartiest congratulations to Mr Spleen for his victory.

The ceremony itself was really good fun. I enjoyed the meal immensely and we were sat with a some great people so the conversation flowed. A rather strange intro to the awards themselves from our host Frazer Ayres (so you're a Hindu? Good for you) soon led into the real meat of the event and although our name steadfastly refused to be called, it was rather exciting in any case when the moment came to see who had won our category.

Some random memories of the evening:

- Mike Conroy declaring that Tony Lee did not cheat. I had no idea what that was all about until I googled today and found this.
- Dave Gibbons winning Best Letterer. Eh, what?
- Cassandra Conroy's dress.
- Spectacular Spiderman winning Favourite colour comicbook - British. EH, WHAT?
- D'Israeli's acceptance speech.

All in all a cracking night.

Oh and even our hotel was excellent. £45 for a twin room, although £16.60 each way for the taxi into town...

Ah, it's that time again and next weekend Steve and I will be trekking over to Bristol Temple Mead for another of these Comic Expo thingies:

We'll be attending the Eagle Awards dinner, but we won't be exhibiting as the organisers don't actually explain how you go about doing that and I'll be damned if I could find out in time.

Maybe next year...

I decided that this morning is the time to send Walking Wounded #2 off to the British Library.

Following the link from last year's blog article on this subject took me to a 404 error. I really hate it when websites arbitrarily re-arrange themselves like that!

Still, the BL home page is kind of navigable and pretty soon I found the new URL:

http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/legaldep/index.html

Interestingly the two comics I sent them before don't seem to have made it into their catalogue. Am beginning to wonder if this is a legally-required black hole...

And here's my script for page one of Death on the Rock:

1) Wide shot of a large Germanic drawing room in the late evening. ADOLF HITLER sits on an ornate armchair, warming himself by a blazing fire. The Fuhrer is dressed in uniform, but his collar is undone; a mug of hot chocolate steams atop a small table by his side.

The room is fairly dark save for a strip of light representing an open door. A shadow of a man in officer’s uniform falls within the door-light.

CAPTION: BERLIN, 1942.

2) Just inside from the doorway of the drawing room. A sophisticated-looking man in late middle-age, wearing an impressively decorated uniform marking him out as very senior, is giving the “Heil Hitler” salute. This is GENERAL FREUND.

FREUND: HEIL HITLER!

3) Close on Hitler, looking up towards the general. He appears icily calm.

HITLER: ARE YOUR MEN READY, GENERAL FREUND?

4) Medium shot of the room that shows both men. Hitler has risen from the armchair so he is now on the same eye level as Freund. The General is probably taller but he is lowering his head slightly in deference to his leader.

FREUND: JA, MEIN FUHRER. VE ONLY AVAIT YOUR COMMAND AND THE INWASION SHALL BEGIN!

HITLER: THEN EXECUTE OPERATION FELIX AT ONCE. SHOW NO MERCY.

5) Close on Freund turning back purposefully towards the door.

FREUND: IT SHALL BE DONE.

6) Very close on Hitler’s face. He is angry now, although it is not immediately obvious why the sudden change has occurred.

HITLER: BUT FREUND… BRING ME CAPTAIN VILLIAM TIRED. I VANT HIM ALIVE!

Ah, Adolf, such a bad man, such a great character.

And Operation Felix almost happened. Had it done so then the events depicted in Walking Wounded #3 almost certainly would be entirely accurate.

Instead of utterly made up.