Yeah, I'm still here.

Busy quarter. Articles resume soon after I sort some work out and also figure out if I need to re-configure some bits due to DC's sudden, drastic marketing revamp, though that's also brought up some excllent points to use for other articles I had planned.

Also, I've finally decided what this blog is for. This is my blog for (mostly) comics-related things. I said earlier on in this blog's life that it was going to be for whatever I wanted it to be, and that was true. And now I want it more focused. So yeah.

There are a couple more projects of mine in the works that I don't want to say much about yet, because I find when I talk about these sorts of things before I execute them I tend to not go through with them. So why did I even write that last sentence at all? Just to let you know of a possibility of new things. They will be linked here should they arise.

Speaking of new things, though, there are a couple blog-related announcements. One, I've deleted the long-dead Blog of a Hundred Faces and the practically-flatlining Foodpeople. They were neat ideas, ones I might revisit again someday (especially Foodpeople), but I wasn't doing anything much with that space, certainly not enough to warrant an entire blog. The Gamelass tumblr will be kept up but unlinked to, mostly because I've forgotten my password and realized I prefer browsing tumblr more than actually trying to figure out how to use it. The pictures from that blog in particular are very likely to resurface later on the announcement below.

In the wake of these other blogs, I have made a new one. It's called Holden Has A Sketchbook, and it's where I'll be posting bits of artwork. I hope you enjoy it.

[Holden Out.]

A small disappointment

My "On Superheroes" series is on temporary hiatus due to a schoolwork influx.

That is all.

[Holden Out.]

Sunday Comics: On Superheroes, Part 1

Article 1: Setting the tone.

(Sorry for the wall of text--images forthcoming. Wanted to be sure I got this up first. --HC)


So for the next few weeks, Sunday Comics is going to be a little different. I’m

More Fanart, You Guys

The last few days I've been working on something for Mr. Ross Campbell, who is by and large these days one of my big ol' comics heroes.
Here are the scribbly, nocturnal fruits of that labor.

It still could be better, but I'm reasonably happy with how it turned out. Shadoweyes is ludicrously fun to draw, and I think I was able to at least hint at the beautifully twisty, crumbling mess that is Dranac. I also haven't done a coloured pencil piece in quite a while, so neat to see I still had an idea of what I was doing. Still, I had to do some tweaks in Photoshop to really impart the feel I wanted.

For comparison purposes, here's the unaltered image, straight from the sketchbook.

Keep on making quality comics and blog posts, Mr. Campbell.

[Holden Out.]

Glorified Fanart, You Guys

I'm gonna try and facilitate a couple art-dumps here soon. Here's an appetizer--three bits from my current sketchbook, all recent. And all comics-related. And all technically fanart. Bluh.

Quick Comics News!

You guys! YOU GUYS!

Paul Chadwick is making more Concrete!

AND

Ross Campbell has a tumblr!

That is all.

[Holden Out.]

Sunday Comics: Wonton Soup...Again!

Wonton Soup Volume 2: Hyper Wonton Soup 2 Two Ton Soup: The Quickening 2: ...Soup, by James Stokoe

Format: Graphic Novel

Content Rating: Definitely R. Keep this one away from your kids. For reasons of language, a prominent plot point involving some hefty drug use, and getting a terrifying glimpse into the twisted madness that is Deacon's sex life.

Plot: Picking up more-or-less where the first volume did, Wonton Soup volume 2 focuses less on Johnny Boyo's past as a master chef and far more on his and Deacon's on-the-job antics. When Deacon orders some legendary drugs from a duty-free at a spaceport, he and Johnny wake up two weeks later coming down off an absolutely ludicrous high, having crash-landed in a forest on an unknown planet. As they scour the area for a civilization that might have some fuel for their ship, several stories unfold in various ways, including the (possible) origin of Deacon's skeazy behavior, a trip to a shady bar, and a story that takes place entirely inside Johnny's stomach.

Thoughts: I hate to say it. But this second volume, in my opinion, isn't quite as good as the one that preceded it. It feels a bit too loosely knit, like James Stokoe wasn't quite sure what direction he wanted to take it in. If it's meant to be more of a collection of Wonton Soup-universe vignettes, that's great, and they actually transition pretty smoothly for that, but it feels uncertain, as said. I can't tell if it was meant to be that, or a story that just went a few too many directions. It feels a teense distracted. Luckily, the art stays at the same high-caliber, crazy-detailed quality the first volume has made me expect from Stokoe and the writing, my previous commentary aside, feels a bit tighter taken on its own. His mostly-raunchy--but well-done--sense of humor is still totally present, and the dialogue still sounds like actual conversation, something I always appreciate. My complaint about the alien language appears to have possibly been that of others as well, and addressed--it is still thankfully there but not as heavily. I have to admit, though, that I was also a little sad that the cooking element of Wonton Soup wasn't present as frequently here...the comic itself seems to recognize this, though. So, overall, a small step down but my hopes for this series remain high. If there's a third volume you can bet I'll still check it out. Sail on, Stokoe. Regale us with further Space Trucker Cooking Opera.

[Holden Out.]