JAVCON Saturday Night: El Muerto sketch dolls preview

Over the last couple of months I've shown some pics of my brand-new EL MUERTO SKETCH DOLLS. These are blank dolls that I actually draw onto, creating original sketch dolls each and every time. I started with two sizes, 5" & 8", but now I'v finalized the initial 4 dolls in the collection. I'll be using primarily the 8" dolls, at least for any dolls in color.


The original El MUERTO dolls were made with a 'natural' colored doll, but I looked around and found out I could get white dolls. I want white because then the markers I use aren't affected by color changes. Like drawing on a white sheet of paper versus a tanned one.


I may use the tanned dolls for other series, but for now, here's my first 4 sketch dolls, 8" and in color:


EL MUERTO and DIEGO DE LA MUERTE:

I figure it would be cool to have El Muerto in his 'secret identity' as well. And I like the idea of having a doll wearing a Guayabera!


Like most action figure characters, I wanted to have variant versions of El Muerto. So the first one I thought of was when he engages his power of resurrecting the dead ...


GHOST GLOW EL MUERTO:

This lighting in this pic washed out the color on the doll, but you can see still see what I'm going for with the variant.


Then I also thought it would be real neat to introduce some new characters no one has ever seen. Perhaps they'll show up in the comic....


EL VIVO:

I've always loved the idea of the evil/mirror version of the hero. Superman has Bizarro and Flash has Reverse-Flash, to name two. Visually though, El VIVO (Spanish for 'the living') makes a pretty striking sketch doll, with the Muerto colors inverted in a 'positively' wicked version of our hero.


Besides variant version of the main characters, often you see even more limited versions, sometimes tied in to an event. Well, with Halloween coming up, I thought I would make a seasonal special exclusive....


2010 HALLOWEEN MUERTO MONSTER: EL LOBO MUERTO:

Werewolf Muerto, how ya like that?!

I was thinking of a vampire, Frankenstein and then when I thought of the wolfman, that somehow hit the spot. Originally I was thinking of coloring him brown, but then I realized that a white wolf design would be a natural extrapolation from the white of Muerto's skull face, giving more weight to the 'Dead Wolf' angle. Plus it's a lot more rare to see a silver white werewolf (my first exposure to one was this stunning masterpiece, one of the first comic books I ever bought).


I'll be posting prices and ordering info for the sketch dolls shortly. Ideally I'd like to get people to 'pre-order' them online, this way I can create them 'to order'. But I'll have a few of each at the next conventions and appearances I attend. And I'll also post info about when the 2010 HALLOWEEN MUERTO MONSTER will be available to order. 


Thanks, and if you haven't, check out the previous days of the JAVCON, with lots of sneak peeks and images of current and future projects!

JAVCON Day 4: DIY Comics Crash Course in Whittier

I'd like to spread the word here today that if you're in the LA area, and are thinking about self-publishing your own comic books, I'm offering another DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE at GEEKS Comics in Whittier:

(Click on the image & send a copy to your printer. Then mail the Registration form to GEEKS)

This is the second time we're offering the class, and this time we're going to conduct it on Saturday morning (so set your alarm clock!). The previous class was held over a couple of evenings during the week, so I figure this could work for those with a heavy schedule during the week.


This isn't a class were we learn about drawing or writing, but it's for those of you who are already creating your comics, or about to start, but have questions about getting your book printed, branding your work, looking for ways to distribute your books and so forth. Basically, the core things you should know before you want to publish your own books. I'm drawing from my 12 years in self-publishing comics, building my brand, working with retailers/distributors and growing a fan base.  I'll also share my experiences as a gallery artist, my filmmaking stint with the EL MUERTO movie, and countless exhibits at conventions and numerous other festivals, because all of these are a result of, and extension of, making my own comics.


With your admission fee of $40.00, you'll also get the 'DIY COMICS CRASH HANDBOOK', which gives you an overview of my first few years of publishing, highlighting the strategies I used to get started. There's also a list of resources which will help get your publishing operations started. The deadline to register for the class, either in person at GEEKS or via mail, is Friday, August 6.


My focus is to motivate artists to get their own work out there. There's quicker money working in other people's properties, but remember that it's their properties. The money is better (and/or easier) working for them, but if you decide to create your own stories, and are prepared to put all your efforts and ingenuity behind it, then you're going to get a personal satisfaction beyond what you originally suspected. And you're gonna work even harder to find ways to make the dream profitable.


If you have any questions about the DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE, please drop me a line at misterjav@gmail.com.  GEEKS is located at 6747 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601.


Hope to see you there!


Program note: Later tonite on the JAVCON, the unveiling of the full line of EL MUERTO SKETCH DOLLS, including the Special 2010 Halloween Muerto Monster exclusive: "EL LOBO MUERTO"!!

JAVCON Day 3: 'Convention' podcast!

Day 3 here at the JAVCON! Last night I recorded a new episode of my podcast "JAVILAND The Podcast for DIY Comics". Our topic was 'Maximizing a comic book convention appearance'.
 
I was joined by three other cartoonists, Ted Seko, Tyler James and Ryan Dow who shared their perspective and experiences in exhibiting at conventions. Some good lively talk, with informative opinions. To listen to the podcast, visit the JAVILAND page.


Did you catch last night's programming here at the JAVCON? Scroll down or click here and you can see some recent artwork I created for two different projects. And if you want to start from the beginning of the JAVCON, you can go here.

JAVCON Thursday Night: New artwork for DITKOMANIA and more

Earlier today at the JAVCON, I showed you a sneak peek at my upcoming comic book, COMIC POP. For our evening programming here, I'd like to show you two recently finished illustrations I've contributed to other people's projects.

First up is my pin-up for my friend Grasiela Rodriguez, whose debut comic book is currently at the printing press:

 

Grasiela's first comic book has been an interesting production to hear about, as she's not shown any artwork from the book. (In fact, I think she's only just now posted the cover on her website). She's been pretty low-key about the contents of her story, and in fact when she sent several of us requests for pin-ups, she only gave us a few key words to create a pin-up from! Some of the words were 'romantic, feminine, strange, melancholic', so from there I thought about imagery that, to me, captured some of these elements. Right away I thought of the image of a woman playing a violin, and then I thought of a surreal image combining the graphic designs of paisley patterns and some ambiguous idea of a romance that no longer existed. I envisioned Steve Ditko-type surrealism and listened to Morrissey while working on this piece, if you want to know! I'm very anxious to read her book, and very curious to see the printed pin-up, as she told me she added an element or two to tie it into the aesthetic of the entire book! Now that's interesting...!

Speaking of Ditko (as I often do on this blog!), I also contributed another piece of art to the zine DITKOMANIA, #80. This one accompanies Michael Aushenker's DITKOTOMY column, which spotlights Ditko's 1980s collaborations with writer Bill Mantlo. Ditko worked with Mantlo on the last half of the ROM, SPACEKNIGHT series, so naturally I focused on that imagery:

 

I'm also going to be contributing my own regular feature to the zine, starting in issue #81:

 

I designed this logo using illustrations Ditko created for a behind-the-scenes feature he and writer Stan Lee did in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1. My column will take an artist's look at the more unique and imaginative looking characters that Ditko has created over his long career and highlight the reasons I think they're successful.

Those are two of the most recent projects I've contributed to. Now it's back to working on my own comics! Enjoy the rest of the JAVCON, there's plenty more coming for the next 4 days.

JAVCON Day Two:Sneak peek at COMIC POP comic!

Since 'sneak peeks' are quite popular at comic book conventions, I'd like to give you a preview of my upcoming comic book project:

 COMIC POP is a really special anthology. Besides having a brand new autobiographic story from me, 'DOS MIL DIEZ' (Spanish for 2010), I'll also be reprinting 5 short stories I've worked on that many of my readers may not be aware of. The cover is pretty much the final version, but once I'm done putting the whole book together I'll most likely tinker with some of the text and add the price.


Let me start with the reprints. Over the years I've worked on various comics with some good friends of mine. I work with them on a project, they work with me on a project. That's what friends do. Or at least the ones I have! When I got the idea for these, I asked each artist for permission to reprint the story. These comics, for the most part, appeared in their own titles, so I just wanted to make sure they would be okay with this. In each case, of course, permission was granted!


Here's the rundown of the stories:


WEAPON TEX-MEX in "DESTROY ALL MEXICANS": 

This is actually my first-ever published comic, a year before the first El Muerto comic debuted. I was invited by the publishers of HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS to contribute a story to the latest book, and at the time I was already working on the first El Muerto story. I didn't want to knock out a quickie Muerto comic, so I came up with Weapon Tex-Mex, kinda in the vein of the Thing (Fantastic Four): A big lug with a heart of gold. So in 1997, when HOT MEXICAN LOVE was published, I had my debut as a published cartoonist. The original comic was in black and white, I added the gray tones this year when I published the WANTED:WEAPON TEX-MEX mini-comic for the Phoenix Comic Con. (A few copies remain in the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP) 



EL GATO CRIME MANGLER

Left, one of my pages, on the right, Michael Aushenker's cover

My friend Michael Aushenker's CRIME MANGLER series is filled with gonzo comedy featuring an oaf of a masked mexican wrestler and his misadventures in 1930s Los Angeles. For his NINE LOVES OF EL GATO (2003) romance comic, he had 9 artists each illustrate a chapter, dealing with an ex-girlfriend. He asked me to draw one of the stories, for which he provided a script. That was actually the first time I ever drew from a script, but the story was heavy on wrestling action so I had a ball with it. I even snuck in a cameo with the legendary WWE commentator team of Jesse 'The Body Ventura' and Gorilla Monsoon! This is one of the early comics I did where I used  Sharpie markers. They can be cumbersome for detailed drawings, but I liked the chunky look it gave the story.


MASKS OF SONAMBULO

Left, a page of art drawn by Ted Seko, script by me, on the right, Rafael Navarro's painted cover.


This was an interesting collaboration. Rafael Navarro, creator of the Xeric Award-winning SONAMBULO comic, was putting together his own anthology, featuring stories written and drawn by others. He asked me to contribute to MASKS OF SONAMBULO (2003), and I immediately thought to ask Ted Seko if he'd be willing to illustrate a story I would write. Ted and I had previously worked together on "SKYMAN AND MANGA MUERTO Vs THE MONSTER MEKS", so we had already established a routine for working together. For this Sonambulo tale, I wanted to do a story with Sonambulo as a young kid, where he meets an old witch who foretells the future he will grow into. It wasn't an origin story, but it was nice for Rafael to let me delve into Sonambulo's early life. 


EL MUERTO:MARK OF MICLANTEHCUHTLI

This mini-comic was created for the 2007 DVD release of EL MUERTO. When it came time to working with the distributor for ideas about what to include in the DVD, I suggested we include a comic book. After giving them a budget, I set out on what turned out to be an amazing final product. I wrote the script and provided loose pencil layouts and hired Mort Todd for the finished artwork, inks, gray tones and lettering. He's been working in cartoons and  comics since his teenage years, becoming Editor-in-Chief of CRACKED Magazine in 1985 at the age of 23. We actually met some years previously via an Ebay transaction, believe it or not! Mort's tremendously talented and prolific, and his production values, as evident in the above image, really made this story sing!


EL MUERTO MEETS BALDO

In 2008, El Muerto made his foray into the newspaper funnies! I had met the creators of the BALDO newspaper strip, writer Hector Cantu and artist Carlos Castellanos, a year previously when we were all guests of the SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL. We hit it off real good. So good that the day we were scheduled to speak to a roomful of schoolkids, we were scrambling to rush from our noontime lunch of Mexican food and margaritas! At the time the mentioned that they would like to have an appearance of El Muerto in their strip. So in 2008, I called them on it! They told me to come up with an idea, which took a little work on my part. Here was an established strip, a family with two kids and an aunt with an established fan base, and I had to come up with a way to bring in the Aztec Zombie! But, Carlos and Hector are flexible, and as long as the story worked, they were open to accepting ideas. It was challenging to work on the script, as I had to think of 4 panel installments, with 5 dailies. Our process was interesting, as Carlos would draw the strips per the script we all agreed on, and he would leave an empty space wherever El Muero appeared, then I would draw in my character in that spot. The Sunday strip was great, because it was not only the climax of the story (which they let me write myself) but seeing El Muerto in the Sunday funnies was very exciting. For the reprint in the COMIC POP book, I'll put the Baldo story at the back of the book, so the climatic Sunday strip can be printed in full color on the inside back cover.


Well, that's going to be some book! Reprints of my first ever comic, the El Muerto DVD comic, the Baldo/El Muerto newspaper strip and two other stories I worked on some years ago.
I'll post previews of the autobio comic as we get closer to the release date, which is scheduled for APE this October. While the JAVCON will be running through Monday, the good ol JAVZILLA blog will be here long afterwards, so make sure you keep coming back!


I hope you've enjoyed this preview of my next comic book. We still have lots more content to share here at the JAVCON, including some never-before-seen storyboards I did for the EL MUERTO movie, the CD artwork I created for an indie band, and a never-before-published El Muerto comic! I'll be recording an episode of my D.I.Y. Comics podcast JAVILAND later today, so look for that here tomorrow as well.

JAVCON Wednesday Night:Sketchbook pages, Shel Dorf and Bat-Mite!

Well, our first day of the first ever JAVCON has generated some great feedback (and traffic!). Thanks for checking it out.

So I'd like to show you some more pages from another one of my books. (Previously I shared with you some pages from EL MUERTO MISHMASH and MANGA MUERTO Vol 1). This time check out my brand-new THE COMIC POP SKETCHBOOK: 

 The SKETCHBOOK (which you can see the cover to in the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP) features 44 pages of b&w sketches from the last couple of years. Many of the pages come with commentary where I'm talking about my ideas and approaches for the individual drawings. There are lots of character designs and studies in the book, as most of my creative ideas start initially with a character, as opposed to a story. Sometimes the characters will immediately inform the story, other times I look at the character and start thinking of the reasons for it's existence, meaning that subconsciously I was probably thinking of story elements that informed my creation of the character. It's kind of like reverse-engineering one of my own visual creations.


The drawing of the alien from THEY LIVE (standing in front of the word 'OBEY') is actually drawn on the inside front cover of the COMIC POP SKETCHBOOK. Every book that gets sold will come with a unique drawing from me, created with black and gray markers. 


I'd like to show you another piece of art, this one a 12" x 12" acrylic painting w/marker outlines. BAT-MITE:

BAT-MITE's a brand-new painting, created as a donation to the Shel Dorf Artist Fund. They'll actually be holding an art show this weekend in San Diego to sell this and lots of other donated artwork. Shel Dorf started the San Diego Comic Con forty years ago. He passed away last year but his brother started the Artist Fund in his name to provide scholarship money to young artists. A great cause, and I'm honored to be able to participate. Thanks to Matt Lorentz for extending me an invitation. The AFTERCON Art Show is being run concurrently with the San Diego Comic Con, Thursday-Saturday from 8pm to Midnight at the Suture Gallery. 

So even though I won't be in San Diego myself this week, I'm glad I have some artwork showing in this very worthy cause. Several of my friends are in the show, and I have to tell you it's quite a  kick professionally to be listed on a show that also has Ray Bradbury! 

More JAVCON stuff in the next post!

Welcome to Day One of the JAVCON!

Welcome to the first ever JAVCON!

 
San Diego Comic Con runs this week, and if you've never been there before, lemme tell you it's one huge show! With attendance now upwards of 125,000, that is one humungous sized comic book convention. I won't be exhibiting there this year, but I thought it would be a neat idea to run my own convention of sorts here on my blog. For those of you not attending San Diego either, perhaps you can find some interesting things here for the next 6 days. Yep, this is gonna be 6 whole days of special, exclusive content right here at JAVCON. (And if you forget to shower one of the days, no problem!)


So, what do I consider 'special'? Howzabout some previews and sneak peeks of upcoming projects I have in the works? Also, I'd like to open up my archives and share with you readers of the Javzilla blog some past events, artwork, projects and happenings you may not have been aware of. I started this blog back in 2006, but started publishing my comics since 1998, so there'll be things to post here that will be new to many of you.


My elmuerto.com website is currently offline, so in the meantime I have the address pointing to this blog. I've switched servers and will be in the process of rebuilding El Muerto.com from scratch, but in the meantime, since my online store from the site isn't available I've built a brand-new shop here on this blog. (Thanks to my friend Jim Lujan, cartoon movie maker extraordinaire, for giving me some info about doing this on Blogger.


So to kick off Day One of JAVCON, I'd like to introduce you to the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP. As with any convention I've exhibited at, the top priority is to sell my work (followed very, very closely by meeting new fans, making new friends, networking, branding, eating, etc....), so... here are some of my comics and DVD for sale!

 To visit the shop, just click this link, or click on the link JAVZILLA WEB SHOP  located just under the JAVZILLA banner at the top of the page. The shop contains all my current comics in print. I've done numerous mini-comics or limited edition books over the years, but I don't usually keep those in print indefinitely. Usually they're made for specific conventions, such as the Alternative Press Expo. But there's a good variety of books available in the shop!

Here are some sample pages from 2 of the books, EL MUERTO MISHMASH and MANGA MUERTO Vol 1. Coincidentally, both of these books are anthologies, which between the two of them contain 7 stories and 10 pin-ups from guest artists:

 From EL MUERTO MISHMASH: On the left is a page from the El Muerto short story "Dead Forever" and on the right is a page from my autobiographic "Dos Mil" (Spanish for '2000'). Both written and drawn by me.

From MANGA MUERTO Vol 1: On the left is a page from the story 'Manga Muerto and Skyman vs the Monster Meks!", script and layouts by me and finished art/inks by Ted Seko. On the right is a page from "A Day at The Beach", story and art by me.

During the course of JAVCON, I'll be posting more pages from all the books, plus lots more content. So take a look around, buy some stuff, and cook yourself a hot dog (way cheaper than the $7.00 Convention dogs, for sure!). And check back daily for new stuff, maybe even twice daily.