Archive for ‘Blog’

27 results.

Conservatively Sexy

by JLD on May 15, 2013 at 5:24 pm

During our attempts at getting Birth of Venus picked up by a publisher at the San Diego Comic Con, we were told by a nameless D-bag that our comic would NEVER sell because it simply wasn’t sexy enough. Our initial cover (see below) brought Mara’s (upcoming) baby bump front and center and, as Mr. D-Bag explained, this was no good because nobody is going to want a piece of that.

 

Doesn't she look HOT?

But… doesn’t she look HOT?

 

He then explained how his tactic has brought him great success on his book (which, to keep him anonymous, we will just call) “Team Awesome”, which was basically a  Charlie’s Angels/Fox Force Five/Danger Girl rip-off. The secret, he explained, was all subliminal as the title itself was suggesting some good ‘ol T & A. (T = Team, A = Awesome. Get it?)

True story.

After this delightful conversation with Mr. D-Bag, we took another look at our comic through his (and several different publisher’s) eyes and decided to make some alterations to our first issue. We realized that the cover DID need to go, but not because it wasn’t hot enough, just perhaps not as accessible to a broader range of readers.

Another personal reaction I had to this conversation was to try and defy that sentiment that a pregnant woman can’t be sexy. I for one have seen the glow of an expectant mother and there is nothing quite so beautiful, for several different reasons. My goal was to make Mara as “conservatively sexy” as possible throughout the entirety of our story without getting into overt T & A territory. What that means is that I don’t mind showing a flash of panties or exposed cleavage, but only when fitting to the moment within the story. (I would say “only when necessary” but when is a peak at a gal’s derriere TRULY needed for story?)  The style of cheesecake art, or Good Girl Art, that I find most appealing are when the outfits and setting themselves don’t necessarily play as sexy, but the female depicted (usually by accidental circumstances) flashes more than she ever intended to. Hopefully you will find my conservative sexiness in BoV most like that, playing it for laughs (like in Panel 4 here) but also showing the reality of that situation carried to it’s logical conclusion…

Or perhaps I’m just as delusional as Mr. D-Bag. You decide.

 

JLD

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Feelin’ Hot-Hot-HOT!!!

by JLD on April 10, 2013 at 11:19 pm

Greetings! Thanks for climbing back in the HOT SEAT here with us at BoV as Mara decides that she has no choice but to swing into full-on hero mode since the Rebirth is now rampaging the streets of Vanguard. This page is short and sweet but full of FIRE! FIRE!

*NOTE: Our little flame manipulating character there doesn’t really have a name. We’ve called him Meltdown, Hot-Box and several other names that just never quite stuck, but since it doesn’t ever get mentioned we’ll just keep calling him “Fire Dude”. Of course, we are open to suggestions and we will officially name him if one of you lucky readers can come up with a fairly good one. The challenge is up to you…

FLAME ON!!!

JLD

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Wonder Con BUSTED

by JLD on March 27, 2013 at 11:06 pm

Hey All–

For those who met up with us last year at the awesomeness that is Wonder Con in Anaheim, California we had a great time meeting y’all and had hoped to get a table again this year. Sadly, things didn’t shake down quite the way we had planned and we just couldn’t justify getting the table this time. We WILL be there milling about, so if you see anybody with a Birth of Venus tee-shirt on, please feel free to come up to us and tell us how much you love/hate our web-comic! We’d gladly welcome the dialogue…

Today’s page is brought to you by the new Dark Knight Returns 2-part animated movie, which helped me plow through the coloring on this page.

Seriously, that flick is AMAZING!!!

JLD

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PUNCH!

by JLD on March 21, 2013 at 12:43 am

That’s right, you’re reading an ACTION comic.

Though the punches may not fly as fast and furious as your typical superhero comic, we do hope that the build up to this slugfest has been worth the wait…

JLD

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Artistic Brutality

by JLD on March 13, 2013 at 11:06 pm

There it is, folks– Yeah, I’m saying that OUR brand of violence is art. A bold move, I know. And right now it might be a bit hard to see it, but this DOES serve a purpose to the grander design of the story. Do we take it a bit too far? Possibly, but then so does Guardian… which is kinda sorta the point.

This page is dedicated to Brad Bird whose insightful sequence in The Incredibles thoroughly explains why designing superhero outfits with capes is a bad idea. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about then shame on you!) We took things a step further here, showing why flamboyant hairstyles should also probably be kept off the design sheets. 90′s Comics, we’re looking at you!

JLD

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And Away We Go! (Again)

by JLD on March 6, 2013 at 11:09 pm

Prepare for some more Guardian-dispensed carnage!

The character of The Rebirth that you see being dispatched on Panel #3 (by way of a super elbow punch) is named The Creature. He’s my Creature From The Black Lagoon-inspired monster character that I wanted to add to the mix of villains in order to gross it up a bit. Plus I just like drawing monsters. What does this guy do exactly? He pukes glue on people in order to subdue and ensnare them, emitting a sticky glob of ooze that quickly hardens… and then he pretty much eats them if he wants. But he is also able to barf out an anti-glue solvent that dissolves it all away if he wants.(*) Quite a lot of thought went into this pretty disposable side character!

And now he’s been disposed of. You’re welcome!

JLD

(*This is what Creature did to Inspector Clay McCoy at the end of Issue #2, in order to show him off for his live broadcast execution!)

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A Heroine is Born

by JLD on December 19, 2012 at 10:32 pm

Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animals!

Hey All–

It’s been a rough year and things haven’t always gone as we’ve wanted them to with Birth of Venus, but we will keep pushing on until we cannot push any longer. And for the record, there isn’t any plan to STOP this here web-comic until we’re DONE. So without further ado, here’s a nice little push just in time for Christmas!

FINALLY we got to the end of this little dirigible sequence where Mara shows us that she is a TRUE HERO. When faced with a “not my problem” situation, she stepped up to the plate and MADE IT HER PROBLEM. Sure it was a bumpy landing and some property damage resulted, but Mara just showed the world that she’s made of sterner stuff. But that’s just the beginning for this little heroine…

Happy Holidays and God Bless Us Everyone!

 

JLD

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Community VS. Competition

by JLD on October 1, 2012 at 6:14 pm

Just look at our girl go! We couldn’t be more proud.

Stupid relevant analogy time:

Taking on any creative project, especially one with such an epic scope as Birth of Venus, I tend to feel a little like Mara here. Just look at this chick– She’s like an ant trying to haul off a dead animal carcass all by her lonesome. Sure she has some superpowers (untested superpowers, mind you!) but she is defying the odds stacked unfavorably against her, and it has NOTHING to do with her own self-preservation… unlike myself and said creative projects. Oh sure, us creative types all like to think that our story is going to be the one that makes a difference; the one that will go down in history books and might even CHANGE THE WORLD.

And to that I must simply ask, “Really?”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m just as guilty as anyone when it comes to this, for why else would we continue along our dogged paths of certain lack-of-grand-success? After all, there isn’t much money in this biz for all of us (or so I am told) and I don’t exactly see the TMZ vultures circling Adam Hughes or Frank Cho driving around a Lamborghini Liefeld-style, but the one thing we all have in common is our love for the craft and the notion that we are leaving our mark on this world. Agreed? I think this is a healthy enough attitude to have in order to push on through and, you know, find some happiness in what we’re doing. But if one is so deluded by the notion that some form of success or compensation is a CERTAINTY simply because their shit is better than everybody else’s and that their work matters more than the rest… then they’d best prepare for some disappointment. Healthy competition is always a good thing to spur one onward and upward, but to treat the entire run of your career like the heavens have parted only to shoot you to earth in a beam of light so you can showcase your particular brand of art just seems wrong to me. Even the most faithful of apostles ought to approach their mission with some humility, otherwise who will listen?

From my shoes, I witness more positivity from comic creators that simply enjoy one another’s camaraderie and treat conventions and appearances more like reunions with old pals rather than “part of the job”. I’m sure it’s a little of both, but would you rather engage a shiny, happy person like Doug TenNapel who is brimming with enthusiasm… or that one guy (you know the one) that holds their own work as too sacred for the likes of your feeble understanding and would rather not be wasting their time in your presence? Wouldn’t a stronger sense of COMMUNITY in the industry (us small indie guys and Big Two exclusive contractees alike) serve fans and creators more strongly than COMPETITION driving us all into our own separate corners?

I’m not saying that I’ve got this business all figured out and I’m barely what one would classify as a “professional”, but these are truths that I am either learning vicariously or experiencing in my own life. And what do you expect from the blog of a web-comicker anyway? If I’m going to rant on my tiny soapbox here about anything, it might as well be some sobering truth about where I’ve come from, what I’ve learned and what I’m trying to achieve with my artistic career. I’m just still foolishly optimistic enough to think that what you’re reading here might maybe, you know, change the world. Or something.

JLD

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It’s Been Awhile…

by JLD on September 12, 2012 at 11:28 pm

Hey All–

I’m not going to waste space in the blogosphere explaining the myriad of reasons for our absence, but I will say that not a moment has gone by that both of our thoughts weren’t with Venus. Finally the stars have aligned and provided me a window of time to finish yet another page of colors…

…and what a page! Mara finally shows off a rare trait that all real heroes possess: Selfless courage! You go girl!

The two of us have been pondering ways to get these pages out quicker (and on time!) and the number one reason why it is taking so long is due to my own slow process in the Colors Department: I just don’t have as much time as I’d like at my disposal. SO… since we do have a good majority of the pages already inked and in the can, which of the following two options would YOU prefer, dear readers?

Option #1: We finish each fully colored page of Birth of Venus when we finish ‘em, regular schedule or not.

Option #2: We get back on a weekly schedule, but release our pages in black and white (to be colored later for print).

So what do YOU think?

 

JLD

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PRIORITIES

by JLD on June 18, 2012 at 8:53 pm

So now you know what Mock and the Rebirth Leader were after! But what exactly is “Night Guardian”? Or perhaps you ought to be asking WHO is Night Guardian? We do know the answer to that question, but we’ll get there when we get there. (And boy, I cannot WAIT to get there!) So consider yourselves TEASED, folks!

Again with the Jack Kirbyesque overkill of tech in this computer file vault room. Ya gotta’ just love comics for stuff like this! And again with the LATE POST! My sincerest of apologies, but no more. Venus is a major priority in my creative life, however, family life trumps creative life every time. So if things are a bit wonky with our scheduling, just know that we’re working on it and doing our best to make our deadlines. I think I can speak for both of us by saying that we’d rather put out a quality project LATE than a sub-par project on-time. We think it’s worth the wait, and we just hope that y’all feel the same.

See you SOON…

JLD

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