This Weekend part 2

This weekend was rounded out by the finale to the current series of Being Human, the only show I'm currently watching. With a major cast overhaul, this was always going to be a make or break season and astonishingly, its the best one yet.

I liked original werewolf, nice guy George , and original vampire, broody Mitchell, and thought they'd be hard to replace. Within an episode or two of this season, they were distant memories as the newbies proved to be far more interesting. Looking back at them now, Mitchell was a git but George still holds up well.

New vampire-slaying werewolf Tom is surprisingly likable. Played by the brother of Misfits' gobshite Kelly, he's far more likable and sympathetic as the naive and sheltered Tom ("Virginity's like a flower...you don't pluck it for just anyone..."). Balancing Tom's open nature is Hal, the OCD vampire who uses his rituals and ordering systems as a way of combating his addiction to blood. Moment's such as Kirby's hilarious celebration dance, Tom's geeky pseudo girlfriend and Hal's cack-handed response to flirtation ("If the goalie's here, the defender's here and the striker's here, is this off side or not?" "....Sorry...I don't watch the rugby...") really helped elevate this series.

It wasn't perfect: the Warchild prophecy was a bit vague and the post apocalyptic future looked less terrible and just a bit overcast really. The show really broke the show, don't tell rule, exposing its limited budget. That could have led to an effective, creative way to show the future on a budget but led instead to some clouds.

The last episode really redeemed these minor points though with a great turn from Mark Gattiss as villainous vampire lord Mr Snow, a dilemma about whether to kill or not and a bittersweet but triumphant exit for one cast member that leads to further changes for the next season.

Damning with faint praise perhaps, but Being Human is the best show on BBC3 that's satisfying as comedy, drama and supernatural entertainment. Roll on season five...

This Weekend part 1

I really really wanted to get cracking on with my second page of TMSAV this weekend...but I was really rundown last week, scarily so actually, so decided to take it easy this weekend. I felt ok and actually put pen to paper and managed to complete the pieces above. Never got round to colouring Medusa (or the previously posted Phoenix) or colouring the Polaris in more depth.

I'm really happy with the Skizz at the top and thought I'd adapt my recent Power Girl to sport the revised DCNu costume. I quite like this version: the white piping adds a nice regal feel (though it reminds me of a Perez Wasp costume from around Avengers #198 or so) but still not sure about the P emblem. The red area on the chest works ok but the emblem needs adjusting about, though a P isn't the best looking letter to work with.

At some point, I shall post coloured versions of Medusa and Phoenix...

Bits n Bobs

Various pieces in various stages...

Comparisons

Struggling a bit at the minute, so here's some comparisons showing different stages of artwork...

Weekend Wimmen

Hmm.

When I was a kid, I learned to draw from copying comics, mainly drawing superheroes over and over. It wasn't until I started drawing The Jock that I thought I really should try to improve on my female characters, which I'd pretty much neglected.

Years later, I rarely draw male characters (in fact, I feel I need to focus more on them as I'm getting out of practice). While I enjoy drawing female characters, I also enjoy other stuff too...but this weekend I seem to have drawn nothing but women.

OK, I did manage to squeeze in a logo design for the local authority and pencilled two pages of Too Much Sex And Violence #4...but even those project featured laydeez. Stuck for choice over at TAB, I went with a Tank Girl over a Judge Dredd (fancied the graphicy style), started two superheroines (oh yeah: I like the clean line effect on heroines so have drawn up a list of Marvel and DC female characters I want to draw in this style, hopefully getting them "right"...so again, fighting myself, which is why my Comicspace name is conflictedartist!), doodled another warmup sketch for my own project and finished the linework for a commission..again, featuring a lady.

I'm not complaining about the choices but I hope the characters aren't gratuitous and have some personality/charm...

Crossing The (Clean) Line

Lots of updates at Zero Tolerance, including this gallery of line art version of colour pics previously posted here or at TAB:

http://nigelowrey.weebly.com/clear-line-drawings.html

London Comic Con

This weekend saw the inaugural London Super Comicon (or something...there's so many London comic cons around now, KaPow, MCM Expos and wotnot, I get confused) in Docklands, somewhere I've never been to. So Tone leaves Brum, I jump on the same train at High Wycombe and we hit London together and have a remarkably easy cross-London trip to the Excel centre, in the shadow of the Millennium Dome. Well, actually it was so bright, there were no shadows around but get you know what I mean.

Although Stan Lee was the big draw, Tone was there for Sienkiewicz and I went solely for Brian Bolland and Kevin Maguire: anything else was a bonus. Tone managed to get a quick Elektra head sketch off Sinky and a signed New Mutants but I managed to get Bolland, very nice, polite guy, to sign the Killing Joke deluxe edition and my Art of Brian Bolland (which he thanked me for lugging around, it's a behemoth!). And while there was some internal dialogue, the outcome was never in doubt and I managed to bag it: Kevin Maguire signing Justice League #1. I'm so enamoured of that series, that cover and maguire's work that I'm really chuffed with this and proud to hold it alongside the first Adam Hughes issues signed by Hughes too.

The event itself? Good venue, lots of space with some major names in comics: other than the above, there was Perez, Cheung, Chaykin, Jiminez, Lee, Wrightson and many more but quite often, they had commissions booked straight away. Some had nothing else on their tables and there weren't a huge number of dealers. However, the organisers expected 5000 a day and got 8000, more than making their money back (Stan Lee cost £120-125,000!) The retailers all had phenomenal sales...but there wasn't much to see.

I think I picked up the Trouble mini series for £2.50(and put it straight on my giveaway pile after reading it) and 2 cheap 80s graphic novels, just to sample something different. My main find was Marvel Masterworks (softcover) for £7.00, cheaper than the black and white Essentials, which is padded out by loads of issues I didn't want (feel like I'm writing for Comics On The Ration!). The reason I wanted it? This reprints the first 11 issues, and as #5-11 are by the masterful Wally Wood, I snapped this up like a snappy snapping thing doing some well, snapping.

While comfortably airy (not sweat inducing like many cons), the worst part was there was no room to move in the dealers alleys, people bottle necking everywhere: yet half the hall was standing empty. Surely the organisers could have spread the dealers out a bit? Next year, I'd like to see more retailers better distributed.

Plenty of cosplay too: I can't see the appeal of doing it myself but have to admit to it being an enjoyable spectator sport, marveling at the great outfits and guffawing at people dressed as cardboard Gobots. Highlights this con were probably Troia, Wonder Woman (as usual), Bruce Banner (!) and Galactus, who lost points with me for not being to scale but won them back with his scale Silver Surfer and a sign stuck on his back saying "Ultimate Nullify Me".

Possibly be looking forward to next year's event now...