Sunday/Monday's Strip!

So I tried to get this strip out Sunday evening (right now it's 2:31 Monday morning) in the hopes that I could post two strips within a single weekend, but alas it wasn't in the cards for me this time. Anyway, at the least I was close!
This is another strip featuring Evan Lomax (the third and final main character of IKC), I think the best thing about this strip is that this (and the other Evan strip, 'Reason to be Vegan #71') is exactly how an exchange between the Real Evan and I went. We were talking outside of a Bob Evans (which is one of the worst restaurants in the world) and for some odd reason our subjects ranged from Hobo Meat, to me wanting to become a Vagabond.

The background is an abstract painting of the front of Bob Evans, though the characters are covering most of it up. Just know that I spent a long time working on it, and it looks awesome! Again, I am experimenting with the coloring so there may be inconsistencies within the next bushel of strips. Just bare with me, IKC is all about experimenting.

Well, enjoy! And as always, let me know what you think!
More soon...

HEY, HERRIMAN!

Look Kids! New Comics!
Been sitting on this strip for a little bit (at least a couple of months) mostly because I didn't know how I wanted to present it, I really liked how crisp the linework came out but it was way too empty. With the exception of 'Fahad's' hair and in inside of his mouth everything else was white and open. So after I while I decided, no matter how crisp the lines came out, I had to color it. AND COLOR IT I DID, that's right a new FULL COLOR IKC STRIP (it's been a while since we had one of those)

Two points should be made, the first being that this was the first thing that I ever colored with my new WACOM TABLET! There was a bit of a learning curve, but after I got the hang of it the tablet definitely made the coloring process much easier for me, cutting the time it usually takes in HALF (before, I would use a mouse and it would take me hours)
The second, is that this strip is an (obvious) ode to George Herriman and his comic creation KRAZY KAT, if you don't know who or what I am talking about EDUCATE YOURSELF NOW, YOU ARE ON THE INTERNET YOU HAVE THE VERY TOOL YOU NEED TO LEARN!

more soon, comment if you can!

....well maybe not FULL vegan. Just sans Meat.

Ahoy-hoy!
Here is Monday's strip!
It's the first strip featuring the third (and final) main character: Evan Lomax! Though this strip just dives right in without a real establishing scene, I assure you one is coming (at some point). Also, the dialogue here is word for word an actual conversation that the real Evan (Puckett, not Lomax) and I had outside an accursed Bob Evans (seriously I'm pretty sure, in Hell, you eat your breakfast everyday in one of those)
I like the way this turned out (which is strange for me) and like I said in the previous posts about experimenting with different ways to Grey-Scale....digital is obviously the best way to go.

More Soon!
(If you aren't already, become a fan of IKC on Facebook! Or Subscribe to the blog!.....or at least comment.....jerks)

Forget Me Don Knots!

The second part of the running gag, unfortunately at the expense of Sam's character. But I suppose he can take it, he has tough skin.

This strip was created at the time as 'Kitten', and like the other I was experimenting with different ways to grey-scale (this time using Warm Grey Prismacolor markers as oppose to the Cool Grey of 'Kitten') I didn't like how the greys came out in this one either, so I think I am going to stick to digital coloring.

Second Verse same as the First.

Kitten is to Cat

Here's a "New" strip, new in the sense that you guys haven't seen it. I have been sitting on a BUNCH of strips because I wanted everyone to have a book full of new material for COMIC VS. READER 1 but since we have hit a few speed bumps it was suggested to me to just start uploading the content from CvR to the site while we wait. So, here is the first of what will be a series of regular updates (so says the Boy Who Cried Comics)





'KITTEN IS TO CAT, AS BOY IS TO OGRE': this is the first of a two part running joke, both strips were done while I was manning the Cafe @ Borders Book in DC (man, I miss that store). Tried to experiment with doing the grey-scales by hand (this time with Prismacolor markers, Cool Grey 10%, 30%, and 40%)...I think I am going to stick with digital grey-scales from now on.

*also, this strip was created just 10 short days after "D-Day" so that undoubtedly had some effect on the overall mood of it...

Kick to the Face

So, I have been having the worst time with life as of late. Feelings of worthlessness, of claustrophobia, and an ever-lasting impending sense of Doom. So what does that mean to you the reader?
MORE ART!
AND SOON!
Also, I am going to over-haul the design of the blog. When will this be done, you ask? Well, I want it done by the end of this weekend, which means look for the new and improve I KILL COMICS DOT COM Summer of 2011!

Screaming in an Empty Cave.

So I should begin by apologizing to you out there for not updating the blog as frequently as I said I was going to, but I assure you dear friends there is ample reason: for the past two month my colleague Evan Puckett and I have been working on what will be the first issue of our new anthology series COMIC VS. READER

(original concept for the cover to Issue One. Though I still really like the stark design, I think we are ultimately going with a different approach)

The book is to be a 32 page collection of my strips (all the 'I Kill Comics' material to date) and Evan's strips (which go by the title 'Tell Tale Tales' and are brilliant). All in all production of this book has been HELL, without going into too much detail I grossly underestimated the amount of work that goes into self-publishing a book. Choosing a printer, Designing the layout, Financing the project, etc., and ultimately creating the CONTENT that's to go in it. Needless to say it's been an extremely daunting, and emotionally draining experience, and an experience we want to endure again! Yes, that's right! We haven't even completed Issue One and we already are in pre-production of Issue Two (mostly making notes of what went wrong with this Issue and how we can prevent it in the future)! I can't wait to share this with you guys, but unfortunately we still have a couple more weeks of waiting. Evan and I (and the rest of COAC INK (which is the moniker we are calling the collective that has struggled day in and day out, bleeding, to ensure this Issue to come out)) are going to premier Issue One as a free giveaway to attendees of the Small Press Expo, affectionately referred to as SPX, in Bethesda, MD as a way of promoting COMIC VS. READER! If all works out we plan to also be at the Mid-Ohio-Con in Columbus, OH a few weeks later doing the same thing. After we return from SPX CvR Issue One will be going on sale (the "how" we are still trying to work out, we have a few options on where to go) for the nickles-and-dimes price of just 5 Bucks.
After Issue One is said and done, the plan is to make CvR a quarterly Anthology of Comics, Essays and anything else that floats our boats. After SPX we are going to have an open call to anyone who wants to contribute to future issues! Comics! Writings! Reviews! Essays! Anything! Let your voice be heard, remember it's US VS THEM, the line will soon be drawn in the sand. Which side will you be on?





...now that I have the hyperbolic grandeur out of the way, time to take a quick second to talk about what is inspiring me at the moment! And golly, it had got to be JAIME HERNANDEZ one of my all time favorites! His simple clean line work, stark use of shadows, his ability to realistically depict woman (both through his line work and his writing) without losing any of his cartoon integrity, really makes him the bees-knees in my eyes.

Here's a few examples:









(yes, that is Radiohead)
















I've notice that I posted examples of his Spot Illustrations and Cover work but only a few examples of his EXCELLENT page layouts and paneling.
I suppose we can leave that dissection for another post.

ciao.

An Absurd World

Hello kiddies!

Here is Wednesday's edition of I Kill Comics (finally!)
.....even though, it technically is Thursday. But who's keeping track anyway.

Moving on, This strip was a tad bit tricky, because I continually went back to rewrite the dialogue over and over again at various points in the day. Settling on the version you see here only after reading a poll off the Huffington Post that states that Jon Stewart is widely considered "America's most trusted journalist" now that we lost Walter Cronkite this past Friday. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have been taking Cronkite's passing kinda rough since I respected him as a journalist IMMENSELY. Upon reading the results of that poll, my fingers went a' writin' and we have what we have here.

Enjoy!
Feedback is always welcome (and encouraged) and we will see you Friday with a brand new strip!



NEW STRIPS EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY!

THE INTENTIONS OF THE MANAGEMENT part 1

THE INTENTIONS OF THE MANAGEMENT

(or 'How We Roll')


PART ONE



It seems to me that I should take this time and familiarize those of you just joining us, and the three of you who have been here for a bit, to what exactly is the point of 'I Kill Comics'. In other words; what are the intentions of the "author". This is kind of an embarrassing thing to admit, and I guess it's a testament to the lack of quality to the strips thus far, but if someone were to read the (as of yesterday) 10 comic strips that comprise the 'I Kill Comics' library one wouldn't see an overall theme or even the foundations of one. Hell, for the most part the 10 strips are little more than a schizophrenic jumble, jumping from one theme to another, one art style to another. Usually missing the mark in terms of punchline delivery, illustrated by the fact that in most cases the punchline just trails off, almost as if the characters are mumbling incoherently as they fill up space in the last panel. The schizophrenic nature is further brought to point by the fact that the main characters' designs vary almost from strip to strip. Now I know that this is mostly due to the fact that each strip was drawn at vary points during the last 2 and a 1/2 years, but to a new reader (Ha! As if!) it seems overly confusing. That being said, I thought I would take the time out and let everyone know the ins and outs of 'I Kill Comics' in the hopes that this ushers in a new era of rad comics and Internet commune!

We will start with
THE CHARACTERS

'I Kill Comics' is a semi-autobiographical comic strip, meaning that all the characters found in the strip are based on real people. The main character, oddly enough, is FAHAD. The FAHAD character is a caricature of myself (shocking), he is cynical, and grumpy, and sarcastic, self-endowed with a righteous anger, and perpetually alone. The perfect hero for a feel good family cartoon! He is constantly placed in situations that anger and entice him, whether he has a valid point to be or not. He is heavy-handed and one sided. Since this is a cartoon and not an autobiography we went with the mentality that all the characters should almost be one-dimensional, that way when they encounter the various conflicts that arrive from the 'real world' it seems that much more off-putting. Similar to the mindset when writing the Roadrunner/Coyote characters; flat and one dimensional, the humor doesn't stem from them or any growth (or lack of growth) they might experience but rather the situations that happen to them and how they deal with it. Our approach is along the lines of that, except not any good.

I should point out that FAHAD's appearance changes from time to time to reflect the 'author's' appearance at the time. Hence the various hair-styles, facial hair, and multiple chins.

The second, and just as important, character is SAM. Though FAHAD may generally be the one to instigate the various wacky situations that propel the plot of the strip, it is SAM that (more times than not) resolves them. SAM is level headed, calm, reasonable, and sarcastic in his own right (where FAHAD's sarcasm stems from the actions of those around him, SAM's sarcasm stems specifically from FAHAD). Though it should be said here, because it may never be said out right in the strip, that SAM attributes don't come from his inherent personality but rather an almost, rebellion against FAHAD's personality. As in "if Fahad is going to be grumpy, I'm gonna be happy", it's almost as if SAM's peaceful nature is there only to further enrage FAHAD. Always the Devil's Advocate, never the Devil.


It should be pointed out that SAM's appearance has gone through little change over time, solely at the request of the person of basis.

Though FAHAD and SAM are the only two characters featured in 'I Kill Comics' thus far, they are not the only characters featured in the strip in the long run (since as of writing this there are already 41 strips scripted and a handful in other various stages of development.) Though these new characters haven't been introduced yet, We feel as though we should touch up on who they are and what purpose they serve. First off there is EVAN LOMAX, he is simply put the antithesis to SAM's character. EVAN really is there to validate FAHAD's rants and instigate him every chance he gets. If FAHAD seems cynical at all, it's because he learned the subtle art of cynicism from EVAN. Though FAHAD is still just a pup and angry at everything and everyone, where as EVAN is an old dog and has already come to the conclusion that no matter how loud you scream or how hard you protest nothing will change. The next and last (for now) character to be introduced in 'I Kill Comics' is BUDDAH. BUDDAH is a bubbly, jubilant, and oddball. If EVAN is FAHAD's extreme then BUDDAH is SAM's. BUDDAH is sometimes referred to as "PAT" or "PATWORK BLUE" in reference to an inside joke established by the characters, but not ever fully described to the reader. We can't stress enough that he is an absolute weirdo.

That seems to be all we need to cover in this outing.

Next we will discuss THE TONE and THE PRESENTATION.

Hello Again

It's been a while.

Well stop screaming here's a new strip!

It was originally drawn in March with a blue ball point pen, on a scrap piece of paper while sitting at Steak N' Shake with my compatriot Evan Puckett (which explains the poor quality in the line work)

Colored using Photoshop (Baby steps! Maybe I'll be good at it someday)

Hoping to start a trend of *gasp!* regular posts!

(lots of exclamation points used in this, though in my head I'm dictating in a monotone voice.)




Entitled "Ohio is for Suckers"
Enjoy (more to come.)

Been a while

WELCOME TO IKILLCOMICS.COM!

Sorry it's been so long since I've last updated.
Working a lot on this new site and a few new strips. My goal now is to start posting strips on a regular basis. I am sitting on a handful of strips that are close to being done (I have this bad habit of working on more than one page at a time).
The following strip is one of the aforementioned "butt strips", and came to me when a co-worker referred to me as "Big Sexy". Needless to say, blood boiled, anger grew, and hand went a-drawin'.

Enjoy!


More to come this week!

"Ideas." (A.k.a. Visions of Cubans and Beatniks dancing in my Head)

Another "new" Strip.
I began work on "Ideas." this past summer, and completed a lion's share of it. Of course, like so many other strips, I lost interest and let it collect dust in my file cabinet.
Well no more!
Over the weekend I finished it up (Background inks, Book excerpts, cropping) and now it's up for your viewing pleasure.

Big ups to Samater for helping out (a lot) with the Grey-tones, that guy is good

Page One:



Page Two:



"Holy Crap Fahad!" "Two Strips in one Week?!"
I know, Right?

HELLO JIMMY!

Brand New Strip!
Well relatively "brand new", I actually started parts of this strip months ago and finished the rest last night.
But, as a whole, it's new and it's online! Yay!

(This is the strip I was talking about a few posts ago.)

Enjoy (A rant about the meaning behind the strip coming soon.)

What to do when you are sick and home alone...

As it so happens, yesterday and the day before I was DEATHLY sick (I don't know what with, there are whispers that there is a stomach virus floating around so we will just chalk it up to that.) and instead of staying in bed, and eating soup, I found it therapeutic to draw, and watch season one of Flight of the Concords.





Albeit, I DID end up staying in bed for HOURS, and ate my fair share of crappy, bland soup.

Though I think the page is pretty straight forward as is, here's a description:
-We start out with a pic of me, about to throw up (which I was actually spared from doing)
-the second pic (and accompanying text) is a bit more abstract. I've had the idea of a strip lampooning indie/scene/hipster culture for a long while (ever since living in Pittsburgh) BUT I don't know what it would be called or what format it would take. What I DO know is that all the characters would be Muppets (there isn't anything particularly deep there, I just like drawing fuzzy monsters.)
-the small logo on the bottom left hand corner is an I Kill Comics logo I've been bouncing around my head.
-And Finally, CHOWDER. Oh how I adore that show. (If you don't know who Chowder is, I suggest that you do a little research.)

well that's about it, I'm late for work I better go!