"George-Lucasing" Monkey Mod

I've got some news regarding the Monkey Mod webcomic. As some people already know, Marvel Comics has made an announcement to launch a character that is suspiciously close to Monkey Mod. I thank my friends on and off the internet for making me aware of this. I'm not egotistical enough to presume that Marvel is swiping my idea. However, I've been made aware that there are some that are aware of Monkey Mod at that company. It could just be a coincidence. I hope so. Regardless, I created Monkey Mod a good year before they created theirs. So, I'm going to continue along my path as I am excited and passionate about this project. I do want to acknowledge that there is plenty of difference between Monkey Mod and their character, so I'm not too worried about that corporate leviathan. The differences that their character has with Monkey Mod appears to everything I don't like about new comics, whereas Monkey Mod is going to be created with everything I love about the medium in mind. Now please excuse me, here's where I might sound a bit egotistical... Frankly, whether my idea is being ripped off or not, Monkey Mod is WAY cooler and comes from my heart without big corporate thumb printing.
All that said, this Marvel announcement has kicked my butt to push up the time line on the release of the Monkey Mod webcomic. I am going to do my damnedest to have the site updating within the week. I've got a bunch of material I've been sitting on and just think I might as well start sharing it now.

Before & After

The first storyline that will be up on the website is going to be the epilogue to the overall story. I know epilogues are intended to be at the end of stories, but I think it will make sense as the overall story unfolds. Plus, I believe it is a good introduction to the character as well.
This first storyline is entitled "Monkey Mod Unmasked" and is going to be the same material that was printed in the mini-comic of the same name. However, I'm "George-Lucasing" the art to fit in with the current incarnation of the Monkey Mod character design. Above, I've posted the first page from the mini-comic I completed in 2008 and the new version that will appear on the Monkey Mod webcomic site. Aside from color, as you can see, I've added more hair and a tail. I've been having a lot of of fun going back into these old pages. Its made them fresh for me again. Art for the next storyline is being created right now as well, so people who already own the original mini-comic will be able to see something new in the very near future.

Big thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of me and Monkey Mod!

Rabbit Screen Shot

Here's another sneak peak at a screen shot from the Monkey Mod cartoon. This one features one of the bad guys that will play a role in the new Monkey Mod comics.

I'm starting to wonder if I should stop sharing these screen shots until this project is done or if people want to see some of the work I'm doing as I progress on this. Any thoughts?

Another Monkey Mod Screen Shot...

I'm just over a third of the way finished with this cartoon & its moving forward at a fairly decent pace.

Monkey Mod webcomic

The launch of the Monkey Mod webcomic is getting closer. Its still about two months away, but closer none the less. Most likely it will begin updating soon after Christmas. In the meantime, I thought I'd share the first splash page from the new storyline. The text takes a cue from the cartoon theme songs of my youth where the gist of the show would be explained in an exciting and succinct manner. Before the launch, I'm going to finish the cartoon intro and the remaining pages of the new story. Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in this project. I can't wait for you to see it! I hope this page will wet your appetite until then...

Monster Cereals

Ever since Jerzy Drozd, Shawn Robare, and I recorded our Halloween episode of the Saturday Supercast, I've had an inkling to do an illustration of my own versions of some of the icons from the Monster Cereals. Here they are...

A couple of sweet Monster Cereal commercials from days gone by...

"The World's Worst Assassin" Mini-Comic Cover

"The World's Worst Assassin"

Above, I've posted the art for the first two pages of my new mini-comic, "The World's Worst Assassin", without the lettering. You'll have to see the finished comic to read it later. I think (or at least hope...) that I have been successful in conveying the gist of the story with the images. This is something I think about when I'm creating my comics & believe that it is an important consideration to keep in mind in comic book storytelling creation.

The concept for this comic has been kicking around in my head since way before I started working on Monkey Mod. The problem with the initial concept was that I had no story to go with it. So, for almost a year, "The World's Worst Assassin" has just been a string of words I wrote down in my sketchbook. Until, like a cliche bolt of lightning, the story hit me just as I was about to fall asleep. Within a 36 hour period of writing the story, the two pages I'm sharing here were completed. I'm hoping to have this comic available for sale at APE 2009. But, since I leave for the convention in about a week, this is going to be quite a task considering all the other pressing commitments on my plate at the moment.

In closing, I want to make a point. So many artists tell me that they want to make comics or a webcomic, but they "just don't have the time". To them, I say this: If you really want to make comics, you will find the time.

Moral: You can do eet!