So, there was something that I learned about Red Clay from talking to Doc about it. It really helped me get my head around what this strip is going to be, and who the character is. So, of course, I had to put out a new image.

I had just a brief window of time open for drawing this morning, so I did another RED CLAY piece.

I guess my vote for the story is more hot ladies. Haha

EDIT: fixed the eye, and took out more color. Seems the less the better.

This one is for my good buddy Doc Shaner. I would talk more about RED CLAY, but it’s not my place to say.

Also, I should say that this is the first time I used a stock photo from DeviantArt (username: Grasies-Stock). It’s an interesting resource that I really haven’t needed up to this point, but I’ll probably keep a look out in the future for this kind of thing. What makes it funny is that I left DeviantArt like a month ago, but now I used it for something. Ha

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending C2E2. What a crazy fun show! One of the highlights, for sure, was meeting Samnees and getting a SPIRIT sketch from Chris.

Chris has said before that his warmup and con sketches are a little different from his interior pages. He fills in more space, and leaves less up to the eye so that the colorist doesn’t have to make decisions about all the implied lines. I have often wondered what it would be like to try to apply a similar high contrast coloring style the high contrast con sketch style of drawing. This is my attempt.

Thanks Chris, and keep up the brilliant work.

I received my copy of the SERGEANT ZERO preview issue in the mail on Friday. He’s a character I’ve seen here and there, mostly on face book, and when I saw a link on twitter for the preview, I knew I had to get one. Folks, buying the occasional indy comic from the internet is FUN. Check out all the wonderful pages that I saw online for free, if you’re feeling the pinch.

Well, friends, I read through the issue, and well, they got me. Haha. The preview worked, and I really want more. Anthony Schavino’s writing is like a staccato piano piece, attention grabbing and moody. Simone Guglielmini’s art stylings are prefectly suited to the story and really let the mood breath. He gives you just enough realism to satisfy without tripping over his own photo reference trying to impress you.

I don’t like to say “noir”, because I think it is over used. But it is applicable in this case. Though the major sequence of the preview issue is a war story, it isn’t really a war book at heart. It’s not a war procedural. It’s a noir book. It’s about the best man of his world being thrown into darkness so deep he can’t touch the bottom.

At first glance, it may appear to be a Captain America clone, but it’s not really. Cap, no matter what, will always cope, will always succeed. Sergeant Zero can’t. The tagline is “A soldier few remember… including himself”. He doesn’t return from the war ready for a life of crime fighting and service of his country. He comes back hoping he can “paper and coffee in the morning” his way back to a normal, forgettable life. Sergeant Zero starts as any classic noir, with a seemingly simple case, only in this book the “case” is World War II.

Another thing that struck me about this book. Captain America was written before the war by a couple of Joes that wanted into a war. Like saying, “Hey there are MONSTERS out there, and we got to go clobber them!”. Sergeant Zero is just in over his head. Deep behind the German lines, locked in with the monsters.

Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

See you, Tino Titians!