Here's another lettered page! I'm happy with the way these are coming out. The hand drawn sfx with words really finishes the page nicely, in my opinion. This page is a nice example of our human language is just gobble-de-gook as far as the dogs are concerned. And yet, we somehow still communicate.
So here's my first pass at a final page (26 to be exact). I'm testing the look of the hand drawn sound fx and so far I'm pleased with how they work with the art. This page has more than average number of sfx so most pages will not be this busy. Anyone with an opinion, please feel free to share. Thanks!
Yup, that's right! I just finished inking the Sled Dog project. Above, you'll see the unlettered, uncolored page 5 inks. Next up I'll be tweaking the lettering for the newer balloons and it's on to the colors…I'll keep you posted. Thanks for looking!
In his NY Times holiday guide to graphic novel gift giving, George Gene Gustines has included The Act-i-vate Primer! Here's what he had to say,
'Act-I-Vate Primer'
The “Act-I-Vate Primer” is not for everyone, but it opens a window to the world of free, online comics. Named after the Web collective that created the collection’s 16 stories (some of which contain strong language and sexual situations), the anthology is a mixed bag. Dean Haspiel’s “Bring Me the Heart of Billy Dogma,” a love story between the title character and Jane Legit, is one of the best. It continues the bombastic tone, sexual escapades and striking color palette of the continuing Web series. Other highlights include “The Boy Who Came to Stay,” “Veils” and “Memoirs of the ‘Kid Immortal.’” (IDW, $24.99)
Brigid Alverson, writer of the webcomics column at Robot 6, recently contacted me about doing an interview regarding the Process. The thrust of her piece was to be how webcomics end; sometimes prematurely and of natural causes. I'll admit that I was embarrassed to be singled out as exemplary of this but I agreed to answer her questions. The results of that interview are now available at the Comic Book Resources blog and I think it's a good interview. Here's a tidbit:
Brigid: Will you finish it, online or in print, or has it served its purpose already?
Joe: The Process was set up to be a very large epic story that tried to encompass as much of my imagination/psychology as I could get. It was an exercise that I created for myself to keep me making art and exploring new art styles and storytelling techniques. As such, the Process has been a success and has actually never stopped for me. I'm working on Ultra-lad, a character that comes directly out of the Process, and wherever possible the ideas that I had for the Process are incorporated into other projects. If I were to wax mythic/poetic about this, I would say that the passing of the Process is like the death of Orpheus whose dismembered head and hands continue to play and sing music as they float down the Hebrus. I've scavenged different pieces of it for different projects and its ideas still resonate with me and my work to this day.
There's plenty more at the site itself. To read the rest of the interview, click here. Thanks Brigid!
Adam McGovern has written yet another astute and discerning review over at ComicCritique.com! This time he doles out the praise in his usual eloquent reportage. Here's a quote:
Peering into the faux-yellowed, off-register murk of Infurnari’s ULTRA-lad! we find a forgotten pulp potboiler concealing a serious graphic novel – concerning an amoral Captain Marvel-esque eternal child-hero inside a series of unworthy adult personalities – that flies toward the scary tension of superlatives without ideals.
That's all he devotes to my story, but what a grand prose it is! Adam is truly a reviewer without peer and he is by far one of the most intelligent readers of comics I know. He closes his piece with this:
The range of interests, level of storytelling and sheer wealth of style are staggering. I haven’t been this anxious to curl up with a colorful collection of the medium’s possibilities since The Great Comic Book Heroes in nineteen-seventy-never-mind. The golden age of comics gets its restart here.
Comic Critique scores the Primer a 4.5 out of 5! To read the rest of this review, click here.
In his four star review of the Primer, Chad Nevett had this to say about "Memoirs of the 'Kid Immortal'":
…classic comic-looking work of Joe Infurnari on “Memoirs of the ‘Kid Immortal,’” a fantastic story where he does two regular-looking comic pages on each page, telling the story of a wrestler who shares his time with a superhero counterpart.
Click here to read the rest of the review. Thanks, Chad!
I'll be visiting Brooklyn's Comic Convention, King Con, this Saturday November 7th! I'll be participating in the Act-i-vate panel on Saturday and working the table selling Primer's all day. Please stop by and say hello. If you haven't already got your copy of the Primer, this is a great opportunity to have it adorned with signatures and sketches!
Here are some of the highlights and panels members from ACT-I-VATE are participating in:
FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 6TH 2009 - 8PM sharp
THE ACT-I-VATE EXPERIENCE - NYC DEBUT + PRE-PARTY SCREENING The story of the preeminent webcomix collective. A documentary film directed by Seth Kushner + Carlos Molina. Featuring interviews with Nick Bertozzi, Kevin Colden, Molly Crabapple, Simon Fraser, Mike Cavallaro, Dan Goldman, Tim Hamilton, Dean Haspiel, Josh Neufeld, and others as they discuss the genesis of ACT-I-VATE, its impact on the art and business of comics, and its future both online and on the printed page.
SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 7TH 2009
THE ACT-I-VATE PRIMER: SATURDAY 12PM-12:50PM Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma), Mike Cavallaro (Loviathan), Leland Purvis (Vulcan & Vishnu), Tim Hamilton (Adventures of the Floating Elephant), Simon Fraser (Lilly MacKenzie), Molly Crabapple (Backstage), Joe Infurnari [ULTRA-Lad!), Tim Hall (Uplift the Postivicals), and moderator, Jeff Newelt (SMITH Magazine comics editor), discuss the genesis of THE ACT-I-VATE PRIMER, the premiere webcomix collective's first print anthology, and ACT-I-VATE'S impact on both the art, business, and future of comics.
SPOTLIGHT ON JONATHAN AMES & DEAN HASPIEL: SATURDAY 4PM-4:50PM Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel elaborate on their multi-media collaborations, which include their graphic novel, "The Alcoholic," Ames' latest essay collection, "The Double Life Is Twice As Good," and the HBO show, "Bored To Death."
SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 8TH 2009
ZUDA: SUNDAY 3PM-3:50PM Join Ron Perazza (ZUDA COMICS), Kwanza Johnson (ZUDA COMICS), Bobby Timony & Peter Timony (Minion Maze, THE NIGHT OWLS), David Gallaher (HIGH MOON, Box 13), Steve Ellis (HIGH MOON, Box 13), Kevin Colden (Fishtown, I RULE THE NIGHT), Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, STREET CODE) and others for an inclusive, roundtable discussion about the advantages, challenges, questions, solutions, costs and benefits of making webcomics for fun and profit. Topics include working with a publisher, self-publishing, promoting yourself, best practices, style and moving from web to print (or vice-versa)!
DIGITAL COMICS ROUNDTABLE: SUNDAY 4PM-4:50PM MODERATOR: Mike Zagari ZUDA, Ron Perazza & Kwanza Johnson ACT-I-VATE, Mike Cavallaro COMIXOLOGY, John Roberts & David Steinberger SMITH MAGAZINE, Jeff Newelt & more to come!
For more panel information, including spotlights on GRAPHIC NYC, Harvey Pekar and The Pekar Project, and Bob Fingerman, go to:
http://www.kingconbrooklyn.com/panels/ http://www.kingconbrooklyn.com/