Cal Arts Student Films

Cal Arts is a famous animation school in Valencia where many of the ‘big’ animators got their start. The goal of a semester at Cal Arts is to create an animated short, and these are labors of love in the purest sense. Some are more experimental than others, obviously. Here is one I just stumbled upon by Stevie-Wermers Skleton, who directs animated shorts for Disney. It’s called ‘Small Fry.’

Also, while we’re on the subject, I thought I would post one of my favorite Cal Arts student films ever, ‘The Whoopass Girls.’ It became the basis for Cartoon Network’s insanely popular ‘Powerpuff Girls,’ and despite the limited animation it’s really cool to see what Craig McCracken was thinking when he originally envisioned the series.

If you’d like to see more the school now has a YouTube Channel up to showcase all of their students work. Before we would only get to see some of these things if their creators went on to do something famous (which is actually the case with a lot of them.) Enjoy!

Artists I Love: Update!

So I missed out on Comic Con this year, but one of my best friends, D’Ann, was kind enough to bring a piece of it home. She went down to Artist’s Alley and begged one of my favorite artists, Art Balthazar, to draw a sketch for me!

Enter: Batwoman… (click to view larger)

Yes, it was drawn in crayon. Do you have a problem with that?

Artists I Love: Art Baltazar

Every month my pull list seems to get smaller and smaller. Part of this is because of the rising cost of… well… everything, but it’s also because nothing catches my eye anymore. The DC Universe is a huge fustercluck right now, and unfortunately Ed Brubaker can only write so many issues a month.

Where is the imagination? Where is the fun?

Tiny Titans!? Aw yeah!

Artists I Love: Marcos Martin

Marcos Martin is one of the most talented and dynamic artists in comic books today. I first became acquainted with him through his Batgirl: Year One mini-series, and then later, his work on the short-lived Breach. This month Marcos Martin has been kicking all kinds of ass with his current arc on Amazing Spider-Man, which concludes this week!

Given his strength with Spidey (and also, in his recent Dr. Strange mini) I’m beginning to wonder if the Martin isn’t actually Steve Ditko in disguise. Each page is a delight to view, and his bold layouts have made him one of the best cover artists working today.

So enough shameless praise. Let’s look at some more of his art!

Artists I Love: Denis Medri

In honor of the upcoming Unofficial Italian National’s today’s artist hails from Italy!

Ben Medri is an extremely talented artist who has just recently started working for Marvel Comics. His rounded figures and wonderful detail instantly caught my eyes. Not since the late Mike Wieringo (also Italian) have I seen an artist so capably balance the realistic and the cartoonish.

There is a great variety in Medri’s style as well, since no two figures are exactly alike. Most recently his work can be seen in the Marvel Comics’ adaptation of Last of the Mohicans (along with Stephen Kurth) as well as a back-up tale in Giant-Sized Avengers Special #1.

As always, more images are available for your viewing pleasure after the jump!

Artists I Love: Kumahachi

Kumahachi!

I found him one afternoon while searching for pictures of the JSA, and was immediately blown away by the energy of his pieces. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Mr. Terrific and Alan Scott draw like they were manga!

Spoiling Myself

I’m a huge fan of Rafael Albuquerque, who is the regular series artist on Blue Beetle. At first I admit that I found his linework too gritty, but over time it (and Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle) grew on me. This week marked the release of the milestone 25th issue of the comic book, and to celebrate the occasion I’m buying myself a present!

I just purchased this piece, which is an unfinished cover for Blue Beetle #12. I love the ominous feel he gives to it, as well as the lighting. It definitely emphasizes the alien appearance of the new Blue Beetle more than we’re used to seeing.

Great stuff! No doubt you’ll be hearing a lot about Albuquerque in the future, and on this blog!

Moore Better

The AV Club has part one of an excellent primer on comics god Alan Moore. Given the success of the V for Vendetta film, and hopefully, Watchmen, it’s definitely worth checking out.

It’s always weird to see the media give Alan Moore so much attention when his movies come out, since that’s the absolute last thing he wants. He is notoriously reclusive (save for an awesome cameo on The Simpsons,) and only steps into the spotlight to bash DC for destroying his works. Fun guy.

Here is a pretty good summary of the various problems Alan Moore has had with DC Comics over the years. One of the biggest concerns is that Moore wants to complete ownership of his creations. Unfortunately, given how popular his work has become over the years that’s never going to happen.

However, he does seem to have a lot of say in the merchandising of his characters. In the past he has ordered that entire lines of Watchmen action figures be cancelled before they reached production, and only a handful of officially licensed products have ever been made with his characters.

Does this mean we’ll ever get an Alan Moore Essential Collection? Probably not. But I’d rather see no Watchmen merchanidse at all than a bunch of hastily thrown together crap.

Music – Hurry Up Already!

Show us an artist who you wish would hurry up and put out a new album.

The Magnetic Fields owe me a new album. I listen to their last one “I” almost every day since I bought it three years ago.

There is no doubt in my mind that their new release won’t live up to my expectations, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t try anyway. I deserve it.

Old Soul Song

Audio: Share a song that reminds you of a current or past relationship.

03 Old Soul Song (For The New World

Bright Eyes

I despise the fact that so much of my musical taste can be attributed to one person. What makes it worse is that person was a psuedo-almost-maybe-kinda ex. While the label was lacking, my feelings for him couldn’t be so easily denied. Before we met I honestly knew nothing about music, and I would have been hard pressed to pick a favorite artist or album.

After seeing a movie on our first date we visited the Virgin Megastore in what would be the first of countless shopping trips together. I would follow him closely behind in awe of the way he methodically walked up and down every single aisle of the store, listening to samples and browsing for something that might catch his eye. His appeal to me wasn’t that he was a moderately attractive musician, but that he was a nerd. If my comic shop were ten times as large and ten times as loud, this is exactly what I would like every Wednesday when I went there to pick up new books. From that moment I knew we had much in common; probably much more than I will ever be able to deal wiith.

From our conversations during these trips I learned strange bits of trivia and history, slowly starting to develop my taste note by note. One memorable week Bright Eyes, who I had never heard of, released two concept albums on the same day (I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.) While this meant nothing to me, to him this was no less than the second coming of Christ. After purchasing the discs we immediately rushed to his car for what I thought would be a romantic encounter. Unfortunately, I was soon disappointed to discover that all he wanted to do in the back seat was listen to music.

So we did just that. We listened, and we listened, and over the course of that night I learned a lot about him, Bright Eyes and myself. To this day I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning remains one of my favorite albums, second only to The Magnetic Fields’ I, which he also introduced me to.

Much like my hatred of Build-A-Bears this music is a legacy I’ll probably carry with me forever. I’m quite happy with my current beau, but not a day goes by where I don’t hear a song, or think of a lyric that takes me back in time.