The Secret Sorcerer - complete

At last, shee eez feeneesh!


I hoped to accomplish all that in one, pleasingly wide panel, but it worked out better as 3 little ones. Oh, well.

And now we are introduced to a new member of the Ptooey canon: Loogie's Aunt Cranny. Due to her diminutive size, I'm going to say she's actually born of the clan of Faerie-folk. And I think we can gather something of her character here -- that despite her clearly non-James Bond-ian looks and demeanor, she's always involved in the world of international intrigue. Do I smell a spin-off?

I'm not sure my solution for an ending really makes sense. Aunt Cranny was apparently willing to murder her own niece, to avoid blowing her cover. But if Aunt Cranny's as nutty as she seems, maybe that's okay. And perhaps it's so important that the black magic cabal be infiltrated, that's it's worth the loss of a loved one. The fate of the world may lie in the balance, after all . . . And apparently, during the 7 years under cover, Aunt Cranny has developed real magical abilities. Or maybe that's her Faerie-folk power she's using . . . It sure is a coincidence that it turned out to be Loogie's aunt! That seems a bit of a stretch.

If we do any more comic jams in the future (starring Ptooey or otherwise), I wonder if they could be more organized (or should they?). I wonder if they could be done more quickly (or should they?) And I wonder if they can utilize more artists (or should they?) Anybody with thoughts on any of that or anything else, please comment below.

Super-special thanks to those other 3 fellows who gave of themselves for this cause. Especially Tim Rocks, who put in twice. And to myself, who contributed thrice. Full Credits for The Secret Sorcerer:

Page 1, panels 1 - 4 . . . Chris Garrison
Page 1, panels 5 - 9 . . . Tim Rocks
Page 2, panels 1 - 3 . . . Chris Fason
Page 2, panels 4 - 6 . . . Chris Garrison
and Page 3, panel 1 . . . Chris Garrison
Page 3, panels 2 - 4 . . . Christopher Davis
Page 3, panels 5 - 8 . . . Tim Rocks
Page 3, panels 9 - 11 . . Chris Garrison

dibs!

I hereby call dibs on the last little area of page left in The Secret Sorcerer . . . mainly because I still can't wait to find out what happens at the end! . . . however, I have NO IDEA what I'll put down there. If anybody has any thoughts on who turns out to be in the turban, please email me suggestions or put them in the comments below. Could it be John McCain? Rhea Perlman? Ptooey's lecherous friend? Some random character? Or a new regular? And whoever it is, WHY did they take over the mind of a Nepalese squirrel? Of course, there may not actually be enough room for the whys and wherefores on the comic page, but it would still be good to know.

I reckon I'll try to work on it this afternoon or over the weekend.

The Secret Sorcerer so far

In the end, I will have done parts 1, 4, and 7 of the jam. Next time we gotta get more people involved! Would anybody want to work on some kind of super-heroish jam?

In other Ptooey and Loogie news, I've decided to go with Mark Martin's suggestion on naming Ptooey's lecherous friend. Hence, I now present . . . Oyster!

New SHC

Introducing Scotty White! . . . of Rainbow City, Alabama. I met him at ARTWALK, and he's already joined up.
His slogan is, "Underachievement in Fine Art," but I tend to disagree. It seems to me like he's achieving some actual achievement.

Ames lettering guide

Just wondering if anyone knows where to get one of these locally. I used to have one but I lost it. Seems like sort of a hassle to deal with ordering plus S&H when they only cost a few dollars if that..

I don't really want to ask an art store to order one specially either.. In my experience that usually turns into a long drawn out complicated affair. Maybe there's some dusty old drafting supplies in some corner of the town that I'm overlooking..

the 24-hour comics challenge

in a little over a month, on october 18th, is 24-hour comics day. i encourage everyone to participate! for those not in the know, a 24-hour comics challenge is where a cartoonist will try to write and draw a complete 24-page comic in the span of 24 consecutive hours. i will be at kingdom comics in vestavia (and i imagine sarah white will be there as well), which is a sponsored site for the event.



http://www.24hourcomicsday.com

http://kingdomcomics.comicnet.net

Delaine at ARTWALK

[Something from Salty 'Ham Cartooneesta Delaine Derry Green, in case anybody didn't get this -- ]

Hi there! This is just a final ARTWALK reminder -- we hope to see you at What's On 2nd this coming weekend. I'll be sitting on the first floor near the stairs with all of my wares Friday the 5th from 5-10pm and Saturday the 6th from noon-6pm. Come and see me anytime... I'll be there. We will also have some great catered food to share from Salsarita's and the Magnolia Cafe. AND... we'll be sneaking out to the Wine Loft at some point, if you want to join us. ARTWALK is a must-do event, so tell your friends too!
xox, DELAINE!


[What’s On 2nd is located at 2306 2nd Ave North, Birmingham]

The Secret Sorcerer, Part 6

Old Comics Coloring and Printing

This thread has some incredible information if you're interested in the topic. All about the old 4-color letterpress printing on pulp paper. After the colorist made a guide, somebody had to cut each of the color layers by hand, in order to make the plates:

http://comicscomicsmag.blogspot.com/2008/08/comics-color-article-from-cc-2_26.html

It resulted in a unique look that defined comics for generations, and with its disappearance there seems to be (as in the case of other commercially obsolescent printing technologies) a growing interest in it among artists. However unlike other old-fashioned printing techniques, which are expensive enough, I doubt that artists will have access to this particular technology unless something unlikely happens, such as a determined person (with money) or a collective revives it and makes it available. Or some university or other institution.

I wouldn't want the tedious job of cutting all those separations, but I do like the look that resulted. As many have said, the limitations themselves created a certain aesthetic within which the artists had to work.

2 for 1

I just added 2 new posts to the SHC page - one for graphic designer and comic book artist Mark Poe of Albertville . . .


. . . and one for his comic book publishing company, Mega Comics Group. They put out a few indie comics back in the 80's, and now they're making a comeback online!

Blast from the recent past

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great Labor Day. I haven't been able to do too much art as of late but one of my laurels just popped up in the mail today. I participated in a 50 State Jam that Mark Martin pointed me to a while back. The info is at The Winterizer's Website
I hope to get freed up soon and get back to having fun drawing.

Kirk

Update to Post:

Here is my Alabama Submission. The deal was, J.B. Winter sends you a postcard with just the mouse IZZY and and a starting text specific to your state. You fit in however you can to imply that his character IZZY is sending a postcard back from the state he is in. I can't recall how much time it took to think up what to draw but actual drawing time was about a half hour. My only regret is that I wish I had took time to put more black in.

I received my completed booklet in the mail yesterday and was very suprised how 50 different artists with only one unifying factor and very few rules to follow made a book that looked as if one person could have done the whole thing.