A Christmas Carol warm up: Marley's Ghost

 "Tiny Tim" Hamilton chose today's warm-up topic as "A Christmas Carol". Here's my entry:

Speaking of Tim, it initially surprised me that, given his artistic proclivities, he did not choose to draw ol' Jacob Marley here himself. Seemed right up Tim's alley, subject-wise. About 30 seconds into drawing all those chains I realized why Hambone passed.

So Tim Hamilton thinks he's going to get me to draw the "Incomparable Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band", huh?

Tim "I'm messed up on Ook sauce 24/7" Hamilton chose today's warm up topic, and if he thinks I'm going to draw a freaking marching band as a warm up, that gent is sorely, sorely mistaken.

I say thee nay, Hamilton!

warm up-- Happy Birthday, Joe!

Today is the birthday of Hypothetical Islander and former contributor to Drawbridge,  Joe "The Towering" Infurnari, so to celebrate I drew this picture of him with one of the characters from his upcoming First Second Graphic Novel, Mush! Sled Dogs with Issues, which will be in stores this time next year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!

warm up- Strange Tales

Today issue #3 of Marvels "indie" anthology Strange Tales hits comic stands, this time featuring stories by frequent Drawbridger Tim Hamilton and some guy who I sit next to at the studio, Dean Haspiel. Tim's story features Machine Man and Morbius the Living Vampire, showcasing his love for both artificial life and the undead ; Dean's features Woodgod and the Thing, in a testament to his ongoing passion for both brawny shirtless guys and ungulates. I drew all 4 characters going at at it, Brooklyn style. Check it out now, at comic shops everywhere.

Warm up: 3D Bee

One of the mainstays of Studio Hypothetical Island has been cartoonist Jason Little, whose new book "Motel Art Improvement Service" hits comic shops and bookstores starting tomorrow or thereabouts.

In order to celebrate this occasion, I drew Jason's main character, Bee, in 3D, reflecting an ongoing obsession of Mr. Little's. She's donning a surgical glove in a reference to a scene in the book-- let me just say it relates to the comeuppance for the book's main villain, a comeuppance that dwarfs all comeuppances that have ever befallen all the villains in all the books that have ever been written before. It's that good.

In the meantime, please check out Motel Art Improvement Service.

warm up: in High School

Ah, high school... The above is an approximation of my standard high school uniform: black Beatle boots, Black jeans (worn to the point of grey), black turtleneck (t-shirt in the summer), and topped off by a ridiculous bouffant of long curly brown hair... ah, high school me, I'd punch you.

warm up: John Lennon

Today is the 30th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon.  We didn't want to be morose, so the topic at  Drawbridge was the Beatles in general, but I still wanted to celebrate John Lennon the man.

Spent a little bit more time drawing this than I should have, but I had the idea and said, hell, better go with it.

Warm up - Guerilla Warrior

Over at the DB Tim Hamilton chose the topic today, so expect madness. Somehow he got the topic "How to break into comics rule #9 Draw Gorilla warriors" from this article by Tucker Stone and Michel Fiffe. Don't look for reason-- just enjoy the pretty monkeys.

No idea why this scan is so blurry in the middle, and I'm too tired to rescan it so here we go. Also didn't feel like drawing a  gun, so I gave him a banana. Seemed fitting.

Warm-up: Civilization, and Civilization's End

Sitting in a coffee shop just now with my girlfriend. I remark "Today's topic for Drawbridge is Civilization. What do I draw for that?"

She: "When I think civilization, I think its collapse", thoughtfully sips her coffee, "What about drawing a Roman vomitorium?"

Well, as it turns out the idea of a vomitorium being a room in an ancient Roman house dedicated to allowing revelers to puke and then continue binging is not true. Actual vomitoriums were passageways in ancient Roman amphitheaters and such, and were not used for people to puke in, but rather to abruptly fill and empty said spaces, hence, presumably, the term vomit. Still , however I arrived at it, it's hard to think of an image that better embodies the rise and fall of civilizations than the Colosseum of Rome, so here ya go.

warm up: what the heck are jeggings?

Today's Drawbridge topic, chosen by Mr. Tim Hamilton, is "Jeggings" and as so often happens when Tim chooses a topic, I scratch my head and go to the internets to see what the heck he's talking about.

According to Wikipedia, Steven Ameling, fashion critic, stated that while jeggings are acceptable careerwear, the blending of the word 'jeans' with the word 'leggings' is, "...an abomination."

Me, I see these "jeggings" as the inevitable and unsightly conclusion of the current skinny jeans trend. Anyone who has ever ferried between Williamsburg and Manhattan knows that the L Train serves as a rolling runway for the fashionably hip, so, hence my drawing.

Warm up: Alpha Flight

Studiomate and fellow Drawbridger Reilly Brown had a hand last week (alongside writer Jim McCann) in resurrecting the cult-favorite Canadian Marvel superteam Alpha Flight last week, so today we're all honoring this feat by drawing, you guessed it, Alpha Flight. Each member of Alpha Flight has died, oh, about 7 million times before, but I have a feeling this time their return will stick.

I drew Puck, one of the only members of Alpha Flight not to return from the dead in Reilly's one-shot. Ah, Puck... As a Canadian superteam, almost all of the members of Alpha Flight embodied some stereotypical concept of Canada. It was lead by Guardian, a guy in a Maple leaf suit, there was an Eskimo goddess, a Native American Medicine man, a Sasquatch, and so on. And then there was Puck. A dwarf who dressed up as a hockey puck. Because Canadians love hockey.

Oh, Puck. I have a theory that Alpha Flight creator John Byrne had wanted to use Canadian superhero Wolverine in his Alpha Flight book and was denied by Marvels' editors, so he went and created a character who was even shorter, hairier, uglier and Canadianer than Wolverine to take his place. Slap a big "P" on his torso and it's done!

Do yourself a favor and check out Reilly's Alpha Flight one-shot. It's very good, and for better or worse, is 100% Puck free.