Profile: Jim8ball

Jim8Ball is such a prolific author we couldn’t decide which of his work we liked best. Don’t miss the slideshow after the  questionaire- it has a story preview for his "Samurai Cat" series and covers to many of his other books.

 

digitalapplejuice | Profile: Jim8ball

::: Artist(s) Name:::
Jim8ball

::: Title of Work(s):::
Samurai Cat

::: Publisher::: (self-published?)
I self publish as Eight Ball Graphics

::: Website:::
http://www.jim8ball.blogspot.com/

::: Q ::: Tell us about yourself.

Jim8ball aka Jim Coon was raised in the dark mines of evil dwarves living in Poland. He was fed only oatmeal and licorice. On Thursdays he was given the task of entertaining the dwarves by reenacting scenes from Fred Astaire movies. Do you know how hard it is to dance like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers at the same time? At the age of 15 he was able to escape the mines and book passage on a small freighter headed for "parts unknown". Those parts turned out to be an island full of dinosaurs and a large gorilla. After a short stint on the island (the natives loved the Fred Astaire routine ) Jim found himself on the docks of the greatest city in the world! New York City. It was in New York that Jim discovered he really didn’t like people so he moved to Cortland NY where he now resides. Okay, that’s not how things really happened, but it’s way more interesting than the truth. Read more

Profile: Jason Franks

digitalapplejuice | Profile: Jason FranksMadbadcat’s Note: The evolution of Jason Franks’ comic books, from ideas to print, is chronicled in this interview and accompanying images. His manifest passion for, and knowledge of, his medium permeates this article as well as his work. KAGEMONO #2 - the 2nd of his horror anthologies- will launch at Armageddon in Melbourne, November 1st and 2nd 2008.

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Stephen Colbert Guest Stars In Amazing Spider-Man No. 573

Stephen Colbert Is The Andy Kaufman of This Generation.

digitalapplejuice | Stephen Colbert Guest Stars In Amazing Spider-Man No. 573Bravery, thy name is Stephen. His performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was the comedic equivalent of the Battle of Hamburger Hill. Marvel Comics rewarded  postmodern comedian Stephen Colbert by presenting him Captain America’s shield.

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Profile: Jaye Frisina

October 8, 2008 by madBADcat  
Filed under Panels & Gutters & Zip Ribbons, Profiles, Top

 Madbadcat’s Note: The first time I saw Jaye Frisina’s work, I laughed out loud. How is it possible for that whimsical ninja to be endearing and threatening at the same time? The answer to that question is probably the essence of Ms. Frisina’s talent.

digitalapplejuice | Profile: Jaye Frisina::: Artist(s) Name:::
Jaye Frisina

::: Title of Work(s:::
FIN cartoons, and Thirteenth Story zines

::: Publisher:::
Self-published

::: Website:::
ThirteenthStory.com

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Profile: Todd Gnacinski

Madbadcat’s Note: The retro style and story of Todd Gnacinski’s book grabbed me from the first moment I saw the cover on Etsy and it turns out we share a love of all things Dave McKean.

 

digitalapplejuice | Profile: Todd Gnacinski::: Artist(s) Name:::
Todd Gnacinski

::: Title of Work(s):::
Satellite State

::: Publisher:::
Self Published

::: Website:::
www.satellite-state.info
www.myspace.com/satellite_state

::: Q ::: Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Milwaukee WI. I began drawing when I was around 12. I majored in illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design graduating in 1995. I began working as a freelance illustrator just after graduation. In 2004 I began writing my first pages of a yet untitled story, which after revising and tweeking became Satellite State. Read more

The Tao of Workflow

Like most webcomics on their first year, The Tao of I.T. Al has changed over the months, as the workflow has been changed and refined.

Originally I had followed the current "traditional" comics art route with pencils and inked work done with actual graphite, ink and paper.  These were then scanned, cleaned up, and then painted digitally.  Now I work entirely digitally using Corel’s Painter for pencils and Adobe Illustrator for inking and coloring. Some backgrounds are hand drawn, but I primarily rely on a growing library of scratch-made resources made in Illustrator. Workflow is important to me because it the more it speeds up the processes, the more time I can spend drawing!

October’s batch of Al is done, and he’s back in action. Much of the recent material has been concentrating on the supporting characters, but Al has reasserted himself recently. It’s good to draw him in full martial arts mode. And it comes out so easily.  It’s rather odd that one of my major skills is to draw a large armadillo in a hakama! The hakama, sometimes known as "samurai pants", is a very elegant traditional garment worn by aikido, kendo, kenjitsu, iado, and Japanese archery practitioners.  Back when I was practicing aikido, I thought it made my technique look ten times better than it did. Read more

Apple Bans Digital Comic

digitalapplejuice | Apple Bans Digital ComicIs it a case of "think different- think just like us"?

Murderdrome, first digital comic made especially for iPhone/iPod, has been banned from the iTunes App Store as inappropriate.

Infurious Comics, the publishers of Murderdrome, are making a plea to Apple for the same age categories to their books/comic sections as in their games and music sections. "We have extensive support from the industry in this and would welcome a change in the current store in order to make sure that content is categorised appropriately, " says an Infurious spokesman.

Visit Infurious’ Website to add your comment about this ban. All comments will be forwarded to Apple in protest. Read more

Aikido Al’s Comic Con Slideshow

San Diego Comic-Con 2008: Mostly highlights of the vast Exhibitor’s Hall, with some additional shots of around the convention area. Read more

San Diego Comic-Con 2008

Part 1: Yikes! (an overview)

digitalapplejuice | San Diego Comic-Con 2008

"Geek is good" said Marc Bernardin, Entertainment Weekly and EW.com Senior Editor on Friday’s Entertainment Weekly’s Filmmakers panel. 

That’s the second impression you get after the initial shock of the sheer size of the convention.  It is about 200,000 of your closest friends.  This year was the first Comic-Con that sold out entirely through pre-registration.

  The central core of Comic-Con is "comics."  In reality it’s a multimedia cross-section of pop-culture.  Picture if you will the football field-sized Exhibitor’s Hall.  Major movie studios such as Sony, Paramount, and Warner Brothers rub shoulders comfortably alongside the big two of the comics industry: DC and Marvel.  Video game companies such as NCSoft, Square Enix, and Sony Computer Entertainment also showcase their latest work, as well as television networks such as Fox, BBC America, and the Independant Film Channel giving previews of their latest shows.  Add to that a myriad of independant artists and comics companies, comics vendors, art suppliers, tabletop gaming companies, toy companies, and organized fan groups. Read more

Highlights of GigOfHam.com’s Comic Con 2008 Gallery

digitalapplejuice | Highlights of GigOfHam.coms Comic Con 2008 GalleryPhotos by Carl Perry/ GigofHam.com Read more