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Here’s a bit of a backdoor view of how a 3D/Poser comic is created. You can right-click to view the image at full-size! I’ve noted some critics think we use blank figures and “paint” them, somehow Photoshopping the entire process and creating details, light, color, depth and so forth. Not exactly, except for what’s known as “post-work”, where for example I might add some lighting or filter effects, a glow filter or whatnot.
Poser artists actually work on a stage, so to speak. We have access to free props, body mats, costumes, creatures, backgrounds and other extras that have to be loaded onto the stage and maneuvered around to create an environment. Then the best artists create light sets and make best use of the cameras to set up their scene. In this screen snippet you can see the outline over Tara’s face of another camera, which was used to closeup on the positioning of her hands and eyes for this scene. In the Scene tab, a list of all the objects in the scene (whether in our line of vision or not) is readily available. The character “Reggie” is selected here. The Parameters tab on the right show the character’s precise position, rotation, on X-Y-Z coordinates: X= left, right; Y=up, down; Z= back, forward.
The lighting in this scene seems a little dark, but I’ve already adjusted my lights for exactly how they need to be. Hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes piece. You’ll see the final rendered scene very soon!
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Is Dion Shola RIGHT about Tara? Does our heroine’s sweet face hold a sinister secret??? Find out the answers to these questions and many more! Get the full fantastic first issue of A Deviant Mind FOR ONLY 99 CENTS at Wowio.com! GET IT NOW!!! http://www.wowio.com/swordandlabrys
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Tara is taken into Imperial custody. A hunt begins to find out who she was and what is going on. Imperial Agents become involved who claim to have some idea of what is afoot. Their dogged determination to hold Tara in custody indefinitely, keep “Classified” information under wraps, and withhold the results of their investigation pushes Tara to find out on her own. When Tara takes it on herself to discover the truth, what she finds soon has her on the run again. This begins a whole new journey for her as the more she learns, the worse it gets. Tara begins to realize she may not be one of the good guys after all. ©2010 Pam Harrison
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Doc explains the clone thing to Tara. In Panel 2 she looks a lot nervous because she doesn’t want Dr. Rausch telling what she pulled at the end of A Deviant Mind #1….what? You didn’t read that part! Check it out at Wowio.com now…it’s only 99 cents. :/
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Now that she’s made her point, Dr. Rausch joins Tara in her quarters to hash over what’s happened and the two of them feel each other out.
The very-ethical Dr. Rausch is upset by Tara’s seeming blissful ignorance of the consequences of her actions. At the same time Tara insists on feeling her out, too…and comes up with more information than Adrian wanted her to.
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“That is exactly why I can’t TRUST you.” Tara is disappointed to get the last word on her feelings for Adrian. It’s a good thing Tara forgot herself and is back on her feet again, because in the coming pages, she’s going to need it…..
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Tags: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Independent Comics, Collectibles
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I’ve got a lot to talk about today, stuff near and dear to me: new books! As I mentioned in a previous article, I am going to be doing a lot of charity outreach in the coming year, and sales from A Deviant Mind will be going to fund those projects.
ggggggg
Deviant Stuff
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QuackCast Feature!
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Deuteronomy 15:11: “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”
Today begins the first of a series of outreaches that I have planned for 2012. For the past three years I have been an active contributor to the Comic Creators Alliance, a group of comic creators who do an annual fundraiser for Gracehaven and Love 146, two shelter and rehab organizations for survivors of human trafficking. One would think that slavery is a thing of the past, but the fact remains that it is alive and well both in America and around the world. What is my stake in this? I don’t know what it is like to be a victim of human trafficking. But I am a survivor of domestic violence and so I have a bit of insight of how it feels to be trapped in a terrible situation with no hope of escape. Let me tell you more about these programs and what they are up against:
Comic Creators Alliance is now Comic Creators for Freedom (CCF)!
Together we have raised $15,000 in the fight
to end human trafficking!
“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts- such is the duty of the artist.” -Robert Schumann
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead
The People:
We’re a group of Comic Book Creators, who have come together, volunteering our artistic talents to raise money for the purpose of ending human trafficking in the world today.
The Problem:
There are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year.
The Project:
Webcomic Creators from all over the world are working together on a single drawing which will be available as a downloadable wallpaper for readers who donate to our fund raising drive! January 9th – 20th!
Want to participate? Find out what you need to do to get involved here!
100% of the donations will be split between Love 146 and Gracehaven!
Love 146
Children are being trafficked and raped daily and slavery is one of the darkest stories on our planet. This physical, mental and emotional trauma can leave children broken and scarred for life. Interventions for these children are critical to their survival and restoration. For us, the hope of abolition is a reality today. Love146 works toward the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through Prevention and Aftercare programs. Love 146 was named an “Agent of Change” by GQ Magazine and recently earned the MySpace Impact Award for social justice. Love146 continues to be recognized as a leader in the fight to end modern day slavery.
Gracehaven
Gracehaven is a faith-based non-profit organization started in 2008 for the expressed purpose of providing shelter, security, and rehabilitation to girls under the age of 18 who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation in central Ohio. Gracehaven is a long-term rehabilitation facility allowing girls to stay as needed until they reach the age of 18. We will then help them transition to the next step in their life. While at Gracehaven, the girls will be able to earn their GED, as well as receive counseling and treatment for the horrible trauma and exploitation they have been forced to endure. Gracehaven is in the process of purchasing a house situated on 10 acres in an undisclosed location in NW Ohio. Once renovated, the house will be large enough to hold up to 10 girls at a time.
Today I contacted Lora Innes, the founder of this amazing project, and informed her I would be contributing a percentage of my comic sales to our cause. This promotion isn’t about my own gain. It’s not about me. Whether you like my stories or not–even if you buy my comic and throw it away–know that proceeds from it are going to a cause that I truly care about.
Sometimes it seems like the bad guys never go away. But if we all just reach out and try, each in our own way to take care of each other, we can change things. One person at a time.
–Pam Harrison, Creator of House of the Muses and A Deviant Mind. December 9, 2011
If you can’t afford to buy a comic but would like to buy it on PDF from Wowio for 99 cents, I’ll donate proceeds from that, too! Just click here:
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Tags: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Independent Comics, Collectibles
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When I last left you all, we were left pondering over the cautionary tale of never signing over one’s serialization rights.
I’ve already come across a couple comments across the web: One complained that this movie was a rip-off of James Cameron’s Avatar, and another claimed that this new movie adaptation would probably not be as good as the books themselves. To the defender of the film Avatar, which came almost a century after A Princess of Mars, I say SHUT. UP. AND. READ. MORE. BOOKS. Doofus.
From the point of view of one who has obviously overread these books to the point of idiocy, I would have to observe that the differences between the books and the movies will be minor. Yes, it’s been reworked to appeal to 21st century audiences, and the heart-pounding, magnificent re-score of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir on the movie trailer just set me on fire. It almost seems to have been written for this very story. Add to that a new song by Peter Gabriel (“My Body is a Cage”) and you have a remake that I predict Generation X is going to love.
The Plot
John Carter, a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War, goes prospecting in Arizona immediately after the war’s end. Having struck a rich vein of gold, he runs afoul of the Apaches and his partner Powell is killed. While attempting to evade pursuit by hiding in a sacred cave, he is mysteriously transported to Mars, called “Barsoom” by its inhabitants. Carter finds that he has great strength and superhuman agility in this new environment as a result of its lesser gravity. He soon falls in with the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of Green Martians, as the planet’s warlike, six-limbed, green-skinned inhabitants are known. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities, Carter rises to a high position in the tribe and earns the respect and eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs.
The Tharks subsequently capture Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, a member of the humanoid red Martian race. The red Martians inhabit a loose network of city-states and control the desert planet’s canals, along which its agriculture is concentrated. Carter has to stage a daring rescue of Dejah Thoris from the green men in a bid to return her to her people.
I’m not going to reveal the rest of the plot, because if you haven’t read the books, why should I ruin the movie for you? And even if you know the story as well as I do, I very much look forward to being transported back to Mars. It’s been a long time, and I have missed it.
On to the characters, who all have that special something, some undefinable enduring quality, that has made them beloved favorites now for a century and more.
The Characters (These photos are review and promotional releases from Disney Studios and as such are property and copyright of Disney.)
John Carter: An Earthman from Virginia with a mysterious background, Captain John Carter fought in the American Civil War on the Confederate side. At the war’s end, dispirited and unable to settle into civilian life as a fighting man, he goes prospecting for gold in Arizona. After various adventures, including an attack by Apaches, he is miraculously transported to Mars. During his nine years on that planet he effectively disappears from Earth and is believed dead, but he re-emerges in New York in 1876, settling in a house overlooking the Hudson River. He apparently dies again in 1886, leaving instructions for a fictionalized Burroughs, who refers to Carter as his Uncle Jack, to entomb him in a crypt. He also leaves Burroughs with the manuscript of A Princess of Mars, with instructions not to publish it for another 21 years. John Carter states that he has no memory before the age of 30 and has always appeared the same, without aging. He is adept at strategy, horsemanship, and all weapons, including firearms and swords. He is 6’2″ tall and clean-shaven, with close-cropped black hair and steel gray eyes. He is honorable, courageous, and eternally optimistic, even in the face of certain death. From the Green Martians he received the name “Dotar Sojat,” after the first two green warriors whom he slew after his advent on Barsoom. He sometimes uses this name as an alias in later books of the Martian series.
Dejah Thoris: A red Martian princess of Helium, she is courageous, resolute, and frequently in mortal danger or under threat of dishonor by the lustful designs of a succession of villains (From the looks of the previews it appears the 21st century version of Dejah Thoris is a more liberated princess who has fighting skills to rival John Carter’s). She is the daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed (chieftain) of Lesser Helium, and the granddaughter of Tardos Mors, Jeddak (overlord or high king) of Helium. As such she is highly aristocratic and fiercely proud of her heritage. Introduced early in the novel, she immediately becomes the love interest of John Carter. As a central character in the first three Barsoom novels, her frequent capture by various enemies, and subsequent pursuit by John Carter, is a constant motivating element in their plots.
Another interesting change to note is the tattoos. On this Barsoom, the Red Martians are denoted by the red tattoo patterns they have, and not the color of their skin as in the original books. This was a Hollywood makeup decision, no doubt, since the film was made in the Utah desert. I expect fans to collect Martian tattoos as the story gains popularity. Not like kids these days aren’t getting tattoos anyway. 
Tars Tarkas: A fierce Green Martian warrior from the tribe of Thark, he is unusual among his race for his ability to experience tender emotions such as friendship and love. Tars Tarkas is voiced by Willem Dafoe.
His emotional development stems from a forbidden love affair in his youth, when he secretly began a partnership with a Green Martian woman named Gozava. He befriends John Carter and later fights at his side. Carter helps him become Jeddak of Thark and negotiates an alliance between the Green Martians and the city-state of Helium, which results in the destruction of Helium’s enemy, Zodanga. Tars Tarkas more than once displays an ironic sense of humor; he mocks John Carter’s perception of himself as “a cruel green warrior” while fighting beside him, and in The Gods of Mars he comments on the disappointment of Barsoomian hopes for the afterlife.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these past two articles. When the adaptation of this enduring classic hits the big screen in March 2012, I’ll be there with my popcorn. And I bet you’ve learned two big lessons from these articles! Never sign over your serialization rights, kiddies. Keep working, keep dreaming, keep writing, and you might be the next Edgar Rice Burroughs. And keep reading. In this 21st Century digital age, don’t neglect classic fiction. Just because it’s 100 years old doesn’t mean it’s not any good.
Resources: Disney Studios, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Princess_of_Mars
Also see http://www.examiner.com/comic-books-in-louisville/who-is-john-carter-of-mars-part-two
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I have not been this excited to see a movie in a LONG time. Did you know 2011 is the 100th Anniversary of the debut of Edgar Rice Burrough’s creation? And yes that is Led Zeppelin rescored for the movie. I always had Led Zep playing in the background when I read these books. Looks like I wasn’t the only one!!!!
Let me digress for a moment. Sure, I specialize in comics and it seems odd that I’d be raving about a movie, but actually I’m back in my element because these stories have been immortalized in comics for a very long time. I’m talking about the upcoming movie John Carter, a thrilling Disney Studios adaptation of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan and countless other stories.
I’ve talked about this movie with friends, and the younger ones just sort of nod and stare. I’ve had responses like, “Who is John Carter?” and “I’ve heard of the books, but I’ve never read them.” For the rest of us who did read them, they were a huge part of our teen years, these gripping classic Pulp fiction tales of romance and adventure on another world. So who is John Carter of Mars? Stick with me, kids, and I’ll tell you all you need to know by the time the film debuts on March 9, 2012!
Burroughs began work on A Princess of Mars in the summer of 1911 when he was 35. He wrote most of the first half of the novel while working for his brother in a stationery company, penning the words on scratch pads produced by the business. He had been struggling for some time to establish himself as a businessman, so far with little success, and with a wife and two children to support, turned to writing in desperate need of income. Despite failure in his business affairs he had accumulated a wealth of unusual experiences from working a variety of jobs which had brought him into contact with miners, soldiers, cowboys, and American Indians.
By August 11 of 1911 he had completed a large section of the novel. Here was Burroughs’ dilemma: this fanciful work of fiction was so out of place in the serious business environment he was struggling in day after day. He was apprehensive about revealing what he was working on, and told only his wife about the stories. He still hoped to be a writer one day and was afraid that business associates and contacts might think him nuts if they found out what he was doing. At this point he had already decided to adopt the pen name of “Normal Bean”, an attempt to suggest that despite the incredible nature of his story, he was still a sane, reliable character. He struggled to find an appropriate title for the novel: My First Adventure of Mars, The Green Martians, and Dejah Thoris, Martian Princess were all early attempts to solve this problem.
Yes, it’s true. Edgar Rice Burroughs feared his story would never even get off the ground.
Before completing the novel, he considered options for publishing, and realized he knew almost nothing about the publishing world. Because he liked and was familiar with All-Story Magazine, he submitted 43,000 words to the editor under the title “Dejah Thoris, Martian Princess.” His cover letter explained that he thought he could produce another two parts of similar length. The Managing Editor of the magazine, Thomas Newell Metcalf, wrote back on August 24, 1911, to offer some criticisms of the pacing and focus of the tale, and suggested omitting the chapter “Sola Tells Me Her Story” (it was restored in the novel); he suggested that if Burroughs could finish the novel at under 70,000 words, he (Metcalf) would consider publishing it. After further work on the novel, and further correspondence with Metcalf, which included suggestions for plot devices and structural changes, Burroughs submitted the finished novel. On November 4, 1911, Burroughs received the acceptance letter from Metcalf, offering $400 for the serialization rights (a staggering sum for those days), with the request to change the title and further edit the opening section of the novel.
When Burroughs received his acceptance letter from Thomas Metcalf of All-Story Magazine, Metcalf said that the serial would be published under the title In the Moons of Mars. However, when the first part of the serialization appeared in the February 1912 edition of All-Story, it bore the title Under the Moons of Mars. For serial publication, Burroughs used the pen name “Normal Bean,” chosen as a type of pun to stress that he was in his right mind, as he feared ridicule for writing such a fantastic story. The effect was spoiled when a typesetter interpreted “Normal” as a typographical error and changed it to “Norman.”
By 1914, Burroughs had become very popular with the reading public, and A.C. McClurg & Company decided to print a number of his formerly serialized tales as novels. McClurg began with three Tarzan novels, and then published A Princess of Mars on October 10, 1917. Although Metcalf thought that the chapter “Sola Tells Me Her Story” slowed the story’s pace, and thus omitted it from the magazine serialization, this chapter was restored for the novel version. The novel was illustrated by Frank E. Schoonover, who carefully read the descriptive passages on the costumes and weapons of Barsoom and developed an overall concept for the artwork, even ensuring that John’s Carter’s pistol and belt in his cover illustration reflected their origins in Green Martian craftsmanship.
A Princess of Mars was one of the few works for which Burroughs, in his inexperience as a new writer, relinquished all serialization rights. Others included the sequel The Gods of Mars and Tarzan of the Apes.
Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Princess_of_Mars
Coming up next: Who is John Carter? Part Two
Also published at http://www.examiner.com/comic-books-in-louisville/who-is-john-carter-of-mars-1
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Dark Mischief Vol 1
[227_71307] $30.00
Edited by Jenni Gregory
Cover by Mitch Byrd
Standard Sized Paperback
Full Color
Page Count: 200
POD
Dark Mischief Vol 1 is a full color collection of the spooky and supernatural, featuring stories and art by some of the best creators in independent comics!
Excerpt from 'Uncertainty' by Pam Harrison
Stories include “Green Light” by Mitch Byrd, “Black Rooster” by Thomas Hall and AP. Furtado, “Welcome to My Nightmare” by Dirk Manning”, “Zombie Bunny” by Dani Jones, “Pickman’s Model” an H.P. Lovecraft story adapted by Kim Holm, “I Dare You” by Sara Turner, 
“Womblees” and “Dark Mischief” by Jenni Gregory, “Two White Horses” by Samuel Kirkman, “Dead Charlie and Zombie Bob” by Kenny Durkin, “Mutie” by AP. Furtado, “Ghost Zero and the Radio Wraith” by Dave Flora, “Dos Paginas” by Kim Holm, “War” by Mark Rudolph, “Uncertainty” by Pam Harrison, “PSA” by Roy Duncan, “Keep Moving” by Thomas Florimonte, Jr., “Maledicta et Cimeteria” by Wayne Spencer, and “Flashlight” by Barry Gregory.
Dark Mischief TM and © the respective creators. All rights reserved.
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Sep27
Hey, folks!!! I’ve been invited to participate in Jenni Gregory’s Dark Mischief Anthology. I know you’re all waiting with bated breath for my latest issues of A Deviant Mind and House of the Muses to get out, and so am I. This is a project I am really excited about. You’re going to see a slightly different look for my submission, but I’ve always been a fan of ghost stories and I welcome the chance to stretch my legs a bit. My submission will be called Uncertainty, and I hope the quality of my writing is equal to what I’ve done to date.
With working a lot of long hours at my evening job and a sudden nudge that I also have responsibilities as a judge for this year’s Prism Comics Queer Press Grant, I have two deadlines this week and I’m scrambling to do this right! But enough about me. I’ll let Jenni give you the intro to her project:
About this project
Hi, I’m Jenni Gregory and my project is Dark Mischief Volume One. I’m the editor and a contributor as well. This is a dream project for me, something I’ve wanted to do for years now. You see, I love comics and I love Halloween and I’ve always thought that every year around Halloween someone should publish a big collection of great spooky comics stories. You know, fun stuff … monsters and zombies, ghosts and vampires. Not necessarily light-hearted (though that’s OK, too) but stories that are more … whimsical, more mischievous. At some point I realized that the someone who should publish this collection was actually me. This summer I got up the nerve to finally float the idea to a few fellow comics creators and to my great surprise not only did I get positive reactions — I got enthusiastic reactions!
So this Halloween will see the release of Dark Mischief Volume One featuring stories by Mitch Byrd (Starman, Predator, Starship Troopers), AP. Furtado (Heavy Metal), Dirk Manning (Nightmare World), Thomas Hall (Robot 13), Dani Jones (My Sister the Freak), Dave Flora (Ghost Zero), Sara Turner (Ghosts of Pineville), Kim Holm, Mark Rudolph, Cayetano Garza, Sam Kirkman, Pam Harrison, Wayne Spencer, Kenny Durkin, Thomas Florimonte Jr, and more.
The collection will be edited by me — Jenni Gregory — with an assist by Barry Gregory, design by AP. Furtado, and a cover by Mitch Byrd.
The collection will be printed in full color at standard comics size — 6.625 x 10.25 — in both a softcover perfect-bound edition and a limited hardcover edition. A digital download edition will also be available.
We’re fortunate in that we don’t need to generate funds for printing. One of the benefits of owning a printing press is that printing costs aren’t really an obstacle for you.
So what’s the purpose of this campaign? Simple … I’m hoping to raise some funds to pay advances to the artists and writers who have contributed to this project. That’s it. 100% of all proceeds from this campaign (after paying for the rewards themselves) go directly to the creators who contributed stories as advances on their royalties.
We’re offering some great rewards — including a limited edition of the book available ONLY as a Kickstarter reward! Take a look at our Kickstarter page and see for yourself!
So thanks for your attention and I hope you’ll consider pledging!
Thanks, Jenni! Go check out this project, and if you’d like to give us a donation, the link is here.
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The news reports are heartbreaking. And it’s still a dire situation, though there are glimmers of hope on the horizon. President Obama called for us to respond just yesterday:
Obama: East Africa famine needs world to respond
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press – 1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Friday that the developing famine in eastern Africa hasn’t gotten enough attention from the U.S. and needs an international response in which Africa must be a partner.
He spoke after a White House meeting with the presidents of Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Niger.
“We discussed how we can partner together to avert the looming humanitarian crisis in eastern Africa,” Obama said. “I think it hasn’t gotten as much attention here in the United States as it deserves.”
“But we’re starting to see famine developing in, along the Horn of Africa, in areas like Somalia in particular. And that’s going to require an international response. And Africa will have to be a partner in making sure that tens of thousands of people do not starve to death.” [More...]
I want to do my part. Won’t you help? I am not rich, but I can’t say it has been 6 days since I had my last meal. Because of this, I am donating a portion of my sales of House of the Muses and A Deviant Mind to the official organizations that are positioned to help in this crisis, Care.org and SavetheChildren.org. Those of us who are in a position to help, should. If a dollar a day feeds a child, think of the good you can do.
Our future on this planet is intertwined. When we help just one, we help all. If you want to buy my comics for this cause, CLICK HERE to buy House of the Muses or here to order A Deviant Mind. If you prefer to give directly to these organizations, please click on the appropriate images for Care.org and SavetheChildren.org above, and above all…give generously. For more information or to GIVE NOW, Click Here.
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