Entry 114: My Favorite Things- Part 3: AKIRA

After my last post, I thought it was time I did a "favorite things" post about the AKIRA manga series.

This is my third "favorite things" post, but the other 2 posts were really just warm-ups for this post, because my favorite thing, truly my very favorite comic ever-- there are a couple contenders but I'm pretty sure this one is the winner-- is Akira.

Entry 113: Tsunami Relief

The subject of this week's Periscope Studio sketch challenge is Japan. The idea is to have a week of pieces that we can auction off and have the proceeds donated to tsunami relief.

Edit-- This piece is now sold.Check out other pieces up for auction from other Periscope studio members here. All of the pieces are for tsunami relief. (I might bid on Aaron McConnell's piece myself.)
And a big thanks to everyone who bid.

I had pretty much told myself that I wouldn't be participating in many more Periscope sketch challenges for a while because I need to be focused on work. But when the idea of doing a Japan week was suggested I was immediately on board. There are probably a lot of artists who feel this way, but for me this is a chance to give a little back to a country that has given me so much. Many of my greatest artistic inspirations are Japanese. Which brings me to the piece itself.

I considered doing a piece directly related to the tsunami and everything that's happened there but it seemed so depressing. I turned to the idea of Japanese pride. I thought about all of the amazing and super cool things Japanese culture has brought to the world. I actually felt as though Japan itself was going to look at what I did and judge whether or not it was in the right spirit... I'm not sure what that means, but it made me think of the end of Akira (the manga).

---Spoiler Alert---

At the end of Akira, after Tetsuo has been killed and the UN can finally reach the shores of the devastated Neo Tokyo with supplies and medical aid, Kaneda is there. He's clearly assumed a leadership role-- after all, he was always a leader-- and he tells the UN essentially to beat it. We don't need your help. Just then Kei rides up on Kaneda's bike. Kaneda hops on, they ride off into the city, and you get to see these two strong characters finally joined together. Maybe things are going to be okay. What can stop these two? The ghosts of Kaneda's friends, Yamagata and Tetsuo, appear riding along side them. They zoom out ahead and vanish and we see the city start to rebuild itself. The last shot is of Kaneda and Kei riding into a perfectly reformed Neo Tokyo as the last bits of debris fly back into place. It's a beautiful and hopeful ending.

Akira is my very favorite comic series ever. The only thing that challenges it's #1 spot for me is Tezuka's Phoenix, also a Japanese book.

Click over to the Periscope Studio Tumblr to see the other pieces that will be available.

Thanks,
Dustin

p.s. click the "japan love" tag for past Japanese related posts.

Entry 106: Periscope Weekly Sketches

Hello, friend.

The past few days I've had the chance to get caught up with my pieces for the weekly Periscope studio sketch blog. The first week was where everyone did a Spider Girl sketch. I posted my Spider Girl in the last entry of this very live blog.

Week two the subject was the Thunderbolts. Here's my contribution for that.

This is the first time I've done anything with half tones. I wanted to make it look just like zipatone. It doesn't. But it's close.

Week three's subject was Miyazaki.

My favorite Miyazaki work is his Nausicaa manga series. I like it because, well because it's phenomenal. But everything he's done is phenomenal. What makes Nausicaa my favorite is simple. It's a comic, and as a comic maker there is so much I can learn from it; and it's a much bigger story than anything he could tell in a movie. There's just a lot there to like. But my first Miyazaki love was Kiki's Delivery Service. Kiki was the first think of his that I saw. It totally amazed me. For me it holds a special place. So, I decided to do a Kiki piece rather than a Nausicaa piece, and here's how it came out.

This weeks sketch subject is Mario Cart. I'll sit this one out. If it weren't specifically Mario Cart and instead just Mario I'd be tempted. But I have drawn Mario before. You can see that Mario piece in this old post. Entry 9: Past Jellies

Now, go here to the Periscope Studio Tumblr to see all the sketch contributions and so much more. 

In other news my best friend, D.J. Bryant, who was the subject of my post two entries ago, has got a brand spanking new Live Journal blog. Check it out at djbcartoon.livejournal.com  Friend him, bookmark it, make it your home page, you won't regret it.

That's it. Over and out.
...no poetry corner this week. They're there on the fridge, I just haven't taken a picture of them yet. Next time.

Entry 94: Astro Boy Fan Art

Looking through my sketchbooks I realize that there are fewer and fewer drawings done for fun and more and more drawings that are for work. It's making my sketchbooks less interesting. Less fun. So I thought I'd have a little fun.
I've been reading a lot of Astro Boy lately. I've got Astro on the brain right now and once I got it in my head that I wanted to draw him it became an itch that I had to scratch.

Entry 9: Past Jellies

 I did both of these pieces in August for the Jelly of The Month blog. If you read my 3rd entry you might have clicked over to the Jelly of The Month and seen these pieces already. Well I'm posting them here to. So sue me.
 The subject of August's Jelly was Video Games. I'm not a gamer. I'm not familiar with most modern games, so I had to go back to the classics. I did the Mario one first. It seemed like a no brainer. I like the world of Mario Bros. It's really strange and kind of surreal. After I did the Mario one I got to thinking of other games I wanted to draw I really wanted to do a Mega Man. I thought of him as an 11 year old boy rather than a man. He just always struck me as being a kid. I think he's supposed to be a robot anyway, so it doesn't matter.

Entry 6: Godzilla

This is a piece I did a few weeks ago. It was just for fun. I watched Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2 on tv and got inspired. I realized that I had never drawn Godzilla and suddenly I needed to draw him.
 My next entry will be a preview page from KotOR #22.