Yearly Archives: 2012

Pop Quiz: Vehicle

Posted on November 17, 2012 by AFDStudios | Comments Off

Your one-day challenge this week is:

Make a vehicle in HeroMachine 3!

You can do a car or a plane or a train or a space ship or a ridable robot or whatever, so long as it's something people can ride in or on.

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites some time tomorrow. Here's how to make an entry:

(Click to embiggen.)

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

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Posted in Challenges, Pop Quiz

Guys, you’re under water — you can just SWIM over the walls

Posted on November 17, 2012 by AFDStudios | Comments Off

(From "Spotlight Comics" number 2, 1945.)

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Posted in Daily Random Panel

Holy Déjà Vu, Batman!!

Posted on November 17, 2012 by mcknight57 | Comments Off

Holy Déjà Vu, Batman!!

By: Andrew Hines

This has been one of the most amazing titles I've ever come across in almost 20 years of reading comics. I honestly don't think there's been another title I've loved so much in so many ways. For the last year and change, I've been on the edge of my seat reading this title and I dare say that doesn't look to be changing any time soon. It feels like watching a horror movie as you spend the night as a "guest" at Arkham. The only predictable thing is that you know you can be sickened, giddy, mortified and appalled at any moment and even experience two of these emotions at the same time. Honestly, I can never really wait for the next issue.

Scott Snyder has done something absolutely astonishing in this series. He's made us feel afraid for Batman again. I don't think I've actually feared for Batman's safety since the Knightfall story arc from 1993 that spanned 6 long months of publication. Snyder has also dug deeper into Joker's insane mind and given us all new levels of creepy wickedness. Let's get to the meat of the writing now. The issue picks up essentially where the last leaves off and the pacing leaves nothing to be desired except the next month's issue. The dialogue is also amazing, especially in the interaction between Bruce and Dick. It's possibly the most psychological issue of Batman since the start of the new 52. Every time I hear the names "Batman" and "Scott Snyder," I think I know how Pavlov's dog must have felt.

The pencils from Greg Capullo are as good as the script. He hasn't yet illustrated a bad issue of the current Batman run. The wonderful thing is that it has a feel similar to the 90's animated Batman cartoon, but slightly darker and grittier. Jonathan Glapion's inks are pretty awesome and help with the darker feel of the issue. he manages to fill half of the page with the deep shadows that Gotham is known for. Then there are the glimpses of brightness that are brought out in FCO Plascencia's colors. All of this together makes for a hell of an issue. The Joker's new look, above all else has had me quite intrigued. He seems to dress more to his mindset, thinking that he's actually fixing a problem. From the first page to the last, the art team here is pretty awesome.

I have to give this issue a 5/5 for sheer excellence. The way that the writer and artists work together on this book is rarely seen in such quality. I doubt there's anything they could have done differently that would have made it better. If you're a fan of batman or any of the Batman Family, this arc is one that you really shouldn't miss.

Writer: Scott Snyder -- Pencils: Greg Capullo -- Inks: Jonathan Glapion -- Colors: FCO Plascencia

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Posted in Cool Characters, Super-Hero Stuff

Tagged reviews

30 Characters Challenge #16: Captain S’Jenes

Posted on November 16, 2012 by AFDStudios | Comments Off

Starfleet Science Vessel Captain S'Jenes has a problem: He knows dragons and mythical creatures are not real. And yet, he sees them when no one else can. Logically he must be hallucinating, but there is no medical or psychological evidence for that hypothesis. Other than, you know, the fact that he can see the little buggers.

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Posted in 30 Characters Challenge, Sketch of the Day

Charlie’s Fundamentals

Posted on November 16, 2012 by mcknight57 | Comments Off

Charlie's Fundamentals

By: Andrew Hines

Its hard not to be a fan of the X-Men, as the group (in it's many guises) has been saturated in the media for almost 50 years. I love the original team, though they've had some interesting additions over the years. That's not even considering the giant SNAFU that is the Summers-Grey(Pryor) family tree that stretches through different realities and alternate futures. The original five are the prime example of what the X-Men stand for and Charles Xavier's vision for what his former colleague called Homo superior. The kids that became a family are as iconic as their fearless leader's visor.

Brian Michael Bendis has done a great job with the first issue. We get the full story here as to what is going on. We even see a different side of the current Iceman at the start of the issue. The dialogue and pacing are pretty good, especially the pacing. It's interesting to see how different the characters are from their younger selves. I'm not just talking about the looks of the characters, but also their personalities and how they're handling the Avengers vs X-Men fallout and the loss of Professor Xavier. Bendis has managed to set an amazing tone in this issue, which I'm really hoping will continue long after he's gone.

The art by Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger is pretty damned good. This stuff is fantastic and blends the two worlds together pretty well. The original team looks better than ever and the current characters look pretty badass. The colors by Marte Garcia are great too, especially the last panel in the image at right. It brings in an almost horror movie effect and really matches the tone of what a lot of readers are thinking and feeling after AvX. The entire issue is filled with page like this that are more emotionally charged. The art team is fantastic in every way. You just don't see this kind of quality artwork anymore. It's a beautiful and refreshing change from the cartoony vibe that we've been getting from a few of the X books in the last year, not including the AvX tie-ins.

I give this issue an "A" partly because it doesn't start with the Back to the Future moment. It presents a story, rather than giving us an instant shock and relying on sensationalism. It gives us a reason to read the entire issue, which I implore you to do.

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Posted in Cool Characters, Super-Hero Stuff

Open Critique Day #50

Posted on November 16, 2012 by AFDStudios | Comments Off

Wow, we've done fifty of these! Unreal.

My full-time (non-HeroMachine) job might keep me from actually getting to these before this evening, but it's time for another Open Critique Day!

If you have a HeroMachine illustration or another piece of artwork you've done that you'd like some help with, post a link to it in comments along with your thoughts on it -- what you think is working, what you're struggling with, etc. I will post my critique of the piece, hopefully giving some tips on how to improve it.

Of course everyone is welcome to post their critiques as well, keeping in mind the following guidelines:

Make sure your criticism is constructive. Just saying "This sucks" is both rude and unhelpful without giving specific reasons why you think it sucks and, ideally, some advice on how to make it better.
Each person should only post one illustration for critique to make sure everyone who wants feedback has a chance.
I will not critique characters entered in any currently running contest, as that doesn't seem fair to the other entrants. You can still post it if you like for the other visitors to critique, but I will not do so.

That's it! Hopefully we can get some good interaction going here and help everyone (me included!) learn a little bit today.

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Posted in Open Critique Day