Comic Series

Holiday day 1.

Posted on 9th July 2021 by pj

I’m on me hols!

Which, as my family knows, usually means I’m doing everything exactly the same but with slightly worse internet.

I got 10 pages of pencils of the most recent thing sent off to the writer, and I’m off for few days over the 12th of July holidays in Northern Ireland. This time of the year I usually try and get out of dodge, this year may go off without incident or may be chaos, I have no idea.

I decided to delete twitter off my phone and ipad, I can still access it from the website, but not having the app may mean I don’t sit there hitting reload like a rat hitting a button wired up to its pleasure centres.

I’ll be honest, it’s not been a great success so far – I checked it this morning, in a fit of “what on earth do I do with my hands” (which, I imagine, is how a smoker might feel after giving them up – the nicotine hit is one thing, but what do you do with your hands now they’re suddenly free?) Of course the moment I checked I had a dm which meant I was responding to that, but, I’ve tried not to respond to anything on the general twitter feed.

Honestly, I think I’m pretty good at twitter (in so far as I enjoy it and I use it regularly, but – let’s be honest, no one is handing out eisners for tweets) but I don’t half use it too much.

Taking a break isn’t a bad idea, and the fact that even the attempt at it feels like I’m missing something tells me I really need to take a break. Obviously, I’ll be back.

I figured if I saved up all my stupid twitter thoughts throughout the day I could then blog them and get some of the same hit from tweeting (it hasn’t worked).

We’re staying in a loft in Ballylinny at the Giant’s Causeway, it’s beautiful up here and we’re having a good time. I’m up from a typical 3k steps to 13k steps today, and will probably do similar over the next few days.

These are our ideal holiday conditions – a large house to stay in, decent internet and something to go visit every day.

Today we went to Mussenden Temple – incredible views, and a real sense that wow, people in the past had a lot of money to waste on follys.

The we hit the beach at Portrush – pretty much empty, I assume because it was later in the day and anyone with any sense had started heading home, some wading in the icy cold atlantic ocean (it’s what passes for warm here) and back to the loft totally exhausted.

Tomorrow I’m determined to look at my phone less and I’d really like to sit and see if I can hack away at one or two of the ideas I’ve written in my script ideas book (a red notebook that becomes the new home for any half baked story idea that I would normally tweet out, like a loon).

Anyway, good evening and we’ll chat tomorrow!

Chimpsky

Posted on 8th July 2021 by pj

I’m not exactly sure what the script said, but I think it said something along the lines of Chimpsky sits high atop the city. Not sure what Ken (Neimand) the writer was expecting me to do and I probably wasn’t entirely sure, but for the longest time I’ve been fascinated by the monkeys in Belfast Zoo and their high poles.

Belfast zoo is set on Cave Hill and has an incredible view over all of Belfast, and the monkeys (and there’s a LOT of different monkey enclosures) have various poles set out for climbing, resting and playing on.

I used to look at them up there, a single monkey on a pole and wonder what exactly they would be thinking. Seeing that view.

Anyway, that’s what I was thinking. As it happened, at the time of cover the 5G towers were in the news (and we were still aways from pandemics and mask wearing, timing just sort of happened), and I figured Mega City 1 would probably have a lot of communication towers just sitting around – granted we’ve never seen them before (that I’m aware of) but Mega City 1 – like Dredd – is quite a malleable place, so it’s not weird to do it.

Anyway, my first Chimpsky cover (details here) looks like this (image below) and today I stumbled across a photo from 2005 I took of the Monkey in Belfast Zoo and … well.. the similairities are striking… I promise you, I’d entirely forgotten about the photo when I did the cover (I wish I’d remembered about it, I would have traced the figure…!)

  • 2000AD Cover

Why Not!? Collection One!

Posted on 7th July 2021 by pj

Well, Thomas (age 13 now) has spent some time now crafting you a whole new issue of Why Not!? – collection one because, well, it’s 40 pages! You can download it here:

Why Not Collection1Download

And don’t forget if you’re new to Thomas’ comics, he has a bunch more here, including Why Not!? Issue 1, 2 and the Xmas Special, and a Monkey Arms comic.

He has worked his little butt off and I hope you appreciate it! If you enjoy the comic you can donate to my paypal (and I’ll make sure he gets it!)

[paypal_donation_block email=’pjholden@gmail.com’ amount=’3.00′ currency=’GBP’ size=’large’ purpose=’Why Not!? Thomas’ mode=’live’]

2000ad Prog 2239

Posted on 7th July 2021 by pj
SK Moore

Wow, what a cover. One thing you can’t fault SK Moore on is ambition. It’s been quite a run of covers for 2000ada over my chimpsky run, any one could be a best of the year, easily. Anyway, on with this week’s chimpsky!

Now, as a special bonus treat, it rarely happens (but it happened twice- once in this week’s chimpsky and in next week’s – where I pick up something in the script wrong. In this week’s I misinterpreted how angry our chum Chimpsky would became and so drew a full on raging monkey attack – but, Ken felt it was too much (and he was right) so it was swapped out in favour of a more restrained any-moment-now-i’m-about-to-do-something-awful panel.)

Since I hate to waste anything, here’s the unused panel…

BTW I’ve been posting these things hoping for some feedback in the comments, but have only just realised I’ve had comments off – so I’ve no idea if anyone has been reading them, I hope you have!

In a couple of weeks after the series has run I might start talking about where I think I failed in the story, where my frustrations with what I wanted to do and what I just couldn’t make my art do sit. STAY TUNED!

2000ad Prog 2238

Posted on 29th June 2021 by pj
Cover by Cliff Robinson and Dylan Teague.

Under another stonking cover by Cliff Robinson and Dylan teague we have episode five of Chimpsky, but before I start that – just let me say, I’m annoyingly jealous of what Dan Cornwell got to draw in Dept K, I WANTED TO GO FULL KIRBY! Goddammit. Anyway, that looks great (he says begrudgingly through gritted teeth)

How it started…

Now Chimpsky! Episode 5 – and Norm finally comes face to face with … well, let’s not spoil it. If you remember back to episode 1, Norm in space, things all around him, I’ll let you in on a secret; I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to lead to that page 1 opener (but it’s such a striking/fun thing, I don’t think you’ll hold it agin’ me – will you?).

Comic production can take some time, page 1 of this strip was probably drawn three months before page 1 of Episode 5 (I don’t have the exact details but that wouldn’t be weird for 2000ad) deadlines are frequently about 2 weeks for six pages, though sometimes longer and sometimes less. So, you know, ideally I’d like those two sequences to mesh together a little better, but … I also wanted that opener to really pull you in to the story … more of a cover than a first page, really…

Chimpsky is now desperate to escape the ship’s AI and it’s apparent attempt to kill him… or maybe it’s leading him somewhere…?

How it’s going…

You can see here my pencils are pretty scrappy, but it’s a fairly straightforward thing to draw, so not a lot of planning, and I was pretty happy with the results, love what Simon Bowland has done on lettering, and Chris Blythe’s colouring remains top notch.

2000ad Prog 2237

Posted on 22nd June 2021 by pj

Out this Wednesday, featuring episode 4 of Chimpsky’s Law: The Incredible Mr Chimpsky.

Cor, just klook at that cover – 2000ad has been on a stonking run of amazing covers lately, making my initial one for Chimpsky look a bit feeble in comparison.

In which the family Jepperson point the finger of blame at Chimpsky, and Chimpsky – at last – tells us who the real killer is!

I hope this strip conclusively answers the question “is this a little Hitler moustache” – the answer is no – it’s a little tall moustache that splays out at the ends, and if you read it as a Hitler ‘tache, that’s on you. (Or me for my art being not as clear as I thought it was)

I’m pretty pleased with Chimpsky’s grimacing face on that second page there, some fun things to draw.

2000ad Prog 2236

Posted on 21st June 2021 by pj

Out last Wednesday, 2000AD Prog 2236 features Episode 3 of Chimpsky’s Law: The Talented Mr Chimpsky

All under a lovely Dylan Teague cover…

Wherein out four handed friend, begins to see the Jepperson’s come to various sticky ends, finds himself fighting for his life and J’accuse Chimspky!

There’s some fun PG tips style Chimps playing card nonsense in this issue, and I think I was generally pleased with the art on it.

One of the Things with this strip is there are SO many named characters, and they all needed distinct looks, and then there were an abundance of UNNAMED characters, but again – a distinct look. Even the chimps, all fundamentally the same but you still needed – at the very least – to distinguish Chimpsky from all others. Largely with Chimpsky, I did that with body language and story telling – keeping him the focus or making sure he’s much more aware of what’s going on than the other apes (who are largely just reacting to whatever thing is happening just now – all acting is reacting!)

The Jeppersons though I designed the first bunch that I thought we’d see more of – at this point I had no idea of what fate befell each of them, so, don’t think there’s any spoilers if I show you this.

The 2000ad cover I did that ran a few progs ago was originally supposed to be for this issue, I suspect it was just abstract enough it could be run at any stage and the first episode felt like a pretty good spot for it.

The reaction to this strip seems to be largely very positive, so hopefully we’ll get to do more (I mean, assuming Chimpsky makes it out alive, right? RIGHT???)

2000AD Prog 2235

Posted on 10th June 2021 by pj

2000AD Prog 2235 is out this week, featuring Dept K – by Cliff Robinson (lineart) and Dylan Teague (colours)

It’s kind of exciting to see characters I designed handled by Cliff – we’re two very different artists operating at two ends of an extreme, I think, so when Cliff draws something I’ve designed (or, has happened once in the past) I’ve drawn something he’s designed it’s fun to see where are sensabilities take us.

I tend towards chunky and clunky character designs but with a certain elasticity / cartoony-ness that. Cliff has a more delicate line that is more realistic and elaborate.

(Still very peculiar to me that while Dept K and Chimpsky are running those are two sets of characters I co-created)

Anyway, on to the business at hand, Chimpsky Part 2 – at this stage of drawing I’ve abandoned paper and pencil in favour of the cintiq in toto – largely this is eyesight related (my eyesight slowly but surely getting worse since I first started my professional drawing career in what – I can only assume – is some sort of unspoken bargain with the devil – sure I’ll help your career, very very slowly, but also, while that happens I’ll make your eyesight just the bit worse…) but partially a growing frustration with the physical tools of drawing, which can be so bloody pernickity. One day the ink is fine the next too gloopy. Frustrating.

last week I mentioned I designed the mansion in Blender – building models of things you’ve got to draw over and over again is a time honoured tradition (here’s some classic Pathe news clip starring Frank Hampson and his assortment of models for drawing Dan Dare – I am no Frank Hampson, shucks I’m not even a member of his team that helped him produce the art, but if it’s good enough for those guys…)

My Blender knowledge is pretty perfunctory, but I knew what I had in mind, and in order to help keep the damn thing looking the same from panel to panel, I figured a 3d model is the best way to go, it also helps you keep on top of the insane deadlines you have to deal with as a comic professional.

So I drop the model in to clip studio, press a magic “render” button (actually labelled “LT Convert Layer”) and get a nice simple line art translation. I then proceed to draw all over it, because a rendered 3d image is too perfect, and would stick out like a sore thumb. So you draw over it, adding texture and details and just generally stopping the thing look like a 3d model.

Anyway, here’s pencils for pages 1 and 2 and colours by Chris Blyte and lettering Simon Bowland.

Chimpsky’s Back!

Posted on 3rd June 2021 by pj

This week’s 2000ad (prog 2234) features the first solo outing for Noam Chimpsky – super intelligent bonobo and all round good egg.

I talk a little about doing the cover here and talk to Mike Molcher about Chimpsky and Dept K on the 2000ad youtube page here. Also, you can download some Chimpsky Wallpaper right here. (And if you scroll down I’ve a few treats if you enjoyed that wallpaper…)

But for fun here’s some pencils for the first three pages…

This was the last strip I did pencil and ink, I’ve largely switched to fully digital now. I might return, but I’ve been liking the results I’ve been getting, and for the first time in a long time I feel like I’m getting inch-by-inch better at drawing.

We’re going to see a lot more of the space-mansion as the series progresses, and so – lo! I built a 3d model in Blender.

This has been pretty damn useful for getting fun angles (though you can see I ended up adding extra details when we get closer, and the central fountain in the 3d file lacks the Ape holding a monkey wrench I added as a fun nod to 2001.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the strip, it’s been a real fun one to do, and has some art which I think is amongst my best coming up.

Oh, and finally, the cover to Chimpsky – the pencils looked like this:

And, finally, here’s some bonus material, in the form of lots of wallpapers at much higher resolution with special left/right versions for mac/pc users…

  • iPad Hi res subtle Chimpsky
  • iPad Hi res Chimspky
  • Right Lined up Chimpsky
  • Left Aligned Chimpsky

Department K

Posted on 26th May 2021 by pj

Well, like buses, you wait for one series you do in 2000ad to go down well enough with the fans for Tharg to ask you to do it as an ongoing, and then suddenly two come along at once.

Unfortunately, timing meant I’ve had to bow out of the continuing adventures of Dept K (I’m honestly gutted about it) as I’m in the middle of US book, as well as drawing the on going adventures of everyone’s favourite super smart simian, Noam Chimpsky.

Anyway this week’s 2000ad features the the second episode of Dept K I’ve drawn (fittingly we sort of wrap things up cleanly enough that Rory And Dan Cornwell can kick off a whole new slate of adventures next week!)

In the meantime, here’s some of the b&w art from this week’s episode …

Next week… watch out… Chimpsky’s IN SPACE!