couldbecomics

[couldbecomics]

KILL OR BE KILLED Volume 1 is a good book. Very dark, and very much adult, but good.

If you've ever looked at a Brubaker/Phillips comic and thought "This would be better with less crime noir stuff and more demons telling the protagonist to kill" then this is the graphic novel for you.

[couldbecomics]

The Comic That Could Be

Ages ago, I made an earnest attempt at producing a web comic called "World War Jones". It was about an unhappy office worker whose active imagination took him on wild daydreams through his favorite movie scenes.

(That's either the best description or the worst. I'll decide later.)

It was a real labor of love, one I was making with some of my best friends. I wrote the script, with enough input from my wife that I declared her my co-writer on the project. For the art, I put out an ad on a website and after a little time someone took the bait. The art he produced wasn't quite what I imagined, but I liked the style. To give the art a little more pizzazz, I got my Photoshop-savvy cousin to apply some textures and shades of gray (the comic was to be in black and white).

It was a genuine thrill to see a panel of my writing fully realized with complete art. The first big problem came when the artist could only do one panel at a time, and not with great frequency. But the art was coming, so I didn't really mind.

Then the art stopped coming. The artist had to focus on work and family life. I couldn't be mad about that. Still, I was crushed. World War Jones was dead.

But I've never forgotten that character. For one thing, the two scripts I wrote are forever preserved online at the original WWJ blog. More importantly, I've never stopped drawing the character in my spare time. I'm a crap artist, but I've always had a specific vision for Jones's appearance, and have often toyed with the idea of drawing the comic myself.

That's obviously easier said than done, however, and I really am a crap artist. But that doesn't mean I can't do something to keep the character alive. So I started working on the idea of writing and drawing a comic strip dedicated to the character and his thoughts. Each strip would be no more than three panels, and there wouldn't be an overarching narrative. Just one-shots that give the reader a little slice of Jones's life every week or so.

And if I could do that, surely my art skills would eventually progress to the point that I could finally draw the original Jones stories. Right? That's what I've been thinking, anyway. It almost sounds like a decent plan. I even drew a quick test panel on my phone (the only means I have for digital art) and the results were... well, just look at it for yourself:

As you can see, my art style is sketchy and uneven. Still, I think it's a decent enough start. With enough practice, I could soon be drawing Jones comics, even if the strips are mostly talking heads. And from there? Who knows. But the potential exists. There could be a World War Jones after all.

- Jake

[couldbecomics]

Update 05/13

Yeah, there's been no content for a while, for one reason: I am remarkably tired.

Creativity and productivity fall by the wayside when parenting becomes your life. Some days the only thing I feel like creating is a space where I can nap in peace.

But hey, I'm not complaining. Being a dad is great, truly. I've just got to find the right balance of time and priorities.

I've got no project updates at the moment. When I do, you'll be reading about them right here.

As ever, thanks for stopping by.

- Jake

[couldbecomics]

Update 4/30

Hey everybody! I'm currently planning my next batch of videos: a comic review, an unboxing, and a short opinion piece. I'll try to have one ready for tomorrow, but it's more likely I'll post something over the weekend.

See you then, and thanks for checking out this blog.

[couldbecomics]

Another minimalistic bit of digital fan art. This time it's the Man of Steel!

[couldbecomics]

Here's some Star Wars fan art I made on my phone, inspired by iconic lightsaber duels across all three trilogies.

[couldbecomics]

Update 4/22

I just dropped a new video yesterday and already have two more recorded. One is a review (to be edited tomorrow for release on Wednesday) and the other is more of a vlog style video. That one I hope to have out by the weekend.

Productivity feels good. I'm confident the new review will be my best video in terms of editing. I scripted it in advance to avoid rambling and filmed it in two segments to help the editing process. And, unlike the Captain Marvel video, I won't have to put in music to cover up copyrighted songs in the background...

Alright, that's it for today. See ya Wednesday!

[couldbecomics]

New episode! This time I talk about the current Captain Marvel comics series.

[couldbecomics]

Gotta love spotting typos in professional mainstream comics.

[couldbecomics]

Conan the Barbarian #5 Review, and my thoughts on the series so far.

[couldbecomics]

I'm back on YouTube! Could Be Comics episodes will be marked as such, while vlog style posts will be marked TheAstoundingJake. I just couldn't ditch that old username after all these years...