#post apoc concept artists take note

[loccorocco]

Been fascinated with cart rigs.

Reference source:

Marikina Public Market tour by PH Dot Net

[kaisermakes]

Hey mutuals! I'm working on a concept for tabling at conventions and want to source some more work from folks I admire to go alongside my own. If you're interested, drop me a note and I'll show you the project.

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What I'd Need

- One full colour tarot-card sized illustration of an original character of your choice. Setting categories are 'fantasy, sci-fi, modern, or post-apoc'

- Style is a bit Dragon-Age / art nouveau inspired, but with a twist. Additionally, all prints will have spot foils.

- Bonus : If you feel like it, some bonus process sketches of the character

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What I'm offering

- £300 commissioning cost, +50% profit share off subsequent sales, plus several sets for yourself to do whatever you wish with.

- Fairly hands-off commissioning process. I'll give you everything you need to pitch an idea, work with you as much as you like to hone it, and then the rest is up to you. I can help you set up your spot foils if you like.

- Full credit with every print with artist bio + links to any socials you wish.

- A deadline of April 22nd (better part of a month and a half)

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Here's an example of one of mine I won't be using for the project, but it's fairly exemplary of the style I'm going for. If I commission you I won't expect you to copy my style - I'd love to see your own take on the general aesthetic.

As a note, I can only budget to commission three folks at the moment - and I'll partially be trying to get a nice spread of styles that cover my blindspots. If I don't go for you on the first pass, I'll shortlist you for the future. (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

If you're interested, do reach out to me through my notes or asks!

[tradewaiterreviews]

A.D. After Death

Written by Scott Snyder (Batman, American Vampire) illustrated by Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Descender) and lettered by Steve Wands (Adventure Time, Scalped ). Published by Image.

A.D. After Death posits a world where the cure for death has been discovered. It’s an intriguing premise for a story and it’s brought to you by two of comics’ current superstars: Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire. Adding an extra bit of intrigue is the fact that the book is half comic and half prose story, a novel approach which could easily be dismissed as gimmicky. Fortunately the story is in safe hands and A.D. delivers an introspective and thought-provoking piece of work which fully explores its high concept and justifies its unusual format.

The story follows former thief Jonah Cooke and the role he played in finding the cure for death. The prose sections are written from Jonah’s perspective, in an evocative typewriter-esque font chosen by letterer Steve Wands. These detail Jonah’s life leading up to the cure’s discovery, while the ‘comic’ sections follow his life hundreds of years afterwards. Rather than feeling unnecessary or gimmicky, the prose sections give the story an incredibly dense feel. This allows the creative team to fully explore the concept and also dive deep into the character of Jonah, our window to this world.

Lemire is the perfect collaborator for Snyder on this project as he excels at developing characters in genre settings and revealing their humanity, something which is on full display here. While Synder is perhaps best known for the action bombast of Batman and American Vampire, his roots as a prose writer shine through here. Through his writing we get a full comprehension of Jonah’s fear of death as well as his regrets about the role he played in creating this new world order. Snyder’s plotting is also excellent, juggling multiple timelines and delivering payoff after payoff for small plot elements, including the seemingly abstract smudge from the first page of the book.

The comic book sections are where Lemire truly gets to shine and demonstrate what a truly accomplished illustrator he is. As ever, Lemire excels at character interactions, bringing out all of the requisite emotion even in wordless panels.

Lemire also colours the whole book himself in lush watercolours, leading to gorgeous pages such as the one below.

During the prose sections each page typically contains a single Lemire image reflecting what’s happening in the story. Over the course of the book it’s revealed that people who have taken the cure can only remember about 100 years’ worth of memories. This lends Lemire’s images more weight as you realise that they represent snapshots of a life that Jonah can’t quite remember but can only visualise through re-reading his journals. It’s a revelation that gives the prose sections a bittersweet tone and also casts Jonah as a decidedly unreliable narrator

The creative team never take a stance on whether the world would be better or not with a cure for death, and in the same spirit the book ends on a fittingly ambiguous note. The final chapter rockets to the conclusion and builds to a fitting climax. For some, the final revelations may not be as conclusive as they would like, but Snyder and Lemire’s ambitious story practically demands multiple readings to tease out meaning from that ambiguity.

Stray Thoughts

The book is filled which a bunch of neat ideas and concepts, from the futuristic world that exists centuries after the cure to Jonah’s life as an internet thief in the present day. One of the more interesting ideas Snyder introduces is the notion that civilisation is just like a person and has currently entered it’s old age. The connected world we’re currently living in has only served to drive us further apart and is ultimately going to lead to the slow collapse of society; the death of civilisation in other words. It’s a dark and cynical outlook delivered by a character who could be considered the villain of the piece, but it nevertheless resonates. Anyway, please follow my blog, here on the internet, it probably won’t lead to total societal collapse but no promises.

Recommended Reads

Sweet Tooth - The post-apoc tale of Gus, a human/deer hybrid is an excellent and moving example of how Lemire is able to create and humanise his characters in a genre setting.

American Vampire - Synder’s long-running Vertigo series is an exploration of American history in the 20th Century shot through the lens of an action horror comic. Featuring atmospheric and dynamic art from Rafael Albuquerque.

Black Hammer - Along with artist Dean Ormston, Lemire has created a world filled with superhero pastiches which are more compelling than the originals. Read my full review here.