The Archive
Page 43 - The end of the beginning
by @DriveInHorror 2014-09-12 08:06:06
Greg Ansin: As this ghastly tale draws to a close, I hope you readers have learned a lesson from our greedy friend. I sure did. The moral of this tale is that selfishness isn’t a shortcut to happiness - and sometimes you pay a high price at the end.
Michael and I have many more bloody tales in the vault. Stay tuned for the next installment...if you dare. Feel free to contact me at any time with horrific tales, bloody work or ghoulish ideas at Greg @ Grimfilms.com
Michael and I have many more bloody tales in the vault. Stay tuned for the next installment...if you dare. Feel free to contact me at any time with horrific tales, bloody work or ghoulish ideas at Greg @ Grimfilms.com
Michael Neel: Well, this has been a great time. It’s been a lot of fun to share this tale with you, and I’ve enjoyed all the insights from everyone involved.
If there’s one thing I’d like you to take away from this, it’s that there’s so much satisfaction in seeing something go from concept to its final form. I’ve experienced it countless times in film production, and it’s the same for this comic book. The value of art is, in part, in its completion. There are many unfinished works out there, be they films, books, stories, comic books, music, whatever. When you’re doing it on an indie level, the process takes a lot of self-motivation, which can wear on you after a while. But it’s important to see it through, because you never really know what it’s going to be until you put down your pen or brush or mouse and send it off into the world. Even if the finished work isn’t what you’d imagined - believe me, this happens to every artist - you can learn from it. It’s a part of who you are creatively, and you never know what these lessons will bring in your future projects.
So to all of you who have unfinished projects, or are going to start a new one, I wish you the best of luck. And remember - the best asset you have is your time. If no one is breathing down your neck to get it done, then just make sure you don’t rush and do it right. I’ll be waiting on the other end to shake your hand...with a severed arm, of course.
If you want some tips on how to make your own indie film, just check out the filmmaker’s blog that Greg and I wrote. And if you want to reach me, you can email me at Mike @ Grimfilms.com
If there’s one thing I’d like you to take away from this, it’s that there’s so much satisfaction in seeing something go from concept to its final form. I’ve experienced it countless times in film production, and it’s the same for this comic book. The value of art is, in part, in its completion. There are many unfinished works out there, be they films, books, stories, comic books, music, whatever. When you’re doing it on an indie level, the process takes a lot of self-motivation, which can wear on you after a while. But it’s important to see it through, because you never really know what it’s going to be until you put down your pen or brush or mouse and send it off into the world. Even if the finished work isn’t what you’d imagined - believe me, this happens to every artist - you can learn from it. It’s a part of who you are creatively, and you never know what these lessons will bring in your future projects.
So to all of you who have unfinished projects, or are going to start a new one, I wish you the best of luck. And remember - the best asset you have is your time. If no one is breathing down your neck to get it done, then just make sure you don’t rush and do it right. I’ll be waiting on the other end to shake your hand...with a severed arm, of course.
If you want some tips on how to make your own indie film, just check out the filmmaker’s blog that Greg and I wrote. And if you want to reach me, you can email me at Mike @ Grimfilms.com
Jerem Morrow: Here at the end of all things, we fade to black, in a fit of uncomfortable laughter. That's my goodbye to DIHS. No egress more fitting. And never sure of finality, leaving feels like returning. Be seeing you.
Shi Blank: And cut! It's a wrap, folks. On behalf of the creators, I bid you, "So long, and thanks for all the fish."
Page 42 - The beginning of the end
And we're back to our regular schedule. Well, not for too long it seems!
I amped up the saturation and grittiness of the remaining pages but still keeping the same techniques found at the beginning of the comic. Jerem's illustrations have taken a darker, grimmer spin if you compare it to his earlier pages; probably signalling a change in perceiving the same characters after reading, "The Good Luck Charm".
Will you keep reading? Would you still follow the Projectionist into the vault of shadowy lurkings after all the bloodshed? There are still pages to be turned, after all.
Now, before I let you go, have you seen Guillermo Del Toro's latest teevee offering, The Strain? It's a bit (a lot) silly, sometimes to the point of eye-rolling, furious eyebrow-furrowing, audible-groaning proportions but it's all for a bit of b-grade (maybe f-grade) fun, really. Here's a teeny trailer for it below.
Ohohoho, wasn't that everything I said?
And finally, if you're like me and sometimes enjoy a bit of audible-only entertainment, here's "The World’s Largest H. P. Lovecraft Audio Links Gateway!" where the only thing more impressive that the overflowing list of wonderful recordings are the tags associated with that blog post.
Ok, so I lied. There's just one more thing I needed to get off my chest - this wonderful short.
by @shi 2014-09-05 08:06:06
And we're back to our regular schedule. Well, not for too long it seems!
I amped up the saturation and grittiness of the remaining pages but still keeping the same techniques found at the beginning of the comic. Jerem's illustrations have taken a darker, grimmer spin if you compare it to his earlier pages; probably signalling a change in perceiving the same characters after reading, "The Good Luck Charm".
Will you keep reading? Would you still follow the Projectionist into the vault of shadowy lurkings after all the bloodshed? There are still pages to be turned, after all.
Now, before I let you go, have you seen Guillermo Del Toro's latest teevee offering, The Strain? It's a bit (a lot) silly, sometimes to the point of eye-rolling, furious eyebrow-furrowing, audible-groaning proportions but it's all for a bit of b-grade (maybe f-grade) fun, really. Here's a teeny trailer for it below.
Ohohoho, wasn't that everything I said?
And finally, if you're like me and sometimes enjoy a bit of audible-only entertainment, here's "The World’s Largest H. P. Lovecraft Audio Links Gateway!" where the only thing more impressive that the overflowing list of wonderful recordings are the tags associated with that blog post.
Ok, so I lied. There's just one more thing I needed to get off my chest - this wonderful short.
Page 47 - Fan Art Special by Tony Maldonado
When I saw that My Creative Brother, Andrew Dimitt, was doing a pin-up for Drive-In Horror Show, I wanted to do one as well. Jerem being the Gracious guy that he is said that I could (so I was onboard).
Part of the Fun of going to the Movies for me was people watching in the concession line. So that's the route I took, using Billy Troll and The Teenage Axe Victim, surrounded by a gaggle of other suspicious looking characters. I also had Fun throwing in a couple of faux movies posters of their films.
Thanks for letting Me play in Your sandbox.
Tony Maldonado
shi: This guest post is brought you by the awesome, Tony “tmalo” Maldonado, whose work includes comics like P.I. Jane, Chicago 1968 and Lab Bratz.
If you're anywhere near Forest Park, Illinois, you can also support ALS research by purchasing Tony's sketches for Defiant Comics' ALS Charity Drive. 100% of proceeds go directly to ALSA.org.
Follow him on Twitter, DeviantArt and subscribe to his blogposts for more comic goodness. Thank you so much, Tony!
by @tmalo70 2014-08-29 08:06:06
When I saw that My Creative Brother, Andrew Dimitt, was doing a pin-up for Drive-In Horror Show, I wanted to do one as well. Jerem being the Gracious guy that he is said that I could (so I was onboard).
Part of the Fun of going to the Movies for me was people watching in the concession line. So that's the route I took, using Billy Troll and The Teenage Axe Victim, surrounded by a gaggle of other suspicious looking characters. I also had Fun throwing in a couple of faux movies posters of their films.
Thanks for letting Me play in Your sandbox.
Tony Maldonado
shi: This guest post is brought you by the awesome, Tony “tmalo” Maldonado, whose work includes comics like P.I. Jane, Chicago 1968 and Lab Bratz.
If you're anywhere near Forest Park, Illinois, you can also support ALS research by purchasing Tony's sketches for Defiant Comics' ALS Charity Drive. 100% of proceeds go directly to ALSA.org.
Follow him on Twitter, DeviantArt and subscribe to his blogposts for more comic goodness. Thank you so much, Tony!
Page 44 - Fan Art Special by Draven Leeman
After the comic was done and dusted, it was suggested that I coloured Draven's fan art so this was more of a secret collab than anything and I couldn't possibly pass up on that. Who could?!
And so, following the footsteps of The Monster Engine, I tried my best to retain the flavour of comic and create something monstrous. As Draven had so wonderfully created a few pieces of fan art, I combined them all into a smorgasbord of sorts in a style that can only be described as a tribute to the old "Tales from the Crypt" comic covers. Lo and behold!
I hope Draven likes it as much as I had such a blast doing this.
In fact, I should really be thanking him. Awesome work, Draven!
by @shi 2014-08-22 08:06:06
After the comic was done and dusted, it was suggested that I coloured Draven's fan art so this was more of a secret collab than anything and I couldn't possibly pass up on that. Who could?!
And so, following the footsteps of The Monster Engine, I tried my best to retain the flavour of comic and create something monstrous. As Draven had so wonderfully created a few pieces of fan art, I combined them all into a smorgasbord of sorts in a style that can only be described as a tribute to the old "Tales from the Crypt" comic covers. Lo and behold!
I hope Draven likes it as much as I had such a blast doing this.
In fact, I should really be thanking him. Awesome work, Draven!
Page 46 - Fan Art Special by Jerem Morrow
shi: And now, for something completely different. I present to you, fan art for Infinite Santa 8000 by Jerem Morrow!
Have you seen the movie? It's a delectable tale of killer robots and rabbid mutants (including one really big mutha), all wrapped up in the holiday spirit and to be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. So you know, fun for the whole family. I highly recommend it.
Did I mention it's created by our very own Michael Neel and Greg Ansin?
Get the movie at Midnight Releasing. Grab yer popcorn, sit back and come get some!
by @Jerem_Morrow 2014-08-15 08:06:06
shi: And now, for something completely different. I present to you, fan art for Infinite Santa 8000 by Jerem Morrow!
Have you seen the movie? It's a delectable tale of killer robots and rabbid mutants (including one really big mutha), all wrapped up in the holiday spirit and to be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. So you know, fun for the whole family. I highly recommend it.
Did I mention it's created by our very own Michael Neel and Greg Ansin?
Get the movie at Midnight Releasing. Grab yer popcorn, sit back and come get some!
Page 41 - Respite
You know that moment, the relief of air after a chokehold, the release of tense arms and shoulders after putting away both hands that shielded eyes from horrific scenes; eyelids almost entirely shut, face crunched up. When the music hits crescendo, when the thunder of cymbals and screams have had their way and all you hear is the next morning of the event - birds chirping.
This page was just like that for me. That first panel with the bell and the completely benign, "Hello?". I thought, "Man, this guy is Evil with a capital E."
This page is purely back and forth discourse, the colours are straight to the point, no effects apart from the dramatic shades to further note the serious tone of the situation. And that second panel. Such an obvious dig from Mr.Evil to Jennie, as if saying - "You know I brought chaos into this household, were there any survivors?"
Evil dude is so blasé about that seemingly innocent question even if the look on his face seems genuine enough! Or maybe that was a taunt? I can't tell evil. The lady of the household, however, remains vigilant. She knows the deal and she's not giving any signs of weaknesses away. Her resilience against this evil remains constant throughout the entire ordeal or maybe she was still coping with the shock.
Nonetheless, that shock came as quickly as it left with this page. Still reeling? You bet I am.
Before I leave, here's something a little different.
LYLE - starring Gaby Hoffmann from Stewart Thorndike. The filmmakers ask you to please share the film and, if you like it, to donate what you want to the Kickstarter campaign for PUTNEY, writer/director Stewart Thorndike's next film: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1966172888/putney-director-of-lyles-new-film-about-a-haunted
by @shi 2014-08-08 08:06:06
You know that moment, the relief of air after a chokehold, the release of tense arms and shoulders after putting away both hands that shielded eyes from horrific scenes; eyelids almost entirely shut, face crunched up. When the music hits crescendo, when the thunder of cymbals and screams have had their way and all you hear is the next morning of the event - birds chirping.
This page was just like that for me. That first panel with the bell and the completely benign, "Hello?". I thought, "Man, this guy is Evil with a capital E."
This page is purely back and forth discourse, the colours are straight to the point, no effects apart from the dramatic shades to further note the serious tone of the situation. And that second panel. Such an obvious dig from Mr.Evil to Jennie, as if saying - "You know I brought chaos into this household, were there any survivors?"
Evil dude is so blasé about that seemingly innocent question even if the look on his face seems genuine enough! Or maybe that was a taunt? I can't tell evil. The lady of the household, however, remains vigilant. She knows the deal and she's not giving any signs of weaknesses away. Her resilience against this evil remains constant throughout the entire ordeal or maybe she was still coping with the shock.
Nonetheless, that shock came as quickly as it left with this page. Still reeling? You bet I am.
Before I leave, here's something a little different.
LYLE - starring Gaby Hoffmann from Stewart Thorndike. The filmmakers ask you to please share the film and, if you like it, to donate what you want to the Kickstarter campaign for PUTNEY, writer/director Stewart Thorndike's next film: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1966172888/putney-director-of-lyles-new-film-about-a-haunted
Page 40 - How to shock your colourist
As a reader of the comic, I was still rather conflicted about this page due to the shock of the previous one! Part of me was rooting for Jim but part of me wanted him to acknowledge that he was being a jerk. I faltered between making this end scene very bloody or very dark and twisted; I ended up with a somewhat serene looking page which I thought fitted the scene the most.
From the build up of the chaotic nature of the characters' innermost fears and emotions to acceptance and forgiveness to this final release. The reds have been toned down quite a fair bit, at least compared to the previous page, to hopefully evoke the stark difference in mood.
by @shi 2014-08-01 08:06:06
As a reader of the comic, I was still rather conflicted about this page due to the shock of the previous one! Part of me was rooting for Jim but part of me wanted him to acknowledge that he was being a jerk. I faltered between making this end scene very bloody or very dark and twisted; I ended up with a somewhat serene looking page which I thought fitted the scene the most.
From the build up of the chaotic nature of the characters' innermost fears and emotions to acceptance and forgiveness to this final release. The reds have been toned down quite a fair bit, at least compared to the previous page, to hopefully evoke the stark difference in mood.
Page 39 - To the gory end
I’m going to keep this short and sweet. When I wrote this part of the story, I imagined the small, creepy beetle slowly pulling its way out of Jim’s forehead. Really gory, painful stuff - we’d film it slowly to draw out the tension and shock the audience. It had never occurred to me that the beetle would grow while inside Jim’s body. When I saw this huge monster erupt from Jim’s skull, I had a huge smile on my face. Great adaptation, Jerem! And kudos to Shi, too, for the excellent blood splatter.
shi: You know, I did not see this coming. At all. When I received this page from Jerem, my mouth fell open as large as the screen.
by @DriveInHorror 2014-07-25 08:06:06
I’m going to keep this short and sweet. When I wrote this part of the story, I imagined the small, creepy beetle slowly pulling its way out of Jim’s forehead. Really gory, painful stuff - we’d film it slowly to draw out the tension and shock the audience. It had never occurred to me that the beetle would grow while inside Jim’s body. When I saw this huge monster erupt from Jim’s skull, I had a huge smile on my face. Great adaptation, Jerem! And kudos to Shi, too, for the excellent blood splatter.
shi: You know, I did not see this coming. At all. When I received this page from Jerem, my mouth fell open as large as the screen.
Page 38 - The unravelling
This was my first chance to fully break from the very structured panel architecture I'd devised to further sell the maybe late 1800s building housing the pawn shop.
Up to this point, we've only seen hints of the shift when we're in the creeping hell Jim's body seems to be becoming. Relying nearly solely on the setting to motion towards the meaty horror of the yarn. Now we're butting up against the penultimate moment of truth for Jim and Jenny.
I took this portion of the script and began to compress several pages into the one. Veering from the intentionally cramped and slow 1st and 2nd acts. Now, the internal and external horrors share the same plane of reality. The page itself is being torn away from the book. What began as a quiet gothic horror story, has taken on a much more 80s, Raimi-ish quick-cut tone. The drama and horror mounting to crescendo.
No matter the outcome ...it won't be long now.
shi: Come to think of it, it was a bit of a coincidence that I started colouring "out of the bounding box" as the comic progressed. Especially now, after reading the thought processes that finalised Jerem's illustrative decisions. On my part, it was mostly reactive. I saw that there were hints of a big reveal (there always is, right?) and I reacted to it in my own way. Of course, Jerem was there approving every step so I knew I was heading in the right direction!
In the spirit of all that gore, I'm going to leave you with 2 things.
First, in Jerem's own words, "It's a SPECIAL kind of horror. Just watch it. Soak all the discomfort in. Jebus fucking xhrist."
And second, a trailer of a sequel that was much better than the original movie. A not so common thing within the industry. Well, in my opinion anyways.
by @Jerem_Morrow 2014-07-18 08:06:06
This was my first chance to fully break from the very structured panel architecture I'd devised to further sell the maybe late 1800s building housing the pawn shop.
Up to this point, we've only seen hints of the shift when we're in the creeping hell Jim's body seems to be becoming. Relying nearly solely on the setting to motion towards the meaty horror of the yarn. Now we're butting up against the penultimate moment of truth for Jim and Jenny.
I took this portion of the script and began to compress several pages into the one. Veering from the intentionally cramped and slow 1st and 2nd acts. Now, the internal and external horrors share the same plane of reality. The page itself is being torn away from the book. What began as a quiet gothic horror story, has taken on a much more 80s, Raimi-ish quick-cut tone. The drama and horror mounting to crescendo.
No matter the outcome ...it won't be long now.
shi: Come to think of it, it was a bit of a coincidence that I started colouring "out of the bounding box" as the comic progressed. Especially now, after reading the thought processes that finalised Jerem's illustrative decisions. On my part, it was mostly reactive. I saw that there were hints of a big reveal (there always is, right?) and I reacted to it in my own way. Of course, Jerem was there approving every step so I knew I was heading in the right direction!
In the spirit of all that gore, I'm going to leave you with 2 things.
First, in Jerem's own words, "It's a SPECIAL kind of horror. Just watch it. Soak all the discomfort in. Jebus fucking xhrist."
And second, a trailer of a sequel that was much better than the original movie. A not so common thing within the industry. Well, in my opinion anyways.
Page 45 - Fan Art Special by Andrew Dimitt
This pin-up was a whole lot of fun to cobble together! :)
Thank you for the invite, Jerem! And Thank You Drive-In Horror Show :)
This piece happened pretty naturally and organically :) I wanted to send some Love to two of the dearest best friends on this planet :) and so I sort'a imagined both of these beautiful, awesome girls ( Meranda & Autumn ) making the most of a world where everyone had become zombies...everyone except Autumn's Manchester terrier ( Gir ) of course! :)
LOVE!!! :):):)
Andrew Dimitt
shi: This guest post is brought you by the awesome, Andrew Dimitt, whose work includes comics like Drockleberry and Flowing Wells amongst many others. Thank you so much, Andrew!
by @AndrewDimitt 2014-07-11 08:06:06
This pin-up was a whole lot of fun to cobble together! :)
Thank you for the invite, Jerem! And Thank You Drive-In Horror Show :)
This piece happened pretty naturally and organically :) I wanted to send some Love to two of the dearest best friends on this planet :) and so I sort'a imagined both of these beautiful, awesome girls ( Meranda & Autumn ) making the most of a world where everyone had become zombies...everyone except Autumn's Manchester terrier ( Gir ) of course! :)
LOVE!!! :):):)
Andrew Dimitt
shi: This guest post is brought you by the awesome, Andrew Dimitt, whose work includes comics like Drockleberry and Flowing Wells amongst many others. Thank you so much, Andrew!
