Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - LIVE 30 minute challenge!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - LIVE 30 minute challenge!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

At this past Comic-Con in New York, our Iron Gelatomettistas went head-to-head drawing Wolverine to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Not only did these go towards raising more money for the fund, but were all done in a lightning round of 30 minutes. Vote for your favorite below!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - Garza!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - Garza!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

Post a comment below to vote for Alé Garza's Wolverine in his brown costume!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - D'Anda!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - D'Anda!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

Post a comment below to vote for Carlos D'Anda's Wolverine in his blue and yellow costume!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - Lee!

Iron Gelatomettista NYCC - Lee!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

Post a comment below to vote for Jim Lee's Logan!

New York, New York

New York, New York Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Oh lordie...what a time in the Big Apple. Still recovering from the comic con here in New York City. Flew in last Tuesday for some meetings and interviews before the big event, had a great time at the show itself and then hit the Joe Kubert school just yesterday where I had the pleasure of getting to spend time with Adam and Andy Kubert and a chance to meet and check out the work of many of their incredible students.

Much more and a bunch of just very funny pictures from various after con functions. Here's a candid of my new assistant Eddy Choi enjoying a private moment Sunday night at the Irish Rogue (edit: name of bar corrected) in midtown.

More pictures and funnies to come...just need to acquire permission from the various folk depicted in the pix.

Look! up in the Skye!!!

Look! up in the Skye!!!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]



It's getting closer and closer to Skye Runner coming out, just a little under two months! Just got the colors in for issue 1, and I gotta say, I'm quite the happy boy! Also I just finished up the last page of issue two! So, everythings coming together quite nicely. I can't say how appreciative I am to have the chance to work with the guys I'm working with on this book. Allen, Rich, and Jim are all doing a bang up job! Each one of them impressing me more and more with each completed step! Also wanted to give a prop to super editor, Scott Dunbier! Scott's responsible for putting together some great books, and I'm hoping this project will add another notch to his belt!



Aside from that, I'm gearing up for NY. Borrowing warm clothes, because my Cali boy butt's wardrobe consists mainly of t-shirts and jeans. Warm jackets? What's that? lol! Hopefully I'll manage to keep myself warm, hehe. Well, that's about all for now. Happy Monday!!!



-a

WOOT! WOOT!

keep on RUNNIN'

keep on RUNNIN'
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]



just wanted to post some random thoughts... Look for a Newsarama piece on Skye Runner early next week, hopefully it'll give a little more insight to my new little project! The book is just coming along great! Loving every creative step that's being taken! Also going to New York this coming week! Woohoo!!! We get to hang out with Lee for the first time since last years San Diego con. For those of you who don't know, Lee is my secret man crush, lol! :P I'm really looking forward to the Con as well. Don't get out to the east coast as much as I'd like. It'll be great meeting new peoples! Sorry for not posting more, but there just seems like there's always work on top of work to get done, gahhhh! I'll do my best to post more.



Also just read Batman year 100! Paul Pope has managed to put together another entertaing, and intriguing piece of work! If you haven't yet checked it out, I strongly suggest it 10/10! Till next time you all behave :)



-a

"way to go no breath" WOOT! WOOT!

What I Like About Traveling...

What I Like About Traveling... Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

This is sort of a response to a comment posted under the "Superman Returns to Missoula, Montana" post. I got the sense the poster thought I was poking fun at Montana cause I went on about hoe-downs, cowboy hats and no speeding limit. I don't think he was pissed but I got the sense he was tired of the same old stereotypes...and as a former Midwesterner from St. Louis, Missouri, I know the feeling.

I spent most of my childhood in Missouri and Ohio and know all about the misperceptions easterners and Californians have of the vast interior of the country. I used to go to Kansas every summer years ago to visit my in-laws in Augusta, Topeka (above photo) and Lawrence so I am real familiar with small towns and cities and how diverse or homogenous they can be.

[cont]

A Slice of Americana, Fish Treat on the Side

A Slice of Americana, Fish Treat on the Side Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[cont]

However, I'm sincere in my interest in smalltown, USA--in fact, I am perversely proud of my bland, puritanical upbringing--and don't worry, I don't think for a second that by donning a hat, that somehow the locals will misconstrue as one of them. Can't be too many Asians running around in Montana.

That said, I like playing it up when I travel and doing so ironically. If we play up the city slicker angle--it's just for laughs. Laughing at us for our stupidity at playing tourist (Yee-Haw!) as much as the contrast of Montana to California. So yeah, we're gonna get some cowboy boots and chew some tobacco and round up some steer. And drive like there's no speed limit even though there technically there is.

And looking for some local grub. One of the fun things I like to do is sample local, indigenous fast food. Here's a shot of my favorite in Topeka...Bobo's. It's a veritable institution in Topeka having been around for 50 years. I hear there was a recent fire and it had to be remodeled inside but for the longest time, it seemed like a frozen slice of Americana.

Spanish Burgers

Spanish Burgers Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[cont]

The best thing to order there is the Spanish burger (near burnt, wafer thin slice of meat with salsa between bread), a cup of chili, onion rings and their piece d'resistance--their fresh homemade shakes.

Go with Strawberry...they are cold, icy and thick. Not at all waxy or chalky like other gelatin enhanced commercial shakes. You won't be disappointed. I'd be real curious to see how they came up with the name, Spanish Burgers. OK I understand it has salsa on it...but wouldn't it make more sense if it were Mexican burgers or something closer to this side of the Atlantic? There has to be a story in there somewhere...but I've always been to scared to ask the workers there...they are straightforward Midwesterners who don't take any lip...

So yeah, I have a photo album of places I have eaten. Once drove 2 hours to get a Gooberburger (peanut butter on meat) in Missouri so I am anxious to see how the Montanans mix it up. So there you have it...one of my secret curiosities...

Oh, and a quick shout out to Neo for the wonderful portraits he has been doing up. Nice work, lad. Keep it up.

Superman Returns in Missoula, Montana

Superman Returns in Missoula, Montana Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Aside from my upcoming appearance at the first ever New York Comic Con next weekend and the WizardWorld LA and Philly shows in March and early June, respectively, I am thrilled to announce that I will be appearing at Muse Comics in late June the weekend Superman Returns opens. Once I know the exact release date of the movie, I can confirm the exact time and date of the store appearance but it will be the Friday the weekend the much anticipated movie hits the multiplexes.

Now I have been to North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Iowa and Washington but never had the pleasure of visiting the Big Sky state. So this should be an adventure and really, that's what comic book store signings are all about. On the prod with me will be Ale Garza and if we can corral Carlos D'Anda and other WildStormers into coming, we'll have a regular hoe-down. Ale is most excited about wearing cowboy hats and doing karoake. I just want to drive where there's no speed limit.

If any other Montanans know what the locals do for fun, please feel free to comment below. We want to make this one special.

Anyway, for those not in the know, Muse Comics is a highly regarded, forward thinking retailer located on 2100 Stephens (#107 to be exact) in Missoula which I hear is one of the happening-est cities in the Big MT. So if yer close, drop on in and book early; should be a wild one.

Batting Out Another One

Batting Out Another One Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Another one...they take about 30 minutes and honestly, it's mostly trial and error at this point.

The images are too day-glo really but I like the pop art effect you get with the saturated colors. Painting this with oils or acrylics would take hours. And yeah, this is done with a Wacom product...the Cintiq21.

It's the monitor which you can draw on. I have a Wacom tablet and that was fairly effective and intuitive but the Cintiq is just like drawing on paper.

Just for laughs

Just for laughs Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Been messing around with Photoshop recently and did this quick Joker face entirely on the computer just for kicks.

Inspired by our own master colorist /artist /painter /monk /guru Scott Iwahashi, we (Carlos, Ale and I) have all been monkeying around with computer color with really mixed results. It's always frustrating learning anything new...Scott makes it look so easy when we look over his shoulder...then we take our turn in the seat and it's a mess.

But we will overcome.

Stay tuned.

The Courageous Commandors

The Courageous Commandors Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Clearing out some out boxes this weekend and came across this "gem." Thirty years ago, some 11 year old aspiring comic book artist kid drew fictional splash pages for fictional comics that never materialized (no cracks from the peanut gallery about how the trend continues >= / heh). I just had fun creating the characters.

The Courageous Commandors were created pre-Star Wars and reflect a lot of my love for Neal Adams' work on the X-Men although anyone would be hardpressed to see that. I was also a big fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes and as you can tell from the header...these 3 characters were the leaders of their own subteams.

I think this particular group had 20 or 30 characters in total. Some of the names are blurred out as they are made up writers based on names of some friends at the time. There weren't a lot of us into comics at the time so it was always a chore filling out the credits to make it seem like it was a real team effort just like in the 'real comics.'

As a hoot, time presenting itself, I will redraw this shot in my current style and adult sensibilities.

Here's a closer look for some sheets and grins for those masochists out there.

Cry Havok!

Cry Havok! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Back home in San Diego. Wrapped up the mini tour of Paris with some signings around Paris (Bercy and Velizy). This sketch of Havok was done for Jerome, my translator/guide at Angouleme.

I remember the first time seeing Havok in the pages of the X-Men. His unusual, unique, way ahead of its time costume--designed by the incomparable Neal Adams--just created a black hole on the page; it just drew your eye to him every time he was in a scene. Then when he used his powers--the graphic, flat series of concentric circles really just looked like no other power manifestation; just really amazingly powerful visually, iconically.

This one is obviously influenced by the fantastic interpretation Jon J Muth did of Havok in his Havok-Wolverine mini-series some years back. That series is still one of my very favorite comic books and is recently back in print as a collection. Simply breathtaking art and a cool story courtesy of Walter and Louise Simonson.

Done in marker, brush, white out pen and using my finger...here's a larger scan.