The festival is over so I get to work on the comic. It were five amazing days. Met a lot of good and interesting people, I was amazed by the energy of the festival and had some real cool parties in the evenings.
So for today I was just working on the reportage. The people at the guest house are really hospitable and I can use the conference room as an office. Listening to all the interviews, making notes, mapping, categorizing and grouping information, organizing photo's and sketching.
I don't want to show to much allready, but it might be cool to explain. I made some smaller sketches and call them 'in betweens'. Those were those small things and details that I really pay attention to. Those kind of things that might just a few people notice or pay attention to, or cameo's. The in betweens will be assimilated into the main pictures. So you might have to look for them again!
I´ll give one away.
You should have seen the crew walking around
with the walkie-talkies whole day. I´ll never forget Travis Beard, the organiser of the festival, calling into the radio: "Qais! Qais! Where are you Qais!?". And of course Qais was running around all day being really busy. And that's a fact!
Oh by the way! I haven't blogged a lot about the rest of my experiences in Kabul. But if you're interested you might like to check out my roommate's blog, Craigus Mcvegas from Australia. I do would like to share one thing. This evening me and Craig went out with the guy from the guesthouse, to withdraw some money at a cash machine. At one of the the supermarkets we went to, some militairy white trucks by with electronic jammers on the roof against electronic devices that might trigger bombs.
So we couldn't unlock the car because it has an infrared key. We had to wait untill they had passed by. But read the rest of it an Craigus's blog.
Finally got some time again to work on the Detective Sunday's. I'm about to start it of very soon, but for this one I'm taking some time to work on. Theme for the next Detecive Sunday is Blacksad. One of my favorite crime-noir comics. For this one I some kind of switch the rule. Instead of an existing character from literature to a comic impression, I'll give an impression of a created character into a comic. Blacksad in this case. So stay tuned!
From Monday to Saturday I work on my own projects or commissions. I'm kinda a workaholic and start feeling guilty when I sit down for a couple of minutes. Even if it's a break. But I do think it would be good to take the Sundays of and don't work on projects or commissions. On Sundays I will be theme-drawing but only recreational!
So I hereby declare; 'Detective-Sunday', as an (in my case) a recreational duty-bound day!
'Detective-Sunday' stands for: drawing favourite characters from detective/thrillers I read, in a style that would suit the story. For example: Birdman, Mo Hayder (2000), Dead Simple, Peter James (2005), Blindsighted, Karin Slaughter (2001). Can't help it! I just need an assignment. But I started out quite well last week. I must confess I worked on a page of the Afghanistan-comic, but I forgive myself.
So I'll start on the next character within half an hour, I'm not sure which one next, but I'll find out in a moment. First, let's get back to the title.
About two years ago, I was working on a sci-fi detective. The story takes place in the Netherlands around the year 2030. I'll give a summary later on. I already had most characters in mind, except for the main! Tall, young (about 28 years old), not very experienced, his father is already a chief-commissioner who wants his son rise in ranks and of the streets as soon as possible. He only needs one murder-case to solve and then he would be of the streets.
So I was on my way to the academy, I sat in the train and wasn't even thinking about the character. But I looked up from my newspaper. And there he was! I quickly made a sketch unnoticed, and 'Inspecteur (Detective-Inspector) Lucas van de Welt' was born.
Sketch I made in the train, February 2009 (I thought)
At the moment I don't have the time to work on my own detective-stories, but I better keep myself in some good shape, and work on one of my favourite hobbies.
Since this occurrence, I trust to rely more on coincidence. For example, I don't force titles for stories, paintings or comics. I just let them come up! Because sometimes the answer is right in front of you.
Okay. I'm actually not really into the superhero-stuff. But since I find it hard to find Watchmen, Sparks and Invincible (Because I don't want to pay for them to watch at the moment) I started to review some other comics.
The first I would like to discuss a little is 'Spider-Woman'.
From the first moment on I really liked the intro! Just like the start of a movie added with sinister music. Right after that it starts of in a dark environment and continues until the end. The design and drawings happen to be the style just how I like it! Dark and intense! As for the motion or animation: (Let's keep it animation ok? We're already having trouble defining 'graphic novel') I find it well balanced. It's a little on the edge, but just enough not to get me annoyed and saying this is a cartoon. The voices are well recorded as well as the rest of the sound design. Not like different layers placed on top of each other, but a right mix!
And not to forget the character and story. It stays a short period but I felt kinda fascinated with the main character. When she is thinking, a reverb is added to her voice. It gives way more draft. The conversations are not to fast and are much more easy to follow than N.
The second is 'Gifted' of X-Men.
To be honest, I watched it for only 4 or 5 minutes. This is just what i'm not looking for. For as far as I'm concerned, this is a cartoon, and I was not amused. The sound was quite good. But it's just that the animation was too much! No further marks.
I still hope to get Watchmen as soon as possible and post a review about it. As soon as I found what I'm looking for, I'll also give you some insights into the story I'm writing for my animated graphic novel.
Stay tuned again and have a nice weekend!
Allright! Step back! I realized that I actually never gave a real definition of the term 'Graphic Novel'. So I owe you I guess! I'll try to get to a good definition as best as I can, since I've seen a lot of different definitions in the last years. And as the graphic novel is a rising medium in the Netherlands not everybody is yet acquainted with the term.
The graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format. (from the Oxford English Dictionary, I find this the best definition).
As much media do, the comic developed itself during the sixties and from there on. With the new millennium, the graphic novel rose in popularity in the Netherlands, and the term was adopted. But...!The term got adopted, as well as adapted. I find it very annoying when these situations occur in the Netherlands. It makes it hard to get to a well definition. Eddie Campbell also encountered this problem and formulated his Graphic Novel Manifesto (Thank you Eddie!). Because the term is now used to explain that comics are no longer just for kids but for the big audience. The graphic novel marked the adultery of the comic. And here's another definition that is used: "Agraphicnovelisalayeredstory,wrappedincompellingimages." Themes vary from autobiography, humour, war, fantasy, love, music, philosophy and so on, and often in a literary style aimed at the adult reader.
This week I... well.. Ok. I watched the digital comic adaptation of Stephen King's N. I'm still more used to say: "read comics." This also occurs when I say that I listened a book instead of that I read a book, since I listen to audio-books. I get to that later.
I was under the impression of this graphic adaptation. I was partially dragged into the story. I did a quick analysis and summarized what I liked and disliked.
The story of a man obsessed about a creepy place and discusses it with his psychiatrist, who then inherits the obsession of his patient, fascinates me and is stimulated by the pace, the story is told. The drawings done by Alex Maleev, colored by José Villarrubia, really emit the atmosphere of the situation the antagonists find themselves placed in. There's not to much of animation, what could almost make it just another sort of short-animation.
It can be viewed on small screens like a mobile phone or on the website. Almost exactly the way that I can imagine the form of the digital/animated graphic novel. There are 25 episodes, of each 1.30 min.. Now they can all be found on the website, but in August 2008 you could download a new episode every week or so.
So let's get to the 'dislikes'. I wasn't very fond of the sound-design. It was overdone, which leads to separation in my experience: The images, and the sound. I find they should be merged. The voices where way to fast. In a way it contributes to the atmosphere of the entire story, but this is just what I mean with putting pressure on the audience. I favour to decide my own pace.
Because of dyslexia I have some trouble reading books. I tackle this by 'reading' audio-books or radio-dramas. Like with books I can decide my own pace and, depending on the reader, get dragged into the story most of the times.
Two of my favourites are: 'The Whole Truth, David Baldacci' (Hachette Audio) and 'De Moker, NTR' a radio-drama. The Whole Truth is very well read and some scenes are supported by music, playing softly on the background. I remember I rewind some scenes because they were so cool!
De Moker is a Dutch radio-drama about the battle of De Wallen, Amsterdam. The voices are done by well-known actors. It's like you're listening to a movie! Watch a small making-of down here!
So!? Well simply saying: combine the 'like'-elements of 'N', with the elements of the audio-books and radio-drama right? Not just yet! I hope to check out the digital graphic adaptation of Watchmen, The Dark Knight and Sparks.
I'm also working on a thriller set in Amsterdam. I'll post the designs of the main-characters very very soon! Stay tuned!
Might you just have a MUST SEE tip on a motion comic, let me know!
The Graphic Novel is a medium that's rising in popularity and is more and more accepted as literature. In The Netherlands the medium is quite new and also rising in popularity as more and more graphic novels are being translated, and to be found in more and more bookstores.
But just as soon, this medium is gaining popularity, a sub-genre is developping. The Animated Graphic Novel.
Like in normal literature, graphic novel-readers can be dragged into the story, identify themselves with the characters etc. etc.. Propably due to the story's quality and the quality of the drawings.
The Animated Graphic Novel might be achieving the same effect with readers and I'm sure some allready are. I'm referring to Metal Gear Solid (video above). The reader determines it's own pace. But not all of these animated graphic novels allow the reader to determine it's own pace.
This immediately approaches my thesis: These animated graphic novels are well developed. But in my opinion they can put too much pressure on the reader and it becomes difficult to be dragged into the story and have the reader, or in this case viewer, identify itself with the main-character in such a short time (3 min. / 10 min.). Besides, I find these formats more animation instead of animated graphic novel, and in that case almost an infringement on the medium. Once again, the ideal form for the reader would be to determine it's own pace.
Why this research?
New forms of media allow ideal opportunities for the animated graphic novel. Imagine the format like an e-book. Minimal animation and pace of reading determined by the reader. I hope to find out how the animated graphic novel could be applied at it's best! It's an upcoming market and I believe it can grow much more popular.
The research includes the comic-, graphic novel, literature and the gadget universe. In this case it would be very interesting for, publishers, writers, screenwriters, graphic novelists, animators, audio-engineers, students, teachers, genre-interested public, perhaps even autodidacts. Graphic Novels and comics are already being applied as teaching methods!
As for myself, as I already explained, I love to draw and write, and hope to publish a graphic novel someday as well. Be it animated or in book-form.
Via this blog I'll keep you updated about the research. Don't be confused if you might find sketches, drawings, short graphic novels or reviews I posted. As a matter of fact, I recommend you read "GodDAMN mother fucking BULLshitfuck shitFUCK! GodDAMN mother fucking BULLshitfuck shitFUCK!" A review I wrote about DMZ #4 Friendly Fire. It's about how the book managed to get me dragged into the story. How about you click the link above and start reading?
