After the brief interval!

Hey, I know we have been away for a little while. The reason is simple; waiting for fresh samples from new stories. We get a continuous run of art for stories in production but it's been for material already posted. And I don't want to end up posting a whole story online just to keep a blog going. And second reason why I haven't posted anything else onto the blog is because I was job hunting, and I got something.
Now, we're back and with fresh art for another story in the AVH series. This is from 'Dinner on the Run!' and it features the very talented penciler David Hedmark combined with the striking inking ability of Jeff DeMars. Dave has produced quite a bit of work with us so I won't repeat myself, to see my previous remarks checkout 'From The Mountain Tops We Howl!' from May. But to get a bigger picture of Jeff's talents buy a copy of his 'Guilty Conscience' by Albatross Entertainment (which he is also a partner in!) or just link over to Albatross Entertainment itself! His inks are sharp, clear, striking and convey the artworks true meaning. From his own initiative to create I think we'll be seeing a lot more of the gifted soul!
Eug

Eugene J. Byrne
EIC Wolfman Productions International
Wolfman-productions.com

The Sentinels of the Night

It’s been over three weeks since the last blog and I can’t for the life of me tell you why it has passed without a blog. I know there are reasons and good ones but that’s life – a speeding blur. Well, the artwork of this blog is from a story we’re giving the working title of ‘Sentinel’. It’s a Wolfman house character designed by George and myself. I won’t tell you too much for now but it’s our first (non-comedy) super-hero-styled vigilante piece in production. I’m not overly keen on creating super-hero stories unless they’re punisher-esque in nature. Before George (Amaru) started working with us he expressed his wish to work on a superhero but I gave him ‘Family Affair’ to stretch him, make him rely on drama, layout and facial expressions rather than superhero gimmicks and tools. But now he’s in his element and is working hard to bring the ‘WOW’ factor to this tale.

In reviews, well, weeks have passed and I have read a lot but I won’t over do it today. I asked George to write up his opinions of Wolverine, which made me laugh because I asked for a ‘few’ paragraphs but he wrote an essay. But he kindly cut it down

X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of how Marvel’s lovable Canucklehead went from sickly country boy to the ferocious and headstrong X-Men member. It is an enjoyable film that fills in the missing back story of Wolverine’s past that we are teased with in the first two X-Men films. The film focuses on Logan’s path to becoming the bad-boy hero we all know and love and treats us to cameos by some fan favorite, as well as some lesser known Mutants from the Marvel Universe. It is an enjoyable ride filled with lots of action, and plenty of fan-boy eye candy and easter eggs, but falls short of being an viable stand-alone film, and assumes that you are either a comic fan, or have seen at least the first two X films before venturing into the theater. The movie fails to truly give any back story as to who or what Mutants are, why we should particularly care what is happening to them as a race, or why Stryker views them as a threat, other than the very brief mention of Stryker’s son, whom we are to assume in this film is a Mutant, based solely on one conversation.

Despite this, the movie does do a decent job of explaining Logan as the central character and makes us care, or at least causes us to be curious of what happens to him, even if we don’t fully understand the circumstances that he is in. Hugh Jackman once again proves that he is perfect for this role, and Liev Schreiber delivers a great performance as Victor Creed/Sabertooth.

The movie doesn’t deliver any huge emotion, even in the scenes between Logan and his wife Silver Fox, and isn’t nearly as Shakespearian or allegorical as the mainline X-Men films, but is an enjoyable popcorn flick. The fans will love appearances by Blob, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Silver Fox and of course, the long awaited film debut of Gambit. Wade Wilson is an enjoyable character and nicely played by Ryan Reynolds, though I for one was a bit disappointed with the use of the character in his Deadpool persona.

In the end, the film keeps Fox’s X-Men franchise alive, and will hopefully lead to the rumored Magneto origin film. The involvement of characters such as Cyclops and Emma Frost, among others serves the purpose of providing plot details, but is also surely meant to set up X-Men: The First Class, which X-Producer Lauren Shuler Donner seems to very much want to move forward with. It will cause the usual nerd debates about straying from the source material, and how this character or that character was ruined, but overall it provides a nice escape and is good enough to make us forget X3, even if it’s just for a little while.

Review by George Amaru

I decided to review Wonder Woman the animated movie. With Bruce Timm involved I knew this would be cool. And the story is nice in length and detail. The perfect voice actors. The only down side is that when the action of the story hits the States (and it’s big) we don’t get cameo. I know this isn’t usually done but with the action on the scale it is, situated at the countries capital I would have expected the US government to call in some of the ‘heavy-hitter’ it would have on call; such as Superman etc. But if you over-look this detail it is still a cool film. And as I mentioned before it’s good length compared to what we normally get for animated piece. I have the special edition but I feel a little cheated as the extras on the first disc are just trailers for other DC animated releases. The second disc comes with one large and one small documentary. The first is an exploration of the creation of Wonder Woman, the times she was from and the impact she had on those times. The second was something similar but it felt like a real waste. And that was it for the docos, no storyboards or making of. There was two of Bruce Timm’s personal choice of Justice League episodes (which are pretty cool) to finish it. I felt it was a waste of money to buy it. I should have rented the two discs (to see the docos) and just bought the movie below $10 when it hits the bargain bins in about 6 to 8 months from now.

Well, that’s my review for this blog.

I really hope you like the artwork above.

Eug

PS As usual if you have any comments email them to lonewolf@wolfman-productions.com

Wolfman-productions.com

From the mountain tops we howl!

The story of this blog is called ‘Lonely Mountain’ by Sinead Lynch (a TokyoPop ‘Rising Stars Of Manga’ winner) with art provided by David Hedmark. This story was written when the first ‘Invisible Nation’ was completed and I was asked what Wolfman needed. I wanted to see what Sinead would create if she wrote dark tales. Sinead is an amazingly talented prolific writer who proceeded to write two great tales, one about love & lycanthropy and the second about childhood innocence and nosterfatu. Each tale just amazed me. I am big a werewolf fan and this story, which takes the cursed route, is very Romeo & Juliet - when you read it you'll understand! Finding the right artists to produce them has been a job in itself but David’s work for Lonely Mountain was just perfect. The second story called ‘Moloch’ is currently in the preparation stage and I hope to have art to show soon.

You’ll know David’s work from an earlier blog as he’s one of the lead artists on the upcoming AVH.

On the comic review front I got to read The Hulk vol 1 tpb 'Red Hulk' written by Jeph Loeb and art by Ed Mcguinness. From beginning to end this story struck me hard as crap, Jeph Loeb is an amazing writer but whatta hell happened here! This is a dumb story. And I'm not a fan of McGuiness but his art suits this big dumb story as the artist draws big blocks meat! I read the collected six issues about Red Hulk beating up a list of Marvels A & B stars (including the Green Hulk of course). Spoiler Ahead: At the end of issue 6 the Hulk smartens up to a weakness of the Red Hulk (with the done to death use of a Marvel team-up!) he beats his foe. What has happened to Jeph Loeb, is he turning out this crap at a 6-issue story a day to pay off some serious debts?!

If you haven’t read Bruce Jones' Incredible Hulk run (the predecessor that lead from WWH to this shot of piss) you need to get your hands on them and read a real Incredible Hulk story with depth. In vol 1., Return Of The Monster, the art is excellent too, with John Romita, Jr providing stunning visuals. It’s Bruce Jones’ run that made me pick this up to read and ouch is all I can say. What happened Jeph???!!! I’ve feared reading WWH! Maybe I’ll torture myself with that next!

Well, enjoy the art above. See you next week

Eug

Wolfman-productions.com

PS If you have any comments email them to lonewolf@wolfman-productions.com

This week I received a lot of cool art. The goals that are posted on Wolfman’s homepage are really beginning to come to fruition.

The story of this is update is ‘The Only Decent Day Of Wicked Lester King’ by John Carbery visualised by Dante Barreno. John’s story grabbed me from the get-go. It’s a simply layered examination of the character Lester King, who happens to be a killer. It’s a tale told with the right mix of dark humour, drama and a little horror. It was fun to read and when Dan (Dante) handed in the artwork I was blow away. From the moment Dan sent me his link to his deviant I knew this was the tale for this artist. Dan’s visuals are old school illustrator with the right up-todate touches to grab anyone’s attention.

John’s an irish writer that shows great flair in his words. Each tale he sends makes me want to read it – what I mean is that the opening pages pull you in. Dante Barreno is an artist from the Phillipines that was trained under Nestor Malgapo, a very popular Phillipino comic artist - I didn’t know how to insert this info!

I got a chance to read Star Trek ‘Countdown’ this week. Firstly, it’s a little over-priced at $18 (rounded up) for a 4 issue mini-series / prequel to the movie. For a four issue I’d have expected about $14 max. The trailer and the reviews for the new Star Trek movie look impressive. J.J. Abrams looks to have hit the mark for resurrecting this beloved universe whilst opening it up to a whole new audience. But be warned, unless you’re a Star Trek fan or have a good working knowledge of Trek then you won’t get the prequel. The story for the prequel is fun, typical of a Star Trek episode (especially from Next Gen, as it features most of our favourite characters from that time period). Spoiler ahead! How they handle Data’s resurrection is done in typical Star Trek fashion and quickly explained away. But it’s not relevant to the new movie as only Nero and Spock make it past the comic pages. And mores the pity for that! Spoilers over!

I’m curious to see how they explain Nero’s story in the Movie considering it’s the main story of the prequel. The art for Countdown does the job with David Messina having a strong grasp on likenesses (seeing Next Gen crew looking as they should is great). So many artists that have done this type of comic can’t seem to get this right, even with the ton of photo references available to them. But both the art and seeing these great characters return for a new tale (even if it’s not completed in the prequel) is not enough, for me, to hide the lack of strong story telling presented in this collection. Messina looks to have just drawn what he was given on page without investing any real passion for layout or character angles etc.

This comic was fun to read to for a diversion, it’s not essential to the film because by the end about 90% of its story is ejected for the big screen adventure to come. Not worth $17.99 – Oh, I didn’t buy it, I sat down and had a read at Barnes & Nobles (think Eason’s for you Dublin readers!)

Well, enjoy the art. See you next week

Eug

Wolfman-productions.com

The Spirit to comics!

I wanted to post this yesterday but it was a long day and I was tired. The art that’s to the right of the screen arrived at the perfect time but I just didn’t have the energy to think and type. And today turned out to be a similar day but I won’t be lazy about it. So, here we go.

This week I managed to see The Spirit. I only have one question; What the hell happened here? I remember loving Sin City when I first saw it. I just thought Rodriguez hit the mark and I thought it was cool that Miller helped direct some of it. So, when I heard Miller had the reigns for The Spirit I was very interested, even though The Spirit comics never grabbed my attention. I thought this could be the debut of a new great director. But I was wrong. Frank Miller’s ‘The Spirit’ is a cartoony comic book movie that’s so disjointed that the ‘cartoony’ elements are just the nails in its coffin. I didn’t get more than a third into the movie before I turned it off. The visuals are cool, not as good as Sin City but eye-catching. I think Kim Newman of Empire puts it perfect; ‘Displaying admirable love for pulp material and striking enviably sexy poses, but missing the emotional resonance, zeitgeist-catching populism and mainstream thrills which found movie franchises.’

Now onto the artwork above!

It’s a sample from the tale ‘Memory Garden’ from Nial Kitson, a freelance journalist. He’s a gifted writer, a cool guy to talk too and a total pro. Wolfman’s had this story for a while now, so I’m glad to have it finally finished. The story’s a goulish horror story that’s just perfect for Havoc 21. The art is provided by Emmanuel J. J. Ybarrola, (from Argentina). Emmanuel guides us through this tale in stark sharp b&w that carries a burton-esque feel to his backgrounds. When I received his first samples demonstrating what he can do I was seriously impressed. With the right exposure he’ll go far. I can only hope Wolfman can provide some.

Well, I hope you enjoy the art above!

Eug

Wolfman-productions.com

It’s Friday again. I’m busy and tired from organising Havoc 21 and AVH for publishing this year. I set about writing AVH nearly two years ago, it’s a series of stories that tells the story of one Family spanning over generations. It hasn’t been an easy task creating small stories, for two time periods, that were self contained but also pieces of a jigsaw. I’ve been working hard since last year on the producing of the artwork for this story that would also give me a chance to pencil again. Something that was the embodiment of Havoc 21 itself - made up of self-contained pieces but could combine to create a greater whole. And once I had enough written I jumped straight into pencilling the time period that I wanted to produce and directing another artist through the second time period. The art I debut this posting is my own from AVH. I am very proud of how my skills have evolved from my first pencils for ‘Always Forever’ in issue 1 of Havoc 21. I hope you like what you see!

Eug

Wolfman-productions.com

Have you seen a dentist lately?

It’s Friday, and again I’m later than I wanted with this posting ... I was waiting for a couple of artists to send in their work. Then finally I got something. I got this story, a few weeks ago, called Toothquake, from a writer named Royal Mcgraw; Detective Comics (Batman) and the Batman: Battle for the Cowl tie-in, Commissioner Gordon #1. When I saw the title I smiled (I hadn’t properly checked out the writers credits, that he kindly supplied)... expecting the tale to be something more suitable for Goosebumps than Havoc 21. Well, I read it and laughed. It was very Twilight Zone but directed by Sam Raimi. Though, I should have guessed, if I had read his credits, that the title would be a curve-ball or misnomer! And what a gifted and funny writer he is.

And then came Ben looking to work with us and I saw his art. I was nervous because I needed to see him handle something that wasn’t the Big Two. And I sent him this story, thinking it would suit his style. And it did. Now, what you see above is not finished. So, keep the criticisms to yourself till you see the second ‘draft’ of the artwork for printing. But I think when Royal (and you guys see this work finished and printed) you’ll understand how perfect Ben’s artwork is for this tale. He’s definitely what Wolfman is all about; debuting fresh young upcoming talent!

Eug

wolfman-productions.com

A Wolf in Space!

I’ve waited a little longer than a week to post a new blog because I was hoping to be able to show off a new sample from AVH. Well, hopefully I’ll have something to post for the next update. For this one I am delighted to have gotten some of the final artwork for Kieran Murphy’s ‘Family Affair’. Kieran Murphy is the writer of 'Frozen Wasteland' published by Arcana Comics. The artwork duties have been handled by George Amaru on pencils and inks by Luis Alonso. George prefers working on superheroes so I gave him this story to stretch him, and oh boy, it did. But I have to say he’s turned in excellent sharp clear pencils. And I think he’d agree we needed a focused inker to bring that final touch to the art and that’s were Luis comes in. From the moment I saw Luis’ submission for inker I knew we had another pro inker on our hands. And pro standard inkers are hard to find. Most artists can turn in reasonable inks but someone who can take a challenge (working out the shadows and lights of space scenes) and turn it in quickly, like it was nothing, that’s a real inker. I’m excited to see this material, like the previous posted samples in print.

Eug

wolfman-productions.com

Putting some meat on the bones!

Well, this is the third posting for this new blog. I'm keen to get some real meat online to show. I think it really helps morale when people actually see the work, and especially when it's their work. The artists we debut, publish and promote are seriously talented individuals who deserve to have their work seen. This update is just another example of such work. This is a sample from a story called Quarantine by writer Mike Lynch visualised by Andy Dawe-Collins.

Moving is soo much fun!!

For anyone wondering why the Wolfman website hasn't been updated in a little while (and won't be for a little while longer) because I'm in the midst of moving. And it's taking longer that I wish. So, that's causing communication problems.
So, this blog will be the up-todate source of anything Wolfman.
Here's another sample of a finished story coming in our futures issues of Havoc 21. Art by Marcus Hanley, the story is called Roll The Bones by Peter Loftus.
Enjoy
Eug

Havoc 21 2009

It's 2009 and I have decided to create a blog to give a look into the body of material we're producing to fulfill this years goals (as posted on our website: wolfman-productions.com). I felt we owed it to all involved. I post new artwork on the website whenever I get a round to updating it but I've realised that doesn't happen as much as it should. So, hopefully I can inspire the team and our fans with the great artwork I can post on this quick and easy blog.

Eug

Eugene J. Byrne
EIC Wolfman Productions International
wolfman-productions.com