Halloween – Christopher Jones Comic Art and Illustration Blog http://blog.christopherjonesart.com Thu, 28 Jun 2012 01:23:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 42733131 Happy Hallow— WTF is THAT??? http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-hallow-wtf-is-that/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-hallow-wtf-is-that/#respond Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:04:22 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=794 WTF?

WTF?

Is that a giant spider with a scary clown face next to a walking tree?

Yes, yes it is.

Justice League Adv. #10 pg 13

Justice League Adv. #10 pg 13

Not sure how much the context of the full page helps. This was from an actually quite fun issue of Justice League Adventures called Must There Be a Martian Manhunter and featured the villain Scream Thief who could manifest nightmare creatures. Pencils by me. Inks by Dan Davis.

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A few of our favorite things http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/a-few-of-our-favorite-things/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/a-few-of-our-favorite-things/#respond Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:51:48 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=789 A few of our Favorite Things

A few of our Favorite Things

This was a T-shirt design four CONvergence 2007, our Creature Feature year. That’s Connie in front introducing a few of our favorite “Things.” Can you identify them all?

BTW – The art on this T-shirt glows in the dark!

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Happy Halloween… badges? http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-badges/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-badges/#respond Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:14:10 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=769 Brian Keene CONvergence Badge

Brian Keene CONvergence Badge

This was custom badge art I did for Brian Keene, the first year he visited CONvergence as a Guest of Honor. I do individual badge art fro all the convention’s guests, which is one of the things that helps the con make a unique impression on our visiting VIPs right away.

I always try to tailor the badge art to the Guest of Honor’s work, or something about them personally. It gets easier if I’ve met them or am intimately familiar with their work. When it’s someone I’m not as familiar with, finding the right image can be a real challenge! I’d met Brian prior to his first visit to CONvergence, but didn’t know him *that* well. I went for the center of the strike zone and did a zombie image, referencing The Rising, probably Brian’s best-known work.

Brian Keene Devil Slayer

Brian Keene Devil Slayer

Connie vs. Conqueror Worms

Connie vs. Conqueror Worms


Brian’s been back a couple of times. In 2009 I drew the CONvergence mascot Connie as Devil Slayer, as Brian had just written a Devil Slayer mini-series for Marvel Comics. In 2011 I opted to have Connie battling the giant worms from another of Brian’s epics, The Conqueror Worms. I try to avoid using Connie on badge art for Guests making their first visit to CONvergence, since until they experience the convention they wouldn’t understand or appreciate the unique role this mascot character has there. But once they’ve been to CONvergence and are coming back, Connie tends to pop up pretty often.

Here are some other badges I’ve done for CONvergence in recent years with a Halloween flavor.

Ambush Bug as the Shadow

Ambush Bug as the Shadow

Anthony Tollin is a comic book colorist who is associated with, among many things, Keith Giffen’s Ambush Bug comics from the 1980s. He’s also a historian of The Shadow in both radio and pulp incarnations, and is currently publishing reprints of The Shadow and Doc Savage. So a mash-up of Ambush Bug dressed as The Shadow seemed like a fun idea.

Bernie Wrightson badge

Bernie Wrightson badge

I’d been a fan of Bernie Wrightson for years, from Swamp Thing and his other comics work to his gorgeous illustrated edition of Frankenstein. This badge art references a joke Bernie got into an early printing of that Frankenstein book. The author’s page at the back gave a lengthy biography of Bernie, concluding with where he then lived along with his two dogs. About the author or the original novel it only said “Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley is dead and has no dogs.” I thought that was hysterical when I first saw it, and was disappointed to learn that later printings replaced it with a more conventional biographical blurb.

Connie enjoying Ludovico Technique

Connie enjoying Ludovico Technique

Robert Meyer Burnett, is a huge fan of A Clockwork Orange, and his production company Ludovico Technique is named for this procedure from the film. Poor Connie.

Emily Hagins badge

Emily Hagins badge

Emily Hagins is a remarkable young filmmaker who wrote, produced and directed her first film – a zombie movie – when she was 14 years old. She’s a few years older now and still going strong. She recently got her first theatrical distribution deal with MPI Media for her third feature film – My Sucky Teen Romance. When she first visited CONvergence, I thought it would be fun to place Emily among the iconic zombie-slayers.

Connie Mk 2 in Village of the Damned

Connie Mk 2 in Village of the Damned

And finally, in 2010 our convention theme was “Bad Guys,” and I placed our mascot’s evil sister Connie Mark 2 among the Children of the Damned for our “teen” registration badge that year.

 

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Happy Halloween semi-decapitation! http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-semi-decapitation/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-semi-decapitation/#respond Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:06:25 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=685 CHOK!

CHOK!

I was always a little surprised that we got away with that one in a Johnny DC title. Granted, it’s a plant simulacrum of Poison Ivy and not the real flesh and blood original, but STILL!

Here’s the full page for context from The Batman Strikes #33:

Strikes #33 pg 02 color

Strikes #33 pg 02 color

Inks by Terry Beatty. Colors by Heroic Age Studio.

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Happy Halloween – Don’t let the bed bugs bite http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-dont-let-the-bed-bugs-bite/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-dont-let-the-bed-bugs-bite/#respond Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:16:23 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=632 Kirby Genesis - Giant Bugs!

Kirby Genesis - Giant Bugs!

This is from my set of try-out pages for the Kirby: Genesis book at Dynamite. I was one of 4-5 artists on the short list who was asked to do samples for the book. The scenario depicted was based on verbal phone conversations with Kurt Busiek by phone, and is similar to scenes that eventually appeared in the actual book! Click on the image below to see all four pages at higher resolution from that fun not-to-be project!

Kirby Genesis - page 3

Kirby Genesis - page 3

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Happy Halloween from Gargoyles! http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-from-gargoyles/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-from-gargoyles/#respond Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:00:44 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=628 Counting down…

Gargyoles: Bad Guys #3 - pg 24 detail

Gargyoles: Bad Guys #3 - pg 24 detail

This page is from the Gargoyles: Bad Guys mini-series. Pencils and inks by me. Story by Greg Weisman. Based on characters from Disney’s Gargoyles.

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Happy Halloween… from Gotham City http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-from-gotham-city/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/happy-halloween-from-gotham-city/#comments Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:00:28 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=567 Batman Strikes #50 page 1

Batman Strikes #50 page 1

This is Halloween-appropriate page comes from the final issue of The Batman Strikes.

Pencil art by me, inks by Terry Beatty, colors by the Heroic Age studio.

This page is LOADED with self-indulgent in-jokes.

• CONvergence fans should note the Trick-or-Treater in the lower left corner dressed as Connie.

• Another Trick-or-Treater is dressed as Two-Face, on of my very favorite Batman villains who I never got to draw in my 44-issue run on The Batman Strikes, thanks to an embargo on the use of Two-Face, the Scarecrow, and Ra’s al Ghul in this animated incarnation of Batman.

• The first panel sees Batman perched upon Aparo Tower, named for one of my favorite Batman artists, Jim Aparo.

• And finally, the 433 Bar is named as a reference to the internet handle of my friend Jeremy Stomberg.

 

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Choose your Halloween costumes wisely http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/choose-your-halloween-costumes-wisely/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/choose-your-halloween-costumes-wisely/#respond Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:00:22 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=554 The Big Comeback page 12

The Big Comeback page 12

The Hypno Hustler, from an unpublished story for Spider-man Adventures.

 

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A few more words about Halloween http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/a-few-more-words-about-halloween/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/a-few-more-words-about-halloween/#respond Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:00:51 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=550 Kolchak: Fever Pitch page 40

Kolchak: Fever Pitch page 40

Slightly wordier this time – a whole caption box full of text rather than a single word. But still a nice image for Halloween, don’t you think?

Once again, a page from Kolchak: Fever Pitch.

 

 

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Another word about Halloween http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/another-word-about-halloween/ http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/another-word-about-halloween/#respond Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:00:12 +0000 http://blog.christopherjonesart.com/?p=547 Kolchak: Fever Pitch page 38

Kolchak: Fever Pitch page 38

Yes, that word is “Nooooo!”

Or is that “NoOoOo”?

Another page from Kolchak: Fever Pitch.

 

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