Swordplay
August 28, 2008, filed under: Epics, by LexThere’s nothing quite like the heft of a good blade in your hand. As someone who fences and has had a life-long affinity for swordplay, I couldn’t agree more with Burton’s sentiments. They are particularly true in the world of epic poetry. Swords have wonderful histories and names all their own, it was almost as if the sword decided which hero was worthy enough to claim it (think Excalibur). Other famous swords include: Nagling (Beowulf), Tizona (El Cid), Balmung (Siegfried), Joyeuse (Charlemagne), Cortana (Ogier the Dane), Hauteclere (Oliver), and Roland’s sword Durendal. Durendal has a particularly interesting history–some stories claim that Durindana (a derivation of the name) was in fact Hector’s sword, passed on to Aeneas and then from owner to owner until finally settling on Roland. In Ariosto and Boiardo’s Orlando Romances, Durendal is sought after by a number of heroes including: Mandricardo, Rogero and Rinaldo.
For Kid Beowulf & the Song of Roland I wanted to give each sword a distinctive look that was based on an historical weapon and would fit the personality of the owner too. Nagling, of course, is Beowulf’s sword. As an enchanted sword it doesn’t subscribe to any specific historical blade, although the curve is reminiscent of a Gallic sword. Durendal is based on a rapier, which is a dangerous and ornate, one-handed sword. When we think of cinematic and romantic swordplay rapiers come to mind. Charlemagne’s sword Joyeuse, is a traditional battle-ready, broadsword. Like Charlemagne, this sword is powerful and commanding. Cortana is a sword that Ogier wins in battle against a Saracen knight. It is based on a falcata style blade, which originated in Iberia. It is said that Cortana bears the inscription: “My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal.” In my version it is written in Arabic and can be read around the hilt.
If anyone out there knows Arabic and what that inscription would actually look like when written in the language, I’d love to know. It’d be great to actually write that on the hilt, instead of just my faux-arabic scribbling.
“The battle is fearful and wonderful and everywhere…”
August 22, 2008, filed under: Roland, by LexThat comes to us from line 1320 from the Song of Roland and a better tag for this post I could not find. I’ve been in the midst of drawing a 12 page battle sequence and wanted to post some of the pages. While doing research for the new book I looked at a number of paintings and drawings of medieval warfare. One thing I noticed was the beautiful frenzy of these paintings as well as the scale of the action. These were elements I wanted to emulate in my own scenes.
The pages below take place early in SOR and it’s the first confrontation we see between the Franks and the Saracens. Battle scenes are probably the most taxing thing to do; between choreographing the fight, introducing principal characters, drawing extras (and horses?!), and telling the story, there were lots of ways for me to get lost in the scene. The things I specifically wanted to focus on were introducing the Peers and Charlemagne, showing their personalities through action, setting up their long-standing conflict with the Saracens, and how the aftermath of this battle sets up the consequences for the rest of the story. Of course I also wanted to do some nail-biting, high-adventure action. So let’s get to it!
The Peers charge into battle…
Anseis clips off Saracens with his bow!
Rinaldo and Rodomont square off…
Turpin comes to Charlemagne’s aid…
For those of you wondering “where the heck are Beowulf and Grendel?!” This scene is a flashback–don’t worry, the boys will have plenty of Saracens to fight!
KidB Wallpaper
August 18, 2008, filed under: Kid B., by LexIf you’re looking for some new desktop wallpapers, then be sure to check out some exclusive KidB designs available only on the Bowler Hat Comics site. Check ‘em out below! (PC & MAC versions available)
A Call To Arms
August 15, 2008, filed under: News, by Lex
Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath has been out for about a month now and each day I troll through google searches to see if anyone has reviewed it, often to no avail. I’m sure the reviewers we sent the book to have a pretty big back-log and who knows when they’ll get to it (I’m hoping we get another push after a listing in Previews). The industry gets so glutted with comics each week that it’s easy for books to fall through the cracks and often times if a book doesn’t get reviewed people either don’t know it exists or don’t want to take a chance on it. With that in mind I say “comic-review-bloggers be damned!” Let’s go right to the people–after all, they’re the ones who’ll be plunking down their cold hard cash for the book anyhow, I want to hear what they think! So if you’re among the faithful few who picked up Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath and you enjoyed it enough that you’d recommend it, I’m asking a favor: write your own review. Go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Borders online and tell them what you thought of the book. Or if you’re part of Good Reads, or other reading sites write a review there, like this fellow Vinnie, whose review I just discovered (click to enlarge)…
Thanks, Vinnie! Reviews not only help the book out, but they help us creators out. Too often we work in a vacuum and have no idea if what we create is read and enjoyed; getting feedback is crucial to the creative process, it keeps us honest when we make mistakes and gets us fired up to deliver an even better book the second time around! Thanks for your help.
Darwyn Cooke & Parker
August 8, 2008, filed under: Epics, by Lex
So the big news to come out of Comic-con that had all the fanboys a buzzin’ was the announcement of Darwyn Cooke’s newest project with publisher IDW. Although the event was well-covered by the comics press, part of me wonders if the general reaction was mild disappointment (perhaps even confusion) rather than euphoria when it was revealed that Cooke was going to adapt a little known crime novel series instead of giving us the next New Frontier. For those of us who have followed Cooke’s career, the news that he is doing Parker and not superheroes is no surprise and actually a pretty thrilling prospect. For me, this is even cooler because I suspected Cooke was a fan of Richard Stark’s crime novels after reading Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score a few years back. So now my suspicions are happily confirmed. Before I reveal my sleuthing though, a few words on Parker…
I was introduced to Richard Stark and the Parker novels through my father, who, when he isn’t reading scholarly texts, is slumming with the best of them reading crime fiction. Of the dozens of authors he’s read, Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake) is one of his favorite and collecting the dime-store, ratty, first-edition paperbacks has become something of an obsession of his (so much so that at one point he abandoned his Luddite tendencies and actually scoured ebay looking for these books). Although not in mint condition by any means, these creased and yellowed paperbacks occupy a special place in his bookshelf; to borrow one for a quick read is not unlike cracking open my copy of X-Men #268–you did it carefully and with respect. The appeal of the Parker novels is in the title character–Parker is a crook with a code. He is physically imposing, dangerously smart, ruthlessly efficient. He only says what needs to be said and moves with the same kind of precision. And all he wants is what he’s owed.
In the first book “The Hunter” Parker gets double-crossed on a job and left for dead. When he comes to, the only thing on his mind is setting things right and getting back his share of the money. He proceeds to take on the mob single-handed, but he isn’t driven by revenge, all Parker wants is his cut. Once he gets that he’ll walk away–but the mob is too dumb to realize it. The Hunter was made into the 1967 movie Point Blank starring Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson, and was pretty faithful to the book as I recall (it was remade in 1999 by Mel Gibson as Payback which was horrible). The second book The Man With the Getaway Face follows on the heels of the first and is my favorite. Parker, on the run from the mob, decides to have facial reconstructive surgery in order to give them the slip. I was struck by his matter of fact calm: he needed a new face, so he got one.
A shot from Point Blank, composed like a Darwyn Cooke panel.
Westlake’s writing style is just like his psuedonym: simple, crisp, and uncluttered. He describes a world populated by Buicks, bricks and full-figured women; where the men are just as likely to pull a shiv as they are a cigarette lighter. There is no other artist better suited to render that world than Darwyn Cooke. Cooke matches Stark’s economy of line. When you read Stark’s description of the brutish Parker you see one of Cooke’s crooked noses. When you envision one of Parker’s dalliances, you can’t help but think of Cooke’s hourglass women.
As I said, I thought Cooke was a Parker fan after I read Selina’s Big Score. Not only was this an out-and-out heist story, but one of the main characters was named “Stark” (an homage to the author?) and he looked an awful lot like Lee Marvin in Point Blank. More importantly, he acted an awful lot like Parker: smart, efficient and brutal.
It was a great read, but you could tell Stark didn’t fit into that nonsense superhero universe. In that book, Stark was Parker and he belonged to a colder, rougher world. One written by Donald Westlake and drawn by Darwyn Cooke.
Comic-con 2008 Sketchbook
August 5, 2008, filed under: Sketchbook, by LexBefore I forget, I wanted to mention a couple of con-related items…the fine gentlemen of Comics Coast To Coast interviewed me from the Con floor and have posted said interview on their site. My thanks to Tom for asking some great questions about Kid B.–I think this may be the most revealing interview I’ve done to date (revealing about the series, people…I kept my clothes on for the interview). Also, I’ve updated the SHOP, so you can now purchase your own hand-painted, Kid Beowulf sculpt safely and securely with paypal. That’s it for now…here’s a round-up of some of the sketches I did whilst at Comic-con.
The lovely (and dangerous) Belisande from Kid Beowulf & The Song of Roland 
A sketch of Harley Quinn. This was actually done for a themed sketchbook of Harley Quinn shots, drawn for a young girl by the same name.
Beowulf smitten by Bradamant (it’s a one-sided relationship).
The boys…I like that Beowulf and Hama are holding hands.
Rinaldo vs. Rodomont. In SOR these two are sworn enemies. Rinaldo (w/black hair) is one of Charlemagne’s peers and the only person who can stop the juggernaut that is Rodomont!