ELFSAR BLOG

I have no idea what it is, nor will I need to, to get my but in the theatre.

You know what, if this was an actual trailer for the film I think it would speak to the same audience.

Lol …”people looking up.”

Woo Hoo Part 3 just hit the web!

Creativity isn’t magic. Part three of this four-part series explores how innovations truly happen.

Here is a progression of the work side by side.

This is the original pencils of what was one of many official entries to the “Draw the cover for issue #100″ by Wizard Magazine the guide to comics back in ’99.  It features Deadpool blasting his gun upwards to an unknown target with bullets exploding around him using a very bizarre angled birds eye point of view.

History: Wizard contacted me the summer of 1999 to inform me that I had been selected as a front runner in the contest.  In fact, the contest had become a two man race between myself and another artist from Mexico.  I was contacted by them a day before the 1999 San Diego Comic Con and while I was in attendance at the SDCC, I met with someone from Wizard who gave me the assignment to draw/design 4 Thor covers.  They would compare my designs with the other artist and then pick a final winner for the contest.

I remember being very excited about this “big break” into one of the most difficult businesses to break into.  The contest was no little thing too.  Apparently they had received thousands upon thousands of entries.  The winner would get flown to New York to meet, greet and get their portfolio reviewed by the top comic book publishers in the industry with all expenses paid (in addition to getting to draw the #100 cover of Wizard magazine!)  In fact, I couldn’t wait to get started on them so I ended up drawing the 4 covers in the car on the road trip home back to Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

I was later informed via phone that they had chosen the other artist as the contest winner. However, since collectively the power that be at Wizard had a very hard time deciding who to choose, they would like me to do a more finished piece to be featured inside the book.  I also remember the guy on the phone throwing in the joke, “We just couldn’t decide …so we decided to put it up to a coin toss (laughing).” Then he must have realized that I was not laughing with him.  In fact, I was pretty crushed that I had my big break taken away, so he painfully backtracked.

I took the request to do a more finished piece pretty seriously and colored the thing myself with the sheer determination to make them regret to have not picked me…lol.

It was very cool to see my work published inside the #100 issue on page 126.  But drawing the cover would have been sweet.  Getting the all expense paid personal interaction with the major publishers (outside of a convention) would have been even sweeter.  But alas it was not my path.

I never got my original colored art back too which to this day still kind of urks me.  I think Wizard lost it or maybe threw it in the trash as they never ever returned any of my messages.

FYI: The cover never ended up being Thor as Wizard changed it to Hawkman (or knowing Wizard, probably got the artist to redraw it as Hawkman).  The artist I was competing with ended up being the talented Carlo Barberi who DC hired to work on Young Justice!  I totally understand why Wizard picked him over me too.  In the late nineties, artists like Joe Madureira, Tim Townsend were ‘ubber hot’ as the more anime influenced style was selling books like crazy.  I think Barberi’s style was way more marketable than my own and he has grown to be a very talented comic book artist.  Heck, I don’t even know what my style is… I am still trying to figure it out…lol.

Also: I have recently gone back and revisited the piece using Photoshop (12 years later) to give it even more dynamics and incorporate a little more meaning of Deadpool breaking the 4^th wall.  Let me know what you think.

Check out my Deviant art page for more.

This goes out to all the fathers out there, but one in particular is my dad, Graham Peacock abstract painter.

2011 latest work – He just finished a new batch of “miniatures” which are a pretty good representation of his colorsense and a darn good price considering the caliber of the work.  Take a look at the gallery and see for yourself.

Check out: http://www.grahampeacock.com/ for the main site.

Anyways, happy fathers day Dad

Justice Society of America was not listed in the 52 books announced by the DC last week.  Nor was Power Girl, whose has been closely associated with the JSA since her debut in 1976.  Co-publisher Dan DiDio posted this on his Facebook page this past Friday:

“AS for JSA, we have decided to rest this concept while we devote our attention on the launch of the three new Justice League series. As for other characters and series not part of the initial 52, there are plenty of stories to be told, and we’re just getting started. best, DD”

I still decree, these characters (who were firmly rooted in WWII in DC history) would work on an Earth 2 line of comics.

Okay…  it looks like Marvel might be following DC’s footsteps.  Things be changing folks.

Press Release

X-MEN: SCHISM Brings UNCANNY X-MEN To An End!

“All things must come an end…even for the X-Men, and this October fans will bear witness the end of an era as Uncanny X-Men #544 concludes the long running series. It’s all come to this! Years in the making, the seeds of dissent finally bear fruit as the events of X-Men Schism tear the X-Men and the Marvel Universe apart! When the dust settles, the state of mutantkind will irreparably be changed forever. Don’t miss the historic final issue of the longest running X-Men title this October, in Uncanny X-Men #544!”

UNCANNY X-MEN #544
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils and Cover by GREG LAND
Rated T+…$3.99
ON SALE THIS OCTOBER!

X-MEN: SCHISM #1
ON SALE – 7/13/11

Those of you who know me from the store have heard me always say that ” DC needs to launch a DC earth 2 line of books so that fans of the silverage can continue to read/follow their favorite characters and leave the current line of  DC books to explore modern stories and new characters.  Maybe once a year they could do a cross-over (Crisis-like) event but for the most part keep them a separate line of books.”

Well it looks like a variation of this will actually happen.  DC comics is making the bold move to relaunch almost it’s entire line of books with a new starting point with many changes to boot.  I do worry that the silverage fans will react negatively to this move.  History has told us that after the initial sales spike numbers drop back to what they were before and long time fans may find the excuse to drop entirely.

However, I am pretty positive that this is the right move (although I still think the DC Earth 2 line would have been a better choice) There are a number of reasons why this change needs to happen.  Sales of the books are currently in a downward spiral (due to the recession?).  Titles are selling roughly 40,000 to 60,000 and only three years ago they were selling twice that number.  (Now you know why I partly got out of the retail game!) New readers to comics are also  in a sharp decline.  There is also the possibility that DC will lose the rights to the original Superman costume as they revert back to the families of the original creators Siegal and Shuster.
This freash start may remind you of Marvel’s Heroes reborn or their Ultimate Universe or even the Marvel Knights line of books; but DC has never taken a gambling move like this before and you must agree sitting back waiting for the market to improve is the wrong thing to do.

And that is not all… one of the biggest changes is that DC is making all of the new re-numbered titles available digitally via apps and DC’s website the same day they arrive in comic shops. It marks the first time that a major comics publisher has done so with its popular superhero titles.

“We’re allowing people who have never bought a comic book in their lives to download them on portable media devices and take a look.  Having the ability to give people access to these comics with one button click means we’re going to get a lot of new readers.” -Jim Lee

Alternate universe books (like Crisis) have always done well in DC.   The market is hurting so much right now that a major gamble like this is needed.  Some may argue that there  is a lot riding on this change however… and their has been no news yet on if long running titles like Action Comics or Detective comics will be restarting at #1.  This could be met with serious fan outrage.  But in my opinion at the current sales numbers, DC does not have much to loose.