Tiny Life is a radical departure from conventional comics.  There are no super-heroes, there is no manga.  There are no post-apocalyptic vampire-cyborgs who terrorize the zombie populace while simultaneously falling in love with the one shy yet very attractive girl who’s just coming into her own.  It is the completely original story of Jed, a stick-figure in a world of flesh, who must eventually learn – like we all do – the truth about himself, about relationships, about God, and about reality.  Tiny Life is about the world behind things.

In this novel, Jed is banished from his foster family for his bizarre actions and searches out an old friend and a new place to live.  Unfortunately, in order to find this friend, Jed must journey to the most miserable place he’s ever known: his childhood home.  Eccentric characters – including an all-but-invisible old man, a former nun who had an extraordinary relationship with his late father, and an oddly morose narrator – line the way. Ultimately, his search leads him to learn divine truths about both his father and his own unusual existence.

Ch. 6, Pg. 18 Pencils

Beautiful page. Not sure about the head extending out of the frame though.  Never been a big fan of that.

I think it works in this instance.

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Ch. 5 Color Podcast Available!

Yes, I am finally done with chapter 5. As usual, this podcast is available in three different ways and in many different places:

1. Photocast: This contains 28 of the best pictures from three color pages from chapter 5 of “left“. It’s available here or at the “downloads” page.
2. Podcast: This contains the same 28 pictures as the Photocast, but it’s in a cool movie format. It’s available here or at the “downloads” page or at the Tiny Life Facebook page. You can also view it below or at iTunes.
3. Commentary: This contains a slightly different movie from the non-commentary podcast, but with commentary. I talk about the spectacular (and unexpected) color of these three pages.  It’s available here or at the “downloads” page. You can also subscribe to Tiny Life podcasts via iTunes.

Ch. 6, Pg. 10 Inks

Every ten pages I do tones.

Now I gotta do tones.

Tones suck.

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Greatest Hits and Raditude

On November 3^rd, two of my Top Five artists – Weezer and Foo Fighters – released an album.  I was in heaven.  At least unit they came out; then I was disappointed.

Actually, disappointed is a strong word.  I was… hit by reality.

In my opinion, Foo Fighters have never made a bad song.  I have them ALL.  Every song ever recorded practically anywhere is on my playlist somewhere.  Every one is a gem.

In my opinion Weezer is one of the most underrated bands of all time.  Every album contains some of the catchiest, original, diverse songs around.  Obviously their three self-titled albums are the best, but even their often-lambasted Pinkerton contains some amazingly simple tunes.

And now the reality:

Most of these are demos. They mostly kick ass.

Every song that Foo Fighters release is amazing.  I can’t think of one single that isn’t astounding.  Even their unpopular tracks – “Cold Day in the Sun”, “Alone + Easy Target” – are spectacular.  However, the majority of songs that I have found from them – demos, live tracks, and unreleased material – could be spectacular.  What I mean is, if they ever make an album of remastered b-sides, it’d go platinum; but as the tracks stand, there’s a reason they didn’t make the album cut.  So it is with their new song “Word Forward.”

Every album that Weezer makes is amazing.  I can’t think of any album that I haven’t listened to dozens of times through.  There are songs on every album, however, that I jump past.  Even their seminal Blue Album has a song or two that just don’t seem good enough (“Holiday” jumps to mind).  I seem to forget this whenever they come out with something new.

The new self-titled Foo Fighters greatest hits album contains one song I didn’t have – it sounds exactly like a demo that could kick ass.  The new Weezer album, Raditude (named by Rainn Wilson, oddly enough) contains some of the catchiest, original, diverse songs around, but it contains a few that just aren’t good enough.

Greatest Hits: 4 stars if I didn’t already have five different recordings of every song.  Since I do, 2 stars for the new song.

Raditude: Like all of Weezer’s albums, 3 stars for the album, 5 stars for a select few songs.

On a side-note, I think I would rather these bands come out with something annually as they’ve been doing and throw in some crappy songs as opposed to artists who release a new album twice a decade (you reading this, Reznor?).

Ch. 6, Pg. 8 Inks

Need more night scenes.  They make for better inks.

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Ch. 6 Pg. 17 Pencils

I might have Colacitti change a few tiny things – these guys look WAY too fit for politicians.

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Ch. 6, Pg. 7 Inks

Oh!  Another night scene!  I like these because I get to play more.

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Lost Season 3 Review

This article is the third is a series reviewing the television show Lost.

Read the first review here.

Read the second review here.

Season 3 is back to basics: each episode has a specific plot and a central character with a specific flashback.  This flashback both adds to the current storyline and adds a layer of depth to a character.  Much like the first season, there isn’t a wasted scene (with the very notable exception of one entire episode).  Unlike the second season, every person is completely in character; there’s no conflict for conflict’s sake.  However, no matter how glowing this review seems to be (I think this might be the series’ best season when it comes to “anticipating what comes next”), there are a few things I’d like to bring up:

1. What exactly happened with the Hatch?  They explain that when the timer goes off, a large electromagnetic pulse starts.  They also explain that when the key is turned, the electromagnetism is dispersed.  Since the Others purged the Island of the Dharma Initiative, why didn’t they purge the people in the Hatch who were running the computer?  Also, what exactly happened to the survivors of the Hatch explosion?  Desmond’s soul travels through time to meet a mysterious woman who knew he was coming, Charlie simply forgets things (and apparently everyone forgets that he tried to drown the baby), Locke loses his voice and Eko gets carted away by a polar bear.  How is that connected?  Also, how did they survive an entirely metal structure imploding on itself?
2. Why do the writers insist on showing the survivors talking about what happened?  I understand the idea of reviewing past events without showing those events again, but I would think we could assume, considering that they live on an island with absolutely no entertainment, they tell each other everything.  A problem with this season is that we’re supposed to assume that they don’t tell each other anything.  Some of the reactions I saw seemed out of place because I thought that character knew that particular secret.
3. The introduction of Jacob is amazing.  They hinted at the Others having a leader named Jacob last season and they hinted a few more times this season, but it isn’t until the last few episodes that we see just how far his influence goes – apparently everyone who has ever met him loves him and will die for him.  He’s like Jesus.  Or Manson.  Either way, he’s probably got a beard.
4. Why can Charlie not swim in the first season, but in this one he can?
5. 

   Seriously, he might as well be stroking a cat.

   The solidification of Juliet and Ben is also amazing.  We hate her for a good dozen episodes, until we find out that she’s just as trapped as everyone else.  We’re unsure about Ben because he seems to be the bad guy, yet he keeps insisting he’s a good guy. It’s not until the season finale that we really see he’s just a James Bond villain: we love to hate him because he thinks his evil activities are for the best.

6. Why is the leadership split between Jack and Locke?  They seem the best two people to lead, but both Jin and Sayid seem to never fail when it comes to their decisions.  I understand the dichotomy of Jack vs. Locke is easier to follow, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Sayid or Jin take the wheel once in a while.
7. The season finale is spectacular.  The obvious ending to the series would have been for the survivors of the island to be rescued.  Instead, the writers show us – in flash forwards – that they get off the island very soon and that getting off doesn’t work out for anyone.  I don’t know about you, but this makes me root for Locke even more; his whole philosophy is that everyone is on this island for a purpose.  We see at the end of the finale, that Jack thinks so too.

Hopefully I’ll be able to pull something like this off for Tiny Life.  A slow build for a book or two, and then – BAM! – a fast-paced story that makes you think and anticipate the end (which, by the way, you’ll never see coming).

Ch. 6, Pg. 6 Inks

This is supposed to be at night.  I think I might add another layer or three of inks to make it look darker.

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Color Done!

The three color pages from left are finally back! I’ll have a podcast soon describing all of my inane thoughts on the subject.

Until then, you can see them in my photocast here, or look at two new wallpapers below.

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