Occasionally, Tharg permits some of his script & art droids to leave 2000 AD headquarters. In the Weekly Droid Watch, I’m going to be keeping an eye on what present and former droids have been up to this week. 2000 AD droids tend to go on to produce some of the most phenomenal U.S. comics, so I’ll also be listing what comics released each week have that extra special shot of thrill-power.

Webcomic Updates

• Lilly MacKenzie & the Mines of Charybdis

  • Written and drawn by art droid Simon Fraser,Lilly Mackenzie & the Mines of Charybdis by is a graphic novel being serialized weekly, for free, on the well known Webcomics Collective ACT-I-VATE. The latest page is Chapter 4, Page 33 – Things are looks rough for Lilly!

• Spazzmoid

  • Written and drawn by art/script droid Bob Byrne Spazzmoid is a weekly webcomic with very weird, very random, and very funny updates. This Week’s update is USN Paedo Apocalypse Part 16, and is probably not for the easily offended

Art Blog Updates

• Eclectic Micks

  Eclectic Micks are a collection of Irish professional comic book artists. They include Stephen Mooney (Angel; After the Fall), Stephen Thompson (Star Trek; New Frontier, Presidential Material: John McCain), PJ Holden (Fearless, 2000AD) Nick Roche (Transformers, Doctor Who), Will Sliney (Farscape), Bob Byrne (Mr. Amperduke, 2000AD) and Declan Shalvey (28 Days Later, Frankenstein). Every day there is a new sketch posted there, with each artist posting on a certain day.

  Apart from regular updates by art droids Holden and Byrne, this blog is packed full of gorgeous art from insanely talented individuals, so check it daily!

  • Art droid PJ Holden posted this quick sketch of The Punisher:
    

    Sure, Shalvey (Declan) can draw a good Punisher WHEN HE MAKES AN EFFORT. Look how shoddy this is, and it only took 2 minutes. AHHAHAHAHA.

    Next week: more of the same.

    • Art & script droid Bob Byrne posted this cool “realistic” looking Sonic the Hedgehog image. Bob Wasn’t entirely pleased with the results, but we are our own worst critics right? I love it!!
      

      This isn’t exactly what I wanted but the composition is okay. I’m going to redo it and paint it up. Sonic. What a game. That crappy looking pile in the back is meant to be a destroyed robot with a puppy poking it’s head out of the wreckage.

  • Scotch Corner

    Scotch Corner is a collection of Scottish professional artists. They include Thomas Crielly, Gary Erskine, Andy Hepworth, Jon Hodgson and Graeme Neil Reid. Every day there is a new sketch posted there, with each artist posting on a certain day.
    Much like Eclectic Mick’s, you should check this blog every day, to check out amazing new artwork!

    • Art Droid Gary Erskine posted this gorgeous Gorgeous piece he labeled as “Mystique?”
      

      Not really. But I couldn’t resist adding this obligatory cheesecake image for my regular Thursday post. Still colouring here and there whenever the opportunity arises and decided to go for a simple girly pose.

      Fairly simple process of drawing the lineart and scanning in to Photoshop. The line art is then saved as a floating layer and the colour is applied underneath. Very similar process to the old school approach of using an acetate sheet with the painted artwork below. I still use a mouse to colour (not easy) although I am considering learning to use the pen and digital pad that has been lying around new for the last couple of months in the studio. Yes, it has been a very busy month. Worked up some Grrrl textures for the top and gave her a blue tinged skin for effect.

      Very pleased with the end result as this sort of pin-up style is not the sort of thing I get much of a chance to do.

  Droid Personal Blog Updates

  • Script/art droid David Baillie has been pimping out new and upcoming small press releases
    • First up he plugs Accent UK’s Western anthology title, and a review on a site called Hypergeek by a guy named Ed Kaye, who he refers to as a genius (he’s right too, and he’s modest to boot!).
      
    • The second book he plugs is the Tripwire Annual 2009, which looks really interesting:

      I was lucky enough to pick up a copy this week and it’s a really great read. Brilliant interviews with Scott Allie (about Dark Horse’s Robert E. Howard comics), Guillermo Del Toro (among other things talking about his new novel The Strain), Bill Morrison on Bongo and the Simpsons’ 20th anniversary and Phil Hale about his painting. Special features on 70 years of Marvel and Batman and 30 of Alien round out the 156 action-pages.

      £9.95 or $15.95 – Diamond order code APR097907.

    • The Third book is the newly relaunched Redeye. Issue 2.1 hit the internet last week. I’ve never heard of this before, but I am off to look it up right after I have posted this article…

      Editor Baz Renshaw has been responsible for the recent injection of funk into Comics International and he’s worked just as hard on this collection of news, features and interviews with the hottest names in indie comics – including an in-depth discussion with Garen Ewing about his awesome new Rainbow Orchid collection.

    • The Fourth book he plugs is Garen Ewing’s new Rainbow Orchid collection, which I will also be looking into. Thanks for all the great book advice David, you’ve got impeccable taste!The Rainbow Orchid can be bought from all good book and comics shops or online from the official website (signed!) here.
      
    • He also posted an interesting entry called Seven Interesting Things – about seven interesting things that he sis in the last week. His life is so much more exciting than mine
  • Art droid PJ Holden has a ton of updates on his site:
    • Everything Comes Back to 2000AD – PJ gets interviewed in the 8th edition of the Everything comes back to 2000 AD podcast
    • Tools of the Trade: The Scanner – An interesting article on how important a scanner can be to the final quality of artwork
    • Tools of the Trade: Whiteout – A guide to the proper usage of Whiteout.
  • Art droid Sean Phillips has been posting tons of artwork on his blog this week:
    • First up he shows how he goes from an incredibly loose pencils to rich deep textured inks on a panel of Incognito.
    • He then showed a final inked piece from 32 page final issue of Incognito, which he just finished up on. Apparently the last issue should be in the shops in three weeks!!
    • Apparently the last issue is so jam-packed that only had room for a single page illo to go with the back up essay. It does involve a gorilla though…
  • Former 2000 AD editor David Bishop was recently interviewed for a prospective Newsnight Scotland piece about creativity and professionalism, though he was unsure as to when it would be aired, if at all.

  Misc

  • Art droid Jock uploaded this amazing cover to Greek Street #3 to his Twitpic account:
    

  • Script droid Simon Spurrier has posted a new issue of his Short n’ Curlies Column over at Bleeding Cool – In Short n’ Curlies #6 Writing Comics, Retching Colons, and Righteous Killbait

  Non-2000 AD Comics Out This Week:

  • Wednesday Comics #6 features work from both Neil Gaiman (very briefly a script droid) and former art droid Dave Gibbons:

  • Script droid Mike Carey has The Unwritten #4 out this week:

  • Script droid Mark Millar has Ultimate Comics Avengers #1
    

  • Former script droid Garth Ennis has Hercules: Knives of Kush #1 (of 5), which also features a cover by art droid Clint langley:

  • Former art droid Mark Buckingham has Fables #87:

  • Lettering droid Simon Bowland worked on Incredible Hercules #132 out this week:

  Check back soon for more Thrill-Power Thursday!

Related posts:

1. The 2000 AD Weekly Droid Watch: Keeping an Eye on What Tharg’s Minions Are up to Whilst They Should Be Hard at Work! – November 13th 2009 Occasionally, Tharg permits some of his script & art droids...
2. The 2000 AD Weekly Droid Watch: Keeping an Eye on What Tharg’s Minions Are up to Whilst They Should Be Hard at Work! – October 24th 2009 Occasionally, Tharg permits some of his script & art droids...
3. The 2000 AD Weekly Droid Watch: Keeping an Eye on What Tharg’s Minions Are up to Whilst They Should Be Hard at Work! September 26th 2009 Occasionally, Tharg permits some of his script & art droids...
4. The 2000 AD Weekly Droid Watch: Keeping an Eye on What Tharg’s Minions Are up to Whilst They Should Be Hard at Work! – November 7th 2009 Occasionally, Tharg permits some of his script & art droids...

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