Golden Boy - Web Comic

I found this little gem by accident as I was trawling through webcomicsnation.com looking for some new material to post about. To be honest I don't know why I even looked at it as it's not what I'd consider my genre of interest but as i read through the first few pages I was hooked. The story went in a totally different direction than i was expecting and by the time I reached the end I was . . . . . . . . I might just leave it there and let you make up your own mind on the web comic. Here's how the creator describes it. "Golden Boy is about Cole "Golden Boy" Parker, a retired boxer who has lost his way into a lonely life. A violent encounter with a young criminal causes Cole to change his life back to when he was happy, when he was a champion."

The Writing
I didn't know too much about the creator of this webcomic "Max Riffner" but much of the story feels very real as if he's pulling it together from life experience or from events he's read or heard about somewhere. I'm in no way saying he's ripped it off though. It's a really good story that would make an excellent movie. In fact it does remind me of the Wrestler Movie from a couple of years ago in term of it feel and atmosphere. For me I feel like the story was over too soon. I feel it could have run and run. The character were interesting and the plots were deep, but i guess that's just how life goes sometimes. . . You're gonna need to read it to know what I'm talking about. I've since been a checked out Max's website and found that Golden Boy is only the tip of the iceberg of his creative talents(Links are below).

The Art
I'm not going to say too much about the art as all I seem to say about webcomics art is that the art is not so good at the start but gets better as it goes on. What I will say about it is that I do love the use of colour throughout the story. Its sometimes very subtle and sometime very full on. It worked for me. The Use of photos to establish location was also a nice touch

Updates
Completed so no more updates.

Links
Golden Boy Web Comic
Max Riffner's Website

Recommended if you like. . .
Criminal, From death til now, Gran Torino, The Wrestler

Artist Showcase - Emmanuel Francisco JR

Emmanuel Francisco Jr is a name that I think we'll be hearing lots over the next few years. He's a really talented up an coming artist I watch over at DeviantArt. His gallery over there is filling up nicely with loads of awesome pieces of art. You'll see some of my faves in this post.

His art style is influenced by many of the greats in the industry but he's developing his own unique style allowing his personality to flow into the art.

To find out a bit more about "MannixFrancisco" (His DeviantArt ID) read this quick Q & A below and don't forget to visit him on DA and let him know I sent you.

What first got you into comic books?
Early on as a little kid I was a big fan of those Saturday morning cartoons featuring the Superfriends, Spiderman, the Hulk or Captain America. But I was first exposed to the comics version when a classmate of mine in fourth grade brought Superman comics to school. I was hooked instantly. Soon after that I started going to the old comic bins in the local second hand bookstore because I couldn't afford new comics. Being eleven years old can do that to you. That's where I discovered the X-men, the Teen Titans, the Dark Knight, and of course, Wolverine. It was also around that time that I started paying attention to the writers and artists.


Who is your favourite comic book character?
I'm more of a fan of characters done by a particular artist. I love Spiderman done by Todd Mcfarlane and Humberto Ramos, Moon Knight done by Dave Finch and Stephen Platt, Wolverine done by Marc Silvestri, Death Dealer done by Frazetta, and the X-men done by Jim Lee. But, of course, there are characters that are just too cool looking regardless of who draws them, like Batman, Spawn, and Withblade.



Who are your major artistic influences?
The first artist I really idolized was George Perez, and I still do. His attention to detail influenced the way I do my art today. Then I discovered the Filipino artists during the Filipino invasion of the 70's. I was astounded by the level of quality these guys did. Totally ahead of their time. Artists like Alex Nino, Alfredo Alcala and Nestor Redondo. Also round that time I discovered and was influenced by Frank Frazetta. Then there's the Image founders, who changed the face of comics in the 90's. Soon came Stephen Platt and Joe Madureira. And I have to say Nicky Manabat. The attention to detail that I learned from George Perez was raised to another level when I first saw Nicky Manabat. Nowadays, I only have eyes for David Finch.

What comics do you currently read?
I'm currently following two books religiously--Invincible and Walking Dead. I also bought the first issue of Guarding the Globe, might continue that. I was looking forward to the new Wetworks miniseries but now that Wildstorm's closing down, it might not come out anymore.

What are you currently working on?
I'm on the early stages of a new miniseries, but I'm not yet allowed to divulge the details. All I can say is, it's gonna come out in France, it's got a high-tech, militaristic theme to it, and it's ultra-violent. I'm loving every minute of it. Nice to do something different from all the spandex-clad super-heroes I did in the past. Hopefully I can post some art soon. So stay tuned.

What is your dream project?
My dream project would be doing Cyberforce and World of Warcraft. I also want to finish Battle Chasers, the first Cybernary series, and Soul Saga. I just love sci-fi and fantasy. In the superhero genre, it would definitely be Batman.

To see more of Emmanuel's work visit his DeviantArt here.

The Replacements - Web Comic

I stumbled across this web comic just floating around on Comixpedia. and I'm so glad i did. It was a great read and a fantastic find. Now I'm sure some of you will have already read this comic as it was fist posted online way back in 2003. This might be considered a Golden Age webcomic(wow epic fail on humour there). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it in one sitting. I hope that you enjoy it too and if you've read it before then go back and check it out again. you wont be disappointed.

The Writing
There is a nice flow to this comic. as each of the main characters are introduced you simply accept them. The heroes are pretty typical. There's a reluctant hero, a full on wanna be hero and a robot who appears to be John Wayne. What more could you want. . . OK how about a villain hell bent on revenge for being jailed for years and years so he just want the whole world to suffer. What about cool evil henchmen with robot arms or hook chains for eyes. I can top that too. How about lots of other dimension monsters ripping up stuff and causing mayhem. This comic has all that and more.

The Art
The art has a manga-esque feel to it with a touch of cartoon goodness. Not normally my cup of tea but it does suit this story. Its black and white but don't let that put you off as many of the best webcomics are. The action scenes work well and the quiet moments are well paced. The art is by Sara Turner and Jerzy Drozd.

Updates
Completed so no more updates.

Links
The Replacements
Jerzy Drozd's Website
Sarah Turner's Website

Recommended if you like. . .
Magellan, Tin Tin, Hero By Night, The Front etc

Artist Showcase - Guile Blackpanther

Time for another artist showcase. Now this guy is an artist I've been watchin (not in a pervy way) on DeviantArt for a while. I think he is an artist who is destined for very big things and the sooner Joe Q at marvel realizes that there is not anyone who can touch his spiderman art the better. He draws Spiderman better than almost anyone I've seen with the exception of maybe McFarlane. His art style has a hint of European flavour to it, maybe becuase he's a frenchman. Much of his artwork reminds me slightly of Olivier Coipel but only in terms of stylistic similarities he is in no way a clone. Anyway I sent Guile and email and he answered the question below to give a liittle insight into his work and comic tastes.

What first got you into comic books?
I don't remember exactly, but I think I was maybe 4 when my uncle was reading me the adventures of Spidey in his french translated comicbooks! It was the first contact and love at first read!

Who is your favourite comic book character?
Spider-Man (No surprises here)

Who are your major artistic influences?
Nowadays, I would say Olivier Coipel, Leinil Yu, Jim Cheung, Stuart Immonen and Mike Mignola.

What comics do you currently read?
A lot of Marvel comics, some DCs and independant comicbooks, no mangas

What are you currently working on?
Videogames character designs, advertisements and working on my own comicbook stuff when I got spare time!

What would be your Dream Project?
Amazing Spider-Man or Thor, then my own comibook

To see more of Guile's work visit his DeviantArt here.