Spotlighting colleagues | Destacando colegas

Every once in a while, when relevant, I like to share some news regarding my closest colleagues: First off, ‘congratz to inker Daniel Henriques, that recently won a “submission battle” to get to ink artist Cory Hamscher’s work on the upcoming comic-book Big Zeke (it even spurred a discussion on social networks, regarding the merits or lack thereof of some other newcomer inkers, but that’s beside the point), so he’ll be having a much deserved credited gig very soon – finally! 

And while Nuno Ribeiro Silva begins to shape the graphic concept of Portuguese rock band Low Torque’s next record, here’s a preview image he did for their new song, Croatoan. As for my studio mate, Susana Resende – who stole the show at our joint exhibit – is nearly wrapping up illustrations for the 1st Aurora Boreal book, and preparing a 2nd Round of sequential art, after achieving with her debut comic, Sayonara, the 2nd place in Best Short Comics category, at the XII Central Comics Trophies/2014.

De vez em quando, se for relevante, gosto de partilhar algumas notícias sobre os meus mais próximos parceiros: Em primeiro lugar, parabéns ao arte-finalista Daniel Henriques, que venceu uma recente “guerra de submissões” para poder arte-finalizar o trabalho do artista Cory Hamscher no vindouro comic Big Zeke (que despoletou uma discussão nas redes sociais, alusiva aos méritos ou falta deles por alguns inkers novatos, embora isso seja pouco importante), daí que irá ter em breve uma bem merecida edição creditada – finalmente!

E enquanto o Nuno Ribeiro Silva começa a conceber o grafismo do próximo álbum da banda rock portuguesa Low Torque, eis uma imagem preliminar a ilustrar o novo single destes, Croatoan. Quanto à minha colega de estúdio, a Susana Resende – que roubou as atenções na nossa colectiva – está prestes a terminar as ilustrações para o 1º livro da Aurora Boreal, e prepara um 2º Round em arte sequencial, após ter alcançado o 2º lugar na categoria Melhor Obra Curta nos XII Troféus Central Comics, com a sua BD de estreia, Sayonara.

Montijo Faz p’Arte: Photos & Video / Fotos & Video

The collective exhibit Montijo Faz p’Arte has been open for a week now, so here are some photos and video from its vernissage, where our new City Mayor, Mr.Nuno Canta, spoke about the showcase's relevance and its authors.

A exposição colectiva Montijo Faz p’Arte está aberta há uma semana, pelo que deixo algumas fotos e vídeo da vernissage, onde o nosso novo presidente, Exmo. Sr. Nuno Canta, falou sobre a relevância da mostra e sobre os autores nela presentes.

I haven’t had time to take proper photos of the artworks, therefore I’ll update this post soon, with a few more.

Não tive oportunidade de tirar fotos dos trabalhos, portanto mais tarde actualizarei o post, com mais algumas.

Montijo Faz p’Arte: Collective Exhibit / Exposição Colectiva

Montijo’s city hall is celebrating its 29th anniversary of city status next Thursday, August 14, and as part of the celebration the munincipal gallery salon will host a collective exhibit titled Montijo Faz p’Arte, which showcases artwork by several local talents, and from various fields, such as Fine Arts, Arts & Crafts, Illustration and Comics; featuring namely: Alexandre Henriques, António Fernandes, António João Rodrigues, David Campos, Duarte Crispim, Enrique Williams, José Fragateiro, Sara Loureiro, Sérgio Lemos, Susana Resende and myself (Daniel Maia).

The exhibit’s catalogue will be available, featuring the authors biographies and their professional background, plus samples of works. The inauguration will take place at 21pm, and the exhibit can be visited until September 30th, during week days and from 9am-17:30pm (with launch break from 12:30pm to 14pm), with no entry fee.

Concerning my quota in the exhibit, I’ll have displayed works from The Infante Portugal, by José de Matos-Cruz and with inks by Daniel Henriques, plus a selection of recent pages created for the U.S. comics industry.

A câmara municipal do Montijo vai celebrar o 29º aniversário de elevação a estatuto de cidade na próxima 5ª-feira, dia 14 de Agosto. Integrada nas comemorações, a galeria municipal expõe a colectiva Montijo Faz p’Arte, que reúne trabalhos de vários artistas locais e oriundos de diversos campos, como a Belas-Artes, Artesanato, Ilustração e Banda Desenhada; nomeadamente figurando: Alexandre Henriques, António Fernandes, António João Rodrigues, David Campos, Duarte Crispim, Enrique Williams, José Fragateiro, Sara Loureiro, Sérgio Lemos, Susana Resende, e eu próprio (Daniel Maia).

O catálogo da exposição estará disponível, destacando a biografia dos autores e seus backgrounds profissionais, mais amostras dos respectivos trabalhos. A abertura terá lugar às 21h e a mostra pode ser visitada até 30 de Setembro, nos dias de semana das 9h às 17h30 (com pausa para almoço das 12h30 às 14h), e com entrada livre.

Pela minha parte, irei ter expostos trabalhos do projecto O Infante Portugal, de José de Matos-Cruz, também com arte-final de Daniel Henriques, mais uma selecção de pranchas de BD recentes, feitas para o mercado norte-americano de Comics.

X #11: Sample Inking / Amostra de Arte-Final

My pal Daniel Henriques, an up-and-coming inker (secretly) working for the comic-book market, did me the honor of using a page out of X #11 as inking sample. Daniel is about six years my junior but already an accomplished professional, committed to his trade and to improving his skills, having already caught the attention of inkers Danny Miki and Jonathan Glapion, for whom he’s done assistance work and apprenticed over the past year.

Not only given his talents, but being also a friend and neighbor, Daniel is, of course, my ideal inker partner. We’re working up a few things to show soon, but in the meantime here’s his take on Gamble kicking X’s ass, as per Duane Swierczynski’s script…

O meu amigo Daniel Henriques, um promissor arte-finalista a trabalhar (secretamente) para o mercado americano de Banda-Desenhada, fez-me a honra de usar uma página do X #11 como amostra de ‘inking. O Daniel é cerca de seis mais novo, mas já um profissional consumado, dedicado à área e a desenvolver as suas aptidões, tendo atraído a atenção dos ilustres arte-finalistas Danny Miki e Jonathan Glapion, de quem tem sido aprendiz e providenciado assistências artísticas durante o passado ano.Não só pelo seu talento, mas por ser também um colega e vizinho, o Daniel é, claro, o arte-finalista ideal. Estamos a preparar alguns trabalhos para mostrar em breve, mas até lá ficam com a sua versão do Gamble a arrasar com o X, segundo o guião de Duane Swierczynski…

Blast from the Past: Mad Max

It’s “Throwback Thursday.” And today’s Blast from the Past aims sights on Mad Max, cinema’ main post-apoc hero, created by genius filmmaker George Miller and made famous by actor Mel Gibson, in late 70’s to mid 80’s.

Anyone that knows me well knows I’m an über-fan of these movies, and a bit of a freak for dystopian fiction. It’s even weirder when I think on how young I was when my tastes were seeded. I recall my first encounter with Max was just prior to Beyond Thunderdome’s – the trilogy closing chapter – release at the cinema, through a pocket calendar with its engaging poster artwork, by illustrator Richard Amsel (in his last work before passing, in late 1985). I traded it for a comic-book with a kid at kindergarten. The curiosity in the pre-internet years lingered on and I finally rented the movie a couple of years later, at a local VHS club. And rented it, and rented it again, to the point of despairing my parents; even the owner was getting complaints from other clients, who wanted access to it! At that time, I already used to go to the movies by myself, but Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome stroke a cord with me and engaged my imagination and fears like none other. Mel Gibson was the epitome of cool, and Max, a reluctant hero I could appreciate.

Sometime later, in my pre-teens, I was playing outside one afternoon when my mother surprised me with the VHS for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior… Shut. Up. You mean, there are more of these!? I didn’t know and couldn’t believe! I was elated, hyper and couldn’t wait to see it! I held the VHS in my hands, seeing how deteriorated and used up it was, and felt cheated...! Ogling at the cover, I tried to fathom from it what the movie was about and if it took place before or after the events of MMBT. Times were different then, so you can imagine, those who’ve seen it, how much of a shock it was for a nine or ten year-old to sit through The Road Warrior’s violence, psych warfare and sheer tension – it just threw me into the wasteland world of Max for a couple of hours, that seemed much longer.

Regardless, I was hooked. I later saw the original Mad Max (over here, titled Mad Max: The Motorcycles of Death – hah!), which I began appreciating more as years passed. As soon as I could, I taped all three on VHS and usually watched them 5-6 times a year, a ritual I maintain to this day, making the trilogy – mainly, TRW and MMBT – something I’ve enjoyed over a hundred times.

I won’t go into details, but it’s had a profound influence in me, from daring a kid to reenact a bicycle version of the Hawk-Dove/Playing “Chicken” scene from Mad Max’s epic Night Rider chance (which went horribly wrong, when we both swerved to the same side...); to creating a DIY functioning wrist crossbow, from Road Warrior; and, to my shame, growing a long mullet that reached half of my torso, as Max sported in Beyond Thunderdome, about which I also once wrote an analysis essay. These movies nurtured my longing for open, vacant ranges and also influenced me creatively, even leading to discovering Russell Hoban’s epic Riddley Walker novel, to which I dedicated my studio/publisher seal’s namesake – but those are stories for a different time.

And now, after YEARS of high hopes and shattered expectations, a 4th Mad Max movie is finally upon us – Mad Max: Fury Road, by George Miller, and featuring Tom Hardy in the title role!
I’m both fearful it will undo what came before and eager to bask in it. Still, I’ve played this movie in my head so many times already, and with so many variations, it’ll have a hard time entertaining me at all; but the apocalypse can come upon us after I see it and I’ll die a happy guy.

As they say, “2015 belongs to the Mad!”

(Dada a extensão deste ‘post, não farei versão portuguesa do texto)

X #11 – Deep Pockets of Pain: Review / Crítica

My friend José de Matos-Cruz, accomplished creator of The Infante Portugal Saga, and one of Portugal’s principal Animation cinema and Comics’ investigator, critic and promoter, has written a review of Dark Horse Comics’ X #11, which I penciled earlier this year. Mainly because of my brief participation in said comic-book, he’s made available a spotlight concerning the comic series and character in his newsletter Imaginário,  also inviting me to share my experience in drawing it – LINK.

O meu amigo José de Matos-Cruz, celebrado criador da saga d'O Infante Portugal, e um dos principais investigadores, críticos e promotores do Cinema de Animação e Banda Desenhada portuguesa, escreveu uma crítica à revista X #11, da Dark Horse Comics, que desenhei no início do ano. Principalmente movido pela minha breve participação no título, disponibilizou um destaque à série e personagem no newsletter Imaginário, assim como me convidou a partilhar a experiência de o desenhar – LINK.

Blast from the Past: Batman Hunts / Batman Caça

Happy BIRTHDAY, Batman! Yesterday was “Batman Day”, marking the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, for Detective Comics #27 (May 1939).
I’ve always been prone to gritty heroes, and that may have started with reading Batman at a young age. Therefore, I’m showing – for the 1st time ever, as I recall – this self-conclusive page, done in 2005, around the time when I began attempting to do comics professionally. (Technically, this page doesn't fit in the Blast from the Past folder, since it's not over ten years old, nevertheless I can't consider it as viable portfolio, so I'm making an exception...)

PARABÉNS, Batman! Ontem foi o “Dia do Batman”, marcando o 75º aniversário do Cavaleiro das Trevas, criado por Bob Kane e Bill Finger, para a revista Detective Comics #27 (Maio 1939).

Sempre gostei de heróis mais "negros", e isso pode ter a ver por ler o Batman desde pequeno. Daí que hoje mostro – pela 1ª vez desde sempre, creio – esta prancha auto-conclusiva, feita em 2005, numa altura em que tinha começado a tentar desenhar BD profissionalmente. (Tecnicamente, esta página não pertence à categoria Blast from the Past, por não ter mais de dez anos, todavia não a consigo encarar como portfólio corrente, daí que fiz uma excepção...)

Hero Sketches IX | Esboços de Herói IX

Today’s bundle of sketches and warm-ups, featuring mostly comics and fantasy characters, gathers both recent doodles and previously neglected ones – it’s not the Mona Lina, but I hope you enjoy!

O punhado de esboços e aquecimentos de hoje figura, principalmente, personagens de BD e fantasia, reunindo rabiscos novos e outros anteriormente descartados – não é a Mona Lisa, mas espero que gostem!

Vencedores do XII Troféus Central Comics

Já foram revelados os vencedores do 12TCC, durante a cerimónia de entrega dos prémios no evento Central Comics Fest.

Embora já não participe no TCC há uns anos, ainda guardo estima por este, e embora nem sempre concorde com todas as nomeações feitas pelo júri, sei que o modo de definição dos eleitos é o melhor por cá realizado, transparente e obtido pela preferência dos próprios leitores, assim como por profissionais do sector.

                                                                  

Com poucas surpresas, os vencedores de 2014 foram:
Melhor Publicação Nacional - As Fantásticas Aventuras de Dog Mendonça & PizzaBoy III – Requiem (Tinta da China); Melhor Publ. Estrangeira - Super-Homem: Herança Vermelha (Levoir); Melhor Publ. Clássica - Batman: Saga Ra’s Al Ghul (Levoir); Melhor Publ. Humor - A Criada Malcriada (Objectiva); Melhor Publ. Periódica - Disney Comix (Goody); Melhor Publ. Independente - LoverBoy na Feira das Vanessas (Chili com Carne); Melhor Publ. Relacionada - Comic-Transfer (Polvo); Melhor Obra Curta - Água, de André Oliveira (texto) e Jorge Coelho (arte), in Cais #180; Melhor Argumento - André Oliveira (Living Will #1); Melhor Arte - Joana Afonso (Living Will #1). Mais informação, AQUI.

Sem discordar do mérito dos premiados, há outras edições que gostava de ter visto igualmente candidatas ou até mesmo vencedoras, mas já se sabe que não há espaço para todos. Entretanto, dou parabéns aos autores e editores vencedores, e também aos colegas Susana Resende e Marta Monteiro, por cativarem o público e atingirem os 2ºs lugares nas respectivas categorias, e David Campos, pela nomeação ao seu Kassumai.

Blast from the Past: TMNT / Tartarugas Ninja

So the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reached the 30 year mark last May and are officially not teenagers anymore. Created as an independent comic by Kevin Eastman, it sold out issues right off the bat and began their swift rise to worldwide phenomena soon after; aside the hit 80’s cartoon series and 90’s movie trilogy, the TNMT have had new animations in recent years, plus a movie reboot to be released.

That said, although I was never a zealot fan of theirs, I gave the franchise loads of hours. To prove it, here are some old pics…

As Tartarugas Ninja atingiram o 30º aniversário em Maio e deixaram oficialmente de ser adolescentes. Criados como comic independente por Kevin Eastman, cedo começou a esgotar tiragens e depressa se posicionou como fenómeno mundial; para além dos desenhos animados nos anos 80 e a trilogia cinematográfica nos anos 90, as Tartarugas lançaram novas animações em anos recentes, mais um reboot por estrear no cinema.

Dito isto, apesar de nunca ter sido um fã fervoroso, dediquei longas horas ao franchise. A prová-lo, eis alguns desenhos antigos…