MONSTERS

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

So here it is. "Monsters". Don't know when it'll be making it's appearance in the Megazine, but when it does I'll be sure to alert people as to where they can get a copy.

I based the lead man in this story very loosely on Terry Wogan (circa 1982). A sort of Kung Fu fighting all action Wogan if you like. The over all world this is set in was inspired by shows like The Avengers, The Champions, Danger Man and maybe a little Jason King. I really got into drawing sideburns and dodgy hair styles and it's safe to say (as I drew this back in February and am still drawing sideburns and dodgy hair styles to this very day) it left its mark.
Monsters ©2006, Ian Culbard

I AM THE LAW!

It's official, I AM THE LAW!

Got a mail this morning from Dave Taylor with a page from an Anderson story he's doing for the 2000AD Megazine in which I cameo as a Judge. So, technically speaking, I'm in the Megazine before my work is (no news on "Monsters" yet). Anyway, go check out his site for much goodness and detailed artwork that will make your eyes bleed or my name ain't Richard Dean Anderson.

Other cameos include Craig (cool as) Conlan, JAke (man of) Steel, Jonathan (for the love of) Edwards, Woodrow (like a) Phoenix, Will (World of) Kane and Curtis (hairy as) Jobling.

DEATH METAL

A short animated film that started life as a smoke test in Flash (wanted to use the blur tools). So, this is really a by-product of experimentation. A happy accident.

I started it last Friday afternoon. As I extrapolated from the smoke test it became a limited animation test (I wanted to work on staggered timings like you get in Saturday morning shows).

It took roughly one working day to make from scratch (ten hrs). Hopefully that doesn't show.

I made a 30 second film back in Uni in about 15 hrs called "Death by Misadventure", so this would be part of that 'sudden death' series I suppose given how long it took to make and the theme. It's kind of nice to sort of vent this stuff every once in a while.

ZOMBIE KONG!!!

(click on the image for a larger version)

IT WAS BEAUTY KILLED THE BEAST,
AND NOW HE'S BACK!!!

I got an email a couple of days ago from fellow Zombologist, Nik Holmes at Zombie Dollar$ asking me if I had any Zombies I could dig up. Inspired, I decided to create one for his site right there, right then. My thoughts turned to Kong and how he got a bum deal and what lengths Carl Denham would go to for a cash in ... anyway, extrapolations aside, I came up with Zombie Kong.

So, I scratched out a number of sketches till I got the pose I wanted, scanned in 'the chosen one', and worked over it in Flash (which is full of handy blur filters now), then stuck it through iphoto where there's a quickstop filter that antiques the image by washing out the color, then clicking the color boost switch punches out the adjusted color. Then I imported the image into photoshop where I scanned in my copy of "The Infernal Device" by Michael Kurland, a suitably beat up 1978 edition with adequate cover creases and worn edges, selected the creases and removed them from the cover image and placed them over my ZOMBIE KONG to give it a worn look and bingo! ZOMBIE KONG LIVES!!!

You still here? Go check out Zombie Dollar$.
Zombie Kong ©2006, Ian Culbard

"When you're only one of the things in his dream ...

... you know very well you're not real."

So, I finally have a cut of the animatic I'm happy with. And I've done more chopping than a woodcutter. Lots of stuff had to go so that all the good stuff could stay. But those things gone from the film aren't gone from the Grimmwood forever.

I had at one point several "Grimm" cameos. But those cameos had to go in favor of not spending time setting up scenes that I didn't really need and giving all that time instead to Red and the wolves who's story this is.

The three Doctor's where once my kid sister's favorite story. I suppose, in part, that this is where the Grimmwood came from. You see, my little sister's ten years younger than me and I used to read bedtime stories to her. The story goes that there were once three surgeons who took their boasts regarding their medical capabilities just a little too far. They proposed to remove some vital part of their anatomy only to replace it the following morning aided by a miracle salve. Good old 'miracle' salves! One plucked out his eyes, one cut off his arm and one took out his heart.

Later that night, whilst the doctor's slept a maid at the inn (and her boyfriend), famished after a days work, ate all these vital bits and bobs ... as you do when you're home late from the pub, you'll eat anything right? I dare say they even covered the morbid morsels with marmite, just to give it that extra something. Anyway, realizing her mistake - oops, silly maid - she replaced those vital organs with a severed thief's hand, cat's eyes and a pig's heart and much hillarity ensues thereafter. It ends with a compensation payout you wouldn't believe. Pretty gross story. But, my sister LOVED it!!!

It didn't stop there. Oh no. My sister wanted more. But there were no more tales of the three surgeons in the "bumper book of wildly inappropriate stories for children" that I was reading from so what was I to do but make them up?!?! Night after night I told stories about how the three doctors went on many disgusting adventures where limb after limb got lopped off or mangled. It was a journey of hideous mutilation. But.... my sister LOVED it!!!

Add to this, she wasn't satisfied if she thought I was making it up so I had to pretend I was actually reading from the "bumper book of wildly inappropriate stories for children".

So, who what where and when now? Well, in the Grimmwood film they appeared as field surgeons for the red hoods and are somewhat mechanically enhanced (well, it was a considerable payout after all). A steampunk element thrown into the mix. But it didn't sit well in the film so I plucked it out, as I'm certain anyone of the doctors would have done given half the chance. They'll be back one day... just not in this story from the Grimmwood.

Grimmwood and all production work is © 2006, Ian Culbard, All rights Reserved.

DOCTOR WHO - The Animated Series?

Back in February 2002 I had a meeting at BBC Birmingham with the script editor from the Animation Unit (we met half way, since the BBC's animation unit is based in Bristol and I live in Nottingham). The meeting was with regard to pitching a new animated show. I had three ideas tucked away in my bag. The first two were original properties, one I can't remember, the second a series called "Audrey Payne Investigates" focusing on a 13 yr old girl with the ability to see other people's imaginary friends and lastly "Doctor Who - The Animated Series". I pitched the first two concepts and we seemingly settled on Audrey and so that went off into development (never to return).

I tentatively asked what the situation was with the good Doctor and asked if the door was open to pitches and pretty much got a negative response. The Doctor was a no go, animated or otherwise. The pitch never left my bag. The BBC never saw it.

So here he is (a dusted off revamp from original crude sketches I'd scribbled back in Autumn 2001); my version of the Doctor from my unpresented pitch, sporting the fourth Doctor's scarf and Harry Sullivan's duffle coat and a very dark secret.

I had a season outline and a small handfull of story ideas. The pilot was a two parter; the second episode (featuring Sea Devils attaching 1960's Brighton) was engineered in such a way that it could also work as a stand alone episode. Animated shows are often subject to non-sequential scheduling so have to work as stand alone episodes because the scheduling may monkey around with the order. I decided to build that into the format as this was a show about Time travel after all. I used that to tell story arcs that could be told in any order, so, the show's structure had a selling point as far as a scheduler was concerned (which was part of the appeal for doing it in the first place).

The rules were a little different. This Doctor had regenerated along with the Master into one body (in much the same manner as the Fourth Doctor merged with The Watcher to become the Fifth Doctor). Sacrilege, I know, but, that was pretty much it; a pitch that never got pitched, consigned to a file marked "fanboy frivolity".

Doctor Who is © BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation). No infringement intended.

More Monstrosities

One of many character designs for the Grimmwood film I'm making. Taken from a scene that's since been cut from the film but I thought I'd stick him up on this blog incase he never made another appearance.

Been away on pre-production and development meetings. One for the tv show Frankenstein's Cat and the other for a commercial I'm making over the next four weeks (can't say at this stage what the commercial is). All good stuff. It was raining and warm in London. Most uncomfortable.

Been travelling on trains alot this week so I've managed to finish "Infinite Crisis". Currently reading all those issues of '52' that have been collecting up. Plenty of work for the eye to do. Superman is great again (as is Batman 1 year later and Aquaman), having lost his powers. It's all exciting stuff.

Grimmwood and all production work is © 2006, Ian Culbard, All rights Reserved.