–>> Tokka tries to keep personal projects posted on GGM to a minimum ( but he also swore he’d stop talkin’ about himself in the 3rd person years ago as well ), but you TMNT fan-folks may appreciate this more than most.
This custom hoodie was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of one o’ Mirage Studio’s most popular story arcs in TMNT history; and the final one that put an end to the original Volume one of the Mirage Turtles FOREVER : “City at WAR“.
Ripped from an old t-shirt .. the classic “C.A.W.” logo features on the front, and one the back the iconic Eastman & Laird image a vicious Shredder Elite choking the life out of one of the warring Foot Soldiers. One of the most memorable panels from TMNT v.1 #50.
The Hoodie goes up a tad small when the hood is actually pulled up over my noggin, but it’s not to bad. “Blood”,”ooze” , street grime & spray, Three-toed dragon symbol stencil, and some very worn battle-wrapping around the arms pay a small nod to the Shredder Elite Guards themselves.
We’ve got our very first official announcements straight from the Shellback’s mouth!
Shellback Artworks in Wells, ME will have a few special guests Peter Laird, Jim Lawson and at least one other mystery guest…
AND… At Jetpack Comics in Rochester, NH, Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz will be prowling about. So get ready to dress up, grab your shwag and have a good time!
~Machias
Well, looks like we’ve got some more original projects coming down the pipeline from our beloved Mirage guys.
Talking with Steve Levigne a few weeks back, he had mentioned that Jim was working on an original graphic novel. Jim explains a little bit about his new project:
I came up with the idea to do Dragonfly about a year ago. I’ve done dinosaur comics in the past, but I wanted this one to be a little different.
Although I’ve just labeled this a dinosaur comic, I don’t really consider it simply that. In the pages of Dragonfly, I knew that I wanted to gather all the creatures, things and characters that I have an affinity for- aliens, robots, funky post-apocalyptic vehicles and then of course, the occasional T-Rex.
Secondly, I made my decision early in the creative process to include both human and anthropomorphized characters in this world. I think that the cast of a story is terribly important and I’ve put a lot of thought into developing characters that work well together and enhance one another. The relationship that these individuals have seems like it could lead to some fun interactions and situations. Along with that, I wanted this new comic to be a little wacky and strange- I didn’t want to be constrained by scientific fact, or things that just wouldn’t be possible in our reality.
I’d not heard of this Kickstarter website before, so I looked into it. To contribute, you can offer Any amount… even a dollar. And Jim’s got all sorts of little treats and privileges to offer as a thank you for helping him reach his goal.
So if you like Jim’s artwork and want to chip in, or if you’re just curious to see what he’s up to, stop in and take a peek:
Ahh, a new year, new beginnings… one of my personal resolutions being to get Back into drawing again. Unfortunately, I’ve had such a drought of creativity, I didn’t know where I was gonna find my starting point.
Then, last week, I received an e-mail from a pleasant fellow named David, and a link to a ‘commercial’ he created involving his best friend’s dad – Steve Lavigne – and his comic/art shop “Shellback Artworks”.
Needless to say, the commercial inspired me to go to the shop. It’s just over the border in Wells, and it was a nice drive today.
It’s a simple two-level set up, with original artwork on the walls TMNT and Non-TMNT. The main level has plenty of current comics, old swag from the Old Toon days, art supplies and even the full-sized Turtle statues. And they are BIG. They made me feel normal-height.
The upstairs was part art gallery, part classroom setting. Steve has some short classes where he helps kids and adults learn how to draw their own characters and make their pictures look like comic book covers. Talk about an experience to treasure…
The Mirage guys have taken part in a few signing events there, and they’ve all contributed to the shop in different ways. It’s nice to know that they still get together … like a wacky, slightly dysfunctional family.
Steve was a great host. We ended up talking for two hours about everything from comparing traditional vs digital art, Mirage comics and the current TMNT cartoon, even things like cars, transformers and best of all, the Mirage crew’s original projects.
One project in particular I liked were two children’s books Steve’s illustrated, which have music written by Tim Janis – very well known, if you’re from New England. “Shine like a Lighthouse” and “Twinkle Star’s Adventure”. It’s the tale of the sea creatures that live in the waters surrounding the Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick. The illustrations are cute and colorful, the music is enjoyable (sounds a Lot like James Taylor), and the plushies of the two main characters are sure to become favorites with your little ones.
So after taking a picture and buying a few things, we bid farewell with plans to meet again – next time, with my brother’s antique car and some new artwork - if there was ever such a thing as a creativity transfusion, I received one today.
Be sure to check them out on facebook, learn of the glory that is the Eberhard Faber indigo blue drafting pencil, and stop by the shop and say Hi to Steve. Things are quiet right now, but as the weather warms up, so will the activities and upcoming events.
