September 10th, 2007 by bweber
JMS pal and Fine Arts Guild brother, Mystic Mark wants to know, “Brad where is the update?”
Good question. Here’s the long answer:
This past weekend was set aside for my monthly attempt at a 24-Hour comic. As this issue was going to be done virtually — totally rendered in the computer — one would have expected 24 staggering pages of storytelling genius posted today for your reading pleasure.
Whoops.
Don’t get me wrong: the September edition is indeed a great comic, or will be when it’s done.
Stay with me here.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in General, 24-Hour Comics | 2 Comments »
July 19th, 2007 by bweber
NOBLE FAILURE #7 (July 2007) — Super Samurai Special!
Revenge Of The One-Arm Samurai
(click here to download PDF) (1.8MB)
The ink on this comic makes all the difference. The story was good in pencils, but with the heavy blacks and strategic use of wash, it’s SO much better. I’m sure you’ll agree.
This month’s effort is a comeback after my breakdown on #6 is already one of my favorites, second only to The Pancake Tree.
Along with narrative improvements, you’ll notice the change in presentation: no more clicky-open-X-to-closey for viewing each page. Now the comic is all there in one easy-to-ready file.
Why the change, you ask? Blame it on my dead grandmother. The PDF format worked so well for that story it seemed smart to try it on a longer one.
Yeah, yeah, there are still a few technical issues to work out. Even so, this may become the standard presentation format for any future comics, including the five 24-Hour ones left for 2007. Let me know what you think via the comments section.
Enjoy!
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | No Comments »
July 6th, 2007 by bweber
This month’s 24-Hour comic came out better than I expected.
Due to a number of weekend commitments this month (e.g., the upcoming L.A.T.E Ride though downtown Chicago, and the San Diego Comic-Con), the latest attempt was started at 6AM on the 4th and, within a mere 20 hours, 24 pages of comics were scripted and penciled.
Alas, no cover.
During the time it took to ink seven of the pages came the realization that there was no way to finish this book and make it look any good. So yes, another “noble failure”, but I’m happy with it.
And right about now you’re wondering, “If it’s so damned great, where are the pages?”
I’m probably going to catch a lot of crap for this, being how it’s against the official rules, but I’m going to finish inking the pages. The story warrants it. Besides, the pencils are illegible as scans.
Patience, my friends, patience. The finished inks should be up by next Thursday. They’ll be worth your wait.
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | No Comments »
May 24th, 2007 by bweber
NOBLE FAILURE #5 (May 2007)
HUZZAH!!
At last, a full 24-page comic. It took 32 hours to complete. The extra time included a much needed nap and two — yes, TWO — trips to the orthodontist. Without the various interruptions, the book would have clocked-in at 26 hours, so it was going to be noble failure either way. Still, I’m fairly pleased with this effort.
Scanning/rescanning, sizing, and uploading all these pages has eaten-up all this week’s hours allocated for blogging. Rest assured, though: there will be more details soon on the overall process, this particular issue, and what was done differently to help me finally hit the standard page count.
Meanwhile, enjoy!
Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | 3 Comments »
April 26th, 2007 by bweber
NOBLE FAILURE #4 (April 2007)
READ! the stunning conclusion to TOPOR: THE THING THAT SLEPT — Can the diminutive Dr. Riley and his sexy, cycloptic, assistant survive the tired trespasser from space?
GUFFAW! at the antics of those mischievous MONKEYS ON AN ELEVATOR!
WONDER! why I can’t do 24 pages in 24 Hours!
(scroll beyond the art for more sly commentary)
(Sincere apologies to the great Jack Kirby for misappropriating some of the artwork from Fantastic Four #1. The King is dead. LONG LIVE THE KING!)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | No Comments »
April 19th, 2007 by bweber
NOBLE FAILURE #3 (March 2007)
Installment the third of my monthly attempt at a 24-Hour Comic. The page count fell this time around: only eleven, plus the cover. But they’re all quality.
Some people (who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are) suggested I forget the covers and concentrate on page count. An understandable argument, though I can’t agree. Even if I was near finishing in the prescribed time, that last page would still get sacrificed for a cover. There’s something sad and incomplete about a coverless comic.
exemplum gratis: Somewhere in my collection (currently in storage or I’d scan it) is a copy of INCREDIBLE HULK #181.
For those of you not in the comic book know, this is the first appearance of Wolverine — one of the industry’s most popular (i.e., $$$$$$$$$) characters .
You may remember this guy
from such films as X-Men, X-Men 2: The Revenge, or Swordfish as plain ol’ Hugh Jackman.
(The wife says, “He’s dreamy.”)
Anyway, nice copies of INCREDIBLE HULK #181 currently sell for between $680 and $2000 on Ebay.
HOWEVER . . .
Before it came my way, somebody colored the masthead with green crayon and cut the small Hulk circle out of the upper-left. Then he proceeded to bend, fold, spindle, mutilate and otherwise defile the rest of the book.
The point is: mournful though it may be, it’d look downright tragic without a cover.
Anyway, that’s my cover story and I’m sticking to it.
Other items of note for #3:
- More “Monkeys on an Elevator”
- Part II of “Topor: The Thing That Slept”
- And a letters page
(Apologies for the large type on the bullet points. It’s probably something in the default formatting. I’d fix it except Web Master Mike has forbidden me from even looking at the code. There was a lot of swearing and something about chopping off my hands. So, no touch-y.)
I’m still tinkering with the image sizes, trying to find the ideal pixel count for your viewing pleasure. Meanwhile, click as always on the thumbnails to get a bigger image, then mouse over the picture. If a magnifying glass appears, click again. The image should get a bit bigger and easier to read. This will be handy for “Monkeys on an Elevator” and the letters page.
As always, your comments and suggestions are welcomed.
Next week, NOBLE FAILURE #4, a book review, and maybe a few other surprises.
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | 1 Comment »
April 17th, 2007 by bweber
NOBLE FAILURE #2 (February 2007)
Ah, yes. Scans for my mythical second attempt at a 24-Hour Comic. The February edition has more content — 16 pages, plus this snappy cover — though the overall tone has taken a dark and brooding turn.
There’s blood.
And some swearing.
And a couple of dead bodies.
And monkeys.
In fact, unless you’re 18 or older, or have expressed written consent from your parent(s) or legal guardian, it’d be a good idea to skip February. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, kids.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The events in this comic do not in anyway reflect my emotional state, then or now. I am not, nor have I ever been, suicidal. I don’t believe I am friendless or that my family has abandoned me. It’s just a story.
That being said, I DO believe those rats at the International Astronomical Union poked a dirty stick at Pluto.
“Dwarf Planet” my achin’ eye!
As always, your comments are welcomed and encouraged.
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | 2 Comments »
April 8th, 2007 by bweber
The pages for NOBLE FAILURE #1 have been updated with better scans and streamlined files. Now you can actually read the pages, especially the Rumi adaptation. It’s a significant improvement from what was up there before. Enjoy.
(Thanks again to the guiding hand of Webmaster MIKE!)
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | 2 Comments »
April 6th, 2007 by bweber
NOBLE FAILURE #1 (January 2007)
(The first two pages are a from a poem by the 12th Century philosopher and poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi. The text was written in ink with a bamboo quill. It looks good as a big piece, but it’s tough to read at the smaller size.)
THE DIVER’S CLOTHES LYING EMPTY ON THE BEACH
by Rumi (Coleman Barks, trans.)
You’re sitting here with us, but you’re also
out walking in a field at dawn
You are yourself, the animal we hunt when you come with us on the hunt
You’re in your body like a plant is solid in the ground
Yet you’re the wind
You’re the diver’s clothes lying empty on the beach
You’re the fish
In the ocean are many bright strands and many dark strands
Like veins that are seen when a wing is lifted up
You’re hidden self is blood in those –
Those veins which are like lute strings which play ocean music
not the sad edge of surf, but the sound of no shore
Click on the 24-Hr Comics tab at the top of this page to examine all of my NOBLE FAILURES. The February and March editions are scanned for upload, and I’ll be doing April’s next weekend. More details, write-ups, and comics coming soon.
Posted in 24-Hour Comics | No Comments »
Next Entries »
