Wait, it's getting personal... Szüfrazset City

Szürke egy februárunk volt. Nem csoda, hogy kedvet kaptam egy személyes jellegű webcomichoz...

There are some really cool webcomics around which document the author's personal deeds, e.g a local one is http://csordasdaniel.blog.hu/, and I finally felt like trying my hand in something along these lines. This spring seems pretty eventful so far.
I realized that the translation can be tricky but let's give it a go anyway:

Suffragette City, no. 1 - The Idea
Panel 1
So it started like...
I should do a webcomic...On something topical of course.
Panel 2
Here's this city... A complete chaos... But also a lot of cool places and cool people.
Panel 3
And here's me too... Coming and going, seeing and hearing all sorts of things.
Panel 4
Aloud: Hey, it should be about me then! (thinking): About what I do, what I think, what happens to me!
Panel 5
Getting started right now!

It wasn't that tricky after all. Now, let's admire the song that provided the title of this fine piece of art:

A következő rész Gyöngyöspatáról szól majd/ The next episode will be about a place called Gyöngyöspata. I suggest googling it, especially the current news items.
Stay tuned, Corvin is not forgotten either.

The calm before the storm

Panel 1
Colin: You mean that we look like strangers?
Borka: You certainly don't look like honest peasants, and only those types live here.
Panel 2
Borka: Besides, your hairstyle is pretty unusual around here, Mister Gara!
Colin: I beg your pardon, this is the latest fashion in Mil..
Pip: O 'Gara, respectfully!
Panel 3
Thug: The girl went in there, boss!
Kaspar: Excellent! Now we're gonna catch her. We'll strike as soon as the boys get here!
Panel 4
Pip: We hear your ladyship is heading for Ravencastle. Can we volunteer to be your escorts?
Borka: That is a real honour. May I ask what business you sirs have there?
Colin: We have a message for Lord Corvin from an old friend of his.
Panel 5
Borka: How interesting! Who can that old friend be?
Colin: Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan.
Panel 6
Borka: Wow! You must have had a long and exciting journey all the way from Milan. Please, do tell me about it!
Pip: We would love to, but the whole journey seemed to take only a moment somehow!
Colin: Indeed, the Duke sent us here on the shortest possible route ...

It's good to be back working on Corvin. For next time you can expect some strong excitement and mild violence...

Doodling at work

Sometimes it's good if your job is not the most creative one in the world as long as it allows for the occasional ball point pen artwork over a pile of unopened business letters.
If you can detect some Sandman atmosphere, that's not mere coincidence as I started doodling as a result of buying The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country. Real comics lovers probably need no introduction to the Sandman series, the amazing collaboration of writer Neil Gaiman and several master artists. Those of you waiting for the first encounter, check out this book at http://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Country-Graphic-Novels/dp/1401229352/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296341098&sr=1-13
Reading The Sandman was such a spur for my creativity that I actually resumed drawing Corvin, and the A4 size draft of the next page is nearing completion. So stay tuned as you might behold the finished page in a couple of weeks. And the rest will follow till one day commercial success knocks on my door ;o)

2010 - the year in comics

As a way of saying goodbye to the old year I decided to to take a stock of the comic books I got hold of since January. Some of them are not brand new and there aren't so many of them altogether, but here they are one by one:

After spanning the storyline of Bone - my all time favourite comic book - for 15 years, Jeff Smith explored new territories with Rasl, the dimension-hopping art thief. More adult-oriented topic and film noir storytelling this time around.

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra starts its plot with a rather haunting idea. In the summer of 2002 a mysterious plague wipes out all the male mammals of Earth expect for a young American guy and his capuchin monkey. According to this series an all-female world is not necessarily a better and more peaceful place than the one we know.

1566 - The Siege of Szigetvár was made by Endre Sarlós, one of the old masters of Hungarian comics. It commemorates how a small garrison of Hungarian and Croatian soldiers faced the vast army of Ottoman Turkey and fought to the last man. So here is the Hungarian 300 if you like...

Now, a perfectly fresh one. Pinkhell is the occasionally published magazine of a group of artists called the Hungarian Academy of Comics (a somewhat ironic name in response to the old cliché claiming that comics is art for the dumb). The new issue was published for Hungarocomix, the big end-of-year comic event in Budapest, and contains some seriously smashing stuff. Some pages can be previewed here: http://neroblanco.blog.hu/2010/12/16/hc_ajanlo_pinkhell_7#more2518798




Last, but not at all least, The Art of Bone, aka the perfect Christmas present for a die-hard Bone fan like myself. In 2007 Jeff Smith generously let the editors of Dark Horse Comics look through his archives and comply an amazing album of sketches, drafts, cover illusrations, let alone Smith's childhood drawings and the comic strips he published at college. An utterly amazing compilation for fans and aspiring artists :o)

So, happy new year evryone, and I'll try my best to get some Corvin updates - that is, new pages - up here quite soon. Fingers crossed.

The Merkin Project

Hi everyone. You may have noticed that the new Corvin pages failed to materialize here lately. The reason is for this is - apart from really taking the time to plan the madly exciting action sequence of the next few pages - can be seen below. Perhaps I need to explain how it came into being.

Quite a while ago at an evening out with friends somebody remarked how cool it is that the British have a word for 'artificial pubic hair'. The next day I did some internet research about this thing called merkin and thought it would be a good excuse for a comic in the light of what I found. For those with a further interest in merkins http://www.merkinworld.com/ provides extensive background information.
And now behold the comic itself (I also plan to colour it soon, but was too eager to show something for my dear audience):

Text for non-Hungarian speakers:
Page 1
panel 2: HiYa, Sue!
p 3: Fiii darling! Long time no see!
p 4 Sue: What can I do for you?
Fiona: I hear that older blokes are mad about merkins these days. You have any?
p5 Sue: Course we do! The coolest merkins of London are right there.
p6 Fiona: Oh dear, you need to put these there? ...Right, I'll try on one or two.
Page 2
p1 Sue: How does it fit?
Fiona: I'm not sure... Will you have a look?
p2 Sue: Oh it's a fab piece! Fits you perfectly.
Fiona: Reallyy? I'll buy it then!
p3: Sue: That'll be twenty pounds, please. Who's the lucky guy by the way?
Fiona: I've been seeing Lord Cleveland lately. Hope this thingie will make him even more eager....
p4 Sue: Lord Cleveland... OHMYGOSH! ...I mean, I heard he's quite into it.
p5: Fiona: Then I'll surely let him see it. Bye and thanks a million, sweetie!
Sue: Bye darling! I'm rooting for you soo much!
p6: Sue: Just you wait sweetie! Actually Lord Cleveland is crazy for this kind of merkin. It's time I give him a buzzer and get him to date me!

Enter the dame

In case anyone remembers a story called Corvin...
Panel 1 Innkeper: Miss Borka! Is it you?
Panel 2 Borka: Hello, uncle Andrew! How's business going?
Innk: Same as always. But does your father know that you are rambling around here on your own again?
Panel 3 Borka: I'd rather keep this information from him. I'm on my way home, just wanted to say hello and taste this lovely elderwine.
Innk: Are you going to Ravencastle? Those two young sirs are heading there too.
Panel 4 Borka: Since when do young sirs frequent the inn? And who are they?
Innk: Those two, over there. They seem to be quite refined folks. I wonder what on earth they are doing here...
Panel 5 Colin: I certainly hope we are refined folks. Would the young lady like to join our table?
Borka: Absolutely, right after the young sirs have introduced themselves!
Panel 6 Pip: Of course, we should have done that right away! My name is Pip Driscoll, and this gentleman is Colin O' Gara.
Borka: Pleasure to meet you, I am Borka Harangi. I presume you sirs are not from this area?

Early teaser for Corvin

So if we are lucky and live long enough, one day you'll get to see this image in context. The ferocious Ottoman Turks are laying a siege to ...Well, I'm not giving away that yet! :o)