HAPPY AT 90 MILES

Here‘s a quick demo on the process from script to thumbnails, to inks to lettering.

Comment

I’m translating the lettering for the Spanish version of this blog, “Happy a 90 Millas”.
With the helpful editing assistance of my wife, it shouldn’t be long before it goes live.

Although I really wanted to letter directly on the page, it wouldn’t be practical, since Spanish takes up more space. Plus once I see all the text up on the page, I find I’m doing small edits that I’m glad I was able to do.

Comment

The story continues, click on the STORY PAGE or this link

Comment

After the suggestions I received after the last logo proposal I have come up with this one.

Please leave comments, suggestions, criticism!

Read up! There’s some more frames uploaded on the STORY page.

Comment

Preparatory studies for the first couple of pages, when a young Jorge accompanies his uncle Alberto on a fateful walk in the canefields with a bottle of gasoline.

Comment

Here’s a study of a street scene in old Havana.

It’s loosely based on a photo I took years ago and shows two constants in Cuban street life; People hanging about without anything particular to do and magnificent old buildings in Art Deco and Baroque style crumbling slowly. The idle Cuban is not lazy, rather, there’s nothing for many of them to do. In order to avoid high double digit unemployment, most Cubans are employed just a couple of days a week as there’s not enough work to go around.

(more…)

There is a real challenge in trying to capture a past that in not your own.

In order to portray the Jorge of 18 years ago, I have only two old photographs to go by. One of them is on the main page of this blog. The added difficulty is that Jorge’s appearance has changed over the years, mainly due to serious health complications from having ingested acid in prison in protest over his treatment.

By looking intently at Jorge today I can still glimpse the young man, his cheeks hollowed by the meager rations and hunger strikes, the same button nose, the same eyes, almost slanted.

Here are the result of the sketchings I have done.

Comment

Here’s a drawing of Jorge and his friends, all around the age of 16, ready to get on a raft and paddle away.
Left to right it’s Papili, Jorge, Pichi y Mañanga. (those Cuban nicknames!)

Comment

As a follow up to yesterday’s longish post on Mr. Guevara, here’s a quick look at his recent appearance in comics.

Underground comics artist Spain Rodriguez has been comissioned by a British publisher Verso Books to do a biography on Che. The result is unapolagetically adoring by Rodriguez’ own admission. I’m not a fan of his awkward figures nor of his politics, but I haven’t read the book so I won’t comment further.
Here’s a REVIEW from Latin Culture Mag REMEZCLA. This negative review aside, I wouldn’t be surprised if this book becomes canon for many readers. With their visual impact and power of images fused with words, comics can be terribly persuasive when carrying a message, as talked about in this post and in a future post on a little book called “The Cuban Revolution for Beginners”

Out also is “Che, A Graphic Biography” from Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón, confusingly sporting the same title as Rodriguez’ book. Will there be a war of the Ches? The art looks good, but there’s not much info out on this book, except this publicity piece:

The creators have previously done a graphic version of the 9/11 report which sounds like great bedside reading.

So, is there room for a Graphic Novel with a less positive view of Saint Che and the Cuban Revolution? I think there’s not only room, it’s probably overdue.

Comment