Hallowscream: Storage

This cheerful chap is Mark. He likes surfing and quad-biking. He enjoys a good night down the pub, but also relishes the quiet solitude of the open countryside. His favourite book is The Beach, though he didn't think much of the film.

Mark works at a storage warehouse. It's Saturday evening, and he was just getting ready to lock up when the inevitable happened. Because there's always one isn't there? Someone who turns up mere minutes before you head off home. But you grin and bare it, because that's just good customer service. 

And then they start messing about...
  

 

Find out what happens next in this year's Hallowscream. Over one hundred pages of horror themed comics, all at the super cheap price of Absolutely Free! The story you are looking for is Storage, the second story in, page 9 according to the contents. It's written by one Lizzie Boyle, drawn by myself, and lettered by someone who appears to be uncredited, sorry mysterious letterer! Previous editions of Hallowscream are still available, also for free! Why not check them all out?

Some More Reviews!

Some of you may remember a few months back when I posted some reviews of my work. Well, I'm back to do more shameless self promotion, on this blog that is almost entirely shameless self promotion! Go me!

To start with, my work for the next Dr WTF?! is already getting good feedback, and I'm not even past the preliminary sketch stage. Greg Meldrum seems happy with the work so far, while over on Facebook  Owen Watts claimed that "This is easily going to be the MOST INSANE story in Dr WTF?! 2012." So while editor, writer, and artist all stand around slapping each other on the back and marvelling at their own brilliance, let's anchor this post to the ground before it disappears up our collective backsides. 

Forbidden Planet International has a less glowing review of Vanguard. It's not a completely bad review, but is certainly the least positive we've had so far. Here's what it says about my work;

The art by Louis Carter starts out so strongly, that very first page above of really nice, almost abstracted shapes as the Halo makes planetfall. But after it gets too damn busy, panels just so full of detail, with everything a mass of lines and shading. It’s not bad, not at all, but if it were stripped back just a little, to what we saw on the opening couple of pages it would be so much better. But the potential here is huge.

Not to worry though, for if that was our least positive review, this next one is the most positive! Comics Bulletin has seen some cutting reviews in its time, and I think many of us were waiting for this one with nervous anticipation. It all turned out well though, take a look at this;

"Halo and the Gryphon" feels like an underground comix adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix; the big selling point for me is the art of Louis Carter, a strange and evocative mix of fine detail on the characters and a far more blocky, abstract approach to backgrounds. It looks like nothing else I've ever seen -- aside from perhaps David C. Sutherland's artwork in the early days of Dungeons and Dragons, and even that's not quite the same -- but it's stunning work.

Amusingly, the page that they picked to illustrate the Comics Bulletin review was the one that I find the most crowded, while the Forbidden Planet one chose a page in which only one of the six panels has a background to distract you.

Still, I welcome constructive criticism, and I will be considering my strengths and weaknesses as I continue working on part two of Halo and the Gryphon. As such, I would like to offer my thanks to Richard and Kelvin, and all those who have taken the time to offer their opinions elsewhere. The next few weeks should see me posting some sketches of some new characters, so don't forget to drop by again!

An Agglomeration Of Things!

Thing 1: Vanguard Revisited

The much mentioned small press comic extravaganza Vanguard is now available on-line! Download it here for £1.01, or here for £1.00. I... don't really understand why there is that difference, sometimes life is just strange like that I guess.

Here is some slightly stripped down praise for Vanguard; cut from its source material in such a way as to highlight its comments about me! The links provided take you to the pages where good stuff is said about all the other people involved.

Everything Comes Back To 2000ad "liked the art in this which felt very kids story book." Hilary Lawler over at Irish Comic News liked it even more, saying "Halo and the Gryphon is great.  The style is busy but throughout  the detailed artwork you don’t lose focus on the story.  Overall the page layouts are fluid and easy to follow, with some beautifully drawn pieces nicely scattered between pages.  This is a well crafted original take and a completely fresh approach to comics which works." Thanks Hilary!

Thing 2: Rise Of The Mekkosapiens

I've just finished drawing a strip for the next issue of Paragon. I would have mentioned this yesterday, but I was too busy debating which individual picture to post with the news. The sequential nature of comics left no individual picture with quite the right 'feel'. Writer Matt McLaughlin solved my quandary by shoving these three pictures up onto the net together, as they were always meant to be seen. Thanks Matt!

This story will be published in Paragon 9. While you're waiting for that, why not check out Paragon 8, which has just been released, continuing stories that began in Paragon 7, a good 'jumping on' issue for those new to the comic.

Thing 3: The Future

So now that art is safely heading the letterer's way, what lies in store for me next? Well, Van Dom has already sent through the script for the second part of Halo and the Gryphon, Dave Candlish has offered me the art duties for one of next year's episodes of Rise of the Mekkosapiens, and just to prove I'm not in a rut, I've got another project lined up as well! Over the next month or so, I'll be working with writer Lady Festina on a script for the annual Halloween comic Hallowscream! More on all of these as they develop!

Thing 4: Going So Far Into The Future That It's Mildly Scary

I have a twitter account. I'm not completely sure I know how it works, and I can in no way guarantee that I'm going to check it on a regular basis, but I'm going to give it a try. You can follow me if you like, I'm LRGCarter.

Well, that's all the news I can think of at the moment. See ya later, internets!

Back To The Wreckage

Owen Watts has begun collecting scripts for Dr WTF?! 2012. You can keep an eye on forthcoming developments over at the Dr WTF?! facebook page. While you're there, why not drop Owen a line and get yourself a digital copy of the 2011 issue?

My contribution to Dr WTF?! 2011 was some art work for the story Back to the Wreckage, written by Oscar Maltby and lettered by David Withers. You can see this entire story right here, by simply scrolling down the page and enbigginating this artwork!

 

Vanguard Is Out!

Cover by Liam Byrne

Last night, I watched The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. This film includes a brilliantly realised Griffin, and upon seeing it I was compelled to speak out to my fellow viewers on my admiration for Ray Harryhausen. For the Griffin is a treacherous beast. It looks so majestic, so regal, so in control of all it surveys. The king of the animals and the lord of the birds, fused together into one single being.

Yet look closer, and you will see the animal is not all it seems. That look of supreme poise can only be maintained as long as the thing stays perfectly still, its front legs locked straight. The moment it moves, you realise...

A Griffin has four knees!

Oh what a cumbersome creature it becomes. This four kneed fool falls suddenly from regent to jester, cantering about in such a way as to leave the whole animal kingdom jeering at its folly. The courtly mountains are replaced by a wicker cage, and this king for a day pays the ultimate price of the cycle of life as it is left screaming out that the crops will not grow and the harvests will fail, and next it shall be we who are left burning in that pagan idol!

Er, by which I mean... Harryhausen solved this problem by giving his Griffin  the front legs of the lion rather than the eagle. Brilliant! I chose the other option. I broke the Griffin. My Griffin has four elbows instead, and I feel dirty just thinking about this crime against anatomy.

What Griffin am I talking about? Why, the Griffins that feature in the rather wonderful comic Vanguard! You can follow that link for more information, though the most important bits are here:

The best way to order is via paypal.
Our paypal ID is vanguardcomic@gmail.com
Costs are as follows:

In the UK:
Comic - £2.00 Postage - £1.50
In NI:
Comic - £2.00 Postage £1.00
In ROI:
Comic - €2.50 Postage - €1.00

So why not go order a copy today?

A Full And Detailed Study Of The Glumpie And Its Natural Habitat

Chapter 1: The Humble Glumpie

Editor's Note: The following text is taken from the surviving fragments of a field-book found among the possessions of one Mae Shanks, an undergraduate Xeno-zoologist who attended the Neo-Mernanshire University of Unified Arts and Science. Sadly the absence of Mae's body and the general disarray of her camp-site suggested that she, like so many of her predecessors, fell victim to that inexplicable curse that has for so long benighted her family line. It should be noted that, as a student standing at the threshold of a whole new area of research, Mae was only just beginning to understand the full complexity of her subject. As such, future researchers should be wary of reading too much truth into her interpretations. Much work has been performed in the years following her death, and though many of her conclusions concerning the life cycle and habits of these creatures have been debunked, it is the hope of the publishers that this text remains of both historiographical and artistic value. For a more accurate study of Glumpies, please refer to Matthew McLaughlin's forthcoming Xtrominator Field Guide.

 

Day 1.

During one of my regular supervisor meetings with Professor McLaughlin, I was given the following field sketch that had been passed on to him by the illustrious Ryan S Thomason. 

Ryan S Thomason's Glumpie

 "This is a Glumpie," said the professor in his usual distracted way, seemingly engrossed in simultaneously writing the scripts for several educational pictorial pamphlets. "I need a field guide on these creatures and those that they live in. I've booked you a place on a research vessel leaving tomorrow, so you had better start packing your interstellar exploration equipment. Oh, and don't let it distract you from that dissertation about the robots."

And that, as they say, was that. As I write these words, planet fall has been achieved, and we have had distant sightings of the glumpies, or Mentulavermis Primigenius to use their official title, though I believe the higher echelons of academia are currently engaged in yet another nomenclature war which may change that. I hope that tomorrow I can get closer to the creatures and begin to begin recording them. 

Day 2.

I have identified two Glumpies that are to be my case studies. The larger one in this picture I have named Mr Greyback, after the colour of the ridge that runs from tooth to tail. Ms Brown is shown here in her expanded state, though Kimi, my guide on this world, says that I am foolish to assign genders to these creatures though she will not give reasons for her ire. 

I was originally going to call my two subjects Little and Large, as we found them relaxing in exactly the state I have here attempted to capture. However, as soon as they noticed our presence they began crawling towards us, and I realised the folly of this system. The glumpie is a very malleable beast, and can in fact twist into all manner or shapes as it moves.

 

 

 Day 5.

I have begun gaining the trust of my glumpie partners. They have been allowing me to get close enough to make more detailed sketches of their forms. Kimi claims I am the one being too trusting. She says I am getting too attached to them, underestimating their deadly nature. 

 

Day 17.

Kimi has begun drinking this strange black tar stuff from the outer rim, and shouts at me that it is I who have driven her to it. Tensions between the two of us are... developing, to say the least. However, the alcohol has loosened her tongue. She has begun describing some of the glumpies she has seen on her travels. The intra-species variation of these creatures is more amazing than I have already witnessed. Here I have drawn hypothetical illustrations of her accounts. Apparently there are two headed glumpies that allow for these gentle giants to move more easily through their tunnels. Others have been witnessed "eating their own heads then crapping themselves out in one swift movement," turning themselves inside out to form a spiky shell of their teeth!  

 

 

Day 22.

Kimi drank a full bottle tonight. She went on to describe what she has heard of the glumpie reproduction cycle. Words escape me, I have illustrated the process here. I feel she is trying to scare me into abandoning the project.

 

 

Day 23. 

Kimi has begrudgingly admitted to having never actually seen a "Glumpie Rut Pile". I'm sure it must be an stellar-myth, surely? When I questioned Kimi on the matter she simply shrugged, and told me not to call her Shirley. 

I have been getting close enough to the partners now to make detailed records of their faces. This has caused Kimi much consternation. She claims they have my scent, and refuses to continue sleeping at our camp. 

 

Editor's Note: This was the final entry into Mae's journal. We have collected here only some of the assorted pages detailing the Glumpie itself. In our next instalment, we shall go back over the pages that investigated the natural habitat of the Glumpie, the Flesh Planet itself. 

Dr WTF?!

Dr WTF?! cover art by Carl Pearce

Remember that comic I was going on about a while back? The Doctor Who anthology featuring some of my artwork among other great stuff? Well, you may not be aware that Dr WTF?! has been loose in the wild for a few weeks now. Actual paper copies have been on sale at conventions, and now it is time for PDF versions to begin worming their course through unknowable web-ways.

Editor Owen Watts has this to say on the matter:

"Oh Dr WTF looks so tempting with it's big shiny cover and it's cavalcade of forum talent and interesting contents - but I LITERALLY CAN'T WAIT"

Well I have good news! There's a sexified £2 PDF doing the rounds - also I'm doing AMAZINGLY AMATUERISH sketches for any buyers. For a limited period!

The best way to get at this would probably be to drop by the Dr WTF?! facebook page and drop a scrawl on Owen's wall. Or, like, whatever the slang is.