Hembeck's Man of Molecules and the Boys of 'Summer'!

Fred G. Hembeck has been a presence in the comic book industry since the 1970s, when his distinctive interpretations of every single character ever created began appearing in fan publications and trade journals like the Comics Buyer's Guide and Amazing Heroes - he also destroyed the Marvel Universe, as I recall!

Random Chromology: New Megaton Man Coloring!

New colored pages from the graphic novel in progress, Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis!

Megaton Man and extended family, long exiled to the Midwest, return to New York City in the wake of unthinkable attacks.

Original inked line art for the bottom tier.

Screen shot of Photoshop coloring in progress. Note that smoke and background are still black; they will be knocked to a brown and purple-grey to give the illusion of receding into the distance.

Flying over Ground Zero, the group ponders what has taken place.

Much later, back at the old Megatropolis Quartet headquarters, terror alert systems get a bit out of control!

Megaton Man needs some to get away and think...

...and naturally turns to Lady Liberty!

The Last Shall Be First: Graphic Novel #1 Pencils Completed!

I've wrapped up principal penciling (is that like principal photography?!) on Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis, a 160-page story created in five "issues" (I still think in terms of 32-page issues, although any publishing plans for MM: TRM would be for a single volume book). I finished issue #5 a few days ago, and created a new 2-page introduction for the beginning of the story. Below are the pencils.

The flashback here depicts events in Megaton Man #1-5 (Kitchen Sink Press, 1984-1985) and one-shots from the late 1980s including Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems #1 and Yarn Man #1 (1989).

The framed picture of Simon flying refers to The Return of Megaton Man #3 (September 1988), the issue in which he was born. The flashback in the central panel depicts events from Yarn Man #1 (October 1989). See more on Clarissa James and the origin and evolution of Ms. Megaton Man here!

More on the Phantom Jungle Girl!

For more on how these pencil roughs fit into my current cartooning work flow, check out this post on my inking method!

This framing sequence is intended to negotiate between the Megaton Man Weekly Serial storyline (which I created online eons ago, some which was serialized in early issues of Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon), and the opening scenes of the graphic novel (issues #1-2 were posted previously as Atomic Aftermath), which wrap up a few lingering sub-plots.

There's no disguising the fact that I created issue #1 in 2002, #2 in 2005,  #3 is 2014, and #4 and #5 in 2015-2016. Still, my hope is that the narrative will hang together as a cohesive reading experience. In any case, without some kind of introduction, the early scenes (about ten pages) which deal with some dangling plot threads might come across as non-sequitur. I considered cutting these pages out altogether and beginning the story when the main action of the narrative begins (with Megaton Man and X-Ray Boy in high school), but  where to begin and how to introduce potentially new readers to the Megaton Man mythos still remains a problem.

I think including the early scenes with this intro as a framing device will at least demonstrates how convoluted and aimless Megaton Man's life in the Midwest had become before the jarring events of 9/11 call him and his extended family back to Megatropolis. (Besides, many of the characters in these early scenes who exeunt will either return later or show up again in the second graphic novel, which hopefully won't take as long to complete as this one!). Judge for yourself. Your feedback is welcome!

I'm on track to finally completing the graphic novel this Spring 2016! (For more on my thinking behind it, see here.)

Now, on to March Madness: inking "issues" #4 and #5, and coloring the whole 160 pages! Stay tuned for updates...

Clarissa's Animated Cape: Sketches of Ms. Megaton Man

Here are some poses of Ms. Megaton Man, developed from a sketchbook sheet from 2014. In the new Megaton Man material I am working on, Clarissa sheds her cape to play beach volleyball, and it takes on a life of its own! I have no idea what the cube is for (I draw variously-shaped boxes in 3-point perspective as a warm up exercise, as it helps me to visualize imaginary figures in space).

Here is the original sketchbook sheet from 2014, in blue and graphite pencil, partially tightened up with a fine line pen.

See more dynamic drawings of Clarissa on the Ms. Megaton Man Blog!

Felicia Fondue: A Distended Discourse on Distortia™!

Here is a recent cartoon illustration I completed of Felicia, who appeared without origin or even a last name in Megaton Man #2 (Kitchen Sink Press, February 1985), and has never appeared since. She and Chuck Roast, The Human Meltdown are in the same boat, and after being featured on the cover, to boot! Felicia now has a last name: Fondue, although she's married to Chuck, and writes erotic mysteries under the nom de plume Felice Brulé. She, Chuck and their daughter Genevieve return from France to join the Doom Defiers in the All-New Megaton Man #3 (work in progress, see numerous other posts on this blog for previews). But she also has Megapowers that she's kept hidden--the powers of Distoria™!

Felicia Fondue, aka Felice Brule, in her hitherto secret origin as Distortia™ on the Megatropolis Quartet's Megapower Modifier, for The All-New Megaton Man #3. But unlike certain stretchy male characters, Felicia experiences her new abilities as a crisis of self-image, and she keeps it a shameful secret from Chuck, whom she fears will find her anatomical exaggerations aesthetically displeasing.

The cover to Megaton Man #2, recolored for the 2005 ibooks collection of Megaton Man. In the issue, Felicia was Yarn Man's old girl friend and Chuck's nude figure model. She adopts the old uniform of The See-Thru Girl and is invited to join the group, but is never shown to have any powers. The flashback origin above is retroactively inserted into that elliptical history! (It's called cheating; expect a lot of it in the new Megaton Man narrative!)

Chuck, Felicia, and daughter Genevieve return to Megatropolis to join The Doom Defiers in this pencil rough for The All-New Megaton Man #3 (forthcoming).

Moving Back to Megatropolis! Secrets of the Phloog Pad

Megaton Man moves back into his old apartment in Megatropolis, but doesn't know where to stash the inert Stella Android he salvaged from a bout with Bad Guy back at the turn of the millennium. A scene from the third issue of his new (or at least unpublished) adventures that I am currently inking...

(Yes, I realize I am posting pages out of reading order -- and poorly lit to boot -- but whoever said a free sneak peak had to be coherent?! Excelsior!)

Below: The art above, partially inked:

Return to The Manhattan Project: More Roughs from The New Megaton Man #3

Here is the latest batch of roughs for The New Megaton Man #3 (see also previous posting). In this sequence, Megaton Man (actually his alter-ego, Trent Phloog) decides to drop into his old newspaper, The Manhattan Project, to see what's up. Featured in the sequence are the returns of Pamela Jointly, Kevin The Columnist (from MM #4, 1985), the Sawdust Dummy, Bad Guy, and -- just to show that I do have one or two new ideas -- the first appearance of Connie Carlyle, here an unnamed protester in the crowd, but soon to become a major character in the ongoing storyline. The original roughs are in light blue and graphite pencil on bond layout. The grey versions will be printed out at full size and inked on translucent Clearprint Design Vellum. (Examples of my new inking method abound on this blog and is explained in mind-numbing technical detail on the Ms. Megaton Man blog as well.)

Preview: X-Ray Boy Hooks Up with the Really Dead Angel of Death!

This is a sneak preview of the project I'm calling The New Megaton Man #3 (#1 and #2 having already been serialized as Megaton Man: Atomic Aftermath on this blog). In the storyline, Megaton Man and company have returned to Megatropolis in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, and X-Ray Boy, on leave from high school in the midwest, is drafted to become a member of the depleted Devengers. As #3 opens, The Lens, longtime leader of the Devengers, has retired to Florida. The Angel of Death, killed in the terrorist attacks, is now really dead, while Colonel Turtle still struggles with post-traumatic stress. X-Ray Boy emerges as the group's defacto leader, but leading the Devengers into the twenty-first century also means ending the team as we know it! What will it now become?

(Note: Pages shown are blue and graphite pencil roughs, except the opening splash, roughs for which can be seen here.)

We Have a Winner (and Jeremy Has an Old Envelope!)

Congratulations to the winner of The Mighty Megaton Man Yellow Envelope Contest: Mr. Jeremy Bridges! Jeremy is now the proud owner of an old, worn out yellow envelope that held unfinished portions of Atomic Aftermath (now completed and currently being serialized on this blog) for years and years! The envelope was customized with an original ballpoint pen drawing of Jeremy's favorite Don Simpson character, Cowboy Gorilla! Yeehaw!! (Warning: old yellow envelopes that once contained unfinished Don Simpson projects are not certified by the U.S. Postal Service!)

Meanwhile in Megatropolis: The Splash Page!

I've finished inking the remaining page to complete two full issues of The New Megaton Man. This splash is actually not much more than a rehash of the last panel of The Megaton Man Weekly Serial, but it serves as a nice title page and intro of the cast of characters before they embark on a new storyline that involves the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Megaton Man's move back to Megatropolis. These two issues are being serialized on this blog as Atomic Aftermath.

Here is the blue and graphite pencil original drawing, on Bristol board, the old fashioned way compared to the method I employ now (see other recent posts on this blog).

Here is the ink final, again, right on the Bristol board (again a change from my current method. This splash is basically a recap of the last Megaton Man Weekly Serial panel that sets the stage for a new storyline that will see the cast move back to New York.

2002 Sketchbook: The Origins of the 9/11 Storyline

These thumbnail sketches date from late 2001 and early 2002, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Finished art was complete sometime by the mid-2000s, and has been serialized on this blog as Atomic Aftermath (what I am also calling The New Megaton Man #1). The sketches utilize Uni-Ball pens, ballpoint, colored pencil, and graphite pencil.