Check out Villain on Zuda!

Editor's Note: Today we present a special early weekend edition wherein Caine interviews Greg Smallwood, whose comic Villain, is the best Super Hero story we've ever seen in a Zuda Contest. I strongly encourage everyone who frequents this blog to check out Villain!



Can you introduce yourself to the FBU readers? Have you participated in comics that we may have experienced in the past? Anything on Zuda?

Greg Smallwood: I currently live and work in a little town outside of Kansas City, Kansas. Villain is actually my first comic book work. Prior to this, my only professional illustration work has been done as a freelancer for advertising agencies and various local businesses.

Can you tell us about your comic? How much development went into the concept as a whole? Upon reading the 8 pages on Zuda it looks as if you may have a mini superhero universe of your own supporting Villain. Did you produce all of it: art, writing, colors, etc?

Greg: For the unitiated, Villain is about a smart-assed super villain, Shockwave, who is sent away to a prison planet for all of the crimes he's committed. The planet, Atticus, has no guards, no indigenous life, and is home to hundreds of exiled super villains like Shockwave. The most obvious inspiration is Escape from New York but I was also heavily influenced by other films and books like No Escape and Lord of the Flies. It's familiar ground but I think what will set Villain apart from the rest is the focus I'm putting on the main character itself. At it's core, the story is about a nihilist being forced to confront the black and white world that we live in and make a choice. All he ever sees is the gray and I really want to explore what happens when he is forced to abandon his apathy.

Check out the Villain Promo Video on YouTube!



I've done quite a bit of planning for Villain. Planning is my form of procrastination. And thanks to that procrastination, I've got a story outline that could cover several issues. It'll be great if I get to tell that story.

Part of that story is the mini-universe that Shockwave exists in. I really get a kick out of creating characters so I'll have no shortage of villains for my prisoner population. I felt it was really important to flesh out these characters in the development stage so that when the reader sees them for only a few panels, there's a feeling of authenticity there. I want these characters to look and talk like they have a history and personality and I feel that all of that comes from planning. I remember hearing that Michael Mann (director of Heat and Collateral) will assemble whole books of background information for his actors so that they REALLY know their character and, in turn, feel real to the audience. That always stuck with me and I applied the same approach to Villain.

As for the writing and art, all of it was done by me. It's a pretty even combination of hand-drawn and digital art. I wanted it to look like a mainstream superhero book and sticking to the traditional methods of producing comic art was essential to that.

While some superhero content does appear on Zuda it's definately dwarfed in comparison by other genres. Did this fact play a factor in your decision making process on what to submit?

Greg: If anything, the lack of superheroes on Zuda almost discouraged me from doing Villain. I wasn't sure if it was the Zuda staff itself that didn't like the genre or if the votes just weren't there for superhero stories. But being accepted into the competition and receiving such positive feedback from readers seems to suggest something else. I think the lack of superhero comics on Zuda is more indicative of the comic book industry as a WHOLE rather than just the website. Independent creators and companies seem to shy away from attempting superhero stories and view the genre itself as a "cornered market" for DC and Marvel. But in my opinion, the superhero genre is just as viable, open, and free as any other genre and I feel there's a lot left to explore in it. Hopefully, more future Zuda creators will begin to feel the same way.

Mugshots from Villain



Can you take us through the general process of submitting the comic? How long did it take to complete the pages? What kind of communication do you get back from Zuda once you click "Submit"? How long does it take to find out if your accepted?

Greg: Once you hit that "Submit" button, you can end up waiting anywhere from a week to three months to hear anything. For me, it was just about a week shy of three months. It might seem like a long wait to hear any kind of confirmation but at least everyone who submits gets an answer. It may not be the one they want but it's more than most publishers offer. For untested writers and artists like myself, it's a wonderful platform and opportunity.

Do you have plans for Villain beyond Zuda? Whether you win or loose? Will people be able to stay up to date on your Villain blog?

If winning the competition doesn't happen, I'd still like to continue Villain somewhere else. Whether that be in print or online, I'm just not sure. Whatever the case may be, I'll continue updating the blog to keep everyone posted. I'd love to take my new fans with me wherever Villain ends up.

What your doing, if anything, to attract a fan base and get the word out?

Greg: My marketing campaign so far has consisted of a LOT of e-mailing. I've started the Villain Comic blog as well as a Facebook fan page. I've relied heavily on my friends and family getting the word out (specifically on social networking sites) and their support has been invaluable. My next step will be getting the word out to the local comic shops, specifically, Clint's Comics in Kansas City and Astro Kitty Comics in Lawrence. Only time will tell how well my promotion is working but at this point, I'm just doing what I can.

Greg: If Zuda sent you an email stating that they wouldn't accept Villain but gave you a free pass to submit something else what would that have been?

If an instant win was a guarantee, I probably would have done a steampunk superhero story. Both genres fascinate me and, other than Gotham by Gaslight (which is more Victorian than steampunk), you really don't see them mixed together. I originally thought about going that route but wasn't sure how well it would be received. Maybe I'll make that my next project!

Thank you for the interview Greg and GOOD LUCK!

Have a great weekend,

- Caine

Pierre Speaks: The Eternal Marathon

Not what I was planning to write.... but after a discussion with one of my colleagues, I HAD to write this Blog instead.

One comment that often comes back when talking with many artists is how working on a project is often like running a marathon. Depending on who you talk to, each episode itself is a marathon... but for others.... working on a series is like running a marathon.

If you work as a designer, you must deliver one episode each week.... kind of short in my book to call it a marathon. If you work as a storyboard artist, you usually have 6 weeks to produce a storyboard. That can start to look like a marathon.

But a series usually means 4 to 6 months of constant running to meet deadline after deadline, week after week after week. Now THAT in my book looks like a marathon.

When running a marathon, you must pace yourself so that you have enough energy to last until the end of the race... in this case.... the end of the project. You can run full blast for a week to produce a single episode. It is fairly easy to work 40, 60 or 80 hrs a week for just one week.
Although a little harder, you can run somewhat full speed for 6 weeks to produce a single storyboard. Tough... but it is doable. But for an entire project?? Much harder to run at full speed for the whole project.

So you MUST find a way to pace yourself.

You must find a work habit that will make you last until the end of the project. You must make sure that you will have enough juice to last until the end of the marathon. Me... I think that a marathon is a piece of cake compared to working on a project as an artist. As an artist... no sooner are you done running your marathon, that you must start running the very next marathon. Heck sometimes.... you have to run two marathons at once.

A perfect example is the projects that I am working on right now.

There is still at least a month’s work left on the series I was working on, and I started working on the next series about a month ago. So I am working on two series at once as I write this (and that goes without counting the awesome Blogs that you guys get to read each week, and whatever work on Flashback Universe pages or designs I can squeeze in).

Now before you ask.... I am not making twice the money. It is expected that I can juggle both projects with one hand tied behind my back. If I was working for two different studios... I would be collecting two paychecks . But since I am working on staff for one studio on both projects... the second project is seen somewhat as the continuation of the first one.

In an ideal world.... I would have been done on the first project on a Friday.... and the next Monday, I would have started working on the second project. Or even better, we would have had a week off between both projects. Sadly this is not an ideal world with rainbows and unicorns.

So you take the work when it’s available, even if it is not really reasonable. Even if it means you will be wayyyyy overworked for a month or two. Even if it means that for a month or two.... you will be running two marathons at the same time. Being a workaholic.... I don’t really mind it.

I am literally married to my job... so it is not much of a sacrifice to spend 90% of my time at the studio or behind my drawing table. But for those who are actually married with half a dozen kids.... it can be tough.

It is not much different when you are making comics.

You must learn to pace yourself.

Often I see people who will put a lot of work and energy into doing their first page... with lots and lots and lots of details. You can usually tell that they have worked hard on their page. But by the time they make it to page two.... not as much detail... not as much work. Already you can see that they have a tough time keeping up with the pace they have tried to set for themselves with that first page.

Then comes page 3.... with less than half the amount of detail you found on page one.

Wayyyyyy too often.... I will see people who have a truckload of three pages comics.... but nothing else.

Who were never able to finish a single comic. Heck who have a truckload of half finished pages.
It is easy to be inspired for a day on a project... two days. But making comic takes a lot more than 2 days.

So it is easy being inspired the day you have your “awesome idea” of making a comic with Dracula as a cowboy or something.... but after a few days.... some people give up or their “awesome idea” that really inspired them (remember what I wrote about inspiration??).
Making comics take time.

Just pencilling the darn thing can take a month.... more if you try to make some highly detailed pages. Then inking the pages can take just as long. Then coloring them pages... etc.
Now imagine if you must do many of those steps yourself.

So when you have your awesome idea.... you better REALLY like it.... because if you are working full time on it... you may be working on it for the next few months.

And if you are working on it on the side... you may be working on your comic for a year.
So you better pace yourself if you want to last until the end of your project. Heck too often I see some people look at what we do at Flashback Universe saying how THEY could do it. Heck even how THEY could do it better.

Usually based on one highly photorealistic hyper-detailed drawing they did that took them a week to do.... and it was just that one drawing.

Usually I answer them “Do a full page. Then 3 pages. Then 10 pages. Then 22 pages. And heck.... in the case of most Flashback Universe comics.... 40 pages. Once you manage to do that... THEN they can claim that they can do that.”

I would continue by saying that “Talk is cheap... let’s see what THEY actually CAN do.”
But in general.... just telling them to do more than just that one drawing, more than just one half finished page is enough to shut them up.

Yes it is a little blunt... but too often I see people who can barely draw more than one page say stuff like that.

Too often those who cannot even run for 20 feet will tell those who can run a marathon.... or even multiple marathons.... that they could do that.

But since they cannot pace themselves.... they will never run further than 20 feet. ;)

Until next time.

Mister Crimson Episode 48

Mister Crimson Episode 48
Wherein we learn a startling secret about They Mayor

Read it here .:

Master Comics: Captain Marvel meets Bulletman

Here are two issues from Fawcett that in the Top Ten of many Fawcett fans (and Golden Age comic fans as well.) The first is Master Comics 21 in which a Mac Raboy drawn Captain Marvel teams up with Bulletman to fight Captain Nazi.

Some fans find Raboy's version of Captain Marvel a little off putting, but I think it's awesome to see how he applies his more realistic style to Captain Marvel. The second issue is the one that follows with Captain Marvel Jr. teaming up with Bulletman.

Thinking about the some of the comments I've seen about Mac Raboy version of Captain Mavel reminds me of how divided people are on the Don Newton version of the character that came out in 1980 as a feature in World's Finest comics. Anybody but me remember that series? I'd like to see it in some nice collected edition, as Don Newton was an incredible artist AND a real Captain Marvel fan and when you see the art he produced for the series, you can see he was really putting his heart into the project.



[ Master Comics 21 ]



[ Master Comics 22 ]

- Enjoy!

Bronze Age Spotlight: The Joker

Editor's Note: Today I am happy to present another Bronze Age Spotlight from Crom who last gave us a great spotlight on Luke Cage. Today Crom has returned and offers us his opinions on The Joker series from the 70's. - Jim

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Death of a Clown

So you’ve finished reading your book for the night, your glass of milk is empty. You ease the bindings shut, and place it back on the shelf while reaching over to turn the reading light off -- and that’s when you see the clown standing on your lawn, his painted smile wheezing hot breath, fogging your living room window.

While you entertain this nightmare, it should come as no surprise that The Joker was voted, time and time again, as the highest rated villain in comic history. There are few things that chill the blood as much as the knock knock joke that melts off a face. But the Joker can deliver, so naturally they tried to push him out from under the Bat shaped shadow, into his own circus spotlight.

In 1975, DC commissioned two of its veterans to come up with The Joker’s own book. Julius Schwartz, long time editor in the DC universe, and at the helm of the Batman title since the mid-60’s, got together with Denny O’Neil, a writer that Schwartz himself advocated to DC. O’Neil had already been writing the Batman book for a few years, and had a grip on the characters. It seemed like a bullet proof idea.

The series only managed to pump out nine issues, and the quality being what it was - nine issues too many. The Joker pushed the clown antics of the character to the top, and shrank the vicious acts down to nothing more than a few seemingly random acts of violence. Playing tag with Two-Face, coaching dime-store criminals through their post-thieving crying jags, and general tom-foolery worthy of Benny Hill, the book painted what was a symbol of humanity’s horror’s, into a buffoon who occasionally drops a safe on someone.

O’Neil and Schwartz fell victim to the Clown.

The Clown: is a violent, horrible fellow, but even with grotesque costumes, and exaggerated features, the clown still makes us laugh. The Clown creates a frame through his performance. It lets us consider the sad, wobbling failures of humanity, but at a distance - outside of ourselves. By employing the prat fall, the clown can show us our doubts, fears, and sadness, all through the catharsis of laughter.

The Joker: is a violent, horrible fellow, who laughs alone. The Joker shatters the frame, and perverts the performance so that the failure of humanity is brought close to home by making his audience live it. The tools of the clown; the smiling face, the odd costume, joy buzzers, and balloons are used as a key past our defenses, but with the Joker - it’s to fill us with terror.

The book embraced the former, and forgot the latter. It’s difficult to feel the full power of fear the Joker is capable of when he’s robbing a gum-ball machine, and spraying Onion juice in your eyes, only to detonate an explosive whoopie cushion on a security guard, so that he can steal a box of novelty items, that serve no narrative purpose.

His performance was neutered and made laughable; antics without truth. They forgot why he wears the purple suit, the face like makeup. Why there’s balloons and toys, with happy music. They forgot the most important part of Joker.

There’s nothing funny about that Clown in your window.

Top 10 Most ridiculous Moments in The Joker

#10 - Joker as Batman... As Joker?
In Issue nine, The Joker's attempt to steal a famous cat actor is foiled by none other than the Catwoman. But when the Catwoman knocks out the Joker, pretending to be a famous actor, he's forced to track down the real deal in order to snatch back the kitty he intended to ransom.

In the midst of his plans, Benny Springer, the movie clown, plays both villains for fools, by dressing up as the Joker himself. Giving us four pages of the Joker battling the Joker.

#9 Rodney Dangerfield providing weapons?
In issue 6, The Joker squares off against Sherlock Holmes; or at least a dazed actor who believes he’s the world’s greatest detective. While fighting on a golf course, The Joker momentarily distracts Holmes by firing a net out of a club-filled golf bag. Very reminiscent of Caddyshack technology.

#8 Overkill
We all know Joker is an irrational being, but in issue 5, he goes from irrational, to downright silly. In his thirst for novelty items, The Joker detonates a warehouse guy an explosion that appears to vaporize half the room. Then makes off with a crate of gag items, worth approximately ten dollars.

#7 Onion juice... seriously?
In issue 2, The Joker is pursued throughout by two bungling Arkham guards, who are determined to get their jobs back by capturing the Clown Prince again. When they confront him on the street, he produces two small bulbs, and squeezes them, shooting onion juice into their eyes.

#6 Need a light?
For no apparent reason, The Joker feels compelled to horrible murder a guard, who isn’t guarding anything in issue 5. When the guard asks for a light, The Joker produces a small zippo-type lighter, that sprays a jet of fire into the guards face, who laughs while burning. Ridiculous, and disturbing...

#5 Super Stretch Arms!
As an Arkham guard attempts to bring Joker in, he discovers that the arms he’s attached his cuffs too, are in fact another great punchline. As they snap back, tripping the guard, Joker covers his mouth, with a knockout juice soaked rag...

#4 Bottle Rockets. No, I’m not kidding...
In issue 7, Joker and Lex Luthor are hanging out togther, as they typically do (wha?). Forced to make a daring escape from a road side diner, Luthor fills up several pop bottles with “paint scraped off the walls” and a few other doo-dads, to create pop-bottle jets. He and Joker fly off into another daring escape.

#3 Making off with the Gumballs...
In issue 2, the Joker befriends a fellow thief, with a really emotional problem. Any time Willy The Weeper steals something, he breaks into a fit of tears. The Joker, determined to cure him, takes him out to start stealing on a small scale, in order to dispel his crying. This results in Willy and the Clown Prince of Crime, robbing a gumball machine. That’s right... they steal all the pennies inside.

#2 Mag... Pie?
While squaring off against the Scarecrow, The Joker is forced to deal with his annoying Crow, that spreads fear toxin around the area. In order to dispatch it, The Joker hurls an intricately iced cake at the bird, which promptly detonates like ten pounds of dynamite. However, fret not PETA, as in the very next panel, it's revealed that the bird survived the explosion (via editorial mandate no doubt.)

#1 Two Face gets Blinded by Hair
In issue one, the Joker spends much of the issue attempting to foil Two Face's latest scheme because the duel natured dastard refused to free the Joker from prison while escaping. The Joker spends the issue thwarting Two Face at every turn with tried and true Joker gimmicks (creme filled pies laced with acid.) However, the highlight of the issue is when Joker stymies Two Face by throwing his own steel-like hair into Harvey’s eyes.

Have a great weekend!

- Crom

Pierre Speaks: Working From Home

Working at home.

Three very simple words.

Working.... at .... home.

I am always.... let’s say “amazed”, but not really the word I would use..... at how people cannot seem to be able to understand what those three words mean when they are forming a sentence together.

People... whether family, girlfriend, friends or roommates cannot seem to be capable of understanding such a simple concept.

Not sure if it is because for pretty much everyone.... being at home means “not doing anything”.

Or if it is because for most people.... drawing means “not doing anything”.

Or a combination of both.

For most people... working means getting up in the morning... going to work.... spending all day at work.... and then they come back home at night after a “hard day’s” work.

For them.... if you spend all day at home.... you did not do anything. Since when THEY spend all day at home.... THEY do not do anything.

So they fail to grasp that working.... whether you do it from the office or at home.... implies that a certain amount of work needs to be done.

And for most people.... drawing cannot possibly be considered work. It is something you do for fun just to pass the time. Everyone seems to remember when they were 5 years old and they were “drawing “in their coloring books.

And they seem to think that it is the same when you work as an artist. That what you are doing is just for fun to pass the time.

Too many times have I explained what I do to someone and being told “That at least it passes the time” or that “You’re not doing anything”.

So I now have a laundry list of people to whom I no longer bother to explain what I do or what projects that I am working on.

When you try to work at home... there are various advantages.

No longer do you have to take the bus/drive to work in the morning. You get up.... walk a dozen feet and you are at work.

Heck when my bedroom and studio were in the same room.... I had only 3 feet to walk to to get to work.

Ah.... the memories.

So from home... you can plan your work schedule as you wish.... as long as you actually DO the work.

If you are not a morning person.... you can get up at noon and work up until midnight if you wish to.

It does not matter how you plan your schedule as long as you can do the work.

But people always expect you to be available 24 hrs a day since you are ALWAYS at home.

Your girlfriend did not have time to go grocery shopping?... no problem.... Pierre can do it since he spends all day at home.

Your uncle needs help cutting down his tree in his backyard??... no problem.... Pierre can do it since he spends all day at home.

Grand-ma has a doctor’s appointment?... no problem.... Pierre can go with her since he spends all day at home anyway.

You need to build a spaceship to go to Uranus?? ... no problem... Pierre can do it since he spends all day at home anyway.

What they fail to realise is that you spend your day at home.... to actually DO some work.

But once again... being all day at home drawing = “not doing anything”.

When you live alone... it is not as bad since it makes it easier to say “no” and hang up the phone and get back to work.

Although there is one time when I had to literally kick one of my friends out of my apartment since he kept on bothering me every 5 minutes. He wanted to watch some DVDs at my place for some reason, and no matter how many times I told him to watch the goddamn DVDs and let me work in peace.... he HAD to bother me every five minutes for stupid reasons. When he bothered me to ask me what time it was.... and there was a clock about 5 feet away from him.... I lost my cool and kicked him out uttering a lot of profanities.

But when you live with your girlfriend, a roommate, a relative, etc... it never fails. They HAVE to bother you. They cannot leave you to work in peace.

It never fails.

They HAVE to bother you to tell you that the Montreal Canadians have scored a goal.

They HAVE to bother you to tell you that they just saw something on sale in the paper.

They HAVE to bother you to tell you that Lindsay Lohan broke up with her girlfriend.

They HAVE to bother you to tell you that Barrack Obama was just elected..... okay... maybe that time was okay to bother you bother while you were working.

But too often.... people HAVE to tell you right away. They cannot wait... it is sooooo “important”, they CANNOT wait, they cannot, they HAVE to tell you right away.

They HAVE to.

No matter how many times you ask them that it could have waited. It could have waited until you took your lunch break. It could have waited until you stopped working for supper or at the end of your work day.

It could have waited.

But Noooooooo.

They could NOT wait.

Since you are here and “not doing anything”.... they have to tell you RIGHT AWAY.

Right NOW!

And it is a problem that is common for many artists.

One solution is to actually rent a studio.

So you rent a studio somewhere where you can get away from home, where you can actually get your work done.

A common practice is to get three, four or five artists together and share a studio. It helps to lower the cost of renting a workspace.... but you run the risk of being interrupted by your colleagues not unlike when your friend/roommate keeps on bothering you.

It happens.

Or you can get an assignment where you HAVE to work at the studio.

So like everyone else, you get up in the morning... go to work.... spend all day at work.... and then you come back home at night.

Although even then in your case, it cannot be that you come back home after a “hard day’s work”, since all you do all day is make some “silly” drawings.

So even then.... you still are not doing anything. ;)



Until next time

Mister Crimson vs Ace of Spades

Mister Crimson Episode 47
Wherein our hero must face a rampaging Ace of Spaces

Read it here .: