Like in the previous "Something in the Vaults 1" I was STILL working in a Liverpool cinema, very sick of serving the public and VERY sick of still trying to break into the comic book business--despite by this point having been auditioned a few times by DC/Vertigo comics with no luck.
I was getting desperate now. I was so fed up, I had actually made a decision that if I didn't get a professional comic book commission by my 25th birthday, I was going to pursue an alternate artistic job, like game design, instead...
But it must have been fate, as ONE WEEK before my 25th birthday, I got granted my very first "Future Shock" story by 2000AD...I still remember this day very clearly, as I was standing in the cinema foyer and got a call from my sister telling me the news, and I started jumping up and down like a freakin' maniac in front of everyone!
The Future Shock was a tale called "Bad Thoughts", published in Prog 1342, written by Richard McTighe, pencilled by myself, inked incredibly well by Dylan Teague (one of the very rare times I've been happy with an inkers work over my own, and haven't wanted to cry my soul out like girl), and lettered by the late Tom Frame.
And so here are the pencilled pages for my VERY FIRST 2000AD job....enjoy! (And don't forget it's 7 years old.)
7 comments:
I can't understand why they kept you waiting...i mean, some of the future shocks i've seen over the years have been...well..frankly, shocking but not those.
I especially like the letterbox panels on the third page...excellent stuff. Thanks for posing it
To be honest Rob, I didn't think to apply to 2000AD way back then, and was just concentrating on breaking the American market. How wrong and stupid I was.... weird that I'm in a position now where I have little interest in working on any American books now.
No American books? Not even Supergirl? Come on! You'd love to draw Supergirl!
On a more serious note, seven years old or not, these pages are amazing!
I must have this prog somewhere, time to dig through the archive and check out the finished product.
Sorry mate, been there done that, didn't like it--Bionicle was the only book I enjoyed working on. One day I'll try and do my own created own graphic novels, and hopefully do some stuff for the European market, so that's where I see my career heading.
Glad you like it anyway--I think the prog in question has Lobster Johnson on the cover.
Yeah, i can understand that... i think if i had a chance i'd work in European comics every time... they're far more indiosyncratic and ground breaking. From what i've heard it's a much more enjoyable experience for the artist too
That's a main reason I prefer working for 2000AD--less stressful, treated better and more control over the artwork with less possibility of it being ruined by someone further down the production line.
Oh, I know that, Mate! I was pulling your leg :)
It's good to hear from creators who love working at 2000 AD, and don't plan to Pursue US work. Too many writers and artists in recent years have been lost to the U.S. scene, and don't seem to have time to come back and work at 2000 AD.
A major exception to this rule is Dan Abnett, he seems to have struck a good balance between 2000 AD and his Marvel work.
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