Butterfly and Fish

My new comic and The Big Fish, David Lynch

It’s quite chilly as I’m writing this. There’s a winter storm approaching and the furnace fell ill, so it’s layers and a beanie for now.

That’s ok, though. The desk lamp is warm and giving just the right amount of golden light to my art desk. I have the last page of my new comic on the table. It’s waiting for some shiny blue paint.

I fill a cup halfway with water and place it on my desk. I make sure to set it on the opposite end of my water bottle so that I don’t mix the two and take big ol’ swig of burnt sienna. I load my Raphael brush with paint then dab it on a colorful paper towel until the blue is a mid-tone. I’m not sure how long the paper towel has been on my desk, but it’s still intact despite the rainbow tie-dye all over the front and back. When the paint rolls off my brush, the chilly feeling on my exposed ankle disappears. The cold is suddenly gone.

Sometimes, the formula is simple.

ECLOSION: An Alien Love Story

And without further ado, here is the reveal for my comic that I’ve been working on for the last few months…

The unofficial log line:

While studying the plants and wildlife of mysterious planet MILA-8, a newlywed research scientist named Gretchen Moore must make it back to her spaceship after contracting a fierce parasite that is rapidly taking over her body. Eclosion: An Alien Love Story is a 48-page, sci-fi horror graphic novella that’s Alien meets Akira The Movie.

In a short thought, this encapsulates the book. In many ways, Eclosion is my most abstract work to date, but it’s also the most focused. I set out to immerse myself in an alien planet, using tools that would allow me to push the tone of the story. The result is a surreal romp across planet MILA-8, which houses many strange creatures that uh… may not like when humans are festering around their soil. If you’ve read anything by me, connect with my artwork, or simply like the sound of “alien-y sci-fi comic”, you’re definitely going to want to pick this up.

The stack.

I’ve transitioned into the lettering phase, so that’s a big milestone. This basically consists of me scanning in a few pages, pulling up the script, then using a mix of traditional and digital lettering tools to line everything up. Then, rinse and repeat. I’m taking it five pages at a time. It can be a bit challenging, but luckily, my script is pretty tight, so there shouldn’t be too many deviations. *fingers crossed*

Like I mentioned last week, my target finish date is somewhere around mid-March. I should be on track for this barring no crazy setbacks. Also, I’m seriously considering printing this book in an over-sized magazine-sized format. I can’t wait for that. More info to come!

David Lynch

If you’re in tune with the movie world, you likely heard of David Lynch’s passing last week. There have been many great tributes on social media, and I was happy to see that the filmmaker left such an impact on the art community. There is so much to love, appreciate, and dissect in Lynch’s filmography, and perhaps, that’s even more important than story or character.

When you watch an episode of Twin Peaks, you wonder, “Why did he put that song there?” or “Why did Cooper enter the office and drink out of his coffee mug like that?” It’s these elements that will stay etched in stone for eternity – the thought-provoking scenes, like the opening of Eraserhead, and dialogue that both confuses you but also defines the meaning of life. How did David Lynch do it? Well, the answer probably lies somewhere in his movies, but our mere brains won’t be able to find it. The best that we can do is watch, enjoy, study, and be inspired by the wondrous art that Lynch has gifted us all.

I think my most resonant statement on David Lynch this week was found here:

Lapham’s words speak volumes. To all the creatives out there, this is one to hang on the work desk. RIP David Lynch.

Cousins in Warsaw

On occasion, a movie comes out of the blue and hits you like a haymaker. A Real Pain knocked me off my feet.

Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, crafted a simple but engaging story. Two Jewish American cousins take a trip to Warsaw, Poland to pay respects to their late grandmother. This sets the stage for a darkly humorous and emotional story that explores the cousins’ heritage as well as their own personal woes. (I was inspired and did a couple of illustrations)

The cinematography of the film is beautiful. On many instances I found myself just studying the shots of the duo walking around the city. I’d love to see the storyboard book. The film really shines in its character work. There is so much friction, brotherly love, and admiration that rallies back and forth between Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. It’s magnetic, and way too familiar at times. It’s a film about coping with loss, but also about reigniting a friendship that has dwindled. A truly beautiful movie.

I don’t like that my brain does this, but, in many ways, the film reminded me of alternative comics. It’s a small story, low budget, but packed with artistic integrity. I think it’d be on the book shelf next to something like Berlin by Jason Lutes. If I had a top movies of 2024 list, A Real Pain would be very high on that list. Give this one a watch.

I’ll wrap up with this kiddo having fun in the rare Houston snow…

Thanks for your time,

Nico