SHANG CHI

Grey tone inks

KATO

WHAT IF TPB

Another rough I did for a cover.



This tpb contains the WHAT IF Elektra story I worked on written by Karl Bollers.

BLACK AND WHITE PAGE

Cleaned up the panel borders, lines and structures, and added all the details that needed to be there.

This is what I ftp'd to Marvel and then colorist Lovern Kindzierski added his expert coloring to the book.
Check out the issue of What If? to see the final color version.

BREAKDOWN TWO

Here's the second attempt which worked much better as a whole. I always try to keep the whole book in a single context, one page looks like it belongs with the other. The changes will then make more of an impact and it won't take the reader out of the story.

This image, like the previous one was sketched on a Cintiq. I added color as visual notes so that the editor and colorist can tell what all the scribbled are about.

BREAKDOWN ONE

A series of process images from last year's What If DD/Elektra I worked on.
First up is the first prelim I did for myself, just to work out the flow and movements I wanted to convey.
I wanted it to be chaotic but also showcase distinct fight movements. My initial idea was to have the panels be actual shoji screen dividers being ripped and slashed apart as the two fought .

Problem was I only had three pages. One was reserved for a "calm before the storm" moment I worked out with writer Karl Bollers and the third was taken up by the large homage Miller/Jansen climatic panel.

I felt that this second page would be too far away from the storytelling language that framed the sequence so I stepped back and went with this second layout.

DISARM LAYOUT

Here's the rough layout with the suggestions for Musashi balloon placement and content.

DISARM

Page from recent What If prior to color. Focus was on elements directly involved in the action.
Objects. Technique. Pulling back on the detail so that it suggests movement, but maintaining semblance of the
real life objects being referred to.

Frames box in the setup moments. Then open up and move along with the direction of the disarm.
I wanted Stick to display combative skill sets. Use of weapon of opportunity with grace and leverage.
I suggested using a Musashi quote to break up the time in small beats, which writer Karl Bollers graciously added in print version.

Background is sparse, in contrast to prior pages which were purposefully claustrophobic, full of heavy details and shadows creeping at the edges. Textures of gloss and grit.

Once the action happens, time is emptied. The backgrounds fade. Represented by subtle faux zipatone; a custom brush created from a Salinas strip. Salinas, one of the masters of pen and ink.
Nod to bold Japanese brush work on immaculate paper.

As action ends, zip texture ebb back from below the page.
The emptiness is left in Stick's unseeing eyes.

The lines are all vector based, the greys are also digital.
No physical art exists.
The irony of nothingness does not escape me.

KILL THE DEMON

Preview of my WHAT IF special can be seen here.

Available this Wednesday at all fine comic shop establishments.

"What If special based on the seminal early 80s Daredevil run by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson!

By Karl Bollers (WOLVERINE: HUNGER) and Rafael Kayanan"

Portion from ComicsBulletin.com's review by Dave Wallace:

I probably would have given the issue a score of 3 bullets had it not been for the excellent artwork of Rafael Kayanan, which is strong enough to push it just above the average rating. The opening pages are particularly arresting, with a wonderfully moody close-up of Elektra that's followed by an explosive action shot of a wounded helicarrier, before giving way to some slightly more restrained flashback sequences. Even in these quieter scenes, however, Kayanan finds a way to make the pages visually interesting, with strong design elements in the artwork (for example, the page in which Stick disarms Elektra), a great use of light and colour (as seen in the montage page that shows Elektra training with Nick Fury) and some delicate handling of occasionally disturbing imagery (such as the aftermath of the massacre in the Kingpin's HQ, or the scene in which Elektra discovers the Advocate's "gallery").

THESE TABIS WERE MADE FOR WALKING

Elektra isn't wearing the open toed Bujinkan shoes but she is walkin'.

Digital study for December issue of What If.

CINTIQ SCREEN

iphone pic of my Cintiq screen... working on several pages at once.
You can see a partial shot of panel one before it is placed into the full page.
I created a custom brush for those little dudes on the Helicarrier.
All digital issue for upcoming What if:: Daredevil/Elektra for Marvel.

TONES

Before and after shot of double page spread for upcoming Elektra/Daredevil WHAT IF.

You can see how the tones fit into the mix.

WHAT IF?

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has an interview with Marvel editors, Chris Allo and Justin Gabrie. The above image is page one of my Elektra vs. Daredevil issue. Colors by Lovern Kindzierski.

ELEKTRA

Drawing doodled in Illustrator.