Graphic Novel Review: The Engineer: Konstrukt
This is the second review from my Archaia haul from C2E2. (For more on that, see my review of Archaia’s The Killer.)
I’d call it a fair bet that Brian Churilla and Jeremy Shepherd, the creative behind The Engineer: Konstrukt, are big fans of Mike Mignola and Hellboy. It’s all over their work, from the art and design stylings to the irreverent humor that infuses the moody landscape of the story. And, like some many comic creators who pull heavy inspiration from Mignola, I’d guess they are tired of hearing about it. But you’ve got to call it like you see it.
That said, the art of The Engineer is fun stuff. While Churilla’s line work may take some obvious cues from Hellboy (and also perhaps from Eric Powell’s The Goon), it doesn’t wallow in that same shadowy minimalism. There’s some strong, dynamic layouts here. Crazed movement is rendered energetically, and expressions are amusing and varied. If anything, there’s that particular sense of playful fun to the action that’s usually seen in “all ages” titles from Marvel and DC. (At one point the protagonist even dons a suit that makes him look like Mister Freeze from the DC animated run…)
Read MoreGraphic Novel Review: The Killer Volume One
In early 2011, the Loop & Hoodie gang roadtripped to Chicago for the second C2E2 (Comic Convention & Entertainment Expo). While the Wizard World Chicago Con has become entertainment and b-lister celebrity-centric, the new C2E2 event holds most of it’s focus around comics. However, Wizard has a proven track record with retailers and, after disappointing sales at the inaugural event in 2010, C2E2 didn’t attract as strong an outing of hucksters. Which means the con smelled a little better, of course, but it also meant my convention habit of buying large quantities of super-cheap trade paperbacks was significantly hindered.
Hustler Hollywood Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2011
It’s a pretty nice vote of confidence when a client comes back to you four times for unique, custom creative work. At The Point in St. Louis, we’ve developed a really nice relationship with retail chain Hustler Hollywood that’s been very effective for both parties. We’ve done 3 previous incarnations of the holiday gift guide for them (Holiday 2008, Valentine’s 2009, Holiday 2009), each project growing in scope and scale a little, in both photographic and design execution.
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