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Gulliver63 — Space Opera
#comic #jackkirby #spaceopera #goldenagecomics #space_opera
Published: 2017-05-25 23:53:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 2377; Favourites: 11; Downloads: 13
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Oh well, here it goes. This will need some explanation. I have lots of neat stuff dumped into my FaceBook, and one of the groups was calling for artists to contribute Space Opera pieces. I got to thinking, what exactly is Space Opera? The first thing I thought of were those huge nuclear powered space ships plying through the galaxy. This little situation popped into my head. I tried this in halftone in Adobe, but it just looked like crap. I've been studying Jack Kirby all day, like he was Yoda or something, just to see if I could make this work. As scary as it is, it's time to give it a college try.Related content
Comments: 29
I see you've managed to eliminate that weird screen that covered the pic when you first uploaded it. This new version looks far better. I also see you're still trying to replicate the style of Jack Kirby. I'd really like to see the spaceship captain's reaction if she could translate what the green alien crewmember is saying in his native tongue that the blonde crewmember obviously knows. I bet it'd be a real hoot! Nicely done, especially the Cyclopean female ship commander.
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I really had high hopes for that screen, as it was in Adobe, but it turned to dog crap in a hurry. I don't think I'll ever mess with it again. I've tried and failed. On the other hand, I really do like this one as it was just a little something different. This helped to kill a really boring shift. And I did have on my computer screen a whole mess of Kirby yesterday to study from - he's filled with awesome. The folks at FaceBook are enjoying it as well.
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Jack Kirby's art style was okay back in the days of EC comics as well as the beginning of Marvel Comics. It seems a little dated now. Personally, I prefer the work of Wil Eisner. I just haven't been able to fully replicate his style. Meanwhile, I'm glad to see you're able to turn your boring shift at work into a time for real creativity. And yes, by all means, don't use that screen app again.
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Those two names...those are so high on my list of cartoon heroes. Wil Eisner, probably one of the greatest artists in the use of shadow on a comic page ever. I've got one of his books.
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Yes, I've been meaning to get a book with a collection of Eisner's work. And yes, he did have a unique film noir style in his art with his use of shadows and creepy angles combined with compelling and dramatic characters, very much like the films of Sam Fuller. My other favorite artist who certainly did not do crime cartoons a' la Will Eisner was Hank Ketcham, creator of Dennis the Menace. His fluid lines and excellent staging and layouts as well as shadows (not creepy shadows) plus his engaging characters were, in my opinion, the best in cartooning ever.
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I've got one of his books, and two huge Kirby books. Actually I've got quite a library of art books going back a few years. I still have "Barlowe's Guide to Extra-terrestrials" that I bought in 1979.
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Perhaps next month I'll get a collection in book form of Wil Eisner's work, especially "The Spirit."
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I think any of his books are a god addition to any art collection.
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I agree. Now if only I can find a video with a biography of Wil Eisner's life and career.
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I'd like to find the same of Kirby; a lot of those guys served in the army in that period.
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Yes, they did. And lucky for us and other fans of their art, they survived and came back home.
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I noticed that Kirby died in 1994, the year my son was born.
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Yes, many of the great, classic comic strip artists have passed on. The main reason I never read Mad Magazine anymore is because their greatest writers and artists have all retired and passed on.
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Gawd, look at our heroes in the music business. Tons of those guys have passed. I still can't believe Allan Holdsworth is gone.
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Yes, but keep in mind, hardly any of these guys served n the military.
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True. A few did here and there.
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Very few. And of course, none of the music celebs of today would be caught dead in uniform.
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True. BTW, I wanted to share a little something that goes practically unnoticed during this busy weekend - the memorial service downtown. We also have a memorial to the USS Indianapolis: fox59.com/2017/05/26/memorial-…
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It's good that the people of Indianapolis are honoring the men and women of the Armed Forces at this memorial as well as honoring the memory of the men of the cruiser USS Indianapolis. I hope you and Nancy will also be attending.
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Nan had to work, but we've been down there to the museum and the monuments. Might be something to see if you head out this way.
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Indeed. I've always liked war memorials so I definitely will want to see both the monuments and the museum.
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Space Opera - sub-genre of Science Fiction, noted for featuring "faster than light" travel and communications, laser guns, instantaneous short-distance matter transmission... Notable examples would include Star Trek (all), the Star Wars saga, BBC Tv's "Blake's Seven", most of the "military SF" subgenre.
Meanwhile, back at the art, yes it does look sort of "Space:1999"; as well as the uniforms, the design of the bridge is reminiscent of (but none are direct copies) an Eagle transporter from the show.
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I was always confused about the origins of the name "Space Opera," thinking that it was a reference to the symphonic music played during these movies, but I'm to understand otherwise.
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Yes; the name actually originates in prose fiction, not video.
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I did discover something quite neat by accident. In Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country there is a yummy piece of music played as the Klingon battlecruiser slides up next to Enterprise; I found out later that this piece of music was interpolated from Shostakovich's 10th symphony opening.
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You've probably noticed that I go for the tans and taupe in these space uniforms. That wouldn't be too far from the truth, as I was a huge fan when the show came out. My friends and I were amateur astronomers, studying maps of the moon when the first episode hit the airwaves.
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I have a feeling that the two of them cuss behind the barn in that hoodoo language.
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