Xero-J Graphic Designs Showcase #2 (3/30/14)

Xero-J Graphic Designs Showcase #2 (3/30/14)
In an attempt to garner more attention for my artwork in yet another field of the internet, I've decided to post a new feature to this blog:
The Showcase, in which I show off a selection of my work from the past few weeks, along with an exclusive to this blog: preview sketches of future drawings and projects to come!

For the sake of convenience, each of the finished images you see below also lead to their respective deviantART page when clicked on, so you can see what other people have to say about it (or if no-one has said anything about it, chime in yourself!)

I've never been one to waste more time than necessary, so let's get started!

This Entry's Features

Paragon-R: That Day...

A sort of one-page preview of a scene from one of my original projects, Paragon-R, which stars (among others) my original characters, Raleno Cinoten and Rona Mikarazi.

This scene in particular details the day the two first met, when Raleno saved Rona from a giant evil robot attack, and...well, it shouldn't be hard to tell how she reacted to that...

I always love it when the hero jumps in to save someone at the last second, especially if it happens after the one being saved already used everything they had to stop the bad guy, and it just wasn't enough.

Maybve that second part isn't portrayed in this comic as much as the first part, but I find the impact of the whole thing much more significant that way...

 

Rosalina: Cosmos Underneath

The latest in a looooooooooooooooong line of artwork featuring Princess Rosalina, a character from the Super Mario series! (specifically Super Mario Galaxy)

Anyone who follows my deviantART for any longer than a day will learn very quickly  how much I love drawing her, so much so that an entire section of my gallery is dedicated to her and her alone!
What makes this piece significant (and indeed, the inspiration for her pose) happens to be a Miiverse post from Masahiro Sakurai, director of the Super Smash Bros. series while working on the latest game in the series. I'll spare you the details, but the post said something along the lines of, and I quote:

"It is said that the cosmos is beneath Rosalina's gown."

Given the numerous ways someone could interpret that statement, the idea for this practically wrote itself!

Golden Classic Controller Pro in Colors 3D



These next two aren't really new, as you can probably tell by the dates in the corner, but they are personal favorites of mine, partially because Nintendo happens to be the driving force behind all of it!

This first one happens to be a golden version of a Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro, drawn using the Colors 3D application on a Nintendo 3DS.

One thing I absolutely love is when I show this to someone, they always do a double take when I tell them I used a flippin' 3DS to make it!
A handheld gaming console being used to draw stuff like this. While you're letting that sink in for a moment, have a look at this next entry!

Also drawn with a Nintendo 3DS! The Game Boy Color in this still life happens to have Pokemon Gold Version playing in it. This device and the game in it being the technological cornerstone of my childhood, even after all these years, it still holds a special place in my heart...

Sorry if I got a bit sentimental toward the end there, but I do have a surprise for you guys to make up for it...

The Darklands

The last entry for today happens to be special, mainly because it's not even on deviantART yet! This brief exclusive is an exercise for me in creating environments, and one I've had a pretty good idea for recently happens to be the classic "Evil villain's Lair, with dark skies and lightining flashing all around!"

I wanted to get the impression across that the bad guy living in the tower on the right is so evil and so powerful, even the mountains and the city around it became dark and ragged just from his presence.

Sketch PreviewsThese previews don't have much in the way of descriptions just yet, but take them as a sign of what's to come in my work (usually, in that case, it'll show up on dA first, so if you don't already, keep an eye out there!)

__________

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Entry 10 (3/22/14): In Which I Engage In The Arcane Art of Website Building

Entry 10: In Which I Engage In The Arcane Art of Website Building

(Back to one arguably twice as long entry for this week, people. I'm currently in the last two weeks of my semester, better known as crunch time for my work!)

Building a website of your very own.

A process that can be as easy or hard as you want to make it. Often, the definitions of easy or hard lie, not just in the builder's ability to design and create the coding for a website, but also how much they're willing to pay in cold, hard cash to make sure it gets noticed.

Over the progress of the internet, dozens of programs and web hosts have been created, helping users to code and craft their own websites, either from scratch, or from pre-made templates for years.

Personally, while I'm normally content using certain media sites like Blogspot, deviantART, and Twitter to house my work, I've made a few websites of my own in the past, in attempt to broaden my horizons (and partially, because it was mandatory, as per my college classes...)
Learning only the most basic of coding skills, I've managed to create two other sites of my own, which, while decent and functional, never realized their full potential on account of I'm still new to the whole coding websites from scratch thing.

For this blog, though, I shall show you an insider's look into my soon-to-be newly created third website, or at least my rendering of my site, since I'm one of the people who look at website design from the more visual aspect of the process!

The Main Page

So, this is the first thing (well, a Photoshop window containing the first thing) one will see upon inputting the URL to my site, with each of the six options on the side of the logo leading to its own section, and the four icons at the bottom leading to my deviantART, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages! The tablet over in the corner is just for show, since it gives people a good idea of what they can expect in my working style...of course a better way to learn more about my working style would be to click on the first option...

About Me

This is who I am, in a decently sized paragraph. It seems pretty barren, for now, but when this is all said and completed, I plan on including visuals, notably a stylized self-rendering of myself and Xero, the Studio's signature character! Speaking of actual visuals...

Galleries

Originally, I planned on having a selection of art icons and gallery pieces arranged all across the page, but I realized early on that it would be much less intensive and cluttering to create assorted video slideshows for each of the categories I specialize in! While I'm working on that, I also decided to give special attention to a favorite aspect of my work...

Comic Projects

One thing I love to do as part of my work is draw comics and stories (both as a fan of my favorite series, and some original ideas of my own)

From here, I plan on having each icon lead to a page where you can learn more about the comics and, of course, read them! Short of that, another thing I love to do is draw work for others, especially when they pay me for it! Having said that...

Prints/Commissions/Contact Me

...Right now, I'm a bit busy with my work to focus on asking or being asked to work for anybody so for the time being, I plan on leaving these pages a "Under Construction" until I can find the time to work on pricing my work and going rates...which brings me to the last page...

Other Sites

The last page in the line-up leads to a few more outside media, including my aforementioned previous sites, and this very blog! And let's not forget, the four main media links can be found in each and every page, so I'm fairly covered in making sure all your social media needs are taken care of!

...Which brings us to the end of the insider tour of my Xero-J Studios website, which is currently being built as we speak. By the end of next week, I intend to have it live and free to the viewing public (except I'm paying to have it hosted). Until that time, what do you guys think? Are there any aesthetics that could use changing and tweaking?

__________

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Xero-J Graphic Designs Showcase #1 (3/15/14)

Xero-J Graphic Designs Showcase #1 (3/15/14)
In an attempt to garner more attention for my artwork in yet another field of the internet, I've decided to post a new feature to this blog:
The Showcase, in which I show off a selection of my work from the past few weeks, along with an exclusive to this blog: preview sketches of future drawings and projects to come!

For the sake of convenience, each of the finished images you see below also lead to their respective deviantART page when clicked on, so you can see what other people have to say about it (or if no-one has said anything about it, chime in yourself!)

I've never been one to waste more time than necessary, so let's get started!

This Entry's Features

VS. Universe Act IV and Profiles

The most recent entries into my crossover webcomic, VS. Universe, as well as a few bio pages featuring the first few main characters!

Charcoal Series

I'm no slouch when it comes to traditional art skills either, as evidenced by my original charcoal artwork pieces I did back in college days long past. These were drawn as part of class assignments at first, but I still retain the skills to really pull off charcoal if I ever have to again...

Snow Angel of Arendelle

A rather flattering depiction of Queen Elsa from the most recent Disney Animated Canon movie, Frozen! This was drawn in commemoration of the movie earning two Oscar awards, one for Best Animated Feature, and for Best Original Song... ("Let It Go" for those who are still curious)

That, and I really wanted to go absolutely nuts with the details on her dress...

DUBSTEP Cannon

This was actually drawn back in January, but it's still significant to me for two reasons:

One, it doubles as a preview for a comic project I'll be starting in late 2014.

and Two; I love drawing big, flashy, ridiculous weapons and artillery, and a cannon that fires Dubstep music certainly fits in that category...

Mech Armor Lightning

This last one, depicting a sort of cyber armor for Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning, was created as an entry for a outfit design modification contest being held by Square Enix and deviantArt for the launch of the game Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

While I pretty much walked into that contest expecting to get beat by far superior artists out there (I didn't even break the top 50, for the record), the reason I joined up anyway was hearing that many of the submissions would end up being judged by one of Square Enix's top designers, Tetsuya Nomura! With even the slightest chance that my work would at least be seen by a big name like his, there was no way I wasn't at least going to try!

Sketch PreviewsThese previews don't have much in the way of descriptions just yet, but take them as a sign of what's to come in my work (usually, in that case, it'll show up on dA first, so if you don't already, keep an eye out there!)

__________

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Xero's Cutting Room Floor #3 (3/15/14)

Xero's Cutting Room Floor #3 (3/15/14)
It's that time again, where I show intrepid passersby exclusive (to this blog, anyway) sketch content, contemplate where it went wrong, and ask and answer myself if I'll ever get back to it one day.

No time to waste on chatter, let's get to it, shall we?

Triptych Thumbnails



A bunch of concepts for triptychs (a series of posters arranged in a similar sequence) that I created for a college assignment. For the assignment I ended up going with the "Pencil" one, but I wouldn't mind going back to a few others on my own time...

Will I Come Back To It?
...Specifically, the Batman one in the bottom-right, and The Wonderful 101 one in the top left. I have a few other priorities at the moment, but once I get some free time, I'll try to pick at the least those two up again...

Masamune Sword Concepts




A bunch of concepts for a sword I wanted to have my original comic characters use. I went through quite a few ideas before finally fixating on the one in the center (the current model)

Will I Come Back To It?
As long as the character of mine wielding the sword is around, sure! In fact, I've already drawn the sword in a few other pictures anyway...


Portfolio Site Concept 2



Yet another college assignment, and another portfolio site concept, designed to work in a spider web like format (click one option, and it leads to a network of sub-options and so on...)

Will I Come Back To It?
...Unfortunately, I much later realized how convoluted that kind of website would end up being to navigate, so, I'm kinda glad this one got shelved....
-----

...And besides, I'm already working on a new portfolio site as we speak! It'll be going up in April 2014, so keep your eyes right here for any further updates, as well as cutting room floors and special Xero-J Studio features, of course!

__________

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Xero's Cutting Room Floor #2 (3/9/14)

Xero's Cutting Room Floor #2

It's that time again, where I show intrepid passersby exclusive (to this blog, anyway) sketch content, contemplate where it went wrong, and ask and answer myself if I'll ever get back to it one day.

No time to waste on intros and exits, let's get to it, shall we?



Xero-J Portfolio Site Concept

One of the many concept for a site of my own that I've wanted to create in attempt to branch out in the internet, away from such places as Google, Twitter, and deviantART. The fact that creating one was a college class assignment may or may not have had something to do with it...

Will I Come Back To It?

Don't think so. The idea looks cool on paper, but at my skill level at the time (read; just starting out), creating something this complex was out of my reach. By the time I did get good enough, I've since come up with better looking concept that better match my limitations...



Original Skylander Character: Freight Train

An original Skylander character I created last year for a figurine project I was working on. Because of the complexity of the train cart compared to the material I was working with, Freight Train, sadly, didn't make the cut.

Will I Come Back To It?

Sooner or later, but Freight Train's gonna have to get in line. There were three characters I created for the project, and one of them happens to be the final entry in today's CRF...




Original Skylander Character: Power Chord

One of the other Skylanders I created for that project. The last one, Hat Trick, will have to be mentioned another time, as that one actually saw the light of day...

Will I Come Back To It?

Like I said, sooner or later. It's really a matter of how much my interest in the Skylanders series flucutates over time...

------

Well? What do you guys think? Do you have any personal preference for these three to see the light of color once again?

___________

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Entry 9 (3/9/14): In Which I Describe The Three Basics Of An Artist's Repertoire

Entry 9: In Which I Describe The Three Basics Of An Artist's Repertoire

[This entry's gonna be pretty light on content, since my computer's getting fixed up a bit, and I'm typing this from a tablet]

To an artist, one of the most precious things to have, are tools, and a field of expertise in which those tools can be used.

For many people, myself included, those tools generally consist of the Three Basics:  a piece of paper, a writing utensil, and a flat surface. From there, the process could branch out endlessly into numerous different items and canvases.

For instance, switch the flat surface for an easel on a stand, and a pencil for a paintbrush, you become a painter. Make the piece of paper big enough, change up the thickness of the pencil, and you're working with charcoal.

In recent years, technology has grown to allow us to branch out even more from the concept of the Three Basics.

Now in this day and age, people are able to substitute the the pen for a drawing computer tablet, the paper for the screen, and with enough time and effort, make something just as amazing as the pen and paper method.

The Three Basics even apply to those who want to make a picture move or animate as well. For as long as I can remember, every cartoon, movie, anime, or even CGI-based program we've has had some start as a pencil sketch of an artist and his/her vision.

From there, more are created as the character or location is slowly brought to life, slowly given form, and of course, slowly made easier to animate or come up with positions for (if you draw it out now, you'll have a better idea of that character should animate, right?)!

Ever since I became an artist, the two things I've trained myself to never go anywhere without are my pencils and sketchbook. In addition to the convienience of accomodating anyone who asks for a pen, it makes absolutely sure that if I get an idea in my head that I just don't want to let go, I'll always have the main means of getting it on paper and immortalizing them.

If there's one thing I hope for readers to take away from this spiel, it's to convince them to do as I have, and make sure they never forget the Three Basics.

A Pen(cil), Paper, and a flat surface. Simplicity at its finest.

___________

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Xero's Cutting Room Floor #1 (3/1/14)

Xero's Cutting Room Floor #1

One of the many things I've done as an artist is draw. I do a lot of drawing. Several folders have suffered wear and tear something fierce just because of how many drawings I stuff in them.

Almost every drawing I've done has been made from a concept or idea that I thought was brilliant at that exact moment. I can't even count how many times I've thought "This is going to look so cool/hilarious when it's finished, scanned and colored!"

Often I do just that, and I get a fancy new piece of art for myself and all others to see. Ideally, this would be the case with every drawing I create, and my portfolio would be all the fuller for it.

...Unfortunately, that's usually not quite the case with reality. The painful fact of the matter is, some pieces can be sketched, and that's about as far as they ever get. Through the case of a lack of interest past the initial sketch, I miss a certain date that I'd wanted to finish it by (some pieces are lucky enough to be picked back up when that date comes around the next year), or it just got crowded out by other newer stuff, many of my sketches have fallen by the wayside, never to see the light of day.

Since I realized this, I realized that it doesn't seem all that fair to leave them in the dust, even if I do intend to come back to it one day.

So I'm gonna do something I've only ever done in my early days on deviantArt, post up the sketches alone! This way I get to show the many other concepts I've had in store, you get to see the things that may have been missed, and...well, who knows? Maybe one day, a sketch seen here will get picked up and polished for a proper judgement!

So, here it is! The first edition of the Cutting Room Floor!



Illustrator Ninja Man
Part of an experiment when I was just starting out using Adobe Illustrator. I wanted to create solid color figures, so I went with easy to use shapes to make it more convenient when I redrew it with the pen tool.


Will I Come Back To It?If I ever get the itch to use Illustrator on my own time, perhaps. It certainly would be a lot quicker to do now that I know my way around Illustrator...



Wreck-It CrewShortly after Wreck-It Ralph was released, I drew this to commemorate it! I wanted to try and emulate Akira Toriyama when it came to the faces...

Will I Come Back To It?Probably not. The faces seemed like a good idea at first, but after a while, I just wasn't feeling it. Plus, these days, I prefer to put a bit more in this type of work. Maybe I'll try again, next time with Fix-it Felix, Jr. and Sgt. Calhoun along with them...



Portal Panic GalaxyWhile playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 one day, I wanted to come up with my own idea for a level, so I drew the concept from the game Portal as a gimmick in the Mario series. Admit it, Mario and Portal would work so well together, don't you think?

Will I Come Back To It?Believe me, I want to. This is a simple concept that shouldn't take that long to finish. Hopefully, I'll remind myself in the near future...



Shark With A Frickin' Laser Beam Attached To Its HeadTo round out this edition of the Cutting Room Floor, we have...do I really need to describe this any more than I just did?

Will I Come Back To It?Now that I've reminded myself of this, yes! Like I said, I tend to draw so often, things get sidelined when I don't want them to. All I need is to find the right time and place to upload a glorious piece like this...

------

Well, that wraps up this first edition of TCRF. What do you guys think? Do you see anything worth bringing back into the world of color? My comment board is always open...

___________

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Entry 8 (3/1/14): In Which Artists Are Somehow Better On The Other Side

Entry 8: In Which Artists Are Somehow Better On The Other Side

The world lost another good man last week.

1994-2014

On Monday, February 24, 2014, Harold Ramis, the man behind films such as "Groundhog Day", "Caddyshack", and the "Ghostbusters" series, passed away.

It's always a painful thing to have to deal with death in our lives, especially if the recently departed had formed especially close relationships, not just with friends and family, but with all of their fans and followers, as well.

In a way, though, it's actually kind of fascinating to hear about the many things the average person would learn about someone only after they're no longer around to hear it.

I'll admit, up until a few days ago, I'd only recognized Ramis' efforts in the Ghostbusters movies. It was only after, I'd learned he'd directed things such as National Lampoon's Vacation, and had a hand in writing Animal House. The only thing is, while I plan on watching those movies at one point, now there'll always be that twinge of bittersweet hindsight that comes with the trope of Author Existence Failure.

What's interesting about this whole thing to me, though, is that in a way, death is a sort of freeing process for the person being dead.

Many artists, actors, and musicians, I've learned, don't seem to be all that amazing until after they're gone, at which point, everyone seem to revere them as gods. 

Take Michael Jackson, for instance. For a good amount of time prior to his death, most people wrote him off as being excellent in the past, but eventually becoming a has-been that was responsible for a few "unpleasant" child cases. While him perishing just before his comeback tour may have had something to do with it, eventually the man dies, and for a good while after, everyone very quickly forgot the "has-been" part, and put him on a high horse that wouldn't come back down to Earth for two years or so after the fact.

Personally, I want to keep living to make that kind of thing happen. Being recognized is nice and all, but, there's no point in having everyone hail your work as the best thing since butter on toast, if you're not around to enjoy hearing about it!

Having given my opinion on living, however, I still find it significant that, even after someone passes away, they leave behind things that many people never knew about them, and thing that they won't soon forget.

There's one quote from the anime "One Piece" that actually makes my point perfectly, more so because, in the context of the story, the character who said the quote died and left behind a legacy of his own!

"When does a man die? When he is hit by a bullet? No! When he suffers a disease? No! When he eats a soup made out of a poisonous mushroom? No! A man dies when he is forgotten!"

Keeping that quote in mind, in a way, people like Harold Ramis could effectively be immortal, as long as people never forget what he has done, not just for movies, but for the people in his own life, as well.

__________

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Entry 7 (2/22/14): In Which I Update My Comic Projects Finally

Entry 7: In Which I Update My Comic Projects Finally

I don't just mean the projects I've listed on this blog either, this entry features several projects I've been working on of my own accord for some time now, as well as a few things I've been up to lately with my work...

One thing about this blog that you should know is that it's linked closely with my DeviantArt profile. Many of the things I speak of in this and future entries can be found there, and only there. Fortunately, I have posted a link to my page up on the bar beneath the logo, so if you want to understand many of the events I talk about, you can either head there, or follow the direct links I provide throughout the blog!

For convenience sake, I'll break it down with my main three projects, and then my other comic work. If that sounds confusing, don't worry, It'll get easier to see...from the standpoint of...

My Main Three Projects!

Paragon-R and Graphite both have their concept scripts written out, which will give me structure on how to make them work further down the road.

Paragon-R will have its story laid out in full in the next entry, and Graphite will be a project that will take time, effort, and manpower for the coming months...

As for Clash of the Stickmen, its first page is nearly finished, with the page itself going live on my DeviantArt page by tomorrow. When that happens, I'll post a link to Clash of the Stickmen's gallery on this very blog. I'd give it a look, if you have the time, as it actually has access to a complete prequel comic to the story!

My Other Two Projects!
By "My Other Projects", I speak of two things in particular:

VS. Universe, a crossover comic which I've been working on for the past two years is also going to be continued this weekend, and for the rest of February!

This is something I've been trying to get done independently for a while now, but I've never really found the time apart from all my work to do it. This time, I've decided to power through the next few pages of the story and upload them both to dA and the Official VS. Universe Site.

 

Also in the works is Sonic Championship, a Sonic story which has been in production for almost as long as VS. Universe, but also held back because of other obligations, finally reaches the end of its first chapter this weekend as well!

So yeah...this weekend's going to be pretty comic heavy, so if you want to see what the fuss is about with these projects, follow this way for more on <a href="http://vsuniverse.uphero.com/VSU%20Main%20Page.html">VS. Universe</a> (<a href="http://xero-j.deviantart.com/gallery/38577713">Chapter 1: The Fated Trio</a> and <a href="http://xero-j.deviantart.com/gallery/46805666">Chapter 2: Angel's Melody</a>), <a href="http://xero-j.deviantart.com/gallery/37022337">Sonic Championship</a>, and <a href="http://xero-j.deviantart.com/gallery/34946972">Clash of the Stickmen!</a>

And of course, if you want to learn even more about my projects, you can always follow me using the links below!

__________

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Entry 6 (2/15/14): In Which I Break Down The Way I Work Step-By-Step

Entry 6: In Which I Break Down The Way I Work Step-By-StepIn light of the series of snowstorms that keep crowding us out, I had a pretty short work week, so for once, I don't really have that much to talk about.

To occupy this time instead, I'm gonna give you an in-depth look into the art I create and the way I create it!

The way it's all broken down is actually quite simple, which gives me the ability to use it to get a lot of ideas out pretty quickly if I put in the effort.

For now, I'll just get into how I usually do things; the most commonly used method for me and my work.

Step 1: The Sketch

This is where it all starts. Practically every day, I get a new idea in my head, and at one point or another, I hold onto it long enough for me to draw it out with pencil and whatever blank pieces of paper I can find. Once it's drawn to where I believe it's...well, believable, everything is put through the scanner, uploaded to the cloud, and stuffed onto my computer.

The sad thing about this phase is, while I initially intend to upload everything I draw, many, many, sketches end up by the wayside. It's a painful part of the process, but we don't have cutting room floors for nothing.

Those that I do manage to continue, however, go into...

Step 2: The Lineart



Having just drawn and uploaded my shiny new sketch, I then go through the painstaking process of redrawing it digitally.

Exactly how this is done depends on my location at the time; primarily it's done through Adobe Photoshop CS5.5 with a Wacom Tablet, but if need be, I will use whatever program I have access to at the time. Even if that means...*shudder*...MS Paint...

Fortunately, it hasn't yet come to that, and the work that gets past this part will go into...

Step 3: The Color



This is my favorite part of creating artwork, the part where I bring life and color into it. This is almost exclusively done in Photoshop, as it's the program I've used the longest.

It also gives me a chance to reuse certain assets, as many of the things I draw have their own color schemes that can keep on using...

So, after tracking down every single blank spot and paint-bucketing it as often as necessary, the color is finished! Still, just color seems a bit bland by itself...which leads me to...

Step 4: The Finishing Touches

This is where I add all the little bells and whistles the art needs to pop!

Things such as shading, lights and darks, extra lines, gradients, and text, if you can name it and make the art look more realistic (or un-realistic, I'm not picky), I'll probably throw it on there.

Actually, throw's not exactly the best word, as I usually spend as much time here as I do actually coloring it. It's all worth it, though, as I once this is finished, more or less...

The Work Is Complete!...And I am free to do with it as I please! Of course, "as I please" usually means "upload the sketch, lines, and refined color to deviantART to be judged by others".

This isn't to say this is my only way of making art, because, mind you, I have many more mediums to work with than this process implies.

Even so, this method is my favorite way of making art, and it's a practice that's been improved over the many years I've been an artist.

You could almost say the way it works is an art in itself...

...I do apologize if that came off as pretentious, but really, I'm running out of things to say at this point, so I'll just sign off now, while I'm still able to remain somewhat modest...

~Jalen @Xero-J Johnson
__________

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Entry 5 (2/8/14): In Which The Term "Reboot" Is Not Used To Describe The Show From Mainframe Entertainment

Entry 5: In Which The Term "Reboot" Is Not Used To Describe The Show From Mainframe Entertainment
No, readers, I speak of the more general term. The definition of "Reboot" in my case is to take an established franchise or series or such, and start again, from the beginning, this time taking a direction in tune with the more popular aspects of that time period.

For a good example of this, take a look at the series created by companies like DC and Marvel. Every so often, as times and the ideas and morals change, and as new writers and artists are hired, we see the stories of tried and true characters like the Justice League and the X-Men come to a decisive conclusion, only to resurface some time later, with a new Issue #1, a new storyline, and old characters with new looks.




The idea of restarting a story is not exclusive to just comics either. All types of media, from TV shows and movies, to regular books, to video game series, have at least one example where someone's decided to hit the reset button and wipe the slate clean.

What I intend to do here today is give a few examples of why this strategy shines, examples where it fell flat, and a couple of times of my own where I've had to hit the reset button on my work.


The Old Batman Movies to The Dark Knight Saga

In 1989, Tim Burton had brought us a new Batman on the big screen. One that was dark, edgy, powerful, and didn't have shark repellent. Ever since then, Batman's been featured in numerous silver-screen movies over the years; some emphasizing the grim and gritty (such as Batman Returns) and some focus on the sillier and kid-friendly markets (Batman Forever, and yes, Batman & Robin).

Then came Christopher Nolan in 2005 with Batman Begins, which put Batman deep into the grimdark, heavy-voiced, villain-driven storylines that people had then come to expect from him in this age of comics. This continued with The Dark Knight, which pit Batman against old enemies the Joker and Two-Face, and finally The Dark Knight Rises, which served to fit as a conclusion.

To me, the most notable differences between these two sagas is their tone, the direction they took going forward, and how the people behind the films made their decisions on their sequels.

As the Original Batman films slowly became denser and wackier (culminating in Batman & Robin), the Dark Knight Saga became progressively darker the more the films went on, as Batman's past constantly came back to haunt him, and how he had to get past that.


JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to Steel Ball Run


JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a long-standing manga/anime series, worked on by one Hirohiko Araki ever since 1987.

Chronicling a very long bloodline of warriors and their fight against all manner of violent supernatural villains, the manga has a 20 year backlog of over a hundred volumes and still counting!

The first six parts of the story followed a different descendant of the original protagonist (or at least someone really close to the descendant) at a different place and period in time, from 18th century England, all the way to 21st century America in the present day (well, up to 2011, anyway).

The reboot part of the story came in the form of Steel Ball Run, whereupon the universe the story was originally set in was literally reset, returning the world as we knew it to the 18th century.


This new universe featured new versions of certain characters and their abilities and powers, but in a new light, taking the story of a bloodline fighting evil monsters and minions and turning it into a transcontinental race, (alongside the fighting evil monsters and minions) with some very interesting conspiracies behind it...(the race, I mean, not the story itself. The actual manga, I imagine has no conspiracies behind it whatsoever...)

The new story has since moved into 2012 in it's timeline with a new narrative, but, by now, the point's already been made; the universe we once knew from the past had a gallon of turpentine chucked over it, and had an upgraded can of paint thrown back over it just as quickly.


 
Spyro the Dragon to Skylanders

If you invested time in the Sony Playstation consoles in the mid-1990s, chances are you've heard of Spyro the Dragon. From that time, up to 2008, the character and the series had appeared through many action-adventure platforming games, of varying quality, builiding a universe with its own locations, heroes, enemies, and mythos.

Created by Insomniac Games, the Spyro name was passed along to different studios and systems as the years went on, and the series began to slip slowly into decline...

Come 2011, though, Activision was handed the rights, and what they did with Spyro's world was indeed, one of the more polarizing examples in gaming, as of late...

Many a child who's visited a toy or game store over the past three years has heard of the Skylanders series of video games, which are driven solely through separately sold real-life figurines. This series and the strategy it employs has earned Activision millions of dollars in profit, both from the games, and the toys.

Spyro himself, and a few other elements from his series were fully absorbed into the Skylanders universe, with a considerably different appearance (Many of Spyro's original fans, myself included, are in agreement that the new look...takes some getting used to).

Though the Skylanders franchise was in fact built using Spyro's name as a foundation, it has since found its own footing, and the characters in that universe now share equal importance with the video game veteran. (Provided of course, you can find his figure in stores...)


My Own Work
I've drawn my fair share of characters and stories in my time, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have more than a few ideas wind up on the cutting room floor. I do, however, have a tendency to bring my work back into the light when I've put a bit more though and effort into the subject.

Mostly, this comes in the form of a fresh update to something I've done once before, be it to my original characters...



Pictured: My original character, Raleno from 2011-2013

Or to my stories...

  

Pictured: VS. Universe Page 29 :"Original" and "Redone after Critique":

...Somedays, it seems all you need to make something look brand new is a new coat of paint.

Finally, I bring this blog to a close, with this simple point.

Whether they're better or worse than the old stories is often a matter of heated debate amongst fans. One thing that is certain though, is that these kinds of characters have enough history and popularity to last decades; more than enough time for the characters, worlds, and storylines to change hands between creators.

~Jalen @Xero-J Johnson
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