Category Archives: Comics
Sentinel Robot Public Sculpture/Comic-Con Prop
This is something I that I thought would make for a fun (and geeky) public art sculpture: the severed head of a Sentinel robot from the X-Men comics. It would be neat in a public park, however I feel it would be very much at home on a university or college campus as a nod to the Xavier Institute.
In all honesty I doubt any city or school would permit such a geeky art installation, so I think this would be a neat prop that could be parked at comic conventions. Cosplayers and geeks could get their picture taken with the fallen robot, which would be a pretty cool keepsake.
This art installation/show prop could have lights in the eyes, which adds a bit of flavor. The Sentinel could blink back to life momentarily or stare angrily for prolonged periods of time.
Maybe that fella who built the life-size Skeletor could make this?
If you dig this please check out my take on geeky landmarks.
One last thing: the Sentinels have to be in the new X-Men: Days Of Future Past film, right? That would be awesome.
Geeky Flash Drives Part 3: Superman Fortress Crystal
The crystals in the Superman films had several functions: home construction, beacon, glow stick, ability to restore superpowers, and last but not least: data storage. Two of these things — data storage and the glow functionality — could easily translate to a USB flash drive. The end result is something that looks and behaves (to an extent) just like one of Superman’s crystals.
For this design a vanilla cap would cover the USB plug. Like the previous Ghostbusters design, there would be some LED lights built-in to indicate the device is in use. But one thing I’d like to see is an on-demand light, triggered by a button, allowing you to replicate the ‘glow stick’ feature of the crystal. The drive would need an on-board battery, preferably something that can be recharged (via USB, of course). There are so many keychain light and USB drive combos, so I feel this is an attainable design.
And as a lark it should come preloaded with a few documents about trees.
Now Available: Handmade Superhero Jewelry
Last June I posted a Spider-Man necklace design , where I felt the main focus of the item would be the chain doubling as Spidey’s webbing, something that wasn’t done previously (much to my surprise). The design was well-received back then, and it immediately caught the attention of Brandi Burnette, a California native who now calls Lake Gaston, North Carolina home.
She decided to tackle the design, and I’m pleased to share the final results with you, and it looks terrific! Or should I say amazing? Spectacular even? You get the idea.
As you can she completed a very ornate necklace design that captures the look of a Todd McFarlane-era Spider-Man, especially with the webbing. Ladies: if you are wearing this you’ll definitely have to tell the guys (several times) “My eyes are up here.”
She’s selling it for $25 at her Etsy store currently, so grab one while you can. And guys: this would be cool to hang on your wall or window.
After the Spidey necklace I then asked Brandi if she would be interested in making a Kryptonite necklace I posted a few years ago , which was inspired by the chain Superman wore in the first film. She also tackled that with relative ease, and you can see the finished result above. You can head to the listing here to grab one, and they retail for $12. What? Only twelve bucks?! Sweet. It’s a perfect gift for anyone (does not actually weaken people, fyi). Lead-lined box sold separately.
If you are looking for Spider-Man in a different pose or appearance, Brandi can help you. The Kryptonite necklace also has various chain link and gem sizes available.
They both look great and I cannot wait to get my hands on them! Special thanks to Brandi for making these, they are very cool.
Second Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-Ray Case
This is the second Blu-Ray case design I’ve done for the Dark Knight trilogy, the first one (posted way back in early 2011) was based on the Tumbler. After seeing the costume display case in the Dark Knight Rises, I thought I’d attempt another one.
Oddly enough my first instinct for the original concept was the costume case from The Dark Knight’s Batcave. It was mostly a cage, so it wouldn’t ideally work (media cases need to be somewhat airtight). The fully-enclosed case from Rises works perfectly.
Whenever possible I will try to design standard case design, as most of my designs are too expensive to execute; at least that is the feedback I get from people in the packaged media business. This case is just a plastic box with a few door flaps and an action figure. A more attainable and inexpensive design, than say, that Helicarrier monstrosity.
The movies can go into a single thick case, like the recent Jurassic Park Blu-Ray release; or three skinny individual cases, like a TV show box set. The case is stored behind the figure, and is accessible via its own door flap.
The costume depicted is accurate to its portrayal in Rises, which is why there is no cape.
For this release I would include a static figurine (no joints or pose-ability), to keep costs down. A full-fledged figure could be included; ideally with a swappable head so you’d have both Batman and an empty costume. OR you could sell the set with no figure, so fans can add their own 5″ Batman. Then again, there is no such thing as a “frugal” collector’s edition. At least not yet.
These designs have come a long way. Check out this old design I made for Batman The Animated Series (my second Blu-Ray concept). Here is a similar concept for The Incredibles.
Watchmen Babies In V For Vacation: DVD And Comic Cover
Click To Enlarge
Here are some goodies that you can print out on standard 8.5″ x 11″ letter paper. Click to enlarge, save to your computer, and print as-is (do not re-size). Cut out and insert into DVD case or affix to a comic book cover.
Above is the DVD Cover for Watchmen Babies In V For Vacation. It’s for the standard amaray case, but many DVD cases do vary in size. Apologies in advance if you have to undergo some trial-and-error and need to re-size. Didn’t bother with back art (didn’t know what to put there). If you want an authentic look, paint the spine blue to match what Milhouse was holding in the show.
Whatever you do, please DO NOT ask Alan Moore to sign this DVD case. You are jeopardizing yourself and more importantly me.
Click To Enlarge
This is a comic book cover. Affix it to a comic book for a fake Watchmen Babies issue (you’ll need to sacrifice a comic book). Or you could just let is sit in an insert with a book. This is a PNG file, so you could enlarge it for a poster or use as a desktop wallpaper.
Other printable stuff: X-Men Diploma, Good Will Hunting Painting, and some Mouse Rat merch.
Note: Yes this blogger is back after a whopping 17-day retirement. There are several reasons for this, but mostly due to the overwhelming show of support that came in the form of emails, comments, and tweets. The recent closures of Rockstar Vancouver and Radical Entertainment (the latter being where I recently worked) also provided a lot of perspective – I really didn’t have it that bad. The Hockey blog will resume in the fall. It’s too scorching to think hockey here in Vancouver. I didn’t delete the “I QUIT!” posts, merely set them to private. Thanks again to everyone, I hope you enjoy whatever craziness I post for the foreseeable future.
Geeky TVs Part 2: Batman
For this Batman-themed TV, I went with an industrial design that seemed at home in a BatCave. This is really just a fancy LCD display stand the suspends the monitor from an overhead beam, just like a bat.
The bolts are there just for show, though I imagine the configuration of this stand might make some wish this could be bolted down. I’d like to think it would be sturdy enough. The base could be a large single piece as well.
I designed the uprights to hold cradle attachments for your tablet or smartphone, which helps resemble the multiple monitor display that Batman usually has. Shelf attachments can also be added for your consoles or component hardware, allowing you to show off all those wonderful toys.
All you need is a wardrobe like this one (painted black) and you have a Batcave. Well, maybe a Batmobile and an industrial grade elevator wouldn’t hurt either.
