JASON BADOWER SIGNING AT COMICS R' US (UPDATE)

So the HEROES should be in for a signing later this afternoon. I will be in there around 1:30pm onwards. Depending on how busy things are depends on how long I will hang around.

Come on down, say "Hi". It's on Burke St. between the JB HI FI and the Target. Head upstairs.

COMICS R'US CITY: 9th November 2pm-5pm
COMICS R'US CHAPEL ST: 10th November 12pm-2pm

I will have a new print run of sketchbooks ($15) and I will be doing sketches ($10) and autographing the graphic novel (free of course!). I hope to see you all there!

20 Questions - the second half

It was my friend Nicola's birthday a couple weeks ago. Nicola and her husband Lee have been so incredibly supportive of me and my art. They have both also helped model for me (Nicola played the doctor in part 1 page 2 of BLACKOUT).

Nicola is probably also the heart of my art critique team. Her insights have always been valuable and I appreciate that someone has that good an eye for detail.

Anyway, she's a huge Invader Zim fan, and an even bigger Gir and the "Doom Song" fan. So I just had to draw Gir or her birthday. I love his messed up little green dog suit with the disturbingly wandering eyes and stupid little tongue. And I'm pretty happy with how stoned my piggy looks.

Happy Birthday Nicola!

***

INTERVIEW PART 2

11. Were you aware of the show before you started working on the online novels?

Yeah, absolutely. I really enjoyed it, but working on it gave me a new-found appreciation and respect for it.


12. How often are you requested to illustrate those online graphic novels? What is their importance among the other works of yours? Is there any sort of contract or formal agreement determining any average production or a minimum of work?

There is no contract between me and NBC. In fact, I liaise directly with Frank of Aspen comics. I think they throw a lot of work my way because I was fast and reliable. I stepped up a lot of times, bailing them out the fire. I know there were some production issues with War Buddies. One artist was supposed to draw the entire arc, but that artist had to pull out for some reason. Frank asked me to step in and I churned out that story in record time thanks to Annette my colourist.

Right now I'm on a little bit of a hiatus working on my graphic novel, Zero G. But I can't wait to finish it and get into some more HEROES work. I really think the comic stories this season have been a lot of fun and I wish I could have drawn any of them.

13. Even though they are novels of a few pages, we guess they give you plenty of work to draw them and do the illustration. How long does it normally take to have an edition done? How does this process work? Meaning, you first have all the drawings done and then put the colors on them at once, or do work each piece/page individually? Do the digital process has a great importance in your work or doing the job using you own hands is still the most important in your opinion?

Generally, I get 5 to 10 days to draw a 5-6 page HEROES project. The first stage is layouts. I send over scratchy little thumbnails that indicate where characters are going to be and where the panels are going to be. I also indicate speech balloons. Once NBC and Frank approve these. I then get onto the artwork, generally the timeline is so tight that I have already started drawing while waiting for layout approval. I just hope that there are no problems. When working on the Death of Hana and Blackout (both comics coloured by myself) my art process seems to be a little bit more organic and less structured. My driving factor is expedience and speed. When working with Annette, I make sure to draw everything down to every tiny detail. When colouring myself, I realise that sometimes it's faster to paint stuff than it is to draw it.

At the end of the day, the computer is just another tool. It's taken me 4 years of working with it to get better and faster than I was by hand. That was a huge sacrifice. So anyone who thinks they can just pick up a computer and just press the "make better" button had better think twice.

14. Do you work directly with the writers and have the chance of giving opinions and suggestions, or is the script complete and finished already when you get it?

The script is completely finished by the time I get to it. With War Buddies I was only getting one episode of the time, which meant I had to ask who Dallas and Austin were. That was cool getting to know weeks before anybody else. With the Death of Hana, and Blackout I received both parts all at once.

I try and add what I call an "easter egg" in all my comics. Something that only the hardcore fans would appreciate. So keep your eyes out for these.

15. In the novels, the characters features - and traits - and the real actors' are pretty much alike. In Blackout you have three characters never seen before on the show. Are you asked to draw any relevant or specific characteristic of any actor, because the character might be on the show at some point?

If the character will later turn up, I'm usually told very specifically what to draw. Although, sometimes I'm not told! With War buddies I assumed that Dallas and Austin were important characters to the continuity of HEROES so I asked who they might be. I was glad that I did. With characters that are unplanned to appear in the future I'm allowed to draw whatever I want as long as I stay within the writers description. In Blackout, the Primatech agent and the kid are all totally designed by me from Mark Sable's direction.

16. Are you inspired or influenced by some artist concerning this feature accuracy quality in you drawings?

The accuracy is inspired by the show. For example, when I drew Blackout. I modeled for Mohinder myself. I watched a couple of episodes and really studied his character and his body language. I studied what he was like when he was earnest, sad or hurt. All these emotions that he is communicating through the comic I modeled off the actor's performance. I'm very particular about little details like this


17. What is the character you like the most in Heroes when it comes to drawing? Why?


When it comes to fast sketches, I really like drawing Hiro Nakamura. I just can't seem to get him wrong. I really enjoy these fast sketches as they capture something about the character. When it comes to the comics, I really want to draw Peter Petrelli. I think Milo is a cool looking guy and I haven't had a chance to draw him much.

18. Which character would you like to be drawing, beyond those you have already done?

As I mentioned, Peter Petrelli would be my favourite. I wouldn't mind drawing Niki/Jessica more as the few times I have haven't been totally satisfied with what came out.


19. Why? Is he/she your favorite character on the show?


Actually, Matt Parkman is my favourite character on the show. I really enjoyed Greg Grunberg's performance. I find with Hiro I'm laughing a lot at him, but with Matt, I'm laughing a lot with him. The character is genuinely funny and Greg's performance really grounds him.

20. And i couldn't end it without asking this one: What can you tell us about next novels? Is there any scoop for us? Is there anything exclusive you could tell us?

I wish there was, but right now I'm a little out of the loop. But I can't wait to get back into the HEROES comics! This season should shape up to be a really good one. I'm sure they've learnt a lot from the first season and I can't wait to see what they unload for the second season. And even if I knew anything, I would only give you the tiniest hints. I mean, why spoil something so beautiful?

JASON BADOWER SIGNING AT COMICS R' US (UPDATE)

The HEROES graphic novels were supposed to be in Wednesday, but they've been delayed. I've just got off the phone to Matt (the owner of Comics R Us) and he says they should be in by Friday afternoon. So note, the FRIDAY SIGNING TIME HAS CHANGED:

COMICS R'US CITY: 9th November 2pm-5pm
COMICS R'US CHAPEL ST: 10th November 12pm-2pm

I will have a new print run of sketchbooks ($15) and I will be doing sketches ($10) and autographing the graphic novel (free of course!). I hope to see you all there!

20 Questions - the first half

So these are my initial designs (which I've ditched) for the SARMY peeps. Upon reviewing them weeks later, I just didn't like them. I thought they were weak pictures. So I did some new ones. I sent them to keke182, so if any of you haven't seen them yet (and I haven't heard anything either) you can hassle her/him.

As I said, when I went back to these, I just didn't like any of them. They just didn't scream, "Sylar" to me.

***

Anyway, what follows is the original English transcript of my interview for 9thWonders.net:

1. What made you begin to work with comics, acquire a taste for it?

I have always loved comics. I had a pile of comics since before I can even remember. What got me really seriously into comics as a profession is that, I guess at heart, I'm a control freak. I love the idea that I can control every part of the story that I'm telling. I can show you what the characters look like (unlike an author). I can voice their thoughts and I can voice their dialogue. At the end of the day, it's just me and the page telling the story. I find it very primal and very immediate. Especially with the Heroes comics! Working on them is very inspiring. We draw it one week and it appears online the next! It's so gratifying to get that immediate fan feedback.

2. Which comic books most influenced you, in your career and personal life?

I guess comic books have always been known for their superhero characters. It's what I grew up reading anyway. So I guess the greatest influence on me was that moral structure. I like to think that if there was any influence, it's that I still have my integrity. For example, at the last Armageddon Expo I was approached by a great number of fans wanting to buy my prints of the characters. Unfortunately, I don't own the rights to these characters. NBC does. In fact, NBC has paid a lot of money for those rights. While they would never find out about me selling these prints. I would never do it. And so while the fans are asking me to quote a price for the prints, really they are asking me to quote a price for my integrity.

3. Which artists have inspired you on that job?

I am a big fan of Frank Quitely and John Cassaday. Colouring wise, I guess I have adapted techniques from Adi Granov. My goal is to make the comic book look exactly like the show. Similar angles, similar lighting. I tend to go for a more dramatic colour palette, but that's just my own personal preference.


4. How's the feeling to work to one of the most famous TV show?

When I got offered the job I was pretty excited. When the script actually came through I almost shot through the ceiling. I ran around like Hiro, screaming at the top of my lungs. One of the biggest buzzes was again at the Armageddon Expo. I had a queue of people two and a half hours long waiting for a five-minute sketch from me. That was the most disarming amazing incredible experience. I expected to be listening to crickets and watching tumbleweeds go by. To have this many people know of my work and be big enough fans to wait that long absolutely blew me away.


5. Recently we've been seeing some new versions on Comic books for the big screen (classic ones such as "V for Vendetta", "X-men", and recently announced "Watchmen") and TV (like the newest "Wonderwoman"). What do you think about this interaction between comics and other Medias?

To me it's all about bringing in new readers. If each one of these movies can bring in 1% of their audience to pick up the comic book associated with that movie then I'm happy. New readers mean more people for me to tell my stories to. And that's what I love about HEROES. It's brought so many new readers to comic books. I have received so many personal messages from people saying that they never looked at comic books or took them seriously until they read my HEROES stuff. And that's my goal: to bring more readers into comic books. There's some great stuff on the shelves. We just have to point people in the right direction.


6. And what do you think of this twist, because now you have a TV show (Heroes) becoming a comic book, opposite to what has normally been seen.

Again, it serves the purpose of my goal. Even more so, actually. I think it's great that one established media helps out another established media. Especially as comics aren't taken as seriously as they should be. It's great to have a TV show, that is taken seriously give comics a huge nod. And let's face it, look through season one, the number of comic book references are huge. From direct reference, to homaging stories, it's all from comic books. And yet the way they've written it, you take it all in your stride, and you take it seriously.


7. Heroes' comic books are going to be printed out on real paper, what do you think about this idea?

I am so excited to see the HEROES graphic novel, it's not funny. When I heard about it at San Diego I ran around hassling all the DC comics post-production guys. They all guaranteed me this book would be of the highest quality. Mainly I finally get to point at something and show people what I've done, rather than sending them to a URL.


8. Comic books have been losing their power and space lately. How strong do you think they still are today? Do you think Heroes and other works we've seen on TV have helped revitalizing the genre as whole somehow?

I think it's always been an underdog media. Its main problem is it's too closely tied to one genre: superheroes. While I love superheroes, we need other stories and thats why I really like HEROES. It's walking the line between the genre dominating comics and good drama that dominates audiences.


9. Heroes did a real good job, and we think it's one of its greatest merits, gathering Comics Universe big names, such as Jeph Loeb, Tom Grummet, Alex Ross, Jim Lee, and, of course, yourself. What had effectively attracted you into it?

I think I already answered my own question as to why I'm into HEROES, and quality is a huge factor of that. It is really well-written, really well shot, and really well directed and acted. What more do you ask for in a show? I think they've been really smart to work with the people who are driving the comic industry at the moment. It's tough to walk the fence without a hand from either side.

10. And how did all started for you with the show? Was there really any kind of selection process, or was it more like an invitation?

I knew the producer Aron Eli Coleite beforehand. In fact, I had art directed one of his comics. When I was between jobs I was watching an episode of HEROES and I saw his name on it. I was shocked! I sent him an e-mail congratulating him on the show. He asked me what I been doing. I showed him. He asked if I wanted to draw one of the HEROES comics. Of course I said, "Yes!"

The script came within two hours and I couldn't believe it. Apparently the last artist had pulled out at the last minute, and they were struggling to find a replacement. It just so happened that I waved my arm in the air at just the right time. That was episode 19: Roadkill. I threw my hat into the ring with the editor Frank, and said if there's any more of these I'm up for it.

and in case you missed it:

JASON BADOWER SIGNING AT COMICS R' US

With the new HEROES graphic novel out, and as the major contributing artist, I will be signing at:

COMICS R'US CITY: 9th November 12pm-2pm
COMICS R'US CHAPEL ST: 10th November 12pm-2pm

I will have a new print run of sketchbooks ($15) and I will be doing sketches ($10) and autographing the graphic novel (free of course!). I hope to see you all there!

UPDATE: There *might* be a delay on the graphic novels til later Friday afternoon. I will keep you updated. But right now, these times and dates still stand.

THE WRITER'S STRIKE

I have been contacted by some of you asking how the writer's strike in Hollywood is going to affect the HEROES graphic novels. Apparently they have up to episodes 11 and 12 in the can. But as most of you know, the graphic novels are created on a much tighter time frame. So how does the strike affect your HEROES graphic novel?

Funny you should ask.

I was recently contacted, by my editor, Frank about doing a HEROES story. The script by Chuck (0.07%) Kim came through. It's called "The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei" and it's a ripper of a story.

Unfortunately, due to the strike, Chuck asked that the script be pulled. Apparently he also had a specific artist friend of his in mind to draw it. That's a huge shame as I would have knocked this one out of the park. This one is so up my alley it's not funny. So when you do see it, you can try to imagine if I'd drawn/painted it.

But to answer your question, this script is set after the events of episode 11 (it specifically says so). So they've pulled the web comic episode that's set after the week of episode 11. I have no idea if the stories before it have been pulled. But now you know that is your thin red line as far as the HEROES graphic novels go.

For those of you angry at how this affects you, consider these hard working writers who are asking to be included in the 21st century as far as financial credit goes. They're asking for compensation for internet and mobile phone sales of their work (currently there is little or none) and an increase from 4c per dvd sold. I don't think they're being unreasonable and I support them 100%. I just hope the networks and the writers can reach some sort of agreement soon.

JAS SPEAKS BRAZILLIAN

Actually, I don't but I actually gave this image of Claire to 9thWonders.net for their INTERVIEW with me. They've had it for about a week now. I thought I should share it with you. For those of you interested in what I had to say, I will post the translated transcript over the next few posts.

This image set me back big time on my timeline on BLACKOUT. The opening scene for page 1 said:

"We’re CLOSER ON SURESH, but he’s still behind the windshield. Reflected in the windshield are images of the HEROES he’s talking about: CLAIRE running from a fire, NATHAN and PETER FLYING, HIRO wielding a Samurai sword."

I knew I wanted to draw these images as full posters and then paste them onto the windscreen. I knew that having them as full posters would be handy. Besides, I think the prize I was supposed to draw for Karathephantom back in the Jurassic period was of a similar image of Hiro. And I thought having a poster of Claire like this would be cool anyway. But I got so caught up drawing these images, I ran out of time to draw the Nathan and Peter one. Eventually I had to steal my art from the end of the Death of Hana Gitelman.

For those in Melbourne or heading down to Melbourne:

JASON BADOWER SIGNING AT COMICS R' US

With the new HEROES graphic novel out, and as the major contributing artist, I will be signing at:

COMICS R'US CITY: 9th November 12pm-2pm
COMICS R'US CHAPEL ST: 10th November 12pm-2pm

I will have a new print run of sketchbooks ($15) and I will be doing sketches ($10) and autographing the graphic novel (free of course!). I hope to see you all there!

mX's SHADOWGIRL

In Melbourne (and apparently Sydney) we have a free "newspaper"that commuters can pick up on their way home and to work called "mX". It's a stir fry of light news with heavy celebrity gossip and a sprinkling of unusual facts and trivia.

Daniel Zachariou, the guy who runs Supanova in Sydney was contacted by mX. They had run a HEROES competition where fans were asked to text in their idea for a the 12th HERO. The idea was, "‘Shadow Girl’ can transport herself through shadows and jump into peoples shadows controlling them depending on the strength of will of the person."

Daniel immediately thought that a HEROES picture needs a HEROES artist.

It was an easy and fun picture, so while I normally turn down non-comic related commissions, I agreed to do it.

I thought it would be fun to have her standing in Bennet's and Mohinder's shadows and controlling them as I wanted some way to tie her into the HEROES continuity.

So seen here is the original version with Mohinder and Bennet suffering from Shadowgirl's powers. Anyone else like the shadows? I do. =)

Now, you will notice that on the printed version, the two guys down the bottom only vaguely resemble Jack Coleman and Sendhil Ramamurthy. The reason why is that mX didn't have the likeness rights to either actor/character. So they asked me to change them. Unfortunately, I didn't have time (nor the desire) to redraw these characters from scratch. So a beard, long hair and some piercings as well as subtly changing facial features seemed to have done the job.

Thanks again for setting this up, Daniel!