Shazam production journal; Gzopb Gzdmb gsv grtvi Grtvi!
Talky Tawny is one of those characters that causes people to roll their eyes. A talking tiger? And I admit he was handled pretty goofy in the ‘40s, but Captain Marvel’s powers are more mythological than most - - derived from ancient gods and sages - - so wandering spirits and talking animals don’t feel out of place to me. Gods and talking animals are part of our oldest storytelling traditions. The trick was to build a relationship between Talky and Marvel, connect them to each other, and then throw them into modern day New York City. R zohl gslftsg rg dlfow svok ru R wivd srn orpv z ivzo grtvi, zm rwvz R krxpvw fk lm uiln Zovc Ilhh!
Below are three stages of making a comic book panel from MSOE #3. Billy and Tawny are in New York’s Central Park.
I use blue pencils because high contrast scanners can’t see that color, and I won’t have to erase the page later after it is inked, which can harm the drawings.
The next step is to ink the word balloons, so I know how much space they will take up. Then I usually go straight for the faces. The faces are where the acting goes on, so I want this done first while I still have the energy. Later on, as deadlines approach, and time runs short, I know this has been taken care of. You can see that I have changed Billy Batson’s dialog, and added a balloon for Talky Tawny. Writing continues on into the final stages. Also note the smears - - after all these years, I sill put my hand in the ink…
After a little white paint to cover the smears, I finish the figures and start on the background. In this scene, Billy and Talky have rendezvoused in Central Park. I visited the park in June to see what kind of rocks and brush were there. Using my reference photos, I draw leaves and vines around their feet. Gl hvv gsv kslglh R gllp rm Mvd Blip Xrgb gszg wzb, xorxp sviv!
The top image is from MSoE #2. The penciled Billy & Talky panel is from MSoE #3.
SHAZAM: The Monster Society of Evil #1 ships February 7th (less than 3 weeks!) to a comic shop near you.
And don’t forget to come see me in New York at the end of February. I’m a guest of Honor at the New York Comic-con. They asked me to write a guest blog, which you can read by going to their website, nycomicon.com. Bring your copies of MSoE!
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Gzopb Gzdmb ollph xllo! R gsrmp blf’iv zohl srggrmt z tllw yzozmxv lu trermt fh gvzhvih drgslfg hklrormt gsv yllp, gll. Blf xzm zodzbh hgliv gsvhv gsrmth fk zmw wl z “wrivxgli xlnnvmgzib” lmxv gsv yllp rh lm gsv hgzmwh.
Dsb gsv Hfkvi Hvxivg Clwvh, gslfts?
Comment by Edward Liu — January 18, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
You may have picked the idea up from Alex Ross, but you still took Tawney in your own direction. I love the look you worked out!
Comment by Jeremy Holstein — January 18, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
Well, well! Looks like we have two new members of the Monster Society on the boards! Congrats, guys! You cracked the secret code!
Comment by Jeff Smith — January 18, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Dad Blasted! I can’t figure the code out! Hmmph!,Anyway looking good,no GREAT!,the new interperation of Tawny is working.
Are you going to spoil us with anymore previews on Cap.,or do just have to wait these last 3 agonizing weeks? (maybe the answers in the code?)Hmmm.
Comment by William — January 18, 2007 @ 8:26 pm
“I JUST GOT
BONE #5 JOCJJW:MASTER OF THE EASTERN BORDER
AND I GOT BONE 1-5 NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Comment by TYLER SWEENEY — January 18, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
I MEAN ROCKJAW
Comment by TYLER SWEENEY — January 18, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
Never mind, I can be such an impatient rube sometimes.;)
Comment by William — January 18, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
QVUU HNRGS IFOVH!!!
Comment by William — January 18, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Thanks again for these updates; I especially enjoy the “inside looks” into your working process. I am greatly anticipating the release of this series. I’m afraid I can’t agree with the assessment on Tawny, tho; in his original incarnation, he was one of the most Human characters in comic books. I don’t suppose you planned on putting him in a nice suit before the end of issue four, or did you? Please, please keep “hklrormt” us!
Comment by John Berry — January 18, 2007 @ 11:17 pm
I just love the “step by step” behind-the-scenes stuff, showing a scene going from sketched panel to inked to finished version. This is just awesome stuff, and keep the updates and previews coming - we can’t get enough of them!
Comment by Brandon — January 19, 2007 @ 12:31 am
Yeah, thanks for showing us how you do it,
well actually now i feel so untalented compared..
Comment by e david croft — January 19, 2007 @ 2:20 am
Good A to Z ! Thanks ! So diffcult to draw tiger, and you done a great great job ! WOW !
Comment by paul — January 19, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Zxvh!
Comment by Cockneywolfe — January 19, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Stunning work !! And superb Blog !
Comment by Andrew Glazebrook — January 19, 2007 @ 11:38 am
You brought back the tiger!? That friggin’ rules!! I can’t wait for this to hit the shelves.
Comment by Tom Williams — January 19, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
zdvhlnv! xzm’g dzrg gl ivzw gsrh!
Comment by Zeb Aslam — January 19, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
You kick JIm Lee’s ASS!!
Comment by tyrone — January 19, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
It looks great Jeff.
For the record I like the original ‘civilized’ Mr. Tawney too, but having different versions are nice.
But there is always time to have Mr.Mind mutate him and make him be a furry mac daddy.
Comment by Brian Kolm — January 19, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
Sfaazs sfiizs zmw hlnv nliv lu gsv hznv! [Gsv yzxpdziwh zokszyvg, zodzbg z ypzhhry!]
That’s all the code I have time for. I adore how this looks, a classic DC comic in the making… [Tawny actually appeared in 52 recently, with more or less the personality of Grant Morrison's 'Beast'. It was ironic to see him like that, but this is a great storytelling version.] These really are great. Captain Marvel never worked in the DC Universe because it was either fluffy and campy or eerily dark. This looks more like ‘Boy’s Adventure’ than ‘Boy’s Psychoanalysys’ [although Alex Ross/Paul Dini's thing was good]. I absolutely cannot wait to see Mr. Mind. Oh, and Mary Marvel is adorable.
I also wanted to say I’m a longtime fan, found this from the beat, and just wanted to tell you I’ve been adoring your work ever since the first book of Bone was published in Disney Adventures and I read it at age nine. Amazing stuff, and it heavily influenced me now and the type of work I create. The entire book is brilliant beyond brilliant, so thank you very much for it.
Much love,
Robolizard
Comment by Z ILYLORAZIW — January 20, 2007 @ 5:47 pm
Great Job like always!
It’s very cool and intersting see the work in progress of a great comic artist like you..
I hope to see more and more!
Best
Denis
Comment by Denis — January 20, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
Why is he walking on 4 legs? You think that will keep people from “rolling their eyes?” People who roll their eyes at Tawky Tawny the Talking Tiger also roll their eyes at Bone, dude– they’re people who don’t get whimsical protrayals of cartoon characters. I expected alot more from you.
Comment by Peter — January 21, 2007 @ 7:13 am
I cannot wait any longer. SHAZAM!
Comment by Prep Time Posse is #1 — January 21, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
FROM TYLER SWEENEY AT YOUTUBE.COM
USER-NOTYLERSWEENEY
Comment by TYLER SWEENEY — January 21, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
Your steps of comic creation really made my day
Its really so refreshing & and great motivation for me to see how the art was both pencilled and inked by yourself . Thanks for the peek!
Comment by Sarah Joan — January 22, 2007 @ 1:32 am
Jeff, this is amazing. I stumbled upon this by chance, and I’m floored. I must admit, I havent’ been keeping up with your work for a bit, and I had NO idea you were working on SHAZAM. I’m floored! I’m a huge fan of your work and I’ve been looking forward to seeing some new stuff for awhile. This looking absolutely amazing! I’ll be paying close attention from now on.
Comment by Mr Scribbles — January 24, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
Jeff,
What kind of blue pencil do you use? I have a non-photo Kol-erase, but I find it too scratchy. I’d like to keep using a blue pencil, but I haven’t found one I’m happy with.
Comment by Michael Schwartz — January 25, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
Hello
Do you (or anyone know if Jeff) sell’s his original artwork at all??? I love the Cap Marvel #1 to bits and wondered if it would be available to buy???
Thanks
Jon
Comment by Jon Turner — February 5, 2007 @ 11:09 am
[...] This is the kind of effort that Jeff Smith (known for his career-defining work on Bone) is putting into this book. He’s been providing regular updates on his blog, using the code-speak as an added treat, and he says it’ll even be handy when you’re actually reading the book. For example, take a quick glance HERE, and see not only his mindset about putting Talking Tawny in the book, but also the process of creating the art for the page. And hell, you even get another chance to use the decoder. Interested? Don’t even know who Captain Marvel is? Want some preview pages? Well, read on for more! [...]
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