Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Too Creepy

I know they've been kinda sorta looking for a new Comic Fest T-shirt, and I know the powers that be like the ComicFest-Man that Scott Shaw! did, so I came up with an homage to his guy. It's a no go. Mike Towry thinks parents would be uncomfortable with this guy around kids. Mike said he might be opening up the T-shirt design to a contest, while Scott Shaw!'s surprised faced character is becoming the de facto logo in the various print and web SDCF exposures.

In a few days I should have the specs on doing badge art and all of you should do one, for free, with no name consideration whatsoever. Maybe a name in the program book, I have to ask.

18 comments:

MrGoodson2 said...

You should make your own, publish on demand, T-Shirt with this art. Three versions so you have enough for the whole Con.

MrGoodson2 said...

Do Scott Shaw as Modok

Tom Moon said...

I like your version of Comic Fest Man Ben a lot more than the Scott Shaw version. I find the criticism against your art bizarre. "Parents would be uncomfortable around this guy around kids"?

BDMontag said...

They get itchy about being "kid friendly."
Modok next March.

Tom Moon said...

But I don't see anything "kid-unfriendly" about it at all. It's just a super-hero, like the thousands of other family friendly super-hero images in the comics world. He's not even punching anyone. He could be a hero from any number of 1960's era Comics Code Authority-approved books.

BDMontag said...

I deliberately made him more menacing than Shaw!'s, because I don't understand what is going on with Shaw!'s surprised look. Something bugged someone. I guess the slightly downward tilt of the head and deeply furrowed brow. Comics are for kids, except when they're not. I'll see if they open up a contest or not and try again. Anyway it was good Illustrator as inking practice.

Rickart said...

Link to the Shaw drawing, please.

BDMontag said...

http://www.sdcomicfest.org/

http://comicfestguy.tumblr.com/

Rickart said...

Oh yeah, I like yours a lot better, Ben. No knock on Shaw... I just think it's a more interesting and compelling image.

BDMontag said...

Well the Fest has used the Shaw! image for two years. I thought it would be fun to take essentially the same thing and do it differently. Help the character become a mascot. Whatever they use will probably have some sort SDCF-Guy.

Davis Chino said...

I like your image, Ben--but I like the Shaw image, too! The surprised look on Shaw's always bugged me, but not in a negative way--I just always wondered, "Is he happy about ComicsFest--or surprised it's happening?? Or what??" So it got a visual hook in me, and that made it memorable...and that seems like half (or all?) of the battle?

Davis Chino said...

...and of course there's the fact that yours does look like he's trying to hypnotize minors...into lewd acts. (smiley wink!)

MrGoodson2 said...

Yes. To tell the truth I have to scroll past Ben's drawing quickly

Beata said...

HA! Ellis, you crack me up.

Never did care for Shaw's SDCF-Guy. That "what-the-hell-is-going-on-here" hook doesn't equate, IMHO, to great (or even just memorable) design.

Ben's is a big improvement, and I told them so. It adds a sense of authority. When I see Shaw's logo, I think: clown, wanna-be super-hero, someone being pantsed (Ben's description). Also, the colors are too clownish, and outdated. You want a touch of menace for a con that's right before Halloween, anyway. Removing the hand would be enough to avoid any parental concern that he's after their kid. And don't use red in the eyes. He'll be an instant force for Good.

Kids would love it.

BDMontag said...

The hand in front of the face was in the original. It's part of the same, but different.

Beata said...

Who says you have to keep it?

MrGoodson2 said...

I'm on the Beata wavelength. Get rid of the hand. And make him more creepy looking.

MrGoodson2 said...

I guess Beata wasn't suggesting more creepiness.