This was done for the newly started Drink and Draw NYC weekly challenges. It’s amusing to me that I’m doing these from Barcelona but I loved going to the Drink and Draw gatherings back in the lovely city of New York so these online challenges are a great way to keep in touch with that group of people.

The challenge was to mix Gundam with a superhero and after, a fair amount of deliberation, I went with Cyclops from the X-Men because his power seemed one that would translate well to a robot.

And, once again, I love drawing mechs because you can pretty much throw subtlety out the window. You just have to make it bigger, badder and crazier.

Also, Gundams are awesome.

I was looking forward to this series ever since it was announced in what seems like ages ago and the disappointment that was the feature film only served to fan those flames of excitement. I really wanted the Green Lantern franchise to redeem itself in the eyes of the general public because it’s a great concept with great characters and the film failed to convey what makes the Green Lantern mythos so great. After watching the hour long premiere of Green Lantern: The Animated Series, I’m glad to say that it perfectly encapsulates the best of what the franchise has to offer while still managing to bring something new to the table.

I won’t be drawing comparisons between the film and the Animated Series here but I feel that, inevitably, in talking about what makes the show work, I’ll be talking about why the movie doesn’t. Still, I want to focus on the Animated Series alone because this is my love letter to those two first episodes and not more vitriol against the movie (of which you can find plenty elsewhere).

And don’t worry, there won’t be spoilers here.

I remember that my initial thoughts when they first showed footage of Green Lantern: The Animated Series (henceforth GL:TAS) was “man, I wish this was cel-shaded,” so it’s only fitting that I start with the look of the show and its animation. The series sports the classic Bruce Timm style that permeated everything from Batman: The Animated Series up until Justice League Unlimited except that, this time around, it’s handled via CG and that in itself gives the show a brand new, yet still familiar look. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to The Incredibles upon viewing it or, at the very least, a less expensive version of it.

Make no mistake though because even though the backgrounds may seem a little sparse (which is something I’m sure will improve once they increase the size of their library of objects), the animation is consistently and absolutely top notch. You won’t see an odd drawing or an unconvincing motion, as you often do in more traditional animation, in this show. The characters are very expressive and there is a lot of subtlety in the animation as well as sweeping shots that really utilize the 3D space. Still, I wasn’t fully convinced in the move to CG until after I saw the light tunnel sequence. When Hal and Kilowog warp in a hijacked ship about half-way through the first episode, we are treated to a light show that is slightly reminiscent of 2001′s Star Gate sequence with neon colors rapidly flying by as they’re reflected on the inside of the ship and on Hal and Kilowog themselves. It’s one of many examples of the show’s fantastic use of lighting and that’s undoubtedly where the series benefits the most from its use of CG.

So why did Hal and Kilowog hijack a ship you might ask? Well, the series forgoes the tried and true Sinestro and opts instead to play around with the Red Lanterns. They’re the big baddies in the series and they live in the fringes of space where they have begun their attack on members of the Green Lantern Corps. After a brief (and perhaps a little cliché) introduction of Hal Jordan’s earth life and Carol Ferris we travel to Oa where Hal learns of the attacks and quickly becomes infatuated with payback. The Guardians tell him that flying to the location of the attacks would take months but he also learns that they have created a prototype ship that can get him there in a fraction of the time so, with Kilowog in tow, he promptly steals it and thus begins the show in earnest.

Much like Batman: The Animated Series, the creators of the GL:TAS wisely skip the origin story but give you all the information you need to follow along within the first 5 or so minutes of the first episode. Hal, as he’s portrayed in the show, is very likable and charismatic in spite of being cocky and careless, but there are also hints of anger issues and selfishness which goes a long way towards painting him as a real, flawed human being. Similarly, Kilowog is portrayed as the best friend with an attitude but he’s also given a huge chip on his shoulder. He also has some truly funny lines such as when he pokes fun at Hal and his efforts to conceal his secret identity in outer space. As a matter of fact, nearly every character in the show, old and new alike, is given this kind of treatment resulting in a fully fleshed out and well-rounded cast. This show made me care about a Green Lantern that didn’t exist prior to this series and I honestly can’t wait to see what’ll become of Razer (a brand new Red Lantern) after the events of the second episode.

The characters are fleshed out and believable but the plots are also suitably epic with very high stakes. There is ambivalence and tragedy, comedy and sacrifice, as well as heroes that don’t always make the right decisions. It never talks down to its audience and isn’t afraid to deal with death. Like only the best cartoons manage to do, it crafts an adventure that works on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. And credit to the show’s creators for introducing new characters and situations and going off the beaten path. With new characters and a new status quo that has Hal and Kilowog stranded in outer space, this show should be a treat even to old time Green Lantern fans.

It’s hard to judge a TV series by only two episodes but Green Lantern: The Animated Series is off to an extremely promising start. For a show about space cops and magic rings, my suspension of disbelief still managed to be strained at times (how can a ring-less Hal breathe in an asteroid without an atmosphere?) but that’s just nitpicking. The voice cast and their acting is spot on, the music hits all the right notes and the series truly breathes life into these characters in a way that respects the source material while still producing something that feels new and fresh.

It’s early to tell but this might be the show that sits alongside Batman: The Animated Series and Spectacular Spider-Man as the definite comic book cartoons.

Can’t wait for the next episode tomorrow.

It’s still surprising to me just how much of an inspiration Akira was to me. Sometimes I kinda forget but I’m quickly reminded whenever I pop the movie in. I really want to re-read the manga now too.

Done in Photoshop mostly with a square chalk brush because I wanted to give it some texture. I worked in grayscale again because dealing with color is still a little overwhelming to me and I wanted to do this right and quickly.

I’m speechless.

This is so absolutely a John K. product, even down to the music, yet it’s so unlike anything he’s ever done before. It begs to be seen in slow motion. Can you please let this become a regular thing, Fox? You already got Banksy and I’d love to see a Plympton one.

A ton of behind-the-scenes production art and clips along with an interview with John K. is over at Cartoon Brew.

The new Berserk animated project that I mentioned close to a year ago is finally set to arrive in 2012 from Warner Bros. and STUDIO 4°C.

Berserk Saga, as it is now known, will be a series of films that aims to adapt the entirety of the Berserk manga into animation. The initial film trilogy, much like the 1997 TV series, will adapt The Golden Age arc which is roughly the first 13 volumes of the manga with the first film, “Egg of the Supreme King,” tentatively arriving in January 2012. Subsequent films are set to adapt the remaining of the 36+ volumes in the still ongoing series over a span of 10 years and more.

A few more details and a brief trailer below.

Hirasawa Susumu, who did the sparse but awesome soundtrack to the Berserk TV series, is doing the main theme while Shiro Sagisu, who most notably worked on Evangelion, is composing the music. The amazing voice actors for Guts, Griffith and Caska from the TV series will, unfortunately, not be reprising their roles in these films which is possibly the only bad news regarding the project as of right now. Below are some details about the cast and staff for the first film along with some of their credits:

Guts: Hiroaki Iwanaga (Tomica Hero Rescue Force, Kamen Rider OOO)
Griffith: Takahiro Sakurai (Toriko, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion)
Casca: Toa Yukinari (Naruto Shippūden)

Director: Toshiyuki Kubooka (Batman: Gotham Knight episode 5)
Screenplay: Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion)
Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Naoyuki Onda (Gantz)
Animation Director: Satoshi Iwataki (Toaru Majutsu no Index)
Art Director: Yusuke Takeda (Ghost in the Shell: SAC), Goki Nakamura (Cat Soup)
Art Setting: Mitsuhiro Arita (Final Fantasy XI)
World Setting Supervisor: Kenichi Iwao (Final Fantasy XI/XIV)
Western Swordsmanship Coach: Jay Noyes (Final Fantasy XII)

Lord of the Rings is widely regarded as the greatest fantasy series out there. George Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is quickly gaining a similar status. I think Berserk needs to be up there as well. My interest in the series was waned a bit in the last few years I’ll admit, but it’s a fantastic series nonetheless and I hope this film series succeeds in attracting a new audience for it. I do worry about the initial films not being financially successful and the whole project getting the axe before it sees completion but that’s neither here nor there at this point.

You can see in the trailer below that they’re putting that bigger budget to work, particularly in the battles sequences that left a lot to the imagination in the TV series but now look suitably epic. You can follow the project’s Twitter here or you can check out the official website here. Of course, you’ll have to be proficient in Japanese to gleam any useful information out of those links but still, it’s worth checking out.

Really, really excited about this

I’m so done with this one.

I spent the better part of two hours trying to do something interesting with the background. At one point I had Brock and The Monarch peeking through a window but it didn’t fit well with the rest of the picture. I ultimately used some brush I downloaded and called it a day.

I was going to do Triana at first but I’m sure most will agree this is better.

Giving the Turtles my own spin.

I made them super huge (because turtles shouldn’t be lean) and tried to individualize them with more than just their colors and weapons. Of course, because I had no idea what to do with the background, I took a page from the Turtles in Time character select screen and called it a day.

Maybe one day I won’t be so lazy with the background.

At least we got one great episode, I suppose.

There was a ton of cool stuff in today’s Über Update, Valve’s “biggest, most ambitious update in the history of Team Fortress 2.” We got new weapons and items for all but one of the classes (why no Engie love, Valve?), a new map and, perhaps most importantly, the announcement that Team Fortress 2 would henceforth be completely free-to-play, supported only by microtransactions.

This is all cool and everything but we all know what the most awesome thing to come out of the Über Update is.

That’s right… Meet the Medic is here.

It’s really awesome.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Thundercats doesn’t hold a lot of nostalgic value for me. I remember watching it religiously not out of pure love for the series but mostly because watching cartoons all day is just what you do when you’re a kid. There were memorable things about it (Lion-O’s trials where he has to best his teammates more than anything) but as a whole, I can’t say the Thundercats left a huge impression in me.

That being said, the new Thundercats series coming to Cartoon Network (trailer embedded below) looks quite promising. It’s different enough to pique my curiosity but not so different that it’s unrecognizable. It seems like they’re trying to create a larger world around these characters and that should be interesting to watch at the very least. The look of young Lion-O will take some getting used to but the rest of the redesigns look really good, specially Panthro who is now officially a fucking badass.

Will keep my eye on this one.