I've been a Batman fan for as long as I can remember--pretty much loved the character and his extended family all my life.
To say that I was thrilled when I came across a copy Batman Family #1 on a spinner rack at the airport while on a family vacation to Mexico would be quite the understatement. Here were all my favorite Bat-related characters starring in one comic book. How badass is that? I was eight years old at the time.
I've expressed my appreciation of Michael Golden's artwork in earlier blog posts. My first taste of his art was in the Man-Bat back-up story "Target: The Shotgun Sniper!" in Batman Family #15. A few months later I was blown away by his take on Batman in a tale titled "The Tomb of the White Bat!" in issue #19. That issue also featured a gorgeous cover drawn by Mike Kaluta.
Batman Family #19 was one of those books I treasured as a youngster. My original copy was read and re-read so many times (along with Detective Comics #471 and Justice League of America #145) that the books literally fell apart over time and I had to buy replacement copies when I got older.
I thought I'd share a bit of bat-nostalgia. Here's "The Tomb of the White Bat!" in its entirety. The story was written by the great Denny O'Neil. Enjoy!
Here's my Progress Reel from Class 3 at Animation Mentor. Like before, the newest shot is first and then works backwards from there all the way to the bouncing ball, which was my first assignment at AM.
I can't believe I'm already halfway through Animation Mentor's character animation program. Each class has flown by faster than the one before. Considering I had never used Maya software before attending AM or done any animation work whatsoever, I'm amazed how much I've learned these past nine months. I know there's room for lots of improvement (especially in my timing and spacing), but I'm encouraged by the progress I've made so far. I hope to always keep learning and being challenged. That's a large part of the fun. It's been an incredible journey. I'll be curious to see where it all leads. When I think of all the wacky twists and turns my life has taken over the years, these two quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings immediately spring to mind:
"Little by little, one travels far."
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." My eternal gratitude to my mentors and fellow classmates for all their encouragement and support. Y'all have been awesome! I honestly wouldn't be where I'm at today without your help.
A special thanks to Mike Gasaway, my mentor for Advanced Body Mechanics. His guidance this past term really helped me improve my workflow. I feel I now have a much better understanding of the role of key storytelling poses and the power of breakdowns. Next term the stakes grow higher as the focus shifts to acting and performance and we start working on shots that may end up on our final work-seeking reel. No pressure! :)
