3+some Art to feed the kid inside
Magic: The Gathering, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Ghibli vibes
“The strangeness of the children grew as they did, and the effects of their dispositions on their environment began to push the boundaries of normalcy. Both seemed to cause low probability events to occur. Negentropy was followed by order and fortune, Entropeta by chaos and misfortune.” — OmniTotem story fragment
Hey Summer Sweat Squad,
It’s August or what the heck, let’s chill a bit after the deep emotional pieces and interviews! The young fellow inside wants to play WoW, Final Fantasy or draw a new main character for his comic book in a room with shades fully closed. 🦇 Shall we join him?
Our latest finds are well-known and upcoming at the same time. They reach out to us through sweet nostalgia, grabbing the little kid by the heart. Magic: The Gathering, Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Ghibli vibes incoming.
Let’s observe out of curiosity and the love to learn or even mimic like Omnimorphs.
1. 🎨 Drawing: Dave Rapoza’s comic book Kickstarter
“I’ve been following Dave Rapoza for more than 15 years now. I became his fan pretty much as a kid, when I dipped my toes into (digital) art. Dave, along with Dan LuVisi, was one of my main inspirations to be more curious about visual arts an pursing it as a career. Following his work and style explorations, his constant need for challenging himself is still super motivating. The hilarious and unfiltered conversations he has with his childhood friend Dan Warren is a great source of entertainment. The two of them already released 2 books of their own comic, titled “Steve Lichman”. (and the third one is on its way)
He’s also streaming regularly for his Patrons. I saw there that recently he’s working on another comic of his personal IP called “Starveil”. I don’t think he has a set title yet for this, but I know it’s most likely going to be a Kickstarter funded piece. He mentioned that besides the 20+ fully and beautifully illustrated pages, there will be an additional artbook section included.
What makes this project artistically exciting for me is that he intended to make this comic look like something that’s been long lost, something that has always existed and looks very familiar, like an older comic that brings back memories. I think, based on the streams I’ve seen, he succeeded in doing this, as it definitely has a bit of a retro comic vibe that I’m really drawn to. Definitely something to keep your eyes peeled for.”
Dani
2. 🎮 Gaming: Marko Beyond Brave
“Marko: Beyond Brave is an upcoming indie metroidvania title set to release this September. It seems to have all the fun elements of the genre - methodical combat, boss fights, and some old-fashioned platformer fun.
Moreover, the art style bears some peak nostalgic resemblance to old-school Cartoon Network animation. Most notably, the first thing that came to mind when looking at the main character on the key art (on Steam) was the Scotsman from Samurai Jack.”
Huba
3. 🟧 Substack: Magic Lantern by Marco.D.Blanco
Lately I’m diving deep into Substack’s fiction writing community. Marco not only writes, illustrates and publishes this charming story himself, but also delves into topics that may be of interest to other Ghibli fans and authorstrators. So far, he’s mainly planned and shared the progress of the grand world he’s building. But recently a promising narrative section of his upcoming series was published, too. The writing could deal with some editing in my opinion, but as a first in this the project, it definitely lights the lantern.
❓ Your art
This could be the part where we recommend your favorite artist, developer, or maybe even you. If you want to fill in this place with your suggestion, send a link in a reply to this email.
(Who has time to write short descriptions nowadays anyways…)
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Adrián
Scribe of the Omniscient
👁🗨
PS.: I’ve just remembered that in this collection of curious art, you may find similarly exciting Ghibli and comic related picks:
PPS.: 👾 Web3: HUXLEY: The Oracle prequel book
Bonus! I totally missed this, but thankfully Dani filled me in. And maaan… I don’t even have words to describe the quality. Just watch the new trailer and check out the artbook. *pants excitedly*