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OMG! YOU'RE REALLY, FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! A short while back, Springie posted something about a really awesome artist who was doing fan art and included a link to your Instagram page. I've visited a few times to drool over the work you've done. (My mom was a painter who'd had her work hang in New York galleries...the best I can do is an abstract stick figure!) You'll find this group to be very supportive. (We won't bite, unless you ask us to! ) Feel free to join in at any time and don't be shy about asking any questions that come to mind. I'm really looking forward to seeing your project progress!

I agree with EW!!! Welcome GC! (we shorten our IDs around here). I have looked at your tumblr site. You are an incredible artist. I'm so envious! What a project to take on! I can't wait to see what else you've drawn for it.

Hey GC You've found us!!!!! Let me confess I follow your awesome work on facebook, and I'm so excited about this project of yours. Anything you need help with, this is the place to be, so don't hesitate to ask,ok. We will endeavour to assist in whatever capacity we can. (We're good like that) Oh, and welcome. (Maybe I should have started with that ) Have fun, join in whenever wherever.

Hey GC! I believe I too have seen some of your awesome work on Facebook. Welcome to Gatchamania. I still feel like a newbie here, but I'm sure you will find everyone really supportive and friendly, just like I have. You'll probably find that there are a few of us who identify with that feeling of loneliness before finally finding this place where people know and love this show as much as we all do. I'm really looking forward to seeing your finished project, and I'm loving all of what I have seen so far. I appreciate how hard you are working to stay close to canon, and work in goodies for the fans. Can't wait to see more!

AHHHHH HIIIIIII!!!! *excited waving and bouncing* Thank you all for the warm welcome! I'm glad to finally be here. Even if my first post was a total screw up that I had to immediately edit as fast as possible because I'm still learning how to forum. ^_^ (Feel free to throw tips at me if you see me doing something the hard way. I dunno what I'm doing.) More art posts soon, promise. I started some Jinpei sketches, but he's not quite where he needs to be yet. I need to wrap my brain around Ryu and Dr. Nambu as well, though their expression test pages might come next month. I'm sort of working backwards for this. These expression test pages are of the characters as we know them from the show. I'm doing this thing where I visualize them in my mind and then turn them around and draw them from different angles so I end up with this 3D render in my brain and partially on paper. This gives me the foundation I need to draw their younger selves. Which is a total pain but so worth it, and this really messed up part of me enjoys the process. Honestly, I just get all stupid happy when I see them appear on paper in my own art style and I can recognize who they are. XD A quick note of what you can expect in the next 3-4 months which will be dedicated to my prep work and finishing my script(s). (There are two stories. I don't know if I will get both done, so I'm focusing on just one for now. More on that later). - Expression test sheets of all 5 of our heroes and of course Dr. Nambu, plus my age reference sheets so I can keep them all consistent. - Smaller character sketch sheets so I can at least wrap my brain around minor characters and cameos, including: the Washios, the Asakuras, Alan, Sabu, a rather nice lady who runs a familiar little cafe and prefers to be called Ms. Jill, and a boy named Koji Yabane... - All the vehicles - A bunch of surprises I have yet to reveal. I had to bow out from internet land for a few days here and my posting may seem a little sporadic at times. I'm handling this project the same way I would handle a large contract project I was being paid for so...the first thing I did was completely overwhelm myself. (The fetal position is my favorite position.) Anyway, I'm going through the extra material from my blu-ray boxed set, and I'm freaking out because I just digested like 35 minutes of straight up Gatchaman/Tatsunoko trivia. HOLY CRAP. I'm starting to understand why I love this story so much, and I saw it at the perfect age. I will definitely be bugging you all for some help soon. First I want to get through all these extra goodies here and see what I can learn. (Now that I am fully aware that this show was never planned out from the beginning and had nothing resembling an end in sight until after the first year, I not only forgive it for it's flaws, I am majorly impressed the writers pulled so many full saves out of their butts and made it as good as they did.) Literally no one physically near me cares. XD XD XD

Welcome to Gatchamania CG. I'm looking forward to seeing your posts.

Hi CG! Welcome! I love your art, and I am looking forward to seeing more of it here.

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Hola Sam, Welcome to the group! I'm so glad to see you here and I shall look forward for your post. You know that I love your art! Lots of hugs

Two of you I know, and one of you is new to me! *waves* At some point I might get my act together and slap my main post here on CC base but....gah time and energy are two things I don't have enough of. I need my own PR department! And the cash to afford such luxuries. I've got some fresh art coming, but for now, here are my idea boards I mocked up mainly for myself but also for a stupid Adobe Resident Artist position that I applied for (and was denied lol. 5 positions and over 1350 applicants? Yeah, they're going to choose artists who are like...saving the world and stuff. I'm saving a fandom. Kinda the same thing?) Anyone following me has seen them, but they're the best way I can sum up what I have been working on over the past year when I needed to get away from paid art. Big projects should always get idea boards, or at the very least, a totally disorganized idea folder. I'm trying to be a professional adult about this, so I made boards. These are large images, so here's to hoping I don't have to emergency edit my reply because I broke the forum again... I don't know who was behind that God Pheonix schematic break down, but I'd like to hug them.

Oh, yeah. I'm primarily a fantasy artist. Secondary a sexy pinup artist. And now, apparently anime. I have no idea what this is going to do to my fan base, but so far no one has thrown rocks at me and told me to stop.

Amazing!

fantastic work.

When I retire I plan to take art classes, as I used to draw and paint until I got to college, but there's no way I can match your talent. I love your character test sheets of their facial expressions and the Ken/Joe time out is so cute! I wonder if our Jason (as in The Other Jason) would be interested in including some of your art in his next book about Battle of the Planets.

KT & Daniella Thank you Both!!!! <3

Originally posted by Becky Rock When I retire I plan to take art classes, as I used to draw and paint until I got to college, but there's no way I can match your talent. I love your character test sheets of their facial expressions and the Ken/Joe time out is so cute! I wonder if our Jason (as in The Other Jason) would be interested in including some of your art in his next book about Battle of the Planets.

Thank you! I've really had a lot of fun drawing them as kiddos. ^_^ You know what though? Me from 7 years ago would tell you there's no way in hell I could match the stuff I can do currently. All you need is time and dedication. Art classes really do help, I went to art school for graphic design and certainly benefited from every illustration and drawing class I was able to stuff into my curriculum. But my best work has come from just stubbornly plowing forward. God. I used to SUCK at figure drawing. Especially men. Faces I could do, in profile. Eyes? Yes. At least one eye. All the rest? Tears and agony and pain. But I kept going and poured my heart into my art, even when I felt it was trash. The end of 2016/beginning of 2017 I had a massive break through on drawing gorgeous fellas. I don't know what happened, but G1 & G2 certainly benefited from it. XD And I'd be happy to share any of my art if it piques his interest! I don't know how much of what I am currently working on would qualify as I'm veering off into original fan material land. But there will definitely be more full fledged Science Ninja vs. Galactor art in my future! I gots ideas. So many ideas.

Hi, GC! Sorry I'm a little late in welcoming you, but I have to join in with everyone else -- your art work is AMAZING! I'm not an artist (though I wish I were) because I would love to be able to take the images I can see in my mind and put them on paper. Instead, I am primarily a writer and try to write out what I see (the biggest problem with that is that I tend to use lots and lots of words to do that!). Anyway, I'm so glad you joined us here and I am looking forward to seeing more of your artwork that you choose to share with us!

Becky I'm with you... I dimply don't have to spend doing much art now. Young kids take up my time. My 6 year old twins are artists, when they sit and draw they do detailed work ahead of their age group. ( No exaggeration there its what their teachers say about them more than me.) They're autistic so love details, and I feel the high visual learners tend to be artists. Georgiana is an Eagle fan! She loves the leaders in anime. Loves the birdies, shes not so much BOTP I noticed. She Loves Gatchman. She saw your art and recognized the characters. Got all excited! So it looks like your youngest fan is 6 years old.

Hi RIgirl! Thank you! <3 <3 <3 And no worries on a belated welcome, I keep falling off the face of the earth here. XD Ebonyswanne your kiddo has good taste! <3 I'm so glad you are cultivating little artists! Drawing helped keep me occupied as an only child (eh, I mean, there was the neighbor boy who I occasionally pummeled/got pummeled by, but that's not the same a sibling), and sane as a teenager. I have fresh art to post! That some of you have already seen since I was blasting it on my social media. It'll have to wait until probably tomorrow though because I need to get my butt out the door for some Deadpool 2 goodness, and then it's gonna be late by the time I get home.

Everything I'd posted in this thread thus far is sort of old art, at least by several months to a year. Having my time so split up between a day job, paid art, and fun art, really knocked me for a loop last year/beginning of this year. This whole being able to focus only on my Gatchaman project has been...refreshing. Still fighting my schedule with a full time job, and I lament not being able to pour 60 hours a week into it, but I also enjoy being able to buy groceries not being dirt poor. May and June are research and writing months, so I won't have any super cool comic related work for quite a while. But sometimes I get hit with the sudden need to draw something and I won't be able to focus on anything else until I get it out of my system. I'm snatching up iconic screenshots, both bird style and civies, and action sequences as inspiration fodder. And I hadn't drawn Eagle boy in about a year. So on Monday I took a break from my car sketch studies and episode research to play. Of course, my topic of choice still sort of counts as work now, but there was no pressure to do anything with this except have fun. There really is a difference, I swear. I was inspired by a screen shot of Ken kicking down a metal door in a Galactor base during his failed attempt to rescue the star crossed Romina and Julia (I see what you did there, writers.) Started with the full body shot, which I finished early Wednesday, then added the profile, the straight on helmet shot (which I redrew twice because those *insert all the bad words* helmets are really difficult...), and last the two iconic emotional eye close ups. <3 <3 <3 The screen shot that started this. Close ups! I pick on Ken a lot. Someone has to! And occasionally he really asks for it. But he's probably my favorite "fearless leader" of the super hero genre. For one thing, you can't help but like the guy. His heart is both his greatest weakness and his greatest strength. Combine that with a solid dose of selflessness, a heap ton of young invulnerability, a dash of over confidence, an uncomfortable sprinkling of "way to willing to die for your cause", and you have a great protagonist. His flaws stem mostly from his youth and nativity. Ken just wants to make the best decisions and be victorious. Part of it comes from his sense of pride, but mostly he just has a really strong moral code and he's trying like hell to live up to the standard he set based on the idealized father he never knew, (which is actually pretty damn accurate.) He starts out with a very black and white good guys vs. bad guys mind set, but he quickly learns the horror of collateral damage and the simple fact that sometimes, there is no right decision. Sometimes leaders have to make terrible choices. Sometimes, no matter how hard you tried, there is no victory and people die anyway. It leaves it's mark on him, particularly since he has this tendency to bear the burden of lives lost on his own two shoulders. Better that he should suffer than inflict the rest of his team with that pain. My biggest complaint about newer renditions of Ken (ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT THEY ALWAYS CUT HIS BEAUTIFUL HAIR *throws rocks*) is that his character is gets redesigned without all that boyish sweetness. His face might retain the features, big blue eyes or whatever, but something gets lost. Yeah, he's a fairly serious young man, but his sweet face was what really sold the character. He's not some hulking mass of grim dark like so many comic book stereotypes. Just a sweet faced boy who can turn lethal in half a heartbeat, and no one would ever expect it. Don't worry Team Eagle, your boy is in good hands.

At some point, I want to draw Gatchaman as seen from Galactor's point of view. I just have this idea in my head. We see our beloved Science Ninjas the way we do because they are our protagonists. So we can recognize them through those tinted transparent beaks. They are drawn that way for our benefit. But...I always assumed that they didn't appear the same to the baddies they were fighting. In fact, I think they would look damn terrifying.

This is wonderful GC. You don't need the numbered shirt or coloured birdstyle to know who it is, and that's what I love about your work.

GC, I must apologize for not commenting as often as I should -- I keep ending up utterly dumbstruck by your work!

Wow, I'm really enjoying the "eye study" that you recently attached! Love the shading and the highlights--fantastic And, yeah...I think you'll find a lot of people like to single out Ken for..... "abuse". If you're so inclined there are a lot of fics posted here, as well as in various places on the 'net, which feature such scenarios Anyway, I'm a bit late to posting to this thread GC, but welcome, and I hope you enjoy your time here!

You know already that I'm a HUGE fan of your art- so glad you made it over here! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but RL work has kept me so busy! I never have time to visit the forum or draw anymore! GirlCondor, how did you get these pics posted here? I used to link via Photobucket, but after they screwed everyone over, I gave up. If graphic design had been available back when I was in college, I think it would've been my major. Unfortunately, I've had very few art classes in my life so I had to teach myself. (That's not to say that I couldn't go back and take a few classes some day- maybe when I retire...) Anyway, back to the topic at hand! I'm so excited that a true fan is working on this property and giving it the attention it deserves! THANK YOU for not changing Ken's look!! (I love Joe, too, but Ken was always my biggest crush.) You have it down perfectly! I've drawn him a billion times and I never quite got the little nuance in his eyes (or expression on his face) that makes him...him, kwim? I keep trying, though. I can't begin to tell you the excitement I feel for your project! It's going to be so amazing!!

Oh! I forgot to mention- you might enjoy looking at the "episode of the week" reviews by Transmute Jun and lborgia and the conversations about each episode that we have posted here. There are some great funny moments, TONS of screenshots, and some good information from some of our "Gatch gurus" that comes from the source! (Please excuse all of the shipping/ fangirling comments I provided...*swoon* ) Episode Reviews

Originally posted by Springie GirlCondor, how did you get these pics posted here? I used to link via Photobucket, but after they screwed everyone over, I gave up.

Hey, Springie -- Mylari posted a tutorial on how she posted images without Photobucket* : https://www.gatchamania.net/thread.php?threadid=4930&sid= * Photobucket -- Bah! A pox on thee, thou hideous fiend!

Awesome! Thank you, Ew!!

I have to agree with you, GC, that the newer renditions of Ken leave a lot to be desired. I, too, hate the shorter hair and they just seem to lose his youth. But then again, I don't like what they did to Joe and Jun either. Your technique is interesting. I never thought about working on the eyes alone to get them right, but that was always one of the distinct things about the way Gatchaman was drawn. Ken, Joe and Jun's eyes were their most distinguishing features.

Thank you KT! You have no idea how happy it makes me that other people besides me are seeing the character show through. <3 As an artist and a super fan, knowing I am achieving this makes me stupid happy. Thank you EW! ^_^ And bah, as long as you are looking at it and enjoying it I am satisfied, but my fragile little artist ego always appreciates the boost! Also thank you for that image tutorial link. I'll be keeping that in mind. I might even revive my old dA account. I'm currently using flickr and hoping they don't go the way of the dumdums running photobucket. My one viral tweet was a rant at those idiots. Not my art, of course... >_> Thank you Redbird! I have a total eye obsession. While drawing this I remembered that this show is probably what started it. I was absolutely mesmerized by the eye close ups. Jun's were the best. The agony on women's faces in particular is depicted as disturbingly beautiful and this still leaves me with a weird feeling of being both unsettled and drawn to the imagery. I was mostly drawing saber toothed cats (I have no explanation for that one), dragons, and unicorns up until I stumbled on G-Force, and then my focus went to people and especially eyes. I uh, may have also screen shotted practically every instance of Ken falling on his bum or getting walloped. I don't know why. But it's just so funny. To me...hmmm I bet I could make a mega gif out of those. mreheheheh.

Originally posted by GirlCondor I uh, may have also screen shotted practically every instance of Ken falling on his bum or getting walloped. I don't know why. But it's just so funny. To me...hmmm I bet I could make a mega gif out of those. mreheheheh.

Oooh, please do, I would just love to see it.... and I bet I'm not the only one either!

Originally posted by Springie You know already that I'm a HUGE fan of your art- so glad you made it over here! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but RL work has kept me so busy! I never have time to visit the forum or draw anymore! GirlCondor, how did you get these pics posted here? I used to link via Photobucket, but after they screwed everyone over, I gave up. If graphic design had been available back when I was in college, I think it would've been my major. Unfortunately, I've had very few art classes in my life so I had to teach myself. (That's not to say that I couldn't go back and take a few classes some day- maybe when I retire...) Anyway, back to the topic at hand! I'm so excited that a true fan is working on this property and giving it the attention it deserves! THANK YOU for not changing Ken's look!! (I love Joe, too, but Ken was always my biggest crush.) You have it down perfectly! I've drawn him a billion times and I never quite got the little nuance in his eyes (or expression on his face) that makes him...him, kwim? I keep trying, though. I can't begin to tell you the excitement I feel for your project! It's going to be so amazing!!

Springie!!!! I knew you'd show up here eventually. <3 And I hope you can get a little more time for your art and fandom fun stuff. My excuse is I really don't have much of a life outside of this right now. Kind of...well, we'll just say that I had to start over with a blank slate a little over 4 years ago and it's probably for the best. Made me a better artist anyway. THANK YOU for telling me this place existed. I was still on my lonesome fandom island until you started re-blogging my art and commenting on my tumblr posts. <3 (I totally did the Graphic Design degree thing. Which I'll be paying for until I'm 90 and I have never actually landed a full time graphic design job, and now I'm working on an unpaid fan project. XD I think your choices might have been wiser lmao). RE: Drawing the Ninja Birds. They are freaking hard to draw. I think it's because the animation varies so much and our brains have sort of amalgamated all those images into a singular ideal that we can't possibly match because it is always in a state of flux depending on which scene we are thinking about. I had a hell of a time when I first started sketching out Ken's character sheet. And Joe. Oh my god. That. Absolute. Jerk. I started focusing more on attitude and personality than just staring at screen shots, and this helped a lot. I can't explain how that works though lol. I found that when it comes to drawing likenesses of real people this approach is still valid. I really want this whole thing to feel....mmm...not so much that it is a part of the show, but accurate to our nostalgia. While it's an awesome show, we all remember it as being better than it was. And I'm trying to capture that memory. Like, this is definitely how little kid me saw Ken. I was debating on going black and white manga style for the comic to save myself some time but...no. It has to be color. That bright cheery yet slightly yellow tinged 70's color palette is a big fat piece to that nostalgia puzzle.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I have to agree with you, GC, that the newer renditions of Ken leave a lot to be desired. I, too, hate the shorter hair and they just seem to lose his youth. But then again, I don't like what they did to Joe and Jun either. Your technique is interesting. I never thought about working on the eyes alone to get them right, but that was always one of the distinct things about the way Gatchaman was drawn. Ken, Joe and Jun's eyes were their most distinguishing features.

Gahhhhhhh I don't even like to think about Joe and Jun. I think Ken's changes might have been the least crappy lol. I know some of this is nostalgia speaking, but when you reboot a series and drop what made the original characters so likable, what is the point besides money??? I can't promise I'll do a page like this for everybody, this just sort of happened. But it is very likely. I'll definitely be doing more eye studies! <3 I can say I thoroughly enjoy drawing fellas with beautiful huge eyes and eyelashes to kill for. :3

Originally posted by Springie Oh! I forgot to mention- you might enjoy looking at the "episode of the week" reviews by Transmute Jun and lborgia and the conversations about each episode that we have posted here. There are some great funny moments, TONS of screenshots, and some good information from some of our "Gatch gurus" that comes from the source! (Please excuse all of the shipping/ fangirling comments I provided...*swoon* ) Episode Reviews

Ah! Thank you! I will definitely check these out! Also, pretty sure we're all guilty of that at least internally hehehe.

Originally posted by GirlCondor RE: Drawing the Ninja Birds. They are freaking hard to draw. I think it's because the animation varies so much and our brains have sort of amalgamated all those images into a singular ideal that we can't possibly match because it is always in a state of flux depending on which scene we are thinking about. I had a hell of a time when I first started sketching out Ken's character sheet. And Joe. Oh my god. That. Absolute. Jerk. I started focusing more on attitude and personality than just staring at screen shots, and this helped a lot. I can't explain how that works though lol. I found that when it comes to drawing likenesses of real people this approach is still valid.

Yeah, I guess we do meld the images into our ideal for each character. There are some occasions where the animators get things hilariously wrong, especially in early episodes while they are still working out the look. One of the really interesting things I find about the series is how the characters actually "grow" over the two years. The detail in the drawing improved so much over the course of the series that if you see an early episode after just having watched a later one you kind of get that "Gosh, they look so young!" reaction. Sometimes I see a screenshot from the show and I can tell how early the episode the shot came from is, especially with Joe (but then, he is my favourite, so I look at him the most!!!).

I noticed the subtle shifts before when I sat down and binged the whole thing last year, but now that I'm going through and taking my screen shots, I am REALLY seeing it. The only thing that throws me off is when they reuse some of their stock footage from early episodes, and occasionally I wince when they choose an meh face. XD They all lose that carefree sweetness they started out with, and I don't know if that was a conscious choice or just the animation crew getting to know the art. It's neat though. The voice acting (at least for the original Japanese dubbing. I...can't watch it in English heh.) really grows with the series too. SPEAKING OF JOE. Yay another eye study! I hadn't drawn in over a week and it was starting to make me insane again. Plus, today I hit EP 81 for screen shots and notation, soooo this seemed fitting. I think I got his caged wild animal look down pretty well. There is a lot of pain in that face.

WOW! Excellent work CG! The gunner would approve!

Your detail is wonderful. Do you ever look in a mirror to see how your features change when you change expressions to use as a guide?

Originally posted by Redbird WOW! Excellent work CG! The gunner would approve!

Thank you!!!! ^_^

Originally posted by Becky Rock Your detail is wonderful. Do you ever look in a mirror to see how your features change when you change expressions to use as a guide?

Thank you! And constantly! Especially if I'm having trouble with an expression or a pose. I uh, get into character as much as I can so I can see exactly what needs to show through. And while I'm drawing, I've noticed I'll make the expressions I'm trying to draw because I can feel which muscles are moving and how the face is changing. Which is why I really really really hate drawing in public lol. So much self conscious. The downside to this is sometimes I accidentally draw myself, and my friends keep pointing it out even in faces I swear looking nothing like me...they just have my expressions. >_<

Originally posted by GirlCondor The downside to this is sometimes I accidentally draw myself, and my friends keep pointing it out even in faces I swear looking nothing like me...they just have my expressions. >_<

This is something that's very common when drawing human faces--you tend to unconsciously insert some aspect of your own features in the picture....

The downside to this is sometimes I accidentally draw myself, and my friends keep pointing it out even in faces I swear looking nothing like me...they just have my expressions. >_<[/quote] I could see that happening. My husband says he can tell the mood of the scene I'm writing by the look on my fce.

Referencing the pictures of Ken... I'm in love with those eyelashes!! Be still my beating heart. You habe Ken's character nicely wrapped up. Its pretty much how I see him. He does idolize his father and has people in 'boxes' where they belong in his life. I've seen this kind idolizing in real life and often ends in heartache to be real about it. The person discover the romantised birth parent has flaws and wasn't so self sacrificing at times even selfish in motives. Each situation is different-- complex. He has his own feeling and view on it. That black and white view is youth. If it doesn't change at all it can be harsh in dealing with people later on. But the bitterness that comes through in fightet is often from realizing its not all as it seems... seen that too in people part of growth. I hope he came out the other side of it one day.

Redbird - It's true!!! I love seeing pictures of artists because almost immediately I start to find similarities with the art an I think it's adorable. Except when it's me. Then it's annoying Ugh, no, I did that again?! Becky - I can absolutely see that happening! Writing/Drawing/Music, all that creativity is a direct emotional link. If you are working through it, you're gonna feel it, and your face is gonna show it.

Ebonyswanne - Hehe I had fun drawing them. :B I just wrapped up the whole series again. I'd started it a second time for some action shots last year, but didn't make it all the way through because like most humans, I try to avoid pain when I sense it coming. This is the second time I've watched it beginning to end, and I analyzed the hell out of it as I was going through grabbing my references and taking notes on anything that could be of value. I've got a better understanding of where all the characters are coming from now. And again, whether the writers intended it or not since the first half of the show was sort of unplanned chaos, watching Ken grow up is a horribly painful process. That poor boy gets his innocence ripped out of him episode after episode. Joe's innocence died when he was a boy. Ryu and Jinpei suffer, but as subordinates, they don't have to take on the same responsibilities the others do and they have been spared a lot of trauma. Jun deals with heaps of heart break, but again, she's not responsible for the entire team. I'm sort of curious to go back and find the G-Force dubbed version because I remember wanting to strangle Ken most of the time. I wonder how much they botched with that translation, because I don't think time and circumstance would change my view quite so much, though I know that approaching this as an adult there is a lot more I understand. And you are totally right on the whole idolization thing. I've watched this happen with a few friends. It's heartbreaking.

RE: Finishing my episode research. THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA ND I AM IN PAIN. I got my heart ripped out through my nose again. I feel like I got run over by a truck, and I'm probably going to be in mourning for a week. Again. Just like last time. How the hell does this show pull that off? It's so goofy and ridiculous, and then all of a sudden there's an emptiness where my insides are supposed to be and my organs are all spread out on the floor in alphabetical order. And yet, I wouldn't change it for anything. I empathize easily with fictional characters and it doesn't take much to make me hurt because while I might have trouble expressing my emotions with my face, I feel everything very intensely. But not too may stories have ever made me mourn. I know there are two sequel seasons, but...they don't exist for me. This is how it ends. And this is how I'm approaching my Origins project. Anything else would feel like a disgrace to Joe's struggle (and Ken's, and Jun's, and Jinpei's, and Ryu's, and Dr. Nambu's...) All the episodes once you hit the 30's have a poisoned innocence feel to them, and this intensifies with each episode that follows. But those last 8... Good.Grief. And that damn music!!! I have that effing flute track stuck in my brain. I binged the last 6 yesterday and tried to get everything out of them as fast as possible because I knew what was coming, and the sucker punch still got me. Dissecting these the way I have might have made it worse. There are a ton of subtle things, from hidden expressions that appear so fast on screen you don't catch them to quiet little animated moments and body language I never noticed before. I'll post my favorites eventually and I'll probably make a few gifs for you guys. (And for me. I'm definitely doing this for me. XD) I have like...20 or 30 folders I need to double check because I stopped stitching backgrounds and group shots together so I could hurry up and finish the series. I'll be creating a copy of my mega screen shot folder and sort everything by character/group shot/scene as well. It's a lot of work, but I can now map out the inside and outside of most major settings. There are tons of inconsistencies, but at this point I can use my imagination to fill in the gaps while keeping it all true to the show. I'm also going to go through the Episode of the Week thread Springie mentioned and see what I can find there. I'm pretty confident in my research, but now I'm digging for studio cannon stuff that never made it into the show. This fan fiction is not going to be 100% cannon...the more I dig, the more I realize that is totally impossible. Plus, the sexism and toxic masculinity are dated as hell and I'm not going to let that stand. I won't be changing characters, that's a no no. But there will be serious consequences when someone says or does something ignorant, and then they learn from it. And no one, no one of any worth will every tell the boys they can't cry. They have far too much to cry for.

Originally posted by GirlCondor RE: Finishing my episode research. THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA ND I AM IN PAIN. I got my heart ripped out through my nose again. I feel like I got run over by a truck, and I'm probably going to be in mourning for a week. Again. Just like last time. How the hell does this show pull that off? It's so goofy and ridiculous, and then all of a sudden there's an emptiness where my insides are supposed to be and my organs are all spread out on the floor in alphabetical order. And yet, I wouldn't change it for anything. I empathize easily with fictional characters and it doesn't take much to make me hurt because while I might have trouble expressing my emotions with my face, I feel everything very intensely. But not too may stories have ever made me mourn. I know there are two sequel seasons, but...they don't exist for me. This is how it ends. And this is how I'm approaching my Origins project. Anything else would feel like a disgrace to Joe's struggle (and Ken's, and Jun's, and Jinpei's, and Ryu's, and Dr. Nambu's...)

Yup, join the club! You're truly one of us now! I agree the initial series is the best, but Gatch II and F are worth a look. IMHO they're not as good as the first season. I think a lot of us tinker with the second and third series storylines the most when writing fiction. I think the flute piece you're talking about is the second half of the song "Red Illusion". Can't wait to see more of your work! Keep going!

GC, you explained your feelings so well. Many of us started with the Battle of the Planets version and had no idea 1- it came from something else, and 2- what do you mean you killed off my favorite character!! Back in 2000, I found a website called The White Shadow (I hope that's right) by Wendy Dinsmore (hope I got her last name right too). I had no experience with Japanese anime at that time, so I got my first hint where BotP came from and that the G-2 character died from her site. I was horrified at first, since the cartoons in America wouldn't dare show such a thing. That led me to the original Gatchfanfic site, where I found Wendy's fanfic 'Out of the Shadows'. which filled in the gap between Gatchaman and Gatchaman II. But I was still appalled. I profusely thanked Sandy Frank for not including those last episodes and not killing BotP's Jason. When I was finally able to get ahold of the original Gatchaman episodes with English dub, I finally began to see the very different lives Sandy Frank had given the BotP versions of the characters. I better understood why Joe would go through what he did. I fully understand your reference to grieving. My husband doesn't understand my fascination with all of the versions, so I have to keep my feelings close, but this site helps us to be us and share those wonderful feelings - even when its all of us grieving.

Originally posted by Becky Rock Back in 2000, I found a website called The White Shadow (I hope that's right) by Wendy Dinsmore (hope I got her last name right too). That led me to the original Gatchfanfic site, where I found Wendy's fanfic 'Out of the Shadows'. which filled in the gap between Gatchaman and Gatchaman II. But I was still appalled. I profusely thanked Sandy Frank for not including those last episodes and not killing BotP's Jason.

Not to hijack : I didn't know Wendy had a website at one point, but I will say "Out of the Shadows" is an awesome story! Everything falls together so well, it's just amazing. Plus she writes an epic Joe ! I think to an extent Jason fans get to play a little more with his story, because we didn't get much of it from BoTP, so you're able to expand on it and fill in the blanks etc.

At some point I'll have to watch Gatchaman II and Fighter. I know they won't be the same (those rocket ship designs are HORRIBLE yo), but they exist and they're a part of a thing I love. There's just no way I can cram them right now though, so I'll have to track them down after I finish Origins. And Wendy is flipping awesome. She helped me locate a whole bunch of cannon info a couple weeks ago. I'll definitely have to check out her fic! For now I want to stay away from writing by fellow fans until after I've hammered out my script(s) because I don't want to accidentally pull from anyone else. I'm actually really glad I stumbled back into the fandom completely ignorant of all the Gatchaman material that was released. (THERE WERE BOOKS?!!! WHAT?!) There is just so much information and it goes in so many different directions, I decided that if I wanted to create something truly cohesive, it would be best if I relied only on the English subbed original Japanese release as my main resource. I can totally sneak in easter eggs from everything else though! Becky - IT WAS/STILL IS TRAUMATIZING! And it sounds like a lot of you accidentally stumbled onto the real ending similar to how I did. It's nice to have a support group for this lmao. XD It's one thing to find out your favorite character died. Like, ok, that sure sucks and I am sad now. But, watching the team dynamic fracture and seeing the impact nearly two years of violence and trauma has had on everyone AND THEN my favorite character dies slowly while suffering profusely in self isolation over an agonizing 8 episodes? Hnnnngggg ow. I am fortunate that I am living with a friend who though he didn't grow up with this show the way I did, he's at least a fan of old school anime and understands/loves the way it can cut you to the core. So he hasn't given me any crap for being a quiet grumpy jerk this week.

All right. I think....I think we have an Owl. I knew Ryu was going to be tricky because much like Jinpei, he has a more simplified stylization than everyone else. So I took a few liberties and did my best to translate his face into real people features like I did with everybody else. I'm walking this weird line because while I want to keep the characters true to their original designs, I'm translating them into my stylization which is way more detailed, and on top of that, I'm also trying really hard to pull their ethnicities through. I hope I'm succeeding lol. Anyway, you guys get to see this before anyone else and be the judge because I really don't feel like dealing with my social media right now. I'll probably try sketching him a bit more tomorrow and see what comes out.

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I agree with Redbird wholeheartedly! While I like the hint of the Prince of Darkness (Ozzy!), I think the face needs to be a bit rounder and the neck a little shorter. (But, damn, that's great work!)

How old is Ryu in this drawing? I think his weight was overly exaggerated in the series.

Wow. That is definitely Ryu. He does look young, somehow. At first I thought maybe the hair was a little long . . . but on reflection I think EW is correct, the neck needs to be a bit shorter. I also agree about the rounder face. Or maybe not the face exactly, but the overall head shape should be a bit more round, a bit less elongated? I hope this doesn't come across as criticism. Your work is awesome!

BAHAHAHA I can totally see Ryu wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt and rocking out to War Pigs like a complete goof. He is the black sheep of the family after all... I think you guys are right about the neck and face shape. He's close, and this isn't bad for an initial attempt, but I'm not quite feeling it. His hair probably is a little long, I do tend to draw all of their hair a touch longer. And I tamed it a little. Poor Ryu always looks like he just woke up from an electrified nap. XD (And your criticisms are totally ok! That's why I posted him. I needed eyes that belong to people who are super familiar with the character.) As for age, I'm thinking 18ish? I know he's supposed to be the same age as Ken & Joe, but...I kind of want to make him a year older than them. I don't know why. I will say none of them except Jinpei really strike me as kids because their respective roles require a certain amount of confidence and seriousness. They all have moments of playfulness, but good god, a lot of that has been burned out of them pretty early on. Ryu's weight and age also seem particularly over done. I tend to give him more of a endomorph powerlifter body build. He's a heavy dude with some extra padding, but his musculature is also bulky and he has a wider shorter frame, which his body has to work harder to move around. No amount of training would ever make him look like G-1 or G-2. But I guess he can take solace in the fact that he can toss both those pretty boys across a room no problem. As I try to nail down how everyone looks, I'm starting with how they look from the show first, maybe somewhere around 3/4 of the way through, and then working backwards. It's just easier to start with something established first, but holy crap this is still definitely a challenge. I 100% understand why people don't typically draw characters aging through an entire freaking storyline. I might have regrets. XD

I would love to see Ryu throwing Ken and Joe around, just to prove he's as important to the team as they are. Get them in a head lock and give them a noogy.

*rubs her hands together and laughs maniacally* Oh I have plans. I have such plans... I have been going through the Episode of the Week thread, skimming as fast possible and mostly lurking in the fan comments for general fan opinions on characters and all those glorious gatchafacts Tatsunokfan keeps putting out there. I've gotta bug him about those interior maps and the Utoland/Jutland map of where everyone lives. The links he posted are sadly kaput. Even though I'm skimming, I still went through and fully read a whole bunch of the review breakdowns, including the BoTP and GoS ones as well. Aside from trying really hard not to choke to death on my own laughter, I am fascinated by the differences in each variation of the show. Even between the original Japanese (my fave!) and the ADV dubbing. The amount of effort that went into making these reviews is crazy and wonderful, and obviously full of love. When I first fell down this rabbit hole last year, a random google search brought me to a Galactor's Witch Racer review, but I think it must have been a different board because I wasn't aware of Gatchamania until Springie pointed me over here. Anyway, I was in tears reading through it. So many bloopers I never caught before. XD I'm nearing the end of this research business. I can feel it. Characters and personalities are falling into place, and closely in line with where they should be (for the original Japanese/English Subs version anyway. I'm sorry, but ADV can buzz off. I'm not a fan of chauvinistic ass Ken, or cruel RI. And that cringe worthy 70's slang. *shudders*) There should be a little bit of something in this for everyone, no matter what part of the fandom you hail from or which character you love most. I haven't done any more drawing after my not quite but close Ryu sketch, I'm just trying to burn through the rest of this research. So close! The end is in sight...

Oooh, GC, I'm soooo looking forward to it! *Excitedly bounces in wheelchair while typing*

I too am looking forward to your creations GC.

Originally posted by GirlCondor And that cringe worthy 70's slang. *shudders*)

Awww, I kinda like the 70's slang Looking forward to seeing the completed project!

Phase 2 has begun! I'm constructing timelines and hammering out a final outline! So in the past month and a half I have managed to dissect the entire series episode by episode (and in some cases frame by frame), as well as devour every scrap of canon info i could find in the Episode of the Week thread, plus analyze the avalanche of fan theories there (many of which are conclusions I came to myself). And of course I have my own spin on things. I did some math and stared at some notes trying to make sense of this timeline. I need to nail down everyone's age in order to go back in time and keep my head straight. It's impossible. Unless there are studio notes that distinctly say how old everyone is and when, a true canon answer does not exist. Contradictions and inconsistencies abound! This is the best I could come up with using Ken as my reference point. I doubt anyone really kept track of how old the kids are, (which I totally understand. I don't think they expected to ever go so deep with the story line, or that it would eat up 2 years. Exact dates are never mentioned either, a trend I shall continue). In lieu of that, I allowed my bias to take the reins. Ken is 2 months older than Joe which means their birthdays are the closest together. From there I constructed the rest, tipping the scales to the older side as much as I could because wow violence, and also, 15-year-old Jun flashing her ass all over the place makes me wince. That said, if the mini-skirt and flash'em/bash'em strategy were her ideas and she owns it, then I fully support her decision. Girl power! Here is my disgustingly colorful info-graphic I made for myself because I need visual aids with this sort of thing. If anyone has anything to add, don't be shy! I'm trying to make this work, but it's a little like collecting water with a spaghetti strainer. XD

Originally posted by Redbird

Originally posted by GirlCondor And that cringe worthy 70's slang. *shudders*)

Awww, I kinda like the 70's slang Looking forward to seeing the completed project!

It IS pretty hilarious at times. I have a hard time watching it with a straight face. XD But I think I die a little inside every time I hear Ken or Joe call someone "little mama". I don't know why that phrase upsets me to the core, but holy damn. If a guy ever calls me that, I can guarantee I'll pop him in the nose faster than he can say "Bird Go!"...

And I thank you guys for the moral support. I've managed to stay pretty focused on this lately. Knowing I have people cheering me own and anticipating what I'm creating is a definite help!!!

Looks like you're off to a great start with your timeline! For some reason I thought Ryu was the oldest? (was that supposed to be canon or am I misremembering?) Wasn't there some kind of age timeline we were given at some point?

Originally posted by GirlCondorBut I think I die a little inside every time I hear Ken or Joe call someone "little mama". I don't know why that phrase upsets me to the core, but holy damn. If a guy ever calls me that, I can guarantee I'll pop him in the nose faster than he can say "Bird Go!"...

Yeah, we all have stuff that ticks us off, and I can see where that might bother you. I've been called a lot of things in my life (some not so nice! ) but "mama" doesn't bother me. You're on a roll! Keep going!

Yes, in the BotP comics in the early 2000's. It was in the Top Cow BotP Battle Book. It has the following as of the beginning of the war: Anderson - 45 yrs old Cronus - 45 yrs old Mark - 18 yrs old Jason - 18 yrs old Princess - 17 yrs old Keyop - 10 yrs old Tiny - 18 yrs old It doesn't say where these ages come from. There has been lots of speculation, including some fans going so far as to provide birth dates. There might be something on Jason's site, but I would think between Jason and James, they would know.

I think your timeline is pretty spot on. I'm pretty sure those (middle of the series) ages are correct, but I can't recall where I got those ages from. As far as I know Ken and Joe were 18, Ryu 17, Jun 16 and Jinpei 11. Jinpei's birthday is the only one that appears in an episode(?), but I was never sure what age he turned that day. It seems like the characters are those ages for the entire two years! I'm also pretty sure everyone except me believes Ken is older than Joe. In my mind Joe is a few months older, and this is due to something Nambu says in one of the later episodes, but it could be my interpretation of a messed up subtitle! I know Ryu was bumped up in age for the OVA version.

Ok I found what I was looking for, I copied it from somewhere and saved it. Take it for what you will : Tatsunoko never released an official set of birthdays for the members of the Kagaku Ninjatai. Therefore, the following dates are "fanon," based on astrological charts done by a group of Japanese fans. They are: Ken: April 4, 1984 Joe: November 15, 1984 Jun: May 2, 1986 Jinpei: June 13, 1992 Ryu: March 20, 1985 Dr. Nambu: January 27, 1962 Berg Katse: October 3, 1974 Source: the fanzine, "Das Chronisch GM Syndrom" Vol. 2, published in 1983

Originally posted by Redbird Ok I found what I was looking for, I copied it from somewhere and saved it. Take it for what you will : Tatsunoko never released an official set of birthdays for the members of the Kagaku Ninjatai. Therefore, the following dates are "fanon," based on astrological charts done by a group of Japanese fans. They are: Ken: April 4, 1984 Joe: November 15, 1984 Jun: May 2, 1986 Jinpei: June 13, 1992 Ryu: March 20, 1985 Dr. Nambu: January 27, 1962 Berg Katse: October 3, 1974 Source: the fanzine, "Das Chronisch GM Syndrom" Vol. 2, published in 1983

RB, what year did they assume the war started?

Originally posted by Becky Rock RB, what year did they assume the war started?

I have no idea Becky, this was all the info that I saved on my computer. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I saw the dates online. Maybe someone else has an idea?

WHHHHHAAAAAA hey all, I am officially submerged in this business. It's effecting my freaking dreams. Started dreaming in technicolor a couple weeks ago, kept taking screen shots while dreaming and that was strange enough. Then Monday night was nothing but snippets of dialogue and story arcs flitting around, and last night I started getting random appearances of characters just standing there being present as if it's totally normal for them to hang out in my dreams. It's get'n weird yo. I did some more digging here on the forums and had to re-tweak my timeline a bit. I'm not sure where it is mentioned that Jun is 8 when she finds Jinpei, I think it might have been in one of the chunks of info Springie got from James for me last year. Anyway she's 6 years older than Jinpei, and between the mention of when she HAS to be 16 in EP. 74, plus the references that put Jinpei at 11 in EP. 95, she's gotta be 9. So that was a little hiccup. These are just my calculations and I'm sure anyone could swing the ages around a little bit. But I'm really trying to stick with the original Gatchaman canon and studio notes for the majority of this. I'm only making references to BotP and the ADV dubbing (and little something for G-Force too). I've been using a lot of info from James' posts since he seems to be the mega Gatchaman knowledge base (for which I am so very very thankful!). Then I went full psycho and plotted it all the way back to age 4 for Ken & Joe. Here is what this baby looks like right now. Hey, look, ma, I'm using that Graphic Design degree for something! Here's a direct link because this is a monster file and I don't even know if it will be legible at forum size. None of you HAVE to go through and read all that tiny type, but you are welcome to if you so wish. ^_^ https://flic.kr/p/28jBZAW As I mentioned before, I am way visual. And this idea, as crazy as it looks, is probably one of my better ones. Going by the studio notes James posted, episode 1 begins sometime in the year 2001. Which is really cool, and probably where those birth dates come from. (I uh...graduated in 2002 so I find them to be extra fascinating. *dodges rocks* I know, I know, I'm one of the babies on the board here...) I always loved that the show never actually mentioned a date though. It's just future 70's, whatever year that might be. And since they really down't allude to a date in the show (I think at one point Berg Katse mentions it being 50 years after the atomic bomb discover and that's about it), I decided to forgo a date driven timeline all together. Every letter or polaroid snapshot that pops up in my comic will have the date obscured somehow. Ink smudges, random paper overlapping, nothing gets a date. There are also no seasons. It is eternally summer unless you leave for different terrain. Although, I may sneak in a polaroid of the boys taking turns stuffing leaves down each other's coats. (This was a yearly tradition between me and the neighbor kid. Mmm dead leaves, tastes like autumn!) So without dates, I had to go by age! And thus this crazy chart was born. I blurred out some stuff so I don't give away all my goodies, and there are still things I need to add in, but this to scale year by year timeline is helping me nail down continuity and just where I need to watch out for pacing problems. I have two climaxes in Origins, the first big one surrounding how this Science Ninja Team business gets rolling in the first place, and a secondary climax just before the end. I have two scripts, one focusing on Ken & Joe and one focusing on Jun & Jinpei. Ryu gets a full back story, but he doesn't have nearly as much trauma and drama as the other four since he actually has a family. Both of those scripts will combine at one point to so this is a recipe for continuity catastrophe if I don't keep my crap straight. I've filled in a lot of what we know from the show, some of which are major plot points and some are just for reference, and I'm now in the process of creating my own ideas to plug up as many gaps and plot holes as I can, all while keeping it a fun little adventure (with copious amounts of heartbreak. No one gets out of this unscathed. No one.) I also had Joe older at first too! I can't remember why, if it just felt like he should be (and I still feel Ryu should be a year older than both of them), or if it was something in the show. I didn't come across any direct evidence of that yet though, so I ended up switching it for plot related reasons. He's now barely a month younger than Ken. Two boys, birthday's a month apart, and one tends to assume that because he's older, he should take on the big brother responsibilities, which the other one resents. Oh yes, we have some animosity. It's not that they don't get along, it's that Ken can sometimes be a pain in the ass even when he's being helpful, and Joe has always been a bit grumpy.

GC, seeing all this reminded me of a timeline problem I remember from Witch Race. It might just be a translation screw up on the video. When Joe meets up with Lucy they talk about how long it had been since the last time they'd raced together and one of them said it had been 5 years. If that was the case, then in my mind that made Joe between 19 and 21 in this episode, assuming he had started racing between 14 and 16. Otherwise, he would have been in go-carts vice an actual racing car at the 5 years ago point.

CG thats extremely detailed outlook on the teams time line. They were young really and the immaturity of their actions at times believable.

Originally posted by Becky Rock GC, seeing all this reminded me of a timeline problem I remember from Witch Race. It might just be a translation screw up on the video. When Joe meets up with Lucy they talk about how long it had been since the last time they'd raced together and one of them said it had been 5 years. If that was the case, then in my mind that made Joe between 19 and 21 in this episode, assuming he had started racing between 14 and 16. Otherwise, he would have been in go-carts vice an actual racing car at the 5 years ago point.

Good gravy even without that weird 5 year continuity issue, that episode is a mess! I'm not sure if: [list][*]Lucy was a person[**][*]Lucy was a creation of Galactor[**][*]Lucy was a creation of Galactor based on a real person[**][*]Lucy was an actual childhood friend of Joe who somehow changed her look and face and voice and yet is still easily recognized by him[**][*]I just hallucinated the entire episode because I downed too many pixie sticks in one go[**][/list] (Can it please be the last one??? Please???) I bet that one might be why I initially thought Joe was older too. (Aside from the fact that he looks it! And I don't think that's just having baby-faced Ken for comparison...) I think I have to let that one go. We'll probably see Joe hanging out at a race track talking to an older blond woman who looks an awful lot like Lucy and that's about it. I figure sneaking in a silent cameo with some of these crazy continuity issues is probably the smartest way for me to tackle it. Plus, meeting Lucy really isn't paramount to the storyline, and since I decided to draw the whole damn story instead of just writing it, I have to cut every excess tangent I can. (Oh. There have been some tears as I take a chainsaw to my own outline.) One of my sneaky work arounds is to have a spread at the end of each chapter that includes photos, letters, newspaper clippings, basically a scrapbook that can allude to the passage of time as well as the ages of the kids. All the dates are obscured! But this way I can at least hint to some of the things I would love to include but absolutely will not have time to flesh out. As an example, a better drawing of the timeout chair sketch I did will be a polaroid stuck in there at the end of the first chapter. I'm calling them chapters. I guess they'd be issues? Visual story chunk things. I'm also only covering years 8-17 in real time for the boys, and 8-15 for Jun. Any way I can shorten this, I have to. There's gonna be soooo much drawing. Be prepared for some grumbling once I'm roughly one month into drawing the the actual comic.

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne CG thats extremely detailed outlook on the teams time line. They were young really and the immaturity of their actions at times believable.

XD It's absurd. It's definitely absurd. I figure I would rather have too much information than too little though, and if it keeps me at least close to what the studio originally had in mind, then all the better. I swear I forget how young they are every time I watch it until the show reminds me. They go through so much...but anime, and particularly anime whose creators were heavily influenced by WWII, LOVES it's young tragic hero children.

Love the outline! That is a TON of work!! This is so exciting! I think you did great translating Ryu into a more detailed style! I agree he needs a bit more chub *ahem* ...muscle...and a thicker neck. I'm cracking up that you mentioned his hair being like he just woke up from an electrified nap! ROFL! Perhaps, you could make it a bit messier, maybe (but not SHOCKINGLY so)? *grin* I forgot that I mentioned the episode reviews earlier! So glad you looked through them! I still sometimes look at one or two of them for a giggle. I agree, that Utoland map that James posted was awesome...hope you are able to get it! Also, there were Japanese fan made layouts of the Snack J, Joe's trailer and Ken's shack at the airfield (if I remember correctly). Anyone here have copies of these?

It's been a while so I thought I'd give you all a little update, at least for those of you who aren't following along on my various social media haunts. I don't have much art to show at the moment since I've been focused on the writing part of this project. Most of my art lately has either been Patreon reward related, or studies. I won't be getting to the good stuff (i.e. panel layout and more character sheets), until after I get my scripts finalized. But, here are a couple of kid studies I did recently. I'm not used to drawing children and kiddos will make up the majority of characters early on, so here is a Jun study based on how she might look at 1-2 years old. The second photo isn't Gatchaman related at all, just translating a real life child into the style I want to emulate for these stories. Still trying to nail down those facial proportions. This little boy turned out so perfect though, I have to show him off. Martin is about 4 years old and he is the offspring of a rather talented artist pal of mine. I LOVE that hair and I will definitely need to include at least one secondary character or background character with curls like those! (A decision I will no doubt regret later. ) So, what's the status on this thing? WELL. We officially have two written stories, Gatchaman: Origins, and Gatchaman: The Swan and the Swallow. Instead of doing a one shot, I have decided to break everything down into an ongoing series. Even with my attempts at condensing things and removing all the filler, there is still a lot of story here and I prefer the slower paced Manga approach rather than the fast paced blink and it's over American Action Comics style. We will have action, but my forte is definitely character development. In order to keep my art consistent, I'll be working on both stories in tandem. I want the panel layouts on the entire bloody thing roughed out first so I don't have to think about what I'm drawing, I can just go go go! My aim is to alternate between the stories issue by issue until they both merge together in Origins chapter 7. Since Ken and Joe are the eldest, we will start with Origins. Origins is 11 chapters long, and the main theme seems to be overcoming trauma. (Who didn't see that coming Haaaaaa). I have a scene by scene breakdown which is almost ready for me to translate into the final script. The Swan and the Swallow is technically 6 chapters long, but the last chapter is a 2 parter. This weekend/week I'll be working to turn my detailed outline into a full scene by scene breakdown. Where Origins focuses on trauma, the Swan and the Swallow is more Jun's story, and the running theme seems to be overcoming hardship and adversity. I am currently on track to begin the final panel by panel layouts of both scripts by September 1st. *fingers crossed* I'll begin thumb nailing my panels as I write so I can simultaneously visualize how everything should look and get an idea of how much room I have for dialogue. No idea what the page count on these will be yet, but I have a feeling that you guys are basically getting an entire frigg'n season out of me. XD I have a mountain of work ahead of me, but I am determined to punch through it. I'll be spending more than a year on this, and I'm good with that. Between my day job and Patreon, I'm ok to work on this without worrying about finances. I also keep picking up more fans with the Gatchaman related stuff I've been posting, so I don't think my art career is going to suffer terribly if I take several years to focus on this silliness and ignore the sketch cards and contract work I was surviving on (and honestly starting to utterly despise doing, even when I loved the subject matter). The wonderful Springie has been helping me out as a test reader to make sure I keep both scripts true to character and the series. We have LOADS of easter eggs for you guys! Once I have both scripts finalized, I might reach out and ask for a few volunteers to give them one last run through. Since I'm going with sequential script form, this will be similar to a movie script where I describe the scenes and the only actual language to make it into the final product will be dialogue or narration. So it might be a little awkward to read, unlike the pretty prose one can fill a written fanfic with. Big thank yous to everyone who has stopped by this thread, commented, or just looked at it. I might have started this project 100% for myself, but I can't tell you enough how much it helps knowing I have people behind me cheering me on. Especially when I have one of those inevitable meltdowns...

Hey! Great to see an update from you! The Jun sketch is very cute! I really like the addition of the rabbit stuffed toy The picture of your friend's kid came out very nicely too! Love the hair on that one. Totally fab. So glad that you're still plugging away on the project. I think it makes sense to chop everything down into smaller manageable "bites" and making it an ongoing series (and even better for US because we get more story from you that way!). Have to admit I'm really intrigued....can't wait to see what you have in store for everyone (especially the Condor, yes I am biased! LOL). Please keep us updated when you can! Look forward to seeing more from you as time allows.

Jun is cute, with the two slightly different levels of curly hair. Your friend's child has beautiful hair. I think young children's facial structures are hard. Some are chubby and some are thin, just like we adults. My son was 8 and a half lbs at birth, so chubby at first. He started losing his chubbiness at about 9 months and started getting it back when he was about ten. Then it was chubby until a growth spurt, then chubby again, etc, etc. Then he started lifting weights to play high school football. He ended up 6'3" 240 lbs. He's my gentle giant (since I'm only 5'1 1/2") but don't tick him off. Then he's my Tiny. More power to you for this incredible project you've undertaken.

Love hearing the updates! I agree... your work on little Jun is awesome....and your friend's little boy turned out fabulous! It is so interesting to me seeing the realistic take on him vs. the anime-ish one! The eyes are SO expressive! He would be a great "guest star" in your series! From what I've read, everyone, you're in for a real treat! I can't wait to see the stories drawn out! It is going to be amazing!

Thank you RB, BR, & Springie! I was made aware yesterday that Today marks BotP's 40th Anniversary! While that was not the show that dragged me into this fandom, I can't let this day pass unrecognized. Here's something you haven't seen from me before. I took all my knowledge from the kiddo studies I was doing, plus all the knowledge from my recent dive down the "let's learn how to draw the human head from scratch again" rabbit hole, and applied it to Joe and his partner in crime (literally), Alan! I wish I could have posted this earlier but...drawing takes a while and also I need to eat and shower sometimes. So I've drawn Joe a lot, but this is my favorite rendition of him as fully adult. I put him at about 18 here. Alan has a cameo in issue one, which means I had to take a shot at drawing his adult self first before turning the clock back until he was a child. Usually I do lots of concept roughs and then pick out the best ones, but I decided screw it, today is a special day, I'm going to grab this challenge and conquer it and draw both Alans! And then I discovered that like Joe, Alan also turns into a different person in almost every single still... Several hours of cursing later, good enough. He might change, but I really saw his younger self with long hair and a bit of a rough look to his clothing. Alan either doesn't have parents, or they're deadbeats, that much was implied. I haven't found any information on him other than what we know directly from that episode, so I grabbed artistic liberty and made him 2 years older than Joe. It just felt right. On this page we have Joe - 18, George - 8, adult Alan - 20, young Alan - 10. My favorite thing about all these drawings together is Alan's strong Sicilian background makes Joe's mixed Japanese heritage more pronounced, and I really wanted that to show through. I sort of stumbled into a depression hole at the beginning of the month and fell behind on my schedule, but I'm ok and things are slowly getting back on track again. These drawings have actually helped me immensely to recharge my batteries. The fatigue sucks, but I think the loss of focus is the worst. I finally had my focus back yesterday after a straight week of being in zombie mode. Gross. I hate this depression crap, but it has been improving over the years and my trips to the abyss are relatively short lived now. And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pass out since I seem to be sleeping through the night again.

Wow!!!! Fantastic work.

You're work is so clear! But I can see the million hours of drawing that goes into getting it to that level. I often prefer fandom drawings of the birdies, in the series its done quickly because they have a time slot to fill, and not much time to be too detailed and accurate, just had to look like him. I can forgive the anime artists of those times because of how much they did without computers. Happy 40th BOTP!!! I would have been 6yrs old almost 7 when it first came to the screens. Australia at those times would have had it a year or two later. I still remember first seeing it and thinking WOW, a girl hero (Swan Princess) who's not there to just be pretty!! And never missing an episode of its 5pm time. That meant fighting with my 3 sisters for the TV time slot! Next to Dr who it was my all time favourite. Dr Who was 6.30pm at least it didn't have to be a choice.

I am so envious of our drawing ability!! Those are wonderful. It was plain to me Joe had some Asian blood, but it confused me that Joe's eyes were more Asian than Ken and Jun, who are supposed to be at least half Japanese. Nothing was ever said or even implied as to the Asian part of Joe's heritage in the series. Lots of fanfic fodder for us.

Originally posted by Becky Rock It was plain to me Joe had some Asian blood, but it confused me that Joe's eyes were more Asian than Ken and Jun, who are supposed to be at least have Japanese. Nothing was ever said or even implied as to the Asian part of Joe's heritage in the series. Lots of fanfic fodder for us.

A couple of years ago, Rachel made the observation that Joe's eyes were the same as the drawings of samurai in ancient Japanese scrolls. (Of course, she had pictures that proved her point, but, since Photobucket turned evil....) So now we can speculate if that was intentional!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite A couple of years ago, Rachel made the observation that Joe's eyes were the same as the drawings of samurai in ancient Japanese scrolls. (Of course, she had pictures that proved her point, but, since Photobucket turned evil....) So now we can speculate if that was intentional!

Hmmmm....I don't remember her saying that , but that's pretty cool!

Thank you KT! ES - Thank you! ^_^ It has definitely taken some effort! While I'm always looking to improve my abilities, I can also admit a lot of my creative growth has come from sheer spite. I get mad that I can't do something the way I feel I should be able to and then I get hyper focused on getting better because it made me mad. XD Who says you can't harness your rage to do good?! I pick on this show mercilessly but only because I love it so damn much. Those poor animators had to crank out tons of work so fast, and a lot of what they were doing was completely groundbreaking at the time. Many-face issues and occasional weird anatomy aside, there are some animated scenes that still catch me off guard with how real and nuanced they are. Emotional body language was a big part of the draw for me when the animation was on point. One scene in particular that always stuck with me was in Jigokillers P1 when Ken gets into is plane after reluctantly deciding to light the field of flowers on fire. His movement is so defeated you can see the weight of his guilt and I have to wonder if the animators actually took the time to watch someone get in and out of a small plane in exactly that fashion. And I am so glad I didn't have any siblings to fight for the TV! I can't remember what time slot it was on after I got home from school, but I distinctly remember begging my dad to take a break from his news. Which he did because I was an adorable little turd.

BR - Thank you! I'm really trying to pull their heritage into my art. In a world where white washing is so common, I don't want the team to be mistaken for caucasian, though that is a forgivable misunderstanding with the westernized names/voices in other versions of the show, plus the heavy stylization of the art in general. Watching through it all again so closely though, there are some interesting things I have noticed. It is typically in some of the profile turns, but there are scenes where Ken and Jun's faces have a distinctly asian structure. Even Jinpei and Ryu show it at times, though the most noticeable are for Jinpei was at the beginning when his eyes were drawn a little differently. This may or may not be intentional since artists often draw themselves. (It has been pointed out to me that I draw my mouth and nose A LOT hahaha damn it. And of course my expressions because I have to look at my face for that anyway. XD) According to the studio info I have, Jun and Joe are the only two who are mixed, Ken, Jinpei, and Ryu are supposedly just Japanese. So as I break things down and get to know these faces in both their younger and older selves, I've been trying to see what I can do to pull their ethnicity forward and keep the feel of show's stylization. It's not just the eyes, but the cheek and forehead structure as well. I am weirdly fascinated by this stuff. On top of that and the whole age regression thing, I'm studying how features are passed on genetically. Because. Well. There are two sets of parents for two of our science ninjas whose faces we have never seen (technically 3 but I'm leaving the third pair a mystery), and I will need to draw them as well.

Originally posted by ElectricWhite A couple of years ago, Rachel made the observation that Joe's eyes were the same as the drawings of samurai in ancient Japanese scrolls. (Of course, she had pictures that proved her point, but, since Photobucket turned evil....) So now we can speculate if that was intentional!

Oh oh oh! Was this one of them??? Which I aptly labelled "Joe Makes A Samurai Face!"... I grabbed it just because I thought it was hilarious. XD Years ago I watched Seven Samurai for the first time, a film that I will say all the hype is true and I adore it. The first thing I noticed was the expressions the actors were using, which you can translate directly into many common expression tropes used throughout anime in general. I assume this is a cultural thing, but I freaking love it.

Originally posted by GirlCondor

Originally posted by ElectricWhite A couple of years ago, Rachel made the observation that Joe's eyes were the same as the drawings of samurai in ancient Japanese scrolls. (Of course, she had pictures that proved her point, but, since Photobucket turned evil....) So now we can speculate if that was intentional!

Oh oh oh! Was this one of them??? Which I aptly labelled "Joe Makes A Samurai Face!"... I grabbed it just because I thought it was hilarious. XD Years ago I watched Seven Samurai for the first time, a film that I will say all the hype is true and I adore it. The first thing I noticed was the expressions the actors were using, which you can translate directly into many common expression tropes used throughout anime in general. I assume this is a cultural thing, but I freaking love it.

Actually, I meant she had an image of a samurai from a scroll; he looked Condor-level pissed off while drawing his sword. "Joe Makes a Samurai Face" does fit nicely, though!

The hair color didn't fit for Ken, Ryu and Jinpei either. At least Ryu and Jinpei have brown eyes. I've noticed in a lot of Japanese anime most of the characters look Caucasian vice Asian. I've always wondered why.

I just popping on to announce it here too...The REAL work has officially begun! I shared a photo on my Patreon account too, but this is the only public posting of my pages so far. This is a really exciting milestone for me. After more than a year of prep work and waiting to get to the fun part, I am finally here. The story is taking on a tangible form and coming to life! Teeny. Tiny. Scribbly. Life. XD [/url]Gatchaman Origins Page Thumbnails Sneak Peek! Yes, you can go click on the link to zoom wayyyyyy the hell in and make your own theories as to what is happening here. I know you want to. This is...going to take a while haha. I would LOVE to have chapter/issue one of Origins ready to release by May 2019, followed shortly by chapter one of The Swan and the Swallow. I have heaps of work ahead of me, and I need to thumbnail both stories from beginning to end before I can start drawing the final comic pages. I reached out a couple days ago to fellow artists and writers on my Facebook who have experience working with comics and scriptwriting to get some feedback on what I've done so far. Hoping to hear good things, but if I'm screwing something up, I'd rather know 5 pages in than 50. This is a dumdum fun project, but it's also very serious practice. I've always wanted to take a dive into sequential art. It's a little intimidating. I mean, it's a hell of commitment. You gotta LOVE the bejesus out of whatever it is you are working on if you are going to draw the same bleeding faces 500bajillion times. Fortunately for me, I do indeed love the bejesus out of my Gatchaman.

Wow. it is starting to look real!!!! All those months of planning are now starting to take shape. Keep it up, I'm sure we're all excited about seeing the final product.

I'm thrilled that you've reached a new level of excitement in this! I'm chomping at the bit to see your progress!

This is so exciting! I can't imagine taking on this great project, but I'm so happy you are. More power to you!

Thanks guys! I still can't believe I'm making this happen. Whenever I'm feeling lost looking at all the work ahead of me, I look at just how much I've done and holy crud. I have been a busy girl! ANd....I got my feedback today lol. Whew. Wow. So the good news is I know how to draw. And I know how to tell a story. But uh...I have some critiques to see to. XD THANK GOODNESS MY CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN REALLY GREAT LATELY. (I'm trying to reinforce said confidence with the caps lock on. I'm also learning this is not how confidence works.) Joking aside, this is a positive critiquing and overall I'm headed in the right direction. I'm so glad I decided to be brave and ask the big kids for input before I was like....half way done with page layouts.

Hurray for positive critiquing! I've gotten good and bad in my writing (published books, not fics) that make me want to reach through the computer and smack the bad person because its obvious they didn't read the whole book. I always try for positive. It's part of that saying 'If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all'.

BR - Hurray indeed! Ugh, nothing like a dud trying to give you a half ass critique. It's a double insult because not only does it knock your pride, you can't even get anything constructive out of it. >_> I have been really lucky so far. All my test readers (including the ones who don't know me super well and have no reason to be extra nice to me), have been helpful. If there are mistakes, I need someone to point them out! But I've run into my first dud....I have 3 fellas helping me with my page layouts right now. Two are fantastic and helped me nail down some panel issues I need to fix, plus they've given me some pointers to keep in mind for future pages. They're actively pushing me to draw a more compelling story, and that's precisely what I was hoping for. I fear number 3 is a dud though. We are not gonna jive and I have to tell him thanks but no thanks. His suggestions have all been just....really bad. Like bad story telling bad. And here I am double checking with everyone else that what I am doing is best for the story because his comments rattled my confidence and I want to make sure I'm not just having a pissy ego because I didn't like what he said. Grrr.

Let's play a game! It's called, which Dr. Nambu's house is your favorite cuz ain't one of these like the other... I'm pretty sure these are the only 10 differing shots we get of the Doctor's house. Anyway, I started working on mapping this sucker out this week and wow. What a mess. So, I'm going to pick one of these and add some things I like from the other versions to it, and call it a day. I'd say he had renovations over the course of the series, but then he miraculously scrapped them. Dr. Nambu is magic! For reals though. Which one do you guys like the most?

I guess those two shots from EP93 are the same place at different angles, but that third one definitely does not make a bingo. Oh and magical appearing mountains! Where did THOSE come from? I also have to figure out where the crap I'm gonna put that walled in patio from the episode with G6...

Now that's you've pointed out the different looks, I can't help thinking that Nambu's place puts Hogwarts and Howl's Moving Castle to shame! My next thought was how I wouldn't be able to enter through the front door (wheelchairs and steps don't tend to get along, after all). Then I finally got down to business. I like both Ep. 11 and Ep. 93. I don't have any specific reason why -- they just had the most appeal. I've been struck by another thought (ouch) as I looked at all the cliffside vistas -- how often did those active boys come close to going off the side? Hmm...

That is a substantial amount of renovation! As to favorite - I rather like the EP16 version - plenty of room for the practice areas and computer/research space, yet high visibility in all directions. As noted, the stairs may need revision for accessibility, and I don't really see vehicle storage areas - could be a nearby building, with subterranean access in bad weather (or Galactor attack).

Of all of those, I like Ep. 11 best. but overall, I don't like any of them. It actually resembles a building at a rest stop in central West Virginia. LOL

I like 16, and its very similar cousin from 31 the best. Not sure why.

I was leaning toward 16 myself, and started attempting to break it down into shapes. I like the windows and it's very roomy feeling. The place needs to be BIG! I'm pulling a few things from some of the others too. BR - I agree! Tis an ugly structure. But I'm also not the biggest fan of contemporary art/architecture. Blech. I've been googling contemporary cliffside houses for inspiration and have decided the whole of humanity is insane. I have no interest in sleeping in a glass box nailed to a bunch of rocks! Secure structure my butt. What about earth quakes? What about storms? What about sitting down to hard and the whole thing breaks off into the ocean? That's a big fat bowl of nope. I'm trying to make this thing both functional and more interesting. We don't see the ocean side or the far side (possibly the western side? I haven't checked all the sunset shots, but at lest one establishes it as west.) That means I get to add whatever I want there, and it's a good thing too! I have to work in that patio, and I found I could add a stepped architectural design running down the cliff face to hint that there is much more to this structure than meets the eye. I'm also added a garage/secondary entrance (wheel chair friendly yo! There's a lift inside, and the doctor has to have several elevators for his labs. I don't think Dr. Nambu is quite that tone deaf, plus I spend part of my day pushing my buddy Rob around. I'm sick of crap not being accessible...) via expanding/deepening that fancy stepped main entrance, and there is a secondary driveway that meets up with a lower level of the house on the western side because Joe jumps out a freaking window in EP 103 and drives off in his new racer... There are three different aesthetics going on in the Doctor's house too. XD We have super 70's modern vibe, CC Base vibe, and suddenly wood paneling and green carpet vibe. I can't believe I ever though this was all the same place! Ok, so here's where it gets worse. How about terrain? This is outside Dr. Nambu's house/estate. And I found two more exterior shots hidden in my screen shot folders. We have Joe on the flower covered hill in EP 98, And Ryu taking a nap on possibly the same hill EP 75. Distance must be arbitrary here. So much for being on a peninsula with a fabulous ocean view! Maybe Dr. Nambu got a hold of magic/science plans for creating an engine to move his entire house like the one that moves Dracula's castle in Castlevania...They're both men of science after all.

I keep expecting to see Julie Andrews twirl into the shot while singing the theme from "The Sound of Music"....

For some reason I can picture a swallow and an owl reenacting the part out of sheer boredom.

The one with Joe almost makes it look like the house is on the edge of a desert.

Originally posted by ElectricWhite I keep expecting to see Julie Andrews twirl into the shot while singing the theme from "The Sound of Music"....

I've been to Salzburg a few times and never had an urge to go on the 'Sound of Music" Tour. I really didn't care for the movie. But I do agree those views remind me of the mountain fields in both Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

In other news...Can you Gatchamaniacs tell me which one of our Science Ninjas this mother belongs to??? If I've done my job well, it should be a pretty easy guess...I've been staring at her all day though, so you guys get to be my judges. XD

You've made me afraid to guess wrong, but I would say it's Joe's mum - Katerina?

My guess is it's Jun's mom.

I think it's Joe's Mom, too, with those eyes.

And the answer is.... Katarina Asakura! Without seeing images of them side by side I thought it might be a toss up between Joe's mom and Jun's mom because her features are very sweet, and because of the mouth shape/worried look. However, Katarina's mouth is the stylized Tatsunoko lady mouth which nearly every female character has (with exception to the Female Commander [She NEEDS A COOL NAME]). Her cupid's bow is broader than Jun's, and her nose shape is rounded (more Japanese). She also carries tension in her eyebrows the same way Joe does. Of course, she lacks his hardness, but as a boy Joe will resemble his mother more than his father. He has his momma's eye shape and placement, however, he doesn't have their color. Katarina's eyes are more of a light hazel, and Giuseppe's are cold blue. We know adult Joe is almost a spitting image of Giuseppe from Katse's reaction to his "disguise" in EP81, but his eyes were hidden with sunglasses. We also know from Joe's memories that his mother had light hair, a little blonder than his, and she wore it up in a bun style. I went with something more late 60's/mod because Galactor kind of has that vibe (plus, the West's late 60's influence is actually pretty prevalent in the show). I reverse engineered Joe's face into a more feminine form, assuming he would have his mother's eyes, but his father's facial structure. His and Giuseppe's profiles are almost identical, same nose and very similar mouth. I wanted Katerina's Japanese lineage to be present as well, which is most obvious in her eyes, profile, (not shown, but I drew it) and high cheek bones. I'm working on Giuseppe now. We'll see how he turns out. So far, he looks like a real jerk. Gee, what a surprise! This is actually a lot of fun. Over the last year I've been studying my friends faces and their kiddos, as well as my own baby pics and my parents. I love how not only features but expressions and mannerisms are passed down. One of my friends had identical twin boys earlier this year and as soon as they started making faces I noticed they both quirk their right eyebrows up just like their dad. Apparently all the boys on her husband's side of the family inherited this, but none of the girls. And my dear mother has reminded me I still set my bottom jaw in an underbite when I'm annoyed or concentrating fiercely on something, exactly like my grandfather on my dad's side. XD

Dr. Nambu's House! Ok, I'm giving you a link to my Patreon. PLEASE do not feel obligated to follow or throw money at me, though it is certainly appreciated if you choose to. Only my full thumbnail sketch reveals of the comic itself as it is in progress will be paid posts for Patrons only, all the other Gatch related posts (minus high res downloads because thieves are dumb) become public for everyone. I don't want to make money off this thing, I just want to make the thing. I have a pounding headache and there are a ton of screen shots in here, and I didn't have the foresight to set aside all the images I used in a separate folder so finding them again to upload them to flickr and make a forum post makes me want to die. I'm choosing the path of least resistance on this! Patreon link with screen shots and episode references so you know how I got here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/22595995 And art. Some sketches I did trying to figure things out. First attempts at an aerial view so I have a base for the room layouts. And then after being dumb and trying to draw it by hand, I got smart and opened Adobe Illustrator. The Doctor's house is aligned with the Fibonacci Spiral! Tomorrow, I'll share more with you guys. I didn't get any further on panels this week because I have been really out of sorts. Also, I needed to nail down looks for Joe's Parents and get moving on the layout for Dr. Nambu's villa because holy crap those scenes are right around the corner!

Ok, more art today. (Oh yah, and I don't produce smut, Patreon just thinks I do because I drew some female nipples a while back. I draw people. There is going to be nudity. I am trying to get the "Adult Content" flag lifted off my freaking account, but it's going to take a while. So you get a big scary ARE YOU OVER 18 notice when you follow the link I posted to my breakdown on Dr. Nambu's villa. Le Sigh.) Update on the Asakuras! I'd like to finish the profile for Katarina and add one for Giuseppe. The important part was just getting some features nailed down before I had to draw them in my thumbnails. Here they are! And for comparison, their offspring. A friend remarked that Giuseppe kind of looks like a greasy car salesman, and that's totally what I was going for. XD XD XD Think Goodfellas meets the Yakuza. (I still stand by my theory that B.C. Island is basically a Galactor Mafia. The Suits. The Bowing. The Death. The Suicide. MAFIA.) Also, it's the mustache. Why do mustaches make me uncomfortable? They do. It's weird. Gah. Frigg'n 70's. Giuseppe is not a man to be trifled with, but I don't think either of Joe's parents are evil people. More like decent people who got caught up in something that at first offered them the stars before they realized the danger, and then they did whatever they could to survive. That seems to be a common narrative for the show. I realize the reason Joe's parents were murdered for trying to defect is really just something to move the plot and give Joe extra incentive to despise Galactor. But it's not hard to connect a few dots and realize they were probably trying to save their son from sharing their fate. Ahhhh ironic tragedy. Also, I don't think Joe gets his knack for marksmanship from his dad. Just putting that out there. Maybe if Giuseppe hadn't been such a prideful jerk and his wife was the one with the weapon, they'd still be alive.

AND... Because I'm really proud of these two pages, and you guys are going to be waiting patiently for a long time before I have finished work to release... Here is a (semi crappy) photo of my layout thumbnails for Pages 6 and 7! No dialogue yet, that first page doesn't have any and the second one only has narration. I'm totally continuing the theme of the anonymous omnipotent narrator. Ken is dealing with a difficult loss, and it's going to have one hell of an impact on the person he grows up to become. (Also, these thumbnails are tiny. It looks big. But those pages are 2inx3in and I realize I am nuts.)

I love the mini-comic strip! Am eager to see the whole thing. Giuseppe definitely looks like a greasy car salesman! LOL. And I have to say I like the rose necklace that Katerina is wearing (nice little inclusion there!) -- and I totally like the twist of HER being the excellent marksman. (I don't know if you follow the show, but it reminds me of "Supernatural" where the boys find out it's not their dad, John, that was the hunter, but their MOM, Mary!)

Originally posted by GirlCondor (I still stand by my theory that B.C. Island is basically a Galactor Mafia. The Suits. The Bowing. The Death. The Suicide. MAFIA.)

That isn't as far out as you think -- I can't tell you how often I've heard that B.C. Island is another name for Sicily (the home of La Cosa Nostra), just as Ameris is another name for America.

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by GirlCondor (I still stand by my theory that B.C. Island is basically a Galactor Mafia. The Suits. The Bowing. The Death. The Suicide. MAFIA.)

That isn't as far out as you think -- I can't tell you how often I've heard that B.C. Island is another name for Sicily (the home of La Cosa Nostra), just as Ameris is another name for America.

I was under that impression also, EW. I love the idea Katarina was the more bad ass of the two. The way you did Guiseppe's eyes almost make him look a bit Asian. With the name Asakura, that may have been your intention, GC. Or I'm just seeing what I want to see.

Page 6 & 7 display a lot of intense emotions. I like how its shaping up in details of the story.

Originally posted by Redbird And I have to say I like the rose necklace that Katerina is wearing (nice little inclusion there!) -- and I totally like the twist of HER being the excellent marksman. (I don't know if you follow the show, but it reminds me of "Supernatural" where the boys find out it's not their dad, John, that was the hunter, but their MOM, Mary!)

Yussss! I am wayyyyy behind on that show, but I do remember that! ^_^ I couldn't help myself on the rose necklace. XD We need more badass ladies! Even if she was working for the bad guys. I feel like there might have been some personal bitterness in the way the Asakura family was dispatched...

Originally posted by Becky RockThe way you did Guiseppe's eyes almost make him look a bit Asian. With the name Asakura, that may have been your intention, GC. Or I'm just seeing what I want to see.

You are correct! And yay! I am glad you can see those features showing through. I was really trying to capture a mixed Japanese/Sicilian appearance while also sticking to the stylized aesthetic of the show. It's easy to completely white wash these characters because of the anime style.

Many thank yous for the kind words! <3 I keep vanishing on and off, but I am steadily chipping away at this monster project. And...I have another little tidbit to leave you all with! Here's Joe's first two pages! Also, my first fight sequence. Ever. It's so short lol. I haven't sent these off to the fellas giving me panel critiques yet so we'll see if these pages stay this way, but I think I'm understanding a little more of what I'm doing. Wrapping my brain around how to set up the action here took a while. Ken's introduction was relatively easy. It was mostly just Ken and I was able to tell a lot of the story with his wonderfully expressive little face. Joe's introduction is wayyy more complex. I have more characters and more relationships and personalities to establish in a very short amount of time. Plus action. (That move on the bottom left panel should look a little familiar!) Some fun stuff: I'm sure you guys can recognize Joe in his hat, and figure out that is Alan sitting on the crate. The third kid I had to make up. I've named him Vinnie in the script. He just seems like a little Vinnie. I'm realizing I could probably do an entire series chronicling the mischief these little monsters get into. Someone needs to tell Jinpei he's not the only short skinny kid to be on the team. Joe is also the youngest in that trio... These attitudes are based on real children. May I present to you the original inspiration for Joe and Alan. XD Originally found here - http://pswbportaiture.blogspot.com/2010/03/young-smokers-brooklyn-1975.html More to come!

The boys are even somewhat from the correct time period. You're doing great, GC!

Really nice work, GC! The panel looks great - so much attention to detail! (And YAY a Supernatural fan! The show definitely isn't what it used to be, but I'm still watching because I've been there since the very first episode! Gotta stick around until the end...whenever that is! LOL)

I haven't updated this thread in a while, so...it's time for an ART DUMP! We got this guy. Since there isn't much canon background for Jun, I had some fun with the script for The Swan and the Swallow. Koji is most certainly a very big part of it, which means I needed to age him backwards. His similarities to Ken will remain uncanny. Whether or not that was on purpose by Tatsunoko, I am running with it. Jun will meet Koji for the first time in chapter 3 of S&S, when she is 10 and Koji is 12. Yep. That story is gonna hurt. A lot. Onto some screen shot studies. We got a Dr. Nambu! Not too shabby for a first attempt. He's actually being jovial, but it's always so hard to tell. This will be a re-occurring theme... Next up, a Jun and super adorable Jinpei. I don't know why he got picked on for being goofy looking. I mean, when I was 11 we were ALL goofy looking. (For real, who is allowing kids these days to be all suave with their fancy haircuts and ability to use makeup properly and wear clothes that aren't going to be a total embarrassment in 10 years?! That is so not fair. I had giant wire rim glasses and a supremely dorky "hugs not drugs" shirt I wore rather religiously. The awkward stage was a right of passage! *shakes cane wildly* And get off my damn lawn!) And then because drawing 2 characters wasn't enough, I decided to make things really difficult on myself. I liked how Ryu turned out and wanted to make him younger. Plus, I hadn't done an Eagle or Condor teen study yet. So I broke out a sheet of tracing paper and redrew them. Ryu is actually the same size, just a smidge narrower. Seeing him next to a pre-final growth spurt Ken & Joe makes him look smaller too. Here they are at 15, 16, and 16! Due to previous remarks made about a Ryu study I'd posted here earlier, I totally stuck him in that Black Sabbath shirt. XD We're rolling with it! Yes, Ken is wearing stripes similar to Jun and Jinpei. If this were in full color, your eyes might bleed. I don't think he is fashion challenged as much as he just doesn't bother beyond "is it clean?". Joe, on the other hand, chooses his wardrobe with care. The purpose of that shirt is mostly to irritate Jun. And those shoes exist! Two-toned Hush Puppies on Ryu and Ken, and Vans flat soled skaters for Joe. I like the vans. The Hush Puppies are uglier than sin...especially the blue, red, and white pair I based Ken's on. XD XD XD Side note - I borrowed Ryu's short hair style from his little brother. That brings us up to my New Year's post, which I'll just link here in case anyone missed it. I didn't include it in this thread since it isn't actually Origins related. I will make a new thread for digital freebies too. I'll start that tomorrow along with a digital wallpaper post. I am really excited about the fact that I finally landed on a coloring style for this comic. I've been so nervous about that. Old dogs can too learn new tricks! And finally.. I'm officially making headway on panel layouts again. As an added bonus...here is an extra page my social media has not seen. When it comes to scenes that we have seen before, like Joe's memories which are happening in real time here, I'm trying to pull as much influence as I can from the original animation, but applying it to sequential art. Which is hard because obviously my images don't move. So you'll see familiar expressions and body language to help you feel like you are once again at that scene, even if it's viewed from a completely different angle. Joe's story wraps up at page 20, and then we have a little surprise. I've written an additional scene to introduce Dr. Nambu and tie these threads together. My previous setup worked before, but I feel this will give me a smoother transition with the added bonus of showing my audience just how Dr. Nambu orchestrated George Asakura's extraction from B.C. Island. I'm still learning how to break my story down into comic pages for the script, but my current estimate puts chapter one at 33 pages. Three of those are title pages because I am a cheater, but that is still a lot of work. Originally, I was going to thumbnail all my pages and then start working on the final layouts. I've since realized that this is a super dumb idea and I will hate myself if I continue down this path. So instead, as soon as I finish these thumbnails I will be jumping directly into the final page layout/drawing/production of chapter one! Bonus for you guys, you're gonna get it sooner. ^_^ Of course, since I am working on two stories in tandem here because they unfold almost in real time (which was completely unplanned), the next chapter I work on will be chapter one of The Swan and the Swallow. At least, that's the plan for now. Many thank yous to all of you for your continued support and kind words as I toil away on this. <3 Little by little, I am creeping toward that finish line.

I'm loving it.... keep it up, can't wait to see the finished article!

Oooooh, I can't wait!

Those are so fantastic! I do have a question. I've noticed on some of the speed 'drawing the character' posts on YouTube that the artists place a pencil on the drawing and I've seen you do it. Is that to show the size of the drawing or is there some other reason for it?

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Still loving every snippet you share with us, and eagerly looking forward to seeing your finished product. Super envious of not only your amazing talent, but also the work ethic - you have put so much time into researching and character study . . . and all the other hard work you put in. You are making it look easy, but I can certainly appreciate that it probably doesn't feel easy for you! Every time you tell us you have conquered something you were struggling with, or learned something new my heart lifts for you. Thanks for bringing us with you on this journey!

Thank you guys! It's crazy seeing this thing finally take shape. What was supposed to be a 20 page short story has turned into a monster, but with all the help I've gotten from fellow gatchafans, it's a monster I can control. I'm so glad I've got you all along for the ride. With big projects like this, it's really nice to A- have company, and B- get that extra reassurance that yes, what you are doing is good and you should not stop! And in case you missed it, the freebie thread is up! Wallpapers, high res downloads, and coloring pages. I'm sure there will be more stuff to come. Check it out, and drop me a message or a comment if you are interested. If you want the whole shebang, that's even easier since it's one download link. https://www.gatchamania.net/thread.php?threadid=5665&sid= BR - The pencil is indeed for scale! I draw so stinking small it's kind of necessary. It also let's my audience know what tool I used. I'll leave pens or paint brushes next to pieces I've inked or painted. Occasionally it provides a directional or balancing element for what would otherwise be an awkward Instagram shot, and, when necessary, can be used as a censor block. XD Heaven forbid I upload any female presenting nipples to tumblr now...(Yeah, my blog got hit pretty hard, but it still exists. Angry emails have been sent and ignored.) Springie - Even as a kid watching the show I remember thinking "Huh. Those sure do look like Goon pants. That's an odd choice." And since I was only watching G-Force, I had no idea Joe's parents were traitors of Galactor until 2017. I seem to remember G-Force hinting that they were scientists working against Galactor. Funny how Tatsunoko repeated these images though, like Jun's Devil Star bikini. I still don't know if this was done intentionally as foreshadowing since Gatchaman and Galactor are so intertwined, or if it was just whim. The storyteller in me loves it though. Katblu - Thank you! <3 I'm not sure how much of it is work ethic and how much of it is unchecked obsession though. XD When left to my own devices, I love to go off the deep end and just...saturate myself with a thing. It really is a labor of love though. I'm also fortunate that I landed on a reasonably non-stressful full time day job that allows me to work on this stuff. I'm a caretaker for my best friend 7 days a week. I can sit next to him working on my art while making sure he's comfortable and has whatever he needs. If it wasn't for this job, I definitely wouldn't be able to pursue this project the way I am.

[quote]Originally posted by GirlCondor https://www.gatchamania.net/thread.php?threadid=5665&sid= BR - The pencil is indeed for scale! I draw so stinking small it's kind of necessary. It also let's my audience know what tool I used. I'll leave pens or paint brushes next to pieces I've inked or painted. Occasionally it provides a directional or balancing element for what would otherwise be an awkward Instagram shot, and, when necessary, can be used as a censor block. XD Heaven forbid I upload any female presenting nipples to tumblr now...(Yeah, my blog got hit pretty hard, but it still exists. Angry emails have been sent and ignored.) I guess everyone forgets that most actesses don't where bras and are always showing their nipples, but they don't get any flack about it.

It's been a while since my last update! And you know what that means. Mega post. Get ready for a wall of text with pictures! Origins Update: The comic is progressing, but slowly. After finishing up that last batch of thumbnails, I decided to make the leap from traditional sketches to digital. My reasoning behind this is I am looking at probably a 500 page project (or more), and I do not have the room to store 500 11x17 sheets of comic board. Also, these thumbnails are hell on my eyes because they are so tiny. Going digital means I can zoom in to see what I'm doing, while also being able to zoom way out and view my compositions and overall page flow. Did I ease myself into this gently and allow myself to fully acclimate beforehand? Hahaha no. That would involve foresight and patience. I immediately launched into working strictly with my wacom tablet, which resulted in several weeks of rage, depression, and seriously questioning many of my life choices. A digital stylus and pen tablet are absolutely not the same thing as a pencil and sketchbook. Fortunately, (sometimes unfortunately), I am a stubborn mofo and managed to stick it out until my hand and brain finally adjusted to the change. (For those of you who have never used a pen tablet, it's basically drawing with a mouse. You can't look down at your hand while you draw, like a sketch book. This utterly destroyed my line control. If I could afford a Surfacebook Pro or a fancy Cintiq with the screen you draw on directly, this would have been much easier. Alas, I am not rich.) I made it through the darkness to emerge victorious on the other side! And yes, I honestly love digital drawing now. A surreal feeling considering only a month ago I straight up despised it. Ah, but it was not without sacrifice. That stubborn streak also kept me working when I should have been listening to my screaming elbow. I gave myself a nasty case of bursitis and had to stop doing pretty much everything that involved moving or bending my left elbow for 3 weeks. Moral of the story, always put padding under your elbows when you sit at a computer and lean on them for hours on end. Ok, enough chatter. Here's a sneak peek of two pages from part 3 of Chapter 1, The Doctor. I turned off the text so I can keep you all guessing, but for a little context, Dr. Nambu is speaking with the administrator overseeing George's care, Dr. Takahara (she's new), and Ken is tagging along. His mother is in hospice care at the same hospital. He asks about the injured little boy, and Dr. Nambu tells him what he can. We even get a flashback to a moment during George's rescue! I got stuck on that last panel, and may end up changing a bunch of stuff around. P1, The Eagle, and P2, The Condor, are both narrated introductions with no dialogue. The Doctor is where we jump into the meat of the story and now I have to contend with dialogue bubbles and a growing cast of characters. In order to NOT shoot myself in the foot, I'm dropping in the text as I work to make sure I have enough room for everything. I'm also pulling heavy inspiration from the original show's use of camera angles and framing shots, and yes, that means reflections! I loved those reflections. I'm probably going to hate rendering them, but they're such rich story telling elements I know it'll be worth the fight. And all of this is much faster digitally because I can copy paste, move stuff around, and resize in an instant. While I've been stuck, I switched gears to something else that is still digital so I can keep honing this new skillset. The past couple of weeks I have spent creating a concept art base of Joe that I can draw costume variations on. (Plus, I got to draw the Condor in his underwear, so, bonus. ) I need to come up with some prototype suits, and I will be updating the team's final look a bit. No one panic! My redesigns won't be a jarring shift from the show you grew up loving. I'm just adding a little function to the form and adjusting it for my more detailed art style. My goal is to give fans something they love as much if not more than the original. ^_^ Joe Base! *coughs* You're welcome. My polished art always looks so clean, so here's a shot of the in progress base drawing with my initial structural scribble beside it. I rough in my lines the same way I would on a sketchbook. The big difference is I can start a new layer when I want to draw over top and clean up my lines. He's blue because the color is easier on my eyes. Blue also denotes impermanence, while black lines are "ink". Psychology! And whenever I do something that requires a crap ton of accurate anatomy, I tend to draw in the whole muscular system. This helps me get all my contour lines and accent lines in the right places. Wrapping muscles around bones also helps me to visualize in 3 dimensions. Ah, and he's mirrored because flipping back and forth = finding your mistakes faster. This is so much easier than using a damn light box. Once the base is done I can draw whatever I want over top. I have everything on separate layers so he's basically a digital paper doll. Of course, the first thing I did was stick him in a Galactor getup. This is 100% just for practice, I have no plans on turning poor Joe into a Galactor Captain (BUT WOULDN'T HE BE GREAT AT IT). The seams on his outfit as well as the Galactor patterns are on separate layers. While this is not a Science Ninja suit, I always felt the Black Birds were supposed to be a Galactor perversion of the Science Ninjas. Therefore, they have a lot in common. For one, the characters need to be light enough to fly and move fast, and they need to be able to do their acrobatics. I chose a seamed fabric/synthetic/leather instead of armor for my first concept. These guys all move like gymnasts and kung fu fighters. Armor is restrictive and would destroy their sleek aesthetic. (Don't ever ask me my honest opinion on redesigns. You'll get a 3 hour dissertation on how wrong they are. Ugh I am a Gatchasnob...) Joe's arms are on separate layers from his body so I can isolate them as needed to continue seam lines and patterns. On top of that, having him stand at this angle allows me to see the under side of his left arm. I'll also be able to draw a sidearm and holster on his right hip and reference this concept sheet to see exactly how it should look. Alternate Universe George Asakura's parents never betrayed Galactor, and this is what he grew up to be. I pulled from both Koji's Black Bird helmet and uniform as well as the regular Black Birds. And since everything is on separate layers, I can isolate the body suit from the cap, or show him with and without the helmet. Even his hair is on a separate layer so I could see the shape of his skull to draw the helmet around it. (Just realized I didn't post that, but yes, the base drawing has his head shaved. ) George the Black Bird - I'll probably come back to this later and give him his holster/sidearm, and I'm going to slap an evil Galactor transmutation band on his left wrist. Just for the hell of it. And a nice close up of that damn helmet with and without his face. THIS THING. Rounded motorcycle helmets are hard to draw. The Black Bird and the Science Ninja helmets are an absolute nightmare to draw. It took me 8 attempts to get this thing right. I think I chose one of the most difficult angles to draw it at too. XD Still sleek and retro with a little extra form. I love the angry screaming black bird maw. So there you have it! my very first costume redesign. I now know how to set these files up and I'm fairly content with the whole concept art base idea so...I will be working on at least 4 more of these. Yep. Gotta do the whole team. Yes, Team Eagle, Ken will be my next victim. Mreheheheh... Oooh I can put him in that Galactor suit he wore for that prison break episode! I'd love to turn the resulting costumes into an actual paper doll book, buuuut I can't make money off this stuff and production is expensive. :/ At the very least, I'll share my art and you can all laugh with me as I inevitably get bored and decide to stick them in dorky clothes or stupid costumes they have no business being in. *EDIT* My apologies for the watermarks, but uh, I dealt with some art theft recently. One of my original works ended up plastered all over a bunch of merchandise on Amazon, Wish, and AliExpress. I have to be more careful with finished looking art, even with forum posts. I hate art thieves... *EDIT AGAIN because I can't ever seem to put images on here at the correct resolution and break the forum...*

Oh it's coming along brilliantly, keep it up. Joe would have made an excellent Blackbird, and I believe Katse would have been considerably more successful if he'd had Joe on his side, (if only because Joe wouldn't have been on the SNT). Can't wait to see how you torture the other teammates, although I think at one time or another, they've all worn the goon outfits anyway.

We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Seriously, though, you've made amazing progress. And your sketches of Joe have proven to be a nice way to get my mind off my beat-up ol' body telling me how much it hates me. (Apparently, it's my fault that my part of the world is experiencing roller coaster weather.) Anyway, thank you for sharing this with us!

I'm speechless, GC! And I love the way you tell us about the process you use to draw. You've drawn the hospital scene so well, that I can see how shocked and hurt Joe is. The teddy bear is a great touch. And Ken's curiousity is plain. And be still my heart! Mouth watering over your Joe. I like your Blackbird uniform design. If he had been one, he'd been in charge.

KT - Thank you! ^_^ You know, I think Joe might actually be the only one who didn't don a Galactor getup. He used the goons as shields or hid behind their unconscious bodies, but we never see him in goon duds! I'd never actually thought about that before. Can't help but wonder if he just couldn't stomach it. EW - Thank you! <3 I'm so sorry you're hurting, but I'm more than happy to give you pretty distractions. XD BR - Thank you! ^_^ <3 Well, I do like to dispel the myth that all this stuff comes out perfect and without effort lol. I can't wait to get to the final stages of this comic. But. Gotta finish these thumbnails and get a little more feedback first. I have oodles of surprises in store for you guys. Oodles! If I can stay on schedule, I'm looking at late summer for the first chapter. Fingers crossed, breath held. I will hopefully have more updates soon. I'm still kind of off after messing up my arm. Here's a deranged Katse without his mask that I totally forgot about. This was just for the hell of it after my arm was finally on the mend and I wanted to work out the rust before I started on my project again. Katse won't be in origins, but I'd love to sink my teeth into a Katse/Female Commander story line! I'd even give her a real name...

Ok, I love it but his/her eyes...they look an awful lot like Joe's. Is that just a coincidence?

BR - It definitely wasn't on purpose, but I noticed it myself like a day after I finished drawing it. XD I think it might be the expression more than the eyes since Joe's eyes are more angled and even sharper. I've used that piercing caged animal look aimed directly at the viewer with Joe a lot, and I did the same thing to Katse here. To be fair, they are both severely emotionally disturbed. Katse's intensity comes from madness where Joe's comes from trauma. I'll definitely have to take another crack at Katse though (oh. no. I have to draw more Gatch art. How sad. ). I'd love to do an actual full color piece of both him and his female counterpart. Something Art Nouveau and evil... I noticed the animation gave both Katse and the Female Commander almost elliptical eyes. I was never sure if it was just a whim decision from the animators or if their eyes should actually be inhuman, which would make sense. That's another concept I'd like to toy with.

Wow, wow ---WOW. All your recent updates are fantastic, GC. I love the "Blackbird" Joe. It reminds me of the "Dark Condor" figure that came out a few years ago, when Tatsunoko released the Fighting Gear Figures. Love how you gave Ryu the Black Sabbath T-shirt! Yes! And Joe's "Disco Sucks" shirt! LOL Keep up the great work and thank you for keeping up updated! Can't wait for the day when it all comes together in its entirety! : )

Thanks Redbird! <3 I think I might have seen that figure during a reference search, but I didn't really look into it. Now I'll have to dig him up! If there is a science ninja with dark side potential, it's definitely our Joe. XD

I fell off the earth for a bit there, but I'm still working on this crazy thing. Hit some snags on the third part of chapter 1 as far as my thumbnails go, and I'm still waiting on some feedback on a few things. I ended up taking a couple weeks off from drawing because I was nearing burnout. I've also had to pick up my old commission list again, which stinks, but I do need to get that stuff out of the way. Gatchaman Origins is still in the front seat though, and everyone is just gonna have to deal with that. (I honestly haven't had any complaints. My private collectors are lovely people and they're fully aware of my current passion project. <3) Fingers crossed I can make an end of August release for Chapter 1! I am trying like hell, anyway. Last week I was back to it after my mini-break and had to work out the rust. Here's a lanky looking Eagle just for fun!(and a reference for when I'll need it later). I'd put him at about 10-11 years old, same age as Jinpei. Unlike Jinpei, he's not small for his age, but still adorably awkward in build. I uh...also started dating again in April and that basically murdered my month with distraction. Learning to balance the whole survival job/art/budding relationship thing is something I haven't done in a very long time. Sooooo...that's gonna be a learning curve lol. On the plus side, I can now accurately depict any scenes from The Swan and the Swallow of Jun riding behind Koji on his motorcycle from actual experience. And I was unaware that you can get motorcycle helmets with a wireless intercom link so you can talk and/or listen to music while riding together. I think the Science Ninjas need some upgrades...

That's a great drawing of Ken GC. He's happy about something. Hopefully your date isn't the type to get jealous about the time your spend on your art.

Originally posted by Becky Rock That's a great drawing of Ken GC. He's happy about something. Hopefully your date isn't the type to get jealous about the time your spend on your art.

Thank you! Drawing both him and Joe younger and having a blast is a lot of fun. They uh...don't seem to get very much of that. :/ And we've had a few conversations about this! I've really tried my best to let this poor fellow know just what exactly he is getting tangled up with. Fortunately, he shares my need for space, has a creative drive himself, and he's been wonderfully supportive of my gatchamadness, (even though he has never watched the show. I'll make a convert out of this one yet!). We'll see how this fairs in another month though, when I'm in full on power-art-mode. XD

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WOW... 43 pages - talk about inspired (or maybe you're a glutton for punishment! LOL)! But I'm impressed! Can't wait to see more - just don't burn yourself out!

This is gonna be AWESOME! Keep going, can't wait to see it.

Wow! What a labor of love. I'm rubbing my hands together with anticipation.

The artwork in this thread is just so awesome. Absolutely lovely. Please keep it up!

Thanks guys! <3 My humble little artist ego appreciates all the cheering and motivation it can get. ^_^ Some developments since my last post: Here's a peek at a preliminary rough I posted on Instagram. I'm still struggling a little with keeping faces consistent (HOLY crap that is hard yo, respect to animators and comic artists who do this stuff all the time and make it look effortless...), but the more I draw the boys, the more their faces become familiar. I was really happy with this particular sampling of expressions. They're almost 9 years old here. THEN...We have the cover concept for the first issue! A friend shared my concept cover post on FB and someone commented "I hope whoever is making this thing does a good job and can capture that show's ominous feeling," and I laughed maniacally into the night because I know how it all unfolds and these stories are going to make you hurt as much as they make you laugh... I can't start drawing the cover art just yet. And that is driving me nuts. But I've got this scribble to let stew in my brain until the time comes, which might be sooner than I think. Because... I've begun work on the final comic art! AHHHHH! It's happening! I still have a little more to wrap up for preliminary work, but I'm close enough that it is time to get cracking on the comic itself! The goal was an end of August release date. I highly doubt I'll make that. But we are getting close.

I love it! It's easier to tell the boys apart by their hair color and Joe's slanted eyes. I really love the frame with Nambu and the boys with their future alter egos behind them.

Originally posted by GirlCondor The goal was an end of August release date. I highly doubt I'll make that. But we are getting close.

Fantastic work as usual! KEEP GOING!

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All right! Freebie thread has been updated. If any of you wish to claim some digital Condor swag, you can check it out here.