The offending character from the Starman/ Congorilla special, the Tasmanian Devil.
I've been checking out reviews of the Starman/ Congorilla issue. And one of things I keep seeing, even here on the blog, is that people are either NOT reading the book, or they aren't comprehending what they are reading. It's crazy.
If you haven't read the issue STOP HERE, spoilers and such. You were warned.
For the record. The Tasmanian Devil was NOT, I repeat, NOT DEAD. He'd been skinned alive and the rest of him was kept in a stasis pod, this enabled him to talk to Malavar the gorilla and build a friendship… if he was dead this wouldn't have happened and the story wouldn't have taken place. There are literally pages of people complaining about this on the DC boards, like 11. Half of them appear to have not even read the story. If you haven't read something or seen it, try not to make public statements until you do, makes you not look quite so bad;)
Also, complaining about this 'death' is not a review. I'm trying to gauge fan reaction and its difficult when everyone (or mostly everyone) is complaining about something that's not even in the story. If you're going to review things at least pay attention to what you're reviewing and review it!
I don't consider myself a great reader but damn people!
Most of the reviews based on the actual comic have been pretty good, except for the IGN one (and another but I can't remember which one,) that guy hates me, or maybe it's the 'Image' style (I haven't seen a review from the Every Day is Wednesday guy yet, but he like the IGN guy hates my stuff so it's hard to take seriously when they insult instead of trying to be objective.) I've heard that I make the necks too long… My torsos are too long, and that my people are too muscled. Fun, fun, fun! I never heard the neck thing before, but I tend to like my character wiry so they aren't built like body builders (which might explain the neck thing) more like ripped dancers and athletes. I like for them to be able to move;) And I like my super humans to look, well super human;)
Shout out to the Ifanboy guy, thanks for actually reading the book! I'm glad you liked it.
Best!
Brett
Update: James has said he was indeed dead but I actually think he's messing with people;)
I've not read this story so I can't comment on it or the art but from some of the art I've seen (most recently your Powergirl & Huntress story) I do get the "ripped dancers and athletes" vibe that you mention. If anyone has seen a dancer's body, particular a male or female ballet dancer, they have incredible musuclar tone.
ReplyDeleteI also like that you make the women look like the athletes THAT THEY ARE while maintaining their femininity. Some artist seem to lack one inorder to capture the other. Rarely both are drawn. You capture emotions very well. But art, like most everything else, is subjective.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDude! You just made my day be infinitely happier! ^ ^ I just loved the heart of the Tasmanian Devil and I confess that I felt my heart break when "thought" he "died" and not content to just "kill" it also subjected him to humiliation and indignity of the final turn it a "fur rug" for a villain snobbish, pompous and overly overrated beyond anything that has cut the arm of the Red Arrow, and killed his daughter for having Liam completing an arrow on his forehead at the hands of the Green Arrow! This news fills me with happiness and sincerely think you need not worry excessively about what "critics" say. Critics roughly creators are just frustrated by what they themselves are not capable of doing a job to fill the defects of those who may have talent and skill to do what they can not. I really like your work. I love muscled characters physicists beautiful what's wrong with that? Incidentally I should like what? "Rob Liefield? but he has no idea how to draw ... Superheroes are meant to be inspiration for us to be a colorful and reading escapist and I see nothing wrong with that nor beautiful guys and beautiful women super-heroines! tasting Congorilla Solovar the King of Gorilla-City and I also loved my favorite superheroes are the big guys big men-beasts of the super-groups finally I do not think you should be concerned both with critics ... They say that when we are criticized "a lot" of one or two is because our work is bad or is it that is great and people care so much about what he wants us to improve! Anyway let talk about what want what is important is his personal opinion and you stick what you do ^ ^!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Brett to be honest I had thought for some time an "explanation" to revive the Tasmanian Devil only explanation that I thought was a bit more "mystical" and had to do with Australian Aboriginal myths as the "Dream Time "and" Rainbow Serpent "...
ReplyDelete"Tasmanian Devil
History
Hugh Dawkins was born with an uncommon metahuman ability, to transform into a therianthropic tasmanian devil (the marsupial, not the cartoon character... as if it needed to be said). His family had a tough time accepting him for who he was... an openly gay, mutant-born shape-shifter. It wasn't until Hugh's differences saved his father's life that he would find approval in his family's eyes.
A joking retelling of his origin implies that he was the son of a were-devil that belonged to a sect of tasmanian devil-worshippers who, in exchange for the sale of his soul to a tasmanian devil, was granted a magical tasmanian devil amulet as he was injected with radioactive tasmanian devil musk that was freely given by a race of alien tasmanian devils.
The defender of his homeland, Dawkins worked alone until recruited into the Global Guardians, then later, the Justice League International.
Tasmanian Devil encountered Hush, who was at the time posing as Bruce Wayne. He did not realize that it was Hush.
Recenlty, Tasmanian Devil was brutally killed by Prometheus (who started to hunt down members of Global Guardians, successfully killing Gloss and Sandstorm) and then turned into a rug.
Should have been a humiliating end and nothing worthy to a hero not for the detail that it was not for Hugh at all "an end". He found himself suddenly moving in spirit to the Dream Time where he met with the Australian aboriginal deity known as "Rainbow Serpent" who revealed to him secrets that he did not know about its origin.
Apparently the "joke" that he "invented" about the Tasmanian Devils extradimensional was not so far from reality. He was not a Were-Tasmanian Devil Lycanthropes a race of half-demon, of, Dream Time ancient as or older than the werewolves of European half spirit beings half flesh half dream half reality born of the blood of the Rainbow Serpent with the purpose of being their guardians and separate the Dream Time of Awakening. Among the Tasmanian Devils condition of becoming or not Keepers of the Dream Time and awaken his powers was not a genetic condition or a curse for being beings that actually were "Spirits Dressed in fur Flesh and Blood" to become a Tasmanian Devil was something that was only those who were truly worthy of it. She explained to him that he was a Tasmanian Devil not by birth but a spiritual heritage because Tasmanian Devils Keepers of the Dream Time was created not born and that he had become one because her spirit was that of a. The Rainbow Serpent also explained that if the fact that he be "Gay" does not actually make it less worthy in their eyes and that Taz could if he wanted to return to live in the moment because you want to have his body turned into a rug fur meant nothing as an obstacle to their children whenever he wanted and he could dream up a new body for him in the Dream Time of the waking world. Taz reflected and realized that for better or worse still the world needed heroes but similarly also needed wise so he spent the time he was in the Dream time learning the secrets of nature mystic for the next time you come a dick stuck Prometheus as a god trying to kill him he made mincemeat of the hapless immediately and when the time came he dreamed for himself a new body and was reborn in the world awake ready to resume his position Superhero Australian and now also one of the Guardians Dream Time come to join the Justice League International.
ReplyDeletePowers
ReplyDeleteTasmanian Devil has the power to transmute by concentrating his human body into a giant beast like a giant therianthrope Were-Tasmanian Devil . In this way his physical strength increases the meta-human proportions and he is able to raise or pressed more than 97 tonnes, it also becomes semi-invulnerable and can withstand most of the more powerful attacks based on power, psyche and strength but not magic. Their claws and fangs are capable of inflicting damage even in meta-humans as Superman, Captain Marvel, Black Adam and Martian Manhunter. He also has an awesome power that rarely use called "Cry Evil" which is a terrifying scream can shatter the soul of a victim. Finally after the period she spent in the Dream Time Taz became a powerful shaman aboriginal with a wide range of mystical powers as the ability to control the primary elements, fire, weather, dreams (they can go crazy with an opponent illusions come from nightmares) of the soul and the nature (being that gives you the power to absorb the vital energy of mother nature as animals, plants and the earth itself to expand its gigantic strength and in the process also expanding its size to immense proportions). Despite being an openly gay Taz has nothing in his character stating that he Gay is being that he is not a "Homosexual Stereotyped" (behavior "effeminate") and even myth masculine and manly attitudes."
But I think one thing was not very clear yet ... when I made that whole speech against the death of characters like Tasmanian Devil, Sue Dibny, Liam Harper, Baby Wildebeest, Pantha, the vast majority of the Teen Titans killed by "Emo Prime" and all characters who have died horrible deaths and brutal I was am referring to this current trend of modern superhero comics of "Let's be anything but 'heroes' rip our companions make a blunder of unimaginable proportions that will bring devastating consequences then we'll curse us for donkeys in the bitterly regret blaming each other and stay whimpering in corners like a bunch of assholes. " And about that I refer to the Identity Crisis and Dr. Light "rapist" and Wife's Murder Atom death of Ted Kord Blue Beetle to the Black Adam omnipotent serial killer and the Third World War, Final Crisis and put everything where it but NO I was referring to miniseries you are writing or the participation of the Tasmanian Devil on it ... On the contrary, I am forever thankful for, do it Brett, and, bring, Taz back, along with so many wonderful characters. When I protested about the death of Taz I mentioned the "death" of him in Justice League Cry of Justice as well as everything that happened there (the destruction of Star City, Roy Harper have an arm cut off, I loved Liam heart, dead as well as all the characters, the Global Guardians, who were anything but "disposable" ...) finally I did not speak against his work Brett far that I am a huge fan of him what I "protested" against this was the current craze " we will kill the 'useless' because NO "useless" ... Anyway I apologize for the misunderstanding that caused ...
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that how Cry for Justice was written it sounded like the Tasmanian Devil was killed and then skinned. It is an understandable mistake for a reader to make. I didn't read this issue I will probably pick it up this week, because I have such a small week coming up. As for the style, I think it works for some titles and not as well on others.
ReplyDeleteI have not yet read the story but I intend to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteAs for your art style. I personally enjoy it. I think of your characters sort of like swimmers. They have a well toned body but they aren't huge. It is because you don't draw huge muscles and you have a great amount of detail in your pencils that I like your art better than most works from other people.
First of all, thanks for posting these pages, especially the uninked, uncoloured pages because it is cool to see the pencils.
ReplyDeleteLike Erica, I agree, art is subjective. I heard how he was treated, the character that is, and one could go on to say that it was homophobia that left him as a rug. I would not go that far, but I would say it was distateful. I hear this book is retconning his death, which is not a bad thing since he was treated poorly in previous incarnations. Even wikipedia are saying he was dead, which he probably was, but this seems like a retcon wanting to give a character dignity.
Still, I have to say that one of the things which is getting my goat up quite a bit is how critics are getting personal. Now, there are certain individuals who deserve it (No particlar order, M Night Shyamalan and his wacky endings, Uwe Boll for everything he directs, George Bush, Bin Ladin, auto tune, Twilight, those guys who make Disaster Movie and Vampires Suck, among other awful films, Lost etc)but when they stop being constructive, then they lose their way and their purpose. I gotta be constructive in what I do, even if what I do is rubbish.
To be quite honest had not crossed my mind for a moment about "homophobia". I was shocked by the fact that we had reached such an extreme of violence that a villain has a " carpet of fur "with a hero that shocked me ... The human being is no longer too "ugly","evil " and "demonic" alone without the need to become even more. I recall the scene in Watchmen Rorshack faced with a serial killer cannibal "who did something so monstrous that even today I am speechless when I recall the scene of the dogs and I believe in God even note the death of a sparrow to say then a human being ... I love the art work of Brett and he does amazing drawings has an excellent sense of proportion and anatomy. His Tasmanian Devil is fantastic, has an amazing similarity to the Australian animal of the same name and that pleases me immensely. I also love Congorilla well which could put him as the new King of Gorilla City ^ ^
ReplyDeleteHACK!
ReplyDeleteYour art is awesome! Love the detail and the look.
ReplyDelete-Nathan
This is a little delayed, but I was away from the internet and just got to reading some harsh reviews of the art in this issue today.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I loved it. Your work is amazing - I fell in love with it in the Halloween Special and was super excited when I heard that you were doing the Larfleeze Special (I literally squeed at your Hal Jordan) and this Starman/Congorilla.
Everything about this issue was fantastic. I loved the story; it was especially nice to have a spotlight on Starman. The art was amazing as well - I don't even know what to compliment specifically, but it's wonderful.
Also, I pretty much said this exact same thing, "I tend to like my character wiry so they aren't built like body builders," when talking about your work with a friend. That style makes me happy and it makes your take on the characters more unique.
Keep up the good work <3
Thanks guys, I'm glad you liked it. It was quite a fun project to do. Reminded me a bit of JLI and JLE from the 90's:)
ReplyDeleteBest!
Brett
Well, Brett, you do draw characters with long necks. They also have rather large, thick, legs. I think that's just your style of drawing though. I know I wouldn't worry about it, every artist does something different. Jim Lee's characters have square heads. Chris Bachalo has been going on a roller coaster ride of drawing animation style characters for years.
ReplyDeleteYour a great artist, never forget it.
http://www.towim.denmasters.com/rp/ mr. towim has a character named helga which I think you might find familar lol. from Inaire
ReplyDeletei only check my yahoo mail
ReplyDelete