Fun_ToTheHorizon

Finally colored those old lines. This was a character named Jinjin that I came up with a few years ago for a design challenge.

In her original version, she had more of a frog-style hat, but here we went more squid like.

I was coloring her without consulting any references to her original color scheme, but I was pretty sure she used heavy reds, so I knew I wanted to avoid getting too close to Vicky's color scheme.

I inked this digitally, but the original pencils were traditional. As far as what I wanted to portray here, I just knew she had to be vaguely Asian, but other than that it was just about going with what felt summery/islandy and adventurous. She doesn't smoke, though, she likes lollipops.

Jinjin was named for one of my mentors in college. The character herself and her story were inspired by an incredible Korean comic called Banya, as well as One Piece.

Jinjin has to assemble a ragtag crew of delivery men. She is the fearless leader, and takes her job the most seriously out of everyone because she holds everyone's life in her care as Chief Delivery Man in this hyper-competitive world of cutthroat couriers, so even if her crew doesn't (or can't) go as intensely as her, they still respect her enough to do their best for her.

I don't normally miss people, in fact, I'm more prone to pining for times/moments/places rather than people, but I was suddenly stricken with an incredibly potent bout of longing for my old mentor a couple years back. It was quite strange. Everyone else always seemed like they knew what they were doing, and she was one of the toughest, strongest people I ever met in the old days. Huge inspiration. I hope she is well.

Bonus Twitter version. Never feels good enough.

Reuxben

Fun_ToTheHorizon_P

Spotted this going through that old sketchbook.

It's actual Jinjin, that couriercter I was just talking about.

4/16/16

Reuxben

Fun_hws.MaximumTheSpooky

I did a poster for school regarding spooky culture. Shout out to Theodore Rex, signature character from a sorely missed colleague.

Also did a bit on Lafcadio Hearn. The kids have no idea who he is, but the adults are all hip. I asked if it was okay to illustrate the story Hoichi, and without hesitation, I got a yes, as if I just asked to draw Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

I remember reading a Jhonen Vasquez interview once where he mentioned how his bloody, homicidal high school comics would be impossible to do in today's hyper-sensitive PC school environment, but by the looks of it, Japan's the place to go to get your gore on, and I mean right on school grounds, to boot. In retrospect, shoulda included Hoichi the Earless' ears getting ripped off rather than just the blood splatter...

To give you an idea of how this piece went over, a lady cooed the word for "cute" in Japanese as she poured over the detail. Young students even came by to watch me work on it, and I invited them to help me give Hoichi his killer tats. Adorable how timid they were while others were pumped to lend me their ears. I mean hands.

Ironically enough, in the land of cosplay, wacky treats, and rich supernatural tradition, Halloween in Japan is little more than an excuse to buy jack-o-lantern decorated trinketry. I write this post at about 11pm Japan time October 31, and nary a door knock has plagued my ears (granted I always have headphones roaring...). I literally had to explain trick or treating to the kids! It is worth noting, however, that a couple weeks before Halloween, I already saw a section of my city DECKED OUT in Christmas lights. Suck it, Halloween.

I literally passed out today at work due to exhaustion, but managed to squeeze out some spooky-oriented homework sketches. Yeah, it's a dog in a penguin suit and a pikachu wearing a Chopper hat. That mooshy sound you hear is your mind being blown.

Maximum the Janky-Japanese Syntax,

Reuxben

ZLM_Microwave-BathtubDreams

Time for payback--this time it's personal.
Zero Like Me #160:
Microwave-Bathtub Dreams

Fun_AwYeah

My very last semester at Yale started about 365 days ago. I finally got into a class I had been vying for the past three years, "Literature for Young People." This class had the unfortunate side effect of helping me realize I had indeed chosen one of the girliest majors at Yale--literature.

Even in the brim-packed shopping period sessions of the class (where students may sit in on almost any class to see if they are interested in taking it), I was one of only a handful of males. The final class roster included perhaps three Y chromosomes, one of which decided to drop after the second class. If ever I was in doubt after a couple years of often being one of the only males in a given lichrachur class, I think this was a good sign that dudes don't do Derrida et al.

But in any case, I discovered that apart from her unfortunate and ironically thick, black glasses, one of my classmates was always impeccably dressed, with perfect hair, and the coolest jackets you've ever seen in your life. As I often ended up sketching classmates while my professors expounded upon anything past the first couple of pages of the assigned reading, I managed to sketch her incredible jacket one day.

Towards the end of the semester, the professor had us do group presentations, so I joined the only group I could, Ms. Z's singing group. I told them that I could never hope to match their singing talent--the cleverly-dressed girl's singing voice was so great, it was almost unfair!--so we decided that I would draw illustrations to animate the Huck Finn song we were writing. By projecting my drawings on the wall (there were some additional in-between drawings I've excluded here), I made a rudimentary animation! I knew I had to simplify my art style, so I studied Jinjin's comicsing style for inspiration.

Anyway, her singing was incredible, as was our ringleader's, so my inferiority complex was screaming sweet nothings to me about razorblades, wrists, and what magic they make. And one day a side conversation developed somehow where she told us she almost got a part in an upcoming Disney animated movie about some kind of ice princess--she made it past a couple interviews and even got to record her princess's song in a Disney booth!

I learned that not only is the snappy dresser legitimately and extremely talented, but that I also saw her dad at a Master's Tea a couple years prior (his casually comedic abilities are incredible)! For her final project, she showed the class footage of her maybe 5-year-old self telling ramblingly random stories to her mom. She told us she always wanted to be an actress. And now she's breaking out on HBO! Imagine that!

Chuck the haters, she deserves all good things she gets because she's got the talent to back up anything familial connections grant her. Her abilities are indisputable.

But I've said too much already.

Reuxben

ZLM_FashMash

Shirk that wort and work that shirt.

Zero Like Me [Alive] #140:
Take Ivy FashMash
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-

=Full post=

Fun_Sunkadelic

I was fashion.

Something about this.

[Inspiration: Jinjin Funk Style]

Set the world on fire.

It's the dance.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.IdentityCrisis

Brace for lawsuits...
[Update: Final Art at top]
Zero Like Me #103:
Identity Crisis
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Zach in panel 1, Jinjin and "Yale" in panel 2, jack kelly in panel 3. The Trudeau in panel 4. A tribute of sorts cuz I herd u liek yale comicz (I know I do).

Fun Facts: Lot of fun researching this one. Totally coincidentally, the homaged comicsers (minus the Trudeau, of course) all started at the Herald...Also, Doonesbury is frustratingly deadpan, man, you don't understand...and everybody looks like everybody...


Baa: In high school I was "the smart guy." In college I was "the comics guy." But...what next?

Final Art Coming Soon; this one deserves true color, but no time right now!

Reuxben

Record_Death

This spit right here, homie? This spit right here, homie? Right here, this spit homie? This spit here, homie?

This spit's called Death, homie.

For the Yale Record, which should be out soon.

Easter Eggs: The Old Owl, skull cloud, Harkness looks like he's giving me the finger Haha!

Fun Facts: The costuming was inspired by the great Jinjin.

Baa: It's Reading Week, so if you need Monster before Saturday's weekly Monster Dump (ideally for working, not partying...) they're readily available.

Got to finish a comic for a class now, been working on it all day, every day (Spring Fling was a mediocre soundtrack post-Caesar).

No sleep till Brooklyn,

Reuxben

Herald_nigelpiggy.jk

Excellent news: that eyesore jack kelly will never darken Mondays again--jack kelly mondays are canceled!

Although I don't want him polluting my comic's posts, I must respect our mutual hatred of blurred Herald printing. So to make it easier for Friday audiences to understand his trash as soon as possible and be done with it, he'll be rejoining me on Fridays.

So enjoy "nigel," his hypocritical, anti-British racism incarnate.

He also surprised us with an extra dose called "piggy," a dated reference to a song nobody remembers. Great.


To take the high road, I'm also including his contributions to the Herald Comics' April Fools Stunt, where he leeched off of the incredible Jinjin for humor.


Above is "hunter" and below is "headshot." Riotous.

To normalcy,

Reuxben

[Update! Yesterday was my one year anniversary! A whole year posting art, and I think I'm finally getting somewhere. More on this later. Thanks for the support. --Reuxben]