Bugs Bunny fun-

People argue over which director of animation is/was the best, and every opinion is valid; after all it comes down to your personal preference. I for one, am on Team Jones, and these videos of Chuck Jones sketching out classic characters makes me giddy with excitement. I love this stuff, and watching a master whip out images I’d give my big toe to own the originals of, is awe inspiring.

I didn’t “find” these so I’ll give credit where I can. The Chuck Jones stuff, my wife found via Gizmodo so I can’t take credit for the hunting and gathering at all.

Bugs Bunny

Daffy Duck

Porky Pig

My mom’s favorite- Pepe Le Pew

And my father-in-law’s faves- Coyote and Road Runner

Since I’m borrowing from other peoples efforts, the following is from one of my favorite sites Living Lines. They found this version of the classic “Hair-Raising Hare” (with the  first appearance of Gossamer) but the fun is, they’ve inserted the original storyboards where available. In it, you get to see the creative process in action, plus the subtle changes in the dialogue that were made for the final film. If you love the process of art, this is a real treat.

 

Last Flight of Arzak

Jean Giraud (1938-2012) passed away this weekend, he was better known to comic fans around the world as Moebius. I found his work during a huge wave of reprinted European comics that hit the market in the mid-eighties. Others in the US were familiar with his work before that in the pages of Heavy Metal magazine, originally flying in Europe under the French banner Métal Hurlant. Although I will remember him more for his highly detailed sci-fi landscapes, and his character Arzak, all of which seem to be a wild combination of 60s psychedelic, the TARDIS, and the organic flow of Art Nouveau…

There are as many fans who will remember him for his old west stories, like “Lieutenant Blueberry”…

It always amazed me how his style would so easily accommodate both the mechanical insanity of the future, and the subtle, gritty nature of the great plains.

At first I wrote him off as one of those great European artists, who could do fabulous renderings of people built like you or I in (admittedly) more elaborate environments, but certainly he couldn’t draw over the top, excitement required for American comics- I was young, and I was wrong.

Marvel Comics commissioned him to do posters with several of their characters and that collaboration included a two issue mini-series of the Silver Surfer, written by the legendary Stan Lee and drawn by him. To quote a dear friend, “It warped my mind!”.

Many of you will not know who he is, but like my recent post on Ralph McQuarrie (also lost to the world recently) you know his work. He designed costumes and sets for numerous films, and was often consulted at the earliest stages for preproduction sketches to help sell the ideas to studios.

The above is work from the original Alien film, but he also did work for Tron, Masters of the Universe, the Abyss, Fifth Element, and more. One can say those are films he worked on, but others, many others, he inspired.

Moebius was a unique vision, which many have tried to copy, but he soared above them, as he does now— forever.

Sad weekend-

Two artistic greats passed away this week, and their influence can not be ignored. Both were inspirations to countless others, and shall be for generations to come— I don’t doubt. My childhood can be summed up by heroes and sic-fi movies, and with that I bid farewell to…

Sheldon Moldoff

The man who drew Batman longer than any other, more than Bob Kane the creator, or Dick Sprang. His work defined the character for more than a decade and his work can still be felt in the character today.

 

And Ralph McQuarrie

If it wasn’t for him, Star Wars might not be the phenomena that it became. His preproduction art helped to sell the idea to studios, and defined the look of the film. It wasn’t the only work he was known for, but it would be a lie to say it won’t be the one he’s remembered for.

Rest well gentlemen- you’ve earned it.