The latest updates for Hell Lost by James Turner. http://www.jtillustration.com/hell Fri, 24 May 2013 07:21:24 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/1/ When something momentous happens in the movies, they'll say, 'It begins!' in a portentous manner. This isn't momentous or world changing or really significant in any way whatsoever, but they can't stop me from saying the catch-phrase anyway. Enjoy! Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/2/ The look of Hell was inspired by the work of Piranesi's Prison series. I saw them first when a teenager and never forgot them. Of course, nowadays everyone references Piranesi when they're designing Hell. Go figure. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/3/ Oppressive systems inevitably compel people to escape, to try and find less stunting environments. Bad in reality, but great for fiction. Sets people off on their journey. Will they make it?  Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/4/ I figure the landscape of Hell would be covered with massive ruins, destroyed in the endless internecine fighting. In Paradise Lost, Milton describes Pandemonium being built in a single day. So cyclopean edifices could be raised as quickly as they were razed, and be as common as litter is in New York. Well. 1980 New York, that is. Times change. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/5/ The two fleeing demons debate their choice. Is there grounds for hope, or not?  Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/6/ Whenever I write a story set in an imaginary place, I write a background document. Just a page or two. It helps give me a sense of the time and place, and gives characters context. I did the same thing for two of my earlier series, Rex Libris and Warlord of Io. The whole story starts just as it did in Paradise Lost. Satan, the original James Dean, asserts his independence from Father. He gets into some seriously delinquent shizz, corrupts a third of the other angels, and so pisses off the Big Guy he gets the lot of them thrown into another dimension. It's detention on a cosmic, eternal scale. They fall for nine days and nights into a burning lake of fire. After that, things really get interesting. Because revolutions eat their children. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/7/ Statues and stairs. Menace in the air. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/8/ Quite often I cram in more content than I probably should, for various reasons, not the least of which is delivering value for money. Here I wanted to take the opposite approach, and decompress things. I read Jeff Lemire's excellent Essex County, and loved the pacing. It unfolds in its own good time. He does a lot of panels that just set mood. I haven't, as yet, but aim to eventually. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/9/ The opposition arrives in a puff of malice. Guardians of the revolution, the Watchers keep an eye on Hell's denizens. Long ago these Infernal agents dwelled on earth and mated with women, creating the Nephilim giants, to whom Goliath was supposedly related. Most of them were drowned in The Flood.  Note I am not trying to create something that rigidly adheres to religious accounts. Rather, I intend to use Hell as a setting and framework with which I can tell a story about something else entirely. So there is no point in objecting to deviations from religious accounts. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/10/ The very essence of drama: conflict! Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/11/ I've loved maps since I was a kid. I remember pouring ancient kingdoms in history books. Flat colour blocks held within a rigid, unchanging outline, fluctuating with the march of history. I read Lord of the Rings in grade six. Half the boys in class did.  There was a great colour map of Middle Earth. Might have been in the Brother Hildebrandt Middle Earth calendar my grandfather gave me, which had a particularly striking painting of Lady Eowyn versus the Witch-King. Awesome stuff. Whatever the case, I loved being able to trace the journey of the characters on the accompanying map. That was neat. So, naturally, I had to do a map up for Hell Lost.  It had to combine aspects of Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. The circles of Dante were the biggest obstacle. They're just too constraining, so I changed them to ledges. Either they've opened Hell up through digging or it's always been this way and Dante was just misled. At any rate, this allows for the great empty continents and wastelands that Milton describes, filled with horrific creatures such as hydra, dragons, and basilisks. All the traditional layers remain, starting with the vestibule, limbo, the lustful, the gluttonous, the hoarders and wasters, and so on. The four rivers Milton describes flow through them, over waterfalls, or come in from the wastelands and pour into the central Lake of Fire. The frozen lake of Cocytus lies nearby, suggesting a rather wildly inconsistent climate. I have a maelstrom of energy and lost souls that swirls above the Lake of Fire, leaving the rest of the Cocytus plain cold.  The number of cities has expanded greatly, and many will be visited over the course of the story. There are also camps for Infernal Legions and rehabilitation centres for heretics (Fountains of Illumination). The entranceway takes from Milton, and Hell now borders on Night and Chaos, realms filled with all manner of bizarre creatures.  Who created them and where they come from is anyone's guess. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/12/ Some interesting thoughts and problems arose thanks to the setting. Do demons reproduce? If they do, is a demon baby evil by nature? Yet does that not argue against the idea of Free Will? The Fallen Angels made the choice to follow Satan. They weren't born bad, so why would their children be? And if they are born evil, and had no choice in the matter, what sort of viewpoint does this support? Is it not analogous to the view that peoples and nations on earth are good or evil as a whole? I suspect that there'd have a multiplicity of views, kept down by the iron rule of a necessarily oppressive ideological system. Obviously not something that Theologians would agree with, but essential to the story I intend to tell.In the end, everything is about us. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/13/ Time to get out of dodge. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/14/ Nergal's like a cat who likes to play with mice.  Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/15/ …but things don't always work out as hoped. Do they? Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/16/ Prologue ends, the first chapter begins… Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/17/ Just add marshmellows.  What else are the sin obsessed going to get up to, if not titillating activities? If anything, I should have made this far more extreme and outrageous. Plenty of comedic potential that way… Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/18/ Wake up call. Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/19/ The world is ruled by Morning People. But did you know that Satan's The Morning Star? Coincidence? Or… conspiracy? The answer is obvious. One day, we'll have a revolution and overthrow all those silly Morning People. Of course, they'd have the jump on us… Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/20/ Well. Almost. Soon. Maybe. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/21/ Better to stick with Cheerios.  Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/22/ And he's up! Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/23/ Do threats motivate? Discuss. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/24/ The Dictionnaire Infernal was written by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy in 1818. It's seen numerous editions and takes much from The Lesser Key of Solomon, an annonymous 17th-century grimoire, which references the earlier Pseudomonarchia Daemonum by Johann Weyer.Supposedly King Solomon wrote the first version after he successfully enslaved seventy-two demons using a magic ring (called the Ring of Aandaleeb and which bears the Seal of Solomon) and forced them to build the magnificent Moriah temple. However you can get the job done, dude. The Aandaleeb Ring bestows numerous powers, including understanding animals, and was once owned by Adam. Before him, it belonged to the original bad boy: Lucifer.After completing the temple, the demons were imprisoned within the finished temple. There they stayed until being unceremoniously released when unappreciative Chaldeans sacked it. Such douchebags.The first section of The Lesser Key of Solomon, the Ars Goetia, contains descriptions of the demons. Details are slightly different in the other books. Some versions include nifty demon sigils, and best of all, the 1863 Dictionnaire Infernal has illustrations by Louis Breton. They're wonderfully bizarre, full of character and comical menace. Quite inspirational. You'll see some of his designs pop up, albeit in somewhat modified form, later on.Angels are invariably rendered with perfect bilateral symmetry, uniformity, and physical beauty. Good genes, basically. Demons, on the other hand, are far more varied in appearance. They represent bad genes and all the freakishness that results. After all, we naturally impute 'evil' with deformity and 'goodness' with beauty. It's a trope seen in everything from fairy tales to Star Wars. There are exceptions, such as the wicked Queen in Snow White. Even so, she becomes an old crone before perishing. There's a message in that.Shun the bad genes, elevate the good.Every beautific angel looks like every other beautific angel, but no two demons are alike. With both Breton and Bruegel, fish parts mesh with bird beaks, man blurs into household appliance, animal heads top lizards. Great flights of imagination. The beauty of imperfection. And that's what makes them interesting. Rather like Japanese tea cups. Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/25/ Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/26/ Because some people don't like to garden. Or pulp in their orange juice. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/27/ A meme has gotta keep on truckin'. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/28/ Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/29/ Eons after.  Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/30/ Note the ad slogans etched on great billboard slabs in the background.  Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/31/ Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/32/ Cuisine that leaves something to be desired. Ashberries are famous for not being satisfying. Try them. You'll see. Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/33/ Together again in perfect harmony. Aren't they always? Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/34/ If truth is a flowing fountain, is ideology a stagnant pool? Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/35/ Dragons are known to train people to throw objects for them to fetch. Crafty dragons! Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/36/ Enemies of Utopia! Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/37/ Everything is made better with talking swords. Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/38/ The papers are fire proof. In case you were wondering. Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/39/ Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/40/ Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/41/ When you want to look all cool and bad ass before a big battle, you just don't want your folks to show up. Not even Patton wanted that. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/42/ Thomas Paine Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/43/ It's armageddon. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/44/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/45/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/46/ Hell's pretty screwy. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/47/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/48/ Voltaire Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/49/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/50/ View over River Phlegethon. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/51/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/52/ ...two, her widest gates, and send forth all her kings.We do pretty good on our own. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/53/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/54/ One of them, anyway. It's tough being a tyrant. Or a pimp. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/55/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/56/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/57/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/58/ Lucent palace, decorated with gold. Cause Hell is obscenely rich in minerals. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/59/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/60/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/61/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/62/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/63/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/64/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/65/ Yum yum. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/66/ Prometheus is a beautifully shot film, filled with sweeping vistas and magnificent sets. The art direction is flawless.The story, unfortunately, is another matter entirely. Inconsistent characters, ideas that go nowhere, and senseless decisions abound. The film evokes a brooding mood, a wonderful air of menace, and hints at incredible secrets, but fails to deliver.Written by Lost writer Damon Lindelof, Prometheus raises lots of questions. Sadly there isn't an answer in sight. Given that Lindelof seems to randomly pull ideas out of a hat, examining Prometheus for meaning may be an exercise in futility.But let's assume there's method to his ever inventive madness here, and take stock of what we do know:A buff bald alien dude drinks bioweapon spiked Cool-Aid and gets a wicked case of disintegrating heartburn. DNA mixes with water, simmers for a few eons, and out we pop.Now, what evolves out of contact with the bio-goo (whether it be giant arm breaking worms, bulb headed zombies, us, or crazy ass starfish fetuses) varies. The bio-goo weapon is adaptable. Different result every time.So humanity itself, the product of bio-goo mixed with Engineer, is essentially a living weapon. Just like the xenomorph is a living weapons system, except the xeno mixes in one more element (human DNA, provided by Rapace).But why then would the aliens have happy, non-genocidal finger paint parties on temple tops with our distant ancestors? Everything was sympatico until two thousand years ago when they decided to exterminate humanity. Unfortunately, the fate they planned for us consumed them instead.Aaaand what happened two thousand years ago, on earth? Cue repeated, ponderous references to crosses, Christmas, and Christianity. It seems that when humanity decided to go all monotheistic and Praise Jesus two thousand years ago, the aliens decided we had to be stomped out. This raises a few questions: is it faith the aliens object to? Or was Jesus himself a ripped alien prophet that we rudely nailed to a cross?I have no idea, and given the film's pedigree, I'm not sure the writer knows either.Perhaps it was all a dream. Or it's purgatory and they're all dead and the Engineers are angels. Or she went to Recall or she's really in a mental institution and the whole thing is just her way of dealing with being incarcerated and plied with narcotics. Or maybe it's a fantasy program running while she's on her way to Mars.Maybe she's really a delusional monkey tripping on bad bananas.The sequel(s) may deliver satisfaction, which would be wonderful, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/67/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/68/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/69/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/70/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/71/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/72/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/73/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/74/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/75/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/76/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/77/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/78/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/79/ Little late this morning. Almost forgot! Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/80/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/81/ 'In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.' Orwell He has such great quotes. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/82/ ...will eat its children. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/83/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/84/ Just saying. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/85/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/86/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/87/ I got glasses this year. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/88/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/89/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/90/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/91/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/92/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/93/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/94/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/95/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/96/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/97/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/98/ It's just a model. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/99/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/100/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/101/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/102/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/103/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/104/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/105/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/106/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/107/ It used to be. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/108/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/109/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/110/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/111/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/112/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/113/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/114/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/115/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/116/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/117/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/118/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/119/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/120/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/121/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/122/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/123/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/124/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/125/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/126/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/127/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/128/ Changing the title of the book for publication. You'll never guess what the new title will be. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/129/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/130/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/131/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/132/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/133/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/134/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/135/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/136/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/137/ Put up a few pages in the wrong order. My bad. Fixed it. Also went back in to some sections I wasn't happy with and had over edited (destroying the flow in the process). Pages 54-56, 61-65, 68, 86, and 127 have all been 'improved', as George Lucas might say. Pardon the confusion. That is all. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/138/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/139/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/140/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/141/ Pardon the tardiness. And the file size. This one is a whopper. Everything accelerates from here... Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/142/ Been doing revisions. Updating more pages. Will be moving some material into earlier sections. Update those pages on the weekend if I'm up to it.Hope to finish the book over the holidays. Won't be called Hell Lost, though. Not catchy enough, apparently. So there's a new title.Ready?Here it is:'Death to Satan!'Punchy, with ironic connotations. This and lots more happening in 2013.Tell your friends. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/143/ Prepping some updates and refinements, just need the time to implement. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/144/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/145/ Poor Bandersnatch. I've done a number of revisions up over the weekend, starting with page 16. The project is entering into the final stretch. Should clock in at around 200 pages when done. I know, I know. Madness! Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/146/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/147/ ... that's what people always say. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/148/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/149/ Back on track after break for you know what. And a very Happy New Year to all! Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/150/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/151/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/152/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/153/ It's simpler that way. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/154/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/155/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/156/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/157/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/158/ ...or is it? Oooo... Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/159/ The only way to travel. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/160/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/161/ Hedge it. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/162/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/163/ Think over, over think. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/164/ Always easier when it isn't your ship. Or you're Francesco Shettino. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/165/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/166/ No. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/167/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/168/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/169/ Right? Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/170/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/171/ Promises, promises. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/172/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/173/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/174/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/175/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/176/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/177/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/178/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/179/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/180/ But I've gotten used to it. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/181/ Generally speaking. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/182/ Big pockets. Things work differently in Hell. Like a Road Runner cartoon. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/183/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/184/ Go figure. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/185/ Maybe not. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/186/ Meanwhile, back in Heaven… Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/187/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/188/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/189/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/190/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/191/ Don't you hate it when you set off a nuke and only take your invincibility pill after? Yeah. Life can be like that. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/192/ But without all that mind screwing, eyeball warping nonsense. Wait... Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/193/ Seems that way sometimes. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/194/ Lost in the city labyrinth. I really should have done something with Escher... Too lazy. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/195/ I can never remember passwords. Have too many. The book has taken a lot of twists and turns since I started it. Originally it was a spin off from Nil: A Land Beyond Belief, which had two demon homicide detectives. They were going to bring revolutionary memes back to hell and bring about Satan's downfall, but I was advised this was too complicated. Demon detectives is one jump, but revolution is another, so I cut the detective angle. Kept the basic character design for the main dude, Balthazar, who's based on one of the detectives. The extended development time (3 years) has resulted in it changing more during the process than any other book I've done. At one point it was going to follow a demon sheppard teaming up with a young woman unjustly damned. Together they would overthrow Satan. Dropped that as it would complicate the already complicated, and momentum was already building in another direction. Probably should have taken it, streamlined things, which would have more appeal to a mainstream audience. But then, I've never been averse to aiming at niche audiences... Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/196/ Events cascade into an unstoppable flood, sinking the plan, and a change of heart. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/197/ Great movie, Kick Ass. Big splash page today. Little indulgent. But hey, what happens on the cover, actually happens in the book! How often does that happen? I mean seriously.Rolling towards the conclusion of Book One. Been a long trip. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/198/ The most inspirational work depicting Hell I've seen recently is The End of Fun by the always provocative Chapman Brothers. It's even being investigated for insulting religious beliefs, and has been sited for 'degradation of society.' An installation piece with little plastic figures... a degradation of society! Amazing. A testament to its power, which merges the landscape of Hell with the Holocaust. Rather appropriate. Just to elevate the bizarreness of it all, there's a field of crucified Ronald McDonalds being tended by Nazis skeletons. What kind of drugs do these guys do? It's all quite bizarre, horrific, and oddly kitsch, being made out of little plastic models. Fascinating yet thoroughly repulsive and grotesque. Remind me of paintings by Bosch and in particular Pieter Bruegel's 'The Triumph of Death.'They've even made their twisted diorama twice. The first version burned down. Perhaps a sign.Hell Lost is decidedly subdued by way of comparison. I'll try and take their inspirational, if deeply twisted, vision into consideration for Book Two. Kris Kuksi is another artist who's work would fit in any depiction of Hell, particularly his church tanks. Why didn't I think of those? I even have a few tanks ghosted into the background of a few crowd scenes, but none with churches on them. The thought simply never occurred. Just the sort of thing that would fit in Hell, too.Should have modelled the siege towers after Notre Dame or something. Ah, well. Next time. I have other eccentric visuals. But definitely something to work on. So much you can play with visually in Hell. I've hardly scratched the surface...Pardon the screwy spacing. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/199/ Secrets revealed! What do they talk about in the background? This is! Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/200/ Have completed book one, with a nice buffer of about thirty pages or so compared to where the site is at. Going back over things now. I've edited before, on the fly, but mostly at the micro level. Now I'm sweeping through the whole thing, culling where I can. Lightening the tone, smoothing the dialogue, and adding jokes now that I have more time and less pressure. Nothing cuts corners like keeping to a schedule. Have to pull back now and get a better sense of the whole. Tonight I'll be updating half a dozen or so pages, an entire scene, one that I was never happy with; always seemed awkward. Now it's finally going to be closer to what I wanted. I've debated whether or not to update pages. It'd be interesting to see the difference between the original version and the final print version, simply to see how it evolved, as a window into the process. But no. I'm too compulsive. Also lazy so won't update all... Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/201/ Happy with the updated page 50, and the revised text between Baal and Mazoria. Smoother. Trying to trim text where I can. Always wanted to add more Yellow Submarine style madness to the book, but time pressure, always the time pressure... Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/202/ Originally the whole book was going to be intercut with Angels watching from Tertullian's Gallery, but the constant drum beat from people against 'jumps' made me hesitant to even include it. Eventually I decided to add it anyway, and damn the jump torpedoes. I think it's fun. So there. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/203/ More falling. These angels are always falling it seems. Are those wings vestigal or what? Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/204/ When cost outweighs benefit. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/205/ ...the 10th of May. Wait. That doesn't rhyme. Put up a look at embellishing page 50 on my blog: http://cuttingedgeconformity.blogspot.ca/2013/05/evolution-of-graphic-novel-page.html Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/206/ Happy Monday. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/207/ Checked out TCAF, the Toronto Comics and Arts Festival, on the weekend. Held at the Metro Toronto Reference Library, it brought together hundreds of graphic novelists, zine creators, caricaturists, artists, illustrators, and writers. Fellow dreamers with their inner thoughts laid out on table tops, realized in ink and line. As always, the festival was well organized, the volunteers delightful, the parties fun, and the panels (mostly) intriguing. An inspirational experience. Fabulous and free. More here: http://cuttingedgeconformity.blogspot.ca/2013/05/tcaf-2013-tenth-year-anniversary-show.html Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/208/ Annoying but so true. Checked out TCAF, the Toronto Comics and Arts Festival, on the weekend. Held at the Metro Toronto Reference Library, it brought together hundreds of graphic novelists, zine creators, caricaturists, artists, illustrators, and writers. Fellow dreamers with their inner thoughts laid out on table tops, realized in ink and line. Bought a number of books, including Lille Carre's Heads or Tails. Saw a great panel with Francoise Mouly. More on the ol' blog. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/209/ Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.jtillustration.com/hell/comic/210/ Back on track. Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800