Very Sketchy debut at Ottawa Comiccon

With Ottawa Comiccon opening its doors at 9:30am to a sold-out Saturday crowd today (May 12) at the CE Centre, I'm happy to have a new sketchbook to offer in addition to original art, Eternal Romance comics and commission sketches.

The Very Sketchy 2012 Black & White sketchbook reproduces unpublished art as well as several parody pieces that appeared in the San Diego Comic-Con Program Book and other places. There's even a poem about a certain Caped Crusader.

If you are coming, Be sure to drop by table 914 to see Ronn Sutton and me. Ronn will have his popular Excerpts sketchbook with a different original art rough in each copy,  Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Honey West artwork & comics, and we'll be happy to discuss out forthcoming Honey West / Kolchak the Night Stalker crossover comic book from Moonstone.

-- Janet Hetherington

OIAF adds new category for video game animation

Cyanide Studio's Game of Thrones

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced the creation of a new category, specifically created for video game artists. The Best Non-Gameplay Animation category is the first of its kind to be featured at any animation festival.

The OIAF created the Non-Gameplay Animation category in response to industry needs from video game animators, who lacked a competitive forum to display their work.

"Since the mid-1990s, we've been trying to find a way to seamlessly integrate videogame animation into OIAF competitions, ” says Festival Artistic Director Chris Robinson. “We found that the best way for us to acknowledge the outstanding work being done in gameplay animation was by encouraging the submission of non-game play components.”

Examples of non-gameplay animation include:
• Trailers previewing a new video game 
• Cinematic cut scenes, a break in the gameplay action that is used to further the plot of the video game

All entries for this year’s competition must be received by May 18, 2012. The deadline for preview DVDs is June 1. There is no entry fee.

Industry professionals are hailing the creation of the new category.  Yves Bordeleau, studio director at Montreal’s Cyanide Studios, the company behind the upcoming release of Game of Thrones, says that the artwork present in video games plays a vital role in promotion of the product and deserves to be recognized.

“I am really happy to see this new category addition for competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival,” says Bordeleau. “As video games evolve, the need to immerse the player into complex worlds is now mandatory; hence the importance of high quality cinematic cut scenes. Be it in-game or pre-rendered, the value of these ‘non-gameplay’ sequences is so great that they are very often part of key promotional activities like game launch trailers and viral videos.”

Cyanide is an independent and privately held video game studio. Based in Paris, it was created in 2000 and has risen to become one of the most productive game development studios in France. Since 2007, the company has maintained a facility in Montreal.

The OIAF is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world. For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.

OIAF plans Ralph Bakshi tribute

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) 2012, running from September 19-23, will pay tribute to the work of animation legend Ralph Bakshi.

Bakshi ignited the imagination of future animators and became a hero to generations of fans and filmmakers by infusing adult themes such as sex, drugs and racism into the family-friendly animation world of the 1970s.

The OIAF will also spotlight the United Kingdom as the festival examines the work of British artists Barry Purves, one of the world's finest puppet animators, and the groundbreaking Unconventional Ad Men: Smith and Foulkes.

Purves’ work has been internationally acclaimed for decades while Smith & Foulkes’ art has been featured in advertising campaigns for some of the world’s most iconic brands including Coca Cola, Honda and Motorola.

YouTubular: Animation in the Age of the Meme will examine the role of YouTube in today’s animation industry and showcase some of the strangest and most contagious viral videos to grace your computer screen.

Other programming announced to date includes: Make 'Em Laugh: Comedians and Animation, which will retrace the historical relationship between animators and comedians; the life and career of Ward Kimball will be examined and the innovative films of the late Karen Aqua will be celebrated.
 
“In past years, our event has been criticized for being too avant-garde or too dark,” says OIAF artistic director Chris Robinson. “This year we wanted to provide some really fun and entertaining programming but don't worry, there’s sure to also be the usual array of delightfully bizarre and thought provoking work that many other members of our audience love.”

The OIAF is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world.

For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.

Janet Hetherington and Ronn Sutton convention appearances 2012

JANET HETHERINGTON & RONN SUTTON:  2012 CONVENTION SCHEDULE

 

Lots of conferences coming up this summer!  First stop is the Toronto Screenwriting Conference, where I hope to make connections and learn more about how to improve my scripts.

Janet Hetherington will be attending:

• Toronto Screenwriting Conference: March 31-April 1, 2012 (Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto, Canada)

See Janet Hetherington and Ronn Sutton at:

• Ottawa ComicCon: May 12-13, 2012 (CE Centre, Ottawa, Canada)
• Editors' Association of Canada: June 1-3, 2012 (Ottawa Convention Centre, Ottawa, Canada)
• Wizard World Chicago: August 9-12, 2012 (Donald E. Stephens Convention Centre, Chicago)
• Fan Expo Canada: August 23-26, 2012 (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada)

What we offer at comic-cons:

• Original art
• Comic book pages
• Sketches
• Comic books
• Ronn Sutton's Excerpts sketchbook 
• Free autographs

• Entertaining chats!

New "Castle" graphic novel from Marvel

Marvel Entertainment and ABC Studios have announced Castle: Richard Castle’s Storm Season, an all-new hardcover graphic novel inspired by the popular “Castle” television series.  I love watching "Castle." I'd love to write one of these books!

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

The new 112-page hardcover, based the titular novel from noted author Richard Castle, hits comic shops, the Marvel Comics app, iBookstore, Nook Bookstore and everywhere books are sold on October 17, 2012.

(I love the way this press release reads like Richard Castle is a real person.) 

Private Investigator Derrick Storm is hired to bug the hotel suite of an African head of state, but this routine mission quickly spirals out of control when Storm overhears a woman’s terrifying scream on the wire. Plagued by the victim’s helpless cry, Storm—despite an ominous warning—investigates the truth. Soon he’ll discover an international conspiracy reaching further than he ever imagined…and perhaps the truth about Clara Strike, a CIA Agent the world thinks is dead.

“As a comic book fan, I couldn’t be more excited about Brian and Kelly Sue bringing Derrick Storm to life once again in Storm Season” said Richard Castle.  “Storm is a character near and dear to my heart, so I wouldn’t trust him with many people, but he is in some incredibly capable hands with this team.”

This is the second “Castle” original graphic novel to be released through a collaborative effort between Marvel, ABC Studios and the producers of “Castle.” In 2011, Marvel released Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm.

“Marvel has done an amazing job of bringing Derrick Storm to a new audience and we’re thrilled to keep the magic going with this next graphic novel.” said Andrew W. Marlowe, “Castle” creator/executive producer. “Fans can look forward to another fantastic adventure, filled with page-turning excitement. Storm Season is Richard Castle at his finest.”

Castle: Richard Castle’s Storm Storm reunites the lauded writing duo of Brian Michael Bendis & Kelly Sue DeConnick (Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm) for their second Castle story. They’re joined by rising star artist Emanuela Lupacchino (X-Factor), whose dynamic interior artwork brings the world of Derrick Storm to life like never before. This original graphic comes wrapped in a cover by acclaimed artist Dustin Weaver (S.H.I.E.L.D.).

“The Derrick Storm novels are full of action, intrigue and compelling characters—it’s no surprise that our graphic novel adaptations have taken the literary world by storm!” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Entertainment Editor in Chief. “Castle: Richard Castle’s Storm Season will be one of the most exciting graphic novels you read all year, whether you’re a longtime fan of Richard Castle or new to his exciting stories.”
 

CASTLE: RICHARD CASTLE’S STORM SEASON

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & KELLY SUE DECONNICK

Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER

Rated T+…$19.99

ON SALE OCTOBER 17, 2012

Barsoom! John Carter arrives March 9

Taylor Kitsch as John Carter

My first memory of the John Carter series was crystalized forever by the amazing  book covers by Frank Frazetta.

Now the sword-wielding adventurer hits big screens March 9 in a new Disney film directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E).

John Carter brings this captivating hero to the big screen in an adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings.

Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris

Frazetta's vision

Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Barsoom Series," the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).

John Carter also stars Mark Strong, Bryan Cranston, James Purefoy, Samantha Morton, and Thomas Haden Church. -- Janet Hetherington

Call for Entries! Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is pleased to announce its worldwide call for entries for its 2012 festival, taking place September 19 to 23 in Canada’s National Capital Region -- Ottawa!


Animators are invited to submit their recent work into five major categories including: Independent short films, feature films, commissioned films (TV series, commercials, music videos and video game animation) student films and films made for children. 

The OIAF is recognized as one of the world’s most competitive film festivals, receiving more than 2,000 entries annually. The Festival’s selection committee chooses approximately 150 films for competition and out-of-competition showcase screenings.

The Festival’s international jury: Barry Purves (England), Hisko Hulsing (Holland), Izabela Rieben (Switzerland), Mike Fallows (Canada), J.J. Sedelmaier (USA) and Sarah Muller (England) will review films in competition. Jury members will join the audience during screenings throughout the Festival and present the final awards at the closing ceremonies.

The OIAF is also introducing a new category for Non-Gameplay Animation, the first of its kind at any animation festival. Examples of non-gameplay animation include cinematic cut scenes that help advance a game's plot and trailers previewing an upcoming release.

"Since the mid-1990s, we've been trying to find a way to seamlessly integrate videogame animation into OIAF competitions, ” says Festival artistic director Chris Robinson. “We found that the best way for us to acknowledge the outstanding work being done in gameplay animation was by encouraging the submission of non-game play components.”

A new award for Best Canadian Student Animation Film, celebrating the work of emerging filmmakers and the wealth of up-and-coming Canadian talent, will also be introduced. Canadian student films in competition and showcase will be eligible for this award.

All online entry forms for this year’s competition must be received by May 18. The deadline for preview DVDs is June 1. There is no entry fee.

For more information about this year’s Festival, as well as the online entry form, visit the OIAF website at www.animationfestival.ca.  Questions about submitting a film may be sent to entries@animationfestival.ca or made by telephone at 613-232-8769.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world.

For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.