Connie Radar - Fan Art

Here's some fan art from Woric and it's awesome...

Joke Du Jour 8
This lawn supervisor was out on a sprinkler maintenance job and he started working on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom 7" gangly wrench. Just then, this little apprentice leaned over and said, "You can't work on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom 7" wrench." Well this infuriated the supervisor, so he went and got Volume 14 of the Kinsley manual, and he reads to him and says, "The Langstrom 7" wrench can be used with the Findlay sprocket." Just then, the little apprentice leaned over and said, "It says sprocket not socket!"
-Steve Martin

Jessica and the Jawbreakers
2 new songs added to the Jawbreakers myspace page - Happy Hannukah! They're actually old songs that weren't polished enough for the album but now yours to enjoy. My favourite track was always 'In the Garden'. Here's the link

FOT: The Next Big Thing - Trailer

Hello, what's this? It's the trailer to the new FOT animation, first screening this weekend at Rhys Darby's comedy show. It'll be fun to see it on the big screen with a full house. More FOT at the official blog HERE

Pitch For Aussie TV Advert

This was done a couple of years ago during a sevre drought in Australia, a public service annoucement instructing people to not waste water. The country was on the verge of a national disaster, unfortunately the rain came along and the job was cancelled.

The Holiday Girls - Sketch

Another sketch I have drawn for you to be given away at Makeshift magazines launch party...

Pluto as Cerberus

My friends, look what I have drawn for you! This cartoon drawing and 7 others have been made for the launch of issue #4 of Makeshift magazine - November 28th, 9pm at the Whammy Bar. $10 on the door will get you in and a copy of the magazine with some free original art from various Auckland artists.

FOT Knits

Woah! Check out these totally fucking awesome knitted toys of Fot and Angus! They're hard to make and no two toys are exactly the same. Make sure you place your order soon. Remember when this famous cartoon mouse (see below) first hit the market? What do you think they'd be worth now? Click HERE for more FOT

Connie Radar - Animation Test

Above, there should be an animated walk cycle test done in FlashC4 (you may need to install a new Flash player to view it) using the new 'bones' tool, something long overdue for Flash. It's a little mechanical looking but that's why we test. She blinks too!

FOT Premiere!

An animated cartoon I co-wrote with Alex Dron, FOT - The Next Big Thing gets it's first screening at Rhys Darby's Auckland stand-up comedy show at the Sky City Theatre (Dec. 20th and 21st). Voiced by the talented Mr Rhys Darby himself! Last I heard the show was sold out, but maybe you could find something on 'trade me'? Trailer coming soon...
More FOT news CLICK HERE

FOT on Rhys Darby's 'Imagine That' DVD

"Rhys Darby Live stand up show from the El Rey theatre Los Angeles - filmed in 2008. Packed with hilarious extras including an interview with Rhys, outtakes and bonus sketches and more. Rhys Darby is one third of the award winning HBO series Flight of the Conchords. His character, Murray the Manager, is considered by many to be the real star of the show, and with 100,000 Conchord's DVD's now shipped of a show only seen on BBC4 it is fair to say that the fans are a very dedicated bunch. In fact, with average viewing figures of 160,000 people, the conversion to purchase is unprecedented. Rhys' UK profile is set to soar with high profile movie roles alongside Jim Carrey in Yes Man, and the new Richard Curtis film The Boat that Rocked, while his starring role in the new Nike tennis ad with Roger Federer has further broadened his credentials as a comic actor. Rhys' first love is stand-up comedy and in Rhys Darby Live - Imagine That! We see Rhys on stage in Los Angeles performing his highly original, hilarious physical comedy routines that will not only appeal to existing fans but also to those who appreciate the visual comedy styles of the likes of Lee Evans."
- Amazon.com

The extras on this DVD include a preview of Alex Dron's very funny animated short "FOT". Voiced by the talented Mr Darby. You should buy this, it's available pretty much everywhere... more FOT news HERE

Connie Radar - Adventures in Astronomy

Connie Radar - Page Two, First Draft

Page two of a very rough, hopefully illegible, first draft for proposed new Connie Radar story.

Connie Radar - Page One, First Draft

Here's a scan of the first page, first draft of a proposed Connie Radar adventure, hopefully you'll see it evolve into the finished artwork.

The Nobel Prize?

Robot Julius suggests optimistically to Connie she may be up for a major humanitarian prize, Connie on the other hand suggests otherwise. We will have to wait till next time to see who was correct...

"The Last Magic Show" Movie Poster

Andy Conlans 'Last Magic Show' movie film has been playing at various cinemas around the country, the poster credits music from both Jessica and the Jawbreakers and The Holiday Girls and the songs are used to full effect. Go see it then buy the CD here

Retro Sci-fiction Mania

Yesterday I was on a panel to judge and critique pitches for 3rd Year animation students from Freelance Animation School. We assesed group projects and gave feedback on areas that could be improved. My biggest surprise was the amount of retro-science fiction themes! Does this mean we're also going to see a rash of feature films like this over the next few year? I knew of John Carter of Mars under development by Pixar due in 2012 but according to Variety there's now a Buck Rogers film due in 2011. It's a very difficult genre to get 'right' and can only think of about half a dozen examples that didn't just mimic, parody or piss on the form (unintentionally or not). Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was just awful...

Technically speaking...

Panel 4 - Robot Julius explains to Connie she's not immune to death as she stated in the previous panel, she could still be killed by acts of god and is safe only from growing old, which isn't bad if one takes care of oneself and plays it safe. Connie seems indifferent to her Robot's comments, of course what he's saying isn't news to her, Julius is simply wasting his breath. More to come...

The Infinity Serum

Panel 3 - Connie, with one hand holding the Infinity Serum and the other a glass of delicious French champagne, says a few words to celebrate the completion of her DIFFICULT and IMPORTANT work: a secret liquid formula to conquer DEATH! A scientific breakthrough so PROFOUND it must come with all sorts of DANGEROUS and EXCITING consequences. And what's her robot assistant saying? Ha ha, Correct! It's the proverbial Hebrew "L'chiam!" or "To life!"

Better come back soon and see what those consequences are...

Somewhere Near the North Pole...

Panel 2 and the story begins. Here we see Connie Radars top secret observatory/laboratory in the middle of the coldest place on earth. No visitors to distract her from her difficult and important work which, as she states, has just been completed. What has she been working on, you ask? Find out in the next post...

Le Monde À Venir

Here's the first panel to a new 2 page Connie Radar comic strip for the anthology Hotwire #3 (Fantagraphics), the deadline is looming, but it's on it's way...ca va!

A simple request...

Please take the time to vote for Alex Dron's animated short "FOT" at Channel Federator HERE. Click on 10. Kiwi Award and select the appropriate box (that being FOT). Much appreciated!

Connie Radar

Panel 4 from the new science fiction comic "Connie Radar". Ray guns, rocketships, hostile aliens, robots, it's all there, on the way, in the future...

The Last Magic Show

Debut feature film from Andy Conlan whom I've collaborated with on numerous projects. It's a romantic comedy about a depressed magician that finds love in the most unexpected place, a hospice! The Last Magic Show features music from Jessica and the Jawbreakers and The Holiday Girls.
The Last Magic Show official site is HERE

FOT

Fot:Champion of the World is an animated short by Alex Drom whom I am forced to work next to at Yuk Foo Studios. It's a nice looking short and pretty darn funny too, it's pleasing to know there's more FOT in the works. Check out the official FOT blog HERE

Fresh Freddy

I took this photo about 10 years ago while living in Dunedin and have treasured it ever since. Another fine example of the weird phenomenon known as "Suicide Food", for more examples there's an entire blog dedicated to it HERE.

I intended to write a comic strip based on Fresh Freddy but never got around to it but it goes something like this:

Fresh Freddy is at his doctors office, his doctor is suprised to see him looking so well, "What is this? Last time I saw you Freddy, you were looking terrible! I even gave you only a few weeks to live!". Freddy lights up a cigerette and says "Ha ha! I know, I was so distressed I started smoking, I smoked so much it's cured me!"