MEZMER

Sorry for being so bad at posting, amigos, but I've been over the barrel with all sorts of different stuff.  The semester at CCS is entering its last couple of weeks, so my work there has ramped up.  I've got some big announcements coming up, and a really fun new project I've been diving into head first!  I've been tapping into a weird, Power-Ranger-loving part of my brain and drawing these really fun sci-fi stories.  I've done a lot of really off-ball stories as part of different anthologies over the years, and I wanted to create a larger story that would allow me to tie them together.  I'm trying to keep this really casual, so I let little stories be as short or as long as they need to be.  Some of the pages are prose speeches by characters, some are spot illustrations, diagrams, maps, blueprints, whatever!  I'm trying to tell a larger, more integrated story with a wide gamut of devices, not just comic pages. 

 

This is the page that started it all.  I truthfully don't plan to post stories from it up here just yet, but I just wanted to share what I've been up to.

Bad Mask Roll Call 5

Assemble, members of the international mischief coalition!  BAD MASK!  Man oh man, internet.  I have been all over the place this past week!  I'm trying to take this week and really ground myself and get a good chunk of work done.  Some really amazing things are coming down the pipeline, so stay tuned!  In the meantime, here are a couple more of those loveable scamps that make up the infamous mischief coalition, BAD MASK!

 

 Moto Mask: The head of Bad Mask's motorcycle unit.  Despite his blatant disregard for authority, he is incredibly dependable, and regularly leads Bad Mask's "Learn to Fight and Punch and Punch" workshops on Fridays.

 

Jemm Mask:  OOOOOOoooo!  Precious Gems!  Originally part of Bad Mask's marksman program, Jemm Mask was exposed to high-powered microwaves refracted through a moon emerald.  Since then, Jemm Mask has had a sixth sense about the location of gems, and is an integral part of Bad Mask's sensory unit.

2174 Mask: A sample from the ranks of Bad Mask's Guild of Goons.  Not armed with any specific power other than a honed brawling ability, 2174 is among the many scores of fighters that can be chosen at a moment's notice to join a high-ranking Bad Mask Agent on a mission.

Pen & Oink Convo Pt2

 

Here's part 2 of an interview I did with Liz Starin over at Pen & Oink.  Last time, I talked specifically about Leo Geo.  This time, I talk about picture books, minicomics, and what one can learn from the other!  Check it out HERE!

Here's a picture of me from the UVM Special Collections Library adoring a copy of Julie Chen's Glimpse.  This Jon Chad is TOTALLY in love...

Pen & OInk Convo Pt1

Hello!  I've been chit chatting with Liz Starin over at Pen & Oink over email for a bit now, and she's asked me some really great questions about how Leo Geo was made, what sort of knick knacks fill my studio, and she even let me blather on at length about how much I LOVE book design and artist books!!

(such a cute banner!!)  Part 1 of the interview can be seen HERE!  Enjoy!

Prototype

I was thinking of doing another giant robot blueprint, so I was trying to draw the schematics for a robot from something I'm working on.  I got this far and decided to stop.  The design has changed a little since then, so I'll revisit it later.

Controller

Ahhhh, another week, another post.  Actually, I don't think I posted last week!  OH GEEZ!  That's ridiculous 'cause I have a folder on my desktop FULL of sketches that I've colored.  So, what I'm basically saying is that I don't have the time to take said images and post them.  MAN, I'M SLIPPING! 

Well, here's a robot and his master.  I was trying to keep a limited color palette, but I think I went WAY overboard and these two look too matchy-matchy.  Also, that yellow belt buckle is standing out like crazy.

Things have been pretty busy here at Jon Chad HQ, but not the normal, business-as-usual craziness.  I've been getting some dummy books together for new Leo Geo ideas, and I've been having an absolute ball!

In other news, my editor from Roaring Brook, Deirdre, just had a book that she worked on, Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, win THREE ALA awards, including a Newbury Honor Medal and the Robert F. Sibert medal!  Leo Geo 1 and 2 WOULD NOT be the books they are WITHOUT HER!  I cannot stress this enough.  She has been a tremendous help to me, and I'm beyond happy for her!

Bad Mask Roll Call 4

Assemble, members of the international mischief coalition!  BAD MASK!  Gosh darn it I love drawing these guys!!  This week we have three members of Bad Mask's magic division; each a master of their own brand of spiritual forces.  All three report directly to Paruda, and remain in constant contact with him through spirit crystals.

 Posso Mask: Posso is the commander of the Controller Staff, a powerful magical item capable of controlling any living or non living thing that bares the same mark as that on the staff.  If Posso can somehow get that mark on you, you're his!

 Mosho Mask: One of the more reserved members of Bad Mask, Mosho has a direct link to the keepers of the Yokurai river, said to be a pathway to the dream world.  Mosho has a number of dream-related powers such as access to dreams, and the ability to cover vast distances using peoples' dreams as conduits.

Spectra Mask: The wife of the late Greggory Mask, one of the oldest members of Bad Mask.  Very late in his life, Greggory realized the secret to becoming a physical specter and left intense instructions for his wife (who was, at the time, not a member of Bad Mask) on how to prepare his remains so that she could summon his physical specter.