Making Of Funhouse Of Horrors "It's Murphy's Law"
Murphy's Law Page 01:
Rudy Vasquez: Pencils and Inks
Working with Carnival Comics and Jazan Wild was an entirely different process for me. First, there was no set script. We discussed large points in the story, almost in the old Marvel fashion where it’s more of a collaboration than a factory process. Second, the panel layouts were already completed roughly by the talented David Miller, so my job became more focused on polishing up the pages and only changing things if necessary to improve the story.
On the first page, I wanted to establish the look of the book by way of lighting and style. I know Jazan is a fan of that super detailed comic art found in a lot of McFarlane books but I try to use detail only when applying some sort of texture. In this case, I dropped more blacks in the inking stage, adding to the book’s horror mood.
JAZAN WILD: Writer and Scripter
At the end of the first book you see Jacob leaving the woods with the House Of Horrors book still in his back pocket. I knew I wanted to continue the Funhouse series with Jake Stone being in his 50's and looking a bit road worn. All the years of seeing the dead has taken it's toll on his mind and body. This book sets the tone for the rest of the series. As you see here on page one, Jake Stone now is a "Ghost Writer" of sorts. He writes a series called "House Of Horrors" in which people send letters telling their stories of the living impaired. Man what a bad ass ride!
Murphy's Law Page 02:
Rudy Vasquez: Pencils and Inks
One of the few things I altered from the storyboards was the establishing shot of Hero, Jake Stone. On page 1, I was given great close-ups of Stone, that was akin to the introductory scene in the film MAD MAX. What was missing on page 2 was the dramatic and cool reveal of the character. The original was a little anti-climatic, so the focus on this page was Stone as he exits his ride and the woman waving at him is snugly placed in the reflection of his car window so no one’s back is to us.
JAZAN WILD: Writer and Scripter
Rudy so rocked this page out! You finally see the full face of Jake Stone. Here I wanted to establish that our House of Horrors caretaker, Scratch, is still overseeing his puppet. Also you get an insight into Jake's mindset. He's become numb to all this craziness. Place yourself in his stituation; everything he sees is death and secrets. Finding peace in momentary pleasures may be all the guy's got at this point. After all, every lady seems to love mystery.
Murphy's Law Page 03
Rudy Vasquez: Pencils and Inks
Back to the process on these pages, since I was going to ink my own work, the pencils are almost non-existent. Most of my final work is done in the inking stage, mostly to avoid redundancy and to save some time. This has it’s pros and cons. There are things I’ll always wish I can change or do better but the show must go on, or Jazan will wait forever for pages.
Despite being indoors, I tried to keep the lighting moody and dark in the contemporary pages of the book. Dan Kemp’s colors keep the palette rich without detracting from the mood.
JAZAN WILD: Writer and Scripter
I grew up in a very small town. Believe me, things are done much different there. To put it mildly, the letter of the law is at the disposition of whoever is in charge on that shift. Not all, but some may have abused their authority. The mighty dollar can get you quite a few privileges. How great is Rudy on the art! The facial expressions tell more of a story than my words. Then Dan's colors set another whole tone. You guys rule!
Murphy's Law Page 04:
Rudy Vasquez: Pencils and Inks
One of Jazan’s notes to me were to use a hearse that reflected a bad ass muscle car feel. This early sixties Ford was the perfect base for Stone’s ride. In panel 3, I was concerned my close-up of the sheriff’s hand on his gun would get lost in the folds of his clothing for some reason. This is where having a true pro in someone like Dan Kemp has it's upside. He not only helped establish the books mood without being monochromatic, but the lushness of his hue’s aided in separating the forms that can easily be lost in all of my over rendering.
JAZAN WILD: Writer and Scripter
My favorite panels are the top two, though they are all great. But there is something magical about the door opening to complete coldness and emptiness. Yet you know something is bursting at the seams, ready to leap forth! Then there it sits, an empty rocking chair. The panel screams to me... Loneliness and Sadness. Where I grew up in Virginia, we kids would play in these old, abandoned houses. They would sit way back from the roads in empty fields. Every now and then, there would be this lone piece of furniture that had survived endless days in the old dwelling. What made this piece outlast all that was around it? What made it survive? Artistic and Poetic in it's own way.
Murphy's Law Cover
JAZAN WILD: Writer and Scripter
Love this cover of Scratch! This is an "In Your Face" cover that screams...BOO!!!!! Carlito Zuniga rocked it out for me in 2006. Originally this was to be the second story of the Gene Simmons House Of Horrors. It was listed in Diamond Previews and made it on to several comic sites, such as TFAW (Things From Another World).
I am very happy to see this series continue and do so well around the world.
In our first day on the Nokia Phones, chapter one was downloaded in over 100 countries and nearly 6,000 times! That was just the first day the Funhouse Opened! Atomic Dreams, another title from Carnvial Comics, has reached more countires than any other comic book in history. It has been downloaded in 172 countries and counting. This is why we have chosen this new way of releasing these titles. We intend on collecting all the Funhouse books into a Graphic Novel to die for!!!
It is Halloween after all, so here's a Treat for the Comic Monsters out there!
The entire Funhouse Of Horrors "It's Murphy's Law" Halloween Black and White Edition ebook. Enjoy and Happy Halloween from all of us at Carnival Comics!
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