THE BEAT » Blog Archive » Adrian Tomine covers new Eels album.
Eels, the much admired indie band that’s mostly just a guy named E, have just announced a new album for early next year, with art by Adrian Tomine, who has previously worked with the group. The name of the album — End Times — and the gloomy art combined to disturb many anxious indie music snobs.
Like the art? Stop by Meltdown/Sunset Blvd. to pick up all Adrian Tomine graphic novels.
Get ready for Meltdown’s week long Anniversary Celebration: Huge Sales, Signings, Parties, and more to be announced. Stay tuned or follow us on twitter for special announcements.
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Throw a rock out your bedroom window in this town and your chances of hitting a budding screenwriter are pretty good. Here at Meltdown, we see many people looking to write for the movies and also many people who want to do superhero comics. Every year, more and more comics get not just optioned, but actually made into films. The past year saw Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Watchmen, and Wanted. There are also movies that have been done over the years that have clearly been influenced by superhero comics: Hancock, The Matrix, The Incredibles, and My Super Ex-Girlfriend, just to name a few. Even the Indiana Jones and James Bond films use the archetypes of the comic book superhero. September will be the first anniversary of our successful school for comic book artists and writers, Meltdown University. This August, Meltdown U teacher and program director Jim Higgins is taking his experience as a writer, comic book editor, and film teacher and presenting a workshop for screenwriters interested in doing a superhero story. It’s All Word and Pictures is a one-day boot camp for movie scribes who want get a fresh take on their approach to writing and also take on the engaging task of writing a tale of people with extraordinary abilities.
The first part of the seminar will be an overview of the super-powered character in comics and in history, from its trajectory through pulp fiction and 70 years of comic books post-Action Comics #1 (the first appearance of Superman), to it’s earlier origins in hero myths and legends like Hercules, Robin Hood, and wuxia kung-fu stories. We’ll then look at how superheroes have been handled in contemporary comics, film, and television, from “heroes in the real world” models like the Watchmen, Batman: Year One graphic novels, and the Heroes TV series, to more fantastical takes like Hellboy and X-men (both the comics and films), and The Matrix.
The last half of the day will involve learning a step-by-step story structure with a slant toward the superheroic. The structure is the core of the writing part of the Meltdown U comics classes and can be used to put together a fictional tale in any medium: comics, films, TV series, novels, etc. By the end of the day, you’ll have gotten a primer on superheroes and a framework to tell a very good version of that kind of story (and other types of stories, too).
There’s no need to prepare a script or have an outline ready for the day. This will be a seminar where you’ll learn the ins and outs, take away what you want, and then tackle that story of more-human-than-humans in your own time. But don’t expect a dry lecture – the day will be interactive and full of discussion and lively conversation.
Attendance will be limited by space so sign up now so you don’t miss out. The cost is only $100 for a day of material you’re not going to find anywhere else. Once you’ve paid and signed up, you’ll receive a list of comics and movies to read and watch beforehand so we can examine a common set of examples during the seminar. The movies you’ll find and see on your own. The comics and graphic novels will be available for you to buy at Meltdown (book costs are not included in the price of the seminar. But we think there are worse things in the world than being required to read a bunch of cool comics.)
Date: August 29th
Time: 12 to 7pm with an hour break for lunch
Cost: $100, payable in the store or over the phone by credit card
That’s it! Any questions, e-mail us mlt_u@meltcomics.com
Join this weekly workshop where you can accomplish your goals as a comic book writer, artist or both. In the class, participants bring in their work, exchange useful and honest criticism, and share ideas while being led and instructed by an experienced, passionate comics professional. Honest feedback is encouraged as well as support and a focus on what the participant is doing well. The most desired critiques are specific and detailed without being cruel or unnecessarily negative.
Learn the most important aspect of writing how to structure a story as it relates to the medium of comics and graphic novels. Cartoonists will often take art classes to improve their drawing, but not enough take the time to hone their skills as a writer. In this workshop, writers and cartoonists learn the essential knowledge needed to write a story with interesting characters, an engaging plot, and a satisfying ending. Artists will be given tips, instruction about technique, and examples of work by great masters, new and old, to help with visual storytelling, composition, light and dark, figure work, and other drawing skills. The goal for writer/artists is to have a finished eight-page minicomic at the end of the classes. The goal for writers is to have completed scripts for two 8-10-page short comics stories. The students have fun and learn at the same time.
There are two ongoing classes that open up at different times. We initially started with just one class on Monday nights. When the demand for more classes came we started another miniseries class on Wednesdays two month later. The benefit now is that people interested in taking a class don’t have to wait 13 weeks a new miniseries opens up about every two months.
The workshop is led by Jim Higgins, who has been a writer and editor in the comics business for 15 years. He was an editor and assistant editor at DC Comics in the Paradox Press division (The Big Book of Grimm, Hoaxes, and the ’70s, plus the graphic novels A History of Violence, Road to Perdition, and Stuck Rubber Baby)and is the editor and publisher of New Thing, an international anthology of short comics stories. He taught comic book storytelling for eight years at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and cinema studies at The City University of New York for four and a half. He is presently teaching Graphic Novel Development at The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and Otis College of Art and Design.
Two ongoing classes meet once a week on Monday 7:00pm-9:30pm or Wednesday 7:00pm-9:30pm. The series runs 14 sessions.
$25 per session payable at the beginning of each session.
The next miniseries starts on Wednesday June 27, 2012. You can sign up any time before then so remember…
Students need to be 18 or older to take the classes.
SPACE IS LIMITED. So before showing up as a new student, you MUST contact the instructor at the link below to see whether there is still room available. Once you get the ok, just bring a sketch pad and pencils or a notebook, depending whether or not you’re just writing or writing and drawing.
If you need more information or to sign up, Contact us here
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Webcomics Workshop: Take Over The Internets With Your Comic!Want to create a long-running webcomic and leap over the pitfalls that trip up first-time creators? Trying to improve your existing webcomic and take it to the next level of popularity? Wonder what it takes to turn your comic into a full-time job? This 8-week course will provide the tips, tools, guidance and valuable workshop time for anyone pursuing the life of a webcomicker. We’ll cover everything, from characters and sustainability to web design and comic conventions.
What you’ll need: internet access and image editing software, preferably Adobe Photoshop.
Here’s what one person had to say about the class:
“Meltdown U. is AWESOME! The Webcomics Class with Geoffrey Golden was a great mixture of history, technique, valuable info, and encouragement. I learned everything I came to the class to learn, then learned a bunch more, and had a BLAST doing it! The gang at Meltdown Comics are the best and I highly recommend taking a class here. Whether you’re just starting out or putting the finishing touches on your masterpiece, there’s something at Meltdown U. for everyone.” — Cornelius, Meltdown U. Student
This class is taught by Geoffrey Golden, a writer, editor, and blogger specializing in comedy and pop culture. He is the writer of the popular webcomic Leetstreet Boys (www.leetstreetboys.com), which stars an internationally-known anime pop band. Geoffrey has written comics and comedy for Fox, National Lampoon, Warner Bros and Comedy.com. Currently, he’s the Editor-in-Chief of The Devastator (www.devastatorquarterly.com), the quarterly comics and comedy magazine for humans!
Classes meet once a week on Saturday from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. The series runs 10 sessions.
$25 per session payable at the beginning of each session.
The next miniseries starts Saturday, February 11th, 2012. You can sign up any time before then so remember…
Students need to be 18 or older to take the classes.
SPACE IS LIMITED. So before showing up as a new student, you MUST contact instructor Geoffrey Golden at the link below to see whether there is still room available.
If you need more information or to sign up, Contact Meltdown U
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Drawing Comics For Kids!In this class, students will learn how to create and develop their own characters and/or stories, be they superheroes, fairies, or everyday people. They’ll discover strategies for putting ideas on paper while learning how to tell a story sequentially. Students will be encouraged to bring in their favorite books, comic books, or graphic novels to discuss and get ideas and inspiration from. The goal of the class will be to create a sequential story, ranging in length from one to eight pages, depending on the individual student’s preference and progress. Both writing and drawing will be involved. The class will run for 10 sessions.
Students will also need to buy supplies such as pencils, pen and ink, and paper, most of which are also available for sale at the store
The class is taught by artist Donna Letterese. Donna is a Los Angeles-based artist and presently teaches cartooning for children at the Barnsdall Art Center. She worked for two years as an editor at Netcomics where she also worked on rewriting and translating scripts from the original Korean language. Her art has been in group and juried exhibitions throughout the city, including “Cannibal Flower” and shows put on by The Feminine Oddities and Slum Circus Collectives. Donna has been a tutor at the LACER program and is a member of the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators. Her line of greeting cards and handmade Sculpey toys are sold at craft fairs, city festivals, and comic conventions, as well as various shops around the city. Donna’s comics story, “The Warrior and the Nightingale” will appear in The Samurai Project anthology, published by Hyperwerks. She also does freelance illustrations, articles, and commissions.
$25 per session payable at the beginning of each session.
Classes meet on Thursdays from 3:30pm – 5:30pm and are ongoing. You can sign up any time.
Students must be between the ages of 7 and 12. Sorry, but we have to stick to those ages.
SPACE IS LIMITED. So before showing up as a new student, you MUST contact instructor Donna Letterese at the link below to see whether there is still room available.
If you need more information or to sign up, Contact Meltdown U
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The Truth About Dragons - color by Chris Northrop art by Jeff Stokely
This class will provide students instruction in two of the key art skills required to make comics – inking and coloring. The classes will begin with a focus on inking and instruction in the different tools used to finish pencil art on paper: crow quill dip pens, brushes, markers, etc. The emphasis will then shift to the digital platform, where students will learn the techniques used to ink using the computer and Photoshop (or the similar but free program The Gimp).
The class will then move on to learn basic color theory by using colored markers on paper and eventually get instruction in using Photoshop or The Gimp to digitally color just like the professionals do at Marvel, DC, or Fantagraphics.
These two skills are rarely taught outside of full-time art school programs, and almost never with the focus on the specifics particular to the comics medium. We’re not kidding when we say we’re teaching you how to create comics here at Melt U.
The class is taught by comics professional Chris Northrop. Chris works as a colorist for Marvel, DC Comics, Archaia, and other comics companies, on his own and as a member of the prestigious coloring studio Hi-fi Color Design. Chris has taught drawing, color design, and life drawing classes to adults and kids.
Students will need to get the supplies necessary for the class in order to participate. The list will be provided upon signing up.
Classes meet once a week on Tuesdays from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. $25 per session payable at the beginning of each session. The series runs 14 sessions.
The next miniseries starts Tuesday, May 1, 2012. You can sign up any time before then so remember…
Students need to be 18 or older to take the classes.
SPACE IS LIMITED. So before showing up as a new student, you MUST contact instructor Chris Northrop at the link below to see whether there is still room available.
If you need more information or to sign up, Contact us here
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