Welcome to the 9th episode of Hypertransitory Monday Comics. This week features the comic debut of fantasy warrior The Life-Taker.
The Life-Taker
He wanders the land friendless and alone -just the way he likes it. He is The Life-Taker!
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JG Creator Notes
This is another comic I created in 3D using Daz Studio. I had so much fun creating The Commander Series in 3D that I decided to go for another one.
The Life-Taker is an idea I had kicking around in my head for years and I just never got around to doing it. I read a lot of fantasy novels and I’m always thinking of a story or two along those lines.
Well, a few months ago I was playing around with Daz Studio and I came up with the character’s look using some mostly free props. I ended up replacing the textures on a few of the items, but aside from that I didn’t do anything too advanced.
Unlike The Commander Series, I didn’t opt for a cartoony look, but I think this still lends itself to a comic style of storytelling.
Here’s the original piece I created a few months back. It first debuted on my Facebook page.
And here’s a “behind the scenes” look at one of the panels from todays comic. As you can see it takes a bit of work in the 3D program and in Photoshop to get to the final image.
So that’s all for today’s episode, but I still have some stories kicking around for this character. He may see a return to Monday Comics sometime in the future.
Let me know what you thought of this one in the comments. Until next time!
This guy’s an ass…. but I like him! Great job JG.
Thanks, Vel. Seems like I’ve been writing about assholes for about a month now! I think I gotta get back to some real heroes lol…
Brutal! I like the sort of dreamy effect with the light.
Hi Annie,
Yeah brutal is definitely what I was going for on this one -not many other words to describe this guy, lol. Thanks for reading!
Seems like a barbaric hero, if ever there is one. Nice concept though, moving away from the traditional.
Hi Karylle,
thanks much. I’m not sure if this guy would be called a hero though lol. Thanks for commenting!
Looks like Iron Man with a twist! Like it.
Thanks Rachelle, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Really great design of character. How long did it take you to complete the whole page anyway? This is the first time I’ve been to your page and the art you’ve done is really impressive. I also like the last post you did which was in space! Keep up the good work!
Hi Gracia!
Welcome to the site :)
It took me about 3 days to do this one. Mostly because I decided to break it up into stages (3D, Photoshop and then Illustrator). I probably could’ve motored through it in about 5-6 hours, but I was too lazy for all that lol.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
He is scary!! I have to ask…how long does it take you to do the comic part of the post? Like roughly…because that just seems impossible that you do so many so fast. Looks so difficult and time consuming. I can’t even do a crappy stick drawing in that time.
Hey Melinda! It can get time consuming, especially if I’m rendering a large size image with shadows and raytraced lighting. That sort of rendering can be tough on a computer.
A page like this I could’ve gotten done in about 5-6 hours. I already had the character done, sometimes that’s a large part of the process, just getting the character to look the way you want. If not for that I could have spent another two hours just tweaking him in!
Dude is bad-ass! Smack-down in broad daylight. Back offa me, punk.
Hmmm, your version is slightly more refined. LOL
I’m not at all surprised at the depth of your skills, art AND storytelling. I just wish you would return to a certain, unfinished epic…sigh. I think you need to make it into a downloadable ebook so I can start from the beginning.
Cheers,
Mitch
Hey Mitch, I think you’re onto something with the downloadable e-book. I’ve got plans for the return of Kid Hype and the Soryans, but a downloadable e-book “primer” could be in order. great idea!
The scary theme is great. His weapon is just a little bit ancient, but you did a good job on the story line and character design.
Hey Mike, thanks much for reading and commenting, man. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi JG! I like your style.. You are very good at your work.. Hope to see more of your comic arts. Thank you for sharing…
Thanks a lot Marquita, and thanks for commenting!
So Stan, when will you make a movie for this character? Oh sorry, i thought this was Stan Lee’s page! But to be honest, this would be a great movie character! Thanks JG for keeping things interesting!
Haha! That’s high praise, Edmond so I appreciate it :)
Thanks much for reading and commenting!
it’s iron man with a barbaric character!!! His character is a bit scary.
hi Caroline, yeah scary is what I was going for with this guy. Beware, we will probably see him again! thanks for reading!
Hello!
The character reminds me of a Barbarian in Diablo but in a very self centered sort of way. Cool comic though!
Hey Ryan. Ahhh you are bringing back memories with Diablo! Good times lol
Thanks for commenting!
this is really funny thanks! I liked it.
I really like your art JG. That first misty frame was awesome… I wonder what the Life-taker would think about it! Sign of weakness, no doubt! :p
Hey Rod! Thanks for the compliment, but somehow I doubt the Life-Taker is a fan of the arts lol!
Exactly my point! Run for your life! :D
Is it possible to collect all of this comics? I want to have one.
Hi Mika, one day I will collect all these into a physical book for those so inclined. I need more material to make it worthy of going to print, though. Maybe a after several more months of comics I’ll have enough to give it a go!
I saw the “Return of the Life-Taker” on the frontpage, so I had to come back and check out the original. Not a disappointment! This does a really good job of establishing his character, he’s a total badass! I like the 3D look too, it’s different and interesting. Now I’m off to read about his return!
hi Karen, that’s exactly what I was going for, a real bad-ass character that people could get into. The 3D look was a little experimental, but it worked out better than I had hoped -at least for this one anyway. I’m glad you liked it!
Great way to set the foundation for another exciting series.
This is insanely cool. How can I see bigger images though? Have you tried using zmag to mimic the look and feel of an actual comic book? Have you tried using kickstarter to fund this project? Push this! I want more!
Very impressive and interesting! Great job! The story looks so exciting and the character is fantastic! It’s also a great idea to put the character in movie! Everybody will surely love it!
Really great design of character. This does a really good job of establishing his character, he’s a total badass! I like the 3D look too. Thanks for this post.
Herry Nelson@Windsor Hills