Beat 'Em Up Is avaialble now!!
My new comic book "Beat 'Em Up" is now available!!
About a year ago, I started illustrating this book, initially planning it as a page for my next coloring book, "Wizards, Warriors, Mutants, Monsters, Beasts, and Babes Vol 2." It soon grew into a larger project. I can't remember which image came first, but I enjoyed creating the first page, which inspired me to make more. What began as standalone pages turned into a more connected narrative with more and more details added. Unlike my previous books, I initially created all the images in black and white because I was going to make it a brand-new coloring book. After finishing about 20 pages, I realized I wanted to expand the work into an actual comic. I had several key moments in mind that would pay homage to classic fighting games, which shaped the story's direction.
The bosses characters became a blend of parodied and homages to both Street Fighter and Double Dragon characters. The infusion of onomatopoeia and dynamic word art became integral to the style, enhancing the overall excitement to the action. (The old Batman TV Show probably inspired me there) Like I said, I originally wanted this to be an new coloring book, as it would let my readers have the opportunity to bring the characters to life through their unique color choices. But as i went along in the inking process, I wanted to color it. I committed to making sure that all pages were completely planned out, sketched, and inked before I even conceptualized the colors for the characters.
Although, I always envisioned Jeff wearing a red sweatshirt, while Rosita would sport a yellow jacket, and Wolf would have blonde hair. For about a week, I experimented with 50 different color variations among the three main characters. Eventually, I decided to swap out Rosita's yellow jacket (which resembled an April O'Neil variant too closely) for a hot-pink one, pairing it with blue jean shorts. Wolf's blonde hair was essential to differentiate him from - while still paying homage to - Ken and Ryu. I initially thought of giving him red hair and a black bandana, but those colors blended too much with his black tank top. Then after finally deciding on what color shorts to give Jeff that didn't match anything on Rosita and Wolf, the rest of the coloring process was a piece-of-cake.
This book is probably the most fun I have had ever making a project, and trust me, I will make more—but you gotta show me you want more! Go read it online now and purchase a printed copy through Amazon!
