tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42116302189190081642024-03-13T08:25:23.709-04:00Evolution of An Idea Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Just Do It.A process and production blog as I set to publish my first web-based comic book, DEAD MEAT.Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-44046593671324659582014-08-27T01:19:00.000-04:002014-08-27T01:19:48.990-04:00Doctor Who and The Case of the Right Way RetconHey there, Meat-Heads!
So everyone's favorite wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, British, sci-fi import has started its 8th season in its modern incarnation, and I thought "hey, what a perfect time to talk about retconning!"
For those not in the know of nerdy writers terms, "retcon" is short for "retroactive continuity," which is when new, previously unknown details, events, or actions are added to Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-1117054606769234122014-08-05T20:29:00.001-04:002014-08-05T20:29:24.065-04:00Guardians of the Galaxy, And The Case of the Mad-Libbed PlotHey there, Meat Heads!
I'll spare you the apologies in my lengthy blog absence, and let you continue to assume I've been traveling the world like Kwai Chang Caine. You all saw Guardians of the Galaxy, right? Of course you did! Marvel's newest blockbuster film was a great time, and super fun, but there was something about it that seemed unfortunately familiar.
Now let me Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-75221294766406605492013-08-26T15:40:00.003-04:002013-08-26T15:40:54.560-04:00Interviews and Reviews With Yours Truly!Hey there, Meat-Heads!
So a couple weeks ago at the Boston Comic Con, I was interviewed by Frank and Deshawn, the cool cats at the Real Books Don't Have Batman podcast, where they asked me all sorts of questions about Dead Meat and about my process. They also were kind enough to review the first volume of Dead Meat as well!
Here's the video interview they shot at my table at Comic Con:
Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-58641567926595073642013-07-10T19:40:00.000-04:002013-07-10T19:41:13.373-04:00CONSEQUENCES, or Why Game of Thrones Is The Best Show On TelevisionOCTOBER? I haven't written here since OCTOBER? Yeesh. I am sorry, Meat-Heads, you are more than over due some meaty content, so here we go!
CAUTION: There will be spoilers.
So for the last couple years, we've been in a bit of a television renaissance. The original name of this post was actually going to be "Why Breaking Bad Is the Best Show On Television," and while I still Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-9262485498487567622012-10-17T16:59:00.001-04:002012-10-17T17:03:30.079-04:00Things I Could Have Done Better Vol. II: FOCUSHey there Meat-Heads!
So previously on Things I Could Have Done Better I talked about the importance of thinking everything out before you put your pencil to the page, and today I'd like to talk about a related subject, namely how and when to create focus through spotting blacks.
THIS IS HOW YOU CREATE FOCUS THROUGH ROCKIN' OUT!
No not that kind of...ugh... anyway. When I was preppingClayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-973965425934184102012-10-04T15:51:00.000-04:002012-10-04T15:54:10.915-04:00The Hard Sell (HEY YOU! LOOK AT MEEEEE)Hey there, Meat-Heads!
It's been so long since I've talked to you all, my how you've grown! I see you've changed your hair...not my favorite, but who am I to complain?
So recently I completed my third convention this year, the wonderful Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (or MICE) put on by the great Boston Comics Roundtable here in Boston.
Keep your eyes open for next year's!
Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-32527775116730278592012-09-14T19:24:00.000-04:002012-10-04T15:51:53.967-04:00So It's Been A Year
Hey there, Meat Heads!
Woof, it's been a while since I've written a blog post, but here I am, ready to write you in the FACE!
A little over a year ago, a year and 4 months, actually, I launched eatdeadmeat.com and started my freefall into the unknown, so what's happened? Did my chute go off? Where am I? Who are you? How'd you get in my house? Well I have to say I had a greatClayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-11469295337396926592012-09-14T19:01:00.002-04:002012-09-14T19:18:59.533-04:00Easy, "Strong," Female Characters Hey there, Meat-Heads...oh boy...I really should have put some more thought into that headline...that's going to get me in trouble...
BUT LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF!
So you're writing your story, coming up with some great characters, but you get to a point where you say "HEY! This comic is a sausage fest! We need some chicks up in this bitch!" Well hopefully you didn't Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-73492885297655383662012-09-14T18:53:00.000-04:002012-09-14T18:54:01.730-04:00BREAK IT DOWN! Welcome, Meat-Heads! If you remember, way back here, I talked about the importance of having solid breakdowns, because they are the foundation that your page is built on. Today I'd like to come back to that a bit, and talk about a problem I ran into recently while drawing a page from Dead Meat #3, but first, let's see what the master has to say:
Now...yes? You in Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-74350340540195370162012-09-14T18:49:00.000-04:002012-09-14T18:49:18.022-04:00Things I Could Have Done Better Vol. 1: Think It ALL Through!
Hey there, Meat-Heads!! Looooooong time no see!
I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've had a blog post up--sometimes things get busy and other times I just don't have a good idea of something to say that would be constructive and useful, but I think I've found something that can be helpful to everyone, including myself!
With that in mind, I'd like to welcome you to the first part Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-68290921575417135402012-09-14T18:45:00.000-04:002012-10-04T15:52:08.399-04:00Performance Art Part II: DRAW! **UPDATED WITH PICS**Welcome back, Meat-Heads!
So last time I talked about my experience at the Boston Comic Con a couple weekends ago, and I wanted to follow that up with something a little more specific to the experience. When I got there, and got all set up, I really wasn't sure how I was going to feel about taking commissions from attendees. I'd never really had to draw "on demand" before, and I honestly Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-4882542998465541562012-09-14T18:39:00.001-04:002012-10-04T15:52:40.780-04:00Performance Art Part 1 Hey, hey, Meat-Heads!
So this past weekend I attended my first comic book convention as an exhibitor, and in short, I really enjoyed it. After years of walking the floor, I decided that with the publication of Dead Meat it was finally time to take the leap over to....THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE!!!!!
(Never shy to shoehorn even the most passingly relevant Simpsons clip into a Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-12737513493934291552012-09-14T18:32:00.000-04:002012-09-14T18:33:17.910-04:00Sorry...I Don't Get the REFERENCEHello, hello, Meat-Heads! I thought today I'd talk about about working from reference!
So, all artists really should work from reference, right? Well I think Reverend Lovejoy put it best when he said:
Reference, working from reference, and knowing how literally to use it is something that each artist really needs to determine for him or herself. Plenty of people draw Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-52659866545633312062012-09-14T18:26:00.001-04:002012-09-14T18:29:17.238-04:00Tools of the Trade, or Does Size Really Matter?
STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN'T MAKE COMICS UNLESS YOU BUY THE RIGHT PENS, AND THE RIGHT PAPER, AND THE RIGHT ERASERS AND PENCILS!!!
Although this, of course, is a load of garbage, it took me a while to REALIZE it was garbage. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, and any number of other books out there may tell you differently, but when it comes down to it (as I Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-33851655464341915902012-09-14T18:24:00.000-04:002012-09-14T18:24:53.996-04:00Is This Post About Cliffhangers?...FIND OUT!It seems Eric has finally gotten the better of his arch-foe! This could be the end! OR COULD IT????
So this post isn't explicitly about cliffhangers, but more so about the idea of writing for a serial format as opposed to writing a full graphic novel. So as I've talked about before, I only fairly recently came to the decision to present Dead Meat in an online, page-to-page format, and before Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-40623845580515006602011-01-14T13:45:00.008-05:002011-01-14T15:56:10.992-05:00WE'RE MOVINGHello Meat-Heads! As you can see by Eric's former home, there's some changes about! Yes, unfortunately, this will be the last blog post here at deadmeatcomic.blogspot.com.HOWEVER, from now on, Evolution of An Idea will continue to update and post over at www.eatdeadmeat.com, so you can have your meat and eat it too! Why the move? Well it seems like a perfect topic to cover here, so let's takeClayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-87438100748155912492011-01-06T15:14:00.003-05:002011-01-06T15:18:01.978-05:00Big Thanks on the First Week!Hey there, Meat-Heads,Just want to extend my thanks to everyone who's been checking out the comic over at EatDeadMeat.Com, and as a sign of appreciation I'll be extending the opening week of pages by two days, so don't forget to head back tomorrow and Saturday for pages 7 and 8!So keep coming back, follow Dead Meat on twitter at Twitter.com/DeadMeatComic and stay tuned for a bunch of cool updatesClayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-66430650192221210342011-01-05T15:29:00.005-05:002011-01-05T20:51:30.298-05:00I want.....REVENGE!Welcome, Meat-Heads, I hope your new year starts off happier than Eric's here!I hope everyone's had a chance to head over to www.EatDeadMeat.com to check out Dead Meat, the FREE, online comic I've been blabbing on about these many posts! If not...well...I'll get you eventually!Which brings me to my next point: REVENGE. Revenge, as far as a dramatic device, is amazing. Seriously. Comparable Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-90967796741175322562011-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:002011-01-01T00:01:05.249-05:00DEAD MEAT IS ALIIIIIIIVE!!!!!Alrighty, Meat-Heads! This is it! Head on over to www.EatDeadMeat.com RIGHT NOW and jump face first into the world of DEAD MEAT!!! Then when you're finished, spread the word, and build an army of Meat-Heads to execute my fiendish pla--uh...>cough<...I mean....do enjoy the comic.Until next time,EAT DEAD MEAT!!Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-24917963089820407752010-12-20T23:15:00.000-05:002010-12-21T14:08:45.502-05:00What've You Got Planned?Looks like Eric has a bit of a tactical disadvantage to over come here! He really should have planned...a-head (BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)Anyway, this is it, Meat-Heads!So after all this time, all this blabbing, what's the endgame here? What are my plans for this magnum opus known as Dead Meat? Well, after a long time and lots of consideration, I decided that I could spend the rest of my lifeClayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-63365016170515947512010-12-13T23:16:00.000-05:002010-12-14T17:27:26.038-05:00(Punny Title About Character)I'm back from the dead, Meat-Heads! Sorry for the radio silence over the past week or so!Let's take a trip back to the subject of characters. So when I was coming up with my core characters for Dead Meat, I took a look at some of the things I didn't like about the way a lot of other undead-related media out there, and obviously tried to do something different. Many of them were heavily Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-49837639185649711232010-12-01T13:54:00.000-05:002014-08-05T20:33:51.065-04:00GUNS!
Uh oh...looks like someone's fed up with Eric's shenanigans!
So I want to kind of do a follow up on the last post about violence. I'd like to talk specifically about guns, and their use in drama. This was sort of fueled by a discussion I had with a friend of mine about this past sunday's episode of a certain horror-based television show.
So let's get right to the point: GUNS DO NOT EQUAL Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-5180147094589602742010-11-27T22:13:00.000-05:002010-11-28T12:47:07.479-05:00RAAAAAAAARRRRRGHVIOLEEEEEEEENCEEEEEE!!!!!!Hey, Meat-Heads! While Eric really puts his mind to improving his swing, we're going to talk about... VIOLENCE!!! RAAAAAAARRRRRGHHH!!!!!RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!! (It's amazing how many appropriate clips this movie provides!)So, violence. Violence, more specifically ultra-violence, has been associated with the the living impaired ever since George Romero fired off the (head)shot heard round the Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-55538538758645205982010-11-24T12:35:00.000-05:002010-11-28T12:47:36.100-05:00The Written Word!Hello again, Meat-Heads!It seems Eric here is writing me a nasty letter because it's been so long since I've posted, and I can't say I blame him!So at this point in the chronicling of how Dead Meat has been shaping up, I've talked about over-thinking lots of things, lots of elements, and how this can get in your way when trying to get things on paper. Well, when it came to actually getting Clayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4211630218919008164.post-38491686163529348372010-11-11T16:30:00.000-05:002010-12-02T18:51:55.094-05:00Decisions, DecisionsWelcome back, Meat-Heads--Looks like Eric has quite the decision to make before he starts his day! Ugh. Sometimes you just suck. I had a drawing day like that yesterday, and it was INCREDIBLY frustrating. I was going to do a woe-is-me, everybody has bad days post yesterday while I wallowed in my distaste with my work, but I thought HEY! When I get over the block, why not talk about it hereClayton McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00504738095317812498noreply@blogger.com0