This Reminds Me Of A Puzzle

Professor Layton (レイトン教授, Reiton-kyōju?) series is a puzzle video game series for the Nintendo DS and is developed by Nintendo and Level-5. The series currently consists of four games and one film. Today I get the third game (Just released in the UK) but for the moment I want to talk about the story board book that came with the film.

The film itself is set after the 3rd game (which was a little annoying because the third game hadn't even been realised over here when I bought it)

With the film came the story board in book form...all of it. I find this kind of stuff amazing, seeing products before they're actually finished. (And knowing that not everything is neat and pristine)

Front: Layton and his massive face.

(Please excuse my dodgy fingers)

(The dvd box that the story board book came with)

And now for the game itself. I love this series. The story lines are always bigger than you think they're going to be and puzzles more challenging. They're not simple answers, the make you think. (Which is a good part of narrative design I believe.) The graphics are also quite appealing to look at.

(Solved a puzzle just to photograph the Correct Graphic. The incorrect one is in blue)

Edit: Andy Hamilton, get back to 'It's only a Theory'

Kristian Donaldson

Kristian Donaldson sometimes simply credited as Kristian, is a comic book artist based in Dallas, Texas. His published works have included:

• "Forsaken" 2004. mini series. pencils, colors, book design + covers. Image Comics.
• "Doomed" 2005. anthology piece. pencils, inks, colors. IDW Publishing.
• "Amazing Fantasy" #15. 2005. anthology piece. pencils, inks, colors. Marvel Comics.
• "Supermarket" 2006. mini series. trade paperback. pencils, inks, colors, design+covers. IDW Publishing. Nominated for 2007 Eisner Award for "Best Coloring".
• "Fallen Angel" #15 and #16. pencils, inks, colors+ covers. IDW Publishing.
• "DMZ" #11, #20, #35, #36. 2006,2007,2008. pencils and inks. DC/Vertigo Comics. collected in Trade Paperback volumes 2, 4, and 7.
• "Two Guns" 2007. mini series. covers. BOOM! studios.
• "Unthinkable" #1. 2009. cover. BOOM!studios.
• "CHUCK" 2008. 6 issue mini series. covers. DC/Wildstorm.
• "The Goon" 2009. anthology piece in Myspace Dark Horse presents v.4. pencils, inks, colors. Dark Horse comics.

I've written a lot about Brian Wood and the influence he's had over my design direction but I also need to mention Kristian. He distinguished his work by incorporating a solid graphic design approach, and by focusing on the use of color. His style can range from raw and spontaneous, to clean and structured.

Brian Wood

Brian Wood released his first series, Channel Zero, in 1997 to considerable critical acclaim and has continued to produce comics and graphic novels at a brisk pace ever since. Focusing almost entirely on creator-owned works, he’s become one of the most important indie creators of the last decade. Standout works include his The Couriers and Channel Zero series, Demo, Local and Supermarket. He’s earned multiple Eisner Award nominations and editions of his work have been published in close to a dozen foreign markets. Currently under an exclusive contract for DC/Vertigo, Wood continues to write his unique brand of iconoclastic creator-owned work with DMZ, Northlanders, Demo and The New York Four.

Set in a near future where a second American civil war rages, a lone journalist is stranded in the middle of New York City, now a brutal no-man's-land. Mirroring current events, DMZ is an unforgiving look at what a 'war on terror' can do to a civilian population.

(art by Becky Cloonan)

Short stories of normal people with extra-normal abilities, Demo is "what the X-Men would be if they were created today" (CBR). This pioneering series blazed the trail for dozens of indie books and has been translated and published around the world.

Special interest groups have bullied the government into passing the Clean Act, effectively killing freedom of speech and silencing the country into submission. TV and God become one and the same as America wages its own Holy War against its citizens. Meet Jennie 2.5, media slut turned info-terrorist, out to save the country from itself, and restore free will and self-expression.

DMZ -

DMZ is an American comic book series published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint. It's written by Brian Wood, with artwork by Wood and Riccardo Burchielli (the Italian artist's first comic book in the United States). The series is set in New York City, sometime in the near future and in the midst of a civil war that has turned the island of Manhattan into a demilitarized zone. And it is amazing.

I've only just recently gotten into this series when I picked up a random issue last year. Even though it was the middle of the series, I was hooked. Went back and picked up the first trade back and it's become my new Y: the last man.

Edit: Opps, this is kristian donaldson. Another great artist who also worked on DMZ.

Tic Tok Splash Page Progress

From Skottie Young via twitter and his blog: "I took a few pics of my inking progress today and posted them on twitter. I thought I would put them all here as well and end it with the final, finished page. Enjoy!"

I love seeing/watching illustrators progress into how they create their work. And as Skottie Young is a personal favourite, this is a bonus.

The avengers: micro episode

Again, showing you a cartoon but I wanted to point of the really great use of pacing and timing this micro episode has used. (And praise Christopher Yost for his brilliant writing once again)

I really loved the reference to Monty Python and it did a great job in making me laugh. This is important for comic books/storyboards. The timing, pacing and overall feel.

Robert Ball

Robert Ball is a graphic designer from the UK. His unique style is full of angles and minimalism, and I must admit I really love his Thor and his Hellboy. The Doctor is also really effective.

Silver Surfer

Hellboy

Galactus and Silver Surfer

9th Doc