APPLECOT RETURNS!

Greetings!

As you no doubt have realized you have once again found yourself in the endless boroughs of the Red Cactus Patch. What will you find? Where will you go from here? Would it be safer just to go to Facebook and see how many of your friends have posted links to funny cat videos on their wall? Sure. But just this once, let curiosity get the better of you...

A few weeks ago I started a short comic to keep me busy on those long lunch breaks at work. It features a character I created some time ago named Applecot! I just finished the inks today, and since it's been awhile since my last post, I thought it best to share them with you, my most elite of viewers.









I'm gonna throw some halftones, lettering, and the like on these pages and see where they go, so stay tuned for the finished product! As always we the members of The Patch are always poised to listen to what ever critiques you may have!

Thanks for visiting The Red Cactus Patch, and look sharp for updates!

MO

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GUESS WHAT?! THAT'S RIGHT! UPDATES ARE AFOOT!

Dearest and most loyal readers,

It's time that the Red Cactus Patch give you what you've all been waiting for... UPDATES! It's been quite awhile since the last, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't been a regular whirlwind of activity in the Patch. In fact, it's been busy to a point that may very well be beyond description! First, I would like to officially announce the release of "MEET ME IN THE BOTTOM", which is now available for purchase at the Burn Baby Burn Website.



Since I know all of you out there in cyber-land enjoy a good, award winning documentary, I would definitely advise you to pick up a copy! In that same vein I'm proud to plug the next project of Burn Baby Burn Productions- "CHRIS". Once again I am glad to have been brought on as part of this project doing illustrations, which so far has been a series of six drawings that demonstrate the various stages of grave robbery. Here's a little taste:






Exciting, no? Unfortunately for now you will have to contain yourselves. But don't despair, I assure you there will be more info about this project as it develops.

In other news, Diggers is well under way, as we have nearly reached the halfway point with the preview issue. By "we" I mean myself and my good and talented friend Aaron Woodard. As the newest member of the Red Cactus Patch, Aaron has taken the helm on the color front for Diggers's production. With his help I'll be posting some updates very soon!

Until next time this is the Mike Odum, president of the Red Cactus Patch, signing off.

Reach for the stars,

MO

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NEWS AND NEXT STEPS

Greetings and Welcome once again to the deepest realm of the RCP!

Well, it's been a long road my friends but I have finally completed college. Five years to get a four year degree isn't that bad in hindsight... Right? It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience, but the corner has been turned, and it's time to focus on the road ahead! (Insert lame life analogy here) My immediate concern is my freelance work (more details on that later), but my first order of business is to finally begin production of Diggers. Though my new post-graduation life is still settling, what with a new job and soon to be new apartment, you can still expect updates on the reg. But what kind of person would I be if I didn't leave you with some fuel for your mental tank until then:







These development boards represent some of the "final" Diggers concepts. I'm going to have to save the best for later but you'll see it all weave together soon enough, I promise.

More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

MO

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MEET ME IN THE BOTTOM: Releasing soon!

Greetings and salutations, fellow freedom likers!

Got some big news! Well depends on how you look at it, it could be small news... but just work with me here.

Something like eight months ago Brian Bear and I started working on a project with Shawn Utsey, head of the African Amercian Studies department at VCU, called "Meet Me in the Bottom". MMB as I have affectionately dubbed it, is a documentary that chronicles the ongoing efforts of concerned Richmond citizens to create awareness and obtain rights to excavate a slave burial ground that lies beneath a parking lot currently owned by VCU. The film has already won awards at the Virginia independent Film Festival, including Best Documentary and Audience Choice Award. Brian and I contributed effects, illustrations, and design to the film. It was a good project that I was very glad to be a part of, so I'm excited to say "Meet Me in the Bottom" will be making it's debut on DVD very soon! I'll update again with where it will be available when it's officially released, so keep a look out!



More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

I love you all.

MO

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Ashley's Comic and Update

Salame!

Just yesterday it was my good and longtime friend Ashley's birthday. I have pretty well forgotten her birthday for the last two years... and about four times before that. Despite this, she has always managed to remember mine. So, in light of my obvious neglect, I decided at the beginning of this week that this year would be different, and I would make her a comic- and I did, and here it is!



Humor wise, it's meant for Ashley's own amusement, but I though you, my loyal viewers, deserved a look. I love every one of you. More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

P.S. The Diggers project is still in full swing and going very well. I'm about to complete the fifth development board, leaving one to go- expect to see these very soon!

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DIGGERS: UPDATE!

Greetings one and all!

So I just finished writing the script for the first eight pages of my latest and greatest story line, DIGGERS! Well technically it's been done for a week...

After many re-writes and a few long hours of being stuck and staring blankly at the computer monitor, I finally have the story arch headed in the direction I want it to go, with what I think is a delicious cliff hanger on the 8th page. Hmm... there may be an intended pun in that last sentence... Anyways, as I said in my previous post, I'm hoping that this will be my next competitor in the DC Comics ZUDA Competition, so I'm going to start on it ASAP... school and time permitting of course. But it will happen! So, until then I leave all of you with this to wet your pallets:



More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

P.S. If you enjoy animated movies as I do, How to Train Your Dragon is a must see. So run out to your local cinematorium and enjoy all the viking talking, dragon fighting, high-flying mayhem! Oh... and it's funny too.

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"Diggers" Cover

Greetings one and all!

Postin' up is the cover for a new comic I'm working on called "Diggers".

Here's the basic concept:

Sam and his uncle Ray run a salvage yard in a post war society. While scouring the wastelands for recoverable materials left over from the battles, Sam and Ray often find themselves tangled up in the aftermath of the war. Sam approaches these encounters as adventures, but his uncle Ray being a veteran of the war looks onto them with regretful, and jaded eyes.



I'm really excited about this idea and Im pretty sure I am going to orient this story for ZUDA. This cover represents the initial concept, and as per some critiques things may change (mainly some colors). Its onward and upward from here!

More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

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Card Design #2

Greetings one and all!

Some more card re-design magic that I finished Monday:



I still have a couple issues with this one, but a good critique from the class helped out a lot, and I was able to fix some problems. So what you see here is 2.0. Either way I'm going to call it done because I'm tiered of looking at it.

Here are the Inks:



More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

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Card Design #1

Greeting true believers!

Thought I would go ahead and post this:



The assignment was to re-design an image for a Yu-Gi-Oh playing card.

Here are the Inks as well:



More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

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Afrodisiac vs. ? : A Velocity Comics Contest!

Greeting one and all!

So as I stated in my previous post about Jim Rugg's Afrodisiac, he visited Velocity comics last Friday, signed books, and hob-nobbed with the likes of us (his fans,) but what I didn't say is he also judged an Afrodisiac vs. ? contest. I had to enter of course! Here is my entry:



I finally got word on the winner which was Julie Scott (click to see her entry). I was told I came in a close second, which is cool, but as sweet bonus Jim left everyone who entered a print, and I got my favorite Afroduck! Thanks Jim!



More updates in the wild world of The Red Cactus Patch as they come!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

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Afrodisiac

YO!

So last week I picked up Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca's latest book Afrodisiac, and it's so super cool, I thought I'd say a few words about it.

First off the idea behind Afrodisiac is really interesting-it's some sort of mish-mash between the blacksploitation movie genre and comics of the 1970s. The plot chronicles Afrodisiac's various encounters, which includes everything from Richard Nixon to Giant Cock Roaches, and what's more Rugg alludes to other Afrodisiac plot lines with a number of mach covers throughout the book (my personal favorite being Afroduck). Here's a couple pics including the cover of the book itself and the "cover" of the first issue:



Inside and out this book is extremely well designed. The comics and covers look so authentic, it's like they were printed thirty years ago. Rugg uses weathering, aging, creasing, and mis-registration effects that really bring the retro look home. The inking also looks authentic as Rugg does amazing brushwork. I can tell you this first hand, because this past Friday Jim himself visited Velocity Comics and brought the original NEWSPAPER size Afrodisiac inks, and everything was done on the board and executed with precision, including the sound effects and lettering. Here's a look at some finished panels:



Afrodisiac is a very funny and beautifully designed read, but there's much more to it than that, so go pick one up! And if you won't take my word for it check out some more picks on Jim Rugg's site: www.jimrugg.com!

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

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Avatar

Greetings true believers!

So I just got back from seeing James Cameron's "Avatar" and I have to say overall it was good. I admit I was quite skeptical going in, I really didn't think that I was going to be interested in it but the story holds together very well and you really get drawn into it. Here's my breakdown:

The Pros:

Overall the CG looked great. The environments were visually stunning and creative. For once I actually found myself forgetting that I was watching a primarily CG movie.

The movie is long, but that actually HELPS the story (unlike most movies over 2hrs that have come to the box office in the last few years). A lot was said in this movie, had it been shorter I don't think the overall concept would have come off as well.

Very cool animal designs- nuff said.

The Cons:

At times it could be a bit patronizing. It perpetuated that age old scenario of: The noble savage and his peaceful culture were minding their own business when all of the sudden, progress found them and the awful industrial machine destroyed their society. There were moments where I just wanted to say yeah I get it- "we bad, them good".

Whereas the story was played out well it was definitely predictable. It had all the elements you would expect such as, boy meets girl, they fall in love but they shouldn't, the main character might be dead but no he's not- you get the drill.

Last, and this is a picky thing not really a con but, I couldn't figure out why Sigourney Weaver's Avatar looked like her so much. Her's was the only one that had a human looking nose.


All and all I'd say this is definitely one to see in the theaters. I'm not sure what the 3-D element can bring to because I saw in 2-D but either way it's worth your time.

Live Long and Prosper!

MO

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