Comic Book Resources

Idol Thoughts 11/5

Here’s a Q & A with Nick Pitarra, one of the latest contestants to exit the contest.

Enjoy!

1. Okay, that ending was nuts! Were you following the results as they went back and forth, or did you just check when the final results came in?

At the beginning yes, in the last hour or so, no. I went to lunch with my girlfriend and walked home by myself (she was late to work). It was a nice day and I needed a walk to clear my head.

2. In a competition like this, it is obviously not a case of people NOT liking your stuff, just perhaps liking someone else’s work more that week. But if you had to guess, what do you think about your pages didn’t click with the audience this week?

That’s a tough one to answer. Overall, I think these pages had a little more of me in them, and played to my strengths. I feel Jose’s pages were better than mine, and he got less votes than I did. I half jokingly mentioned this in a thread, but I guess I got to stop using my Ed McGuiness DC Direct action figures for anatomy reference. Just kidding. Kind of.Anatomy, that seemed to be a weak point for me overall.

3. You’ve read the judges comments as well as the public comment thread –did any comments strike you as unfair? Which comments were right on the mark?

Great question. The judges were spot on. So spot on that I was taken back by just how well rounded these guys are. They would pick out the things I knew I shouldn’t do, or questioned and then thought “well it still works”, sure enough at least one of them busted me every time. My 2nd page for C.B.’s assignment was one of my favorites I produced. 2 of the judges really liked the page, and another only liked about half of it. So I’m left scratching my head on that one. The judges did an amazing job.

Marc had this great sense of self. He commented on a contestant’s Invincible design and said something like he doesn’t look his age or look right. And then countered by saying if he would have drawn him he would have just looked like Wolverine. LMAO. He sandwiched his crits with compliments and made everything easy to swallow, making you feel like he was on your side and that he just wanted the best for you. I was surprised as I originally thought he’d hate my work because we don’t draw anything alike. But he brought a great creative energy and outlook to all of the contestants pages. Chris, James, C.B. ,Vince and Ryan all did great jobs too, but this question is probably taking longer than it should so I’ll cut it off here.

4. What was the hardest part about this week’s assignment for you?

Working from a loose plot is a lot of fun(I prefer it). I guess with a script like this, your torn between picking the coolest shot vs. the shot that tells the best story…that’s always a battle for me.

5. Did you prefer the detailed scripts of the first two rounds or the loose script of this past round?

I think working from loose plots is a blast and suits my creative process. But then again I like the challenge of someone saying draw this, and then kind of proving I can draw what they ask me too. Plus, its comforting to know what you have to draw right off when you sit down at your drafting table…instead of having unlimited possibilities to choose from.

6. Of the remaining contestants, if you had to pick, who do you think has the best shot at going all the way (feel free to be diplomatic and say, “I love them all!”)?

Well, I like all of these guys…I really do. Out of everyone that is remaining, all of them were in my Top Ten to make the contest (there’s a old thread in the CBI forum, and all of these guys made my list). That being said, if everyone turns in equal quality work, my vote is going to Charles Paul Wilson. I think he has a style that can fit a lot of books, and I know him from http://www.tentonstudios.com/ and he is just an incredible artist.

7. Are you planning on stopping by and participating in the play-at-home thread, right?

Originally yes, but some other stuff has come up that I’m going to attend to. Plus I fell far behind in a lot of my school work when participating in the contest, so I have some catching up to do in that regard as well. Maybe next round.

8. Has this encouraged or discouraged you from continuing to pursue your dream as full-time comic artist?

Encouraged. This was an incredible experience, probably the single best artistic decision I’ve ever made for myself. I made great contacts and got offered work from one of the bigger companies in the comic book world. So I’m leaving with the biggest cheese grin you’ve ever seen. Things kind of came full circle for me with this contest. I had already gotten reviews from or have shown my work to everyone one of the guest judges before the contest ever started (mostly at cons or online). Its scary how involved I am in the comic book world, and it feels like the work and time I’ve put in is starting to pay off.

9. Finally, take this space to promote the heck out of whatever you would like to promote!

Well, right now I’m illustrating a pitch for Jason Baroody. He’s an awesome artist, and turns out he can write too! We’re looking for a publisher for this incredible story he has put together.

Here’s his statement on the project…

THE CON MAN

Is a Superhero / Crime Drama. The story is about a washed up ex-superhero turned Bounty Hunter. Who has to save an archenemy and take down his former teammates in the process.

My statement…

Super hero violence, 100’s of wacky characters for me to design and illustrate. Its just an awesome story that plays to my strengths and interest as an artist. Jason sent me the script and I was floored, I knew I wanted to be apart of it. I know if we handle it right and get in with the right publisher, we can make a great comic.

I was working on the pitch when Comic Book Idol popped into my schedule, so I have a few pages in my gallery already.

Page 1

Page 2

I’m currently reworking the pages with some of the judges tips in mind. Hopefully we’ll have the pitch packaged and sent to publishers within the next month or so.

Jason’s Credits

and his artwork…

Thanks so much, Nick!!