Extras
The official fake beer of Nextuus!
Trey, Matty and Thom talk about the comic's first five years.
Listen to the show here!
Listen to the show here!
Wow this was a lot of fun to draw.
Check out the full-size version on deviantart!
Check out the full-size version on deviantart!
HOODED MAN HAS A BEARD.
LADIES.
LADIES.
I realized I never drew a completion pic for chapter 8!
So here's a little something. It's a photo of Randall and Timothy when they were friends back in school. (Forsette Technical College)
So here's a little something. It's a photo of Randall and Timothy when they were friends back in school. (Forsette Technical College)
This is what the cover for Nextuus Volume One will look like. The book is nearly done now, and should be out early 2012!
Professor Trey and I went to the Iowa Comic Book Club's convention this year!
It was pretty cool. Even with all the people in spandex.
It was pretty cool. Even with all the people in spandex.
SWIMMING!
Another page from the NIX training manual.
Some fun with page 194.
Patty Wall's text.
Patty Wall's text.
A rough page from a mini comic exclusive to the first Nextuus book. The short comic is about Jon Smith in a fight club.
Storyboarded by Justin Thomas, colored by Josh Shoberg, art and story by Thom Hotka.
Storyboarded by Justin Thomas, colored by Josh Shoberg, art and story by Thom Hotka.
A rough page from another exclusive mini comic to be included in the first Nextuus book. This story is about a conversation Randall and Carlton had at one point.
Art by Trey Petersen, story and color by Thom Hotka.
Art by Trey Petersen, story and color by Thom Hotka.
A two-page spread from the first Nextuus book. This spread shows two pages from a previous version of the comic, with author comments in yellow below.
There will be many other extras similar to these in the first book.
There will be many other extras similar to these in the first book.
This is a closer version of the photo that appears on the Chapter 8 cover page.
It is a photo that was taken several years ago with the full compliment of Randall's old crew-members present. I'm sure you recognize most of these folks.
It is a photo that was taken several years ago with the full compliment of Randall's old crew-members present. I'm sure you recognize most of these folks.
Count 'em!
Fun with page 166.
Idea from Matty.
Idea from Matty.
Some sketches of the Truemark from before chapter 3. I love the little scene at the top of the plane clearly about to crash. That may yet show up in the comic.
Also-- Jef sketch!
Also-- Jef sketch!
One-15 is so naive.
Those Nix boys sure do have some fun, don't they?
Sometimes you just gotta get some things done.
Sketch for book one cover- close up detailed picture of Ezekal. I eventually decided to not use this for the book, but it was fun to draw.
If any of you is looking to waste/spend more time playing video games, check out this shameless* sellout** I made for a friend's store.
*In truth, I have much shame. Always.
**Actually, I didn't get paid to make this ad. No selling took place.
Damn.
*In truth, I have much shame. Always.
**Actually, I didn't get paid to make this ad. No selling took place.
Damn.
A photo taken while RJ and Krys were still together.
Roy is concerned.
Dog-sitting. No scanner here to update Nextuus. Decided to bring my tablet along.
I went to a waterpark during my latest vacation, and I was wondering what would happen if someone was too big for one of the waterslides...
One-15 wears an 8X.
One-15 wears an 8X.
A page from the NIX training manual.
Went to a wedding.
Needed some filler.
Oh, Roy. You're awful.
Needed some filler.
Oh, Roy. You're awful.
Hey! I finished another chapter!
And I still need some more ladies in this comic...
And I still need some more ladies in this comic...
Another informative PSA from the NIX
The cast takes One-15 to see Iron Man 2, in honor of page 115.
The Ogre was originally designed by Matty Martin. The character underwent several major changes since his conception. This was from about a year before his debut in the comic. I actually liked this design a lot, though he looks a bit sad and shy in this picture. But the screwed-in plates were cool... Maybe I should've kept them...
For Chapter 2. At first I wanted some identifying marks or clothing for the Redeng Gang, then I decided it wasn't all that important, and I wasn't coming up with any good ideas.
Also, cars!
Also, cars!
My first attempts at redrawing Trey's NPDF concept armor. I was really happy with the armor design, and it's always fun to draw even now! Also, I think this was the first time I drew the NPDF logo.
Some shots at Stolz (including one with no hat) and more trying out the NPDF armor.
Redrew some Google Image results for baseball caps. Also, a decent look at the back of Stolz's NPDF uniform when he's got his backpack off.
Stolz was originally design by Trey. The top 2 drawings are his, and the lower drawings are my first takes on the character. Took me a while to figure out how to easily draw/ink his 5 o'clock shadow.
A quick layout of the alleyway at the start of Chapter 2.
And a really boss picture of RJ, strafing the crap out of somebody. And a breakdown of his pistols.
And, to prove this sketch page has everything-- A quick progression of panels for the last 2 pages of Chapter 2! I know. You're welcome.
And, to prove this sketch page has everything-- A quick progression of panels for the last 2 pages of Chapter 2! I know. You're welcome.
Just updated Randall's pic. Mostly because I've slightly changed how I draw his nose. And I also changed his color scheme a bit.
One-15 has changed a little since this was first drawn. And I was never happy with his legs in this picture. Also, he was doing the same pose as the old Randall bio pic.
Just got a bit better at drawing Elle and thought she needed an update.
This is an old sketch that was going to be used on unfinished webpages, but I never really needed it. I think it's a fun picture, though, so I had to finish it.
One big happy family here on Nextuus.
Oh Randall... You're impossible!
Apple has trademarked the silhouette. I am contrctually obliged to turn every silhouette panel I create into an iPod commercial. Here we are.
Man oh man... I cannot tell you how many times I've let a smooth talker with a Groucho mask get me into all kinds of trouble. Glad I'm not the only one.
Drawn just before his appearance in chapter 4. I had drawn Jon a lot before starting the comic, but it had been so long I needed a quick refresher.
The NIX is doing PSAs now?!
Jef is the other mechanic employed by Carlton at the airstrip in Retran. He has a really big wrench.
Fun with page 91!
Gosh, remember Baseketball? Me neither.
Oh damn. That sucks.
I say!
N00B!
Poor Aareck and his crappy cyber-arm. Just did some drawings of Aareck to brush up a bit, and to try out another sword pose. And look! One-15 likes swords, too!
They're friends.
I made this my avatar on the forum for a while. But it upset a few people, because they thought I was mad at them. Thus, Carlton's true powers are discovered.
I was on a roll one day after drawing this picture and decided to make a bunch of stuff up. There are little notes about how this armor works. I also added a NPDF soldier for scale and for a cheap laugh.
I drew this quite some time ago. It's a scale to give you an idea of how tall a Dont is. I used Randall as a height guide because he's an even 6 feet. Handy, no?
This is a concept sketch for a Carthan general. He's super badass.
Just a picture of a little Carthan warrior. I don't know why I drew him so short.
Smoking and violence. The foundation of any good story.
Sorry Elle. I'll try to be better!
The first sketches of Elle that I was really happy with. And a big pic of One-15 in the corner. It got cut off, but he's saying "Larger than life, baby".
Decided to drop the maroon trim.
I've taken a lot of flak from friends about Aareck and One-15 being similar to the famous Elric brothers. Frankly, I don't see it. Halloween Special.
Some sketches of One-15 made during chapter 2. I have since further tweaked the chest-plate and the lower legs.
I gave up on this layout because I couldn't get RJ's head the right size. Also, cityscapes are hard when you don't do a lot of detail.
Drawn just before Chapter 2 came out, just for fun. Whenever I manage to draw RJ like that, I am pleased.
Some initial attempts at Tony's Profile picture. The one on the left doesn't look quite right because his nose is not cartoonishly long. In the old comics, Tony had a REALLY long nose. He just doesn't look right without it.
And a fat picture of RJ.
And a fat picture of RJ.
My good friend Trey helps me out a lot with the comic. We bounce ideas off of each other and talk about the story. This design (by Trey) was for the last El Roy comic, so it took me a while to get to use it, but I really like it! It was worth the wait to get it into a comic!
Randall's airplane in it's final sketch stage. It took me a long time to get this thing looking like I wanted it to. The thing takes off and lands with hover-fans on the bottom and under the wings. And hey-- First drawing of Jef!
I was asked to draw Ezekal again, but without his jacket on, to get a look at his clothes underneath. I added the hooded man reall quick just for fun.
First drawings of Ezekal. I wonder what's in that backpack... Das boot has been changed a bit, but otherwise this was a concept that didn't see much change before being put in the comic! Yay!
Woah! Hey there, badass!
Again, a few months before Nextuus started. I really wanted to give Tony facial hair, but it just wasn't working. And his nose wasn't long enough.
Holy crap! I forgot about Aareck's cyber-arm. I caught it during coloring and sort of fudged it. And yes, even creepy masked men have mothers.
Sometimes it only takes one try. The large drawing is the first ever attempt at Carlton. And I don't think I changed a damn thing.
I did, however, change the hooded man. A lot. A little sketch of him can be seen in the lower right corner.
I did, however, change the hooded man. A lot. A little sketch of him can be seen in the lower right corner.
I wanted to see the situation in the lower corner in a comic for a LONG time before I started Nextuus. I'm really happy with these sketches, even though they're for a bit-part character.
Sissy owns a restaurant in Retran and can brandish a rolling pin like an old pro.
This man is the bartender. I call him Cook.
Also pre-comic. By a few months, probably. Still working on style a bit. Roy is mostly formed here, though his hair looked messier. And I made the decision on how Aareck's arm worked.
Some rough sketches of Randall, Aareck and One-15 a few months before I started the comic.
Wow. Looking at this is interesting. This was drawn a few weeks before I started the comic. I like how RJ looks, and it makes me wonder why I was so set on drawing him with a huge collar after this... Randall still won't get to wear that headband for a long time yet... And Aareck also has yet to wear his door-breaching armor... Huh.
This was a demo I made to show how I go about making Nextuus pages from start to finish, and to stroke my ego.
Old School is right. Try 7th grade. This was the first drawing of Aareck ever. He had a robotic arm, leg and eye. I was really into robotic limbs at the time. Back then, Aareck was a superhero named F-Man. I watched a lot of DBZ and played Final Fantasy VII. This just seemed logical.
Also a drawing from 7th grade. I had taken to just drawing a bunch of characters and naming them after people in my class after the fact. This green-haired gentleman was named for Randy S. Looks like about the only thing I kept from this design was the green hair. Because what else do you really need?
