The Beginning of My Love For Comics

If you’ve spent much time at all on 3twins.net then you know that our love of comics is evident in much of the work that we do. I personally grew up loving comic book characters, especially Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, but my experience with them was entirely through movies and cartoons. Even though I loved the stories, I never actually read the comics.

At least that was the case up until the summer of 1997. I was shopping with my brother and sisters, happened to see a four-pack of Spider-Man comics, and bought them on a whim. This was my very first comic book purchase! That four pack was known as the Revelations series, which was the conclusion to the Spider-Man Clone Saga – a story-arc that dominated the franchise from 1994-1996.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the Clone Saga is considered one of the lowest points in the history of the Spider-Man franchise. It was full of messy storytelling and plot-lines that angered hard-core fans and confused new readers by phasing out Peter Parker and establishing Ben Reilly as the new Spider-Man. Writer Bud Budiansky was tasked with bringing Peter Parker back and ending the saga, but it was no easy task because of all of the loose ends and other problems that had been created. Budiansky ended up soliciting ideas from the entire Marvel staff and Revelations was the final product of his efforts. The final comic in the series saw the death of Ben Reilly and end of the clone saga, the first appearance of Norman Osborne and the Green Goblin in 20 years, the disappearance of Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s baby, and Parker reestablished as Spider-Man.

I spent the rest of the weekend completely lost in those four issues. My love of Spider-man was officially solidified and my love of comics was born. I never did become a comic book collector, but to this day I still enjoy reading them and getting swept up in the images. And if you peruse some of the drawings I’ve done for 3Twins, especially in Hatman & Indigo, you might even see how the Revelations story-arc influenced my own artwork.

Until next time,

~Steve

Sketching A Script To Life!

Everything starts with an idea and that idea is brought to life by an artist. Like any idea in the world of media and entertainment you must first understand the story and it's characters, then you go straight to sketching. This requires hours of sketching and refinement until the artist captures the heart of the story. The next step is carefully inking (marker) all the sketches into a final image, then i scan it onto the computer and bring it to life with color.

There was a time before Disney went CG, they were known for their reliance on traditional artists, storyboards, and sketches. Have no fear, artists are still needed to sketch out a visual depiction, whether it be for animation, movies, or a video game. Even in the world of Disney and CG, sketching remains the quickest and most valued shorthand used to bring any idea to life.

~Michael

What's Your Favorite 3twins Character?

I was thinking about the time I went to Yokohama, Japan. I felt like I was in a video game! Neon colors, happy synthesized theme songs for everything (including crossing signals) and every business had it's own anime mascot. That's right, even the adults in Japan had their favorite anime characters. I challenge you to find your own theme character and post them right here on our blog. From any cartoon, comic book, video game or whatever. If you're short on ideas review our past posts and find one here. We have lot's of lovable characters that are looking for supporters. I, myself, choose Bojac the Centaur, from the upcoming hit Wii U game "Of Mages and Pages" by your friends here at 3twins.net. Post your favorites here and let's see who wins!!!

~Tom

Captain America 2

So I finally saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and I have to say it's definitely worth the hype! I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but I highly recommend you do!

Now I can't wait for Avengers 2 to come to theaters. This so nicely sets up the ongoing Marvel stories.

~Andy

The Black Knight Image

So, Friday I posted an image of what the character of the Gold Knight will most likely look like in our Wii U game Of Mages & Pages.  Today I give you The Black Knight and how he will likely look in our game.

~Jason

Heroes

Greetings All,

Steven Ware here, just wanted to share a few thoughts that i have been considering.

i saw "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" when it came out and i am very pleased to see that it is still the #1 movie in America some three weeks after its release.  There is more to my pleasure at seeing the movie do so well than just fannboy excitement, though (not sure how much more, but there is a measurable percentage more).  I am excited to see a movie that deals with the complex issues of what s of what it means to be a hero in today's society (especially here in the U.S.A.)doing so well.  i really like the fact that a comic book movie is striving to say something more than "Might makes Right", in fact this movie may come as close to saying the opposite of that sentiment than any other comic book adaption ever has (including "Watchmen", imho).

Which brings me to the question i would like to pose to You All;  In today's world, how essential are heroes?  This world seems to meandering toward chaos more and more each day, is touting the actions and character of heroes (real or imagined) akin to some kind of Sisyphusian mental torture...in a nutshell, what is the appeal of looking to the best in mankind when the worst is running rampant?  

A fair assessment, no?  But maybe the whole symbol represented in the "Starfish story" is the key to the necessity of hope - which is what heroes embody in our minds, in our souls.  The need to reach for what Abraham Lincoln called “the Better Angels of Our Nature”.  Heroism inspires heroism, hope breeds hope.  In a society inundated by anger, angst and apathy don’t Our hearts cry out for heroes?  As the world spins into shadow, aren’t we all desperately craving the light of compassion, civility and self-sacrifice?  

I submit to You that the current spate of Superhero movies is touching more than a childish desire to see Our costumed vigilantes finally robed in flesh, but the fulfillment of the yearning that We feel to see Someone overcome insurmountable odds for the sake of the greater good.  Walt Whitman said; “ I understand the large hearts of heroes, the courage of present times and all times,” .  

I salute You Captain America for doing so well at the box office, and even more so for letting us believe, if even for a little while, that there is better in Us and that We can aspire to that better in Ourselves.

~Steven 

The Gold Knight Image

Quite a while back I mentioned a new character for our Wii U game: Of Mages & Pages, the gold knight.  At that time I wasn't ready to show you a concept image for him.  However, today I decided to show you an image that is very similar to what he should look like in the final game!

So take a look at the Gold Knight for our game!

~Jason

Doctor Who Legacy

Greetings 3twins.net fans,

Today I wanted to share about my favorite free to play phone/tablet game, Doctor Who Legacy.  When I was first introduced to Doctor Who Legacy, I thought it was going to be like all other gem matching games, but this one puts a fun twist by integrating RPG elements as well as fun collectables.

Whether you’re a fan of Doctor Who or not, this game is quite enjoyable.  The best part is it’s completely free to play, and there’s no energy system.  So if you want to play it for twenty hours or just a few minutes, you can.  There’s dozens of different characters to collect and each one has their own abilities and stats, so you can make all kinds of diverse teams.

So what are you waiting for..? Go to the app store/play store now to download this awesome game! (Available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle, and coming soon to Facebook).

~Andy

Excitement

Do you recall the things that made you look forward to what was coming as a child? It may have been a visiting friend or relative, a holiday celebration, or birthday presents. For most of us involved with 3twins.net, we all have stories of the next issue of our favorite comic, the next episode of our favorite TV show, or finding the last item to complete a collection. You know, geeky stuff, like that. Fortunately for us all, the geek culture has allowed larger society to be part of that excitement with TV episodes, movies and series on streaming networks, and introducing our comic heroes to the motion screens both large and small. As adults, we still find that initial excitement in those activities.

 

That is the heart of the worlds within 3twins.net. In the works are stories that will be shared in multi-media format and even our first ever video game! As someone who has befriended the twins before this all started with a simple website, I am impressed with the body of work available now as well as the work awaiting art or animation to be revealed in the future. It brings me back to the excitement of my youth when I knew something new would be coming to tie up loose ends and unravel others. We all have that now with many fine shows available for watching from other companies, but which of your favorites are really giving you a chance to weigh in? This family of writers and artists at 3twins.net invites you to do just that. Let’s talk about what you would like to see that would get you excited. Please tell us!

 

Choose your escape!

                                                                                                                        ~ Chuck