Dieselfunk Studios, LLC

HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR NOW ON THE DIESELFUNK SHOW 

Greetings Dieselfunkateers, This will be a quick post.  As stated before we are in constant reassessment of what needs to be done to make our initiatives work.  We stated in our last journal entry that High John Conqueror would be folded into The Dieselfunk Show (TDFS).  Why?  from a perspective of BRANDING, VIEWS, CONTENT, and ATTENTION; the fact is, TDFS captures more mindshare than High John Conqueror.  However, High John Conqueror provides added value for The Dieselfunk Show.  So all of the experts we’ve consulted with have stated CONSOLIDATE.  

But you know me.  I then began to debate about whether or not it would be a gradual transition or just immediately begin airing High John from the next episode 8 on alternate days between TDFS.  Our Decision:  because High John is only a few episodes in we will start it over for all of TDFS subscribers who haven’t seen it.  It’s gonna hurt but..

RIP THE BAND-AID OFF!

THE DIESELFUNKCOSPHERE.  DIESELFUNK JOURNAL 2

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!   We are now entering the third week of creating content for The DIESELFUNK SHOW (Please SUBSCRIBE & HIT the Bell Button for NOTIFICATIONS)  Make no mistake about it, PRE- blog, vlog, GLOGG, and COMATIC is a very different conversation than POST blog, vlog, GLOGG, and COMATIC.  Why?  Well to discuss content creation is a different action than actually creating it.  Now I won’t beat around the bush, this is very hard work.  Long hours, intense focus, and ultimately in some cases, sleep deprivation.  This...All while producing COMICS.  Add to this I’m working with my Twin Brother JIM FIELDER; which makes it without question THE MOST FULFILLING WORK OF MY LIFE.  

As I stated in my earlier post, this would be a process of learning and adjusting. We are constantly working on generating content.  We have finished our first professional photo session, conducted by the awesome Amy Frushour Kelly http://www.frushour.org/ that will be used to promote our operation..  First thing we’ve noticed with respects to Youtube is that SEO optimization and thumbnails are KEY.  This will grow even more complex as Facebook ramps up its video monetization scheme...hint: IT WILL BE WAR:-) Further, when you are starting out it makes more sense to consolidate your channels into ONE channel.  Now if you’re already down the road a bit thats okay as you can share playlists on the other channels.  Honestly, it’s a bit of a bear maintaining both The Dieselfunk Show and High John Conqueror, although I love them both.  However, upon listening to Youtube creator/ consultant Derral Eves http://derraleves.com/ and Youtube Maestro/creator/consultant/graphic designer, Roberto Blake http://robertoblake.com/ we have devised a plan. First step is High John Conqueror will likely be folded into The Dieselfunkshow. This extends to more than just Youtube.  We will CONSOLIDATE ALL CONTENT. 

Every INTEREST will utilize CONTROL of manufacturing and distribution which becomes a SEGMENT of the larger PROGRAM.  This reduces the amount of maintenance from each separate channel.  So you’ve got the Dieselfunk GLOGG, OLD BLACKMAN TALES and HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR all consolidated into THE DIESELFUNK SHOW.  With more to come. 

THE DIESELFUNKCOSPHERE

2 BILLION EYEBALLS!: DIESELFUNK JOURNAL 1

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  The last week was a MASSIVE WEEK for Dieselfunk Studios.  High John Conqueror and The Dieselfunk Show have now premiered.  We have now moved on to the intricate and long term work of building a brand, audience, and market for our content.  

CLICK THE LINK BELOW THE BUTTON.  VIEW AND SUBSCRIBE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVXNZJ_0DSE&t=6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rSbqU1C8fE&t=1s

I’ve kept a Journal for decades and used to writing down the occasional thought towards processing events.  It’s been a very useful exercise.  To that end, I’ve decided to take some time to write down my ideas on comics, media, and the REALITY that is the INTERNET.  We’ll call it say; THE DIESELFUNK JOURNAL.  I’m sure there are far more knowledgable and experienced folks in this area than I.  So if what I’m stating is old hat or irrelevant then simply ignore me.

In REAL NUMBERS, the mainstream comic book readership maxes out at 100-200 thousand readers give or take a few thousand. Spread proportionally over the level of strength and size of each publisher, access becomes a matter of life..and more often…Death.

So how does the one man/woman or independent shop, like DIESELFUNK STUDIOS, get in the game?  Not just the comic game, but the game that goes beyond that.  Well that’s what this journal series will be about.  We will investigate a lot, learn a lot, make mistakes…A LOT, and hopefully have the occasional bout of SUCCESS, a LOT:-)

Lets begin with the Thesis:  IF…YOUTUBE has over 1 Billion users,   INSTAGRAM is at 7 Million users (pushing to reach 1 Billion by the end of the year), Facebook is virtually at 2 BILLION USERS!, and other networks are massive as well, would it not make more sense to GO ALL IN ON COMICS EXCLUSIVELY IN SOCIAL MEDIA.  Completely different Paradigm Right?

https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

Of course,  there’s that sticky QUALITY, DISTRIBUTION, and MONETIZATION thingy…:-)

High John Conqueror Chp 1:  Portalis Sanctorum

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  HAPPY JUNETEENTH DAY!  You know, I choose Juneteenth for a reason.  This Day represents the End of Slavery in the United States...and the liberation of Million of Souls to strive to reach the Stars.  For me personally, High John Conqueror is an attempt to reach further by innovating in a new form while paying homage to what came before.  

https://youtu.be/FVXNZJ_0DSE  

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE COMMENTS!:-)

At Long Last,  Dieselfunk Studios’ Social Media Comic Experiment High John Conqueror is upon us. OUR STORY WILL BE UPDATING IN SMALL INCREMENTS 2-3 DAYS PER WEEK ON:  

MONDAYS

WEDNESDAYS 

and FRIDAYS   

Our Story begins in the final days of The Civil War...BUCKLE UP!

HIGH JOHN 2:  COMATICS COMETH!

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  COMATICS!  The Juneteenth (June 19th 2017) Launch Date of HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR is fast coming upon us.  Like any product that enters the market, a user manual is a must to effective engagement with any product.  High John Conqueror is an experiment in Social Media Sequential content.  Although in its heart the story is inspired by comics, it functions differently due to the nature of social networks.  

So….

Take a Newspaper Strip (Cartoons that showcase short snippets of narrative on a daily or periodic basis with only a few frames). Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbs

Add in a bit of Storyboard (Sequential images that showcase every shot composition and camera angle from a film script)  Saul Bass boards for Hitchcock’s Psycho.

And mix it all in with an Animatics (Animated Storyboards with motion and/or sound)  Motion Boards for the AVENGERS.

Then you have what I call...

COMATICS:  Stories that bridge the legacy of traditional comics strips blended with film pacing and motion storytelling.

So…

For High John readers and viewers should expect a snippet that moves a story forward incrementally.  We will endeavor to product a high quality product with strong visuals and compelling character development. Check out this example:

HIGH JOHN 1: Dixieland, The Old West & The Dirty Brush

Greetings Dieselfunkateers.  As the Juneteenth launch date of HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR approaches we are feverishly working to get everything in place. Part of this process involves informing the public of the genesis of this project and what the intentions for the future will be. 

Our first post is all about the Art.  I fully concede my work will likely never be in the contemporary style or level of the crosshatching Image guys...sadly.   Hey, we all want to be sexy.  But I have to face facts; I yam what I yam.  Thusly, I LOVE OLD COMICS.  I love the pen and ink work of Harold Raymond, Frank Frazetta, Hal Foster and Burne Hogarth. Those cats had it down.  So my every effort has been to seize control of my brush...albeit digital, and bring as much power and lushness to my work as possible...like those before me.  But in my OWN WAY.   

More specifically, High John Conqueror is a HOMAGE  to my love of Western, Crime and Sci-fi comics. 

Moebius and Charlier’s Blueberry

Corben’s ‘DEN’

Bernet’s ‘Torpedo 1936′

Steranko’s ‘Chandler’

and last, but absolutely NOT LEAST...David Mazzuchelli’s Rubber Blanket

Now I’m not going to even suggest I’ll be as good as those guys are. But for HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR...That’s the standard for the attempt.  

Launching on Juneteenth.  HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  ANNOUNCING the newest Dieselfunk Studios Bang UP.  A FREE Social Media Graphic Novel...

As stated in earlier posts, Dieselfunk Studios has been doing a from the ground up retooling of our operations.  Part of running a company is about doing a constant reassessment of opportunities and reality.  What does that mean?  Well it means that the tried and true, Matty’s Rocket, will continue and Issue 3 will be available for purchase any day now.  However, Matty is not all we’ve got in the arsenal.  Next up is HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR.  

HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR is a Retro-Afrofuturistic tale by TIm Fielder of Dieselfunk Studios. The concept is loosely based on the African American folk myth of John The Conqueror.  Have you ever wanted to see a brother throwing down in a genre mashup like Doc Savage?!  Blending the genres of Sword and Soul, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Alternative History and Steampunk/Steamfunk; High John Conqueror is a homage to the works of Charles Saunders (IMARO), Richard Corben (DEN) Robert E Howard (CONAN), Alex Simmons’ (BLACKJACK), George Lucas (STAR WARS), Will Eisner (THE SPIRIT) and many other Pulp Heroes of yesteryear.  

Take a Western, Jules Verne, Star Wars and Glory, mix them together and you’ve got HIGH JOHN CONQUEROR!

Further, High John Conqueror is a Social Media Graphic Novel.  This is an experiment to see if the present 3-4 Billion users of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter WILL GET INTO A FREE COMIC THAT COMES TO THEM, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. (More on that as we go along!:-)

Additionally, expect to see a more modern delivery of content via our in the works vlog, presently being constructed printing operation and of course, our soon to air Youtube program’ The Dieselfunk Show.  Standby for further news and announcements!

Elektrik Revival: Remixing the Black Speculative South

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  Elektrik Revival: Remixing the Black Speculative South is about to go down!  What the heck is The Black Speculative South?  In layman’s terms; When a bunch of brother and sisters below the mason dixon take flight, horror, joy, pain, and spaceships to a mystical place called the TRAP, or the Dirty South, or the Cosmic Delta.  

It’s all on with artists featuring mastermind John Jennings, David Brame, Stacey Robinson, Frances Liddell, Sole Rebel, Alex Batchelor, Madeline Bergman, Avy Jetterat and yours truly, Tim Fielder.  

It all goes down at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center floor 3R! 4-6pm!!

Blackjack ON FIRE AND ICE

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  Alex Simmons’ BLACKJACK is back in two upcoming side by side adventures, Blackjack: Trial by Ice & Blackjack: Trial by Fire.  My long collaboration, this time in the form of cover art, continues with writers Alex Simmons (Creator of Blackjack) and Chris Ryan (Creator of City of Pain, City of Woe, City of Sin). Blackjack, aka’ man of action Arron Day,  is featured in stories that defy the imagination, yet put him within a definable time and place.  

This began as an over the phone description by Alex of the basic cover design. But in this case I took it further by wanting to do a double cover.  So the sketch was literally done in five minutes.  

From a personal point of view, I’ve taken to doing the character as a way of imprinting my take of classic pulp covers while hopefully adding something new.  This can often appear in the form of a homage.  I’ve always loved the Greg and Tim Hildebrandt cover of Blackjack.  I decided this would be my inspirational starting point

I’m not the most accurate of artists.  But after spending time with an illustration, I take a break and go back to an image with fresh eyes.  This can be repeated over and over again until I end up with an acceptable design.  In this case, while the initial idea was fine, the cross handling of Arron’s colt handguns obscured his face.  

I tried different poses.  Admittedly, this was a fun diversion but I knew the asymmetry would not work for a double cover. 

Ultimately, the decision was made to go back to the original idea but have Arron hold the colts side to side allowing the emotion in his face to communicate properly.  I preferred this as it took the spirit of the original homage and went in a slightly different direction.  I collected reference for lighting and design.  Each job is different.  The deadline was tight because the stories were being written as I was working.  Thusly, the basic composition of Arron dominating the double image yet being off to the side in the split images was the direction.  I would fill in the background later.  I began with a relatively tight pencil rendering.

Then work proceeded towards doing a tight rendering of Arron.  Taking the fire and ice motif would suggest light and shadow.  This was further aided by making sure I had ample reference.

At this point Alex and Chris had provided story elements so I could go into filling out the background space.  One of the stories takes place at the Olympics with Russian elements.  The other story takes place in the snowscapes in Europe.  So a google search run was most definitely in the cards.  Several hours, photo shoots, and layer blending later I had a finished image. 

Standby for more information on these new stories.  Very proud to have provided cover art.  

Also, It’s been a good long while since I’ve posted an update.  Please know that MAJOR CHANGES are afoot in the way and mode that Dieselfunk Studios does business.  Standby for further news.

WALKMAN SinCity

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  A quick post.  Work continues on projects as I progressively focus to improve in multiple areas, specifically INKING.  Over the weeks I was reminded of this project I did way back in 1988 for a Hunter College student Newspaper called The Shield.  My editors, starting with Mary Kay Penn, and Carol Webster, allowed me to do my thing in a project titled “WALKMAN”.  I tackled the ideas of race and misrepresentation in the late 80s NYC.  I wanted to do something cool visually and thought of this art style that would be a blend between Bourne Hogarth’s silhouette ink style, Wally Wood, Spain Rodriguez and R Crumb.  After 4 episodes of Walkman I moved on to other things but always felt I would use that art style again.  

But then Frank Miller did Sin City.  It’s not who does i first.  It’s who delivers to market first.  HA!  

Or at least that was my thought as a younger dude.  Now, I wear Dad jeans without shame (I think I own Dad jeans:-)  So decided to take a stab in a bit of reverse engineering…with MARV

McGowan’s WILDFIRE

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  Work in the labs continue.  Another Black Comics creator image.  Quinn McGowan’s PROJECT WILDFIRE is an AWESOME yet heartfelt take on the reluctant hero, Will Watson III, rising to the cause.  

Oh yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Quinn!

NEON BOUNCER

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  Took a quick break (lots of those lately) to do a color sketch of Chuck “DragonBlack” Collins’ BOUNCER for my ongoing black comic creator series thingy. Collins is definitely one of the major visual forces going in comics today. That said, his REAL secret weapon:  Mug can WRITE HIS BUTT OFF.  Check out Bounce The Comic at http://www.bouncethecomic.com/  and the Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Bounce

Matty’s Rocket 3 is about to head out to the printers.  But as you know, the work never stops.  Presently in comic story breakdown for an artistic collab with BLACK COMIX RETURNS scribe John Jennings for Author Stuart Jaffe’s BLUESMAN.  

I’m working on it Fellas!  

 I’ve been on a bit of a voyage of artistic self-discovery lately with jaunts in Corel Painter and Clip Studio Paint. Nothing like finally being able to do quasi elegant inks in digital by switching from using a digital ink brush to a digital watercolor brush!!!  It only took 20 years to figure it out!  Who Knew!:-)

Back to it!

CAPTAIN BATTLE:  Dark Defender of Harlem Sector

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  A very quick update on the upcoming release of MATTY’S ROCKET 3:  UNEXPECTED GUESTS.  Work is closing out on the story and I must say, I feel it’s my best work yet.  

EXTRA EXTRA!!  Matty’s Rocket issues 1 and 2 will be REISSUED very shortly with BRAND NEW CONTENT.  Amongst that content I am introducing:

CAPTAIN BATTLE.

Take a bit of Sam Battle, the First Black New York Police Department Officer

Add in a bit of Walter B Gibson’s The Shadow 

Then pop a smidgeon Eugene Bullard, first African-American military pilot. 

Pay your respects to the Character that got you back in the GAME, 

Alexander Simmons’ Blackjack

Finally set it in the same universe as:

And you’ve got:

MATTY IN BAX 2016

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  BAX 2016: Best American Experimental Writing Imagine the surprise when approached by BAX 2016 Best American Experimental Writing.  Well it happened, and we’ve just received our copy in the mail.  This literary volume, featuring the best in poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction was expertly edited by Seth Abramson, Charles Bernstein and Tracie Morris.  Notable participants include President Barack Obama, Myung Mi Kim and Samuel R Delany amongst many others.  I mean, if you’re  gonna keep company, that ain’t bad company.  http://bax.site.wesleyan.edu/

Buy your copy here.  https://www.amazon.com/BAX-2016-American-Experimental-Writing/dp/0819576743/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

MATTY’S ROCKET #3 ON PRE-SALE

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  NOW On PRE-SALE, Matty’s Rocket 3:  Unexpected Guests. 

Order NOW.  http://dieselfunkstore.com/product/mattys-rocket-3/

DIESELFUNK YEAR IN REVIEW.  

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  Very quick update because the work NEVER STOPS.  Dieselfunk Studios has now passed through our 2nd year with Matty’s Rocket the Comic Series and begun production of The Dieselfunk Show. 

We started out with the premiere of Matty’s Rocket 2 at Planet Deep South.

Won a GLPYH Award along with Alex Simmons for ’Blackjack: There Came A Dark Hunter’ 

Did Comic workshops in The Mississippi Delta, Schomburg Museum, Jackson MS and Columbus, Ohio. 

We had a MASSIVELY SUCCESSFUL showcase of 30 Years of work in comics and Afrofuturism titled ‘BLACK METROPOLIS:  30 Years of Afrofuturism, Comics, Music, Animation,  Decapitated Chickens, Heroes, Villains, and, and Negroes.  

Returned to East Coast Comicon, New York Comicon and SOLcon.

Joined the Comixcast crew (headed by the Legend, Joyce Brabner) in covering the Madness that was the Republican National and Democratic National conventions.

Co-created, along with Jim Fielder, an entirely new form of Digital Journalism called Glogging.  This effort resulted in starting production on our program called The Dieselfunk Show.  

This work would have us invited to The White House at the First Annual South By South Lawn event in which the Dieselfunk Crew drew President Obama and performed the first Digital Plein Air painting of the Whitehouse...without being sniped I might add:-)

We’d go into the fall of the year with Glogging at the Star Trek Missions 50th Anniversary and participating in the Black Enterprise Comics Roundtable.

Had the honor of illustrating a story written by the Eisner Award and National Book Award winning Andrew Aydin for Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Liberty Annual.

This year closed out with an AWESOME New York Times expose on Afrofuturism featuring the likes of Rhianna, Beyonce, Solange, Ytasha Womack, Rasheeda Phillips, and yours truly, Tim Fielder.   This is added on by Bleeding Cool’s preview of Matty’s Rocket 3 and the premiere of The Dieselfunk Store for all of your Matty’s Rocket and Afrofuturistic goods! 

I did not think that this year could top last year.  BUT IT DID.  Very very Grateful and Humbled.  

We look forward to even BIGGER THINGS coming for 2017.

Tim Fielder

THE DIESELFUNK STORE is LIVE

Greetings Dieselfunkateers!  The week keeps getting more and more AMAZING.  We are now announcing THE DIESELFUNKSTORE www.dieselfunkstore.com You remember all of those shirts, comics and posters, apps, and toys you jokers been bothering us about all these years...? 

Well It’s Christmas Time and...