January Artjam Entries!

As you may or may not know, every month here in the hallowed halls of Xion we host a different art challenge. For January  the task was to redesign any comic book character. It could've been anywhere from a couple of tweaks to a complete overhaul. It could've been a D-list villain all the way to an A-lister hero. Below are the entries for January.




Kamau Mshale redesigns Iron Fist.





Darr Henderson's Zatanna. Dar says, "I always wanted to see a gothed out Zatanna. I went through many backgrounds before I decided to make it look like she is promoting an act of some sort. Many other backgrounds I tried made her vanish but I think this is fitting and she stands out."



Sha-Nee Williams' X-23. Sha-Nee says she choose X-23 because "she is an awesome character and its my first time really drawing her. Also, I dont hear much about her in the comic world (or I've been living under a rock in that case)." She also says, " I added more stuff to her outfit to give her more of a punk rock feel."



Omar Clifton's take on Captain America. "I was going fir a more desert warrior style....thought about a riot shield but the disc is classic."

 





My early sketches of my New Warriors re-designs. Night Thrasher above. 



Marvel(formerly "Justice") I see Marvel as the most 'super-heroesque' of the team.

Mecca (formerly "Rage") The name Rage HAS to go above all else. I see him much more at peace now and determined to be a positive role model.

Namorita. I kept her pretty much the same as her last appearance but the biggest change will come in her power set. She should be an Atlantean Wonder Woman.

Nova. My inspiration for Nova was to get away from the space stuff. I see him as the cool jock that never picked on the nerd but still rides off on the bike with the chick.



Speedball. Speedball will go from his Penance funk back to a more fun-loving person. My inspiration is par-kour mixed with skater/hip-hopper.


And wait, what's this?! An entry from a writer-- Ben Rhine's take on Adam Warlock.

"Using funding appropriated during the second World War, what was to become Advanced Idea Mechanics gathered together what they could from Abraham Erskine's research as well as dutifully-scrounged notes from the labs of Nathaniel Essex into the structure and genetic exaltation of humanity. The work, as presented, would be to create the Perfect Human, a canned Bodhisattva.

The project called for two beings, one male, one female, at the behest of the director, who harbored strong resentment against his species for the atrocities to the Earth and to each other incurred during the war. The primary researchers, calling themselves the Enclave, went as far as to inject themselves with the Infinity Formula and otherwise augment themselves to devote themselves more fully to the project at hand.

From the sheer enormity of the task at hand, many Enclave members relinquished their humanity, if not their minds, in the midst of the Work at hand. Some came to resent the very species they sought to perfect in their research, and arguments spilled out onto the research floor.

Each of these conflicts and philosophical changes had their influence in the creation of the subjects. Eventually, over decades, the funds for the project ran out and the Enclave would have to observe their results as-is, allocating funds to more profitable research as AIM. The male subject, Adam, faced numerous questions involving purpose and morality, weighing the responsibility of an individual towards preserving life, consuming life to live, and coexisting with life as a member of a communal species, as a far greater specimen of that species, by those who had turned their back on this species.

A raid on the Enclave by the Serpent Society (over something silly, petty and selfish) gave Adam an opportunity to observe the world outside. His emergence would send forth an intense ripple in the fabric of the universe, but for nothing so grandiose as his own presence. As he learned of the massive imbalances and self-delusion that marked true humanity, he would come to learn that his entire creation, the entire reason that circumstance brought the project together, was to create a suitable host for the Soul Gem to enter reality, and that upon its completion Adam would become lost once more to confusion, without the watchful eye of the Enclave to observe and respond to his psychic needs.

It came to pass, rattling through in each painful, forceful evolution of his psyche, that the Soul Gem would complete itself within Adam and release itself from his being, to gravitate into the cosmic array of the Infinity Gems in a far off corner of the Universe. Unreconciled, unable to lead or to destroy his fellow humanity, Adam finally gave up on any promise he once had, taking the surname Warlock, or "Oathbreaker." He now wanders, finding small scraps of wisdom and experience, hoping to find some way to cope with the hole left where he once stood the Universal Soul in his heart."


Great job everyone. Ok, here's February's challenge:
This month Xion asks you to celebrate the release of the new movie CHRONICLE  with a depiction of yourself as a superpowered person. We're not looking so much for over-the-top costumes, but a more "realistic" take on your super-powered self to keep the spirit of the movie. It must also be a self-protrait. Aside from that, sky's the limit. And of course, this isn't regulated to just the artists. Writers, concoct a short story and post a link to your blog or site with your finished essay.

A few things to remember:
* we'll be doing this every month
* writers are also encouraged to contribute, by submitting a short story or concept pitch.
* you can post your submissions on the Xion facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/groups/153014201477978/
or send them to the new email: thexionnetwork@gmail.com
* it's never too late to submit
* skill level is never a factor, it's all about having fun!

So let's see what you've got.

February Editorial Letter 2012

When I was younger, I remember drawing full figure hands and feet. Mind you that at the age of four, children would just draw stick figures. But at that age, my mom knew I wanted to be some sort of an artist. When I was growing up, my cousin and I would get up early every morning to watch Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon. To be honest, the only comics I was reading at the time were Archie comics and the Sunday funnies. I grew up watching Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men you name it…but never read their comics till I got a lot older. I still remember the times in high school where I would just sit quietly and doodle character’s faces and different symbols. But by the time I got to college, everything changed…in a good and bad way. When I was in college, whatever I drew never got recognition or it was just a pass along. What I mean by “pass along” is that people looked through my pages…but not the artwork that was on those pages. I would get harsh criticisms -- just saying “no” through every page or not saying anything at all-- but before I graduated, a really good friend of mine and an awesome professor gave me the push I needed to become better. Instead of saying “no”, they gave me direction and positive criticism. So, instead of drawing a specific genre that everyone else drew, I started taking a heavy interest in the comic style. Comic style to me is something that isn’t just one style, its universal. This is where my journey in Xion begins…

What does The Xion Network mean to me? Ive been in Xion for almost two years and throughout that time, I have come across the most talented and heartwarming creative people. When I came to the first meeting in Philly, I brought nothing but a sketch book and an old portfolio (that wasn’t updated at the time). When I placed my work on the table, I was a bit nervous, but I got nothing but good vibes from everyone. I networked with many people, became more outgoing with ideas, found great friendships and learned so much. I felt that this group gave me the complete creative drive I needed to become a better artist as well as a better person. So, to answer the question above, for me…Xion is a group that makes me feel comfortable in my style of art. Its more of a safe haven to me where I feel confident and pumped to draw anything that I create in my mind. They taught me that it is ok to be unique and its ok to come up with crazy ideas to draw or write on paper. Because of the people in Xion, I learned to be confident, take risks, and achieve the goals that I set out for myself and just be me.

Funny story, I remember coming up to Shawn (Xion Founder) and throwing out an idea of having a comic group for New York. Now, I was just asking for some pointers, but he took it to another level where he wanted to expand Xion to NYC. Of course, I agreed because it would band more comic artists out in the NYC area together. So he made me the leader of Xion NYC. I was honored and nervous all at the same time, but because of the pep talk I got from Shawn, Kia, and Jovan, I was more pumped than nervous. The group in NYC came together greatly because of Shawn and Kia, even though they have their moments of hilarious “rap time”, we put our heads together and created Xion NYC. For the NYC branch, I wanted to have a comic group where I can help artists the same way Xion has helped me. Inspire, create, innovate, and more importantly, CREATE!!!

Thanks for reading!

Sha-Nee Williams

Manager--Xion NYC Branch