Here's a couple of frames from the pencil tests I mentioned before. I really appreciate how the animators have made the characters so solid. Abe especially looks like a chiseled 3D character walking through a real world.
Since IDT has announced the title, Hellboy: Sword of Storms, I think it's safe to show him with a sword and in a background that you've already seen in color. So enjoy. -- Tad
wow...
Well we can safely assume HB is going to be using that sword to inflict some fairly large gashes on some demon or other.
+ Abe is going to be doing some underground exploring.
It actually kind of reminds me of Seed of Destruction.
And I can almost picture those animatics moving right now.
The second animatic with HB walking towards the house is going to be amazing in colour. If you look carefully you can see the little flames ( maybe it is night time ? ) and the light it is going to be casting on HB.
Posted by: hb | May 11, 2006 at 10:13 AM
The Hellboy shot especially is great looking. The nonchalant way he has the sword resting across his shoulders is SO Hellboy.
Posted by: Kirk | May 11, 2006 at 12:01 PM
I guess I misread the title at some point, but I really thought it was going to be "Storm of Swords". Change it to that. And the whole movie, so that there are swords raining down from the heavens. A plague of Swords. Actually, that's better, "Hellboy: Plague of Swords". Thanks!
Posted by: mike | May 12, 2006 at 12:06 PM
I think it was going to be “Swarm Of Swords”, but nobody could say it the same way twice. Some other titles that were rejected for the similar reasons:
“Enemy Anemone” (an Abe Sapien feature)
“Sphincter Of The Sixth Sphinx”
“The Magical Matter Of The Imaginary Menagerie Manager”
...and something about Peter Pepper picking a peck of pickled peppers.
Posted by: Sparky | May 12, 2006 at 02:41 PM
Actually it had to do with a "pugnacious pack of prickly poltergeists." I mean, c'mon, it's HELLBOY.
Posted by: Tad | May 12, 2006 at 05:03 PM
wow, this whole project is looking amazing... when i found out that Madhouse was doing the animating i nearly shat. I actually live in tokyo not too far from the Madhouse production studio (and Production IG, plus many others)...
i've worked as an assistant illstrator for Hara Tetsuo (Fist of the Northstar, Street Fighter) for a bit over a year.
it's really cool to see one of my favorite comic books come to life in a japanese and american production. yeehaw.
i can't wait to see the final product! (maybe i'll try to make my way into Madhouse for some sneak peaks ;P )
-jeremy
Posted by: Jeremy | May 13, 2006 at 07:35 AM
DANG!
Your a lucky duck...
Posted by: hb | May 13, 2006 at 09:29 PM
HOLY SMOKES!!!
check these out!
http://www.mezcotoyz.com/products.asp?pline=hbc2006
Man, with the release of the animated features, HB movie #2, these figurines and a possible video game Mike must be rakin in the $...and I hope he continues to do so! These are fantastic. I gotta get me the alien!
Posted by: hb | May 14, 2006 at 11:35 AM
haha, thanks man!
yeeeeah... i've gotta get my hands on one of those aliens as well... and Roger... and Johan...
I've already got a really nice HB figure that i bought at an amazing comic/figure shop here in tokyo called Blister. stuff like that is waaay too expensive here though.. i paid nearly $40 for it.. when the american retail price is something like $15 .... booo! same goes for the comics, a single issue of any american comic goes for the equivalent of about $6... and $30-$40 for a TPB.... geez.
but just goes to show how much I love HB to go spending my hard earned money on this crazy stuff :P
-jeremy
Posted by: Jeremy | May 15, 2006 at 07:27 AM
Tad!
What's it been like to work hand&foot with Mignola? Recent articles quote him, but not you!
Thanks for the updates - they all make their way to the deltorfilms messageboard eventually.
A toast to the next and future reunion! In fact, I should make my own animated film. I could manage a moebius strip, perhaps.
Posted by: Paul | May 15, 2006 at 10:45 PM
Working with Mike is lots of fun. Mike is the MAN and deserves every bit of press. But I get a little coverage too. Mike was very kind to me in the current Wizard magazine summer movie special and I was interviewed too.
Posted by: Tad | May 15, 2006 at 10:51 PM
seeing as I haven't seen this magazine yet...Anybody care to fill me in?
Is it in relation to the animated HB or the movie HB?
What nice things did Mike say about Tad?
etc. :P
Posted by: hb | May 16, 2006 at 06:05 AM