LO Magazine Issue 11

LO Magazine
movies | digital | animation
animation || anime | manga | neo-manga | comics
Vol. 11
April 2005
Free Issue
SHOUJO
The stuff that
girls like
PLOTTING SILENT HILL
Scott Ciencin explains the art of
scaring the crap out of readers
MORAY RHODA
The South African
Don of local comic
artists
SERIAL EXPERIMENT LAIN
Who is Lain? Experience one of
the anime classics
Enter
Manga
Voodoo Doll
Drawing
Competition!
Pioneering the knowledge of anime & manga in South Africa
W
Adobe Indesign cs
The perfect magazine design tool!
elcome to LO
Magazine’s eleventh
issue.
It has always been one of my
visions that LO would be very
similar to a real magazine, even
when still in electronic format.
With print in mind as I think most
of you also do, we have moved to
the A5 format, which means that
you can not read LO Magazine,
spread by spread in full screen.
CTRL+L toggles between full
screen and normal view.
The new look also brought in
some changes and we hope you
will like it. We now cater for the
female readership with some
Shoujo and we are experimenting
with Your Manga Horoscope
(from the point of view of an
anime/manga character).
An International section will
cover animation and illustration
from across the world, which
includes movies like Korea’s
Wonderful Days and the USA’s
Live-Action Neon Genesis
Evangelion. Behind the Cels
will explore the world behind
the creation of animation, like
producing, voicing and drawing.
More things are on the way, but
we will keep some secrets for
later. Don’t forget to enter the
drawing competition.
Enjoy.
Ed.
© LO Magazine 2005
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Adobe Indesign CS Image © 2005 Adobe Inc.
3
© 2005 LO Magazine
LO
Editorial
Editor - AJ Kock
[email protected]
Contributors
Cover & Page 3: Serial
Experiment Lain © 1998
Pioneer LDC / Geneon
Entertainment / Yoshitoshi
ABe
W
CONTENT
Jericho - Sydney Butler
Rei - Cristy Ferreira
GC - Thys Visser
06
ANIME / MANGA FEATURE
Serial Experiment Lain, a true classic
20
08
INDUSTRY NEWS
Find out who is doing what,
where and when.
22
For contact specifics please
look at page 35.
10
THE GIRLY SIDE
Introducing the World of Shoujo
24
Website:
www.lomagazine.co.za
12
DIGITAL CREATIONS
Interview: We learn from Dave Wilson,
why Blur is such an amazing animation
production company.
26
Forum: http://
www.activeboard.com/
forum.spark?forumID=4
7038
15
LO recognises all copyrights
in this issue. Where possible,
we have acknowledged the
copyright holders. Contact
us if we have failed to credit
your copyright.
Unless indicated otherwise,
all content are © 2005 LO
Magazine.
LO Magazine is a product of
© 2005 Manga SA Anime
© LO Magazine 2005
16
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COMPETITION
Can you draw? Enter the Manga Voodoo
Doll Drawing Competition
THE LOCAL SCENE
Interview: Moray Rhoda, the South
African Don of local comic artists
INTERNATIONAL
Interview: Malaysian Comic Artist
Sonny Liew
Note: To make life easier we indicate anime with blue and
manga with green. Words in Bold, Italic means that it
includes a term definition.
29
elcome to LO
Magazine’s eleventh
issue.
First we like to apologise for
the errors appearing in the 9th
issue. A corrected issue was
sent to NAG, but it was to late
LETTERS
for inclusion. You can download
You say it, we print
it
a corrected version from our
website. The fan survey (P.13)
also been cancelled for now.
YOUR MANGAhas
HOROSCOPE
06
Are you a manga character? We can
We would like to welcome Rei
predict your future.
(writer) to LO. You’ll get to know
10
her better from next month
onwards, as she will tackle
BEHIND THE CELS
Interview: VoiceShoujo.
Actor Bob Bergen
Expect loads of changes coming
NEO-MANGA &
COMICS
about
from the next issue
onwards
- just in
time for our
Interview: Silent
Hill comic
writer,
Scott Ciencin. one year anniversary! We finally
decided to give you what you
asked for, so enjoy the drawing
NEO-MANGA INCLUDE
competition. It will run for two
months.
Dark Horse Comics
presents Manga
Darkchylde
34
LO RECOMMENDS
This month’s anime and manga
recommendations.
35
CONTACTING US
Do you want to submit your
artwork or join the community?
Software used in the making of LO Magazine:
Artwork: Adobe Photoshop
Layout & Design: Adobe Indesign
PDF Creation: Adobe PDF Writer
12
Enjoy.
Ed.
28
18
© LO
2005
Magazine
LO Magazine
2005
26
ANIME FEATURE
Has the line between the
real world and the wired
world begun to blur?
S E R I A L
E X P E R I M E N T
L A I N
Sitting on a train, you
constantly hear the buzz of
the Wired (The Internet /
Network - a shared reality
where data exists through
electronic energy). The
buzz is constant and filling
your head like you are part
of it, not riding a train, but
moving down a universal
electronic flow of data.
Lain, a thirteen year old are
about to find out how close
these two realities have
become. It is set in motion
by the suicide of one of her
classmates.
The following day at school,
the wall on reality starts
to crack, when everyone
talks about the strange
email some of them have
received from Chisa
Yomoda, the dead girl.
Serial Experiment Lain
(SEL) is a slow paced and
thought-provoking series,
which peals away the layers
(literally and figuratively)
of our perceived postmodern reality. As each
layer reveals more about
the connection between
the Wired and the “real”
world, the more it becomes
apparent that the “real”
world and the Wired are
not separated entities,
running parallel so to speak,
but are similar and flowing
into each other; in serial.
SEL was released in a set
of four DVDs (USA) and the
episodes were called layers
(thirteen).
NAVI
layer
layer
layer
layer
01:
02:
03:
04:
Weird:
Girls
Psyche
Religion
KNIGHTS
layer 05: Distortion
layer 06: Kids
layer 07: Society
DEUS
layer 08: Rumors
layer 09: Protocol
layer 10: Love
RESET
layer 11: Infornography
layer 12: Landscape
layer 13: Ego
USA Distributor:
Geneon Entertainment
Website:
www.geneon-ent.com
Original Character Designer:
Yoshitoshi ABe (HaibaneRenmei, NieA_7,
Texhnolyze)
Script Writer:
Chiaki J. Konaka (Hellsing,
Texhnolyze, RahXephon,
The Big O, Armitage III)
A Fan Interpretation of Lain:
http://www.cjas.org/~leng/
lain.htm
.LO
Fact: Winner of the
Excellence Prize in Japan’s
1998 Media Art Festival.
Images © 1998 Pioneer LDC / Geneon Entertainment / Yoshitoshi ABe
© LO Magazine 2005
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© LO Magazine 2005
INDUSTRY NEWS
VAMPIRE HUNTER D NOVELS
Dark Horse Comics has
announced that they will be
releasing the first of thirteen
Vampire Hunter D novels,
written by Hideyuki Kikuchi
with cover art and illustrations
by Yoshitaka Amano.
It is the year 12,090 A.D.
and the humanity is trying to
free themselves from a 300
year rule by a race of vampires
known as the Nobility.
Villagers only hope for
survival lies in the hands of
Hunter-ones, warriors who
have pledged their lives to kill
vampires.
Source: www.darkhorse.com
Image © 2005 Urban Vision
TOKYOPOP SIGNS WRITERS
FOR TWO TV PROJECTS
Tokyopop has recruited two
of the animation world’s most
celebrated scribes – Craig
Bartlett (Johnny Bravo) and
Mark Seidenberg (Jackie Chan
Adventures)– to develop
television scripts inspired by
two of its hot youth properties,
Stray Sheep and Karma Club.
Stray Sheep is a kids’ comedy
series based on the characters
in Tatsutoshi Nomura’s
international hit. Karma Club
is the debut children’s manga
novel franchise from D.J. Milky
(Princess Ai).
Source: www.tokyopop.com
Image © 2005 Tokypop
SEVEN SEAS ANNOUNCES
NEW WEBMANGA: AOI
HOUSE
Aoi House is a comedy
series written and created by
Adam Arnold, co-creator of
Animefringe: Online Anime
Magazine, and illustrated by
Jim Jimenez, a veteran comic
artist and animator.
This neo-manga follows the
trials and tribulations of two
unfortunate college boys who
join an anime club dominated
by a bunch of crazed fan girls.
Updates will appear every
Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Source: www.gomanga.com
Image © 2005 Seven Seas
Ent.
3D MECHWARRIOR DVD
Mainframe Ent. (Reboot), a
leading creator of computergenerated animation, and
WizKids Inc., makers of
the popular Mage Knight,
Heroclix and Mechwarrior
collectable miniatures games,
have teamed up to create a
feature-length direct-to-DVD
3D animated feature based
on the Mechwarrior series of
adventure games, books and
toys, to be released in 2006.
The film will introduce new
characters and storylines.
Source: w3.awn.com
Image © 2005 Fasa Corp.
WAO CORP. PLANS TO OPEN
ANIME SCHOOL IN 2006.
Wao Corp., an Osaka-based
cram school managing company,
has announced that in 2006 it
will launch a school to teach
students how to produce
animated films and operate
animation production companies,
reports Yomiuri newspaper.
The school will be the first of
its kind in Japan and is being
established in the Suginami
Ward, Tokyo ward where
nearly 70 animation production
companies are located.
Source: w3.awn.com
Image © 2005 ABC
STREETFIGHTER ALPHA 2
After a long delay of
more than a year, Manga
Entertainment has finally
announced the release date for
their next Streetfighter Alpha
movie.
Streetfighter Alpha 2 will
become available on DVD
during the month of June 2005.
Ryu, Ken, Chun Li and the
rest of your favorite characters
will be back for some more
incredible kick-ass action.
Source: Rightstuf
International
Image © 2005 Manga Ent.
© LO Magazine 2005
8
© LO Magazine 2005
THE GIRLY SIDE
in the magical girl subgenre.
INTRODUCING
THE WORLD OF SHOUJO
Written by Rei
Shoujo: Anime or manga
which primarily focuses
more on relationships and
adventure.
Sailor Moon: Original
manga created by
Takeuchi Naoko during
August 1991 was called
Sailor “V” and only
featured the character
Sailor Venus. With the
creation of the anime
in 1992, the producers
wanted a team of
characters. Sailor Moon
was born.
© LO Magazine 2005
With Anime being
mainly aimed at boys,
LO has decided to create
a page for the girls,
where anime aimed at
girls will be discussed.
But before we go any
further, the name for
anime/manga, which
mostly appeals to girls is
called Shoujo Anime and
Manga.
Shoujo is perhaps the
best-loved and most
recognizable Anime
and Manga style in the
world. It’s famous for
huge brilliant eyes, it also
happens to be a style of
both anime and manga that
appeals to both boys and
girls, but mainly to girls.
One form of Shoujo would
happen to be Bishounen
or otherwise known
a “Bishies”. Bishounen,
translated from Japanese
10
means “beautiful young
boy”, it’s basically the
perfect guy for any
girl. Bishies aren’t very
masculine, which might not
appeal to boys so much as
it does to girls. They are
the ones whom girls fall in
love with. They are very
popular character types in
both anime and manga.
Shoujo is a huge category,
and it consists of many
sub-genres and different
character types, which
include: Magical girl, furry
characters, mascots,
period dramas (historical),
school-age dramas, and
the ever lovable super
cute Chibis. While other
anime and manga focus on
action and fight scenes, the
Shoujo genre concentrates
on relationships and
adventure. There are
however exciting action
scenes in Shoujo, especially
The word “Shoujo” literally
means “young girl“, with
this in mind it is easy to
see how Shoujo can be
mainly targeted at girls or
young women. It is not
just a “chick flick” as some
may say for it attracts a
certain number of boys,
who prefer to watch and
read Shoujo. While there
are many types of anime
out there such as “Mecha
anime” and “Harem anime”,
shoujo seems to be a form
of medium which appeals
to both genders. Shoujo
has another side; it also
gives the reader and
viewer the understanding
of history, trends and
nuances.
There are many Shoujo
anime/manga out there
and many manga that have
been made into anime.
This month, there will be
a quick look into the very
popular Shoujo anime
called Sailor Moon. Sailor
Moon is part of the Mahou
or Magical girl sub-genre
of Shoujo, but there will
be more about the Mahou
sub-genre in the future.
For now, here is a brief
synopsis of Sailor Moon as
well as a few images and
some other information
about this anime.
Sailor Moon is the story of
a teenage girl who meets
a magical cat who gives
her super powers. She
becomes the leader of a
team of brave girls, known
as the Sailor Warriors.
Sailor Moon has long been
justifiably renowned for
the strength of its plot, its
direct and honest treatment
of romance and a realistic
and unflinching acceptance
of death as a necessary
possible consequence of
a righteous fight. While
these Sailor warriors fight
evil villains, and defend
the earth, they also have
everyday problems, such
as bad grades, love and of
course arguments among
themselves.
This anime was based
on the Shoujo manga
of Takeuchi Naoko. This
series is largely recognized
by many young girls, and
has popular sequels such
as Sailor Moon S and Sailor
Moon Super S. The series
of Sailor Moon has in turn
made way for the Sailor
Moon movies, such as
Sailor Moon S Hearts in ice.
.LO
USA Publisher: Geneon
Ent.
Website:
www.geneon-ent.com
Anime:
Sailor Moon TV Series
* Season 1-4
Sailor Moon Movies
* Sailor Moon R
* Sailor Moon S
* Sailor Moon Super S
Images © 1995-2005 DiC and Pioneer Entertainment
11
© LO Magazine 2005
DIGITAL CREATIONS
Our passion and primary
goal at Blur is to write and
direct feature length CG
films. These short films are
an incredible way for us to
experiment and streamline
our pipeline towards our
CG Feature Film goals. So
every year we not only
raise our bar in terms
of quality of animation,
but we also improve our
internal structure and tools.
BLUR
A ROLE MODEL ANIMATION STUDIO
Rising through the ranks
like a rocket is Venetian
studio, Blur. We once
again realised how much
talent we actually have
growing up in South
Africa, when we spoke
to former Capetonian
Dave Wilson (DW), CG
Supervisor for Blur.
artists with a true passion
and dedication for what
they do.
LO: How did the idea for
Blur came about and where
does the name come from?
DW: Basically we answered
that above...in terms of the
name, God knows....after
too many beers, it sounded
cool at the time.
LO: What were the team’s
artistic and technical
background before Blur
was created?
DW: Over 10 years ago
Tim Miller and David
Stinnett left Sony Image
PictureWorks to create a
company where every artist
had a say in the creative
process. Soon after leaving
Sony they were joined by
Duane Powell, IT whiz and
Blur was born. The idea
was to create a company
devoid of any corporate
bullshit, no suits, no
middlemen; a company
that was driven by talented
LO: What makes Blur’s
short films so special,
that three of them have
been either short-listed or
nominated at the Academy
Awards?
DW: Every year at Blur
we create a whole host of
work ranging from Feature
Film FX, Game Cinematics
and Commercials. The
short films give us an
opportunity to script,
conceptualize and direct
our own internal short
format CG Films, without
any external direction from
© LO Magazine 2005
12
clients. It’s great because
it really lets us take our
own ideas all the way from
Script and Storyboard to
Final composites.
I guess what makes them
so special is exactly that,
they’re one 100% Blur.
The Shorts are a great
way for the animators
and artists here to really
express themselves. It’s
quite a privilege to work on
Blur’s shorts.
LO: How do you go about
selecting ideas for short
stories?
DW: Each year every
animator and artist working
at Blur has the opportunity
to submit a story idea
for the year’s short film.
Those stories are then
juried by the Supervisors
at Blur. The winner of the
competition will have his/
her story created into our
CG Short Film for the year.
It is a great honor because
Blur usually spends quite a
bit of time and money on
these projects.
LO: “Gopher Broke” and “In
the Rough” are you latest
creations. Why did you
decide to switch to a more
traditional cartoon look this
time around?
DW: Well as we stated
earlier, the story that wins
the competition is the one
we’ll end up creating, but
it is also a little more than
that. At Blur we have an
extremely wide range of
talent. One of the coolest
things about Blur is that
you have so many exciting
and different projects each
year that you’ll never get
bored of just doing live
action composites month
after month; you could be
doing a Sci-Fi Action Game
Cinematic one month and
essence of “Warhammer
40,000: Dawn of War”
amazingly well with your
game cinematics. Is any
of the staff Warhammer
players or used to be?
DW: Yup, we have a few
avid fans of Warhammer
here at Blur, the CG
Supervisors on Warhammer
were huge fans and weren’t
about to turn the project
away even though we only
had 3 weeks in which to
complete the piece. We
a Cartoony Commercial the
next. The change in style
also allows us to develop
new tools and even further
refine our pipeline. On
Gopher Broke we were able
to R&D new custom rigging
tools and really push our
animation techniques to
the next level.
bled into our keyboards
for 3 weeks but it was an
amazing project and the
end product made it all
worthwhile.
We also try to keep our
work fresh and experiment
with new ideas all the time.
So after last year’s success
and recognition we gained
from RockFish, which is
primarily a sci-fi actionadventure, we thought
we’d change up the pace
a bit and create two more
lively and comedic films.
LO: You captured the
13
LO: What are you currently
working on? You can kill me
later if it is a secret. :)
DW: We’re currently in
production with quite a
few Game Cinematics
and Intro’s for some of
this years big games from
companies who want to
launch huge promotional
campaigns at E3 (Electronic
Entertainment Expo).
We’re also working on
several commercials, a
large-format ride film,
two development projects
for feature films and we
should be starting pre© LO Magazine 2005
production on this year’s
short pretty soon. This
is an exciting time. Our
recent Academy Award
nomination has really given
us a tremendous boost in
the eyes of Hollywood.
manga magazine, I have to
ask. Do you watch anime or
read manga at all?
DW: Yup, we love “Ghost
in the Shell”, “Akira”, and
of course, all the Miyazaki
films.
LO: How do you see
the future of animation
in the West? Do you
think that non-comedy
animation might eventually
be accepted by the
mainstream, like in Japan?
DW: We’re huge fans of
Japanese Animation and
we’re hoping to be one of
the studios that brings, for
example, R-rated Sci-Fi
Action orientated projects
to America. We feel it’s a
genre that has not really
been fully explored, and
we’re very excited about
the possibility of taking it
to the big screen. We’re
also looking into developing
CG Feature Length films
based on Comic Book
Material. Tim Miller, owner
and founder of Blur, is a
huge Comic Book and it’s
his dream, which he is
passionately dedicated to,
to take the rich gritty world
of comics and develop them
into CG Feature Films.
LO: Do you have any
wisdom for someone
starting out in CG filmmaking?
DW: Passion, Dedication
and Talent. CG Film
making is a tough and
highly competitive industry.
At Blur, our short films are
born out of the passion
of the artists working
here. We are dedicated
to telling great stories and
developing real characters.
Every artist here is truly
dedicated to taking what
they know and what Blur
is capable of to the next
level with every project we
undertake. The individual
artist is essential yet the
team effort is key. The fact
that Blur independently
funds a short film (or two)
each year is testament
to our devotion to our art
form.
LO: This being an anime /
LO: Thank you for taking
time off your busy
schedule.
DW: No Problem.
.LO
COMPETITION
“The idea was to create
a company devoid of any
corporate bullshit, no suits,
no middlemen...” Dave
Wilson, CG Supervisor, Blur.
Images:
P.12 left - “Gopher Broke”
P.12 bottom right - “In
the Rough”
P.13 middle - Warhammer
40,000: Dawn of War
P.14 bottom - “Rockfish”
All images © Blur
RELEASE
THE ARTIST
IN YOU
SEND
US YOUR
ART
LO Magazine
PRESENTS
“Manga Voodoo Doll”
Drawing Competition
We are happy to present the wonderful Cruising the Anime City guide as this issue’s “Manga Voodoo
Doll” competition prize. We are very grateful for Stone Bridge Press for their interest in providing our
readers with this prize. How do you win? Simply send us an email ([email protected]) with the
subject:“Manga Voodoo Doll” and with your original drawing.
1. Give us your version of a manga voodoo doll.
Rules: Your art work (200dpi) can be in colour or without. If the Judges feel that the quality of the
entries are not of high quality, LO Magazine reserve the right to extend the competition for a longer
period. The winner’s artwork becomes the property of LO Magazine.
Closing Date: 30 April 2005. This competition is only open to South African residents.
Stone Bridge Press | www.stonebridge.com
Note: You may enter more than one drawing, seperately via email.
THE LOCAL SCENE
Moray Rhoda (MR), the
man that is behind Igubu
Comic Collective and
Insurrection, is doing
his part in putting South
African comic artists on
the map.
LO: When did you decide
that you wanted to become a
comic artist?
MR: It’s not really something
I ever decided - as a kid
growing up in PE all of my
buddies were into comics
and my dad loved all the
European stuff (Beano, Tiger,
2000AD, Eagle etc.) so he’d
buy me comics as my treat
for (mostly) behaving. At
some point I just started
drawing the stuff that I
saw in comics - it raised
my coolness factor with
the school bullies. Since
everything is eventual, I
guess one could say that I
“decided” back then. I prefer
to think of myself as a comic
writer though.
MORAY RHODA
THE SOUTH AFRICAN DON OF COMIC CREATORS
Website: www.insurrection.co.za
other people that qualify are
foreign nationals who have
stayed here for years & can
say lekker.
LO: Do you think that it is
important for local artist to
have local content in their
work?
MR: That’s a loaded question
- where Brendon Hayes really
made his High Octane story
work by giving it a Durbs
flavour, I am opposed to
having local content just as
a storytelling “gimmick”. If
the SA content is integral to
the story i.e. gay nightlife
in Cape Town, then it’s fine.
However if you’re doing
“Voortrekkers in Space” it
could end up being very
pointless.
LO: Do you use any software
in the creation of your
comics?
MR: Me specifically
- scanning, colour &
retouching in Adobe
Photoshop, QuarkXpress to
put the layout together and
LO: Tell us a bit more about
your publication, “Clockworx”. Acrobat Distiller to produce
hi-res PDFs when required.
MR: Clockworx is a sci-fi/
The artists in Clockworx all
fantasy/humour publication
used Photoshop, although
with an eclectic mix of
I believe that Rob Hooper
different art styles as
is partial to Macromedia
diverse as Nic Rix’s manga
Freehand and Mark Rust
to Mark Rust’s CGI, to
utilised Poser and 3D
Vincent Sammy’s Dave
StudioMax.
Mckean inspired art, to
Karl Stephan’s cell-shaded
LO: Are there any other
cartoony approach. The
artists on the various
artists are from all over SA,
mediums who inspire your
but have a bit of a Cape
work?
Town bias due to Insurrection
MR: Other Mediums? Not
being based here.
really, Fine Art is selfgratification really & graphic
LO: Can anyone submit their
design is pixel-pimping. In
work for Clockworx?
comics - Masumune Shirow,
MR: Yes and no. If they’re
Boris Vallejo, Jim Lee,
South African (even if
Steve Dillon, Geoff Johns,
abroad) they qualify. In
Mobius... Inspire is a vague
the case of a writer & artist
enough term since I can’t
team, one of them has to
particularly draw like any of
be South African. The only
them. My biggest influence
in 2004 was Jhonen Vasquez
though (Squee, Johnny the
Homicidal Maniac & Invader
Zim). He proved that
“independent” doesn’t equate
“crap”.
LO: If you could choose an
international artist or writer,
whom you like to create a
comic with, who would that
be?
MR: Frank Miller. I wouldn’t
even be doing comics if it
wasn’t for him dragging me
back with “Batman: Year
One”
LO: Do you have any advice
for aspiring South African
artists on dealing with
criticism of their work?
MR: Criticism is subjective.
There’ll always be people
who have opinions about
your work, but don’t get
too neurotic about negative
comments. Remember that
it’s not you or your family
honour being attacked - just
the way you did something.
Use what you can to make
your next thing better &
ignore the rest.
.LO
LO: What are you currently
working on?
MR: Clockworx 2 - after lots
of commentary from the
peanut gallery that I was
scared to be compared to
the brilliant artists in issue 1,
I’m throwing my hat into the
ring with a sci-fi tale called
“Hunters”. Since Daniel Hugo,
Nic Rix, Mark Rust & Vincent
Sammy are all coming back
for an encore not to mention
some exciting new talent;
I’ve got my work cut out for
myself.
LO: This being an anime and
manga magazine, I have to
ask. Do you read manga or
watch any anime at all?
MR: My favourite anime is
a toss-up between Ninja
Scrolls & Blood - The last
Vampire. Time is a bit
of a mission lately, but I
have managed to watch
the first five episodes of
Witchhunter Robin at least.
The last manga I read was
Blade of the Immortal,
about six months ago. So
the answer is “Yes” the
Japanese stuff rocks, when
I get to lay my grubby
paws on it.
17
© LO Magazine 2005
INTERNATIONAL
MALAYSIAN SENSATION
SONNY LIEW
US and Canadian comic
book publishers are
signing on eastern
artists and writers like
never before. We spoke
to one of them.
LO: If you look at certain
artists, you get a sense of
the world the artists and
his/her creations live in.
Looking at your art work,
what message do you think
they send to the observer?
SL: I really can’t say...
what sort of message did
you get from it?
LO: Your designs make me
think of faerie tales inside
a sci-fi setting; imagining
how elves, goblins, robots,
etc. would live in a future
society.
LO: Tell us a bit about
Malinky Robot: Stinky Fish
Blues, you first solo project.
SL: It was project that
started back when I
was at the Rhode Island
School of Design - a class
© LO Magazine 2005
project really. I eventually
submitted it to the Xeric
Foundation and was
fortunate to be one of their
grant recipients, which
allowed me to self-publish
the book. The second
Malinky book after some
time in limbo look sets to
be published by SLG (slave
labor graphics) :)
LO: How did you end
up doing illustrations for
Acheron’s Call 2?
SL: After RISD I moved
to Boston and got a job at
the company developing
the game, Turbine
Entertainment. Well, it
was a temp job really, but
I ended up helping with
some of the character
designs...
LO: Do you have any
favorite artists from the
present or the past, who
inspires your work?
SL: Too many to name
actually :) Just off the
18
Sonny Liew Bio:
* Frankie and Poo (Times
Publishing) - writer and artist
1996
* “Angefangen Klein” for Xene
#5 (Eyeball Soup Design)
- writer and artist 1997
* Iron Man for Millenial Visions
(Marvel) 2002
* “My Faith in Frankie” artist
DC Vertigo 2004
* “Dead Soul’s Day Out” for
Flight Vol 2 (Image) 2005
* “Chang and Eng” for New
Man Magazine (2004-present)
top of my head: Phil Hale,
Chester Brown, Otomo, Bill
Watterson, Anthony Janello,
Daniel Clowes, Kaz...
LO: You stated in previous
interviews that 2000AD
“blew your mind away” in
your early teens. What
attracted you to 2000AD
when you first read it?
SL: The art and writing
was fantastic - the best
word to describe it was the
magazine’s own: “Zarjaz!”
It was motley crew but
such an amazingly talented
bunch, and the science
fiction was exciting, clever,
ironic and straight faced all
at once.
LO: Do you think that is
an industry myth that a
person cannot be a good
writer and artist at the
same time?
SL: Is there a myth like
that? I’m hearing it for the
first time! :p It’s clearly
not impossible to be good
at both - just look at Mike
Allred, Mike Mignola and
Chris Ware. Of course its a
rarer thing - to be talented
in both fields, but its not a
sustainable myth I think.
LO: If you had a choice,
is there any particular
character you would like to
do illustrations for or writer
you would like to work
with?
SL: Anything for 2000AD
would be fun. I don’t know
- Metropolitan? Writerwise... well, y’know, Alan
Moore, Pat Mills, etc. etc.
Young”.
LO: What do you think is
the most important thing
for a new artist in the
industry to remember?
SL: I’ll tell you when I
figure it out :)
.LO
LO: What projects are you
currently working on?
SL: I’m working on a
Vertigo project called the
Regifters with Mike Carey
and Marc Hempel, part of
their new “mangaesque”
line. A contribution to
the Flight Anthology Vol.
2 (Image comics) will be
out in March. I’m always
thinking up new Malinky
Robot story possibilities
and there are things in
the pipeline with SLG and
some local (Singaporean)
publishers.
LO: This being an anime
and manga magazine, I
have to ask. Do you read
or watch any anime or
manga?
SL: Haha yes of course.
I’m not a rabid fan, but
I’ve seen my fair share if
anime. Manga wise, my
recent favourites have been
“Black and White” and the
mad but brilliant “Bakune
19
Copyright:
Images © 2005 Sonny Liew
© LO Magazine 2005
LETTERS
FUNKY LETTERS FROM YOU
Let me just add first that
LO Magazine is definitely
what South Africa needs.
There are hundreds of
anime and manga fans
around S.A trying to scrape
up any bit of anime/manga
we can get... but now there
is the perfect solution of
this magazine.
There is one complaint
from me though... Why is
Naruto not featured in the
mag? Naruto is one of the
best (maybe best) anime/
manga i’ve ever seen. My
heart would rejoice if you
featured Naruto in your
magazine. Please attempt
this being a small magazine
starting off and all.
[We did already. Issue
5, Oct. 2004 Naruto
on page 18. And if you
think that Naruto is the
best, you still need to
watch a lot more anime.
Ed.]
I have been reading (and
re-reading) LOMag since
issue one, and it only
gets better. Keep the info
pumping, and thanx.
Flipi
[Thanks Flipi. I hope you
are sharing the LOMag
with some of your
friends. Ed.]
that if you could please
put this in the LO Mag. I’m
thinking about opening an
anime shop. Now I would
just like to ask u...
[I get a couple of
requests like these,
every month or so.
Unfortunately I cannot
promote your “shop”
if you do not have the
papers to prove that
you are an authorize
shop. It is not legal to
sell any other region,
except region 2 in South
Africa (except of you
get permission from the
relevant studios & local
authority).
If you would like to
promote anime in South
Africa, start a club and
import anime for your
club from any region.
That is legal in South
Africa. You are legally
allowed to import for
personal use but not sell
without permission. Ed.]
With me trying out Anime
and all I would like to know
(from you or someone you
know) how much anime is
done through hand drawing
and how much is done
through computers?
Watz up.
Great work on the mags. I
would just like to request
I was also wondering if you
could help me as well...
seeing as I’m looking for
drawing software. Would
you happen to know the
name of any software
© LO Magazine 2005
20
that would be usefull for a
beginner like me?
[I don’t know if there
are any figures on how
much cel or how much
CG, but what I’ve seen
so far is that CG are
increasingly being used;
be it for eye-candy or
creating scenes that
are too difficult and
time-consuming for
cel animation. On
the otherhand, you
will be suprised to
know that numerous
scenes in Ghost in the
Shell 2: Innocence are
actually hand drawn
scenes, even thou they
might look CG. For
software tips, visit our
online forum and get
ideas from your fellow
readers: http://
www.activeboard.com/
forum.spark?forumID=4
7038 .Ed.]
Image left © Capechino Animation.
Image high above © Jan van Rooy.
Image above © Flipi Portman.
21
© LO Magazine 2005
All images are © by their respective owners and are only used to illustrate a prediction and have no real relation to the prediction; just like there is no
relation between reality and the predictions.
YOUR MANGA HOROSCOPE
Aquarius: Jan21 - Feb18
Don’t say a word. Your partner
is on the edge and he/she
might just rip your head off.
Next month might be better,
we hope.
Pisces: Feb19 - Mar20
You tend to be unpredictable.
You need to open your heart
and face your fears; and put
the baseball bat down, while
you at it.
Aries: Mar21 - Apr20
You have extremely high
expectations. Maybe you
should aim a bit lower and not
be disappointed, like dating
someone your own age.
Taurus: Apr21 - May21
There is a mysterious stranger
in your life. Don’t be fooled
by his/her dark demeanor or
you will realise just how much
he/she sucks.
Gemini: May22 - Jun22
Your search for meaning
and wisdom is paramount
this month. Be careful of the
opposite sex as they might drain
your brain of all your blood.
Cancer: Jun23 - Jul22
You are very popular at the
moment. With a bit of skilled
negotiations you might get
whatever you want, even from
your pets.
Leo: Jul23 - Aug23
Feeling different and alone? You
probably are. Closing an eye to
some of your differences and
focusing on shared characteristics
will open new possibilities.
Virgo: Aug24 - Sep22
You might look sweet and innocent,
but deep down you have the ability
to do some serious damage. Enrol
at a local Rollerball tournament for
some anger management.
Libra: Sep23 - Oct23
If you want to succeed in life you
must be willing to fight for it.
Unfortunately it just so happens
that in life, when you use muscle,
only one of you can be at the top.
Scorpio: Oct24 - Nov22
You are close to achieving leadership
status, if you want it. You will surely
have to face confrontations with
influencial people.
Sagittarius: Nov23 - Dec21
Communication is about
connecting with people and
winning their trust. This will result
in enormous growth for you.
Capricorn: Dec22 - Jan20
Stop your whining and get off
your ass. Show the world that
there is purpose in your life and
that you can make a difference.
BEHIND THE CELS
WHAT DOES PORKY PIG AND
LUPIN HAVE IN COMMON?
BOB BERGEN
Interviewed by Rei
Some of Bob Bergen’s work
includes:
Animation
Akira - Masaru
Cartoon Network - Porky Pig
The Emperor’s New Groove
- Bucky
Lily C.A.T. - Hiro Takagi
Lupin - Lupin
Spirited Away - Frog, No Face
Teknoman - Teknoman
Video Games
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
- Luke Skywalker
More?
www.bobbergen.com
Bob Bergen (BB) has
one of the greatest
jobs in the world as a
voice actor for Warner
Brothers, voicing a
character who is one the
most popular animated
characters in western
animation history. He
has done many movies
and series which include
Akira, Lupin III, Spirited
Away, Teknoman, Lily
C.A.T and Nadia. He was
more than delighted to
be interviewed by LO.
LO: What was it like
working on anime like Akira
and Lupin? Lots of fun
perhaps?
BB: Akira was the first
anime project I ever did. I
was a bit intimidated by
the dubbing process since
American animation is
recorded first and animated
second. Matching sync was
a challenge but I caught on
pretty quickly. Dubbing is
an interesting process. You
only record your parts, and
you don’t work with other
actors. So when working
on Akira I only got to see
the scenes I worked on. It
wasn’t till much later that
I got to see the whole film.
It’s a feast for the eyes. I’d
never seen anything like it
in the world of animation.
When you’re recording
a new production you
never know how it will be
received. I was actually
oblivious to the popularity
of Akira for many years.
It wasn’t until I started
attending fan conventions
that I realized how popular
it is. I also have a clip of it
on my video demo, which
is on my website. That
demo is a montage of clips
from a variety of animated
productions; from Space
Jam to The Emperor’s New
Groove. Akira more times
than not gets the most
positive reaction from
viewers.
LO: What is your most
favorite voice that you have
done or still do and why?
BB: Porky Pig. I’d wanted
to play him since I was a
kid.
LO: You’ve reached the
dream you had of voicing
Porky Pig, do u have any
other dreams you want to
accomplish?
BB: Actually, I just want to
be able to keep doing what
I love; acting, hosting etc.
There aren’t any specific
characters I’d like to voice,
like I wanted to do with
Porky. I’d just like to keep
doing it. I’d also love to do
more on-camera hosting. I
hosted a game show a few
years ago and loved it.
LO: There are a lot of
people that work on shows
and movies etc, do you
ever hang out with them
and go out somewhere and
just let loose?
BB: I put together a
monthly happy hour for
people in the voice-over
industry here in Los
Angeles called VOX on the
Rocks. It’s a place to meet,
eat, schmooze, and eat.
It’s a lot of fun!!! When
we work/audition together
often we don’t get a chance
to really catch up with each
other’s lives. VOX gives us
that quality time to catch
up with friends, and meet
new people as well.
LO: Any words of advice for
those aspiring voice actors?
BB: HAVE FUN!!!! Voiceover is a blast! If you have
fun in the process, you’ll
raise your odds of booking.
Some of the nicest people
in show biz are in voiceover; from the agents, to
the talent, to the casting
directors. And keep in mind
that the casting director
is your friend!! They need
you!! If they don’t find the
talent, the producer finds
another casting director.
So they really are on your
side!! I hope this all helps.
.LO
Lupin is one of my all time
favorite characters to play.
He fit like a glove. And
Carl Macek, who directed
those films, gave me a lot
of freedom in playing him.
I miss him!
LO: Watching how
successful Akira has
become, how do you feel
today being one who
worked on it?
BB: It’s always flattering
when a project you work
on is popular among fans.
All © of images & characters belong to their respective companies
© LO Magazine 2005
24
25
© LO Magazine 2005
NEO-MANGA & COMICS
SILENT HILL WRITER,
SCOTT CIENCIN
T
Silent Hill Titles:
• Silent Hill Among the
Damned
• Silent Hill Dying Inside
1-5
• Silent Hill Dying Inside
TPB
• Silent Hill Paint It Black
Neo-Manga: Manga
created with a nonJapanese cultural
influence. It might
therefore have the look
of classic manga, but the
social content would be
different.
he mind of a Silent
Hill writer can be
as scary as the
games.
LO: Were you afraid of the
dark, when you were little
and now being an adult,
do you have any problems
with your “work” keeping
you up at night?
SC: Not at all. One of
the benefits of working
with an exciting franchise
like Silent Hill is that you
can deal with your waking
nightmares in a fictional
context where you have
complete control. So at
night you’re not weighted
down in the least, you’re
free to explore anything
your subconscious may
have latched onto in a
positive way. It’s only
when I’m not writing vivid
horror by day that I have
to keep an eye out at
bedtime.
LO: The Silent Hill
© LO Magazine 2005
26
Playstation series has a
very subtle and sometimes
direct way of working on
your nerves, even when
playing it in the day time.
Is it difficult re-creating
that tension in comic book
form, where you don’t have
the power of sound?
SC: Every medium has
its advantages and
disadvantages. For
example, most films, TV
shows, and video games
gloss over the sense
of smell or the specific
sensation of touch because
neither can be reproduced
in those mediums. You
can jolt or even deafen
someone with a powerful
enough sound system, but
you can’t directly reach
into someone’s head and
stimulate pleasure centers
or recreate the total horror
of walking blindfolded and
unaware through a charnel
house—the scent of which
might well haunt you all
your days. So you adapt
and use the tools of your
specific medium to the
greatest impact. With a
visual medium like comics,
you can be very cinematic,
you can employ editing
techniques, and you can
use the narrative the way
a novelist might to reach
into the consciousness
of a reader to attempt to
elicit the same responses
that a creepy soundtrack
might. To my mind, one of
the best uses of sound to
create horror and tension
outside Silent Hill would be
the soundtrack to Argento’s
Suspiria. It also goes right
to the nerves.
LO: If you ever find
yourself inside a Silent Hill
story, what will be the first
thing you do?
SC: Try to wake up! And if
that doesn’t work, find the
nearest weapons cache just
in case I can’t quick talk
my way out of trouble.
the Order and goes to the
heart of what is causing the
nightmarish manifestations
within this mist-enshrouded,
haunted town, but that
only happens to help
facilitate plot points in the
new story we’ve created,
not to impact in any way on
the existing mythology.
land somewhere on your
radar. I read a great
deal, but it often comes
down to authors outside
the particular genre I’m
writing in at the moment.
That helps to keep things
fresh for me and allows me
to bring in very different
influences.
LO: What does a horror
writer do for inspiration?
SC: Keeping up with
current events helps a
lot–the world is a pretty
scary place when it wants
to be. But dwelling just on
the darkness isn’t enough.
Thinking about everything
and everyone you love,
whatever matters to you
the most, the things you
really want, and picturing
LO: How did you end up
being a comic writer? Was
it always your goal to
become a comic writer?
SC: When I was a teenager,
I wanted to be a comic
book artist. Despite having
some ability in that area, I
was never satisfied with my
own work. The moment
I had a film camera
in my hand, however,
everything fell into place.
all of that threatened,
control of your existence
completely wrested from
you… that usually does
the trick. From that point
out, it just becomes a
matter of being open to the
specifics that come in from
the outside and paying
attention when ideas you
weren’t really looking for
I could manipulate angles,
perspective, lighting, etc.
however I wished. And
I liked the collaborative
medium of movies and TV,
though writing novels (my
main source of income)
allows me to be the artist
when “word painting.” I
started writing comic book
scripts because I needed
LO: Have you played all
four Silent Hill titles?
SC: Yep. All four are
incredible!
LO: Does the story
in anyway fit into the
Playstation games’
storylines or do you have
creative freedom?
SC: Konami has been
fantastic and incredibly
supportive throughout this
process. I have found
niches within the existing
continuity that they have
allowed me to explore,
from time to time, using a
character or scenario from
the gaming storyline as
back-story or to challenge
a specific character point
or theme in what I have
set out to do. Silent Hill:
Dying Inside mentions
27
© LO Magazine 2005
something to draw, film
scripts for something to
shoot. Then a New York
book editor asked me if I
had a novel in me and I
leaped at the opportunity,
though prose wasn’t an
avenue I had really been
pursuing at the time. Sixty
books later, I find that as a
reader and a professional,
I’m still incredibly excited
about books and the comic
book medium. I leap at
the chance to do comics
whenever the opportunity
comes around.
LO: Do you have any other
projects planned for the
near future?
SC: There is more Silent
Hill on the horizon with
“Paint it Black” and “The
Grinning Man.” Working
with Kris Oprisko and
everyone at IDW absolutely
rocks!
LO: This being an anime
and manga magazine, I
have to ask. Do you read
© LO Magazine 2005
or watch any anime or
manga?
SC: I just finished watching
the entire run of “Hellsing”
and absolutely loved
it. The new Ghost in the
Shell is next on my agenda.
Also, I’d love to find more
“Gon” or another manga
with the genre-bending
approach of “Domu: A
Child’s Dream.”
LO: Do you have any
advice for aspiring horror
writers here in South
Africa?
SC: “Never give up, never
surrender!” A great, funny,
and insightful line from
Galaxy Quest. The bottom
line is that, in a good way,
you never know what might
be coming next. So you
just have to do whatever
you can to get in the game
and stay in it, and treat
every opportunity as if it
could be the one to turn
your dreams into a reality.
.LO
28
Scott Ciencin Bio:
Hardcover
The Rogue’s Hour
(EverQuest novel line)
Novels
Vampire Odyssey
Jurassic Park III
TSR’ Shadowdale and
Tantras
Comics
Silent Hill (IDW
Publishing)
R.A. Salvatore’s
DemonWars (CrossGen)
Captain America (Marvel
Ent.)
Batman (DC)
Metropolis SCE (DC)
The New Gods (DC)
Star Trek: TNG
(WildStorm)
& more...
IDW Publishing:
Website
www.idwpublishing.com
Images © 2005 IDW
Publishing
NEO-MANGA INCLUDE
LO RECOMMENDS
CONTACTING US
Fan Artwork:
Send us a scan of your work (300 dpi) and we will consider it for placement in LO.
Copyright:
If you feel that we haven’t honoured your copyright, please do not hesitate in contacting
us, so that we can rectify it as soon as possible. Put Copyright in your email subject field.
General:
We welcome any other comments, whatever they might be. Just think twice before you
do send an email. Email: [email protected]
Forum:
LO Magazine now have an online forum. Please feel free to join us and chat to your fellow
anime and manga fans. Web Url - http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=4
7038
Post Box:
If you still believe in the old fashion way of communicating, you write to us at - LO Magazine, PO Box 7494, Stellenbosch, 7599.
Remember:
If you don’t tell one new person once a day about anime and manga, you aren’t doing
your job right. Spread the word, it is FREE!
NEXT ISSUE
MAY ISSUE
Would you like to be in our next issue? Send
us your fan art or feedback on our articles and
you might be lucky to be selected for inclusion.
Definitely:
• Xenobi Studios
• Christine Auten on voicing
Bubblegum Crises 2040
• The Tree of Palme
• Korea’s Wonderful Days
Maybe:
• Lessons in animation
• and loads more...
35
© LO Magazine 2005
JOIN US
Website
www.lomagazine.co.za
Forum
www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=47038
Blog
http://lomagazine.blogspot.com
© 2005 LO Magazine