“Catwoman on a Hot Tin Roof”

Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cook re-booted Catwoman in Detective Comics issues #759-762 and Catwoman V2 #1-4. I took over from Darwyn, illustrating issues 5 through 11.These are 2 test illustrations demanded by the editor, Matt Idelson, to demonstrate my affinity for the character in both of her guises. Taking my cue from Darwyn’s version, I tried to model Selina Kyle off of Ava Gardner.

THE RED SEA ASTRARIUM: CHARACTER DESIGNS

“The Red Sea Astrarium (TRSA) is an integrated resort destination on the shores of the Red Sea. It is considered the first themed entertainment attraction at the coastal city of Aqaba, Jordan, and the first to use green energy to minimize adverse environmental impacts. The key attractions include dining, retail, nightlife, rides, shows, museum exhibits, theme parks, water parks, interactive walk-throughs, and a ‘Star Trek Experience’ based upon the new Star Trek franchise.” (Wikipedia) This resort is funded by King Abdullah II of Jordan. I was brought onto the project by the U.S.A design crew, headed by Eddie Houchins and Antran Manoogian. These characters are part of the interactive walk-throughs, They are taken from Arab folk tales and mythology, modernized and westernized for the new (one hopes) era. Honestly, I didn’t have a clear idea of these character’s sources and underlying meanings. I was working blind, depending on Eddie and Antran to prevent me from committing unknowing sacrilege.

BRUCE TIMM CARICATURES OF BRAD RADER (BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES)

I worked on the first iteration of Batman: The Animated series for Warner Animation, from January 1991 until March 1993. One of the job perks was “The Hall of Shame”, a hallway in the production studio that was lined with caricatures of the art/production staff of fellow artists, staff members, etc. (Did anyone think to save these masterpieces or are they lost to entropy?) This is one of me by Bruce Timm. I was flattered, but pointed out that he missed my “cave man brow”. Apologetic and ashamed, Bruce did an alternate version,emphasizing my brow line.

BENT COMIX SAMPLER, COVER, FLIP SIDE

Bent Comix started as a collective of gay (mostly erotic), publishers meeting regularly to compare best practices, give mutual support and hang out, morphed into a West Coast convention for LGBTQ cartoonists and fans of all stripes. This sampler is from early in that evolution: 3 pages each of any cartoonist who wanted to submit. Mostly homoerotic in nature . This is the flip side cover of the pamphlet, designed by Dave Davenport, who served as editor.

The tiny heads are by the various cartoonists, cropped from the characters in their stories.

BLUES BROTHERS, FILM ROMAN/EPOCH INK

BLUES BROTHERS, FILM ROMAN/EPOCH INK

“The Blues Brothers Animated Series is an unaired, 1997 animated series that would have aired on UPN. …but for unknown reasons, the series has never aired and has yet to be leaked to the public” (https://lostmediaarchive.fandom.com/wiki/The_Blues_Brothers_Animated_Series_Episodes_1-10_(1997)

Film Roman was the producing animation studio, and subcontracted at least two episodes to Epoch-Ink, founded and run by my friend, Joe Pearson; I directed this episode :”Piano Mover Blues”, and storyboarded the two musical sequences. This sequence was boarded to accompany “Sleepwalk” by Santo and Johnny. Unfortunately my never-produced music video had to clock in a minute.

BENT COMIX SAMPLER, COVER

Bent Comix started as a collective of gay (mostly erotic), publishers meeting regularly to compare best practices, give mutual support and hang out, morphed into a West Coast convention for LGBTQ cartoonists and fans of all stripes. This sampler is from early in that evolution: 3 pages each of any cartoonist who wanted to submit. Mostly homoerotic in nature, I based the image off of WPA artwork from the 30’s. The logo and cover design is by Dave Davenport, who served as editor.

Bent Comix started as a collective of gay (mostly erotic), publishers meeting regularly to compare best practices, give mutual support and hang out, morphed into a West Coast convention for LGBTQ cartoonists and fans of all stripes. This sampler is from early in that evolution: 3 pages each of any cartoonist who wanted to submit. Mostly homoerotic in nature, I based the image off of WPA artwork from the 30’s. The logo and cover design is by Dave Davenport, who served as editor.

BATMAN ADVENTURES 6, PAGE 9, ORIGINAL ART

This is page 9 of the original artwork to Batman Adventures #6, published in 1993. I did issues 4-6 of the title; this was my favorite, as it was an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, my favorite director at the time. I had a lot of fun with this sequence, as it was an opportunity to stage action inside a jail; it’s easy as falling off a log to achieve dramatic, artistic effects in prisons. Playing up the prison-rape angle, tacitly implied in the script by Kelly Puckett, was also lots of fun.I’m also including the print version.

BATMAN ADVENTURES 6, PAGE 1

This is page 1 of the print version of Batman Adventures #6, published in 1993. I did issues 4-6 of the title; this was my favorite, as it was an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, my favorite director at the time. Hitchcock’s influence is the composition: I purposefully had the letters crop/hide the bystander’s faces while having the camera horizon-line (and perspective lines) centered on Bruce Wayne, the “audience identification” character of the story.

ALL-CRIME COMICS #3: TRACY

This is my character design for Tracy, the amoral teenage ingenue from All-Crime Comics #3, published by Art of Fiction Press in 2015. 

ALF STORYBOARD PANEL, 1987/88

This storyboard panel was taken from either the first or second season of the TV animated series version of ALF, drawn in 1987 or 1988 for D.I.C. Animation. D.I.C. was my primary employer from 1984 to 1990  The first two seasons of ALF and the first season of ALF Tales were the high water mark of that 6 year period. Gordon Shumway was the main character; the series episodes described his adventures on his home world, Melmac before he was cast adrift on our planet for the popular live-action TV series.

ACT UP/LA POLITICAL ACTION POSTER, OCTOBER 1989

This poster design was my ultimate (as in final) political effort for Act Up/LA- I was intending to get arrested while participating in the planned blockade of the Federal Building in Westwood, Los Angeles. However, two weeks prior to the event, I was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle, spent a week in the hospital, and two months in recuperation before. I did was involved in a few political actions after this, but never had the same ardor, especially after I and my late husband (it wasn’t legally recognized in 1989, but what the fuck did we care?) got negative results for our first (of many) HIV tests. I’ve always been a fair-weather activist.

ACT UP/LA NEWSLETTER, APRIL/MAY 1988

This was a drawing done for the cover of the ACT UP/LA (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power/Los Angeles) when I was a member of that organization in the late 80’s. I was politicized for a brief period after attending the second March on Washington for LGBT Rights in October 1987, and this organization seemed like the best venue to vent my political frustrations.

THE MARK IN AMERICA, ORIGINAL AND PRINTED VERSIONS, LIGHTBOX PORTFOLIO, CONTINUED

This is a panel from “The Mark in America” issue 4, page 16, panel 3. Dark Horse Comics published TMiA as a 4 issue mini-series, preceded by a two-part teaser in Dark Horse Comics (a monthly, full-color sister-anthology to Dark Horse Presents) in 1994. The writer was Mike Barr. The editor was Bob Shreck. I’m presenting it in black and white, scanned from my original artwork, and in color, from the printed comic. The color was by John Wilcox.

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

THE GREATEST ESCAPE, LIGHTBOX PORTFOLIO, CONTINUED

This is my storyboard panel for scene 5 from Sequence FL of “The Greatest Escape”, an stillborn direct-release-to-dvd animated feature. The movie is about the Nativity, as told from the P.O.V. of Cleangela, King Herod’s daughter. She is tasked with finding and ratting out the newborn king, but is overcome by her conscience. This is the background of the caravansary where the Holy Couple was able to find a manger to hang out in for the royal birth. My director/producer was Kevin Altieri. My primary source of reference was "Jesus and His Times", published by Reader's Digest Books. I happened upon this essential volume while visiting my family in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2009, for my mother's 80th birthday celebration/family re-union. This book happened to be on the shelf of the book case of my room at the wilderness hunting lodge I and my family were sequestered at. If that's not a sign from Heaven, I don't know what is. (I'm agnostic).

STRIPPERELLA, EPISODE 7, LIGHTBOX PORTFOLIO, CONTINUED

This is scene 31, panel 4 from my storyboard for “Stripperella”, episode 107 teaser. My director/producer was Kevin Altieri. The production animation studio was Poptoons, a subsidiary of Nickelodeon specially formed to produce that series (Stripperella). It was produced for the Spike TV network. The series was created by Pamela Anderson and Stan Lee.

SPAWN EMMY, LIGHTBOX PORTFOLIO, CONTINUED

This is a symbolic illustration of the Emmy Award I won in 1999 “Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming of More Than One Hour”. I won this award for directing the final episode of the 3 (and last) season of “Todd McFarlane’s Spawn” for HBO. One can see this drawing on the homepage of my portfolio website www.bradrader.net

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

THE ROSEWELL CONSPIRACIES: MYTHS AND LEGENDS, EPISODE 1, EPOCH INK, LIGHTBOX PORTFOLIO CONTINUED

This is scene 4, panel 1 from my storyboard for “The Roswell Conspiracies: Myths and Legends”, Episode #1, Act #1. The producing animation studio was Epoch Ink, run and founded by my long-time friend, Joe Pearson. The series aired on Bhobot Kid’s Network in 1999. “The show's premise was that aliens had been living among humans for ages, and were the origins of many of the creatures humans know from myth, folklore and legends, including vampires and werewolves.” (Wikipedia)

This is scene 15,  panel 1 from my storyboard for “The Roswell Conspiracies: Myths and Legends”, Episode #1, Act #1.

NATIVITY, A DIFFERENT LIGHT BOOKSTORE, 1992, LIGHTBOX PORTFOLIO, CONTINUED

“Nativity” is part of a series of drawings from a one man show entitled "Free Art" at A Different Light bookstore. This show was mounted in both Silverlake and San Francisco locations in 1992. The original is 24” x 36”, on a full sheet of Strathmore Cold Press 3 Ply art paper.

My Place of Perfect Peace, Lightbox Expo Portfolio, Continued

“My Place of Perfect Piece”. This is a large pen and ink illustration of a location that came to me in a dream.

King of the Hill, Lightbox Expo Portfolio, Continued

“King of the Hill”, Episode DABE 17, Act 2, scene 50, panel 1. This is a panel from my story board from the final episode of the last season, done in 2008. In this episode, Bobby is discovered as having a hither-to unknown ability to expertly judge grades of beef. At last, Hank and Bobby find a common interest. This panel was quite a challenge: I had to place most of the series’ cast on a picnic table in the Hill back yard. (The remainder of the cast is in the unseen reverse angle.)

 “King of the Hill”, Episode DABE 17, Act 2, scene 44, panel 1. This is the establishing shot of the sequence. Scene 50 is the reverse angel of scene 44. This shot has EVERY member of the main cast still in the cast. Everyone is watching Bobby show off his newly discovered talent for expertly judging grades of beef.

“King of the Hill”, Episode DABE 17, Act 2, scene 45, panel 2. Here we see a medium close up of Bobby, given a quick look at the cuts of beef being barbecued on the Hill family propane-fueled grill as Hank tests Bobby’s beef-grading prowess. Dale, Bill and Boomhauer look on, transfixed from the suspense.

Kill Bob, Lightbox Expo Portfolio, Continued

“Kill Bob” is a convention commission sketch, cleaned up using Photoshop. 

It is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

Gargoyles, Lightbox Portfolio, Continued

This is a panel from a storyboard for the Gargoyles tv series episode #18, “The Mirror”, first aired in September, 1995.

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

Children of the Wind, Lightbox Portfolio, Continued

This is a storyboard panel from “Children of the Wind”, a proposed series for Al-Jazira Children’s Network. We ended up producing a 2 minute animated trailer. The series was still-born due to management turnover at the network. 

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

Catwoman, Issue 9, Page 16, Lighthouse Portfolio, Continued

This is page 16, from Catwoman 9. I pencilled this page. It was inked by Steve Leiber and  colored by Matt Hollingsworth.

This is a cropped panel from Catwoman 9, page 16. I really like it, so I’m showcasing it.

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

The Batman Animated TV Series, "On Leather Wings", Lightbox Portfolio, Continued

This is a panel from my storyboard for Batman Animated Episode # 1, “On Leather Wings”. This panel, as well as several others from this sequence, were inked by Bruce Timm himself, who wanted to “get it right”.

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website.

The Batman Animated Rogues Gallery - Lightbox Portfolio, Continued

This is one of several images I posted to my profile on the Lightbox Expo 2019 website. 

This piece is called “Rogues Gallery”. I drew it back in 1993, for the owner to 2 comic book stores on Cannery Row, where I and several other key members of the Batman Animated crew did signings. 

NEAL ADAMS AT THE CRUSTY BUNKER, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

The Comic Artists Professional Society, or CAPS, had its monthly meeting a day early and met off site at Neal Adams Crusty Bunker Comics and Toys, the recently established retail emporium in Burbank, California. Our group was hosted in style by Mr. Adams himself, who told stories, answered questions and told more stories for almost two hours. I got be in proximity to the artist who has influenced me perhaps more than any other. I purchased the Artists Edition of “Enemy Ace” which Neal graciously signed on the splash page of the story he pencilled (under Joe Kubert’s expert inks) for the titular character 50 years ago.

Waiting For What You Don't See at Lightbox Expo, September 6-8, 2019

I attended Lighthouse Expo 2019, at the Pasadena Convention Center, in Pasadena, California, USA. The Animation Convention occurred from September 6 to September 8, 2019. 

While waiting in line for the mysteriously titled panel, “What You Do Wrong and What You Don’t Know”, I clandestinely sketched some of my fellow attendees who were also waiting in line to enter the assigned rooms of various panels. Here are some of those sketches.

Aspiring Animator at Lightbox Expo, September 6-8, 2019

I attended Lighthouse Expo 2019, at the Pasadena Convention Center, in Pasadena, California, USA. The Animation Convention occurred from September 6 to September 8, 2019. 

While killing time, waiting in line, or just waiting, I clandestinely sketched my fellow attendees, the vast majority of which appeared to be in their 20’s or early 30’s. Here are some of those sketches.