Ciney expo

Even geen steampunk meer vandaag. Ben in overleg geweest over het script voor ons filmproject 'De Draad' en maak nu de aanpassingen voor de definitieve versie, maar ga het erbij laten voor vandaag.
Ik heb een excuus om lui te zijn. Gisteren ben ik met wat vrienden naar de Ciney expo geweest om spullen aan te schaffen voor mijn nieuwe project RAG-TAG.
Voor de leken de Ciney Expo is een twee-jaarlijks de grootste militaria expo van Europa. Een paar vierkante kilometer aan troep, wapens, bodemvondsten en uniformen, zowel repro als orgineel materiaal.
Opvallend was de hoeveelheid WO 1 en WO 2 repro wat er dit jaar lag. Duitse steel granaten (niet fuctioneel), geallieerde expolosieve en zelfs panzerfausts met bijhorende kisten. Er waren zelfs repro Coca Cola kisten gevuld flesjes met inhoud. Awesome!  Er stond zelfs een functionele Amerikaanse M5 Tractor te koop voor 16.000 Euro.

Anyway, mijn vangst waaronder een Zwitserse M43 skycap, waarvan ik nooit had gedacht een tweede te vinden... of in dit geval een vriend van mij... De rest is ook leuk natuurlijk.
    

Een vroegtijdig verjaardagscadeau, bedankt Arjen.

Revenge of CRUQUIUS! Final Chapters

So here we are at the final chapters at Revenge of CRUQUIUS!
By this time I pretty much have said everything I can think of, so... What are my final thoughts? Like I said before I wasn't very involved in the creation of the comic itself but I really liked the idea. Mainly because these kind of photoprojects were my intention all along. For that reason I convinced others to were the same uniforms. This shoot was our first appearance and it paid of right away with this here comic.
So, I learned two things from this. There is an interest in the 'goon' idea, al thou I hope they will stop calling us that and call us for who we are; R.A.G-T.A.G. (Regiment Anachronistic Grenadiers - Tactical Assault Group) .... Yeah!
The second thing is more important than that. Steampunk is about combining element. Not just old and new things or scrap and other parts. It is also about combining idea's and creative energy. For me Steampunk is the creativity and output of it community. The goons in this comic are essential, but alone they are just that. They need hero's to fight were the audience can root for. It also needs the people who thought: 'He, we can do more with these pictures,' and actually did!
So, this comic is the result of, what I will call synergy; or steamergy if you want to keep it in style. People working with the material they have in front of them and make something new out of it. This, to me, is what steampunk and its community should be al about.

 Yeah, the poster and it's inspiration.
should have included that with the first chapter, oh well.

Before I let you read the comic I would like to tell you RAG-TAG also appeared on Elfia, at Castle de Haar were we had some pictures made with a crewmember of the Aviator, Victor Kadinski; part-time navigator and professional drunk. He also made a comic about our meeting there. Read it here.

 Chapter seven:

Lady A and Cpt. Constance Bashford find Emma, bound to a tree near the goons' camp in the woods. While Constance cuts Emma loose, Lady A checks on her to make sure she's alright.
Luckily, apart from some bruises, Emma has no severe injuries
The team of three is re-united and stronger than ever!





Chapter eight:

First, the ladies take a quick rest, and start making plans against the Mayor, and to erase the pollution.
The three friends clear the water and make sure the animals are safe.
Now to get to Abcoude, for the Revenge of Cruquius!

Viktor and the Grenadiers

Just some pictures that were made by Edwin van Dijk, of me, Michel Julsing and Viktor Kadinski. Story by Viktor
 

 

When I visited Castle De Haar with some of my friends, I noticed we were being watched... I heard the sound of snapping branches behind me..

Little did I know, so I aimed my rifle towards the odd sounds in the bushes behind us... 

 

 Before I could even say "Vodka", one of the well known member of the R.A.G. T.A.G "Grenadiers", Mister Bokel jumped out of the bushes and attacked me.

After he reached me, a knife fight emerged... While dodging one stab after the other, I tried to attack him myself.. But without any luck

 

Mister Bokel grabbed me by the chin, ready for a final strike...
But luckily we recognized each other after all

Instead of stabbing me the other grenadier, mister Makharing, approached and they both dragged me away..

So, how will it end??
Find out...
Some other time...

I guess...

Thanks for reading!

 

Revenge of CRUQUIUS! Chapters five and six

Here are another two chapters of Revenge of CRUQUIUS. A conincidence that's these pictures are behind each other 

Now, I havn't been that involved in the writing of RoC because I already have to much going on as it is and I believe or contribution as dead goons is essential enough, thank you. That doesn't mean I've been silent during all of it.
One of the hardest things, or at least for me, is to say no to someone. But in case of chapter five, I did... In de second picture of Ch. 5 Bashford and a goon (me) are struggling with bayonets. I am not going to discus the reality in these pictures because this pictures weren't made to be a comic. That is why the ladies look like there are posing as fashionmodels and not warriors in the heat of battle. But there was a picture, even when it was being made, I didn't like. Not the pose itself, but the context.
 

 In this picture (right plate) Cpt Bashford cuts the goons throat. But the goons has his eyes closed. Shoulders hanging. The man is in no position to defend himself, so why would Bashford do this? One answer could be that she is a raging psychotic who doesn't care who or how she kills, but I doubt that is the kind of character you want to be the heroin of the story. Another, more benign answer couldn't be shown in the story, nor would they matter because this is basically a steampunk parody of 'Charlies Angles'.
So, when this picture was put forward, I said: 'No.' I am no expert on the character of Bashford, but a lunatic she seem not.
 But don't 'hero's' kill all the time? Well, yes. Often they do. And some times the kills the wrong people the wrong what makes them look like inhuman monsters. This is often the result of bad writing or taking your desire for action to far without thinking it through. For example; there is  a big difference between killing a faceless goon or a cop. Even if said cop is motivated by the wrong reasons. He is still a cop. So, in these cases, for me, it is all about context. One wrong action, and your carefully crafted heroic character is ruined.

So I am glad this image wasn't used. One image I really do like is chapter six. Whole of chapter six! Basically it is a splash-page, like the two-page spreads in comics. I think we all agreed this was one of the most awesome picture.  So, it was agreed this would be a stand alone chapter because no other image could add to the amount of awesome, but would rather break it down. Or it they should have made the layout like that of a comicbook and put it at the top.
But it wasn't made like. So, maybe next time when there is going to be a shoot with the intend of making a comic... Till than, you have to make do.

Enjoy chapter five and six...

Chapter five

Lady A and Constance Bashford fight to retrieve Emma. It is a struggle, but in this dog eat dog world one has to kill, or be killed...



Chapter Six

The battle is done. The goons are dead.
Now to check on Emma...

Check back here tomorrow, for chapter Seven of Revenge of Cruquius!

Revenge of CRUQUIUS: Chapter three and four

And Welcome back to two new Chapters of Revenge of CRUQUIUS! Two chapters this time because of their common elements and because I am to lazy to write commentaries for all of the single chapters.. Or at least ones I find interesting.

Last time I talked about the faceless goons that made their appearance. Now are goons, minions and henchmen underused in my humble opinion. But once used, often to great effect. Think of Dr. Steel and his army of toy soldiers. Maybe the doc is (sadly) gone, his minions The Toysoldiers remain. Both as a community and as a charity.

Logo and battlecry of the Army of Toysoldiers.
Read all about them on Toysoldiersunite.com

Kind to think of it, there are alot of communities based upon henchman. The Starwars Stormtroopers alone have dozens, if not hundreds of groups world wide. In the Netherlands we even have Resident Evils Umbrella Corps Troopers.

Sorry, got a little sidetracked there. Anyway, to utilise hero's as best you can you got to put them up against something. What something depends. If the scoobie-do-gang would square off against the Xenomorphes from the aliens franchise... Well, the aliens the aliens would probably have gotten away with it, even with those meddling kids...

"Jinkies! The Chestburster was in Scrappy-Do all this time!" 
"Jikes! Game over Scoob! Game over!"
"Screw this chickens**t outfit. Split up gang!"

Hmmm, kinda think of it. That probably would be hilarious.

Back on topic (again). Antagonists are an important part of any world you want to create, but it has to fit the story. Often the opposite of the antagonists. In case of Steampunk, a very individualistic culture with a positivist view on technology the best kind of opponents would be the opposite of that. Conformistic and scientific backward... Neh, just kidding. Conformistic en using technology to harm rather than good. In this case the mayor took lessons from a Captain Planet episode and started polluting. But fortunately there were no 'five gifted young people' so annoying you'd want to straggle them in their sleep. Instead we have three kickass chicks with guns!  

Chapter three.
 
While working on cleansing the waters, Lady A takes a rest when Bartho's goons spot her and    
Emma.

Emma McMurphy, Lennart Tange, Bonsart Bokel, Michel Julsing, Serge Smulders, Constance Bashford and Anouk van Wetten

What will they do!?


Chapter four

with Michel Julsing, Bonsart Bokel, , Emma McMurphy, Anouk van Wetten and Constance Bashford

The goons charge and capture Emma. Lady A attempts to save Emma, but decides to flee, to
prevent herself from being captured too. She runs through the woods to find the Captain. Not knowing what the Mayor will do to Emma, they must hurry!

REVENGE OF CRUQUIUS: Chapter two

Welcome back to my second commentary on Revenge of CRUQUIUS. Last time I explained the origin of the comic strip this time I will delve into creation itself.

As I wrote last time, it started off spontaneous, after the pictures were already made. So, to make a comic out of it, the group had to make due with the images available. Offcourse, some pointed some pictures out that they wanted to be in there. But one image doesn't make a comic, so they needed some basic storyline.

Now the main characters were already in place, Emma McMurphy, Captain Constance Bashford en Lady A are welll known characters in the Dutch Steampunk community, and beyond. What was necessary was a opponent, represented by (almost) faceless goons. You know, cannonfodder that solely exist to make the heroes look... you know. Heroic. And they are faceless, so you can make em anything you want. But more on them next time.
And than they had the frog... Well if you have something that unique you got to include that!

So little later one came up with the idea the Emma McMurphy discoverd to frog was poised by the... You know what. You have already read this on... Or have you? ...You do? Well than you are allowed to read chapter two below.

Chapter two

Emma gathers her friends and tells them about the distressing news. Lady A, Emma McMurphy and Cpt. Constance Bashford take matters into their own hands and decide to cleanse the water first, so the damage doesn't get worse, and then find those responsible,-( They're suspecting Mayor Bartho's men from the close-by town Abcoude. The mayor has been known for his hatred towards the Cruquius pumps because it makes the Cruquius villages independent and not needing his town's help with pumping the lakes. Thus he makes less money )- and stop them, no matter the cost.

Check back tomorrow, for chapter three!