CBI3 winner: your predictions

[frbarba]

this thread is meant to predict who will win CBI3!
so guys and gals, place on your bets
whoever gets it correct will receive a cookie from J.! :D

im placing my bet on daniel lafrance
his style is smooth, refreshing, effortless, suave and subtle
he doesnt try too much and i cant see him struggling with his lineart
his storytelling is clear even without the use of word balloons

so goodluck buddy!

[joshm]

I'm going to say Charles Paul Wilson III, because not only can he draw like a mad man, but he can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Seriously, he can draw and tell a story with great feeling.

[Phil Clark]

I predict that someone from the play at home thread will so totally shame the contestants that they end up winning the big prize in a stunning upset.

But really, it is impossible for me to say until after the first round art is posted. The submissions could have been done with an unlimited amount of time spent on them. Good with no deadline is one thing... good under tight (industry like) deadlines is a completely different scenario altogether. So after the first rounds art is posted, but before I look at the voting I will offer up my opinion.

[mytymark]

actually philclark...i think that idea of yours someone from the play at home wins cbi3...or maybe just outlast the finalists...could be pretty smashing...and possible at least. there's truth in your words that a real artist's strengths and talents can be tested by the actual competition where deadlines are killers and competition's just eat you up whole!

that could be one heck of a show now, eh:)

oh, and bet would be on charles paul wilson as well...as long as he performs well under time pressure!:)

[kamgates]

Good with no deadline is one thing... good under tight (industry like) deadlines is a completely different scenario altogether.

Yeah, I agree. It's really hard to say until the first round is posted. If I had to guess right now I'd say Daniel Lafrance because I think his animation background may give him the edge when it comes to speed. Who knows, it's going to be really interesting to see how everyone's style holds up under time pressure.

[R Santos Jr]

Of the top 10 chosen to participate in the competition, I really like what I see from Jon Reed, Joh James, Nick Pitarra and Wilfredo Torres.

The other 6, talented as they may be, do not inspire a desire for me to buy any comics they've drawn. Well, except for maybe Warren Leonhardt or Dan McDaid...

Jon Reed: Awesome draftsmanship. Insane detail but still conveys action clearly. My only concern is will he be able to maintain that level under the constraints of the competition... If so, he'll be hard to beat.

Jose Holder: His Geocities pages fills me with an intense desire to cause bodily injury to other living beings.
But, come to find out, it's hiding some of my favorite art in the whole competition. On the one hand, I want to criticize the art for looking too much like Travest Charest and Leinil Yu... however, I can't be mad at ANYONE that can manage to draw as AMAZINGLY as those guys. It's a tricky double edged sword, as far as I'm concerned...

Nick Pitarra: I uhh... ummm... Hmmmmm...
To be honest, I don't know what to say about it! XD
Again, very detailed... but fluid. Dynamic!
But overall, this guy's work puzzles me, yet I am intrigued and would like to see more.

Wilfredo Torres: The "Studio Gaijin Guy".
This guy is my personal favorite. I only wish he could kick his panel work up a another notch and REALLY go NUTS with his action scenes. Too too many tiny little itty bitty panels... not enough PANEL SMASHING DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD stuff. Like, super dynamic forced perspective stuff to really blow my mind.

But like has been said many times already, this competition is totally some next level Clash of the Titans type of thing. Half these guys should already be working in the biz, and not doing the talent search thing with guys like ME (http://www.comicspace.com/rsantosjr/). XD

I can't wait to see what the next 4 weeks of competition bring. :D

[mightyfineline]

Wilfredo Torres: The "Studio Gaijin Guy

That's got to be one of the best compliments I've ever received. One thing I take great care in (which coincidentally ties in to your comments) is storytelling and the guys over at Gaijin Studios in my opinion are among the best in the business. The way I see it comics are all about storytelling. A Writer gives us a script and our job is to figure out how to translate their words and tell their story in an engaging and effective way. Flashy panel arrangements and splash pages - as cool as they are, sometimes can get in the way of that... on the other hand I aim to please so hopefully I'll get the chance to hit you with something that will blow your mind!

Personally, Warren Leonhardt is my favorite but I would be more than happy to kick his tail!!

[Nick Pitarra]

Ok...Any of these guys have chance to win. So I'll try and say a little bit about all the artist who made the top ten. And what I think they'll need to do/needs to happen for them to win. And what they have to watch out for from holding them back.


Andrew Huerta- Probably the guy with the most flash to his work. I could see him developing into a Topcow guy. Love alot of his pin-up stuff....he has a clayface in his galllery thats sick. I think the general public will love this guys work. His work has a genuine "comicart" feel to it...where must of the other guys are either leaning on being very different(style wise) or being very classic(reguarding an animated style). I think being able to tell a story with sentimental gesture stuff will make or break him<--some of the past assignments don't do his style any favors.

Joh James-Wow. Just cool. Drenched in cool factor. I think the same thing applys here about subtle gestures. If he can use his style to tell any story...theres no holding him back. Probably the only guy here I'd want seeing a Witchblade cover from....he has that cool intangible to his stuff.

Caio Oliveira- Fun and bubbley. This guy is my toss up. Just a wonderful fresh style. He would be the 1st guy on the list whos work I'd buy in a heart beat. His style seems organic enough to translate to most storie's. It all depends on if the audience is looking for something new or looking for something comfortable.

Daniel Lafrance/Dan McDaid/Warren Leonhardt-These guys are very....very...very good. Missed Danial L's and Warren's portfolio originally. Lafrance's godzilla story is awesome. Probably the best sequential story in anyones portfolio in the whole contest(tied with wilfredo's gnome story). These guys are great. Their loose...their animated..and all apparently fast. The only thing that could hold all of these guys back is the lack of cool factor. I think they can tell a story better than any of the other top ten.Draw better than most of them too... But I can't say i want to see a Witchblade cover by any of them....it would be like a Kyle Baker cover....it really only works for plastic man. So if these guys can find a way to make their stuff more comicbookish (when the assignments calls for it....they'll be gold.)The subtle gesture stuff they will rock at....the cool factor is where I start to worry. One other thing....it's kind of like a political party running with a third canidate when people are voting....you guys have to watch about splitting the votes of the audience that likes fun cartoony styles between the three of you.

Charles Paul Wilson III-Just an all around illustrator type. Good at everything he does. Some faces and every now and then a body gets abit too static....but once he applys colors to his stuff its over -->the most pro stuff in the contest is cpw's colored work. He can really tell any kind of story with his style. His weakness might be that he could get beat out by someone with alot of cool factor to his work...he does everything very good...but not too flashy.Which is something I love about his work....but something the casual viewer might not be interested in.

Jon Reed-Another cool unique style. If he can do the subtle...boys smirks at girl ...type of story telling with this style then its really all about the effort he puts in from there. I'd buy his work.

Wilfredo Torres-That gnome story was the best. He has a style that translates into comic form. I could see this guy on a image book. I could see him on Invincible....maybe on a teentitans book...maybe a simple vertigo story. He has to watch out about being stuck in the middle of the pack. His style isn't polarizing....its just good. And fits the form. As long he doesn't get lost in the crowd of talented guys...he'll go far...I'm thinking real far.

Nick Pitarra- This guy is pretty much screwed.

[jasonbaroody]

Nick Pitarra- This guy is pretty much screwed.

Don't be so pessimistic. It's quite a a collection of artists, anyone at this point has a good chance, because the competition hasn't really started.
I think any of these guys can win it. Even you, ya bum!;)

[R Santos Jr]

Nick Pitarra- This guy is pretty much screwed.
I think if that Pitarra guy continues to bring that wacky "X" factor stuff every week, he's got as good a shot as anyone. :)

[luv2pencil]

NICK PITARRA!!! Your style requires the most discipline and is unmatched. I love it! Nevertheless, beware of the play at home group!!!!;)

[mightyfineline]

Nick Pitarra- This guy is pretty much screwed.

I doubt that. I think alot of people are keeping an eye on you.

[pencilmachine]

Nick Pitarra- This guy is pretty much screwed.

ah come on big guy.you got a great shot.considering all the other contestants drop out for some reason or the other,then you'll be right up there.

seriously, obviously your f'n around but you got this baby.there are alot of good artists in the top ten though.gonna be pretty interesting. but you took my spot sucka so you better do a good job.
oh and if you have phils number or email and isaacs email and yours(obviously you have yours) can you pm me with that info. gotta catch up on the good times playa.
and good luck man.this shiz is kickin off in a couple of days.

[Hieu Le Bui]

Am I the only one that finds this thread depressing? let's just have fun and watch the contest. Guessing serves no purpose.

[CPWilsonIII]

I think if that Pitarra guy continues to bring that wacky "X" factor stuff every week, he's got as good a shot as anyone. :)

It's true! You gotta wonder and anticipate what he's gonna do next!

[Nick Pitarra]

Thanks for the love guys...I'm getting really excited about the contest. I can't wait to see how everyones going to handle the first assignment...I hope the play at home guys show up big too. There are alot of guys who I loved and didn't make it. What better way to show the judges they made a huge mistake by out-drawing the contestants. You're going to have a huge audience in that thread....if I get voted out early...I'm going to go the distance in that thread just to show what I can do on a deadline.

Best of luck to everyone involved,
nick

[mytymark]

so true! i think most of us play at home guys are pretty rearing to get into action as well...it would be great to show them judges the error of their ways! ahhahahah!!!!

but seriously, a lot of us, finalists and non-finalists, will benefit from the challenges if we really want to pursue comics as a career, not just a passion. goodluck to everyone, and can't wait for Thursday! lets go!:)

[joshm]

I'm moving into a new house next Monday, so the challenge of getting three pages done will be extra difficult, but I'm up for the challenge. I know you'll do great, Nick. ;)

I did one of the practice pages I said I was working on so if anyone wants to check it out look at my blog and give me some pointers, I can use them. :D

[kamgates]

I'm moving into a new house next Monday, so the challenge of getting three pages done will be extra difficult, but I'm up for the challenge.

I know the feeling! I just bought a place and this whole last month has been dealing with moving. Now I'm over the hump but I live in a world of boxes without a drawing space to be seen. I'm toying with skipping week one's Play At Home to deal with that, but it seems like a lame way to start.

[icarus]

I know the feeling! I just bought a place and this whole last month has been dealing with moving. Now I'm over the hump but I live in a world of boxes without a drawing space to be seen. I'm toying with skipping week one's Play At Home to deal with that, but it seems like a lame way to start.

I feel your pain, god moving sucks. I'll be away for the weekend doing army stuff. I hope to still get something in on time though.

[joshm]

I know the feeling! I just bought a place and this whole last month has been dealing with moving. Now I'm over the hump but I live in a world of boxes without a drawing space to be seen. I'm toying with skipping week one's Play At Home to deal with that, but it seems like a lame way to start.

We weren’t planning to buy in the middle of the month, but the bank that's selling the house is scheduled to auction the house off on the 17th, so for some reason we have to close on the 12th.

Anyway, then we have to move by Monday, so thinks are certainly going to be hectic. We'll see how many pages I can finish before the deadline. :o

[MartinRedmond]

I'm surprised Alexander Rumenov Stojanov isn't in the running.