Hi everyone Thanks for letting me join I’m a big Sci Fi bookreader, but I’ve just made what I think is the biggest sci fi graphic novel I’m not here to sell it, I think they are probably gone by now, and it was expensive to make and expensive to buy too off Amazon, (no profit) so no more to be made after this as it was the biggest headache to make anyway. I just wanted to make the biggest and most illustrated version of 20,000 Leagues under the sea 700 pages, 2.5kgs, 600 full page illustrations, spanning the whole story I did it for myself really because I wanted the biggest best version of this story, for my shelf, bigger than an atlas and beautiful, I used to make books for a living, but selling it was an afterthought. I’m only putting the pictures on for enjoyment and critique incase the book has gone already But it should be shared on the forums with other fans of sci fi as it took long enough to make Gary Burley the front and back cover thanks
Welcome @Gary Burley! Beautiful work, thanks for sharing. You must be a very dedicated artist. How long did it take you to complete 20 000 Leagues Under The Sea?
Hi Elvira, it took me 27 years on and off as a hobby, i worked to deadlines in jobs and such or on comics or games, but this was personal so i didn't care about time, i wanted it to highly finished across all 714 pages. i miss it, i'll have to find something else to help with OCD Gary
Well, an impressive life project! I looked it up in Amazon and it does look beautiful. I have got my eye on it for a special birthday present I have coming up this summer….
i didn't know there were any left, i haven't checked in a while glad you like it, ideas are only as good as the publics opinion of them, no matter what the creator thinks i'm busy working on the next project, medieval and then futuristic
Hi Kenubrion its been forming in my head for thirty years, most of the stuff i do comes from having a 3d photographic mind, what you see is what i was thinking exact and as i saw it, i think i might be suffering from the same amount of autism and OCD that my brother suffers from and have been all my life. whenever you see a knight scene, they have the same cliches, 6 pack armour, engraved armour, sunny day and a sword fight against metal plates i did research into wilfred of ivanhoes armour and bludgeon weapon 12 century, he's viking saxon not pict saxon, his armour is flat plated thick steel and brass. his enemy is a templar and i gave it shitty british weather and an akira kurasawa all in motion feel with everything being thrown for six. and knights used to suffocate from bludgeon dents in their breastplate glad you like it though, the audience are the true test of whether you did something right or wrong, same as my book above, i didn't do it for profit but the love of it and to share it, the fact that i used to make books professionally helps too, but 700 pages of illustrations and story really was a once in a lifetime proofread, 2 years just to proofread it Gary
Great illustrations! And 27 years! Now, that's really a labour of love. Which comics have you worked on?
Hi Boreas not many, i have worked uncredited on heavy metal magazine and i did a hplovecraft story for Tales of Mystery and imagination, Dagon 1912 i think. i have friends who draw for 2000ad who would probably laugh at my cartoon abilities but i did make a friend of Dave Gibbons (the Watchmen) who thought i had talent, up to that point i didn't have the confidence and just worked on computer games like wipeout and battlefield 2 to pay the bills. i still enjoyed my dishwashing job more though. most jobs are high stress here is the monster Dagon its a bit amateurish Gary
You clearly are an extremely talented artist Gary ... some (all!) of the stuff above is really really impressive!
Thanks Tom all these pics seem like showing off the truth is i just can't stop drawing its an addiction Gary
Wow, that 20,000 leagues book is amazing! It reminds me of what I want - to find a wife, get busy, beget a son, teach that son English and love of SF and for that purpose use your illustrated book! Consider me impressed.
thanks R Hat, it took me long enough but i wanted the reader to benefit from a last century 1900s book, the type i collect, from before radio and tv Gary