Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I Heart Space Girls!

Long ago, back when I worked at an animation studio here in T.O., I heard that the company owned the animation rights to Barbarella! I sketched up a bunch of character ideas and tried to pitch myself as a develpment artist on the project...but alas, twas not meant to be. It was one of those projects stuck in a development black hole. Lots of art was thrown its way but nothing ever returned!

From those development drawings was born my first published comic book work, Solar Stella! I started drawing a mini-comic in my spare time using Barbarella as the jumping off point. Solar Stella was a pin-up gal lost in the farthest reaches of space. Her adventures were just meant to be good old fashioned fun with lots of cheesecake drawings. The book came out in 2000 and I'd fully intended to follow up with more Stella stories but, as it turned out, I started getting higher paying work. Stella would have to wait. And wait...and wait...
I still love the space girls and I still plan on doing more with Stella. These girls are meant to be a three piece ensemble. For some reason I had an idea to draw a trio of Space Girls with identically positioned legs. The girls are Barbarella, Dragonfly (from the movie CQ*) and eventually Solar Stella.

j.

19 comments:

Jamie S. Rich said...

Holy crap! I can't believe you drew the CQ girl. Love it!

Jon McNally said...

Hey, just this morning I was thinking about Solar Stella! Fancy that! Thanks for the space doll dose.

Johnny B Animation said...

haha thats awesome I love that

j. said...

Mr. Rich - Thanks. I love that little film within the film. I put an asterik beside CQ and just now realized that I forgot to put my little commentary at the bottom of my post which the asterik was meant to denote.

Mr. McNally - Thanks for thinking about Stella! I think of her often. Really I should just start inking the pages I have drawn and pop them up online. Why not, right?

Mr. Animation - Thanks, guy.

j.

Paul Conrad said...

Wahoo!
Great spacegirls mister J.
I'm not familiar with your Solar Stella though...please post some of her appearances if you will.

Love the CQ girl especially!

pc

rachelle said...

Those ladies are beautiful!

Nice job on The Spirit this week! It was a really fun issue!

I get to go back to Toronto in a couple of weeks. My band is opening for Wanda Jackson!!! She's like, our idol! I'm very excited. Plus it's at the Cadillac Lounge, which I hear is a very kitschy country bar. Sounds perfect!

Drazen said...

BRavp!
I see Stella looks a little sleeker these days.
I hope Dell returns as well
in spaceship cardboard box!
d

Daniel Krall said...

WOW!

I too love your space ladies! Seeing Dragonfly just about gave me a nosebleed. Especially because you included that time stopping bic utility lighter of hers. Can't wait to see more of Stella!

-->d.

j. said...

Paul - I'll definitely put up some Stella art. Sadly, I was looking for my issue of the book and I can't find a copy anywhere in the house. Crap. I don't even have my own book!

Rachelle - Thanks! I hope I'm able to come out to your show this time. I'd love to hear you gals play.

Draz - Actually, Stella isn't up there yet...but the new take is similar to the Barbarella. She's not the three heads tall, pudgy little cutie she used to be. Ah, Del! How I miss the insanity of L'il Del!

Daniel - Hey man! Thanks. Isn't that lighter hilarious. I think it really is just a barbecue lighter with a plastic lipstick red prop handle. That little film within the film is the best part of that movie (in my opinion :)

best,
j.

Michael Cho said...

Hotness!! As always, I love it when you draw pinups, J.

Chris Battle said...

Awesome Dragonfly! The colored lines really add to the cool-ness quotient :)

Dominic Bugatto said...

Damn these are fine. Love the Barbarella !

j. said...

Cho - Thanks, guy. Y'know I love drawin' dem pin-ups!

Chris Battle - Thanks. I'm never sure I want to go all the way with colour lines but they really do help soften drawings of women in a nice way. I have a version of Dragonfly with a black background and I gotta say (with all humility :) she looks pretty cool! The colour lines stand out even more!

Dominic - Thanks, man.

Urban Barbarian said...

Hot, hot, hot!!!

ADC said...

these are awesome!

Steve Daye said...

Holy Moly! These are sweet!

Howard Shum said...

Cool girls!

Urban Barbarian said...

So damn well drawn and designed! You must be stopped!! At all costs!!!

j. said...

Urban Barbarian - Thanks, thanks, thanks!

adc - Gracias

Steve Daye - Merci beaucoup!

Howard Shum - Danke!

Urban Barbarian 2 - Ha ha ha! You'll never stop me!! (Actually, I just checked out your blog for a few minutes so in fact you DID stop me. Diabolical!!

best all,
j.