Modesty Blaise: The Green-Eyed Monster

I read this over the weekend. Excellent pulp fiction. I love the black and white line work and the figures. Sadly, this style is no longer in vogue today. Oh well.

If I were half as good as the artists that Peter O'Donnell had employed in his strips...

Thunder Run

I read the pictorial of the Third Infantry Division's advance up to Baghdad two nights back. This is an amazing visual chronicle of the armoured thrust involving hundreds of vehicles.

I can see the superhuman efforts in logistical terms when a column of this size moved. The number of vehicles numbered in the hundreds, from the armoured behemoths like the M1A1s to the humble Hummers armed with merely a M240B or M2HB.

The volume also illustrated the lightning advance of one of the brigades through the rear of the surprised Medina Division which was utterly wiped out. The curious thing about the Medina division is that the T-72 tankers often abandoned their MBTs while the lightly-armoured BMP crew tried to fight the advancing Americans.

David Zucchino offers a narrative of the advance in his book titled 'Thunder Run'. He chronicles the two runs and the eventual occupation of Saddam's palace. He also has a detailed, gripping account of the vicious battles at the three points held to ensure that the spearheads are supplied.

After the battles, the large number of Syrians killed were left unburied by the Iraqis who had nothing but disdain for these foreign fighters, whereas, they buried their own.

I read Zucchino's account several months ago. Truly amazing.

Beneath the Trees

It was beneath these trees that she found joy. A feeling of elation that has eluded her for just about forever.













"This place is called the subspace
It is where you'll die alone"
'Subspace' Funker Vogt

Illustration Friday

Here is a list of my previous drawings for Illustration Friday:

Theme
Night
Broken
Remote
Cold
Lost
Float 1
Float 2
Fresh

This blog entry will be updated from time to time with links to new illustrations.

The Battle of Salamis

I usually read four or five books at the same time. I just started on this very readable narrative of the Battle of Salamis two days ago. I expect to finish this in two or three days' time.

Two notables: The exodus of the whole Athenian population to Salamis and a few other locations. This uprooting totalled over 150 000 people and it was a massive undertaking.

The Athenians voted for a huge increase in their military, expanding their fleet to at least 180 triremes. This changed Athens. From a minor power, Athens became the largest naval power in ancient Greece. For this undertaking, the Athenians had obviously voted in the funds before 480 B.C.

Aegina, one of Athens neighbours and rivals, was apparently a greater naval power until recently. (Two to three years ago.)

I finally read Paul Kennedy's 'The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers' from cover to cover after reading it on and off since 1987. I have a tendency to do that with Paul Kennedy's books, especially the interesting chapters. For instance, I have read the chapters on the three Anglo-Dutch Wars and the First World War in 'The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery' and most of the chapters concerning the First World War and the arms race of the interwar years in 'Strategy and Diplomacy'. More on 'The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers' later.

"This burning sky that we call home
In the end we stand alone
Come alive
Come alive
Breathe"
'Everything must perish' Front Line Assembly

Figure VIII: Ego

He walks with his head held aloof. He sees no one.















"Let's leave reality
Enter the metaverse
Creating an avatar
For your new life"
'Subspace' Funker Vogt

Illustration Friday

Theme: Float

Something I drew during work while taking a call from a customer.

Illustration Friday

Theme: Float

Airships. A quick late night piece at 1:00 am using Pilot pigment pens and Copic markers.

I had a bigger version of this in mind but ultimately, I settled on something simple.

Illustration Friday

The Lingering Memories of the Past

The details of some of the buildings are noteworthy. I shall have to visit this place again and take photos of the shutters and doorways.

Photos previously posted.

Figure IX: The Man of the Times

Only the latest will yield satisfaction. He celebrates impermanence. Fleeting form.

"it is the summer of fourty-five
black-market dealers are in the streets
but we all feel so alive
now we get again what we need"
'Black Market Dealers' Funker Vogt

Figure VII: Need

Yearning for the impossible, she awaits.












"bombed ruins form the skyline
burnt places - all around
people trading their possessions
a keepsake for some bread"
'Black Market Dealers' Funker Vogt

Bengs verus Batman

Bengs Versus Batman
Okay, I have ideas for a series of cartoons now. They are inspired by the zany Merv Kwok and most perverse Redmeat. Of course, my cartoon is nothing like those two. Haha. The original ideas were quite vicious and dry, and they invariably were attacks on ideals, public figures and so forth. Anyhow, given the situation here, I have decided not to proceed with those. Heheh. So, a funnier and gentler cartoon eventually emerged. Okay, I have a few more ideas but I may or may not proceed.

New Releases from Wave in Head and Neuroactive

I shall place an order for these two CDs some time this month. Can't wait.





















"I see with the eyes of the hunter
No one can escape
I am a devil of a gunman
For you it is too late"
'Gunman' Funker Vogt

M1A1 Abrams

The mount of the US Army. A fearsome behemoth. This vehicle and many like it formed the spearhead of the armoured drives in the stunning capture of Baghdad. Two amazing thunder runs later, the brutal Iraqi regime fell, sparing the city from a bloodbath. If there had been a siege and a block to block war in the city streets, the city would have been razed and the casualty toll to the civilians and combatants would have been horrendous.

The thunder runs were a brilliant stroke of improvision by the ground commanders.

This is a tribute to the brave fighting men in Iraq.

"welcome to a life that knows goodbye
welcome to a mind that dares to wonder why
welcome to the world behind your eyes
welcome to goodbye
welcome"
'Welcome to Goodbye' Rotersand

Figure IV: Traipsing in the Rain

He stumbled and trudged wearily towards destiny.














"show me my leader and i'll pledge obedience
whisper the name of the enemy mine
blessed be my fate and my tools of expedience
i'm going to fulfil what's my mission divine"
'Exterminate, annihilate, destroy' Rotersand

Illustration Friday

Theme: Fresh

The Desert Tower

This is another swift electronic piece done using Painter 8.0. The medium is colour pencils with water colours for the sky.











"If God has a master plan
That only He understands
I hope it's your eyes He's seeing through"
'Precious' Depeche Mode

The Pillars

This is a fast electronic piece done using gorache with a little pastel in the skies and ink in the sea.












"build me a shelter,
a place i can dwell in
show me a future that i can enjoy
give me a reason and i'll be your fellow
show me the target i have to destroy"
'Exterminate, annilhilate, destroy' Rotersand