Saturday, May 5, 2012

Pirateers

[Edit 2021 - Shockwave file available HERE on my Patreon]

It is illegal to scour mine living planets in the Zooniverse, but that doesn't stop Pirateers from hiding in dust clouds picking off newborn orbs spat out by the Birthbone in the Nursery Region. Sifting through rock for precious minerals and metals, the Pirateers work in clans often made up of mercenaries. The most popular clans have the best medical benefits, the largest clan also offers dental coverage. The fact that most Pirateers are terrified of Dentists doesn't seem to be a deterrent, they just seem to like the concept of a dental plan even though none of them take advantage of the offer. It turns out that clanzoon Dentists are more bloodthirsty than the meanest Pirateer.

A still taken from the Zooniverse animation on LoopDeLoop's Rock theme 2012
Below is the original sketch for the Pirateer from the animation he is loosely based off a Studio Head that I once had the misfortune to work for.

Original design of the Pirateer.
Another still from the Rock animation at LoopDeLoop. Showing a scour miner in action. It was quite a big moment to see this image moving after having it in my files for so long. These giant ships, almost the size of a planetoid, are so vast that entire clans can live inside them. These factory vehicles often carry armies of craftzoons who produce dazzlingly beautiful artifacts from the raw ores. A steady flow of shipments are freighted from the Scouring vessels to the black markets and illegal auction houses. Any unusable rock dust is vented into the void, further cloaking their operation.


The original images below were printed in issue #4 of my self published Zoonimedia Magazine in 1995, the magazine was renamed Artopia Quarterly for issue #5.

Original art created in 1991, but published in 1995 in Zoonimedia Magazine.

6 comments:

  1. DAMN these are cool! Why don't I see your stuff on YouTube or Vimeo, or even Newgrounds? They'd get more exposure there.

    - RĂȘverĂȘche

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    1. I'm glad you like them. I really want to get them onto my Vimeo and YouTube accounts. I want to rework them as stories, rather than loops and use After Effects to let me play with filters and lighting. Plus I'll be able to move the camera around more. So LoopDeLoop is an important step, building up my assets and skills while meeting a deadline.

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    2. Hear hear =) I'm tempted to give it a try myself.

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    3. They are a great group of people and the challenge is fun. It's worth having a crack at. :)

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  2. Hi Fil,

    I just found Zooniverse #1 in a secondhand shop in Canberra and was immediately attracted to it. I thought (from the cover) it was some old European or English comic but low and behold it's home grown gold!

    I did some searches for the whole miniseries but haven't turned anything up. Do you know where I could get them? Are there still copies out there?

    Cheers,

    Tom

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    1. Hi Tom, welcome aboard! Old copies are still out there some people have picked them up from US comic stores and eBay. Happy hunting!

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