The name's IBN and I'm a long time reader and a first time poster. I thought what better way to introduce myself than by showing off some of my work. You may have seen these already if you're a Protoncharging frequenter, if not, please enjoy!
Mignola Ghostbuster- Egon!
Base is a Lobster Johnson. Majority of it is original sculpt.
Mignola Comic Style- SLIMER!
It's an entire original sculpt. In the end, I felt it fell somewhere between the movie and the cartoon. I dig it.
and now, the recently completed-
Mignola Comic Style- RAY STANTZ!
There's a Johann under there somewhere, but it's mostly Apoxiesculpt. Only the backpack contains fodder. My goal was to do something different than my Egon. The way I see it, the GB have got to have all sorts of equipment by now, and like any decent field team, they're got offensive and defensive units (looking at the old Kenner line really inspired me).
Ray is sporting what I call a “protonic diffusion glove” or as Protoncharing deemed it the “Proton Gauntlet” (kind of works like those glass electricity domes only instead of being attracted to your finger, it'd be attracted to the ghost being hunted) and Ray's backpack is a “Field Trap Consolidation unit,” a device worn out on jobs to consolidate traps if there are a multitude of spooks to bag (like a mini portable Containment unit).
The Mark 2 Trap (seen in the gallery) I saw as an “industrial strength” alternative for big jobs like Stay Puft. Hope you like!
Mignola Comic Style- WINSTON ZEDDEMORE!
So what's goin' on here? Well, a few things actually:
1.) As with my Ray figure, I wanted to diversify the gear of the GB. This particular piece of equipment is what I'm calling the “Proton Rifle,” a two-handed, throttle-based gun that is built for greater stream control and long distance needs. It has a mounted PKE on top for hands-free operation.
2.) Thinking about how Mignola would draw him, I wanted to modify the look of Winston enough from the other two so he'd pop off a page, so I gave him Venkman's raincoat from the first flick. It seemed to work out well and was a continuity-based mod that gave the piece more personality. I figure they all have ‘em, Winston’s just wearing his in the field…who knows, it maybe another dirty job (ala marshmallow roast or slime tunnel swim).
3.) Winston's the straight man of the team. So before you bitch me out that I “thugged him out” or whatever, it makes sense that for “all the other stuff” (aka Bogeymen, vamps…whatever!) the blue-collar guy would be the one trusted enough to carry a gun in the field. It's very B.P.R.D. and I think that's a valid translation for this execution. He's also got a pouch of stakes…just in case. You know how it is
4.) That being said, since Winston's the “everyman,” he's sporting some arcane paraphernalia to keep him safe (cross, moon and bird skull). I always love when Hellboy's seen with trinkets like this.
Additionally, here are answers to a few questions I've been receiving as of late:
Has Mignola ever done any GB work or is this your idea? The answer is Mignola (to my knowledge) has never touched our flightsuited heroes, though I hope someone sees this, a word or two gets thrown around and it finds its way to Mike. It's such a no brainer, especially with all the press ghostheads'll get next year with the game release. When I started my GB's project, I doodled and played with the style I wanted for a long time. As a Hellboy reader, I gradually saw how easily Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston could fit into that universe. With Mezco's HB Comic series (of which I own everything), I thought I'd take a stab at sculpting for the first time using this style (as inconsistencies are what make the line beautiful). Putting 2 and 2 together really made this a lot of fun to work with and I look forward to completing the rest of the team with some more original ideas.
Is Ray's trap supposed to look like EGBs? Yes the trap from Ray is supposed to resemble the Extreme GB's version. While I was never really a fan of the show itself, nor the gear designs, I did however like the trap at least conceptually. That inspiration is reflected in my execution. Good catch!
Are you going to do the rest of the team? As hinted above, yes I will be completing the entire team, as well as a few surprises along the way. I could easily see new stuff from my Mignola GB's line extending well into next year. For now, stay tuned as I'm slating Winston next.
If you'd like to see some of my other non GB related work, you can find your way here:
http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33838&sid=047a79771359eae14ff9ecea45ded91d
(but I do promise to update here aswell as things progress).
Cheers and all the best!
Your faithful IBN
