At a hidden laboratory deep in the wastelands of Yoro, a lonely figure resigns himself to a fate he did not choose but one that he realizes is inevitable. Dr Louis De Planq, former Chief Scientist and head of research of the Keepers, reflects on his life and the choices he has made that have brought him to this place. In the face of great peril, he has done all that he can do and now must leave the rest up to the uncertainty of fate.

Let us know what you think. As always if you think it’s cool, feel free to share.

Dr. Louis DePlanq voiced by the legendary writer/actor Stephen Jared
Music by Kevin McLeod

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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The post The Deserter appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

We here at Celflux are continually humbled and thankful for the doors that continue to open for our small indie project. Most of our updates these days are about our current project the Celflux Animated short. However, our graphic novel is still very much in production. Other independent creators can testify that because of limited time, people and resources things move a bit slower. Nevertheless, you do what you can and grab opportunities as they come along.

One such opportunity has arisen for our graphic novel. We recently published Celflux issue no.3 and entered it into CODE’s Burt Award Caribbean Literature. In collaboration with Canadian organization CODE, the Bocas Lit Fest manages CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, a literary award that recognizes literary works by Caribbean authors for Young Adults.

Now in its fifth year, the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature recognizes up to three English-language literary works for young adults (aged 12 through 18) written by Caribbean authors.

This year, the winning title will be awarded $10,000 CDN, and two finalists will be awarded $2,000 CDN each.

Publishers of winning titles will be awarded a guaranteed purchase of up to 2,500 copies, which will be donated to schools, libraries, and literacy organizations throughout the region. To date, more than 15,000 copies of winning books have made their way into the hands of Caribbean youth.

We are excited to just be a part of such a prestigious event and that Celflux would be considered of good enough quality to be accepted into the festival. We want to thank the Bocas Lit Fest and CODE for their consideration.

You can grab your copy of Celflux on Amazon just follow this link: Celflux

Remember to check out the Celflux trailer our release date is 27.04.18. Details to follow:

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Indie Sketch Pad is a new creative initiative from Dixie Ann Archer-McBain and I. It’s going to be a bi-weekly video blog that deals with all the topics that are dear to us. From art to anime. 80s toons to tutorials. We’ll be covering it all.

Subscribers will have the opportunity to come alongside us as we work on our current project the Celflux Animated Short. We’ll also be giving away free commissions.

Subscribe today and also follow the Indie Sketch Pad page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndieSketchPad/

Learn more about the Celflux Animated Short. http://bit.ly/celfluxfilm

If you would like to support us you can do so on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gemgfx

Thanks to The Passion HiFi for the music in our promo. Check him out at https://soundcloud.com/freehiphopbeatsforyou

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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Black Panther

The Black Panther (T’Challa) was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciler Jack Kirby. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966). Black Panther the movie is set to be released in 2018. That makes the character fifty-two years old. Fun fact. When the Black Panther character was created, Chadwick Boseman, the actor that portrays him in the movie, wasn’t born yet. It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it?

Fun fact. When the Black Panther character was created, Chadwick Boseman, the actor that portrays him in the movie, wasn’t born yet.

The character was originally called Coal Tiger, but Stan Lee decided on Black Panther. Many people mistakenly thought that the character was a reference to the then Black Panther party, so they briefly changed the name to The Black Leopard. But no one liked the name so it went back to Black Panther. But I digress. The point is, that it took a number of years for Black Panther to move from a sketch on Jack Kirby’s desk to a feature length movie. Something to think about. Of course, this may be a bit extreme and Black Panther has had a measure of success in comic books as well as cartoon adaptations. Also, I’m sure there are examples of projects that achieved success in fairly shorter amounts of time. However, these are the exception rather than the rule and it’s easy to find numerous other examples of creators who had to wait a long time and go through a journey of sorts, for their projects to achieve any measure of success.

This is a concept art sketch of the original Black Panther character by Jack Kirby. The character was first called Coal Tiger

Valerian

Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets is a fantastic sci-fi ride with mind blowing special effects by the great folks at Weta Digital.

It is based on a novel created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières and it was first published in Pilote magazine in 1967. It was then called Valérian and Laureline. So it took 50 years to get its movie adaptation. The movie was even marketed with that tagline “Valerian Featurette: A Movie a Lifetime in the Making”. It didn’t receive very good reviews, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has not instantly become a sci-fi classic. The point is, it took a long time for the creation to go from book to movie. If its creators weren’t marathon runners they would have given up the idea a long time ago.

Valérian and Laureline as drawn by Jean-Claude Mézières

Blade Runner

An example of a title that wasn’t initially well received and had to wait a long time to achieve a measure of success is one of my favourite movies of all time. Blade Runner.

The posters for Blade Runner 1982 (left) and Blade Runner 2049 (right)

Blade Runner (1982) is a science fiction film, released in 1982, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos.

It was written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, and is a loose adaptation of a 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The movie cost about 28 million and only made about 6.5 million in its opening weekend. Part of the reason for this is that on the same weekend the movie was released two other huge movies were also playing. They were Star Trek: Wrath of Khan and the juggernaut knows as E.T: Extra Terrestrial. So no one had any time for Blade Runner. How many of us indie creators can identify with that. You share your work and it’s overshadowed by other amazing work that’s out there. Blade Runner, however, went on to enjoy a renaissance of sorts during the 80s as people found it on VHS. The show went on to take its place in the sci-fi canon and today is one of the most influential movies ever. Now a new Blade Runner movie is set to be released in 2017 and it stars Ryan Gosling and the star of the original blade runner Harrison Ford.

Celflux

I’ve written about how Celflux began before but it’s worth mentioning here again. The characters of Celflux have been with me for a long time. I had the idea way back in secondary school. It is only after Dixie Ann and I got married that we decided to work on publishing the book. This was in 2013. Now four years later and with the help of an awesome voice team and composer, we are set to independently release the Celflux Animated Short. It is possible that the film can become an instant success. That would be great! But reality teaches me that it might be years before people really start hearing about Celflux. The point is I have to be prepared for that and just keep moving forward.

Okira. The leader of the Celflux Team.

Be sure to check out our first trailer if you haven’t already. If you have, go ahead and watch it again.

Conclusion

If I have an unrealistic expectation of how long it’s supposed to take to achieve any measure of success, I will quickly become discouraged and despondent and look for the next stop to get off this crazy train. But if I appreciate that Rome was not built in a day, nothing good comes easy, and many great creators who went before me had the same struggle, then I’ll dig my heels in, put my shoulder to the grind and prepare myself for the long haul. A marathon runner’s training regiment is different from that of a sprinter. They’re built differently. Unlike the sprinter, the finish line for the marathon runner is not seen for most of the race and must be visualized. To finish requires a sustained effort over a long period as opposed to a burst of energy that lasts about 10 seconds. My advice to all indie creators is to maintain a steady pace and keep working on your creations. So when that opportunity of success comes along it will find you in full stride and prepared to appreciate that success. May we all learn to run that creative marathon.

Till next time.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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The post The Creator’s Life is A Marathon Not A Sprint appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

Would you be interested in an Okira Goddess Mobile Wallpaper? If the answer is “YES!”, We have something really cool for you guys today. Download this free Okira Goddess Mobile Wallpaper for your smartphone today. It’s absolutely free and is our gift to our fans for all your loyal support.

Just click here to download.
Download “Okira-HD-wallpaper-Mobile.jpg” Okira-HD-wallpaper.jpg – Downloaded 1118 times – 277.89 KB

Remember to check out the trailer for our upcoming Celflux Animated Short and like, share and spread the word if you think it’s cool.

Till next time.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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Johnathan Soul runs a Podcast interviewing comicbook creators & fiction writers from the African Diaspora. Wednesdays and Sundays. Visit his website at www.johnathansoul.com

Here’s the interview:

Here’s the Celflux Issue 1 Walkthrough:

Hope you enjoyed, and if you did please feel free to share.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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One of the first things we wanted to do when we began production on the Celflux Animated Short, was to create a trailer to help spread the word and give our fans a glimpse of what they can expect. We’re happy to let you guys know that today we are releasing our very first trailer for Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon.

It features the amazing voice work of Demetria Bridges, Matthew Curtis, Manuel Benavidez, Chasity Conner, Sarah Brown, Tony Black, Kate Sample, Tracy Pfau, Hector Chavez, William Harmar, Stephen Jared, and George Sharperson. It also features a fantastic original bit of music composed by Gwenaël Mario Grisi. All the artwork, animation, video and sound editing was done in-house by me. It was a lot of hard work and involved many all nighters but I had the encouragement of Dixie Ann and the members of the Celflux film team. So let us know what you think of the trailer. Does it get you excited to see the Celflux Animated Short? Is this something you would watch?

Special thanks to the Trinidad & Tobago Creative Industries Company Limited: http://www.creative.co.tt/

As usual, if you think it’s cool please help spread the word and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date with the film’s production and development. Be sure to like and share.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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The post Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon First Trailer appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

We’re very excited because today we have a really cool treat for you guys. Today is the day we release our first teaser trailer for the upcoming Celflux Animated Short. Today is the day you, our fans, get to have a first look at what we’re working on and it gives you just a glimpse of what is to come. This teaser features our villains The Keepers. The voice you will hear is that of the awesomely talented Sarah Brown. One of our amazing voice actors who portrays the voice of Genocyde. It also features the original music by Gwenaël Mario Grisi. The Celflux Animated Short is a lot of hard work and a monumental task. It is the biggest project we have ever embarked upon. But we’re fueled by our love for Okira her story and our desire to share it with our fans. As we said this is our first trailer and it’s just a teaser. Our main trailer is still to come. So, for now, we hope you enjoy it. We hope it whets your appetite and gets you excited about seeing the short film. If it does, please consider supporting us with a like and a share and help us get the word out. We can’t do it without our fans.

Celflux: Reluctant Heroes, The Secret Weapon, is a stand-alone animated short film featuring the characters of the graphic novel Celflux created by Dixie Ann Archer-McBain and Everard McBain It follows the adventures of Okira an ordinary priestess who, with the help of a disjointed group of strangers, must face a great evil that threatens her world.

It stars the voices of Demetria Bridges, Matthew Curtis, Manuel Benavidez, Cee Cee – VoiceActress, Sarah Brown, Tony Black, Kate Sample – BostonBrit Voice, Tracy Pfau, Hector Chavez, William Harmar, Stephen Jared, and George Sharperson.

Original musical score by Gwenaël Mario Grisi.

Find out more about our upcoming animated short film here: http://bit.ly/celfluxfilm
Download the high-res version of the poster: http://bit.ly/celfluxfilm3
Check out the animated trailer that started it all. http://bit.ly/2fbd82D

Follow us on social media:
@Celflux @GemGfx

#CelfluxFilm #gemgfx #celflux #okira #art #comics #illustation #cartoons #animation #80scartoons #artwork #indie #indiecomics #marvel #dc

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

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The post Celflux The Secret Weapon Teaser Trailer appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

I wanted to create something just a little bit iconic. An image that folks would remember as well as easily identify should they see it in the future. Let us know what you think about it in the comments. If you like it, you can download a high-resolution copy of the poster using this button.

If you think it’s cool please consider helping us spread the word about the Celflux project. Thank you for the continued support.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon Poster appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

As you guys know for our recently completed trailer I did everything. This includes the music. I can play music by ear so I just created something that I was hearing in my head and that I thought sounded good. I cannot read or write music and I am by no means a professional. So the music for the trailer left a lot to be desired. You can have another look at the trailer here:

I had planned to do the same for the Celflux animated short and hope for the best. However, Matthew Curtis (The voice of the High Councilor), on his own initiative, shared the Celflux project with a friend of his. This friend was a classicly trained musician who, according to him, fell in love with the project and expressed an interest in coming on board.

His name is Gwenael Mario Grisi and he started playing the piano at the age of six. He’s studied composition at the Conservatory in Belgium and graduated with three (3) master’s degrees. He’s also studied film editing with the purpose of learning how to better use music to tell stories. As with our amazingly talented voice cast, we are overwhelmed by how lucky we are to have such a talented and professional individual as part of the Celflux team. We would again like to acknowledge Matt’s role in making this happen. Mario had this to say about the Celflux project.

Your story is very touching and I’m still completely down for this project.
Your art is absolutely amazing, it gives me a lot of good vibes and I’m really happy I can help you for the music. It reminds me some old animated movies I was watching when I was younger, I’m in love with this project!

Here’s a sample of Mario’s work performed by the Brussels Phil Harmonic.

You can find out more about Mario and support his work at the following links:

Gwenael Mario Grisi on IMDB
Gwenael Grisi on Soundcloud
Gwenael Mario Grisi on Facebook

I always say when we first started working on Celflux we did not have any distinctive plans. We just wanted to do something as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. We never imagined that Celflux would grow into what it has become and seems poised to become. Thank you to all our fans and those who have given of their time and energy to make it happen.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Gwenael Mario Grisi To Create Celflux Musical Score appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.