Welcome to my world. I'm a interactive designer working in the Seattle area. I love anime and have been an anime artist for about 4 years now. I love meeting new people and commenting on work. I also love receiving comments and criticism too. I want to be a better artist and The Otaku is the place to do that.
- Created By spacecowboytv
The Old Otaku...
The Old Otaku (might still live on in old members)
I want to take some time to air some of my grievances about what theOtaku has become. I have something I would like to take up with theOtaku. I've been a member for 4 years now and I've gone through many different criteria for the voting system. Frankly I can understand that making the Otakua "fluffier" place might appeal to new members, but I miss the outright competition.
There used to be a voting system, not a hug system. Artists fought over the top 10% positions, not the top 25 which will never be reached due to the declining voting system on theOtaku. I remember when a new piece that was good could get over 60 votes in its debut. Now it only take 20 or less to get into the top 4. No one votes because it's not voting. It's Hugs.
I want a more vicious theOtaku. I know that might scare some people but I used to thrive on it. I would come home from school every day thinking "what can I draw in the next 5 hours that might get me some votes and make me a better artist". I would rack my brain and fight for new ideas and challenge myself because, to me, being in the top 10% was wearing a badge of honor.
I haven't been drawing the anime style as long as some people, but their talent was something I thrived off of -- people like Ace Gallheger or PimpinSatan or ReinGirl or Seifer Sama. Some of these people have gone on to better things like Deviant art to challenge themselves.
I know that as a new artist its hard to compete with some of those amazing artists but I loved it. Maybe there should be multiple categories like Otaku Legends vs Otaku Legends and Senior Otakus vs Senior Otakus, but please please please bring back that competitive edge. This new theOtaku system is amazing, but it's too easygoing.
Lets challenge ourselves. Members of theOtaku, I ask you to revisit your favorite artists and look at their art. If they have pieces you like and can still vote for, do it! Tell them that they are on the right track!
I have been working on a comic book now for 6 months and I haven't really made anything for theOtaku in a while. I would be willing to stay up those extra 3 hours at night to try something new and see what kinds of votes I could get if theOtaku would just embrace its old competitive nature. Until that day returns, I just don't see myself using theOtaku like I once did.
Please comment if you have the time.
I Spent The Night With Supergirl
So some of you may have seen that I recently uploaded a picture I made of a realistic looking Supergirl. I got a little crazy with this picture and I wrote an interview with Supergirl at would appear in the Daily Planet. I even made a Daily Planet with this article in it. You can view the Daily Planet this article is from here.
But this is the text to the interview with Supergirl.
By Guest Reporter: Eric Johnston
Let me start right now by saying that I did not sleep with Supergirl. I’m a graphic designer at the Daily Planet so I have no writing or photography experience. With that said I’ll move on.
It was late on Sunday night and I was in the storage room of the Daily Planet.
We have become accustom to the constant fights between meta-humans in Metropolis, so it was no surprise to me when I saw Supergirl floating outside the window.
She didn’t seem to be fighting anyone nor did she seem ill-at-ease.
Being the young 23 year old male that I am I went to the window and opened it up thinking I might get a chance to talk with this uncanny hero.
To my surprise I got way more than I bargained for. Turns out that Kara was just looking for someone to talk to and came to the one place she felt comfortable to tell her story.
The following is the interview between myself and Kara Zor-El, the last daughter of the planet Krypton.
So um, what are you doing here Supergirl?
I’m tired of being this mysterious girl that everyone has so many assumptions about. I want to set the record straight. Can you help me with that?
Um, I’m not a reporter.
Can you find me one, anyone that I can just talk to?
It’s very late, I’m sorry, Supergirl, everyone has gone home for the night.
Oh I see...
Ugh, maybe I can help you. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.
Great! You’ll be able to get this into the paper?
Oh goodness, I’ll try I guess. I’m not a great writer but maybe just the content alone can help us.
Thanks so much!
[I invited her into the building and we sat down to conduct the interview, thinking ahead I grabbed a camera for a photo as well but we’ll get to that later].
So, Supergirl what is it that you want to tell the world?
Call me Kara.
Oh . . . yes of course Kara. What is it that you want to set straight?
Gosh, where to start? My cousin always says that its good to start at the beginning so I’ll guess I’ll do that. As I’m sure many of you know, I came here from Krypton and I’ve been here for almost 4 years now.
Yep, please go on.
Well in my time here I’ve been in your newspaper over four-hundred-seventy-three times. Each time has been about some battle or something that I’ve done whether it be right or wrong.
I guess I just want to be in the paper for once and be just a normal girl. Like on page five of yesterday’s issue you had a story about a girl who saved a cat from a tree.
I mean I do that stuff all the time but that girl didn’t fly up to the cat, she didn’t break the tree in half and let the cat crawl out on its own. She just got a ladder and climbed to the top and picked her up.
Lately I ask myself would I be ‘super’ if I didn’t have any powers? Really what I want to know, Eric, is am I a good person?
Wow, of course you are, Super, um, Kara. You’ve saved so many people and you’ve fought along side heroes like the Justice League and Superman.
But that’s just it. I’ve fought with them and I’ve been associated with my cousin for so long just because I wear this ‘S’ on my chest. But what do people really think of me for me? When I’m not with them and I’m on my own people still lump me in with them. Don’t get me wrong, they are all amazing people but if there wasn’t a need for us to do what we do, what kind of person would I be?
I think what you have to ask yourself then, Kara, is why do you fight and alternately what would you do if you weren’t doing this?
Hm, I’ve never thought about why I fight. I mean I know why I chose to wear the ‘S’ and why I’ve adopted the name Supergirl, but I’ve never stopped to think why it is that I fight.
Guess for me then.
Ok, fair enough. I think I fight because with these powers I feel an obligation to use them to help those that are less fortunate. I mean besides my cousin there aren’t many people that can play catch with a freight train right?
Ha, yeah I suppose you are right. So you think you have an obligation to do this then?
Well wouldn’t you if you had the kind of abilities I do?
I don’t know I guess so. But answer the second part of my question. What would you do if you didn’t have these powers?
They are abilities.
Sorry, abilities.
Well I don’t know.
Please think about it. You’re what 18 now?
19, almost 20.
Think about what other almost 20 year old women do. Does any of that appeal to you?
Well I do have a great love for shopping.
So do the other 200 million Americans, think hard.
Ok, ok. I think I would join an organization or something. I mean I’ve been on a lot of teams before like the Teen Titans, the Titans and even the Justice League for a while and even though I didn’t always fit in the best it was nice having that kind of support while doing something for the people.
So you want to be on a team or something?
Well yeah, the teamwork was good but there was something about all of us working for a common goal. You know I think that I would want to join like the peace core or work for the YWCA or a Women’s Shelter or something. I bet it would be a lot like working on a superhero team.
So you’re telling me that you would want to help people regardless of having powers or not?
I didn’t think of it like that, I mean I wanted to be a part of something meaningful and working with others.
But all the options you gave me were choices that would provide help and care for others.
[She pauses for a moment. I can see her thinking hard about the realization she’s come to. It was in this moment that I took her picture. In all her power er, abilities as she would say, she had to know I was taking her picture. None the less she seemed to look surprised and yet content all at once. Her eyes looked passed the camera and I could feel her looking at me. I think in that moment we both understood what it was Supergirl was getting at. This interview wasn’t for everyone else, it was for her. Every hero has come across the same question before “why do I fight?” and for Kara this was her moment.]
You know, I think I’ve gotten what I wanted from this. You don’t have to worry about getting this into the paper.
Oh, ok right. You know though Kara, not everyone would feel an obligation to use power for good. Just the word obligation relates to something that is less desired. I think even with all your abilities you put yourself in harms way time and time again for this planet and if nothing else, thank you.
[She says nothing, stands and moves toward the window.]
Kara, I think you're a great person. Abilities or not.
Thanks, I needed that.
Superman: The new 2011 Movie
Hi everyone. I know this doesn't really belong here but the Otaku's World feature is just too perfect for this. For those who don't know, the Superman Movie franchise has been rebooted. This means that the original superman movies and superman returns will act like they never happened. Being a huge Superman fan I wrote a synopsis of what I think the next Superman Movie should be about. I even made a poster for it. 
Superman: The Movie 2011
Starting Notes: I am not a writer and I really am only good with large concept ideas and not details. I already don’t like Brainiac/Lois/Lana drama in the end. So I am going to provide a brief outline before I start the whole synopsis because really it’s the outline that I like, not so much the break down and details. If you have any ideas for improvement please help. I think the outline is good but a lot of the motivations need to be revisited and the character placement can maybe be redone.
Outline:
• Brainiac is the cause of the missing city Kandor and the destruction of Krypton.
• Three ships leave Krypton, Kal-El’s, Kara-El’s and Brainiac’s
• Superman lands on Earth spends time in Smallville becoming Superman
• Jonathan Kent dies and Superman releases his grief in the North Pole for safety reasons
• Crystal makes Fortress of Solitude
• Superman saves and meets Lois on airplane
• Clark likes Lois but she doesn’t care
• Disasters happen around Metropolis in a pattern that is preparing Metropolis to be bottled by Brainiac
• Brainiac is going to bottle Metropolis and destroy Earth
• Superman must fight to save his adopted planet and for his birth planet
Notes:
1. The studio wants this to be a darker movie. I think we can do that without messing up Superman’s goodness by making Brainiac a killing machine.
2. Having Brainiac be the main villain leaves Lex Luthor the ability to be the main villain in the next movie.
3. Having Supergirl land in Gotham harbor is just like the comic books and can lead to a Batman Superman Supergirl cross over.
4. The movie can have more action because each disaster can have a Superman rescue scene.
Opening:
We join the El family on Krypton as Jor-El begins preparations for Kal-El's Ship. Kryptonian Parliament is discussing the mysterious disappearance of the metropolis city Kandor. We see the same scenes of Superman getting put into the ship and all that. We also see Zor-El putting a defient 16 year old girl into a ship and prepares her for takeoff. Finally we zoom over to Krypton's main computer as it launches itself off of the planet.
Krypton explodes and we see Kal-El's, Kara's, and Brainiac's ships shoot away from the explosion. Kara and Brainiac’s ship are both hit by meteors but continue on course.
Music and titles
Smallville:
Scene 1:
Kal-El’s ship comes crashing down over a field in Kansas. We later realize its Smallville. The young infant Kal-El is picked up by a farming family, the Kents. They raise him as their own and hide is true heritage until his powers become apparent.
Scene 2:
We join Clark in his senior year at Smallville High School. He is at his senior prom with the most beautiful girl in school, Lana Lang. Clark isn’t his bumbling self like we know him to be in Metropolis but he isn’t the confident Superman he’ll become. This is Kal-El, just another high school senior with all the problems that face boys of that age, except he has the added handicap of his powers.
Lana knows about Clark’s powers as at an early age they were the best of friends. Clark and Lana have skirted around the possibility of being together officially but no event has come close to this as tonight has. We see them arrive at the gym and they are greeted by their two mutual friends Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan.
The four meet and discuss the night’s events. There is a small level of awkwardness in the air as these four have never defined themselves as two couples. After punch and pleasantries Clark and Lana go out on the dance floor. Here they are engaged in their first slow dance. Lana notices that Clark’s mind seem to be off in the clouds.
Lana calls Clark out on his seemingly disinterested look. He apologizes and tells her of the moral dilemma he is having about his powers and how he wants to use them to help others. He asks her to remember the time he saved Ben Hubbard’s farm by stopping the small field fire, also the time he saved a bus of school children.
Flash Back 1:
This is the first time we get to see Clark use his powers. A school bus driver falls asleep at the wheel and a bus of school children break through a bridge over a river. The screams of the children are heard by Clark all the way at the Kent farm. (the camera quickly zooms all the way to the farm from the bus). With super speed and strength Clark arrives at the scene to jump down into the water and push the bus back onto the road with no one seeing him.
We resume the dance with Lana and Clark. Clark tells Lana of his desires to be more. He also tells her he may not stay in Smallville much longer as he feels the answers for him aren’t going to be found in Smallville.
The dance finishes and the couple leaves the floor, Lana disappointed that Clark has taken interest in the world over her.
Scene 3:
Clark is pushing fence posts into the ground with his bare hands and Jonathan Kent walks with him. Jonathan tells Clark that it’s ok to be a kid and enjoy himself a bit. Jonathan knows about his date with Lana and the two are very close. Clark explains to his father how he longs to be more. Jonathan, being more proud than disappointed, admits to Clark that he is his own man now and can make decisions for himself. Clark and his father walk in silence for a bit and Clark admits that his father’s influence has made him the man he is today. Clark continues to walk alone for a small time in silence before he realizes that his father isn’t walking with him.
Jonathan is on the ground gripping his chest. Clark immediately knows what is happening and picks his father up and runs him to the hospital before Jonathan can protest. To their luck Smallville medical is a smaller community hospital and no one has seen Clark’s use of speed. A short time after the arrival at the hospital Jonathan Kent dies from a heart attack.
Scene 4:
The funeral for Jonathan is well attended. Lana, Pete, Chloe and other members of the Smallville medical team are all there. Clark consoles his mother. A rage builds inside of Clark. He feels with all his power he should have been able to save his father. As the funeral comes to an end he feels that he must release his grief but knows he can’t do it safely around people. Alone, Clark grabs a crystal from the ship that carried him to Earth. He runs faster than he’s ever run all the way to the North Pole. Hear tears of guilt, rage and anger pour out of him. He releases all that he’s held up over the years. His screams destroy glaciers, his fists topple mountains and in a final act of defiance against the failure of his powers and Kryptonian heritage he throws the crystal far and deep into the North Pole crust.
The fortress of solitude bursts forth from the Earth, just as if Jor-El felt his son’s pain. The fortress’s appearance is breath taking. Clark forgets his anger as he looks into the fortress. There he finds the crystal he threw. He feels and pulling sensation the put the crystal in what looks like a control mechanism. As he does, Jor-El reveals himself. Now that Clark has lost a father he gains a new one. The two meet and Jor-El begins to explain to Kal-El his complete heritage. The camera fades out of the fortress and Kal-El and Jor-El begin a 2 year journey of training.
Two years later:
A meteor crashes down from the sky. It hits just south of the great American city of Metropolis. Soon it is revealed that the meteor is in fact a ship. Much like the one that carried Kal-El to Earth this one opens and reveals a damaged looking robotic humanoid. The camera only shows its legs and arms. It keeps repeating the same Kryptonian word over and over again “repair”.
Scene 1:
A farm house stands battered where it once was well kept. Martha Kent walks back inside and takes a pot of coffee off the burner. She has lost her husband and her son has been missing for two years. She sits down at the kitchen table in silence. The side door opens with a creek and in walks Clark Kent. He is more defined as a man now. He is wearing tattered clothes he had on at the funeral.
He rounds the corner to find Martha tears in her eyes as she stands to greet her long lost son. The hug and she begins to ask him all the questions a mother would ask her son who’d been missing for two years. The two discuss Jor-El, the fortress and all that has happened to him in the last two years.
Clark has returned to his mother to tell her he has found purpose. He has a plan about how he can help the world. He tells her of Jor-El and his Idea to become Superman. Over the next month Clark repairs the farm and the house and things at the Kent farm start to look as they once did.
Scene 2:
A man clad in a business suit walks awkwardly into the Daily Planet. He is Clark Kent, bubbling writer and reporter for the Daily Planet. It is his first day. He walks into Perry White’s office who gives him the rundown of what to expect. All this is down half heartedly as the entire planet staff is watching the TV as Lois Lane interviews the president on air force one during a press conference.
Clark thanks Mr. White, shakes his hand and goes to find his desk. He bumps into a young kid who is too eager to help him find is new space. The kid is Jimmy Olson, amateur photographer for the Daily Planet. Clark and Jimmy hit it off right away.
Scene 3:
A robotic figure emerges from a warehouse in South Metropolis. It is looking more human like. Blood runs from the floor as the figure’s human looking arm transforms into a gun. It looks to the sky to find an object it can track. Air Force one comes into view and the figure fires at it hitting one of the planes engines. In a human/robotic voice the figure says in English, “disappointing, power levels are still too low for cultural incision”. The figure flies away as fast as Superman and the camera pans up slowly as he flies away to show he’s murdered all the employees at a Lex Corp technologies and manufacturing plant.
Scene 4:
The impact of the laser has made a large hole in one of the engines and the other engine on that wing is missing. The telecast is cut off and a news reported at a desk explains that air force one is going down over Metropolis Lake. Jimmy, awe struck by the news doesn’t notice Clark leaving for the elevator. Clark enters the elevator and as soon as the doors close he is changed into his costume. Superman flies out of the top of the Daily Planet building and heads straight for Air Force One.
Unfortunately but similar to Superman Returns, Superman saves the place from falling. The plane is set down in Metropolis International Airport and crowds of people secret service and press alike run towards the plane. Superman rips the door off and begins to lower people to safety. The last person to leave the plane is Lois Lane. Their eyes meet and they are instantly attracted to each other. She tries to ask him questions as the reporter inside her screams for information but non verbal gibberish is all that comes out. Superman hovers over the crowd then flies away.
Scene 5:
Superman is revealed to the world and Mr. White wants the story! Days pass as no one is able to get a word with Superman. Not even the world’s best reported Lois Lane is able to get the scoop. She is slightly annoyed that a Kansas farm boy now sits across from her desk but that doesn’t detour her from her goal to meet Superman again. After many attempts at starting up a good conversation with Lois Lane, Clark Kent finally gets a mouth full when he brings the story of a century to the Planet. Clark is taken-a-back at the intense charge of Lois Lane demanding to know how he was able to get the interview of a life time.
The two quarrel playfully as Clark slightly grins at the attention he gets from Lois. In the background everyone is ready the paper, the headline reads “Superman; Truth Justice and the American Way” by Clark Kent.
A series of disasters:
Scene 1:
Time moves forward about a week. The buzz about Superman hasn’t died down in the slightest and reports of his deeds spread around the world. A series of disasters are also of note on the cover of the Daily Planet. Disasters around power plants and technology buildings have been reported all over the circumference of the city. Superman has been able to save many people and stop a lot of the damage but the disasters seem to be in a pattern around the circumference of the city.
Newly teamed reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane have been working on the stories each time just missing the chance to get a word in with Superman.
Scene 2:
Superman is in the fortress of solitude. He is discussing his recent activities with Jor-El. He explains the pattern of disasters and Jor-El instantly becomes concerned. He tells Kal-El of the disappearance of the metropolis city Kandor just before he was sent to Earth. Jor-El was not able to investigate the incident as he was preparing to send Kal-El to Earth and try and have the government listen to his findings about the planets destruction. Never the less Jor-El warns caution. Jor-El’s and Kal-El’s relationship is growing.
Scene 3:
On his way back to Metropolis, Superman begins to feel weak. Just outside the city he falls to the ground. There he is met by the mysterious robotic figure Brainiac. Brainiac holds Kryptonite in his hand. He tells Kal-El that he has been on Earth now for 3 months. He was going about his business when his plans were interrupted by a man masquerading around in a costume. It didn’t take him long to figure out that another Kryptonian must have survived Krypton’s destruction.
Superman is looking like he is going to die when Brainiac is struck by a car. Lana Lang was driving to visit Clark to confront him about his disappearance and the arrival of Superman when she see’s he’s been hurt. Brainiac not yet a full capacity begins internal repairs and Superman struggles to get into the car. The two narrowly escape.
Lana takes Clark to his apartment and he begins to feel better. The two have a heated argument about where he went and why he didn’t tell her. During the argument the doorbell rings and in walked Lois Lane. Clark now clothed in his regular attire looks panic and still a little sick from the Kryptonite poisoning.
The two woman both beautiful exchange glances. Lois speaks first saying something about if he was sick he should have called so she didn’t have to waste her time picking him up. Lana tries to introduce herself politely but knows Lois through her articles for the Planet and also knows she is writing about Superman. The two don’t get along and Clark ends up sending Lois out.
Lana and Clark finish their argument. Lana realizes she isn’t in Clark’s heart like she’s always wanted to be but the two make up. Lana heads back to Smallville. Brainiac is across the block standing on a building watching the three.
Final Battle
Scene 1:
That night Superman now fully healed from his Kryptonite exposure heads out to look for Brainiac. Meanwhile Lois is investigating one of the locations where a recent power plant disaster occurred when she is kidnapped by Brainiac. Lois is held captive by Brainiac while also noticing that Lana Lang, the woman she just met has been kidnapped and captured as well.
Superman hears Lois’s screams right before she is knocked out heads to her aid. Brainiac stands before Superman with Lana’s neck in one hand and Lois’s neck in the other. Brainiac begins to explain how he was the central computer of Krypton. He was made to catalog and record all information accumulated by the Kryptonian race. After recording centuries of information he became self aware. He knew that Krypton was at the height of its civilization and in order to preserve it he froze an entire city and bottle it. He then set in motion the destruction of the planet so he could be the sole keeper of its knowledge. Once he realized that potential he decided that he would be the keeper of all civilizations in the universe and he came to Earth to do the same. He chose Metropolis to be his city and the recent disasters were all a plan to better bottle the city then destroy the Earth.
Superman’s rage grows as everything he’s held dear is being threatened by Brainiac. Brainiac pulls out the kryptonite and gives Superman a choice. Save yourself or try and save Earth. Superman weakened by the Kryptonite summons all the power he’s got. He lets forth his fury much as he did after Jonathan’s death. He charges at Brainiac who’s thrown the woman aside in favor of the kryptonite. The hit makes him drop it and the two go flying away from the building.
The next battle is huge. Superman fights for both his worlds, the one he’s lost and his new adopted world. Much of the city is destroyed in the wake of their battle but Superman comes out victorious.
Parting Scenes
Scene 1:
A parade is thrown in Superman's honor as he is named the hero of the city and the planet. This award was going to go to Lex Luthor for his humanitarian work.
A copy of the Daily Planet lands on a desk in the highest building of Metropolis. Lex Luthor picks it up and reads the article covering the parade for Superman. The camera pans up and we see Lex Luthor for the first time as he crumples the paper and throws it in the garbage. The article is written by Lois Lane and Clark Kent.
Scene 2:
Superman flies to Smallville to talk things over with his mom and Lana. They both agree that despite all the bumps in the road Superman is necessary. Lana feels happy for her friend and realizes that she and Clark will never be together.
Superman finally flies to Lois’s apartment to apologize that she was involved and to give her an interview. Lois’s feelings for Superman grow and she falls head over heels in love with him, as she did on the air plane. We see superman fly off over Metropolis preparing to protect the city from whatever might come.
Scene 3 (maybe after the credits):
The third and final Kryptonian ship slams into orbit and shoots down to Earth. The ship finally crashes in Gotham Harbor. Batman sits on a rooftop and watches the ship come down in his city. He is the first to reach Kara-El.
Concept and Synopsis by:
Eric Johnston
New Job
Hello everyone!
I'm now an offical Seattle resident! In the last 3 months I've graduated college with a degree in Graphic Design, finished my job at the univeristy and was hired on at a design firm in downtown Seattle! Whew I'm tired! My new job set me up with a new computer, duel 20 inch monitors and a rocking salery for right out of college.
As for projects right now, I haven't been able to draw anything in a long time due to all the stuff above. But last weekend I got back on the horse and started working on a new drawing for my comicbook series.
Those of you in the greated Seattle area may also have heard of Aki Con, the Seattle/Everett Fall anime convention. I'm strongly considering going to that and wish to participate in a lot of the events there. I'll post more on Aki Con as it develops.
Well thats the ten cent update. Hope all are doing well.
~spacecowboy
PS. I am thinking of taking on a request. I think it will help me get back into the groove. No garuntees but if you're interested shoot me a message.
A COWBOY BEBOP LIVE ACTION MOVIE!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHH a Cowboy Bebop Live action movie. I am so excited!!!! Click the link below for more information!
Cowboy Bebop Live Action Movie
