While in Portland, Oregon last week doing some serious DVD, VHS, comic, and vinyl shopping (what a city for physical media!), I came across The Incredible Hulk #315 from January of 1986. The title “Bruce Banner … Free at last?” references the theme of this series wherein Doc Samson is trying to free Banner from his volatile alter ego.
I came across the actual comic for a GIF I made for ds106 nearly 15 years ago
The reason why I’m even posting about this discovery is it returns me to that wonderful web vision that was ds106. I actually took more time than I care to admit (and recruited several folks in the process) to create an animated version of this cover for one of many awesome assignments.
Anyway, I hope this helps explain why I had to buy the comic so I had an excuse to return to the blog 13+ years later as a reminder that making silly things is a reward that keeps on giving.
The Animated Comic Book Cover was one of my favorite ds106 assignments. Few assignments dare to be so Gilliamesque.
I like the idea of “Gilliamesque,” there is a whole world in that sense of pastiche. I remember the Terry Gilliam video of him creating his work was circulating then, and interestingly enough MBS shared it with Tommy and I again when we were talking about making art. A line of creativity runs through it all.
Finding and buying the original comic completes the circle. I remember the excitement of seeing this unfold at the Big Table in Dupont Hall, starting from the vision you had at the start. What a trip it was to ride back to the Assignment Bank to find your post
https://bavatuesdays.com/animated-comic-book-cover-im-free-at-last/
which ironically is adjacent on your blog to the 2012 epic on the syndication bus, which still freaking works 13 years later. I even found my own animated cover of ET on MAD magazine I completely forgot about.
Thinking the process, there was so much to something that required focused time to create, where you’d. have to work out the layers, the ways to generate subtle movement and how to augment the original to keep the background coherent. This is so opposite the 2025 obsession with auto speed generating crap where the sum total of participation is repeatedly typing in a box.
#4life is a long time, brother.
The GIF assignments, in particular this one and the animated movie posters were the funnest for me, and it gets to Paul’s point about there being some interpretive bits to them, or maybe it was the added layers you are pointing out that would not be easily automated even now.
I remember the Mad magazine one quite well, in fact you remind me of Alfred E Neuman a bit, always have fun with everything, and poking holes in the machine—that’s pretty awesome.
Stay golden!
Hakuna Matata, and Hasa Diga Eebowai!
How was that that acid you were taking when you left this comment? 🙂
That is a great gif!
Kevin
I am blushing! Back when I made art. It always took a village for me 🙂