Randy Savage, One Punch Man, and Cammy Walk Into A Bar

Darren

I love drawing superheroes and other pop culture character favorites, but I don’t always draw everyone’s favorite character. So that’s why I do commissions and special requests! I just wanted to share a few of these pieces, because sometimes it ends up being a character I would have never thought to draw.

Macho Man Randy Savage

One Punch Man

Cammy from Street Fighter

I’ve also made these three pieces available in my Etsy shop for any other fans of these characters/properties. And if there’s a character or commission you’re interested in please don’t hesitate to contact me through my Etsy shop or directly at darrenalejos[at]yahoo[dot]com. Cheers to the new year!

Back from the Galaxy

Darren

Sort of. But shame on me for being absent over here. It’s been quite a busy summer, but I thought it was time to chime in with even a small update. And that update is:

Guardians of the Galaxy was freaking amazing. Seriously.

It has easily become my favorite Marvel Studios film, and it might just be better than the Avengers. Expect a GotG art print sometime soon, I am that inspired.

Not So Amazing Spider-Man 2

Darren

So I saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I had really high hopes for it, mostly because I was pleasantly surprised by the first movie. Alas, if you’ll excuse the pun, it was a tangled web of a movie. My thoughts are best expressed in the following tweet:

Ms. Marvel in the Making (also, Diversity)

Darren

photo (3)

I truly believe Ms. Marvel is one of the most important new comic book series to come around in a while. The more different kinds of stories there are featuring different characters with diverse backgrounds (made by diverse creators) means there are richer stories that even more people can relate to. This is a good thing.

So many different people read comic books, and everyone wants to feel like they can see themselves in them. I know that when I was a kid (and even still now) I got super excited whenever an asian superhero showed up in the book I was reading. The world, and more specifically the United States, has never been just one kind of people. This has never been a more important or relevant issue because diversity is growing, and the media we consume and enjoy must reflect that. If you’ve got a problem with that, evolve. Comics are for everyone.

So my enthusiasm for the new Ms. Marvel of course means I must draw the new Ms. Marvel, as

Winter (Soldier) Is Coming

Darren

Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an amazing movie. Yes, you’ve heard all the praise before, but really, it’s that good. It’s not just a super-hero movie; it is also a wonderful spy-action-political-thriller very much in the vein of the Bourne films. What the Phase 2 Marvel movies are showing us is that super-heroes can be used to tell excellent stories in other genres, which is also very much true in the comic books they were born from. I mean, who would think that a movie about a man with super-powers from the 1940s, would have much to say about the state of surveillance, national security, and preemptive warfare today. I haven’t even mentioned how awesome Black Widow and Falcon were, both of whom need solo movies. In the end, The Winter Soldier leaves me very excited for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bring on the Guardians of the Galaxy!

I was so excited, in fact, that as you can see above I drew the Winter Soldier himself. He is just the most badass badass ever, no hyperbole. This will eventually by a finished print available in my Etsy shop, so be on the lookout for it!

I Dream of Video Games

Darren

I’ve always wanted to do art for video games. As someone who used to draw out their own Super Mario Bros levels, it’s been ingrained in me. It hasn’t quite happened yet, but it’s still a goal. Lately more than ever, though, I’ve been doing a lot of random character concepts and whatnot. Thought I’d share some here.

Level 2 Boss photo 2

Level 2 Boss, Level 5 Boss

Mega Man remains one of my all time favorite game series (though my skills have greatly deteriorated with age), and a big part of why is the bosses. Bosses are wonderful, especially when bosses go all out. So these are some random bosses I created in the spirit of Mega Man, Level 2 Boss aka Blade Arms and Level 5 Boss aka Fire Arms. Wouldn’t it be great if there really was a video game featuring these two meanies? Let’s make it happen.

Hello Again

Darren

It’s me, Darren.

And it was about time for a gritty reboot of my blog/website. Well, perhaps not quite so gritty, but a reboot nonetheless. Thanks for continuing to follow my art by way of pop-culture adventures. Welcome to level two.