This Is The Final Update + Five Year NG Anniversary:

I noticed something tonight, in four days I will have contributed content to newgrounds for five years, it's kinda crazy when I think about it, frankly I never thought I would have the drive to complete one of my series, let alone be close to finishing three.

I was going to write a long retrospective post about the individual stories in my series, and what they mean to me, but I feel I should save these thoughts as closing remarks once my trilogy comes to it's conclusion next month.

So for now I will leave you with a not so terse update...

"A Twisted Transparency" is on the cusp of completion, after spending the majority of this month animating, & slamming back "Kraken Run", and "Johnnie Walker: Gold Label", I've finally managed to reach "Act III" of my film, this is the last act in the story...

The film currently runs for 8 minutes, and the finished product will be anywhere between 12-15 minutes, I am not completely certain at this point.

What I can say, is without a doubt this is my masterpiece, it's taken me five years to set up the trilogy of stories (the prior two were "Cooljaw: Dreaming Darkly", and " The Sugar Claws"), and this is going to be the coda to finish off my "tapestry of violence" with a bang.

I've taken everything I've learned, and created something which pushed my skills as an artist, storyteller, programmer, and animator, I honestly feel that this may be the first time a film will be presented in this matter to newgrounds.

My hope is that once it's done I'll be able to leave a small mark on the portal, I know my film is not going to get a million views, but it's been a pure uncorrupted venture; and I would be happy if even a small majority of people view the whole of my work and feel some kind of connate connection to it afterwards.

I have no idea what I'll be doing afterwards, and that perhaps is something to discuss once the film is released.

My liver hates me right now, but I've almost made it to the end, and I'm feeling fucking awesome right now!
(Once this cartoon is over I swear I'm going to cut back on the sauce).

Aside from the main film/comic, these are the bonus features my release will include (hopefully if there is time):

- Tour of the Cancer-Cinema Office (including the cringe inducing picture of the Johnnie Walker "graveyard").
- Precursor Comic Book*.
- A Twisted Transparency Pilot document*.
- Deleted Scenes feature.
- Design Dossier*.
- Promotional Images gallery.
- Audio Commentary (this one is really iffy, for a variety of factors).

The features with a "*" are already completed!

P.S. I'm trying to cram as much cool stuff into this release as I can so if you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see as bonus features please let me know!

Guido Crepax:

Before Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, or any of the other "mature" comic book artists, or writers, there was Guido Crepax.
A chameleon cool, Italian comic book artist and writer born in 1933, the man shattered every taboo and stereotype regarding comics; he elevated the art form to something that wasn't only meant for children.

Obviously there were "tequila bibles" released prior targeted towards adults, but these were humour based satire strips, not comics meant to reach out to readers on a "mature" intellectual level.

Crepax saw the potential in the medium to introduce serious themes, mixing sex and violence in his adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's"Justine", and "Story of O", while commenting of the nature of power, sadism, masochism, and love within the pages of his graphic novels.

His most famous series "Valentina" portrayed the life of a fashion photographer, and featured some of the most complex dreamy visual motifs I've seen in comic books, mixing sex, philosophy, politics, bondage, and humour, this series set the bar for adult comics.

With his wonderfully distinct and salient art style, honed from years working as an artist for fashion magazines, Crepax was able to depict his stories with astonishing beauty, with even his more salacious work having some allure to it.

Crepax was that rare kind of artist who wasn't afraid to cause controversy, yet didn't actively seek it either, his work was graphic and overtly sexual, yet it never was too much to come off as obscene or distasteful.

Even in his personal life Crepax comes off as a kind of an enigma, a man with a fascination with bondage, who wrote numerous stories about infidelity, promiscuity, and sexual sadism, was good natured, remained married to his spouse until his death, and had several children.

Crepax never fit the into the stereotype that one would typically associate with someone who draws erotic comics, he looked good, dressed sharp, was sociable, and loved those around him (especially his attractive wife, whom Valentina was said to be based on).

His work was able to obtain literary praise from the media, and Crepax even managed to attract the attention of (and keep a correspondence with) silent film star Louise Brooks (the visual inspiration for Valentina), the comics were also adapted into the film "Baba Yaga".

Crepax was the boss, a rare creature that helped transform the comic book industry, tragically overlooked within western culture, and slowly being lost to time elsewhere.

Crepax is one of my few heroes, his artwork inspired me, and connected to something intrinsic to my person, and there will never be another creature like him...

So cheers, and hope to see you next month!
Sincerely,
- Celx Requin

P.S. I need a few people to be beta testers for my film once it's complete, if your interested please let me know!