Comics
Ragnarök
Behind the Scenes
When I set out to translate a two-dimensional piece into three dimensions, I look for as many references as possible, to improve accuracy. Of course, Walt draws things differently throughout his comics because he’s focused on telling the story rather than remaining on model. When in doubt, I look for the preponderance of evidence—did he draw it more often this way, or that?
What’s much more challenging is capturing the beautiful Simonson line. Walt has a very graphic style, full of hatching, and though there are lovely sweeping arcs to describe motion, there are squared-off edges and straight lines throughout. He starts with beautiful skittery thumbnails to capture the volumes and movement of the figures and then blows them up to fill them in with the necessary details. He clearly loves line work, and every line has a purpose.
Ragnarök
Walter Simonson is a master of the comics medium—a unique storyteller and a “dual threat,” equally adept at drawing as he is at writing. Besides possessing an unmistakable and enviable line, reminiscent of the great Sergio Toppi (with a dash of Jean Giraud for extra flair), he’s also an all-around gem of a human being. The saying goes that you should never meet your heroes because they’ll end up disappointing you, but anyone who has had the pleasure of speaking to Walt will attest to the fact that he is the exception to that adage. His most recent work is Ragnarök for IDW, which tells the story of a Thor we’ve never seen before—one only Walt could imagine, given his deep knowledge of Norse mythology and his penchant for striking his own path. In this story, the god of thunder was not at the foretold final battle between the gods and their immortal enemies, tipping the balance in favor of the latter so that they won and plunged our world into an endless twilight time. When Thor reawakens, he finds a world overrun by the dishonored dead, frost and fire giants and various other enemies lording it with impunity over an overwhelmed and dwindling population of humans.
So, he sets out to start taking down the great enemies, one by one.
Did I mention he doesn’t have a lower jaw and looks like a zombie?
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Please note, all Manifest Sculpt work is completed with traditional sculpting techniques—modelling and carving—rather than through modern digital techniques and programs. Consequently, the resin and bronze castings in this edition were also produced through traditional mold making and manufacturing processes. Final Manifest Sculpt commissions are available in a variety of materials, but they are not 3D printed and are not available as printable files. Copyright Notice: all work, including ideation, concepts, stories and their development, character design and production are the property of Carlos Soca unless otherwise noted, and all rights are reserved. Should you wish to discuss collaboration or licensing of an intellectual property or its design, please contact Manifest Sculpt.