Pencil Marks: After witnessing the horror which was "X-Files: I Want to Believe", I felt it was up to Jake and me to redeem the "X-Files" name. The movie wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't a true "X-Files" in the slightest. It almost felt like going to a 10-year high school reunion and finding all the pretty people became fat and bloated. Enough to tarnish the fond memories you held and making you regret attending in the first place.
As we were leaving the theater this picture just popped into my head. Erik and Flukeman locked in mortal combat with Mulder and Scully there to investigate. Say what you will about the alien conspiracies, "X-Files" was only truly "X-Files" when our intrepid F.B.I. agents battled creatures that go bump in the night.
I wanted to once again attempt a more realistic look such as I did for our "War of The Worlds" homage, and I think I nailed it much better this time. I honestly wanted to incorporate a background. I even had an idea for how it would work out. But time was against me, so I handed the illustration off to Jake who assured me he had that part covered. And boy did he ever. An outstanding job on his end.
I still look at this picture as one I could have done better. But at least it tells a story... unlike the film it is based on. - Tony
Ink Smudges: The background was easy to figure out since the only place this scene could take place is in the sewers. What wasn't easy was how to stage it. Having Erik in his gray costume fighting the light gray Flukeman while agents Mulder and Scully looked on wearing their standard issue dark gray suits in a darkened sewer was too monochrome even for me. But after a few passes at different shades and hues, I think I settled on a decent pallet. Unfortunately, I never did get to achieve the awesome beam of light effect the television show often used for their flashlights. - Jake
