Related Post: “The Poet and the Flea”: Behind the Scenes (Part 1)
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Some of you have probably noticed me occasionally mentioning a project called The First Reich. This is a graphic novel collaboration I’ve been working on for a number of months with the very talented Shannon Brady. She wrote the incredibly compelling script/storyboard for The First Reich, carefully plotting out each panel to the best of her artistic ability — stick figures though they may be. It’s my job to transform her wonderful draft into a finished illustrated work.
The First Reich is more or less a biographical account of the Jewish-Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, and deals thoughtfully with a number of subjects including the history of psychology, World War II, Nazism, Communism, McCarthyism, and beyond.
Currently, The First Reich‘s website (thefirstreich.wordpress.com) is bare bones, but you can hop over there and read a fascinating and eloquent statement by Shannon about this project. At the moment, I’m working on the first 10 pages of the graphic novel and hope to post them online sometime in the coming months. Below are details from the progress I’ve made so far.
It’s really a pleasure and honor to work on this project. It’s an absolute joy collaborating with Shannon. And it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on my own Jewish heritage and family history.
Any questions or comments are gladly welcomed!

Preliminary Character Designs: Wilhelm Reich

Preliminary Character Design: Shannon

“The First Reich” Cover Detail

Detail from Page 2

Detail from Page 3

Detail from Page 4

Detail from Page 4
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
12 comments | tags: Ability, Account, Announcement, Artist, Artistic, Artwork, Austria, Austrian, Bare, Beyond, Biographical, biography, Blog, Bones, Carefully, Character, Character Designs, Collaborate, Collaboration, Comic, Comic book, Comments, Communism, Communist, Compelling, Cover, Detail, Details, Doodle, Draft, Drawings, Eloquent, Ethnic, Ethnically, Europe, Eva Reich, Family History, Fascinating, Finished, Freud, Germany, Graphic Novel, Heritage, Historical, History, Honor, Illustrated, Illustration, Illustrator, Immigrant, Immigrated, Incredibly, Jew, Jewish, Jewish Heritage, Jewish-Austrian, Job, Joy, McCarthy, McCarthyism, Months, Nazi, Nazism, Notice, Number, Online, Pages, Panel, Pleasure, Plotting, Post, Preliminary, Progress, Project, Psychoanalyst, Psychology, Questions, Script, Shannon Brady, Sigmund Freud, Statement, Stick Figures, Subjects, The First Reich, The Poet and the Flea, Thoughtful, Thoughtfully, Transform, Web Comic, Webcomic, Website, Welcomed, Wilhelm Reich, William Blake, Wonderful, Work, Work in Progress, World War II, Writer, Written, Wrote | posted in Graphic Novel, Illustration/Design, The First Reich
For many years, I have been fascinated by modern Japan — everything from the Meiji period (1868 – 1912) to current day. One of my favorite periods is a rather short one known as Taishō (1912 – 1926). What strikes me most about Taishō is the amazing blend of Japanese and Western aesthetics.
I think my interest in Taishō really began when I read Yukio Mishima’s novel Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki). This novel is actually a period piece — published in 1969, but set around 1912 – 1914. Mishima gives a detailed look at the Japanese class system of the period through a romantic tragedy (although I’m not sure Mishima saw this story as such).
My interest in Taishō developed further through a series of college courses on modern Japanese literature. I even did a project involving costume designs for a Taishō-set short story, involving research on fashion of the period from Kimonos and beyond.
I also find advertisements from this period interesting. Actually, the Shiseido ads from the 1900s through the 1930s are really remarkable! You can find out more about these ads on MIT’s Visualizing Cultures website.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a number of my favorite images:
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following images!!







***
For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas
11 comments | tags: Ad, Advertisement, Aesthetic, Aesthetics, Beyond, Book, Brainstorming, Brilliant, Chic, Class, Class System, Clothing, College, Colors, Cool, Current Day, Developed, Era, Fascinated, Fascinating, Fascination, Fashion, Favorite, Graphic Design, Haru no Yuki, Historical, History, Illustration, Images, Interest, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Literature, Kimono, Kimonos, Literature, Meiji Period, MIT, Modern, Note, Novel, Period, Period Piece, Published, Remarkable, Research, Romantic, Romantic Tragedy, Share, Shiseido, Short Story, Spring Snow, Story, Storytelling, Strange, Taisho, Taisho Period, Tragedy, Turn of the Century, Unusual, Vibrant, Visualizing Cultures, Website, Weird, Western, Woodblock Carving, Yukio Mishima | posted in Brainstorming, Research
“The First Reich”: Behind the Scenes (Part 1)
Related Post: “The Poet and the Flea”: Behind the Scenes (Part 1)
***
Some of you have probably noticed me occasionally mentioning a project called The First Reich. This is a graphic novel collaboration I’ve been working on for a number of months with the very talented Shannon Brady. She wrote the incredibly compelling script/storyboard for The First Reich, carefully plotting out each panel to the best of her artistic ability — stick figures though they may be. It’s my job to transform her wonderful draft into a finished illustrated work.
The First Reich is more or less a biographical account of the Jewish-Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, and deals thoughtfully with a number of subjects including the history of psychology, World War II, Nazism, Communism, McCarthyism, and beyond.
Currently, The First Reich‘s website (thefirstreich.wordpress.com) is bare bones, but you can hop over there and read a fascinating and eloquent statement by Shannon about this project. At the moment, I’m working on the first 10 pages of the graphic novel and hope to post them online sometime in the coming months. Below are details from the progress I’ve made so far.
It’s really a pleasure and honor to work on this project. It’s an absolute joy collaborating with Shannon. And it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on my own Jewish heritage and family history.
Any questions or comments are gladly welcomed!
Preliminary Character Designs: Wilhelm Reich
Preliminary Character Design: Shannon
“The First Reich” Cover Detail
Detail from Page 2
Detail from Page 3
Detail from Page 4
Detail from Page 4
***
For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
12 comments | tags: Ability, Account, Announcement, Artist, Artistic, Artwork, Austria, Austrian, Bare, Beyond, Biographical, biography, Blog, Bones, Carefully, Character, Character Designs, Collaborate, Collaboration, Comic, Comic book, Comments, Communism, Communist, Compelling, Cover, Detail, Details, Doodle, Draft, Drawings, Eloquent, Ethnic, Ethnically, Europe, Eva Reich, Family History, Fascinating, Finished, Freud, Germany, Graphic Novel, Heritage, Historical, History, Honor, Illustrated, Illustration, Illustrator, Immigrant, Immigrated, Incredibly, Jew, Jewish, Jewish Heritage, Jewish-Austrian, Job, Joy, McCarthy, McCarthyism, Months, Nazi, Nazism, Notice, Number, Online, Pages, Panel, Pleasure, Plotting, Post, Preliminary, Progress, Project, Psychoanalyst, Psychology, Questions, Script, Shannon Brady, Sigmund Freud, Statement, Stick Figures, Subjects, The First Reich, The Poet and the Flea, Thoughtful, Thoughtfully, Transform, Web Comic, Webcomic, Website, Welcomed, Wilhelm Reich, William Blake, Wonderful, Work, Work in Progress, World War II, Writer, Written, Wrote | posted in Graphic Novel, Illustration/Design, The First Reich