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Insider look at the 'Assassin G' Kickstarter and cover art by Gian Galang

Comic Books

Insider look at the ‘Assassin G’ Kickstarter and cover art by Gian Galang

Check out a process video and interview for the ‘Assassin G’ cover by Gian Galang!

Launched this week is a new Kickstarter comic called Assassin G. It’s part of a comic book-based shared universe of Wuxia martial arts-fantasy stories, with a series of interconnected comic books inspired by the storytelling of Shiao Yi. Written by Jen Troy and art by He Tao, the project features colors by Hi-Fi Design, lettering by AndWorld Design, and a cover by Gian Galang.

So what’s Assasin G about?

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ASSASSIN G presents the deadly saga of vengeance between warring factions in the martial underworld in the early 1980’s. The novel that inspired ASSASSIN G by Wuxia master Shiao Yi, 甘 19 妹 (gan the 19th Assassin), is known as one of the preeminent IPs in the Chinese speaking world which has been adapted for television four times, and this new series will mark the story’s first comic book and English language adaptation.

To get an insider look into the Assassin G project, I asked painter Gian Galang a few questions about this project, his work on the recent Criterion Collection’s Bruce Lee boxed set, and more. Plus, check out the process video, exclusive to AIPT, below!

AIPT: To start, how important was your experience with martial arts personally in crafting the Bruce Lee box set for Criterion?

Gian Galang: My experience in martial arts helped me tremendously with the Bruce Lee project, specifically in exploring compositions. I really wanted to capture the most dynamic composition out of Bruce’s most iconic poses, so the fact that I was able to “play Bruce Lee” in capturing reference shots helped me explore a wide range of poses from all different angles.

AIPT: Your work is so layered, with figures on top of figures as we see in the Assassin G cover, how did you discover the balance of figures for this cover?

GG: I researched several kung fu sword and dagger videos and captured a range of dynamic poses that caught my eye. I then created several thumbnails, searching for the perfect intersections of forms that felt dynamic and graceful, as I imagined our hero to be.

AIPT: Was there anything you did differently, or anything new you tried with Assassin G in your process?

GG: I had a lot of fun incorporating different patterns and symbols from the character’s backstory as graphic elements, such as traditional Chinese ornamentation and the phoenix graphics. I also pushed harder to create unusual juxtapositions within the painting by doing a lot of masking. I was specifically mindful of creating clear separations in color and texture between the layered characters so each silhouette was bold and highlighted the dagger strikes.

AIPT: With a comic project under your belt, do you think you’ll continue to craft covers or maybe even interiors for future comics?

GG: I don’t think my process of art-making would ever be fast enough for interiors, but I’ve always loved comics and the dynamism of covers and would love to do more!

Check out the Assassin G cover below, and check out the Kickstarter here.

Gian Gulang 'Assassins G'

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