Jakarta Daemon, Part 2: "The Cursed Streets of Old Batavia" [TrUzApalOOza cardstock variant cover]

Continuing my previous post for the Jakarta Daemon storyline...

[my rough proposal for part 2 of a new John Constantine storyline for DC Comics]

As John Constantine ventured into the historic streets of Old Batavia, the crumbling colonial architecture seemed to loom over him like sentinels, casting long shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in the flickering streetlights. The air was thick with the scent of incense and decay, and the distant sounds of chanting and drums echoed through the alleys, drawing him deeper into the heart of the city. But as he turned a corner, he was suddenly ambushed by a group of shadowy demons with red eyes, their faces twisted into grotesque grins as they emerged from the darkness. John's instincts screamed at him to defend himself, but he hesitated, his mind racing with the implications of what he was seeing. These were no ordinary demons - they were the servants of the daemon Kuntilanak, and they had been sent to stop John from uncovering the truth.

John's local contacts, a group of street-smart kids who had been tracking the daemon's movements, appeared out of nowhere, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of fear and determination. "John, we've been waiting for you," one of them whispered, as they quickly ushered him into the safety of a nearby doorway. But as John looked around at the kids, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were hiding something from him. Despite his reservations, he decided to trust them, and together they set out to uncover the web of ancient secrets and forbidden knowledge hidden within the city's oldest temples and catacombs.

Image list:

1. final TrUzApalOOza cardstock variant cover of Jakarta Daemon part 2
2. raw version of the painting (reduced resolution), my original version is too wide for the standard comic book layout so I had to crop some of the shadowy demons.
3. an earlier work-in-progress (WIP) image as i was trying to decide on the layout
4. and a glance at my Affinity Photo layering panels with Fx filters

Jakarta Daemon, Part 5: "The Daemon's Reckoning" [TrUzApalOOza cardstock variant cover]

Continuing my previous post for the Jakarta Daemon storyline, and yes I am presenting my story ideas and cover art out-of-order.

[my rough proposal for part 5 of a new John Constantine storyline for DC Comics]

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Jakarta was consumed by darkness. The city's streets were ablaze, the sounds of screams and gunfire filling the air. The daemon's eyes glowed with an otherworldly energy, drawing the very life force out of the air. Its body began to stretch and contort, growing into a towering monstrosity with claws as long as city buses. The stench of brimstone and smoke filled the air, and John could feel the heat emanating from the daemon's fiery breath. John Constantine stood atop a rooftop, his eyes fixed on the chaos below. His attention was focused on the true enemy: the daemon Kuntilanak, growing in power and size as it crushed smaller buildings and continued to feed on its human sacrifices.

The city would be reduced to piles of smoldering rubble by morning if John acted slowly. With a fierce determination, he cast a protection spell to buy himself time to initiate his hidden weapon. John reached into his trenchcoat pocket and retrieved the powerful Indonesian orb of Dewi Sri Adilorb. He began to chant the magician's incantation to empower the artifact, but he knew he had to act fast before the monstrous daemon reached him on the city's south side.

[Workflow: I sketched out a rough layout of a demon smashing a city and fed that through Tengri with my prompt. I took the best three images and then pieced elements together for the main scene. I used another series of prompts to generate a man in a trenchcoat in NightCafe, then pulled these elements in to be composited. I filled gaps to flesh out the comic book cover layout, merged the variant cover logo overlay, added the storyline logo with text and a sigil badge, and included creator credits, a barcode, and the DC Black Label badge. I added smoke, fire, flames, and a protection portal. I built a basic orb from Affinity's vector shapes, then layered in the magic glow and casting effects. Created a hell brand and applied to the daemon's arm. I found an Indonesian flag to pull into perspective warp into the image. Finally, lots of masking on just about every layer, and also layered in a few more texture tricks to produce the final product within Affinity Photo.]

Image list:

1. final TrUzApalOOza cardstock variant cover of Jakarta Daemon part 5
2. raw version of the painting (reduced resolution).  I flipped the image for the final cover so that my Hellblazer logo, and series badge would be where I wanted them.
3. and a glance at my Affinity Photo layering panels with Fx filters

Jakarta Daemon, Part One (Intrigues in Jakarta with John Constantine) [TrUzApalOOza cardstock variant cover]

[my rough proposal for a new John Constantine storyline for DC Comics]

In the neon-drenched underbelly of Jakarta's downtown Tanah Babah shopping district, John Constantine stood shrouded in darkness, the only illumination coming from the eerie glow of vending machines that seemed to pulse with intermittent energy. The rain-soaked streets reflected the dim light of the city, casting a melancholy mood over the bustling metropolis. As he puffed on his cigarette, the faint yellow glow of the burning tobacco cast an eerie light on his weathered face, etched with the lines of numerous battles and countless moral compromises. This is the beginning of the five-part storyline titled Jakarta Daemon, an eerie narrative of terror and the paranormal where John Constantine delves into the dark heart of the city to hunt down the Indonesian daemon known as Kuntilanak that has been mutilating and murdering young women in gruesome and inexplicable ways for the past four months. I am proposing this would be written by Simon Spurrier, interior art by Bilquis Evely, and exclusive painted covers by TrUz ApalOOza.

• Part 2: "The Cursed Streets of Old Batavia" John Constantine's investigation into the daemon Kuntilanak leads him to the historic streets of Old Batavia, where he meets with his local contacts, a group of street-smart kids who've been tracking the daemon's movements. But as John digs deeper, he begins to suspect that his contacts may be hiding something. Despite his reservations, John decides to trust them, and together they uncover a web of ancient secrets and forbidden knowledge hidden within the city's oldest temples.
• Part 3: "The Whispering Walls of the Sultan's Palace" As John's investigation takes him to the Sultan's Palace, he discovers that his local contacts have been playing him all along. They've been using him to get closer to Kuntilanak the daemon, and now they're demanding a share of the profits. John is torn between his loyalty to his new friends and his duty to stop the evil terrorizing their city. He decides to betray his contacts, using them to get closer to the daemon, but at what cost? The whispers of the palace walls begin to echo with the weight of John's betrayal.
• Part 4: "The Blood of the Ancients" John's betrayal of his contacts has consequences, and the streets of Jakarta begin to run red with blood. The daemon's power grows stronger, and John realizes that he's made a terrible mistake. He must now navigate the treacherous underworld of Jakarta's criminal networks to find a way to stop the daemon and make amends for his betrayal. But the city's ancient secrets are not so easily uncovered, and John finds himself trapped in a web of man-made deceit and demonic corruption.
• Part 5: "The Daemon's Reckoning" In the climactic final act, John must face both Kuntilanak, and the true gangster masterminds behind the horrors plaguing Jakarta. But his betrayal of his local contacts has left him isolated and alone. With the city on the brink of chaos, John must use all his wits and cunning to stop the daemon and end the city's cycle of violence. But at what cost? The daemon's reckoning is at hand, and John must confront the consequences of his previous actions. Will he be able to redeem himself, or will the city burn around him?

[Workflow: My final image was inspired by a sketch I found on Reddit which started my creation within Tengri, then elements were added to fill in the gaps to fill out the comic book cover layout, variant cover logo overlay merged, storyline logo with text and sigil badge, creator credits, barcode, DC Black Label badge, the addition of rain, smoke, cigarette features, and camera refocusing were all completed within Affinity Photo.]

Nrub'atocto's Four Daemon Siblings

Here is some more artwork to go with the previous Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds storyline showing her younger siblings running loose in the demonic forests of East Eldon.

• Xarathe'atocto - Hi-rez image link [3193px wide]
• Vesper'atocto - Hi-rez image link [3210px wide]
• Lyrius'atocto - Hi-rez image link [3210px wide]
• Kaelar'atocto - Hi-rez image link [3210px wide]
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The Scorching Tide of Infyrion

For centuries, the prosperous city of Saltspray had enjoyed peace along its sunny shores. But on one fateful night, the ocean unleashed a nightmare upon the unsuspecting citizens. It began with an eerie, crimson glow emanating from the inky waves, like haunting embers flickering beneath the dark waters. The sea itself seemed to boil and churn as something massive stirred in the depths. Saltspray's nightwatchmen sounded the alarm as a towering pillar of flames burst forth from the ocean's surface.

From this infernal maelstrom emerged a terrifying behemoth called Infyrion,  a gargantuan daemon forged from smoldering brimstone and molten fury. Infyrion's rock-like skin blazed white-hot, illuminating the clouds of steam billowing from its gaping maw. Cruel horns crowned its lava-spewing head as magma dripped from its clawed extremities, singeing the ocean itself. But the daemon Infyrion was not alone in its emergence. Scores of animated skeletal warriors erupted alongside it, their decayed bones fused together by searing flames. Clutching fiery blades. this unholy army waded from the shallows, leaving a trail of boiling footprints in the sand.

Saltspray's defenses were quickly overwhelmed as wave after wave of flaming skeletal warriors scaled over the top of the city's ramparts. The piercing shrieks of burning citizens filled the night air as buildings and ships ignited from the onslaught.  At the head of the invasion strode the gargantuan fire daemon, melting stone and steel with every thunderous step. Its six baleful eyes surveyed the escalating destruction as if directing an orchestra of total annihilation.

By dawn's first light, much of Saltspray had been reduced to ashen ruins, its proud walls and mighty citadels collapsed into smoldering rubble. Thousands lay dead or burned almost beyond recognition. The daemon and its skeletal horde had withdrawn, slinking back into the ocean's depths as insidiously as they had emerged.  Saltspray's eternal summer had drawn to a terrifying close. The people who remained looked out over the smoke-choked skyline in mournful silence, forever scarred by the memory of the scorching tide that Infyrion had unleashed upon them.

animated from this original NightCafeAI image I created

Hi-rez image [1444px tall]

Görgathös: Lord of the Bloodfire Pit

Görgathös: Lord of the Bloodfire Pit, was a demon lord with a malformed cone-shaped head, multiple pairs of limbs resembling tentacles, glowing red eyes, and spider-like legs. Known not just as a formidable leader but also as a terrifying monster that resides deep within the depths of hell. His appearance alone is enough to send shivers down the spine of even the bravest soul. Görgathös was originally banished to hell after leading an army of horrifying creatures against the divine realm. The punishment for his rebellious actions was severe, and he was sentenced to never-ending imprisonment in the fiery pits of hell. But Görgathös was not one to be cowed by such a sentence. In his eternal prison, Görgathös honed his already formidable powers, using the intense heat and molten rocks around him as sources of energy. His body twisted and mutated under harsh conditions, transforming him into an even more grotesque and monstrous form than he was before.

The other denizens of hell feared and respected Görgathös for his power, but they also knew that crossing him was a grave mistake. His tentacles could ensnare even the largest demon in an instant, and his spider-like legs allowed him to move with unmatched speed and agility. Despite being trapped in hell, Görgathös remained a force to be reckoned with, and his legend lived on through countless tales of horror and fear. Mortals whispered his name with trepidation, knowing that he was not just a demon lord but also a monster that could rip the very fabric of reality apart. In short, Görgathös is more than just a demon lord; he is a living embodiment of terror, and his mere existence in hell sends shivers down the spines of those who dare to think about him.

Affinity Workflow: A few cycles of image prompts using NightCafe AI  to end up with the basic octo-daemon creature. I then cleaned up AI artifacts, sharpened edges, merged several pixel overlays to recolor different regions, and brushed in additional objects.

Hi-rez image link [3943px tall]

Nrub'atocto Lingers Underground

Some more artwork to go with the previous Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds storyline showing the entity still trapped below ground with the skeletal remnants of lesser daemons entombed around Nrub'atocto.

Affinity Photo Workflow: Two image prompts using NightCafe AI to help create the monster and portions of the cave, which were then merged and composited with layer masks.  Stacked various layers to paint in more color, and added a human skeleton to help you comprehend the scale of the daemon.  

Hi-rez image link [4235px wide]

Protecting the Southern Frontier from Hellish Intruders

Sheriff Robert Torres had seen it all in his three decades of service Hudspeth County, a desert border town in southern Texas. But nothing prepared him for the sight of a huge and horrifying daemon emerging from a glowing pentagram portal shimmering in the dry switchgrass. The nearest local farmers had fled in terror, leaving Robert and his faithful horse Blister to face the monster alone. Despite being outmatched in every way, the sheriff stood his ground before the portal, cocked his rifle, and said to Blister, "If this is our Alamo, let's make history". As the daemon approached, cackling and casting spells, Robert aimed and thought, "You may claim this land by magic, but we Texans will defend our home and way of life". Whatever the battle's outcome, the sheriff was determined to show the courage and grit of the Texas lawman.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E to create the monster (head, tail, claws combined from multiple attempts).  Grassy fields and clouds merged from multiple images.  Cowboy, horse, and original flag from public image searches, fences clipped in from other pictures. Dust, particles, pentagram, additional cloudwork (IAMRENSI brushes), and sunburst beams are added by hand in Affinity Photo. Experimented with various brushes (clouds, particles, smoke) used as my masking tool to work out Fx (such as damage to the flag).

Hi-rez image link [3836px wide]

Nrub'atocto Stirs

Some more artwork to go with the previous Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds storyline showing the entity still trapped below ground.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E to help create the monster and portions of the cave.  Filter forge used to convert to wood carving-type look.  Edits and additional items added within Affinity Photo.

Hi-rez image link [2804px tall]

Nrub'atocto Trapped Below the Surface

Some new artwork to go with the previous Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds storyline showing the entity still trapped below ground.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E to help create monsters and portions of the cave.  Masked in the supporting creatures (corners) and fallen stones from public-source other images.  Merged in vapor clouds, edge wraps, and parchment text story all within Affinity Photo.

Hi-rez image link [3000px tall]

and here is another quick image

Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds

"Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds" --- In the lightless caverns deep below the earth slumbers the ancient daemon Nrub'atocto. Interred in a nameless crypt, she has lain dormant for 917 years, her presence seeping into the rock, soil, and underground streams. When the slow work of subterranean rivers and trembling earth finally cracks open her tomb, Nrub'atocto awakens, ravenous from her long fast. With screeching howls and shattering chirps that echo through the buried passages, she wiggles and claws her way to the surface world that she has not seen for nearly a millennium. Any remote villages or towns built over her restless resting place soon hear baleful chanting from below as Nrub'atocto singly emerges. She brings a wave of maddening, dream-like visions of an alien realm that shake the sanity of all those who fall beneath the pulsing rays produced by her radiant eyes. Nrub'atocto appears as a grotesque hybrid of octopus and female humanoid, her pale pink flesh drooping with decay yet animated with an unnatural hunger. She breaks the surface, pushed forward by numerous powerful tentacles, exposing her two sharp-clawed hands, and screeches from a near bottomless fangless maw, releasing the foulest of odors with each fetid breath. Though she can devour victims physically, Nrub'atocto prefers to drain their life essences psychically, leaving behind desiccated corpses and wildly muttering lunatics doomed to perish shortly after. When Nrub'atocto has fed to her fill and the last haggard humans flee or fall to her mental assaults, she retracts through the deepest tunnels and crevices. Finding another hidden niche in the buried earth to make her lair, Nrub'atocto surrounds herself in a cocoon excreted from her writhing, slug-like lower body, once more sinking into dormancy where she silently feeds on the residual terror left behind.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A dozen image prompts using Bing DALL-E, and Nightcafe ImageAI to generate bits & pieces I wanted to chop up and then combine into new photos.  Combined separate monster heads onto octopus-like body parts, the church was taken from an old painting scan I found, most of the graveyard pieces scanned from a comic book, used a couple Filter Forge tricks to sync look-and-feel, a bunch of manual edits, a lot of clones, brushwork on the radiant eye beams, and tons of masking.

Hi-rez image link [2546px wide]