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.]