Hi, I'm Rod Rodollfo
Architect of Worlds
I’m the Founder of Alpha Brain Art Studio and Creator of The Samurai Method – How to draw comics faster and better: the Easiest, Fastest and most Efficient way to create comics. I’m also the co-creator of Ezarieth World Heroes, a brand new comic book universe.
I am a Professional Comic Book Artist from Brazil with 10 years of experience delivering Clean Art with efficient Storytelling for stablished publishers like: Dynamite, Zenescope, Devil’s Due Rising Sun and many independent clients.
I’ve worked on many famous titles like: Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone, Grimm, Grimm Fairy Tales, among others, with top quality professionals as well as many Indy Comic creators.
It all started with my first published comic book: Sequential Suicide Slop, years ago in 2008 but, before that, I had a bumpy ride…
Tough Childhood…
I was born in a small city called Lages, in Santa Catarina, Brazil. We lived in a small but happy home.
When I was around 3 years old, Mom made a Super-man costume and I thought I could fly… The Origin Story…
Around 1980’s my parents divorced and things got thought. We went to live in the slams for a period of time.
Truth is, we never starved, but yes, we did live in much less than desirable conditions in a very little wood house full of holes in a very small and poor city in the country side…
Since I can remember, I always wanted to be a comic book artist. Unfortunately, my parents disagreed with me…They were worried about money issues living as an artist… And frankly, who can blame them right? I ended up graduating architect in 2004 instead.
I have to give a special thanks to mom, for being such a warrior, able to turn the table and come up on top by raising two boys, sending both to college and getting them graduated.
Giving the Dream a Chance
With a diploma on my hand I started to work as Architect… All the circumstances involving architecture activities at that time weren’t fulfilling my expectations… The bureaucracy, the clients, the execution of the projects were very frustrating and I wasn’t doing well money wise either…
I worked as Architect for a few years but, that idea of working with comics never left me… One day I noticed that all those blueprints had something in common…: A Spider-man here, a Super-man there, a Wolverine here, a Bat-man there…
And that’s when I decided to give the dream a chance!
So, I took the little money I had and invested it all in a trip to NYCC, the only way you could submit your samples to MARVEL or DC, in 2010 for the Urst time.
Breaking In The Comics Business
To Break in the Comics industry is hard enough, specially if you are an aspiring artist with no experience and looking to prove to yourself and family you can do it. You put your time and effort into building a Portfolio, then you invest your time and money to meet the “specialists” that are supposed to help you improve your craft and get your foot in the door of the so dreamed comic artist job. And then, you get CRUSHED!
In one side of the corner there was this great super-star artist with many years of experience, an established artist that have worked for the main comic publishers. And he absolutely crushed me and my samples.
The next day I woke up feeling like a train has runned over me…my body was physically in pain, specially my heart…”What’s the point?” The sadness took over me and like a zombi I took the subway to the convention once again…
With my portfolio under my arm I was walking the artist alley with inspiration minus 100! Felling defeated and broken I saw this other great artist which I was a fan of. A Great artist, lots of experience, worked for the main publishers as well… Another super-star artist!! “Yay, Great” I said to myself… Another guy that is going to kick this already dead cat! So, I showed him my Portfolio….. He was very polite and nice, just like the other artist… He looked at it and said: “Hey, you got talent! I like your stuff!!” I was like: “WHAAAAT??” For my surprise he thought my work was good!!! I asked about the same issues the other artist told me were horrible, without mentioning him, of course… “I don’t see problems there… what I see is that you can improve here, here, and there….” OH MAN!!! That was a boost on my ego like any other I have ever had!!!
THE DREAM WAS ALIVE AGAIN!!! Or may I say, like a FENIX: RESURRECTED!!!
I mean, Oh my god!!! After some time it hit me. It was not my skills the problem, of course I had a lot to learn and I still do but, my deep instincts were right! I was born to draw comics. And the Urst artist for whatever reason he had, that doesn’t matter really, was simply a TROLL!!!!!!
And that’s when I decided it’s time to Take The Power Back! Never Give Up, Never Surrender!!! And created the TROLL DETECTOR to overcome self doubt and identify the trolls along the way.
In this Artist’s Journey of finding work I have a special thanks to my wife for the support. I wouldn’t be able to do it without her.
Thanks babe.
Working as a Professional Comic Book Artist
In 2012 I landed on my very Urst work for Zenescope and never stoped since then.
The Comic Book Industry deadline standards for delivering one comic book page is one day. Now with the digital artists they have to deliver one full Inked comic book page a day, a very demanding job. There are pages where the artist have to work for long 18 hors to meet this deadline.
“The most expensive bed in the world? Sick bed…” Steve Jobs
I have faced times where I needed to deliver 40 pages in one month, pencils and inks! I’m afraid to say: the work suffers!! As well as you!!
Working as a comic book artist is a very demanding job. Comic book artists spend hours a day drawing in order to meet deadlines. It’s not uncommon to meet artists with health issues because of long hours of labour.
Protecting the artists health in all aspects of life and keeping the quality of the work in order to build asuccessful career became a priority in the business.
Technical excellence, tools and resources that prevent artist to spend more time than needed to meet the demanding deadlines became of crucial importance in the comic industry in order to prevent aspiring and professional artists to sacrifice their health to keep their job.
Tools and resources that can prevent artists from illness are in the top list of assets of the industry.
There are those who like to brag about how many hours they have to work and that’s Une but, not me. I need time. Time to myself, to my family, to my friends. And that’s why I create my work the easiest, fastest and most e;cient way possible, That’s why I created The Samurai Method: meet deadlines easier, keep your health and have time for friends and family.
Published Artist
Resume
Penciler/inker/colorist – A.B.A.S. — 2006-present
Titles: Ezarieth #1#2#3,#4, Lyodor&Mhagz #1, Tewodros #1, Alcides #1,, Halloror #1, America#1#2#3, Edding #1.
Penciler/Inker –Devil’s Due -2018
Title: Arkworld – I have worked on 8 pages for this series, unfortunately, the editor decided to go on another direction on this one, and those pages were never used.
Penciler/inker – Dynamite Entertainment — 2013-2015
Titles: Grimm #6#7#8#9#10#11#12, Battlestar Galactica Six #3#4#5, Chaos: Beyond the Sea, Slicing Sammy the Snowman, Smiley The Psychotic Button; Twilight Zone, Warlord of Mars, Red Sonja 1973, Swords of Sorrow: Pantha vs Jane Porter.
Penciler/Inker – Zenescope — 2012-2013
Titles: Grimm Universe #1, Grimm Fairy Tales #81#85, Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Shot.
Penciler/inker – Rising Sun — 2006–2008
Titles: Action Force: Red Dawn #5#6#7#8#9, Argen 7 #4#3, G.I.Joes: Cobra-lá #1#2#3, Days of Destiny, Ashes to Ashes, Renegades.
You can find more about Ezarieth World Heroes: Click Here.
Raiders for Ruin: The time of gods, battles, and fantastic creatures. This is the story of Drakkar and the Devil, two friends who rise to become the most important figures of their era. They battle the goddess, Gitza-Yar in an effort to return balance to the world. – True leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders –
Lyodor&Maghz: The high seas belong to one man and woman, the corsair lovers who share a romance as turbulent as the typhoon. Once Mhagz is called home to take her place as queen, we witness their last adventure together. – Who, being loved, is poor? –
Tewodros: The great king of Itiyopiya, who brings forth a golden age to his lands, and defends them against the impending cataclysm destined to befall them. – Suffer the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret –
Alcides: The greatest man-legend of any age. However, this is the Heracles of Ezarieth, and his epic is both familiar and unique. – From caring comes courage–
Halloror: The monster-slayer of the Emerald Isle. In this world and the other, Halloror, feral child born to the ursine, defends the people from creatures who are resurgent in their ambition to be dominant once more. – From wonder into wonder existence opens –
America: The Age of Nations Urst and greatest hero(ine); America is the example that all other heroes follow, holding herself and her peers to a high standard, that may be the Earth’s undoing. – Every little Action Matters –
Edding: Canther II’s last progeny, a detective of a Urst class ability. His story pits him against a world rapidly approaching a singularity, which would allow end humanity forever. -He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty-
Dynamite Entertainment:
Warlord of Mars: An unexpected attack from a deadly force puts Warlord of Mars John Carter and his beloved Dejah Thoris under siege within their very own palace. With the help of their loyal friend Tars Tarkas, they manage a hasty escape only to Und their world teetering on the brink of destruction. Facing overwhelming odds, they must forge questionable alliances in order to save their people from a fate worse than death! A thrilling, action-packed story in the spirit of pulp master Edgar Rice Burroughs!
Swords of Sorrow: Ancient Egyptian demon hunter and shape shifter, Pantha, is thrown across a Rift into the early twentieth century London, straight into the path of Jane Porter, American explorer, aviatrix and new wife to Tarzan. Pantha hasn’t come alone, however, as London is plunged into chaos by the appearance of a Great Pyramid in the sky… and what it contains. Up against gods, monsters, Purgatori, and each other, the pair need all the help that ancient magic and modern aviation can supply to stop London from turning into a new hell on earth.
Red Sonja: Since her fearless debut in 1973, the She-Devil with a Sword has redefined the fantasy genre thanks to the efforts of acclaimed writers including Gail Simone, Roy Thomas, Luke Lieberman, and Eric Trautmann! Joined by Urst-time Sonja writer Cullen Bunn and a handful of amazing artists, these titanic talents each contribute tales of derring-do to this supersized, action-packed anthology. Everyone’s favorite red-tressed heroine battles monsters, rivals, and ne’er-do-wells in Hyborian adventures retro-tinted to capture the [avor of her classic comics era!
Twilight Zone:Three new tales of the strange and unsettling by Mark Rahner (Twilight Zone Annual, Dejah of Mars)! A former terrorism detainee hunts down the ailing politician who authorized his torture – to deliver a very special gift. Tensions boil over on a space ship whose mission is to terraform a new planet, which happens to be occupied already. A tech mogul tries on his new smart-glasses prototype, and discovers an unexpected feature: he can see people’s souls.
Chaos! Comics was a comic book publisher that operated from 1994 until 2002, mostly focusing on horror comics. Their titles included Lady Death, Purgatori, Evil Ernie, Chastity, Jade, Bad Kitty, and Lady Demon.
Battlestar Galactica is an American science Uction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the original television series in 1978 and was later followed by a short-run sequel series (Galactica 1980), a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games. A re-imagined version of Battlestar Galactica aired as a two-part, three-hour miniseries developed by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick in 2003. That miniseries led to a weekly television series, which later aired up until 2009. A prequel series, Caprica, aired in 2010.
Grimm is an American police procedural fantasy television drama series. It debuted in the U.S. on NBC on October 28, 2011.[1]The show has been described as “a cop drama—with a twist… a dark and fantastical project about a world in which characters inspired by Grimms’ Fairy Tales exist”,[2] although the stories and characters inspiring the show are also drawn from other sources.
Zenescope:
Grimm Fairy Tales: is a horror comic book series by Zenescope Entertainment that presents classic fairy tales, albeit with modern twists or expanded plots. It began publication in June 2005.
Grimm Fairy Tales Animated: This special one-shot is based directly on the pilot episode of the new Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series produced by Titmouse Studios and Directed by Jon Schnepp (Venture Bros. & Metalocalypse).
Grimm Universe: This new bi-monthly series features characters from the Grimm Universe in never before told stories. Issue #1 ties directly into the 2012 annual and the Grimm Angel One-Shot. As the Flesh Reavers descend on the people of earth an unlikely alliance forms between a trio of Highborns who have only recently discovered their powers. In order to save the humans they defend…and themselves…they’ll have to master their powers in the heat of a life or death battle without any margin for error.
Rising Sun:
Action Force: Red Dawn: Action Force was a brand of European action Ugures initially based on Action Man in the 1980s. It was also used to introduce G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets. Several publishing companies have produced comic books based on the Ugures.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action Ugures and toys in Hasbro‘s G.I. Joe franchise.[2] The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 Ugures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the present day. It was supported by two animated series as well as a major comic series published by Marvel Comics.[3]
The toyline continues to play a large part in Hasbro’s G.I. Joe franchise. This version of G.I. Joe is still much recognized by many people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s.[4]
803 Studios:
Sequential Suicide’s theme for 2008: SLOP:54 year old Remus Filch lives on his Pig Farm 35 miles outside Charville, a northern mid-sized city. Everyone would have described him as a quiet simple man. Except for one thing; his fetish for prostitutes. Primarily his insatiable desire to murder them. His pigs love them too… as dinner. Remus disposes of the bodies like any good psychopath would, by chopping them to bits and feeding them to his animals.
Comic Book Creator
From Brazilian Slums to NYCC
The Comic Book Artist Lifestyle.
That was the start of the Lifestyle I desire. Working on my dream job and still being able to appreciatethe time and freedom to enjoy with my family and friends.
And I own it to The Samurai Method. A Method that allows me to do my work faster and better.
And of course, there are a lot of things that have changed in my life since that very first NYCC.
Today I live in São Paulo with my wife and two kids, I’ve got lots of published comics under my belt
And I still got to spend a lot of time with my kids my wife, friends and playing (more than I like to admit).
If I Could Make It, So Can You!!!
I’m no different from you. I didn’t have any advantages
when I first started, to the contrary:
language, distance and investment where big issues.
But I made it and now it’s time for me to give back
and help people around the world to achieve the same goal.
So, if you’d like to discover how to have the comic book artist
Lifestyle you desire, then, sign up for the
FREE WORKSHOP of The Samurai Method.
It works for me, I’m sure it’ll work for you too!!
Creator of The Samurai Method
How to Draw comics Faster and Better
The Easiest, Fastest and most Efficient way to Draw Comics
