Pepe Moreno (comics)

Last updated

Saturnino "Pepe" Moreno Casares (born 1959) is a Spanish comic book artist, writer and video game developer who has been drawing professionally in Spain, other countries in Europe and in the US since the 1970s. [1] He is best known in the United States for his 1990 digital graphic novel, Batman: Digital Justice , published by DC Comics.

Contents

Pepe Moreno also has a video game background. In 1993, he created the computer game, Hell Cab, for Time Warner's Interactive Media Group. Them, as president of Digital Fusion Inc (DFI), he created and designed Beach Head 2000 , Beach Head 2002 and BeachHead Desert War, which were marketed by Infrogrames (Atari). DFI, in association with Trymedia and their digital rights management advanced copy protection technology, released BeachHead 2000 as was one of the first titles to be distributed via downloads protected with DRM.

His early underground work in the San Francisco bay area was featured at the Smithsonian Institution and in permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in France. Pepe's art is discussed in an article in the fall, 1988 issue titled "Rebellion, Reform and Revolution: American Graphic Design for Social Change" MIT press). [2] In 2015 Pepe collaborated with the late Richard Duardo "West Coast Warhol" to produce a series of fine art prints of his work.

Hell Cab

Pepe led the development of Hell Cab, which was completed in 1993. Hell Cab was an interactive time travel adventure with a moral twist, published by the Time Warner Interactive Group (formerly Warner New Media) on CD-ROM.

Computer Gaming World in November 1993 criticised Hell Cab's "very slow" CD and QuickTime streaming speed, stating that the delays interrupted the player's immersion. The magazine described the software as "more like an interactive tour book and variety show lumped into one" than a game, and concluded with a hope that as technology improved "Moreno will be able to create a world of sight and sounds that truly entertain and offer smoother immersion into his creative vision". [3] In April 1994 the magazine said that Hell Cab was "a case of new technology meeting old game design ... we were enamored of the graphics but less than enchanted with some of the game play". [4]

TV Shows

Pepe worked along Bob Camp and contributed to character and scenario designs for shows like ThunderCats, Silverhawks and as lead designer for TigerSharks.

The arts

Pepe's early underground art work in the San Francisco bay was featured at the Smithsonian Institution while the museum of Modern Art in France has a permanent exhibition of Pepe's fine art. Pepe's art was heavily discussed in many articles and magazines such as one issued in the fall of 1988 titled "Rebellion, Reform and Revolution: American Graphic Design for Social Change" MIT press. While in 2015 Pepe collaborated with the late & Great Richard Duardo known as the "West Coast Warhol" as they produced a series of fine art prints of his work. [5] In 2016 Pepe was awarded large year-long art commission for the Valencia Opera House 2016–2017 season.

Other games

The company has developed two additional games: Desert Gunner and Bridgehead (BeachHead 3000). In 2003, DFI released Tiger Hunt, a fast-paced, arcade-style, World War II tank combat game for the PC. The company also released RealPool for the PC, which was subsequently released as a Sony PlayStation title, and was followed with RealPool 2 in 2002.

Other comics

Moreno has also had a career as a graphic artist, with work published in books and magazines such as Metal Hurlant and l'Echo des Savanes in Europe and Eerie, Vampirella, Heavy Metal Magazine and Epic Magazine in the United States. Moreno also created the graphic novels Rebel, in the US, and the worldwide releases of Joe’s Air Force, Gene Kong, Generation Zero, and a collection of his early short stories compiled in the book Zeppelin. He combined his talents as a computer game developer and graphic artist with Batman: Digital Justice , a Batman graphic novel published in 1990 by DC Comics.

Present day activities

In 2015 Pepe Moreno completed a large year-long commission for the Valencia Opera House. In 2016, Pepe was honored and recognized in China as the father and creator of Beach Head. In a joint press conference with Hero Entertainment they officially declared piracy of the Beach Head name in China has ended. In 2017, Pepe announced he started working on the successor of BeachHead: BeachHead 2020 VR.

Related Research Articles

<i>Day of the Tentacle</i> 1993 adventure game

Day of the Tentacle, also known as Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle, is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game Maniac Mansion. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli and his friends Hoagie and Laverne as they attempt to stop the evil Purple Tentacle - a sentient, disembodied tentacle - from taking over the world. The player takes control of the trio and solves puzzles while using time travel to explore different periods of history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital art</span> Collective term for art that is generated digitally with a computer

Digital art refers to any artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process. It can also refer to computational art that uses and engages with digital media.

Computer art is any art in which computers play a role in production or display of the artwork. Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, video game, website, algorithm, performance or gallery installation. Many traditional disciplines are now integrating digital technologies and, as a result, the lines between traditional works of art and new media works created using computers has been blurred. For instance, an artist may combine traditional painting with algorithm art and other digital techniques. As a result, defining computer art by its end product can thus be difficult. Computer art is bound to change over time since changes in technology and software directly affect what is possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Murray</span> American academic

Janet Horowitz Murray is an American professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before coming to Georgia Tech in 1999, she was a Senior Research Scientist in the Center for Educational Computing Initiatives at MIT, where she taught humanities and led advanced interactive design projects since 1971. She is well known as an early developer of humanities computing applications, a seminal theorist of digital media, and an advocate of new educational programs in digital media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Nessim</span> American artist, illustrator and educator

Barbara Nessim is an American artist, illustrator, and educator.

Michel Gagné is a Canadian cartoonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego Batman</span> Lego theme and product range

Lego Batman was a theme and product range of the Lego construction toy, introduced in 2006, based on the superhero character Batman, under license from DC Comics. The sets feature vehicles, characters and scenes from the comics and films. The inspirations for the design of these vary widely. For example, the Batmobile retains its basic sleek shape and prominent fins from the Tim Burton films, whereas the "Bat-Tank" seems to be based on the tank-like Batmobile in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The theme was relaunched in early 2012 as part of the Lego DC Universe Superheroes line, which is a sub-theme of the Lego Super Heroes line. In total there were 17 sets, almost all of them including Batman.

Durwin Talon is a comics artist, illustrator, author and professor of illustration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immersion (virtual reality)</span> Perception of being physically present in a non-physical world

Immersion into virtual reality (VR) is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. The perception is created by surrounding the user of the VR system in images, sound or other stimuli that provide an engrossing total environment.

Teresa Cheng is an animation producer specifically skilled in computer graphics and most famously known for her work on Shrek Forever After, Madagascar, Batman & Robin, and True Lies. She has worked with major agencies such as Warner Brothers Studios, DreamWorks, assumed the role of general manager for Lucasfilm Animation, and most recently has become chair of the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

<i>Batman: Digital Justice</i>

Batman: Digital Justice is a graphic novel published by DC Comics in 1990 in both hardback and paperback forms. It was written and illustrated by Pepe Moreno entirely using computer hardware, software and techniques. The story takes place outside regular DC continuity, but is not an Elseworlds title.

<i>Batman: Arkham Asylum</i> 2009 video game

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman and written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, Arkham Asylum was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game's main storyline, Batman battles his archenemy, the Joker, who instigates an elaborate plot to seize control of Arkham Asylum, trap Batman inside with many of his incarcerated foes, and threaten Gotham City with hidden bombs.

George Pratt is an American painter and illustrator known for his work in the comic book field.

<i>Batman: Arkham City</i> 2011 video game

Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum and the second installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, Arkham City was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game's main storyline, Batman is incarcerated in Arkham City, a super-prison enclosing the decaying urban slums of fictional Gotham City. He must uncover the secret behind a sinister scheme orchestrated by the facility's warden, Hugo Strange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Gromala</span> Computer scientist

Diane Gromala is a Canada Research Chair and a Professor in the Simon Fraser University School of Interactive Arts and Technology. Her research works at the confluence of computer science, media art and design, and has focused on the cultural, visceral, and embodied implications of digital technologies, particularly in the realm of chronic pain.

<i>Batman: Arkham Origins</i> 2013 video game

Batman: Arkham Origins is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by WB Games Montréal and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the follow-up to the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City and is the third main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by Corey May, Ryan Galletta, and Dooma Wendschuh, the game's main storyline is set eight years before 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum and follows a younger, less-refined Batman. When a bounty is placed on him by crime lord Black Mask, drawing eight of the world's greatest assassins to Gotham City on Christmas Eve, Batman must bring Black Mask to justice, while also being hunted by the police and having to face other villains, such as the Joker and Anarky, who take advantage of the chaos to launch their nefarious schemes.

<i>Batman: Arkham</i> Video game series

Batman: Arkham is a series of action-adventure video games based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Rocksteady Studios and WB Games Montréal, and published originally by Eidos Interactive and currently by Warner Bros. Games. The franchise consists of four main installments and an upcoming spin-off, along with four smaller titles for mobile devices, a virtual reality game, tie-in comic books, and an animated film. The continuity established by the games is often referred to as the Arkhamverse.

Hell Cab is a 1993 adventure video game developed by Digital Fusion and published by Time Warner in 1993 for Macintosh, Windows 3.x.

<i>Dos Cabezas</i> 1982 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat

Dos Cabezas is a 1982 painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The double portrait resulted from Basquiat's first formal meeting with his idol, American pop artist Andy Warhol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Data Interactive</span> Former American video game developer and publisher

Art Data Interactive was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1993, associated with its port of Doom for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, which was met with negative reception. The company became inactive by 1997, and defunct as a business in 1999.

References

  1. Website biography
  2. "Vol. 5, No. 1, Autumn, 1988 of Design Issues on JSTOR". www.jstor.org.
  3. Eddy, Andy (November 1993). "Get Your Kicks On Route 666". Computer Gaming World. pp. 106, 108. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. "Invasion Of The Data Stashers". Computer Gaming World. April 1994. pp. 20–42.
  5. Pepe Moreno Studio