New Animation 'Bottom of the Ninth' Hits iOS

Candy Cunningham, from the looks of things, could very well become the next big thing in the history of baseball. She can throw the fastest pitch in the league's history, harbors a spitfire adoration the game, and takes to heart the backyard lessons bestowed upon her by her aging father, himself one of the game's greats. The problem? Where to begin: for starters, she's a complete unknown despite her tremendous talent; and then there's the fact that she's a girl, a fact that'll no doubt change her status as an "unknown" in the pro ranks the moment she steps onto the pitcher's mound. In the animated graphic novel Bottom of the Ninth, created by Ryan Woodward, a teen prodigy takes the field and dazzles all in attendance.

The first of ten scheduled chapters, "Prologue" is an original introduction to Candy Cunningham. The girl is a captivating eighteen-year-old with a cannon for an arm. Her knack for the sport of New Baseball, here in the year 2172, can be traced to numerous places: notably her old school father, Gordy, and the media-saturated bleacher seats of Tao City. In Bottom of the Ninth, Candy finally earns a shot to step into the big league. But is a handful of talent and a love of the game enough to overcome New Baseball's unique celebrity, superfluous violence, and unprecedented commercialization?

Woodward, a veteran animator and storyboard artist, encourages readers to come along for the ride. As an animated graphic novel, Bottom of the Ninth eschews the wooden character art and cheesy sound effects found in most trade "motion comics."

Bottom of the Ninth, an independent production, is both an animated film and a comic book. Developed as an application for Apple's iPad tablet device ($3.99), the publication invokes animated sequences with just about each and every panel. In this title, characters do more than slide across the visible plane; they pop in and out of frame, interacting with the page's available story elements.

Once Candy steps onto the field, the impressions are clear: some fans are shocked, others are anxious, some are furious, and yet others are lovestruck. "Just go put that sweet heat on and make them eat their words," her father says, "It's just like playing in the backyard."

In truth, however, New Baseball is nothing like playing catch in the backyard. New Baseball is more of a gladiator sport, with scrums for fly balls and a corporate-sponsored anti-gravity effect eliciting the most oohs and aahs of Tao City's immense stadium. The sport's legends are enshrined in massive statues at the city gates and its current heroes are obligated to sign an "identity control agreement," waiving all rights to their public image. Candy's going to need to be made of much firmer stuff if she's going to navigate this graphic, futuristic sport, both on and off the field. More fatherly advice? "Take it easy. Just don't kill the batter on your first pitch in the league."

The series' creator, Ryan Woodward, incorporates everything he's learned about 2D storyboarding, live-action art visualization, 3D modeling, and then some, into Bottom of the Ninth. Chief among his feature film credits are Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 2 (2010), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), and on back to Brad Bird's The Iron Giant (1999).

Woodward's affection for comics, cartoons, and baseball takes many forms in Bottom of the Ninth. The graphic novel features liquid character animation and generously reflects an urban 1920's and 30's sports atmosphere. The project also uses an original musical score, professional voice-over artists, and an accomplished expansion of traditional comic book page composition.

Additional 'Bottom of the Ninth' News:
"An Interview with Ryan Woodward" at Cartoon Brew.com