Kody's Gone Mad.

"Who wants bribes?

I'm doing random prize drawings from the Punks e-newsletter list Monday at noon (central time) !!

Prizes include:

2 free Punks shirts, 4 signed comics (various), 2 sketches that I have laying around, and 1 free blog posting (on CreatorDirect.com ) raving about how cool you are for not winning a real prize, but instead, winning a free posting on a blog.

So, if you're not on the Punks newsletter list, get on it now! This is free stuff people. I'm paying for the shipping too.

So that's 9 chances to win free stuff. You can only win one thing from the list. No multiple winners.

What's my method of selection? I'll be printing out the list, and throwing an X-Acto blade at the printed page (because I don't have a dart). And no, my aim isn't very good, so that makes it sort of random.

I may post a video of the selection process just for fun.

GO HERE

Totally ca-razy. I have a few copies of my Fused Tales story that I'll throw in for all you completists.

Event Horizon wins UK Award!

I while back, I contributed an 8 page story to Event Horizon, a sci-fi/horror anthology put together by Mam-Tor Publishing and Liam Sharp. Liam emailed me this week to let me know that the book won a Sci-Fi Award from the International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film 2006.

The story I contributed to was called Vanishing Herd and was written by Dan Wickline. Apparently, Mam-Tor will be re-releasing the book in PDF format at a discounted price. For those that enjoy reading web comics or reading digital versions of printed comics, this should be a great opportunity to grab a copy of the book. I suppose you could also print your own copy from the PDF if you'd like.

During the production of the original comic, we went through several revisions on the art. The final version of the art I did had some details thrown in, a few tweaks, and a whole lot more blood. That last version never made it into the final comic. The previous version (without the edits) was printed in the book. It still looked great, and there aren't really any problems with the art, we just added to it for the final version. So if anyone owns the printed version of the book, you may still want to check out the re-release since it does contain the final art I contributed to the book.

I'll post a little more information about downloading as soon as I get it.

Chop Suey!

Testing out some things for one of the stories I'm working on, so I figured I'd share it and see what sticks. This is a pretty straightforward test page, experimenting with texture and color. Apparently, all those episodes of Kung Fu I watched as a kid stuck with me. I dunno.

Please enjoy.

Yo!

I've been at this since 1992. During the last 14 years (!), I've written for Marvel Comics, Slave Labor, Caliber, and a few other places. My most recent works are the graphic novels ABEL and BAD MOJO, both of which were published by AiT/PlanetLar.

I'm currently working on an unannounced, ongoing series for Image Comics (I'll post some sneak peek art soon) and am getting ready to move to Seattle. I'm going to be working at Gas Powered Games as staff writer and editor. I can't wait!

Mark Fossen got a sneak peak at Punks...

Friend and Blogger Mark Fossen had this, and more to say about the first 12 pages of Punks which we casually sent his way as part of our 'feedback phase.'

"Punks is the kind of thing you find when you wake up passed out on a friends couch with a splitting hangover. It's crumpled under your head, and as you come to consciousness, you read Punks and say : 'Dude. What the FUCK is this?? Where are the rest?' .... And then you spend the rest of the day calling your buddy 'Noisy McNoise-Noisenstein', and quoting lines from the book."

So, go read, get excited.

Or else.

Ahoy hoy.

I was going to start off with a Howard Stern story, but it seems as though i have been beat to it. So instead, i will just introduce myself. My name is Chuck BB, my most prominent work is the 4 issue mini-series, Secret Skull, written by Steve Niles, but I have also had work published in that silly Josh kids Western Tales of Terror. As far as stuff to look out for, I have a short story in the fantastic anthology Flight, Volume 3, and in the far far future the Graphic Novel Black Metal (most likely to be with Oni).
I'm still in school, finishing up my last semester to receive a BFA. We'll see how that works out. I like nerdy shit, i like Howard Stern, I like Norwegian Black Metal and other extreme art forms and sounds. Uh... and today I’ve been drawing different Satans, take a look. we'll talk later.
-chuck

The New Guy.

Greetings all. My name is Rob Guillory, and I'll be playing the role of resident newcomer to the comics industry. Join me...

Though I've been making art for the majority of my 23 years (Trivia: My first minicomic was done on pink construction paper at age 9. My color sensibilities arrived several years later...), it wasn't until about five years ago that I made the commitment to becoming a comic creator on a professional stage. And after countless hours chained to a drawing desk, here I am.

Currently, I'm co-creator and artist on Shortbus Superstars! with Mark Andrew Smith of Image Comics' Amazing Joybuzzards, due out later this year, publisher TBA. Along with that, I'm currently going through a bit of a period of intense inspiration, developing several different stories and comic strips, ranging from drama to superhero to sci-fi, that will bear fruit in the coming months.

I'm currently living in Lafayette, LA and am prone to roaming the countrysides in blurry photographs. I routinely let Kody buy me lunch.

That's about it, I think. I'll be posting art here in the next few days. I look forward to getting to know all the artists on this site. Share the love...

Look at me, I'm Ultra Fucking Pretentious

So, I have these long periods of absurd self-examination where I wax poetic about what I'm working on.

When it's a comic about Abe Lincoln, a Dog, a Fist, and a Skull who kick each other in the balls? That's when I get pretentious.

So, I proudly present for you all...

Pretentious Josh!

Ego, is that rational middle ground, trying to balance pleasure with survival, rationality with living a satisfied life. In Punks, that’s Abe. He’s the emotional center of the book, his whole thing is chewing over the right and wrong, the real and unreal, and while not necessarily always deciding properly, his decisions come from a place that is at the very least balanced. For those unfamiliar, using Seinfeld, he's the Jerry.

Super Ego is Dog, the self-doubting, self-hating, angry young man. He serves as that voice in the back of your head saying “You’re not good enough, and everybody’s on to you.” Again, to Seinfeld, he's the George.

Read The Rest, if you can stand it, here.

Hey now...

"Hey now"...*SIGH*...Never listened to Howard Stern until he popped up on my Sirius Satellite radio, but I must admit--I'm a regular listener now. I even find myself starting conversations and the like with Stern's well-worn "hey now" greeting, especially when answering the phone.

But, my being 25 years late on discovering Stern isn't what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to introduce myself...My name is Troy Wall and I write schtuff. I'm 23-years-old and based in Shreveport, LA, close to Kody. I'm also about a year away from becoming a school psychologist...but who cares about the real world, we're here to talk about the stuff that really matters...like comics. And...comics. :O)

I cut my teeth on issues of Digital Webbing Presents. I learned the ropes while working on DWP, and got to work with artists like Jon Sommariva and Mitchell Breitweiser to boot. Hell, I even got to work with some cat named Kody Chamberlain...who literally exploded shortly after our short story "Intrinsic Dreams" appeared in DWP 13.

Right now I'm launching the new BloodRayne ongoing series with artist Mark Robinson (New Mutants). Mark's been turning in some killer stuff, and I can't wait for the series to start hitting the stands later this year. I've also got a couple of creator-owned projects that I'll be developing this year, publisher TBA.

So, hello world! And it's good to be a part of such a cool group of creators here. Josh and Tony--I've read your work, groovy stuff.

Oh, introductions are smart!

Duh, introductions are a great idea. I'm Kody, I draw comics.

Worked on 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales (with writer Steve Niles) for IDW Publishing, BloodRayne Seeds of Sin (with writer Christina Z) for Echo3 Worldwide, and two short stories for Digital Webbing Presents with writers Troy Wall and Steve Niles. I also did a short for Event Horizon issue 1 with writer Dan Wickline.

Upcoming projects include Punks the Comic and Tag from BOOM! Studios with writer Keith Giffen.

I was born and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana, 2 miles from Alan Moore's Swamp Thing and currently live in Lafayette, Louisiana.

As for the Creator Direct blog, I know most of these guys from cons, message boards and I know a few from real life. They're a bunch of very talented creators and hopefully everyone will dig the blog enough to bookmark it and visit on a regular basis. I sure will!

And for future reference and linking, CreatorDirect.com points to this blog. It's a little shorter and probably easier to remember.

A Second Howdy...

Josh, you're being too self-defacing. Stop it!

Interesting times, my friends. With so many projects about to set the net on fire, the time is definately right to do something like this...

Hi. I'm Tony Lee, and I'm the token Brit Writer. All the best creator sites need a token Brit Writer, and by now all the good ones are gone. So you've got me. Tough shit, deal with it.

I'm a writer of things - Currently I do a lot for Markosia - I adapt Shadowmancer and Brothers - The Fall of Lucifer, My 2004 SONY/Mongoose Graphic Novel trilogy Starship Troopers - Blaze of Glory is currently enjoying a monthly re-print series and my Creator Owned Midnight Kiss, (with Ryan Stegman / Kieran Oats) although a critical success is cancelled from #5, in May. I also write for Marvel every now and then but they're getting wise to my blackmail tricks - and I'm the new writer on Panini Publishing's Doctor Who Magazine's monthly comic from April.

I write other stuff. I have a website at www.tonylee.co.uk - so feel free to pop by, visit the forum, drop me a mail.

More info as I start to work out what to put up here. Feel free to tell me...

Howdy

Hey gang. I'm nowhere near as exciting as the rest of you guys, but here's me.

I'm the creator of cult hit black and white antho Western Tales of Terror, writer of critically acclaimed (and universally ignored) Elk's Run, writer and co-creator (with Kody Chamberlain) of Punks: The Comic, and of the soon to have a home World's End with Scott A. Keating.

I'll be chiming in with stuff as it happens. You can read more about me and the assinine things in my head at my blog: www.JoshuaHaleFialkov.com

Ta-ta.

Cover for issue 2 of Tag!

Wrapped this one up over the weekend. This is the cover for the second issue of Tag from BOOM! Studios and writer Keith Giffen. I'm doing pencils, inks and colors on this one and I'm having a blast! Issue 1 was in last months Previews and I believe this cover will be in next month's Previews. Tag is a 3 issue miniseries, full color. Hope you dig it!

Click image to view a larger version.

What is CreatorDirect.com?

The idea for the site is to have multiple creators contributing to a single blog. Exchanging ideas, inspirations and project news.

An idea created by critically-acclaimed IDW and BOOM! Studios artist Kody Chamberlain, Creator Direct is a group blog that involves some of the most prolific, notorious, upcoming and currently lesser-known names in the comic industry from around the world. Each of the creators involved can post entries, interviews, tutorials, announce projects or generally discuss comic and non-comic matters. Oh, and insult each other, mock other creators and pimp their projects like two-bit gangsters with a truckload of whores.

“The reason for starting it was to be able to offer a blog that's updated daily rather than once or twice a month like most blogs I visit. We’re ganging up on content.” Explained Kody. “I felt that was the best reason for having multiple creators. The decision to do it on Google’s Blogger came from the idea that the information could easily be shared and reposted by other bloggers with a single click. If someone likes a piece of content, they can pull it into their own blog and share it with their readers.”

Kody (whose credits include 30 Days of Night – Bloodsucker Tales for IDW and Tag with Keith Giffen for BOOM! Studios) wanted to find some fellow creators to join him. Artists and writers, like Kody himself, are fairly new to the industry but are doing fantastic work and making a real impact on the industry. Creators like Tony Lee (X-Men, Doctor Who, Starship Troopers, Midnight Kiss), Joshua Hale Fialkov (Elk’s Run, Western Tales of Terror, Punks, World’s End), Troy Wall (Digital Webbing Presents, BloodRayne) and Rob Guillory (CloudCircus, Grey, Shortbus Superstars!) were amongst the first wave, with William Harms (Abel, Bad Mojo), Chuck BB (Secret Skull, Black Metal), Christopher G. Kirby (The Lost Squad, Freakshow), Steven Perkins (Pacify, IDW’s C.S.I.)and Ty Gorton (Runes of Ragnan) following shortly after. And the list continues to grow!

“The reason these specific creators were invited was that most of us are in a similar place in our careers, no one here is a superstar (yet) – well apart from Tony, but he takes tablets for those delusions.” Kody continued. “But we've all got professional work out there, and there's a consistency of quality from everyone on the list. Everyone I’ve approached about contributing to Creator Direct are people I know from conventions or online and I have a lot of respect for their work. I wanted to get a group of creators together that are really starting to make things happen and to feed off each other’s energy.”

Creator Direct is looking to grow with a lot more upcoming creators already invited, hopefully earning a strong enough reader base to have a positive influence on comics as a whole.

“We’re fun. Apart from Joshua. He’s got the cold, dead eyes of a killer.” Explained one British creator who refused to be named in case Fialkov kneecapped him. “And if you want some real fun, ask Kody about Gambit being Cajun.”

Creator Direct can be found at www.creatordirect.com. Go visit. Tell your friends.