6.26.2006

Artist of the Day - John Buscema

Yikes, haven't done an Artist of the Day in about two weeks. Been super busy with deadlines and new projects. More updates on those as soon as I can.

Today's artist is John Buscema! A truly amazing comic artist, and one of the best storytellers in the history of comics.
Buscema has been a big influence on my own work. I know he's mostly known for his earlier work on Conan and such, but his run on Wolverine with finishers bill Sienkiewicz and Dan Green is one of my favorite comic runs of all time. Pick up Wolverine Classic Vol 1 on Amazon. And the Buscema sketchbook is jam packed with inspirational goodness. And don't forget about How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way with Stan Lee, one of the staples of comic book technique.

Gallery
Official Buscema website and gallery
More info on Buscema
Wolverine Classic Vol 1
Buscema Sketchbook
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way

Filed under: Artist of the Day

Dark Horse submission advice, and an update.

Spotted this on Newsarama today.

ONE STEP 13: TALKING TO A SUBMISSIONS EDITOR
from Samantha Robertson, Submissions Editor, Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse submission tips

Well worth a read if you've got any interest in pitching a project to Dark Horse.

6.12.2006

Artist of the Day - Tomm Coker

Tomm Coker! Filmmaker and Comic Book artist. Have a look at Coker's new project at Marvel.

Gallery
Pick up the Blood + Water Paperback at Amazon.com

Filed under: Artist of the Day

Podcast interview coming up, post your questions!

I'm doing a Podcast interview this Wednesday. Go here and post questions for the interview!

Artists Alley list for Comic-Con in San Diego!

For those of you heading to Comic-Con, here's an updated list of Artists Alley.

6.11.2006

"With a cap of Lincoln Green"...

One of the things that I love most about writing comics and Graphic Novels, is the fact that I can research fun things. Things I want to read about. Things I like to learn about.

Today I have been researching Robin Hood. Who he was, what he did, where he came from, all that sort of thing. This has been muchos entertaining, as Robin is one of the myths and legends that I have loved since I was a child. So today I've been watching episodes of Robin of Sherwood and the 1950's Adventures of Robin Hood to get difniative takes on the character. I intend to watch Robin Hood (the Errol Flynn one) and Prince of Thieves too, when I get the chance. I've been reading books on the chap, learning which 'Merry Men' were the originals, what their names were - the joys of Folklore is that so many things get changed at the drop of a hat.

I'm also altering a lot of things here and there - Friar Tuck is now a Templar Friar who first meets Robin in the crusades - think a kind of manic and holy Brian Blessed. Will Scarlett is Will Scathlock, another childhood friend, who travels to the Crusades with Robin - and is nicknamed Scarlet because of his skills in battle. Think Starbuck to Robin's Apollo. (And by that I mean the Dirk Bennedict one.)

Maid MaryAnne is a lady in mourning - her husband dead not a year - and an influential member of the Nottingham court. The Sherriff is a man who does his job reluctantly, yet at the same time isn't neccessaritly evil - just corrupt.

Studely - a 'Merry Man' from earlier years turns up in a new role, as we start the story when Robin is a child, and Studely plays an important part in shaping this child. The silver arrow is part of the mythology again - yes, I know - Robin of Sherwood played with that a tad - but theirs was that the silver arrow was a talisman, a symbol of the resistance - where I'm playing (again) with the idea that the silver arrow is more important than ever - with legends saying it's a variety of things - from the silver arm of Nuadha to the reforged spear that pirced the side of Christ.

We have cliffhangers. We have swishy battles on staircases and swinging from chandelliers, we have archery contests and rescue attempts - but more than anything I'm looking forwards to attempt to put together as many diverse Robin Hood rumours as I can find and tie them all together, to make a new take on an already definative legend.

Sometimes I really love my job. And if you want to see greatness - click on the little Robin Hood up to the left to see a finished Sam Hart design...

6.09.2006

Bloger trouble!

Just a quick update, the blog hasn't been updated in a few days since Google's Blogger administration area has been offline. Today is the first day it's back online, and hopefully all the CreatorDirect.com members will now have access. Look for things to get back on track now that it's working again.

Sorry for the delay.

6.06.2006

Seven page TAG preview at Newsarama!


Spotted this on Newsarama today, it's a nice write up about the new book and a 7 page preview!

> G O - T H E R E - N O W ! Please leave feedback on the Newsarama board. The board really gets a lot of visitors.

Filed under: News

Tony @ SBC - Drunk Guys and Troopers...

Craig Johnson of Silver Bullet Comics, one of the biggest internet comic sites (They host the All The Rage gossip column and will soon host me and Dan's column when we write it) did an interview with me a week or so after Bristol.

With editing, revised questions and a variety of interesting pictures including two from Of Vengeance, two from Starship Troopers #4, two from Doctor Who #1 and a sketch of Feline from Mythlands with Jim Suthern, it's finnaly up, and I talk about the infamous 'Treegate', my opinion of the Eagle awards, my favourite piece of writing, a variety of my projects, my friendship with Dan and what we're doing next (including the long-awaited Gloom Trade and the Tizzle Sisters with G.P. Taylor) and a whole lot more.

The interview can be found HERE.

A side note for Firefox users however - for some reason the various times in the interview that I use a hyphen, for some reason it replaces with a question mark. No, I have no idea either, but it makes my replies kinda strange sometimes...

6.05.2006

Artist of the Day - Zak Smith

Happened upon Zak Smith's work on the Oeming board in a post by Goddard. His work is highly energetic and innovative. Tons of inspiration to be found in every piece.
Gallery
More info on Smith
Pictures of Girls (Book)

Filed under: Artist of the Day, News, Art

Cat Officially Out of Bag



Villard Acquires Rights to Fialkov’s and Tuazon’s Elk’s Run

New York, NY – June 5, 2006 – Villard, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that it will be publishing Elk’s Run by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon. The graphic novel will collect the complete eight-issue comic book series, and will give readers their first opportunity to finally read the story all the way through to its explosive conclusion.

Elk’s Run has been nominated for an astounding seven Harvey awards (Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Limited Series, Best Letterer, Best Cover Artist, Best New Talent, Best Single Issue). The acclaimed comics series has had an interesting publishing history. Originally self-published by Fialkov’s Hoarse and Buggy, Elk’s Run moved to Speakeasy only to have the fledgling company go bankrupt in late 2005, leaving the story unfinished and its fans anxiously awaiting its exciting conclusion.

In an era filled with threat levels and faceless enemies, the people of Elk’s Ridge have created their own slice of heaven–serene. Serene, safe, and completely cut off from the rest of the world. When the evils of the outside world start to invade, the townspeople will do anything that it takes to keep their existence intact… even murder. Forced to decide between a life of isolation and fear, or the unknown outside world, the teenagers of the town must face their parents and their own worst nightmares in a game of cat and mouse that can only end one way.

The story was hailed by Variety as “creepy and fun in a good way” and given a grade of A- by the paper. Entertainment Weekly gave Elk’s Run a solid A and commended the series for its “tactile sense of dread.”

“This has been one the most unexpected adventures in publishing I could possibly imagine. I never dreamed that one day we would end up with such a wonderful company and incredible people like the folks at Villard…” said Fialkov. “Our devoted fans and their undying support have really kept us going.”

“I’ve had my eye on Elk’s Run since last summer,” said acquiring editor Dallas Middaugh. “There’s a reason reviewers and comics professionals have been so excited about it. I’m very, very happy to be able to publish the complete series at last, and to give it the presentation it deserves.”

About the Writer

Harvey Award Nominee for Best New Talent and Best Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov is the creator of the hit indie anthology Western Tales of Terror, as well as the internet cult hit Poorly Drawn Animals. His comic work has appeared in books for Boom Studios, IDW Publishing, and all across the internet. He was raised in Pittsburgh, and currently enjoys a writer’s life in Los Angeles.

About the Artist

Harvey Award Nominee for Best Artist Noel Tuazon was born in the Philippines, but has lived most of his life in Toronto, Ontario. His work has appeared in several anthologies (including Taboo Especial, Cerebus Bi-Weekly, Dennis Eichorn’s Real Stuff, Drawing the Line 1 & 2, Frecklebean Comics, Adventure Classics, Fleshrot 2 & it’s Halloween Special,) plus a handful of mini-series (Arianne by Rafael Nieves, Redchapel by Caleb Monroe, and Johnny Repeat by Jason and Elizabeth James). He most recently illustrated the children’s book Sunny Bear’s Rainy Day by Caryn A. Tate.

About the Publisher

Villard Books, named after the Stanford White brownstone mansion on Madison Avenue that was the home of Random House for twenty years, was founded in 1983. It publishes a general nonfiction and fiction list that has positioned itself on the leading edge of popular culture. Among the bestselling authors it has published are Jon Krakauer, Eve Ensler, Governor Jesse Ventura and Peter Greenberg, the “Travel Detective.” It is also known for its titles in the areas of humor, personal narrative, and new-voice fiction, including the books of Laurie Notaro and Jon Katz. Visit the Villard website at www.villard.com

StoryBoards!



I've always wanted to test my hand at storyboarding for a motion picture (since comics are essentially the same artform), and it just so happened, about four or five months ago, director Donny Broussard tapped me to do some storyboard work for his upcoming indy film Wide Asleep. Having known him for a while now, and knowing that the guy's incredibly proactive career approach had served his budding film-making career very well, I jumped at the chance. It was a helluva job for me to pump out around 150 storyboards, but I took it as a challenge. Speed without losing quality has always been a challenge, so this was a great exercise. In the end, I'm really glad that I did them and am looking forward to seeing Donny and the Bigfoot Productions guys put them to film.

Here are a few rough peeks at the storyboard sketches. Check for any other updates as well as other art in my blog.

6.04.2006

Artist of the Day - Duncan Fegredo


Duncan Fegredo is an amazing and highly underrated artist. I'm a huge fan of his work on Enigma, and I strongly suggest picking it up.

Visit his SplashPageArt.com gallery

Here's a peek at his art from the new Hellboy: Darkness Calls

More info on Fegredo

Filed under: Artist of the Day, Art, News

6.02.2006

Artist of the Day - Adam Hughes


Adam Hughes is a master of line, form and color. He's really earned a reputation as the 'go to' artist for sexy women, but he's also one of the few artists working in comics that has mastered every discipline including writing, penciling, inking and even coloring. He's at his best on cover work and had really taken comic cover illustration to the highest level possible.

Official Hughes Website

Hughes gallery and news site

Comic Art Community Gallery

More info on Hughes

Filed under: Artist of the Day, Art, News

He's so gosh-darn modest...

Kody has an interview up at THE PULSE about Tag, his previous stuff, Punks and much, much more!

With some excellent art previews!

Shame on you Kody for not shilling yourself out! If it'd been me, it'd be up here five times already by now!.....

6.01.2006

Artist of the Day - Chris Turnham

Today's artist is Chris Turnham. His simplistic style is a little easy to underestimate. The reality is there's a ton of thought behind his work and the colors and design of each panel is truly stunning. A recent discovery, but one of my favorites.
Chris Turnham website
More about Turnham

Filed under: Artist of the Day, News, Art