A Glorious Year

Please excuse the tongue-in-cheek title--I couldn't resist. haha. What an amazing year! It has exceeded all my expectations and things just keep getting better.

This time last year, I was a bit lost. Morning Glories was on the shelf--Image/Shadowline were wanting to wait to release it in the late summer, right around San Diego Comic Con. I had plenty of projects offered to me, but I had to turn them down because I didn't want to mess up this opportunity. The start time kept getting shuffled around.
I kept plugging away at commissions and game art, and then the Existence 3.0 gig dropped on my lap. First, I was just assisting series artist Ron Salas on layouts to get the book back on schedule, and then halfway through the third issue, I had to take over the book. The deadlines were pretty insane, but I had fun drawing it. I really do wish Ron could have finished the book, but that's the way things go in this business.

Finally, around March I started on the double-sized first issue of Morning Glories, and have been plugging away ever since! It's been a rollercoaster ride, to be sure--I've been through computer meltdowns, learning to ink on a deadline, dental issues and health scares (I'm all good, though!). Handling a monthly gig has been a major learning experience. I've learned what my limits are and how far I can push them. I had hoped to do a number of small projects once my side project, Notorious, wrapped up, but I was just too wiped out. So, apologies to any writers out there, Morning Glories will be my only gig for the forseeable future (outside the occasional cover or pinup, if asked).

Through it all, colorist Alex Sollazzo and I have kept a real good pace, and I think we're getting better and better with each issue. We just wrapped issue 6, and I think it's our best work. This issue is an epilogue of sorts--I'm anxious to see what people think of this one. It's not like any of the previous issues.

In the coming year, I hope we can continue to ride this wave that Morning Glories seems to be on. We're dropping the price with issue 7 to $2.99, which I hope will entice new readers to give us a shot. And the trade is out in February, featuring issues 1-6, 192 pages, for $9.99! We'll continue to get into the mystery of the school and its faculty, and you may be seeing a bit more of fan-fave Pamela, the psycho Resident Advisor. I should note Zoe fans in particular will want to check out issue 7, as it focuses on her.

Now that the year's starting to wrap up, lots of comic sites are putting up their 'Best of 2010' lists. Check out the accolades we've gotten recently:

Best New Series, MTV Splashpage
Best New Series, Multiversity Comics
#3 Series of the Year, MTV Geek

Really though, the whole team and I owe everything to you guys, the readers! Without you, none of this would be possible. I cannot thank you enough for supporting the book and continuing to tune in month in and month out! I also want to take a moment to thank all the retailers out there that supported us--we owe you so much! This was the little book that could--it surprised EVERYONE with its success, most of all its creators. You've all made my year--definitely the best one I've had since I started working in comics five years ago.

Happy Holidays to everyone here--I hope they're awesome and you get all you've asked for and more. I know I have!

Sabretooth

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of art! Morning Glories, Notorious and being Mr. Mom have all kept me heavily occupied. Thankfully, there's good news on the Morning Glories front, which I hope to share soon!

Meantime, I'm making headway on my backlog of commissions. Here's one I just finished--the X-men villain/sometimes team member, Sabretooth!

Notorious!

'Notorious,' the new backup comic storyline I'm working on with Jay Faerber, started up this week in Dynamo 5: Sins of the Father #1, from Image Comics! I've mentioned this story a little before, but now that it's gone live, I'll start posting more art. Here are the last two pages of the first chapter, deftly colored by the incredible Paul Little. This guy does some amazing work!

Stay tuned for more!

The Winter Soldier

I am really falling behind on updating! Sorry it's been awhile, but Morning Glories, Notorious and my game art gigs are keeping me swamped, with little to no time for personal art. I don't even want to think how far behind I am on Metrosketchual!

But, I'm planning on making a concerted effort to do more sketching before or inbetween pages. That's what this posting is! A poster on the Bendis board suggested I draw the Winter Soldier, and I liked the idea, since I've never drawn him. These days of course, he's Captain America, but I really loved his initial storyline early in Brubaker and Epting's run. I highly recommend those comics!

PS--Did I mention the DCBS deal on Morning Glories #1? $.99 for the 44-page first issue, plus a free sketch card from me! Here's the link

Existence 2.0/3.0

Wow, it's been awhile! Sorry for my neglect of this blog--Morning Glories has simply eaten up my time! I'll try and get better about posting more--I've also run into computer problems and don't have my main machine.

Here's a cover I did for the trade paperback collection of Image/Shadowline's Existence 2.0/3.0. I contributed art on this series starting with issue 2 of 3, and I feel lucky as hell to be able to have drawn the cover! (technically a collaboration--as Tim Daniel, the designer, deserves a lot of credit).

This will be in stores in August!

I heard a Rumor about a Spaceboy..

This was my week to pick the theme for Metrosketchual, the sketch blog comprised of local DFW artists. I chose Dark Horse Comics' The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba.

I'd always heard good things about the series, but only recently checked it for myself. I tore through both volumes--and they're some of my favorite comics in recent memory.

So, I chose to draw two members of the Academy--the Rumor & Spaceboy. I love Spaceboy's look--a guy transplanted into the body of a gorilla--how could that not be cool? And since I'd already drawn the White Violin once before, [link] I wanted to try a rendition of the Rumor.

I highly recommend this series--I can't wait to read more Umbrella Academy comics!

X-23 & Existence 3.0

Here's a couple of new things. First, an X-23 commission. The buyer wanted her to resemble her appearance in NYX instead of her current X-force look.

And secondly, a page from Existence 3.0 #3, which came out this week from Image/Shadowline. I drew half this issue, and I apologize in advance for the jarring artistic transition between Ron Salas and I. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my work on the series. I did it in a slightly different style to my normal look--with heavier inks and more attention to shadows.

Latest Commissions

Here are some commissions I recently finished. I'm really crunching for time this week, so I haven't been able to post much art. I'm in the home stretch of Existence 3.0--just a couple of pages left!

The Crow

this is my entry for this week's Metrosketchual blog, this week's theme being the Crow.

I grew up on Marvel & DC, so I missed the Crow in his heyday. But, I was a fan of the original film with the late Brandon Lee, and I always dug the general dark style of the character. I wanted to go a lot looser with this drawing than I normally do (been reading a lot of comics by Sean Gordon Murphy & John Buscema), so this was a fun one to do!

Check Metrosketchual out!

Star Blazers

commission of Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship Yamato), an old anime from the '70s. this was fun to do, as I'm a big fan of Leiji Matsumoto's work(Galaxy Express 999 is one of my all time favorite animes).

Juri vs. Ken

this was my submission this week for the Metrosketchual blog. This week's theme was Street Fighter, courtesy Marshall Wilson.

I decided to take a shot at one of the new Super Street Fighter IV characters--Juri Han. I liked her design, so here's a shot of her whooping Ken's ass. Didn't get a chance to color this as I'd originally wished, on account of my workload, so I threw down some quick halftones.

Marrow

this is a warmup sketch suggestion from way back, from someone on deviantart. i finally got around to it!

this is Marrow, who was a prominent member of the X-men in the late '90s. I wasn't a fan of hers back then, but she was actually fun to draw! One thing I do remember about her is she started out really grotesque and as time went by, Joe Mad drew her prettier and prettier. haha No idea what her status is in the books these days!

The Rocketeer

This is my take on Dave Stevens' awesome character, the Rocketeer, for the weekly Bendis Board sketch thread.

Stantz & Slimer

This was done for a brand new D/FW artist blog that recently started up. This week's theme was Ghostbusters. I chose Ray Stantz, as portrayed by Dan Aykroyd. Hope I captured his likeness. And I had to do a piece with Slimer, since he's so closely identified with the franchise! Originally, I had several ghosts from the films looming in the background, but it was looking too cluttered, so I just kept it as Ray & Slimer.

Please check out the other entries here!

Notorious Wallpapers

The super cool Tim Daniel from Hidden Robot recently did a number of wallpapers and web banners for mine and Jay Faerber's upcoming story, Notorious, which will be featured as a backup story in Dynamo 5 this June. I was floored by Tim's work and wanted to share it with you all!

Cyclops

this was a sketch request from last weekend's STAPLE! show. A poster on the Bendis board requested this shot of Cyclops in his New X-men costume--one of my favorite eras. We both agreed that Cyclops is normally garbed in pretty bland costumes, and that the New X-men was one of the rare good ones.

Ultimate Amazing Fantasy

a couple of weeks ago i was asked by Tim Daniel at Hidden Robot to contribute to a limited run of prints he was planning on doing for this weekend's Emerald City Comic Con. It's a tribute to the original Amazing Fantasy #15 that featured the first appearance of Spider-man, written by Stan Lee. This version features Stan in the Spidey role, and longtime Ultimate Spider-man writer, Brian Michael Bendis, in the criminal role. :-)

This was so much fun to do--I wish I'd had more time with it. The backgrounds are all Tim, but the characters are all me. I'm told there will be a very limited run of these available for free at the con--25 of mine, and 25 of one by Jeremy Dale.

If you're at the show, be sure to pick one up! I wish I was going!

Solid Snake

I had just enough time after wrapping up all I needed to get done for STAPLE! to do a sketch. This is Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. I'm not big into the series, but I've always enjoyed the art style. (I did enjoy the original NES game, but by admitting that, I've totally dated myself..haha)

Anyway, I'm off to Austin--if you're going to the show, stop by my table!

Variety

I've been swamped getting these Existence 3.0 pages done, but here's a look at some pieces I've done recently.

First is a cover for an independent comic called 'Pink Power' (aka 'Magic Panty') that I did this past weekend. You can find out more on the series here.

Second is an original piece, Shanna the She-Devil & Zabu. It was done for my portfolio, and is now available through my new art dealer, Jason Palmer of the Interior Pages! Coming soon there will be original pages of mine as well as sketches and what have you.

Lastly is my contribution to the weekly Bendis Board sketch thread, the theme being to draw a scene from the film 'There Will be Blood.' I didn't want to copy an image outright, so I didn't ink in a lot of the shapes and left them more implied than exact.

That's it for now! Got to get ready for the annual STAPLE! convention in Austin, Texas this weekend. If you're in town, please stop by!

Mass Effect 2: Miranda Lawson

my entry for this week's Bendis Board sketch thread (link), with the them of video game, Mass Effect 2. I am not too familiar with the Mass Effect franchise--I've always been more of a Final Fantasy guy, but Bioware's RPG/shooter has quite a following, I've found. I did like what they did with Knights of the old Republic, but I've just never gotten around to checking out this series.

Anyway, out of all the characters, I chose Miranda, since she's got curves. :-)

Archer

i finished up my last page for Existence 3.0 #3 this weekend, so I've taken the opportunity to get caught up on commissions, pages on Notorious, and to do some fun art for myself. I'm a big fan of the new FX series, Archer, which was created by the minds behind Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo. Plus, my friend Chad Hurd works on the show, so of course it's going to rock! It's a hilarious spoof of the spy genre, with a great cast.

Anyway, I dig the show, and I heard yesterday it got renewed for a second season! So, I decided to do this piece of fanart to celebrate the occasion. This is Lana Kane and the series star, Sterling Archer.

More about Archer: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/archer/

Captain Britain

since i'm almost done with my first set of existence 3.0 pages, i found the time to knock this out. anyone that knows me knows i'm a big fan of captain britain and excalibur, and the recently cancelled captain britain & mi-13. i prefer the classic captain, but after seeing him pop up in the new heroic age promo art marvel's shopping around, i wanted to try out his new look.
all told i spent about an hour on this. back to pages!

Roy Batty from Blade Runner

this week on the bendis board sketch thread, it was my theme suggestion--the iconic film, Blade Runner. of course, this happened to fall on the week I started Existence 3.0.. haha but i still managed to get something done for the thread: link

My favorite aspect of the film is the art direction and the color palette. Antagonist Roy Batty's final scene on the rooftop was one of many that stood out for me. I'd have liked to have polished this up more, but after almost two hours on it, I've got to get back to my pages!

Pages from New Projects

hey all! i'm pretty swamped with Existence 3.0 pages, but I thought I'd give a peek into some of the other projects I have coming up.

First, Notorious. This is a street-level superhero story co-created by me and Jay Faerber, and it'll debut as a backup feature this summer when Dynamo 5 relaunches. I'm real excited about this, and I wish I could show more, but I don't want to give too much away. This page is from the second chapter, and it occurs after a fight sequence with the titular hero and some thugs, and now a couple of detectives are on his trail.


Secondly, this is a dragon-slayer pitch I worked on with writer James Patrick. I don't normally go for the knights/dragons/fantasy genre, but there was a hook in James' pitch that made me not want to turn it down. Needless to say, this page is from a prelude sequence that leads into a different direction for the story. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to give it away! Colors on this were done by Bob Rivard.

Dallas Comic Con Sketches

i'm super swamped at the moment, but here's a look at some of the sketches i did at dallas comic con last month! robyn from we the people, scrap from dynamo 5 and morrigan seducing deadpool!

Dante's Inferno

i am really excited to play the upcoming dante's inferno game, due out next week. i have heard all the griping about it being a god of war clone, but honestly--i don't give a shit. i didn't play the god of war games until recently, and only after i played the dante's inferno demo, which i loved. so, the disdained complaints from god of war fans are lost on me. and i know it's not an accurate translation of the original poem, but come on, it's a video game--liberties are going to have to be taken.

anyway, i digress. i love the art style in the game, and wanted to do a drawing from the game, so i chose the protagonist, dante aligheri.

this will likely be the last detailed color piece from me for awhile. a major assignment just landed on my desk and it's gonna be daunting. hopefully i'll make it! i still have some con sketches from DCC i need to post as well.

Indiana Jones

i'm back at work after the craziness that was dallas comic con! after i did the mola ram piece last week, i said i'd draw up a proper shot of indiana jones for the weekly sketch thread at the bendis board [link] so here it is! it was fun drawing one of my childhood icons. i'll probably do more pieces from that 'universe.' :-)

It's All A Joke!

i am pretty much out the door, and i realized i forgot to upload my newest print! batman's archnemesis--the joker! i've got a set of these for the dallas comic con this weekend, and if i have any left over, i'll gladly sell them online or as a freebie as part of a commission package.

anyway, off to the show!

Mola Ram

here's my warmup for today--mola ram from indiana jones and the temple of doom. this was my favorite one of the films as a kid (these days it's raiders) and i've wanted to draw this guy for awhile. so it's sort of for this week's bendis board sketch thread, which was an indiana jones theme: link i'll do a proper indiana jones drawing sometime after this weekend's dallas comic con.

speaking of which, back to inking!

Black Cat

between getting ready for dallas comic con this weekend http://scifiexpo.com/DCC/dallascomiccon.html and fighting a head cold, i've been pretty swamped the past few days! still, i managed to get in a warmup sketch--with felicia hardy, aka the black cat. i remember her and spider-man dating when i started reading comics in the '80s, and ever since i always thought she was the hotter chica for pete. maybe it's the tight black leather costume.. haha

Bon Voyage, Conan

the other day, my buddy len suggested i draw conan o'brien as a warmup sketch. if you've been following the entertainment news, you'll know there's been a huge uproar about conan's ousting of being the host of the tonight show (or quitting, whatever). personally, i think he got a raw deal--i mean, only 7 months in, and they're going to replace him with leno? (i know there's a lot more to it, such as moving leno's show and all) still, i feel bad for the guy and his staff, which moved coasts to work on that show. ah well, that's showbiz, i guess!

anyway, i've depicted conan sailing on to better things here. :-)

New Marvel Pages

here are my latest Marvel sample pages. This is a Daredevil vs. Typhoid Mary fight scene. I'd started these awhile ago, but they just weren't gelling, and work began to pile up, so they got neglected. After getting some helpful advice from friends and from one Patrick Zircher (artist on Marvel's Terror, Inc., among others) I got the pages where I wanted them. These were fun to do--I mean, who doesn't love a good fight scene? :)