Michel FiffeI’ve always more or less enjoyed the MoCCA festival, but I’ve never walked away feeling as if though I had been through a completely gratifying experience. The reasons for that are unimportant right now, but they are in direct contrast to this year’s experiences. I met as lot of new cartoonists, caught up with the familiars, and bought/glanced at tons of cool new work.
Haven’t posted recently due to finishing up this comic I’m working on (see above image) which is written by Nick Bertozzi. I love working with a cartoonist I really admire, but it’s taken some getting used to draw other people’s stories. There are no inherent cons about the process/division of labor, and it’s way easier to just draw what the story demands instead of making up the story from whole cloth. The lines of communication are open and Nick and I are equally interested in each others contribution. But, man, he sure packed a lot of information into a page!
(Mix CD cover I did as part of a set.)
Beginning with Savage Dragon #160, coming out the first week of May, “Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies” hits the stands!
Erik Larsen and I are proud to announce this monthly backup feature in the Savage Dragon title. I’ve put together and edited a year’s worth of back up stories featuring some terrific indy cartoonists and I couldn’t be more excited for you guys to see the results! Oh, and did I mention that they’re gonna be flip books?
As mentioned in this Comic Book Resources post, we’ve taken a thematic cue from Marvel’s “Strange Tales” and DC’s “Bizarro Comics”. The stories in “Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies” are hilarious, sometimes surreal, always highly personalized and gorgeous to look at. I’m positive you guys will love ’em.
Remember, things kick off with Savage Dragon #160, which comes out the first week of May. Ask your local comic shop in advance to make sure you get an order in. If you know folks that do, urge them to go to their local comic shops and directly order Savage Dragon. Although it’s an Image book, there are still shops out there that may not carry the book. Don’t miss your chance to jump on this awesome event!
List of TSDF Contributors (w/ issue number and month):
160 (May, ‘10). Michel Fiffe
161 (June). Andrew Dimitt
162 (July). Kiel West
163 (Aug). Vito Delsante & Rachel Freire
164 (Sept). Ulises Farinas
165 (Oct). Chris Sinderson
166 (Nov). Conor Hughes
167 (Dec). Kat Roberts
168 (Jan, ’11). Hyeondo Park
169 (Feb). Pedro Camargo
170 (Mar). Jason Thibodeaux
171 (April). Joe Keatinge, Simon Fraser, Joe Infurnari, Mike Cavallaro, Tim Hamilton, Dean Haspiel, & George O’Connor.
I’ll keep the updates coming here or on the Image/Savage Dragon message board.
Above you will see my rejected submission for Robert Goodin’s awesome blog “Covered”. That’s right, I’m the one who rejected it because I was 6 years old when I drew it. I can try harder these days… and, maybe I will.
[Original Hulk #199 cover by Rich Buckler and John Romita circa 1976, in what I think is a swipe-free Buckler image… feel free to prove me wrong.]
(Warm up drawing I did for a cast of characters I haven’t worked on in a while.)
A few days ago, I bought some comic books and I felt so strongly about them that it compelled me to write about the experience. The first comic wasn’t great, to tell you the truth. Halfway through reading it, my suspicions were confirmed: what a load of horseshit. This low level, “bad ass” poseur drivel strikes a pose SO HARD that it shatters like crystallized mulch. I hated myself for giving this cliche ridden gem the benefit of the doubt… but what’s one to do? I had to try it out. Check it out for yourselves. Just go to your local comic shop and ask for — for — uh, I can’t believe it. The name escapes me.
Thankfully, I had apparently been saving the best for last. I’m sure you’ve seen the commercial or read all of the praise the book’s been getting, but NIGHT BUSINESS totally made my night. The creator behind it all is Benjamin Marra. You can say that Marra’s using “bad ass” tropes as well, but the thing that separates his work from the previously mentioned shitty comic is that Marra actually has a sense of humor. Equal parts old school Paul Gulacy and Faust’s Tim Vigil, Marra’s making his comics on his own terms with a dedication that’s pretty admirable. Thank God he’s not waiting around, hoping for a publisher’s permission to start his comic. And thank God he’s using newsprint. Oh, and wish him a happy birthday today, folks!
I’m proud to announce that the interview I conducted with cartoonist Mark Badger is now complete and “live”. The Beat posted the piece in 3 parts. Just clink on the links below:
BADGER part 1
BADGER part 2
BADGER part 3
If you can’t get enough of his comics or need a little warm-up before diving head-first into the interview, check out the supplementary, art filled post I put together!
About a year ago I celebrated the release of the latest Love & Rockets series, New Stories, by posting a bunch of the Bros.’ older material. Well, the second issue just came out and what can I say? It’s fantastic. I think every time one of these books hits the shelves there should be a parade or some sort of citywide festival. It’s no less than what the Bros.deserve, right? I’m only one person, though, and this Master Post is my humble contribution.
Walt Simonson has just about drawn every major character for every major publisher throughout the last thirty-odd years. Best known for his work on Thor, Starslammers, Fantastic Four, Battlestar Galactica and Orion, Simonson’s style has always been lauded as having the energy to rival Jack Kirby’s. But just as his legendary predecessor’s work was seen, all of the subtlety in Simonson’s work is often overlooked. Even in the most frantic piece, Simonson manages give it a quiet sense of characterization.
Hell, he just draws purty, OK?
Since I can easily make thirty different posts based on his covers alone, I’ve posted some of my personal favorite comics and covers by Simonson.