OK, this is just a big tease.

Warren Ellis has a page of sketches up at his blog for something called CAPTAIN SWING AND THE ELECTRICAL PIRATES OF CINDERY ISLAND, and I really, really want to know more. So far, the drawings are steampunky with a traditional pirate-looking gun, but since Ellis is the man who brought us the Bowel Disruptor (in the pages of Transmetropolitan) I wouldn’t want to place any bets on what that gun will actually be used for.

Go look, already.

Image’s Comic Book Tattoo, a 500-page beauty of a collection of comics inspired by Tori Amos songs, was nominated for Best Publication Design at this year’s Eisners (as well as Best Anthology), and designer Tom Muller took some time out to explain just how the design for the book took shape, complete with some images from the process.

Click to read on…

(more…)

Marvel has announced that they will be releasing a hardcover collection of the artwork of Marko Djurdjevic (Thor, Thunderbolts, Daredevil, Wolverine: Origins)!

Here’s what they have to say, according to a release on their web site:

“A friend of [Marvel Editor-in-Chief] Joe Quesada sent me some of the designs Marko posted online and I was blown away,” said Editorial Talent Coordinator Chris Allo of how Djurdjevic came to Marvel. “He jumped at the opportunity to work in comics and even though his digital painting process was new to many in the industry, he won over anyone on the fence once they saw his X-Men: First Class covers. The rest, as they say, is history!”

I think this is pretty cool — while Djurdjevic may look like an overnight success with his Daredevil, Thor, and Thunderbolts covers (the latter of which inspired the design of Songbird in the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Fusion game), he actually busted onto the comics scene in 2006, working on covers for X-23 and X-Men: First Class, all before getting an exclusive contract within about a year. Whew — talk about speed. I really think Djurdjevic has only improved with his additional exposure, and this hardcover I think will put him at John Cassaday and J.H. Williams III levels of acclaim for lush, “cinematic” high-concept art.

The 200-page collection is due to be released July 1.

Looking for some more updates on DC’s upcoming Wednesday Comics project?

Their blog, the Source, has unveiled a page of Superman by Lee Bermejo (written by John Arcudi), and the reuniting of 100 Bullets’ Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso on Batman:

…Now discuss.

Via Colleen Coover, of Small Favors and X-Men: First Class fame:

I bring to you… “Tigra! Tigra!”

…Now discuss.

I wrote this originally on my blog back in 2007, but since we’re heading into the convention season it seemed a really good time to dust this off and post it somewhere more public. I hope you all find it useful.

———-

I don’t know where I first heard someone say “everyone at cons not already in the industry is trying to break in”, but it definitely feels that way. Attend any of the How-To panels at a con and they’re always packed full. Go to any panel and invariably the question gets asked:

“How do you break in to the industry?”

What they really mean is:
“How do you break in with a major publisher like Marvel, DC, Dark Horse or Image?”

Editors and creators should just have their answer to that question on a photocopied hand-out so they can save themselves endless repetition and add 10 minutes of better questions to the panel. I know that sounds callous and cocky, but hear me out. (more…)

Good stuff for you this week, I promise.

When Fangirls Attack linked to this piece about the Silhouette in the Watchmen film. I’m partial to this piece because on my first read through Watchmen, Silhouette was the character that most intrigued me, even though she only warrants a passing mention. Sally Jupiter was easy to read, and both she and Laurie are characters worth re-reading and studying many times over, but I wanted to know more about this other woman.

Becky Cloonan has another Comic Attack up, this one with a mention of a game I have many fond and not-so-fond memories of from middle school. Am I dating myself? Do I care? Go. Read. Laugh.

Leigh Walton wants to know why Swamp Thing didn’t warrant as great a “remastering” as the Absolute Sandman or Absolute Death.

This piece at Jezebel isn’t comic-related, but does ask some questions that I ask myself when thinking about comics. The story is about Flannery O’Connor, a famed Southern writer who apparently was both judgmental and racist in her private life. The question, one that most avid readers of any stripe ask themselves, is, “Can you love the work and not the author?”

Since comics writers and artists are often far more accessible to their fans than long-dead authors of canonical Great Works of prose, this question seems to come into play fairly often. My answer to it is a definite “yes,” and I back it up by my wholehearted defense of the works of authors whose political beliefs are pretty diametrically opposed to my own. Sure, I love reading works where the authors believe what I believe, but I also like to challenge myself. My criteria for a good work is based on the work itself–is it complex, deep, with living, breathing characters who have agency? Does it make me ask tough questions? Or perhaps, is it just thrilling, addictive fun? Not everything has to be Les Miserables (says the girl who wrote a defense of Twilight).

Joelle Jones has more preview pages up, Ryan Kelly has the prettiest Megan drawing yet on his blog, and Fiona Staples has some secrets she’d like to tell you.

(No, I promise nothing in this blog is an April Fool’s joke. I’m too tired for that.)

Man, did I miss sharing this with you?
Mea culpa, but here’s a little weekend “Moment of Zen” that celebrates Bat-branding through the ages.
Cheers!

Looking pretty big, by the looks of this rough color test by Ben Caldwell, who will be drawing the Wonder Woman feature in the oversized comic weekly. Check it:

[Via Purge Theory, Caldwell's blog.]

So Troy passed this article on to me about artist Rufus Seder and his Lifetiles murals, which appear to animate as viewers walk past. The article actually doesn’t do the story justice–it’s something you have to see to really understand. Luckily, there’s video.

The tiles were inspired by Seder’s children’s books, which use a similar technique to make the pictures move on the pages.

If the technology you see in Lifetiles looks familiar, you might have caught something similar at a local bookstore. The popular children’s books “Gallop!” and “Swing!” were also written and illustrated by Seder. With a technique he calls scanimation, pictures in the books come alive as you flip the page.

It’s a kids’ favorite that quite a few parents enjoy, too, based on sales numbers. “Swing!” and “Gallop!” are currently on The New York Times bestseller list.

Seder originally used scanimation in greeting cards he sold at trade shows around the country. Then Workman Publishing came calling, asking Seder to develop a book based on the eye-catching technique.

That’s when Seder caught lightning in a bottle. After several decades as a somewhat unknown artist, he found himself flying to China to teach the scanimation technique to book makers. Just a few years later, there are over 2 million copies of “Gallop!” in print in more than 13 languages.

The similarities to motion comics aren’t many, but they’re there. Static images made to move a bit, with simple techniques? It’s pretty cool, either way.

(h/t Racialicious)

For many years, Beacon Press–a nonprofit book publisher since 1854–has had the privilege of publishing Octavia Butler’s “Kindred,” the story of a modern black woman transported through time to the antebellum South. Octavia Butler died tragically in 2006; those familiar with her life and work know how singular and important her legacy remains. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the novel, and Beacon is deeply honored to announce a collaboration with the Butler estate to produce a graphic adaptation of “Kindred.” The press is currently inviting proposals from cartoonists who appreciate Octavia Butler’s legacy, and reflect hercommitment to social justice in their own work.

Those interested in discussing a proposal should email the editor of the Graphic Books list, Allison Trzop, at atrzop AT beacon DOT org. The deadline is March 16.

We’ve been discussing portfolios and such here at the blog recently, so I thought this was particularly well-timed. Have art that you want someone to look at? Here’s an open call. Plus, Octavia Butler’s work is amazing. Can’t wait to see what they come up with for this project.

One of the coolest things about going to conventions is getting original art. Sometimes you can’t make it out, and luckily there’s the wonderful world of eBay. Christine Norrie, who you may know from her work on American Virgin, Hopeless Savages, or the Black Canary Wedding Special, has a sweet color sketch up now, in honor of the late, great, Bettie Page. Check it out!

I promised myself that I wouldn’t just turn these Art Link posts into a steady stream of plugs for UDON stuff, but I’m not going to pretend that it’s not part and parcel of what I’m up to either.

Omar Dogan is a dear friend who I’ve known since college. We’ve worked together at multiple companies and he was the person who introduced me to UDON and helped break me in to this crazy industry. His dedication and hard work is inspiring. Watching his quality kick into high gear over the past few years has been a joy.

His latest comic series, Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li, hits stores today and if you get a chance to check out his line work and colouring, I think you’ll agree that it’s great stuff.

Go to Omar’s deviantArt gallery and you’ll see his car obsession on full display. Many pro artists avoid technical perspective when they can and loathe drawing cars. Omar loves them. He can’t get enough.

When I first saw Phil Noto’s online gallery, quite a few years ago, I instantly thought “Man, this stuff looks like 70’s Playboy art filtered through the brains of a comic-loving nerd… Awesome!”

Apparently I wasn’t the only person who had this observation, especially the ‘awesome’ part, because the next thing I knew Phil Noto was doing artwork for comics and all was right with the world.

His gallery is still chugging away and his work is just as impressive as it ever was, possibly moreso. I imagine that in the world of Phil Noto illustrations, everybody is kind of like James Bond and vinyl records, complete with sultry ladies on the covers, never go out of style.

Tatsuya Ishida’s Sinfest is one of the most consistent and impressive strips on the web. His cartoony characters have a wonderful simplicity and energy, expressive and rich but not overly detailed. The jokes run the full gamut from cutesy newspaper-strip style through to the blackest politically incorrect humor. Each day you can go to the site and not know which kind of humor you’ll get, but almost certainly be entertained.

The site celebrated its 9th anniversary this past weekend, so you can be assured that there’s a massive archive of material to pore over and enjoy.

This is the only thing that would make me want to see The Sound of Music again:

Julie Andrews vs. Nazi Vampires! Somebody get Michael Bay on the phone and tell him to stop working on that new A Nightmare on Elm Street remake and get to work on this film right away.

For more awesome pieces of art like this, go check out Jim Rugg’s website and livejournal, where the Street Angel artist regularly posts new works.

Bill Kartalopoulos reports that the Louvre will have a new sequential art exhibit starting January 22.

Nicholas de Crécy, Eric Liberge, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, and Bernard Yslaire have all made comics with the shared topic of the Louvre. The project was set up in conjunction with the museum as well as Futuropolis Press.

The exhibit will show pages and preliminary sketches from all four books, with Yslaire’s art being shown on computer screens throughout the exhibit.

As a resident of the environs of Indianapolis, I’m quite proud that we have the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in our town.  It’s an incredible museum, and well worth a visit.  They’ve just announced a program that’s sure to be of interest to our readership; it also happens to feature a couple of familiar names.

From the Press Release:

BIZARRO CREATOR DAN PIRARO & COMIC WRITER JOHN OSTRANDER HEADLINE EITELJORG’S “WESTERN AND NATIVE PORTRAYALS IN COMICS”

 

(INDIANAPOLIS) January 5, 2009 – Artist Dan Piraro, creator of the award-winning, syndicated comic strip Bizarro, and writer John Ostrander (Batman, Star Wars, Wolverine, The Kents, Apache Skies) will be the featured artists at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art’s “Western and Native Portrayals in Comics,” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24. The day features an in-depth look at how comics throughout history have handled portrayals of Western and Native American people and cultures. Highlights include panel discussions, gatherings of collectors, comic giveaways and sales, signings by well-known writers/artists and leading industry experts including Steve Sanderson (Cree) and Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo).

 

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

-         Comic giveaways, sales, demonstrations, meet and greet artists, writers and experts

 

1 p.m.

-         Panel Discussion – “Native Americans in Comics” featuring Michael Sheyahshe, Steve Sanderson, John Ostrander and Dan Piraro

o       Book signing with Michael Sheyahshe in Museum Store following

 

3 p.m.

-         Panel Discussion – “Western and Native Reflections in Comics” featuring John Ostrander, Dan Piraro, Michael Sheyahshe and Steve Sanderson

o       Book signing w/ Dan Piraro in Museum Store following

 

The first 100 guests will receive a signed, limited-edition poster by Steve Sanderson.

 

Step into The Bizarro West

 

Dan Piraro is a surrealist painter, illustrator and cartoonist best-known for his award-winning syndicated panel cartoon Bizarro, which often features Western themes. He has received the National Cartoonist Society Panel Cartoon Award for 1999, 2000, and 2001, and been nominated for their Reuben Award several times for his work on the strip. Since 2001, Piraro has toured the U.S. with various forms of a one-man comedy show called, “The Bizarro Baloney Show.” The show won the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival award for “Best Solo Show.” Visit the Bizarro Web site.

 

Piraro will serve as an Eiteljorg Museum artist-in-residence from Tuesday, Jan. 20, though Sunday, Jan. 25. During that time, he will interact with museum guests and school groups, participate in “Western and Native Portrayals in Comics” and headline “The Bizarro West” at 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 25. During the event, Piraro will share his thoughts on Western and Native-themed Bizarro cartoons. Part lecture, part comedy—this event is an all-access look into Piraro’s writing and illustrations. The presentation will be followed by a meet-and-greet and book signing at 4:30 p.m. There is a $10 fee for “The Bizarro West.” Members and IUPUI students pay $5.

 

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is celebrating its 20^th year of inspiring appreciation and understanding of the art, history and cultures of the American West and the indigenous peoples of North America. The museum, which opened in 1989, is located in Downtown Indianapolis’ White River State Park. For general information about the museum and to learn more about exhibits and events, call (317) 636-WEST (9378) or visit www.eiteljorg.org.

As it happens, that isn’t the only significant comics presence at an Indianapolis museum.  The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest of its type in the world, is still running its outstanding Comic Book Heroes exhibit.  It’s a stellar piece for the younger set, featuring as it does one of the Batmobiles used in the filming of Batman Begins, thousands of comics from the Max Simon collection, and videos and classes by Indianapolis’s own Stuart Sayger, creator of Shiver in the Dark and artist on a number of Vs. trading cards and Bionicle projects.

Zack Giallongo and Stephanie Yue’s Novasett Island is exactly the kind of high quality all-ages material that the industry needs to strongly get behind and support with well printed books and well placed marketing. The artwork and storytelling is reminiscent of the clean presentation style of Bone (but don’t get me wrong, it isn’t just a carbon copy of Jeff Smith’s look) and the open-ended concept lends itself incredibly well to a variety of stories.

I enjoy browsing through Novasett now as an adult, and as a kid I would have gone bonkers for the appealing cast of characters and swashbuckling adventures they go on.

Besides, anything that has a creature called an UPO (Unidentified Puppy Object) is aces in my book.

Just thought I’d remind everyone that James Jean, Fables cover artist and illustrator extraordinaire, has a solo show at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York City now through February 7.

I went to the opening Saturday night–along with what seemed like half of Manhattan. Honestly, it was so crowded when I arrived, around 7, that my friend and I perused the other galleries in the building, sampling their free wine and enjoying the breathing room, and then went back later when we could actually walk around and enjoy the art.

I am the furthest thing from an art critic, but as the cliche goes, I know what I like. And if I had thousands in spare cash lying around, one of the first things I’d spend it on would be this painting. Looks like someone beat me to it, though.

Instead, I’m making do with the Fables covers art book that my lovely friends gave me for Christmas. And I’m enjoying that artists from the comics world are getting larger recognition. I may know less than nothing about visual art, but you all know I hate elitism, and I’m sure you agree with me that artists in the comics world are as deserving of recognition as anyone else.

James Jean has done a clothing line for Prada already, and I wish him all the best in his continuing career. And I selfishly hope he won’t leave the comics world completely behind in his success.

Or that I’ll win the lottery, so I can afford one of those paintings and those Prada bags.