Planet Kojo

LOST Collected Edition

2011-04-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

LOST Collected Edition by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

LOST consumed many of our collective thoughts and theories for six season. More so than any other broadcast series in quite some time. ~McGone started these character studies with no other intent than just that. An artist refining his craft while paying homage to a story that had captured our minds and brought us along for a fantastic journey. My part in this loosely-termed project was very much the same. Inspired by line work that was better that most at capturing the similitude of these fascinating characters, I slowly began to add my own splashes of color. The Sunday LOST Post formed out of the ether over the winter since McGone had been so prolific. I decided to make it a challenge for myself to color one piece each week. Staying pretty true to that schedule I have stretched and honed my skills of the course of this experiment. One I truly enjoyed each and every brush stroke.

This collected image closes the book on LOST...for now.

"Not leaving. No. Moving on." - Christian Shephard

Sun of "LOST"

2011-04-16T16:39:00.002-05:00

Sun of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Jacob of "LOST"

2011-04-09T10:19:00.000-05:00

Jacob of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Kate of "LOST"

2011-03-27T11:01:00.001-05:00

Kate of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

River of Firefly & Serenity

2011-03-13T10:05:00.000-05:00

River of Firefly+Serenity by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

The not-so-secret project revealed...a very special Sunday Firefly/Serenity Post!

"Also? I can kill you with my brain."

My fellow comrade-in-arts McGone penciled and inked this phenomenal image of River Tam in honor of my birthday. Since my compatriot took it up quite a few notches, I wanted to labor over this one more than usual. Hopefully the final version you see here was worth the extra week wait!

I had a very specific vision for executing this so, breaking from my usual modus operandi on the LOST work, this one is 100% all-genuine Photoshop.

LOST: Station ID

2011-03-07T06:25:00.000-06:00

LOST: Station Identification by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Sawyer of "LOST"

2011-02-27T18:54:00.001-06:00

Sawyer of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Ben & Smokey of "LOST"

2011-02-20T09:49:00.002-06:00

Ben + Smokey of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Jack of "LOST"

2011-02-13T09:01:00.000-06:00

Jack of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

"But if we can't live together, we're going to die alone."

Faraday & Charlotte of "LOST"

2011-02-06T13:11:00.002-06:00

Faraday + Charlotte of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Locke of "LOST"

2011-02-03T06:17:00.002-06:00

Locke of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Mr. Eko of "LOST"

2011-01-23T10:04:00.000-06:00

Mr. Eko of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Sayid of "LOST"

2011-01-17T06:41:00.002-06:00

Sayid of "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Charlie of "LOST"

2010-10-04T09:15:00.004-05:00

Charlie "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

Hurley of "LOST"

2010-05-01T21:27:00.001-05:00

Hurley "LOST" by ~PlanetKojo on deviant ART

The Rocketeer

2010-01-30T15:17:00.001-06:00

The Rocketeer sketch done by my fellow colleague, Shawn McGuan, was inspired by the new Comic Twart blog. I just had to color it of course!

Art: Shawn McGuan
Color: Mike Kowalczyk

De Tales page

2010-01-17T12:42:00.000-06:00

A page from the fantastically overlooked anthology De Tales: Stories from Urban Brazil by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba. The line art is fantastic and has different styles for each of the tales.

This was just crying out to be colored (maybe some day it will). But like Bone, it is a feast for the eyes in black & white. But as it had such nice open areas and great light source placement, I just had to give it a go.

De Tales: Stories from Urban Brazil
by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk

Cisco Kid #1 Cover

2009-06-12T09:12:00.007-05:00

Cisco Kid #1 for Moonstone Books. I was intrigued by the line art of Mr. Jerry DeCaire. The splattered ink and robust brush work was just asking for a grungy, weathered coloring. I think it is still a good piece. Still to this day I would have liked to do something more with the smoke. But every artist is his own worst critic, right? The whole series was three issues with black & white interiors. I ended up doing all three covers, all the grayscale toning and the cover of the trade paperback.

Of Bitter Souls No.1 Cover (Vol.2)

2009-06-11T12:41:00.005-05:00

After the collapse/sale of Speakeasy Of Bitter Souls found a home at Markosia. This was the cover for one of the first covers published under them. The image is of a shattered vessel with the reflections of the characters in the glass shards and liquid held within. Oooo, symbolism. I like it. Lots of color holds. Lots of work. Again, another beautiful image from Norm Breyfogle.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #1 - Vol.2 (Markosia)

OBS Michael Avon Oeming Pin-up

2009-06-10T10:39:00.007-05:00

Here's another little treasure. This was a pin-up on the back cover of Of Bitter Souls #1. Illustrated by the outstanding Michael Avon Oeming. It's such a fun style to work with. The sparse but elegant line work needed to be complimented with a similar coloring style. Just like a movie soundtrack should never deter from the cinematic imagery. The same theory should be applied when coloring in comics. Your color art should only compliment the artwork. There only to deepen the mood or accentuate the nuances of the story. Enjoy!

Eisner Tribute Color

2009-06-09T10:40:00.005-05:00

Here's a piece from ages ago. I met Bill Reinhold briefly at a Chicago Comics Expo some years ago. I have always appreciated his work since he seems to pop up on the radar quite often. This Eisner Tribute (found here on Bill's deviantart site) absolutely blew me away. It was his contribution to the COMIC BOOK ARTIST magazine Special Will Eisner Memorial issue. I just had to do something with it. At the time I was still very green with very little coloring under my belt. I had just started Of Bitter Souls with Norm Breyfogle. I did this piece, distressed the line art and applied it to crumpled paper background. Tried to emulate a ink wash technique. I used it as a desktop but never showed it to anyone. So here is a bit of buried treasure.

Of Bitter Souls #1

2009-06-08T13:17:00.012-05:00

After being on a bit of a hiatus, I am brushing off the portfolio and starting on some new, promising projects. Thus, the portfolio cleaning. Digging through back-up disks on a rainy Sunday afternoon can be quite the trip down memory lane. It's a tough trial by fire to get your name out there. But ultimately, once you've made the right contacts and friends, the experience is ultimately a rewarding one. Fills one with a sense of accomplishment to have your work published.

This is the original cover for Of Bitter Souls #1. I still like this one better than the "sunset" second printing version you'll find below. It was a blast working with a legend like Norm (though he'll never accept that title). Mostly Photoshop work here with custom brushes from ErasreX (Thanks, bro).

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #1 (Speakeasy then Markosia)

Twilight Men Page 10

2006-03-01T16:51:00.000-06:00

More art from the upcoming issue of Twilight Men. More gorgeous E. J. Su art. Can't wait to see this in print!

This was a great page in that I could set up color transitions that lead the reader into each consecutive panel. I am exercising a little creative license while remaining true to the pre-existing color work of the title.

Art: E. J. Su
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Twilight Men (Markosia)

Twilight Men Page 8

2006-03-01T16:44:00.000-06:00

Here's a preview of a new project I am working on for Markosia, Twilight Men (formerly Super Crazy TNT Blast). This is a new cel-shaded style for me. I am trying to stay true to the preiously estalished look of the book. It's always fun to try a new style and adapted yourself to the feel of an already running title.

Art: E. J. Su
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Twilight Men (Markosia)

Wyatt Earp #2 Cover

2006-03-01T16:32:00.000-06:00

This is one of my all-time favorite pieces. Largely due to the fact that there is absolutely NO Photoshop work in this one at all! All colors and textures are done in Expression 3 (soon to be Microsoft's Acrylic). Every brush stroke and fill is vector-based with bitmap art applied and rendered to it. It was great fun but a little time consuming. I have used this software solely on covers and spot illustrations. Not really good for paneled pages. But as you can see the end result is dynamite!

Art: Enrique Villagran
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Wyatt Earp: Dodge City (Moonstone)

Of Bitter Souls #6 Cover

2006-03-01T16:29:00.000-06:00

Here's the unpublished cover for Of Bitter Souls #6. It will be appearing in the trade paperback due out in May.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #6 (unpublished)

Of Bitter Souls #1, Page 22

2006-03-01T14:13:00.000-06:00

Another showcase lighting effect. Everyone loved this one.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Of Bitter Souls #1, Page 22

Of Bitter Souls #2, Page 9

2006-03-01T14:10:00.000-06:00

The face in the last panel is one of my pride and joys. The dual light source really pops well.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #2

Of Bitter Souls #2, Page 7

2006-03-01T14:07:00.000-06:00

More special attention to lighting. This series of pages were a chance to really amplify the lighting for dramatic effect.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #2

Of Bitter Souls #2, Page 6

2006-03-01T14:02:00.000-06:00

Another sequential in the series. I was really striving for the lone tv glow affecting everything it could. Came out pretty good in the print version too.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #2

Of Bitter Souls #2, Page 5

2006-03-01T13:53:00.000-06:00

Tried a lot of light sources and effects with this page. From dark courtyard to erie glowing television iamges.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #2

Of Bitter Souls #2, Page 4

2006-02-26T22:20:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite pages while working on this series. Loved the textures on all the stone work. Fought with the "strike" panel for a while before deciding to go with the contrasting stark whaite you see here.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #2

Of Bitter Souls #1 Second Printing

2006-02-23T00:17:00.000-06:00

Here is the recolored version of the cover to Bitter Souls #1. This was intended to be a reprint cover til the idea was killed by Speakeasy upper management. What can you do? Changing from a night sky to sunset was kinda fun and challenging at the same time. 108 color adjustments and a few custome masks and viola! We had our brand new never to be printed variant cover. Might be included in the trade. I get back to you on that one.

Art: Norm Breyfogle
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Of Bitter Souls #1 (variant)

Grave Grrrls Pin-up

2006-02-22T22:29:00.000-06:00

Been crazy as of late (when has it even not been). I am posting the items I submitted to Aspen a while back before I realized that they required you to move out to them in CA or something. Since I can't do that, I did what any colorist worth his stylus does. I kept looking for work elswhere. Here's a few of the things I sent to Aspen.

I had a lot of fun doing this one. I wish I had time to add some subtle fog obscuring some of the background figures. But this had to be done quuick to get to press. I used all Photoshop CS and a flatting plug-in to turn this around quick. Turned out pretty solid.

Art: Ollie Nome
Colors: Mike Kowalczyk
Title: Grave Grrls #3 (of 3)

New project

2006-01-06T16:44:00.001-06:00

oc_001_16_C
Originally uploaded by planetkojo.

Here's the latest page from a new project that has been brewing since wizardWorld. Talented writer Keith Dallas (with artist Julio Molina-Muscara attached) approached me there in Chicago to see if I was interested in signing on for colors on this limited series. The more I read and the more art I saw the more I liked it. I signed on immediately and have had a difficult time aping the first colorist's style. Finishing up the last page of the first issue tonight. Look for the preview some time this weekend.

Newsfeed Wednesday

2005-12-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

This CBR release would explain why Kurt Busiek is leaving Conan. Did you see this one, Rich?

Charlie Benante paints a Dean guitar to honor Dimbag. Don't bother reading the infantile bickering below the post. It will only make you angry.

Why is C|Net scooping The Beat and Newsarama on this little tidbit about Crumb sueing Amazon? Heidi? Matt? You guys dropped the ball on this one.

Freddie Williams from Speakeasy to DC? How does that work? Good for him. Congrats. Hope you don't get yanked off it like Pascal Ferry!

Excellent article about one of my guilty pleasures from the past: Strikforce: Morituri. Brett Anderson art. Peter Gillis story. Original concepts. Marvel should take note from their past instead of dusting off the New Universe.

Signed up for this one as soon as I saw it in Previews...Mouse Guard! Smylie knows good art when he see's it. Now if they could just do something about that lettering. Call me, I know a few good ones.

What the hell...just because everyone else is linking to it...Body Bags on iTunes. I hate the opening sequence but the art is Jason Pearson's best work. And I am a whore for expanding the medium.

Two-car garage

2005-12-11T21:20:00.000-06:00

Today my wife and I worked on cleaning our two-car garage out. Half we had used for the van. The other half still held boxes from moving and items that did not sell in our garage sale. Most were almost empty boxes that were easily consolidated. Others went to the basement.

Having both cars in the garage was something I thought would not be happening til much later down the road. We had a warm settling-in feeling after putting in hours of work. But somehow with both cars in the garage made us feel even more at home here. As if until we did that we were not completely moved in. It was a rewarding day all around.

Now...back to these deadlines...

Page 13

2005-12-06T00:41:00.000-06:00

Finishing pg. 13 for the Arcana project tonight. Lost FTP site temporarily. Have to find alternate means. Late night, as usual. Sleep's such a waste of time anyway ;)

Tonight's playlist:

Pantera: Great Southern Trendkill
Rage Against the Machine: Battle for Los Angeles
Static-X: Start a War

Last books read:

Walking Dead #24
Ex Machina #16
Superman for Tomorrow Vol. 1 HC

Link.feed

2005-11-01T22:27:00.000-06:00

Been really busy with the coloring and other projects. So here today I present the first inaugural Link.feed! You've seen them on other sites so you know the drill:

The New Yorker: Graphic novels come of age by PETER SCHJELDAHL

The difficulty of graphic novels limits their potential audience, in contrast to the blissfully easeful, still all-conquering movies, but that is not a debility; rather, it gives them the opalescent sheen of avant-gardism.

NPR: Graphic Novelist with a Comic Sensibility All Things Concidered with Derek Kirk Kim

At the age of 30, Kim has already won the "triple crown" of comic honors: the 2003 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent, the 2004 Eisner Award for Name Deserving of Wider Recognition, and a 2004 Harvey Award for Best New Talent. Last year, graphic novel publisher Top Shelf re-issued a new edition of Same Difference after the first printing sold out.

You Dig?

Mmmm...Coffee...

2005-10-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

Yes! I knew it! Now that's what I'm talking about! Read on:

Despite earlier beliefs that coffee has negative health effects, it is becoming increasingly clear that the opposite is in fact the case. Coffee consumption is now being linked to the lowered occurance of cases of certain cancers and chronic diseases. One study, conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health, shows that the risk for developing Type II diabetes is lower among regular coffee drinkers. There are even studies that link coffee to added endurance during physical workouts.

Read the rest of the article here.

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Daydream Signing

2005-09-23T23:32:00.000-05:00

I will be signing at Daydreams in Iowa City tomorrow (Sat. 9/24) with Chuck Satterlee (Of Bitter Souls, Smoke & Mirror) and Phil Hester (Green Arrow, Nightwing, Coffin) from 3-6pm. Hope to see a few of you there. Info below:

Daydream Comics:
112 E. College St., Iowa City, IA, 52240
Ph: (319) 354-6632

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Store Signing

2005-09-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah. I wrote that out loud. I will be at a store signing in Iowa this weekend with Of Bitter Souls scribe, Chuck Satterlee. I will post details tomorrow.

The Moonstone job is done! Wheww!

Now onto the page rate work. Arcana and Speakeasy work never stops. Which is a good thing.

You Dig?

Lost: Season 1

2005-09-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Almost every night since Saturday I have been watching episodes of Lost on DVD. Now to put this into perspective, I haven't really been drawn into a series like this for years. I was fanatical about The X-Files. Followed Babylon 5 for five years. Even taped Deep Spce Nine for a while. Now given all those instances, I never took to the shows right away. I slowly warmed up to them and caught up on background frome friends (until recently there were no full season DVD collections). I had to catch up old school, by watching re-runs.

A close friend of mine had been telling me to watch Lost for some time now. I had been slightly interested. But I figured I missed most of the first season, I probably can't figure out who's who anyways. But then, on Saturday, my lovely wife surprises me with the first season on DVD. I have to tell you, between you, me and the internet...I am a Lost junkie! I should have listened my buddy from day one whe he said, "This show is like crack, I'm tellin' you." And he wasn't really exagerating either!

Hopefully I can watch the last of the episodes I haven't seen before next Wednesday. It works out well because I can have the DVD playing while I am coloring, typesetting or whatever I have on th docket for the night. Like I've always said, "Artists get to listen to a lot of TV while they are working."

Now if you'll excuse me, I have episode 15 to listen to while I design a web page.

You Dig?

Everything is Under Control

2005-09-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

Getting some other projects to the front burner tonight. Which is actually working out to be quite a nice schedule of production. I have a constant flow of work to keep me busy most every night of the week. Good thing I have Tivo or I'd miss the premiere of Lost next Wednesday!

Closing out the Moonstone job tonight and tomorrow. It has been a long typesetting job for a short story collection. But at least it will finally be done.
Flatman is working on my pages for Of Bitter Souls #4 tonight. Jung and Ken are taking care of me. If you're a colorist you should really check 'em out.
After completing most of the flats I'll be tackling the Arcana series starting with the double page splash. Man, it's gonna be fun. Some really weird stuff going on from my good friend Keith Dallas. Should be a fun ride.
And going to do some page designs for a merger/overhaul of two existing web sites. Can't say right now but the new designs will rock. That is all I can say for now. Ooooo, spooky, I know.

So sit back, relax and know that I have everything under control...really.

You Dig?

Back to work, lazy man!

2005-09-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

Back to work for some quick revsions on the Moonstone project. Next is flatting on the Arcana series. Made the call to have the flats farmed out to our usual source. They really do good work. Worth every penny. So back to that salt mines for me but you have work too! Read the following:

There will be a quiz in the morning.

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No work tonight

2005-09-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

I have stuff that needs to be done. I just did a crash-and-burn on a couple projects last night. Worked til 4am this morning finishing the cover of Of Bitter Souls #6. I still have a couple spot I want to adjust but other than that it is done. Preview to come later.

Still struggling to shake this head cold. I think I am just going to hunker down on the bed and watch some more of my LOST DVD set my wifey was so nice to get me!

Hopefully I will get some much needed sleep before hammering away at the project list tomorrow.

You Dig?

Sick, sick like dog

2005-09-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

Fighting a head cold today. Definitely do not dig. Not gonna get much done today. Bad thing is that my plate is pretty full right now. I have to finish up one more project for Moonstone, gotta get back to my Arcana project and start on issue 4 of Of Bitter Souls. And now a head cold has the nerve to strike now?! If my head cold was a person I wish I could be kicking it's ass right now! Gonna recoupe tonight and hit it hard tomorrow. No major plans or events this weekend. Which is good 'cause I need to dig in and get some of this stuff done.

Picked up Y: The Last Man and Fell. Also bought the trade of Kade from Arcana. Read Y already. Good, good stuff. It had a 8 page preview of DMZ in the back. I am so there. I'd wait for a trade but when it comes to Brian Wood I dunno if I can.

Finally got my Losers Vol. 1 trade back from a friend. Shame the title is getting cancelled. We need more books like this on the shelf. I'll have to get the rest of the trades just to see where they went with it. I am really starting to see why people like Jim Lee say they don't have time for monthlies and buy a trade once in a while. I am getting there myself and if I get more paying gigs I will have to do just that!

Man, I love comics!

You Dig?

2005-09-01T16:55:00.000-05:00

Issue 3 of OBS is done! The weird break in our schedule and WWC all made it very difficult for us all to stay on deadline. But we did it. I was far more pleased with some of these pages than issue 1. I can't wait for them to hit the stands. Everyone on board has been stretching our creative wings.
Now for a much needed night off. Shhh. Don't tell my editor! :)

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OBS #5 Cover Peek

2005-08-25T10:02:00.000-05:00

Did a crash-and-burn on the cover for OBS issue 5 cover. You'll have to wait for Previews to see the full image. Don't want to give too much away here. What fun would that be? Scanned. cleaned up the line art, flatted and colored in a little under 7 hours. jammed out to Fear Factory's Demanufacture for the first half. Then changed over to reruns of X-Files. Amazingly enough just listening to tv keeps me awake into the wee hours. Changing gears tonight to finish the sample page for another publisher. More on that later, but I can say it's damn cool.

I know I didn't finish talking about whatelse went down in Chi-town but seems like everyone else has that covered by now. Read about my buddy Chuck playing poker with Jim Lee (amoungst other big time pros) at Newsarama.

More later. You Dig?

Fear Factory: Transgression

2005-08-24T15:31:00.000-05:00

The long awaited second disc (since the departure of "El Presidente") from Fear Factory dropped yesterday. And I have to say it is phenomenal! Not only does it have a Ben Templesmith cover but the band has really nailed down their sound back to the roots of Demanufacture and Obsolete. Some of their best work ever is on this disc. The dual disc has some extras including a link to a secret FF site with yet another unreleased track on top of the exclusive track available only from Best Buy. Really a great follow-up to the mediocre "Archetype". Check it!

Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth says it all. Read his full review here.

Experimental or not, "Transgression" is a far more varied album than "Archetype", but I don't see it alienating most FEAR FACTORY fans. And if it does? Makes no difference to me; I enjoyed the disc.

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Of Bitter Souls #1 Sold Out!

2005-08-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

It is official. Of Bitter Souls (colored by your truly) has sold out from Diamond Comic Distributors. Second printing will be going to press ASAP with a recolored cover. How cool it that? You can read the release here, here or here and especially here.

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WizardWolrd Chicago: FRI

2005-08-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

WWC was a great success. The Relative Comics Studio booth (where I spent a lot of time at and right next to our publisher Speakeasy Comics) sold Of Bitter Souls #1 very well on Friday and Saturday. I got to sign copies with Chuck Saterlee (writer) and Norm Breyfogle (artist). I also got to walk around and show my color samples to quite a few people. Some were blown away and others...well that we can save for tomorrow. In the meantime check out Bawidamann who was at the show. Outstanding art.

And here's a little trick. Don't wait around in autograph lines. Walk around with a camera instead. You guaranteed to get far more photos than signatures. I didn't get as many pics as I would have liked but hustling to find more work was much higher on my list. I did get to walk by J Scott Campbell and Phil Hester at the DC booth. And my good friend Chuck Saterlee was able to get into Gareb Shamus' private Poker Party. Jim Lee didn't win this year, but I am sure he'll be back with a vengeance 2006. I knew a had a Wake to be at in the morning so I called it a night early on Friday.

Tomorrow I will post more about what transpired on Saturday.

Due to preparing my portfolio for Chicago I am a little behind on my coloring chores. Have to get caught up this weekend.

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Post SDCC

2005-07-18T21:37:00.000-05:00

I did not attend SDCC this year but salivated over my monitor almost hourly hoping someone had not forgotten about us. The non-attendees. Biggest news for me was Darwyn Cooke being assigned to a new Spirit monthly. How cool is that!? Could anyone else been up to the task? No one comes to mind. Also happy to see Brian K. Vaughan (Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man) won and Eisner for Best Writer. Those two titles deserved the recognition. Tony Harris and James Jean won the art awards. And (without fail) Todd Klien won for Best Letterer. There needs to be two awards in that catagory: The "Todd Klien" Lettering Award and the Anyone-who-is-not-Todd-Klien Award. Just my opinion. I am allowed that much.

I am gearing up for Wizard World Chicago though. I will be attending there. Chuck Satterlee says I'll be signing at the Speakeasy booth at least Friday and Saturday. It will be a weird feeling for me. I am so psyched to be coloring Norm Breyfogle. The man is strutting some stuff no one ever got to see when he was working on Batman. Sign of a true artist, his style has grown and changed to something even better than before. Chuck's scripts continue to surprise me. He's really got some new perspectives on some archetypes you may have thought tired. Check out Smoke & Mirror and Of Bitter Souls. The flip book handed out and SDCC were gone by Saturday. Thanks to everyone who checked it out.

I am just over half way done with the colors for issue 3. Should be completed shortly. Speaking of which I need to get back to work.

See you all in Chicago!

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Of Bitter Souls #4 Cover

2005-07-02T22:45:00.000-05:00

OBS_04-Cover_C
Originally uploaded by planetkojo.

Almost final cover of the OBS fourth installment. Really happy with the way this one turned out. Since the details were so larger I didn't want to do the tradition cel shading I had been using on smaller panels. Softer/natural brushes used for flesh shading. Notice the second light source on the leather. Added some depth to the skeletal hands by shading some in full shadow. I think it works.

Of Bitter Souls #3 Cover

2005-07-02T22:29:00.000-05:00

Of Bitter Souls #3 Cover
Originally uploaded by planetkojo.

Been out of comission for a while. Need to get back to writing a bit here. To the right here you will see Of Bitter Souls #3 Cover. Still a work in progress. Clipped the background texture out of the line art. Still working on some highlights. Still need to add some highlight work to the blood. But overall a good solid piece.

Cover #4 is done and will post this weekend.

All Moved

2005-06-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

So I have been ultra busy latey. We just moved into a new house this past weekend. Lot more elbow room for everyone. Still more boxes to pick up from the old place but we are moved in. The family is in heaven.

Coloring schedule has been pushed back due to all the packing and loading. Getting back into regular schedule has been tough. Though the new Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth has made it easier to just slip on the headphones and just got to town. I finished the colors for the cover of Of Bitter Souls #3. Everyone seems to be pleased with the results. I'll post the covers here soon.

More later...

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Wyatt Earp Cover #2

2005-03-19T12:23:00.000-06:00

Wyatt Earp Cover #2
Originally uploaded by planetkojo.

Here is the cover for Wyatt Earp: Dodge City #2 going to press this week.

This was colored completely (even the line art was exported as a layer) in Expression 3. Its a fun vector based painting program similar to Painter. To date this is still one of my favorite pieces.

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Cisco Kid Collection

2005-03-19T10:55:00.000-06:00

CiscoKid TPB Cover_rev2
Originally uploaded by planetkojo.

For the forthcoming Cisco Kid collection from Moonstone Books. This piece was composed with Expression and Photoshop with custom brushes. The original version was done in more of a monochromatic sunset pallet. The blue night time variation was an editorial change from the publisher. Overall I am happy with the final product (especially the dust clouds around the horse's hooves. What do you think?

Long Hours

2005-03-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

Business has been picking up to say the least! Been working long hours on a major coloring project that will be a monthly series. Waiting to hear where it's home will be. Also been acting as "psuedo-editor" for a penciler friend working on a one-shot for Moonstone. Some of his best work ever. Soon as I have a release date I'll fill you in. And I did some new Moonstone logo designs for Belle Starr and Geronimo as well. We'll see if they like any of them. Should have a portfolio section up here soon. Gutterzombie only allows for four images. So instead of rotating images whenever I do new work I am going to try to assemble a running archive of previews here. Processing...

Only 25 days 'til Sin City! New trailer with all new footage here!

ICAA has the new Comics This Week list up, too.

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Sin City site is live!

2005-02-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

Yes! The Sin City movie site is live with all kinds of new goodies! I am so there on April 1st!

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Kirkman Profiled

2005-02-17T08:41:00.000-06:00

Lexington Ledger talks with Robert "Walking Dead" Kirkman about his rise in the comics industry. Have I told you before that I love the Walking Dead?

[link via Thought Balloons]

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Brubaker Exclusive to Marvel

2005-02-08T08:42:00.000-06:00

I am sure you all have heard the news. Ed Brubaker is exclusive to Marvel. While I am sure Rucka will carry the title for the time being. Unfortunately, I think this is the nail in the coffin of Gotham Central. And with Michael Lark gone as well who knows if the original (and highly underated) title will survive. Gothsm Central was doing some great stuff for the genre. Let's hope DC can savage this essential reading.

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EA buying UbiSoft

2005-02-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

I confess. I am a game junkie. Though I haven't been distracted like others by Halo 2 I do spend some time every week gamin'. UbiSoft produces some of my all-time favorites like Ghost Recon, Myst, Uru. So when I read that EA was buying out UbiSoft stock the geek gamer in me found it interesting enough to post. Hopefully I am not the only one who finds this stuff exciting. But then again I might be a complete geek.

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Missed Chance to Meet Eisner

2005-01-12T15:43:00.000-06:00

This week's I Think I Can Manage--Whither Will Eisner? Column by Steven Bates and a conversation with Moonstone's Joe Gentile brought to mind a small personal Eisner moment. Albeit a minor one at that. I attended a two-day comic art seminar in Savannah, GA many, many moons ago. Some of the artists teaching classes where Mike Mignola, Scott McCloud, Cully Hamner, George Pratt, Rebecca Guay, Lurene Haines, Brian Stelfreeze and the immortal Will Eisner. After a panel discussion with all the artists everyone gathered around thier favorites to have artist-to-artist conversations and critiques. I had to get to my class with Rebecca Guay but Will Eisner remained finishing a critique with a student. Then he was standing alone. I had my chance (and was prodded by a friend) to talk to the legend. Eisner appeared to be very inviting and ready to talk to the next artist who walked up. But alas, fear got the better of me and I scurried off to class. Why I stopped that day I can't really say. I know I should have just bit the bullet. But it is a moment I have regretted ever since. I knew his influence on the art form was immense. And would have cherished a one-on-one dialog with the creator of the graphic novel. I had introduced myself to other professionals that weekend without pause. So why the cold feet? I'll never know.

His legacy will live on for generations. His books will immortalize his name. And his influence will remain immeasurable. Rest in peace, Mr. Eisner. Maybe we'll have that conversation one day.

* * *

Now...on to some lighter fair. The New City has an article entitled Cartoon Network - Chicago's next generation of graphic novelists from Tom Lynch.

Newsarama posted and interview with Kazu Kibuishi:
FLIGHT v2 HITS IN MARCH - A LOOK INSIDE by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

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Coloring and Interviews and Writing...Oh My!

2005-01-06T17:10:00.000-06:00

This morning, turned in a second version of a color Phantom cover for Moonstone. Minor adjustments. Edited and posted an interview with Frederik Hautain for ICAA. Writing up the review of Broken Frontier for tomorrow. But other than I have nothing to do.

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Frank Miller & Jim Lee Project!

2005-01-05T17:01:00.000-06:00

Jim Lee posts on his blog that he will be working with Frank Miller on this Summer's All-Star Batman & Robin title. Though the title words seem to have a slight aroma of cheese about them, creators will be able to play with the characters without following continuity. Frank Miller writing. Jim Lee art. Sign me up!!!

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Will Eisner 1917-2005

2005-01-04T16:59:00.000-06:00

I simply do not have the words to describe the shadow this will cast on the comic industry. Eisner and his work has touched so many of us. So many others have written about him today. Mine will make little impact in comparison.

On this sad day remember, his work will live on. The Eisner name will always remain on the shelves. Enjoy his work and turn others on to his body of work. I am sure that is what he would want us all to do.

New Year...New Deadlines

2005-01-03T16:43:00.000-06:00

2005 is upon us and that means a whole new set of deadlines to blow. I have been seriously deliquent on some projects while completing others slightly ahead of schedule. Coloring changes are due by Wednesday and an interview and review are due by the end of the week. As well as a extensive form for the non-profit site. I have really got my work cut out for me. Not to mention the kids are sick. Which as any of you with children know doesn't do a thing for your consentration. Contiued tension at work only adds to the strain.

But as any good American does I am going to try to abide by my New Years resolutions. Get my home improvements done. Columns and reviews will be on time and weekly. Coloring will be done on time (usually do). And I will do my best to make a "daily" post here. Hopefully I won't have to break any of these til July at the earliest!

I hope everyone had a great couple of holiday breaks (unfortunately underscored by tragic world events). If anything these recent events made me more thankful that in years past. Never take for granted any of the gifts given to you.

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McFarlane files Bankruptcy

2004-12-18T09:49:00.000-06:00

"Todd McFarlane Productions Inc. of suburban Tempe filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court."

You never want to see this happen to anyone on the comics industry. Regardless of you own personal feelings. It's unfortunate to see this happening in the same year we lost CrossGen. 2004 is turning out to be a dark year in comics indeed.

"Dimebag" Killed On Stage

2004-12-10T09:25:00.000-06:00

This just makes an already horrible week that much worst. "Dimebag" Darrel (Damageplan, Pantera) shot and killed on stage in Ohio. He was scheduled to be on the radio this morning and Damageplan was to play a show at the House of Blues Chicago tonight. Dimebag is one of my favorite metal guitarist of all-time. My heart and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.

I defintely do not dig.

Comic Comments

2004-12-06T16:26:00.000-06:00

Y: The Last Man #29 and Volume 4: Safeword
Vaughan and Guerra are masters of the cliffhanger. Almost every issue drops a bomb on the last page making the 30 day wait just hell. This is how monthlies should be written. The title is really designed to be read monthly but I recommend reading the four collections then switching over to the monthlies. After reading the trades you will not be able to wait the agonizing months until the next collection is published.

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'Tis the Season

2004-12-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

This weekend we got the Christmas tree up. Yeah! Now I just have to work on the outside lights. Preparations for Christmas are going well. Most the shopping is done. Here's a hint, start buying a few things here and there starting in September. Much easier.

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Question

2004-11-13T20:49:00.000-06:00

What is "tat" and where can I get it?

Comic Comments

2004-11-08T13:17:00.000-06:00

Y: The Last Man #28
One of the best books on the shelf. Brian K. Vaughan is a talented writer who's found several new concepts for books to prove that you can do anything in comics. Last issue actually made my heart race by the last page. What a cliffhanger! For those of you who have read the book already (or read me babbling about it before), wouldn't Ryan Reynolds be perfect to play Yorick?

DEMO #11
It's almost over. The 12-issue series is a great experiment. Stand-alone issues and stories. Great writing. Great art. Script collection due January. Expect the trade shortly there after. But it will not include the sketchbook material, commentary and mix tape lists from each creator or the "colorful" letters. Get the single issues. It's worth it.

B.P.R.D. #1
A distinct turn in direction for this book but keeps it's roots deep in Hellboy mythos. B.P.R.D. is horror comics as they should be. Last series Plague of Frogs and now this are finally filling in the foggy background of Abe Sapien, a long-time strong secondary character in the Hellboy series. Intriguing ghost story feeds you into the storyline and I like guy Davis' art. Dave Stewart's coloring makes the book even more appealing. Man, and I a Hellboy junkie!

Daisy Kutter #3
Picking up a lot of steam from a very slow start. The first two issues, while beautiful and engaging, were a LOT of set up. There is a fully realized world to Daisy lives in that is just gorgeous. Last issue is due out next month and I already want more. Damn.

Harry Johnson #2
So bad I couldn't even finish reading it. Yeah...it was that bad.

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Dick Tracy registered to vote?

2004-10-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

Did you know Dick Tracy is a registered voter in Defiance, Ohio?!? Oh, and Mary Poppins, Micheal Jordan and George Foreman too!

Click here to read what this knucklehead did...

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Dr. Swan is gone.

2004-10-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

The passing of Christopher Reeve has shocked and saddened a great number of people. From those entrenched in the comic industry to Hollywood to mainstream news and even fan sites. Others have posted their own releases as well. I am sure there are too many to name/link.

This one, at The Beat, by far struck home the hardest.

This one man was a link between news sources, entertainment, political discussion (he was mentioned in Friday night's debate), scientific research and innumerable other interests. He has touched each of us at least once through his craft or his fight to help others like him. In the end, he was more like his most famous on-screen role than any of us could have imagined. He will be missed.

Today we are all saddened.
Today we are all at a loss.
Today we are all comic book geeks.

Lions, Tigers & Bears

2004-10-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

Lions, Tigers & Bears looks really good. Coming Winter 2005. Damn.

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BKV.TV is on the Air!

2004-10-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

Writer Brian K. Vaughan delves into the seedy underworld of the blogosphere. Vaughan is an outstanding writer garnering accolades for Ex Machina (co-created with Tony Harris) and Y: The Last Man(co-created with Pia Guerra) in Entertainment Weekly and Wizard. He has written some of the most imaginative and clever work on the shelves today. My first taste of his work was with artist Scott McDaniel on the Batman (pre-Jim Lee) Matches Malone storyline. Really a great writer at the top of his game. If you haven't read anything by him (which would be a difficult task) try something from his credits. You will not be disappointed.

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[ Link via The Beat (thanx, Heidi!) ]

Banned Book Week Ends

2004-10-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

Sept.25–Oct.2
But here's an interesting rundown of a selection of banned books and the reasons, dates and locations of their challenges. Of course there are the classics; To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn. But Stephen King? Where's Waldo? Read on...

[ Link via Megatokyo (Thanx, Fred!) ]

For more info on Banned Book Week: American Library Association

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Egg Rolls & PopTarts™

2004-09-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

PULL LIST 9.22.04:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conan #8 $2.99
You have to check this sure-to-be award winner. Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord, Dave Stewart. It's all good! Gorgeous book!

Walking Dead #11 (Mature Readers) $2.95
A great character drama disguised as a zombie comic. This is the goods realityTV only wished it could get. This is Kirkman at his best.

Daisy Kutter #2 (Of 4) $3.99
From Bolt City to Copper and now Daisy Kutter. This Flight Vol. 1 contributor is making a name for himself in the print world of comics. The first issue was a lot of set up. Action should commence with this week's release. Looking forward to this one.

Devil May Cry #3 $3.95
I really don't know why I am still getting this book. I have never played the games or even really get the story. As an artist, I think I am getting it merely for Pat Lee's beautifully "painted" art. Another beautiful book.

Comics Buyers Guide Nov 04 #1598 $5.99
For years I only read friend's copies of CBG due to the cover price of it's weekly tabloid format. The content was always outstanding. Peter David's But I Digress is a fun read. And Heidi MacDonald's Hey Kid's Comics is just plain good journalism. But CBG changed over to a monthly magazine format just recently. That's all i needed to know. I was onbaord and adding it to my Pull List as soon as I saw it in Previews!

RECOMMENED:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NYC Mech #5 (Mature Readers) $2.95
I passed on this one the first couple issues. But after seeing some of Andy MacDonald's sketches at Wizard Wolrd Chicago I decided to give it another look. Check the site and 5-page preview.

Digital Webbing Presents #18 $2.95
This title I picked up for the first 12 or so. DWP is a nicely packaged showcase of talent. A load of 8-page stories came across like a book of short stories. Great for those with short attention spans.

Harry Johnson #1 (Of 2) (Mature Readers) $2.95
Been waiting for this one for a long time. Seen the great web site too! With ourstanding art and a promising story I think fans will be wanting more after the second (and last) issue hits the stands.

Remains #5 (Mature Readers) $3.99
Another title I was buying for the first three issues. I love Keron Dwyer's art. The Steve Niles story was good. Moved along well enough. But I didn't think there was enough meat (no pun intended) to the monthly segment to justify IDW's excessive cover price of $3.99. If price is no object to you try it out.

Now you're thinking, 'Egg Rolls & PopTarts™'? Yeah. That's my lunch and breakfast respectively. Just in case you needed to know.

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Fear Factory/Ben Templesmith Collaborate

2004-09-21T12:44:00.000-05:00

Fear Factory/Ben Templesmith Collaborate for a Maxi-Single/DVD project due out November 16th! Another thing I have to get! Damn!

Paraphenalia

2004-09-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

Like my fellow bloggers, yesterday, real world concerns made it difficult to post yesterday. But to make up for it here I have posted what was going to be yesterday's posts and I'll be back later today with Tuesday's edition.

Dean Phillips of Krypton Comics has comments on the FCBD '05. I don't know if I would go so far as to say he was being pessimistic, but he certainly has a poor outlook. I hope he's wrong.

Cast your ballot for the 2004 Eagle Awards at Silver Bullet Comics.

Comic Book Digest. I have got to get me one of these!

Mr. Johnston has the dirt on a little of everything.

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Miscellaneous

2004-09-17T14:51:00.000-05:00

• Rich Johnston's Lying in the Gutters is becoming one of my daily reads.
• Comic Book Idol Sketchbook is available at the CBR Store in signed and regualr editions.

Reading
• Walking Dead #10 This book is my personal pick for Best Series of 2004.
• Red was kind of a hidden treasure. Not what you'd expect from Warren Ellis.
• Trigun Maximum is an intriguing story. I am a very passive manga reader but this one has got me hooked.

'Til Monday...You Dig?

Sin City Footage

2004-09-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Moviebox has a good mini-site and the link to the footage I have been dying to see since Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez announced it at San Diego Con. But if that's not you bag at least try the photo gallery. You see most of the goods there too.

Movie-List has the actual MP4 (Quicktime 6 req'd). You need a decent connection (i.e. DSL) for this 54MB MP4 compilation of footage for the film due out 2005. Get it before they take it down again.

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Even More Fund...Even Bigger

2004-09-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

Public call for help saves CBLDF fund raiser. You go, SkyDog!

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Back to Tellos!

2004-09-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

A three-issue anthology return to the Dezago/Wieringo world of Tellos in October!

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Moving Blows...Big Time

2004-09-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been out of here for a while. We just finished a big move into a house. I took last week off work and remodeled the house we are moving into while we packed the other one. We are no longer renters, which is good. Now, surrounded in a sea of boxes and furniture, we are left asking 'where-do-we-start'. Anyone who has moving experience will know exactly what I am talking about. As we start unpacking and sorting (and burning if necessary) all our junk I will try to keep you all updated mixed in with my usual commentary.

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The Good, the Bad @ WWC

2004-08-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite sites MediaSharx (formerly Zentertainment) has Scott Cederlund's report from the WWC. While I don't agree with all the points he makes in this "The Good, the Bad" review he seems to have covered the grounds of the Con very well. His notes about Bendis, Mack and Vaughn are right on the money. I agree with him that there was no breakout book like SDC (i.e. Bone One-Vol. and Flight) but there was the announcement of the Alex Ross/Jim Lee project "Justice" and the new J. Scott Campbell title "WildSiderz".

DWP Chicago-Con Photos

2004-08-18T12:12:00.000-05:00

Now with fewer costumes!

DWP has some photos (and a few more) from Artist Alley at Wizard World Chicago. Now add these with the photos from the Beat and CBR and you feel like you actually there! Well...maybe not but it will help those of you who could not make it. Next year, guys.

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It's still "Chicago-Con" no matter what anyone else says

2004-08-17T23:30:00.000-05:00

I took my boys up to the Con for a bit on Sunday. Not the best of days since everyone is in a hurry to break down their displays and go home. But it has been my annual tradition to torture my children through at least three hours of the Con. I talked with Jason Asala and his book Nantucket Brown Roasters. Weird...but good. All around good guy too. Also saw more than my fair share of costumes (could really do without seeing those...especially with my kids). The aisles seemed wider this year which made things a bit more comfortable. It really is getting better and better every year. Maybe next year I'll plan a little more in advance and take a color portfolio to show around. We'll see. If you missed it here's your chance to at least see some of the people at Chicago-Con this year (Yes, I know I called it Chicago-Con...old habits die hard):

CBR/Chicago-Con Photos-Friday
CBR/Chicago-Con Photos-Saturday
CBR/Chicago-Con Photos-Sunday

Here's the full rundown of all the CBR/Newsarama Reports

The Beat's Chicago-Con Photos
The Beat's Chicago-Con Photos

Non-sequitor quote:
"Want some advice? Classes, nothing before 11. Beer it's your best friend. Do we have a car? No? Someone in your Hall will. Make friends with them on the first day."
- Jeremy Piven (Droz), PCU

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Pimp, Space & Dick

2004-07-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

James Sime is running a virtual convention...check out!

The new creative team of Rick Remender and Tony "Walking Dead" Moore are working on Fear Agent for 2005. Good preview art and sketchbook amterial.

Six Hawaiian Dick: Last Resort #2 preview pages are posted at CBR.

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2004-07-11T00:58:00.000-05:00

Quote from Rob Zombie:

"You can literally do anything in comics," he said. "In a movie you're limited by what's possible and what you can afford. In comics you can come up with the idea to have a spaceship piloted by giant pirate robot that fights space babes on flying motorcycles over a pterodactyl landscape, and it's no problem."

Full MTV Article >

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Unplugged

2004-07-05T22:56:00.000-05:00

Saturday was Guy Day. We dropped off my wife at the Mall and I got to take all three of my boys to the comicshop for Free Comic Book Day! The boys had a blast. One was able to pick out toys from around corners and hide on the opposite side of the tshirt rack sufficiently enough to cause me panic. The youngest wanted only to be held and high enough to see the books on the top shelf. God forbid I set him down on ground level. An the eldest wanted only Pokemon cards while trying to assist me in keeping "sneaky man" away from the gumball machines. Barring one little crying fit (status quo for those of you with kids) the boys had a great time! Seeing them run around and look at the books and merchandise with the same excitement that I had was very fulfilling. The owner was especially generous with the comics for the boys giving them not one comic but a whole bag of All Ages books! Whata good guy!

But I also picked up True Story, Swear to God: 100 Stories from Tom Beland. I could not read my FCBD comics until I was finished with this book. One of my Top 10 picks for 2004. This book is truely amazing. Beland touches on everyday life and points out the humous aspects that we all should be laughing about. Mixed with sincerety and heartwarming tales of romance, family and loss, 100 Stories in not to be missed!

This was also the weekend of the County Fair. Mmmm...food stands, rides, petting zoo, pony rides, the works! We stpend the day there with family. The whole crew of us digging in on sliced beef sandwhiches and greasy curly fries. I wished I could have taken a picture of my vegetarian brother standing in line at a steak stand (mounted steer horns and all for decor). But he was only ordering a monster helping of sauteed mushrooms. Watching the kids on the rides is the most fun. Their little faces all flushed with happiness jumping around in inflatable bouncy things and knowing that they all will be sleeping through the night!

I have a fear of heights though. But I wittled it back a few notched by doing the impossible. Yes, I saw it looming there in the distance, taunting me. But as we move ever one ride closer my bravado strengthened. Today would be the day. I would climb the Rock Wall. My brother and I took each side of the monster and I treid not to think about the height or my fear as the attendent strapped me in the harness and told me how to get down (of which I heard absolutely nothing). I jumped right into the climb not thinking or pacing. At the half way point I just about dropped off. My fear getting the best of me. But I did continue. About three quarters up I debated dropping again. But I saw my wife at the bottom cheering me on. Instant Bravado! I looked up again and saw only three rocks stood between me and ringing the bell at the top. After holding position for a few moments I struggled up the last three handholds, rang the bell and defeated a portion of my fear. Then I had absolutely no idea what to do. I looked down and the attendent was repeating his earlier instructions. I leaned back holding the cable and after all that, after defeating the monster with my wife looking on...I fell flat on my rear end! Luckily no one pointed it out. And my wife and family congratulated me. As the attendent removed the harness he asked if I'd like to try one of the harder climbs. With my arms throbbing in pain and cramps immenent in my feet I passed on the free second climb. It was just a nice reward knowing I could have done it again.

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Survived the Week

2004-06-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I survived the work week almost single handedly. Stressed out. Worn out. And generally freaking tired I came home after scheduling new prints for a publisher/retailer and dropping off page inserts for a misprinted book and picking up a check for color work. With very little time to look around this week I just picked up what was in my pull-box: Conan and Silencers (plus this month's Previews of course).

I thought I had almost conditioned myself to the point where I could not go to sleep before 1am. Almost. While I did turn the computer on it only served as a light for page turning the Previews catalog. And then it happened. Somewhere after Dark Horse I started nodding off. I'd shake it off. A quick jiggle of the noggin and I tried going at it again. I think I got through DC and most of Image before my chin hit my chest again. That was enough. I went to bed at 10:30. 10:30!? I guess I'm getting old. That or I need to stop eating so many Pop-tarts and Oreos for Lunch.

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Computer Hopping

2004-06-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Covering for the Art Director at work who is on the East Coast for training. So I am hopping between 3 computers. More posts later.

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Reading

2004-06-17T00:29:00.000-05:00

Just read the first trade of Y: The Last Man. Yeah, I know. A little late coming around to this title. This actually came recomended from a friend. Guess the tables have turned. For the first two years of publication I was pushing Transmetropolitan on everyone who would listen. But that's another story.

YtLM is an awesome book. I wish I would have been up on this from the get go. But as with Fables I think YtLM works better in complete story arcs (trades). Monthly probably would have held my attention. But I think I would have eventually grown agitated with only 22 pages per month. The first YtLM trade covers the first 5 issues. Let me tell you so much happens in the span for 5 issues that it is well worth the $12.95 cover price. If you haven't tried YtLM give the first trade a whirl. You will not be disappointed. This is a shining example of what comics can be. Now if only more people could see it through all the capes and spandex.

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Repairs and some cool new stuff!

2004-06-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

Been getting busy (again). Working on a house and getting ready to leave monthly rent behind. House is in dire need of repairs. It will be nice when it done. Not a dream home but a home.

Near Mint Heroes has an exclusive Couriers 3 image from Brian Wood. Have to check that out!

CBR has a 14-page preview of the new Daisy Kutter comic. Looks awesome. Added this to my pull list when I saw it in Previews.

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Back to Business

2004-06-12T00:34:00.001-05:00

Finally cleared out all Freelance work. Now I can focus on more important things.

I picked up quite a few things today at the comic shop but have not read anything yet. I will be adding some links and other info to this page this weekend and review this week's stash shortly thereafter. Some new some old. But a good mix regardless.

Now I can relax for a bit and catch up on all the movies I've missed (and some video games too).

Read: Interview with The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman
Watch: Samurai Jack
Listen: Slipknot: Vol.3
Play: Thief: Deadly Shadows

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Still Here

2004-06-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

Finishing a coloring job for Wednesday deadline. Regular blogging to return Thursday.

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Really Early or Very Late?

2004-06-06T01:29:00.000-05:00

I read Love Fights #1 and I have to say I am intrigued. Andi Watson creates some unusual and interesting characters that you can identify with. I think I will be getting the rest of the series. And I swore off the superhero books months ago! Damn it! I suppose this could be an exception.

No mention of comics on EW's Must List this week :( But there was a write up on Archie characters being used on new trendy tshirts that are all the rage with some of the younger up and coming stars.

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