TEUTON Vol. 2, pages 67-71

The Komtur is leaving a bloody trail across the Lithuanian wilderness in his search for Perkunas' Axe. Even after the devastating ambush on the French legion, the fabled weapon eludes his grasp. As it turns out, the Axe was seized at Constantine's Crossing, a distant trading post on the borderlands (pages 54-66). Now in the hands of Maximillian, a Teutonic Knight in charge of the trading post who is unaware of the weapons heritage, it is only a matter of time before the Axe is discovered--but by whom?

Meanwhile, Perkunas is looking for answers. Hot on the heels of his battle with his godling Nephews (pages 46-51), Perkunas sees the web of conspiracy surrounding him. Now he plans to deal with those who would supplant him, starting with Velinas.

 

FREDCAST!

The week before Free Comic Book Day and TCAF, I joined Fearless Fred, Phil McClorey, and Brian Evinou for a group discussion about comics: the work we do, our perspectives of the industry, etc.

Have a listen here.

Despite being surrounded by friends, the fact we were recording had me nervous. After shooting the breeze for an hour in the studio, Phil and Brian and I all wished we could go back and tweak our words much like we would when we write.

Not that we said anything wrong--except for me, because I apparently am prepared to "step on throats".

About that: speaking for myself, the more I learn about working in comics the more fascinated and paranoid I become. Fascinated because of all that's involved with being a creator; marketing yourself and your book while pursuing your ambitions. And also paranoid that by saying or doing the wrong thing, a door will be closed to you, opportunities will go to someone else, or you'll be stonewalled by your peers.

So it was after the recording I found myself resisting the urge to write a preemptive blog clarifying any statements I made, answering questions no one asked, rebuffing arguments no one was making. Shit got pretty real in my head for like, five hours. I won't bother doing that now.

I will say this though: it's tough freelancing. Trying to support a family on an indie artist's income is even tougher, namely because indie artists usually don't have incomes (from comics anyway). You don't get anywhere without working hard, and even when you're working your hardest, you secretly pray for a break. If you're lucky, you make friends who share your plight, and maybe they'll hold open a door for you when the time comes. Still and all, the process is often intimidating and sometimes maddening. As a relative newcomer, I feel my grasp on most of these matters is infantile. I'm still learning so much. Like the kid on the playground, I want to be accepted by the guys I look up to. I want to work streadily because my art is in demand.

So listen to the podcast. It's harmless fun. If you think I'm a dick like I feared people would, I welcome you to discuss it with me here in the comments.

TEUTON Vol.2, pages 54-66

Here it is. The whole bloody affair, plus a surprising twist!

    

  

  

In a earlier post I said I really wanted to push myself when drawing the Komtur's ambush at the bridge, and I certainly have. Next week I may see nothing but flaws that need improving, but for now I'm proud to see this whole set piece completed and told to the best of my current ability.


Hope you enjoyed reading it all at once!

TEUTON Vol.2 , pages 60-61

The Komtur draws near to his prize, the Axe of Perkunas! Working in service of Maras, the Goddess of Death, he'll soon be free of her bidding once he delivers the Axe into her hands. One thing stands in his way--the French Duke Philippe!

The Chef Recommends...

It's that day of the week--new comic book day. There's lot of good stuff in the stores, but I want to share with anyone reading some great material you won't likely find at your local comic shop.

This is a post I've been meaning to do for quite a while. By that I mean recommending indie comics made by my peers that I truly enjoy. There's lots of cool stuff I've been exposed to, and here is some of it in no particular order...

Brian Evinou
brianevinou.com
brianevinou.blogspot.com

Brian's a buddy, which pleases me because his stuff is so fun to read. His characters are lively and expressive and he really knows how to spin a yarn. 

Like Don River, a familiar police procedural with a killer twist. Or Fight Song, a series of imaginative epic brawls for the sake of imaginative epic brawls! Brian's latest, Sassy Mavericks, is shaping up to be a great deal of fun too, and that's a huge part of why I enjoy his work--Brian's love of what he's doing is so evident on every page.

The Misadventures of Mal & Lot 
POWIE Studios 
powiestudios.com 

I was delighted by this series from the moment I saw the cover. It's fun and light hearted with artwork that perfectly executes the writing. I really admire how fluidly this neat adventure is told. The story is about a 10 year old boy who makes friends with a mischievous alien after being lost in space. Chris Leung (writer) and Marvin Sianipar (artist) are two of the nicest guys I've met at a comic show and their good natures are reflected in their work. The first two books deserve to be read and shared. It will awaken the kid in you.

Stranger
D.A. Bishop
stranger.renerd.com

This is one I've come across just recently and I'm intrigued to see where it goes. For starters, it's a zombie story where the main character isn't meant to be a hero. Bishop's intent is to follow one unassuming man as he stumbles into trouble and struggles to find his way out. Heroes and leaders may come and go against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, but Stranger instead focuses on the man who'd rather be left in the background. Bishop, a writer first, is teaching himself to be a better artist as he goes along writing. That isn't to say this book decently drawn (it is), but I really respect creators who work hard to learn new skill sets just to see their stories told.

Fauntkin
Christopher Yaoza
yaozagraphics.com
fauntkin.wordpress.com


I relate to Chris in a lot of ways. Apart from the fact we attended Ty Templeton's Boot Camp at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop at the same time, I've also had a pet project I've started and stopped several times. Where we differ is followed through with his, and that would be Fauntkin, an odyssey about a boy android and his pet rabbit. It's sweet and full of wonder, and it demands to be finished.




So give these a try. 
Support indie talent. 
Walk on the wild side, and so forth. 
You'll be glad to did!

WRITING 101 With RICKY

Writing 101 is a super fun segment where new origins for popular characters are drawn up on the fly. The shorts are put together by Ricky Lima, interviewer and host of Flavourful Reviews, whose illustrations and their execution for this bit are simply bang on. I love it.

Granted, my creative cohort, Fearless Fred, does all the heavy lifting in this short (my contribution was kindly left out due to my filthy language and poor narrative abilities), but it was great fun hamming it up with those boys.

For those unaware, Ricky is an incredibly talented dude. Apart from writing and cartooning, he composes killer music that's a serious trip to listen to. The other day I was penciling a page while listening to his Soundcloud page.

What's more, he's composed the theme song to Black Church, the exciting comic book/video game project created by the phenomenal Andy Belanger. The theme song accompanies the 8-bit video game adaptation of the comic--it's rare for that many awesome things to be packed into a single sentence like that.

Do yourself a huge favour and check out all the links above!

Sketches & Roughs

We had a guy in painting the house this week, so lots of my stuff was shuffled around to make way. In the process of tidying up boxes of supplies, instruments, and papers, many old drawings surfaced. I thought to share them. Some are fairly recent and others not so much. Enjoy!

 

 

R.I.P. Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak has passed away and that's awfully sad. His most famous work, Where The Wild Things Are, impacted me greatly--as it has most certainly shaped us all.

So it is with that in mind that I say, while his passing regrettable, the gift of his stories will remain with us. Now I can reflect on why his work mattered so much to me.

The book taught me that children are as complex as adults. They struggle with many of the same feelings we do, but lack the vocabulary and rationality to process them all. Consequently, children builds worlds, characters, and narratives to traverse the landscape of their emotions.

How beautiful is that? I see it every day in my girl and I do my best to nurture it.

That's how Sendak's book has shaped my life: it swept me away as a boy, and helped me to understand it as a man. Now I try to continue that cycle with my own child.

Case in point, the painting above hangs in my daughter's bedroom. She is my Wild Thing. I want her to discover the same sense of dreamlike wonderment I feel to this day when I revisit Sendak's book.

‎'Please don't go. We'll eat you up. We love you so.'

HORROR In The WEST

Exciting news in the world of Indie comics!

A little while ago I contributed artwork to a exciting comic anthology called Horror In The West. The book has been long in the works and was created and edited by Phil McClorey. He's the writer of many cool horror shorts for his own imprint, Furious Comics. You can read my creative history with Phil here. 

I can honestly tell you the book is going to be killer. I'm super excited about it. The video lays out the skinny pretty well, but in case you couldn't commit to watching a two minute video, I'll spell it out here:

Horror In The West is cadre of frightful horror tales that take place in the old West.  The anthology is creator owned and independent, and is made by some of the baddest and raddest indie talents around: Sam Agro, Jason Copland, Dan Simon, Chris McQuaid, Brian Evinou, Jeff McComsey, Fred Kennedy, and many more!

For my own part, I was only able to contribute a pin-up, although I would have loved to spin my own yarn. Nevertheless, I did craft a story for the devilish saloon girl illustrated below. 

My initial drafts all featured the femme fatale mostly nude. For obvious reasons, Phil requested that she be clothed in the final draft. The character, whom I don't yet have a name for, was inspired by another character I once thought up. Nicknamed "The Coyote Queen", she was a desert nymph that seduced travelers with her carnal beauty and wild spirit before stealing their souls. 

I still really like that idea, but I thought it would feel out of context in the anthology. So I took the essence of this girl that only exists in my mind and gave her a distinctive Western aesthetic. Now you can have a look at my process:

 Prints of my pin-up will be offered to those who make a pledge of $35! 

They'll be signed by Yours Truly and may come with extra sketch, if that sweetens the deal!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

 

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY IS UPON US!

 Here are my final three sketch covers that will be up for grabs today at Stadium Comics. These were certainly fun to do, but I was worried I wouldn't finish them in time as they were sprinkled atop my already heavy workload. 

I'm very excited for today. I'm waiting for my partner in crime, Fearless Fred Kennedy, to roll into town and then it's off to the races!

To all my pals at TCAF, The Comic Book Lounge, Image Collections, I say: Have an excellent day, my friends! I look forward to seeing all the awesome sketches you'll no doubt be doing today plastered on the interwebs!

To all you casual readers, the innocently curious, and the closeted  comic lover, I encourage you all to visit your nearest comic retailer and support your local artists!

So long!

More Happenings!

Another update on some more goings-on!

The Wizard World Comic-Con is now several weeks behind us, but my pal Ricky Lima of Flavourful Sauce recently posted a video of me drawing that he filmed at the show. The footage now serves as the intro for his web series, Flavourful Reviews. See me in action...

In other news, my friend and former collaborator Marc Morgernstern is trying to remake his indie horror feature, The Vampire Conspiracy. My very first paid comic gig was adapting Marc's movie into a graphic novel--no easy task for a rookie comic artist with virtually no prior experience. Trial by fire, children.

I always felt the film has potential beyond its shoestring budget, so I'm eager to see what Marc does a second time around. I already dig the first change; the film's excellent new title: BLOOD GAME.

The project is on Indiegogo and it can use your support. Learn all about it here! By way of helping Marc promote his exciting project, he's giving away free copies of our graphic novel The Vampire Conspiracy on Free Comic Book Day!

Happenings

PODCAST

Yesterday I joined friends and fellow indie creators Phil McClorey and Brian Evinou for a round table discussion on the plight of the independent comic creator. Moderated by Fearless Fred Kennedy, the recorded rap session will be available on Fearless' FREDCAST! in a week or so.

Fred's podcasts are worth checking out, as they feature an amalgam of great Canadian artists and writers.

I enjoyed my time and did my very best not to mumble incoherently about Batman. Personally, I think I failed to properly relate my thoughts and experiences as a relative newcomer to the comics world. I'll write more about that some other time.


FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

Saturday, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day. To mark the occasion, Stadium Comics is having a tremendous sale, a slew of fantastic guests (including myself), and of course free comics. From what I hear, Stadium Comics has the biggest FCBD event in the GTA. Read all the details here.



Featured here are two of five exclusive sketch covers I illustrated. They'll be raffled away, along with many others, to a few lucky customers who come join the fun. Have a peek at the other amazing sketch covers up for grabs here.

Not to be outdone, my good friends at The Comic Book Lounge are also celebrating FCBD with fun shenanigans of their own.

If you can't make it to Brampton, then I encourage you to visit The Toronto Cartoonists Workshop gang, as well as sexy exciting guests like Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, Mike Del Mundo, Gibson Quarter, and more!