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!

TEUTON Issue Two

There's no denying it's been a very long time since my last update. Truth be told, so much time has passed that I almost forgot I started this blog. That being said, it's high time I reveal what I've been up to!

What now feels like an eternity ago I began my career in comics with the self-published book, The Vampire Conspiracy. Along with writer/director Marc Morgenstern, we launched the 120+ page OGN at the 2009 Toronto Fan Expo. What a time that was! Reaching that point was extremely important for me. Illustrating the book took about nine months, and during that period there were many sleepless nights where completion seemed impossible, my will to finish waned, and the idea of being a professional artist seemed unrealistic. Secretly I felt inadequate for the task at hand and would often be paralyzed in fear before a blank page. Nights would go by without much being done because of all that, and ever present was the sound of a ticking clock. Indeed, before landing the gig on TVC, I had only ever completed eight sequential pages one long ago summer. Suddenly I was charged with completing a staggering one hundred twenty pages--plus a cover! Was I up to the task? Well, yes, as it turned out, despite my troubling neuroses.

Like I said, completing the book was a big step for me personally. It takes a lot of discipline to finish any project and at that point I lacked any discipline whatsoever. Consequently, the book garnered some attention from other indie creators at my level of skill and experience--people just taking a stab at telling stories in comics with ambitions of moving on to grander things. I was lucky enough to meet many wonderful writers and artists, some of whom I've even had the privilege of working with. Chief among them are McHozer Comics, an indie imprint based in Mississauga for which I did an uncompleted short story titled To Whom It May Concern. I've also done work for a talented writer by the name of Phil McClorey who spins his own brand of pulpy horror with his imprint Furious Comics. My collaboration with Phil can be read in his Book of Methuselah #4; an eight page short called Quork. I think you'll dig it.

While doing these shorts, however, I had a constant craving for telling long form stories, or full issues in a series. I wanted my name on something big, bad and bold. As luck would have it, the opportunity to work on such a book was given to me by none other than Fearless Fred of 102.1 The Edge. Fred had recently moved to Toronto to start his new gig at The Edge, and one of the many goals he had upon settling in was to establish his own brand of comics. Little did he know I would be here to welcome him with open arms.

I loved Fred's antics on his afternoon broadcast. When I heard him mention his love of comics I decided to contact him about checking out The Vampire Conspiracy. In truth it was shameless self promotion, but that same afternoon he surprised me with a job offer: art chores on a Medieval epic about the knights of the Teutonic Holy Order. The guy was just so plainly cool I almost wanted to poke him to be sure he was real. Very modestly he shared with me his story idea and his vision of a brand called Big Sexy Comics. You see he had this story in mind that pits mortal men against a pantheon of gods that was yet untapped in comic books, or so we think. So Fred welcomed me to BSC, and together we created Teuton. Nearly a year after starting work on book, we launched the title and the brand at the 2010 Toronto Fan Expo, a convention that attendees will remember as an unholy cluster-fuck of greed and comic book geekery.

I encourage you to read the entire first issue of Teuton for free at www.bigsexycomics.com

During the time it took to complete my big, bad comic I did a very smart thing and enrolled myself in the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. Dear Reader, if you have any interest or aspirations to create in the field of comics, I highly recommend checking out the TCW. Under the tutelage of Ty Templeton, I learned the fundamentals of storytelling in comics, as well as the ins and outs of the business itself. Investing myself in the TCW's programs sharpened my skills beyond what they were merely months before.

Not long after finishing my program at the school I was contacted by the faculty to participate in their first ever publication. The aim was to showcase students who advanced in the TCW's numerous programs, as well as to promote the school itself. Thus Holmes Inc was created: conceived and edited by Ty Templeton and featuring original stories written and drawn by TCW alumni. I worked on a story called The Fingerless Prince with scribe Heather Emme, and it was an absolute blast to draw. That 52-page giant issue was also launched at 2010 Fan Expo.

There, I think we are pretty much caught up. Currently I am working steadfast on the second issue of Teuton, which will be available online for free by December. I promise to post some sneak peeks soon!

Until next time...