Big Sexy Interview With Ricky Lima / TEUTON Vol.2 News

Back on Free Comic Book Day @ Stadium Comics, Fred and I spoke with intrepid web-reporter Ricky Lima about TEUTON Vol. 2; namely how the wonderfully talented Agnes Garbowska will illustrate a back-up story for the new book! I thought this addition to the book was meant to be a surprise, but I totally forgot we spilled the beans on camera.

The story Agnes is illustrating pertains to the actual Lithuanian folklore behind some of the key players in Volume Two. Agnes' trademark style serves as a great contrast to my heavy inks, and from what I've seen of her early drafts she really drives it home. I'm truly excited!

It's surreal to see another artist render your creations and bring them to life. In a strange way, Agnes' pages substantiate the book as a real thing in my mind. As Kramer said when J. Peterman published his life stories, "I've broken through--I'm part of popular culture now!"

I'm on the home stretch with TEUTON Vol.2 with just a few pages left to go, then the cover, and then... I can't think that far ahead. The ending of this one packs a wallop and I'm eager for people to read it all in one go!

 

Godzilla Roughs

Last week's theme at Spitballin' Comics was Godzilla, and while I posted my sketch saying I'd follow up with scans of my roughs and whatnot, I'm late on that promise.

Here's the sketch, in case you missed it:

 

 And here's the "behind the scenes" stuff:

 

Lone Wolf & Cub Process

This is my second contribution to the awesome sketch blog Spitballin' Comics, and I was given the privilege of choosing this weeks theme: Lone Wolf & Cub.

I've been looking for an excuse to draw these characters for a while. Today's stormy weather felt wholly appropriate draw Itto and his boy, since where ever they go carnage rains.

Here's a bit of my process. I was greatly inspired by the truly excellent work of artist Kagan McLeod and tried to internalize his use of brush and vibrant colours while working on this piece. By the way, if you haven't rad Kagan's magnum opus, Infinite Kung-Fu, do yourself a huge favour and pick up a copy. I can't say enough great things about.

Anyway, this blog is about me. Me! So have a look at the following before moving on to Spitballin' Comics to see the finished piece!...

... see the finished piece @ SPITBALLIN' COMICS!

TEUTON Roughs and Sketches

 

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!