Shop Smart, Shop S-Mart

I thought the Army of Darkness would be a suitable subject for today's holiday. This cover was done for Dynamic Forces in 2004, just before I started the Mythos series. It was a pleasure to work on, but my editors made me take out the best part. Apparently, my inclusion of a character from a popular ad campaign cut a little too close to reality. Can you see what's missing?



The initial sketch...



... and the drawing in progress.




Final inks.



And before I let you go, I wanted to share another recent commission, this time starring Eric Powell's The Goon. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 29

This scene is from Mythos: Hulk, right before our titular character pops up. He's so full of rage, even his glasses are angry.



And here's me at the drawing board, presumably letting my editors know that I'll be late once again.

Doctor Muerte

A big thank you goes out to Club Batman in Malaga, Spain for sending me a treat from overseas. A few months ago, I had asked them to send me some of my own work in Spanish, which they promptly did. Pictured above is the Batman sketch that I had promised them in return.

Thanks for waiting, guys! I'll get it out this week.



Apparently, Books of Doom didn't translate directly.

Spidey #577 Preview

Another thanks goes out to James, my loyal reader, for letting me know about a Spidey preview at marvel.com. As you can see, I'm the last to know about these things, so I need all the help I can get.

I've posted some of the black and white versions of the preview pages. This issue was a real treat to work on... it actually made a Punisher fan out of me.

Which reminds me, I think my next issue is going to be another Spidey team-up, this time with another brutal (and hairy) character. I'll give you a hint, his name in Swedish is järv. Thank you to my mom's cousin's daughter for teaching me that.





I'm slowly getting to some commissions as well. Here's a head sketch of WWII Captain America from Marvel's Ultimate Universe.

Have a great weekend!

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 28

This one goes out to James (who owns this painting). This was the last page of Mythos: Spider-Man... and the following pic pretty much sums up how I felt towards the end.

Another Day, Another Dollop

I've been meaning to post these for a while. Back when I used to paint (and paint a whole lot) I would save the pieces of tape on which I scraped used paint. These, of course, began to add up and so became a calendar of sorts, marking my progress through large projects (in this case Mythos: Captain America, The Iliad, and The Twelve). I eventually took them down from my wall, but not before taking some pics to commemorate the end of Mythos.

The Twelve No. 10

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I finally got some time away from the drawing board and managed to pick some apples in the Hudson Valley. This week I'll try and catch up on some e-mail, some commissions, maybe even go to the dentist. It's been a while.

Moving right along, this is the next cover in The Twelve series, featuring the whole gang as they stumble through the darkness towards their destiny. Only two more covers to go.



Here's the painting scan sans Photoshoppin'. I usually have to increase the contrast so that my darkest dark prints a true black, while my lightest light is the white of the printed page. I fear that this cover may print a bit too dark, but I was happy with the original.



The digital color study...




And finally, the original sketch.

Phew!

It's over... and out of my hands. I'm, of course, referring to Amazing Spider-Man #577, due in stores November 12. It's been a quick 2 months trying to get a handle on my new medium, ink, and I feel I am better for it. I hope to stick with this style for a while.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I finally get to leave my room!

D-Day

Well, it's a little after 3 AM right now so, technically speaking, today is my deadline for Amazing Spider-Man #577. I'm still not quite done, but I should be done by "tomorrow" afternoon (just need to ink the last page). Once I finish, I'm going to take a much needed break... maybe even go pick some apples.

While we're on the subject of Spider-Man, I thought I would share these maquettes and sketches from my first Spidey project, Spectacular Spider-Man #14, written by Paul Jenkins. The sketches are about 5 years old now... hard to believe it's been that long.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 27

Thanks for the cape, Mom!

Early Mythos Sketches

These sketches are from the early stages of the Mythos series, so they're at least a few years old, if not more.

Aaaaaand that's all I've got to say today; my Spidey deadline is Friday.

I think I can, I think I can.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My blog and I would like to wish my Mom the happiest of birthdays. She brought me into this world... and made sure I stayed in it for at least 18 years (if not longer). You can check out her very own blog here.



This touching family photo is brought to you by Walgreens. I remember when this picture was taken because I was in a bad mood at the time. I had not yet learned to draw and my Mom was already pressuring me to become a famous comic book artist. What mother doesn't wish that for her child? As for Dad, what's with that beard?



Here my Mom, Boba Fett, and I share another touching moment after my senior show at RISD. I had spent the entire night setting up the gallery and was dead tired. Public Safety walked by and thought I was drunk. Not so! By this time, my Dad had given me his chops so that he could sport a goatee.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 26

This is a panel from Spectacular Spider-Man #14, my first full length (23 page) comic for Marvel. Below is a reference photo of me in the Natural History Museum taken by one of my visiting friends. I don't know what my other friend is doing in the background there, but I'm sure it was intended to mess up the final painting. Luckily, I was able to ignore the background noise and focus on the central figure.

Kraven a Change

This was a character concept page done for a friend of mine way back in 2005. It was a costume revamp of Spider-Man's nemesis, Kraven, to be used in conjunction with his pitch for a story. It didn't make it past the editors, but I always liked his idea for the fur collar being a part of a hood.

Old School

I wasn't always doing painted comics. These are some early works (from around 8th grade) that I copied from my favorite books of the time. Of course, I believe the whip cream was a personal addition.