The Valiant #2 Preview

THE VALIANT #2 PAGE 11. 2014.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

Thanks for all the kind words on the first issue of The Valiant! The first printing has sold out at the distributor level, and a second printing will be available in time for the second issue. Speaking of which, here's a lettered preview of the first 5 pages, plus a gallery of covers.

As was bound to happen, I need to take another blog break as I finish up the last couple issues of the series. (I'm halfway through the 3rd issue right now.) I may check in from time to time, but you can usually find me on Twitter with sneak peeks of my drawing board. Thanks again for all the support!

THE VALIANT #2 PAGE 10. 2014.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

Batman's First Intern

NIGHTWING. 2014. Ink & watercolor on paper, 9 × 12″.

I hope you all enjoyed The Valiant #1 this week. Thanks for all the kind reviews! The next installment will be out in just a month. In the meantime, here are some non-Valiant characters you might recognize. Have a great weekend!

BATMAN. 2014. Ink & watercolor on paper, 9 × 12″.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 276

THE VALIANT #1 COVER. 2014.
Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

Today is the day! If you've been following this blog for very long, you know how infrequently I have actual comics on the stands. It's downright painful. But today is different! Visit your local comic shop. Buy it on Comixology. Tell your friends! Tell your ex! Tell everybody!

Valiant Vogue! That's an Airsoft gun, I swear!

inks by my Pops

blue-line print of pencils

pencils over digital sketch

digital sketch

digital layouts

detail of my Dad's inks

The Valiant #1 (Out Tomorrow!)

THE VALIANT #1 PAGES 16-17. 2014.
Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board with digital color, 22 × 17″.

A battle ten millennia in the making is about to begin... tomorrow.

Everything has led up to this. We've worked our butts off to make this a quality book, and Valiant is matching our efforts with a prestige format. (No ads! How insane is that?) Even if you're not familiar with the Valiant Universe, we've done our best to make sure it's accessible, but action-packed. I hope you'll give it a shot. Here's a preview. Here's a roundup of reviews. Thanks for reading!

THE VALIANT #1 PAGES 10-11. 2014. Digital, 11 × 17″.

THE VALIANT #1 PAGE 4. 2014. Digital, 11 × 17″.

Little Nemo: Escape from Slumberland

ESCAPE FROM SLUMBERLAND. 2014.
Digital, 16 × 21″ @ 400 ppi.

At long last, I can show my contribution to the Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream anthology! The book is now available for purchase from Locust Moon Publishing. The book is big and beautiful, so you'll need an entire table just to read it. I'll have prints of my page to sell eventually, but not just yet (need to concentrate on The Valiant right now).

Although I was originally going to use this project as a way to learn Manga Studio, I ended up switching back to Photoshop after the layout stage. I didn't like MS's lack of a scrubbing zoom tool (but after a recent update, it looks to have it now).

Fun fact: sharks have been known to roll their "L"s.

NYCC 2014: Superman

SUPERMAN. 2014. Ink & watercolor on paper, 9 × 12″.

You might recognize this guy. I was asked to go for a John Byrne look, and I gladly obliged. While Supes may be taken, I've got a Darkseid up for auction that benefits Hero Initiative (and it ends this afternoon). And in case you haven't heard my constant blathering on social media, The Valiant #1 finally hits shelves next week. You can read a glowing review here. I'll be sure to remind you again next week. Have a great weekend!

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 275

GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #4 (Variant Cover). 2014.
Ink on bristol board, 11 × 17″, colored by Ryan Browne.

The day is finally here! God Hates Astronauts #4 is out today (preview here), featuring my variant cover of Croad, the Unfortunate (and sporting colors by the man himself, Ryan Browne). I penciled this digitally, printed it out in cyan (with yellow and magenta perspective guidelines) and inked it traditionally.

Paolo, The Unfortunate

my inks over a digital print

digital "pencils"

digital layouts

a raw scan of the original

Last, but not least, below is a page of inspiration, with all but my face blurred out. For the past year or so, most of my work has been supplemented by these multi-layer, high-res files. It's just the easiest way to keep all the pertinent reference organized and accessible. As you may have noticed, I added a pair of pint-sized grips for Croad's clawful face.

additional reference