then Manhattan, and then…

THE WORLD.

Well, probably Chicago, THEN the world.

This Sunday I am going to be working the MONOLITH table at Boston’s coolest regional comics show. It is this Sunday at the Radison downtown.

So, this afternoon I went to the movies as a “chaperone” with a group of the teens I teach. While I was watching “Lady In The Water” I was missing a call from Jason. Turns out that some of our booth supplies aren’t going to be able to make it here in time for the show. So now it is my turn to assess what resources are here at my disposal, and think about how I can turn that into a convention booth.

Man, I love stuff like this. When the “chips are down” and the clock is ticking away. I love solving these problems like this, when they have to be solved because there just isn’t any other option.

That’s one of the things I love about the public side of making comics, it is always full of situations like this. Do or die.

In fact, marshalling non-existant resources to solve problems on the fly is probably the thing I liked the most about promoting punk shows back-in-the-day. Those days, those challenges, that crazy-fun…that is a lot of what inspires the stories in Rapid City.

So, who knows, maybe we’ll be writing a new one this weekend.

See ya there.

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Well Mandy and I got away for a few days up north to Mackinac Island. Was nice to get away and relax for a bit. So now I’m back and going to get things back in “gear”. So hang tight…

[UPDATE] Well I either ate something bad or got a case of the stomach flu, because I was down and out for a couple of days. Not a good year for me, been sick more this year than the last few years combined. Maybe I’m dying? “You’re not dying, you’re just bored. Now…” get back to work already!

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Things are still moving along nicely. I really wish we could show you more of what Micah is doing. He’s working on the other half of the preview book that will be printed. He’s just doing some really incredible work. I think it’s his best stuff to date. The preview book is on target to be at the printer in early July and back in our hands by mid-month. We are planning on attending the Wizard World Chicago and will have some copies of the book available there. We’ll also have them for sale on the site before then. Well back to work I go.

In the meantime enjoy this Viper warm-up sketch I did (I do various sketches before breaking into a page).

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Micah called me around midnight last night.

I have been working a regular gig as a substitute teacher, which is great because it allows time to work on my writing. However, it does mean that I have some pretty early mornings.

I was a little frustrated to be awakend by a call at that hour, especially because Micah shold be aware of the rigors of the teacher’s schedule. He was working on a pin-up of our character “Amp” and he had some questions.

It just wasn’t coming out right. Something was not meshing. We talked for a few minutes about the character, her powers, and her motivations. After a few minutes, Micah was on to some new aspect of the character. His concerns had been smoothed out.

I was just about to remind him to not call at that hour, but then I realized that I really didn’t care. Ironing out character details is better than getting another thirty minutes of sleep. I like knowing that Micah feels like if he has a question, that I can answer it. And I like being able to give him the answers he needs to get good work done.

So, maybe, I’ll have to buy an extra coffee every so often. But, the up-side is that I know I am part of a really strong team.

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With our preview book up for viewing, we are putting the hype-machine into neutral and letting it coast.

Micah and Jason are hard at work completeing the 16 pages for our “paper-edition” preview. We’re pushing stuff behind-the-scenes. Building up new stuff that you will, hopefully, be really excited about.

I have some plans of my own, and I have seen some of the stuff that the other two are working on. I know I am excited.

It’s tricky, because I want to talk all about it, but I also want it to be a surprise.

Watch for some artwork right here in the next day or two.

(Here is a revised design for Bounder. Just one of the many things Micah and Jason are working on.)

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Ok, I started this as a response to Micah’s recent Wraith drawing. Scroll down and look at it if you want. You’ll notice that Wraith no longer looks like some kind of mummy. He never really did look like a mummy, but it was never 100% clear. The straps and things that compose his body looked thin. We knew they were leather straps, but maybe you viewers weren’t sure.

Ribbons? Bandages? Mummy wrappings? It was just unclear. Not that it looked wrong…

Ok, I am just using this as an example.

Look at the latest Wraith again. It looks like thick, worn, leather. It looks rough, and strong. It looks literally fleshed out.

And as the drawings become more and more solid, so do the characters. Now, when I go over the recent thumbnails, dialog just leaps out of these characters. Lines that could ONLY be that one character at that one moment.

It is exciting to see the writing and the art orbiting eachother like that. Each movement draws the other into a more fully fleshed out realism.*

*Yeah. I know. It is a super-hero comic book. It isn’t supposed to be realistic. But trust me, it is the ‘real’ stuff that makes the fantastic stuff seem fantastic.

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Jason and Micah are drawing their butts off in Indianapolis and Detroit. It is frustrating because there is nothing I can do to help them. I console myself a little by reminding myself that there is nothing I could really do even if I were there. What would I do? Sharpen their pencils? Brush away eraser dust?

I get occasional scans of their progress, and they are beautiful. Especially when compared to a 10th grade era drawing of Jason’s that someone managed to dig up. Even back then, the raw talent was evident, the amazing thing is that anyone could think that style of character design looked good. But, hey, it was the 90s. It was a crazy time for all of us.

Watch for that preview real soon. And once you guys have it really firmly rooted in your minds that Jason is an amazing artist, maybe we’ll taunt him with that high school drawing.

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