New Work Published: Lovecraft Ezine # 18

I've been very busy lately with a series of small, private commissions that I, unfortunately, cannot run here.  Meantime, though, I've been able to squeeze in a couple of more public pieces of work that I will be sharing here as they become available.  First and foremost is the latest issue of Lovecraft Ezine, issue #18.

I've sung the praises of this magazine here before, not only for having the wisdom to accept me onboard as an illustrator, but also because I am a rabid Lovecraftian fiction fan who regularly scours the net for new sources of eldritch fiction.  The Lovecraft Ezine is, at present, one of the two best and most reliable feeders of my particular addiction (the other being Innsmouth Free Press, who haven't had the wisdom to take me on board yet, but I'll work on that...).  Editor and publisher Mike Davis works tirelessly each month to put together a package that's sure to please any fan of HPL's work, and lovers of good, dark fiction in general.  And let me tell you...this month he's outdone himself.

Issue 18 of Lovecraft Ezine is a tribute to not only Lovecraft himself, but also to another writer who, until recently, I had no idea had written anything in the Mythos....Roger Zelazny.  I've long appreciated Zelazny's "Amber" series as one of the most entertaining fantasy/sci-fi series of its time, and I've read a few short pieces by Zelazny that I thought were entertaining, but to my chagrin, that's about as far as my involvement with the writer went.  Then, recently, Mike Davis announced that this month's issue of the Ezine would be themed around Zelazny's novel, "A Night in the Lonesome October", which I had never before heard of, let alone read. 
Unable to resist the call to illustrate something related even loosely connected with such a writer, and discover some new Lovecraftiana at the same time, I grabbed a copy immediately and plowed through it as quickly as possible.  And thoroughly enjoyed it.  For anyone who hasn't read it, Zelazny's novel brings together a group of important 19th Century literary figures in a series of events closely related to the Mythos of Lovecraft's fiction, in a story that crosses genres from mystery to horror to historical fiction nimbly and enjoyably in a way that few writers can.  Here's the kicker:  the story is told from the perspective of the characters' pets.  Mainly from the viewpoint of a dog.  See, each character has an animal "familiar" - a dog, a cat, a snake, etc. - who assist their human counterparts in the proceedings of the novel, and the story told is as much, if not more, their story as it is that of the significant figures involved.
Aside from lifting the story from a pastiche of Lovecraft, this device allows Zelazny to inject a level of wry humour into what could otherwise be a very serious, almost bleak, story.  It is this unusual perspective that provides much of the raw entertainment of the story and makes it stand out from most of the other works written in the context Lovecraft created.

With this issue of the Ezine, Davis put the call out to writers to submit stories based around the events and characters in "A Night in the Lonesome October", and got back a wealth of fantastic work.  The list of authors includes authors such as William Meikle, Edward Morris, and Orrin Grey, among many others.  Eight stories and an essay in all, each illustrated by the talented crew of the Ezine, including yours truly.  Here's the thing:  the introduction for this issue is written by none other than Trent Zelazny, Roger's son and a successful author in his own right.  It's as close as the magazine could come to getting a blessing from the man himself.

This time around, I had the pleasure of illustrating "A Counting Game" by Derek Ferreira, a macabre tale featuring a certain prototypical vampire hunter and a famous detective...and a small menagerie of animals, including a vampiric bunny rabbit.  No joke. 
For this one, having recently been inspired by the art of Mark Summers in a Poe collection we had kicking around the house, I decided to try out a new style.  I'll let you decide how well I succeeded at it.

So, while I know I've urged this before, let me say with all sincerity that if you only ever try one issue of Lovecraft Ezine, it should be this one.  Not that you're likely to stop at one, what better place to start?
Remember, this thing is free to read online.  Of course, I highly recommend you do as I will do and support the magazine by purchasing a Kindle or Nook edition to read on your e-things, but that's up to you.  Either way, you should check it out, and don't forget to leave a comment, either here or at the Ezine's website, to let me or the other creators know what you think of the work.

Lovecraft Ezine #18 - perfect pre-Halloween reading.

Stuff I Like: District of Wonders

In my previous "Stuff I Like" post, I explored my enjoyment of podcasts with Marc Maron's "WTF", and I commented that podcasts are like magazines for my ears.  I think that statement is most true in the context of the shows available through the "District of Wonders" podcast network, podcast magazines from producer Tony C. Smith. 

My love of genre-based, fiction oriented magazines goes back to my teenage years when I was gifted with a subscription to "Fantasy and Science Fiction" magazine.  Through it's page, still pulpy at the time, I discovered for the first time such great fiction as Robert Holdstock's "Mythago Wood" and Stephen King's "The Gunslinger", but I also was given the opportunity to explore such treats as science-based nonfiction articles, editorials by and about the greats of science fiction, poetry (some of it laughably and intentionally bad), and, oddly, the cartoons of Gahan Wilson.  From that springboard, I spread my appreciation of the format to include such titles as "Omni", "Twilight Zone", "Asimov's", and then back into the past with "Weird Tales", "Astounding" and the many other pulps I have discovered, and am still discovering along the way.

These days, life and schedules being what they are, I don't have nearly as much time to devote to chasing and enjoying these magazines as I used to, and for years there's been a slightly immature part of my brain urging me to put aside my responsibilities more often and spend more time in my reading chair with a stack of good magazines.  That's why I was so pleased (or, as the aforementioned Tony C. Smith might say, "chuffed") to discover Tony Smith's first podcast "Starship Sofa" and plug it's feed into my podcatcher, as it comes as close as anyone can to recreating the format of those beloved magazines in audio format.  The fact that it does so on a weekly basis is just gravy.  Sweet, sweet gravy.
 
Each week, Smith combines fact articles such as Amy H. Sturgis explorations into genre history and J. J. Campanella's science articles with at least one usually fantastic and generally long piece of science fiction, with stops along the way for poetry, novel previews and other amusing asides.  The fiction is usually the main focus of the episode, with such featured authors as Michael Moorcock, Gene Wolfe, Ray Bradbury and other giants of the genre.  The readings are well produced and of the highest quality, as the stories deserve.
The blend of fiction and nonfiction in a structured format with such a commitment to quality and reliability make this a true podcast magazine, and one well deserving of the listener's attention.

Earlier this year, Smith expanded his network to include the so far excellent horror-based podcast "Tales to Terrify", hosted by Lawrence Santoro.  Carrying on the format and standards developed by Starship Sofa, this show boasts some unique and informative movie reviews and insights into genre history, as well as presenting fiction from some of the greats of its own genre such as William Hope Hodgson, H. P. Lovecraft , Kim Newman and John Shirley.  Santoro makes for a genially creepy host, with much first hand knowledge about the genre and a connoisseur's eye for fiction.  As a longtime fan of old time radio shows, I'm always especially pleased to hear him evoke E.G. Marshall in his closing each week.

More recently, the District of Wonders network has expanded again with two new podcasts, Crime City Central, based on mystery stories, and (the frankly unfortunately names for purposes of alliteration) Protecting Project Pulp, presenting stories from the golden age of pulp magazines.  Although new, each of these promises to become foremost in the field for their genre, acting as much as archivists of the best in their respective genres as much as audio entertainment. 

With such a wealth of audio on a weekly basis, the only problem is keeping up with it all.  Just these four shows alone could satisfy a normal audio-fictionophile's (I just made that word up; didja notice?) appetite.  In combination with the other excellent podcasts out there (more about which in another post), it's a veritable auditory cornucopia.

The District of Wonders podcasts are, I think, reigniting a love of the genres they represent.  Through their deliberate and intelligent selection of material, they are at the same time providing a sense of artistic and cultural validity to that material.  Fans of well-presented literature in general, and sci-fi, horror, mystery and pulp in particular, owe it to themselves to plug the District of Wonders shows into their podcatchers and discover some of the best audio magazines the internet has to offer.

New Work Published: Tummy Ticklers

Fresh out on Amazon is something for the little 'uns that I've had the pleasure of illustrating.  It's "Tummy Ticklers:  151 Funny Jokes for Kids" by Ella Kennan, with my own work in color on the cover and in black and white at various spots throughout the book.
This is not the sort of thing I usually do, but every once in a while it's nice to break out of my usual genre-based mold and do something fun with a sense of humour.  For this particular project, I drew a little on the style of classic artist Jack Davis to try to produce illustrations that had a good visual punch to back up the jokes written by Ella.
Make no mistake:  this book is for kids, or at least the young at heart.  You're not going to find sophisticated humour a la George Carlin or Bill Hicks in these pages.  Not even Jackie the Joke Man, for that matter.  The good news is:  this book is for kids.  It contains the kind of puns and wordplay I love to torture my own kids with, and that I find always engaging enough for young minds to get them started coming up with their own jokes and one liners.  If you're looking for a conversation starter with your child or something amusing to share with your classroom, this book would be a good place to start.
Even better is the price.  It's available on Kindle right now for a meager 99 cents.  At that price, you could even gift it to your young one(s) to get them reading on their own.  Just be sure you get them to tell you how much they liked the illustrations.

Avast Me Hearties! Sky Pirates Ahead!

Sky Pirates of Valendor, for whom I'll be doing the cover of their next issue, is running an Indiegogo campaign to raise some funds to print the 2nd collection of their comics.  For your buy-in (as little as $10!) you can get all kinds of goodies, ranging from a limited edition print by a Marvel artist, up to a starring role in the comic, complete with a custom comic story, written and drawn around your own character.  It's some pretty cool stuff, from a pretty cool publisher.  Even better, 14% of their proceeds will be going to benefit victims of the Colorado Dark Knight shooting.  I recommend you head over there and check out their project page...or I might just have to make ye walk the plank.  Yarr, and other piratey noises.

If you want to see what Sky Pirates is all about before you throw tons of cash at them, or if you just want to read some good comics, you should head over to their DriveThru Comics page and check out their incredible bundle deal.  For a meager $5.00, you get the whole story so far, including the collected Sky Pirates Vol. 1 and all 5 issues of Vol. 2 to date. That way, you'll be all primed when issue 6 with my cover hits the virtual stands. 

New Work Published: A Drizzle of Zombies by Joshua Price

Available now at Amazon's Kindle store, "A Drizzle of Zombies" by Joshua Price features a cover created by your truly.  This book is the latest in Price's "Annals of Absurdity" series, for which I'll also be providing the next two covers. 
From the book's description:

"Four unlikely heroes. One absurd undertaking.

Like any good supervillain, Dr. Malevolent robs banks, but when the incompetent Captain Rescue intercepts her latest heist, they accidentally trigger a most undeadly threat: zombies! The two sworn enemies must band forces to save the world, dragging along the perfect allies: a shotgun-toting cop, and... a bunny?

The group ventures to the heart of the undead sea to discover who wants to annihilate humanity. Because zombies are only the beginning. Dun dun dun.

The flood starts in... A Drizzle of Zombies."

The basic design for the cover came from Joshua himself, but in my creative contribution, I tried to keep the tone of the piece light to complement the work inside.  In rendering the elements for the cover, I deliberately tried to recall the style of some of the popular humour novels on the market now (see Amy Sedaris's books , for example), while using darker tones and linework to communicate the more genre-based elements of the book.  Joshua's work is an entertaining blend of humour, action and sci-fi/superhero fiction, so the trick was to find the right balance between light and dark.  I think the end result works rather well.  Comments?

A book like this would make for some excellent summer reading, especially for those fond of work by authors like Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams or Christopher Moore.  Just the thing for an afternoon at the beach or a few idle hours spent hanging around the coffee shop.

New Work Published: Lovecraft Ezine Issue 15

Available now, for your eldritch enjoyment, is issue #15 of the Lovecraft Ezine.  This time around, I illustrate the lead story, "Bus Stop" by Jerod Brennen.  I had a lot of fun producing art for this creepy little tale, helped by the fact that I was watching the new version of "The Thing" while I drew it, so I think it has an extra little bit of tentacular goodness.
You can read the story and see the illustration for free here, or, as always, you can get the magazine on your Kindle or Nook. 
Also, while you're at the site, why not check out their store...there's lots of interesting Lovecraft related goodness there, including some fantastic statues that are at least worth looking at.
Meantime, here's my illustration from issue 12 of that same magazine, from the story "A Catechism for Aspiring Amnesiacs" by Nicole Cushing.  It's really more of a photo-manipulation, but I think it was very effective, and earned me some good comments from the story's author, so I must have done something right.  Enjoy.

New Work Published: Powers vs. Power Volume 3!

It's been too long since we've had a new volume of stories from Robin Reed, so I am happy to report that the latest and final chapter in the Powers Vs. Power saga has just been released.  Once again, I am happy to have provided the cover art for this collection of superhero-based stories, this time with a tribute to some classic superhero comic book covers (a cookie for you if you can name the issues being referenced!).  You can see a preview of the cover below, but to get the book you've got to head over to Smashwords and grab it for just 99 cents!  While you're there, be sure to grab the first two volumes in this series, and let me also recommend Robin's other book, "Mama" and "Halloween Sky",  two of the finest works of horror available on Smashwords.  You could grab the lot of them for just a few bucks and have yourself a summer's worth of good reading.  I know I've just nabbed a copy of "Powers vs. Power" vol. 3 and am looking forward to diving back into that world.  With a cool cover like this, how could you say no?

He Sung the Body Electric: RIP Ray Bradbury

Naturally, the net is abuzz with the news that Ray Bradbury passed on. To say that his work has been influential on me is beyond understatement. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" gave my consciousness a good kick in the pants when I first read it, and I think "Halloween Tree" should be recommended reading for every young person. I have had the pleasure not only of reading his work, but also of hearing recordings of him reading his own stories, listening to dramatizations of his work in OTR show like "X Minus One" and seeing him host television adaptations of his stories in "Ray Bradbury Theatre".  Actually, I don't think there's a medium I enjoy where I haven't encountered Bradbury at some point.
I still find myself turning to Bradbury time and again, most often when I'm looking to experience that wistful, bittersweet sentimentality of which he was clearly a master.  I don't think there's an October that passes without my breaking open at least one of his stories, and knowing that there's still a lot of his work I haven't read, I don't know that there ever will be such an October.

 In his collection "Quicker Than the Eye", Bradbury had a story, "Last Rites", in which a time traveler visits famous authors on their deathbed to see them off with the knowledge their work would long outlive them and move readers for generations to come.  While I cannot see that an author like Bradbury was unaware of his own effect on literature, I do like to fancy that in his final days he was blessed with a time traveler of his own.  Certainly if any author in this last century deserved such a visit, it was him.

"I give you my hand on it, and pledge my soul and my heart's blood." The visitor
moved to do just this, and the two men's fists fused as one. "Take these gifts
to the grave. Count these pages like a rosary in your last hours. Tell no one
where they came from. Scoffers would knock the ritual beads from your fingers.
So tell this rosary in the dark before dawn, and the rosary is this: you will
live forever. You are immortal."

Lovecraft eZine - Now on Amazon!

Did you know that you can now get the Lovecraft eZine via Amazon?  I mean, you've always been able to get it for your Kindle via their own website, but now the most recent issues, including the latest one, are available on Amazon as well.  Given the low price (just 0.99 per issue!) and the ease of Amazon's One-Click service (this is not just shilling....it really is about the easiest way to buy an ebook), it's got to be the best way of getting a regular dose of great writing on your ereader or mobile thingy.  I don't have any work in the May issue due to scheduling issues, but there's lots of talented people who do, and if you even slightly enjoy weird fiction, this magazine is well worth a look.

By the way, I am scheduled to have an illustration in the June issue, so make sure you grab that one as well.

Stuff I Like: WTF with Marc Maron

I don't have a lot of new work to post right now; besides working on the next volume of "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit", I've been working on some private commissions that I'm not really free to post to this space.  I've got a cover coming up for an issue of "Sky Pirates of Valendor", but that's about it for public work for now.

Still, I've got to use this space for something, don't I?  So, I thought it might be a good opportunity to start sharing some reviews of things I enjoy.  Like my self-publishing work, this will be done on an "as I can get to it" basis, and when I haven't got anything more important to do, or I'm not trying to catch up on new releases on Netflix.  Who says I haven't got my priorities straight?

I like podcasts.  A lot.  As I write this, I've got 29 episodes of 27 different podcasts waiting on my phone...and only that few because I've made a concerted effort in recent weeks to whittle down that number, as I felt I was getting backlogged.
Podcasts for me are like magazines for my ears; they're a direct channel of information from the source to my brain without requiring the intermediate use of my hands or eyes.  That means that I can consume them by the gigabyte while engaged in other things, like certain aspects of my day job, or while at the drawing board, or while doing paste up on the next book for AIM Comics.  Podcasts are free, disposable infotainment and are easily accessible on a good podcatcher, in my case "Pocket Casts" for Android.  Through the use of podcasts, I get daily doses of fiction, news, comedy, interviews, history lessons and shows on just about anything else I care to take an interest in, with some stops for guilty pleasures along the way (more on those another day).  They make my workday go a little bit faster while allowing me to consume information at a much faster rate than I could just by reading.  In short, I think they are the perfect form of disposable media.

One podcast I've come to recently, and rather late, is WTF with Marc Maron.  It's an interview-based show hosted by standup comedian and insightful neurotic Marc Maron in which he talks with contemporaries and legends in the entertainment industry.  I've missed a lot of the shows and haven't yet signed up for the premium package to get access to his back catalog, but since I've started listening, I've heard Marc give great interviews with such people as Jeffry Tambor, Russell Brand, Chris Rock, Michael Cera, Mindy Kaling, Penn Jilette and Weird Al Yankovic. 

Maron is really using the novelty and freedom of the medium to its finest in this series.  We're so used to seeing celebrity interviews as shallow two minute snippets on Entertainment Tonight that it's easy to forget there's a deeper aspect to the work these people produce and the roads they take to create that work.  Maron uses the long format of his show (most episodes run over an hour to an hour and a half in length) to get behind the creative process of the subject, as well as their own developmental process as a creative person.  This always leads to a better understanding and appreciation of the people and their work, and often to the creative process in general.  It's rare that I finish an episode of WTF without at least one small moment of satori. 

What really helps in this process is that Marc is very open about his own life and frame of mind, and as an experienced standup comedian, he has decades of stories from inside the industry.  He injects a lot of himself into each interview to establish a personal connection with his subjects and reaps a much richer harvest as a result.  It seems at this point that subjects come to his "garage" expecting to have their personal lives delved a bit and bring a willingness to open up more than usual. 
Occasionally, Marc will also host a live WTF event with a panel of comedians which make for some of his funniest episodes.  And this is a comedy podcast at heart; Mark always seems to be able to infuse a sense of humour into the conversation, no matter how dark the subject matter may get (check out the Matt Graham episode from February to see what I mean).  He's got a self-deprecating intellectual approach that never allows things to stay too serious for too long.
What's especially funny to me is that I remember when Marc was a guest on the "Nobody Likes Onions" podcast a few years ago.  He commented on how impressed he was with the show's setup at that time, saying something to the effect that "I got to get me one of these podcasts".  Skip forward a couple of years and his show has developed a huge amount of status and a large following, and he has become one of the premiere names in the medium.
Updating at least weekly, "WTF" is one of the shows I most look forward to in my playlist.  Even when he's interviewing someone I've never heard of, Marc always makes the show enjoyable and insightful.  I recommend that anyone interested in the inner workings of the entertainment industry give it a try.  If nothing else, do yourself a favor and listen to the episode with Penn Jilette (who knew his family is from Newfoundland?). 
"WTF With Marc Maron"...stick it in your ears.

New Work Published: Lovecraft EZine #12

The latest issue of Lovecraft EZine is now up for your enjoyment.  This time around, I"ve got a photo manipulation illustration for Nicole Cushing's story "A Catechism for Aspiring Amnesiacs", a wonderful story that I am proud to be attached to.  As always, the issue is free to read online, but I do strongly recommend shelling out the 99 cents a month to get the mobile version for Kindle or Nook (or the apps thereof...).  It's always a great read, and definitely deserves your support.

Meantime, here's a preview of my cover from Issue 11, sans cover copy.  Astute viewers will notice a difference between this version and the one published on the magazine's cover.  That's because this piece was originally created for the serialized online mythos novel "City of Pillars" by Derek Pegritz, but has sat in my unused folder for a while since publication ceased on that story.  I was happy to be able to find a home for it at Lovecraft EZine, and to finally be able to share it with an appreciative audience.  I've got a couple more images from the same project that I've yet to find a place for, but I'm sure I will eventually.  Enjoy.

New Work Published: Lovecraft EZine #11

The latest issue of Lovecraft eZine is up, and this time I've managed to snag myself a cover spot.  This time, I depict a Great Old One menacing the shores of a major metropolis....check it out over at Lovecraft eZine. 
As usual, you can read the magazine online for free, or pay a small amount to download it for your mobile reading device.  I recommend the latter option, since us Lovecraft fans need to be doing as much as we can to keep work like this alive, and publisher Mike Davis really rolls out a top notch effort with every issue.  Even better, subscribe to the magazine for a buck a month, and they'll email you the mobile version when it's available. 
To really put the icing on the cake, be sure to check out their newest feature, audio versions of the stories in the magazine.  Nothing makes that walk in the park more enjoyable than pouring some eldritch horror into your ears!

Just to give you a taste of the kind of work I'm doing for this magazine, here's my illustration for the Henrik Harksen story "Just an Accountant" in issue #9.  It's an attempt to evoke a little of the old Virgil Finlay Weird Tales style.  Not entirely successful, as I don't yet have Finlay's masterful hand with hatching, but I think it's headed in the right direction.  What do you think?

Apes and Dinos by Nick Bradshaw

At Hal-Con 2011 in November, I had the good fortune to meet Marvel artist Nick Bradshaw, and more importantly to grab a copy of a limited edition print he was selling with some incredible art featuring a giant ape and a couple of hungry dinos.  Apes and dinos?  What's not to like?
Of course, one of the reasons I had to get my hot little hands on this piece was so I could have the fun of adding color to the piece.  Nick's art is heavily detailed, so it took quite a bit of what I laughingly call my spare time to do this, but I think the end result was definitely worth it.  I've shared the piece over on Nick's Facebook wall, and thought it would be fun to post it here as well.  This is a pretty big piece, so be sure to click through to see it in all it's glory.  And be sure to check out Nick's work over at Facebook, or at Marvel Comics.  As always, comments and criticisms are welcome.

I should add, for the sake of keeping myself honest, that the original art is copyright Nick Bradshaw, and this color job was not commissioned by nor is it endorsed by him.  It was done just for fun, and is being reposted here for the same reason.

Now See This!

I frankly love Warren Ellis for being a writer, and writing this.  Especially for writing this:

"You are, in many ways, writing a love letter intended to woo the artist into giving their best possible work to the job. A bored or unengaged artist will show up on the page like a fibrous stool in the toilet bowl, and that’s not their fault — it’s yours."

 I'm a writer as well as an artist, although more of the latter than the former these days.  If nothing else, I know the value of giving an artist clear instructions and then allowing them to do what they do best, which is make art.  Not ape someone else's style.  Not modify someone else's work.  Not if you want to get their best work.

At the risk of whining, let me just add that you're even more responsible for the lackluster results you get when you give the artist hardly any instruction up front, then wait until they deliver the finished work and make them change everything, as if he or she was supposed to psychically divine your intent of the fine details from the start.  Then ask them to change it all again.  Then make them do it in someone else's style.

As much comic art is work for hire, I know that a writer can't allow the artist to run doolally all over the script, but a good relationship between creative types should be symbiotic, not reminiscent of that between an office manager and a cubicle monkey.  The philosophy espoused by Mr. Ellis above is why writers like he and Alan Moore always get such amazing results from the artists they work with.  Look at Planetary, or From Hell, or for that matter Millar and McNiven's "Nemesis" or Mills and Bisley's "Slaine", and tell me that those artists weren't having a ball, and that the work isn't better for it.

Do yourself a favor, especially if you're a writer, and go read the rest of Warren Ellis's article, "What a Comics Script is For".  An artist, and your readers, may someday thank you.

New Work Published: Lovecraft EZine #9

Lovecraft eZine issue 9 is now available, featuring my illustration for Henrik Sandbeck Harksen's story "Just an Accountant".  This time around, I tried to evoke a little of the spirit of Virgil Finlay for my illo.  I've been studying Finlay's work recently, and am amazed at his innovative use of hatching to create texture and depth.  Check out the story, and be sure to let me know what you think.

Also, keep an eye out for a cover by me for an upcoming issue of Lovecraft eZine, possibly as soon as January.

UFOs Seen Coast to Coast

Want to preview some of my illustrations from the new Mack Maloney book, "UFO's in Wartime"? Then you should head over to Coast to Coast AM's website.
Coast to Coast AM is a show that "deals with UFO's, strange occurrences, life after death, and other unexplained (and often unexplicable) phenomena."  Just yesterday, Mack was interviewed on the show, and they supported the interview by posting three of the images on their site. You can see all three on the page, or click each one for a larger view. Enjoy!

New Work Published: UFO's in Wartime by Mack Maloney

Today is the official release date for "UFO's in Wartime" by the multi-talented author (and sometimes musician) Mack Maloney.  This book contains five of my illustrations, created specially for this publication.  You can see early versions of two of the images here, but you're going to need to get the book to see the finished work. 

This book is a nonfiction review of military encounters with UFO's in different periods, reminiscent of some of the better Daniken-era books that I loved to read so much when I was younger.  The Amazon description reads: 

"Although often written off as myths, UFOs are found in Renaissance Art, on ancient coins, etched on cave walls-and even reported in the Bible. Even more surprising is when they are documented most: in times of war. These sightings are made by high ranking officials, soldiers, and newsreporters. Why do these sightings spike so drastically during wartime? Could it be mistaken aircraft? Or is someone-or something- looking in on us? "

The book is available in paperback or digital formats right now, just in time to be a great gift for the UFO-phile in your family.  

Lovecraft Ezine #8 Now Available

Issue #8 of the Lovecraft ezine, featuring my illustration for William Meikle's story "#Dreaming" just went online.  Go read it online, or even better, pay a buck and download it for offline reading with your portable book reading thingy.  Don't make me send a Hound of Tindalos after you....go get it now!

Drabblecast #222 Now Available

Episode #222 of the podcast "Drabblecast" is now available, with my episode art.  The illustration is for the main story, "Rules for Living in a Simulation" by Aubrey Hirsch.  Download and give it a listen, won't you?

Five Days to Hal-Con!

I've been mentioning this a lot over at AIM Comics and on my Facebook page, but I just realized I haven't promoted it much here...
I'll be co-hosting a table at Hal-Con at the World Trade Convention Centre in Halifax this coming weekend.  I'll be there with Ian McDonald, creator of Bruno the Bandit.  I'll mainly be there to promote AIM Comics and our book "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit", but I'll also have a portfolio of my own work to show off.  We'll both be doing sketches and I'll have about a hundred copies of the ashcan edition of the first issue of "The Journals of Simon Pariah" to give away.  If you're in the Halifax area, drop in to the con, look for the AIM Comics banner, and come say hello.
For those who don't know, Hal-Con is a kick-ass sci-fi convention held in Halifax (this is it's second year) featuring some of the big names in sci-fi/fantasy/horror/comics, from writers like Kelley Armstrong to artists like Geof Isherwood, to actors like Erin Gray and Robert Maillet.  Last year's con was a great time, with a stupendous costume contest, a live podcast show, celebrity signings, some amazing vendor tables, and a book release by model Drakaina.  I expect this year's event to be no less impressive, and I'm looking forward to seeing things from both sides of the table. 

Stormchasers 2 on DriveThru Comics

I'd wondered if this was ever going to make it online, and I guess it did so while I wasn't looking.  For those interested in seeing some of my older color work, Stormchasers #2 from Unstoppable Comics is online at DriveThruComics.com.  All of the pages in the preview (except the ad, natch!) were colored by me.  I seem to recall I did a few more pages for the book as well, but cannot remember exactly how many. 
It's some indy Stormwatch/Authority-esque thing, and worth at least a glance.  Check it out here.

New Work - Lovecraft eZine and Drabblecast

A couple of things have gone online this week.  The latest issue of Lovecraft ezine is up with my illustration for John R. Fultz's story "Lord of Endings".  The Lovecraft eZine can be read for free online, or downloaded for your Kindle or Nook (or app thereof).  I recommend throwing them the 99 cents, because good Lovecraftian is always worth the money.
Also, here's my cover art for episode 84 of Drabblecast.  For those of you who don't know it, Drabblecast is a podcast of "weird stories, by weird authors, for weird listeners".  Hosted by one of my favorite podcast fiction readers, Norm Sherman, it's one of the best sci-fi/fantasy/horror podcasts available right now, showcasing work from some of the best writers in the business such as (for example) Michael Swanwick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Elizabeth Bear.  This illustration is for a story by the aforementioned Mr. Swanwick, "Hush and Hark", downloadable from the episode archive.  I've also got an illustration for their upcoming episode 221, so keep an eye out for that.  Meantime, enjoy.

Brutal Blade - Back for More!

I've been remiss in mentioning this until now, but you might be interested to know that over at AIM Comics, "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 2" is now available in print and digital formats. 
Featuring a dozen stories of Ian McDonald's infamous ne'er-do-well, the titular Bruno the Bandit, and an ever-growing cast of character such as Sour Ron, Clonin the Wilderness Enhanced Individual, and the enigmatic "The Babe", wrapped up in a new cover by legendary Conan artist Geof Isherwood, the second volume of Brutal Blade offers some fine comics from some fine talent.
Available for only $6.99 in print form and a meagre $1.99 in digital, "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 2" is a steal, so grab a copy today!

Crafting Lovecraft

If you look back over my posts, or take a quick glance at my bookshelves, it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the work of H.P. Lovecraft and his successors.  I discovered Lovecraft almost concurrent with Robert E. Howard and have been hooked on both ever since.  The blending of mythology, fantasy, horror and science fiction is just irresistible to me.
Previously, I've done some illustrations for Derek Pegritz's long-missed online novel "City of Pillars", and I've been waiting for an opportunity to get back to doing more work in that landscape.  Now, I'm pleased to say that starting with their October issue, # 7, my work will be appearing in the Lovecraft eZine.  This is a splendid digital magazine of quality Lovecraftian fiction, easily on par with Innsmouth Free Press or the late lamented Arkham Tales.  Publisher and editor Michael Davis has done a fine job so far of collecting and presenting stories based in and around Lovecraft's mood and mythology, and I'm happy as can be to be able to contribute.

If all goes well, I'll be adding at least one illustration to each issue for the foreseeable future.  Look for my contribution in October's issue accompanying the story "Lord of Endings" by John R. Fultz.  It was a fun piece to do, and I'm very much looking forward to doing more for future issues.  There's some very talented people doing some first rate work there, and it's an honor to be among them.

That's Lovecraft eZine...readable online or downloadable for your ereading device.   Subscribe, and more importantly, support them and let's help keep Lovecraft alive on the internet.

Conan the Younger

Sometimes it's fun to just mess around with your own fan art, y'know? 

Here's a piece based on one of the better scenes in the new "Conan the Barbarian" film.  I thought Leo Howard, for his limited screen time, played one of the better characters in the film.  Not that Jason Momoa's any slouch as the adult Conan, just that the first third of that film sang for me in a way the rest didn't. 

So...here's my take on young Conan, making his bones early.

Aces High!

Just for a teaser, here's a couple of preview images from the book project I've just finished. I'll give more information about it as soon as it's officially available, but for now, these will do for a taste. The images you see here will be used in a highly modified form in the finished product.

New Projects

Got a couple of new things on the burner, and continuations of old things....no pics I can post yet, but I have to put something up here once in a while or I feel like a neglectful father....

-The Journals of Simon Pariah relaunch creeps along at a snail's pace, which is frankly still better than the glacial pace it's had for the past few years.  As always, studio time is at a premium until you lot start pouring gobs of money my way to prevent me from having to work for a living.  See to that, please.
-I've just finished a piece of episode art for the "Drabblecast Art Reclamation Project", an updating of archive episoded for the Drabblecast podcast.  I've done episode 84, "Michael Swanwick Doubleheader", with a digital painting based on his story "Hush and Hark".  This raises the count by one of popular authors I get to namedrop as having illustrated, so there's that.  I'll post the pic here eventually, but I want them to have the exclusive on it for a while.
If you're not listening to Drabblecast, you're doing yourself a disservice, as it's one of the best fiction podcasts on the web, and helps me kill many half hours spent walking the dog.  One day, I'll have to do a long post on the podcasts to which I currently subscribe.
-Looks like I'll be doing a cover later this year for an issue of "Sky Pirates of Valendor".   If you'll recall, I did a pinup page for one of their previous issues, and I recently auditioned to do a cover for them.  It's a fun bunch of characters to work with, and a good book to read, with some serious sci-fi swashes being buckled.  Check them out.
-Pinup submissions for the second volume of "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" are trickling in, with some interesting results.  If you're interested in having a kick at the cat, find details at the AIM Comics site.

That's it for now...as my hero Mel Brooks said....

Classic Conan Art!

Yesterday, frequent poster Mikeyboy over at Crom! The Ultimate Conan Fan Blog posted a Rudy Nebres contribution to a recent comics trend, One Minute Later.  The legendary Mr. Nebres had created an update to the classic Barry Smith cover to Conan The Barbarian #14.  Since the hosts of Crom! called for a colorist to step forth, I rose to the challenge and (admittedly somewhat ham-handedly) dashed off my colors under Mr. Nebres inks. 
While it's clearly slapdash in places, the piece was fun to work on, especially as it allowed me to take a break from other projects and responsibilities.  The only hard part was figuring out how to color the weird but beautiful vegetation that Rudy Nebres draws so well.
You can see the image below, or check out the full-sized version over at Crom!.  That's the original Barry Smith cover on the left, with my colors under Mr. Nebres art on the right. 

What's Up?

I feel like I haven't been posting nearly enough art here lately, but what can I say?  I've been busy.

I've just finished up the cover for Powers vs. Power vol. 3, which will be coming soon from author Robin Reed via Smashwords.  Check out Robin's other books for some good reading....

I'm waiting to finish up a book project (one illo left to go!) that I hope will see publication later this year; more info as soon as NDA's allow.

I'm tap dancing my little heart out trying to promote "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit".  If you haven't already bought one...shame on you!  Get thee hence to AIM Comics and help support my future life of artistic indolence.

I've also done a preliminary design for a CD cover for a UK metal band....I haven't heard from them for a little while, so I hope they haven't dropped off the face of the earth.  It's a Derek Riggs-inspired piece that I hope I get to execute and share with everyone, as it's the kind of work I've always wanted to do.

Just last night, I started another reworking (or "reboot" as they might say in the DC Universe) of my old webcomic, "The Journals of Simon Pariah".  It will be published later this year through my AIM Comics imprint.  I'm using the old stories for now, but doing new art inspired by a recent reading of "A Drifting Life" by Yoshihiro Tatsumi.  I think this new approach is going to work a lot better than previous attempts; let's see if the readers agree.

Oh...and just to keep myself sane, I'm also winging out the occasional sketch for my DeviantArt page (see the previous post). 

So, yeah...I'm busy.  But darnitall, I'm having fun. 

I'm a Deviant!

Did you know that I have a DeviantArt gallery?  I know...it was a surprise to me too.

Not much up there yet, just a few sketches I'm doing to build a Digital Webbing forums thread.  I'll be adding more rough work there as time goes by, and possibly enabling some prints if I consider anything on there good enough.

If you're a Deviant, please drop me a comment, a fave, or send me a llama...although I have no idea why I would want one, or what I would feed it.

Ferreting Out the Truth....

From my oldest work, to my smallest.  Take a look at this site.


Now, don't look anywhere on the actual site...instead look at the favicon that shows up in your browser's titlebar, or in the top left corner of your tab (depending on which browser you're using).  Yeah...I totally designed that.

A Blast from the Past

Here's something I haven't seen for a long time, and didn't really expect to see again.
When I was in university, I was asked by a friend of mine to design a logo for a series of self-hypnosis tapes he was producing.  Working with the materials I had available at the time, this is what I designed.  Since I was commissioned and actually paid for it, I consider this my first professional work. I lost touch for a long time, and I don't know if the tapes were ever produced, but apparently the work survived, because it appeared again recently online on said friend's Facebook profile.
It's muddy, it's pretentious and it's primitive....but still I think it has a certain charm.  Comments and criticisms are welcome, but please be gentle and remember I was young.

Say Hello to My Little Friend....

With the ill-gotten gains from a recent commission, I decided to try out a new tool that was recommended to me, the Toshiba Portege tablet PC.  Thanks to the magic of Ebay, I acquired a 1.8 GHz dual-core M400 with 1 GB of RAM for just under $300...not too shabby.

A very enthusiastic recommendation for this PC came from Mark Oakley, the artist of Thieves & Kings and StarDrop.  I've long been a fan of Mark's work, and was glad to have the opportunity to talk with him at a couple of events last year, at which points he showed me a little of his working method and introduced me to the Portege as one of his main drawing tools.
Up front, I was a little dubious as I've been using a Wacom Graphire and while it's a handy tool for painting, I haven't found it all that great as a sketching and drawing tool.  However, after seeing the Portege in action and feeling the responsiveness of the stylus (which, by the way, is also made by Wacom), I decided to give it a try.  Now, I'm glad I did.

A few notes about the build of the machine.  This thing feels solid, almost industrial.  While I'm not keen to test the theory, it almost feels like I could drop this thing from my height and it would survive the impact.  The hinge on which the screen pivots between laptop/tablet mode is nice and firm with no wiggle, and the transformation is nice and smooth, with the tablet locking into place when it's down.  The stylus slots neatly into the body of the machine when not in use, and there's some great customizable one-touch control buttons on the screen.  All in all, it's a beautifully compact and portable machine.  Mine has a few dings from wear, but it runs like a dream, much faster than any PC or laptop I've owned before.

The system I own runs a tablet version of Windows XP.  In time I may consider upgrading this to Windows 7, but for now, that's doing just fine for me.  Thanks to another suggestion from Mark, in addition to Photoshop, I'm also running Autodesk's Sketchbook Pro, which is turning out to be a handy tool for quick sketching and is built very well for the tablet PC.  Photoshop, of course, runs very well on here.  The alignment of pen tip and cursor is precise, and the motion of the pen across the surface is smooth, making drawing on the tablet a real pleasure.  Mark has recommended replacing the screen of the tablet with thin glass, but I don't think I'm ready to take that step yet...I'm going to enjoy using this thing a while before I hack it to that level.

Of course, it wasn't long before I discovered some of the limitations of Photoshop on a tablet.  While much of the interface is built to work very well with a stylus, there's a few keyboard driven functions that I just cannot seem to do without.  I don't mind using the stylus to switch tools; it actually seems to enhance the experience for me.  However, I was very much missing the "shift" function for drawing straight lines, the "Alt" function in brush mode for selecting color, and the "Tab" function for hiding toolboxes.
Mark came to the rescue again by recommending the Modlock script that adds a screen overlay that duplicates the functions of several of the main keys, and has greatly reduced the stress of working in tablet mode.  He also developed his own script in Autohotkey for an onscreen "Undo" function that is sadly lacking from PS outside the menus.  I keep both of those running when I'm working in Photoshop and they've quickly become indispensible.  To date, I've only been able to bring back the "Tab" key function through the use of the on-screen keyboard, which is still a bit laborious.  I may have to look at the Autohotkey scripting environment myself to see if I can create an alternative solution.

On a side note...the programmers behind Photoshop could really stand to take a look at the Gimp interface.  One function I find very useful there is that when you use the "Shift" function for a straight line, there's a dynamic straight line represented on-screen between your start point and your cursor that shows you exactly where your line's going.  It's a feature I'd love to see duplicated in Photoshop.

So, with everything in place, I've been working on commissions on the Portege for the last couple of weeks, and it's quickly becoming my main drawing tool.  Not only is it a fun little device to work with, but it also frees me from my studio computer/drawing table so that I can actually interact with other human beings while I'm working.  The processing power in this thing allows me to do image searches for reference while in Photoshop without bogging down the system to a crawl, and my graphics programs zip along faster than they did on my old studio machine (now repurposed as a Netflix device).
While there'll always be a tactile appeal to working with pen, brush and paper, I've got a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot more time working on my Portege.  I know it's an older machine and not top of the line; as with most things technological, I'm a couple of years behind the curve.  Still, it's got power in spades beyond my old Acer; certainly enough to change my working method for the foreseeable future.

If you're an artist who works on a table PC, I'd love to hear any recommendations for tools, software or working methods that work for you.  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email, and let's share some knowledge!

Model Behavior II

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jason Baca.

Jason is a model with a fondness for fantasy and superhero art who has, like Drakaina before him, served as inspiration for the work of a variety of artists.
Recently, I was given the opportunity to work with Jason on a set of character designs I was (and still am!) working on.  The timing was fortuitous, and I found Jason to be the perfect model for a pair of characters in that set.
Jason sent me a collection of reference photos that really showcased his versatility, ranging from bodice rippers to iconic superhero poses to grim and gritty pulp/noir shots.  In each case, I thought he captured more than just the pose by really bringing in the feeling of the character he was portraying.  I find Jason's photos to be dynamic and powerful, having that extra something that helps an artist bring a character to life.
Jason's got a well defined physique and clean cut features, which means his shots come out great under strong light and provide the kind of deep shadows an artist or colorist needs to work with.

I used the photos you see above as reference for two of the character designs I've been working on for German author Falko Kotter's series "Relegatia".  Falko hired me to work up concept drawings for a long list of characters that populate his world and it's been just about the most fun project I've worked on in a long time, mainly because I was largely given free reign in how I interpreted the characters.  Having some great photo reference like that provided by Jason has made the process even better and I think that enjoyment I took really shows in the drawings that resulted.  

The following two characters are a father/son team with armor designs based on paintings of traditional Russian knights and stills from the film Alexander Nevsky, with a concept inspired by this 1974 painting by Konstantin Vasiliev and, of course, with Jason Baca as the model for both.

More of Jason's work can be seen online at his DeviantArt page, or he can be reached via his modeling agency page.  Also, a quick Google image search will turn up some of the other pieces of art he's inspired.

Jason is also the author and subject of the books Journey of a Male Model and  Overexposed, both available on Amazon.  Although I haven't read them myself, from the descriptions I understand they're written to describe the process of becoming a success as a male model. 

If you're an artist looking to add an extra layer of realism to an iconic piece of work, or looking for inspiration for a superhero design, I strongly recommend getting in contact with Jason and seeing what he can do for you.  He seems to have a real love for and ability to represent the fantasy and heroic genres.

Raising Innsmouth...

Fund raising that is.

One of my favorite blogs and online magazines, Innsmouth Free Press, is doing another fundraiser, and is much in need of your support.  In addition to running a very fun and informative Lovecraft-based blog, IFP also regularly publishes a magazine of Lovecraftian fiction, which they foolishly give away for free. 
If you donate to IFP, not only do you help support one of the finest repositories of Lovecraftiana on the web, and one of the finest publishers of mythos-inspired fiction, but you also get several great perks, including the possibility of winning some gruesome grimoires of chthonic prose (i.e. free books).  So don't wait for R'Lyeh to rise from beneath the waves or for the stars to make the right formation for the Old Ones to return...head over to IFP and donate...NOW!

Meanwhile, Over at AIM Comics....

As of yesterday, my imprint AIM Comics officially went live with its first book, The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit.  I can't say how happy I am to have finally realized this book.  It's a huge step forward for me creatively and definitely helps lock in my mindset of being a "real" artist, and not just someone who's doing this for fun (although that is certainly an important aspect of it).
With AIM Comics and Brutal Blade, I am taking the first steps to building a catalog of published work that I can grow over time, at my own pace and in my own way.  I've got a bunch of graphic novel ideas that I want to be able to share with the world, and this will be my platform for doing so.  I'd also like, over time, to involve other creative people as I have Ian McDonald.  I think there's a lot of fantastic comics out there that are not getting the attention they deserve, and I hope that if I can build enough of an audience, I can make it attractive for them to package their work through AIM.  Only time will tell on that score.
Meantime, here's the ad that Ian is currently running over at Bruno the Bandit to promote our first book.  It's available in a bunch of formats from a bunch of suppliers, all of which you'll see if you'll just head over to our site...right now!

Sky Pirates Revisited!

I've just found out from one of the creators of "Sky Pirates of Valendor" (see this post) that the book is now being published by Jolly Rogue Studios, and series 2, issue 1, which included the pinup piece I did for them, is now in print.  You can buy the book direct from their site here, or digitally from Cloud 9 Comix here.  If you like pirate adventure and high fantasy, then this is the book for you!

Limited Edition of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" Now Available

Over at my other site, "AIM Comics", an advance edition of the first issue of "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" has just become available.  We're doing a limited run of 25 copies for this one, and we're already down to 14 copies remaining.  The book will be the same as the regular edition, but each copy will be signed and sketched by Bruno's creator, Ian McDonald, and each one will come with an individualized certificate granting the bearer citizenship to Bruno's mythical home of Rothland.  It's a great deal for 10 bucks (including shipping), and the post also has a link to a preview of the first edition, so why not take a look?

Sky Pirates Return!

As promised in an earlier post, here's the color version of the Drew Struzan-inspired drawing I did for "Sky Pirates of Valendor".  While I'm no Drew Struzan, I really like the tone of this piece, and it was certainly an educational experience for me.  It's always great fun to play with someone else's toys.

Psdgraphics.com - Good Photoshop Resource

I'm just working up a piece using a paper texture I downloaded from this site.  It looks like a good collection of resources for Photoshop, including textures, tutorials and more.  I'll definitely be bookmarking this for future reference.

Yarrr! Up Up and Away, Matey!

A while back, I got a great deal on a copy of Drew Struzan: Oeuvre, and fell into an attention hole over his work.  I've always enjoyed his movies posters, but never really studied his work until I got this book.  Like a very few other artists I can think of -- Boris, Frazetta, Alex Ross -- I occasionally find myself lost in some small part of a Struzan painting, studying the mechanics of the piece more than the gestalt of the thing.  His composition, lighting, and use of color border on the mystical for me at this point.  There's also his storytelling, his ability to capture the essence of a film in a single image, so much so that in some cases, his posters are better than the movies themselves...it's just astounding work all around.
Shortly after finding the book, I got the opportunity to do a pinup for a book called "Sky Pirates of Valendor", and since it is a team book, I thought it would be instructive to me to try and design it Struzan-style.  I can't say it was entirely successful, but still, I think it didn't turn out too bad.  The image below is the greyscale piece I turned in for the book, since it was b&w.  However, I do have a color version of this somewhere, and I'll post it if I can ever remember where I filed it. 
They've changed publishing tactics since soliciting the piece, and have now become a webcomic, so this piece, as far as I know, never got used, which is a shame, since I would have liked to have seen how other artists interpreted the characters.  It's a pretty good comic, and I recommend you read it if you get a chance.

Model Bevavior

Gentlemen and Ladies, allow me to introduce Drakaina.

Drakaina is a fantasy art model I recently had the pleasure to meet at Halcon 2010.  She has served as inspiration for a great number of fantasy artists, including Lorenzo Sperlonga, the best of which have been collected in three beautiful volumes of art published by SQP Publications.  Additionally, her image has appeared in a wide variety of magazines, including Playboy and Heavy Metal.
Drakaina was at Halcon to promote her latest art collection and her new comic book.  She was gracious enough to sign a couple of books for me and we had a brief pleasant talk about her preferences in art and her working process.

Through her website, Drakaina offers a gallery of photos for artist reference and inspiration.  The drawings and paintings that fill her books are chosen from among the best of the creations based on these photographs.
Having recently obtained access to this gallery, one of the upcoming projects on my plate is to create a piece based on Drakaina, partly for the enjoyment of it, and partly to see if I can measure up to the artists who have made it into her previous volumes.  As this will be a personal project, I expect it will take some time, but I will post a copy of the image here once it's done.  In the meantime, be sure to check out Drakaina's website, and grab a copy of her books when and wherever you can.

What I'm Working On

I'm not terribly busy posting lately, but that's a good thing, as it means I've got as much work as I can handle right now.  A large chunk of my time is being spent getting "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" ready for publication, but I'm also hard at work on another project involving a slew of character designs for a German author.  The deadline's kind of loose on that one, so I'm having great fun researching styles and textures, and playing with lighting and effects in Photoshop.  Here's just one example of the characters I've recently finished.

Slugging it Out!

Pete Abrams has just announced that Book 10 of his popular webcomic, "Sluggy Freelance" is available from IndyPlanet.  The latest volume, long awaited by Sluggy fans, is titled "Ghosts in the Gastank".  What does this have to do with me, you may ask?  And well may you ask.

Go ahead...ask.

Well, I'll tell you anyway.  If you'll recall, back in June, I posted about some color work I was doing for Sluggy's Saturday strip, "Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain", drawn by fellow inkslinger Ian McDonald (he of "Bruno the Bandit" fame).  Well, apparently the pages I colored for this set are being reprinted in this latest volume.  I was still a bit raw when I did these, and it shows in spots, but I had a lot of fun working on them, especially with some of the dimension hopping panel busting stuff Ian was doing with the artwork.  I credit these pages with having helped me move forward as a colorist, learning how to handle deadlines and maintaining a consistent look to a set of pages.

I've been a fan of Sluggy Freelance for a long time, if a somewhat irregular one.  Abrams is definitely the creme de la creme of webcomics stardom, and the fact that his strip has been running so long shows how well received it's been in general.  It's also helped set the standard for what a webcomics artist can achieve, although few have so far attained that height. 

I'm pleased to say that Pete has graciously gifted mine and Ian's self-publishing project with a mention at his site, but also with a pinup piece for the first issue.  Keep watch to the blog at AIM Comics for news on that front.

It's great to see the Sluggy machine keep rolling on...even if it does have "Ghosts in the Gastank".

Oh the Fecundity!

Whoops....Almost forgot this one.
Here's the last leg of the Apex Halloween sale, a promisingly morbid collection.

"Apex Halloween One Day Sale-THE BLACKNESS WITHIN-40% off today only!

From Africa to Australasia, from Europe to the US, take a terrifying journey led by world-renowned and up-and-coming authors of horror. See how Moccus, the Celtic God of fecundity, brings His barbaric brutality to the twenty-first century. Experience the nightmare of an apostle unable to live up to His teachings in “Dreaming” and, in “Without Mercy,” witness the torment of those who can. But it doesn’t stop there. Even hundreds of years after Mocuss’s death, His savage reign continues for those who dare to question, as you will discover in “For They Are As Beasts” and “Abattoir Blues.”

Thirteen stories–some menacingly dark, others violent and rapacious–will show you a future where death is a blessing. With senior editor Gill Ainsworth, you know you are in for one heck of a ride—especially at 40% off. Drop by the Apex Publications Store and get yours today (Oct 29)."

http://www.apexbookcompany.com/the-blackness-within-stories-of-the-pagan-god-moccus/

I haven't bought or read this one yet, but from the descriptions and the cover, it gives me an impression that it's got the same caliber as the early Mythos stories, or the early work of Robert Bloch, which would definitely put it on my radar.   I'm going to go grab a copy right now...may I suggest you do the same?

Apex Sale - Time for a Change?

The Apex Books Halloween sale rolls on...

"Apex Halloween One Day Sale-THE CHANGED-40% off today only!

It’s not the end of the world—it’s just zombies. Chris is an ordinary guy with a boring job, a perfect fiancée, and plans for a happy, if predictable, future. But when the dead stop dying and become, instead, simply “changed,” ordinary isn’t so comforting anymore. Wandering stray animals suddenly develop a taste for flesh and brains, and while most of the human zombies might be harmless, can anyone really be sure?

For a novel that is both horrifying and satirical, THE CHANGED by BJ Burrow will make your day. Especially at today's one day sale (Oct 27) of 40% off. Drop by the Apex Publications Store and get yours now.

Don't forget, any customer who buys any book between Oct 15th and Oct 30th will have their name put in for a raffle of awesome prizes: A critique Apex Magazine Fiction Editor, Cat Valente, or $25 gift card for Amazon.com, or an Apex Minion pack, or a $10 gift certificate to the Apex Store."

http://www.apexbookcompany.com/the-changed

This one is actually next up on my reading list.  I love a good zombie novel but, like vampires, I suspect that the vein (heh) is quickly getting played out through overuse.  Still, if I can count on anybody to offer me some good zombie fiction, it has to be Apex, whose publications could be called anything but cliche.  I've never read anything by Burrow, but a sample of this book convinced me that it would be worth the read.  Why not give it a try?

Selling Mama

Another day, another great Halloween sale from Apex Books.  This time around it's Fran Friel's "Mama's Boy", a collection of horrifically good short stories from a Stoker nominated author.  I know I've reviewed this one before somewhere, but darned if I can find it.  Naturally, I enjoyed this book, as I do almost everything from Apex.  I did find that the writing wasn't quite as polished as some of their offerings, but the stories in the collection were great fun to read, and anybody looking for some good fright literature this Halloween would do well to check this one out.

From the publisher:

Apex Halloween One Day Sale-Stoker Nominated: MAMA'S BOY-40% off today only!

The Bram Stoker Award-nominated novella “MAMA's BOY” is the cornerstone of this 14-story collection from author Fran Friel and Apex Publications. This collection features a special introduction by Gary A. Braunbeck.  For a collection of horror classics from award winning author, Fran Friel, you can do no better than MAMA's BOY. Especially at today's one day sale (Oct 22) of 40% off. Drop by the Apex Publications Store and get yours now.

“Fran Friel has a genuine gift for storytelling. Her highly adaptable prose boils over with emotion: love, guilt, fear, and the myriad shades between. Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales marks the arrival of a stunning new talent.”
—Michael McBride, author of the God’s End trilogy and Bloodletting

Don't forget, any customer who buys any book between Oct 15th and Oct 30th will have their name put in for a raffle of awesome prizes: A critique Apex Magazine Fiction Editor, Cat Valente, or $25 gift card for Amazon.com, or an Apex Minion pack, or a $10 gift certificate to the Apex Store.

http://www.apexbookcompany.com/mamas-boy-and-other-dark-tales/

Contest and Sale at Apex

From the editors at Apex Books comes this little gem of literature:

Apex Halloween One Day Sale-ORGY OF SOULS-40% off today only!

"Twenty for one. Twenty souls for his brother’s life is a price that seductively beautiful Samson is willing to pay. Twenty souls drenched in blood, powdered with cocaine and more than one kind of ecstasy. A fair trade for the life of a brother. A fair trade for the life of a priest. And everyone he meets seems so willing to give theirs away.

ORGY OF SOULS is a horror novella measuring the price of a man by Maurice Broaddus and Wrath James White you really should read. Especially at today's one day sale (Oct 20) of 40% off. Drop by the Apex Publications Store and get yours now.

“Broaddus and White are an unlikely pairing of talents that works astonishingly well. Orgy of Souls is a powerful, innovative work of fiction and one I recommend wholeheartedly. A damned fine read!”
—James A. Moore, author of Deeper and Cherry Hill

Don't forget, any customer who buys any book between Oct 15th and Oct 30th will have their name put in for a raffle of awesome prizes: A critique by Apex Digest Fiction Editor, Cat Valente, or $25 gift card for Amazon.com, or an Apex Minion pack, or a $10 gift certificate to the Apex Store."



A good deal on a good book.  I've read this one myself and really enjoyed it.  The two authors are an unlikely match, one (Broaddus) a ministry worker, and the other (White) a hardcore horror writer.  The end result is something similar to the work of Clive Barker, as deep as it is horrific, and well worth the read.  
Apex is asking folks all over the help them promote this today, but I wouldn't post it if I didn't believe in it, so it's dead straight and on the level when I tell you that this is a book most readers will enjoy.

Let it Rain

I was trying to create a rain effect similar to that in "Sin City" and came across this nice rain brush by Faeth-design over at Deviantart.  There's some other nice brushes available under their profile as well; take a look.