New Work Published: Pocketwatch Pixie and Safyre V2: Unfinished Business

 I've been working with author David Brzezinski for several years now, ever since I did the cover for his book "Battle for Berridor".  Since then, I've done at least one cover a year for him, as well as some interior and design work.

One of the things I like about David is that he makes publishing a family affair, getting his kids to co-author books with him turning out some good stories in the process.  Children Caleb and Faith Brzezinski have co-written such books as "Safyre" and "Angelina and the Egg", all of which are worth checking out.

This year, David and family have published two books at the same time, one with Caleb and one with Faith.  I have had the honor of doing covers for both, as well as interiors for one of them.

"Pocketwatch Pixie" by David and Faith Brzezinski is a young adult tale of a girl who finds a magical pixie trapped in a pocketwatch.  A good story for readers who like a little magic with their heroism, with a strong female presence in both the authorship and the story.  The cover for this one was a bit of a stretch for me, with some inspiration by the DC "Superhero Girls" series of novels.  I also did a few black and white interiors that were fun and I hope will be charming.

"Safyre 2: Unfinished Business" by Caleb and David Brzezinski is a followup to 2013's "Explosive Origins: Safyre Book 1".  It's the ongoing story of two super-powered teens and their fight to save their home, Titanium Falls from nefarious villains.  Somehow a peanut-shaped car and a portable black hole get involved.  Look, you're just going to have to read it.

For the cover for this one, I tried to tap into some Kirby vibes to get that "comin' at ya!" feeling, with some of Kirby's trippy sense of color.  No cinematic movie grading here, darnit!

These are fun books authored by people who are just enjoying the process of writing and publishing, and aside from the fact that I worked on both of them, I can't recommend them enough...this is the kind of stuff that young people...or just the young at heart...should be reading when they're reading just for the fun of it.

Cover Preview: Journals of Simon Pariah # 3

Here's a preview of the lineart for "The Journals of Simon Pariah" #3, coming up (very likely) in the next week. 
This issue finds Simon in the mountains of Tibet just ahead of the Communist invasion.  Originally published as a webcomic, this was the first story accepted by Diamond Comics for distribution, right around the time that I decided that I didn't like their terms and would rather forge ahead without their help. 
I've reworked the cover slightly for this edition, but the story still works as it is.  The issue will have a bibliography and several pages of notes on the creation of the story.

Look for more details and the full issue coming up soon.

Why is This Bandit Smiling?

Maybe Bruno is looking so happy because he knows what's in store for him in the 6th volume of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit", coming very soon from AIM Comics.  Of course, his smile could also be the result of knowing that we've got a brand new cover for this issue from no other than Bruno's daddy, Ian McDonald himself!  This is just a preview of that cover, with colors by my own humble self, but you'll soon be able to see the full thing for yourself.  Keep an eye on this blog, or on our Facebook feed for more information as we get closer to the release date.

Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 4: Cover Artist Announcement!

Volume 4 of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" is coming together at this moment.  The book is largely compiled and is just waiting on a pinup and a couple of spot illustrations (I guess I'd better get those done, huh?).
A huge step forward for this volume is the fact that I've just received the cover art for the book, and let me tell you, it looks great!  Rather than keep you guessing, let me introduce the cover artist for BBoBtB Vol. 4, Mark Oakley!
Those of you who know Mark's work must surely be as stoked as I am to have him aboard for this issue.  Those of you who don't know Mark's work owe it to yourself to get out there and get your hands on some of it as soon as possible.
Mark is the creator of the popular and incredibly good comic book series "Thieves & Kings", as well as the more recent and likewise good series "Star Drop".  As both a self-publisher and a comics creator his work has been an inspiration to both Ian McDonald and myself.  I count his work on Thieves & Kings as one of the two major influences on my design decisions for the current incarnation of "The Journals of Simon Pariah". 

I was lucky enough to meet Mark at a local signing a few years ago, and have run into him at several events since then.  I think I've had him sign just about everything he's ever published for my collection (be sure to check out all the items for sale in the sidebar of his site to see the wide variety of work he has available).
.After the last Hal-Con, I finally got in touch with him about doing some art for a collection of Ian's work, and just this past Sunday, I was delighted to hold in my hands a Bruno the Bandit original by Mark Oakley!

One of the best perks of publishing Brutal Blade so far has been that I get to do color work under art by some of my favorite artists in the fantasy genre.  This time, I'm going to get the pleasure of working with Mark's art, and just hope that I can do it justice.
Meantime, while I'm bringing it all together, here's a preview of one of his character sketches from the Brunoverse, the foul dread lord Numth'kul.  Enjoy!

Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 3 - Cover Preview

As volume 3 of Brutal Blade nears completion, I figure it's time to give you a preview of the great cover that artist Sandy Carruthers has created for this book.  Sandy, a knowledgeable art teacher as well as an inspiring artist, makes no bones about referencing a classic piece of art for this illustrations.  If you think you can identify the source material, shout back at us in the comments.  In the meantime, enjoy this preview of good things to come in "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit, Vol. 3"...

Cover Artist for Brutal Blade Vol. 3: Sandy Carruthers

I'm one proud publisher to be able to say that for the cover of Volume 3 of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" we've managed to score an original piece from artist extraordinaire Sandy Carruthers.  He's recently delivered the finished art to me, and it's nothing short of fantastic!

Sandy has had, so far, a prestigious career in comics, including being the illustrator for the original Men in Black comic book for Malibu (yes, the very same book on which the films were loosely based), handling the art chores for a while on Captain Canuck (Canada's own premiere superhero, no matter what Marvel might say), and the webcomic "Canadiana" (now sadly offline). 
At present, Sandy is an instructor at Prince Edward Island's Holland College and is working on the Twisted Journey's series of books from Graphic Universe (a graphic novel version of the classic Choose Your Own Adventure books).

Ian and I had the good fortune to share an Artist's Alley with Sandy at the 2011 Hal-Con.  He produces some incredible convention sketches and is knowledgeable about not just comics, but the history of art in general.  It made for some great conversation that weekend, and I'm definitely looking forward to this year's event.

Please take a minute to check out Sandy's site and see some of the beautiful work he's posting these days.  Then check back here later, when I'll be posting a preview of his...did I mention it's fantastic?...cover for Brutal Blade, shortly before the next book is released.

Now I've got to go...see, I've got this fantastic! piece of art that I have to color....

Brutal Blade vol. 2 At the Starting Gate!

Yesterday, I received the proof of Ian McDonald's "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" Vol. 2 from Createspace, which means that as soon as I approve it and turn the digital copies live, the book is ready to go.

I know I'd be expected to say this, but I think it looks great.  I'm really pleased with the way these books are turning out, and with knowing that when I'm done, I'm going to have a sharp-looking set of collected Bruno the Bandit lining my bookshelves.  Whatever other rewards I may or may not get from AIM Comics, I'll at least have the reward of having brought some of my favorite comic strips to life in this way.  I hope the rest of you agree.

Unfortunately, it's not all roses.  I'm not going to be able to do a limited edition of the second volume like I did for the first one.  Granted, that was great for promotion, but frankly, I'm paying for all this out of my own pocket, and costs such as customs and postage on that first edition got a little ridiculous.  As much as I'd like to get Ian to do another round of sketched books, I would have to price them too high to effectively sell them.  Maybe if this volume sells enough copies (wink wink nudge nudge), I'll be able to do a limited edition for a future volume.

Meantime, don't forget that Ian and I will be appearing at Hal-Con this November, so if you really want your book signed and/or sketched, and you're in the Halifax area, drop by our table and I'm sure Ian will be happy to oblige.
Also, don't forget that our illustrious cover artist for volume 2, Geof Isherwood, will also be at Hal-Con, so if you score a copy of this book, be sure to bring it to him as well for an autograph.  From my correspondence with him, I think Geof's a great guy, and he's done a bangup job with the cover.

Speaking of which...I think I've held the suspense long enough.  Here's the original drawing Geof sent us for the cover of Brutal Blade Vol. 2.  I've colored this up for the actual book, but I thought you'd all appreciate seeing the work in its original form.  Click the pic to view it in a larger size.  The drawing illustrates Ian's story "The Babe"...one of the shining moments of comedy in Bruno the Bandit's catalog, in my opinion.  Be sure to leave a comment or drop me a line and let me know what you think!

The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 2...watch for it VERY soon!

Herc! Herc!

Check this out....the Crom! blog is running a color job I did on a piece of art by Mike DeStasio (aka Mikeyboy).  It's a comic from an alternate universe featuring a meeting between Conan and Marvel's Hercules.  Click the pic to go visit Crom! and see the pic full sized.

Mike DeStasio is one of the artists whose work you will find featured in the upcoming second volume of "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit".  He was good enough to grace us with a fine figure drawing of our favorite ne'er-do-well that I think and hope you all will enjoy.  For more by Mikeyboy, check out the Crom! blog on a regular basis, as well as his other blogs, "My Favorite Covers", "Red Sonja: She Devil With a Sword", "The Mighty Blog of Hercules", and "Shanna the She Devil Blogger".  They're all great fan blogs chock full of enough photos and art to please any fanboy.  Collect them all!

09-14-11: Update:  Here's another piece I did for Mike's "The Mighty Blog of Hercules" featuring Marvel's Herc vs. Charlton's Herc....there can be only one!  Art once again by Mike DeStatio, color and paste-up by myself.

Cover for Issue 2 of Brutal Blade is In My Hands!

Just this morning, I received a nice high-rez scan of the drawing for the cover of volume 2 of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" from Geof Isherwood.  Need I say it looks fantastic?  Of course not.  Geof's done an incredible job with the characters and I can't wait to share it with the readers.  It's too soon to post a preview...I've got to color the thing and design the cover around it, and I can't go giving away too much too soon.  Let's just say that fans of Bruno and of Geof's work will be pleased, and anyone who enjoys the work of Tex Avery or girlie artist Bill Ward won't be disappointed either.

The Man Comes Around...

Well, if you checked our Facebook page, you'll know by now that the cover to the second volume of "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" is being rendered for us by no other than classic Conan (among other things!) artist Geof Isherwood.  Geof did some amazing work on the regular Conan series as well as on the later issues of King Conan.  His rendition of Red Sonja in particular holds a special place in Hyborian history for me.

Need I say I am stoked to see what he's going to do with Bruno and company?

Just to put the icing on the cake, though, I find out this week that the estimable Mr. Isherwood will be attending Hal-Con this November!  Not only will I shortly be holding an Isherwood original in my hands, but I'll soon have the chance to meet the man in person.  Time to spruce up and start digging through my back issue bin!

Be sure to check out Geof's website for a look at what he's been up to lately, and the Fans of Geof Isherwood Facebook page for updates on his current project, Antiquitas Lost.