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....

Artist Profile: Thomas Drewsen

One of the great things about publishing a book like "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" is that it attracts interest not only from fans, but from other creative people as well.  Any comics that are worth their salt will naturally get attention from artists and writers who would like to play around in the world that's been created, and I'm pleased to say that Ian McDonald's Bruno is no exception.
Take, for example, the portfolio I received via email this week from Thomas Drewsen.  Thomas is a Danish illustrator currently working on an RPG.  Thomas contacted me because he thought I might be interested in using some of his work in an upcoming issue of "Brutal Blade".  And he wasn't wrong; his work is very nice, and I'd love to be able to commission a character portrait from him.

However, one of the not so great things about publishing on the level where AIM Comics currently exists is that our budget for such things is tighter than a matron's apron, and there's just no way I'd be able to pay an artist like Thomas what they're worth.  What few shekels I can spare have to go into paying our cover artist (another Conan classic coming up for issue 2!) and getting advertising space and materials.
Still, that's not to say that I can't spread the word about an artist like Thomas and introduce you all to his work.  He's a talented illustrator, and his portfolio is definitely worth a look, especially if you're a fan of the Marvel Conan comics from which Brutal Blade takes so much inspiration.  If you've got a couple of minutes, why not click over to Thomas's portfolio and take a look at his work?  I really do think you'll like it.

All that being said, I am considering getting a few fan pinups for the second issue of Brutal Blade, so if you're interested, why not send me a sample or a link?  I won't be able to pay much, but if the work is good, at least you could be the subject of a future artist profile on this site.