More Work By Brutal Blade Cover Artist Sandy Carruthers!

I can't believe I hadn't seen this before now. Sometimes it's like I have my head buried in the sand. Actually, it's more like dealing with the things that happen while I'm busy making other plans.

Nevertheless, if you'd like to check out a fantastic online portfolio of art by Sandy Carruthers, cover artist for Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 3, head over to his DeviantArt page and check out his gallery. There's some incredible work there, including his pencil rough for the Brutal Blade cover, pages from various projects, and portraits of some very recognizable pop culture icons. It's well worth a look.

Sandy is scheduled to be at this year's Hal-Con, taking place the last week in October. If you're in the area, be sure to get a convention sketch from him, and I'm sure if you ask politely, he'll even sign your copy of Brutal Blade.

Now Available - The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 3

After a few unexpected delays, "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit, Vol. 3" is now live.  From the book's description:

"The third time's the charm!  Or so hopes our hero, Bruno the Bandit, in this issue, as he turns on the charm in an attempt to win the lovely Lydia away from the wizard Maledict.  Meanwhile, the demonic Numth'kul sees his troubles increase a thousandfold, and we learn that Elder Gods need love too!  Plus, we're not sure if it serves a purpose clear when Fiona serves up some "Free Will"!

All this and much more, including the Charles Schulz memorial story, "When a God Retires" and several new pages of Bruno pinups from Ian McDonald.  Presenting nine more stories from the archives of Bruno the Bandit (www.brunothebandit.com), this third swing of the Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit continues the tradition of turning some of the best comics on the web into some of the funniest comics in self-publishing. "

This volume has a cover by Sandy Carruthers of "Men in Black" and "Captain Canuck" fame, and aside from the wealth of stories within, contains several new illustrations by Bruno's creator Ian McDonald, as well as guest contributions from Michael DeStasio (whose work was featured in volume 2) and Raven Dominic (who is, only coincidentally, related to the publisher.  Honest.)

Fans of Bruno will be delighted by the stories in this volume, and fans of comics in general should check out Ian's loving tribute to Charles Schulz in "When a God Retires".  As always, there's something for everyone in this book, and at this price, it's a steal even Bruno couldn't pass up.

"The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 3" is now available through these online stores:

Print:
Createspace

Digital:
DriveThruComics
Wowio

Coming soon, versions for Kindle and Graphicly.

And don't forget that our other books, Brutal Blade vols. 1 & 2, and our free comic "Why Comics" are all still available.  Collect the whole set!
If you do buy a copy of any of our books, please take the time to leave us a review on any of our storefronts, or drop me a line to let me know what you think.  As always, I'd love to hear from you!

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....