A Peek at the Process

More than once here at the blog I've teased that I'm working on some comics projects of my own making, and as 2010 winds down I figured I'd start pulling back the curtain a bit more. The image in the lower left of the above photo has appeared before on this blog; it's the format I've chosen for a story I'll be launching here in February 2011. Underneath that panel are two pieces of Strathmore bristol board I've gridded out; to save myself time once I get into the panel-by-panel drawing of this story, I'm taking care of this setup work now. More peeks at my process to come as we approach February...

BAG IT AND BOARD IT

DAYS MISSING
Written by Phil Hester, David Hine, Ian Edginton & Matz
Art by Frazer Irving, Chris Burnham, Lee Moder & Hugo Petrus
Colors by Imaginary Friends Studios, Caravan Studios & Lizzy John
Letters by Troy Peteri
Created by Trevor Roth
Character Designs by Dale Keown

THE ENGINEER: KONSTRUKT
Written by Brian Churilla and Jeremy Shepherd
Illustrated by Brian Churilla
Colored by Jeremy Shepherd
Color Assistant Lisa Tran
Lettered by Sean Glumace and Jeff Powell

HYBRID BASTARDS
Written by Tom Pinchuk
Art by Kate Glasheen
Letters by Shawn DePasquale

OKKO: THE CYCLE OF WATER
Written and Illustrated by Hub
Colors by Hub and Stephan Pecayo
Translated by Edward Gauvin

THE SANDMAN VOLUME FOUR: SEASON OF MISTS
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artists: Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, Craig Russell
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorists: Steve Oliff, Daniel Vozzo
Covers: Dave McKean


Another glimpse at what I've been reading in recent months, while here on the blog I was racing towards the finish line of "60 Weeks with the Justice League." (And yes, I know, one of the above is not like the others....) Seriously, folks, if you haven't dug into the Archaia catalog yet, you're doing yourself a grave disservice. Also, Sandman continues to blow my mind, although I must confess my journey through those books has stalled after this fourth volume--there's just too much to read! Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's a nice problem to have.

BAG IT AND BOARD IT

MOUSE GUARD: FALL 1152
David Petersen

THE SANDMAN VOLUME ONE: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES
Neil Gaiman, writer
Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, artists
Todd Klein, letterer
Robbie Busch, colorist
Selected recoloring by Daniel Vozzo
Dave McKean, covers

THE SANDMAN VOLUME TWO: THE DOLL'S HOUSE
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Mike Dringenberg & Malcolm Jones III
With Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli & Steve Parkhouse
Colored by Robbie Busch
Lettered by Todd Klein and John Costanza
Covers and design by Dave McKean

THE SANDMAN VOLUME THREE: DREAM COUNTRY
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Kelley Jones, Malcolm Jones III, Charles Vess & Colleen Doran
Colorist: Robbie Busch & Steve Oliff
Letterer: Todd Klein
Covers by Dave McKean

SYNDROME: A Graphic Novel
Created by Blake Leibel
Written by Daniel Quantz & R.J. Ryan
Illustrated by David Marquez
Colored by Bill Farmer
Lettered by Dave Lanphear
Cover by Michal Dahan for Studio Dahan


I do indeed recognize that I should have, before now, begun my journey through Neil Gaiman's Sandman, but as often happens with the classics, I set them aside knowing they'd always be there. And while it does indeed appear they aren't going anywhere--DC just released yet another softcover edition of a number of the volumes--I do feel the fool for having not picked them up sooner. They're every bit as brilliant as people say. Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III et al. bring Gaiman's scripts to life with artwork that seems to be energized by Dream itself, and they consistently come up with stunningly original layouts that always enhance the story being told without distraction.

Meanwhile, I've continued devouring Archaia's catalog, at last reading the first Mouse Guard volume and also taking home the recently released Syndrome. Both of these books are highly recommended, and they serve as great examples of just how diverse this company's output is--the oversized (roughly 7.75"x11.5") Syndrome explores the darker facets of our human nature with a story about a no-holds-barred pursuit for a "cure" against evil, while the square-format (approximately 8.25"x8.25") Mouse Guard presents an all-ages (in the best sense of the term--it can be appreciate by anyone of any age) adventure story pitting Medieval mice against the entirety of the world around them, and against some of their own, as well. Mouse Guard is also richly illustrated by its creator and writer, David Petersen, and Syndrome introduces the extremely talented David Marquez to the Archaia fold; he's currently working on the company's second Days Missing miniseries.

BAG IT AND BOARD IT

As this latest post in the ongoing "Bag It and Board It" series should make clear, we're changing up the format here at the ol' D.D. Following the grand expedition that was "60 Weeks With the Justice League," I'm finally buckling down and getting serious about making some comics of my own, for which this blog should ultimately serve as a home. And with that in mind, I'm moving away from reviews--if you can even classify any of my ramblings in such a fashion. I will, however, keep you all posted, from time to time, on the books I've been reading (and by "books" I mean trades and graphic novels, although maybe at some point I'll toss in some floppies, to boot). This'll take us through the next few weeks; I let "Bag It and Board It" fall to the wayside while I was wrapping up "60 Weeks," and so I've got some catching up to do...

BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2009
Charles Burns: editor
Jessica Abel and Matt Madden: series editors

Tim Hensley, "Shh!"; Daniel Clowes, "Justin M. Damiano"; Peter Bagge, "Artist vs. Artisan"; Kaz, "Underworld Strips"; Doug Allen, "Hillbillys 'R' Dumb"; Aline Kominsky-Crumb, "Why I Write Only About Myself..."; Robert Crumb and Aline Kominsky-Crumb, "Our Beloved Tape Dispenser"; Michael Kupperman, "Indian Spirit Twain & Einstein"; Dan Zettwoch, "Spirit Duplicator"; Matt Broersma, "The Company" (excerpt); Adrian Tomine, "Shortcomings" (excerpt); Mimi Pond, "Over Easy" (excerpt); Art Spiegelman, "The Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@#*!!"; Ron Regé Jr., "Cruddy"; Gabrielle Bell, "When I Was Eleven"; Tim Hensley, "Gropius in 'Ring Tones'"; Gary Panter, "Dal Tokyo"; Ben Katchor, "Disinfected Youth," "Gravel Migration," and "The Wide Riders"; Jerry Moriarty, "Annoyed X Girlfriend," "Dad Coming Down the Cellar Stairs," "Sally in the Public Toilet," "Tree Pee," "Summer Shower," and "Church Miracle"; CF, "Mosfet Warlock and the Mechlin Men"; David Sandlin, "Lo-Bot-O-My-Heart," "Slumburbia," and "Heart of Darkness"; Dash Shaw, "The Galactic Funnels"; Jason Lutes, "Berlin" (excerpt); Tony Millionaire, "Maakies with the Wrinkled Knees Strips"; Sammy Harkham, "Black Death (Chapter Two)"; Chris Ware, "Jordan W. Lint"; Ted Stearn, "Fuzz & Pluck in Splitsville" (excerpt); Laura Park, "Freaks"; Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, "Skim" (excerpt); Koren Shadmi, "Antoinette"; Kevin Huizenga, "Glenn Ganges in Pulverize"; Tim Hensley, "Jillian in The Argument"; Al Columbia, "5:45 A.M."; Gilbert Hernandez, "Papa"; Anders Nilsen, "The Hand That Feeds" (excerpt); Tim Hensley, "Hope Gropius"

FABLES VOL. 10: THE GOOD PRINCE
Bill Willingham: writer
Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Aaron Alexovich, Andrew Pepoy: artists
Lee Loughridge: colorist
Todd Klein: letterer
James Jean: original series covers

FABLES VOL. 11: WAR AND PIECES
Bill Willingham: writer
Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, Andrew Pepoy: artists
Lee Loughridge, Niko Henrichon: colorists
Todd Klein: letterer
James Jean: original series covers

SUPERBOY: THE BOY OF STEEL
Geoff Johns, writer
Francis Manapul, artist & cover
Brian Buccellato, colorist
Steve Wands, letterer
Special thanks to Richard Zajac for Part 5

TITANIUM RAIN Book One
Words: Josh Finney
Visuals: Josh Finney & Kat Rocha
Guest Contributors: Martheus Wade, Emil Petrinic, Michael Colbert, Jules Rivera, Damian Smith


Just a few thoughts while we're here. First, the Best American Comics series continues to impress me (even if I am behind in reading them). Sure, not everything scratches my itch, but the books have consistently introduced me to works I hadn't found elsewhere--and I spend a fair amount of time looking into this sort of thing. Second, Fables is a really, really great series, and I'm ashamed it's taken me so long to get this far--and that I'm still a number of trades behind. Third, I didn't know anything about Superboy before a friend let me borrow this book, and now the character makes a lot more sense to me; the story was pretty damn entertaining, too, although not enough to get me to go out and buy any Superboy material. Finally, Titanium Rain was the sleeper hit out of this pack. Flipping through it in the store, I was a bit put off by the heavy use of photo referencing, but I decided to pick it up anyway, based on the fact that it's published by Archaia, whose books I tend to really, really dig. And boy howdy, I'm glad I did buy it. The story is outstanding, and the art, existing as it does in the almost photo-real uncanny valley, perfectly suits the themes of enhancing humanity with an advanced integration of technology into the body. Wonderful stuff, highly recommended. Book Two can't get here soon enough!


All images this post copyright their respective publishers.