Southpawian Fury

Spoon!

2010-01-26T18:20:00.005-05:00

I guess I might as well post this now.

This is one of the sketches I did for the folks at New England Comics a few months back, along with some sample Tick pages. We met at the Baltimore Comic Con in October and they were interested in my work, and I was pretty stoked when we talked about possibly doing a new Tick story together.

But alas, it doesn't look like this particular story is going to pan out right now. Story of my life.

So, I'm kind of bummed. But I thought I'd post this sketch anyway.

I actually have some other possible things coming up, but since nothing ever seems to work out quite how I imagine it, I'm staying very cautiously optimistic.

Buh-Bye, Idol!

2010-01-11T23:14:00.004-05:00

Quick cartoon, because Simon deserves it after today.

Suck it, Idol! Bring on American X Factor! (Even Rod said he'd watch it with me!)

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and New Years. We spent ours in New Zealand, 18 hours ahead of everyone on the East Coast of the U.S. And it was warm and sunny the entire time-- we went to the beach three times! Of course, as soon as we landed in D.C. the weather made us pay for it with 20-degree temps and crazy strong (and COLD) winds. Ahh, winter.

Here's to a great 2010!

Flash! Ahhhh...

2009-12-14T21:19:00.004-05:00

Just a quick post for today. I drew these two Flash Gordon pieces based on Ardden Entertainment's new comic series. They were looking for a new artist a while back, so I submitted a few things to show them.

I didn't end up getting the gig, but it was still fun. I need to do sketches like these more often.

This may be my last blog post before the holidays-- Rod and I are leaving for New Zealand on Friday to spend Christmas and New Years with his family. I'm really looking forward to it, because I haven't been back since 2003. I'm bringing my iPhone with me (thanks to a handy international data package via AT&T), so I'll be updating my Twitter and taking photos and such.

So if I don't get another chance to say it, Happy Holidays, everyone!

Zombie Weekend

2009-12-07T21:47:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was a really cool one for me-- first because Maryland got its first snowfall of winter, and also because I got to take a break from working on comic pages to go to Rob Zombie's show on Saturday night in Washington, DC.

I worked with Rob years ago back when I was with MVCreations and we were doing his Spookshow International comic series, which was tons of fun. Rob was always totally cool to work with and I was struck by how down to Earth he was. He has a great, wicked sense of humor that I love (and it always made my days pick up, especially when I was going through new scripts he'd turn in). And now I'm working with him again as the editor on his Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? comic (which will be coming next year from Image Comics!). Keep an eye out, because this series is proving to be just as hilarious as Spookshow was.

I've talked to Rob on the phone more times than I can count, but I'd never actually met the guy in person before... until Saturday! Rob graciously invited me out to the show at the 9:30 Club, and hooked myself, my husband Rod, my sisters and their friends up with VIP passes. He took great care of us, and it was very cool to be able to see the show from a decent perspective (I wish I saw Rammstein in the VIP section last time I was at the 9:30 Club years ago!).

We met up with Rob for a bit before the show, and he's just as nice in person as he is through email or phone. We talked comics, his El Superbeasto animated film and music, and he kindly obliged and posed for pictures with all of us before heading backstage to get ready for the show.

And speaking of the show, it was the best I'd seen in years. Great visuals and music. The opening bands were fantastic (and I immediately loved Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures for having such a kickass name-- Captain Clegg, or Night Creatures as it's known in the U.S., is my favorite Peter Cushing Hammer film), and it was great to finally see Rob perform live. One of the highlights was when he got a woman-- who was situated in the corner of the room beside the stage doing sign language for the crowd-- to sign a string of expletives for everyone. And she was a good sport and did it all (and Rob told her she had "dirty hands").

So the show was awesome. And to end it all, as we were leaving, there was a guy outside the 9:30 Club handing out Rammstein stickers promoting their latest album Liebe ist für alle da. He gave me two stickers because I was wearing my Rammstein jacket. Aaaand while we were walking back to the metro I spotted a bunch of promotional Rammstein miniposters, one of which I snagged and now have framed and hanging in my living room.

Great night.

(And yeah, I totally snagged Rod's latest blog entry title because I loved it. He has another photo and info from the weekend posted up on his site too. Check it out!)

Lava-Roid

2009-11-21T00:00:00.003-05:00

I'm late posting about this because I'm a horrible person, but Lava-Roid-- the comic I finished a few months ago-- has been getting some really cool reviews.

Lava-Roid was created and written by my pal Kevin Conn and co-written by Stephen "Jesus Hates Zombies" Lindsay. It's a hilarious little book, and I was thrilled to be able to work on it. I had a ton of fun and Kevin gave me full reign with character design and layouts and wackiness.

So... onto the reviews!

The peeps at Ain't It Cool News gave the book a really nice review that you can read HERE (by scrolling down a bit).

Then, Newsarama gave it a shout-out, which you can read HERE (by once again scrolling down a little).

Jennifer Pierce also gave the book a nice review on her blog, which you can read HERE.

And to top that off, G4's Blair Butler mentioned the book on Fresh Ink Online. I am completely humbled and flattered that she mentioned my art. You can check out the review (about 1:32 in) here:

Video Games - E3 2010

Thanks, everyone, for the great reviews! It was a labor of love and I was glad to be involved.

If you want to check out Lava-Roid for yourself, it's available to purchase on Indy Planet. See what it's all about!

Zombie Time

2009-11-04T23:02:00.003-05:00

Wanted to jump in here real quick to pimp something I should have done days ago. In December, Image Comics is publishing a trade recollecting all of the Rob Zombie's Spookshow International comic issues from a few years back. It will be packaged as "The Haunted World of El Superbeasto" to tie in with Rob's recent animated film. Back when I was with MVCreations, I was the editor on this title (and others), and had a blast with it.

Rob is working on a new comic project called "What Ever Happened to Baron Von Shock," so I'm stepping into the editor role once again. Comic Book Resources did an article just recently about the El Superbeasto animated film, the trade publication, and Rob's new Von Shock project. I was quoted a bunch of times (and tried to get a Peter Cushing mention in there-- sadly, it didn't make the cut). Check it out here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23501

Also...

I'm a horrible person for not posting a Baltimore Comic Con recap, I know. I haven't done it yet because I've been busy with projects (more on those soon), but I'm going to try and get a post up Friday or this weekend (I swear!).

But I will say that Rod and I had a fantastic time-- it was great meeting new people and hanging with friends. And I bought a bunch of Green Lantern comics from Shelton over at the Heroes booth. It was nice to be able to walk around and talk to people and really experience a convention again. But more on that in my next post!

Baltimore Comic Con!

2009-10-08T22:19:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again! Rod and I will be at the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend, October 10th & 11th. We'll have a lot of goodies for sale, including prints, limited quantities of my 2009 sketchbook and a brand new Blue Milk Special convention special booklet.

We'll be at table 116, so stop by and say hello!

I'm also going to be doing commissions again, but I'm going to be limiting the amount I do this time around. At Heroes Con this past June I ended up getting swamped, and I'd like to be able to walk around the con and check it out a little more than I did at Heroes.

Also at my table will be my pal Kevin Conn, who will be selling his Lava-Roid comic, which I just finished working on. It's a really funny read, so be sure to check it out! Stephen Lindsay (of Jesus Hates Zombies fame) helped write it, and I hear there may be talks of a signing at some point this weekend...

I'll keep my Twitter and Facebook accounts updated with info and photos all weekend.

Hope to see some of you there!

(And for those people who think because I'll be out of town this weekend my house will be an easy target, think again! Rod and I live in a neighborhood full of old people who watch everyone's houses like hawks. And the old woman who lives next to us will hiss at you like Dracula if you so much as look at her. Well, not really, but Rod and I joke around that she does... 'Cause it wouldn't surprise me if it happened one day.)

Demon Cat

2009-09-14T19:35:00.003-04:00

Just a quick one for today. And yeah, I couldn't decide on a catchy title for this one.

This was a possible pin-up I'd sketched up for the Mice Templar gang, but it ended up not being quite what they were looking for, so I scrapped it. But I may still finish it one day...

So lately I've been playing Beatles Rock Band... a lot. This game is absolutely fantastic. I just wish it was October so I could download songs/albums in the Rock Band store. Sigh. I'm still hung up on playing Paul's bass (I think you should get extra points for playing it left-handed like Paul-- and not just cause I'm left-handed... just sayin'), and after unlocking a bunch of challenges, I'm now going through the game again to get five stars on every song on hard level. It's tough sometimes, but oh so much fun!

Expert level is going to kill me.

The Order

2009-09-04T21:25:00.005-04:00

The Order of the Phoenix: The Animated Series.

No, but seriously, I've been listening to a few of the Harry Potter audios lately, and right now I'm on Order of the Phoenix. Despite being completely swamped with work on Lava-Roid, this idea of the Order posing for a photo wouldn't leave my head... so I had to draw it.

I know these aren't all of the Order members, but it's a fair few of them. Waaay in the back is Hagrid, and from left to right we have: Bill Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Sirius Black, Mundungus Fletcher and Severus Snape.

And if you look closely, you'll see that Mad-Eye's magical eye is fixed squarely on Remus, who is watching Tonks. Mad-Eye is ever vigilant.

I've been working like mad on the Lava-Roid comic, which I hope to finish up this weekend if all goes well. Paul Little is doing colors on this one, and it looks great! We should have this book on hand for the Baltimore Convention next month. Stay tuned...

Aaand The Beatles: Rock Band comes out on 9/9/09, so I'm completely psyched for that (and bought the Beatles instruments despite having a complete set of Rock Band equipment already). I hope I remember to eat and drink after Wednesday. No guarantees.

Deadpool

2009-08-20T20:49:00.005-04:00

I meant to put this up days ago, but Blogger was being a pain in the arse and wouldn't let me upload images. But thankfully it seems to be working for now... (*knocks on wood*).

So this is a commission I finished up for Mike "Heywood" Estelle a little while ago. He asked me for this a couple months ago and I only just managed to finish it. Thanks for waiting, Mike! It's actually the first time I've ever drawn Deadpool. But it was a lot of fun and I really dug adding in the little details.

I'm hard at work right now drawing up the origin issue of Lava-Roid, my pal Kevin Conn's comic. Hopefully this will be all finished and printed up in time for the Baltimore show in October!

That's all from me. More sketches in a couple days!

Mice and Mike

2009-08-12T22:28:00.003-04:00

Mice Templar: Destiny #2 hit the shelves today. I contributed a couple of pin-up pieces in this issue (one of which is above-- sorry for it being so small, but Blogger isn't letting me upload images here for whatever reason), but most importantly, this issue features my husband Rod's debut as the new writer for the 'Myths & Legends' feature in the backs of each Templar issue. Definitely pick it up if you get a chance!

The book itself is a really great read (there's a reason it's been getting so much buzz!), and Bryan, Mike, Victor and Veronica do an incredible job. I was honored to be a part of this series, even in such a small way. Hats off to all of these guys!

Last night as I was drawing and working on stuff, I was half dreading today because it marks the second anniversary of Mike Wieringo's passing. Anyone who knows me knows what I thought of Mike and how much he has inspired me over the years, not only through his beautiful artwork, but as a human being. I don't think you could find a nicer guy in comics, and I wish I'd had the courage to get to know him better.

As I sat there trying not to really think too much, I was struck by the realization that back in June my first published work in years (my back-up story in Perhapanauts #6) was released on Mike's birthday... and my next published work (in Mice Templar) was released today, on the second anniversary of his passing. I don't know what that means, but it struck me that it was an odd coincidence there was another Mike connection there.

Newsarama had a really nice article up on Mike today, and I would like to share it:

http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/08/12/dial-h-for-history-remembering-mike-wieringo

That's all from me.

Blue Milk Love

2009-08-10T17:48:00.002-04:00

Very busy just now, but I wanted to hop on here and thank everyone who's been checking out the crazy Star Wars webcomic Rod and I work on-- Blue Milk Special.

We received a very nice review (a BMS first!) over at The Great Big Nerd. So thank you to Dan Stryker for reminding us that people actually do read our comic and seem to enjoy it. You can check out Dan's review HERE.

Also, thanks once again to pal Todd Dezago for pimping us on his Perhapablog (which everyone should be reading) today. Todd and Craig have been nothing but supportive of us, and we seriously appreciate it. These guys are kool kats.

I'm going to post about this in a couple days, but this Wednesday be on the lookout for Mice Templar: Destiny #2 from Image Comics. Not only is Mice Templar a fantastic read, but this issue features Rod's writing debut of the "Myth & Legends" features in the backs of each issue. And I've contributed a couple of pin-ups to the ish too. So check it out!

Not too much else to add, except that I'm still bummed about the lack of Remus/Tonks from the Half-Blood Prince film. But I've been listening to the audio book and trying to take comfort in that. And the fact that Deathly Hallows is split into two films, so I hope David Yates will take pity on me and give them some decent scenes, damn it!

Since I like to have at least one new piece of art (or a photo or something) to accompany each blog post but Blogger is being a pain and won't let me post it here, here's a link to something I did a couple weeks ago of a scene in the Half-Blood Prince novel (which was, of course, cut entirely out of the film):

http://stratosmacca.deviantart.com/art/A-Million-Times-131006432

Okay, I'm out.

Heroes Con Commissions

2009-08-01T14:48:00.005-04:00

This is insanely late, I know, and it's been over a month since Heroes Con ended which makes it even worse.

But I thought I would share some of the commissions I worked on during Heroes Con (that I remembered to have Scott Weinstein take photos of-- thanks again, Scott!). As I mentioned, I did a bunch of commissions at the show-- so much so that I barely had time to walk around and really enjoy myself as much as I would've liked.

But it was nice talking to everyone who stopped by, and I'm grateful that people liked my stuff enough to even want a sketch from me. So thanks to anyone I met who may be reading this!

And now... On with the commissions!

Alex from A Clockwork Orange:

Robin:

A Star Wars sketch card:

An original character:

Faker, from Masters of the Universe:

Ryu, from Street Fighter:

And last but not least, Cobra Commander:

I have a couple projects I'm getting ready to dive into, but I'll try to keep this blog updated semi-regularly as I work, with sketches and updates and stuff. We'll see how it goes!

Heroes Con '09

2009-07-14T19:36:00.006-04:00

I know this is horribly late, but I wanted to finally post something about my experience this year at Heroes Con. Better late than never, right?

Rod and I drove down to Charlotte on the Thursday before the con, and we actually got there earlier in the night (as opposed to arriving at 2 AM like we did last year). It was actually a really nice drive down, and when we arrived one of the first things we did was pick up our new banners we’d ordered and had shipped to the hotel. As soon as we got into the hotel room we broke those suckers open and set them up in the room-- I couldn’t have been more pleased with them!

Friday morning we made our way to the convention center and realized we were set up next to Comfort Love and Adam Withers, who we’d met at Heroes and later the Baltimore convention last year. They are a husband and wife team like us, and they have a fantastic comic book they write, draw and publish called The Uniques-- it’s a really great read. I picked up the first few issues at Heroes last year and had to keep coming back for more!

We also caught up with Scott Weinstein whose table was right next to ours, and I had my first look at the After-School Agent convention special issue I drew for Scott. It’s still so cool to see my work in print. I just hope I did Scott’s characters justice! Later Chris Zaccone and Gino Patti finally showed and we were one big happy family again!

As the show went on, we caught up with pals Todd Dezago and Craig Rousseau and I finally got to see the Molly back-up story Scott and I worked on for Perhapanauts #6. And they were nice enough to also publish my Justice Brigade pin-up in the same issue, which was very cool. I love those guys! I also finally met up with Rico Renzi, Perhapanauts colorist, who I was beginning to think didn’t actually exist (but he does after all)!

We also said hello to Matt and Suzanne Wieringo and Christian Leaf, and looking back on things I’m an idiot for not asking to see Matt’s portfolio he had with him there at the show. He showed me a couple pages from it (and I told him how jealous I was of his Perhapanauts pages), but I didn’t think to ask him if I could flip through it. Because I’m an idiot. I will try to redeem myself in Baltimore.

I always contribute to the ‘Ringo Scholarship Fund at these shows by slipping money into their collection jar, and this year was no different. I also purchased two more of Mike’s gorgeous pages—one a Spidey splash page, and the other a page from Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man which doesn’t feature any main characters, but I wanted it because it’s just an incredible page. The angles, the shadows, and layouts are just beautiful. It’s the level of work I'm constantly striving for.

The first day of the show was great and we sold some sketchbooks and Blue Milk Special collections. The BMS Milk Droid also made his debut at the show, and he might appear again in Baltimore...

(I stole this pic from Jimmy Aquino because we forgot to take one... Sorry, Jimmy!)

My only problem was that I took on way too many commissions at this show. I ended up filling up my plate so much on Friday that by Saturday I had to start turning people away just so I could finish everything by Sunday. Craig gave me some pointers on that, though, that I’ll be putting into effect in Baltimore. I just didn’t get as much time to walk around as I would’ve liked, so hopefully I’ve learned my lesson.

But before I forget, I have to give a massive shout-out to my friend Jon Kallis. I’ve known Jon for many years (we also do the Idol Fury blog together), and he came to Heroes last year to help support me because it was my first time having my own table at a show. He helped me out last year and again this year, manning our table while we weren’t there, helping restock items and watching over everything. And it was because of him that I was able to walk around the con as much as I did. Thanks, Jon-- you are awesome!

Also great to see Brian Pillow after a few years. Brian worked at Dominion Comics, the comic shop I used to go to when I lived in Lynchburg. And I got to say hello again to Paul Rogers, who owned Dominion. It was such a great shop, and I was really disappointed to hear that it’s closed down now after so many years. Long live Dominion!

Friends Adam and Katy Haile stopped by on Saturday, as well as THE Adam Tyner. I wish things weren’t so hectic at my table so I could’ve spent more time with these guys. But it was great to see them there.

On Saturday after the show, Rod and I went to the art auction, mostly to be there when Matt announced the winner of the first ‘Ringo Scholarship award. Congrats to Katelyn "Rae" Rochelle for the win! I hear it was well deserved and that she will be one to watch. Plus, the girl likes werewolves-- she already sounds awesome to me. When Matt was introduced and came up on stage we all gave him (and Mike) a standing ovation. It was really emotional, and I think Matt did a great job.

Partway through the auction, Rod and I left to go to dinner with friends Bryan and Judy Glass. Bryan is the writer of Mice Templar (amongst other things), a series that has become one of my favorites. We had a great time at dinner and talked for a few hours and heard some of Bryan’s great stories (the Death story still blows my mind). It was a fantastic night. Thanks, Bryan and Judy! Also, on Friday, Bryan had loaned me his Mice Templar sketchbook to draw in. He had loads of other artists draw in his book, and I was honored that he’d asked me to do the same. I told him I hoped I wouldn’t be the one to ruin it (and in the end I’m not sure if that wasn’t the case), but since I wasn’t quite happy with what I’d drawn I told him I’d make it up to him in Baltimore. I’ve got to try and churn out something cool.

(Above photo by Jen Maihack. Thanks, Jen!)

Also on Saturday, Rod and I were interviewed by Jimmy Aquino and Joe Gonzalez of Comic News Insider. I was so nervous and laughed way too much, but I guess it could’ve been worse. Jimmy and Joe are two great guys and were very nice to us. We talked Blue Milk Special and about some of the projects I have coming up. You can find the interview online here. Thanks to my pal Kevin Conn for giving me the inside scoop, I drew quick commissions of Jimmy and Joe’s favorite superheroes. Joe got Captain Marvel, and Jimmy got a picture of Batman lovingly kicking him in the face:

Also on Saturday, I made my way over to the Savannah College of Art and Design’s table where Tom Lyle was drawing and signing. Tom worked with Marvel and DC years ago, drawing Spider-Man amongst other things, and also the very first Tim Drake Robin miniseries. When I was about 13-years-old, I sent Tom a bunch of my hand-drawn comics, and he mailed them back to me with a very nice and encouraging hand-written letter and some of his sample pages. He gave me a lot of pointers and told me not to give up in wanting to be a comic artist. I never forgot that, and I wanted to finally thank him in person. I got a picture taken with him and gave him one of my sketchbooks. I’m not working full time in comics yet, but I’m still trying!

On Sunday I was still scrambling to finish my last few commissions. The con didn’t open until 11 AM, but I got up at 7 AM just to work on commissions. Yeah, I know. But when we did get to the con on Sunday we had a good time. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, though. That’s the toughest part of going to these things because you wish they could last more than just a few days.

Rod and I packed up at the end of the day and headed out to dinner with Jon, then to the Heroes afterparty where we met up again with Adam and Comfort, Bryan and Judy, Todd and Sharon, Craig, Christian, Suzanne and Matt. We got talking to Matt about Hammer movies (which we all love), but had to call it a night all too soon. We had a long drive ahead of us the following day so it was just as well. We finally did get to talk to Shelton Drum and shake his hand to thank him for putting on such a great show. We’ll definitely be back next year (maybe with bowling shirts...?).

I’ve probably accidentally left some people out or haven’t remembered bits and pieces... My memory (which is horrible enough) on this is already three weeks old. Yeesh.

But it makes me really look forward to seeing all of these wonderful peeps at Baltimore Con in October. Can’t wait!

I’ll post a few of the commissions I did while at the con, as well as a few more photos next entry.

Nova

2009-06-29T20:59:00.004-04:00

I meant to put this in a longer post about my experience at Heroes Con this year, but it's looking like I probably won't have time tonight. So I thought I'd put this up separately.

One of the absolute best things about going to conventions is talking to friends I haven't seen in a while. Since last Heroes Con Rod and I have gotten to know Matt and Suzanne Wieringo, and they are two of my favorite people. Matt is a fellow Hammer Horror fan (I think we might've gotten him into Amicus too!), and we just didn't have enough time to hang out and talk as much as I would've liked. But I ended up taking on more commissions at the show than I should've, and just didn't get time to walk over to their table enough. My fault entirely.

It also happens that Matt and I are both Nova fans, and we agreed to exchange Nova sketches while we were at the convention. Matt had started on one that he showed me in its early stages (which I still think looked great, even if he doesn't think so), but he ended up working on a new piece after he got home. And I definitely can't argue with him on that-- it is definitely easier to work while at home with your own drawing table than being hunched over, drawing at the convention tables.

So last week Matt sent me a gorgeous Nova piece that he posted on his blog last night. And I promptly went nuts over it and sent it to Rod and my sisters to look at because I was so thrilled with it. But it also made me nervous because it'd been years since I'd drawn Nova and I wanted to come up with something nice in exchange-- I couldn't hand Matt a piece of crap after seeing the incredible piece he did for me.

Over the weekend I worked on my Nova piece, and since Matt did such a great job with Rich Rider's original costume, I decided to draw Nova in his threads from the early 1990s when I first really started getting into him. I liked the costume so much because it was only slightly different from the original-- which is my favorite. So this is what I came up with:

Rod is actually the one that convinced me to add gray tones to it, because I was so afraid I'd overdo things (as I have a tendency to do) and mess it up. But I think it turned out okay and Matt liked it in the end, and that's all that matters!

This was a lot of fun. Maybe next time I can convince Matt to exchange Peter Cushing drawings with me!

After-School Agent

2009-06-27T14:28:00.003-04:00

In addition to Perhapanauts #6 being released at Heroes Con, I also contributed art to Scott Weinstein and Chris Zaccone's After-School Agent, which was released as a Convention Special at Heroes.

Rod and I first met Scott at Heroes Con last year, where we had a table next to his. It just so happened that Scott was an incredibly nice guy and had an awesome comic. We became very good friends, and a few months back Scott asked if I would be willing to draw a new story for ASA. I was thrilled, and so... the Convention Special was born.

For those who aren't familiar with Scott and Chris' fantastic book, After-School Agent features a character named Gordon, a 13-year-old boy who was dying of cancer... until his parents made a decision and the Government intervened. The experimental drug they gave him worked, and Gordon lived. But his parents never knew how strong or how fast the drug made Gordon. But the Government knew, and now Gordon works for them, splitting his time between going to school and dealing with mundane family matters, and kicking terrorist arse.

ASA works so well because of the interactions between Gordon and his family, and Gordon and the Government-- even though Gordon has skills and abilities the normal human doesn't, he's still just a 13-year-old kid, and you never lose sight of that. It's full of great adventures, witty dialogue and colorful characters. I highly recommend everyone check it out! It's now up as a webcomic at AfterSchoolAgent.com, with new pages posted every Monday.

I've uploaded the eight pages I drew for ASA into my sequential gallery. Check 'em out!

As for Heroes Con, a detailed report will be coming soon...

Perhapanauts #6!

2009-06-24T23:19:00.003-04:00

I really need to sit down and write up a proper blog post now that I'm back from Heroes Con, but in the meantime I wanted to pimp out a couple of things.

First off, the back-up story I drew for Todd Dezago and Craig Rousseau's Perhapanauts was released today in Perhapanauts #6! It was written by my friend Scott Weinstein and was drawn by me. The issue also features the Justice Brigade pin-up I worked on a while back-- it's a bit of a preview to another story Todd and I will be working on in a future issue.

Also, while I was at Heroes Con this past weekend, Jimmy Aquino and Joe Gonzalez of Comic News Insider were kind enough to interview me for their podcast, which was posted today. Check out episode 205! I was insanely nervous (hence the laughing-- UGH), but I had loads of fun. Thanks to Jimmy and Joe for being awesome!

And last but not least, my favorite artist Mike Wieringo would have been 46-years-old today. Happy birthday, Mike.

Heroes Con!

2009-06-18T09:37:00.004-04:00

Rod and I are heading out to Charlotte, NC for Heroes Con in just a few hours-- and there is still so much left to do! Eek!

But I'm really excited to see everyone-- Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, Scott Weinstein, Chris Zaccone, Gino Patti, Matt and Suzanne Wieringo, etc., etc. It's shaping up to be a lot of fun!

And this year I'll have lots of goodies for sale at my table, including my first ever sketchbook (pictured above)! It's 32 pages of sketches I've done over the years, including lots of new sketches and older things I've never put online. I'll also be selling prints, doing sketches, and Rod and I will be promoting our Blue Milk Special Star Wars webcomic (which you should check out if you haven't already!). So come by table SP-233 and say hello!

A couple comic projects I've worked on will also be for sale at the convention-- a back-up story I did last year for Todd and Craig's Perhapanauts #6 will make its debut, and a convention special story I drew for Scott's After-School Agent will also be for sale (Scott's table is right next to ours, so check him out too!).

Okay, I think that's about it. Back to getting things ready! See you guys in Charlotte!

Ship of Fools

2009-06-15T19:53:00.004-04:00

I first met Bryan Glass and Mike Oeming at Heroes Con last year, and they were very nice and gave me some tips and good feedback on my portfolio. They were also the only two people at the con (I think) who looked at my Jenna Stannis digital painting and knew who the hell she was. Turns out they are both big Blake's 7 fans, and I was thrilled.

We talked B7 for a bit and Bryan handed me a series (that he wouldn't let me pay for) called Ship of Fools, something he and Mike worked on over 10 years ago that was first published at Caliber Comics, and later, Image Comics. He told me he thought I would enjoy the series because it was very Blake's 7-inspired. And man, he was right.

I re-read the series recently and was inspired to draw a new piece for my sketchbook that I will have at Heroes Con this weekend. It's a really great read and Mike Oeming's style fits in so well with it-- it's very gritty with a great story and awesome characters. I recommend everyone check it out!

I have my sketchbook cover finalized and I will unveil it probably tomorrow... or Wednesday. I'm just getting the final files compiled so I can send this baby off to the printers. Can't wait for Heroes!

The Walking Dead

2009-06-01T20:20:00.004-04:00

Over the past couple weeks I've been working on sketches to put in a new sketchbook I hope to have ready for Heroes Con in a few weeks. I'm going to throw in some older stuff too that I haven't put online, but I also wanted to have some new pieces to show.

Last year, for various reasons, I took a long break from reading comics (except for certain gems like Todd and Craig's Perhapanauts cause I love that series too too much), and just recently started to get caught up. So I had about a year or more worth of issues sitting waiting for me.

One of the titles I just finished reading is Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. It's such a great, gritty series with tons of character development and plot twists and turns to keep things exciting. Oh, and it has zombies too. So one of the first sketches I started working on was something featuring Rick and his son Carl. And I threw in a few zombies for good measure.

I'll probably post a few more sketches here and there as the con approaches. And I'll also post more info on what I'll have available to purchase at the convention itself. Stay tuned!

Idol Season 8, Fin

2009-05-31T22:06:00.003-04:00

American Idol finished up its eighth season last week. I wasn't all that impressed with the performances on Tuesday, but man, the finale kicked all kinds of tail. KISS and Queen? How can you get better than that?? Great performances all around, Kara showed up Bikini Girl, and my Norman Gentle made a comeback appearance. Awesome night.

Congrats to Kris for the win, though I'm sure both he and Adam (and Allison!) will all go on to have promising careers.

I saw this cool Idol video created by Jenastar that pays tribute to the Idol finale and various clips from this past season. She gave me permission to post it here, so I figured I'd end this blog entry with that. Even if this is the last season I watch (if Paula doesn't come back next year), I can say that at least season eight went out on a definite high.

And I really had a blast working on these cartoons. Thank you very much to everyone for all of the kind comments-- it really means a lot.

idol look back from Jensastar on Vimeo.

New post will be coming tomorrow with a new sketch as I get ready for Heroes Con, now less than a month away!

More Idol 'Toons and After-School Agent

2009-05-11T23:30:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I last posted, and it's mostly because I've been busy. But it's a good kind of busy. I've been pretty productive these past few weeks, and even though I've been stuck at the drawing table for hours every weekend and often have a sore neck and/or back when I finally get up, it feels good. It's a good, creative, satisfying pain.

But firstly, above is a new American Idol cartoon I just finished up. I've done a few since my last posting, but I've been too busy lately to squeeze in more of them (but I do appreciate the nice comments and requests for more). So I finally came up with an idea-- or two, really-- last week and put them both into one cartoon. So I apologize in advance if this is too confusing or busy. Hopefully it translates okay (sometimes it's hard getting an image out of my head and onto paper).

It touches upon a couple of things. First, Danny Gokey's absolutely horrendous performance of Aerosmith's "Dream On" from last week, which he butchered as everyone witnessed the scream heard 'round the world. But, of course, Danny continually coasts through week after week and my girl Allison unfairly got the boot instead. Sooo wrong.

But I also had to give Paula Abdul mad props for performing her new single "I'm Just Here for the Music" on Idol, and gracing us with the Dive of Awesomeness, amongst other things. Rock on, Ms. Abdul.

The main reason I've been insanely busy is because I've been working on a short story for Scott Weinstein and Chris Zaccone's After-School Agent (which is awesome and is being put up online as a webcomic with new pages every Monday!). It's been a lot of fun to work on and very challenging. New York backgrounds are tough, but it's been a nice test and a great way to brush up on drawing objects like cars, buildings, etc. And cat cages are time consuming to draw, and don't let anyone tell you different.

But I love ASA and its hero Gordon, and I've been having a blast working on these pages. If all goes well my story should be out in time for Heroes Con next month! And if all goes really well, my back-up story I drew for Todd and Craig's Perhapanauts (issue #6) should be out by then too!

So anyway, that's all I got. It's going to be really busy from here up 'til Heroes in June. But I can't wait!

--Leanne "I'm Just Here For The Art" Hannah (thanks, Jon!)

American Idol Toons

2009-04-05T20:49:00.003-04:00

Okay, so a few weeks ago I started drawing little American Idol cartoons based on the antics of the Idol judges each week. It started out as just something for fun, and it still is, really, but last week I sent a couple of them to Ryan Seacrest.

Today I discovered that they were posted to Ryan's website here. As a fan of the show, this is pretty freakin' awesome. I hope Ryan saw and enjoyed them.

If anyone wants to see my other Idol cartoons, check out the American Idol section in my gallery by clicking here.

LeanneHannah.com!

2009-03-30T17:02:00.005-04:00

So I guess if you're reading this, you're reading it from my revamped, brand-spankin' new website!

The new LeanneHannah.com went live this morning-- it's something I've been working on over the past couple weeks with Kieran Chapman (thanks, Kieran!). Now everything on the site is much more streamlined and functional, and I'll be able to update on a much more regular basis than before.

Feel free to browse around and check everything out! There is a lot more to come.

Blue Milk Special

2009-02-28T16:01:00.004-05:00

So Rod and I have been working on a Star Wars webcomic off and on for the past month or so. It's been a lot of fun, and yesterday was the day we officially announced it.

If you like Star Wars and people (lovingly) poking fun at it, check us out at BlueMilkSpecial.com!

We update every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with new strips. And we also have a Twitter and Facebook page for those of you who are into that stuff.

It's definitely been a labor of love, and a fun distraction to work on off and on.

There are currently six strips up there now-- check 'em out!