#132: Hitting the road

Rome, New York... I see pizza in my future.

ALL THE LATEST

Hello all, hope ye’re well.

-I’m currently packing ahead of a two week ‘tour’. First, I’m off to Rome for the Romics festival, making sure I have enough room to pack my Golden Romic award on the way back. I have a couple of days at home to mke sure everything is on track, then I’m off to New York for NYCC.

-PROJECT EXODUS is moving along at a swift pace, the outline and character breakdowns I submitted have been appproved and the artist (who I’ve long admired but never worked with) has submitted his character designs, which ahve also been approved. I just handed in my cover and a more fleshed out plot outline, if that gets appproved, we’re off to the races! The PR is all approved too, so it looks like it’ll definitely be announced in or around NYCC so keep an eye out and if it interests you (and if you’re around my age especially, I think you will be) spread the word!

-I’m pretty swamped with trying to do development on PROJECT EXODUS and PROJECT ARCA, bot to mention trying to nail down the next installment of OLD DOG. Hoping I can make some headway on all of them while on the road and away from the drawing board.

-I’ve wrapped up a LOT of work recently; Alien pages and an array of covers, about 7 in the past 2-3 weeks! It’s been tough to get it all done, delays on one project affecting my workflow on the next, etc, not to mention all the recent Kickstarter promo. But I’ve managed to land everything ahead of my travels. And boy am I looking forward to them. I’m away to Rome in the morning.

-I contributed to one of David Harper’s latest pieces, about the current challenges in the creator owned landscape you can read it here.

-After a stock snafu, I had to rechedule my Limerick signing. On the plus side, OLD DOG seems to be selling better than expected via the UK distribution channels. On the downside, as a result O’Mahony’s couldn’t get stock for the planned signing. I’ll confirm for sure online soon, but it’s looking like we’re rescheduling for October 21st!

-I was also recently on Wordballon with John Siuntres blathering on about OLD DOG, ALIEN, STAR TREK and more.

And finally, I’ll be at the Romics festival his week, courtesy of SaldaPress who are debuting the Italian edition of OLD DOG. unfortunately not titled OLDO DOGGO, like I hoped :P

I’m signing/sketching from 3-5PM Thurs-Sat, and 1-3PM on Sunday, followed by a panel about my career [at 3PM]

Then the following week, I’ll be at NEW YORK COMIC CON

I’ll be at Table C-32 with copies of OLD DOG via Cadence Comic Art who will also have plenty of my original art at hand. I’m not taking commissions but will be doing limited signing times and sketching [first come, first served] times:

THURS-SAT

Signing 11-1pm

Signing 2-3pm

Sketching 3-4pm

SUN

Signing 11-1pm

Sketching 1-2pm

See ye there!

COVERS

Ive been banging out a few covers lately but some earlier covers have made it to solicitations;

DARK DROIDS #5

RIBBON QUEEN #5

DARK RIDE #10

And to show an exclusve peek at a cover I just finished. This is my wraparound incentive cover for Becky Cloonan/Tula Lotay’s SOMNA #1.

This was a nice chance of pace and with all the grinding/fondling, is genuienly the most …sexy[?] cover I’ve ever done. Only for Becky and Lisa, can I look past my Irish Catholic guilt to draw something shameful like this. Are you aroused? I know I am…

OLD DOG/DOSSIER

The Dossier campaign is over!

I’m very relieved that one; the campaign hit its goal and two; that we hit the stretch goal. This campaing was honestly more of an uphill struggle than the TBT one, where I was hoping it would be easier, having an established campaign under my belt.

My thinking was that with it being all my own work, there would be more interest in this project but what worked against it [I think] was the following…

Postage was a lot higher on this book, as it was twice the size. Plus postage costs have risen ingeneral since the last campaign. I get it; it’s ridiculous to be paying the same in postage as the cost of the book, which was what you were looking at if you were in the U.S. It’s a bitch, but it’s something I have to deal with all the time, with pledging campaigns from the States. I could have maybe printed in the States and tried distributing from there, but I felt with a book like this, you want it from the artist, and well, I live in Ireland.

The onine reach isn’t what it was in 2021. Engagement/reach is just abysmal on the online platforms. My one ace in the hole I felt, was this newsletter, as it goes directly into yere inboxes. From what I can see in the stats though, there wasn’t a huge clickthrogh to the campaign from here, which surprised me.

There’s a of of campaigns. There just are, and there’s a lot of cool things for people to get, was my thing any cooler? I’d argue yes of course, but I think that there is just a ceiling to the amount of people who like this kind of process stuff. People who like my art like the process stuff I post, but aren’t necessarily the type to pay for it in droves. Which is okay! Just good to know.

Saying all that, I’m not sour or anything, and I’m not making judgements on anyone, people spend their money where they can, where they can. And there may be other reasons this campaign didn’t do as well as the TBT one [though it nearly did], I’m just trying to take an objective view of it all. I want to do a layout book someday, is this the platform to to it? If I did an original comic via KS, would it be a totlly different experience? I dunno, but plenty to think over. Shout out in the comments if you have a take, yourself.

I would like to thank everyone who did pledge to the campaign, I’m REALLY glad I get to make this book now. Myself and Ryan Brewer are going over some details, I need to tally up all the rewards now and start ordering stock, like the pins/bookmarks, etc. Will dig into all that done when I get back from NYCC, and chip away at more of the headsketches, 5 more to do, I think.

Of course, can’t forget what it’s all really about, my new OLD DOG book! I finally got my comps last week and have been fawning over it since, breathing in that new book smell. Man, I am SO happy with how it came out. This is the most distilled version of my work there is; pure Dec, for better or worse. The reaction I’ve gotten so far has been great and while I’m not one to take reviews too seriously I must admit this one from comicbook.com put a spring in my step.

Declan Shalvey remains one of the most compelling artists working in the direct market and this week provides readers an excellent opportunity to catch up on recent action in their creator-owned series Old Dog. The trade paperback published by Image Comics this week collects the series' first six issues, each of them a thrilling spy adventure unto itself seeking to build a greater narrative within and between missions as it follows failed CIA agent Jack Lynch down a deep, dark hole. While the succinct action and terrific designs may be familiar elements to any reader who knows Shalvey's name, the tightly knitted action, conspiracies, and character beats are a testament to Shalvey's growing mastery as a writer and all-around cartoonist. Every element from layouts to close-ups works in tandem to detail an incredibly ambitious narrative bound to the grit-filled portrayals of tough bastards and the terrible work they do. Whether you're a fan of Shalvey's gorgeous work at Marvel, have to know him from writing on splendidly varied Image comics, or are simply drawn in by the terrifically taut covers on display, the first volume of Old Dog provides an opportunity to meet one of modern comics' best cartoonists working at the top of their game for the still-shockingly low price of $9.99. Don't miss it.

Felt very good to finally add it to my library…

I’ll obviously be hustling this book over the next few months; in Rome next week, then NYCC, Limerick, Dublin, Lucca, Columbus all confirmed. Surely some UK dates in the new year too. Watch this space.

ALIEN

The ALIEN ANNUAL is out tomorrow! Very excited for people to read this. I think I mentioned before, this is pretty much a silent issue, the only ‘dialogue’ is creature screams, which was a lot of fun to write. Danny Earls really killed it on this issue, it’s been a real treat to see a new artist really gig in to a script and give it their all. I’m gonna record a video call with Danny this evening, going over the art in detail, to post online in a couple of weeks.

Andrea Broccardo let me know he really loved the issue too though I feel bad s I know he’d really love to draw an Alien Queen, and I only wrote one into this annual. I’m just a jerk!

Javi Fernandez’s cover was revealed in Marvel’s recent solicits, included below.

ALIEN #2

DECLAN SHALVEY (W) • ANDREA BROCCARDO & DECLAN SHALVEY (A) 

Cover by JAVI FERNÁNDEZ • VARIANT COVER BY LEINIL FRANCIS YU

VARIANT COVER BY ANDREA BROCCARDO

BODIES, BODIES, BODIES!

Looking for that perfect combination of sex, suspicion and slaughter? Boy, has the Weyland-Yutani Corporation got a deal for you! Come aboard the Descendant for a dip into the exotic waters of an icy moon – stay for the pulse-pounding adventure of a lifetime! Scour the ocean floor for buried treasures from a lost vessel and uncover secrets from a legendary disaster. Select participants will receive a special gift from Jun Yutani himself. Don’t miss a trip worth dying for!

32 PGS./Parental Advisory…$4.99

A reminder that mine and Andrea’s first ALIEN arc “THAW” will be collected in trade paperback next month! I’ve been concentrating on OLD DOG so much, it keeps slipping my mind that I’ll have an actal ALIEN graphic novel …that I wrote, out soon. Hope ye all pick it up, I am dead proud of it. I was worried how the hardcore AlIEN fans would recieve it, but from what I can see, they really liked it. Phew!

I’m handing in my finished coloured pages for ALIEN [DESCENDANT] #2 today just as Ruth Redmond has handed in her coloured pages. Andrea is well into pencils on #3, nailing all of the more sci-fi aspects to this arc. All the emotional stuff too. Man, he’s so good.

TIME BEFORE TIME

Orders for #28 are up from the previous issue again! To be fair though, it’s mainly from the orders for our WALKING DEAD crossover cover. Still, it’s a nice trend to keep up as the book ends!

The series is officially finished, all art done and Sasha has wrapped up all the production, senting off to the printers ay day now. It’s such a strange feeling to slowly turn off all the lights and lock the doors on the book. Rory’s written an afterword in the final issue and it’s taken him over two years of working with me to say something nice about me, so it’s all been worth it :P

Wanted to show ye a coloured page of Joe’s… so great to see him and Chris together again.

I guess we’re not totally done, as the last trade needs to be assembled but really, 99% of the book is done. Ugh, this feeling sucks!

DEC RECS

Got send some pretty great comics recenty, I encourage you to check them out and order them from your local retailer!

SLOW BURN

Written by Ollie Master

Art by Pierluigi Minotti

Colours by Alessandro Santoro

Published by BOOM! Studios

Ollie Masters has been one of my go-to crime guys in the last few years. THE KITCHEN, SNOW BLIND, KILLER GROOVE all great crime comics and it’s great to see him return with this new taste of noir in SLOW BURN. I wasn’t familiar with Minotti’s work but it’s very much to my taste. We need more crime comics, so lets keep them alive and give this one a chance.

PALADIN OF AXES

Written by Gerry Duggan

Art by David O’Sulliven

Published by Image Comics

PALADIN OF AXES is a new one shot by the ANALOG team of Gerry Duggan and David O’ Sullivan. I’ve been seeing the art come together for the last year or so and it’s been fantastic to observe. David has coloured himself on this story and the level of dedication very much pays off. The story goes one way and then takes such a trun, I remember seeing Dave’s pages in the pub and bursting into a fit of laughter. This is bold and brassy where Duggan is at his best, with an artist at the very top of their game in both cartooning ad technical craft. Get this book!

ZAWZA

Wriiten/ Art by Michael Dialynas

Published by BOOM! Studios

Continuing a trend I’m really enjoying, Greek national treasure Michael Dialynas has taken a break from working with a hit writer to develop a project of his own. ZAWA is an uncanny mix of monster mystery and culinary curiosity. Michael takes on all duties here, writing, art, colour, making ZAWA a book with an incredibly strong and cohesive voice. Every page feels so concentrated and clear, making it a really unique read.

OUT SOON

October 4th

ALIEN ANNUAL #1 [C/W]

October 18th

TIME BEFORE TIME #28 [C/W]

CRYPT OF SHADOWS #1 [W]

October 25th

THE RIBBON QUEEN #4 [C]

Nov 01, 2023

WHITE WIDOW #1 [VC]

November 15th

ALIEN #1 [W]

ALIEN: THAW [W]

CARNAGE #1 [VC]

TIME BEFORE TIME #29 [C/W]