#139:100K Shalvey

Seems to be a bit of interest in this little ThunderCats comic book.

Jan 16, 2024

ALL THE LATEST

Back to work after dusting off a New Year’s flu. Just as well as things seem to be kicking off!

-OLD DOG [OPERATIONS] is sloooowly locking into place. Have nailed things down in the last couple of weeks and it’s looking very, VERY cool. More below.

-Took a day off a couple of weekends ago to visit TIME BEFORE TIME collabros Rory McConville and Chris O’Halloran down in Cork. After spending a chunk of the holidays sick on the couch, it was nice to get out and see people.

-I’ll soon be at Waterford International Comic Art Festival on Feb 3rd & 4th. I’ll be bringing some prints, books giving a talk about my career and will be looking at portfolios [for those looking for a bollocking]. Check out the website for more info, tickets, etc.

-I’ve also locked in my first US convention of the year for March. More soon.

-These covers were previously announced but I haven’t seen this surface online yet [so please don’t share this online!] but I was asked to do a variant for the new AVENGERS TWILIGHT series, specifically one of the Dark Knight homages …even more specifically; HULK.

As a general rule, I turn down homage covers. I don’t really get a kick out of doing them personally, but I’d seen some of Daniel Acuna’s at for the book which looks incredible as usual. Mainly though, and obviously, it’s a Frank Miller homage. Couldn’t say no. Marvel were verrrrry specific about how different the image had to be, despite it being a homage. Happy with the final, though.

-Mad Cave just announced a new book by Gary Moloney and Daniel Romero Ulloa, called WHEN THE BLOOD HAS DRIED. Gary’s a friend who has been battling his way up through small press and Kickstarter projects to now having his work released through a US publisher. It’s great to see someone who works so hard have their efforts pay off so I’m both happy and impressed to see this happen for Gary. I’ve read the first three issues, even though I’m not a fantasy guy, I really got into the world fast, helped along with some fantastic artwork. Go check out the announcement and get a look at the gorgeous preview pages. I also illustrated a variant cover for the book that is one of my new personal favourite pieces.

-My outline for PROJECT EMERALD was approved, working on the script this week, along with some THUNDERCATS scripting. Doing a lt of THUNDECATS video interviews this week too.

-Handed in a new outline draft for PROJECT RAVEN, so waiting to see what happens there.

-Lastly, Marvel have released a variant cover for MIGUEL O'HARA: SPIDERMAN-MAN 2099 #3, out this week with a design sheet I made for WEREWOLF BY NIGHT 2099. Marvel asked me to design the 2099 version of the character for this story and are using the design sheet as a variant. It involved a bit of back and forth but was a fun challenge.

TAPE DEC

Have lined up my next TAPE DEC interview, with Ed Brisson! I did a short of Ed’s MURDER BOOK project many years ago and have somehow done a lot of covers for his books over the years. We’ll get into that, as well as talk a bit about the unpublished PUNISHER miniseries that was shelved as I was near wrapping it. As a tease, here’s the never-before-seen cover for Issue Five that I was just about to start when I was told ‘pencils down.’

Ed has a new series called THE DISPLACED coming out next month. We’ll chat about that a bit too, especially as I’m doing covers for the series. Livestream is happening TOMORROW, so mark that down. Part of the reason for doing the show as a livestream is to get questions from you guys, so do hop in if you’re available.

Watch TAPE DEC with Ed Brisson

While the show is centered around people Ive worked with I also try and work it around when the guest has a new book out, hense Ed with THE DISPLACED. With that in mind, With TIME BEFORE TIME Vol 5 out next month, I’ve also lined up one Rory McConville as the next guest at the end of this month. I wonder what we’ll talk about, despite having just seen him a couple of weeks ago…

THUNDERCATS 100K

So yes, some news. Issue One of THUNDERCATS has orders for over 100,000 copies. Holy crap. Outside of I’d say ALL STAR BATMAN, this is the biggest selling book I’ve ever been attached to, and I didn’t even draw it! It’s pretty big news, I wish I could take credit but I think it’s safe to say the book sold this much because of the works “Thunder” and “Cats” on the cover. In any case, hell I’ll take the win. Soon after announcing this last weekend, Dynamite released some lovely Drew Moss art. I was planning on sneaking it in here anyway, but at least this means I won’t get in trouble. Pretty colours by Arancia Studios and elegant lettering by Jeff Eckleberry.

There’s more pages all over the internet if you want to see them. Dynamite went from showing no pages, to showing a bit too much if I’m being honest [half the issue is online now!] but sure look, that’s not my call. It’s clearly selling.

I’m really happy with how it’s come together. With closing out my time on ALIEN, I was very happy to have been offered another property to ‘helm’ …to do ‘my thing’ with it, channeled through excellent co-creators. With THUNDERCATS, I feel like I have another opportunity to do the same, but with a completely different type of book. Where ALIEN was a taut, horrific thriller with a small core cast of characters, this is a big action epic/team book. Very different challenge, this feels more like writing a big superhero book but I have the benefit of knowing that I have plenty of issues to really make a big swing, especially with Drew Moss’ excellent work on the series.

The book has come together just how I was hoping and was going to say that I hope ye all have ordered plenty of copies …but I got with over 100K copies being ordered …I think we’re doing okay! This is looking like it’s going to be the top selling launch of my career by far. GULP!

Some more variant covers have sprung up online since, covers I knew nothing about but some of the biggest names in comics! Below are all the covers I could find, exclusive to various US conventions.

THUNDERCATS #1 variants: Rob Liefeld, Ryan Stegman

OLD DOG

Work continues on OPERATIONS having secured some ‘recruits’. I’m going to nail down some stories in the next couple of weeks while waiting to see what happens with PROJECT RAVEN.

Thanks for all the feedback in the last Declarations. Considering the replies, I decided to go with the 2nd rough, but I wanted to flip the figure, just to differentiate it from the TIME BEFORE TIME trades a bit. Means you don’t really see the scar on the right side of his face but to be fair I show that side of him all the time, no harm mixing it up.

Also pencilled/inked it last week. I coloured it too but I want to sit on it for a few days and see how I feel about it before I consider it done.

The OLD DOG DOSSIER is pretty much done!! Ryan Brewer has got up all the notes/edits should have the final any day now. I’ve ordered most of the print rewards, which should arrive this week/next week. Need to sort the pins and envelopes this week. Before I send it to the printer, I want to have someone outside of the team to give the actual Dossier a once-over. Getting there, finally.

ALIEN

THE DESCENDANT story continues with more creepy and gruesome pages! Next issue is out this Wednesday, here’s the solicit.

STAY FROSTY! The Yutani family has decided to settle the invasion of LV-695 personally. But no corporate executive has the authority to tell a Xenomorph what to do…unless the order is “slaughter!” And knowing the Weyland-Yutani Corp? It just might be. Trapped between an avalanche and a watery death, the mysterious “Cole” makes her hardest decisions yet.

Everything falls apart in this issue, in a devastatingly fun way. Here’s some preview pages of Andrea Broccardo’s gloriously brutal pages.