#150: Announcing: OLD DOG [OPERATIONS]

A SECRET announcement for my spy book. How appropriate!

Yes in this 150th edition of my Declarations newsletter, a special [secret] announcement. OLD DOG is returning in a brilliant anthology one-shot in September.

OLD DOG [OPERATIONS] features various missions and important moments from the world of OLD DOG by a host of amazing creators hand-picked by myself. Operators include Charles Soule, Sumeyye Kesgin, Matias Bergara, PJ Holden, Leonardo Romero, Alex Paknadel, David O’Sullivan, Luke Sparrow, Rory McConville, John McCrea and more.

The official news for this will break later in the week, but wanted to give Decolytes the news before anyone else.

Here’s the cover and solicit.

Following his blistering debut in IMAGE!#1 and the acclaimed REDACT ONE, DECLAN SHALVEY’s OLD DOG returns in a collection of short missions, joined by some of the industry’s best creators. This special anthology one-shot delivers a brand-new story by SHALVEY along with operations by CHARLES SOULE, LEONARDO ROMERO, MATIAS BERGARA, ALEX PAKNADEL, and more. Sign up for some spy-fi duty this September.

NOTE: There is one very special operator to be announced in the coming weeks.

This has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, I love anthologies and I like to recruit great talent, assembling a team, etc. With the first OLD DOG collection out and with most of my time currently working on PROJECT RAVEN [and various other writing work] I wanted to put out more OLD DOG material but didn’t have the time to do it all by myself. So, I decided I would do another short [like I did with Issue Zero] and invite creators whose work I really love to contribute to the world and build it out a little with me before I get back to the book.

OLD DOG [OPERATIONS] has been a wonderful way for me to continue working on OLD DOG while also having the amazing experience of seeing others play in my sandbox.

This is a one-shot anthology that won’t be collected in the next main book. If it does well I know I’d like to maybe do another anthology in a couple of years but there’s no guarantee of that, obviously.

I’m going to be showing snippets/highlighting the operators in the next few Declarations, leading up to the release. Safe to say, please do preorder with your local retailer, it’s the only chance a project like this can really survive.

ALL THE LATEST

With all that excitement over, what’s up otherwise…?

-I’ve finished the inks for PROJECT RAVEN! Man, feels good to have that wrapped. I’m currently working on the script and cover for Issue Two. Also, a colourist has been attached to the project and I am over the moon with who is doing it. An absolute top-tier/best in-their-field Eisner Award winning colourist who I’ve known since before I became a professional and have never gotten to work with before. I am so excited to see what he does with my pages.

-I’ve handed in the cover for PROJECT NETWORK and am quite happy with it. We have a fantastic artist lined up which I’m delighted about but I’ve had to jump on the script straight away, which I wasn’t expecting. That’s making things tough as I’m swampes on o much at the moment but I think I can be over the hump of this workload in a month or so. I’ve written the opening pages so the can get started as I’m currently working on the rest of the script. Not how I’d like to work ideally, but I had a strong outline worked out already so I think it’ll be fine. Loving writing this first issue, I have to say. It’s another example of writing something I’d love to be drawing, which is always a good sign to me.

PROJECT NETWORK [WIP]

-I handed in the script for PROJECT TATTOO last week. It’s a really cool one-off story where I got to do a new spin on a known character [along with a redesign], and have a really interesting artist on board to draw. I was probably too busy to take this on, but it was such a unique opportunity, I couldn’t pass on it. Looking forward to this coming out.

-With the final issue out tomorrow, I just wanted to highlight my variant covers for Ed Brisson/ Luca Casalanguida’s THE DISPLACED. BOOM Studios did some wonderful title design on them, but for whatever reason the preview jpegs were low res/fuzzy so haven’t been sharing them online as much as I usually would. So here they all are as in better res/sans titles.

THE DISPLACED #1-5 variant covers

The idea behind them was to do character-focused covers, channeling some INJECTION feel. My thought was to essentially shift the colour scheme from cover to cover as we did so. I’m really happy with them, I always enjoy doing a series of covers as they result in establishing more of a cohesive identity to the book, as opposed to a random pin-up variant. I mean, I enjoy them too, but they tend to be more common offers than these series covers. The first cover was my favourite cover I’d done in a while, but that has been replaced with the final cover to the series. Really happy with that one.

-Desperately needing a break of some kind, I popped up to Dublin a week ago to see The Smashing Pumpkins perform. I was a massive Pumpkins nut in my teens and never got to see them live til last week. Worth the wait, they were amazing.

-Last week I was interviewed by a national newspaper here in Ireland. I think it’ll be a feature piece that will run in a month or so. Hoping it might help spotlight comics more in this country in a small way. And obviously, I like the attention.

-Some TIME BEFORE TIME NEWS! In December, we’re collecting the one-shots as a ‘bonus’ trade of sorts, as VOL 6. This features the “All Apologies“ story co-written and illustrated by myself, “The Ones We Leave Behind“ illustrated by PJ Holden, “Commitment” illustrated by Lauren Knight and “08/08/2123“ by Will Morris. All co-written by Rory McConville, of course.

(W) Rory McConville, Declan Shalvey (A) Will Morris, Lauren Knight, P. J. Holden

In the never-before-collected chapters of the critically acclaimed time-hopping saga, explore new faces of the Time Before Time universe and meet Oscar Gomez as he hunts for a Syndicate deserter; FBI Agent Alex Sunap as he investigates the disappearance of his former partner; Kareena Jemisin as she discovers the identity of her former partner and lover; and Verna Grace as she desperately searches for a way to reunite with her family... no matter the cost. Join Spawn writer Rory McConville with a host of artistic talent including Old Dog's Declan Shalvey, Judge Dredd's PJ Holden, Golden Rage's Lauren Knight, and Gospel's Will Morris. Collects Time Before Time #6, #12, #18, #24.

Also, a huge congratulations to co-creator Joe Palmer on getting married to his wonderful bride last weekend! I was planning to go but work is too crazy right now, I couldn’t manage the time away to make it over to the UK. Am gutted about it, but regardless, very happy for the lovely couple.

-Been posting more #InkDec videos in the last week. Surprisingly, not getting much response to them where as I used to get a LOT of responses. Maybe the algorithm is different, or I left it too long between posting. Anyway, I like doing them so will continue to do them when I’m able.

-SDCC plans are coming together. Just got a room sorted and I’m down for four panels over the show across three separate publishers. I’ll be able to talk about PROJECT RAVEN, PROJECT NETWORK, THUNDERCATS and of course, OLD DOG. Should be fun!

THUNDERCATS

After some notage, signed off on the VOL ONE: OMENS trade. Here is the final cover for the direct market collection that will be out next month.

As a treat, here’s an advance peek at my cover for Issue Eight. As you can tell, this will be a more Tygra-focused issue, that I’m currently working on.

Man, drawing the THUNDERCATS is fun. And I got to draw Snarf!

Also, here’s a sneak peek at a coloured page from THUNDERCATS Issue Six by Drew Moss. Drew did an amazing job on this issue despite a lot of family issues happening at the time. The guy is such a pro.

Did you pick up THUNDERCATS Issue Five?

What an issue, huh? Stephen Mooney really killed it.

And on the subject of Mooney, this week I’ll be talking to him on…

TAPE DEC

Yes, with his THUNDERCATS issue out and his new Image series FREE AGENTS out soon, I thought it’d be a good time to get him on TAPE DEC, where we can talk about past collaborations and likely argue over the specifics. I expect we’ll agree on how sexy Cheetara is though…

Check out the livestream on Thursday at the link below and you can ask Mooney your own questions, the edited show will be posted the following week.

OLD DOG

All the big OLD DOG news is highlighted up top, but outside of the OPERATIONS news, with the actual DOSSIER off at the printers, this week I’m sending the Ashcan to the printers. Only a handful of them to be printed, but that means everything is finally taken acre of, and once those books arrive, can go about packing and shipping everything off. So just a small update there.

Also, because I need to keep ye sweet, here’s a page from OPERATIONS by Matias Bergara with colours by Sophie Dodgson! I wrote this story …the fact that I got to write a story for Matias is a prize I do not deserve [but I can throw that on the heap of stuff I don’t really deserve]. I showed an inked panel of this before, but here’s the full page in it’s finished glory.

Please don’t share this online! The OPERATIONS news is for Declarations readers only, for now. If you do see it mentioned online in the next few days, please do share.

OUT SOON

June 19th

THE DISPLACED #5 [VC]

June 26th

MIDNIGHT SONS BLOOD HUNT #2 [VC]

July 3rd

BLOOD HUNTERS #3 [VC]

July 17th

THUNDERCATS TP VOL 01 OMENS DM EXC [W]

THUNDERCATS #6 CVR [VC]

INCREDIBLE HULK #14 [VC]

July 31st

MIDNIGHT SONS BLOOD HUNT #3 [VC]

August 07th

FREE AGENTS #2 [VC]

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MEN #6 WEAPON X-TRACTION VAR [VC]