#172: Hungry like the Wol-verhampton
Work, work and a fun weekend of signings. More conventions coming...
Welcome to DECLARATIONS a bi-weekly newsletter by artist/writer Declan Shalvey.
This is a regular workblog featuring exclusive peeks at upcoming projects with advance releases of original art/merchandise.
ALL THE LATEST
All well here, there’s a grand auld stretch in the evenin,’ as they say, enjoying the glorious bits of sunshine we’re having here. Has a fun trip to Birmingham/Wolverhampton, jumped back into work though I did take a whole day off last weekend for a family shindig.
Here’s my worklog:
Finished THUNDERCATS 17 script
Wrote TERMINATOR #9 script
Coloured convention image [below]
Coloured a cover for Marvel
Coloured cover for new Dynamite series
Pencilled/ inked/ coloured cover
Pencilled/ inked/ coloured cover
Story meeting for PROJECT METAL
2x UK signings
Layouts/ pencilled a cover for Ghost Machine
Layouts/ pencilled a cover for DC Comics
Layouts/ pencilled a cover for upcoming crossover comic
Roughs/pencils/inks/colours for new Dark Horse series
-I’m starting the script for PROJECT NEWARK today after waiting a while on notes/approvals to line up. Aiming to have it finished for next week, looking like it’ll be written just before it’s announced online.
-Here’s a peek at a variant cover for DEADPOOL/WOLVERINE #8 where Stryfe is in play. I really wanted to draw that helmet, and realised how it could work with incorporating Wolverine’s mask into it. I thought it’d be a cool way to imply Stryfe mind-controlling Wolverine.
This cover should be solicited later this month, so keep this under your hat. Or giant metal helmet, even.
-Have started on PROJECT METAL, a new series I’m co-writing. Myself and the co-writer have broken down the first set of issues and are digging into the first issue at the moment.
-Early work on PROJECT VERSUS, a miniseries I’m co-writing. Still noodling around with some ideas, should be getting more into it in a few weeks.
-This week I’m finally starting on PROJECT WESLEY. I’m starting on layouts later today, should start pencilling by the end of the week once I have a couple more covers out of the way.
-I really need to work out my PROJECT LAZARUS pitch. If it works out, it’ll be a pretty big deal for me but I need to actually get this in and see if the ball will get rolling a few months down the line. Might go nowhere but I have to at least give it a proper try. I also want to get moving on the next OLD DOG installment… it’s already May for God’s sake. I’ve just had so much on my plate juggling various stories, it’s been hard to make time for the stuff that is more self-imposed, that don’t have a hard assigned deadline looming.
-Conventions! I’ll be appearing at Zagreb Comic Con in Croatia later this month, 23-25th of May, to be specific.
Below is the finished CONAN illustration I did for the show.
I’ve agreed to a US convention I haven’t been to before later this year. That’s TWO new cities this year, the first being…
I’m going to New Orleans! Very much looking forward to this, some great creators at this show, in a city I’ve always wanted to check out.
-The latest TAPE DEC is doing quite well [by my standards at least]. I think putting out a recorded episode is the way to do it, the livestream aspect seemed to be hurting the views for the main edited episode, so I think I’ll stick with that format and see how things go. Now, it might be because Nate Cosby hasn’t done many interviews and he was an editor as opposed to an artist/writer but hey, let’s see how things go. I’m gonna talk to my video editor Jamie Wood this week about finally getting an audio version out. Recording the next interview this week.
-Mini FCBD report: I was colouring a Marvel cover at 3am Thursday night/Friday morning and had to pause it, grab my stuff and get a 4AM bus to Dublin to catch my flight to Birmingham. Once I got to Brum, I had a bit of a walk around… I immediately had flashbacks to drunkenly stumbling around this place over the many Birmingham shows I did in the early days of my career. I didn’t realise how long it’d been since I was in Birmingham, had to be pre-Covid? Yikes.
Had a fun signing at Worlds Apart, the staff were all lovely and I got to talk a lot about THUNDERCATS. Had a drink after with the head manager of Forbidden Planet afterwards, just talking retailer stuff. Always helpful to hear that side of things, especially when you’re doing your own creator owned work.
Got a bit to eat afterwards and since I had the evening free for once, I treated myself to a cinema date and went to go see Thunderbolts. Quite enjoyed it, I don’t think I say a Marvel film in cinema since Thor: Love and Thunder. Felt like this movie actually had something to say, and aside from some wonky CGI in one scene, I thought it was really engaging and has something actual grounded stakes.
Next morning I got the train to Wolverhampton and met up with Alex Paknadel and Christian Ward [and his family] for lunch before the Free Comic Book Day event. I chat to Christian a lot over DMs but we never really have a proper chat at shows as they’re so hectic, so it was great to have a proper chat with him and meet his family.
The Free Comic Book Day event at Forbidden Planet Wolverhampton was great, I was very busy, sketched in a good few OLD DOGs and signed various covers, copies of MYSTIQUE and THUNDERCATS.
Some quiet pints were had after. Was great to see Will Robson, Shane Chebsey and Jimmy Broxton. Was great to him especially as he was a huge help to me when I was starting out. Also got to meet illustrator/inker Matthew Seaborne, who was lovely.
I headed back to Brum with Will and had a couple more pints with him. Lots of comics chat, especially regarding how hard he’s working to get his own stuff out there. Check out his creator owned projects over here, they’re definitely worth a look. Was a fun couple of days, was nice to get a bit of a break from the studio.
-A college student contacted me recently to interview me for a project, one of their questions was about advice for new artists. Figured the answers to that question were worth sharing here…
Who are you? Have a good sense of what kind of work you want to do, not just characters. You don’t always have the luxury of working on something you like, but it’s good to have an idea of what suits you.
Make something short and contained; don’t try make a 200 page opus when starting out as you’ll fall flat on your face by page 20.
Work small: draw short, 5-8 page stories so that you can finish something and then be in a better place to honestly evaluate yourself afterwards and build from there.
Work with writers: You learn about your own sensibilities by working with others and working from another’s script creates limitations you’ll need to work with and help develop your problem-solving muscles. You also get to learn a lot from different scripts from different writers.
Try the other crafts: Try inking, colouring, lettering, writing, design, editing, etc. You may end up finding there are other parts of the process you enjoy but it’s always good to have a basic grasp of other disciplines for if you ever want to do your own solo project. It also raises your knowledge of the work your collaborators put in, you can be a better collaborator when you’re more conscious of who you can cause them less problems.
Find a peer group: Maybe you know creators close to you, or know some online, but you need to surround yourself with people who understand the job, support you but also challenge you.
-Lastly, I was delighted to see Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's REVIVAL is making it to the big screen.
Perfect time to pick up the compendium for this excellent series, I suggest.
THUNDERCATS
I’ll be starting on my next THUNDERCATS script next week, I have to say we’re in a very fun stage at the moment, getting to play in the sandbox we’ve spent a year establishing. Dynamite put out some press for the new arc, this is what I had to say for it…
"The first year of bringing ThunderCats back to comics, to old fans and new, has been a thrilling experience. It's been a privilege for myself and Drew Moss to establish a new mythos for these characters in comics, and seeing it build out into new and exciting connected series like SilverHawks and ThunderCats Lost. Now the playing field for our series is bigger and bolder, our characters face greater challenges requiring a new innovation: The Knights of Thundera."
And I meant it!
I just handed in my lettering notes for the first issue of the arc [#16] and can honestly say it’s looking great. There’s a plot point in the issue that I’ve been waiting soooo long to reveal [and working hard to keep under wraps], so don’t miss it.
Here’s all the covers for the issue, where the new Knights Of Thundera arc kicks off. Covers by Lucio Parrillo, myself, Jae Lee, Drew Moss, Manix, an action figure variant by Drew and a special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles homage cover by Ken Haeser.
I’ll be writing Issue 18 soon ans Drew is about to start on Issue 17.
THUNDERCATS LOST’s second issue is out now. I’m really thrilled with what Ed Brisson and Rapha Lobosco are doing in that book, I hope ye’re reading it. Here’s a peek at my cover for #6.
More fun stuff to come.
ART DECO
A reminder that my TERMINATOR covers are available for sale [some of Luke Sparrow’s work is already gone] but I forgot to spotlight that the limited Art Deco variant cover for TERMINATOR #1 is also now up on the store. A few of you Decolytes have been asking, so thought I should spotlight it.
TERMINATOR
The trade/hardcover of Vol 1 will be out June 18th. I can’t wait to get it in my hands, just over a month from now.
NOTE: I can now confirm that the rescheduled Issue 7 will be out May 21st. Below is my main cover for the issue
And here are the variants by Edwin Galmon, Cat Staggs, and David Cousens.
I finished the script for Issue 9 yesterday so I am now [outside of lettering notes] wrapped on the book. The script is now with Joe Mulvey and I’m very excited to see what he does with it. Going all-out on the action with this one.
Colin Craker has wrapped up his issue, a more wacky and ambitious issue by us both, I hope readers will enjoy it. Here’s the colours to the magnificent page I showed in the last Declarations.
Luke Sparrow is also working away on his issue, the final for the series. Man, he is delivering some absolutely stunning pages. There are still pages available for Issue one over on the Art Deco store. They’re sooooo good lads, get them for a steal now while you can.
All the pieces are finally starting to come together. It’s a little bittersweet to see it end, but also very satisfying to see the larger story coalesce.
OUT SOON
May 21st
BATMAN & ROBIN: YEAR ONE #7 [VC]
TERMINATOR #7 [W/C]
THUNDERCATS #16 [W/VC]
May 28th
THUNDERCATS LOST #3 [VC]
June 18th
TERMINATOR #8 [W/C]
TERMINATOR VOL 01: OUT OF TIME [W/C]
June 25th
THUNDERCATS LOST #4 [VC]
July 02nd
DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL U ONE LAST TIME #4 [VC]
July 16th
MYSTIQUE MOST WANTED TP [W/C]
TERMINATOR #10 [W/C]
THUNDERCATS #18 [W/C]
Nice updates. Inspiring to see so much creative work being done! Thundercats. Ho!