#180: Safari Dec

Visiting apex predators, and releasing Apex collections

Sep 02, 2025

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

As you read this, I am currently lounging in Johannesburg post the four-day Comic Con Africa. I’m heading back home tomorrow and have a lot of work I’ll need to dive into for the next week. After that, I’ll be taking a week or so off for some fun family stuff. What have I done lately though…? Well here’s the Worklog:

Inked/ coloured cover for new Dynamite series
Pencilled/ inked/ coloured an indie cover
Coloured THUNDERCATS LOST #10
Coloured MOBSTER MASH cover [below]
Inked/coloured TMNT cover
Rough/ pencilled/ inked/ coloured a Bad Idea cover
Wrote half of PROJECT QUIET one-shot script
Answered 2x sets of interview questions for TERMINATOR: METAL
2x Podcast interviews for TERMINATOR: METAL
Attended COMIC CON AFRICA

-I ended up doing TEN covers in August. I have four down for this month, which I think is all I can handle, though I got offered a DC cover just before I left for Africe. Considering I’ll have some time off and need to make some headway on scripts, it’ll be tough. Let’s see what happens…

-I made some progress on the PROJECT QUIET script only to find out that I need to rework it. Got to have a new outline in by the end of the week.

-I had a blast at Comic Con Africa, everyone at the show from the con organisers, volunteers and attendees were really lovely. Here’s a shot of most of the guests after a fun Drink And Draw charity event we did.

[L-R] Show presesnter Zaid Motala, myself, Eleonora Carlini, Carola Borelli, Elisabetta D’Amico, show organiser Nicol Chaplin, Sean Izaakse, Cian Tormy, Scott’s collectables Matt, Anand Ramcheron. Everyone was doing gang signs but I don’t know any.

I was struck by just how huge pop culture shows have grown in South Africa since my trip to Cape town about six years ago. It was mostly people buying prints and getting signatures. Many were astonished that I was the artist that co-created Mr Knight. Boy, do they like him in South Africa.

The attendees weren’t huge on picking up books in general [I made an effort to bring a wide selection] but eventually by the end of Sunday, I’d sold all my copies, outside of TIME BEFORE TIME Vol 2-3. I got enough commissions to keep me busy each day.

Cosplay was pretty big at the show and I was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces.

[Note, the Ripley and the Mystique cosplay are by the same lady]

I really had a great time at the show, they looked after us all so well and it was great to hang out with creators I hadn’t met before, as well as old friends.

With the show over, yesterday the organisers arranged a trip for us to a sarari park that was just amazing. Some serious inspiration for THUNDERCATS.

-OLD DOG and MYSTIQUE colourist Clayton Cowles has a great newsletter that I’ve plugged before. In his most recent post, he shares some of the custom balloons he’s developed over the years for various projects.

-Lastly, I did a blurb for Zack Kaplan and my old friend Stephen Thompson’s MASTERMINDS, out now from Dark Horse Comics. Appropriate, Thompson being a bit of a dark horse himself.

COVER DEC

Some of my latest covers have been released online in the last week or so. First, MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE WORLD TO COME #6. Very cool to have done a Marvel Knights cover. Also as you Declarations readers know, any excuse to draw Daredevil…

A couple of months ago, I finished this GARGOYLES X FANTASTIC FOUR #1 cover. I’m a bit unfamiliar with Gargoyles, but cool to draw Mole Man, Human Torch and of course, I love drawing The Thing. With all the characters, etc, this one took me quite a while to draw/colour. I shared it online last week and got a great response.

And lastly, I did this cover for Will Robson’s upcoming MOBSTER MASH series. Here is is with his wonderful cover dress.

I did a live-stream while working on this cover, you can watch me colour and talk about my colouring approach below…

THUNDERCATS

THUNDERCATS Vol 3: APEX is out now! As great as the David Nakayama covers were, now that he’s moved onto other projects I’m happy to see my covers are being used as the covers for the regular trade [see below]

Series artist Drew Moss is currently working on Issue 19 with some help from Joe Mulvey. I’d show some art but anything from Issue 19 would spoil Issue 18 so here’s a peek at the cover for THUNDERCATS Issue 23 instead. Look closely and you might spot a little tease for things to come…

With all my covers, the travelling, etc, I need to get the script for Issue 21 done pronto, then move straight onto the next issues.

TERMINATOR

The promo train has begun for TERMINATOR: METAL, with both myself and series co-writer Rory McConville appearing on Pop Culture Philosophers…

…and then Blerd Without Fear. This one went off the rails pretty fast [in a very fun way], mostly due to one Gavin Guidry and possibly also my glistening, sunburnt face.

Solicits are online so I can now say that joining us for Issue 2 is artist Eoin Marron. For those who don’t know, a good while back Eoin was an apprentice of mine for a year or so, working in studio with me so I could help him with his art, guide him in the business and also help me out with some inking when I was in a real jam, etc. He spent some time helping me as a production assistant an then went on to draw a SONS OF ANARCHY miniseries, some JAMES BOND, PUNISHER 2099 and a very cool series called CENTIPEDE. He was drawing a book called THE BROTHER OF ALL MEN [below] just as the publisher AfterShock went under, which was a real shame as his work on that looked amazing.

THE BROTHER OF ALL MAN #1 cover by Eoin Marron

He had some life stuff get in the way and had to take a break for a while but I’m delighted that he was finally available to draw this issue for us. He’s pencilled all his pages and is currently inking the first few. This is actually the first time we’ve professionally worked together, making this a very special issue for me. Oh yeah, and Rory McConville writing it too, or whatever.

Seriously though, as Rory and I are doing a rake of press for the book [and we’ve scripts in the can], it feels great to be doing a book with him again.

Ye’ll have to wait a bit to find out who’s drawing the next issue but here’s the cover for the issue I’m currently working on, Issue 3…

That’s right, a cowboy Terminator. This was so fun to draw. I’ve finally gone mad with power. Just have to finish the script in order to justify this cover image.

But first, some proper Future War havoc in Issue 1, here’s a peek at the incredible first page of artwork by Lorenzo Re.

TERMINATOR: METAL #1 art by Lorenzo Re w/colour by Colin Craker

Man, what a page. Lorenzo’s work in this issue is phenomenal. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before, But Colin Craker will be the colourist on this series too [as seen above]. He was such a brilliant part of what held the identity of the book, especially with all the different artists, so I’m delighted he’s sticking with us.

I expect Rory will have his script for Issue 4 in soon [I’m convinced he was gonna get his script in before mine for Issue 3], I’ll be getting started on Issue Five soon, once I’m a bit more ahead on THUNDERCATS stuff.