Most of you have probably heard the news about Tokyopop closing it's doors (There was a nice short article on The Beat about it yesterday!) and thought about the possible impact it might have on some of the titles stuck in limbo since they were canceled, including Dan Hipp's Gyakushu, Brandon Graham's King City, Ross Campbell's The Abandoned, and my East Coast Rising. I obviously have mixed feelings about this, because while I was working on my book I had a pretty good time, but after canceling my second book 120 pages in I obviously still have some bitter feelings- and their closing does make me excited that I might be able to one day finish the story. Of course the hard part is if that time ever comes, I'm pretty booked for work, and my style and storytelling has changed so much- it will definitely be a challenge to pick up again! But a challenge that I'd be happy to step up to, if the time comes.

Tokyopop gave me a huge opportunity to publish my first solo graphic novel, one that paid off with an Eisner nomination for Best New Series, and as a finalist in the first International Manga Award. The book might be silly and a bit juvenile, but I still look back and remember how fun it was to draw, and all the good times I had working on it. It's also nice to look back on TP's early influence, breaking into book stores and opening up a section of the market that was until then impenetrable. They took chances on new creators, and for a while they had a great team of editors, writers and artists working for them!

A lot of people blame TP's downfall on Borders closing- though I want to talk about something different, about how they stopped being a publisher and started being an IP hoarder. To be a successful publisher I would have thought you'd have to make publishing a priority- and by canceling so many books and concentrating harder on their media developments over the promotion and production of the comics they published, they signed their own death warrant.

That's not to say it's bad to cultivate options for a property outside of comics, but it seemed, for my book and from my perspective at least, that they put zero effort into marketing East Coast Rising. I had issues with the design of the book that went unheard. I even heard that they didn't stock my comic in many stores. I felt like they were more excited when my book garnered attention from animation and video game companies than when it got an Eisner nomination. To me, I don't really care about media rights. Money is great and everything, but I'm in it to make a good book. And I think that's where our interests were divided.

Maybe my work was so different from the manga that they produced, that they didn't know what to do with it, or how to market and sell it- but that didn't stop it from getting an Eisner nom, some great reviews, and international acclaim from Japan. It even had a few foreign language editions including Italian and Finnish. Obviously it had potential to get traction, but somehow it missed the mark. It makes me think the book would have done better at a different publisher.

Tim Beedle, my editor on this book, was lovely. I also worked with Fawn Lau as a letterer, and she was great too! I can't just point my finger wildly around at the company and place blame on everyone, or a single person- some amazing individuals worked there! But the truth is there were some weird decisions being made. And as a creator, even though my editor was great, I never felt like I was important to the company, and that on the whole, my book didn't matter. I didn't feel looked after. And I guess my feelings were justified when they canceled my book with no warning. I even went to their office for a meeting to try and get the print rights back, or just get them to print it again- well I bet you can guess what answer I got.

Maybe TP just went around things wrong. If Stu Levy wanted to make a media company, I feel like he should have started it that way instead of trying to get into movies and other media through comics. That notion has always seemed backwards to me- if you want to make a movie, fucking just make a movie! It might not be easy, but it makes a lot more sense than making comics to make movies. That's like making cookies and hoping they will turn into a cake in the oven!

So yeah, I guess that's all I have to say. I'm excited at the prospect of maybe finishing my book, so it's bittersweet feeling to see TP go (although everyone I know who worked there was already gone...). I feel a little selfish being excited about that, but hey. I'm allowed to be selfish sometimes. I honestly don't have any hard feelings, but I do have some advice for Stu Levy: Next time you make a company, make sure the initials don't also stand for Toilet Paper.

**Originally posted at Ink and Thunder

HEY YOU GUYS!

I'll be at Challengers in Chicago for a Demo release signing, and a Demo themed gallery show featuring 50 original pages and art at Rogues Gallery, March 25th at 7PM! Exclusive prints available as well. If you're in the area, totally swing by. I'm making cookies.

I've spent the last few weeks working on an illustration for this year's Thought Bubble festival in Leeds, England. While I was working out all the details, I remembered a few people asking me if I wouldn't mind showing my process a bit, so I tried to take some snapshots of the picture at various stages of completion.

I'll walk you guys through it.

After doing a few thumbnails and narrowing the ideas down, I did some pencils. At this stage they were still pretty rough, but tight enough to work over. I knew I would be inking the figures, and painting over the background in photoshop so I didn't bother tightening the trees up much.

Then I did some color tests- this step is usually pretty important for me, because it will lay the foundation for the rest of my color work. The colors for this came easily, which was a bit of a surprise. Usually I struggle with colors, but these were pretty straightforward.

Then I went ahead and threw some ink on Snow White and the Wicked Witch, like usual- with a brush and some ink. Pretty straightforward.

After that I worked on painting the background. I call it painting, I guess even though I work in Photoshop I end up approaching it as though I was working on canvas. I start with an underpainting of the basic colors I want to use, selecting from my roughs when it suits me. Then I build it up and move objects into the foreground and background when appropriate.

Now I lay on the figures! They were relatively simple to color, I only used one or two shades to lighten and darken the flat colors. My main objective was to get Snow White to stand out- Originally my idea was to have her be completely black and white, but it just didn't feel finished. So I added red, since I had the idea to add some to the background, and it really grounded the center of the image, and made her pop out without making her look completely removed from her environment.

Also notice on the witch, I colored the linework so the only black you see in the picture is on Snow White. This way the witch and the comics fall into the background a bit.

I wasn't sure about the sapling on the left that I had drawn in my original sketch, but I decided that area was pretty empty and needed a little somethin somethin to pull it together more. I also added the tree behind the witch to fill the space and add another vertical. These were all pieces of my original idea that I had deemed excessive, but thought to bring them back in the end. I guess you should always just go with your gut! I tend to over-think things, and second-guess myself if I work on something for a while, not really a good habit I guess. Anyway this is the final version!

And here is a close-up:

So there you have it! Snow White and the Seven Comics, for Thought Bubble 2011! And if anyone is curious, yes I will be attending

**This post was originally syndicated at my blog Ink and Thunder.

So many of you know that my graphic novel from Tokyopop, East Coast Rising, was canceled in 2008 after the first volume, despite it finding critical success and being fairly well-received, and also despite the fact that I was 3/4s of the way finished with the second volume.

As I was cleaning the other day I found the 120 or so pages that I had already drawn, and I thought man, what a shame, all that work. And the worst part, that volume 1 ended on a cliffhanger! Nobody will ever know if they defeat the Suffocating Death, or are consumed (that would have made a quick end to the series!) to quell it's seemingly endless appetite (it already ate Mr. Snuggles, the giant, flesh-eating turtle...)

I think a nice start to the new year would be to put an end to this cliff-hanger, so I've started posting 3 pages a day on my blog until the first 18 pages are up and the cliff-hanger is resolved. I'll feel a little better for it, even though this may not be the most ideal medium to read comics in (3 pages a day for six days? ugh.), I just want to get it out there. These pages are also unfinished, I took off the tones and it hasn't been lettered, but I think you can get the gist of what's happening. Feel free to fill in your own words if you have some time to kill!

See pages 1-3 HERE!
See pages 4-6 HERE!
See pages 7-9 HERE!
See pages 10-12 HERE!
See pages 13-15 HERE!
See pages 16-18 HERE!



I'd also like to give a shout-out to Anais, who got me a deviantart subscription this month! I'm gonna try to update a bit more now that I have it Thanks so much!

EDIT: added links to all of the pages! Check it out :3

2010 was a big year. A lot happened and a lot changed, but that's as it should be. And since a lot of people are making lists for the year, I thought I'd join in and try to mix it up a bit.

FAVORITE SELF-PUBLISHED COMICS OF 2010
I go to a lot of conventions and I'm always meeting new people- one of the things I like best is getting to check out other people's self-published books and mini-comics, whether it's from an established creator or from someone who is just starting their journey into the labyrinth that is comics! Everyone is making best-of comic lists, but I thought I'd go a little further; I love self-publishing, so why not show some love to books that might have flown under the radar?

3. WINTERS IN LAVELLE
by Kasey Van Hise
So I've known Kasey for a few years now, before she started Lavelle as a webcomic- now it's a fully fledged self-published graphic novel, complete with an ISBN number! Not only is that smart business skillz, but her comic is a lot of fun too. Winters in Lavelle is a YA fantasy comic about a brother and sister stranded in a parallel world- it's exactly the kind of comic that I wish I had been able to read as a teenager. You can read Winters in Lavelle online- Kasey updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.

2. ATELIER
by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
How prolific are these two? They produce an amazing amount of work every year and still have time to make a mini comic for NYCC, and go to the beach. This short comic is told in four languages- English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, chronicling the making of a comic from inception to completion. I've worked with Moon and Ba on a few comics, and I'll never get tired of their work. A new comic from the twins is always a treat!

1. SIGNAL
by Paul Duffield
Oh my god, this is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. This silent exploration of self reads like a love letter to Carl Sagan, with the universe unfolding as you turn each page. Beautiful in every aspect, this is a book worth hunting down. It's the closest thing to poetry that I've ever seen in a comic- there is so much to look at, it's like a visual symphony. Too bad it's sold out-- Hey Paul! What are you doing? Reprint this book in 2011!!

NEW THINGS I DID IN 2010
3. I played a slot machine for the first time this autumn, in England! I lost a pound, so I probably won't be playing them again anytime soon. It was actually a bit of a let down.

2. I drove on the wrong side of the road! For two weeks the gentlemanly Lee Marshall and I adventured around England and Wales in a shiny silver Peugeot- it was the first time I'd driven on the left side of the road, and the first time in about ten years that I've driven a standard! I'm guess I'm proud of my ability to throw myself headfirst into situations that I might be uncomfortable with, and actually come out okay (not just drive off a cliff into a herd of sheep and marmite).

1. I became an illustrator! I mean, I've done some illustration in the past, but this summer I did 60 full color illustrations for a novel to be released by Harper Collins in 2011. It pains me that I can't show much of the work that I did for it, or talk about it at all! It ended up being quite an ordeal as well since I'm more of a cartoonists and I am more comfortable working in black and white; I ended up learning a lot about myself and my art on this book. It was like running a marathon. I'm really proud of it though, and I can't wait for it to come out!

I'd talk about other favorites, like movies, but mostly I just watch old ones. And music, I mostly just listen to Iron Maiden (who's new album would be at the top of my list had I made one!!!) and operas, but I only saw two last year! I really don't get out much, so don't expect much lists from me.


SHIT I HAVE PLANNED FOR 2011
First off- more comics, totally. I've been talking with a few people about some new books that might surprise a lot of you- so I hope I can get going on those soon! A lot of you ask about Killjoys also- well, I can't say much about that yet, except hold on to your butts! I'm also going to try to do more illustrations. I didn't do that many this year and I really missed that.

I have two new self published books coming out this year also, one is called "Wolves"- it's a short story I did in 2009 for an anthology that was published in Japan, finally being released in English. My second story is called "Mary Bella Beth". I'm thumbnailing it now; it's based on a true story, and it's about four girls and a mirror. I will probably release this one online as well. I'll be bringing these to several conventions including TCAF, MCM, SDCC and hopefully a few others. You will also be able to buy them online, because....

...January will see a big update to my website! I know it's a long time coming, but there is only so much one person can do. I know, life is a difficult balance and sometimes my website and email get the short end of the stick when I am in a deadline crunch (which is most of the time.). The update will include an online store! And I'll try to keep it more current. And be better with emails (haha.)

There is also some debate as to weather I should bring Comic Attack back as well- we'll see! Oh and I plan on making a million dollars and buying a castle. Feel free to visit- and bring your ink!

That's it for me until next year. For new years My homegirls and I are having an Iron Chef themed New Years party- I'm going to make DUCK!!!! I couldn't find fillets so I just got a whole one... looks like my New  Years resolution will be to eat more water foul! Heh. Hope everybody is enjoying the holidays. Until next time~~

EDIT: Oh yeah since my premium membership expired, go to my blog over at Ink and Thunder to see the images: [link] I just copy/paste my blog entries over here, so you might just want to follow my RSS over there if you are into blogs and that sort of thing.