Mixed feelings
Harold has been such a rock in this whole comic making process. Not only has he completely spoiled me, but he does things out of the blue that really show his commitment and desire to see this project succeed in ways far beyond what most anyone else would put forth. I got some art in the mail today, most of which was the second third of issue #7, the final issue of Fallen Justice. He’s got 12 more pages to ink in this extra sized blow out issue, but he took the time to ink this piece up for me and send it along because he figured I’d like it, and because she’s such a bittersweet character. This promo kinda sums up everything I’ve been feeling about this series lately, coming to the end of it…looking forward to the future and our plans for the Dynagirl series. It’s just…pretty damn cool. So here you go. Ms. Anarchy in the clouds. This one i’m having painted.
See how cool that is? I’m still freaking out! And I got a mail from Ross today, as we discussed back and forth with the colors for issue 6, and he said something that just kept that whole feeling going. I mentioned to him that I’d scanned the second third of the issue 7 inks, and he said: “It’s hard to believe we’re almost done…”. Truer words I’ve never heard.
When you step back and you look at this thing, we’ve been working on this project for a while! I posted the ad for an artist in late 2005. So we’re into our 4th year on this baby! That alone represents a huge chunk of time and life’s blood. I still get a “wow” every time I think about it.
And now it’s almost over. Unreal. But, that’s the point of a limited series. It’s LIMITED! And the whole Dynagirl project pretty much takes the sting out of any empty nest feeling we might start getting trust me! That thing is going to be a serious monster when we get it rolling, you have no idea.
In other news, an interview I did for Jazma Online went live today, and you can check that out here.
And that, as we say, is a wrap.
Short skirts and utility belts!
You know, I’ve pretty much always been a comic book fan. I have memories prior to turning 2 years old, but they’re fuzzy things, incoherent and clipped. So pretty much ever since I can remember with any clarity, meaning the age of 4, I’ve loved comics. And it wasn’t long after I fell in love with comics that I wanted to make my own. Started out with little doodles, school projects and the like, and that’s taken me through a twisted path of starts stops and restarts to the point where I’m now making my own comics. But it always goes back to the beginnings. Always. Any good story does, really.
I have a point, trust me. I’ll get there. Let the writer write would ya? Sheesh.
Anyway, in my making comics adventure, I’ve made it a point to surround myself with some of the most talented people out there. At the same time, mostly by pure luck, I’ve also found that those same people are lifelong comic book fans just like me! Some of them not dating back to the stone age of comics necessarily, but still. They dig comics and pay homage to what’s come before without a doubt. You can see it in so many places in Fallen Justice. From the characters, to some of the scenes, even in the colors and the Easter eggs Ross leaves you…we’re comic lovers making comics. And I think that’s important. First off, if I didn’t love comics, I wouldn’t bother. Second, the people who read the book get it in so many subtle ways. It resonates with comic book fans almost unconsciously. To me, that’s the ultimate reward, to know we connect like that. Brings huge smiles to my face! But I’m also cognizant of the huge responsibility we have as creators to stay true to the work, honor the story, and tell the truth. That might sound funny when you consider we’re telling fictional comic book stories, but there’s a truth there regardless and if you aren’t telling it, it shows.
So this week marks a lot of changes or advancements rather at RHS. First off, if you haven’t read the previous post get down there and read it silly! We’re announcing all manner of convention appearances this summer so that should kick off some fantastic fun for the whole team! Now in addition to the Seppuku Blues news (honestly, not rhyme intending here!) we’ve got some exciting Dynagirl news! Harold Edge, who you know already from the Fallen Justice series, and I have begun principle production work on the Dynagirl series. The scripts are written through issue #8, and now we’re working up character designs for some of the new characters you’re going to be spending time with!
Now I’ll tell you a couple of things about this new series while I have the chance. It’s going to feature Dyangirl of course, but it’s also going to have a lot more in way of supporting cast than a single hero book might normally show you. Why? Well because I dig team dynamics first off, and so does Dynagirl. That doesn’t mean she’ll get lost in the shuffle by any means, it just means she’ll have plenty of backup when it comes time to kick some ass!
Also, Harold will be flexing his artistic muscles a little with this book. Like he hasn’t already, right? But see while you’ve been out there reading the books, Harold has been in school working his hindparts off getting better every day. And I can tell you without a doubt, it shows. For someone who was terrified when he mentioned changing his style…I have to say you’ll be blown away when you see the results. He’s taking things to a whole new dimension.
Ready to tie it all together yet? I told you before the whole team is made up of long time comic book fans, right? So Harold sends me some sketches the other day of two of the new heroes that will be teamed up with Dynagirl in the new book. Mindfire and the Knight. Those paying close attention will see them cameo in issue #7 of Fallen Justice, but we’ve refined them for the new series, grown them up a little bit, which makes sense as the series starts five years later. I could give you a breakdown on powers and such, but I won’t. I’ll let you see for yourself. But what I will do is show them to you, because in doing that I can show you what I mean by long time comic book fans. Check out Mindfire. (click the thumbnail to see it full sized)
Hot. Yes. WAY hot. She as that innocent look going on, but she’s also mentally hard. There’s nothing of the soft naïve kid in there. Plus I dig the short skirt. Makes me think back to the 70s Neal Adams stuff where Marvel Girl barely covered herself up in that green costume. (That’s still one of my all time favorite looks by the way, goofy yellow mask and all.) There’s just something about this design that immediately screamed ‘hell yeah!’ to me. You’ll also see a couple of Ms. Anarchy elements in there as well, which makes good sense as Mindfire is her oldest daughter.
On the Knight, we’ve got something else entirely. He’s got even more edge than his wife (yep, another husband and wife team. Think that will end badly?) and he’s just dynamic as hell. We wrestled back and forth with the whole cape/no cape thing, but in the end it was the cool jumping off the building thing that sold me. I’m a sucker for capes, Incredibles be damned. But the cape was so far down the list of things to mention when I saw the pouches. Now anyone who knows me knows I’m a lifelong Batman fan, and I make no apologies for that. In fact, I’ve got a Batman script in the drawer waiting for the day when those DC guys call and ask me to pitch something! But one of the things I always wondered was how he got all that cool stuff in that little bitty utility belt! The Knight won’t be having that problem. Way I see it he could be carrying the kitchen sink in that thing! So stay tuned because if you think you’ve seen cool gadgets…you ain’t seen nothing yet.
So there you go. Some cool as hell sketches, an update of sorts, and a little behind the scenes peek into the mind of madness.
Oh and I’m making a movie. But more on that later.
And to wrap it up, check out the AWESOME review/coverage we got over at Comic Related today! Huge shout out to Bill Gladman, Brant Fowler and Chuck Moore for treating us not only with a huge amount of respect but making us feel like part of the family. Can’t say enough good things about this group of folks. Comics needs more places like Comic Related.
Till next time folks!
Wicked update!
Wow. What a difference a few days makes! I’ve told you about the new book we’re doing here soon called Seppuku Blues, right? Well let me tell ya some more. First off, the team consists of Scottie Ray Watson on pencils, RD Hall and myself (Cary Kelley) on writing chores, Peter Palmiotti on inks, and Jeff Balke on colors. I’ll be wrapping things up with the letters and we’ll be out the door. But that’s not the cool part. The cool part is a big part of the team will be attending the Chicago Comic Con this summer! Woo! Scottie and I are sharing a table in artists alley, an d RD will be out on the main floor, where we’ll be doing some special signings and showing off this phenomenal book for all to see! What we plan to have is at least a 12 page primer to the series fully completed and ready to rock. We may even do a WW Chicago exclusive if we can get it ready in time. So there you go. all the news that’s fit to print! You got it here first! And here’s a taste!
