The 4th of July is upon us!
Man it seems like time flies faster all the time, doesn’t it? Crazy! As usual, we’ve got some updates for you!
First off, The Dynagirl series is about to wrap up the first issue already! We’ve had an amazing response to the series and we’re gaining fans all the time to get on over there and check it out!
Next, you just gotta see this to believe it:
That, is Ellabeth, and she’s the star of an upcoming series of books we’re going to be doing under the title “Dead Reckoning”. It’s a sci fi western type story with a female lead who’s mean as a rattlesnake. It’s gonna be fun! keep your eyes on the comics section of the website and as we get more I’ll keep you updated.
We’ve also seen some excellent progress in other areas, such as alternative media! I can’t make any official announcements as of yet, but suffice it to say there are exciting things about to break loose for Red Handed Studios! More on this as soon as the contracts get done!
And just today I got word about another cool project, not really associated with Red Handed Studios per se, but still very cool! Check out Miss Masque:
She’s a public domain character being showcased in a new series of web videos by Travis Legge and the preliminary stuff already looks incredible! Check out the link and help support another Indie creator!
Convention update wise, we’re making some changes. As of now we’re looking at attending Champion City Con, Wizard World Texas, and The Up Fair, depending of course on applications and all being accepted. We’ll have more info on that in a month or so as plans finalize. Sadly the NYCC fell through for us, but we’ll do our best to get there next year and connect with all our East Coast fans!
Have a great Summer out there folks, and spend some time at the pool!
And now…Dynagirl!
That’s right folks, it’s time! As of tomorrow the Dyangirl series officially begins! What does that mean? Well it’s all the fun, action, and striking visuals you came to expect from Fallen Justice, with a slightly more hopeful tone! Dynagirl is an unlimited series and will feature Cary Kelley on the writing and lettering duties, Harold Edge rocking the art, and Lisa Moore making it colorful! In addition, we’ll also have supplimental colors by SPLASH, and a number of guest writers popping in to put their own spin on the world of Dynagirl!
We’ll be doing a combination of things with the Dynagirl series. First, it’s a webcomic. That means you can check it out completely free! We’re not holding anything back, so you can read the whole thing in its entirety. We will also offer our newsletter subscribers some little special features now and again, so if you’re interested by all means sign up! The special features won’t have to be seen to get the full imact of the story, but they will add a little extra flavor now and again, which is always fun!
In addition to being on the web, at the completion of each issue, roughly every 22 pages of story content, we’ll be offering the hard copy issue for sale via the Indyplanet system. The goal is to have the issue ready and up for sale the day the last page goes live, so we’ll keep everyone informed of that!
But that’s not all! We’ll also be collecting every few issues into trade format and offering them for sale via the RHS store and at comic conventions near you! So you can come on out, meet and greet the RHS crew, and get some Dynagirl goodness all at the same time! You can’t beat that!
Oh…and if that’s not enough for you…
We’re bringing scary back.
So check it out!
www.dynagirlonline.com
Every Tuesday and Thursday!
How about some more!
That’s right! Since I posted the iPhone love yesterday I’ve received some more graphics related to that so I figured I’d share those as well.
First up we’ve got the actual displays showing the covers of the first two issues as they will appear to users who download them! Kinda WAY cool there! And again, they’ll be free for download during the SDCC and then 99cents per download thereafter. I’d like to think that our comics are at LEAST worth the same as several million songs out there, so get over there and bring those puppies down and check em out! I’ll be adding a direct link to the download in the iTunes store as soon as they go live, so keep checking back and I’ll do my very best to make it easy on ya.
That’s just…hot.
Next up is the T shirt GraphicsLab 2 guru Kyle Hurlbut commissioned for the San Diego Comic Con so that his minions can go forth and spread the news about Fallen Justice with impunity! They’ll be out and about distributing stickers and generally getting the word out there on the downloads and the story, so if you see one say “Hey I know that comic!”
Cool!
In other fun news, we’ve got us a new addition! That’s right coming right on the heels of Lisa Moore joining the studio, we’d like to welcome Michael Kellar to the fold! Michael and I go back a couple of years to Small Press Idol days, where we were both on the Sky Pirates of Valendor team together. Michael’s an accomplished inker who is growing an already impressive resume by leaps and bounds. To start with he’ll be doing some fill in work as needed on various things that come across the board, and then he’ll be taking over inks on at least one title we have planned for the very near future.
Speaking of that, at least a little bit, Red Handed Studios is looking at producing original content for the iPhone, meaning rather than undertaking the time consuming effort of converting regular comics into iPhone format, we’ve decided to turn out a comic made originally FOR the iPhone, and as such we’re in pre-production on that project. What does that mean for the fans? Double the fun baby! You’ll get the chance to see us shine on the iPhone first, and then we’ll make that available in print format as well for those without iPhone or who prefer the print version. It’s going to be a bold experiment, wtih ups and downs I’m sure, but at the end of the day I think on that’s well worth the effort.
Oh! And before I forget, remember yesterday when I mentioned that mad cool cover to Dynagirl #1? Well I got the pencilled version up and ready for you folks to check out over on the newly added Dynagirl page. I dare you to tell me that cover doesn’t kick all kinds of ass! And we’re just getting started.
If you have the time, look around the site a bit. I’ve added pages for Totem and Seppuku Blues, Caveguys, and Dynagirl, as well as updating graphics on the gallery page and a couple of other minor tweaks. Wearing the website guy hat can sometimes be rough, but I generally try to stay on top of things when given half a chance!
So that’s what’s shaking today! More to come as I get it people! Till then, enjoy!
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!
Growing!
Last time I mentioned we’d expanded a bit I alluded to an inker being onboard. I didn’t mention him by name as we hadn’t talked about it completely and I didn’t want to jump the gun. Well that was then, and now Peter Palmiotti is here in force! Peter has been working in comics for years and is one hell of a nice guy besides being a really dynamic inker. He’s got projects with both Highburn studios and Dark Elf Designs, and we’re proud to have him as a member here at Red Handed now as well. So welcome Peter!
Otherwise, we’re just about recovered from the massive road trip we undertook after STAPLE. Whew. The older I get the rougher the road seems to treat me! But we’re back at mission control looking at ways to make things cooler as we continue moving forward, so stay tuned cause there’s still lots we have to show you.
And in case you’re wondering what we have on tap here right this minute, we’re doing colors and letters on Fallen Justice issue 6, writing the scripts for Dynagirl #4-8, doing pre-production on Seppuku Blues and The Kansas Hit, and looking at yet another project I won’t mention right now for early development. So yeah, we’ve got some stuff to show you! In keeping with that, here’s a shot from issue #7 of Fallen Justice that just immediately grabs you when you turn to that page. I got the originals in the mail right before STAPLE but only just got to scan them in yesterday, so I’m understandably giddy still.
That’s my girl!
Before I forget, the store is newly updated! We’ve added status to each item to show you exactly where it’s at and when you can expect it to ship to your house. We’ve also tossed in some new additions! We had a great response to the prints we worked up for STAPLE and we’ve decided to offer these great looking pieces through the store on a more permanent basis. And we’ll be adding more shortly so keep checking back!
I also added the “Comics” tab to the userbar at the top and have begun putting things in order to add in the new projects we’ve fired up over the course of the last few months! I like the way it looks right now, but wow what a job I didn’t want! lol
And last but not least today we want to send out our appreciation again to everyone who came by to see us at STAPLE, talked with us and decided to take a chance on the book. STAPLE isn’t what you’d call the average comic convention. There were a lot more non-superhero books there than superhero titles, but we had a steady stream of interest and a great response to the book. So thanks for making it fun!
Check out the Red Handed Podcast!
Chuck Moore over at Comic Related was kind enough to spend over an hour talking about not only Fallen Justice but pretty much everything Red Handed! We also shoot the bull about comics in general, my day job, and the works! Check it out: Comic Related Podcast #82
Fallen Justice #1 is here!
That’s right folks! The long wait is finally over! Today we commence the print run of the Fallen Justice series with issue #1. In conjunction with the issues arriving here in fine form and in beautiful full color, Fallen Justice #1 is also available for order on Indy Planet. In the not too distant future it will also be available through the Comics Monkey distribution system, and Haven Distributors as well so you can decide for yourself where to get it! Of course while there’s a bunch of options available, you’ll only get the goodies by ordering the books from right here, so keep that in mind!
Also in the news, we’re getting ready for the opening of our con season with our first scheduled appearance at STAPLE, the independent media expo in Austin Texas on March 7th. SO if you’re in the area and would like to see a great convention, come on out! We’ll have comics, prints, and other cool stuff so make sure you drop by the table!
You’ve GOT to be kidding me!
Nope. I’m dead serious. It’s update time people, and this one is a doozy. I mentioned we were adding some talent to Red Handed Studios, and that’s now a done deal. If you paid any attention to the buzz behind Small Press Idol 2007 you are quite aware of a guy named Scottie Ray Watson. His book Talon took the gold and won the whole thing. Since then Scottie’s been busy, but in other areas, leaving his comic art for a bit. But he’s got things lined out now, and he’s back with a vengeance! And, in case you hadn’t guessed, he’s now a member of Red Handed Studios!
So what does that mean? Well for starters we’ll be working on an all new series yet to be named, but already in production. The series features a strong ass kicking sword wielding chick, much like Talon, but we’ve set this series in the far future, where technology is king, and the old ways are all but forgotten. Trust me, the energy level is high and you’re not gonna believe how cool this is gonna be. Also in the works we’re in talks to get another sword wielding chick drawn by Scottie over here as well. But we’ll have to leave you wondering about that for the time being.
But wait, that’s not all! Co-writing this title will be RD Hall, (lately of the Heroes Graphic novels) a prolific and exciting addition to the team! We’ve got the wheels turning and trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
But again, there’s more! We’re putting The Kansas Hit back into production with Virginia Mills-Barfield rocking the art chores! Ginny is also the creator of a series called Windy City, and you’re gonna be seeing her main character Bandit crossing over with our own Dynagirl as well in the coming months. We do so love a cross-over around here and it was a natural to get these two crime fighting girls together! We’re hoping to show you quite a lot of Bandit and Windy City in time, so keep on the lookout for a special announcement about that cause it’s coming shortly!
So, you think that’s it? Nope. We’re also bringing in another inker and a colorist (I’ll tell you who soon!) to round out the fun and help out with the work load so you only get the best possible books in the fastest manner possible. What we won’t do is promise you something we can’t deliver, so if we say it’s ready to go, then you can rest assured it’s gonna be there on time, every time. Will this make our schedule a bit slower? Sure will. But everyone here feels the same as I do, that slower and superior is better than quick and half assed.
On another front we’re registering with Haven distribution and Comics Monkey as well so our books will be easier to get and available to as wide an audience as possible. We’re committed to getting books into the hands of the fans, even if that means we hand deliver them!
So there you go. How’s that for an update? More as we get it folks!
