Notorious Crackpot

Danger Club Preview

2012-02-01T14:48:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been awhile. The events of last Fall lead me to a more introverted lifestyle, plus I have been working on new projects non-stop.

Anyway, here's a four page preview for the first issue of Danger Club! Available April 4th!

Go to hell, (a few very specific) Kate Beaton fans.

2011-10-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

Look, I get that you were anxious to see Kate Beaton speak on a panel at APE this past weekend. Her comics are awesome and her art is fantastic. By all accounts, she's also very nice. I'm a fan of her work myself. So... sure. You want to make sure you have good seats. I get that.

But listen, that panel you came in on that was only halfway through? The one that was running before Kate Beaton's panel? The one that you pushed your way into the few empty seats left up near the front - sandwiching your way in-between teary eyed - and in some cases - openly weeping people?

It was a fucking memorial.

Yeah, you basically crashed a memorial for someone very dear to the world of comics who died at a young age just so you could make sure you had the very best seats to see Kate Beaton talk in a panel that will probably be available on the internet.

Now, to be fair: Some of you waited patiently in the back. No problem with you guys. Some of you didn't wait in the back - but had the good taste to get up and leave when you realized what was happening. You're okay too. But some of you stuck to your guns, ignoring the emotional upheaval around you, and played games on your phone.

You're the ones I take issue with. I honestly wanted to walk down from the table I was sitting at, and punch you right in your faces. But I didn't, mainly because I have more courtesy than you showed yourselves capable of. Yes, it was a memorial open to the public. But if you're going to crash such a thing, maybe you should at least pretend to pay attention, rather than gossip with each other while smiling and pointing to things in the program guide between your inconsiderate bouts of texting. It was rude and it was distracting and it was a perfect example of what I have learned to hate in comics fandom and humanity in general.

Yes, you were few. But it takes very few people to disrupt a memorial. Seriously, what the hell were you thinking? And how the hell can you feel okay with what you just did?

Oh wait, I know the answer. You didn't care. You don't care. Because you're self entitled assholes. Thanks so much for reinforcing my hatred of the world.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Reviews and interview

2011-09-14T16:14:00.001-07:00

It's been a rough week. But seeing these reviews pop-up has been a tremendous help. This is all from the website: The Brave and the Old - a fan website dedicated to all-ages comics where the reviewers are primarily children. Awesome to see.

Here's the first part of the interview.

Here's a review of issue #1.

Here's a review of issue #2.

And here's a review of issue 3.

I just have to say, it's exciting and rewarding to see this level of dedication and interest in fans so young. Here's a picture of the two reviewers, The Comic Wizard and Super Reader:

Dylan Williams and our imaginary feud...

2011-09-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Things keep coming back to me. There's 20 years of history constantly welling up in my mind whenever I stop repressing my gut reaction to this.

Sometime in the mid-nineties, Dylan and I began an imaginary feud. This was mostly born out of a response to some poorly informed observations made about Eric Jones and myself and our relationships with certain people (Dylan included) that Ariel Bordeaux had made in an interview (1997?). The same interviewer was speaking to us and doing a Puppy Toss retrospective article for a local Berkeley paper, and Dylan and I each spoke separately to him about the huge conflict between us that never happened. I think Eric was in on this fabrication too. We claimed that it all ended in a brutal fist fight. We tried to spread word of this feud whenever possible, but I don't think anyone actually ever believed it. Eventually, we just gave up.

Eric, Dylan and I also had plans on working together under the name Darcy Lynn Lidera (I'm probably misspelling it, it was a combination of our three names). We did a one page piece, meant to appear in an anthology that Scott Morse invited us to participate in. Sadly, that anthology (also the comic Little Gloomy was originally created for) was never published. I believe Scott (maybe) still has the original page, something I will have to harass him about someday.

Dylan took the art of comics very seriously. But he found taking ourselves as comics creators seriously, in an industry that should be fun, kind of amusing. We never had the energy to really pursue the practical jokes we planned. But we liked planning them.

R.I.P. Dylan Williams

2011-09-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not ready to write this. But I won't ever be. Dylan Williams, artist and publisher of Sparkplug Comic Books has passed away.

I first met Dylan over twenty years ago. It was a brief meeting at a run down comic book store. Months later, I met him again on the street while I was in the middle of a scavenger hunt. One of the items to collect was "a stranger". I tried to get Dylan to join us, though as I had met him before it was a bit of a cheat.

He declined to participate, but we still became good friends. We worked together at Comic Relief. We were two of the founding members of the small press collective called Puppy Toss. We collaborated on several comics projects together. We would critique and proof-read each other’s work. He was with me the first time I met my wife, and he drove me to Sacramento at the drop of a hat when she was in the hospital. We went to Disneyland together when his girlfriend broke up with him. I was there when his wife Emily wasn't his wife yet and was only known as "that Paper Heaven Girl" - the one Dylan had an obvious obsession for.

Dylan taught me about the history of comics. He helped me understand the beauty of Toth and the genius of Ditko. We spoke every week, working out various problems with life together. So much of who and what I am as writer and as a human being can be laid at his feet.

I just spent a week with Dylan at the hospital. We talked about comics and Doctor Who and what makes storytelling strong. I was there on my 40th Birthday and Dylan and Emily conspired to pick me up a hamburger cake. It was a great birthday for me, getting to spend time with my friend. He kept apologizing for the circumstance, but it wasn't important to me. His company overshadowed any negative impact of the surroundings.

When I left, he was getting healthier every day. We planned my return trip. Despite his ongoing health concerns, his passing was unexpected. I will miss him. I cannot describe how much I will miss him. But more importantly, the entire world of comics should mourn his passing. His understanding of the medium was exceptional and his efforts and dedication to help bring unusual artistic perspectives to the world was invaluable to the evolution of the medium.

When he became ill, I alsked him what I could do. He said "promote Sparkplug Comic Books". His work as the publisher of Sparkplug Comic Books can be found here.

Rest in peace Dylan.

A picture of a picture of Dylan, me and Eric at Disneyland around 1995 - I think.

Interview on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

2011-08-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Eric Jones and were interviewed about a Supergirl sequel, writing Mad Hatter, The Danger Club and... well that's mostly it. But it's extensive, as neither Eric or myself are very good at shutting up.

Also, in a separate post on Comic Box, there's some more never-before-seen production art. This time, it's Kara Zor-El, a bit older and posing as the Kryptonian hero of ancient legend: Flamebird.

Danger Club preview posted at Bleeding Cool.

2011-08-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is a scan of the mini-comic thing Eric and put together (with kind help from SMDconcepts in Livermore) and passed around SDCC. Click here for the full preview.

Doctor Who - Seeds of Destruction - Part 7

2011-07-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

7th installment of the Doctor Who webcomic by me and Rich Morris, in which the menace reveals itself.

Click here for the full page.

Doctor Who - Seeds of Destruction - Part 5

2011-07-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

5th installment of the Doctor Who webcomic by me and Rich Morris, in which Peri discovers trouble in paradise - is available for reading by clicking here.

Doctor Who - Seeds of Destruction - Part 4

2011-07-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

The 4th installment of Doctor Who: Seeds of Destruction - In which Peri is being watched - is available now.

Doctor Who - Seeds of Destruction - Part 3

2011-07-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Part three of a Doctor Who webcomic I wrote. Here's an excerpt-

Click here for the whole page.

Doctor Who - Seeds of Destruction - Part 2

2011-07-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Part two of a Doctor Who webcomic I wrote. Here's a excerpt-

Click here for the whole page.

Fanmade Facebook support group/petition for Supergirl sequel...

2011-07-05T12:41:00.001-07:00

A fan named Jude Deluca created a Facebook page to support the publishing of Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 9th Grade. If you're on Facebook, show your love and join. I will post some never before seen art from the previous series on the site, as way of temptation.

Doctor Who - Seeds of Destruction - Part 1

2011-07-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

Part one of a Doctor Who webcomic I wrote just went up on Rich's ComixBlog.

Seeds of Destruction was originally conceived of as a pitch for a Doctor Who audio book, and I decided I would be happier with my pitch if it was presented with some art. So Rich was kind enough to illustrate the first chapter for me.

Here's a excerpt-

Rich also does the very fun comic strip titled "Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic". Check out YAFGC here.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 9th Grade - Concept art

2011-06-13T09:41:00.001-07:00

Been sitting on this for a couple of years now. Figured might as well let people see a bit of what we had been thinking for Supergirl's future as she enters the turbulent world of high school.

One of the things I would like to point out about these images is the evolution of Kara's design. When the first series was announced (along with an image never intended for the public) the common complaint was that our Supergirl was boyish. That she was rough looking. That she looked awkward and maybe even a little weird.

Eric could have drawn Supergirl as the epitome of style and grace. But that wouldn't have been our Supergirl. Our Supergirl was a character who needed to grow. She was overly self-aware, insecure and gangly, that's part of being a young teenager (particularly as younger teens see themselves from within) and therefore an important part of the storytelling.

I think with the slight changes to the artwork here we really begin to see Kara's self confidence manifest physically. This would have continued on a curve, all through 12th Grade. By the end (and there was a definitive end planned) 18 year old Kara would have looked like an adult - particularly because you watched her grow up.

I guess what I'm saying is: It's a mistake to expect a character to be perfect right out the gate. Where do you go from perfect? Perfect makes for boring storytelling and boring reading.

Ideally we would have similar development with the emotional status of the character. And I think we do see that evolution just over the course of the 8th Grade mini-series. It was a trend intended to continue.

We would have seen some similar evolution for Belinda and Lena - for at least as long as they were around. And if that sounds vaguely sinister, it probably is. Or maybe it really isn't. Hard to say.

Anyway, that's some Cosmic Adventures 9th Grade stuff for you. Otherwise, Eric and I have been very busy working on new things. We will be making an announcement as to what exactly that might be at this years San Diego Comic Con.

If you want to see Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures continue, let DC Comics know.

In stores now - Batman: The Brave and the Bold TPB

2011-06-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Emerald Knight is now available in stores.

This book collects the last 4 issues of Batman: The Brave and the Bold that Eric and I produced and includes appearances by The Huntress, Mister Camera, Plastic Man, The Scarecrow, Wonder Woman, The Lady Blackhawks, King Rex and the Dinosaur Gang, The menace known as Robert, The Martian Manhunter, Doctor Fate, The Dreaded Y'gg Phu Soggoth (Egg Fu), and the first full comic book appearance of the 1960's TV series villian Egghead! It also includes our Green Lantern story which was called "Best Single issue of the Year" over at CBR.

Here's the original covers for the stories we produced for this book.

The last cover is the one they used for the collection. Probably because Green Lantern is on it and I hear he might be in some movie or something.

There's also another great Batman/Green Lantern team-up written by Adam Shlagman that's alot of fun, and a story where Batman gets his leg broken by current series writer Sholly Fisch that includes just about everyone ever. Check it out.

Zombie Cupcakes

2011-05-17T03:11:00.001-07:00

I'm working on about five different projects right now, and can't talk about any of them. In the meantime, my wife is painting zombie cupcakes, called Zombee Cakes.

More of her work can be seen at her Facebook page.

Mezmerella incorporated into Pixar/Incredibles float at Disneyland California Adventure.

2011-01-17T09:12:00.001-08:00

A life size cutout of Mezmerella is a part of the "Pixar and Pals" presentation at Disneyland/California Adventure.

Mezmerella was created in late 2009 for the Boom! Studios Incredibles series I was co-writing with Mark Waid. Although he did not work on the Incredibles, Eric Jones stepped in and designed the character, which in turn was rendered by Marcio Takara (I think it's his art used here) and Ramanda Karmarga (who I believe drew the Underminer in the above image). The colors scheme for the character was selected by editor Aaron Sparrow and the name (originally Hypnotica) was the idea of my wife, Belinda Adams.

So alot of credit goes to alot of people for the character. It's pretty exciting seeing something I conceived of being a part of a Disney attraction of any kind. Even more fun to see young children interact with the inanimate character by throwing things at it.

My favorite quote from the video: "Mezmerella gets kneecapped!"

Here the full video:

Special thanks goes to FigmentJedi from the Pixar Planet forum for pointing this out.

New release - Joker's Asylum 2 Trade paperback

2011-01-13T14:48:00.001-08:00

Apparently (and I have not been able to confirm this) the collected edition of the Joker's Asylum mini-series came out in stores yesterday. This trade paperback leads with the Mad Hatter story that I wrote last spring, illustrated by Keith Giffen and Bill Sienkiewicz with colors by David Baron.

A preview of the story can be found here.

The collected edition also features: Harley Quinn story, by James Patrick and Joe Quinones. The Riddler, by Peter Calloway and Andres Guinaldo. Clayface, by Kevin Shinick and Kelley Jones and Killer Croc by Mike Raicht and David Yardin

Tron.

2010-12-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a new Tron movie. My understanding is that it follows some similar themes that the comic explored. Makes sense. There are only so many logical directions for the Tron storyline to go in.

Lois Lane comic...

2010-12-13T00:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pages from a little Lois Lane comic I wrote, many years ago. Unfortunately, I've blanked on the artists name and lost his email address. He's one hell of a nice guy, and I still hope we get to work on something someday.

The basic story: Lois Lane has to keep Mxyzptlk occupied while Superman fight Chemo and Titano. Mxy is condescending about the challenge, as he assume Lois is incapable of offering up a worthy challenge. Lois challenges Mxy to a game of strip poker, and humiliates him in the process. Superman returns triumphant. Lois rolls her eyes.

Little Gloomy television series

2010-11-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

A decade after the first issue was released upon an unsuspecting populace, Little Gloomy/The Super Scary Monster Show is coming back in a new form:

"Timoon Animation and director Chris Columbus’ 1492 Pictures have teamed up to produce the $7 million animated series Scary Larry, Variety reports."

Any long time readers will note that there are some structural and visual differences between the show and the comic. The majority (but certainly not all) of these were implemented by Eric and myself when re-imagining Gloomy for the world of television. Gloomy as a comic character was always in a state of redevelopment. Much of what can be seen in this teaser preview represents what might have been a third comic series, had we had the time and inclination to publish a third series.

For any non-long time readers, here's some examples of the evolution of Gloomy:

Originally designed for a anthology comic series edited by Scott Morse that never materialized, Gloomy and friends showed their Harvey Comics inspiration a little strongly:

For the first SLG series, Gloomy and friends were refined a bit, starring in a large, slow paced story that was meant to emulate the pacing of 1940's horror films.

The second SLG series was meant to showcase how Little Gloomy might be represented in television series form, with shorter stories of a more acerbic nature and a new art style.

Concurrent to the SLG series, Little Gloomy, in both her second and third incarnations, was a regular feature in Disney Adventures Magazine.

That's a quick and dirty look at the history of Gloomy. For the record, Gloomy's real name in the comics was always Charlotte - but never mentioned. She was the great granddaughter of Dracula, a story plot we didn't get to in the comics. But when asked to give a real name for the show we choose Victoria, because we're crazy for alliteration and we had decided to make her a vampire. The band thing was also our idea, though in truth we imagined a band more similar in musical style to the Horror Pops or maybe The Cramps.

So anyway, the show has been greelighted for 52 13 minute episodes. We're not directly involved with the production, so we can't say what to expect and when to expect it. We also can't predict some of the changes that may yet come. Regardless, the comic is now going to be a television show. Weird.

Preview - The Incredibles #15

2010-10-26T11:58:00.001-07:00

Here's a preview of the final issue of the "Truth and Consequences" arc of the Incredibles. It's basically 22 pages of a giant monkey beating up a giant robot. The book will be out in stores this Wednesday.

Review! Batman: The Brave and the Bold #21

2010-10-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Greg Burgas at CBR reviews the new (and our last) issue of Batman: the Brave and the Bold:

"I don’t wish to alarm you, but this issue might just be the best single issue of the year when it’s all said and done. I wish I were a tool like those thieves at scans_daily, because then I would just scan every single page of this issue and let you read it yourself. I will say this – not one page goes by without at least two awesome things happening on it."

Read the rest of the review here:

Time for a donut waterfall.

2010-09-30T20:48:00.001-07:00

Today is my wife's birthday. But I didn't get to see her. Instead it was kind of a general bad news day. But the nice thing about hitting bottom is that things can only go up. On that note: It's time for a donut waterfall.

This drawing is really the fault of Sterling Gates, who made an off hand comment on Twitter and then Eric Jones ran with it and drew the thing. And yes, that is me drowning on the torrent of donuts.

I totally (accidently) stole a bit from Peter David.

2010-09-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

At the end of the new issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, there's a quick bit of dialog between Batman and Green Lantern (Hal) where I inadvertently swiped a bit of Peter David's from the Hulk. I wish I had caught it sooner (much, much sooner). But that's how it goes sometimes. Anyway, it's not a part that is important to the story, just a clever throwaway device that helps explain a potential logical gap. But it was Peter's cleverness, not mine.

For anyone wondering, the original scene in question transpired in (I think) The Hulk #375. Please check it out.

I'm just glad I caught it before anyone else did and pointed it out. Because then I would feel doubly foolish.

Review! Incredibles #14

2010-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Chad Nevett at CBR reviews the newest issue of The Incredibles:

"The Incredibles" is, quite simply, one of the best superhero books on the stands. Is it a cliché and a little lazy to say that sort of thing? Perhaps, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Each issue is full of energy, excitement, fun, and the sort of superhero stories that any fan of the genre will love. This week’s issue is no exception, featuring the beginning of the payoff to long-running subplot surrounding the Incredibles’ villains, more giant robots than you’d expect, and some funny rants by the Underminer.

Read the rest of the review here:

Two new comics - In stores now!

2010-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I have two new comics out today. My last issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (#21) and issue 14 of The Incredibles.

This issue of Batman was actually one of the earliest I wrote, and was originally supposed to come out in January. But it was bumped back repeatedly for a variety of reasons. It's not really the issue I would have chosen to exit on, as I had a loose pattern to story type I was following. Some issues were meant to be sillier than others, and this one is certainly a bit silly. I'm still very happy with it, but just not my first choice to exit on.

That said, it introduces some new villains. Mostly, Eric and I stuck to using existing characters. This one we decided to create some of our own.

This issue comes out a almost exactly a year to the day from when the first issue I wrote came out. I kind of like that.

Anyway, here's the covers for the two new books:

I love it when I have two books out on the same day.

Preview! The Incredibles #14

2010-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

CBR has a preview of this Wednesday's (September 29th?) issue of The Incredibles. Here's my favorite page:

I like writing pages where people get kicked in the face.

New Article at Elder-Geek.com - The (f)Art of Storytelling

2010-09-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hi there, internet. It’s been awhile. I used to write articles about video games, then I went away for awhile and wrote a very long graphic novel. It turns out that writing a graphic novel is kind of like getting kicked in the balls with the alphabet.

Anyway, the book is done and I have a few moments free before some other deadline rears its head and the alphabet ball-kicking thing starts all over again. So I’m back...

Read the rest HERE.

Incredibles #8 = Terrorist propaganda?

2010-09-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a Youtube video comparing The Incredibles #8 to terrorist and Nazi propaganda. Ends with promise of book burning. I can't help but find this paranoid and delusional examination of my work both horrifying and amusing.

In stores now: The Incredibles: Secrets and Lies.

2010-09-15T11:55:00.001-07:00

Collecting issues 8-11 and apparently available right now. Written by me with art by Marcio Takara.

Mrs. Incredible faces an unwelcome figure from her past plotting to destroy all of Europe; what’s worse, they share a secret history she doesn’t want Mr. Incredible finding out! Will the mysterious Mirage keep her secret, and can she be trusted to watch Mrs. Incredible’s back? Meanwhile, Mr. Incredible and Frozone take it upon themselves to train Dash, and Violet makes a mistake that may have unexpected consequences for the Parr family.

Preview available here.

In stores now -Incredibles #13

2010-09-10T18:41:00.001-07:00

Incredibles #13. the issue where we first get a glimpse of the plans of Xerek and the Unforgiveables.

See a preview here.

Preview - Incredibles #13

2010-09-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

In stores Wednesday September 8th, or maybe Thursday September 9th due to Labor Day. The Incredibles #13, written by me and drawn by Ramanda Karmaga.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold - The End

2010-08-13T01:26:00.001-07:00

So... Batman: The Brave and the Bold. We've known for some time that the book will be relaunched. Sadly Eric and I are not involved - which is often the way of these things.

But we do have one more issue, due out in September. It's a team-up with Hal Jordan (see cover below). I actually wrote that issue over a year ago. But scheduling issues lead it to being pushed back multiple times. Still, I am happy with it. One of the few where Eric and I introduced some of our own villains rather than simply use existing characters.

Overall, we had some pretty big plans. More than we would likely ever have been able to execute. But that's how you do it. Seed in what you can in case you have room for it down the road.

Anyway, given a perfect world we would have revealed the truth behind the appearance of The Void - an entity from the realm of Quasi-Space and how he relates to the manifestation of Y'gg Phu Soggoth. And then there's The Moon Gang. They didn't just show up because we like them. Nope. There's always a reason. The return of Cat-Man and The Secret Society of the Black Mask. Time traveling Batman and Robin of the past visiting the strange world of the present. The fate of Two-Face. Brainiac. The Question. Flamebird. Alot more Riddler. A strange visitor from another planet who holds the fate of all reality in the palm of their hand...

Honestly, there's no way that would have all wound up in the series. But it's a Batman comic. How could we not spend our days making plans for possible stories?

I think one of the things I really enjoyed most with this book was the challenge of fitting the series to feel of the TV show. The 3 page cold start opening was a mandate with the structure of the series, and I only kind of broke that rule once, in the Christmas issue. Eric and I conceived of a proper title break between the cold start and the main story, to further emulate the feel of the the cartoon (giving up two-thirds of a page to do so). It also was a nice little signature of our own that we could put on the book. No other issue used that structure.

A second device we favored was relying on Batman's "inner dialog". I know that narrated comics have been done a bit to death in this day and age, and in more than 15 years of writing comics, this was my first concession to that particular style of story telling. Eric and I both believed that by focusing more heavily on that inner voice, we could replicate the feel of the TV show more. Despite there actually not being much inner dialog for Batman on the cartoon.

I will miss working on this book. It was the culmination of a lifetime dream. And while I wish we had gotten to do more, it's hard to complain when - for an entire year - we got to do a Batman comic.

Here's the covers to the issues we produced from September 2009 to September 2010. We're pleased to be part of the series that Grant Morrison listed as one of his favorites and called "beautifully written and just great." We're grateful to the many, many, many positive reviews and also the support of editors Michael Siglain and Harvey Richards.

Currently, Eric and I are working on a new creator owned project titled: "The Danger Club" an image of which can be seen on the left. It's a series involving teenage superheroes and the end of the world. More news on that later.

I'm also still writing The Incredibles, which is almost at the point in the series where everything goes completely crazy. Also: I have a collaboration with Dean Koontz in the form of an Odd Thomas Manga, due out in 2012.

There will be more news, and hopefully soon. In the meantime, we have a Facebook page now, in association with Idiot Ink. Also, at the urging of Franco I have a Twitter account. I'm (not) sure that given time, I will produce tweets that are more interesting than: "Updated my blog. Played video games".

Twitter.

2010-08-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

Yes, I now have a Twitter account. Again. I tried one out when the whole thing was new. Didn't like it then. Probably won't like it now. But I'm giving it a shot.

So... follow me on Twitter. For some reason.

Incredibles - The real Ungorilla.

2010-08-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

I originally created The Ungorilla as a Batman villain. The character was very specifically envisioned as "not a monkey". To tell the truth, I'm tired of talking gorilla villains. And I generally think the world of the Incredibles should be populated by guys in spandex-like uniforms. Anyway, the Ungorilla = Batman villian. A guy who looked about as much like a gorilla as Spider-Man looks like a spider. King Kreep (of Idiot Ink Productions, which I am now a part of) came in and did some designs, as seen here:

So I was all set to use him in Batman: The brave and the Bold. But an opportunity to use him in the Incredibles came first. So there you go. He's now a enemy of The Incredibles instead of Batman.

What was strange was that the end result looked nothing like Kreep's designs. This isn't a terrible thing, but it did lead me to re-envisioning the character and shaping new plans for his future. Maybe I'll use The Ungorilla's original design for something else down the road.

Preview - Incredibles #12

2010-08-03T23:01:00.001-07:00

New issue of the Incredibles - in store the 4th. Here's a preview:

This issue kicks off a new arc. It's also the arc where the long promised Unforgiveables storyline starts ramping up.

And for the record, that's ice that Mr. Incredible is struggling to lift.

New release: The Incredibles #11

2010-07-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

This issue marks the end of the current arc, and paves the road for the next 8 issues.

Tomorrow I will post some convention highlights.

SDCC 2010

2010-07-18T07:31:00.001-07:00

So this is what, the eighteenth SDCC in a row for me? Okay. Little sleepy.

X-Ray Studios will have it's own booth this year. Booth 1630. Sharing space with Sparkplug Comics and Tom Neely. Looking forward to that. Anyway, this show will be the beginning of our association with Idiot Ink. More on that in the future.

Also: We have news. We will report it soon. No, it's not about Supergirl. I wish it were too. Sorry.

In stores! Batman: The Brave and the Bold issue 18!

2010-07-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah... this arrived a week or two ago. But with the convention looming and a 160 page graphic novel to work on... well... you know. Anyway, here's some reviews.

BWMEDIA SPOTLIGHT: "Even if you have the sampler, I recommend picking this up."

CBR: "...another example of a solid superhero comic written and drawn well."

Axiom's Edge: "Another good kid-friendly “epic” in this line."

Every Day is Like Wednesday: "I love Walker’s Brave and the Bold Batman."

Pull List Podcast: "One of my favorite teams on Batman: The Brave and the Bold."

Hero Sandwich: "Verdict: Thumbs up. Fun story with a few twists and turns. "

ComixTreme: "Walker and Jones are easily one of the finest creative teams doing all-ages comics today, and while this is good work, it's not really their best."

Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog: "Good stuff in this one, but I wonder if it'll go above the heads of some younger readers?"

In general, this isn't my favorite of our issues. The structure of the book (an 8 pager and a 12 pager) was an abrupt shift, and due to the decision to have a part of this issue included in Free Comic Book Day, I only had a few hours to write both stories. That said, this issue also has one of my favorite moments:

I lifted the scan from the ShadowWing Tronix at BWMEDIA. Because I'm too lazy to scan it myself. Plus: I don't have a copy yet.

Writing with/for Dean Koontz:

2010-06-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

There is news about an upcoming project: It is in this link.

"Like In Odd We Trust and Odd Is On Our Side, the new graphic novels will be original stories set in the time period before the events of Odd Thomas and based on extensive outlines written by Dean Koontz. The first, Odd Is My Co-Pilot, will be scripted by well-known comics writer James Kuhoric and illustrated by Queenie Chan. The second new graphic novel will be scripted by Landry Q. Walker and illustrated by Ikari Studio. Publication is planned for 2011-2012. The projects were acquired by Betsy Mitchell, Del Rey editor in chief."

Yup.

Incredibles #10 Preview. In stores now.

2010-06-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Another book in stores today. This one very different from my Mad Hatter issue. This is The Incredibles #10. Here's a couple of pages:

The full preview can be seen at CBR.

Mad hatter - Reviews

2010-06-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm backlogged like crazy, and feel a bit bad about posting the reviews for the Mad Hatter book before posting Btamna: The Brave and the Bold or The Incredibles. But if I don't get this out of the way now, I will never get around to it.

Anj over at Supergirl ComicBox Commentary: "Sympathy ... for the Mad Hatter! It is the sign of excellent writing for a reader to feel for a character like this."

Walt Kneeland over at Comxtreme: "Walker pulls off in this issue is giving us a character with more depth than I've seen previously, while conveying the creepy, semi-tragic nature of the guy."

Thehefner posted a review and discussion at Scans_Daily: "Landry Walker understands a little something about whimsy and character depth while still being dark and unsettling"

Matthew Meylikhov reviewing at Multiversity: "Walker shows us the compulsive disorder that the Hatter struggles with on a daily basis and truly gives us the feeling that the compulsions are heavy and overbearing."

Akamuu at iFanboy: "Mad Hatter's tea obsession being treated as though it was a hard drug was fantastic."

MisterShaw at iFanboy: "This issue did a great job of capturing just how dark and disturbing the Hatter is, but also providing a sense of tragedy because of his deep insanity."

SoldierHawk at Weekly Comic Book Review: "Hatter’s delusions and struggles are deliciously creepy, and his frustration at his inability to find “his Alice” is chilling, and not a little poignant."

Rapideyemovment at iFanboy: "Walker gives Jervis just the right balance of lunacy and obsession"

Thenextchampion at iFanboy: "Mad Hatter is actually quite insane and frightening. - The story can be quite disturbing but it gets fairly predictable towards the end."

MTHarmon at ComicVine: "In this issue you'll see how far his obsession goes and how much of a serious threat the Mad Hatter really is."

Baker1Skter at ComicVine: "I loved the writing it was very top notch, very elegant and really conveyed Mad Hatters insanity."

Icarusflies at ComicVine: "If you're a fan, you should pick this up. If not, you might want to just leave it."

Inferiorego at Comicvine: "I do really like the look into the mind of the Mad Hatter, but it wasn't enough."

Saranga at Paiwings: "Far and away the best book of the week, and not something I had expected to be written by the same guy who did Supergirl Cosmic Adventures."

Chad Nevett at CBR: "Walker’s writing, like the art, has a nice balance as it winds between the pathetic qualities of Tetch and the insane qualities."

Martin Gray on his blog Too Dangerous for a Girl: "Landry Walker takes us in one direction but, step by step, swerves into less comfortable territory entirely."

Googum at Random Happenstance: " Landry Quinn Walker delivers a good, disturbing story with a guy I always thought of as a C-list Batman villain"

Chris Murphy at ComicsAlliance: "Walker's stream-of-consciousness narration by the Hatter himself helps the reader gain an appreciation of the hectic, troubled workings of Tetch's mind."

Jason Todd at Jason Todd's Comic Spot wrote: "Story sucked, writing sucked, art sucked, and Joker rhyming sucked"

Then there are the Podcasts:

Al and Paul at House to Astonish. The relevant section is at 32:53, though the entire podcast is well worth a listen: From the podcast: "If you like batman, this is a comic you should be picking up..."

Justin and Hunter at Gotham Podcast (They have the best theme song, by the way) enjoyed the book and take special note of the color work of David Baron and overall felt: "Everything about this issue I really really enjoyed". I can't get the file to play at their normal website, so you can listen to the podcast here. The relevant section is about two-thirds in.

ComiXology seemed to feel that the book was the right balance between art and story. "I feel so bad for Mad Hatter in this, and then they turn it right back around and tell you why you shouldn't feel bad for him." Also worth a mention, they interview my former Incredibles co-writer Mark Waid extensively about many things (including the Incredibles) in this same podcast.

Now there's the Youtube links:

Link 1:

Link 2:

Link 3:

And that's basically it. Couple of short notes. While the majority of reviews are positive, there are a couple of medium to negative reviews. That's just inevitable, particularly as this (being closer to DCU continuity) is the highest profile DC work I have done. I posted the reviews because once, during our run of Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures, a friend assumed that I cherry picked the reviews just to highlight the positive. I don't. Opinions, the entire range, are equally valid. So they're all here, as far as I am aware.

Okay. That was less of a short note than I intended. Anyway...

In the next day or so I will post some of Eric's artwork from the Mad Hatter series. He was invited to do the pencils for the book, and went as far as to provide samples. Unfortunately his commitments on Batman: The Brave and the Bold had to come first and he declined teh actual job. There's some neat art that came out of it that i will happily share.

And an extra special thanks needs to go out to Keith Giffen. he came in late in the game and produced amazingly. Alot of he finer points of storytelling here (the post-it notes and the portrayal of the Hatter's scrapbook/storybook and quite a bit more) came from him. He went above and beyond to make me look good. So thanks to him, thanks to David Baron and Bill Sienkiewicz and especially editor Mike Siglain for putting the whole thing together.

Mad Hatter Preview

2010-06-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

A preview of tomorrows issue of Joker's Asylum: The Mad Hatter is now available on CBR. I'm really happy with this book.

Mad Hatter colors!

2010-06-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry Internets. I've been busy and not posting news into the void that is the Computer World. That changes now.

David Baron, colorist on many things, has posted a page from the upcoming issue of Joker's Asylum that I wrote. The page looks just fantastic, a wonderful synthesis of Keith Giffen and Bill Sienkiewicz and the aforementioned David Baron.

Check it out!

Now... it's worth noting to the small assortment of people familiar with my work that this Mad Hatter book is NOT an all-ages comic. I was hired to write something darker, and this is the result.

Funny thing about that, I would argue that Supergirl was a very dark series. It's about a young girl forever separated from her friends and family, met with derision by those her age in her new culture and contempt with those who are meant to teach her about said new culture. She's basically adrift in a world of hate. Even her two closest friends both (on some level) hate her. But it's bright and colorful and she's drawn with big eyes with humorous moments strewn throughout the misery. So therefore it's considered "light".

Well this Mad Hatter story is not "light". So if you're used to buying my books so that you have something to keep your kids entertained... well... just read it yourself first and make the appropriate decision.

I have a few issues of reviews to post. I'm going to try to get to those today or tomorrow. But I've also fallen a bit behind on writing... so it's off to the script making machine for me!

R.I.P. Dr. John Liddle

2010-06-01T21:31:00.001-07:00

I'm long overdue in posting many things. I'll get to them eventually. I recently found out that an old friend by the name of John Liddle died abruptly of currently unknown causes. The news has left me a bit numb, and I suspect that posting about the individual who died will help me sort through my feelings.

When I was 16 years old, I worked closely with John while managing the Berkeley Rocky Horror Picture Show cast. The show was in bad shape, the members of the cast outnumbering the very small audience. Together, we built the production into something that defied the expectations of those around us, drawing in audiences that numbered in thousands, managing a production on a 20th Century Sound stage, appearing in US Magazine and on MTV. We planned and plotted every day on what to do to advance our organization, sometimes while sitting around a hot tub in Malibu at some high powered Producers office while being served drinks by a girl named Bunny.

Then there was the time where we found ourselves in charge of a hot oil wrestling team.

It was a very strange time in our lives.

But after 3 years, I felt the best we could accomplish in that limited pool was behind us, and I quit to work in comics, partnering with another former member of the RHPS cast: Eric Jones.

John and I did not part on the best of terms. Though they certainly were not the worst either. In the last few years, we regained contact when he began dropping by my booth at WonderCon. He always suggested we get together some time. I always agreed, but never found the time. I always meant to. I missed some of the madness and friendship he brought to my life. And I wanted to tell him this. I wish I had.

John deserved fame. I don't say this casually. He was somebody that, given the correct circumstances, would have risen incredibly far. But those circumstances never quite found him and he never realized his full potential.

I owe a lot to John. He helped me understand how entertainment can be buisness. How to create something from nothing. How to have confidence in my instincts. Without the time we spent working together onRHPS, I probably would not be writing comics now.

I should have told him these things. He deserved to know. But (as is so often the case) I always imagined there was time.

Anyway, if you are reading this and you are a fan of my work, take a moment to thank John Liddle.

May he rest in peace.

A Supergirl review

2010-05-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Reviews for last years Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade keep popping up. This one posted to the Diamond Comics Bookshelf site, by Doctor Katie Monnin, where she discusses using comics as an educational tool:

"For anyone who has ever wondered if the young adult, middle-level superhero graphic novel could appeal to today’s students, look no further! I am pleased to introduce you to the brilliant, contemporarily appropriate (not to mention hilarious!) Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8^th Grade. The clever writing of Landry Q. Walker and his subtle understanding of today’s young adult population will surely capture your students’ interests. Even the artwork is contemporary and smart. The spatial-brilliance of Eric Jones not only leads the young adult reader from one well drawn moment to the next, but also reinforces the significance behind why we should teach today’s young adults to be both print-text and image-text literate."

On the same page she reviews the work of Matt Kindt. I've always thought his work was brilliant, and I highly recommend people check out anything he might be working on.

Production Art - Wonder Woman and Teen Titans

2010-05-04T02:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any of Eric's production art in a while. And to be fair, there isn't usually as much generated for Batman: The Brave and the Bold as there is for something like Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures. Usually. In the case of our latest issue, with guest stars Wonder Woman, the Teen Titans, and enemies Nocturna, Egghead and Y'gg Phu Soggoth (Egg Fu) there was a bit of design work that needed to be done.

Primarily there was the question of how to present Wonder Woman. Eric and I are both children of the 70's and subsequently are both influenced heavily by the Superfriends cartoon of that era. This early test cover gives an idea of where we might have gone with Diana:

Now... we produced this months ago. Long before Wonder Woman (briefly) appeared on the show. And we wanted to try to match what might be done with Wonder Woman on the show. Long story short, we had reason to assume Diana would be presented fairly close to her 1950's self. So we altered our original plans and opted for something closer to that iteration. I'm happy with the result, but as Wonder Woman had more of a 1970's Superfriends appearence in her cameo, a little irritated that we didn't just run with our instincts. My editor keeps telling me to trust my judgemnet and not second guess myself. But what does he know? Pff.

Anyway, for me the real treat was that we got to use Donna Troy. There was no question of what outfit we wanted to give her. But as we were determined to present the Titan's as they might have appeared in our former Supergirlbook, there was some concern about making sure she didn't resemble our character Belinda Zee in any superficial manner. Mainly, we tried several hairstyles. A couple of which I included here.

The little curls next to her ears were my idea. For all I know, they're a common part of her design when presented like this. I don't know. All my reference is packed up in boxes right now. In truth, we first used that bit with our creator owned character Little Gloomy, and it was fun to bring a touch of her into the book.

Then there's the guys.

There was no reason to design Speedy. He's been on the show several times. The rest we were on our own to develop. At least, so we thought. Just after we finished working on this a Teen Titans episode of Brave and the Bold aired. And the designs were totally different. Ah well.

Poor one-legged Robin. Didn't make it into the book. Maybe next time.

CBR Poll: "Which Johnny DC Title Would Make The Best Cartoon?"

2010-04-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

I like seeing how people vote in things like this. Seems people want Billy Batson more than anything. Honestly, I figured the majority would go for Tiny Titans.

That said, where's the Supergirl love?

Two new comics!

2010-04-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

There's a new issue of The Incredibles out and a new issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. There are previews available for each:

So far people seem to really like the two books. though I've noticed a consistent complaint that Wonder Woman isn't pretty enough. The reason she looks a bit different that people are used to is because we purposfully pushed her in a less Western European direction. Frankly, I'm tired of Wonder Woman looking like she's from the 818 are code.

For the record, we originally wanted to go with a more Superfriends look for the costume. But the book is based on the show and the show tends to reach back to older (50's) comics, not 1970's Alex Toth designs. So we went with a choice that was not our first, so that we would be doing our job more responsibly. Then Wonder Woman showed up (in a brief cameo) on the show and looked more like the Superfriends version. Go figure.

New article at Elder-Geek.com

2010-04-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have once again contributed an article to Elder-Geek.com. This time the topic of my ire is the lack off offline co-op in games that feature online co-op.

Supergirl: First issue available for free

2010-03-29T03:02:00.001-07:00

Apparently, DC has made the first issue of several of the all-ages books available to read online for free. This includes Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade. If you haven't read the book yet, check it out.

New project announced.

2010-03-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

One of the new projects I've been working on has been announced:

The Joker's Asylum: Mad Hatter #1

Written by Landry Walker, art and cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
32 Pages,$2.99, in stores June 16th.

In stores now: Issue #7 of the Incredibles.

2010-03-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

I'm told issue #7 of the Incredibles is in stores now. Here's a preview:

I hope you didn't think we has seen the last of Mesmerella.

Emerald City.

2010-03-09T11:34:00.001-08:00

I'll be at the Emerald City ComicCon this coming weekend. In fact, I'm already on my way there. So if you're reading this and you're attending, come and see me at thee SLG booth, or maybe somewhere around the vicinity of the Boom Studios booth.

I'll have Supergirl and Batman prints available, as well as never before seen Carl Cthulhu prints.

Eric Jones Flipnote animation!

2010-03-08T22:38:00.001-08:00

Last year, Eric was invited to participate at Nintendo's presentation for a Flipnote Studio during the Penny Arcade Expo. Flipnote Studio is an easy to use animation program you can download for the DSi.

Here's a few of his animations:

There are lots of others as well. Including contributions by Christina Strain, Mike Choi and Scott Kurtz. Check them all out. They're fun.

Supergirl reads Supergirl! Plus: Best of 2009 stuff!

2010-03-02T15:25:00.001-08:00

I'm a bit behind on posting this. My current work schedule is crazy. Anyway, this photo was very kindly forwarded to me by Gene, a Supergirl fan. Gene works at a library and this Supergirl came by to read to the kids. How awesome is that?

And here's another picture that was sent to me. This one was taken at Comic Relief in Berkeley:

Freaking adorable!

Anyway, there have been some great mentions of Supergirl online recently:

Amazon.com: "It's a funny, fast-paced, stylishly illustrated lampoon of the Superman/Supergirl mythos"

Comicsgirl: "This is absolutely wonderful."

Comics ought To Be Fun: "I'm giving Supergirl the Most Fun Of The Year Award for its beautifully distinctive art, surprisingly touching story, and frantically funny escapades."

Over at Comic Box Commentary, our Supergirl included a scene that was declared the number one Supergirl moment of 2009, Blake Petit over at Comixtreme called Cosmic Adventures the best all ages book of 2009 and Living between Wednesday's called Cosmic Adventures the funnest book of the year.

And then there's this one. Comic reviews via homemade Youtube video. But I can't understand a single bit of the review. Maybe someone braver than I can decipher this. Warning. It is loud-ish.

There's more. But I'm so crazy busy these days I barely have time to type this stuff. I can't really complain though. Thanks much to the people who have drawn my attention to these reviews and thanks much to the people reviewing and giving us "Best of" declarations. It's very rewarding and generous.

Now back to work for me!

Incredibles #6 Preview

2010-03-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

There's a preview available for the next issue of the Incredibles, which sources indicate will hit shelves in just a couple of days. that seems quite soon after the last issue.

Anyway... this issue has art by Ramanda Karmarga and looks totally awesome. For the most part, I don't see what these books look like until the public does. Very different in that regard from working withe Eric, whose art table is a few feet from my desk. Regardless, I'm quite happy with what I see here.

Incredibles on Disney Publishing Twitter page...

2010-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

This is neat. Disney Publishing is using art from the current issue of The Incredibles for a background on their Twitter page.

http://twitter.com/DISNEYcomics

Well, it's neat to me.

Recreating Mr. Camera.

2010-02-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Some years ago, I stumbled across a little known Batman villain named Mr. Camera. I'm a big fan of weird theme villains. And so for years, bringing back Mr. Camera has been a big plan of mine.

Here's a how he originally appeared:

He wears a camera on his head and he's got the creepiest eyes in the history of Batman villains. So, as soon as Eric and I landed our Batman book, petitioning for this characters return was my number one priority. I really wanted to pull this character out of limbo and show what a great Batman villain he could be. Luckily, my editor on this book trusts me (for some reason) and I wrote the script for issue 14 of Batman: the Brave and the Bold last August.

Now, one of the things I like to do is have action figures handy of characters I am writing. It just helps me visualize things. But Mr. Camera had not appeared anywhere for almost 60 years. One 6 page comic that he was barely even in. That was it.

So I made my own Mr. Camera figure. As seen here:

And here:

The character in my head gave every appearance of being harmless and goofy. But if you live in a world where theme villains run the streets every day, what better way to be underestimated than to appear a simple theme villain. Furthermore, in the time since Mr. Camera debuted, Camera's have become a much more dominant part of our lives. So imagining a more sinister motivation and a more dangerous approach to the villain was easy.

Subsequently, this was what we created:

Keep in mind, we work months in advance. This book was finished quite some time ago. And in that time, I have eagerly awaited being responsible for the first ever appearance of Mr. Camera in almost 60 years.

Then Mr. Camera appeared as a background villain in the cartoon my comic is based on. The character is in limbo for 59 years and then, only a couple of weeks before my book comes out... I guess the positive thing to take from this is that Eric and I are coming from a very similar position as the developers of the show.

Here's an image from Mr. Camera' s recent television appearance.

Ah well. I'm glad they kept his crazy eyes.

Two new books out - and lunch!

2010-02-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late in posting this, but my laptop exploded recently and I'm still recovering. Anyway, I have two new books out as of yesterday. Issue 5 of The Incredibles, written by Mark Waid and myself, with art by Marcio Takara, and issue 14 of Batman:The Brave and the Bold, written by me and drawn by Eric Jones.

It's the first time I've had two books out in one day (minus collected editions). So me and a few friends went out to celebrate.

That's Traci, Branwyn, Damon and Tyler. Most of them I rarely see outside of things like Facebook. Lunch with all of them was long overdue.

I would have taken more pictures, but right about the time the above was taken, I remembered that I needed to pay the parking meter. If you saw crazy looking person running through downtown Berkeley yesterday, that was me. I got to my car just as the meter maid was finishing writing my ticket. Ah well.

Incredibles #5 Preview

2010-02-12T15:19:00.001-08:00

Here's a preview of issue "The Incredibles" # 5 of by me, Mark Waid and Marcio Takara.

This issue comes out on Wednesday February 17th, as does Batman: The Brave and the Bold issue 14, by Eric Jones and myself.

Sexcapism

2010-02-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here's another article I wrote. This time on using hyper-sexual video game characters.

Talk to me live...

2010-02-09T15:43:00.001-08:00

I will be a guest on the SLG Radio Program this Thursday at 2:00 PM Pacific (That's 5:00 PM Eastern, I think), to talk about Supergirl Cosmic Adventures, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and The Incredibles. Call in. Ask difficult questions. Demand difficult answers.

More info can be found here.

Incredibles Collected + New reviews

2010-01-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

Apparently, there is now a collected volume out of my first arc on The Incredibles. More news on that after I go pick up a copy.

Otherwise, I've been writing comics at a breakneck pace. Which is good. But it leaves me little time to post. Which is bad. Anyway, I'm here now. And as usual, I have collected some recent reviews.

This time up, it's a look at issue 4 of The Incredibles. Co-written by Mark Waid and myself. Illustrated by Marcio Takara:

fandomania.com/comic-review-the-incredibles-4/

"Waid succeds in making the dialogue between the family members feels natural"

www.comixtreme.com/forums/showthread.php

"Waid and Walker, once again, have come up with a highly original idea for this latest Incredibles storyline."

www.comicbookbin.com/The_Incredibles004.html

"This story really captures the personalities of the characters"

forums.projectfanboy.com/showthread.php

"Mark Waid and Landry Walker continue to find ways to tell fresh stories in the ongoing Incredibles title."

bwmedia.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/todays-comic-the-incredibles-4/

"Dash is my favorite Incredible, so a story that focuses on him makes me very happy."

Incredibles #4 - In stores now!

2010-01-13T20:03:00.001-08:00

It's that time again. A new issue of The Incredibles, written by Mark Waid and myself and with art by Marcio Takara, is in stores now. I think. Honestly, I'm hearing some mixed reports. Let's assume it is in stores. And therefore you must acquire it.

This issue introduces a new villain to: Mezmerella. Originally, she was known as "Hypnotica", but this needed to be changed at the last minute due to the name being trademarked as part of some goth toy thing. And when I say "last minute" I mean it. Aaron Sparrow (editor, overlord, keeper of the three satchels of unspeakable evils) contacted me while I was in Disneyworld on my Honeymoon for input on a name change. My wife actually rattled off the name, and I threw it in with the rest. Mark and Aaron outvoted me and "Hypnotica" was no more. Sad.

I had a very specific look in mind for the character. So I had Eric (Jones) cobble together a quick sketch for Marcio.

And here's Marcio's version:

I'm really happy with the results on this one. Both Eric's original design, the interpretation by Marcio and the final colors... all came out great. But poor Mezmerella/Hypnotica. I wrote her background story on my iPhone while sitting in the lobby of Country Bear Jamboree at DisneyWorld. And her history... it is not a happy one.

Reviews. Batman: Brave and the Bold #12

2009-12-24T14:36:00.001-08:00

First up, we have a podcast rather than a text review. The Pull List Podcast by Craig and Sean. These guys do a really good podcast and I recommend it to any comics fan.

This particular episode features our Batman: The Brave and the Bold Christmas issue (at 0:04:02). The issue is also the "Top of the Stacks" pick of the week (at 0:39:16) by both Sean and Craig.

If you don't have time to listen, here's a quick summary of their opinions:

"I would definitely say this comes in on the really, really awesome side of a Batman: Brave and the Bold issue."

"I agree. It was fantastic."

And now we have the text reviews:

Comixtreme

"Walker and Jones have, as usual, put together a highly entertaining comic."

Too Dangerous For A Girl

"The story has physical and emotional action, comedy by the bucketload and a twist you can just about see coming and it's all the better for that."

BW Media

"...a bucket of fun, the usual sensational artwork."

Every Day Is Like Wednesday

"This is probably Landry and Walker’s best issue of the series so far, offering a perfect balance of all-ages action and knowing but effective humor for grown-ups."

Hero Sandwich

"Thumbs up. Okay, it’s very silly stuff, but I still thought it was fun, funny, and pretty nicely Christmasy"

There was one slight Christmas nod that people have not noticed (or at least, mentioned). The nameless Psion who basically steals Christmas? Gangly green-skinned and Grinch like? Maybe it was too subtle. Ah well.

New issue!

2009-12-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

Eric and I have a new issue out of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. It's a Christmas issue, and within it's pages I manage to once again show my love for Crisis on Infinite Earths. Anti-matter waves destroying entire realities, shadow demons and my favorite DC comics alien race, the Psions.

Interview and an article.

2009-12-17T15:47:00.001-08:00

Here's a recent interview in which I discuss writing Batman: The brave and the Bold.

And here's an article I wrote on video game violence for the website Elder-Geek.

So basically, it's a whole bunch of me talking.

Reviews!

2009-11-30T14:50:00.001-08:00

Obviously, I'm a bit behind in regards to posting... anything. We could spend all day discussing where I failed, and where you failed. The best I can say is that I accept your apologies and promise that I will forgive you again in the future, when I once again stop posting with regularity.

First, a blast from the recent past. Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade continues to garner positive reviews.

Notes On the Art Of Writing

"I really enjoyed the storyline and recommend it."

Then we have reviews of our second issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Chris's Invincible Super Blog

"The Diamond order code you want is AUG09 0192."

The Arrowcave

"Thanks for all the GA love, guys!"

Every Day Is Like Wednesday

"That is a very good plot for a comic book right there."

But Before I Kill You

"GOOD COMIC AHOY."

BW Media Spotlight

"[...]someone at Warner Animation must greenlight this comic as an actual episode!"

Comixtreme

"Walker and Jones have a gift for all-ages superheroes, and it really shows here. Rating: 4.5/5"

CBR/Robot 6

"I just loved the sheer infectious nature of the story."

The Pull List Podcast

"I gave this four stars. A very strong four stars."

Gaijinside

"It’s as fun as you’d expect."

And finally, a few reviews for issue 2 of The Incredibles.

Comixtreme

"This isn’t just one of the best of the Boom! Kids books, it’s one of the better superhero comics being published today."

BW Media Spotlight

"I constantly have to fight to find anything wrong with this comic."

CBR/Robot 6

"I love the book's universal sense of humor"

Not a review, but there's some nice discussion over the issue at Scans Daily.

And that's all I can find right now. October and November have been a bit crazy, and there appears to be no end in sight for the madness of my schedule. Hopefully, I can clean up my act a bit and get back to doing some regular posting.

Incredibles issue 2 - In stores now.

2009-11-11T18:12:00.001-08:00

The second issue of The Incredibles is available of today. It's written by me and Mark Waid, and illustrated by Marcio Takara. I'm crazy behind schedule or I would say more. Like I might talk about the reviews for the latest issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Like how the wedding and honeymoon went (they were awesome), or about my upcoming projects that are probably top secret or about how I plan on being drunk and wandering the streets of El Cerrito tonight.

Good times.

Here's a link. To be honest, most of what is in that link is a lie. The description of the story does not match anything in the book and the cover does not represent the issue at all. The website also fails to credit me. All of these things can likely be traced back to one issue. Solicitations for comics are due well in advance of release. That copy was written before I was brought on the book and that cover was commissioned also before I was on the book. So there you go.

Incredibles #1 - Reviews!

2009-10-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

I'm a bit behind in posting. This has been a crazy roller coaster of a month so far. Regardless, here are the reviews I have found for issue #1 of The Incredibles.

Graphicontent: "Perfect for all ages -- and I mean that: all ages."

Breakfast For Dinner: "This title is a natural for me. I was excited while reading it and I’m excited for the next issue."

CBR: "Where Mark Waid and Landry Walker shine here is in nailing the voices of the characters."

BW Media: "What they got right: Everything"

Stroller Derby: "This is a pretty good all ages book."

This one isn't a review, but the nice folk over at Scans Daily discussed the first issue here.

So people like the book. However, there were also some concerns noted by the reviewers above. As seen below:

Breakfast For Dinner: "There is something about this issue, either how the plot is structured or all the new characters tossed into these 22 pages, that suggests maybe Waid is trying to write this title for kids."

And:

CBR: I read the first two pages half a dozen times and I'm still not entirely sure why the family is going to the mall in order to then go to the doctor's office (which isn't at the mall).

(For those that haven't read the issue, the first two pages in question can be viewed and judged here.)

That's about it. I think it's important to give a fair spectrum of public opinion rather than just highlight the most positive quotes. Overall the reviews are positive even when bundled with specific concerns, and I think that some of said concerns will be resolved as the series progresses.

Time (and future reviews) will tell.

Incredibles #1 - In stores now!

2009-10-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Another new comic out today. This time it's my first issue of the Incredibles, co-written with the relatively unknown Mark Waid. Check out a preview of our collaboration here.

It's unusual for me to have two comics come out in such rapid succession. Knowing that the two books would cross paths like this, I purposefully choose a different writing style for each. Batman is my first real attempt at a narrative voice. Something I purposefully avoided for almost 20 years of comics writing. Early on, I felt it would be a crutch. Now it's just fun. The Incredibles is more traditional writing for me. Lots of characters, arguing with each other. Anyone familiar with my pre-Supergirl work should find the pacing and style of this familiar.

I don't know if familiar = good. In fact, I hear it actually breeds contempt.

Batman reviews!

2009-10-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well, our first issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold has been on shelves for a few days, and we now have some reviews. It's a bit of an exercise in anxiety, waiting to see if people like or hate your work. I mean, I wrote this book back in April. Eric finished drawing it in... May? I don't know. I don't really pay attention to what Eric does.

Anyway... this issue seems like a relic of the distant past to me. I'm currently working on my issue for next April and May concurrently. This thing? Ancient. That said, I think it may be one of our more fun issues of Batman. And by fun, it probably has our most bizarre moment. A moment that almost everybody who reads it comments on.

I'm talking specifically about this:

People seem to like the Penguin getting hit in the face with a seal. Anyway, here's the reviews:

Too Dangerous For A Girl

"it's a fast, fun ride by Eric Jones and Landry Q Walker"

Every Day Is Like Wednesday

"Landry Walker’s set-up is pretty clever and I greatly enjoyed seeing Jones’ takes on so many of these characters..."

Scifi Pulse.net

"Not bad for a comic based on a cartoon, actually."

But Before I kill You

"It built up to an ending which I'm admitting being moved by, and it sold it for me."

BW Media

"I predict awesomeness every month."

Exile In Geeksville

"It’s all about bringing in the new readers. – Grade A-"

There's also a nice conversation on the DC message boards here.

So there we go. Next Wednesday I think my (real) first issue of the Incredibles will be released, and we'll have a new issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold out near the end of October.

In stores now!

2009-09-30T15:03:00.001-07:00

Our first issue of "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" just arrived in stores. It seems like a long time since we had a new release. Particularly when you consider the volume of work we've been doing. I'm up to the May issue of Batman with scripts and the January (or later) issue of the Incredibles.

FYI: Yeah... our Catman is a bit different from the one on the show. This book was actually finished before that episode aired. However, that doesn't mean we don't have a plan...

Doesn't mean we do have a plan either.

Anyway, new issue. Go get it. Read it.

Batman... before Brave and the Bold.

2009-09-17T10:52:00.001-07:00

We're now less than two weeks away from the release of our first issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. So it seemed like this would be the appropriate time to start making some Batman related posts.

When we announced our work on this book, I mentioned that Eric and I had already been developing something conceptually similar to the current Brave and Bold animated series. Well, I found some of the images. This was very much a work in progress, but I'm going to share it anyway.

Above is the first batch of images Eric created. He was shooting for a 1960's approach. But I wanted to see a bit more of a 1950's lantern jaw look. So this was his next batch:

I was of the opinion that this Batman was to smiley.

We envisioned the series would be titled: Batman and Robin. Robin would have been a key player in the series. But, having just come off of a Supergirl series, we would likely have avoided Batgirl.

Our intent was to revive some of the long lost TV show Batman villains, along with certain iconic trappings of 1950's-60's Batman. It would start off as goofy weird fun, but edge a little to the creepy side by the end of the series. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a different animal. As it is based off of the current cartoon, we have a little less latitude than we might on a series we created. But sometimes imposed structure strengthens artwork rather than curtailing it. Eric and I work well with guidelines, and we're having tremendous fun on the series. Eric just finished drawing his third issue, and I'm writing my 6th, with at least 3 more mapped out.

Zombie gallery.

2009-09-15T17:02:00.001-07:00

SLG recently held a zombie themed gallery show in their lounge like studio/office. Featured heavily at the show was the work of Belinda Adams and Pannel Vaughn.

It was a good sized turn out, despite the fact that one of the other galleries had arranged to have the street in front of us closed to promote their event.

Branwyn and Drew. Branwyn has no idea the horrible fate that will soon befall her.

Pannel discussing his work. I think this is when he sold on of his paintings.

Jose harassing Belinda as she tries to work.

Me harassing Belinda as she tries to work. But I'm allowed as I'm going to marry her.

Branwyn meets her dark fate. Captured on canvas forever as a zombie (painted by Belinda during the show).

Comix4Sight auction!

2009-09-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

During the madness that is San Diego ComicCon, Gail Simone approached Eric about creating an original illustration for the Comix4Sight auction benefiting comics writer John Ostrander. John has been battling glaucoma for years now. And s it says on the Comixs4sight website, if he loses the battle he loses his eyesight.

John has undergone surgery, and so far things seem to be going well. But the medical costs are quite high. Hence: the auction.

So Eric has illustrated a full splash page image of Supergirl from our Cosmic Adventures series.

This is now up on eBay, and the bidding his pushing the piece forward fast. To date, Eric has sold very little original art. This is an opportunity to own a a rare original image (not reproduced in print anywhere) and help a comics writer very much in need.

Even if this particular piece is out of your range, check the other items listed. There's a Tiny Titans original drawing by Franco Aureliani, a Daredevil study by Bruce Timm, original Mickey Mouse Sunday comics art by Jim Engel and much more. Apparently you can even be written into a comic by Ed Brubaker.

And if you don't want to participate in the auction, you can also donate directly via the PayPal "Pay" link on the website sidebar.

And please: Spread the word!

PAX (Penny Arcade Expo)

2009-09-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Eric is currently in a Seattle, conducting a live demonstration of Nintendo's new Flipnote Studio software for the DSi. My understanding is this event should be uploaded somewhere online by Nintendo. If and when I find it, I'll post it for anyone reading this blog to see.

In the land of people not being flown to conventions in Seattle, I have just returned from the convention I was flown to in Michigan. I participated on a breaking into comics a writer panel with Daniel Way - a man who is possibly the strangest combination of congenial and intimidating. I had a great time, it's rare I get to socialize with other writers.

Here's a photo of the panel, as seen through my eyes:

I also got to stay up late hanging out with Tommy Lee Edwards. One of three people I have met personally who truly appreciate the artistry of Doctor Who. I took a picture of Tommy, but all that the camera captured was a swirl of time and space.

Speaking of Doctor Who, here's a shot from my birthday a couple of nights ago:

My friend Jon provided the cake and the alcohol. Good times.

More on the subject of the Disney Marvel purchase.

2009-09-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

I see many people in many places speculating that Disney purchasing Marvel will result in a "softer" Marvel. On one hand, I must point out that in one of our Disney comics, we included:

A son killing his father.
A man beating his wife.
A woman transforming into a haggard corpse shrieking for the death of her child.
A man having his eyeball removed.
Physical torture.
Psychological torture.
Police brutality.
War. Death. Insanity.
And more...

On the other hand, I must say: Great. Let's scale it back a notch. What is wrong with making these comics acceptable for all-ages again? It worked fine for decades. Now we face a dwindling and aging readership. A medium that is a shadow of what it once was. And what do people cry out against? The idea that characters that were created as all-ages entertainment might actually cater to all-ages again?

Seriously?

I'm all for adult entertainment. Personally, I like to read comics where girls with ridiculously inflated breasts in chain mail bikini's kill their enemies with razor sharp weapons carved from baby skulls. Or whatever. But there is an appropriate time and place. I'm not sure that the mainstream comics world is where the "edge" people fear Disney will curtail should have ever been honed.

It really doesn't matter. Disney isn't going to force mouse ears on Wolverine and Spider-man won't be in the next High School whatever. But maybe down the road we'll see the company edge back over the line a bit.

How the Disney/Marvel deal will affect the world of comics...

2009-09-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

OMG!! The sky has fallen!!

And I should know. I've been on airplanes all day.

Seriously Internet... There are fun things to do. You can't survive on hyperbole alone!

Incredibles!

2009-08-26T22:13:00.001-07:00

So the cat is out of the bag. Or some such saying. I'm working on "The Incredibles" for Boom! Studios. Specifically, I'm co-writing the series with Mark Waid. By co-writing, I mean Mark has carefully crafts a plot, and I do my best to destroy it. He then takes the mangled story back and nurtures it to health. It is returned to me and I stab to death. And so on...

It's been a great creative exercise and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the writing process.

The first issue of the new series is out now (issue 0), and it sets the stage for more weirdness and action to come. Now, I didn't actually write anything in that issue on the shelves today. It may have my name in it, but that name is a lie. My involvement starts with issue 1, on sale at some nebulous point in the future. But this issue is the starting point, and should not be missed!

In other news, my non-stop mad tour of the country continues. I'll be in Traverse Michigan for a convention for a few days. That's Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th. So if you're in the area, find the convention and say hello.

San Diego ComicCon -Signings and panels.

2009-07-16T13:38:00.001-07:00

So I guess I should do what other people are doing and post information about where you can find Eric and myself during the week long madness that is San Diego ComicCon.

We will be doing a daily signing session at the SLG booth. That's the awesome booth right next to the DC Comics booth. Hard to miss.

Thursday 1:00-2:30
Friday 11:30 - 1:00
Saturday 5:00-7:00
Sunday 11:00-12:30

Additionally, Eric and I will be participating in two panels:

Friday:

4:30-5:30 - Spotlight on Landry Walker and Eric Jones— The creative team behind SLG Publishing's Little Gloomy series and the recent Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade for DC Comics discuss all of their work, past and present, including the upcoming run on Batman: The Brave and the Bold series. Landry Walker and Eric Jones discuss the pitfalls of working on all-ages books as well as developing their own properties for animation. Room 3

Sunday:

1:30-2:30 Comics and Graphic Novels for All Ages- It’s true! There’s a wealth of great comic books series and graphic novels out there for comics-loving kids of all ages-so much so, that Comic-Con presents its second big panel of the day on the topic! Moderator Randy Duncan (co-chair of the Comics Arts Conference) talks with Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Eric Jones and Landry Walker (Supergirl, Little Gloomy), Jeff Smith (Bone), and Alexis Fajardo (Kid Beowulf) about comics for everyone!
Room 3

...

Yup. That's where we will be. Come see us. Discuss things with us. If you attend, I will whisper to you the one true secret to successfully gaining employment into the comics industry. Maybe.

And don't forget, we will have limited edition signed prints. First come first serve.

We will also have a variety of comics on hand to sell and to sign. Trade paperback collections of Tron: The Ghost in the Machine and The Super Scary Monster Show. Not to mention an assortment of issues of Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade.

Spend!

Tron: The Ghost in the Machine - TPB

2009-07-10T19:07:00.001-07:00

In stores now!

"Collecting all six issues of the six issue series TRON, based on the classic movie and hit video game! Inspired by TRON, Disney's groundbreaking science-fiction motion picture classic, TRON: The Ghost in the Machine takes place in present day, over two decades after the events of the film. Jet Bradley, son of the original TRON programmer Alan Bradley, has recently escaped the computer world. But his experiences within cyberspace have left him emotionally scarred — vivid nightmares plague him, and he's become paranoid and unstable. He shuns technology wherever possible, leaving him effectively crippled in the modern world. And now something within the computer world wants him back!"

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 11 - The End

2009-07-10T13:06:00.001-07:00

So... let me frame things a bit.

Eric and I had been working on comics for over 15 years. Many of those years were spent working on Disney Adventures. Once Little Gloomy and Kid Gravity had been picked up by the magazine, we had quit our day jobs and dedicated all our energy to comics creation.

Then, at the end of 2007, Disney Adventures folded. We were still very busy working with 1492 Pictures on Little Gloomy for the small screen, and there was some comfort in knowing that this work would keep us afloat... for a little bit.

Flash forward to February of 2008. WonderCon. We have no jobs. No money and no immediate prospects. So we turn to long time aquaitence Bob Shreck. It really was a whim. We had nothing prepared and though we had known Bob for many years, asking for work from someone I think of as a friend is not a thing I like to do. It feels... I dunno. Not something I like.

But we asked. Because we were desperate. So he recommended the Johnny DC line. There was (at the time) a bit of a push to expand. He offered to set up a meeting with Jann Jones for us. It was more than we hoped for and we seized on it immediately.

We had 24 hours. We needed to prepare. So we took a look at what else was coming out from Johnny DC. Turns out the big thing being pushed at the time was the work of fellow former Disney Adventures creator Art Baltazar and his coworker Franco. These are two people we had already been having dinner with annually at ComicCon. When Disney Adventures put out a call for new material, it was Art's Gorilla Gorilla and our Kid Gravity that were picked up. When Disney released collected volumes of previously printed material, Kid Gravity and Gorilla Gorilla were top of the lists.

So the familar work of Art and Franco bolstered our confidence. We realized that the best thing we could do at this stage is what Art and Franco were doing. The same thing they had been doing, only with DC characters.

We had just come off working on Kid Gravity. Kid Gravity had always been slightly inspired by Superboy. Superboy was, to the best of our knowledge, legally unavailable. Besides, we were more inclined to work with a female lead. So... Supergirl. At this point, we're maybe 2 minutes out of our brief discussion with Bob. Lots' of time to prepare, right?

While seated at the SLG booth, Eric started drawing. This is what he came up with first:

Cute, but too Kid Gravity. Besides, when you're pitching to a new editor, it' smart to show versatility. So Eric went back to the drawing board and...

To much belly shirt. To old. I pushed Eric to draw something inbetween the two styles. Bear in mind that Eric had spent years drawing characters with really big heads. He wasn't particularly comfortable with the more realistically proportioned character designs.

But he persisted. And this was the result:

This was more like what we were looking for. But we still wanted to hedge our bets, and Eric had time for one more drawing.

You will please notice that this is not Supergirl. Better safe than sorry. But to be honest, I'm not a fan of Batgirl in any of her forms, with the possible exception of Betty Kane.

The next day we tracked down Jann for our meeting. The rest I have talked about elsewhere on may occasions. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Supergirl samples. Turns out she had been seeking someone to create an all-ages Supergirl book, and the person she had in mind had declined the day before our meeting. She called up Dan Didio (he was elsewhere at the convention) and showed him the art. He picked the third design, the middle school style Supergirl.

So we went home and concocted the pitch for the series and after one rewrite, it was picked up very quickly for a mini-series.

We were lucky on alot of levels. It was an amazing turn of events considering we were at an all time low. Supergirl was our last stab effort. If we hadn't found work that weekend, we were going to have to exit the world of comics.

Not that the industry isn't still a scary place. I was unemployed again from the beginning of December 08 until the beginning of April 09. All while anxiously waiting to see if our series was well received or not. I know in the world of the internet, people review comics readily and casually. If you're a reviewer, remember that on the other end of your review might be someone anxiously nail-biting. You're criticzing their jobs, after all.

Luckily, the series was very well received. So my nails have started to grow back in place. Also: The tremendous buzz around the series has helped Eric and I with other work. I've actually found myself at a point where I'm working on two comic series at once. I'm busy... but I really can't complain. And frankly, I have the readers and reviewers to thank for it. Thanks readers and reviewers!

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 10

2009-07-09T12:16:00.001-07:00

I said I would be posting the last installment of this blog series tomorrow. This is true. But that doesn't mean I can't post something today as well. So here I am. Posting.

First up we have some more Supergirl.

Yup. That sure is Supergirl. Note: These images have been slapped together kinda randomly. All of the above were drawn before the series began, with the exception of the bit with Comet the Super Horse. I think that one was drawn last fall, well after production on the series was under way.

Now, one thing that's been all over the internet lately is the issue of Supergirl's shorts. Not my Supergirl, mind you. No... I'm talking about the mainstream DC comics Supergirl currently crafted by comics creators Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle.

That Supergirl, long considered overly sexy, has recently taken to wearing bike shorts under her skirt. We first saw this with the work of Renato Guede.

And more recently with the work of Jamal Igle.

Of course, our Supergirl wears tights under her skirt, so we circumvented the controversy a bit. Just a bit, mind you. There were websites chock full of outrage over the tights (though mostly over her lack of boobs). But it wasn't as bad, mainly (I think) because our Supergirl is younger. Therefore people felt a little creepier vocalizing their outrage. Also, there is the out of continuity aspect. People were less offended as the "real" Supergirl wasn't the one wearing tights. To that I just roll my eyes. I am not a believer in slavish dedication to continuity. And I'm not willing to buy in to the notion that one execution of the character is inherently more important.

Anyway, neither Eric or my myself came up with the tights. Those were introduced by Rikki Simons during the pitch process. Rikki provided color samples and I gave him two choices. Full blue dress, or red skirt. He took creative control and went with red skirt and blue tights. We loved it immediately. It made sense. Our Supergirl is young, inexperienced, insecure and unsure. A short hand to show this lack of confidence is for her to cover herself up a bit more modestly. So with that in mind, it was a very conscious choice to have Belinda Zee fly around without tights. The choice in uniform for a character is not one of fashion. We shouldn't look around and justify our decisions based off of current trends. The uniform should reflect the psychology of the person behind the uniform. Therefore advancing the story. Writing isn't just the placement of words or even the construction of a plot. It's everything. Every nuance. Every camera angle. Every expression.

And to weigh in on the shorts controversy. I like the choice. It allows Igle to draw more fluidly, with more energy. But more importantly it suggests that the "real" Supergirl has grown up a little. So the decision works visually and subtly.

Alright, tomorrow I will post the original 3 images that landed Eric and I the Supergirl job. Be warned: they are nothing like what appears in the book.

But for now, I will leave you with what I had in mind before I concocted the concept of the Moon Gang. I have a thing for imaginary rabbits.

I'm a big Captain Carrot fan. Origially, I considered a different direction with Supergirl's imaginary world. But Eric and I (along with artist Mike Shoyket) had just explored something similar in Tron: The Ghost in the Machine. Subsequently, a different direction was required.

Enter the Moon Gang. Blatantly inspired by our brief time working with the Beagle Boy's on a re-imagining of Scrooge McDuck.

You haven't seen the last of them. Mark my words.

Supergirl and Batman limited edition prints!

2009-07-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

San Diego Comic Con is almost upon us. Subsequently, Eric has illustrated two limited edition prints. These were meticulously colored at the last minute by long time collaborator Rikki Simons.

These will be signed and numbered and about 11 x 17. We'll mostly be camped out at the SLG booth, which is right next to the DC booth. I know that many people who read this blog will not be able to attend the convention, unfortunately we really, really cannot distribute these outside of a very limited number (for promotional purposes) during the show.

For those here for a specific purpose: The last entry of the Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures art blog will be posted on Friday.

From the past... part 2 - Kid Gravity

2009-07-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

What did Eric and I work on before Supergirl, you didn't ask. Oh... lats of stuff. One of which was the creator owned "Kid Gravity" that ran in the pages of Disney Adventures for several years.

This is just one page, and it's from many years ago. Don't judge us to harshly.

Anyway, during the time we were working for Disney Adventures, Eric and I would frequently attend conventions. The most common pahrase we heard was: "You guys kinda dropped off the map".

Yeah. That's what we did. Disney Adventures had distribution numbers of over a million, with a projected readership figure per issue that topped 5 million. You could buy it at the check out stand of almost every grocery store. And not just in the US. It was available in multiple countries, translated into multiple languages.

I think that's about as "on the face of the Earth" as you can manage. We worked for a magazine that outsold just about every comic every month combined. Kids though... they knew. They would be passing our booth, see our work, and try to stop. Just so their parent could continue dragging them, protesting, across the convention floor to go see something that had been turned into a movie.

Not that I'm bitter. I mean, ask anyone who knows me. I'm always bitter. So you can't really say it's just this one thing. Eric and I both made a decent living for years doing what was not a tremendous amount of work. And now there is an entire generation that was raised on our work.

Hard to be bitter about that, actually.

Disney released a collected volume. But it's out of print. It can be found at Amazon here.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 9

2009-07-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

So... Here we are again.

As promised, here is the start of the Supergirl artwork.

It has been a crazy week. I've been working on multiple projects at once. that's unusual for me. Subsequently I'm very tired. But that's not what you want to hear, is it? No... You just want to know about Supergirl.

One thing Eric and I knew as soon as we got the job was that Supergirl had to be played large, emotionally speaking. Her excitement and her stress, all had to be bigger than life. That way, when we would bring her emotions down to a quieter level, it would have more impact. More gravity.

It also goes along way to showing her age. I've heard it said that realistic teenagers are portrayed as sullen and surly. I don't think that's realistic at all. Can teenagers be surly and sullen? Sure. But not all the time and not all of them. And most importantly, it's not how teenagers see themselves.

That's a pitfall as an adult writer. When you start thinking that how you see things is how things actually are. The way a teenager interacts with me and how a teenager interacts with their peers are two different things. I may not be a teenager now, but I was one once. And I have a memory that can border on the photographic. I recall my teenage years vividly, as if I were watching them play out in front of me. And I must say, not everything should be recalled with such clarity.

Point is: Teenagers aren't just overcome with negative emotions. They're overcome with positive emotions as well. They're easily excitable and easily embarrassed. Imagine you're just as you are now, but you've never known sorrow or joy. You feel those things for the first time, you can barely contain yourself. It's overwhelming and amazing and horrible. That's being a teenager. And so we attempted to instill this in the character of Supergirl.

When we first meet Supergirl, she's still 12 years old. We wanted her in 8th grade, but still not quite a teenager when she debuts on Earth. Some people (mostly those who did not read the book) suggested that this was an attempt to make the character more "kiddie". Not the case. We brought Supergirl back to her roots. If you read her earliest adventures, she is portrayed as 15. But she acts significantly younger than any 15 year old I've ever known. A modern audience would have some difficulty accepting a 15 or 16 year old girl acting as young as Supergirl was when she was introduced. So we felt we could remain truer to the origins of the character by making her a bit younger.

I also didn't want to bog the story down with a tiresome exploration of teenage hormones. Frankly, it's been done to death. And if the character were older, I think it would have been necessary to make it a focus. As it was, I included the "Buzz" poster in issue 5 for multiple reasons.

1: Peter David told me I should put Buzz in somewhere. I am not going to argue with him.

2: Having this bit of Earth culture hanging over Linda Lee's suggets an acclimation to Earth culture that was utterly absent in issue one.

3: Having a pop-star poster on the wall suggests that teenage-girl hormones aren't absent. They're simply not the focus.

Going back to the choice of age, it was a surprisingly difficult choice. I felt 12 was a little young for 8th grade, until I did the math and realized that I was 12 at the very start of said school year. So I thought, why not have her birthday in September (as is mine), so she becomes 13 just after she starts school?

A little research turned up the fact that Supergirl has an official birthday, and it's September 22nd. Serendipity is awesome.

About the art: This is a good example of how drawing comics isn't just about on model imagery or marketable design. It's not just about drawing someone being punched by someone. It's about acting. The character must show the emotion and energy of the scene. That's more important and more sophisticated a story telling device than explaining the feelings through text. So in the majority of the above images, that's what Eric was focusing on. Acting.

I included one image that doesn't really fit the rest. Supergirl floating with her hands on her hips. It's the image that DC chose to use to announce the series. To be honest, Eric never intended that drawing to be publicly released. certainly not in any form other than perhaps this after the fact examination. It was off model within a few days of it being drawn and was not our favorite shot. But, as the book did well, we can't really complain.

Wednesday: More behind the scenes of the Pre-Teen Powerhouse! The truth behind why our Supergirl wears tights! Some other stuff I have yet to think about because I'm tired!

Context...

2009-07-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

Would you believe it if I said the bit of writing seen below was from a perfectly innocent all-ages comic?

"He’s been banished back to the world of sexy dreams!"

No... I guess I wouldn't believe it either.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures Fanfic

2009-07-05T16:17:00.001-07:00

The link below leads to a wonderful Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures fan written story I recently came across. The most striking part for me was how clear the voice of Belinda Zee came through, despite me not having anything to do with this. There's a bit of ego tied in with these characters... they exist in my head. That's where they were born and that is where they will always live.

But that's ego. The truth is that a talented writer can take the characters and bring them to life. As exhibited below:

mithen.livejournal.com

The scene that plays out, and some of the perspectives held by the characters does not necessarily match how I would portray things. Nor should it. This is a well executed extrapolation from the mind of another writer. I think she does a very good job and I hope she chooses to write more in the future.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 8

2009-07-04T15:33:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know that behind the scenes of Supergirl would be posted next. But my plan was always to make that post on Monday. Today is Saturday. So think of this as a bonus, not a detour.

So this is what a full page of pencils from Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures looks like.

This is page 21 from issue 5, to be precise. Here's a look at the same page, completed and printed:

Eric draws each panel on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. I take that stack of paper and scan it, Eric then assembles the page on Photoshop. I print it out at about 9 x 15 and he lightboxes the inks onto a piece of bristol board.

Don't ask me why it's done this way. I have no idea.

Then end result is stacks and stacks and stacks of paper. And since Eric has never sold any original art, and also not boxed it up and taken it out of my house, I get to live with it. All of it. Too much of it, really.

The upside is I have full access to it and get these opportunities to share.

So... Monday. Supergirl. The start of it anyway. There's more of her to see than any of the other characters, so I expect I will break up the images over a few posts.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 7

2009-07-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

I promised Supergirl next. And that's what you're going to get. Kind of.

Supergirl isn't just Supergirl, of course. Unlike Superman she didn't arrive to Earth as a baby. Unlike Superman her Kryptonian name isn't simply a part of his heritage he discovered late in life. Supergirl's name is Kara Zor-El. But when she first arrived in her rocket back in the 50's, Superman tells her she needs an Earth name. Of course, I know a few Kara's. But I suppose times have changed just a bit.

So Linda Lee was born.

That's Linda Lee on the left. I think we debated between a ponytail and the final hair design. The images on the right were a bit of an experiment. How to properly portray Kara Zor-El in her native Kryptonian guise.

Anyway, I felt I needed a bit more of a rationale for her not using Kara as her name while on Earth. So when she crashes in the middle of Metropolis, she's swarmed by reporters. Why wouldn't she be? And they want to know who she is, the poor disoriented, confused girl stammers out her name. Again, why wouldn't she? Subsequently, she needs an identity that no one associates with a blond girl in a Superman style uniform.

In her original appearance, Linda's solution to disguising herself from her Supergirl self was to wear a brown wig. I think that if you have a formula that works, stick with it. Glasses coupled with a hairstyle change = Secret identity. I once tried this myself to great effect. Readers are conditioned to this formula. It's comfortable. They don't question it. So giving Supergirl a glasses based secret identity seemed the way to go. In fact, I was rather amazed that it wasn't already the common solution for her.

And I know there are a great number of people who question whether or not Supergirl even needs a secret identity. The answer is: Yes. Sure, she could fly around all day, performing acts of incredible strength and what not. Sure. And while that might even be the reality if a teenage girl had superpowers, comics are not reality. Comics are entertainment. And one of the key factors in entertainment is relatability.

Peter Parker/The Amazing Spider-Man hits this balance perfectly. I find now that when I go back and read Ditko's early work on the character, I skim the moments where he's Spider-Man and focus instead on the trials of Parker. I'm much more interested in how Parker will deal with Flash Thompson than I am how he will deal with the Green Goblin. I know the frustration of being a regular person with regular problems. I don't know what it is like to fight a guy in a fright mask on a flying broom stick.

Don't get me wrong, those fantastic moments are the glue that holds the rest together. But there is a balance that should be maintained. The recent Pixar film "The Incredibles" is another good example. Yes, we want the fantastic and the amazing. But we want to care about the characters first. If we don't, than the fantastic and amazing can become trite and trivial.

Of course, there is room for another take. MiracleMan is a perfect example of this. Why would MiracleMan ever change back to his human self? But this is Supergirl. A character who, despite her alien origins, was always shown to be more human than humans were. A deeply empathic and caring person who would allow herself to live in an orphanage because she believed that the rest of the world would be better served by her sacrifice.

So Linda Lee was an unquestionable necessity. Particularly when you consider that Linda is a more accurate reflection of who Supergirl really is. A young teen-age girl alone in a confusing new environment. She's not like Superman, pretending to be bumbling Clark Kent. She's really a normal young girl who just happens to have suddenly been given amazing powers and is striving to live up to an impossible heroic ideal. She's still going to be awkward and nervous and shy. If she isn't, than we can't relate to her. And if we can't relate to her, why would we want to read about her?

Next up: Supergirl. For real.

Super Scary Monster Show AKA :Little Gloomy

2009-07-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like posting something non-Supergirl related. I mean, there will be more Supergirl stuff. Probably tomorrow.

But for now... Little Gloomy.

This story is one of my favorites in regards to this era of my writing. I know it's one of my favorites because it's the only one I looked at and could bear the thought of posting. This was originally featured in Disney Adventures Magazine back in... what? 2005? 2006? Probably 2006. It was part of the Super Scary Monster Show trade paperback in 2007, published by SLG. But due to financial considerations, the collected volume does not include the color. The coloring on this peice was executed by long time collaborator Rikki Simons.

The book is available here.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 6

2009-07-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today I will post images of Belinda Zee.

See. Told you.

Belinda is notable as she is really the only original character we introduced to the Supergirl mythos. Admittedly, our version of Lena Thorul seems to have very little in common with the original version. But still...

Obviously, Belinda Zee's name is also a take off of Supergirl's secret identity, Linda Lee. Not quite as obvious is the fact that her name was also inspired by my fiance's name: Belinda Lee.

I've also seen it mentioned that she seems to have some common elements to Grant Morrison's Zibarro. What with the non-Bizarro like speech patterns and the color scheme and the prominent "Z" in the name... Coinicedence. I won't lie. I think All-Star Superman is one of the best books out there. But I didn't read it until a few months ago. In fact, I rarely read comics anymore. That's changing a bit... out of necessity more than anything else.

The design of Belinda was partially inspired by Archie Comics character, Veronica Lodge. A little of her temperament springs from this source as well. Belinda is a fun character to write. She's not exactly evil, and she certainly isn't good. Her emotional state of being is on a hair trigger. Essentially, she's an agent of chaos. Chaotic neutral, if I must let my roots as a D&D geek show.

The images here of her as Superiorgirl are Eric's original take on the concept. But I was looking more for the mirror image feel, so we switched to classic Bizarro look, with the mask. The mask was specifically inspired by the Silver Age appearance of an evil Superman, who was indistinguishable from the good version, except for his domino mask.

I didn't really realize just how common Supergirl doppelgangers were until after we had put the Belinda Zee wheels in motion. I'm not sure I would have done it differently anywaey. Anyone who has read much of our work will know that doppelgangers are a fairly common theme. Our Tron comic has a character who deals with multiple versions of himself. Seems natural in a universe with copy and paste functions. Little Gloomy has met two different doppelgangers in the pages of Super Scary Monster Show, and Kid Gravity once met his parallel universe twin named Kid Anti-Gravity in the pages of Disney Adventures magazine.

Evil duplicates are nothing new. But they're always fun. Belinda Zee was alot of fun to work with. From her arrogant sassiness, to her vulnerable emotional outbursts. Fun.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 5

2009-06-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and exhausting few weeks. But I haven't forgotten my promise to post more images. First up is Superman. Man of Steel. Last son of Krypton. You might have heard of him. He's that predecessor to Supergirl that pops up every now and again. Kind of like how Perseus is an ancestor of Hercules? A second string character, but tied close enough to the mythos that we couldn't ignore him completely. Hopefully, the appearances of this old guy wearing a Supergirl costume isn't confusing to younger readers unfamiliar with this nostalgic artifact.

Anyway... I like how Eric was drawing Superman in these images. Smaller eyes. I'm a fan of the squinty-eyed Superman.

Next up is Zor-El. AKA: Supergirl's father.

Eric was experimenting in a slightly different direction here. More cartoonish features. Larger eyes, bigger head. Doesn't work as well for me as it makes him feel to young. In fact, Zor-El in my head was much older. Almost wizened.

Zor-El doesn't actually appear much in the comics. I decided pretty early on that, in regards to parental figures, Alura served the story better. There are certain pre-conceptions in place in regards to parental roles. Stereotypically, the mother daughter relationship is different from the father daughter relationship. Real life is certainly much more complicated than this, but because I had so few pages to tell the story, it seemed best to use whatever preconceptions I could.

So Alura could be more emotional in less pages than Zor-El could. She could be maternal. And when we turn around and reveal that Alura as seen through the communications device was Mxyzptlk (okay, it's more implied than directly stated) that softer, more maternal becomes extra alarming.

There was a lengthy Zor-El scene written though. he has a speech during the rocket launch that I really liked. Maybe I'll post it...

Yup. Here it is:

PANEL 1:

The town square of ArgoCity. In the center of the large courtyard is a rocket with a Superman emblem on it. There is a stage at one end of the courtyard. Assembled are the masses of Argo, while baton-twirling girls dressed in Superman uniforms stand assembled around the rocket.

On the stage is a massive amount of futuristic-looking space equipment. Kara’s father Zor-El stands at the center, speaking into a floating space microphone. Behind Zor El are dozens of monitors. His image is being broadcast on each and every one with his name underneath.

CAPTION: “Early the next morning…”

ZOR-EL: “Citizens of Argo, fellow Kryptonians. We gather here today, as we do once every year, to bear witness and honor the legacy of our beloved home planet, Krypton.”

PANEL 2:

Close-up on Zor-El.

ZOR-EL: “Though our home world is no more, and we suffer exile in this pocket dimension of Quasi-Space, the heroic ideals of our noble culture live on.”

PANEL 3:

Zor-El gestures, and the monitors now show Superman flying across a blue sky with the top of the Daily Planet building in the background.

ZOR-EL: “What was once a day of mourning the loss of Krypton is now a day of celebration! These distant broadcasts of Krypton’s surviving son show us that our people are not forgotten!”

PANEL 4:

ZOR-EL: “Our cousin Superman thinks he’s alone, the last of his kind. Though the dimensional barrier limits us to receiving these broadcasts only, our scientists have devised a one-time method to send material through the rift.”

ZOR-EL: “And so, we have prepared this rocket…”

PANEL 5:

Focus on the rocket. The crowds are enthusiastic. In formation, the Supergirls twirl their batons.

ZOR-EL: “…our message to Superman!”

Next time: Belinda Zee!

From the past...

2009-06-27T00:23:00.001-07:00

As I've been digging through Eric's boxes of old artwork looking for Supergirl material, I've also been coming across alot of other artwork that never saw the light of day. This was one of two cover concepts put together for the Kid Gravity trade paperback that Disney Press released in... 2006? 2007? I don't remember. Probably 2007.

This particular montage shot is a favorite of ours. I don't know why. Probably because it's easier than coming up with a solid theme. In fact, we also used the same basic concept on a Little Gloomy book, as seen here:

We are not very creative creative people. Though in truth, I like the symmetry of the two designs when compared. And the universe of Little Gloomy and the universe of Kid Gravity are connected parallel realities. So it makes a certain amount of sense. I guess.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... part 4

2009-06-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Again I bring you artwork from the depths of time. Almost a year and a half ago, to be precise.

First up is Streaky the Supercat. I just happened to have inherited a young cat about the time I began working on this. Her name is JoJo and she is made of razors and barbed wire. She's tamed a bit now. With me, anyway. Everyone else she still wants to see bleed. Anyway, she was the inspiration for this version of Streaky, and Eric designed Streaky accordingly.

I mean really. If a cat were to gain super powers, we would all be in serious trouble.

Next up: Brainiac 5. Brainy was never seen in the series. Originally he was planned to have a major role, but the only limitation given to us by DC was to not use Brainiac 5. At the time, he was a major player in the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century book so I can understand why. The sketches below were done before Eric and I found this out, and truthfully, he wasn't quite done cooking. But unlike most of the other characters, we're not able to compare with a final version. Ah well. This was as far as we got with Brainy. Maybe Eric can be persuaded to draw a more up to date version just for this blog.

It was nice to have him working behind the scenes, even if he's not actually an active particpant in the story. It seemed very Brainiac 5 to me. To send Supragirl back in time with specific instructions to involve herself in events with some basic misinformation. Maybe someday I'll get to tell the story of why he did that, beyond the obvious "stop Mxyzptlk from destroying all reality" thing. Because it's never quite that simple with Braniac 5. His plans run very deep.

That's it for now. Next up? Maybe Superman and Zor El. Probably Monday. Depends on my mood.

Supergirl: Production art... part 3

2009-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

I promised that sketches of the students would be posted today. And here I am, posting said images.

Okay... so there are less student images than I thought. Thing is, we had three female lead characters from the onset. There were also going to be male characters of more prominence. Here's a look at what they might have been like.

The characters were cut because it turns out that 6 issues at 22 pages long each isn't as much room as I might have liked. The relationships between the three girls would have been horribly muddied by these nonsensical subplots. So they were cut.

But just to go a step further and show you what you were denied...

There was an entire story behind this that involved duplicity and betrayal. The heart was to be made of gold kryptonite (heart of gold) that only had a short term effect. We had already explored the effects of green, red and blue. So gold was the next logical choice.

As mentioned above, this was cut due to lack of space. It was also cut after I witnessed the recent revisions to Reactron. The two concepts aren't identical, but they are very, very close. Now, it's important to note that no one outside of Eric and myself were involved in this creation, so in case anyone thinks I'm making some kind of allegation... no. No one knew of our plans other than us. Reactron's revision (which I very much like) was (for us) an unfortunate coincidence. That's the world of comics for ya.

FYI: The indent on the inside of the chest panel is a power meter.

That's it for today. Next up (unless I change my mind) Streaky. Maybe more than Streaky, maybe less.