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Been a crazy couple of weeks. I'd just like to say thanks to EVERYONE who has supported TIME BEFORE TIME. Issue one has gone down so well as far as I can tell, the feedback, reviews, etc have al been amazing. it's been so gratifying to see people react to the first issue the way that they have. More on all that below, but just wanted to open this with a sincere THANK YOU.
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-I've pencilled my last chapter of PROJECT GRAVITY, starting on inks. I have to wrap this up soon, I have some covers and commissions to do, and I'd like to take a breather before I start on the next thing.
-That next thing is something I can't reveal *just* yet, but for now I'll call PROJECT NIRVANA. It'll be a one shot for a creator owned project, I'll leave it at that.
-Rory and I are working away on TIME BEFORE TIME, the next two issues are in good shape and will be ready for when Joe comes back from his well deserved break
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-I managed to make a dent in my commission list (see above), got a couple done, aiming to get through more at the end of the month
-Been doing a lot of press for TIME BEFORE TIME (see below) while trying to make sure I stay on track with PROJECT GRAVITY. It's been A LOT but also feels great to be working on something very interesting at Marvel, while also being able to develop something creator owned at Image, especially an ongoing title. I'm swamped, but I have the best of both worlds right now and really enjoying it. Bit of a relief to have the Kickstarter campaign wrapped, that was a drain on time and energy that I'll be happy to unplug for a while.
-I see Marvel released my variant cover for AMERICAN KNIGHTS #1. This was a nice change of pace, got to mix in some crime vibes and Catholicism into a superhero comic. Was defintitely going for a 'Gotham Central' feel here, and always like it when I get an opportunity to do so.
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-I'm doing a talk with some college students this week about marketing..? I'll be talking about how Ive marketed my work over the years. I'm trying to work that out at the moment. This is uncharted territory for me, I've never really sat down and thought about how I push stuff, just managed to find what works for me.
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BOG BODIES co-creator Gavin Fullerton has launched a webcomic! It's called PARADISE and you can read it for free here. Looks like it's updated daily. Gaving is a really interesting cartoonist, I'm really happy to see him put something out like this.
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I've mentioned this book my my friends/studiomates before, but India Swift is starting to post process work from her new and expanded GIRL AND THE GLIM graphic novel from IDW.
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I've been having a peek while she's been developing the extra material for this edition and it's been very interesting. India has a very specific way on workin on the story. I tend to 'write' then 'draw' there for India the process id more fluid between the two. Her first post on the subject is about the now cover for the book, and she tells me she'll be updating it weekly. It'l on their Patreon, go check it out. The posts are free so you don't need to pledge to read them or anything. I however, will keep looking over her shoulder as she works on it.
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Man have I been doing the rounds on promo in the last week or so. Here's a rundown of all the podcasts we did to promote the book...
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Look at those happy, hairy boys.
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-Forbidden Planet TV (me, Rory, Joe)
-Blue Tiger (Joe)
-We also recorded an in-depth video chat between us all about the book and the backstory behind it, our goals, etc. Was really great to talk directly with Rory and Joe like this, we'd never actually done so before!
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TIME BEFORE TIME creator chat with
Joe Palmer, Rory McConville and Declan Shalvey
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The reviews have been, just fantastic. Won't overload you with all of them here, but here's a handful of highlights...
"Time Before Time #1 is a unique series. ... and with all of time at their fingertips, Shalvey, McConville and Palmer have lots of room to create a future sci-fi classic." -CBR
"Entertaining, relatable and original. An enthralling read and maybe your next favourite new series? 10/10" -Comicon.com
"This could be one of the big hits of 2021…or any other era." -Lyle's Movie Files
"We get something truly thrilling out of this debut: A story in which we really don't know what happens next. It's a hell of a way to start a series, and I can't wait to read on." -SyFy
"As far as debut issues go, Time Before Time #1 really has everything you could ask for... It's one of the more refreshing comic books I have read in quite a while and I can’t wait to see how it evolves in the future." -Comicbook.com
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In case I've been too subtle up to this point, I'd like you to check out our book.
Some retailers have reached out to let us know they're selling out, which is GREAT to hear and Image have let me know that we're running out of copies, which is an amazing problem to have, so order now!
There are still some SIGNED copies by myself available from Big Bang Comics and if you order from OK Comics, you get a bookplate signed by the whole team!
There's still time to order copies of #1 and also #2! If you read our first issue, you're definitely going to want to read the next issue to find out what the hell happened!
We have a new (and gorgeous) cover by Justin Mason...
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And an incentive cover of my black and white artwork
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Last week the Process Edition Kickstrarter campain ended. We just about managed to make the Portfolio Pod which was a relief, as I paid all those artists for TBT pieces and would have felt bad if I didn't end up printing them!
Sasha Head has finished designing both the Process Edition and expanded Collector Editions and by god... they look fantastic. Both versions will be a lovely object (with the Collector Edition being lovelier, of course!).
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Process Edition cover
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Colour pages for 'Collector' upgrade
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My mum is going to be doing all the fulfillment, so she's working out all the surveys and adding up how much of whatever needs to be printed, etc. I'd say in the next couple of weeks, files will be sent to printers, for all the various various materials.
I did some ROUGH numbers to make sure that I was covering costs though that was before I thought of the Portfolio Pod. Still, I think I'll walk away with a bit of profit, which will go a long way in deciding if I'd try something like this again. I've asked Sasha if she'd be up for designing an 'art book' of some sorts down the line. We'll see, I'm going to concentrate on fulfilling these orders first before I have any further notions.
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'Collector' upgrade, full colour, with gold foil
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Please do not share online
Here's a peek at my variant cover for Daniel Warren Johnson's sensational BETA RAY BILL miniseries. I'm not 100% sure which issue this is for, maybe 4 or 5, keep an eye out for it in any case. It was a real treat to do a variant for this book, man it's so good.
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Haven't had a whole lot of time for reading lately (though I bought a lot of stuff... the 'to read' pile keeps getting higher!) but Alex Paknadel did send me this and I couldn't restrain myself...
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‘The Immortal Hulk: Time Of Monsters’ #1
Written by Al Ewing, Alex Paknadel, David Vaughan
Art by Juan E. Ferreyra and Kevin Nowlan
Lettered by HJK
Published by Marvel Comics
You can't go wrong with an Immortal Hulk comic co-written by Al Ewing but more than that, this IM one-shot goes to some interesting places not previously seen in the title. It's great to see a writer as inventive as Paknadel take a bonkers premise and really run with it.
Admittedly, I'm not eager to praise an Immotral Hulk one shot as I just did one myself and I'd like to ride that wave of attention, but it has to be said this is a crazy interesting one story, impeccably illustrated by Ferreya. furthermore, the back up story is a wonderful addition, written by David Vaughan and drawn, colored and lettered by Kevin Nowlan, a total art hero of mine. There's wonderful timeless quality, while still breathing fully within the Immotral Hulk landscape.
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Still reeling from the death of JP Leon, the comics community got a real shock when it learned Jesse Hamm had paseed away on Wednesday last week.
I knew Jesse, we'd talkied online lots over the years and got to be art-pals. I got to hang out with him when I visited Helioscpe Studios in Portland and he was just as kind as he was online. Jesse was a fantastic student of the medium and walked the walk when it came to in-depth ananylsis of illustration and cartoonists. He ran the excellent Tips From Jesse Hamm witer feed but also wrote excellent essays on drawing and had become the go-to resource when it came to Alex Toth's work. I plugged Jesse's Patreon here a few times, really worht the price of entry, Jesse would really dig deep into work and offer insightful analysis. I higly encourate you go to his Gumroad page where many of his illustration tips and essays and examples of his artwork can be bought, I'm sure it would also be a help to his family.
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June 2nd
HEROES REBORN AMERICAN KNIGHTS #1 (VC)
June 16th
TIME BEFORE TIME #2 CVR A (W/C)
TIME BEFORE TIME #2 CVR B WIJNGAARD (W)
TIME BEFORE TIME #2 CVR C MASON (W)
June 12th
IMMORTAL HULK #47 SPIDER-MAN VILLAINS (VC)
July14th
CARNAGE BLACK WHITE AND BLOOD #4 (OF 4) (W)
GRENDEL DEVILS ODYSSEY #8 (OF 8) (VC)
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