Some more pre-production sketches

Dead Short

Always a serotonin-boosting pleasure when there's a parcel man at me door, arms holding a box of free stuff, but it's especially so when it contains the unexpected(though not so much when it's a ransom note and body parts of a close family friend).

Lurking behind the cover of Zombie Tales #7, is my first written story for BOOM! I scribbled it down in response to my increasing disenchantment with the ever-uninspiring glut of zombie movies/comics. The genre ran outta ideas a long time back, and really, the majority haven't moved past Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Same story, same idea, same stock characters. Stories that seem to take an age just to lead you nowhere, and stories that deliver nothing but a dreary sense of deja vu.

So, i wanted to have some fun with the undead, play around, try to add a little invention to the genre, and do it quick(only six pages), with no military experiment gone wrong, no social commentary, no pretension, no soap opera filling, no heroes, no apologetic scientist, no gung-ho soldier/cop/homeboy, no creepy, twitchy sleaze/coward with a gun who gets his just desserts, and no dialogue. In fact it's probably taken me longer to talk about the strip that it does to 'read' it.

It's drawn by the talented hand of Paul Harrison Davies, and it's a little firecracker; full of dinosaurs, buckets of blood, war, gore , and of course - ZOMBIES!

And, go - right now! - and take a good long drooling look at Pauls lovely(and ghastly)pictures, like this Captain Kronos pic, over at http://paulhd.blogspot.com/

Coming up, sooner or later

One of the most frustrating things about my occupation/job/career is the amount of projects that stall just before they've got going, or those that get put on the backburner until i have the free time(or learn how not to sleep). Some get lost forever, momentum and timing is a key factor in selling a book, and, when you sit on an idea too long, it's very easy to miss your opportunity, or the 'boat'(unless sci-fi werewolf pirate comics make a comeback). And the worse is when someone else beats you to it, and does a really cack-handed job.

These days, I'm very choosy, and act on new ideas quicker, and never tie myself down for too long, allowing me the luxury of leaping from one project to the next, and there's some corkers coming up. Some sooner than others.

As a taster, here's some sketches from a couple on the far horizon(but burning bright). One is with James Kuhoric, which may turn into something entirely different, but either way will be fucked-up weird and creepy-as-hell. And the other, The Girls of Fogg Academy will see me working with the enormously sweet and talented fella, Eric Orchard, please do your eyes and brain a big favour and go take a look at what he does. http://ericorchard.blogspot.com/

Dead Chest

BOOM! Studios had a very limited run of T-shirts exclusively done for this years San Diego Comic Con, featuring my cover art to Zombie Tales #3. I've got two for sale, both LARGE(42-44), at £16 each, which includes p&p and a free gift. First come, first served.

Cthulhu No More!

Cover art for Cthulhu Tales#10, and my last for the title since it's getting cancelled/'going on hiatus' - maybe you should've bought a copy?