Friday, April 22, 2011

WOLVES: How do I get it?

WOLVES debuted at TCAF in Toronto! I sold out of all the copies that I brought. The Beguiling bought 20 copies off me, but I don't know if they are still in stock.

So! The easiest way to get a copy of WOLVES from me is to catch me at a convention- of which I will be at many!

TCAF (May, Toronto)
MCM (May, London)
HEROES CON (June, North Carolina)
SDCC (July, San Diego)
THOUGHT BUBBLE (Nov, Leeds)

I'll be updating this list as shows are added. Now: Questions!

I WON'T BE AT ANY OF THOSE SHOWS! HOW DO I BUY THEM ONLINE?
I have to finish coding my online store, which will go live when I finish it sometime in May or June. I'm working hard on several things right now, so I will get to it when I get to it! I will be shipping worldwide, and I'll only be accepting Paypal. Honestly though the online store is not a priority for me because I have so much work and travel coming up in the next few months, but I will try my best to get it live in a timely manner! And when it goes live I'll be yelling and screaming about it so you probably won't miss it unless you live in a cave. No offense to my cave-dwelling fans! :D

BUT YOU ONLY MADE ONE THOUSAND COPIES!
My first print run is 1,000 signed and numbered copies. If I go through these quickly, I'll make more, but they won't be numbered. Honestly I only made 1,000 because I wasn't sure what the interest would be. So don't worry, I'm going to try to keep WOLVES in stock.

I'M A RETAILER! I WANT TO SELL WOLVES IN MY STORE!
I'd love to wholesale WOLVES, but since I only made a limited run to start I'm going to take most of my orders for retailers after San Diego Comic Con! :) Feel free to contact me if you are interested.

That's about it! If you have questions feel free to post in the comments, and I'll update this post with the answers.

WOLVES in the press!
Matt Graham at Comics Nexus!
Jamie S. Rich at Confessions of a Pop Fan!
Annexe Magazine!
Stanley Jon over at Comic Book Daily!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Tokyopop, Etc.

Most of you have probably heard the news about Tokyopop closing it's doors (There was a nice short article on The Beat about it yesterday!) and thought about the possible impact it might have on some of the titles stuck in limbo since they were canceled, including Dan Hipp's Gyakushu, Brandon Graham's King City, Ross Campbell's The Abandoned, and my East Coast Rising. I obviously have mixed feelings about this, because while I was working on my book I had a pretty good time, but after canceling my second book 120 pages in I obviously still have some bitter feelings- and their closing does make me excited that I might be able to one day finish the story. Of course the hard part is if that time ever comes, I'm pretty booked for work, and my style and storytelling has changed so much- it will definitely be a challenge to pick up again! But a challenge that I'd be happy to step up to, if the time comes.

Tokyopop gave me a huge opportunity to publish my first solo graphic novel, one that paid off with an Eisner nomination for Best New Series, and as a finalist in the first International Manga Award. The book might be silly and a bit juvenile, but I still look back and remember how fun it was to draw, and all the good times I had working on it. It's also nice to look back on TP's early influence, breaking into book stores and opening up a section of the market that was until then impenetrable. They took chances on new creators, and for a while they had a great team of editors, writers and artists working for them!

A lot of people blame TP's downfall on Borders closing- though I want to talk about something different, about how they stopped being a publisher and started being an IP hoarder. To be a successful publisher I would have thought you'd have to make publishing a priority- and by canceling so many books and concentrating harder on their media developments over the promotion and production of the comics they published, they signed their own death warrant.

That's not to say it's bad to cultivate options for a property outside of comics, but it seemed, for my book and from my perspective at least, that they put zero effort into marketing East Coast Rising. I had issues with the design of the book that went unheard. I even heard that they didn't stock my comic in many stores. I felt like they were more excited when my book garnered attention from animation and video game companies than when it got an Eisner nomination. To me, I don't really care about media rights. Money is great and everything, but I'm in it to make a good book. And I think that's where our interests were divided.

Maybe my work was so different from the manga that they produced, that they didn't know what to do with it, or how to market and sell it- but that didn't stop it from getting an Eisner nom, some great reviews, and international acclaim from Japan. It even had a few foreign language editions including Italian and Finnish. Obviously it had potential to get traction, but somehow it missed the mark. It makes me think the book would have done better at a different publisher.

Tim Beedle, my editor on this book, was lovely. I also worked with Fawn Lau as a letterer, and she was great too! I can't just point my finger wildly around at the company and place blame on everyone, or a single person- some amazing individuals worked there! But the truth is there were some weird decisions being made. And as a creator, even though my editor was great, I never felt like I was important to the company, and that on the whole, my book didn't matter. I didn't feel looked after. And I guess my feelings were justified when they canceled my book with no warning. I even went to their office for a meeting to try and get the print rights back, or just get them to print it again- well I bet you can guess what answer I got.

Maybe TP just went around things wrong. If Stu Levy wanted to make a media company, I feel like he should have started it that way instead of trying to get into movies and other media through comics. That notion has always seemed backwards to me- if you want to make a movie, fucking just make a movie! It might not be easy, but it makes a lot more sense than making comics to make movies. That's like making cookies and hoping they will turn into a cake in the oven!

So yeah, I guess that's all I have to say. I'm excited at the prospect of maybe finishing my book, so it's bittersweet feeling to see TP go (although everyone I know who worked there was already gone...). I feel a little selfish being excited about that, but hey. I'm allowed to be selfish sometimes. I honestly don't have any hard feelings, but I do have some advice for Stu Levy: Next time you make a company, make sure the initials don't also stand for Toilet Paper.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Flu!

Today Flu Hartberg, Norwegian cartoonist and member of Dongery collective, stopped by the studio with champagne and strawberries (which makes him the best studio guest ever). I first saw his work years ago at SPX when I picked up a copy of his book ENGLISH CONVERSATION-- which is awesome and I highly recommend it-- and after that I'd look for his work at every show.

So Flu came by to visit the studio this afternoon, and we took a break to collab on some Trolls. (I think because I'm excited to see Troll Hunter at the end of this month!) First we penciled, then traded and inked!



Needless to say, Flu is invited back anytime... as long as he brings more champagne! Next time I'm in Oslo, I'll have to return the favor.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

WOLVES at the door

Wolves in the hallway.

1,000 copies of Wolves in my hallway. :D

Monday, April 11, 2011

Anticipating Wolves


WOLVES is set to arrive from the printer this week- I am so excited that I'm posting a few panels on my blog! I will be debuting them at TCAF, and will have them at MCM, Heroes Con, SDCC and Thought Bubble. Before you ask, yes I will be selling them online too, once I figure out how the shipping module works!

The first print run is 1,000- all copies are signed and numbered, 24 pages of b/w interiors with a 3 color silk screened cover. Fancy!

I'll post pictures when they arrive. SO EXCITED. CAN NOT WAIT.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

DEER

Prehistoric deer!
Had the weekend "off" so I doodled around as a warm-up for Orcs! Nothing special, just having fun. It's important to have fun!!

Friday, April 1, 2011

ORCS


ORCS. My next mini-comic to start after WOLVES comes out; did this warm-up piece on my “day off” today, trying to keep my brush in shape.

Wolves comes out this spring, maybe Orcs will be a winter release. I’d love to have it done by SDCC, but no promises!