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Just finished my first
inking assignment for Top Cow, believe it or not! Usually when I hear
from the Cow's Jim McLauchlin, it's time for art donations for ACTOR,
a very worthy cause, which he started a few years ago. But this call was
to offer me work! Jim's one of those guys who's always upbeat, at least
when you're dealing with him on the phone, which seems to be a lost art.
Jim offered me some pages for an upcoming book called The Tenth (not to
be confused with The 10th Muse). The penciller is Tyler Kirkham, and I
think he's pretty darn good. He's got some Jim Lee-isms that serve his
storytelling well. To save time and shipping, I just told Jim to keep
a page of my inks for the next ACTOR auction. When inking this issue,
I poured on my 'crunchy' style, which I last used on Brett Booth's pencils
for DBPro's Burning Man #2, which is still due out in stores, as it's
a quarterly. I've got to getting around posting that cover sometime...
I've worked for various factions of Image, but it hadn't
occurred to me until that call that I hadn't yet worked with Top Cow.
I had a tight deadline, and I was unsure of my ability to deliver on-time
over the weekend for Monday (yesterday), so I asked a big favor of one
of my fellow ex-CGers, superstar colorist and multi-Eisner award winner
Laura Martin. As she did for me once last year, she scanned my pages with
her high-quality scanner, which sends printable scans to publishers for
deadlines and other purposes. If the Eisners had a catagory for niceness,
she'd win that one, too! Somehow, between Astonishing X-Men and Ultimates
and other projects, she managed to find time for me and I thought I'd
give her a shout-out. Muchos Gracias!
Top Cow's original art boards are really thick!! I kinda
like that, because sometimes when you erase hard, thinner paper occasionally
bends and gets kinks in them. The texture is very good for absorbing ink
too. The only problem I would see with the thick board is if you lightbox
for tight details ala Greg Land. Most artists do 81/2" x 11"
breakdowns, blow them up to 11" x 17", then lightbox the page,
tightening up details along the way. But for inking, Top Cow's paper is
tops with me.
Which reminds me, I've switched from the elusive Pelikan
ink to Sumi ink, which has a more agreeable texture, and better shelf
life. Not everybody likes the same ink. You have to find an ink you're
satisfied with. I gave up on Black Magic years ago. "Brown Magic"
is more like it. They must've changed the formula because I won't ever
go back. It's not unlike the disasterous New Coke visited upon us twenty
years ago. Your preferrence of ink may also depends on where you live.
I have to account for the Florida humidity. If I were on the west coast,
I might have to change my ink, my tools and my career (a game show hosts's
life for me!).
I'm wrapping up Spidey/Human Torch #5 (the entire series
is coming out in a $7.99 digest format in June or July, so if you missed
out on the early issues, check out the collected version. It's great fun
in the Mighty Marvel Manner, and that's a promise from me!). I've also
been doing more online animation PLUS more DC work, which is great.
Somewhere in there I have to squirrel in my commissions,
including a Greg Horn Elektra, M.C. Wyman's Invisible Woman and Enchantress,
a Scot Eaton Thing that'll knock your socks off (also it'll placate me,
as I really miss inking Scot's work, which'll be coming up in a House
of M Fantastic Four mini)! I also have a few rare opportunities inking
pages that have been published already. How, you say, precariously perched
on the edge of your seat? Well, quite a few inking assignments have been
over scanned blue lines sent from pencillers, leaving the original pencil
art untouched. I did an entire issue of Way of The Rat that way, and lemme
tell ya about eyestrain! Anyway, the pieces that were uninked but scanned
for blue lines is a Ron Frenz Kirby riff from Captain America #50 (with
the Super-Adaptoid, who I've always had a fondness for) and a FF Galactus
splash from Mike Wieringo. These pages were inked by Bruce Timm and Karl
Kesel, respectively and respectfully!
So I've got a full plate lately. But you won't catch
me complaining. I used to want a regular monthly gig but the variety I've
been experiencing has re-invigorated me. That, plus the pool's finally
warm enough to swim in. I was getting a bit stiff over the unseasonably-cool
spring. When I swim, it really works out the soreness of sitting at a
table all day. It's physical therapy in a sense.
Before I forget, A HIGHLY recommend three books from
Images August solicitations: Iron Ghost #3, by fellow CG-er's Chuck Dixon
& Sergio Cariello. First issue had me clamoring for more. Dusty Star
#1 by fellow former Jolly Roger Studio alumni Andrew Robinson, most known
for his stunning Starman cover paintings. Finally, Ferro City #1 by my
former partner-in-crime Jason Armstrong! Now I know a lotta people, but
I'll deal ya straight: I'm friends with some folks in the industry but
I don't make recommendations based soley on that. There's a lot of chums
whose work I don't mention or push on others, because I know you can't
financially support all of them. So I've whittled down the choices for
you. There are books I thumb through and put back, but these look like
winners based on advance art I've privately seen.
Okay, maybe I'll take the monthly gig if it's REALLY
cool...
Seacrest, out!
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