Tuesday, May 30, 2006

No Smoke without fire...

Some BIG news coming soon...

...stay tuned for details, peeps!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

1st Weekly Caption Competition!















In an effort to make this blog a bit more interactive, I thought I'd introduce a weekly caption competition. To enter, just click the "comment" link below. Assuming anyone actually posts a caption, I'll pick a winner next week when I'll also post a new pic'.

Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Pryde!

Gratuitous Kitty Pryde pics....

...normal service will be resumed shortly...

...do not adjust your monitor...she really is that cute...





X-Men 3: The Last Stand - Midnight Screening

















Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Pryde!
Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Pryde!
Kitty Pryde! Kitty Pryde! Kitty Pryde! Kitty Pryde!
Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty Pryde!

The movie... Perfect? No. Flawed? Yes. Very cool? Undoubtedly.

Kitty Pryde? YES!

At last...the danger room sequence you've always wanted to see! At last...Iceman actually looking like Iceman! At last...a fastball special!

At last...Kitty Pryde!

As I was leaving the cinema (at 2am!) I overheard some people complaining that the movie was slow, but they thought that Juggernaut was good.

These people were clearly watching a different film.

The biggest problem with this film is that it's about half an hour too short. Hopefully the DVD will correct that....and hopefully it'll be an extra half hour of Kitty Pryde!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Hard Rock Hallelujah

















On Saturday night, Finnish Death Metallers, Lordi (pictured...yes...really....) won the annual cheese-fest which is the Eurovision Song Contest. This is officially one of the coolest things to happen...ever. For those of you who couldn't quite make out the lyrics, here they are...this is officially the best song in Europe....

Hard Rock Hallelujah
original English lyrics

music & lyrics: Mr Lordi
arrangement: Lordi
performer: Lordi

Hard Rock Hallelujah!
Hard Rock Hallelujah!

The saints are crippled
On this sinners’ night
Lost are the lambs with no guiding light

The walls come down like thunder
The rocks about to roll
It’s the Arockalypse
Now bare your soul

All we need is lightning
With power and might
Striking down the prophets of false
As the moon is rising
Give us the sign
Now let us rise up in awe

Rock ’n roll angels bring thyn hard rock hallelujah
Demons and angels all in one have arrived
Rock ’n roll angels bring thyn hard rock hallelujah
In God’s creation supernatural high

The true believers
Thou shall be saved
Brothers and sisters keep strong in the faith
On the day of Rockoning
It’s who dares, wins
You will see the jokers soon’ll be the new kings

All we need is lightning
With power and might
Striking down the prophets of false
As the moon is rising
Give us the sign
Now let us rise up in awe

Rock ’n roll angels bring thyn hard rock hallelujah
Demons and angels all in one have arrived
Rock ’n roll angels bring thyn hard rock hallelujah
In God’s creation supernatural high

Wings on my back
I got horns on my head
My fangs are sharp
And my eyes are red
Not quite an angel
Or the one that fell
Now choose to join us or go straight to Hell

Hard Rock Hallelujah!
Hard Rock Hallelujah!
Hard Rock Hallelujah!
Hard Rock Hallelujah!

Rock ’n roll angels bring thyn hard rock hallelujah
Demons and angels all in one have arrived
Rock ’n roll angels bring thyn hard rock hallelujah
In God’s creation supernatural high

Hard Rock Hallelujah!

Monday, May 22, 2006

General Blather....

Well, first and foremost, while I'm both stunned and amazed that Tony Lee (Midnight Kiss, Starship Troopers, Doctor Who and...a back up story in Amazing Fantasy...) can remember anything from the Bristol Comic Expo, his account of the proceedings makes good reading and can be found here. Mind you, why he felt the need to post my expenses for the weekend as part of his review, I'll never know...

In other news, I saw The DaVinci Code last night. Hmmm...I must say I don't really understand why Tom Hanks is getting so much flack about it, his performance is pretty good. It doesn't rank up there with Castaway and Philadelphia, but it's certainly not bad. The film as a whole is a fairly accurate adaptation of the book, although the conclusion in Roslin Chapel trades the novel's subtle ambiguities for a typical Hollywood sledgehammer. It seems that the movie going public need things spelled out to them in words of two syllables or less. That said, I wasn't exactly blown away by the book, and I really don't understand why it's been so popular. Likewise with the film, it's ok, but nothing really special.

On to this week's real big movie event! X-Men 3! My local multiplex (for which I have an unlimited pass) has recently started doing midnight screenings for big new movies, so I'll be heading over there late on Wednesday night when sensible people will be tucked up in their beds to see the latest screen version of the comic book that I once counted myself as being one of the biggest fans of. If I'm not too tired I'll try to get online before I turn in and post up a quick review. Oh, and, of course, the pic' is Kitty Pryde, who else?

The hit rate for the site has settled back down to normal after last week's post-Bristol flurry of hits and now we have the steady build towards the 1000 hit mark. I'll have to come up with something special to post to mark that moment, if you have any suggestions for that, please email me!

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Me And Couldn't Be Bothered To Ask...

Well, this has been a fairly huge week for this blog, hit wise. What's interesting to see is the increasing amount of repeat visitors with "no referring link" (I did mention I'm addicted to my web stats, didn't I?). While there are several reasons someone might arrive at the site with "no referring link" the most common is that they've bookmarked the site, which is immensely cool. So, if you're a regular visitor here than, please, click the "comment" link below and say "Hi".

Okay, to celebrate this week's massive increase in hits, I thought I'd share a bit more about myself via this list of 100 Questions that Budgie recently posted on his blog (for those that don't know, Budgie co-hosts the Hypotheticals panel every year at the Bristol Comic Expo, it's one of the high lights of the con').


1. NAME ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT ?
Well, there's the scar on my left hand...I'd love to claim that it's the result of a knife fight during my rough upbringing on da' streets. Sadly, the less cool story behind it is that I tore my hand open on a park fence while trying to avoid some of the rougher kids in my school.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
Well, I'm in my studio right now so I've got some pages of Ryan Stegman's pencils that I've inked on the wall. A couple of pin-ups of Reena from The Lexian Chronicles that I did for Harry Markos a while back which are, quite frankly, awful, looking at them now. Lastly, there are some posters from ImagineFX, which is an excellent new magazine for fantasy and sci-fi digital artists.

3. WHAT DOES YOUR MOBILE PHONE LOOK LIKE?
It has a picture of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader on the back (depends what angle you look at it from). Also, as attendees of certain panels at the Bristol Comic Expo will know, it plays the Imperial March when it rings and sounds like R2-D2 when I receive a text message.

4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
I'll listen to and appreciate anything that's clearly got talent behind it. That said, if I'm in control of the music selection then it's rock, hard rock, metal. Particularly Guns N' Roses.

5. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT DESKTOP PICTURE?
Very sad...still the default background after two years... At work I have a picture of my eldest son in his karate Gi.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
To be published, which, by happy coincidence, is happening next month. I never thought that my first published work in comics would be as a colourist, but it's infinitely better than nothing. So...buy the Smoke & Mirror TPB next month, then post nice things about the colouring in #5 here.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
I miss playing the bass guitar in a band full of my closest friends and family. Hearing myself play bass on the radio. I also miss Scott Lobdell and Ben Raab, two of the greatest writers in comics, and also wonderful people for putting up with me when I was still just a fanboy wannabe.

8. WHAT TIME WERE YOU BORN?
About 4:00pm.

10.WHAT ENDED YOUR LAST RELATIONSHIP?
Living on different land masses.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
Sometimes. If I'm out on my own at night, and the street is badly lit. Statistically you're more likely to get attacked if you're a man.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
Probably one of my kids, out of pride. They're the best things I've ever done.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE / PERFUME?
Well, I wear Diesel Plus Plus, but I haven't exactly spent a lot of time sampling different aftershaves. I wouldn't know what perfumes I like, either, but...perfume does have a definite effect on me.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOUR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Well, if it's true that gentlemen prefer blondes then I must be no gentleman. Definitely brunettes. Brunettes are to blondes what a tender, medium rare rump steak is to a Big Mac. That said, sometimes I just fancy a Big Mac... As for eye colour, no real preference. Blue is handy for quoting Swett Child O'Mine...but deep brown eyes can be like swimming in pools of chocolate. The brunette/blue eyes combination works well for me though.

15. DO YOU LIKE PAINKILLERS?
They perform a function, although I'll usually only take them as a last resort.

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS?
Coke. Or Dr Pepper.

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING?
The classic - ham and pineapple.

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A Big Mac. (See what I did there...).

19. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
My wife. Frequently.

20. DO YOU SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE?
The language of luuurve. Oh...ok....I speak a little Klingon... Ka'pla!

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU?
Oh, come on, surely people bought me things the day I was born! If not, I have some seriously stingy relatives. The first gift that really sticks out in my mind is the Autobot, Jetfire.

22. DO U LIKE SOMEONE?
I like many people.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
Only in my thumbs.

24. FAVOURITE CLOTHING BRAND?
Yeah...I'm going to be thirty this year....plus I'm a total geek...like I have a favourite clothing brand. NEXT jeans look pretty good on me though. When I was younger it was anything black and preferably leather.

25. WHAT'S YOUR DREAM CAR?
A Mazda RX-8.

27. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MARRIAGE?
It's a mixture of hard work and compromise...and figuring out how to compromise while staying true to who you are. It's always thinking about someone else first and constantly being accused of being selfish (for both people involved). It's definitely not right for everyone, but I do think it's better for kids if their parents are married.

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
Well...I've fallen in love knowing that the person is on the other side of the planet and I have no way to get to her. That's just setting yourself up for a fall. I am that much of an idiot where women are concerned.

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
Just be there for them to pick them up when they fall down.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
Sixty-nine, dude!

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
Didn't we do this one already? Brunettes. But I'd rather be with a good looking blonde girl than a fugly brunette!

32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN?
My home number! And I still have to look it up.

33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
Most often - my kids. Otherwise - abuse of power.

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF ENGLAND?
Yes. Most memorable trip was a mini-bus ride across Europe to visit the refugee camps in Macedonia during the war in Kosovo.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Kryptonite. Ok...honestly...procrastination. There are far more important things for me to be doing now than answering these questions.

36. WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?
Comics from Harry Markos.

37. FIRST JOB?
Working in a book warehouse, unpacking books and shipping them out to book stores. Lasted less than two weeks. Hated it with a passion.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Nope. Far too square for that!

39. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?
Taking a bath.

40. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Liposuction. Think I may be stuck with this spare tyre for life.

41. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN IN LOVE?
How many times have I actually been in love rather than just thinking I was? I'd have to say, probably, twice.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
My enormous...no...wait...my art.

43. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
Spend less at conventions.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
An electric guitar and an amp to plug it into. And some headphones for the amp so I don't wake the kids...

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Well, I have two boys. A girl would be nice, but, three boys wouldn't be so great...

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My mum's cousin. He's a dustman...and he wraps things... Thanks mum, couldn't have named me after the cousin who's an actor, no?

47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
No.

48. WHICH FINGER[S] IS YOUR FAVOURITE?
Right middle.

49. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
Tuesday night. I had to go for an introductory meeting at my edlest son's school. He's four and he starts school in September. Why did it make me cry? Because it was my school from ages 7 to 11. I was sat in the hall where I has my first slow dance and my first snog (with a girl called Tina Matthews). It was a lot smaller than I remembered it...

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Not particularly. It's degenerated over the last decade as I've used a computer more and more.

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE VEGETABLE?
Asparagus.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
Yes, many. The one most suitable for public consumtion is that I pick my nose.

53. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?
Either Britney Spears - Baby One More Time or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles OST.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
It's highly unlikely. I'd have to meet me and I really don't get out that much.

55. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL?
I think everyone probably has. One of the great things about being married is that you're not supposed to keep secrets from your spouse, so you always have an excuse to tell someone.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Of course. Who wants to wake up every morning next to a minger?

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE YOUR ANGER?
Generally I suppress it until it becomes a festering black ball at the pit of my soul. Playing the bass used to be a great release, but I don't have that anymore. Hmmm...interesting...

58. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
London. My mum lives in London. She moved there when I was 13/14. Was great fun exploring London on my own at that age.

59. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY?
Not anymore. Being deeply betrayed by your Pastor and your best friend in the space of one month will do that to you. I find it hard not to believe that everyone who's nice to me isn't secretly laughing at me behind my back.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Transformers. Too cool to mention.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
A lot less than there used to be.

62. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Me? Use sarcasm? Never!

64. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
No. I have stood at the front at an Aerosmith gig at Wembley Arena though. That was fairly mind blowing.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Well, being married, I don't look at other women, of course. Hypothetically speaking, however, intelligence and a sense of humour are top of the list. I have little patience where stupid people are concerned. Small breasts are a bonus too...

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
Ease.

67. WHAT IS THE MOST PAIN YOU HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED?
Okay, is you're squeamish, look away. The most pain I've ever experienced was when my mum removed my dressing after I was circumcised at age 8. Too much information?

68. DO YOU UN-TIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No. Hence, I destroy shoes.

69. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU SPILLED?
The beans. We had beans with dinner and I spilled some bean juice on the work surface. I should probably go clean that up at some point.

71.WHAT'S THE LAST FURRY THING YOU TOUCHED?
Me.

72.WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE COLOURS?
Black and purple.

73. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS/SINGERS?
Guns N' Roses, Little Angels, Aerosmith, Evanescence, Mr Big...

74. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE?
One coming through. One more yet to break the surface.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
No...most people aren;t nearly as interesting as me ;-)

76. WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The Little Angels.

77. LAST THING YOU ATE?
Popcorn.

78.LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Probably my manager at work.

79.WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Face.

80.FAVOURITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?
Civil War - Guns N' Roses

81. FAVOURITE THING TO HATE:
Rob Liefeld's art. Obviously, I hate racism, and fascists, and right wing idiots...but they're not fun to hate.

82. FAVOURITE DRINK:
Alcoholic: Bacardi or Martini.
Non-alcoholic: Cherry coke.

83.FAVOURITE ZODIAC SIGN:
Cancer. Because we're just damn cool people.

84.WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPORT?
Football (soccer for my American friends). Particularly Gillingham FC.

85.WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOUR?
It used to be blond...now it's brown...with a hint of grey.

86.EYE COLOUR?
Blue.

88.SIBLINGS?
Two sisters, six and seven years older than me. I was the baby of the family, but the first to buy a house and have kids (was also the first to have to sell their house because EVERYTHING went wrong).

89.FAVOURITE MONTH?
July. People give me stuff.

90.DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?
No. I'm under orders to try the new sushi bar at Bluewater though.

91.LAST THING YOU WATCHED?
Honey We're Killing The Kids. Makes me feel like a good parent. These people always have a drawer full of chocolate that their kids can just help themselves to at any time...and yet they wonder why their kids aren't healthy...

92.FAVOURITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
12th July. Hmmm...maybe my wife is right about me being selfish...

93.ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
I used to be. Actually, chatting to girls on the internet cured me of that. I pestered my wife for so long to go out with me that she eventually gave in just to shut me up. Eight years later...

94. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. I suffer from SAD, so winter is generally one long drag with a disappointing Christmas in the middle.

95.KISSES OR HUGS?
I find you rarely get one without the other.

96.RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
I've only ever really had relationships so I'm not in any position to comment.

97.WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Me...and I have!

98. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
My son, Aaron, aged two...his answer to everything is, "No, not!"

99. BIGGEST FEAR?
Anything hurting my kids, emotionally or physically. Unless it's funny, y'know...they're alwyas walking into things in amusing ways.

100. IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU?
I'd like to think my wife is.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope: Deleted Scenes

I don't know about you, but I felt the one thing that was sorely lacking on the recent Original Trilogy Star Wars DVD release was the various deleted scenes. I got to see the deleted scenes from A New Hope years ago on the Behind the Magic CD-Rom release (really must dig that out some time), but for those of you who have never had the chance to enjoy Biggs and Luke discussing the Rebellion...here it is...

(Don't worry, I'm sure I'll tire of posting video here soon...)

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

The "Tony Lee" Chant by V and V

Presented here for your amusement, the notorious "Tony Lee" Chant...as sung by V from V for Vendetta...and V from...er...V for Vendetta.



The words, in case you can't quite make them out, are simply, "Tony Lee, Tony Lee, he wrote a back up story in Amazing Fantasy."

Give it two hours and you'll find yourself thinking "What the $@*! am I singing?!" And everyone around you will ask, "Who is Tony Lee?"

Personally I think it's all part of some insidious plan by Tony to worm his way into the nation's collective unconscious.

Either that or it's just drunk comic fans in masks singing.

More post-Bristol rambling...


















First off, apologies, but I just couldn't resist posting another picture of Tony Lee very hungover on Sunday morning. That said, I'm not entirely sure that he wasn't just still drunk ;-)

For those of you who can't make out the text on the previous pic' of Tony, it's something that I posted on the Markosia forum that Derek subsequently combined with his own "Hungover Tony" pic:

Hotel: £108
Comics: £20
Taxis: £30
Beer: £50
Seeing Tony Lee that hungover on Sunday morning: Priceless

Yes, I really do think I'm that funny :-P

In other news, the plot for The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ripley is now complete and has been submitted to Visionary for review. I'm planning to do nothing on this particular project other than write it. I'll post more news on Slam as I have it, but the blog has already received one hit as a result of someone Googling "Slam Ripley", which is kinda cool.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some info on my latest CG art project for Visionary, which, I believe, is to be a space opera set in the Visionary Universe. Again, keep checking back for more details.

Finally, the Smoke & Mirror TPB is due out next month, so be sure to pick it up! I've been talking to the gang at Markosia about doing some more work for them. Once again, you'll know what's happening as soon as I do.

The Bristol Con was amazing. On a personal level I don't think I've ever felt like I belonged anywhere quite as much as I did this weekend. I made some great new friends and hopefully it won;t be another year before I get to meet them all again. On a professional level it really helped to build my relationship with Markosia. It was great to put names to faces at last and to spend some time chatting with Rich Emms, who I've only really encountered in passing online before. Harry says I have to come to San Diego...I'm assuming the plane tickets are in the post (JOKE!!! Please, no rumours off the back of that comment!). The con' has certainly helped to raise my profile in the UK comics community in general, which is no bad thing, and the hit rate on this blog has spiked since everyone got back from the con'.

I really don't want to have to wait a whole year to do it all again. Ah well....

Monday, May 15, 2006

What I learned in Bristol:





What I learned in Bristol:

Pete can't physically eat.

Tony Lee climbed a tree.

Everybody hates 2000AD.

Richard Emms and Harry Markos are both great blokes.

Don't mess with Cher.

Derek doesn't know what Alan Davis looks like.

Dave Gibbons did not win an award.

Manga people are lovely.

Emma Viecili is...very talented.

An interesting new use for midichlorians.

Hypotheticals + a grumpy Titan editor + beer + more beer + a DC writer = comedy gold.

Howard Chaykin and Mark Hamill were seperated at birth.

It's a bad idea to spend two hours wandering around Bristol looking for a chip shop when Harry Markos is looking for you so he can invite you to sit at the Markosia table for the Eagle Awards dinner.

Axel Alonso is unlikely to ever receive his Eagle award - last seen sellotaped to the top of Tony Lee's top hat.

Elvis is a zombie viking.

Brokeback Jedi - 'nuff said.

Harry didn't know I was colouring Smoke & Mirror!

Kev F has the best hair in comics, and children and large hairy men are drawn to him.














Did I just avoid writing a lengthy review of the convention by reeling off a string of in-jokes?

I think I probably did....

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Bristol Here We Come!





Egads! Another week slips past! And look, we've gone waaaay past 800 hits! With the Bristol Comic Expo mere days away, I've been keenly focused on getting everything done that needs to eb done before I attend the con'. I've also been trying to get the colouring on Smoke & Mirror #5 done before I leave for Bristol too...and all that's left to do on that is the shading on two pages.

My portfolio's assembled and ready to be shown around all weekend. And...talking of portfolios, my online portfolio is now up and running over at the Visionary site. You can access it here, just scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find my work in the inking, colouring and CG Art categories. Along with samples of my work you'll also find some other important details, including my freelance page rates. You can contact Chuck at Visionary if you're interested in hiring me.

Despite my busy schedule I've also found time to do a couple of logo designs recently. At the top of this post you'll see the logo for Headlocked, a series about wrestling currently in development at Visionary. There is a HUGE buzz around this book, which is already drawing fans from both the wrestling and comics communities. I'm pleased to be involved with the book, even if it is in a very small way. You can find out more about it here. I've also designed the logo for Mamluk, which I'm hoping to post as soon as I know it's been officially accepted.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The Iceman Cometh!

Whoah...what a week!

I can't believe I've let a whole week go by without posting! I only ever intended to have that bit about Norway up for half a day or so... Oh well! We even hit the 750 hit mark and I still didn't get a chance to post! Things have been insanely busy here recently as I near the end of the colouring work on Smoke & Mirror, I've also been getting things ready for Visionary's imminent meeting with Marvel and uploading my online portfolio to them as I've just signed the contract for them to represent me (yes, I have an agent!). On top of that I'm fine tuning the Young Gods submission and the Bristol Comic Expo is less than two weeks away! Oh...and I've also been writing...but more on The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ripley another time....

So, here I am stealing a brief moment to post...at 3am! So, presented here for your amusement and entertainment is my final contribution towards the package of goodies that Chuck Sellner will hopefully be taking along to the Marvel offices later this month. I couldn't not do a mutant, could I? So here's one of the original five X-Men, Bobby Drake, aka Iceman. I decided to render him as a teenager, shortly after his powers have first manifested....just staring at his iced up hand as if it doesn't really belong to him.

Well, time for sleep now...back to the daily grind tomorrow (or, more accurately, later today...).