Smoke & Mirror

Well, I sat here for ages trying to think of a good title for this post....ah well...

Anyway...put simply...I am now the regular colourist on Smoke & Mirror. The first issue will be published in August by Markosia.

So, a big and hearty thank-you to Chuck, Dan and Dave for allowing me to gate crash their party with my fist full of crayons. I will, of course, endeavour to colour within the lines at all times.

I remember a few months back when Chuck shared some of Dave Riske's jaw-dropping cover art for the series during a Markosia chat session. I was totally blown away and I recall wishing that I could be involved with something half as cool as that. Fast forward to now, and my name's going to grace those very same covers. Right now it all seems a little surreal.

So, for those of you trying to remember what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks I'm doing - next month (no...wait...it's past midnight) this month sees my first published work. That's colours for #5 of the first series of Smoke & Mirror, which is only available as part of the Smoke & Mirror TPB out very soon from Markosia. I believe there will also be some of my colour work on some pin-up pages in the Of Bitter Souls TPB, also from Markosia (also written by Chuck Satterlee) and, I believe, also out this month. So, that's June. July sees my hair turn grey (or greyer) and my bones start to creak as I turn thirty, and August sees my first regular, ongoing, professional comic book work, Smoke & Mirror Vol 2 #1.

There are a couple of other things in the pipeline, one is CG art, the other is inking, and if they work out they'll be absolutely huge. But I really don't like sharing potential work with the world...I'll save the big news for when it's 100% definite. Suffice it to say that if they both happen...everything will change...forever.

But let's not take the focus off of Smoke & Mirror now. Seriously, what I've read is amazing. I've got the scripts for the first series, but I was careful to only read what I needed to read to colour #5...because I want to wait and read it all in one go when I get the tradepaperback. Personally I think this series is going to be huge...and one day I hope to sit down with a big bucket of popcorn, a bladder-buster cup of coke, and enjoy the premier of the Smoke & Mirror movie. While my kids play with Smoke & Mirror action figures. And take their Smoke & Mirror lunchboxes to school. And wear their Smoke & Mirror pyjamas to sleep under their Smoke & Mirror bedding after I've closed their Smoke & Mirror curtains and turned out their Smoke & Mirror lamp. Then I'll admire my collection of Smoke & Mirror mini-busts sitting on my TV...showing the Smoke & Mirror animated series...a spin off of the live-action, smash hit, Smoke & Mirror TV show.