Criterion Collection!

Had a fun project this week - an illustration for a poster to promote a new film festival that Criterion (the best DVD publisher/designer out there) is promoting next month. I had a tough choice - choosing between Repulsion and The Night of the Hunter. I ended up doing the Robert Mitchum movie only because I immediately thought of an image to draw even though I think I like Repulsion as a movie a little more. After I was done I really regretted not coming up with an image where I could have drawn Robert Mitchum's face. Next time.

Also - over the summer I've written more pages of comics in a shorter amount of time then I ever have before. Since the spring I've written and thumbnailed 1200 pages worth of comics and written full-lenth pitches for two on-going series ideas. Waiting to hear on the on-going series stuff but the other 1200 pages will be turned into graphic novels over the course of this fall, winter and spring for 2011. It's nice to be in a place where I know what books I'm doing next but I also have the plots and layouts completely nailed down as well. The hard work is over - time to just plug away on drawing until it's all done. See you in the spring!

Mad Man.

I finished an 8-page Madman story for Mike Allred a few weeks ago -- for a to-be-published collection of Madman stories by various creators. I'll update more when I know the details of the when and where. Needless to say, one of the high-points of my career in comics. Back in 1991 I'd just graduated from high school and had this Madman black and white poster hanging on my wall -- a long vertical poster with the flip-book corners from the books -- of Madman dancing. I met Mike in 1991 at a local comic show and bought the first limited series from him. Nicest guy. So, years later -- this year, at a party in Portland that Top Shelf had put together to celebrate me and Jeff Lemire being in town, Mike shows up. First time I'd seen him since 1991. I said "I was a huge fan of yours." And his reply: "'Was?'"

Needless to say, I still am. Got the offer to do anything with any of the characters in Snap City and couldn't resist the beatniks. Here's a teaser panel from the story...