Signing and Sketching at COSMIX:For FCBD!

Well, Free Comic Book Day is coming up on May 7th this year and I'll be doing my part to promote literacy and the arts! You'll catch me and famed Montreal artist Karl Kerschl behind a table this year at an old stomping ground of mine, COSMIX, a comic book hub located in St.Laurent, Montreal.

Cosmix, in its first incarnation, started out as a tiny hotspot on Laurentian Blvd, deep in St.Laurent territory, and had the distinction of being the first comic book store I ever frequented. I managed to save enough to buy my first Bernie Wrightson prints there (Frankenstein), soaked up as much Frank Frazetta reprints as I could find, and was introduced to the works of artists like Neal Adams, Gil Kane, and Jim Starlin. A better education in the arts I couldn't wish for.

These days Sylvain and Denis, two incredibly hard working brothers and comic book afficionados have taken Cosmix to new heights in the decades since, and in addition to the books themselves offered a mind-boggling array of comic based peripherals (statues, toys, gaming, clothing, cards, and more!!). They are incredibly knowledgeable on all things comic related, and provide the best service in the business. Hands down!

Swing by and say hi or bring the little ones for a quick sketch from Karl or myself. And please, whatever you do, make sure you take advantage of the FREE COMICS!!!

Here's a link to their site and to the event happening next weekend. The address will follow. Cheers, and see you there!!!


http://cosmix.ca/view_news.php?n=MzI3&t=RQ==


COSMIX is at 931 Boul. Decarie, in Saint Laurent, near Metro Cote Vertu.

DIAMOND Previews: I.C.E.#1 for A BUCK!

Yes, Sir. You heard it here first...or second. The 12Gauge house of Magus will be pimping out my blood, sweat and tears for A BUCK!!!! Snap them up while you can, but don't forget our free-for-all giveaways on Free Comic Book Day. In case you're tight in the wallet ;)

I.C.E.#1 will be available as a preview, along with the incredible work of Chris Brunner in LOOSE ENDS #1, packaged for your FCBD reading pleasure, on May 7th, 2011 at your local comic book store, and it's FREE!

Here's the breakdown.

I.C.E. #1 (of 4)

Writer: Doug Wagner

Artist: Jose Holder

Cover Artist: Brian Stelfreeze

Colors: Michael Wiggam

$1.00 (special introductory price)

I.C.E. #1 - Blasting into comic stores for only $1.00!

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency (a.k.a. I.C.E.) is charged with keeping our borders secure. The politics are complicated, but they don’t matter to COLE MATAI, leader of the best tactical group I.C.E. has to offer. For him, it’s all about protecting the public from men like LUIS MORALES, head of a ruthless Mexican drug cartel. When Morales notices that some of his drug runners are stealing inventory, he takes it personal. Shockwaves hit three U.S. cities as members of his cartel are savagely murdered over a period of weeks, all at the hands of Morales. The cross-country manhunt for this vicious killer begins here---don’t miss it!


LOOSE ENDS #1 (of 4)

Writer: Jason Latour

Art and Cover: Chris Brunner

Colors: Rico Renzi

$3.99 (please note size: 7 - ¼” x 11”)

"Smart as a weasel. Pretty as a southern sunrise. Raw as a freshly stabbed knife wound. LOOSE ENDS is all that. As well as just flat-out good. Damn good." - Jason Aaron (SCALPED, WOLVERINE)
No one seemed to notice Sonny Gibson as he stepped back into ‘The Hideaway’; a dusty little honky-tonk nestled off the Carolina highway. But before the night was over, Sonny would be on the run. From the law, from the criminals, even from himself.

LOOSE ENDS is a gritty, slow cooked, "southern crime romance", that follows a winding trail down Tobacco Road, through the war torn streets of Baghdad, and into the bright lights and bloody gutters of South Florida...12-Gauge style.

* Look for the LOOSE ENDS preview in the FCBD edition of I.C.E.!

FIRESTORM Sketches

Just some character designs and random sketches for one of my all time fave DCU heroes. Second only to Green Lantern in my book :)

SpideyVs.GreenGoblin Final

Finally putting this one to bed :)

Interviewed on FCBD for I.C.E.#1

An interview I did for the release of I.C.E.#1 from 12GaugeComics just came out on FCBD's site. Sharing the web space are writers Doug Wagner (I.C.E.) and Jason Latour (Loose Ends), and publisher Keven Gardner, who all weigh in on their contributions to the book. Available May 7th, 2011 at your local comic book store, for FREE!

Here's the link to the interview: http://www.freecomicbookday.com/article.asp?ai=106494&si=789

Enjoy!

The BUY Pile : RPM on CBR!

We got an honourable mention on CBR's The Buy Pile this week, placing us in the enviable 'Read Pile' category with only a handful of contenders. This position was shared with some pretty cool titles : Caligula #1, Dollhouse: Epitaphs, Godzilla: Kingdom Of Monsters #1, and Suicide Forest #1.

The crit:

"R.P.M." #4 was like the last reel of a pretty good action movie, one a slice above a movie on cable and about at the same level as, say, a Jason Statham movie. Clearly "TV good" (see definitions), but not much more than that." ;)

I had to dig deeper to get the colour commentary definition of 'TV GOOD', and found this hilarious link on CBR's site:

TV GOOD: When you’re flipping through channels and you land on something that looks interesting enough to sit and watch. You might even set a TiVo for it or add it to a Hulu queue. The point is that it’s good enough to enjoy if it doesn’t make you go to any extraordinary lengths: it’s not a pay-per-view, it’s not a premium service like On Demand, it’s just on the TV you have and you are willing to look at it as long as it doesn’t cost you anything extra or make you work for it. Many “okay” comics fall in this category for me (and therefore for the column). Often used in conjunction with or in place of “not bad.”

Everyone else on this week's list pretty much ended up on the 'Meh Pile'. Which included everything from Secret Avengers to Deadpool, Star Wars to Green Arrow, Teen Titans and a few inbetween. Apparently a rough week for comics in general (for the critiquers), even though I thought some pretty amazing stuff hit the shelves this Wednesday.

The TOP prize goes to INCOGNITO from Icon, and deservedly so. A great book all around.

Crazy funny ;D

RPM 4 : Panel Work 1.0

Here are some inked panels from my book RPM #4, now in stores. Enjoy!