#195: The Ever-Living

Hello Decolytes, hope ye’re all well. I’m in the process of moving at the moment, chucking a lot of stuff in storage. In case you were unaware; boxes full of comics are heavy.

Anyway, I’ve also been working, here’s my Worklog:

• Coloured MUMM-RA #4 cover

• Coloured MUMM-RA #5 cover

• Coloured THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS #4 cover

• Coloured THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS #5 cover

• Roughs/pencilled/inked DC Comics cover,

• Roughs/pencilled/inked indie cover

• Roughs/pencilled/inked/coloured THUNDERHAWKS #5 cover

• Wrote PROJECT ARCA pages

• Wrote THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS #3 script

A friend sent me this last week…

Look at the head of hair on me. I must have been around 14 at the time? If I remember right I got through to the Community Games Art Final at the Mosney camp [was a BIG deal at the time].

I didn’t win the final but I was able to see the Star Trek Experience exhibition there, so I was very happy. The exhibition had props and costumes from the films and shows [which I think I was a lot more invested in anyway].

If only that kid could see me now… he’s say: “Who is that weird man?” And then, he’d think that I’ve the coolest job in the world, and he’d be right.

-He certainly couldn’t have imagined he’d actually be getting to do what I’m doing today, working on a DC Comics cover. Can’t say what it is, but here’s a peek at the original art, I’m colouring it today.

-In other news, Bad Idea are doing a fifth printing of ORDAINED #1 using a recoloured version of my variant cover, out May 6th.

-I haven’t seen it online yet, but here’s y variant cover for PREDATOR: BLOODSHED #4, out May 20th. Pal Ruairí Coleman is the artist on this book so I was happy to take this on, though mainly for the pleasure of drawing the big ugly mug of a Predator.

-I’m making good progress on scripts and my cover slate has eased off a bit which is all good timing considering I’ve been packing and moving. I need to write my short for NEGATIVE BURN soon too. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll have cleared a lot off my plate before getting started on PROJECT LAZARUS at the end of May.

-PROJECT ARCA is moving along, I have more pages for the artist and one of my favourite colourists ever has joined us! God, I want to say who, but can’t. Have brought an editor on board too. Exciting to see things come togethter properly.

-The artist of PROJECT SILENCE has handed in some fantastic character designs. I’ve handed in roughs for the first cover, waiting to see what the licensor thinks.

-I’ll be at Zagreb Comic Con this weekend! I don’t think I’ll be bringing too much, maybe some prints and comic packs. I’ve never been before, so don’t really know what to expect.

In the previous Declarations [#194], I spoke with TIME BEFORE TIME co-creator Rory McConville. This time, we’re talking to the other co-creator of that series Joe Palmer about his new series DESTINATION KILL, coming from Oni Press next month. Joe is such an original artist with a unique voice, I’m so delighted to see him do this project as a writer/artist and develop his work even further.

DEC: Joe, we worked together closely for a year or so on TIME BEFORE TIME, with you ultimately deciding to leave the book to pursue your own work that became this new series DESTINATION KILL. Since starting that process of a solo book, what have you learned from it?

JOE:On the one hand, I was really ready to do my own thing, but I also had no idea about how it would feel to put in that amount of work into a project. And there were more than a few times during the making of this book when I was nostalgic for the relative simplicity of being given a complete script by you and Rory! Writing was really hard to begin with. It makes sense as it’s the area I had the least experience in, but learning what worked for me was a bumpy ride!

DEC: What made DESTINATION KILL the idea that you wanted to commit yourself to?

JOE: I guess I would say that in hindsight it was really just a vehicle for me to try out a lot of different stuff. I knew I wanted to do more sci-fi, as I love the flexibility with reality that it affords, and I wanted to get better at drawing action.

Story-wise, it was the weaving together a lot of different story ideas that I’d had in my head for years. I’d had this idea of a transatlantic train and gangs of builders in a futuristic London a long time ago, and gradually all of these other elements I had started working together when I sat down and tried to work out a plot.

DEC: When I first saw your work, I instantly loved it. I thought you had a very defined voice. I definitely noticed a shift in that voice with the second volume. When we wrapped the series however, you generously came back to draw the final issue and by then your work had changed dramatically, clearly from working on DESTINATION KILL. Has that shift been a gradual one, or something that’s evolved out of DESTINATION KILL specifically?

JOE: Thanks for the kind words!

When I look at my work now, all I see are my influences, so when people say things like ‘defined voice’, I can’t really see it. I really appreciate it, though, and of course it’s very flattering.

I can’t remember at what stage of making Destination Kill I was at when I came back to draw that final issue of Time Before Time, but looking at it now, it was certainly very rounded and brushy at that time, which I’ve really moved away from now. I’ve ended up going back to a more angular look, as this seems to be how I naturally draw. I just go with what feels right at the time, and I’m always trying things out, so the way my art looks tends to evolve as a result of those experiments.

DEC: What is DESTINATION KILL about?

JOE: It’s a sci-fi story set in London in 2125. The city is now privately governed, and human workers displaced by the government’s robot workforce are causing chaos on the streets.

Our lead is Gina Serene, a police officer who has pinned all of her hopes of stress relief on a trip to New York, but when things don’t go to plan she’s forced to team up with a sleazy Private Detective and together they have to uncover the truth about the human worker rebellion.

There’s a lot going on, haha.

DEC: DESTINATION KILL is a massive chunk of story, [four 48 pages issues I believe]. What made you decide to tell this story in this format.

JOE: It’s actually a bit shorter than that. The whole book is about 120 pages.

Whilst I’d always intended it to be a four-issue miniseries, my initial plan was to do four 60 page issues. What ended up happening was after I finished drawing the first 60 page issue, I realised that some of the story wasn’t working (due to me not writing a clear enough outline to work from), and that I was never going to sustain the enthusiasm required to complete a book of that length. I scrapped what I had and ruthlessly edited the whole book down by 50% or so, and I’m so glad that I did, because the story is better for it, and more importantly, it actually exists.

DEC: What are the advantages/disadvantages to doing your own work, do you think? I know you wrote/drew/coloured and lettered this entire series, and I know that is a mammoth undertaking.

JOE: There are lots of positives, but the main advantage is control over the storytelling. I really wanted to try and do it all myself, and just play with each of those components. The disadvantages are that it can be a little lonely sometimes, and also as you say, it is a ridiculous amount of work!

DEC: Having scratched the itch of writing/drawing your own series, is it something you want to do more of or do you have different plans for the future?

JOE: I’d absolutely love to continue doing my own work, but to be completely honest it’ll come down to money. I financed the production of this book myself, and I’m not sure that page rates and advances as they are can keep me afloat whilst working on another comic, so we will see. No matter what, I’ll definitely try to find space for my own work in the future, even if it has to be squeezed in around work that pays the bills. I don’t want to end this on a downer about the realities of money in comics, but it’s good to talk about it!

Thanks to everyone who has pre-ordered the book already, and thanks to you, Dec, for talking with me!

FOC date: April 20th

Release date: May 13th

THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS is out now! The first issue length [30 pages, in fact] I’ve drawn in over a year, it felt really good to illustrate a whole story again. Here’s the opening pages, with excellent colours by Igor Monti and letters by Jeff Eckleberry.

Having Jeff on board for letters was the obvious choice as he’s lettered every Thunderverse story to date, as far as I’m aware. I am shy about working with new colourists but for this series, I obviously wated someone great but could balance the fine line of being able to nail more ‘spectacular’ moments while also not going overboard all the time. I was already a fan of Igor’s but had recently seen his work on IMMORTAL BATMAN with my friend Erica D’Urso and really liked how Igor was able to balance big bold effects, but also knowing when to be more subtle …to know when to hold back. There are colourists who are very good at one but not ncessarily at the other. Igor’s great at both.

I made a point of not trying to be overbearing and note Igor to death, I know that can be very frustrating for colourists, so I did for him what I do for myself. I made a colour script of the issue from my layouts. I do this as a map for coloring my own pages, like on OLD DOG and IMMORTAL HULK: FLATLINE as a way of making storytelling choices with colour …to see the whole story and work out how I want to use colour to enhance the storytelling. Dynamite have made most of this into variant covers and I love it.

I told Igor that he didn’t have to diligently follow this colour script, I just wanted to show him what I was thinking. I was very appreciative to see that he actually stuck with my choices for the most part, while adding his own particular flair.

Again, feels good to have a whole book out, from what I can tell, readers are loving to see the two teams clash ad have has some surprises along the way. More to come!

I’m only now seeing all the covers, which include my layouts with no trade dress, my new Lion-O design and more!

Myself and THUNDERHAWKS writer Ed Brisson were both interviewed on the Near Mint Condition podcast. Was a fun one, talked all things THUNDERCATS, the new crossover, MUMM-RA and chatted about the unpublished PUNISHER miniseries Ed and I did together.

Drew has finished Issue 2 and in doing so, has reminded me yet again just how great he is.

I’ve handed in the script for Issue 3 as I move back onto MUMM-RA. Speaking of which…

MUMM-RA: THE EVER-LIVING #1 is out tomorrow as part of our THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS crossover. Artist Rapha Lobosco has done a fantastic job on this debut issue. Here’s a look at the preview pages.

Colurist Roshan Kurichiyanil re-teams with Rapha from their run on THUNDERCATS LOST but they’re both bringing a whole new feel to this book. It’s been an interesting change of pace for me writing-wise and I’ve really been enjoying it. Hope ye all check out out.

As a treat, here’s an advance look at my cover for Issue 4.

I don’t think I have previously shown this, it was my first cover for the series, more of a ‘concept’ cover that Dynamite are using as Cover J. Just wanted to point it out, for you many Mumm-Ra completists.

I’m currently working on the script for Issue 3 to have it done by the end of the week as Rapha is doing finishing touches on Issue 2.

April 15th

MUMM-RA #1 [W/VC]

April 22nd

THUNDERHAWKS #1 [VC]

May 06th

CYCLOPS #4 [VC]

ORDAINED #1 [VC]

May 13th

THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS #2 [W/C]

THUNDERCATS HC VOL 03 APEX [W/C]

May 20th

MUMM-RA: THE EVER-LIVING #2 [W/VC]

INGLORIOUS X-FORCE [VC]

PREDATOR: BLOODSHED #4 [VC]

THUNDERCATS CLASSIC YEARS COLLECTION OMNIBUS HC [C]

May 27th

THUNDERHAWKS #2 [VC]

June 6th

THUNDERCATS X SILVERHAWKS #3 [W/C]

June 17th

MUMM-RA THE EVER-LIVING #3

June 24th

THUNDERHAWKS #3 [VC]

Zagreb Comic Con, Croatia, April 17-19th

MCM London, May 22nd-24th