Happy Halloween...

MCM: After the Con Rush

I had a table in the Comic Village section of MCM London Comic-Con at the weekend, this is the fourth time I've had a table at MCM and still getting used to taking in the tidal wave of teenage manga cos-play passions on display.

This time around I got a roller banner up to help synchronise the somewhat shambolic brand that is Alfie Gallagher. Creator not present in shot.

 

I had a few new prints available, these along with other original work and prints are now available over at my Etsy shop.

 

 

Here's a selection of sketches and pieces I created there and then over the weekend...

 

 

 

 

Also, finally sold out of my print run of first issue of Charlatan Tales. I really tested the long tail theory to breaking point on that one.

 

As well as having the opportunity to meet and re-meet a lot of good people, I picked up a few bits and pieces. Got my first volume of recently read favourite 'The Bulletproof Coffin' signed by David Hine and got to pick up the second volume 'The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred' for a guilt-inducing steal. Also, finally got round to picking up 'Winter's Knight: Day One' by Robert Ball. It's as much a testament to great design as it is to great drawing and storytelling. The playful abstraction in the images really helps the flow and segue between dream and reality, past and present. There's a real sense of creeping dread built up and sustained throughout. Inspiring stuff! 

Yay!

One third 'The Iron Giant' + one third 'Calvin and Hobbes' + one third 'Pacific Rim' = Yay!

 

Rough beginnings...

Ladies & Gentlemen Anthology

Over the summer I wrote and drew this following two-pager for inclusion in the upcoming third anthology-style issue of 'Ladies & Gentlemen' from Water Closet Press.

Richard Worth and Jordan Collver are creating fun Victorian-set ripping yarns and monster mash hi-jinx so far in the first two issues of 'Ladies & Gentlemen'. I really like the art style of Jordan Collver, check out the teams recent work, 'Weird Planet', for some really fluid drawing and dynamic page layouts.

There was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing tweaking (twerking?) the dialogue but all for the greater good.

 

 

The unlettered final pages can be viewed over at my main portfolio site.

 

Below are the initial greyscale ink pages. I attempted adding an ink wash to bring some old timey noise and dirt to the pages. Although the washes seemed heavy enough when initially applied, they dried in lighter than I would have wanted. 

 

The anthology edition will contain multiple story and pin-up contributions from numerous creatives so looking forward to seeing how others filtered the material and world of 'Ladies & Gentlemen'.

 

The Water Closet Press team will be releasing the anthology at Thought Bubble convention in November.

Agent Stardust

 

 

 

 

These are the original pencils I worked up from:

 

 

I'll have a print of this available at MCM London Comic-Con on the weekend of 25th-27th October.

 

Inklings

A fun little banner I created for my brother Feargals' musings and posts over at his own section on the Captain Comics website...

The Cosmic Plectrum - Pencils

The next issue of 'Charlatan Tales' is going to include a single self-contained story.

I've finished 28 pages of pencils, it'll contain my sporadically popping up shaggy dog of a character 'Spaceman'.

In my mind initially, the story was to be a daft bit of good-hearted fun which collided Steranko's Nick Fury material with Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Bros. work, though most likely it'll be lacking the dynamism and verve of Steranko and the warmth and satire of Shelton.

Below is the first six pages of pencils:

 

Nest step, jumping in with the inking and doing the pages in full colour...