Dreambird

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I woke up on a Saturday morning a few months back and with a sleep-wrapped head still somehow had the presence of mind to take a free idea when the universe threw it my way. Lumbering to my desk with no coffee I was able to sketch out the creature you see before you. I remember being in the woods, the ground looking moist yet dusted with a small amount of snow, and looking down to my left side. There it was. Then I awoke...

A Punishing Drawing (By Travis Charest)

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Here's my drawing of Frank Castle circa Summer 2007 and my first foray into Garth Ennis's "Punisher MAX" run. I'd recommend the premier volume and any of the arcs illustrated by Leandro Fernandez who has really come into his own since "Queen & Country" (his inks have especially excelled).

Anyway, I used a Travis Charest drawing of Grifter (Cole Cash) from "Wildcats : Volume 2" as a reference for The Punisher. I just wanted the basic body layout. I thought I'd beef up the character, lengthen the hair, and exaggerate the size of the guns. This would easily make the composition my own. And I think I did succeed in that...




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But imagine how surprised I was when I saw this commission by Travis Charest. I guess we both have the same idea of how this character should look...




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Skrulls!!!

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With "Secret Invasion" burning up the monthly sales charts I think it's fair to say those shape-shifting troublemakers The Skrulls have now graduated to the supervillain A list, at least in the Marvel U. Now I didn't see this coming in the slightest up until "New Avengers" #31 put it in everyone's faces. See, Bendis has this tendency to ground his superhero stories in reality and not get too cosmic. That's why I'm surprised he's handled the first 2 issues so gracefully. Gone is all of the cheap death and overly explanatory dialog of "House of M" (which was his and Marvel's first attempt at a huge summer blockbuster in comics form with no pressure to sell anything but the singles and the trades as opposed to backing a toyline). "Secret Invasion" has plenty of threads as did "M", but there are no lulls this time around. Nothing is disjointed and you're foaming at the mouth for those globe-spanning (okay, universe-spanning) scene transitions to see what else there is to know. Bendis has taken everything there was to learn from the pitfalls and successes of "M" and "Civil War" and has created a story that so far looks like it could truly change the entire landscape of the Marvel U that us 21st century readers have come to know. All this could be true, but there's also part of me that thinks maybe I'm nothing more than a victim of this direct market "go-for-broke-with-the-fans-we have" mentality that's been ruling the big 2's superhero houses a for the last few years... Well, I guess it's better than foil covers no matter what the truth is... Anyway, here's a Black & White and Color version of a Skull explosion and the bar coaster sketch that inspired it...




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Oh, and here's series artist Leinil Yu one-upping me without even knowing it on the final page of issue #2!




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My First Post (Archery Superheroes)

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Who is the supreme archery superhero???
There are a lot of variables to weigh when one thinks this over... Green Arrow has longevity and prominence in the DC universe, 3-5 notable runs (Denny O'Neil & Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Kevin Smith, Brad Metzler, and Judd Winick), and a slick modern origin tale by Diggle and Jock. But then there's Hawkeye, with resilience, albeit after a cheap Bendis death in "House Of M" and a heap of current intrigue ("Secret Invasion" is worth its $3.99 cover price) As well as those assets he was also basically Cap's sidekick until Bucky was finally resurrected in a tasteful manner... Hmmmm... Who knows which archer reigns supreme, especially when Hawkeye is hampered by factors like Ultimate Hawkeye (only the Millar & Hitch incarnation) being his superior in every way and Allan Heinberg insisting on subjecting comic fans to his "Young Avengers" (Yeah, I don't read it either, but it 's not going away)... So anyway, I drew this with some superhero archers in mind. Oh, "American Water" by The Silver Jews is easily the best full album I've heard since Les Savy Fav's "Let's Stay Friends". Stephen Malkmus is on it if that makes a difference...