Kicking it With Jim Zubkavich of SkullKickers

The sleeper hit of 2010 concludes this week on comiXology with issue #6 readying for release tomorrow! In honor of this occasion series creator and writer Jim Zubkavich was nice enough to answer a few questions about the series, it’s creation and the rpg games of olden days that helped influence the awesome comic that is Skullkickers!

comiXology: Thanks for your time, Skullkickers is quite possibly one of the most exciting fantasy comics to hit stands in the past year!  What do you think of the representation of High fantasy and sword & sorcery in the sequential art medium currently?

Jim Zubkavich: Fantasy is generally underrepresented in the comic market, which always boggles my mind, but I’m hopeful that we’re heading in to a new trend of increased demand for fantasy-centric books. The genre is tailor-made for comic storytelling with big colorful visuals and imagination-laden settings.

comiXology: How did this project come about in the first place and how did you first meet your fellow creators?

JZ: Skullkickers originated as a couple short stories put together for Image’s Popgun anthology series, and they’re available for free on comiXology as Skullkickers #0. Those two self-contained short stories were about a pair of monster killers without any morals and readers responded well to them, so Erik Larsen (Image Publisher at the time) expressed interest in seeing more. It took a couple years to finally pull together the creative team and get the book organized, but I’m obviously happy now that we’re putting out regular issues.

Edwin Huang, our line artist, is a recent art school graduate who originally applied for a position at the UDON studio, where I work on video game and movie art projects, and I was impressed with the quality of his work and professionalism. The studio didn’t have a space for him at the time so I stayed in touch and gave him extra feedback on his portfolio. Soon after he and I were teaming up on Skullkickers.

Misty Coats, our colorist, came on board the team after being recommended by another illustrator I’ve worked with named Emily Warren. Misty’s sample pages were so on target and perfect for the series that they’re actually in the first printed issue practically untouched.

Marshall Dillon, our letterer, is an old friend who has lettered comics at UDON for years. His natural sense of storytelling and well thought out sound effects make the whole ting come together.

Working on a creator-owned book like this is a delight and having such professional people to collaborate with makes it even better.

comiXology: Often it seems that traditional table-top gamers and comic book fans stand at opposite ends of the same spectrum, any chance you could elaborate on the balance Skullkickers seems to so effortlessly achieve in appeasing both sides of fandom?

JZ: I think the key to Skullkickers straddling that divide is that we’re tapping in to the feeling of RPG-style adventure rather than focusing on stats and specific in-jokes. The book is purposefully inclusive and plays with bigger fantasy and action movie tropes instead of catering to gaming fans only. Readers who game will enjoy the familiar elements we poke fun at while non-gamers can just dig into a wild action-filled ride.

comiXology: The characters of Baldy and Shorty are a great fresh take on the traditional mercenary duos of old. How were these guys created?

JZ: It’s not a very dramatic origin, I’m afraid, but that’s oddly appropriate given how the characters tear holes in standard epic fantasy tales.

Chris Stevens, the original artist on the Popgun short stories wanted to draw a fantasy short story, but didn’t want it to be the typical ‘knights in shining armor’ kind of stuff. I came up with the idea of these two mercenary morons and we were off to the races.

Although they have similar violent attitudes, I wanted to make sure they otherwise contrasted each other – different sizes, voices, outfit colors, hair choices (or lack of hair)… easy to describe and easy to visually pick out on the page.

comiXology: In a standard d20 gaming system how would their stats read?

JZ: Funny you should mention that – I actually got Robin Laws, RPG designer guru, to stat up the boys as bonus material in the back of our fourth issue. They’re stated up more like a pair of monsters than heroes, which is pretty on target considering the havoc they cause.

We’ll be back with Jim later this week. Luckily we were able to score a copy of Baldy’s steller stat sheet. Check it out and go download issues #1-5 while you wait for issue #6 to drop this wednesday!

Saddle up with Cowboys and Aliens

A highly advanced alien race decides to invade a fledgling planet and conquer it’s native inhabitants. Sound familiar? It should. It seems there is no shortage of big budget blockbuster movies slated for release this summer, there’ll be more robots in disguise, more superheroes than you can shake a cape at and more than a few pirates and priests thrown in for good measure. Then there is “Cowboys and Aliens”. Excited for this one? Well you should be.

The premise is a simple one, seen a hundred times before in comics, movies, books and video games. A technologically advanced Alien society has come to earth intent on conquering it, leaving the fledging human race to fend off an invasion of galactic proportions or face utter extinction. It is the stuff that hollywood blockbusters are made of.

Only in ” Cowboys and Aliens” we see something different. Sure on the macrocosmic level it’s all there, Spaceships, battles, brutal alien invaders, and high octane excitement. Yet when you take a step back and examine this great graphic novel under the light of the microcosm, you get a story similar in themes as the above one only far more real. Set among the back drop of the old west this tall tale begins not with laser battles among the stars but instead with the all too real threat of european settlers out the stake their claim against native americans.

Last summer saw another western comic book hit the silver screen only to be quickly disavowed by fans despite the credibility of the source material. In fact while western comics in general have seen a rise in quality over the past few years with titles like High Moon and Scalped gaining both critical and fan acclaim, the western genre in film is only just beginning to get back on track thanks to a more realistic approach. So how will “Cowboys and Aliens” compare?  That’s still anyones guess one thing’s for certain though it does make for a pretty rad comic!

Here we get a cast of characters plucked straight from the dime novels of old. Two rough and tumble bodyguards intent on making their mark the only way the know how. A wayward holy man seeking to lead his people to paradise and of course a silver tongued con-man eager to make his fortune by any means necessary. Paired with a warrior tribe of apache indians intent on protecting what is theirs by rights the story opens with a bang! and then the aliens show up.

The classic invader theme is uniquely examined in the book’s prologue. However as the story progress under the masterful eyes of writers Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley the book becomes an entertainingly fresh romp through a genre that can often feel as dusty as a tumbleweed. “Cowboys and Aliens” offers excitement, history and shot of rye whiskey to top it all off.

As more and more movie studios look to comic books for inspiration, more and more film people seem to be trying to their hand at comics. Wither this a good thing or not remains to seen, but if it’s books like “Cowboys and Aliens” leading the way then all we can do is saddle up and prepare for take off!

Who are The Warriors of Jarvath? Part Two

Now that Nate Simpson’s groundbreaking comic Nonplayer is officially available on comixology, we’re bringing you part two of our exclusive interview with the man behind the magic. This time we talk, comics, video games, the future, and even video games of the future! Check it out below along with part one a little further down this page:

comiXology: So as a game designer could you explain a little more about how the game “Warriors of Jarvath” works? How different is it from the MMO’s of our time?

Nate Simpson: I get into this much more in the second issue, but the key difference is that the non-player characters are unique and mortal. No two players ever have the same experience, and if an NPC dies, he’s dead forever. It isn’t an on-rails quest structure, like you find in WoW. Instead, there’s a much more generative experience — player actions have lasting effects on the way the world of Jarvath develops.

comiXology: Just for fun could you give us your top three favorite fantasy video games?

NS: If you’ll allow me to stretch the traditional definition of “fantasy,” I’ll say Katamari Damacy, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus. That’s in no particular order.

comiXology: What about Sci-fi adventure games?

NS: Half-Life 2 and Portal are easily my favorites. As for the third… can I just say Katamari Damacy again? It’s got space shuttles in it. That makes it sci-fi, right?

comiXology: Now that the first issue is available to readers everywhere, what are you hoping fans will take away from the story?

NS: The key goal for issue one was to show Dana’s dual existence, and how her personality changed in different contexts. I also needed to push over the first plot domino by taking Queen Fendra away from Heremoth — that’s the event that propels the rest of the story. And behind all that, I wanted to reveal as much as I could about the setting and backstory without resorting to expository dialogue. Hopefully the takeaway is that Dana’s interests, problems, and flaws are not all that different from ours, and that there are some things going on around her that will challenge her world-view and her sense of herself.

comiXology: What are your plans for the series overall? got anything you can tease us with?

NS: Hm. All I can say is that the central premise of the story has yet to be shown, though there are hints in the first issue that I have not yet heard discussed online. It’s been tough to talk about Nonplayer’s plot in public, because the core of my original elevator pitch hasn’t been revealed yet. It’ll be interesting to see how people react to the second and third issues.

comiXology: What’s it like seeing your work on comiXology? and for that matter what are your thoughts on digital distributions so far?

NS: This is huge for me. Frankly, I feel like I came to comics at the last possible moment to see my work in print. It’s great to have something physical to flip through, but I’m also very excited about the democratization, decentralization, and format flexibility that’s coming with the movement of comics into iTunes territory. And with the advent of tablets, we’ve now got the comics equivalent of the iPod, as well. As soon as digital displays cross the 300dpi threshold, I’m going all-in. I fully expect the primary thrust of my next series to be digital, with physical copies becoming the comics equivalent of LPs. For readers who are comfortable with owning ones and zeroes, the digital version should be perfect, and that will allow us to focus on a nicer presentation for the physical version — perhaps in a European format, with larger pages and hardback covers. It’s a very exciting time to be making comics, and you guys are a big part of that!

Nate Simpson’s Nonplayer #1 is available for download on the Image app, Comics app, our web store and on Android. Be sure not to miss this incredible debut from one of the best new creator’s of 2011 and don’t forget to bookmark the blog at comiXology for all the latest in exclusive creator interviews and digital comics news!

Michael Mayne Walks The Plank Part Two

Today is the day folks. Not only are we bringing you the latest and largest collection of digital comics around, we’ve also got the fourth issue of Michael Mayne and Tyler Fluharty’s action packed sea fearing riot Bonnie Lass! Yesterday we began a two part series interviewing Michael the series creator and artist. Today we’ve got part two just in time for the new release. Check it out below:

comiXology: If you got the chance to sail a tall ship across the seven seas today where would you go and what would you do?

Michael Mayne: I’d go to where it’s warm. The rest would just be cake from there…! Also, I’d buy a lot of food. Because I figure if I’ve got the resources to get me a ship and the time off to sail it, I’m doing pretty well. And Coffee Cake sounds really friggin’ good right now.

comiXology: As an illustrator can you name some of your influences?

MM: So many. Mucha, Da Vinci, Rockwell. Jim Lee was probably my first comic book influence. I was trying to emulate his characters’ facial structures back in elementary school.

Pretty much, if you ever had a major hand in some incarnation of Spiderman, you’ve secured a place on this hollowed list. I learn from so many great artists, it’s hard to pin it down to just a few. And I’m always finding new influences every day.

Adam Hughes, Joe Madureira, Sean Galloway, Thomas Perkins, Jeffery ‘Chamba’ Cruz, Nate Simpson (who if you haven’t heard of yet you need to keep an eye out for his upcoming series Nonplayer—truly amazing!) I could prattle on and on. I see so much wonderful art every day, it’s hard to just boil my influences down to these few names! If I’ve seen it, it’s influenced me somehow.

Also, music. Just whatever music I’m listening to at the time has its own peculiar influences on my art. For example, the last, action-packed leg of ‘Bonnie Lass: The Legend’ was fueled by a few days of listening to nothing but the score from ‘The Land Before Time.’ Oddly, the melancholy melody primed me for drawing lots of kinetic energy. Go figure.

comiXology: What about as a writer?

MM: Most of my writing influences I would say are screenwriters—Harold Ramis, Robert Zemekis, The Cohen Brothers, Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio—the kind of guys that write really fun yet well-told stories. Most any writing I do is structured after movie plot progression—translates well into comics, I think; but I can’t write prose for spit. Brian Clevinger writes the exact kind of dialog I love to read. It’s always clever. Each character has their own voice. And it always serves to drive the overall story. Mark Crilley is another comics auteur I respect. He’s got some high-quality series out there. Fun, easy reads, but he’s also his own illustrator, so they’re nice to look at too! Anybody that can write heart into stories where it would otherwise seem impossible to do so is tops, in my book!

comiXology: With all sorts of High Sea’s adventures under way what’s next for both Bonnie and you guys? Got any upcoming projects you could tell us about?

MM: Nothing solid is set in stone with Bonnie beyond her initial arc, but I myself have plenty of ideas. I’ve been wanting to write a new script for just-in-casies, but I’ve been a bit busy lately. I’ll just say that plenty of new plots and characters can arise out of the endgame events of this initial arc, but Bonnie and her crew are easily adapted to practically any kind of scenario, so there’s quite a bit swimming around in my head, waiting for the opportunity to hit the pages!

In the meantime, Tyler and I are both taking on other freelance gigs. Mine are mostly comics-related; Tyler’s working more with video games, currently with the studio Black Ops Entertainment.

I’m currently working on a mini-series/OGN called ‘Massively Effective.’ The creators have a publisher interested, but we can’t say anything else on that for now. I’m providing the layouts and inks on that one. Search for it on Facebook for now, as there are already some early previews of it on the page! I’m also set to get started on some other projects, but I can’t disclose any details yet, so click on over to michaelmayne.com to keep up!

Michael Mayne Walks The Plank with Bonnie Lass

Avast ye Salty Sea Dogs! Prepare to set sail with Bonnie Lass #4 this week with an exclusive interview with series creator  Michael Mayne. Taking a break from a daily routine of swashbuckling and yarn spinning Michael was kind enough to set the record straight on Bonnie, her pirate crew and the story behind their adventures in this brand new series from Red 5 comics. The first three issues are available for download check out our interview with Michael and keep a sharp eye on the horizon for the next installment of Bonnie Lass:

comiXology: First off, What can readers expect from Bonnie Lass? at first glance it seems like a standard High Sea’s adventure, but really goes much deeper. What is the comic about?

Michael Mayne: The comic itself borrows a lot of surface aesthetics from various source genres. Obviously you’ll get your classic, swashbuckling pirates on rickety ships, but since the setting is a completely fictional world, we’ve thrown in some cowboys, automobiles, and futuristic submarines, just to name a few of the quirks.

Bonnie is an aspiring treasure hunter, currently making by with a life of piracy in search of the opportunity to best her father, the infamous pirate Cutlass. She’s been given the chance to find the one treasure he apparently gave up on, and if she can claim it for herself then she’ll be well on her way to making her own name.

comiXology: Bonnie herself sounds like a bit of departure from a typical pirate, what inspired her creation?

MM: Apparently I’d been toying with the idea of a rowdy pirate gal since around 2004, just in sporadic doodles strewn throughout various sketchbooks over the years. It wasn’t until Tyler and I were trying to come up with a premise to collaborate on in late 2008 that I gave any real thought to developing her.

She started off (after getting the idea to develop her for the comic) as a tongue-in-cheek homage to the typical ‘hot action girls’ of comics, but I like to think that we were able to deliberately create a much more believable, more endearing character than that. She’s intimidating, in more ways than one, but she’s also the kind of person you’d enjoy clinking beer mugs with at a bar!

She’s fun, inspiring and at times someone with whom you can empathize. She has her flaws, many of which she’s yet to realize herself, and part of what I wanted to do when initially fleshing her out was give her plenty of room to grow. I prefer character-driven stories over plot-driven ones, so that definitely had an influence on how the character of Bonnie came to be.

comiXology: How did the project come together for you are your partner Tyler Fluharty?

MM: Tyler and I graduated college in 2008, both with BFAs. We were given an early push to collaborate on a comic together, and in trying to come up with a premise I dug up an old character I’d yet to develop: not quite the Bonnie we have today, but pretty close in look and personality. As a matter of fact I recently found a sketch from as far back as 2004 that was essentially an even earlier precursor to the character! She sure was on the backburner for a while!

Anyway, long story short: the original (small) publication plan fell through, but since we’d started, Tyler and I decided to continue working on the comic. Once the first issue was “finished” it went through a number of revisions as it kept getting turned down or ignored. After a major reboot art-wise, some notable story and script-tweaking, and two more chapters fully produced, Red 5 Comics got a look at it and their extremely positive (and fast) response was quite exciting, to say the least!

comiXology: Any chance you could shed some light on the collaborative process the two of you work with?

MM: Since we weren’t in the same town anymore right after college but wanted a more traditional, organic story-writing process, we got together over a few weekends and hammered out plot ideas and basic character developments until we had a working script. It was enough to work from, but as the production went on I had another run at the script to really clean up the pacing and dialog. Most of the finer details we just wound up working out over IMs or emails.

What most people don’t know yet is that the very first “edition” of issue one featured artwork from both Tyler and myself. He did the backgrounds; I did the character art. Who knows if we’ll ever share that with the general public but there’s always the possibility of some kind of crazy compendium or something! Haha! But after the first, more slapstick look failed to impress many prospective publishers (in hindsight, it’s a little more understandable why), the production workload changed and I took over all the art duties, giving the comic its current look.

I took the notes we’d cobbled together while writing the first script and just turned the plot points for the remainder of the arc into three more workable scripts, concise enough to give me the art direction I needed, and simple enough so as not to dictate the visuals panel by panel before I got a chance to doodle them.

comiXology: What are some of the other projects you’ve worked on in the past, and where can folks go to check them out?

MM: I’m definitely still new to professional comicking. ‘Bonnie Lass’ is not only my first creator-owned comic, it is literally my first completed comic work intended for publication.

That said, during the time Bonnie Lass was in production and since it’s been picked up, I’ve had some other work.

I did the artwork for a 32-page one-shot from Bluewater Productions, ‘VSS vs. Gearz.’ It was a fun project in which I was given a lot of artistic freedom. Put that on your radar if you missed out on it in February!

Besides a few pinups here and there, that’s about it as far as already-published comics work from me.

Before comics I illustrated about twenty-some books, mostly kids’ books, but a few novel covers as well. All vanity press, small-print-run type stuff, but it’s out there, most likely on Amazon, if you just search for my name as an illustrator.

comiXology: Speaking of the past…got any favorite pirates from the days yore?

MM: John Silver. Guybrush Threepwood?

Oh. Real pirates? Not particularly. Real, historical pirates are a bit too unscrupulous for me to admire, however swashbuckly they may have been. I’ll stick to romanticized pirates!

Be Sure to Check out Bonnie Lass #1-3 on comiXology and in print while you wait for issue #4 to drop this Wednesday. We’ll be checking back in with Micheal a little later this week so stay tuned for further updates and news right here on the comiXology blog!

Kevin Colden Rules the Night: Part One of a Two Part Interview!

An award winning veteran of the Act-i-vate, Chemistry Set and Zuda web comic collectives Kevin Colden has established himself as a Cartoonist of the highest order and a master story teller. His work is compelling and sometimes controversial with books like Fishtown and I Rule the Night challenging readers to take a look at the darker side of comic books. With an all new book from Vertigo hitting stores this spring Kevin took a quick break from his busy schedule as a rocker, writer, artist and now full-time father, and was nice enough to answer a few questions about his work and life:

comiXology: First off congratulations on the recent addition to your family, you’ve built up a reputation for delivering comics with quite a mature edge to them. Has becoming a father given you a new perspective on your work?

Kevin Colden: Thanks! I don’t think fatherhood has really affected my work much, other than having to learn how to draw with an infant in my lap. No matter how heavy the themes or disturbing the images are in my work, I always try to present some kind of moral context. Though the story I wrote and drew for Strange Adventures (The first thing I did after my son was born) has a lot of familial imagery. But I’m not going to writing and drawing about fluffy bunnies any time soon, unless they’re morally ambiguous bunnies with damaged psyches.

comiXology: Your Zuda hit I Rule the Night is a comic that at first glance may appear to be standard superhero fare. However as readers dig a little deeper it quickly becomes apparent that the story is anything but, care to elaborate on how I Rule the Night came into existence?

Kevin: I had done a strip called Strangle/Switch that was in an early Zuda competition, and was invited to sign at the Zuda table at NYCC that year. While I was sitting at the table, I came up with the idea of doing some kind of superhero-themed strip, and had always been a fan of Rick Veitch’s masterpiece BratPack. So I took the basic idea of abused sidekicks and pushed it into a much more real-world setting. In a lot of ways, I tried to make the ultimate modern myth, and the three parts each focus on one of the three basic storytelling conflicts, among other things. It ends up being a story about growing up and finding one’s place in the world, which I guess was me working out some issues at the time.

comiXology: Looking back now several moths after it disbanded, do you have any thoughts on Zuda experience  and your place in it?

Kevin: It’s hard to say. I got a lot of support from the editorial staff, and always felt like my strip was one of the major strips, but due to various reason it ended up on two extended hiatuses during the run of the website and is now awaiting the release of the majority of the story through the DC App. All of the decisions leading to the hiatuses were made to preserve the integrity of the story  (and I am responsible for at least a few of those decisions)  but I never anticipated that it would have gone on this long for a digital book. So I’ll either be the greatest success or the greatest tragedy of Zuda, and only time will tell.

comiXology: I Rule the Night has received acclaim from both peers and critics but would you consider it your masterpiece or are there plans for something bigger at some point down the road?

Kevin: I’m not sure it’s up to me. I haven’t stopped improving as far as I know, but the general populace tends to remember your most popular work, not necessarily your best work. So it may be this, it may be Fishtown, or it may be something else. Probably whatever they make a movie of. I haven’t started a new book yet, because I’m working on a screenplay right now in between drawing projects. But likely before the end of the year we’ll see something.

We’ll be back with more from Kevin later this week. In the meantime check out his Cartoonist at Large website and  get caught up on I Rule the Night plus a ton of other great digital comics from Zuda and the other amazing publishers in our Web store and comics app.

An Interview With Molly Crabapple: Part One

Whether creating killer comics like Scarlett Takes Manhattan, modeling for fellow artist’s or meticulous researching the palace of Versailles for DC’s The Puppet Makers Molly Crabapple has a style that is all her own. One of the masterminds behind the coveted Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School her work has hung in art galleries across the world while also appearing in everything form The Wall Journal to Mainstream Marvel and DC comics. Dubbed “A Downtown Phenomenon” by the New York Times Ms.Crabapple was nice enough to answer a few questions about her travels, her art and her life general in a two part interview series exclusively with comiXology. Check out part one below:

comiXology: First off, What is the origin of Dr. Sketchy’s and in what ways has it grown over the years?

Molly Crabapple: During college, I studied art and worked as an artist’s model.  The classes, while educational, didn’t live up to the absinthe and Kiki de Montparnasse fantasy I had.  I started Dr. Sketchy’s to create an art class that jived with my fantasies. Since we started it in a dive bar in Brooklyn five years ago, we’ve exploded to over a hundred cities across the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.  We’ve done flash mobs in Times Square, thrown events in the Museum of Modern Art, and, today, Roger Ebert said we were ”inspired” on facebook.  Roger friggin Ebert!

comiXology: Any memorable sessions that stick out over the five year’s you’ve been running it?

Molly: We’ve had so many sessions that, after them, we’ve screamed “Best session ever!”  A few of my favorites are our Hunter S Thompson tribute, with bats hanging from the ceiling, our five year anniversary party, where we had all the Apocalypse’s (the rapture and nuclear bombs and Kali Ma and tank girl and zombies) happening at once in our favorite speakeasy, our Sandman Sketchy’s where Death, Delirium and Desire were so friggin’ embodying their characters I have to say though, that our last Dr. Sketchy’s, which was a tribute to Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s Transmetropolitan, will live on in glory because of the prop making genius of our creative coordinator Melissa Dowell, who stayed up late into the night constructing bowel disruptors and two headed cats, our makeup artist Jess Versus, who recreated all of Spider’s tattoos, and because of our models, , Jiz Lee and Ryan Keely, who sneered, smoked, shot and flipped the bird through three epic hours of art rockstarness.  Guys, I salute you.

comiXology: As the one of the head’s of Dr. Sketchy’s anti-art school you’ve gotten to travel all over the world, folks can read about your past adventures on the travel blog on mollycrabapple.com, but are there any trips your looking forward to in the near future?

Molly: The next three months are proper insanity- I’m speaking at SXSW in Austin, and then Stumptown in Portland is bringing me out as a guest. But I’m really looking forward to tagging along with Fred to Istanbul in May, where he’s a guest at the Turkish Humor Festival, and I will lounge around eating loukham and going to hammams. I haven’t been to Turkey in almost 10 years, and it was one of my favorite countries to visit in the world.

comiXology: On the subject of Puppet Makers how did the project come about?

Molly: Me and John were totally into steampunk before it was cool!  In college, we really liked the idea of using anachronistic technology to explore how fucked up a society could be. We were reading alot about Versailles, and I started thinking that, were their robots in the court of Louis XIV, aristocrats would totally use them to fulfill inane court rituals. The  historical moment that inspired it all was when a royal mistress, of middle class origin, fainted after performing her twenty five deep curtsy for the queen mother. Court protocol was too much for human bodies. Also, ruffles.  I like to draw ruffles.

comiXology: Now, Puppet Makers was one of the first comics to come about after some Major changes on DC’s Zuda comics Imprint. Any chance you could shed some light on that process?

Molly: Me and John are way more in each other’s business than the typical artist/writer team is.  We create the plot together, I make suggestions on John’s scripts, John thumbnails our comics, and draw hundreds and hundreds of lilies.  Then I gild them.  The Puppet Makers also necessitated an insane amount of historical research. John even made the trip to Versailles.

A Day at Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School!

Photos curtoesy of Kate Black and Justin Lussier

On any other day of the week The Bowery Poetry Club plays host to a slew of great open mic nights and poetry slam sessions. However every other Sunday the performance space behind the tall red and black curtain is transformed into a realm of renegade illustrators and alternative art models, courtesy of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-art school.  Serving up a fine afternoon of drawing, drinking and a whole lot of laissez faire creativity.

Founded in 2005 Dr. Sketchy’s has become a staple in the alternative drawing world and a sort of second home for many an indie comics superstar with it’s branches scattered across the globe.  This past Sunday featured a tribute to Warren Ellis’ and Darick Robertson’s grim and gritty masterwork Transmetropolitan with renowned Adult Performer’s Jizz Lee and Ryan Keely giving life to the iconic comic characters Spider Jerusalem and his “filthy assistant” posing for small intervals of time while working their way toward a series of full on twenty minute sittings.

The afternoon proved entertaining with contests and surprises for a packed house of illustrators, photographers and fans of good times and great art. Topping the afternoon off was a massive twitter bomb to the King of Gonzo Comics himself, Warren Ellis, who recently celebrated a birthday!  A select few of the attendants will actually have their art featured in the upcoming Transmet art book with proceeds going to both The Comic Book legal defense fund and The Hero initiative. Proving that while the now classic Vertigo series concluded way back in 2002 the legacy of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s work is just a influneiual now as it was back when the series debuted in 1997.

Past events at the NYC branch of Dr. Sketchy’s have featured tributes to the X-Men, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and a plethora of other great creators and works, with new themes being announced all the time. It’s no secret the Masterminds behind Dr. Sketchy’s  are none other than Molly Crabapple and John Leavitt, whose latest chapter in their Zuda hit Puppet Makers just came out last week.

Dr. Sketchy’s is a leader in the alternative drawing movement for more information on their sessions and branch locations check out their website. For more on Puppets Makers check back right here later this week! and as always  for all the great comics from DC and other publishers check out our Web Store and comics app.

So Say We All: Free Comics for the week of February 23

Dynamite Entertainment’s comic foray into the world of Battlestar Galactica debuts on comiXology this week with an explosive untold tales series filling in the gap between the seasons of the popular television show. Old School Cylon Warriors return under the masterful eye of superstar comic scribe Greg Pak. Who in a rare outing from his work on Marvel hits like Planet Hulk and Chaos War delivers a stellar story accompanied by the art of Nigel Raynor, Michael Tuner and Steve McNiven.

Fans of original television show, the critically acclaimed Syfy re-boot and even the more recent Caprica spin-off will enjoy these first three issues introducing characters not seen since the first Syfy mini series. Read issue #0 for FREE then be sure to check out the rest of what’s been released from Volume #1 so far. With a few ”Dynamite cliffhangers” and some great pin-up cover art this is a series BSG fans won’t want to miss.

Taking a break from the Zombie fueled adrenaline pumping thriller The Walking Dead. This week Robert Kirkman amps up the world of paleolithic crime-fighting with an exclusive FREE sneak preview of Super Dinosaur #1 his new all-ages title from his signature sky bound imprint. Once again teaming up with Jason Howard Super Dinosaur looks to be one of the great off-beat hits of 2011 issue #1 is slated to debut on April 20th, but we’ve got a free 12 page preview available right now!

Also rounding out this week for FREE COMICS comes the classic first issue of the Vertigo comics series Unknown Solider. A special 20 page preview of Arcana’s new Paradox series as well as the debut issue of the all-new creator owned series form the guys at South Fellini. Check out D.O.G.S. of Mars it will knock your socks off right alongside all the rest of the great comics coming out this week!

A Curtain Call For Comic Books

Despite technical woes, legal disputes, and more bad press than even the Daily Bugle would care to print, the Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark continues to swing onward towards becoming one of the biggest musicals in history! It’s officially scheduled to open next month after over a year of false starts and while many have claimed the production seems doomed to fail, it is still anyone’s guess as to whether or not the web-slinger will hit the jackpot with theater goers.

One of the projects biggest hurdles has been it’s production. With a budget busting $65 million expense spread out across it’s massive cast, crew and elaborate effects and set design critics have argued that comics and superhero’s have no place among chorus lines and cat walks. True the high flying antics of many a spandex clad super-hero may not be the most practical choice for a Broadway musical, however that doesn’t mean the medium is without dramatic merits. Check out the list below for some awesome comics worthy of the spotlight but won’t break the bank in the process.

1. Little Nemo in Slumberland: Forget Little Orphan Annie, this classic Winsor McCay strip has the making’s of a sleeper hit. Worth it almost for The Marquee art alone this comic from the early 1900′s serves as a charming reminder of the magic of childhood and the dreams that go along with it. With the right set design and a proper score McCay’s timeless tale could speak to a whole new audience of all ages eager to dream once again on the great white way.

2. Jenny Finn Doom Messiah: Imagine if Oliver twist had been adapted for the stage buy H.P. Lovecraft.  Forget happy go lucky Street Urchins and get ready for a macabre mystery of the highest order. Seeing Mignola’s art translated to a stage production would be spectacular, and just imagine the stage directions “Exit pursued by an enormous tentacle monster” that’s just theater magic waiting to happen.

3. Pinocchio Vampire Slayer: Traditional Puppet Theater pre-dates the modern musical by several hundred years, and while current Off-Broadway hits like Avenue Q have reinvigorated the genre for a new generation, the most famous marionette of all time could use a bit of a re-boot. The SLG graphic novel would provide the perfect source material for an action packed take, savvy among the disturbing trend of vampirism fanatics on the up-swing of late. check it out today!

4. Tom Strong: A role tailor made for a true leading man of Broadway and with the success of Moore’s other work across different mediums Tom Strong seems a likely choice for the next disowned adaption. Tom ,Tesla and The Modular Man!  A homage to the science hero’s of pulp and dime novel’s past would work well in an industry known for revivals.

5. Archie: Speaking of revivals, a lot has been going down in Riverdale lately, a wedding, a funeral and the arrival of a brand new character helped finally bring this classic title up to speed with the rest of the industry. Sure Archie and the gang have have had their share of Musical endeavors in the past, but why not go out on a limb and do something a little different? maybe exam the genre mainstay in a darker light? or perhaps give it the Mel Brooks treatment?

6. Batman/Superman: Without a doubt DC will likely cook up something cool to stake their claim in the theatrical world (although it should be noted there was in fact a short lived superman musical in the sixties, seriously!) but rather than rely on over-top stunts and an expense score, why not go in the direction least expected. Opera. Think Gotham City Soprano’s mixed with a fresh take on the Kryptonian Space Opera!

7.  Hawkeye & Mocking Bird: What’s not to love about the drama of star-crossed lovers unfolding before a live audience? The comic event that brought Marvel’s unlikely pair of Love birds back into lives of mainstream readership seems to operate on an almost shakepearean level. For comic relief just add Deadpool after all who needs aerial acrobatics when you can break the fourth wall and go “meta” with a little gunplay?

Of course these are just simple ideas offered up in the wake of the media frenzy that is Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark. As of this posting it’s scheduled to open on March 15th 2011 fans of live theater, comics and U2 should check it out. In the meantime however, check out the awesome comics hitting the app this week and while your at it why not tell us which one’s you’d love to see get the ol’ razzle dazzle treatment?