Tuesday, February 22, 2011

FLIGHT, DUDE.


GUYS. It's done.

For the last several months it has been my worst-kept secret that I have been working on an 18-page submission for Volume 8 of the Flight anthology. (Which happens, tragically, to be the series' last volume)
It's basically both a dream-come-true opportunity, and the longest comic I've ever written. It has also been the most fun I've had working on anything in a long time.

I hope you guys don't mind if I take the opportunity to wax a little sentimental:

The Flight anthology has been such an important thing to me, over the last several years.
If you've talked to me, you know I love comics and (despite pitifully little work to show for it) I love making them. Graduating from RISD was an intense experience, and by the end I had to make a hard decision: what was I going to pursue?
Long story short- I made a list of things I wanted to do...things I really felt like I wanted to do. It was short list, and at the top of it was "Be part of Flight". Even above working for Pixar.
I really don't think there's much else like Flight out there.
As I pondered whether I wanted to enter the American comics' industry, I learned how hard the work is, how small the pay, and how little creative input or control someone like me would have most of the time. Past all of the myriad of superhero books I've slowly stopped reading, one by one, I realized my love was for webcomics and for Flight. I feel that Flight is the tangible representation of that new spirit of webcomickery that's growing (which includes works like The Meek, Rice Boy, and Bird Boy among countless others): why not use the medium of comics to tell honest, true stories that come right from the heart of the artist? Comics that aren't out to just make a buck or fill a monthly billing. So Flight, to me, has been this beautiful haven of freedom. So many great artists have told great stories through it's pages and it's a heartbreaking shame that it can't last forever. But I am so grateful to have been allowed to be a part of it.
It's been a labor of love, completely.
Now, I guess I need a new dream :P

Above is a tiny preview panel of the finished piece, and below is some of the concept art I did for myself before I started out.

As the release approaches, I may post more of the in-process work...just because I think it might be neat to see?
Nonetheless, to see more of the good stuff you'll just have to buy yourself a copy of Flight vol. 8 :P And let me assure you, having seen some of the work that's been done for it: it will be WELL worth your money. It's going to be an incredible send-off for the Flight series. I am SO incredibly excited to have my work printed alongside some of my heroes'.

And if the Lord wills it, plans are for me to be in San Diego come July for Comic Con, where I'll be sitting at the Flight table for signing! I would love to meet any and all of you, so if you're going to be there, stop by!


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A Few Things...



So I know I uploaded a bunch of work in a hurry, and now I've totally gone quiet again. For which I am sorry. I'm totally swamped right now with work both at the studio and at home...all of which is totally fun, and none of which can be shown just yet. :)
The work-work I won't be able to talk about until our game ships, but the personal work may or may not have anything to do with a comicentryforcoughFlightcoughohmygoshi'msoexcited.

So for now you'll have to make do with an old in-progress piece. To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I'm ever going to get around to finishing this, but it was something from a couple of months ago that popped into my head and wanted out. So, in a frenzy I knocked the inks out and just haven't been able to find that muse again, so it's all alone and, I think, kind of boring.
ALAS!

I wish the snow would stop. I feel like the moment I see grass, I'm going to cry.

Also, my friend Fabiola has been featured on this awesome blog in a totally wonderful article about Fabiola-ness. It's be best!

In other news: My Mom has landed a children's book gig, The Illusionist was gorgeous, and fantasizing/spontaneous note-taking about Jellybots is proceeding sporadically.

God is good, even when it's snowing, and especially when the sun is out.

love love,

-n