Sexy Kraven

My dear friend Jen turned forty yesterday. She's a fantastic lady and I couldn't be happier to scandalize her with a sexy drawing of a hairy man.

I don't know if this reference will fly over people's heads; it's from the famous Burt Reynolds nude photo from the seventies. Behold!

As always, there's a fresh webisode of That's So Kraven! online. Click here to check it out. Happy New Year's!

Spider-Man painting

Here's a commission I finished two weeks ago. The client wanted me to paint my version of Spider-Man (and his one true love Mary Jane) and this was the result. The webbed border wrapped around the canvas; I hate it when painters leave the edges blank.

12"x14", acrylic on canvas

Montreal con roundup

Monday arrives like a boot to the face!

The Montreal mini-con held on Sunday was O.K., not fantastic. Lots of regulars but not a lot of new fans. It's always a good show for me, but the crowds were much more interested in browsing than buying. Had a great time chatting with Tom Fowler; he's a fantastic talent and a great guy to chat with. Good to meet Marcus To, as well; no time to talk with him but he seems like a pleasant cat.

Some sketches from the show:

Sandman

Death's Head/ The Engineer from Team Fortress 2 (probably the most random thing I've ever drawn)

Gambit playing poker with dogs

Dazzler ruining a funeral

The Scarecrow

And Nikola Tesla, everyone's favorite scientist

Thanks again, everyone. More soon.

A Vampire in Montreal at the Montreal Comic Con

It really does feel like this year has rushed past at a blistering pace, doesn't it?

I will be a guest of The Montreal Comic Con this coming Sunday on December 5th. I will be selling prints and mini-comics as well as doing commissions and head sketches. As a special promotion, the first hundred guests through the door get a free copy of my new mini-comic, A Vampire in Montreal. I will also have copies for sale at my table.

 

Since Christmas is coming, I'll have a bunch of stuff on special so come by the table and see me.

Here's a birthday card I drew for my dear friend Rich. He's like me, a big Venom fan, and he's also got a great collection of artwork called 'The Boy with the Red Umbrella'. I supplied him with a drawing for that collection two years ago. Happy birthday, buddy.

Just like every Wednesday, we've updated That's So Kraven! This one has a bit of a Venom vibe, too. Check it out. That's So Kraven! Webisode Twenty.

Cory "The Vulture" Baxter

If you've been reading That's So Kraven! (and I sincerely hope you have) then you may have noticed we've added Raven's brother Cory from the show. When trying to decide how to present Cory, Trina and I had a sit-down with our globe-hopping friend Kim. The three of us decided that an excellent foil visually for Kraven would be a bony old man. So, we selected The Vulture as our muse for Cory Baxter, and the rest is recent history.

Here's a drawing I did of Cory before we added him to the strip. The old-man look is obviously an homage to Adrian Toomes, the original Vulture. The 'going to school' costume is a reference to Blackie Drago, the second Vulture, who actually teamed up with Kraven the Hunter for a couple of issues.

A friend of mine pointed out that he bears a strong resemblance to Mr. Magoo, but I was honestly much more influenced by both Barney Rubble and the Bruce Timm version of Mr. Mxyzptlk!

Blacksad

What a fun Halloween it was! You can read about my adventures at the That's So Kraven! blog by clicking here. We had a friend dress up as Kraven the Hunter, and I carved Kraven's face into a pumpkin. There's also a new That's So Kraven! strip up, concluding the 'Miss Donna' storyline.

My friends and I also dressed as The Beagle Boys this year (thanks for the idea, Tom Spurgeon!) and we were featured in the Comics Alliance costume roundup. The excellent Chris Sims said we were the best group costume he saw this year; thanks, Chris! We love the Comics Alliance around these parts.

My fantastic friend Nick had a birthday last week. I love to draw birthday cards for my friends, so for Nick I selected a mutual favorite; John Blacksad and his sidekick Weekly. John is the star of Blacksad (by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido), an absolutely fantastic French bande dessinee about a black cat who works as a private investigator in the forties. The anthropomorphic animals are a joy to read, with oily reptiles substituting gangsters and polar mammals standing in the for the Ku Klux Klan. I highly recommend Dark Horse's trade paperback of the first three Blacksad stories (available at Amazon); it's a respectful and beautifully-produced collection.

Happy Halloween!

Have a good Halloween, everybody! I've got sweet plans; tonight is The Rocky Horror Picture Show and tomorrow is our semi-annual Lowered Expectations Halloween party. It's going to be a fun weekend.

You may or may not of heard of the amazing story of Machine of Death. Twitter went crazy this week when the book (filled with stories about a machine that tells you how you'll die) was released, as the marketing team of David Malki ! and Ryan North used their powers for good and helped their little book reach #1 on Amazon!

I bring this up for a very good reason; I illustrated one of the stories in the book! The story I illustrated is called "Friendly Fire" by Douglas J. Lane and it's a cracking read. I hope you have a chance to pick up the book. I'm honored to have taken part and I'm thrilled that I'm part of a #1 seller. If the I Saw You movie ever gets made, who knows how swollen my ego will become?

Plus, the book beat Glenn Beck's retarded little white-privilege screed for a day. How sweet is that? Sweet like honey, son.

As always, That's So Kraven! is updated this week. In this webisode, Spiderman and Donna decide Kraven's fate but it's not what you'll expect.

Sexy librarians with guns

Hopefully this will make up for my lack of posting last week. I was in Saskatchewan for my brother's wedding (which was lovely).

Before I went, I finished a commission that had been hanging over my head for quite awhile. Combining three of the hardest things for me to work with (guns, girls, and watercolors), this was an imposing challenge for me. I'm fair happy with the results, though, and here they are.

As ever, the Wednesday webisode of That's So Kraven! is online. ==>Click here<== to see how Donna and Spiderman resolve their war over Kraven.

Motörhead

"We are Motörhead, and we play rock and roll!"

For over thirty years, the gravel-throated warthog of rock known as Lemmy has fronted the heavy metal band Motörhead. He's bedded thousands of women, drank a bottle of Jack Daniel's every day, and written some of the greatest metal of all time. The band is known best for "Ace of Spades" (the fantastic rock classic you should go check out immediately) but they've got dozens of fantastic songs that have influenced artists in subgenres ranging from heavy to speed and thrash metal. Personal favorites include "Runaround Man", "Tear Ya Down", "Bomber", "Marching Off to War", and "We Are the Road Crew".

Motörhead's 20th album, The World is Yours, is coming out this year. Hopefully, that means a stop in Montreal for the band. It's where I first saw them, and I can't wait until Motörhead deafens me again.

The twelfth webisode of That's So Kraven! is online now; will Kraven be able to work both design jobs?

Why I Love Judas Priest

I love Judas Priest.

For those who are not in the know, Judas Priest is one of the world's foremost heavy metal bands. Formed in the late sixties, the members of Priest have been known as the "Metal Gods" since the eighties. Considered to be second only to the original lineup of Black Sabbath, Priest continue to put out albums and tour to this day, and they continue to be one of the strongest metal touring acts of all time. I love them.

Rob Halford, the fiery-falsettoed lead singer pictured above, single-handedly developed the S&M black leather-and-motorcycles look that metal has popularized. I had the pleasure of seeing him with his side project, Halford, at the Heavy MTL concert earlier this year, and it was a massive honor to be in his vicinity. With the passing of Ronnie James Dio, Halford remains one of, if not the, strongest voice in metal.

The thing that I really appreciate about metal is this: you can either do it, or you can't. If you can get up there, sing until your guts nearly rip themselves in half and play until your fingers burst into flames, you deserve to be up there. And Priest deserves to be up there; to me, they will be there, forever.

Vital albums (with links to tracks on YouTube):

British Steel (1980)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Painkiller (1990)
Angel of Retribution (2005)

Webisode Eleven of That's So Kraven! is up. I really like this one, Trina did a great job on the script.

Abe Sapien and Archie Snow

Two guys with the initials "A.S.", and animals at their core.

Here's a drawing of Abe I drew originally as a commisson: I was happy with how it turned out and I decided to color it up and add it to the blog. Are you reading BPRD? It is the best comic.

I also received some rad fan art last week! Here's Archie Snow, as drawn by Stephen Morrow. You can find out more about Morrow at his deviantArt page.

The tenth webisode of That's So Kraven! went live last week. It's good to see that numbers are solid and that people are digging the strip. Thanks, everyone!

Montreal Comic Con roundup

What a show!

I was busy for nearly the whole show doing sketches and shooting the breeze with fans and pros alike. Thanks to each and every one of you for coming out. I took cell phone pictures of many of the sketches I did; here's a few of them.

Apocalypse

Archie Snow

Clayface (for Ryan, my second-best customer)

Dino Girl

Steele (from my friend Kim's upcoming graphic novella)

Commissioner Gordon (you should see the Kate Beaton sketch she has in this book)

Soldier from Halo (from memory)

Qi the Ink Monkey (from Proof)

Proof from Proof (battling a Hellhound)

Kraven Baxter and Spiderman (from That's So Kraven!)

Darth Vader (the adorableness is strong in this one)

Zombie on a tricycle

Death from Sandman (for Pat, my best customer)

Thanks for coming out, everyone. Big thanks to Oscar and Kevin for being our go-to guys at the show, and big thanks to Tim and Yanick for breaking bread with Trina and myself. (And Stone for sending fans our way, and Kim and Rebecca and Ari for everything.)

There's a new That's So Kraven! online. ==>Click here for the whim!<== Apparently, Spider-Man actually says the line in the new Shattered Dimensions game, so you know we've got to do something with that. Stay posted.

That's So Kraven! @ Montreal Comic Con

Whoa, busy busy busy.

It's Wednesday (Odin's day!) so that means two things: a new webisode of That's So Kraven! ==>Click here for Kravenventure!<== and a new sketchblog update from me. I have been busy so let's get to it.

The Montreal Comic Con is this coming weekend, and I will be there. I'm bringing along my usual mini-comics (as well as a brand-new one I will reveal on Friday, hopefully) but this year Trina and I will have Kraven merch. We're bringing the print "Kraven in Repose" and two full-size 14x18 paintings of Kraven Baxter and Mr. Spiderman. Check them out:

The original plan was to bring these three with us to Fan Expo last month, but now's your chance to snatch 'em up. If you're not going to be in Montreal send me an email and I'll see what I can do.

That's it! Gotta go, much to do and not much time to do it.

P.S. Here's three quickie commissions that were finished this week. TMNT!

Archie Snow returns in NINGEN

Archie Snow is back! Proof #28 came out this week from Image Comics, concluding "Archie Snow: Snakepit" where Archie must put sword to face to stop a snake cult from resurrecting their monstrous progenitor. I am also proud to announce that Archie will return this winter to back up Proof: Endangered, the first issue of the Proof re-launch. "Archie Snow: Ningen" will be five parts and will rotate around a monstrous resurgence in Japanese monsters in the Atlantic Ocean. Proof: Endangered #1, by Alexander Grecian and Riley Rossmo, is due in December.

(Apologies to the awesome poster designer for George Clooney's The American. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to homage it.)

Other news: I am now repped by a gallery in Montreal! Original pages from Proof, Archie Snow, and others are available right now. Email my rep, Jonathan, at jonathanATlagalleryDOTca for more information. ==>Click here for Kelly Tindall @ la Gallery<==

That's So Kraven! Webisode Seven is up. ==>Click here for the whim!<==

I am also opening up my commission list for September. If you are interested in a headshot, full figure, or larger piece, let me know at kellyATkellytindallDOTcom. 

Fan Expo update

I'm not going to be at Fan Expo this year. I had to pull out at the last minute. I will, however, be at the Montreal Comic Con on September 11th and 12th with Trina Johnson (my writer on Kraven!) and my friend Tim Sale.
Here are some sketches I'll have available at Montreal:

This is the sort of thing I do for my con sketches.  If you are interested in any of these (or you'd like a character of your own choosing) then come see me at the show. I hope to see you there.

Webisode Six of That's So Kraven! is online right now. Spiderman takes Kraven to meet his employees, and makes him a most beguiling offer. Stay tuned!

The Monster as Hero (Or, More BioShock Drawings)

I drew this ages ago but I never got around to coloring it. Keeping to a rigid once-a-week updating schedule means bringing a lot of unfinished drawings out of mothballs, shaking them out, giving them a quick coat of Photoshop paint and throwing them, unloved, out into the cold cold world.

I spend a lot of time thinking about villains and monsters. Some of my favorite media (Frankenstein, Hellboy, BPRD, BioShock 2, obviously Proof) feature monsters in leading man roles. The problem inevitably arises that the hero (conflicted about his role as a horrible monster but working for good) must rationalize his presence in a world that rightly fears him. It seems artificial; nobody I know walks down the street to fears that he/she is suddenly going to Hulk out and start throwing cars. It's unrelatable. The notion that it somehow boils down to 'fitting in' is laughable, too. A tyrannosaurus can't change its haircut and start working out in order to mesh with its chosen social subculture. (Although that'd be a sweet comic.)

The appeal of the monster-as-hero is obvious; they are fun to draw (artists love that), they are challenging to write (good writers love this) and they are excellent power fantasies (RAAGHH! BOOM! ROAR!). But, at the end of the day, it's always easier to massage the tropes if you pick a regular fellow who perhaps has a weird scar (Harry Potter) or the proportionate speed and strength of a spider (Scrooge McDuck). That way you can include lovely things like 'romance' (nobody wants to see Fin Fang Foom kissing anything), 'emotion' (besides, "Why do the villagers hate me?!"), and the 'redemptive arc' ("Does not killing this old man make up for totally killing that little girl?").

Anyway, I wrestle with this stuff as I try to figure out what's next for Archie Snow.

Here's Webisode Four of That's So Kraven!, my weekly webcomic with Trina Johnson, where we remove Raven-Symone from her own show and replace her with Kraven the Hunter. This week: Donna and Spiderman show down!

EDIT: Wow! The trailer for BioShock: Infinite was released today. Looks even more old-timey.

Why I Love Monkey Island

I love The Secret of Monkey Island. It's been my favorite computer game since I first played it twenty years ago. It was the first game that I ever beat (it took my cousin and I weeks to figure out that you needed to use the monkey on the nose at the giant monkey head). It was the first computer game I played with a compelling hero (sorry, King Graham, you charisma-free boob). And it's the funniest computer game ever made.

The Secret of Monkey Island tells the simple story of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who dreams of becoming a mighty pirate. Running afoul of the ghost pirate LeChuck, Threepwood must master the three pirate trials, hire a ship, and journey to the mysterious Monkey Island to free the lovely Elaine Marley from LeChuck's grasp.

What my description fails to communicate is how funny the game turns out to be; the game is top-loaded with absurd situations and great gags, including the infamous 'insult sword fighting', a used-ship salesman who never stops moving, and a group of vegetarian cannibals. It's fantastic.

It's been a pleasure to go on with my life as a cartoonist and come back periodically to Monkey Island; Director Ron Gilbert just released DeathSpank (to rapturous review), designer Tim Schafer made Psychonauts and Brutal Legend (such fantastic design work), and Dave Grossman is still Herman Toothrotting it on Monkey Island itself. Artist Steve Purcell (who created Sam & Max and is an amazing artist) is, unsurprisingly, working for Pixar. Lucasarts, seeing the dollar signs in my eyes, has released Special Editions of both games. Seeing the first two games updated and re-scored fills me with joy... The idea that another young artist is just now learning about the rubber chicken (with a pulley in the middle) or bouncing spit off of Wally in LeChuck's torture cave puts a big, dumb grin on my face.

Monkey Island has taught me that you can be a brilliant artist and a funny person, and if you're lucky someone might pay you to do it for the rest of your life. Thanks, guys.

Here is a drawing that I did of Guybrush Threepwood (mighty pirate) for my excellent friend Kim, who was kind enough to bring me a bunch of swag back from the San Diego Comic Con. One of the treats she brought was a portfolio of concept art from Tales of Monkey Island, the latest game in the series. Many of these drawings will be framed; the artist did a fantastic job of amalgamating the different Guybrushes and Elaines and LeChucks.

Also: it's Wednesday, and so Webisode Three of That's So Kraven! is up, written by Trina Johnson and drawn by me. You can find it right over here.

Awesome for four years

My wife and like to get together on little jam projects. One night, we decided to take an old canvas and put our favorite mutual catchphrase on it. We first read it at the start of the ridiculous and wonderful Jack Pendarvis novel Awesome, which is about a giant who builds robots and falls in love with Glorious Jones. I think it sums us up very well, so we painted it and it stands over our bed, reminding us to Be More Awesome.

We added a shark because I asked Trina what was awesome, and she said, "Sharks are awesome." There you have it.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because the second webisode of That's So Kraven! by T. Johnson and K. Tindall is online right over here. You should go check it out; it's done by a couple who is committed to awesomeness (you saw the shark, right?).

That's So Kraven!

Since the dawn of time, man has looked to the heavens and thought to himself, "What would happen if you took a script from the cancelled t.v. show That's So Raven and replaced the lead character with Kraven the Hunter, the ridiculous Marvel Comics supervillain?"

I have teamed up with writer Trina Johnson to create that very thing.

Click here for That's So Kraven! Updates Wednesdays

Wipeout! Plus: bonus!

Wipeout may be the most entertaining show on television. It's certainly the lowest-concept, and it's certainly the most honest. Every week, a new group of esoteric weirdos and geeks try their luck at a series of ridiculous, highly-padded obstacle courses designed specifically to dump them into either mud or water.

I find it thrilling to watch pure physics assaulting shocked humans, only to dump them unceremoniously into freezing water. It is, conceptually, as pure as a child's laugh and I'll be damned if I ever get to the point where a shrieking co-ed flying face-first into a two-foot puddle of foam doesn't make me titter out loud. I'll be god damned.

Also, I'm premiering a secret project this Wednesday over on Livejournal. Countdown starts today!