Montreal Comic Con roundup

Another Montreal Comic Con has come and gone. The show has ballooned from less than a thousand people only a couple of years ago to something like 20,000 people. That's great for the city and the show itself, but I definitely felt the growing pains this year. Sales were lower than last year, which were lower than the year before that. I think the show is entering that comfortable sweet spot for bigger guests, but it's becoming less profitable for fellows like myself.

Here's a sample of the sketches that kept me busy all weekend. Thanks to everyone that came out to see me and pick up some comics, pages, and sketches from me.

 Spoiler Robin

 

Spider-Man

 

Solid Snake 

 

The Spectre

  

Batman Beyond 

 

Shepard (from Mass Effect) Gangnam Style

The Spectre

Ariel (from Green Wake)

Speaking of Green Wake... Kurtis Wiebe won the Shuster Award for Best Writer on Saturday night! Since Kurtis couldn't be at the show, I accepted on his behalf. Very proud of him and very proud of the book.

Other highlights of the show included the three panels I did on Saturday; my own panel on Making Comics (the class I teach at Syn Studio), the Elephantmen panel with my excellent friend Richard Starkings, and the Ben Templesmith panel. Ben is a tremendously clever and fun guy, I had a great time chatting with him all weekend. I also had the great pleasure of meeting the tremendously talented Mark Chiarello and seeing the unlettered, uncoloured pages from Hellboy in Hell #1 (thanks to Christine and Mike Mignola for such an honor). I spent a bit of time with Darwyn Cooke and he told me some good news about upcoming Parker projects. Very exciting.

Back to business! Bedlam #1 is on its way and I'm supplying the letters for it. It's some of Riley's best work yet and I can't wait until its unleashed on the world.

Johann Kraus / brief update

Wow, what a month. I'll do a proper writeup of what I've been doing for the past few weeks. It hasn't been fun and it hasn't been easy and I hope you never have to go through any of it.

Decided to get back into the groove after reading the terrific B.P.R.D.: The Long Death #1 this week. The only active superhuman member of the team, Johann Kraus, takes center stage yet again as the B-plot involving Captain Ben Daimio, Daryl the wendigo, and a certain 15-foot jaguar god begins to wind down. I eagerly anticipate issue #2 as much as I dread it.

Johann got snazzy new duds in the recently-concluded B.P.R.D.: Russia and I was itching to draw it.

Since it's been awhile, here's where you can find me elsewhere on the net:

• My website (with portfolio)
• My deviantArt page
• My Tumblr
• My recently-concluded webcomic That's So Kraven!

As far as other news: I lettered and coloured Green Wake #10, the final issue, which comes out very soon. It was daunting taking over from regular colorist Riley Rossmo for an issue but he's also drawing something like five books so he needed a breather. The issue is very good; Kurtis and Riley wrap the story up very effectively. Fans will not be disappointed.

I'm also lettering Riley's upcoming book Rebel Blood (the first issue comes out in March) and I hope you check it out. It's Riley's first work as writer as well as artist and it's a surprisingly sophisticated book (considering it features zombie wolves and men with deer heads and rats with eyes growing out of their backs).

I made a cameo in today's Princess Planet (written and drawn by internet buddy and fellow new dad Brian McLachlan). I am the unlucky fellow in panel one. Thanks again, Brian!

I Love The Intrepids

For the last few months, I have been lettering the (excellent) Image Comics/Shadowline comic Green Wake, drawn by my fantastic friend Riley Rossmo and written by the great Kurtis Wiebe. Kurtis also writes another super-popular Image title called The Intrepids (formerly Rat Bastards) which is drawn by the charming Scott Kowalchuk.

I met Scott at the Calgary Fan Expo in 2010 and immediately took a shine to him. I was thrilled to hear that his book had gotten picked up and I was also flattered when he asked me to contribute a pinup to the book. I whipped up something for him and sent it off, and was soon surprised to find it had made it into the third issue!

Issue #3 of The Intrepids came out about two weeks ago, so I thought it was time to show the pinup to anyone who hadn't seen it. I was originally going to do something with the purple cyber-bear (the book's breakout villain!) but I thought that he'd already been seen enough... Then I thought I'd reference the old Janet Jackson cover from Rolling Stone in years past, and this was the result. I'm really happy with it.

As for the book itself, The Intrepids is about a group of mad scientists that hunt down and destroy other mad scientists. If that doesn't start your engine, I don't know what does.

As always, my weekly webcomic with Trina Johnson, That's So Kraven! has been updated. Check out the most recent strip right here. You can also find me on deviantArt, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Portrait-Dex

Whoa, this year is screaming by at a tremendous click, don't you think?

Nothing particularly new to show right now (news soon!) but here's my contribution to Steve Wolfhard's super-cool Pokemon parody Portrait-Dex. The site hasn't been updated since Scott Kurtz's addition so I'm using my entry for my own sketchblog. I hope Portrait-Dex comes back soon.

Last week's That's So Kraven! has been up for a bit, and I'm very pleased with it. Nice emotional ending to the most recent storyline.

Also, I have been named as letterer for the upcoming Image Comics/Shadowline series Green Wake. It's drawn by my old Proof chum Riley Rossmo (and written by the super Kurtis J. Wiebe) and it's very fantastic work. I think it's Riley's finest work to date. Go add yourself to the Facebook page right here. Check out this great cover:

Green Wake is a five-issue series; the first issue comes out in April. Can't wait for you to read it!