end of the month already?!

so, august seemed to have flown by pretty quickly, eh? figured i'd get one more post in before september rolls around...

well, deadwood and rescue me both had their season finales this week... wow (brian- not knowing any of the actual history of deadwood, i couldn't say for sure what was going to happen... but i figured it might end along those lines... and glad it did, actually ... goes to show the strength of the show without falling into the usual hollywood stuff ... glad we'll see at least a few more hours next year.... gonna miss it. a lot. ) and rescue me certainly ended on a "holy crap" moment (not to mention entourage)... at least the new fall season starts up soon (and yes, brian - i already have been sucked into the new season of prison break... )

had a good time at the frank black show earlier this month down at the beachcomber (thanks for asking, rich) ... it was just frank and his guitar (or in the case of six-sixty-six, not even a guitar)... while the performance itself was great, i couldn't believe how many people paid the ticket price to just go and drink, talk loudly and not even listen to the show... one of the most annoying shows in that sense... still say my favorite frank black show was with the catholics a few years back (at the call in providence)...

i'd talk about the red sox... but why kick'm when they're down ...

in the course of the last few weeks, i've managed to entirely gut our kitchen (with the help of a few friends), re-sheeetrock, paint, have new cabinets installed, appliances delivered... and work on the plumbing and put in our new ceiling fan... oddly, the last room we started work on will be the first to get finished... looking forward to the time when all the work on the house is done (well, i realize it's never "done", but at least it'll be little things, not trimming out windows and putting in floors)...

work on the 'haps is moving along nicely (issue 2 is in the new previews!) and todd heard the trade is on the way, so we'll have copies for baltimore next week! (really looking forward to hanging out and seeing everybody there.. and heading out to see my good friend booby get hitched on saturday as well)...

i'm sure there's more, but peep and the big wide world is over... and it's time for johnny and me to have breakfast...


and before i forget, that flash piece above is the other one i did for matt w.

-c

stuff

okay, just a quick update while john and i watch "peep and the big wide world " (easily my favorite kids' show these days)...
here's one of the 2 pieces i did for my pal "mafus" (aka matt wieringo, mike's brother) ... got a few more canson pieces to post over the next few days or so...

issue 2 of the next 'haps series is well under way with issue 1 in the can (luckily, we gave ourselves enough time on the schedule to go back and make minor corrections this time around... ) hope everybody digs it as much as we do...

so, the fall tv season is starting up again real soon (not sure if i'll get sucked into prison break again... but we'll see) and the summer shows are wrapping up (can't believe deadwood and rescue me are almost done already... both fantastic shows)

trish and i are are heading to the cape this weekend to see frank black down at the beachcomber (sweet place! saw bob mould there a few years ago)...

baltimore comic con is coming up real soon (i'll be at the show for a bit on saturday and all day sunday)... and only a month til wierd al's new cd...

-c

canson sketchbook...

ordering info is up at the site...

canson color paper sketches volume one

enjoy the weekend!

-c

back from san diego!

had a great time, but... man, is that a big show...
completely overwhelming ( i had my laptop with me so i was able to read what actually happened at the show since you can't take most of it in there)...

always a pleasure to meet artists whose work you dig (like david peterson of mouseguard fame, who did me a sweet sketch i'll post to the site next update), tad stones (hellboy animated producer and all around cool cat), jonboy meyers, and way too many more to mention... and that's not even taking into account seeing those guys you get to see a few times a year at shows like this...

but now i'm home, hard at work on the 'haps and other stuff... speaking of which, todd and i got preview copies of the trade this week... and i couldn't be happier! can't wait for y'all to get a chance to see it.

(and speaking of the trade, saw wizard reviewed it this month and gave it a fairly good write-up with a nod to a saturday morning cartoon feel, but only a B- ... and complained that "nothing's wrong with fun-loving stories, but from the softened fight scenes to the somewhat overly-sentimental dialogue, hardcore horror fans should beware - you won't find buckets of blood in these pages." ookay, so technically they were boxes of blood, so they've got us on that point... and um, yeah, hardcore horror fans might find a bit lacking in AN ALL AGES BOOK... kinda like complaining there's not enough nudity in disney films... dunno what they'd be expecting, really... anyway, back to the blog)

got my sketchbooks in, and they look fantastic (much thanks, rico!)... i'll post ordering info next week... in the meantime, that's a sample spread above to give you an idea what it's like...

okay, back to work...

whati'm listening to as i type this... plastic s\seat sweat - southern culture on the skids

new stuff!!

so, figured i'd try and get at least one more post before the madness that is ... san diego comic con...

before i get into all the random comics stuff, a few quick things...

...the sox'd be completely screwed without papelbon.... i mean, come on, taveras?
... could deadwood be any better this season? (and for that mater, rescue me?) although i've learned the hard way to turn off hbo right after the always entertaining entourage - lucky louie = shudder.
... screw on head makes for a damn fine (and rightly odd) cartoon over at scifi.com (vote to make this one an ongoing show, folks)


okay, i'll be finished with the first issue of the second 'haps series before i go (should be in this month's previews) so i can enjoy myself out there (and pimp the book to anyone that'll listen... usually, i leave that to todd, but since he's not going...)

i'll be bringing the promo postcards for both the trade and the new mini, along with the soon to be infamous, hit of the heroescon "choopie butt card" ... and doing a signing at the dark horse booth friday from six to seven...

besides wandering the ginormous convention center picking up cool sketch books and the like, most of my time will be spent at the beckett table in the image booth helping out and promoting THE COBBLER'S MONSTER, which hit shelves this week! (and thanks fort he compliments, brian!)

i'll also have a few copies of my old sketchbooks to sell.... along with the limited BRAND NEW CANSON COLOR SKETCHBOOK! ( a manageable size of 4x5.5 full of 42 color images...) for those who aren't going, i'll have ordering info on the site when i get back...)...

whew.

anywhoo, if i don't post early next week... i might see you in san diego.
i might even try and post from the road... we'll see.

-c

(what i'm listening to as i type this... songs for goldfish - ben folds)

back from charlotte!

... had a great time at one of my favorite shows. plenty of time to hang out with 'ringo and todd and scott (heck, we probably coulda just skipped the show and hung out all weekend and had just as much fun...) and catch up with folks i see once or twice a year (always a good time at the bar, and was great to just hang out with ralph and shoot the breeze), not to mention getting a chance to see "superman returns" ... wow.

jeff amano had some advance copies of the cobbler's monster, so i got a chance to see the final product (damn, wayne and guilia made my stuff look good!)...

was glad to keep real busy sketching ALL weekend (right up until 5.30 on sunday.... phew) doing both black/white and canson color pieces (wish i had scans of 'm to post, some came out pretty good...) for plenty of great folks and friends...

did manage to get up and check out some of the art around the show... always inspiring/intimidating seeing all that great work... but it was great motivation to get back to the 'haps... which is where i'm heading right now! (not to mention todd and i talked a few folks into doing pin-ups for the next trade... and beyond!)

hope everybody had a good fourth (and wasn't TOO crazy, ray)

- c

two weeks, huh?

so much for keeping up on a weekly basis... but lucky for you, dear readers (all 3 of you) i've just been so busy working on the 'haps to post...

okay, i've also been doing other stuff, like the piece above for the heroes con program book (superman themed... and seriously, what's cooler than beppo the super-monkey?), designs for a neat little choopie sculpture, trying not to get too wrapped up in the sox this early in the season (as he says every year)...

i have managed to watch 2 dvds that've been sitting here forever .. blade 3 (not horrible...kinda dug it, actually) and fantastic four (um, well... the effects weren't ... that bad... but ... yikes.)

well, back to work.
-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... fast man raider man - frank black (got our tickets to see him down at the beachcomber on cape cod later this summer... wooohooo!)

at least they didn't get swept...

...great outing by schilling tonight for the sox (even with giving up three home runs)...

been working hard on the first issue of the next 'haps mini, but i've also had some time to get to other things -

- 'haps promo stuff for the summer conventions and beyond
- redesigning the 'haps site (including the guest artist pin-up gallery)
- updating my site
- doing a few canson sketches (i was planning on just bringin' 'm to charlotte, but figured why not post'm on the site in the art for sale section as well for all the folks who aren't going ... so head on over to see what's new) ... i'll be getting to do a few more of these, so if there's something you've been itching to get, drop me a line and get on the list!
- building some bookcases to use as built-ins under the eaves in the studio room...

okay, back to work...

-c

really enjoying this season of "rescue me" on fx (always love me a good denis leary show... man, i miss "the job") and looking forward to this week's return of "deadwood" on hbo...

yikes...

that was a ROUGH ball game to watch tonight... i get the feeling it's gonna be a loooooong season with both the sox and yankees neck and neck for the next few months...

besides that, work is moving along on the first issue of the "second chances" series of the 'haps... and i'm dangerously close to finishing my new studio space so i can finally get outta the basement and see out a window (and finally using the surround sound we put in won't hurt, either)...

hope to get a few canson sketches done before the charlotte show in a few weeks (it's not too convenient to bring all that stuff with me)... as you can see above, i did get to one that's been in the queue for a while... invincible (and if ya don't read that book, do yerself a favor and pick up the first trade and see what you're missing)...

back to work.

-c

and congrats to jon and fran on the arrival of janie elizabeth ... and belated congrats to kieran and jill, that jeremy is hellacute... and another very belated congrats to aaron and ann, julia rose is adorable... phew. kids everywhere, i tell ya...

season finale time...

gahhh, we haveta wait until january for more of the jack bauer power hour?!? and what was in that case that kept keith mars from meeting veronica?! and only one more sopranos until 2007?! and only 2 more hours of dharma initiative/others conspiracy craziness on lost? and i'm gonna miss michael's relentless belittling of toby at dunder mifflin until the fall (that scene in the finale, among countless others, had me in stiches)...

at least we've still got deadwood and rescue me coming up (and we haven't even started watching the final alias episodes we've got on the tivo)... and we just managed to watch all the episodes of love monkey that vh1 recently aired (too bad that it wasn't called csi:love monkey , then cbs might not've given it the ax so quickly...)

so, can ya tell that with all that crazy deadline stuff gone by, i've finally had a chance to relax? (and get back to work on finishing work on the house)... not to say i'm not getting work done, like the covers for the next 'haps series coming out at the end of the year... (above is the cover for the first issue, in case you're wondering), getting through a few commissions and more...

-c

guy davis rocks...

so, above is the piece i did for one helluva nice guy and great artist, guy davis (who, i'm sure you all know, does phenomenal work every month on b.p.r.d. as well as such fantasic stuff like the nevermen and sandman mystery theater)...

guy was kind enough to contribute a pin-up for the 'haps trade ( we signed off on some minor design changes the other day, so i guess we're good to go!) in trade for a pin-up of his character "the marquis"...

the b/w series came out a few years back from oni (and i believe is still available in 2 trade paperbacks... go get 'm)... his work is rich with texture and energy, and lotsa creepy crawlies ... and the story's pretty wild, ta boot!

wish i was heading out to the motor city show this weekend to buy him a drink (or three) for the pin-up, but this'll haveta do.

thanks, guy!

-c
(so, i bet you're wondering about his pin-up, huh? keep checking over at todd's blog for him to post it there... )


random tv thoughts... 24? so ridiculously unbelievable this week, but oh so good ... veronica mars? wow, what a way to wrap up all those dangling plots... and leave us hanging! the office? dwight's complaints about jim had me howling (and michael's photoshop expertise as well)...

what i'm listening to as i type this ... red hot chili peppers - stadium arcadium

color guy...

so, i've never really had the opportunity to color anybody else's work but mine... until yesterday.

with the deadline for the perhapanauts trade looming over our head, we needed to get one last pin-up colored up asap...

but not just anybody's pin-up, mind you... but kevin friggin' nowlan! i certainly hope i did the piece justice, 'cause the original is absolutely stunning (and sitting right here next to me)...

anyway, it's a beautfiul day out there... and the boy, the dog and i are gonna go enjoy it!
have a good weekend -

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... pearl jam - pearl jam

done.

just finished scanning the last page of the cobbler's monster...

phew.

and on to the next batch of 'haps covers next week.


saw that the cobbler's book was solicited in the new previews (order yours today! - end shameless plug)... as well as the 'haps...

turns out the 'haps will be pushed back to sept., which isn't a bad thing, since the second series is hopefully starting in october.

looking to see some of the sweet pin-ups we've gotten in for the trade? check out todd's blog

perhapablog

(right now he's spotlighting a great piece from the legendary artist and all around great guy, nick cardy)

just picked up a few books at the local comic shop (stillpoint cards and comics in somerset, ma - where i'll be hanging out from 12 -2.30pm this saturday for free comic book day - end plug)... seven issues of infinite crisis (and all those miniseries and oneshots) for... that? ugh.

at least b.p.r.d. and mouse guard were both hellacool.

and i gotta say, any sense of believability has flown out the window on 24, but damn if it isn't THE most addictive show on tv these days (with veronica mars and lost right behind)

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this - in time: the best of r.e.m.

it's been one week...

...since my last post.

... clearly have barenaked ladies on the brain (and by that, i mean the BAND)... been HARD at work on the cobbler's monster, only 14 pages to go! WOOHOOO!

and since they've got the first 3 pages posted over at the image comics blog, i figure i can post one of those pages here...

mmmm, tastes like a hot dog.

been listening to stephen king's cell on audiobook (thanks a bunch, todd!) while putting in late nights... can't wait to hear how it ends (gonna haveta do more audiobooks while working... got the latest neil gaiman here waiting to go after the cell)...

todd and i have been talking a lot lately about the next 'haps series (and plan to start the next covers as soon as i get done with this project) ... the more we talk, the more excited we get... gonna make the first series seem boring in comparison, i tells ya!

and head over to todd's blog as he's gonna start posting some more of the pin-ups we were lucky enough to get for the 'haps trade FIRST BLOOD (shameless plug... order yours from your local comic shop in this week's previews catalog)

i'm sure i'll have more to post next week when i finally get through this deadline...

-c (can't wait to see what outrageousnes happens tonight on 24... and how they leave us hangin' 'til next week)

music i'm listening to as i type this .... arctic monkeys - whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not

workin'...

... practically non-stop to get through the cobbler's monster deadline to get the book out in time for san diego! (29 pages to go before the end of the month equals 2 pages a day and no sleep)...

in the meantime, up top there should be another tellos commission i had done a while back for somebody from the baltimore convention (easily one of my favorite cons... which i won't be at this year, since i'll be at a good friend's wedding... but i WILL be heading down to heroescon in charlotte and out to san diego )... but blogger's acting all woogie. i'll try to post it later...

been fliiping through a lot of french albums for inspiration and motivation lately, stuff like "belladone" and "ring circus" ... beautiful stuff! (and of course, anything by claire wendling is da bee's knees!)

back to work for me! (gotta get a few panels done before i get sucked into 24!)


-c


music i'm listening to as i type this... you can play these songs with chords - death cab for cutie

rockin' the suburbs!

so, trish and i had a night out on tuedsay and saw ben folds and his band in providence at lupo's (which moved a few years back to the strand... which, trish reminded me, is where we saw the reverend horton heat and the toadies on what was almost kinda sorta our first date 'lo those many years ago)...
a great show all around with a full 2 hour set (but standing around for 3+ hours in a jam packed sold out club made us realize why we don't go to shows too often anymore)...

got a LOT of pages left to get through to meet our deadline on cobbler's monster, but i'm confident we'll hit our deadline (wayne's been doing great stuff and giulia's colors are AMAZING!) looks like the image preview book will be available in philly and charlotte (i'll find out if they'll hit stores as well...)...

looking forward to getting back to the 'haps and commissions after this book (and hopefully the next book with beckett as well.... i enjoy working on the less than mainstream stuff after so many years of superheroes... although i'm getting the itch to do a 'hero book again - too bad almost every editor i've worked with at dc has moved on to hopefully greener pastures..)

got in david william's frickin' sweet pin-up for the 'haps trade and should be getting more any day... (i'll post it next week)

after seeing 'ringo's sweet scarlet witch on his site, i figured i'd post this one i did a while back but never got on the site...

back to work.

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this - itunes originals - barenaked ladies

random stuff...

...found this image on the web and found it particularly amusing... and goes a good way to explain why i think all star batman and robin is one of the worst books of the year (or, as todd so optimistically thinks, one of the biggest pranks)...

...next wave looks absolutely fantastic, but man, that writing is so condescending towards comics (oooh, point out the ridiculousness of a giant lizard wearing purple pants.... ugh. it's a COMIC BOOK.) haven't read all that much warren ellis stuff, so maybe i'm just not in with the "hip" crowd on this one... at least it's damn pretty!

... reading stephen king's latest column in entertainment weekly describes how i feel about tv exactly (his list of favorite shows this season includes veronica mars, lost, the shield, sopranos, battlestar galactica... and of course, 24)

...found out that beckett and image are putting together a preview book for "the cobbler's monster" with the first 12 pages and other panels from the rest of the book...

... approved the cover design for the 'haps trade yesterday!

i'm sure there's more, but i gotta get back to drawing.

-c

music i'm listening to as i type this entry - the full-custom gospel sounds of the reverend horton heat

back in new england!

so, we just got back from a week long visit with the in-laws in florida... had a chance to see the sox lose a spring training game, go to the beach with trish and johnny, get back into a book i started reading over a year ago (sock by penn jillette... defintely an interesting read so far), and even have a night out to see "v for vendetta" ( i clearly fall into the " i barely remember reading the series and have no problem with any changes that were made for the sake of a more coherent movie, because despite the rantings of john byrne, sometimes changes can and should be made in translating comics into other media because clearly they were writing to the strengths of the comic episodic medium and not a movie which might be made in twenty years" ... which is odd, because i really loathe all the changes in last summer's blockbuster batman begins...so go figure)...

did manage to get more pages done for the beckett project (and what the heck, why not check out the pic above for another concept piece... )... moving along nicely with this and wayne's doing some great stuff (different from our "slick" stuff on ronin hood)...

besides that, i'm glad to be home. (and make my weekly trek to the local comic shop and see what's new... did pick up nextwave 3, so i'll read it and let ya know how i feel about it, rich... besides the fact it looks amazing )

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... doublewide and live - southern culture on the skids

... to be continued?

so, issue 4 of the 'haps came out this week... and we decided to end it on a doozy of a cliffhanger. with any luck, we'll be able to come back and tell more tales of the gang (and even get to tell the story as to why they're called " the PERHAPanauts"...)...

but it all depends on sales, which haven't been great. with any luck, the trade (out this summer) will do well enough to warrant dark horse doing another 4... since we haveta make it count, we're pulling out the stops for our first trade... besides collecting the mini series (which we've gone back into and "george lucased" some colors and effects to be even better), we'll reprint the stories from the ashcan colored just for the trade, along with character bios ... and pin-ups by good friends and guys we idolize... when we start getting'm in, we'll preview a few pieces for your viewing pleasure...

but it all depends on you, our kind, generous, and clearly intelligent readers... so remember, people, the perhapanauts trade makes for great gifts for friends, families, weddings, baby showers, bar mitzvahs and more...

and in case we do get around to the next series, up top that's the cover to issue 7 or so... (we've got other stuff up our sleeves before we get to ... the dover demon... like how the 'haps deal with all them little purple guys)

-c

music i'm listening to as i type this... hank williams III - straight to hell

another tall tale

john henry was a steel drivin' man...


after the first few of these pieces, they became almost more about colors and pattern than the subject...

next post i'll put up another tellos commission i've got here...

did a LOT of work on the house this weekend (big thanks to all the guys who came to help work... all time well deposited in the favor bank, so just lemme know when i can return the favor), but managed to watch "crash" on dvd.... certainly not a bad movie, but i can't imagine it was the BEST movie last year (i would honestly say the 40 year old virgin was a better movie... and a lot less heavy handed)...

battlestar galactica had an amazing season finale (gah! haveta wait til october for more?!) and sopranos returned in fine form...

... and i even managed to get more of the cobbler's monster drawn.

-c

music i'm listening to as i type this .... somebody's miracle - liz phair