DOOMED WIZARD DIARIES

Big news, boppers! Those of you who are regulars to my lil ol' blog (all eight of you), you've probably noticed I've been conspicuously missing. Well, there's been a lot going on this year and I haven't been able to commit myself to my art as much as I'd like. But things are about to change. As of April 8th, just one day short of my birthday, I'll be taking an extended hiatus from my day job! The leave of absence is an attempt to not only concentrate on my art, but pick up the pieces of my life as well. My wife Barbi and I have had a difficult row to hoe these past few months, so hopefully taking time off will help us get back on track. So, that means, among other things, I get to call myself a "professional artist" for awhile! Such a nice ring to it! I don't mind telling you, though, I'm scared shitless. "Don't give up your day job," is advice I give, tongue in cheek, all the time and now here I am doing just that. So, I...

There ain't much I can say about my friends that I haven't said already, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nik Havert was wise to bring Joe Fuentes on board as colorist for The Three Keys #2. I love good, solid colors and as you can see from the page to your right, Joe delivers just that. It's funny to see your stuff colorized when you've always imagined it in black and white. Even when I'm drawing a picture in my head (that's where I do most of my work), I don't think in terms of color, so to speak. Too many comics these days are over colored with layers and layers of shading to achieve an almost painted look, overpowering the original drawings. Joe uses just the right amound of highlights to achieve the same animated look that I go for with my drawings. I mean, look at this stuff! It could totally be a cartoon! Keep up the great work, Mr. Fuentes. Keep it here, boppers.

Some days, I just ain't right. Sometimes inspiration hits me at the damnedest moments. Sometimes I just grab my camera and go with my gut. Recently, I bought my daughter Arlaux a Snow White dress. Fortunately my little tom boy still likes to wear dresses, the crazier the better. Anyway, I was taking some pictures of my wife (one of which is pictured below) while Arlie was dancing around the room to, of all things, the theme song from The Sopranos, dressed in her Snow White outfit and, Bam! it hit me. So, I grabbed our prop gack, a pair of Mommy's sunglasses and away I went. Arlaux loves to be photographed, so the pictures came out great! If you don't believe me, check out her blog. I just know there's a Japanese comic book in this somewhere...

"Draw me with a skull and make the skull look hot," was the challenge issued by my long-time friend and confidant Steve. I guess you'd have to know him really to appreciate the humor. I'm assuming it's in response to my wife Barbi's request, but who knows with Steve. Anyway, initially, I was going to do a flaming skull, but then I remembered this old movie called Ghost Story. The commercials alone gave me the creeps and I recall one where a skull-faced bride sat before a vanity mirror brushing her hair. Inspiration hit! Make the skull look hot. "But, where's Steve?" you ask. Isn't it obvious? That's his hand...

Burgeoning colorist Joe Fuentes comes through with flying colors... literally . Due to time constraints, colorist Andy Jewett was unable to take on the task of coloring The Three Keys #2. Nik Havert asked Joe Fuentes to take on the job and if this back cover is any indication, this book is gonna rock! Joe , who claims to still be learning how to color, was responsible for this picture as well as this picture. Along with being a really nice guy, Joe is an excellent colorist and I look forward to working with him on many future projects. Keep it here, boppers...

When Mike Indovina agreed to let me use a 1970s version of his character The Chimera , we discussed what he might look like if he were actually from the '70s. Of course, in my opinion, if you take too many liberties with another person's creation, it's no longer the same character. But, it did make me wonder what the Chimera might look like in the '70s, so I tossed around some concepts but kept coming back to one. For the majority of his appearance in the upcoming Up Jumped the Devil , Chimera will look like Mike's original creation, whose influence lies in old movie serials, but for the fight scene between him and Big 'Fro Brown, I thought he'd look really cool in an outfit like the one Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death as a tribute to one of the greatest fight scenes of all time. To your left, you'll see a work up of what Chimera might look like. Mike was happy, so I'm happy too. To your right is just another excuse to publish a picture of Kerry...