"Three Thieves" Lands at Kids Can Press

If you've been visiting this site for a while, you may remember this post from last year, in which I wrote about some art I was working on for a pitch for a major children's publisher. It's been over a year since then, but it can finally be revealed that the pitch was for an all-ages fantasy series called Three Thieves, and that I just finalized a deal with Kids Can Press for the first two books.


Upbeat, action-oriented, and fun, it's about as different from Two Generals (my other current project...the similarity in names is pure coincidence) as you can get. Which I kind of like, actually -- I can take a break from one by turning to the other for a while. The book's full of chases, escapes, funny characters, clever banter, etc. and so far has been nothing but fun to write.

Projected release is in the fall of 2010. I know that seems far off, but subsequent books in the series should hit every six months after that, so your patience will be rewarded. Plus you can fill some of the time with the Hawaiian Dick: Screaming Black Thunder trade (in August) and Two Generals (in November '09). As with everything else, I'll post updates here as the project comes together...so stay tuned!

"Two Generals" Update

Late last week I turned in my script for Two Generals. Coming in at 123 story pages, it's the longest script I've written (Northwest Passage was 230-some pages, but written in three chunks of 70-80 pages each).

Research was also more intense than anything I'd previously done. Though the book was initially to be based solely on my grandfather's 1943 diary, as things progressed two other sources significantly expanded the scope of the story. First, I was fortunate enough to gain access to the War Diary of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, which provided a wealth of detail (including daily weather reports, orders, etc.) that I never dreamed would be available. And second, I was able to meet Colonel Doug Barrie, who served as an officer in the HLI at the same time as my grandfather, and whose personal memories provided such inspiration that after the first night I spoke to him I began my script again from page 1, because the entire nature of the project had changed.

The book is still a soldier's eye view of WWII, but the story now extends beyond my grandfather's diary of England (which ends on Christmas 1943) and follows him and his best friend into France on D-Day, and all the way through the battle of Caen. It's pretty intense.

I'm certain there will be some rewriting to do, but I've now largely shifted gears to thinking about the art. The character designs you see here also reflect my current thinking about how I want to handle colour--two-colour, with a sort of faux ink-wash look. I wouldn't be too surprised if the book ends up looking something like the pieces I've posted.

And, of course, now that I'm on to the art stages, there will be a lot more to show here on the site, so check back often for further updates!

New Stuff

Here at last is the second of the pieces I created for the Nelson Education's illustrated dictionary. I won't walk you through the whole process on this one, because it really changed very little from concept to rough to final art. They seemed to feel like I got it pretty much right the first time. Enjoy.

I Sure Wouldn't Want Anything Nailed Through MY Five-Hole

It's been a few weeks since I last updated with new illustration work. Mostly it's because there hasn't been any. I've been up to my neck in researching and scripting Two Generals, which is coming along nicely (thank you for asking) but which hasn't really given me much to show as of late.

That changed in the last couple of weeks, though, as I briefly changed gears to participate in a project that the fine folks at Nelson Education have been putting together, an illustrated dictionary for kids that features comics by a virtual who's-who of Toronto-area comics artists.

The page I was asked to do illustrates the word "jargon". Here's each stage of the process:

First, a quick rough based on Nelson's script:

You'll note that I showed all the players on the ice in the first panel. This was because the script made clear that it was important to demonstrate that one of the teams was short-handed (down a player). They liked the rough, but felt that panel one was too crowded with so many characters in it. I suggested that we show the scoring team as being short-handed by putting one of the players in a penalty box, which they agreed was a good solution. I made the change in the tight pencil version:

That got approved, so it was on to inks:

Then, finally, colours and lettering:

I'd always intended to put some kind of brand name on the goalie's stick in panel 2, but when it came down to it the client found it distracted from the dialogue in that panel. I agreed, and replaced it with stripes that don't draw the eye as much.

The client was happy enough with this one that they asked me to a second one for the same project. I'll save that for later in the week, just so that it won't be another month and a half between posts!

Original Art Auctions on eBay

I just put a couple of original art pieces up on eBay: page 7 from the just-released Hawaiian Dick #3, and page 18 from the third volume of Northwest Passage.

These auctions end March 3rd, so get in there and get bidding! And don't forget that a large selection of my original comic art is always available in my art store over at ComicSpace.

Hawaiian Dick #3 on Sale Now!

New month, new issue of Hawaiian Dick! Issue #3 hits the stands today, so go pay your three dollars and buckle up for yet another colourful blast of investigative Pacific island mayhem!

Hawaiian Dick #2 on Sale Today

After a brief delay at the printer, Hawaiian Dick #2 is in stores today...go get one!

"Two Generals" Lands at Tundra

It's now official: my next creator-owned comics project will be the graphic novel Two Generals, which will be published in November 2009 by Tundra Books.

Two Generals will be my first time trying my hand at non-fiction. Based on my grandfather's 1943 diary, it depicts his time in England with his best friend training for the invasion of Normandy as officers in Canada's Highland Light Infantry. While not entirely accurate to describe it as a "war book" (my grandfather didn't see action until D-Day in '44) it will detail the intensely personal experience of going to war, the humour of young men abroad for the first time, and the preparation, both mental and physical, for what they know will happen next.

I'm looking forward to my collaboration with Tundra Books (who have published some Canadian classics, including The Hockey Sweater, a favourite of mine and my son) who so far have been nothing but enthusiastic about the project. I'll post updates throughout the process of the book's creation so that fans can see how it's shaping up...and don't forget to circle Rembrance Day '09 on your calendars!

2008 Off to a Good Start

A couple of nice surprises in this first week of the year:

First, twelve pages of Hawaiian Dick #1 have been reprinted in the comics section of New York Magazine. I have no idea what the circulation of New York Magazine is, but it's got to be, you know, big. A nice piece of mainstream media exposure for our little indie-comic-that-could.

And as if that weren't enough, The Annotated Northwest Passage has just been named one of Comics Worth Reading's Best Books of 2007. An honour, indeed.

Hopefully these are a sign of things to come in the year ahead!

HAWAIIAN DICK #1 Sells Out

Good news...HAWAIIAN DICK #1 has sold out at the distributor level. If you're looking for it and haven't been able to find it, a second printing (with a snazzy new cover by Jason Latour) is on its way. Many thanks to the retailers and fans who had faith in the book's relaunch. And be sure to keep your eyes open for issue #2, which is even better than the first!

HAWAIIAN DICK #1...On Sale Now!

Hot off the presses! Byrd, Kahami, Mo, The Thinker...the whole gang is back for the new series, along with a half-dozen new characters, just for good measure. So get thee to a comics store, or anywhere else smart enough to stock Image books...you won't be disappointed!

Even More "Dick"!

Image Comics has released a 6-page preview of the new Hawaiian Dick series that I'm working on with B. Clay Moore. Pencils and inks are by yours truly, colours and letters by series co-creator Steven Griffin:








The series debuts in November, so start the countdown!

Hawaiian Dick Update

The first issue of the new Hawaiian Dick series lands in November, and just to prove that we are, in fact, intending to keep a monthly schedule, here's a sneak peek at some pencils from issue #3:

In the Media

The Annotated Northwest Passage got a review early this month in The Toronto Star. The author's main criticism of the book seems to be that it isn't Chester Brown's Louis Riel (which to me seems perfectly clear by simply glancing at the cover, and akin to criticizing oranges for not being grapefruit.) Still, it's some big-time mass media exposure for the book (The Star has the highest circulation in the country,) and the reviewer seems to have liked it well enough, so I'm thankful for it.

More recently, my new friend Rachelle Goguen interviewed me for her blog Living Between Wednesdays ahead of my appearance at Halifax's Word on the Street festival last weekend. It's a good interview, and covers lots of stuff, so go give it a read.

The Word on the Street!

For my last two appearances of the year, I'll be taking part in the Canada-wide Word on the Street literary festival. Thanks to their being held on different weekends this year, I'll be signing at both the Halifax (Sunday, September 23rd) and Toronto (Sunday, September 30th) festivals.

I'll also be giving brief presentations at both shows:

In Halifax, I'll be speaking on the subject of Historical Comics at 3:15pm on the Graphic Novels and Young Adult Readers Stage.

And in Toronto, I'll be on a panel called "Creating the Great Canadian Graphic Novel" which also features cartoonists Jeff Lemire (whose Tales from the Farm is a must-read) and Zach Worton. That's at 3:30pm in the Comics and Graphic Novels Tent.

Come out, enjoy the festival, and say hello!

"A Modern Classic"

Reviews for The Annotated Northwest Passage continue to appear, and most have been almost embarassingly positive. Here's a quick round-up of some of the most prominent links:

Ain't It Cool News calls it "a wild, crazy frontier ride. It’s fun, thrilling, and smart."

Earlier in the month the book turned up on the "Top Five Books of the Moment" lists of four of the five reviewers at Comic Pants.

And over at Comics Worth Reading, Johanna Draper Carlson calls the book "a modern classic." I'm blushing!

TCAF this Weekend!

This weekend is the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, which is, in my humble opinion, the best comics-related show in North America. It's not your standard flea market nerd-fest with William Shatner and people dressed like Sailor Moon. It brings out the entire Toronto arts community, and really celebrates the ART of comics, not the commercial side. It's a bona fide cultural event.

I'll be signing there all weekend in the OWL Kids tent, with plenty of copies of both THE ANNOTATED NORTHWEST PASSAGE and STEPHEN COLBERT'S TEK JANSEN for sale, along with original art, bookmarks, sketches, etc.

Oh, yeah...did I mention that it's FREE? You've got no excuse now but to come and join the fun.

San Diego Signing Schedule

I'll be in sunny San Diego, California on Wednesday through Sunday this week, rubbing elbows with fans, Hollywood folks, and damn near the entire comics industry at Comic-Con International. There will be huge stacks of both The Annotated Northwest Passage and Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen available at the Oni Press booth, where I'll be signing at the following times:

Thursday
10:30am-11:50am
3:00pm-4:20pm

Friday
1:30pm-2:50pm
6:00pm-6:50pm

Saturday
12:00pm-1:20pm
4:00pm-5:50pm

Sunday
12:00pm-1:20pm

During my signing times, I'll have original art for sale, as well as the snazzy Northwest Passage bookmarks pictured above (pick one up along with your hardcover!) It's also a pretty good bet that I'll be involved in the Oni Press 1oth Anniversary panel that takes place Saturday at 1:30pm. Come out and celebrate with us!

"Tek Jansen" Signing at The Beguiling

Last-minute notice: I'll be signing at The Beguiling on Wednesday, July 11th, from 5pm-7pm, to celebrate the release (finally!) of the first issue of Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen. Aside from signing hot-off-the-press copies of the new book, I'll have some of the original art from the first issue on display (and for sale!) The store is located at 601 Markham Street in Toronto...so come out, say hello, and join in the merriment and wonder.

More Reviews

Entertainment Weekly has a brief review of The Annotated Northwest Passage in this week's (June 29/July 6) issue--their big "EW 100" double issue. They give it a solid B, which is about as well as I did in high school, so it works for me.

The Toronto Metro is more enthusiastic, giving the new collection four and a half stars out of five.