Dec

2012-01-23T14:55:00.002Z

BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES #4 COVER

Here's my cover variant to the final issue of Betrayal Of The Planet of the Apes, coloured by series colourist Jordie Bellaire. I took this alternate cover gig as well, Gabe Hardman was kind enough to ask me to contribute to the wonderful series he was creating with his wife, Corinna Bechko. Also, Jordie was colouring the series, so it was a chance to collaborate with her on something professionally. After 3 covers for the series, I was sad that our collaborations would end, but then got the great news that Gabe and Corrina had a sequel series Exile On The Planet Of The Apes, this time with artist Marc Laming, and wanted us to continue providing alternate covers. I'll be sure to post them as the issue are coming out.

Dec.

2012-01-18T16:56:00.004Z

THUNDERBOLTS: 'NEXT BIG THING'

Last Friday I took part in a 'Next Big Thing' press call about the upcoming Tbolts v Tbolts arc; the Tbolts 15th Anniversary event, starting with #172. The call had editor Tom Brennan, writer Jeff Parker and myself, answering questions to the various comics news sites. Below are links to some of the report by the various sites, so anything you want to know about the arc should be contained below.

Newsarama
Comic Book Resources
iFanboy
i09

Really looking forward to this arc coming out. It's definitely the biggest thing I've ever worked on.

Oh, and during the week an interview I did with Chris Sims for Comic Alliance went up too; this one looking at a lot of old, terrible drawings of mine. Looking at my work from Age 10, to Age 30. It was pretty fun. Check it out here.

Dec.

2012-01-09T04:32:00.003Z

NORTHLANDERS #47 PREVIEW

My first published story of 2012 is my final issue of NORTHLANDERS, issue 47, that wraps up the second arc of 'The Icelandic Trilogy'.

Getting to work on this series was an absolute dream. Almost exactly this time last year, Jordie and I were in the National Museum in Dublin, looking at various Viking remains and artifacts when she said I should do an arc on Northlanders. I laughed at her, as the idea of actually being offered such a wonderful project was completely unrealistic to me. Here I am, a year later... with my last issue hitting the stands. Crazy.

Thanks again to Brian Wood and editor Mark Doyle for offering me the story, and to Dave McCaig, who did an absolutely stunning job colouring my work. I've never looked so good and it had nothing to do with me.

Dec.

2011-12-29T17:03:00.004Z

SWEET TOOTH and 2011 Wrap-up

Here's a SWEET TOOTH commission. For Jeff Lemire, no less. I was very flattered that Jeff asked for a piece of one of his characters by little old me.

This will be my final post of the year. And what a year it's been. Career highlights included my Crossbones one-shot came out and looked beau-ti-ful thanks to Matt Wilson. I got to draw T-bolts during the big Fear Itself event. I got to actually draw the X-Men in a Marvel comic; that was amazing. Drew the T-Bolts in Ireland, and Spidey in the same issue too! Drew an arc on Northlanders (one of my favourite books) for Vertigo.... it really was the year where I got to fulfil all my childhood aspirations.

So, thanks 2011. Hopefully in 2012 I'll get to do bigger, better and bolder things. My goal for 2012 is to do a comic project with Jordie. She's got great projects at Marvel right now, and I'm getting more and more frustrated that none of them are with me. Let's see if we can make it happen next year.

Thanks to everyone for their support in the last year. It's very much appreciated. Extra special thanks to Jeff Parker, Brian Wood, Matt Wilson, Frank Martin, Dave McCaig, Tom Brennan at Marvel, Mark Doyle at Vertigo ...and all the Irish crowd.

Best,

Dec.

2011-12-22T00:21:00.002Z

THUNDERBOLTS #167 OUT TODAY

Man, this one took me by surprise. T-BOLTS 167, the second part of 'The Ripper Tour' story, is out today in all good comic shops. Above is a b+w page. See a coloured preview by the wonderful Frank Martin here.

Dec.

2011-12-15T18:56:00.004Z

BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES #3 COVER

Here's the variant cover the Jordie and I did for Betrayal #3. Reeeaaallly happy with this one. I love design-heavy posters with limited colour palettes, but it can be tough to actually get those types of covers approved. Make sure you pick up the issue in a few weeks!

Dec.

2011-12-07T12:48:00.002Z

SWEENEY TODD COVER

Got word from Classical Comics last week; Sweeney Todd is now fully coloured! All the book needed was a cover, so here it is.

Glad I waited 'til the end to do this cover; parts of the book are 3(!?!) years old so I'm glad that I could present the finished book with the most recent work possible.

Dec.

2011-11-28T10:00:00.000Z

THUNDERBOLTS 166 OUT THIS WEEK

Yep, my latest issue of THUNDERBOLTS is out this Wednesday; do pick it up! It's the next arc of the current time-traveling epic that is happening in the book right now, where the T-Bolts end up in Victorian London on the trail of Jack the Ripper! As ever, Jeff Parker wrote a great and crazy adventure for the team. Also, I think the colour-work Frank Martin did in this arc has resulted in our best collaboration to date.

See the colour preview here.

Dec.

2011-11-16T15:30:00.000Z

THOUGHT BUBBLE THIS WEEKEND!

Hey all, I'll be at THOUGHT BUBBLE; The Leeds Comic Art festival this weekend. I've heard wonderful things about the show for years but this is the first year I've been able to attend. There is a fantastic guest list this year including Adam Hughes, Jeff Lemire, David Aja and even fellow THUNDERBOLTS artist Kev Walker! I'll be at table 14 in the Royal Armouries Hall (see below) with Jordie where I'll be taking sketch commissions, selling sketchbooks and prints.

See more about the show here.

Dec.

2011-11-15T17:42:00.005Z

NORTHLANDERS #46

Northlanders #46 is out tomorrow. Again, absolutely delighted with how this issue came out. Dave McCaig did a stunning job on colours. I hope ye all pick up a copy.

The above images are scans from the actual comic, so colours aren't 100% accurate.

Dec.

2011-11-02T11:35:00.000Z

LILLE COMICS FESTIVAL

This weekend I'll be a guest at the Lille Comics Festival along with guys like Dustin Ngyen, Mike Allred, Rufus Dayglo and R.M Guera. Very much looking forward to it. Haven't been to France since I was quite young. I'll be drawing free sketches for anyone who wants them. I'll have some prints and sketchbooks for sale too. If you see me there, feel free to say hello.

Dec.

2011-10-31T18:00:00.000Z

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

[Pumpkins carved by myself, Jordie and Stephen Thompson/Lisa Jackson]

Dec.

2011-10-26T11:57:00.003+01:00

BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Next week #1 of BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES comes out from BOOM! Studios. It's written by Corinna Sara Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, illustrated by Gabe, with colours by (blog regular) Jordie Bellaire. I've seen Jordie work on all the pages and can honestly say it looks fantastic. Can't wait for everyone to see it. Make sure you get a copy!

Also, I'm doing the alternate covers for issues 2-4. The above image is the variant cover for #2, by myself and Jordie.

Dec.

2011-10-15T01:56:00.003+01:00

SIN/CROSSBONES

Jordie and I are attending the Lille Comics Festival in a few weeks (Nov 5th/6th). As such, we were asked to contribute artwork to be made into a lithograph print that will raise money for charity. The theme was 'villains'. This is what we came up with: a Crossbones/Sin piece. The Red Skull raised his ugly head too.

Dec.

2011-10-06T17:11:00.005+01:00

NORTHLANDERS #45 PREVIEW

Got comps of my first Northlanders issue in the mail today. I could post my black and white pages but I LOVED Dave McCaig's colours so much, I just scanned the pages from the comic.

Hope ye all like it. It's out this coming Wednesday, Oct 12th.

Dec.

2011-09-26T19:44:00.002+01:00

DARK KNIGHT DETECTIVE

I drew a 'dream DC project' piece over on Comic Twart today. Got a really good reaction on Twitter, so Jordie made it into a destop image, if anyone wants it.

Dec.

2011-09-16T11:07:00.005+01:00

T-BOLTS 163.1 and FORBIDDEN PLANET SIGNING

Greetings all!

This coming wednesday sees the release of THUNDERBOLTS 163.1. Really happy with this issue; I got to draw the Original T-Bolts, The original Masters of Evil and even one of the biggest Marvel superheroes. Also; the T-Bolts go to Ireland!!! I really hope ye check it out. There's a spiffy preview here.

Also, if you're in the Dublin area on wednesday, come by Forbidden Planet, where I'll be signing T-Bolts 163.1 and copies of my new sketchbook ART DECO.

Dec.

2011-09-12T13:19:00.002+01:00

PIGS #1 VARIANT COVER

Hey there. PIGS #1 written by old friend Ben McCool and complete stranger Nate Cosby is out this week. The art is by Breno Tamura with colour by Chris Sotomayor. I've read the first issue and it's really, really good.

Myself and Jordie collaborated on this exclusive variant cover for it's first issue. We're really happy with it. Great job on the cover dress to by the way, whoever did it.

Dec.

2011-09-02T17:15:00.001+01:00

NORTHLANDERS

It's true!

Dec.

2011-08-19T22:57:00.003+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #166!

Solicitations for November were released this weeks, showing that I'm drawing Thunderbolts #166. It's actually a 2 part story, taking up #167 too. Here's the info...

Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by MICHAEL DEL MUNDO
Issue #166 Marvel Comics Anniversary Variant by PAUL RENAUD

Issue #166 - ARE THE THUNDERBOLTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GRISLIEST MURDERS
IN HISTORY? Great Britain, 1888: London is gripped in fear, afraid to go
out at night as Jack the Ripper's body count goes higher. But one
witness claims she saw an enormous man by a murder scene a man named
HYDE! The Bolts' chase through time continues as Declan Shalvey returns!

Been a great/busy week; that X-Force piece that was being auctioned for charity ended up raising a lot of money and I did a variant cover for the new Planet of the Apes series (by Gabriel Hardman (Hulk) that's being coloured by Jordie).

Also, I've agreed to do draw some issues for one of my favourite books. Can't wait til I can say what it is. Really excited about it.

Dec.

2011-08-16T21:44:00.003+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #163.1 PREVIEW

Up on the Marvel website, there's an interview with Jeff Parker about the new direction T-Bolts is taking post-Fear Itself. Check it out here! It included the above preview pages from the Point One issue. As you can see, I got to draw the Masters Of Evil and the original T-Bolts! Got to draw a lot more cool things too. Can't wait for it to come out.

Dec.

2011-08-11T22:40:00.002+01:00

SIGNING AT ASYLUM BOOKS AND GAMES THIS SATURDAY

Hey there; I'll be doing a signing in ASYLUM BOOKS and GAMES this Saturday. It'll be great to go back to the store; I had a studio space below it for a year and a bit; while drawing Freak Show, and Frankenstein. Good times.

Anyway, hope folk can make it along. I'll be sketching and signing all day.

Dec.

2011-08-11T03:42:00.002+01:00

X-FORCE PIECE AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY

Gah! Thought I had already blogged about this. There is ONE (and a bit) day left to bid for the above UNCANNY X-FORCE piece. Please do so; 100% of the proceeds goes to benefit a widowed mother in need.

GO BID FOR IT HERE

Dec.

2011-08-05T14:20:00.003+01:00

LEAGUE OF VOLUNTEERS #1 VARIANT COVER --COLOURS

Jordie did a fantastic job colouring the League cover . I think it looks great.

Dec.

2011-07-17T12:36:00.002+01:00

LEAGUE OF VOLUNTEERS #1 VARIANT COVER

Here's a cover I just finished for Rob Curley and Barry Keegan's League Of Volunteers. Issue 2 just came out but the book has been selling so well, they have to do another printing of the first issue. It's a lovely looking book, and it's great to see Rob expand the line of his Atomic Diner publishing line with this series, his Rósín Dubh series, and the upcoming Jennifer Wilde.

I think the last work I did for Rob was the cover to one of my Freak Show volumes. I'd like to think I've come on a bit since then.

Dec.

2011-07-06T12:48:00.004+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #160 OUT TODAY!

Yep, issue 160 of T-Bolts is out today and is definitely by best issue to date. It's essentially the T-Bolts versus the Juggernaut, with some very destructive (and interesting) results.

This was so much fun to draw. Big, epic action and at one point, a sequence which was genuinely the most imaginative and challenging sequence I've ever had to draw. Really hope ye all pick it up.

Written by Jeff Parker, art my myself, and colours by Frank Martin. You can see a colour preview of the issue here.

Dec.

2011-06-22T11:09:00.004+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #159 OUT TODAY

I double-sized Thunderbolts extravaganza! Today, Thunderbolts #159 is out, with a main story by Jeff parker and myself and more stories by Jen Van Meter/ Eric Canete, Joe Caramanga/ Valentine De Landro and Frank Tieri/ Matthew Southworth. You can see a preview here. Make sure you pick it up!

Dec.

2011-06-16T11:48:00.004+01:00

T-BOLTS POINT ONE!

Hey folks, solicits for September came out and with it news that I'm drawing the 'Point One' issue of Thunderbolts; being #163.1. I just read the script and it's bloody great. Can't wait to start drawing it.

Also, it has a fantastic cover by Roberto DeLaTorre!

THUNDERBOLTS #163.1
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE
JUSTICE – LIKE LIGHTNING! As Songbird readies the hunt for the escaped Thunderbolts, she must present their history to the mysterious forces that guide the raft – but those forces have more devious plans for these former Masters of Evil!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Dec.

2011-06-13T19:51:00.003+01:00

SPIRIT OF HOPE

A couple of months ago I posted this page I drew from a 3-page story written by Rob Williams, coloured by Jordie Bellaire and lettered by Brandon DeStefano. It is part of a charity project; an anthology called SPIRIT OF HOPE, a book featuring work by almost 100 comic creators in aid of survivors of the Tsunami and earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand which happened earlier this year, published by Comic Book Alliance.

The anthology features 50 pieces of donated art from 92 top international creators in the comic book industry.

Edited by Alan Cowsill and Tim Pilcher, Spirit of Hope is being offered in two alternate covers - one by Jimmy Broxton (above), the other by Mike Allred (left). Creators involved include Natalie Abadzis, Nick Abadzis, Adrian Bamforth, Jasper Bark, Donna Barr, Jordie Bellaire, Paul H Birch, Bolt-01, Dan Boultwood, Mark Buckingham, Jim Campbell, Richmond Clements, Jason Cobley, Simon Coleby, Mike Collins, Martin Conaghan, Gary Crutchley, Glenn Dakin, Al Davison, Brandon DeStefano, Benjamin Dickson, Martin Eden, Mats Engesten, Gary Erskine, Al Ewing, Glenn B Flemming, Emma Flint, Henry Flint, Leigh Gallagher, Matt Gibbs, Gary Gilbert, Alan Grant, Jon Haward, Peter Hogan, Kev Hopgood, Graeme Howard, Inko, Rich Johnston, Ant Jones, GM Jordan, Jessica Kemp, David Leach, Tony Lee, Nigel Lowrey, Ciaran Lucas, Paul McLaren, Gary Spencer Millidge, Michiru Morikawa, Alex Moore, Leonie O’Moore, Michiru Morkawa, Eva Perkins, Grant Perkins, Martyn Pick, Maria Pickering, David Pugh, James Reekie, Regan, Neil Roberts, Darick Roberston, John Robbins, John Ross, Declan Shalvey, Liam Sharp, Akiko Shimojima, Si Spencer, Vicky Stonebridge, Lew Stringer, Steve Tanner, Archie Templar, S Thompson, Geoffrey D. Wessel, Chris Western, Andrew Wildman, WJC, Ant Williams, Rob Williams, Sean Michael Wilson and Yel Zamor.

The collection comes in two editions – one with a beautiful Jimmy Broxton cover (pictured) and a second with a cool Michael Allred cover. All profit from the title will go to help disaster victims via Second Harvest and the New Zealand Red Cross.

Copies of the book can be ordered and are £14.99 + £3.00 p&p. Anyone ordering should state their preference of cover, both can be seen on the Comic Book Alliance website where you can also place your order online.

This is a great book for a great cause. Give it your support if you can.

Dec.

2011-06-01T05:13:00.008+01:00

HEROES CONVENTION 2011

I'll be at this year's HEROES convention in Charolette. I had a wonderful time at last year and I'm delighted to get to go again. This year, I will have a proper table with colourist extraordinaire Jordie Bellaire. I'll be at table AA-117.

I'll be selling copies of my Art Deco sketchbook for $20
I will be doing 9x12'' commissions for $50
Original artwork will be available for sale.
Also, I will have 20 limited edition prints (see below), exclusive to Heroes, coloured by Jordie. It came out great!

Finally, if you're at the show, feel free to check out the Comic Twart panel at 1:00PM on Friday

More here..

FRIDAY, JUNE 3rd, 1:00 PM

Comic Twart
Room 206
Every monday one of the members of Comictwart picks a subject for the group to draw over the course of the week. In the last year and and a half, using that very simple formula, Comictwart.com has become one of comics’ most popular art blogs. Join “twartists” Dan Panosian, Francesco Francavilla, Ron Salas, Tom Fowler, Declan Shalvey, and Dave Johnson, with moderator Chris Sims of Comics Alliance, for an entertaining Q&A while the group sketches a subject taken from you the audience! All sketches to be donated to the HeroesCon Annual Art Auction!

Hope to see some o' ye at Heroes. It's a bloody great show. Can't wait for it :)

Dec.

2011-05-19T17:51:00.000+01:00

THE FAUN [PAN'S LABYRINTH]
Just a quick sketch I did today.

Dec.

2011-05-18T05:12:00.003+01:00

T-BOLTS #157 OUT TODAY!
MORE T-BOLTS TO COME!
WIZARD WORLD NY!

Yep, THUNDERBOLTS #157 is out today, so be sure to pick it up.

In other news, the August solicitations went up and with 'em, news that I'm drawing not only #160, but also #161 and #162. It's a 3-part Fear Itself tie-in. I've just finished #160 and it's crazy. Can't wait for it to come out.

Be sure to order them all at your local comic shop.

THUNDERBOLTS #161 & #162
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Covers by J.S. ROSSBACH
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN
Juggernaut has brought destruction to the American Midwest. His team- the alpha squad of the Thunderbolts – have caught the full fury of Cain Marko joined to the ancient force of The Serpent. It all comes down to this! A stand has to be taken and the worst threats of a lost age will face the worst threats of today- the combined squads of the THUNDERBOLTS! It's a major battle with major upheaval as members are transformed completely and others will reveal secret agendas-- and betray their team.
This explosive finale will change the Thunderbolts in profound ways, and turn old friends into bitter enemies. Don't miss it!
32 PGS. (each)/Rated T+ …$2.99 (each)

Also, I'll be at Wizard World New York this weekend. Come by table 248 and say hi. I'll be doing sketches at the show, but don't have time to take pre-orders this time; so first come, first serve.

Dec.

Dec.

2011-05-16T01:24:00.003+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #157 PREVIEW

A preview for #157 of Tbolts went online last week; it's out this Wedneday. It's actually a shared issue between myself and Kev Walker, so should be interesting to read as one story. Features the proper debut of the Underbolts! Be sure to check it out! Coloured preview of the issue here.

Dec.

2011-05-05T05:07:00.006+01:00

FEAR ITSELF; THE WORTHY

Hello there. A four-page Juggernaut story I drew went online this week. Written by Jeff Parker and coloured by Matt Wilson, the 4 pages are part of the online 'The Worthy' series are doing over the next few weeks. It's available for free on the Marvel Comics app, so check it out!

I got a chance to draw some X-Men in this story which was great. Love drawing from Jeff's scripts and was delighted to work with Matt Wilson again, who coloured the Crossbones one-shot I recently worked on.

Inks for the first page below, and Matt's colour below that.

I believe the story will be printed with all the other stories in a collection during the summer.

Dec.

2011-04-25T13:40:00.006+01:00

ART DECO, BOSTON COMIC CON, PRE-ORDERS...

Hello all. I've finally made a solo sketchbook. It's called ART DECO. It's 80 pages of material, made up of Eclectic Micks sketches, Comic Twart sketches, layouts, etc. There's actually a good chunk of previously unseen work in there too. I'll be launching it at the Boston Comic Con this weekend. Check out their guest list; it's pretty sweet!

If anyone is interested in pre-orders for sketches at the show; just e-mail me (address is in sidebar on right) and i'll add you to the list. It's $50 dollars for a fully inked A4 sized piece. Thanks.

Dec.

2011-04-18T15:14:00.003+01:00

ALBANY COMIC CON

I went to the Albany Comic Con show yesterday and had a great day. Drew a few sketches for those who wanted them, most of which are below....

Dec.

2011-04-14T15:20:00.004+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #159 PREVIEW

Jeff Parker was interviewed on CBR yesterday, talking about THUNDERBOLTS and the upcoming Fear Itself crossover. You can read it here. Also in the interview were preview pages I drew from THUNDERBOLTS #159, so I thought i'd show them off here...

You might make out some of the T-Bolts Beta team are in the last page, but I ain't sayin' nuthin'!

Dec.

2011-04-12T17:50:00.005+01:00

I'VE BEEN SOLICITED (again)

Marvel solicitations were released today and I see I have two books out that month.The main thing is THUNDERBOLTS #160, which is part of the Fear Itself crossover.

THUNDERBOLTS #160
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN
The Raft prison has been destroyed. Hundreds of the most powerful criminals in the world are on the loose. But their threat is nothing compared to that of the one man who was already unstoppable and now wields godlike power. XXXXX XXXXXX is tearing a path across the United States, obliterating everything before him-- and now the Thunderbolts are going to stand in his way. Can XXXXX XXXXXX's team stop him? Can anything...?!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

With all those X's things are either super-secret or super-erotic.

Also out in July is a short story I did that's being published in FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT #1.

FEAR ITSELF: THE WORTHY #1
Written by greg pak, Christos gage, jen van meter, Roberto aguirre-sacasa, tom defalco, jeff parker, frank tieri & tom peyer
Penciled by LEE WEEKS, ELIA BONETTI, CLAYTON HENRY, JAVIER PULIDO, MARIO ALBERTI, DECLAN SHALVEY, ERIC CANETE & SERGIO CARIELLO
Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN
THE SECRETS OF FEAR ITSELF’S HAMMER-WIELDERS REVEALED! As the Marvel Universe is torn apart by the powers of the gods and our own darkest fears, you can get up to speed on the origins of the Hammer Wielders who are shattering the Marvel Universe’s very core! Some of Marvel’s finest writers and artists team up to bring you the living history of THE WORTHY!
48 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Also, the second Thunderbolts collection that I have work in...

THUNDERBOLTS: VIOLENT REJECTION TPB
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by KEV WALKER & DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by GREG LAND At the request of Steve Rogers, Luke Cage must lead his hardened team into battle to deal with a doomsday scenario unleashed in the pages of HULK! With the squad a man short, Cage recruits another prisoner to duty — and his pick will shock you! Will the Thunderbolts accept this new member, or will this heavy-duty wildcard tip the balance of power? Plus: An old friend breaks the Man-Thing out of the Raft to return to duty at the borders of our world. What danger awaits the Man-Thing, and what will the Thunderbolts say to losing their favorite plant? Then, the Raft is full of action as candidates vie for selection for the second squad of Thunderbolts! Out of the Marvel Universe’s vast pool of powerhouse criminals, who will
make the cut? Many are called, but few are chosen! Collecting THUNDERBOLTS #152-157.
144 PGS./Rated T+ ...$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5221-7

So, make sure you order all those books from your local comic shop!

Dec.

2011-04-04T17:01:00.005+01:00

CHARITY COMIC FOR JAPAN

I recently finished a 3 page short story as part of an anthology comic to raise money for Japan relief efforts. This is the second page of the story, with great colours by Jordie. I don't know when it will be published, but it's a project organised by Comic Book Alliance. It was written by Rob Williams and lettered by Brandon DeStefano. When I hear more details, i'll let ye know.

Dec.

2011-03-25T14:30:00.002Z

RED HULK

Since a lot o' folk seemed to like the Red Hulk i did over on the Micks blog this week, i drew up another. Jordie worked the magic that is now becoming usual.

Dec.

2011-03-16T10:52:00.003Z

I did an interview with Dave O'Leary at Comic Related about CROSSBONES AND CAPTAIN AMERICA and all the Marvel lark of late. Read it here.

Dec.

2011-03-14T09:00:00.003Z

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND CROSSBONES [out this week]

A lettered preview for CAPTAIN AMERICA AND CROSSBONES is up on the various sites, including this one. It's out THIS WEDNESDAY. Show your love for the Irish this Paddy's day by picking it up! I'm really happy with it, it was a great script by William Harms and Matt Wilson did a fantastic job on colours.

Dec.

2011-03-02T16:57:00.005Z

THUNDERBOLTS #154 OUT TODAY

Hey folks. Thunderbolts 154, my newest work for Marvel is on stands today. It's a great script by Jeff Parker, and it was a blast to draw. Felt like I was doing an old-style EC comic or something. Got to redesign an old Marvel character too; so that was a blast.

Preview pages can be seen here but i thought i'd put up some better-res versions of the pages, coloured by Frank Martin.

Also, recently did an interview about CAPTAIN AMERICA AND CROSSBONES, which is out in a few short weeks. Check it out here.

Dec.

2011-02-24T21:27:00.003Z

BATMAN AND ROBIN

I don't update this blog with new artwork that much; it's generally coloured versions of Eclectic Micks pieces, or Comic Twart pieces, or preview pages shown online, so here is a piece to make up for it.

Dec.

PS. Coming soon; more coloured versions of Eclectic Micks pieces, Comic Twart pieces, and preview pages shown online

2011-02-10T18:21:00.004Z

28 DAYS LATER Vol. 3: HOT ZONE

My final issues of 28 Days Later are collected in HOT ZONE, the 3rd Volume of of the series, which is out this week. It's great to finally have all my issues collected in volumes. This volume should also have a lot of my covers collected in the back of the book. Go Buy!

Dec.

2011-02-09T00:46:00.004Z

UNCANNY X-FORCE

I did an Uncanny X-Force piece for the Eclectic Micks blog this week. Jordie coloured this one too. I really like it.

Dec.

2011-02-04T18:50:00.009Z

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND CROSSBONES

The Crossbones one-shot i did has been previewed online again, with one new unseen page. Thought i'd post the colours (by the great Matt Wilson) at a decent resolution to show to ye all.

2011-02-02T00:22:00.004Z

ULTIMATE SPIDEY (in colour)

I drew Ultimate Spider-man as part of this weeks Eclectic Micks theme week. Jordie Bellaire then did a nice job colouring it.

Dec.

2011-01-07T20:01:00.004Z

ORIGINAL ART FOR SALE

I get asked about selling work now and then. Truth be told, i'm not very organised, AND i'm forgetful. Might as well throw in 'lazy' too while i'm at it, so i'm not that adept when it comes to arranging to sell and post work. I prefer to concentrate on the actual drawing part of the job.

Thankfully, I don't need to worry about that now, as I sell the bulk of my work though Cadence Comic Art now. Any work available to sell will be up on his site. There's various pieces i've done for the Eclectic Micks and Comic Twart blogs, and it's just been updated with pages from my run on 28 DAYS LATER, and my recent THUNDERBOLTS issues.

So if interested, pop on over to my page at Cadence Comic Art so see what's up for grabs. There's also work from great talent like Nathan Fox, Sean Murphy and Gabriel Hardman, so you're spoiled for choice.

Dec.

2010-12-22T18:30:00.001Z

I'VE BEEN SOLICITED!

The Marvel Solicitations for March '11 ore out so i can finally harp on about what i'm doing next.

First, as i've already mentioned is...

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND CROSSBONES #1

Written by WILLIAM HARMS

Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY

Cover by GREG TOCCHINI

Cap's assassin stars in his own horrific comic! When a monstrous virus overtakes an isolated island, the skull-faced psychopath is unleashed to rescue the one person who may deliver resistance to the terrifying outbreak. But can the man who shot Captain America be trusted to do the right thing? Writer William Harms (Impaler) and artist Declan Shalvey (Thunderbolts) deliver the twisted answer in this extra-sized shocker!

40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ ...$3.99

You can read about the other one shots, featuring work by Ramon Perez, Rob Williams, Kieron Gillen and more on the Marvel website here.

I'm very happy to report there's more Thunderbolts in the pipeline, starting with #154...

THUNDERBOLTS #154

Written by JEFF PARKER

Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

Before he was pressed into service for the Thunderbolts, the mysterious swamp monster of the team knew another life: as guardian for a force of nature called The Nexus of Realities. An old friend of the creature does remember this–and breaks the silent one out of The Raft to return to duty at the borders of our world. What danger awaits the Man-Thing–and what will The Thunderbolts say to losing their favorite plant?

32 PGS. Rated T+ …$2.99 (each)

2010-12-21T16:33:00.004Z

VOTE FOR A T-BOLT

From the Marvel website....

Ever wanted to play the role of Luke Cage and pick which super villain has what it takes to earn a spot on the Thunderbolts? Here’s your chance!

THUNDERBOLTS writer Jeff Parker has begun preliminary evaluations on who should join the T-Bolts and he wants your help.

"Somehow we've gotten the idea that you readers have opinions on who would make a good Thunderbolt,” he says. “Remember a villain you want back in the spotlight? Then hit me! We're planning out next year and 2011 could have a lot more of your favorite heavy in it."

So i urge you all to cast a vote as it *may* affect me. Lets just say if you want to see me draw a certain Marvel villain, then here's your chance to suggest him.

Personally; I'm voting for Black Tom Cassidy. Yes; cuz he's Irish.

Vote here!

Dec.

2010-12-18T18:02:00.003Z

CAPTAIN AMERICA and CROSSBONES

Well, cat's outta the bag. Yesterday on CBR's T&A column, uber-editor Tom Brevoort announced a series of Captain America related one-shots. One of which is CROSSBONES, written by William Harms and drawn by myself (See here for more on the other one shots).

Added bonus to the project was getting to work with colourist Matt Wilson. I've known Matt a while and have been dying to work with him. Check his blog to see the GREAT work he's done on this book, taking my halftone, colourizing it, and adding some of his own. Feels like i'm actually collaborating with a colourist for once.

This book won't be out until March, so that's the only news i'll have for a while. My next Marvel book is supposed to be out in March too, so that might be announced soon, we'll see.

2010-12-14T20:49:00.005Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

As per the tradition, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Of course, I also wish a Good Merlinpeen to all my fellow Verdukians. Thanks to all who have been following my exploits this year.

And what a year it has been for the auld Decster. See yeh in the next one folks.

Dec.

(PS; thanks to Stephen Mooney for the Man-Tree-Thing idea)

2010-12-05T04:57:00.003Z

ECLECTIC MICKS SKETCHBOOK (Vol.2) IRISH LAUNCH

Though we already launched Vol.2 at this year's New York Comic Con, this coming Friday sees the Irish launch of Vol.2 of the Eclectic Micks sketchbook in Forbidden Planet; Dublin. It's a great collection; I suggest you stop by and pick up a copy if you're in the Dublin area. You'll get a free sketch by either myself, Will Sliney or Stephen Mooney, who will be at hand on the day. If ye have any copies of Thunderbolts or the new 28 Days Later trade, i'll sign the crap outta 'em.

In other news, I've just finished my next project; a one-shot for Marvel. I believe the details will be announced in the next week or so. Next up; I'm FINALLY going to finish my long-delayed Sweeney Todd graphic novel for Classical Comics, and then back to Marvel for some really cool stuff that's in the works.

As a great man once said; "Moon ...Pie...? What a time to be alive..."

Dec.

2010-11-19T23:00:00.004Z

ELEKTRA

Here's another sketch I did at the Albany Comic Con a month back.

Dec.

2010-11-12T09:30:00.000Z

'GOAT-MAN' INKS

Every now and then I like to ink someone else's work; it stops me from getting too complacent when inking myself. Frequent readers of this blog may know that I predominantly ink with a Pental brush-pen, along with other tools of course. But still, I use the brush-pen a LOT. Recently Jordie Bellaire challenged me to ink with a proper old-school brush. I light-boxed one of her pencil drawings to try it out.

Her brushes were pretty small and rough, which resulted in an interesting line, but some awkward drawing. I lost all the precise lines i get with a brush-pen, but I got some unexpected, rough lines because of it. She also had a rough, busted-up pen, so I was able to get some nice, gritty lines with that. Afterwards, I thought I should bump it up with some greywash, but in retospect i think I should have just left it alone; it worked better without it. See below for Jordie's pencil drawing, and more of her work here.

I'd like to have another try at the drawing with the tools i'm more comfortable with, but the experiment was worth it to open me up more to using a proper brush more.

Dec.

2010-11-10T16:45:00.006Z

28 DAYS LATER Vol. 2 OUT TODAY...
READ 28 DAYS LATER #1 FOR FREE ONLINE

Volume 2 of 28 Days Later hits shelves today, and to whet your appetite, Newsarama have the full first issue of the series online for you all to check out. So check it out here, and if you like it, check out both collections!

Dec.

2010-11-04T17:35:00.003Z

LADY BULLSEYE

I was at the Albany con a couple of weeks ago. Did a few comissions, including the above Lady Bullseye. Thanks a million to Andrew Hanna for sending me a scan of the sketch!

Dec.

2010-10-28T17:49:00.003+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #149 OUT NOW

Yep, my second issue of Thunderbolts is out now in the UK and Ireland. Came out yesterday in the States. I still haven't seen a copy; haven't had time to get to a comic shop, so do let me know what ye thought. The action reeeaaaalllly ramps up in this issue; it was a hell of a lot of work (i DARE you to count all the ninja!) but was worth it in the end.

With this being the last part of my Shadowland story for T-Bolts, that means this is also the last of my published work for a while. I can't say what i'm doing next for Marvel, but it looks like i'll have a lot of stuff out in March of next year if all goes according to plan.

Dec.

2010-10-25T05:18:00.006+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #149 PREVIEW

A lettered preview of my second Thunderbolts issue is now online at Newarama. See it here.

Dec.

2010-10-20T23:10:00.005+01:00

PUNISHER vs DAREDEVIL

Over on Comic Twart this week, we're doing a 'What If Marvel' theme week, where we do mock illustrations of dream projects we would do at Marvel, given the chance. It's no secret I'd love to do Punisher or Daredevil, so I thought a Punisher vs Daredevil Mini would be a cool project. Fellow Twart Nathan Fairbain offered to colour it, so I thought I'd post the black-and-white version here. See the coloured version here.

Dec.

2010-10-07T18:46:00.005+01:00

NYCC SKETCHES

Here's all the remaining sketches I managed to finish before New York Comic Con, starting tomorrow! I've 2 more on my list to be inked at the show, so have time to do more sketches over the weekend; just inquire at the ECLECTIC MICKS table (R-12). Hope to see ye there.

2010-10-05T20:28:00.000+01:00

NYCC THIS WEEKEND!

This Friday-Sunday is New York Comic Con and I can't wait.

If you're going, at booth R-12 you will see the ECLECTIC MICKS banner; the place to find (at different times) Len O'Grady, Will Sliney, Stephen Mooney and myself signing and sketching copies of Eclectic Micks Vol. 2, the new edition of sketches from out group blog. It looks great. Kudos to Will for putting the whole thing together.

As for me specifically, I'll be at the following tables at the following times...

Friday:
Boom Studios booth 1-2pm
Eclectic Micks table 2 -5pm

Saturday:
Eclectic Micks table 10am - 1pm
Boom Studios booth 1-2pm
Eclectic Micks table 3-4pm

Sunday:
Eclectic Micks table 10 -12am
Marvel booth from 12.30 to 1.30 pm
Eclectic Micks table 3 -5pm

I'll have my pre-order sketches for those who ordered them, and will take a list for sketches ($50) on Friday and see how it goes after that.

Also; sketches from the Micks and Comic Twart blogs along with original artwork from 28 DAYS LATER and my first issue of THUNDERBOLTS will be on sale at the Cadence Comic Art table, Small Press booth #253

Hope to see yeh there!

Dec.

2010-10-04T02:17:00.003+01:00

28 DAYS LATER #15 COVER

My final cover for 28 Days Later went online today. Was happy with how minimal i was able to make it. See the version-with-logo along with a preview of the issue here. I didn't intend on the logo being so big, but i still think it works; very bold and striking. Hope it stands out on the shelves.

Dec.

2010-09-27T15:42:00.003+01:00

ULTRA-BOY

Here's one of the first pre-order sketches i've done for NYCC; ULTRA-BOY from The Legion Of Superheroes. Can honestly say i've never drawn him before. Quite interestingly, most of the pre-orders are characters i've never drawn before.

Dec.

2010-09-23T16:17:00.006+01:00

NYCC Pre-order Sketches.

Okay; i'm gonna try this out.

Never one to be original, i'm gonna copy Tom Folwer, and take a list of NYCC pre-order sketches.

I'lll definitely take 5, *maybe* more, we'll see. Not sure how much i'll be sketching at NYCC, so this is one way you can definitely get a decent piece from me. 11 x8" black and white with greywash for $50.

Just gimme an e-mail (address in sidebar) and i'll add you to the list.

Dec.

2010-09-21T18:31:00.003+01:00

REVIEWS!

Thunderbolts #148 seems to have gone down well. There's one on IGN, CBR and Newsarama, if you wanna check them out.

Dec.

2010-09-18T13:23:00.003+01:00

NEWSARAMA 'ARTIST ALLEY' INTERVIEW

I recently did an interview with David Pepose at Newsarama for his 'Artist Alley' series. It just went up on Newsarama to coincide with my first T-Bolts issue. He asked some pretty interesting and challenging questions. I hope my answers were half as good as the questions. You can read it here.

Dec.

2010-09-16T00:20:00.000+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS #148 OUT TODAY!

Yep, Thunderbolts #148, my Marvel Comics debut (it is so weird to actually say that) is out today in Ireland and the UK. I'll be signing copies at Forbidden Planet, Dublin from 12-2pm. Do come along.

Dec.

2010-09-11T22:46:00.004+01:00

NEW THUNDERBOLTS PREVIEW

A lettered preview of THUNDERBOLTS #148 went online yesterday with some previously unseen pages.

Plus; my name is on it. On a Marvel comic. Who'd have thunk it?

Dec.

2010-09-08T14:36:00.003+01:00

CROSSBONES

Another Crossbones sketch that is being given away (i'm sick of giving these away!) for the release of Thunderbolts #148, this one for Asylum Books and Games in Aberdeen, Scotland. Check with the shop to see how you can win it.

Dec.

2010-08-31T09:30:00.002+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS SIGNING

I'll be doing a signing in Forbidden Planet Dublin for THUNDERBOLTS #148 on Sept 16th. More info on the Eclectic Micks blog.

2010-08-27T21:45:00.008+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS COLOUR PREVIEW

Colour pages from THUNDERBOLTS #148 went online today. Here's updated colours of the first three pages by Frank Martin without the glorious Marvel watermarks. See the rest here.

Dec.

2010-08-26T23:00:00.000+01:00

CROSSBONES SKETCH

I'm doing some sketches for selected comic shops to promote THUNDERBOLTS #148 coming out in a few weeks. This one is for Sub City in Dublin. Ask in the shop how you can win this piece.

Dec.

2010-08-17T12:36:00.004+01:00

THUNDERBOLTS PREVIEW

Preview pages for my first THUNDERBOLTS issue went up on Comic Book Resources yesterday evening. Here are some of them; showing just why this blog has been so quiet of late. I've been working my ass off trying to do the best job i can on these pages. Hopefully it shows.

Colourist Frank Martin has done covers for both my issues, which both join up to make one image, which is pretty neat. Go to CBR to check it out.

Dec.

2010-07-28T11:00:00.003+01:00

Solicits are now up for the second issue of my Thunderbolts issue, above cover by the colourist of the book Frank Martin Jr. If you want to get either issues, get onto your local comic shop straight away, cuz if they don't know people want it, then they won't order enough copies.

THUNDERBOLTS #149
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by FRANK MARTIN
A SHADOWLAND TIE-IN! Luke Cage’s squad of fierce felons face the nature of true evil when they uncover secrets of the ancient order known as The Hand beneath Hell's Kitchen! Will a group of people rarely known for doing the right thing choose a higher path—or will they add to the power of the ninja cult? Meanwhile, as Cage fights to help his friend Daredevil up on the streets, he realizes that he picked a bad time to trust his skeleton crew of criminal operatives on an unsupervised mission! So come on, all you DD fans, pick up this issue and find out why Aint It Cool News raves: “very fun...I love this cast...this one is definitely going back on my pull list."
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Dec.

2010-07-19T09:00:00.001+01:00

SOLICITATIONS FOR THUNDERBOLTS #148

The solicitations for my first issue of THUNDERBOLTS are out. Please do check with your local comic shop to make sure they get a copy in. Since it's likely I'll only ever get to do these 2 issues of a Marvel comic, they'll obviously become collectors items!

THUNDERBOLTS #148
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
The Thunderbolts crossover with Shadowland begins here! Luke Cage heads into Hell’s Kitchen to pull his old friend back from the brink of madness. And if swarming ninjas aren’t enough, he's become aware of other forces that will make his task even harder. Going against the Warden and the government itself, Cage sends the T-Bolts in to level the playing field. But without his direct guidance, will this squad of killers and criminals make the situation even worse? Find out in the book IGN.com calls "Impressive...not to be missed."
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

[Note: I high-lighed my name there cuz the actual solicitation still lists Kev Walker as the artist]

Dec.

2010-07-17T15:49:00.004+01:00

SUMMER EDITION 2010

Next Saturday I'll have a table at Summer Edition 2010.

I went to the first event last year, and it was a great auld day. Since I'm back in Ireland I thought I should make the most of it and get a table this year. I'll be doing sketches, selling various comics/books I've done, and sure I might show a sneak peek of the Thunderbolts pages I'm currently working on.

There's LOTS of interesting artists participating; check the list of exhibitors here.

So make sure you come by Filmbase, Temple Bar in Dublin town on the 24th of July between 11 and 5pm. It's FREE-in for godsake!

Dec.

2010-07-09T13:53:00.008+01:00

COMIC RELATED INTERVIEW (ISSUE 12)

My final '28 Words Later' interview with David O' Leary has recently gone online. I've really enjoyed these interviews; every month I was able to get some feedback on the book and was able to see what an unbiased reader was or wasn't picking up on. So, thank Dave! And thanks to everyone who was reading each month.

You can read it here.

Actually; i just realised I totally forgot to post about last month's interview for issue 11. D'Oh!
Here is.

Dec.

2010-07-03T19:17:00.005+01:00

JUSTICE... LIKE LIGHTNING!

The internet has been awash with Shalveyness for the last few days. As announced on Newsarama this week, i'm drawing a 2 issue story arc on THUNDERBOLTS for Marvel Comics.

...........sorry, I just had to read that sentence again to be sure.

Did some interviews for Newsarama, Marvel.com and iFanboy. Click to check them out and see all of the preliminary sketches i've done.

The 2 issues in question are part of a crossover with the 'Shadowland' story in DAREDEVIL. Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that i'm a huge Daredevil fan, so getting to draw something that's part of DD's world is amazing to me. That, and I actually have the first few issue of Thunderbolts at home. Once i get back i'm gonna dig them out. It's crazy to thing that i have #1 of a book and yet will have drawn #148 and #149. Mad.

Well, here goes nothin'......

Dec.

2010-06-25T16:56:00.002+01:00

That is all.

Dec.

2010-06-22T01:41:00.005+01:00

28 DAYS LATER #12 PREVIEW ONLINE

So yeah, the preview of #12 of 28 Days Later is online. Now is a good a time as any to say that this is my final issue on the series. This is definitely the best issue i've drawn and it was a great way to close out my run on the book.

Dec.

2010-06-15T02:47:00.003+01:00

28 MINUTES LATER

Hey there, here's a podcast interview that myself and writer Michael Alan Nelson did for Comic Related's 'Related Recap'. It's a joint interview we did at the BOOM! Studios table at Heroes con a couple of weeks ago. Click here to listen.

Dec.

2010-06-10T16:14:00.006+01:00

WASTELAND

Was asked by the good folks at Oni Press to contribute a piece for Wasteland: The Apocalyptic Edition Volume 2 by current Daredevil co-scribe Antony Johnson and Christopher Mitten. You can order it right here.

The above piece will accompany a prose section at the end of the book. I tried something a little different this time. Normally, i'd draw a foreground figure in black but went worth the opposite this time. I had to draw some dogs so i drew in multiple versions of Sasha, the dog we have at the house in New York. I'm gonna miss her when I come home.

Dec.

2010-06-01T15:11:00.002+01:00

HEROES COVENTION 2010

This June 4th-6th i'll be attending the HEROES con in Charlotte, North Carolina. Everyone has been harping on about how great it is so i'm really hoping it'll live up to my expectations.

A huge part of the HEROES convention is the auction for The Heroes Initiative, a charity dedicated to helping comic book creators in need. Myself and the other Comic Twartists have done pieces for the auction, so hopefully mine will raise some money. We'll also have a panel on Friday. Come check it out. Details below...

COMIC TWART!!
Room 209
The comictwart.com site has become one of the more popular sites online for fresh weekly comic art. Join “twartists” Tom Fowler, Chris Samnee, Francesco Francavilla, Ron Salas, Declan Shalvey, and Andy Kuhn, with moderator Chris Sims of Comics Alliance , for a discussion and multi-sketch demonstration. All sketches to be donated to the HeroesCon Art Auction!

All weekend i'll be signing/sketching at the BOOM! Studios booth, Booths 514, 516 and 613. If you buy a copy of the 28 Days Later hardcover i'll do a small free sketch in the book, however i'll also be doing commissions all weekend upon request for 50$. As an added incentive, i've made 30 original sketch-badges (exclusive to HEROES con; so you won't be able to get them anywhere else) for anyone who buys artwork (original pages or sketches). You can see some of them here.

Hope to see some of ye there.

Dec.

2010-05-28T19:52:00.003+01:00

CUCHULAIN

Got a nice surprise online during the week, when i saw a sketch i did at C2E2 in Chicago about a month ago that had been coloured (quite nicely i might add) by one Kyle Latino. He was good enough to send on a scan of the original, along with a hi-res version of his colours too.

Thanks Kyle!

Dec.

2010-05-24T22:26:00.002+01:00

EAGLE AWARD NOMINATION

Hey, guess what; i've been nominated for Favourite Newcomer Artist in this year's Eagle Awards. *Very* surprising; i wasn't even fishing for it this year.

Won't get it as i'm competing with the artist of Phonogram (Jamie McKelvie) and of Ultimate Spiderman (David LaFuente), but i'm chuffed to be nominated. Great seeing Irelans represented, with old school-chum John Cullen nominated in the same category, and both Mike Lynch and Rí-Rá getting nominations too. Do go vote for your favourite at the Eagle Awards website.

Dec.

2010-05-19T18:52:00.003+01:00

C2E2 SKETCH

I nearly forgot about this one. Did this sketch at the C2E2 convention in Chicago last month for Kate at BOOM! Studios who took care of myself and Will over the weekend. Drew her as an Infected. She's a Batman fan too, i'll take any opportunity to draw Batman so stuck him in there too.

Dec

2010-05-13T17:51:00.003+01:00

COMIC RELATED INTERVIEW (ISSUE 10)

My monthly '28 Words Later' interviews with David O' Leary from Comic Related continue, this month talking about 28 Days Later #10 . Check it out here.

Dec.

2010-05-03T20:56:00.011+01:00

28 DAYS LATER #10 PREVIEW ONLINE

28 Days Later #10 will be out State-side this Wednesday; Thursday in Ireland and the UK. Issue 10 is the first part of Hot Zone, my third story-arc on the book. It's been a blast to draw so far and i hope ye all check it out. You can see the full preview here.

Dec.

2010-04-29T22:49:00.005+01:00

28 DAYS LATER #13 COVER

Here's a cover i did recently; for issue 13.

Really happy that i got to do a decent; design-y cover that still pertains to the interior story. It ended up being really close to my original layout, i think...

This is the first time i did my thumbnail/layout digitally and it turned out pretty well; i did mess around with it a lot; i had to be sure to leave one corner pretty bare so that the logo would be clear and readable, so there was a lot of selecting and moving the image around until i was happy with it. I think it was Mooney who suggested i do a wash on the 2 characters to separate them from the car bonnet. I threw in a bit of mis-registered halftone too, just to make it a little more interesting and also as i missed the chance to use that effect in the previous cover.

Hope ye like,

Dec.

2010-04-27T07:41:00.003+01:00

Here's a Black Widow sketch i did at the Albany comic con on Sunday. Thanks a million to Andrew Hanna for sending on this scan of it.

Dec.

2010-04-20T23:57:00.007+01:00

C2E2; The Chicago Comic Con

Last weekend was C2E2 in Chicago; a con i was very much looking forward to attending. both myself and will Sliney flew out from out current abode in New York and had a bloody fantastic weekend. I got to meet a lot of my fellow contributors to the Comic Twart blog, and both myself and Will got to spend most of the weekend with the crew at BOOM! Studios. They were all absolutely lovely people and it was a pleasure to meet (and drink... and eat double-dish pizza with...) all of them.

The show was actually comfortably spacious in it's layout. Will and myself took a REALLY nerdy photo (which i'm sure he'll share soon) and i got some great sketchbooks from the likes of Chris samnee, Eric Canete and Guy Davis.

Above is a photo of myself sketching at the BOOM! booth with the lovely Jo; the boss' wife. Tried to get fresh with her but she was havin' none of it.

Below is a photo of myself and 28 Days Later writer Michael Alan Nelson. It was great to finally meet him and talk about what has happened in the book and what is coming (hope no one overheard us). We even got to work out an upcoming scene in a future issue; actually collaborating rather than me just taking a script and drawing it. Michael was such a lovely guy and it was an absolute pleasure to spend the weekend at the BOOM! booth with him.

There was just too many happenings over the weekend for me to cover here, but safe to say i'd like to thank everyone who came to the BOOM! Studios panel and picked up a copy of 28 Days Later (I did a sketch in every copy), all the crew at BOOM! Studios for treating myself and Will so well, all the artists i met(Twartists included) who were so complimentary about my work (appreciate it so much), Mike Norton for dinner and a drive on Sunday evening and of course; the Samnees (Chris and Laura) for sharing a table with me for a spell. They soon learned to regret it.

Dec.

2010-04-01T22:54:00.008+01:00

28 DAYS LATER #12 COVER [PROCESS]

Hello there; time for another process post on the auld Dec-blog... aw man, i totally should have called this 'The Dec-Blog'. Ah well.

I was handing in cover ideas to my editor at BOOM! Studios, one of which being the above. Issue 12 called for a 'Someone WILL die' vibe, so i thought this would be the perfect chance to go with this (very rough) idea. I wanted to do a really bold, graphic, stylized cover... actually, i've been trying that approach with all the covers so far, but this was me trying to be a little braver in approach.

Here's the fully inked piece. from the layout you can tell i was planning on changing the black line art to red, but once i tried, it just didn't work. It didn't 'pop' like i wanted it do. If anything, it looked too flat. So with a bold composition, i tried a bold colour scheme....

I showed it to a couple of the Micks for some feedback. It was suggested i colour the arm in the foreground with solid colour but i was pretty keen on going in this direction...

...except my editor wasn't as keen. He asked if i could colour it 'more traditionally,' which is fair enough. So, i had to try do that, yet keep it bold, otherwise what was the point of doing it in the first place? So, to keep it consistent with the previous covers (ie a black/white/grey/red colour scheme), i added greytone to Selena's arm, and coloured the blood in bold red...

And here we have it; the final cover. I do still prefer the original colour version, but i do think this version totally works. I saw the cover online today, and was a bit surprised to see the 28 Days Later logo so big on the cover. Then again, it was a bold composition, and the logo looks big and bold, so as a cover, i think it really stands out. You can see it here.

So that is my heroic story. I got to say 'bold' a lot. Hope ye like the cover. I really do; to editorial's credit, i didn't think a cover this minimalistic would get approved; you can tell from a lot of comic covers that some editors thing you should fill a cover with lots of characters and lots of colour. Here i got to push my 'less is more' cover approach. That may be why this is my favourite of covers i've done so far.

Dec.

2010-03-30T00:59:00.003+01:00

MAGNETO SKETCH

Tuesday means it's Tuesdec on the Micks blog. Did a little Magneto this week. I'm on a mad X-Men related drawing buzz. You can see the coloured piece here.

Dec.

2010-03-25T18:24:00.002Z

COMIC RELATED INTERVIEW (ISSUE 8)

My monthly '28 Words Later' interviews with David O' Leary from Comic Related continue, this month talking about 28 Days Later #8 . Check it out here.

Dec.

2010-03-23T17:57:00.002Z

LOBSTER JOHNSON

Thought i'd post the black and white version of today's Micks piece here. As much as i'm happy with the colours, i've been doing of late, i always still like the black and white version more.

2010-03-17T15:05:00.003Z

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Here's the black and white art for the Banshee re-design i did for the Micks blog yesterday.

Dec.

2010-03-16T14:12:00.004Z

28 DAYS LATER #8 PREVIEW ONLINE

28 Days Later #8 will be out State-side tomorrow, Thursday in Ireland and the UK. Preview pages are online, you can see the rest here.

I'm reeaaaalllly happy with this issue; it was a blast to draw and the colours from Nick are bloody great. Pun intended.

Dec.

2010-03-14T19:57:00.002Z

SNEEK PEEK!

Here's a couple of panels from the issue of 28 Days Later #10 i'm currently working on. Quite happy with these panels, they don't give away any story, so i should be okay just showing these. I hope.

Dec.