Wow.
2007 is over and it was such a wild rife it’s hard to know where to start. The beginning is best I suppose…
The year started with Amazons Attack.
I was very excited going into AA. The story was pitched to me as the lead in to Countdown and that it would change the status quo in Wonder Woman books. It sounded like an thrilling event filled with every character in the DCU. As it turned out the final story was quite different from the initial outline I read. This happens quite often. The demands of the DCU as a whole (especially in an “event book” like this one) must be acknowledged and a story can change shape quite a bit from the initial idea to what the reader sees.
In the future I’ll write a bit more about what happened with AA and where I think we succeeded and failed…
Next came Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman Prime.
Geoff is a genius- that’s all I can say. This is by far the work I am the most proud of this year. This sort of story is where Geoff soars. He understands what makes a villain tick. Superboy, Sinestro, Hank Henshaw- they’re only doing what they feel is right which only serves to make them more chilling.
Interspersed throughout the year I’ve been working on a very short story for Wildstorm. I got a call from Wildstorm editor Ben Abernathy and during our conversation he asked me if there was any characters from the Wildstorm universe I was interested in. I’ve always had a fondness for Cybernary- I think she’s a great character conceptually and has a ton of potential. When Ben came back to me a few days later with a chance to work on Cybernary with none other than the supremely talented Christos Gage I leaped at the chance. If you haven’t read Christos’ Stormwatch P.H.D. go buy it now and read it. Go on, I’ll wait.
Working with Wildstorm again is a bit surreal. My career began there many years ago under the wise tutelage of Jim Lee. That period was the time when the industry was crashing and burning. Tensions were high and I think everyone in the industry was bleeding cash. For our group of interns it was a trial by fire and it ended abruptly, but man– what an opportunity! I owe my career to Jim and everyone else at Wildstorm. Thanks guys! Many of that old group are now back together and working at the old studio. You can see their work at the Wildstorm art blog.
Then along came Countdown. It’s very cool to be asked to be included in a massive event like this. For sanity’s sake I think I’m done with massive crossovers for a while though. The pace was so intense, the working style so different, that I honestly do not remember much of what happened. I look back on the pages and there I scenes that I cannot remember drawing. There is one particular event in issue 14 that was a hell of a lot of fun to do however. Hope readers dig it too!
The year ends with me beginning a monthly project. I’m super happy about this one because I get to work with a writer who’s work I’ve enjoyed for years. It’s also a book that doesn’t require I do 1 1/2 to 2 pages a day and does not involve a cast of thousands! I’ve also been able to settle in and design much of the look of the book. Although DC hasn’t given me the okay to talk about it yet, I will say the book is an established title, Looking at the preview images I’ve posted it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.
I hope the year 2007 sees you out happy and healthy and I wish you all the best possible 2008!