For what it's worth, this blog isn't *quite* dead, just a bit fallow lately... I have a couple of posts in the queue that I'll get up here soon(ish)...
In the meantime, anyone in the Miami area is invited to come check me out this weekend at the Miami International Book Fair! The fine people at the Book Fair have very generously invited me out there to participate in a panel and talk about Liar's Kiss, which I am both excited and frankly a little nervous about. Should be a fantastic event, though! In addition to the talented folks sharing the stage with me at our panel (Rob Venditti, Philip Gelatt, and Tyler Crook), the HUGE festival includes appearances from people like Kate Beaton, Dan Clowes, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jennifer Hayden, Michael Ondaatje, Chuck Palahniuk, Seth, Adrian Tomine, Colson Whitehead, etc, etc, etc...
Our panel is 11 AM on Saturday, so if you're planning on being at the book fair, please do come by!
Also, just in case I forget to mention it later, I'll also be appearing at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival on December 3rd in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. And if all goes to plan I should have some new comics in one form or another to debut there.
Showing posts with label liar's kiss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label liar's kiss. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Liar's Kiss hits stores this week!
Just a quick post to bump this info back to the top of the page, given it's timeliness: Liar's Kiss hits stores this Wednesday! Obviously if you're any kind of regular reader here, I've talked this thing to death, but for those who want a little preview, the first few pages are here, and you can browse through a selection of my favorite panels if you scroll through the blog archives.
And anyone in the New York area should consider themselves invited to the Release Party on Thursday, May 19th, at Desert Island in Williamsburg, Brookyn, 7-9 PM. Free beer! [Not free] books and hand-pulled silkscreens! Hope to see you there!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Liar's Kiss Design Process
Most exciting design process post yet? Maybe! (For me, anyway. Your mileage may vary.)
This, obviously, was a big one for me: my own book! (Or, mine and Jhomar Soriano's, more correctly.) I've talked in the past about my half-baked theory where "art" communicates your own ideas and "design" communicates someone else's… but this time there'd be no client to blame things on if the cover doesn't come out right. This had better be a damn sexy cover, or I won't be able to show my face at the weekly graphic designers meeting again. (Note: there is no such meeting. Or, if there is, I've never been invited.)
Naturally Jhomar had to draw it—his art is probably the best thing about the book, and it'd be crazy not to advertise it on the cover. But at the same time I wanted it to feel "design-y," something more than just another page from the story. And, selfishly, I wanted to put my own visual stamp on it, too, if possible.
My initial, not-that-inspired idea was something like the following sketch (cobbled together from Jhomar's interior art):
I liked the idea of cropping the top of Abbey (the woman)'s face, to emphasize her lips (playing off the "kiss" in the title) and keep her intentions a bit mysterious, and Nick kind of hovering around in the background seemed appropriate, if not particularly motivated. I explained the idea to Jhomar, who turned it into this lovely drawing:
Which I proceeded to color and add type to:
(I should mention that at this point in the book's development we were still planning on printing the whole thing in color, though we (okay: I, really) ultimately decided that wasn't getting the mood we wanted as well as the stark b&w did, so we dropped it. The colors here reflect the basic look of what we were doing inside.)
So, anyway, even before we get to the half-assed type design… it's just not quite there. It's a fine drawing, fits the story, but doesn't elevate anything. Not enough "wow" factor.
The story was intended to be the quintessential noir, so it was important to communicate that classic noir vibe… but at the same time I wanted to find a new tweak on the usual visual language. I love what Hard Case Crime does, for example, with their totally classic pulp style, but that kind of painted look isn't really Jhomar's style, and besides it's kind of done to death in a comic book context.
So I tried to think of what I liked best about Jhomar's art—the gorgeous thin lines, for example. I tried to get back to the roots of crime imagery, what makes that work? Shadows and angles, sure, but also: seedy locales and flickering neon. What about running the lifework without any spotted blacks at all, to evoke neon signs in the night? I did a quick (EXTREMELY quick) sketch as proof of concept and sent this note to Jhomar:
Jhomar liked the idea, and quickly sent a few sketches:
I liked the first, and set it into my layout, which quickly showed that the angles needed to change just a bit to fill the space properly.
Jhomar tightened the sketch up a bit...
...and we had a working sketch. I liked my new title treatment, but had a little trouble at first figuring out just how to get our names, etc, on there. This, for example, was a terrible idea:
Ultimately I went for a much simpler approach to the names, as you'll see in the final, below. I was getting sick of the red, though… it had always been kind of a placeholder color. Black, white, and red always works… but is used so often that there's almost always another color that could work BETTER. So going back to the whole "neon" concept, I figured just brighten it up to a super-hot neon pink. I thought fluorescent pantone at first, but the Top Shelf guys weren't crazy about that idea, so I settled on a more magenta-ish (but still pretty bold) pink on the final cover. Anyway, once the sketch was approved by the fine folks at Top Shelf, Jhomar completed the final (and gorgeous!) drawing:
And here's the shadow he made, which is kind of cool by itself:
I combined the elements and assembled the final cover, seen here in all its glory:
We did talk briefly about putting a spot varnish on the pink lines, to give it even more "pop," but the printer felt that the lines were a bit too thin for them to guarantee the varnish could register correctly, so we decided against it. Anyway, having held the sexy little hardcover in my hands, I can say with certainty that I'm extremely happy with how it came together; hopefully the world at large will agree next week!
Just in case there's anyone out there who ISN'T sick of me shilling this book yet, I'll mention again that it'll be for sale in comic shops across the country this coming Wednesday, May 18. (And presumably book stores around the same time, though I think they tend to be a little less release-date oriented than comic shops.) Or there's always Amazon.
And anyone in the NYC area can come on out to Desert Island in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Thursday May 19th from 7-9 to pick up a copy of the book and maybe an exclusive hand-pulled silkscreen poster, have a beer, say "hi." (I'm friendly, I promise!)
This, obviously, was a big one for me: my own book! (Or, mine and Jhomar Soriano's, more correctly.) I've talked in the past about my half-baked theory where "art" communicates your own ideas and "design" communicates someone else's… but this time there'd be no client to blame things on if the cover doesn't come out right. This had better be a damn sexy cover, or I won't be able to show my face at the weekly graphic designers meeting again. (Note: there is no such meeting. Or, if there is, I've never been invited.)
Naturally Jhomar had to draw it—his art is probably the best thing about the book, and it'd be crazy not to advertise it on the cover. But at the same time I wanted it to feel "design-y," something more than just another page from the story. And, selfishly, I wanted to put my own visual stamp on it, too, if possible.
My initial, not-that-inspired idea was something like the following sketch (cobbled together from Jhomar's interior art):
I liked the idea of cropping the top of Abbey (the woman)'s face, to emphasize her lips (playing off the "kiss" in the title) and keep her intentions a bit mysterious, and Nick kind of hovering around in the background seemed appropriate, if not particularly motivated. I explained the idea to Jhomar, who turned it into this lovely drawing:
Which I proceeded to color and add type to:
(I should mention that at this point in the book's development we were still planning on printing the whole thing in color, though we (okay: I, really) ultimately decided that wasn't getting the mood we wanted as well as the stark b&w did, so we dropped it. The colors here reflect the basic look of what we were doing inside.)
So, anyway, even before we get to the half-assed type design… it's just not quite there. It's a fine drawing, fits the story, but doesn't elevate anything. Not enough "wow" factor.
The story was intended to be the quintessential noir, so it was important to communicate that classic noir vibe… but at the same time I wanted to find a new tweak on the usual visual language. I love what Hard Case Crime does, for example, with their totally classic pulp style, but that kind of painted look isn't really Jhomar's style, and besides it's kind of done to death in a comic book context.
So I tried to think of what I liked best about Jhomar's art—the gorgeous thin lines, for example. I tried to get back to the roots of crime imagery, what makes that work? Shadows and angles, sure, but also: seedy locales and flickering neon. What about running the lifework without any spotted blacks at all, to evoke neon signs in the night? I did a quick (EXTREMELY quick) sketch as proof of concept and sent this note to Jhomar:
…anyway, here's my idea: Abbey, naked and wrapped in sheets, sprawled out on the bed in Nick's office, playing with Nick's gun. The room is totally dark, except for light pouring in from the open door, where we can see the shadow of Nick in his fedora and coat. Then wrapping all the way around to the back cover, just show all the clutter and mess of Nick's office, with whatever noir-ish details you can fit in there... photos on his desk, etc. I'm attaching a rough sketch of what I'm thinking of, hopefully that helps give you an idea.
And here's the most important part: I think the whole drawing should be OUTLINES ONLY: NO shadows or blacks of any kind. The outlines should be as detailed as possible, but all consistent thin lines, no big areas of shadow. So you give me something like the black and white sketch attached, and I'll reverse parts of it to make something like the color version. Does that make sense?
And please feel free to pose Abbey in different ways... I kind of like the legs in my sketch, but I can't quite figure out an interesting way for her arms to hold the gun. I'm sure you can figure something out there. Maybe sketch out a couple different poses and we can pick the best one? We probably shouldn't see her face, but other than that whatever you want to do is fine.
Jhomar liked the idea, and quickly sent a few sketches:
I liked the first, and set it into my layout, which quickly showed that the angles needed to change just a bit to fill the space properly.
Jhomar tightened the sketch up a bit...
...and we had a working sketch. I liked my new title treatment, but had a little trouble at first figuring out just how to get our names, etc, on there. This, for example, was a terrible idea:
Ultimately I went for a much simpler approach to the names, as you'll see in the final, below. I was getting sick of the red, though… it had always been kind of a placeholder color. Black, white, and red always works… but is used so often that there's almost always another color that could work BETTER. So going back to the whole "neon" concept, I figured just brighten it up to a super-hot neon pink. I thought fluorescent pantone at first, but the Top Shelf guys weren't crazy about that idea, so I settled on a more magenta-ish (but still pretty bold) pink on the final cover. Anyway, once the sketch was approved by the fine folks at Top Shelf, Jhomar completed the final (and gorgeous!) drawing:
And here's the shadow he made, which is kind of cool by itself:
I combined the elements and assembled the final cover, seen here in all its glory:
We did talk briefly about putting a spot varnish on the pink lines, to give it even more "pop," but the printer felt that the lines were a bit too thin for them to guarantee the varnish could register correctly, so we decided against it. Anyway, having held the sexy little hardcover in my hands, I can say with certainty that I'm extremely happy with how it came together; hopefully the world at large will agree next week!
Just in case there's anyone out there who ISN'T sick of me shilling this book yet, I'll mention again that it'll be for sale in comic shops across the country this coming Wednesday, May 18. (And presumably book stores around the same time, though I think they tend to be a little less release-date oriented than comic shops.) Or there's always Amazon.
And anyone in the NYC area can come on out to Desert Island in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Thursday May 19th from 7-9 to pick up a copy of the book and maybe an exclusive hand-pulled silkscreen poster, have a beer, say "hi." (I'm friendly, I promise!)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
TCAF postgame / what's next
I'm a little swamped at the moment so I shouldn't write too much, but it's worth a quick update to mention what a great time I had at TCAF… Couldn't have asked for a better experience for my first outside-of-NYC show. Thrilled to meet (or reconnect with) plenty of fantastic people, like Connor Willumsen, Darwyn Cooke, Michael Cho, Becky Cloonan, Scott Campbell, Top Shelf table-mates Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Jess Fink, the Immonens, and especially roomies Nate Powell and Leigh Walton. And plenty more than that, too, but that's probably enough name-dropping for one post. Also very happy to meet blog-readers in a new setting--who knew this little blog had such an international audience?
Next on the agenda is the official Liar's Kiss release party at Desert Island in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on May 19th. (The book itself should hit comic shops--and presumably bookstores and Amazon queues--on the 18th.) Come on by to pick up a copy, have a beer, and maybe even grab yourself one of the exclusive hand-pulled silkscreen promo posters that decorate this post.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, May 19th, 7-9 PM
Desert Island, 540 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn
(For the record, those are just jpegs of the art; the actual posters are a bit large for my scanner at home, but have a bit more of a "handmade" look--also a brighter, more flourescent pink.)
Next on the agenda is the official Liar's Kiss release party at Desert Island in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on May 19th. (The book itself should hit comic shops--and presumably bookstores and Amazon queues--on the 18th.) Come on by to pick up a copy, have a beer, and maybe even grab yourself one of the exclusive hand-pulled silkscreen promo posters that decorate this post.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, May 19th, 7-9 PM
Desert Island, 540 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn
(For the record, those are just jpegs of the art; the actual posters are a bit large for my scanner at home, but have a bit more of a "handmade" look--also a brighter, more flourescent pink.)
Monday, May 2, 2011
In Toronto this weekend
Come by and see me at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this Saturday and Sunday. This will actually be my very first convention outside of NYC, and I hear it's a good one. Free to the public, too, so if you're in the Toronto area you've got no excuse! I'll be at the Top Shelf table all weekend, along with a killer line-up that includes Jeff Lemire, Kathryn & Stuart Immonen, Nate Powell, Ludovic Debeurme, and Jess Fink. You'd be forgiven for noting (correctly) that I'm the least exciting thing going on at that table, but come on by and say hi anyway.
In related news, here's a Q&A with me on the National Post website.
In related news, here's a Q&A with me on the National Post website.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Liar's Kiss Release Party: May 19th
I'll post more about this as it gets closer, but just wanted to mention that we've scheduled the official Liar's Kiss Release Party for next month at Williamsburg's favorite comic shop:
Thursday, May 19th, 7-9 PM
Desert Island, 540 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn
Sadly, it looks like Jhomar will not be able to make it out from the Philippines, but I'll be there, happy to scribble whatever you like into your very own copy of LK. So if you're in the NYC area, mark your calendars now, hope to see you there...
Monday, April 11, 2011
MoCCA Postgame 2011
Fantastic experience at MoCCA this year! Liar's Kiss sold out mid-day Sunday—sorry to anyone who wasn't able to get a copy!
And as always, great to get to catch up with some folks I hadn't seen in a while, put some faces to names I hadn't met before, and of course pick up some great new comics. I haven't quite made my way through all my swag yet, but early favorites include new Matt Wiegle comics (Wiegle for Tarzan, and, even better, his story in Papercutter #13), finally getting a chance to read Benjamin Marra's Night Business (which is just as balls-to-the-wall awesome as everyone keeps saying), Jason Viola's fantastic Who is Amy Amoeba? (which seems to be available to read online at that link--recommended!), Brecht Evans' gorgeous Night Animals (The Wrong Place is next on my list), and Victor Kerlow's genius high-concept sketchbook, "People From Yesterday."
Very curious to hear people's reactions to Liar's Kiss now that it's out in the world... if you're one of the lucky folks who picked one up, I'd love to hear from you! Drop me a line or leave a note in the comments, and hopefully I'll see some of you (and new people besides) at TCAF in Toronto or Heroes Con in Charlotte…
[Blog housekeeping note: I think I'm going to pause the LK preview panels for a bit... if I keep putting them up at this pace I'll have posted the whole book soon! (out of order, but still.) But I'll try to keep the design process posts coming as best I can.]
Sunday, April 10, 2011
MoCCA update
Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday! I know I missed a few people who came by my table while I was over at the Top Shelf table, or vice versa, but hopefully I wasn't TOO hard to track down. I know we've only got a few copies of Liar's Kiss left, so if you were planning to pick one up today, I recommend coming by the Top Shelf table early...
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
MoCCA 2011
In case I haven't mentioned it enough, I'm going to be at the MoCCA Festival this coming weekend, selling the usual assortment of comics, prints, (yes, I should have more goldfish prints), etc… and of course, the world-premiere debut of Liar's Kiss!
The MoCCA folks seem to have included my name on the list of "special guests" in the press release, which you might think would indicate they're running low on the "special"… but actually the line-up this year looks pretty great, including Criterion vets Adrian Tomine, Kate Beaton, Victor Kerlow, Scott C., and plenty more great artists besides. And that's not even factoring in the best part of MoCCA, which is discovering some new book or artist that you would otherwise never have heard of. I highly recommend the whole MoCCA experience.
You can find me at either my own table (E17--in the back, toward the middle) or periodically at the Top Shelf table (J5/K5--in the front, on your left as you enter). Come on by and become one of the first people in the world to purchase your very own copy of Liar's Kiss! Come early enough on Saturday and you could be the very first! I will happily note your copy as such, if it is the case. OooOOooh...
Also: for those not in the NYC area, I'm also currently planning on being TCAF in Toronto May 7th-8, and Heroes Con in Charlotte June 3rd-5th, as part of my international book tour! (What? Canada counts!) For those not in any of the above places, there's always Amazon...
Hope to see you this weekend!
(Above: Peter Kuper's poster for MoCCA.)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Hey, look!
Monday, March 21, 2011
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