Next week, I’ll be at C2E2, artist alley table X-2, with new things on that table: HARK issues 1 & 2 from Beyond Forward Comics, a preview of Saga of a Doomed Universe from CEX Publishing & special give-aways! Plus, past works from Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics and even Malibu Comics! Over the years, Chicago has always been a special place to me. When I was young, I would make the pilgrimage to Chicago Comic-Con (long before C2E2 existed!) every summer, hoping to achieve the right connections to break into the comics industry…which I finally did, at Chicago Comic-con ’93! It’s been a wild ride ever since. This time around, I’m looking forward to sharing Hark and Saga of a Doomed Universe with old and new fans, while enjoying the company of amazing people creating amazing comics. For me, that’s always the biggest and most meaningful take-away at any comic convention. Hope to see you there!
I’m thrilled to see my mini-series Saga of a Doomed Universe find a new home at CEX Publishing, starting in October! You can read the press release and preview the variant cover art and more here. Pre-order your copies at Previews World or ask your local comic shop to place an order for you. You can also see the new promo here. I’ll have more news to share soon!
What I love most about small, 1-day comic-cons is the community aspect to it, and the fact that it’s usually comic-centric in nature. Comic-Con is a bit of a misnomer these days, as they are often propped up by pop culture attractions outside of the comic art medium. I’m not opposed to all of that, but it’s nice to see the focus back to where most of that pop culture stuff originated: comic books. But I digress. This was an excellent show, thanks to the fine folks at Clearwater Public Library for putting on the event and having me as a guest. I met some amazing talent there, caught up with friends and colleagues, drew a few things for old and new fans, and sold a slew of books. Pretty much a perfect comic-con experience!
Hudson, Florida 02/12/2022 – The second chapter in Scott Reed’s science fiction epic Hark is now on sale! Reed is best known as a writer of Marvel Comics Realm of Kings (Son Of Hulk, Microverse: Enigma Force) and for his critically acclaimed Image Comics mini-series, The Overman. About his current series, Reed explains, “I’m introducing an alien philosophy as a thread that weaves through all the action, explosions and strange creatures doing terrible things. Everything that happens in the story is rooted in symbolism in some way. There are quotes and parables from Hark, who is this AI super-intelligence conflicted about his own purpose as a force for peace. Plus, he’s mutated into something terrifying. He has a lot of new powers that he doesn’t know how to handle.” Reed is writing, drawing, and publishing the series via his creator-owned imprint, Beyond Forward Comics. He views the 6-issue series as a ‘long-game’ endeavor, with 1 intricately drawn issue published every year, between his other projects.
The story is set on the once war-torn planet Serad, until it was transformed into a pacifist’s utopia thanks to Hark’s teachings. His work completed, the android philosopher went into sleep-mode, only to awaken a century later to discover his message of total non-violence has sparked a cosmic genocide, at the hands of an alien presence known only as The Elusivv. Hark is faced with the survivors: The Pacifista, a cult who now worship him as a God, and The Reactors, a barbarian-like clan who seek revenge against the Elusivv, and against Hark, who they blame for causing the downfall of their civilization. Hark is caught between these two powerful ideologies, with his own unstable powers threatening to make matters even worse.
Kurt Sasso of Two Geeks Talking interviewed me in his recent podcast, where we talk about my current comic, HARK, as well as a deep-dive into some of my creative process.
I had a great time yesterday as a guest at Emerald City Comics Free Comic Book Day event. This was my first signing in quite a long time and I’m hopeful I’ll be able to do more of these in the months ahead, assuming we aren’t all in Pandemic lockdown again. I sold almost all of my inventory of Hark #1, along with a few copies of some of my other comics and a few commissioned sketches. Also, I was in good company, seated next to guest artists Anthony Hary and Filipe ‘Fil’ Bergson. It was great talking shop with them while meeting old and new fans. Lastly, thank you to the fine folks at Emerald City for having me as a guest. EC is one of the very best comic shops in Florida and if you’re a local or visiting the area, I highly recommend a visit there.
PERSONAL WORKS MAY 24, 2021–Conan: A Rebellion of Ghosts is a Marvel spec script I wrote last year, but unfortunately I couldn’t find an opportunity to pitch it to editorial. Undaunted, I’ve decided to create a faux cover art and post the work online as a freebie. As much as I love being immersed in creator-owned projects like Hark, there are a few licensed characters out there that are on my writing bucket list. Conan is at the top of that list, and I had too much fun writing him to just let this story collect digital dust on my hard drive. So, I’m posting the first part here as a downloadable pdf and plan to get the second part posted in the next month or two. Enjoy!
This one has been languishing on my drafting board for the past several weeks, and I finally carved out the time to finish it. My homage to the classic Machine Man mini-series from the mid-1980’s. I went the extra mile and added a modified logo design based on the original logo and the old 80’s era Marvel logo.
NEWS MARCH 2021 – As of this writing, I’m penciling page 24 of HARK #2, so I’m getting a bit closer to the finish line. In fact, you can see for yourself at my new Twitch live-stream! Go here to get caught up on the last two streams or just follow along for notifications of the next one. The whole thing is a bit experimental and I’m still getting used to the idea of live-streaming, but so far it’s been fun. Hope to see you there.
PERSONAL WORKS JANUARY 2021 – Here’s my first illustration of 2021. I’m a big fan of the Chris Claremont/John Byrne run on X-men, which means that in my head canon, there is only one Dark Phoenix and she’s still dead. Also, as a Graphic Designer, I just couldn’t resist placing this art into a retro faux Marvel cover design. I created a Dark Phoenix logo (I don’t think there is an established logo design for it) and used the classic Uncanny X-men and Marvel 1980’s era logo for an extra dash of nostalgia.
