Happy Hellboy Day! Today, Saturday March 22nd, marks the official celebration of the 20th anniversary of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comic series, published by Dark Horse Comics. Various festivities have been scheduled worldwide to celebrate the occasion, and lots of excellent articles and interviews have been popping up online throughout the week leading up to the big day. Since Hellboy is one of my all-time favorite characters and comic book series, I wanted to take a few minutes to personally pay tribute to him and his legacy.
Starting out as a sketch for a comic convention in 1991, before appearing on the cover of Dime Press #4 and San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 in 1993, then as a guest in John Byrne’s Next Men #21, and a four-page mini for Comic Buyer’s Guide, Hellboy’s look evolved before a proper coming out in Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. There was no stopping Hellboy from there. Twenty years of Hellboy comics, various spinoff series, animated features, video games, and two live-action films later, Hellboy remains more popular and beloved by fans than ever.
So how has Hellboy managed to stay at the top of his game for so long? There’s just something special about the character that people relate to. A demon summoned by Nazis, Hellboy is an outsider who resists his destiny to bring about destruction, instead choosing to help mankind. I believe the man behind Hellboy, creator Mike Mignola, has everything to do with Hellboy’s appeal. Mr. Mignola is an incredible talent (and a very kind, polite gentleman whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many times throughout the years). From his distinct, instantly recognizable art style; to his knack for weaving humor…
…And tragedy into his compelling stories (along with nods to classic literature and mythology from around the world), Mike Mignola has retained control of his creator-owned characters. Sure, he lets other creators come in to play in his world, but the quality never suffers. It’s clear that Mr. Mignola cares deeply about his creations and their integrity. Hellboy is everything I love about creator-owned comics. While other titles come and go from my pull list, Hellboy (and all other Mignola books for that matter) have remained a constant for as long as I can remember. With Mr. Mignola back on art duties, as well as writing, the current saga of his iconic creation is still going strong in the pages of Hellboy in Hell.
So take some time today to celebrate Hellboy. Look for an event near you. Maybe check out Dark Horse’s excellent Hellboy sale. Look for the absolutely gorgeous Hellboy the First 20 Years art book at your LCS. Go back and reread your Hellboy comics (they get better every time). Watch the animated or live-action films. Eat some pancakes or drink rum with skeletons. Here’s to 20 years of Hellboy! I hope we get 20 more.
Hot damn, there’s fresh news about the Powers adaptation! For those not in the know (go read it NOW): Powers is a superb Image/Icon comic book series, co-created by Brian Micheal Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, about Chicago detectives who investigate superhero crimes. This genre-bending comic is so excellently written and illustrated that it was only a matter of time until someone realized it would be a perfect candidate for adaption into a live-action series. FX initially stepped up to the plate, a pilot episode was shot… And then Powers was condemned to a limbo that would make even Dante shake his fist in frustration. To the dismay of fans, FX decided to recast and reshoot Powers (as I reported, and to my delight was even reprinted, in Powers Vol. 3, Issue 10). All the while, Brian Michael Bendis remained confident and assured us things were moving ahead; but still we all waited with bated breath. And waited… At one point he even said that if Powers never found a real home, he would bring the damned original pilot on tour and screen it to audiences himself at comic conventions. And still we waited as our hope waned …
Now it appears Powers has found a new (and somewhat surprising) home. The world will finally get to see detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, in all their live-action glory. THR has confirmed that Powers has been picked up by Sony’s PlayStation Network! THR reports:
“The Sony-owned gaming console will recast the entire project with writer Charlie Huston stepping in for Charles Eglee. Circle of Confusion will return to executive produce alongside co-creators Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. Michael Dinner will remain on board as an EP and director. Huston and Falling Skies’ Remi Aubuchon will exec produce, with Bendis and Huston set as showrunners. Circle of Confusion’s David Engel, David Alpert, and Lawrence Mattis will oversee for the company, which also produces AMC’s comics adaptation of The Walking Dead.”
Airing on PlayStation Network might initially seem like a downgrade from FX, but I’m not so sure it is. Recent Netflix hits like Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards have found great traction off the beaten track of cable network television, opening the door for more innovative programming through non-traditional venues. I’m not sure what the reported troubles FX ran into developing a series that is not only brilliant, but already storyboarded right there in the comic books (I’m guessing a lack of budget commitment or spine). It is also quite encouraging that Powers co-creator, Bendis, has been named a showrunner. This move shows a bold new direction for Sony and might be an indicator of exciting things to come. For now we’ll just have to wait and see again, but this scenario might ultimately prove to be even better for Powers. Keep your fingers crossed.
Writhe and Shine #273 – ‘Perfect Evening’ art. [Source]
Robert Tritthardt is a creator currently living right here in Seattle, WA. Read through the impressive collections of webcomics he has created, and his wry sense of humor and keen observation of the world is immediately apparent. In addition to his wonderful webcomics (Writhe and Shine and Overcast With A Chance of DOOM!), Robert has also done art for gaming projects (Unhallowed Metropolis and Sinister Dexter). I recently had the chance to catch up with Robert to talk about all his current projects, as well as the innovative new way he is using crowdfunding to help support his creative endeavors.
Comics, and Stuff, and Things: You have not one, but TWO current webcomics (Writhe and Shine and Overcast With A Chance of DOOM!). For the uninitiated, can you tell us a little about these respective projects?
Robert Tritthardt: Writhe and Shine follows a group of friends that work at and run a goth club in New Orleans. It is an honest and heartfelt look at the goth scene from the inside. It is fueled by coffee, cloves, scene politics, bitchy exes, and mule dookie. Writhe and Shine can be described as the bastard lovechild of the TV shows, The Addams Family and Cheers.
Overcast With A Chance of DOOM! is about Doomie, a girl who attempts to flee her past and finds herself living in a haunted house in Seattle. Her four roommates (five if you include the ghost) have a wide range of backgrounds and personalities, but they all able to put up with each other… barely.
You have a great knack for seeing the humor in everyday events and exchanges. Are your characters and stories based on actual people and events, compositions of various people and experiences, complete fiction, or all of the above?
Yes. All of the above, actually. The characters in Writhe and Shine are based on a few friends and myself, while the Chance of DOOM! cast is completely made up. The events in each are things that really happened to me as well as fabricated situations. I think the funnier stuff comes from the real life situations.
Overcast With a Chance of Doom #105 – “Weird Stuff” [Source]
It seems like you put a lot of effort and care into your art. What is your artistic background, and what initially inspired you to start making webcomics?
I only drew a little bit while I was growing up, but wasn’t encouraged enough or didn’t have the right peers that would have gotten me more into doing it regularly. Either that or I was just lazy. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. I was okay in high school art classes and found that the only courses I enjoyed in community college were Painting and Drawing. From a young age I collected MAD and The Savage Sword of Conan magazines. I was always fascinated by Dungeons & Dragons illustrations as well as other role-playing games. After a couple of years of working in restaurants and factories, I told myself that I wanted to paint for D&D. I earned my degree in Illustration from NIU, where I drew a comic strip for the daily campus newspaper. After I graduated, I moved to New Orleans and missed doing my strip so much that I started Writhe and Shine. I didn’t make them specifically for the web, mainly because the internet was just starting to catch on and I didn’t have an actual computer at that point. A friend of mine out in California urged me to send him photocopies of my strips so that he could put them up on his website along with some other comic artists. That’s where it all started
If I understand correctly, at one point you decided to take a break from making comics? What made you decide to start back up again?
Yeah. I took a really long break, unfortunately. Making comics didn’t seem to be getting me anywhere, so I stopped and focused my time on doing illustrations for role-playing games. I hadn’t been doing any of that since college for the same reasons I didn’t draw much when I was growing up: lack of encouragement, lack of peers, laziness. After a while, I realized that I didn’t know how to market myself, didn’t have a good portfolio, didn’t have work that anyone really wanted or could use, etc. I was asked to do some work for a local game called Unhallowed Metropolis, and that was cool while it lasted.
Stunning “Coffin Man” art for the Unhallowed Metropolis RPG. [Source]
Then there was a period of doing nothing at all, just standard 9-5 work. That was a bad time for me artistically. I nearly let my webcomic domain name go, but for some reason I kept it. After a couple years, I just felt like doing something again and that’s when I started Overcast With A Chance of DOOM! In order to gain back all the followers I lost in my absence, I started releasing all the old Writhe andShine strips again and driving some attention to my new series. All of this helped build my momentum and in April 2013, I picked up right where I left off with some new Writhe and Shine strips.
It takes a ridiculous amount of time and effort to make comics.
Yes, it does… Unless, for some reason, you’ve got a knack for writing stuff that people find freakin’ hilarious. It doesn’t matter if you know how to draw AT ALL. Just stick a pen in your ass, wiggle it around on a piece of paper a bit, and voilà! You’ve got a hit webcomic! I’m not saying that my drawings are better than anyone else’s, or that my writing should even be considered “good.” I’m just upset that, no matter how much effort I put into my work, no matter how many times I write and rewrite, draw, and redraw, there’s always going to be someone out there that will make them better than me, faster than me, and make a whole hell of a lot more money at it. I don’t know. I think there is some sort of weird mathematical equation that I can’t wrap my head around. The more effort I put into something, the less people seem to value it. Some of the webcomics out there today don’t seem like any effort was put into them, yet they’re insanely popular. Or, maybe my comics just suck. I don’t know. Do I sound bitter?
The world of comics can indeed be a fickle and harsh mistress. I’ve seen webcomics that utilize “donate” buttons on the websites, or even Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns to help pay the bills. You are using a slightly different crowdfunding method to help fund your creations. Can you please tell us about that and how it is working out so far?
Patreon has got this really great concept. Instead of raising a ton of cash for a really big project like Kickstarter, it’s more of a pledge system. Someone can pledge to give me a certain amount for every comic strip I post, say $1. At the end of the month, the transaction is made depending on how many strips I made. Patrons can put a cap on their amount if they’re worried that I’m going to start posting every day, or they can pledge more if they want some of my higher rewards. I’m offering a few things right now like being able to see the strip a day before it’s posted and access to the strip I did in college to having prints and actual sketches from the strips mailed to their house.
As of this moment, I am only in the third week of crowd funding at Patreon. I’ve got 24 patrons for a total of $59 per comic strip. I’d say that’s pretty good seeing as I launched at probably the worst time of year, Christmas. I wish I would have had not lost my fan base when I took my extended break. I’d probably have a lot more support at this point. Running this campaign is like a full time job. It’s tough to do this and make the comics at the same time. I don’t really know the first thing about marketing and promotions, but I’m learning more day by day. Sooner or later I’m going to stop begging my friends to share my comics and tell their friends that the strips are being posted again. Sooner or later, the people that read my strips 10 years ago will come back. Sooner or later, I’ll be making better and better strips and I won’t HAVE to drag people kicking and screaming to the sites. All I can do is hope that the amount of patrons I have grows larger so that I can pay my bills without having to get a full or part-time job.
In addition to your work on Writhe and Shine and Overcast With A Chance of DOOM!, you are also the artist on an indie game? Can you tell us a little about that project?
Absolutely. I’m currently the primary artist on a mobile game called Sinister Dexter. Not too many details have been announced yet, but it’s a turn-based strategy game of dueling wizards set in a medieval fantasy world. Over the past six months I’ve collaborated with one other artist to contribute concept and final art for characters, UI, and icons. Some early examples are here.
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I look forward to checking it out, as well as continuing to enjoy your webcomics. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us and providing such thoughtful answers!
Image Comics continues to be one of the most influential publishers of comic books (they have been my pick for Best Publishertwo years in a row now). Obviously, the entire industry was watching the Image Expo to see what we could look forward to in 2014. Thankfully, Image has a heaping helping of goodness in store for the upcoming year. This post will highlight some of the standout announcements that I personally found quite exhilarating.
Arguably, the biggest coup was the announcement of a horror comic titled, WYTCHES, from Scott Snyder and Jock. Scott Snyder! That really surprised me. I love it when Mr. Snyder is creating off the cuff. The Wake has been absolutely brilliant. It seems like DC keeps the Batman scribe pretty busy and with multiple options to do as he pleases, so I’m impressed that he came over to Image to branch out a bit more. And with Jock on art no less! Jock’s art breaks boundaries in wonderful new ways. He almost brings a street art style to some of his work, as well as brilliant composition and perspective. I think he’s one of the most underrated and innovative artists working in the business. Anything Jock illustrates is automatically a must-read for me. Snyder + Jock + horror/fantasy comic = HELL YES! If this doesn’t excite you, you might not actually like comics.
The other epic development was the news of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips signing a five-year deal with Image! A deal to, “…Do anything they want with total freedom, total control, and ownership over their projects.” Wow. Though that agreement seems to be the basic Image publishing model, that’s still quite a commitment by all parties involved. My guess is that a new imprint similar to Robert Kirkman’s Skybound will be forthcoming. At any rate, I always support giving creators complete freedom. I can’t wait to read the first fruits of this particular development, titled The Fade Out. Noir comics will continue to be an Image staple in a BIG way over the next few years.
Despite some rumblings from social networks, Image Comics is decidedly NOT a complete sausage fest responsible for the lack of diversity in the entire comic book industry (Really? REALLY?!). Kelly Sue DeConnick is no Smurfette, and already has an amazing new Image series (Pretty Deadly). Now she is upping the ante with a new series which looks to explore exploitation and women’s prison tropes (with, I’m sure, a most welcome measure of feminism), titled, Bitch Planet! Five women will be breaking out of prison, and busting down multiple walls. This title promises to start some intense conversations. I, for one, can hardly wait.
Speaking of stirring the pot, Brandon Graham has a new series on the way titled, 8HOUSE. This SF/fantasy miniseries will pair Graham up with multiple artists, including: Xurxo Penalta, Marian Churchland, & Emma Rios (!), If you’ve been reading Prophet or are familiar with any of Mr. Graham’s work, you already know why this miniseries will be a must-read (and have the potential to expand–I’m calling in now). Expect this series to use SF as a vehicle to ask big, existential questions, then revel in exploring the multitude of potential answers.
If that isn’t enough to make you say…
…We can no longer be friends.
Apparently Grant Morrison has a new series on the way as well titled, Nameless. What’s it about, you ask? You guess is as good as mine, since we only have this image to tease us. [Shrugs.] I hope it’s as good as Happy! was.
These new projects are only the tip of the iceberg! Check out the Image Comics website for even more information about these titles, and many more. 2014 is going to be an astonishing year for creator-owned comics, and Image is leading the way. Rejoice.
Sorry this is so late, but contrary to popular belief, the life of a humble comic book blogger is not as glamorous as one might expect. Most of us (me included) do this as a labor of love without any financial compensation whatsoever, just because we believe in the medium. I bartend and cater to subsidize my comic book addiction and meager existence. Anyhoo…
Writers always seem to get all the love, but comics are, most importantly, a visual experience. Artists are the ones who do the real heavy lifting in comics, and don’t you ever forget it. So how to decide who to pick when it comes to the Best Comic Book Artist of 2013 category? Technical skill? Composition? Splash? Cover art? Storytelling? Layouts? The “X” factor? Well, I chose to factor in all of these considerations.
My pick for Best Comic Book Artist of 2013 goes to… Francesco Francavilla! Mr. Francavilla has a brilliant, expressive style that pays homage to the pulp/noir classics and “Silver Age” greats, while being instantly recognizable and all his own. His superb composition and use of contrasts is unrivaled. EVERYONE in the industry speaks highly of Francesco—and for good reason. He’s just a wonderful, insanely talented artist and human being. You might know his work from a plethora of titles, including work on: The Black Beetle, Hawkeye, The Shadow, Guardians of the Galaxy, Afterlife With Archie (his art actually made me LOVE an Archie comic!), Fantomex, Tales from The Crypt… Too many to list! By his own count, Mr. Francavilla illustrated over 300 interior pages this past year!
But Francesco was far from done. Follow him on social networks and you’ll see he posts a staggering array of art, at times seemingly just for fun. Art and minimalist posters for films and TV shows including: Breaking Bad, Sleepy Hollow, Blade Runner, vintage horror and SF movies—whatever he feels like drawing really, sets Francesco Francavilla apart.
The ability to engage people with art on the same days new movies release or episodes of certain shows air is extraordinary. This man does not seem to sleep (or EVER stop making art). Did I mention he signs his name at conventions with a really cool little symbol (and is about the sweetest guy you could ever hope to meet)? No wonder so many other artists respect him SO much, and that he’s my pick for Best Comic Book Artist of 2013. THANK YOU for making the world a better place with your art, Francesco Francavilla. Please, keep up the superior work in 2014.
Honorable Mentions: Sean Murphy, Menton3, Fiona Staples, Dave Johnson, Becky Cloonan, Greg Capullo, Emma Rois, Michael Oeming, Paul Pope, Geof Darrow… And probably twenty others I’m forgetting right now.
Now it appears Powers has found a new (and somewhat surprising) home. The world will finally get to see detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, in all their live-action glory. THR has confirmed that Powers has been picked up by Sony’s PlayStation Network! ![Writhe and Shine #273 - 'Perfect Evening' art. [Source]](https://comicsandstuffandthings.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/perfectevening.jpg?w=627&h=198)
Comics, and Stuff, and Things 