"The biggest story never told"

   http://youtu.be/b3RYMb9uoZ0

More Dredd peeking

Now I'm all finished on my latest Dredd, running from prog 1837 with that rather awesome Chris Weston cover to prog 1841 (which will feature my own cover...more on that later), I thought it only fair I should share with you some of my fave bits, panels that I had the most fun with and that I think worked well.

Purple and orange, like Chris' cover? Coincidence? Hmm...maybe. Maybe not.

The panel below features some graffiti that is my little way of saying hello to a good friend Jason Wilson. He's not too well right now and I thought this might give him a little boost, which I believe it did. Hooray for comics!!

2000AD prog 1837

Batman: Death by Design trade paperback

At last! The long awaited trade paperback of my Batman: Death by Design is out! Selling at a much lower price than the original hardback but containing all from the original (with only two small exceptions).

An open mind

An open mind is a healthy thing to have. Without an open mind would we have a stimulating culture, the ability to share our interests, emotions and thoughts with our friends and family or the thirst for knowledge that enables us to grow as a species?

It's with this in mind that I'm writing this blog post.

When I was a boy I witnessed something that changed my life. Something that to this day is still considered a taboo, a topic of ridicule and great cynicism. I saw a "flying saucer".

To some this won't shock. It's nothing new. People all over the world, for as long as we've had recorded history, have seen things they couldn't explain. For me it was an epiphany. A life changing event. It forced me to question my young impression of the world around me, of the universe around me and it forced me to have an open mind.

This was my first experience of this sort, but it wouldn't be the last. I feel it's not necessary to talk about these other experiences here suffice to say that I became involved in my own personal research into all things paranormal, with an emphasis on UFOs and ETs.

This brings me to my reason to write this blog post today. Last Monday saw the premier of a documentary by Dr Steven Greer, the founder of The Disclosure Project. The film is called Sirius. It reveals the facts about the UFO/ET phenomenon and the long term "cover-up", discrediting and disinformation of the subject. It also uncovers the story of how new technologies that can replace our need for fossil fuels have been systematically hidden from the public and how, if freed, these innovations could change our planet for the good of all.

The Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell can explain it better than me... (link)

If you're concerned with the direction our world is headed, if you're interested in the UFO/ET phenomenon, if you'd like to see an end to the destruction of this beautiful planet than I ask that you watch the Sirius documentary...with an open mind.

Watch it here... (link)

(normal service will resume shortly!)

New Dredd panels

Here's some new panels from the five part Dredd I'm presently working on. After spending the past four years hardly inking anything I'm now just getting back into the joy of the pen once more. It took me a while to get my hand working as it should and my heart away from the love of finished pencil to a stage I'm now happy with. Just as well too, as I've recently been asked to employ my "Euro style" on a little Batman project, which I'll give you more detail on when I can.

Dredd bad men

Judge Dredd panel

Look what I found!

Inkstuds interview

I'm now, officially, an Inkstud! If you haven't heard of the site and you love comic books then you should click here and dive into the world of Inkstuds. You'll find over a gazillion interviews with comic book pros, some well established and some fresh on the scene. "Inkstuds focuses on underground and indy comix from publishers like Fantagraphics, Top Shelf, Drawn and Quarterly and more."
Robin invited me to be interviewed a little while back, and after I checked out the site I couldn't say no, who wouldn't want to be amongst such awesome guests as Brandon Graham, Dave Cooper, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bryan Talbot, Chester Brown, Chip Kidd, David Lloyd, Geof Darrow, James Jean, Neal Adams, Paul Pope...aagh! Too many to list!
I had no idea what Robin would be asking me about, I hadn't prepared myself as I might have done, and I found myself sounding a little grumpy about my career with DC and far too depressing regarding my reasons for leaving the industry for a while, never-the-less I hope (if you listen to mine over all the other amazing choices!) that's it's interesting...a bit.

The Profound Prophet

As I've alluded to in the past, the Universe we all share is full of wonder, deep mystery and profound anomalies. The more you open yourself to these facts the more the Universe talks to you in this way.

Here's the thing.
Last weekend I had an incredibley vivid dream, the details I'll reveal later on this blog, but for now all you need to know was that it turned out to be profoundly 'Prophetic'. The very day after the dream I was contacted by a mutual friend of a certain Brandon Graham (King City, Prophet) who wanted to know if I would be interested in getting involved with the Image comic Prophet, a super cool book that I'd only just become aware of but had been bowled over by. I immediately said yes, though warning that my 2000AD work would have to come first. Brandon and I then got in touch and we started to talk about what we might do together on the book. Here's the real thing...I told him about my dream and that I thought it might make for a good background for a story. Then he very generously sent me a copy of a future cover to the series...

After a moment of sheer amazement it sank in. The cover clearly was connected with my dream. It was as if I'd done the illustration myself after jumping out of bed with the dream still playing in my mind. It was an image directly taken/borrowed/downloaded/channeled from my dream!!

So...that job I half mentioned in my last post is Prophet...by order of the wondrous, mysterious and profoundly anomalous Universe!

More Dredd (not the guy that fatally wounded King Arthur!)

Here's a panel from the Dredd I'm working on that I wanted to post here. Why? Because I like it and it doesn't really give too much away. I think I like this because it reminds me just how much I love colouring my own work. I often enjoy the colouring stage as much as drawing, probably because I spent so many years being coloured by other folk who were getting paid virtually nothing and had limited resources and probably little incentive.

In the news this week...watch this space for some possibly awesome news (if you're me) about a comic book gig I might be offered. I've got a tone of work lined up with 2000AD (Yay!) and have to get cracking soon on concept and storyboard work for the Rendlesham movie/TV series, so it'll be tricky fitting another gig in to my schedule...but I'm damn well going to try because it's something ultra cool.

Help support Tripwire

I don't usually do such things, but this is an exeption...

Even though Joel, the force behind the project, doesn't mention me in his little intro film (grrr!) I'd like to draw, no pun intended, your attention in the direction of the TRIPWIRE Kickstarter event...here's the blurb...

TRIPWIRE has been Britain's only features-driven comics and genre magazine which has published since 1992 and with 2013 being the magazine's 21st anniversary, its coming of age if you like, we thought it would be remiss if we didn't do something to commemorate this.
The book will come in regular paperback and in a limited hardcover edition. Between its covers will be a selection of new material, including art either never seen before or rarely seen from the likes of Drew Struzan (poster artist for Indiana Jones, The Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Phil Hale (award-winning portrait painter), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg, The Shadow, Blackhawk),Frank Quitely (Batman & Robin, All-Star Superman), Walter Simonson (Elric, Thor), Dave Taylor (Batman, Tongue Lash, Judge Dredd) and many more. Additionally, it will include features looking at the trends and issues that have played a major part in comics and genre over the past 21 years, including the best and worst comic and genre movies 1992-2013, the 21 most important creators to come to the fore in the last twenty-one years, the 21 best graphic novels (mainstream and independent) and much more. It will also include the best content from twenty-one years of TRIPWIRE, a magazine which covered the cream of comics and genre and will include the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Guillermo Del Toro, Mike Mignola, Joss Whedon, Joe Kubert, Will Eisner to name but a few. It will also include a selection of photos pulled from the magazine of genre movers and shakers. It will be a must-buy for fans and aficionados of comics and genre, approached with the same level of professionalism and quality that people have come to expect from the magazine.

"Hard to believe Tripwire is already 21 - and looking more youthful than ever. Still the coolest magazine on the planet, and helping young and old alike fritter away their lives with the best coverage of comics, film, TV, and games. All hail, and here's to the next 21!"-  IAN RANKIN, author Rebus

"TRIPWIRE really is a breath of fresh air. Its layouts are superb, with great well-written features perfectly set off by the pictures, adding clarity and intelligence to every page. And it keeps on doing it. Amazing, Gratifying. A pleasure to look at, a pleasure to read..."  MICHAEL MOORCOCK, fantasy legend (Elric, Hawkmoon)

"TRIPWIRE is pop-culture champagne, the one-stop must-have magazine for all that’s cool and classy in comics, film & TV. I’d be an uncultured loon without it."-  CHRISTOPHER FOWLER, writer, Bryant & May, Roofworld

"TRIPWIRE is essential reading — one of the best on the market!"-  MARK VERHEIDEN, TV writer, Falling Skies

Guess who's back on Dredd?!

Yes folks, it's true. I've finally returned to the place I love. Not that I hate Batman, but as followers (hello!) of this little sanctuary in the storm of life know, I've been threatening to do more Dredd for a long...long time. I'd try and tell you how great it feels to be back on Dredd, but it'd take more words than I know and more time than you have to explain it. Just know that I'm a happy chap! Watch this space for more news re Dredd and future 2000AD projects involving the writing droid Edginton, who, apparently, is planning to take over the planet.

Incal panel contest...too late

Ian MacEwan runs a very wonderful site by the name of Quenched Consciousness where he regularly posts rare and not so rare (but still great to see) images by Jean 'Moebius' Giraud. He recently ran an Incal panel contest, inviting folk to draw a panel from Moebius' book The Incal. Sadly, I didn't know it was running and only found out after the contest had ended. Lucky for me Ian was gracious enough to let me contribute a panel for the exhibition that is being held at Floating World Comics in Portland, Oregon. Many thanks Ian!

It was a very weird experience doing this panel. At one stage thinking "what's the point?!"
It reminded me, as if I need reminding, just how gifted Jean was, how much of a master craftsman he was. His line, when studied, is quite sublime...clean and controlled to the point of being god-like.
I made some adjustments to my version, changing the proportions of the panel somewhat as the original that appears in the book is narrower to fit onto the overall design of the page. I also moved Deepo, the main character's (John DeFool) concrete seagull, as I'd made room for him at the top.
I never really meant mine to be a copy, I'd intended to jam the idea, but as I was drawing it I found myself disagreeing with any changes I was making, thinking that the original was so perfect I might as well just try and do my best to let it influence me. All in all I felt it was a waste of time, but then, I did learn a lot from doing it, or rather was reminded, gratefully, just how much I loved Jean's work and miss him.

Here's the original for comparison...

Batman Death by Design pages for sale

Last year was a bit of a nightmare. But you knew that, right?! To celebrate this fact I'm reminding you good folk that my Batman: Death by Design pages are still for sale, or rather, the ones that haven't been snapped up yet. There are still a decent amount (some shown here) that I think you'd be crazy to miss out on! It's not every day you get the chance to buy original pages from a New York Times best seller! So, go on, treat yourself, or someone you love, want to impress, bribe, show them you care or simply show off! You can contact me by clicking here and following the email link.

Moebius petition...please "like"!

I beg you all to visit this FB page and click "like". Why? Because it's an important and noble cause. Why? Because since the great Master's death last year his books have been republished in many languages but not in English, which, for his loving and devoted followers is shockingly unbelievable. Why this is the case no one seems to know. There seems to be an intentional block on this happening. I passionately believe this is hugely important. Please help. The English speaking world needs Moebius, maybe now more than ever.

Happy holidays!

Unless the world really does end tonight, us all feeling a little foolish for that last explosive second, happy Christmas to you all and a very happy new year, may it be far better than this last one!

If, as I say, we're all still around next year, look out for more news regarding the movie script I'll be working on. You want some news now? Oh, all right, but just for you...

"Three Nights In December" is the working title of a film written by UK Police detective Gary Heseltine and tells the true story of the events that took place at an American air base in the UK in 1980. The case is commonly known in the UK as "The Rendlesham incident", or in the US as "The Bentwaters incident", and involves many high ranking military witnesses who claim to have experienced what can be described as "a number of alien visitations"! I'm all over this subject, as they say, so it's going to be a lot of fun to work on, especially dealing with the debunkers who are sure to get involved! Don't get me wrong, I don't wear tin foil hats, I don't go about saying things like "they're here!" and "we're all doomed!" but I do firmly believe that to say we're alone in this infinite cosmos is now so last century it hurts. That's all I'll say for now, apart from that if you know someone very rich who'd like to fund this very exiting and possibly historically important film please don't hesitate to contact me or Gary!!

Happy holidays to each and every one of you!

Dave

Thought Bubble 2012...AWESOME!!

It's a very long time since I've been to such an excellent comic convention as this years Thought Bubble in the fair city of Leeds. Many thanks to Lisa and all the crew who made the weekend so enjoyable.

Many thanks also to Nabil and his minions of Travelling Man for making the show even more welcoming and enjoyable. I'll be doing some signings at at least one of their shops again soon so please watch this space for news.

And talking of news...The beautiful, sublime, unique graphic novel that is NELSON won Best Book at the British Comic Awards. I was so pleased, not because I had a small roll to play, but because Woodrow Phoenix and Rob Davis did such a sterling job in putting this project together, well done guys! Well done too to all involved, all 54 creators!! As Rob said as he accepted the award, "we're cheating really with so many creators, we were sure to win!" or words to that effect! Too modest? Damn right! If you don't already have a copy I wholeheartedly suggest you get one!

I'd like to also thank the many good folk that purchased my Batman: Death by Design graphic novel, and the many good folk who I did sketches for. They all, in their own right, made the weekend the best comic show I've done in years. Thanks folks!

So...what's next?

I'm about to start on an adventure into "motion comics" with the highly acclaimed Madefire guys. The very talented Robbie Morrison has written a great script for me and I'm looking forward to jumping into Madefire with both feet!

Anything else? Well, yes, as it happens. I was offered a job, that will have to stay unannounced for a while, that I am ENORMOUSLY exited about!! All I'll say for now is that if it happens I'll be like a pig in you know what!

So...Thought Bubble 2012? Awesome!!!

...and now in colour

Here's a follow up to my last post.