Issue #7 is off and running!  Cover and title page this week and come back next Friday for the first pages!  (I know this is a long blog post, but at least skim it because there’s some important stuff in here:  a new Issue, Prints for Sale, a new Short Story, and a Store Signing!)

(Remember this guy?)

Thanks so much for being patient with me while I got the Graphic Novel together.  I’m sure you’ll be glad you did, because the book is going to look beautiful!  Not only will it have the new cover, but it will have contain all the original covers–both mine and Jenny’s.  We’re also including a (funny) timeline of events from the Revolution leading up to what happens in Issue #1.  If you’re not much of a history buff, this should help!

About this week:  I absolutely love the new cover.  I told Mike yesterday that I hope IDW decides to print more comics because I really want to see this one in print!  I’ve been working on the first few pages of the issue, and so far I’m loving it.  It’s nice to have a change of pace.  :)  And I think artistically, Issue #6 was a real turning point for me.  These new pages are some of the best work I’ve ever done.

Other news, we have a few items for sale for your shopping pleasures!  First, that color pinup that I posted last Friday is now for sale in my Etsy Shop!  Go check it out now!  Each one comes signed by me!

And secondly, if you’ll note in the side bar, the new Frederick Knowlton short story is now for sale!  The way the short stories work is that when you click on the “Buy Now” button in the side bar, go through all the steps to buy the story and complete the transaction.  Once the transaction is complete there will be a “Return to Merchant” option.  Click on that link.  The downloadable PDF will be there.  I wish there was a simpler way to do it, but we haven’t found one yet.  And this works better than me personally emailing the file to you, because you can read it right away.

What is the short story?  It’s called Frederick Knowlton: First Impressions and it takes place in July, 1776, two months before the first issue of The Dreamer.  Even though all the Rangers are in the story, it’s told from Freddy’s perspective.  If you wanted to know more about the Rangers, ever wondered how Alan knew Bea was on Howe’s boat, or just want some great father/son moments with the Knowltons, this story is for you!  It’s my fictitious rendering of a real attack Knowlton’s Rangers made on Staten Island, trying to dislodge Howe’s army from the fort before the British Navy arrived.  (Oh, and it’s before Colonel Knowlton was Colonel Knowlton.  So that “Major” Knowlton in the story might seem awfully familiar…)

I wrote a script for the story and the dialogue (so all the characters should sound like themselves!) but my friend Liz Hornbeck actually wrote the short story.  And she did a wonderful job!  The whole thing is told as if Frederick is writing his younger sister Sally a letter from the army camp.  Don’t miss this!!

In last news, I’ll be signing at Comics 2 Games in Florence, KY, tomorrow, Saturday May 2nd for free comic book day.  Stop by if you’re in the area!  I’ll have books and prints for sale, as well as free Dreamer Sketch Cards!!!

VOTE this week to preview next week’s pages!   SO CUTE!  :)

So at SPACE last weekend Bob Hickey (of Blue Line Pro/Comics 2 Games) hired me to do a pinup of my characters to hang in the gallery at his comic book shop.  Seriously??  Best job ever!

(Click here for the original pencils, and here for the colored final.)

So as promised, here’s something new for you on Friday.  I actually have a new short story written which I had planned on putting up for sale today until… Mike came down with an “Ocular Migrane.”  I don’t know what it means, but he was seeing freaky things and Asha says it is from being on the computer too much.  Enough said, I made him take the night off!  Apologies!!  But you’ll have to wait till next Friday to get the new short story.  (Believe me, it’s worth the wait!) 

And speaking of Comics 2 Games, I’m going to be signing there, on May 2nd for Free Comic Book Day!  Free Comic Book Day is a national event, but if you happen to be near the Florence, KY/Cincinnati, OH area, please stop by to say hello!  I’d love to meet you, and it’s guaranteed to be an awesome event!

And VOTE this week if you want to preview that Frederick Short Story I was telling you about.  I posted the cover as the new voting incentive!

Wow, I’d never been to the SPACE Comics Expo here in Columbus before. I had every intention of going last year but then somehow got my dates crossed and, well, I missed it. There were a lot more people there than I thought there would be (table space had sold out) and it was great doing a show where small, independent guys who do comics outside of the box can really shine. No merchants were there (besides the artists) and no huge rock stars of the comics industry. Just a bunch of folks who do comics for the love of the game, and aren’t afraid to try something new.

My friend Asha helped me run the table all weekend, here we are with all five issues of the Dreamer Comics!  Read on for the rest of my Post-Con report! Continue Reading »

As promised, I have something new for you this Friday.  Want a sneak peek at the Graphic Novel cover?

(Click here.)

I painted it in oils, out in my garage so the smell of turpentine wouldn’t stick to my carpet for all time.  Miraculously, the weather held out for an entire week and I was able to finish it before it started snowing again.  :)  This is a work in progress!  Mike is going to add all sorts of fanciness to it, but here’s the painting.  Oh, and, uh, my editors haven’t approved it yet, so… it’s subject to change!  :)

The Graphic Novel will contain The Dreamer Issues 1-6, and it will be out this July from IDW Publishing.  For those of you who had a hard time hunting down the print comics, this should be a lot easier to find.  It’ll be available at bookstores.

Hopefully I’ll meet a few of you this weekend at the S.P.A.C.E. Comics Expo here in Columbus, Ohio.  I literally have to drive one mile to get there.  All cons should be this easy.  :)

There will be no update again next Friday, but I’ve got something else planned for you.  The Graphic Novel has been taking a little more effort than I initially thought, so I’m going to take that second week off.  Regular Friday updates resume May 1st!

And VOTE this week to see my pencil drawing for this painted cover.