An old friend

I was privileged to spend last weekend in the fine company of Ian Lynam and his nephew Evan, visiting from Japan and the US respectively. Ian and I have been long-distance friends since way back and have produced a number of comics together.

Inspired and nostalgic, I drew this today - Violet and her mog from a strip we collaborated on in '96 that was first published in Top Shelf number 6. We were in humbling company. Of one contributor, editor Brett Warnock wrote: "Craig Thompson is gonna be the next big thing in comics. Seriously".

Well, I guess ya can't get it right all the time...

Copy 'n' Paste

Here's the back cover of the new Subhumans LP. It's in the classic cut 'n' paste style, albeit a computer-generated version. As soon as you drop in Dick's handwriting it starts looking like a Subs record - I want this one to sit well with the rest o' my collection! His writing must be punk's most recognisable, along with Aaron Cometbus.

The band don't like over-using their skull logo, but old fans tend to disagree! As did Fat Mike who released their previous record, for which I did a comic strip adaptation of their song, Subvert City, a few years ago. Here's a page from that:

Internal Riot

This is the front cover for the soon to be released Subhumans LP/CD. I drew/cut/assembled a rough version that the band and I decided to stick with, as it had a spontaneity a more labored drawing might lack. Mind you, I did spend some time applying textured edges (scanned torn paper) to much of it, including vocalist Dick's hand-written title.

It's a straight-forward and bold image. At first we considered illustrating the numerous "causes" of the internal riot in or between the splinters, but really, that's where the lyrics come in.

Originally I felt it could be grey (followers of this blog - both of you - groan and mutter, "Now, there's a surprise") as below, but the band preferred it in black and white, and I concede that it sits better with their other record covers now. As does the album itself. As a long-time fanatic I can say it doesn't disapoint! Now if I can somehow work on a Conflict, Neurosis, Extreme Noise Terror or Beyoncé cover I can retire happy...It's also going on t-shirts for their forthcoming US tour, so if you're in the States go see 'em.

A load of old Cobblers

I drew this for the back cover of the Lovecraft book. Ideally he should be running from left to right, as is proper for better flowing comics, but once placed on the page it didn't really work compositionally.

Taking Liberties

A double page illustration for a guitar mag from a few years ago, for a feature on Punkvoter. The spaces were for titles and so on. I post it now because the Metal Hammer pic reminds me that it wasn't my first flag-hoisting commission based on an existing artwork! That one was their idea, this one was mine and it's of course after Liberty Guiding The People by Delacroix.

Punk news: I'm thrilled to be doing the artwork for the new Subhumans LP/CD, their first studio album in 21 years. I'm thrilled they've got a new album coming out, let alone that I'm doing stuff for it, they're one of my all time favourite bands. Anyway, more on this later.

A coupla...

...panels from the new intro to Paris.

Nostalgic Painting

The Sorbonne as seen from a hotel window. It was acrylic mixed with plaster on four canvases, and in this photo includes cobwebs at the top.

Recent interviews at Newsarama and The Pulse.

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Look, I talk shit elsewhere too: Andi Watson has taken the time to ask me some questions over at Newsarama, and the patient Jennifer M. Contino did likewise at The Pulse.

A pic I drew for Metal Hammer magazine's twentieth anniversary issue, based on the Washington war memorial.

Love and Hake

I thought I'd post some grey images.
More from The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Even though there was a lot to cram into the 36 page adaptation, scripter Alex managed to pen some wordless sequences. I don't think it did my nib any favours, mind.
Obed Marsh, the Bluto/Haddock sailor dude below, appears in a few flashback panels. Originally I gave him tattooed knuckles that read "love" and "hake", but unlike here, it really wasn't the time or place for crap puns.

Hi!

I redrew this page for the collected volume of Paris because I really didn't capture the essence of Andi Watson's script previously. Now, I've put more emphasis on Juliet's entrance (hmm, or is that "exit"?) in her gown, as I should have done in the first place.

Andi's currently guest blogging at Newsarama, check it out.

Quilled in Action

My nib finally split yesterday and to be honest I don't really blame it. I've shown it no mercy at times. If it wasn't for the pencilling gig I think it would have given up on me alot sooner. Every comic and illustration I've worked on in the last 6 or 7 years has been with that nib, but oh-ho NO, I just hadta keep wearing it down, didn't I? I hadta keep pushing it, increasing the pressure. Oh well, we'll always have Paris.



Footnote: Actually, this is a real pain in the fucking ass.

?!?

Here are the first three pages from the adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, drawn quickly and with less pencilling than is usual for me. The value of this method is that if someone says "These pages are shit", you can reply "Yeah, but the pencils were very loose, what did you expect?"

On page 2 I used the close-up of the book that describes Innsmouth's former prosperity to conceal and then reveal it's decay 'now'. When I remembered to do so I tilted the panels at alternate angles to reflect the queasiness of the tale and all the ocean stuff. I didn't do that all the time, that would have been tedious and annoying. The spiral is an on-going motif for various reasons, so it's utilised in everything from folds in cloth to lamp posts. Sound effects are handy for giving a story beats, and they're aesthetically pleasing too, especially when drawn as part of the art. I've noticed them being used less frequently in some mainstream comics for some reason. It seems a shame not to make the most of story-telling devices unique to the medium.

(Lightbulb appears above head with a "Ding") "Maybe sound effects aren't considered serious enough" (Falls backwards out of panel with a "Plop!" in a wake of perspiration beads and question marks).

"Fromage"

An image from the forth-coming Paris book, below which I list the intrepid photographers whose work was both inspiration and invaluable source material.

Haven't eaten calamari since...

A panel from 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', a 36 page story that appeared in Graphic Classics: H.P.Lovecraft. The tentacles suck, but still.

"CROATOA!"

As the weekend is approaching, I thought I'd be kind and spare you my own work, so don't say I never fuckin' do nuthin' for ya, okay?? I own these pages from 100 Bullets number 68, drawn by the extraordinary Eduardo Risso. They're framed and infront of me as I type, serving to both inspire or frustrate depending on my own mood or output. I truly don't know how he manages to be so consistantly productive and inventive, and to think I'd never heard of the fella before working for DC/Vertigo. I gotta confess that fanboyness swayed my decision to buy the splash page of Lono. It's not my favourite by any stretch but the trigger word "Croatoa" employed to 'wake up' the Minutemen is only used so often. There are larger/better scans of the first two pages here (in the "issues" section, along with many more) coloured by Patricia Mulvihill, of whom I am a big fan.

Check out the time of this post, I'm hoping "COFFEE!" will be my "Croatoa".

Trip to the Comic Shop

"For heaven's sake, young lady, just come in. There's a new limited edition resin Gollum figurine I simply must possess."

Deborah and her chaperone from Paris, available for pre-order from your local comic book emporium NOW!

Billions of blue...

...blistering barnacles, it's a doodle of my favourite comic character, Captain Haddock, based on a panel from Prisoners Of The Sun. I was clearly inspired to do so after seeing Andi Watson's far classier Hergé-homage here, by thunder.

"The Usual Gang of Idiots"

No, not the jester-hatted jugglers smoking love cigarettes whilst being subjected to Robbie Williams at Glastonbury festival, but the contributing writers and artists for the legendary Mad magazine. As it's topical, here are a coupla pics I drew for them a year or so ago, minus the captions and speech balloons, I'm afraid.

Dry Sandwich

A picture of the Paris gals, but a troubling one because they don't seem to have eaten much Camembert considering they've nearly finished their baguette.



(Two hours later) Ah! Maybe it's their *second* Camembert.

"Unheard-of Splendors Await Below..."

...not on this blog, however.
I made this sketch on a recent holiday to the Norfolk Broads. Not really. It's a portrayal of Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft's fictitious town, drawn for these guys in exchange for Kronenbourg. I'd previously illustrated an adaptation of 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' for Graphic Classics and I guess they felt I had one more picture of decaying wood in me, bless 'em. After drawing the story I learned that Innsmouth was largely based on the Massachusetts town of Gloucester, but we British folk know that the UK's own Gloucester is much more terrifying.