UNDERTOW 2014

Undertow is rolling full ahead, with Gibson Quarter and Adam Gorham scratching away with their pencils and brushes, and my Partner in the Panhandle, Greg Harms, throwing colors down for the cover, inked again with the android precision of Guillermo Ortego.  I couldn't go another minute without letting the world know how proud I am to be working with these guys, and humbled by their immense talent and dedication.  Thank you!  You all make Undertow and my stories so much more than I ever hoped they would be.

Here's a quick look at page one from "The Forgetting," by Adam Gorham.  Adam has made this story his own and each time I get to work with him my ideas and hopes for the story become so much richer, I can only speculate on what it will be like when the day comes and one of the Big Houses comes to take Adam away...  That didn't come out quite right, but I think you get the idea.

Undertow #4 also features "The Organ-Grinder," by Gibson Quarter.  I could say a bunch of great things about GQ, but you've already heard them before.  Page one of the OG features a litto-bitto-bootay, which I'm told the book has been lacking.  Apparently not everyone is solely interested in plot twists and monsters!  Glad someone told me.  Years later.

A bunch more great stuff going on--I've been busy punching away on Undertow #5 and there will be one, possibly two new stories in that issue (both with new artists!), plus the regulars.  Undertow #5 will be released at Fan Expo Canado in Toronto in late August!  It's going to be a busy year, so wish us the best and come see us at Emerald City Comicon March 28-30th!

THINKING INSIDE THE SQUARE

So a lot has happened in the last month.  Jet City Comic Show in Tacoma was my first show 100% solo, and also my first one-day show.  One of the most interesting things about attending comic cons as an exhibitor is all the people-watching, seeing how we react to one another in a fairly confined area, a common interest linking us together.  A little microcosm of life.  But no real guns allowed inside the convention center.  Perhaps the most enjoyable thing I discovered during this show is that during a one-day show, when someone tells you they'll be back later to buy your book, they might actually come back!  So to those of you who came back for Undertow, thank you!  I hope you enjoyed to book, because I have officially bled for it.  On my way back to the car at the end of the day, the wind caught my exhibitor badge, whipped it up in my face, and cut me on the bridge of my nose.  And then upon returning to my car, I found a $35 parking ticket on my windshield!  Touche, Tacoma, touche.  I still had a good time.  But I will do my damnedest to never again part at Republic Parking Northwest, because I'm fairly certain that whoever was monitoring the lot that day stole my parking money from the box, and possibly wrote me the ticket as well.

While at the show I met one of the designers of Amazon's Kindle Comic Creator who was looking for feedback on their program, which they use to upload comic and graphic novels in their Kindle Store.  I told him I'd love to help, and this past week I have done just that.  So as of right now you can buy Undertow #1 (1st printing) on Amazon.com in their Kindle Store for $1.99!  And now I'm going to tell you exactly why that is so cool.

Kindle Comic Creator

Digital comics are changing the way we read comics.  This is my third time formatting Undertow to be read digitally, and each time it's become more involved in an effort to make the reading experience more fluid and uninterrupted.  Initially, digital comics were a PDF file, stringing together images, basically the same as you'd see on printed paper.  Last year, I submitted Undertow to comiXology, which I was told (correctly) was the shit.  ComiXology gave digital readers the option of viewing an illustrated sequential page more sequentially--who the heck could have thought of that besides some twisted-ass comic book genius?  I didn't have a true appreciation for what those villains did until I tried this panel-by-panel breakdown myself with the Kindle Comic Creator.

comiXology (reader)

Basically, where comiXology took the individual panels off the page and put them in front of the reader, one at a time, Kindle got their double-think on, and put those panels back.  It sounds like plain lunacy, and probably is, but I dig it!  It took me twelve hours to go back through Undertow #1, reformat all the pages, and input them to my specifications, but it was worth it for a couple of reasons.  It brought me closer to these stories from back in the day, and also heightened my awareness of how the images, and the captions I put on the pages (both as words and as images) work together, or should work together.  The basic tasks are fairly mundane, re-sizing panels and changing their level of magnification, but the end product really brings each image and moment of the story to your attention.  Highlights, even.  It works, and I'm very pleased with how Undertow turned out.  You should definitely check it out, especially definitely if you haven't read Undertow yet.  If you're a comic creator, give Kindle Comic Creator a crack with you own book--you won't be disappointed.  Even better, after submitting the book it was available in the Kindle Store the next day.  Undertow #2 and Undertow #3 will be available there also, before the end of the year.

This past week 7th Wave Comics was also featured in Self Publisher! Magazine!  There's a four-page interview with Gibson Quarter and myself about how Undertow came to be, what it is, and what it will be--read it!  The interview is in issue #69 that you can download for FREE by clicking here or on the cover image below.

And one final news item (for the moment)--there's a new 7th Wave Comics website in the works!  The domain will remain the same (www.7thwavecomics.com), and the blog will be integrated into the website.  There will be more content up from myself and fellow Undertow creators, and the website will be a big improvement all around--more professional, as Gibson Quarter would say.  And speaking of GQ, here's some professional OG boo-tay from the upcoming Undertow #4, available at Emerald City Comicon March 28-30 here is Seattle.  You should do your best to attend--come see Greg, Adam, GQ, and myself--it's going to be a blast!

TOP SECRET GEEK

My life has taken several strange turns these past few years.  My girlfriend has called me a Top Secret Geek as long as I've known her, and the utter obliteration of that secret began right here with my comic Undertow has been one of the best and brightest of those turns.  I remember talking with a guy in college about comics when I was probably eighteen and telling him, "Yeah, I used to collect comics."  I think I was back to buying back issues to all the X-Men books (and there were a lot of them in 1995) not six months later, but it strikes me now what a dick I must have seemed.  The truth of it is that I love comic books.  There were a few years in high school and into college when I thought I was too cool for them, but in all honesty I dreamt about them.  Is that weird?  Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's weird.  But if you know me, I'm a little bit that way, too.  If you're into weird, and you know me, we're probably friends, and if you're into weird and don't know me, then you should probably read my book, because I can absolutely guarantee you will love it.

I got the chance to sneak away from work in AK for a couple of weeks in September and hit up Rose City Comicon in Portland, Oregon.  It was a good time, a short road trip with my little brother and GF, caught up with friends both new and old, set a high score on the basketball hoop at the Spirit of 77 bar, sold some Undertow (never as many as I'd like), and discovered some great new comics and people at the show.  The place was full of weirdoes--my people--just the way I like it.  If I saw you there and you stopped to talk about my book--thank you!  If you bought my book--THANK YOU!  People taking a chance with something new--something mine (and Ghosthill Greg's, and Gibson Quarter's)--you people are making it all worth it.  We love you, and we are doing our damnedest to make something better for you each. and. every. time.  Don't forget about us because we will not forget about you.  That is the 7th Wave Comics/Luke Donkersloot MF'ing guarantee.  Undertow is my light saber, if you would, and now that I've finally made it and achieved true Jedi status, it's just a matter of refining my connection with the Force.  And I'm going to leave that analogy right there...

A couple of other Jedi (of a slightly different variety) attending the show, but fellow creators all.  There is no feeling quite like creation.

 

And before I go, a quick glimpse of a panel from "The Organ-Grinder" in the upcoming Undertow #4.  Somehow between Gibson Quarter and I we've turned this poor damn monkey all kinds of sick, but amidst all the excessive violence and wandering the Wild West, this guy is still finding the time to stay on top of it all, sit back, roll a smoke, and just wonder--Why?  And you've heard it before but that's because it's the truth, though I think we forget sometimes, at least I do.

The answer is not in the ending, but in your journey.  Fellow weirdoes, story- and adventure-seekers--join me.  It is going to be a good one. 

Come see me in Tacoma at the Jet City Comic Show November 2nd, and the whole crew GQ, GH, and Adam Gorham will be with me at Emerald City Comicon March 28-30.  Thanks for reading!
 

New Cover For UNDERTOW #2!

Here's a quick look at the new cover for the 2nd printing of Undertow #2, start to finish thanks to Greg Harms.  Undertow is available here on the blog and also at Rose City Comicon in Portland, Oregon September 21st and 22nd.  Come check it out!

UNDERTOW at GOLDEN AGE COMICS!

Busy weekend for me as I try to bring Undertow out a little more into the world, starting right here in Seattle, WA.  For anyone checking out the blog that is on the fence about Undertow, issues #1-#3 are now available at Pike's Place Market in downtown Seattle.

Big thank you to Golden Age Collectibles for putting up my book.  I am proud to be in the store, which also happens to be America's oldest comic shop.  If you haven't checked them out (or the mezzanine at Pike's Place Market in general), go and see!  I still get turned around every time I go in there, but always end up finding something cool--what a great feeling, unless your paid parking is running out!

And going long, I'm submitting Undertow to Comixology, a digital comic store with an excellent platform for online comics that will make Undertow much better reading on phones and tablets, and hopefully get the word out there a little further.  There are a lot of people who I know will love Undertow and haven't seen it yet.  I am going to find them and show them my comic book.

SWAG?

One of the cool things about comicon (and if you have never been to one there are LOTS of cool things about comicon) is all the free stuff given away.  My first comicon was four years ago (Emerald City Comicon, in fact), and I remember all the costumed attendees flooding in and out, the foyer packed with fans and families taking pictures with them, and DC Comics' booth set up right inside the front doors giving away a stack of comic books to anyone willing to wait in line.  Yeah, baby.  Stuff.

So in addition to my new comic being for sale, we've got some great full-page artwork that is being made into 11x17 posters that will be given away to our fans at the Emerald City Comicon.  Come and see us we're in booth 2403.  Greg Harms and Gibson Quarter will both be there helping out at the booth, doing commissions, and blowing their hard-earned cash in the beautiful city of Seattle.

Here's what we've got I'm excited to see how the posters will look.  They should be back from the printer in the next couple of days:

Back cover to Undertow #3 by Adam Gorham, color by Greg Harms

Inside front cover to Undertow #3 by Gibson Quarter, background and color by Greg Harms

Inside back cover to Undertow #3 by Roman Morales III, color by Greg Harms

Poster by Gibson Quarter (after Art Adams Secret Avengers cover), color by Greg Harms

Special pin-up by Ty Templeton featured in 2nd printing of Undertow #1!

Front cover to Undertow #3 by Gibson Quarter, inks by Guillermo Ortego, color by Greg Harms

Thank you to all the artists for the beautiful work and the good times we've had and and are about to have this coming weekend at COMICON!  Goodnight!

Preview of UNDERTOW #3

Undertow #3 is at the printer as of last night so I thought I should make it available for order here on the blog before the Emerald City Comicon release!  Huge thanks to anyone that's taken the time to check out the blog to see how things are going--I appreciate it A TON and we are getting better with each new issue!

Here's a preview of the front cover (inside and out) and the first five pages of the issue, featuring "The Organ-Grinder," illustrated by Gibson Quarter.  Color and graphic design for the cover by mystical chromancer (not really as weird as it sounds) Greg Harms.  Their time, energy, and talents have made Undertow rock so hard (not biased)!  Thanks for reading!

It Feels Like Christmas

Just got this in the dropbox from Ghosthill Greg and felt I had to share it with the world.  Something about all those colors just makes me happy.  Pencils by Gibson Quarter, inked by Guillermo Ortego, and lit on fire by Greg Harms--thank you guys for all the time and work you've put into this.  And thank you to anyone who stopped to take a look at the cover for our new comic book coming out in March at the Emerald City Comiccon in Seattle, WA, March 1st-3rd.  The book can also be ordered here on the website, available March 1.  Thanks for reading!  

2nd Printing For UNDERTOW!

The 2nd printing of Undertow #1 is officially out of my hands and at the printer (comicbookprinting.com) as of last week.  The book features a new, Western-style paint job by Greg Harms (which I've dubbed "The Black Cover"), and an outstanding addition to the interior: an Organ-Grinder pin-up from Comic Book Bootcamp instructor and Ultimate Spider-Man writer/artist Ty Templeton!  Here's a shot of the new cover, but you'll have to buy the book to see Ty's poster!

The book is AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW on this website, and also from Greg, Gibson, or myself if you catch us at one of the cons.  Speaking of comic cons...

Things are getting very exciting as I feel the impending date for Emerald City Comic Con (Seattle, WA March 1-3) when Undertow #3 will make its debut.  The book is looking so hot it's hard to remember my former expectations because the people helping me along the way have exceeded them by so much.  I just keep rolling along with it, smile, and enjoy myself, messaging and sending files back and forth with fellow Undertow founders Greg Harms and Gibson Quarter, wondering what they'll show me next, and even more surprised with the pages from new team-member Adam Gorham.  Getting the oportunity to create with these guys is SO MUCH FUN!  Take a look at a couple of Adam's first pages for "The Forgetting."

 

There's more great work to see for anyone who's able to come by and see us at Emerald City Comic Con.  Please check back soon here as I'll be posting more work from the book.  Thanks for reading!

Artist Adam Gorham Joins UNDERTOW!

It's taken some time on the starting blocks but Undertow #3 is officially on its way as pages of finished artwork have begun showing up in the Dropbox.  The two stories featured in #2 ("The Organ-Grinder" and "The Forgetting") will appear again in #3, packed into 32 pages of story.  Gibson Quarter has provided another rendition of the OG for the cover (I've seen the pencils and can promise you it is nothing short of wicked), Greg Harms will be there to lend his color and discerning eye, and most exciting of all, artist Adam Gorham has come onboard to take up the task of illustrating "The Forgetting!"

Adam is solid in many mediums, but best of all (for Undertow and myself) he does excellent work with human figures and characterization, which there is going to be a ton of in the story.  It's always nice to be able the tell your characters apart when you have no color or spandex designs to do the job for you.  Adam has his own book, Teuton (just released the 2nd TPB in fact), which is set in the dark ages and full of interesting creatures and characters.  When Adam expressed an interest in Undertow, I had to see what he was all about so I checked out both of these books, and to tell the truth I was jealous, because they are nothing short of spectacular!  He and Fred Kennedy are both amazing storytellers and all the time and attention they've put into these books really shines through--great work and congratulations to both of them.  Both books can be purchased online from Indyplanet, or head straight there by clicking the images below.

 

More of Adam's work can also be seen on his blog at aprincelydreadful.blogspot.ca.  He's a busy guy with a ton of talent so he usually has something new up several times a week.  I can't wait to see what he'll bring to Undertow.  Thanks for reading!

 

Undertow Across America (and Canada)

One month since my last post and so much has changed--seems like the theme for my life which is rapidly approaching its halfway point with my impending 35th birthday.  Said goodbye to Atlanta this past month, and took a hellacious, two-thousand mile, four-day road trip to Boise, Idaho, that featured a visit to Metropolis, a thirty minute Q&A session with a very nice police officer without a lot to do, a big T-bone steak in Nebraska, and an evening spent in a Wyoming hotel bar with a bunch of truckers while the mountain highway was snowed closed.  God, I love America.

But back to comics!  Gibson Quarter was at the Toronto Comic-Con Fan Expo recently and managed to sell out all the copies of Undertow #2 I'd just shipped him, which has me stoked.  He'll be attending the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) from April 13-15, and then the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo from April 27-29.  Go Gibson!  Can't say enough about how much this guy helps me out.  Ghosthill Greg in the meantime will be attending the West Texas Comic Con in Lubbock April 13-14.  These guys stay so busy I don't know how they do it (no sleep and Dr. Pepper for Greg), but I appreciate it.

And in case you're wondering what I'll be up to during this time--I'll be back at work in balmy Naknek, Alaska, watching the ice in the Naknek River, waiting for it to break up and the tide take it out and away into Bristol Bay, so we can start bringing the tugboats and barges back in the river.  Ah, but the days they do go by.

I thought this was going to be a short post--not sure why I always go in thinking that because they never are.  Guess I've got lots to say, especially when it comes to my comic book.  My friend Jay at Comic Book and Movie Reviews recently posted an online interview with moi, which you can check out here, if you're interested.

There are also a couple of reviews up for Undertow.  You can read a review of Undertow #2 at Sequential Review, and there's another review of Undertow #1 just up at Crikey! so please take a look if you have the time.  Thanks for reading!

GHOSTHILL GREG

Just a few words today about a guy who has been my brother-in-arms through the whole Undertow process that's become such a big part of my life these last couple of years.  An interview with Greg Harms went up today on Comic Book and Movie Reviews, so I thought I'd mention that to start, and then show a little bit of what Greg does to help me out and make our comic looks SO GOOD--which it definitely does.  If you haven't seen one and don't think comics are just for kids, they can be purchased at the right hand side of the screen via Paypal account or credit card.  A digital copy of Undertow #1 is also available for $1.99 at DriveThruComics (the file is about 90MB in size).  With that being said...

This is some of the work Greg has done with Jonathan A. Rector that's appeared as the front cover of Undertow #2 (images on top) and back cover of Undertow #1 (images on bottom), for a story called "The Forgetting," which begins in Undertow #2.  Here's the kick-a$$ work done by JAR in pencil on 11x17-inch artboards, which is then scanned at a high resolution and moved on to Ghosthill Greg.

Greg then prints up the scans with blue lines in place of the gray pencils (again at 11x17 inches), and hits it up with his pens/brushes and helps to add focus, depth, and shade to the page.  The pages are scanned again in preparation for the coloring process, which will all be done digitally.  The illustration at the left has been scanned and adjusted to compensate for irregularities in the ink, examples of which can be seen on the right where the scan has not been adjusted.  This is how the page looks after Greg is done inking by hand.

Greg then adds the color and design elements like the logo and title/issue number for the front, and some text and ISBN code for the back.  I'm not gonna pretend to know what goes on here as I'm still a photoshop novice (but learning!), but I will say that it's a painstaking process to make things look as good as they do!  And on that note--a final word to my friend, Greg, and many thanks--I don't even want to think what Undertow would be with out you.

Thanks for reading!

UNDERTOW on Quinntessential Comix!

Just a quick note here, folks--Gibson Quarter was very recently interviewed on Quinntessential Comix (tdotcomics) out of Toronto, and you can see it here!  Take a look!

GQ Interview with Comic Book and Movie Reviews

Just a quick word for anyone checking out the blog who has not yet seen this--"Organ-Grinder" artist Gibson Quarter has recently done an interview over at Comic Book and Movie Reviews that can be seen here.

If you're not familiar with this website think about taking a look around, especially if you're interested in movies and comics, which you definitely should be!  There are a lot of great reviews that are well worth reading through--great info and background on many of the items being reviewed.  Being a story and back-story guy like I am, I can't get enough of this place!  Be sure to check back again later as there will be an interview with Greg Harms posted next week, and one with yours truly the week after.  Thanks for reading!

The Title and the Hare

Over a year later and UNDERTOW #2 is just about ready to go to the printer. It's been a haul to be sure but the book is looking even better than I'd expected thanks to the help of a few very talented and hard-working people. The book will be black and white once again and thirty-two pages featuring two stories: THE FORGETTING illustrated by Jonathan A. Rector and Greg Harms, and THE ORGAN-GRINDER illustrated by Gibson Quarter. The cover of the book will be slightly different in that the inside will also be color this time around and painted by Rita Moore of Capstone Comics Publishing. Back cover of the book is a bad-ass poster some of you may have seen done by GQ and colored by Greg Harms, and the front cover features characters from THE FORGETTING, which debuts in this issue, penciled by JAR, inked and colored by Greg--one of the work in progress versions can be seen below.


Thank you to everyone who's shown their help and support along the way.  UNDERTOW #2 will debut at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, January 28-29, which I'll be attending with a fun group of people: Greg Harms, Gibson Quarter, Dee and Brandie Reynolds, and my beautiful and charming girlfriend, Inge.  The book will also be available on my much neglected blog for $5.  If anyone is interested, I've still got twenty-something copies of the first issue for sale.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Artists of UNDERTOW--Where Do They Go?

PART ONE: GIBSON QUARTER

A little rearranging of the contents of Undertow #2 took place today, but I'm feeling much better now that I've got at least that much laid out in my head. Just hit up illustrator Gibson Quarter of Organ-Grinder fame and asked if he'd put a little more weight on his broad, long-sleeved shoulders and put up a few more pages for the issue. Gibson has been working hard as usual attending the Wizardworld Toronto Comic Con last month, and has had much of his work published as of late. I thought it was a good opportunity to share some of his successes in recent months--and there have been a lot of them because this guy just. does. not. stop. So here we go.


Murky Depths #14. This one features the five-page story "Performance Anxiety," illustrated by Gibson Quarter and Ty Templeton (creator of Holmes, Inc.) and came out late last year. This is an horror/fantasy anthology published in the UK and features prose as well as comics. Older issues are available in PDF (electronic) format, and a printed copy of this issue can be purchased here. I don't have this one yet but I will soon.


Wasted Magazine #7. GQ has been a regular contributor since the magazine's debut with his comic "War on Drugs," written by Alan Grant (of Judge Dredd and Batman fame). The comic stars Johnny K, agent of the U.S. Government and his personal, no-holds-barred war against drugs. For the record, GQ is Canadian, Alan Grant is Scottish, and Wasted Magazine is printed by Bad Press Ltd. in the UK. This magazine is intense so prepare thyself and pick it up here. Also, GQ's work will be gracing the cover of the upcoming issue #8.


Zarjaz #11. This cover is cray-zee. Also, I love robots. We're looking at the front and back cover here (wraparound cover) in case anyone was wondering. I don't know too much about GQ's story in this one just that the violence was too graphic to put up most of the pages on his blog. He'd better have saved some for the OG. Zarjaz is brought to us by the folks at Futurequake Press (also in the UK) where Gibson is becoming a regular contributor. This book and many others can be purchased here.

So that's all from me tonight. Next up on "The Artist of Undertow--Where Do They Go"--illustrator Ghost Hill Greg Harms, who's probably just finished packing up his wares (much lighter now after sales at the con) in Lubbock, TX, and headed for home and a Dr. Pepper.

His Favorite Color Is BLACK

Been getting some inked pages back from Greg Harms on "The Forgetting," a story beginning in Undertow #2. This first installment of the story will run for nineteen of the thirty-two pages in that issue, penciled by Jonathan A. Rector. Gibson Quarter will be finishing off the issue with episode two of "The Organ-Grinder," began in Undertow #1. If you haven't checked it out, it all starts there. And one more reminder if you already have that issue to please send me a message as I'll be putting letters in the next issue. Be creative folks, it feels good.