Things you Need Thursday: Devil Slayer TPB!

Make sure you pick up the Dead of Night featuring Devil Slayer trade, by Brian Keene and myself, on stands today!

THE STORY: 
Abandoned by his fiancée, his family, his church, and his government, Sergeant Dan Sylva returns to Iraq for a third tour of duty -- and a descent into Hell itself. If the demon Belathauzer and the mysterious mercenary group known as Bloodstone have their way, Iraq, the place where civilization began, may also be where civilization ends. The reinvented Devil-Slayer takes Marvel’s DEAD OF NIGHT to terrifying new heights, from award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene (The Rising, Dark Hollow) and artist Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)! Collecting DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL-SLAYER #1-4 
Explicit Content …$14.99 
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3281-3 
PRICE: 14.99

IN STORES: May 28, 2009 

Whatever Wednesday: Devil Slayer Commission-inks

Here are the finished inks for the Devil Slayer commission I've been posting the progress of lately.

Super Tuesday: Devil Slayer Commission-pencils

Yeah, I don't know why Belathauzar's face is in stone either... other than it looks cool. Maybe he had a few of his more artistic demon lackies carve it in the rock with their little claws or something.

Whatever Wednesday: Devil Slayer Commission-sketches

You didn't think we were done with commissions already, did you?
Here are a few more sketchbook pages of layouts for a character I've definitely had a bit more experience drawing.

Also, if you have any last minute suggestions for the Name a Theme Week Contest be sure to get them in ASAP. We stop taking entries tonight at midnight, so tell your friends! Lurkers this is your chance to de-lurk and maybe win something in the process!!
We'll announce the winner(s) right here next week!!

Whatever Wednesday: Devil Slayer #4 On Stands Today!!

Dont' forget to pick up the final issue of Devil Slayer on sale today!!

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL-SLAYER #4
STORY BY: Brian Keene
ART BY: Chris Samnee
COLORS BY: June Chung
LETTERS BY: VC - Joe Caramagna
COVER BY: Kaare Andrews
PUBLISHER: Marvel Max
COVER PRICE: $3.99

Its a final showdown in the Garden of Eden as the Devil-Slayer faces off against both demons and angels in an effort to stop Armageddon! Everything is at stake if he doesn't defeat the demon Belathauzer, the archangel Gabriel, the Bloodstone Group and the other Operation: Xenogenesis conspirators in time…in the terrifying conclusion to this much-talked-about reimagining, written by award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene (Ghost Walk, The Rising) and illustrated by Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)!

Things You Need Thursday: Devil Slayer TPB

If you missed out on the 4 issue mini-series, now's your chance to get all four issues under one cover!

Abandoned by his fiancee, his family, his church, and his government, Sergeant Dan Sylva returns to Iraq for a third tour of duty - and a descent into Hell itself! If the demon Belathauzer and the mysterious mercenary group known as Bloodstone have their way, Iraq, the place where civilization began, may also be where civilization ends! The reinvented Devil-Slayer takes Marvel's Dead of Night to terrifying new heights, from award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene (The Rising, Dark Hollow) and artist Chris Samnee (Daredevil: Blood of the Tarantula)!

Collects Dead of Night Featuring Devil-Slayer #1-4.

Paperback: 96 page
On sale April 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0785132813
ISBN-13: 978-0785132813

Things You Need Thursday: Devil Slayer #3 and 4

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL SLAYER#3 went on sale Wedenesday.
Here's a link to a 7 page preview over at CBR.

And if you dig that be sure to order your copy of #4 in stores: December 17, 2008.
DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL-SLAYER #4

COVER BY: KAARE ANDREWS
WRITER: BRIAN KEENE
PENCILS: CHRIS SAMNEE
INKS: CHRIS SAMNEE
COLORED BY: JUNE CHUNG
LETTERED BY: VC - JOE CARAMAGNA

THE STORY:
Its a final showdown in the Garden of Eden as the Devil-Slayer faces off against both demons and angels in an effort to stop Armageddon! Everything is at stake if he doesn't defeat the demon Belathauzer, the archangel Gabriel, the Bloodstone Group and the other Operation: Xenogenesis conspirators in time…in the terrifying conclusion to this much-talked-about reimagining, written by award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene (Ghost Walk, The Rising) and illustrated by Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)!
Explicit Content …$3.99

Whatever Wednesday: Devil Slayer Dilemma

About 75% of the time drawing comics is pretty easy. There are some times though, where just trying to pick an angle or a pose can throw my whole day out of whack.

On Stands Today!!

Here's a link to the 6 page preview for Dead of Night featuring Devil Slayer #2!

COVER BY: KAARE ANDREWS
WRITER: BRIAN KEENE
PENCILS: CHRIS SAMNEE
INKS: CHRIS SAMNEE
COLORED BY: JUNE CHUNG
LETTERED BY: NATE PIEKOS

THE STORY:
In the aftermath of a terrifying firefight, the new Devil-Slayer finds himself on the run in Iraq, hiding from friend and foe alike. Now, unsure who he can trust, Danny Sylva must unravel the conspiracy surrounding the Bloodstone Group and solve the mystery of Operation: Xenogenesis. And if he doesn't, his life -- and the life of everyone on the planet -- may be forfeit. Written by award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene and illustrated by Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)!
Explicit Content …$3.99

Pulp Tales- cover A by Ben Templesmith

PULP TALES - Donation Cover by Josh Medors
$9.99

Writer(s): Joshua Hale Fialkov, Steve Niles, B. Clay Moore, Seth Peck, Kody Chamberlain, Tony Fleecs!
Covers by Templesmith and Medors
24pgs, FC

Help BOOM! Studios support comic book artist Josh Medors, recently diagnosed with cancer, by ordering the benefit comic book PULP TALES. This two-fisted one-shot features all-new, action-packed stories by horror master Steve Niles, P.U.N.K.S' Josh Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain, '76's B. Clay Moore & Seth Peck, Capote in Kansas' Chris Samnee, In My Lifetime's Tony Fleecs, and more! Featuring a cover by Ben Templesmith!

ALL PROCEEDS will go to Josh Medors and his family.

Queen & Country Definitive Edition Volume 3
Author: Greg Rucka
Artists:
Steve Rolston
Mike Norton
Chris Samnee
$19.95

Genres: Suspense, Thriller, Action
Rating: T
Pages: 408
Format: 6x9" - Trade Paperback

Book Description:
In this third collection, readers are sucked into the thrilling and often-times devastating world of international espionage as SIS field agent Tara Chase is sent all over the world in service to her Queen & Country all the while Director of Operations Paul Crocker walks a narrow tightrope between his loyalty to his people and the political masters that must be served!

Collects issues 25-32 and the entire Queen & Country Scriptbook.

*edited to include Q&C trade

Whatever Wednesday: In the Studio

Devil Slayer#3 is starting to take shape!
I don't know if it's an oddity to keep all pages for an issue in front of me, but it really helps me to keep a flow between pages and ensure continuity for costumes and such. It definitely beats having them all in a stack sitting next to the desk, or on the floor.
Sorry not to post a larger image. I'm trying my best to keep this blog spoiler-free:)
Time to get back to the ol' drawing board (shown above).
Not shown: piles of comics, Scout (our cat) giving herself a bath, piles of CDs, lots and lots of toys and other stuff that might make you think that this is a little kid's bedroom instead of a workspace .

Devil Slayer: One page's journey...

Just so we don't all get burned out on the daily sketches, here's a little peek behind the curtain a bit with how I go about drawing a comic page.
First I get the script (not shown here) and read though the whole thing twice.  Doing this helps me to get an idea of where we're going with the story.  It also gives me a chance to get a lot of the visuals rattling around in my head.
On the second read through I'll often make little notes to self and crude little stick figures in the margins to refer back to, in case I have a particularly inspired angle or pose, when I start thumbnails.
Now's time to finally put pencil to paper!   Thumbnail sketches are tiny, tiny versions of the comic page drawn to give the editors an idea of where I plan to go with the art. Here's the thumbnail for Devil Slayer#1 page 15 shown a bit larger than actual size.

I try to do thumbnails for an entire issue (generally 22 pages) all on the same day to make sure we have a good flow from page to page.
After the thumbails are approved I rule out my panel borders and go straight to pencils. 

I used to draw full size 11x17 "roughs" in marker that I would then trace on a lightbox.  I ended up cutting out the rough stage altogether since at the end of the day it just ended up eating too much time. Not to mention the fact that by the time a page was completed from thumbnail to inks I had already drawn it FIVE times!
Here's the first draft of the pencils for page 15.  Drawn first with a hard lead and tightened up (but not too much) with a mechanical pencil with a softer lead.

It was decided that the angle in panel 1 wasn't quite working. We needed to have a better look at the main character here, so he was brought up to the foreground in this version.  Bit of a dutch angle too, since things are about to get weird.  If you haven't picked up the issue I won't spoil it for ya:)
After the new version of panel one got the thumbs up I went ahead and finished off the inks for the page.  The inks were done with a Raphael series 8404 size 4 brush, Pentel Color Brush, Faber Castell Pitt Pen sizes B and M for panel borders.  Oh, and a few bits of grease pencil as well. 
And here we have the finished page.

I ended up tweaking a few more things before this got uploaded to the Marvel FTP site, but this is pretty close to the file that was passed along to be colored and lettered.

Devil Slayer: on stands today

I've been asked a number of times why my published comics work looks so much different than my con/blog sketches, and the answer is pretty simple.
The implied lines I use on my con sketches generally work best in black and white. I'm sure an abundant use of chiaroscuro lighting page after page would drive most colorists mad.

The sketches I post here are all me, from concept to completion. They are usually simple little sketches done for fun, with little to no background, and aren't intended to progress a story in any sort of linear terms. 

There may be a few more closed lines here or there in my sequential work, but it's all done to help carry the tone of a particular scene, and insure that what I'm trying to get across in the art is understood by all parties involved. This way they can each make informed decisions in regard to their role in the process without playing a guessing game every time I decide to leave something out.  At the end of the day comics are a team effort, after all.

Hope that helped to clear things up a bit.

That said, I couldn't be happier with the look of the book.  VC's Joe Caramagna has been doing a great job on the lettering, and June Chung's colors choices have just been terrific.  I honestly can't say enough nice things about the team on this book.  

Check out the six page preview here to get a look at the finished versions inked pages you see above.  Or head out to your local comic shop to pick up a copy or ten of Dead of Night: Devil Slayer #1  and read the whole kit and caboodle.

Technicolor Thursday: Devil Slayer

Just felt like going back to the roots of the character I've been working on in my funnybooks for the last few months. 

This one actually came out a lot better than I had intended. Bonus!

Things you need Thursday: Devil Slayer #3

Here's the full solicit text for the 3rd issue of Devil Slayer. On-sale 11/12/08, so be sure to toss a few in your shopping cart!

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL-SLAYER #3 (of 4)

Written by BRIAN KEENE

Art by CHRIS SAMNEE

Cover by KAARE ANDREWS

As a secret cabal within Heaven and Hell conspires to manufacture a war, the new Devil-Slayer finds himself besieged by ghouls and surrounded by enemies on all sides. It's a race against time to unravel the Bloodstone conspiracy and stop Operation: Xenogenesis before it's too late for all of mankind, in this terrifying, brutal reinterpretation of the Devil-Slayer by acclaimed horror novelist Brian Keene and rising star Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)!

32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Explicit Content ...$3.99

October Pimpin'

Marvel's solicitations for October are making the rounds. Included in there is my second issue of Devil Slayer. Here's the details.

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL-SLAYER #2 (of 4)

Written by BRIAN KEENE

Art by CHRIS SAMNEE

Cover by KAARE ANDREWS

In the aftermath of a terrifying firefight, the new Devil-Slayer finds himself on the run in Iraq, hiding from friend and foe alike. Now, unsure who he can trust, Danny Sylva must unravel the conspiracy surrounding the Bloodstone Group and solve the mystery of Operation: Xenogenesis. And if he doesn't, his life -- and the life of everyone on the planet -- may be forfeit. Written by award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene and illustrated by Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)!

32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Explicit Content ...$3.99

Tell your friends, okay?

Dead of Night: Devil Slayer

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING DEVIL SLAYER #1 (of 4)

Written by BRIAN KEENE

Pencils & Inks by CHRIS SAMNEE

Cover by KAARE ANDREWS

Abandoned by his fiancée, his family, his church, and his government, Sergeant Dan Sylva returns to Iraq for a third tour of duty -- and a descent into Hell itself. If the demon Belathauzer and the mysterious mercenary group known as Bloodstone have their way, Iraq, the place where civilization began, may also be where civilization ends. The reinvented Devil-Slayer takes Marvel’s DEAD OF NIGHT to terrifying new heights, from award-winning horror novelist Brian Keene (The Rising, Dark Hollow) and artist Chris Samnee (DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA)!

32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Rated T+ ...$3.99

Devil Slayer!

Looks like word is out on my next project, Dead of Night: Devil Slayer.
The two above sketches are making the rounds on the ol' internets, along with Kaare Andrews designs for this new take on the Devil Slayer character, as well as his cover for issue#1.
If you'd like to find out a bit more on this four issue mini-series from Marvel Max straight from the writer Brian Keene and our editor Warren Simons just click on the links below.
comicbookresources.com
ign.com
newsarama.com