As announced at Comic-Con International in San Diego, I am currently illustrating a graphic novel for the DC Comics MINX line. Written by novelist and performance artist Mariko Tamaki ("Skim," "Fake ID," "Cover Me"), the book is entitled "EMIKO SUPERSTAR" and will be released in 2008.

Page 1 artwork: [link]

Emi, a 16-year-old babysitter, is desperate to break out of the suburbs and become part of Toronto's vibrant art scene. When she takes the stage "borrowing" passages from her boss's diary for her performance, she becomes Emiko Superstar: an instant success with the art crowd and a keeper of secrets that could ruin her and her boss's lives.

For those not in the know, Minx is a new imprint devoted to publishing graphic novels for teenage girls. On Saturday I attended a Minx panel at Comic-Con, which included a discussion of their releases for 2007/2008.

The DC website has an MP3 podcast of the panel online, where you can hear me stumble and stammer and say "um" more times than anything else. The Emiko Superstar bit is about 3/5ths of the way through the podcast: [link]

They also have a slide show of photos from the panel: [link]

And you can find write-ups on all seven newly-announced 2008 titles at the LA Times website: [link]

Other notable links:
Minxbooks.net -- [link]
Mariko Tamaki -- [link]

What's that peculiar noise? Oh, it's the sound of the comic industry running around with their heads cut off. Must be about time for ye ol' Comic-Con International in San Diego! And, after a few years away, I've decided to join in the fun again.

If you're down at the show next week, you'll find me doing a couple signings at the Oni Press booth (#1834) during the following times:
Thursday from 12:00 - 1:20
Friday from 4:30 - 5:50

That's where I'll be defacing books and doing sketches. I'll also be bringing a few copies of my last mini-comic Little Ghost, some 8.5"x11" Queen & Country prints and some little sets of 4"x5" sketchblog prints. Click the links to check 'em out:

Li'l Print Sets . . Queen & Country Print . . Little Ghost Cover

You'll also be able to spot me at the Minx panel Saturday @ 12:00 and the Oni Press panel Saturday @ 1:30. Shortly thereafter I will be running away to the safety of the Great White North. That's right, three (and a bit) days of Comic-Con sweat fog is enough for me.

I know I haven't posted here in over 8 months but I just want to remind everyone that tomorrow, May 5th, is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! That's the day when you and your friends and family can go down to (most) comic book stores and get a free comic (or more). Comic publishers both large and small have put together special comics for FCBD to promote the medium and industry. Some stores have even organized signings and other events.

Those of you who live in Canada or the US can enter your postal/zip code at freecomicbookday.com [link] to find participating stores near you.

If you're lucky, one of those stores will be smart+cool enough to have ordered in copies of COMICS FESTIVAL 2007--a stunning anthology comic put together by Christopher Butcher and Chip Zdarsky. It's a great collection of original comics from talents like Bryan Lee O'Malley, Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, Hope Larson, Ramon Perez, Kean Soo, R. Stevens, Cameron Stewart and a bunch more. It even includes a new coloured Good For Nothing comic strip by yours truly!

Lots more info on COMICS FESTIVAL 2007 and FCBD here: [link]

Issue #2 of THE ESCAPISTS hits stores today from Dark Horse Comics! This is the issue where Jason Shawn Alexander and I jump on board as artists, masterfully coloured by Matt Hollingsworth and Dave Stewart. Esteemed writer Brian K. Vaughan has really woven a beautiful story here that's clever & original on its own but also faithful to the vibe of a great novel.

Based on the mythology created by writer Michael Chabon in his Pulitzer Prize winning novel THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, this comic will follow the lives of three young comic creators as they breathe new life into a golden age superhero, both on the page and in real life!

This six-issue mini-series launched last month with a specially priced $1.00 issue #1 (with a cover by Frank Miller!) which your local comic store should be able to re-order if you missed it. You can check out my website [link] for a couple of my pages or view a special feature at DarkHorse.com [link] that shows the process of 6 pages from The Escapists #2, from script to roughs to inks to colour to lettering.

And take a look at this stunning cover by James Jean! [link] This comic wants to be in your hands!