Spawn 150 cover PENCILS revealed!

Spawn 150 cover PENCILS revealed! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Man, when Todd asked me to do a variant Spawn 150 cover, I thought, crap, it's been over 10 years since I have drawn this guy. Not sure of even what his current costume was, I had Todd and co. shoot me a jpeg for reference. Then I started and memories of the early Image days flooded back. But it wasn't the old squabbles that came to mind, but all the goofy crap we did when we were riding high and living out our dreams. So just from that standpoint--this image was a lot of fun to draw, simply for that old walk down memory lane.

I remember Todd's hopes for his character--this was way before the movie and toys and damn, if he didn't accomplish 99.9% of his dreams. That's perseverance for ya. Hopefully I can tap into that same enthusiasm when I tackle Wildcats with Grant Morrison cause this was way too much fun!

Spawn 150 cover INKED

Spawn 150 cover INKED Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Talk about the hookup! Yowsa...inks by the ever meticulous Danny Miki. He really went to town on this cover. If I had known he was going so intense, I would just have drawn a stick figure, heh. I dig all the textures on the demons and check out how he hooked up Spawn's right forearm.

Normally, I'm not into inkers drawing in what's not there but Danny is a maestro at making Spawn look Spawnish and he didn't disappoint me here. I spent at least a half hour just staring at the intricacies of his line-work. The rendering and shades of gray he establishes on Spawn's rib cage is really world class inkage. Take a bow, Danny!

Spawn 150 cover COLORED!

Spawn 150 cover INKED! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Colors by the incredible Brian Haberlin. Look how he separates all the detail and elements using just the minimal right of colors. Note the subtle renderings on the tendrils near the bottom center of the page. Adds texture without busying up the already intense piece. He put cool blues in the foreground to frame the hot, warm tones on Spawn himself establishing depth and color vibrancy.

Makes it really sing...don't it?

riddle me this...

riddle me this... Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

trying desperately to get caught up on everything. Some quick info...

I'm gonna pull back on the Skye Runner posts. Look for a bi-weekly post from now on.

Got some new Canyon strips in the works. I know it's been a while but the boys been busy!

Also solidifying our next batch of Iron Chef challenges. Look for an announcement soon!

Other than that things're cracking! Posted above is a Riddler commision I did recently. Sexy eh? Lol! I'll try to get some posts in this week, peace out!

-a PSHOO!PSHOO!

Metti-Clips--The Last Set

Metti-Clips--The Last Set Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Here are the last set of three clips.

Thanks to James McEwan for the storage assist--couldn't have done it without ya, mate. The final 11x17 inked pieces are going to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to be auctioned off to a lucky bidder. I concede this match to the Padawen Ale and Carlos. Or am I setting them up for the double or nothing Rematch? Time will tell. Thanks to all who have posted. We like to hear your thoughts and reactions to everything we put on the blog. I know it's an odd assortment of material--part travelogue, part art class, part silliness--but that sums up kind of what we do for a living. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Have a great weekend, all...

Itsy bitsy Spider

Itsy bitsy Spider Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

A little something different. People always ask me what my fave character to draw is and truth is, there are too many to name. Definitely not a clear cut favorite. But as far as one of the least favorite characters to draw...well that would have to be the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Now I love the character and love how John Romita and JRJR and Michael Golden and Todd McFarlane interpreted him and the 2 movies are simply brilliant...it's just as a character to draw...well, I just can't get past the webbing. Can't figure it out and to me, it always feels like I'm drawing treads on a tire or windows on a 100 story skyscraper. To do that every panel, 22 pages an issue. Yowsa! This one was for Ale's son who just had a birthday and the Webcrawler is one of his favorite characters. So exceptions were made...damn webbing!

... heart attacks and burros.

... heart attacks and burros. Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[carlos]

... hehehe, I'm in trouble (^_^) ... I signed up for a 70+ mile race in three or four weeks, and I am SOOOOOO out of shape, which means that in the next four weeks, I have to squeeze in all the riding I haven't done in something close to a year, and try and get in at least half-decent shape (not impossible). I went for a 15 mile ride today and I came back home 'near-dead', hehehe, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Anyway, speaking of biking and racing, I did this 'team jersey' design for the group I used to ride with back in Texas (I had originally joined the group for the noblest of reasons, a very very cute girl used to ride with them! :) ) Some of the guys in the team were totally nuts (specially that girl), at night they'd be drinking like crazy (I'm talking tequila shot after tequila shot) , and the next morning they'd be racing and winning medals (hence the drinking jackass on the jersey). Pretty damn good team, I miss racing with those bastards.

I tried getting some of the guys at the studio to ride with me here in San Diego (even had an extra bike with ALL the equipment), but (ahem) without saying any names, they pretty much ALL wussed out ... wussies!!! (^_^)

Metti-Clips Part 4

Metti-Clips Part 4 Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

 [jimlee]

Same as before. Beware--some language not work/kid safe. Download Quicktime 7. Upgrade your brower. Buy some WildStorm books. = D

Penultimate day for these. Look for the last 3 tomorrow. Sorry for the delay on this. Mission control contact was spotty today. On the dark side of the moon.

Click here!

Metti-Clips part 3

Metti-Clips part 3 Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

OK here are the next 4 clips.

Same warning...some foul language. And you will need Quicktime 7.0 to see it. Go to quicktime.com to download a free copy. Others took over the camera so the clips get progressively longer (they didn't know how to stop the footage).

some color fun...

some color fun...
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]



Thought i'd give a shot at a technique fellow artist Mark brooks showed me in photoshop. Couldn't remember all he said, Mark mumbles alot, lol. Just thought it would be a fun little exercise to close out the night, and it only took 30 minutes! YAY!. Tried it out on a small jpeg I had of a commision I did back at Comiccon. Either way it was fun and now it's time for sleepies.



-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

the future...

the future...
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]



Hey guy's I wanted to post but I couldn't scrounge up any of my own stuff so I decided to show a little of my kids work. Here's a little pic my oldest did. At 10 years old she's already decided that comics are her future. It's exciting for me just to think that one of my kids wants to follow in her old dad's footsteps. I'm almost certain she will be far more successful than I ever will, lol! She's drawing all the time, it's really cool to see! She's shooting to get her first book out before she's 17 because she knows that's how old I was when I first was published. I definitely see her being on her way. And trust me as soon as she's good enough, old dad's gonna have one hekkuva background artist :D ! But seriously it's fun, and I know I'm gonna have a blast watching her smoke me!



-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

Metti-Fresh Clips

Metti-Fresh Clips Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

As promised, here are some video clips of the intra-squad challenge we had last week. It was Rich and Ale pencilling against one another and me and Carlos doing the inks for our teams respectively. Click here to get a refresher (scroll down to Wednesday's entries) on what happened last week.

I'll be posting 4 clips a day and then 3 on the last day (Friday). The ones later on in the week are much longer and larger (not my fault...I wasn't at the cam controls after I started inking; apparently the ones shooting the footage couldn't turn the camera off!) so high speed internet connections are a must.

ALSO! There is some foul language along the way. You've been warned.

Also wanted to thank James for taking care of the technical end and Sony for making a fine-ass MPEG4 camera. It's amazing how they can compress this stuff now. Oh and one last note. I know in previous released clips, people have accused us of speeding up the footage. We haven't...it's a function of the footage being compressed so there are fewer frames. That said, everything is in real time. Hope you enjoy the inanity.

Quicktime clips of the latest Iron Chef Gelatometti Battle--Part One!

Skye Runner Exclusives! Braylon the Green Knight

Skye Runner Exclusives! Braylon the Green Knight
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

Continuing with my weekly installments, I wanted to start introducing you all to the other characters in this new world.

Enter Braylon, The Green Knight. Braylon is the last son of a dead underwater kingdom. Raised by a community of island dwellers who found him on thier shores as an infant, he is the epitome of honor. Dressed in the armor of his ancestors, which is powered by all the souls of his lost world, Braylon is just one part of what's known as Fates Band. Will there be romance between he and Skye? That may be a little too obvious. Haunted by a mistake which will be revealed in the story, Braylon will surely play a big part in Skye's journey.

ale's notes:

Braylon was probably the first character I came up with visually. I've always thought knights were cool. Ever since Visionaries as a kid, I've had a urge to draw some kick ass knights. For Braylon, I knew I wanted to take the elements of a lion fish and turn it into an armor. Also I remembered back when I did Thundercats/Superman with Cris Walker, and he used this pretty sweet turqouise on Mumm-ra which I just loved! So you can expect Braylon to shine like that, BOO YAH! Age wise I figured he'd be the oldest of the group, even though he has probably the most insecurities. On his back story, I pretty much left up to Allen. Which as you'll see in the book is much more complicated than what was described earlier. Don't wanna give away too much, lol. Expect alot of computer effects with Braylon, a lot of power signatures and crap like that!

Skye Runner Exclusives! Braylon the Green Knight

-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

Grand Salami!

Grand Salami! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

This post is dedicated to gtjdorris. All Metti-fans who follows baseball should know what this means. Well, if you follow the Braves or the Pads.

Oh yeah!

OK, OK the Padres are a sucky team this year, despite being in first place. I freely admit it. It's sad when the Padres who are leading the National West division have a worse record than the WORST National League East team AKA the flailing Mets. Sad, but ya know what, the slate is all wiped clean for the playoffs. And the Padres look to take the West crown simply because all their other divisional rivals are suckier than they are. Welcome to the Suck indeed.

Fantastic Eight

Fantastic Eight Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Saw this FF movie poster the other week and thought Stretcho looked familiar. His pose at least. Haven't caught the flick yet. Any of you manage to check it out? Better or worse than Batman Begins? Better or worse than Catwoman? Better or worse than Sky High? Good movie for kids? Let me know--my movie viewing pleasure hangs in the balance.

Wizard World Chicago Stories

Wizard World Chicago Stories Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

For the one or two of you out there who don't read Newsarama, for shame! Scroll down a bit and you will find a few articles I have written about my time at the recent Wizard World Chicago. The pic above is of a sketch I did for Matt, the son of a friend (Richard), while I was seated at Albert Moy's booth. Albert is my Art rep and is set up at every major show. A fan was there as I was sketching and shot this video. A bit small but you can actually see a lot!

Battle at 2:30!

Battle at 2:30!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

Allright guys start with your suggestions under this post!

Flzash in color...

Flzash in color...
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

here's the color version by the amazing Alex Sinclair! I've always been a fan of the Flash as long as I can remember. I guess either the Supes or Bats family is up next...



-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

the flzash

the flzash
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

hey guys, in tha tradition of my wondergirls sketch i decided to do a flash family drawing. here is the pencil drawing up next is the color version....



-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

Upcoming Metti-Appearances

Upcoming Metti-Appearances Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Added another link to the Links section to the right. It's called Upcoming Appearances and is pretty self-explanatory. Already have quite a few set up for next year but don't want to post the information til I am exactly sure. If you live in the United States though, odds are I will be coming to a con near you! And any fans in Montana--be prepared...we will be there in force this summer once I can nail down the date and hire the appropriate cowhands.

Skye Runner exclusive! Who is Skye Runner?

Skye Runner exclusive! Who is Skye Runner? Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

Who is Skye Runner? Well what I'm hoping is that she will become one of comicdoms most beloved hero's. The character herself, she's the kind of girl everyone loves. Although in the story not always by other girls her age. She's a 19 year old girl living with her older sister helping watch over her fiesty little niece and nephew.

They live a peaceful life. It's said that she is the daughter of the land's last great King. The name Skye is hers, the term "Runner" describes her class. See, for Skye her greatest wish growing up was to be a knight, however in her land women are not allowed to act as knights, only as "Runners", sort of a knight's assistant. Often times a Runner will be the one to get thier hands dirty while the knights get the credit.

Skye however has a secret. A secret that will show her to be far more special than any knight. She is of course the story's main focus and we will see her grow into someone far greater than even she could ever had imagined.

My notes: Really when Allen and I were sitting down thinking of the kind of character we wanted to create we knew we wanted to come up with someone really cool! We wanted her to be vulnerable, and at the same time strong. Someone compassionate, humorous, but also strong in her opinions.

Growing up, my favorite comics were the ones with characters you could relate to. So with Skye we really strived to create a persona that not only girls could relate to, but boys also. Did we succeed? Only time will tell. I think if you enjoyed Nakio from Ninja Boy, then Skye will be an instant favorite! Sure as an artist I tried my best to create a visually pleasing character, but I know it takes more than that. Hopefully we can hook you guys in quick ;) !!!

Here's a closer look.

-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

Home Con 2005

Home Con 2005 Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Had some relatives come down from LA this weekend. With my busy schedule, I don't see them nearly as often as I would like. My mom has 6 sisters and 1 brother (guess who was born last!) and 4 of them made the trip down to San Diego. It's great to see your mom interact with her siblings; always shows a side to them you don't get to see. I really don't understand 80% of what they say but it's still reassuring and comforting in a weird way to hear the language, share the bulgogee and catch up on family news and gossip. We had a feast of Korean food but also made some pizzas which they wrapped up to go, presumably for their kids and grandkids. They only took a taste of the ones we made and the Kim Chee Pizza was their clear favorite. Sounds horrid but give it a try; it's not half bad.

Anyway, as the night was winding down, they wanted some signed books so I dug out the last 3 copies of the Wizard Jim Lee Millenium book and put in some sketches on the endsheets. The last two aunts ("emos" in Korean) got sketches in my last copies of the hardcover Hushes. Guess I need to scramble to find replacement copies. Anyway, even though i had finished a page from Batman and Robin earlier in the day, by evening, I was already a bit cold and rusty. I am going to post the 5 sketches in the order I did them.

Only thing is the Batman was the first and it looked really flat and 2-D, partly because I hadn't broken out the thin marker yet and all the lines were thick and dead. Later, after I did all the sketches, I went back in with a thinner marker and added some detail, refined some features and added a bit more dynamism back into the piece. Still not my best, but miles better than what I initially put down.

This one was for my younger cousin who is a radiology oncologist up near LA.

Emo #1 Kid Wolverine

Emo #1 Kid Wolverine Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Still warming up, this Wolverine came out looking awfully young. Each of these pics were done in about 5 minutes. I like working fast and working with as little prep as possible. Makes it more of a challenge and I get some fortuitous accidents that way. Or some really stiff looking figures. I vowed to open it up more on the next one.

Here's a tighter shot.

Emo #3 Catwoman

Emo#3 Catwoman Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

On this one, in keeping with my vow, I decided to just draw in some elements and leave the rest to imagination. I started out with an arm going off into space but pulled it back a little to make it less awkward. Of course, I did a different character for each aunt...I'm not stupid. They were all comparing what I did for each one and ranking them as soon as I was done with each one. They even made sure I put the date on all of them so they had 'equal' pieces. Korean moms are ruthless and brutally honest and forthright. But in a good way...

Here's a closer look at the taloned vixen.

Emo #5 Superman

Emo #5 Superman Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Emo #4 couldn't make the trip down (wasn't feeling well) and Emo#2 is my mother. Here we jump ahead to Emo 5's shot of Superman. Working on dark blue paper is fun as the highlights done with whiteout really pop and you can make some nice, striking images. Oh and by the way, I don't know any of my aunt's names. For as long as I can remember, they have all been Emo# whatever all my life.

When I was a kid and young teenager living in St. Louis, our family would drive out to LA for a month long visit. It was my first exposure to California and one of the Emo's I lived with had a house in Manhattan Beach which was within walking distance to a comic book store. Didn't have a thing back in STL when I was growing up so it was a magical place for me. Strangely enough, it was at this store when I bough my first copy of Daredevil done by Frank Miller. I think he was 7 or 8 issues into the run and I had bought an issue near the middle of his run for dirt cheap because it was without a cover and I was a cheap bastard and wanted to get as many comics as I could with the little money I had with me.

Needless to say, the very next day, I ran back and bought up every back issue possible, all at cover price. His work hadn't taken off yet but that first issue I got really bowled me over with it's art and storytelling. I knew it was special even back then when I was just a kid.

Here's a closer look at the Superman sketch.

Emo #6 Harley

Emo#6 Harley Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

This is the last one and the one I like the best, mostly because it's the loosest and I had the most fun doing this one. Drawing Harley requires a bit more creativity and thought than other characters simply because she is for lack of a better word, zany!, and if you don't do something reasonably clever, it just doesn't look like her, even if you nail the features.

Anyway, they all split around midnight allowing me to get back into the studio to start work on my second page for that night. Here's a closer look.

PH4 news!

PH4 news! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

In the grand scheme of keeping up with the times we at PH4 have decided to join myspace! We'd like to get out and promote ourselves more so we thought we'd give this a shot. Right now it's pretty basic, but we will be suping it up soon! For now you can purchase our 2k4 and 2k5 sketchbooks through the page. In the future look for PH4 shirts, stickers, window clings, and prints. Come by, add us and we'll keep you updated!

www.myspace.com/phantastic4

-a PSHOO!PSHOO!

Con Swag Part 1

Con Swag Part 1 Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Been meaning to put this photo up for ages. It's from our very own Jeremy Sorrell, a talented artist and sculptor in his own right, who presented me with this handmade, handcrafted bust of Batman at last year's Wizard World Chicago. Still have it as it serves double duty as a nice paperweight and looks cool.

Didn't use to get a lot of awesome swag back in the day when cons were almost always about comics. Nowadays, with all the video game companies, toy and card companies and movie studios at the largest cons, I get a cool freebie here and there. It's awesome as I rarely have time these days to walk the floor and shop like I used to. This doesn't just happen at cons anymore. I rarely hit actual brick and mortar stores anymore these days. Amazon.com is where I buy nearly everything I need these days. That and the apple store.

Anyway, it's nice to have a cool memento of shows gone by. So thanks again, Jeremy--I know you put a lot of time and love into creating this piece; was good to see you again at this year's con, if only briefly. Those pics of yer new sculpts looked fantastic.

Happy Befday Jim!

Happy Befday Jim!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]



Just wanted to drop a quick happy berfday sucka!!!!



-a

PSHOO!PSHOO!

Blast from the Past I

Blast from the Past I Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

As long as we are strolling down memory lane, here is a sketch from all the way back in 1991! Sent to me by Rhandy A., this was done at the first and last Con-Fusion here in San Diego. I think it was one of the shows Homage Studios even organized and threw down in Hotel Circle. We also had some in LA and San Francisco, all around the release of X-Men#1. Anyway, this is a rare sketch in that it is my layouts with Whilce Portacio on finished pencils.

I remember us working together like this and learning a lot from seeing how he interpreted and lit my figures. In fact, we did a complete issue of Uncanny X-Men this way...issue 267 I think; the first one before my run on the book. Took us 9 days to pencil and ink that book. Was a favor done for then editor Bob Harras who needed a book done STAT! We delivered, lost much sleep but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

All the rendering and lighting is courtesy of Whilce, who is now back fulltime in comics and ready to unload a ton of work next year! Aside from a new Wetworks series, Whilce has a very big (BIG BIG!) DC project coming up...soon to be announced. Here is a closer look at this sketch for now.

Blast from the Past II

Blast from the Past II Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Here is another one, also sent from Rhandy who apparently is an X-Men fan heh. Anyway, thanks Rhandy for shooting these on over. These were done before the days of digital cameras and camera phones and I recall doing a ton of sketches back in the old days. I shudder to think how many of these are out there...don't get me wrong, I love finding them. It's just sometimes, the wonky drawing makes my stomach turn. The ones from this era finished by Whilce actually turned out the nicest. His superior drawing skills really pulled em together.

Here's a tighter shot.

The Naturale

The Naturale Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[continued]

Upon returning to San Diego, I celebrated on the true day of my birthday with my family. Then, weeks later, when I returned to Italy (this was when I was still living abroad for a year), my friends there completely surprised the hell of me by renting out the local field of dreams so we could play ball under the lights and even grill burgers and dogs at the stadium (think minor league or college stadium complete with bleachers, night lights and dining facilities).

They knew of my love for the game, and with great stealth and secrecy, they managed to get almost every single Italian I had met from all over the country to come up for the game. Now, nearly all of them had never played the game before and had no clue or concept on how to but that made that day and night just that more incredible and memorable.

In the pic above, the one Italian player who had some previous playing time is pitching to one of my teammates who didn't realize you could bat with both hands. What you don't see is that there are over 15 players in the outfield (well, actually all in the infield as only a few players had the ability to knock it out past the pitcher's mound) and still, the score ended up being 17-15 (Partigani vs the Erbazzoni) in just 6 innings.

Someday we will return for a rematch.

Reggio Sanders

Reggio Sanders Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[continued]

Here's the gang after the game. We were trying to make a human pyramid, Italian style. Needless to say--it didn't happen.

Also in the mix were DC's own Ron Perazza and Linda Lee, creators Cliff Chiang, Trish Mulvihill, Cammo, Gabrielle Dell'Otto, Werther Dell' Erba, Bazzo, Michele Petrucci, Grazia Lobaccaro, Matteo Casali, and Marvel's Jenny Lee.

... bucket head?!?

... bucket head?!? Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

(entry: Carlos)

... again, I have NO idea why I never tried this before, BUT I had the 'bright' idea of doing an 'google' image search on my own work (in the attempt of finding some past con'sketches and commissions) and VOILA!!! I found some (^_^) ... I can't remember where I did this, but it might have been here in San Diego.

I have no idea why drawing Galactus is so much fun (for me at least), maybe 'cause if you really look at the design, he's pretty goofy looking, but for whatever reason, whenever a character has such a predominant BIG shape implemented in the design, it just works (probably something subconscious?) ... if not, just look at the ALIEN, or Arzach, Hellboy, E.T. Wolverine's mask, etc etc.

... some of my favorite designers. even movie directors for that matter, are GREAT at playing with shapes (look at any Kubrick film, specially 'Space Odyssey'), and more recently, Chris Cunningham and David Fincher. I think that's why the "CAPCOM" work was so popular, it's just all big, cool shapes. ALIEN I think is one of those movies that you can just study for ages as far as design goes, even the 'space suits' were big'ole shapes.

... all this just boils down to 'graphic design' I think, and just making sure that the 'eye' has a pretty easy time 'reading a shape', and this applies to photography, painting, sculpting, drawing, etc etc etc ... and speaking of shapes, I wish I would have exaggerated 'THE THING' a lot more ... oh well, next time :)

peace'

Carlos.

Updates... dadoo, dadoo...

Updates... dadoo, dadoo...
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

I wanted to come on and get reminded by the winner of our last contest what exactly he wanted me to draw, lol. Sorry for the delay, but I got caught up in crap. Also a quick update on our art battles. We're hoping to get some started next week. We're gonna kick off another 4-5 weeks worth of battles with a tag team battle involving us four monkees. Look for more Skye Runner exclusives next week also!

As to the doodles above? Rich was asking about the X-men today, so I decided to post a couple commisions I've done in the past, enjoy!

-a
PSHOO!PSHOO!

Skye Runner (exclusives!)

Skye Runner (exclusives!)
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

So to get this party started right I figured I'd start what will hopefully become a long line of Gelatometti Skye Runner exclusive peeks!

Where did this project start? Well, ever since Ninja Boy came to an end it seemed like there were endless requests for more. What many don't know, is that in the Ninja Boy tpb we added two pages. Two pages which showed that Nakio had in fact not died, and was in fact just beaten really badly. Jurojin, the healer he was in search of actually came to find him when he did not show up. She healed him, and so our story begins. Did we intentionally do this from the very begining? The answer is yes. Both Allen (Warner) and I knew this was going to lead into a new bigger story. So, fast forward about four years, and Jim asks me, "So, how're we gonna bring Ninja Boy back?". The answer, enter Skye Runner.

You see the three of us knew we wanted to re-explore Ninja Boy's world and what better way than through the eyes of a beautiful young female lead. Who just happens to exist on the opposite end of Ninja Boy's world, lol. So yes, with this new title we are rentering the world of Nakio, Sake, Kura, and yes even the evil Mikaboshi, and Zensho. How soon will we see the world most of you are familiar with? Probably not for a while. Hints will be dropped from the beginning for those in the know. But really what we are trying to do is introduce you all to a cast of characters even better than the ones you know. Ones that hopefully overtime you will all grow to love and care for.

If Ninja Boy had one thing, it had heart. Heart is something Allen, and I both push to inject into all of what we do. So, Skye Runner. Where it is and what it's become is more than just about anything Allen, Jim or I ever could've imagined. Not only in story but in the creative team assembled. Rich Friend, and Cris Walker are each among tops in thier fields without a doubt! Also as creative advisors we have Brian Azzarello in to keep tabs on the story, and the man Jim Lee himself to look over the art!

With this post I just wanted to wet your guys's noodles on how this new project came to be. In future posts we will explore individual characters, maps of this new world, and eventually even an original backstory that I am going to create solely for our little blog here. So keep an eye out, I'm hoping you all will enjoy this little ride we're about to take and please, feel free to post your thoughts along the way :)

link to larger view

-a
PSHOO!PSHOO!

Chicago-con 2005

Chicago-con 2005
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

After three days of continuous drinking, and no sleep, I have finally returned home from Chicago's Wizardworld show. From the begining, where I arrived in Chicago at 12:25, after a long day of waiting standby, I wandered into the Wildstorm panel, which started at 12:30, 20 minutes late. We announced Skye Runner, gave a few tidbits of info (I'll go more into specifics with my next post). The response seemed pretty enthusiastic! Although I know the true madness will start as soon as I start showing you guys exactly what I'm up to :) !

I stayed true to my commission thoughts, I did one, and that was more than enough, lol! I did however go crazy for my fans at the DC booth! Giving them what I considerd some pretty nice sketches, heh. Gotta say, the interaction with you guys is a ton of fun! After that the weekend became a whirlwind of Jack Daniels, and hotel room antics.

Jim and I shared a room, and threw a little get together that got pretty packed. I'm sure there were some crashers, but either way it was still all good fun. Also quite the little comic book celebrity shindig. From Frank Miller to Marc Silvestri, to Brian Azzarello, Francis Manupul, Jill Thompson, and our very own Jim Lee, it was a blast! Especially when all us art types started cranking out sketches! Jim, Marc, and Frank all did amazing doodles! Even I was in fanboy heaven, lol! Good, good times!

Hopefully next year we can all make it out! Other than that I was also excited to get home and get working again. So much in fact that I drew a page on the plane, lol. So with that I have to get back to work again, and boy does it sound exciting!

-a
"shimmy" PSHOO!PSHOO!

Doodles

Doodles Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[jimlee]

+++SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ HUSH YET+++



Just realized I hadn't posted much art on the blog for awhile; mostly because A) a lot of it can't be shown til the cover/book/project is officially announced or B) I haven't done a lot of sketches at cons recently as they have been too crazy or C) I'm too lazy to dig through the various drives for pieces you haven't seen. Or all of the above.

Here is a shot of some doodles I did a couple years back. Usually I draw loose like this when I am on the phone or in a meeting (shhhh). This particular set of doodles was done on typewriter paper and is probably from around the time of the 10th or 11th issue of Hush. In fact, you can see a little shot of Batman with his arms up; that's a small version of the shot in Hush where he is holding Jason Todd/Clayface on the Church ledge. That particular double page shot was in tight on Batman so on the original board, the drawing of his head, torso and arms is HUGE. When drawing that large, sometimes you can lose sense of scale because you are too close to the drawing so sometimes I draw it real small and blow it up on the xerox machine. Takes like 8 or 10 enlargements to get it to the proper size.

This was also around the time I knew I was going to be working on Superman with Azzarello as you can see all the Superman figures floating about. When I am working, I usually construct the figures using spheres and shapes but when doodling, I mix in a few flat, more graphical sketches where I focus more on the outlines and silhouettes of the figures. The end result is less 3-D but often more interesting visually. I try to keep a nice mix of both approaches into the work I do.

A Big Hunk O' Love

A Big Hunk O' Love Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Just to echo Ale's sentiments--thanks for all the enthusiasm for the Metti-Fantasy Publishing League. I signed up and drafted all my creators the other day and am in a league (all will be revealed Monday), ready to show you how it's done--old school style. Anyway, to resume some recent travels...working backwards in time to San Diego Comic Con (will get there soon!)--here we are (still in Vegas) last Saturday night where we surprised some of our friends with a secret ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel! We were there to celebrate as Ale and his wife Carla renewed their wedding vows (after 11 years of marriage and going strong) and Michele and Lara (who just got married 6 weeks back!). After we ate a nice dinner out, we told the unsuspecting couples that we were hitting a show but instead, brought them to this tiny 'church' of love.

Although Ale was in on it, I think even he was genuinely and pleasantly surprised. After we signed the wedding certificates, bought snazzy rings, bouquets, and Elvis sunglasses, Golden Age Elvis made us all cry with his hit "Can't Help Falling in Love." After we dabbed away the tears, he began the service, closing with a rousing medley of all the King's biggest songs including of course--Viva La Vegas. I think Elvis was actually touched by all the love in the room as he sang more songs than originally agreed to and danced with the blushing newly-re-weds.

This was the first time any of us had done this and honestly, I was expecting high cheese but it really was a lot more fun than I had expected. Maybe I will come back for my 20th wedding anniversary (only 4 years off!). OK, maybe not.

Sweet!

Sweet!
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

Hey guys, just wanted to pop in give a quick sh-zout! Heading to Chicago iin a couple days so I might not get a chance to post again. Looks like the fantasy league is gonna do great! We're all really excited to have it. I took part in the test league and it was a blast!

I figure by the time I ge tback from Chicago I'll have some interesting things to talk about. Also we plan on doing the Iron Chef tag team battle ramma after Jim and I get back. Also I have to finalize a month of battles where we take on a rival studio. Culminating in two of comics biggest names going at it!

Other than that enjoy my pic. Bet you guys didn't know Jim had a ice cream delivery service ;), peassss......

-a
"talkin f&*$$n Lee!" PSHOO!PSHOO!

Metti-Publisher LIVE

Metti-Publisher LIVE Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Finally, the online game you have all been waiting for. Metti Fantasy Publisher is now LIVE. Go to Metti-Publisher.Com and sign up for this FREE online rotisserie game where you can face off against fellow fan, pro, retailer and publisher alike as you compete against one another to assemble the grooviest lineup of writers and artists for you virtual publishing company.

Here's the quick skinny (click on Info at the homepage for details btw).

Working much like fantasy baseball or football online leagues, after you sign up and create a fictitious publisher's name, you then draft writers, cover artists and artists for your 'company.' This is accomplished by ranking creators with a draft order preference. Once complete, a randomized draft using said rankings is done to fill out your lineup. Then, every month around the 20th or so, scores are tallied using the icv2 circulation estimates and your publishing company is awarded copies sold for every book one of your creators worked on in that month. The more you sell, the better Metti- publisher you are.

Obviously the more prolific writers and artists are most desirable but you need to keep abreast of what's coming up on the publishing schedule...who's hurt and who's on the juice. Oh, and you can trade creators amongst each other or simply drop them and pick up other available ones from the creator genepool.

Sign up and give it a spin. There is a message board on the site for random battletalk. All the Mettistas will be signed up. Maybe you will be lucky enough to get crushed by our mad publishin skillz, suXors!

The 'season' starts this week and runs through to the end of the year; leagues will be posted next Monday so sign up and rank the creators who will give you the most bang for the buck. And HUGE, HUGE props to Chuck from KC who did all the legwork, layouts and coding to make this gem available to everyone for free. Big kudos, Chuck! Chuck is also the master publisher in charge of bugs, disputes and questions. Hopefully he will pop his head on here to take a bow soonish!

Links and Rechts

Links and Rechts Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Been swamped with work this weekend. Going to take a breather here to link to a couple of pertinent sites with interviews and pictures from various Metti-events. First up is an interview of me by super- duper talented artist Bryan Hitch. It's part of the Millarworld online magazine and can be found here.

Ignore the few typos--as I told Hitchy--I thought he asked some very interesting and probing questions. Eek--shouldn't use the word 'probing' and Bryan Hitch in the same sentence...

Someday soon I will be returning the favor and asking Bryan all the questions everyone wanted to ask but was too lazy to ask. In fact, if any of you have some really interesting to ask of the Ultimates' artist, post them in the comments below and I very well may use them. Anyway, the pic they ran is so old even I can't remember where it's from. Pretty sure it was during the early Image days and was at a store signing.

Next up, is a link to James Sime of the Isotope's site. Many of you may recall a bunch of the Mettistas did a store signing just the other week, and he has some trippy (and normal pics) up at his site. You can find them here and here!

Last but not least, drop by Newsarama in the next couple of days for an interview where I talk a bit about my upcoming run on WildCats with none other than Grant Morrison! If you're in the Chicago area, I also did an interesting interview (and photoshoot from when I was at the Isotope) which will appear in the Chicago edition of Time Out magazine in advance of Wizard World Chicago.

Check it!