Assassin & Son Preview

Blackline Comics has produced a video preview of Assassin & Son, the comic miniseries created by WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard and former WWE wrestler Marc Copani. In 2010, I was hired to adapt the story to comic form and the comic has been in development since. This preview shows finished artwork and colors from issue #1. Artwork is by Ed Messias (pencils) and Paul Little (inks and colors).

Black Salt Update

My last post about Black Salt was in February 2010. At that time, the creative team was working on issue #3 and we were waiting for issue #2 to become available online. A lot has happened since February…

- Black Salt is no longer at Blackline Comics. There were a number of reasons for this. The details aren’t that important so I’ll just say the parting was mutual. Owen Ratliff, creator of Black Salt, has been looking for an online distributor and a publisher that would be willing to publish the print version of Black Salt.

- Ed Brisson is back on Black Salt as letterer. He lettered issue #1, but then Mike DeLepine of Blackline Comics took over lettering chores for issue #2 and #3. With Black Salt and Blackline parting ways, Ed is back on letters. He has re-lettered issue #2 and has lettered issue #3.

- Issue #3 is complete. J.C. Grande finished the artwork a few months ago, and Santosh Kumar Rath turned in the colors. Ed was back on lettering duty, so he did the lettering this summer.

- Issue #4 has been written. The 22-page script was approved yesterday (August 29).

- Script writing for issue #5 will begin in a couple days. I’m taking a couple days off to work on a project I’m doing with Manoel Magalhaes, who you will remember as the artist on The Three Princes, and then I’ll get started on issue #5 of Black Salt.

Assassin & Son: Path of Vengeance

Read the press release below and see if you can spot a familiar name…  

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Promotional image courtesy Blackline Comics

From Blackline Comics (June 16, 2010): 

Blackline Comics is proud to announce the penciller and colorist attached to Shad Gaspard’s ASSASSIN & SON: PATH OF VENGEANCE, Randy Valiente and Paul Little, respectively. Randy Valiente is a Philippines-born artist world-renowned in comics and animation who has lent his pencils to such comics as Michael Kingston’s Headlocked. Paul Little is an Ontario-based colorist who has worked on titles like Bomb Queen, Dynamo 5, and The Matriarch. They will be joining creator and wrestling superstar Shad Gaspard and writer Chad Boudreau (Acts of Violence) on this action-packed new Blackline title.

ASSASSIN & SON: PATH OF VENGEANCE is a gritty crime/action adventure revolving around Donovan Braddock, one of the world’s deadliest assassins, and his young son Matthew. Donovan Braddock has found himself as part of an elite crime unit known as The Horsemen, doing things he never thought he would do, and struggling with his conscience and his job. That is until he meets a mysterious woman named Jasmine, and everything changes. He must now choose between the job he was born to do, and his own conscience struggling with his inner demons, as well as the deadliest men of the world’s dark underbelly.

While you can’t get your hands on it yet, you will be able to soon, be sure to keep an eye out in the weeks ahead for more news on this exciting new series.

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Yup, this is my newest project. Its also arguably my most high-profile project to date because of the association with WWE superstar Shad Gaspard. Stay tuned for more information as the development of the graphic novel progresses.

Colonel is finished

Potential cover art for Colonel

On June 6, Manoel Magalhaes sent me the finished pages of Colonel. This is a 56-page science fiction graphic novel created by Manoel and Osmarco Valladao. It is a great book, featuring fantastic artwork by Manoel and a rich color palette by Osmarco. The two men developed the story together.

Manoel, you may recall, was the artist on The Three Princes, my contribution to the Acts of Violence anthology. He and I kept in touch after our work was finished on that project. Manoel is a talented, hard-working artist, and a great guy in general.

In the latter part of 2008, Manoel sent me pages of Colonel. The book wasn’t finished yet, but it was well on its way. The story grabbed me immediately, as did the artwork and colors.  I gave him my positive feedback, but also mentioned I noticed a number of grammar and word use errors. Osmarco and Manoel’s first language isn’t English, so they appreciated the feedback. I offered to lend a hand as an editor of sorts, massaging dialogue, fixing grammar, etc.

From time to time in 2009, I edited pages, and Manoel and Osmarco worked on completing the book. It was around this time too I suggested Manoel contact Blackline Comics to pitch them Colonel. He did. They liked it. The details of the book’s release are currently being finalized.

I read the whole book from cover to cover on June 7. A handful of small, final changes are needed, but it’s a solid book. It’s a great read and is going to pop in print form. It’s that good-looking.

For me personally, it was a treat to follow the development of this graphic novel. For me professionally, I get an editor credit on a graphic novel that should have no trouble finding an audience among science fiction fans.

Stay tuned for more updates, including a release date.

Where is Black Salt #2?

If you follow my blog or my work in general you may recall I said Black Salt #2 would be available at comicsxp.com on January 4, 2010. It is now February 2 and Black Salt #2 is still not available. You might be wondering why. I recently received an update from Blackline Comics, publisher of Black Salt.

Black Salt #2 was completed in early December. The finished comic was uploaded to ComicsXP before the end of 2009. Word is ComicsXP was (and perhaps still is) moving office space and thus their release schedule has been seriously delayed. ComicsXP hopes to have everything sorted soon though no specific date was given. So, you have to keep waiting. Thanks for your patience.

Despite the delay with the release of issue #2, production on issue #3 got started in early January. (You will recall I completed the script before the December holidays.) Artist J.C. Grande turned in sketches of new characters introduced in the new issue. Those were approved and last week he turned in proofs of pages 2 – 5.

Here is a little treat to tide you over until the release of issue #2…

Some new characters are introduced in Black Salt #3. Three of those are pictured above. From left to right: Researcher, Agent Burch, and Agent Beck. The character sketches are by J.C. Grande.