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THE CORRIDOR; A Creepy Little Horror Film and its Writer Who Never Gave Up

Jason Thibault — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:02:51 +0000

Josh MacDonald was the fella that I first watched EVIL DEAD, EVILDEAD II, THE THING, THE EXORCIST, THE FLY, ALIENS & REANIMATOR (amongst hundreds of other films) with. We met on the first day of grade 7 (Junior High in Canada) and hit it off right away. Further on in the interview I detail the myriad of comics that the man introduced me to.

In the almost 3 decades that I’ve known writer and actor Josh MacDonald I’ve watched him accomplish many career milestones. From television appearances, scripts turned into short films, plays that he wrote travelling across North America and acting roles ranging from direct to video fodder all the way to working on James Cameron’s TITANIC for a few months with the Nova Scotia crew.

I’ve never interviewed a writer for this site and who better to start off with than an age-old friend. But first let’s dig into the trailer for the movie in question.

For the 27 years that we’ve known each other you’ve always been a writer. Be it short stories, scripts, plays or episodic television you’ve always been working on something. What drives you to keep at it?

It’s interesting that you define me as a writer, since— for most of our lives— you know that I was also pursuing a career as a performer, acting throughout university and then into the professional world. I’ve never trained in the same way as a writer, and maybe— arguably– that’s part of the thing that actually makes me one: I’ve spent my life being able to generate stories without killing myself to do so; it’s kind of the thing that’s always come naturally, like other people have an aptitude for— I don’t know– playing basketball.

I cannot play basketball— I have no game.

Josh pictured with actor Callum Keith Rennie on the set of FFMW

When you ask what drives me to keep at my writing, I wish I had a more “rags-to-riches” story to share— one where I kept plugging away in the face of adversity— but writing and performing have always paid my bills; I haven’t had a day job since college. The terrifying thing about a life in the arts, though, is that this “luxury” could stop at any time: there’s nothing to say I’m not working at Ultramar a month from now. But, so far, I’ve been able to keep the wolves at bay. As a writer, in particular, I’ve held onto the stubborn belief that if I can punch a piece of work out until I reach the words “the” and “end,” then I’ll be able to find some application for that piece somewhere in the world: a door will open for it, and its journey will continue. I love working in different mediums and different genres, and feel lucky that I’ve been able to do so: sometimes, though, it’s been suggested to me that my creative wanderlust isn’t as clever a Fortune 500 scheme as mono-fixating on one particular career goal, then pursuing it relentlessly. I guess I get distracted by the winding paths.

You were the one who exposed me to Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Groo the Wanderer, Frank Miller’s Hard Boiled, Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. I lay 85% of the blame for of my infatuation with comics at your feet. Why haven’t you ever tackled the medium as a writer? You’ve done damn near everything else.

Ha! I also believe that I introduced you to the good doctor Hunter S. Thompson and to Lester Bangs over the years! Off the top of my head, you introduced me to Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg, to novels by Jim Thompson, James Ellroy, Andrew Vachss; you were the first one to send me movies by Chan-Wook Park— naw man, let’s forget following this particular winding path, it’ll get us both using up way too much cyberspace!

It’s a twofold answer to your question: one part practical, the other part sort of philosophical. Practical: the deadlines in (mainstream) comic-book writing terrify me; I’ve never been the world’s speediest writer, and pumping out scripts for multiple titles every thirty days seems nervous-breakdown-inducingly intense. Philosophical: my whole life, I’ve loved comic books and movies. I’m grateful to be able to work in the film industry, but— like anything you turn into your actual job— it can kinda kill your joy a bit; I can’t watch movies in the same way that I used to. So keeping my comic reading as a joy, as my escapism… I don’t mind that.

I’m in awe of what guys like Grant Morrison, Brian K Vaughn, Robert Kirkman and Joss Whedon can do, to name just a few— I just like to stand back and watch. It’s also fun to watch respected novelists reveal their love for the medium, lately, jumping in to create work: guys like Jonathan Letham, Michael Chabon, Ian Rankin, etc..

You’ve witnessed the filmed completion of 2 of your screenplays in 2010. That must have been an overwhelming experience after simultaneous multi-year processes. Is this an uncommon occurrence in the film industry?

It’s more a coincidence of timing than anything. I think most writers, producers, directors would tell you that the average development path for a feature film is a five-year trudge. My stage play HALO took about six years to come to screens as FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE, and THE CORRIDOR’s development took about four: the two projects converged during the festival season 2010. There was a point in the summer of 2008 where both projects were still fighting to get their green-lights, and it fell to me to convince the powers-that-be by working up two quick new drafts: I was two weeks out from delivering a second draft reinvention of THE CORRIDOR when a make-or-break, 72-hour polish of HALO was demanded of me: one that would either get the project its full-funding or get it completely shelved. For both projects, the producers’ timeline-schedules have checkpoints along 18 months of road, so you don’t want to miss a single one along the way or the project(s) might perish. That summer was a tough crunch-time — I worried I’d crash both scripts into each other and end up with neither getting made. I didn’t see a lot of sun July-August. After that, though, the convergence eased up for me personally— the projects’ timelines opened up from one another, and lots of other creative minds began to come into both to help carry the load(s).

Can you take us through the quick and dirty process of script to screen? And perhaps point out some differences between the 2 films’ journeys.

Writing FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE was a process of adapting my own work from another medium— my stage-play HALO. That’s an interesting assignment, because you’re trying to radically reinvent something while holding onto its essence. Live theatre and motion pictures seem awfully similar— they’re both story-telling vessels— but the former is a place for dialectic conversation, and the latter is a place where the story’s gotta move as pictures in action. Same thing, completely different– like turning a paper bag inside out.

THE CORRIDOR was a spec script— a horror story– written initially in my spare time away from HALO, as a way of off-gassing. HALO’s protagonist is a teenage girl and the movie is a comedy-drama which is generally brighter of tone (though not as bright as you might think— there’s a deep thread of melancholy in that story) while THE CORRIDOR is about five men whose experiences take them to some really horrific places. It was kind of a yin-yang process for me, working on them both. My Angels and Demons, as it were.

Finally, there was some irony in the fact that my “teen flick” was the one that ended up being directed by Canadian horror veteran George Mihalka (of the original MY BLOODY VALENTINE). HALO (released as FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE) was a quote-unquote larger budgeted Canadian movie, starring Martha MacIsaac (from SUPERBAD, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, GREEK), Callum Keith Rennie (HARD CORE LOGO, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, CALIFORNICATION), Ricky Mabe (ZACH AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, THE WILD HUNT, THE TROTSKY) and Andrew Bush (Picnicface, ROLLER TOWN) and, for me, was something of a “big machine”. The process of making THE CORRIDOR felt a bit more homemade: I optioned it to a horror-buff friend and emerging producer named Mike Masters (REEL ZOMBIES, SON OF THE SUNSHINE) who then brought the project to a Nova Scotian partner, Craig Cameron, and brought on director Evan Kelly. These guys are all approximately my own age, and— though we didn’t have the deepest of pockets— we were able to make our movie together, out “on the margins” of things. From the cast and crew onward, THE CORRIDOR felt a bit more D.I.Y., like I was making a movie with my friends over a couple of weekends.

Different experiences, these, but I wouldn’t trade one of them for the other, and I’m proud of both works in different ways.

How nerve-wracking was it to see both of your babies on the big screen last year?

I was too tired to feel a lot of nerves. Frankly— even if the movies get the shit kicked out of them by future critics or audiences— I feel a great deal of satisfaction in finally being able to “tie a knot in those balloons” and release them. It’s good to let them go.

I had the pleasure of reading The Corridor screenplay a few years ago. It instantly brought me back to that nostalgic feeling of Maritime winters and 1980′s horror novels (the good ones by Stephen King and Douglas Clegg). From watching the trailer it looks like they’ve nailed it. How do you feel about it?

That’s right–! You read THE CORRIDOR before I even optioned it!

I think everybody worked so hard on THE CORRIDOR— I’m really proud of them all. Evan’s interest was in deeply developing the character-study aspects of the script, and getting a quiet, contemplative mood out of the first reels of the picture— a New American realism sensibility (like David Gordon Green’s earlier movies, or Kelly Reichert’s). Starting from that honest place, I feel like THE CORRIDOR just gains and gains in intensity along its running time… I’m excited by the pressure cooker which builds up in that cabin in the woods. I think the awesome ensemble work of our five key actors– coupled with the work of Evan and everybody else, from production to post— really gives us a dimensional character piece that distinguishes itself against some of the cannon-fodder characterizations you find in lots of modern genre (and genre sequel) work. That being said, we also try to get our “Canucksploitation” on in the movie’s back half. Lastly, we try to reach for some enigmatic, sci-fi unknowables during the final reel (tipping our homage-hats to 2001, Solaris, Cube, etc)… Basically, from naturalistic beginning to extra-natural ending, we hope we take audiences on a pretty compelling “trip”…

What’s next?

It’s a fun time to be making movies in the Maritimes— I feel like we’re on the cusp of some new “pop entertainment” era here, with the stories we’re getting to tell. There’s been a lot of knockout movies made here over the years, but they were oftentimes in the (entirely valid) idiom of Don Shebib’s GOIN’ DOWN THE ROAD— movies overtly concerned with our regional identity. My current peer-group simply wants to entertain, as best they can, and they’re starting to make some crazy dents in the mass pop-culture. It started with Mike Clattenburg’s TRAILER PARK BOYS. I story-consulted on comedy troupe Picnicface’s ROLLER TOWN movie last year, and that’s gonna be amazingly funny. My friend Jay Dahl has made a verite-camerawork horror movie called THERE ARE MONSTERS, capitalizing off his insane number of YouTube hits with the short of the same name. Former local movie-reviewer Mark Palermo has made an alliance with Hollywood music-video director Joseph Kahn, and has fast-tracked his first horror-comedy feature screenplay into existence: keep your eye out for DISTURBANCE later this year (starring Josh Hutcherson and Dane Cook). I’m excited to watch FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE continue into its secondary markets, and I’m really hopeful that we’ll get THE CORRIDOR out into the larger world in the months ahead. Finally, my good friends Jason Eisener, Rob Cotterill and John Davies are already reaching stratospheric levels of success with their homegrown HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. The movie is a towering piece of uber-entertainment: any exploitation fan is going to lose their shit over this one, and its amazing blend of sociopathic craziness and pure, happy cinema-love…. it’s the best time you’ll have in a movie theatre in a really long time, trust me.

For myself, I want to keep genre-hopping and exploring those side-paths. I have a kid’s urban adventure movie in development— sort of a Ferris-Bueller-meets-Run-Lola-Run, beeline-race movie— called OVER UNDER THROUGH. I’m also writing a horror-comedy about a particularly hellish night spent trapped in a demonically-overrun seafood restaurant, called THE TRAP: here I’m playing with “cheery” horror movies like Poltergeist, Gremlins and Ghostbusters, but then trying to contain my proceedings like in Die Hard or Walter Hill’s Trespass. Finally, I’m hoping to direct my first short later in the year, possibly with some help from Team Hobo and Team Corridor— a summer’s horror-chase exercise simply called GAME.

Or I might be working at Ultramar. Never can tell. Keeps me lean.

NOTES ON THE CORRIDOR
“It brought them all together… and then it tore them all apart
They’ve been the best of buddies for more than a decade, but now they’re changing– getting married, getting promoted, going bald, going insane. During a male-bonding weekend, they will discover a spectral corridor through the woods– an impossible hallway where none should be. It will lead these five men into fear, into betrayal, and into the biggest change of them all: by weekend’s finish… they’ll be dead.
TYLER CRAWLEY (31) needs his friends, now more than ever. Recovering from mental stress in the wake of his mom’s death, Tyler has been counting on a weekend with the guys to bring him back to normal. For Tyler’s sake his old buddies rally themselves, though the “glue” which keeps them together has weakened with the passing of recent years– a natural enough occurrence.
But with the introduction of a single unnatural occurance– the corridor itself– the knots in these male bonds will come loose with a terrifying speed. Both a fantastical passageway to somewhere and a passageway into the mind of the male animal, the corridor will lead Tyler and his friends to the very edge of sanity and beyond…
MacDonald positions the film as living somewhere between the character beats of Barry Levinson’s DINER and the trippy mind-bend of films like Ken Russell’s ALTERED STATES or Vincenzo Natali’s CUBE.”

NOTES ON FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE:

“Casey McMullen never knew what a miracle could do… until she built one.”

When the image of Jesus Christ seems to appear on the donut shop where she works, teenaged Casey’s life is forever changed. Yearning to escape from the hopeless, pious boondock which she calls home, Casey tries to “spin” this hoax into her own fortune, fame & farewell. If only her estranged father would notice: but that might take a real miracle…

Frustrated with her life, Casey McMullen (Martha MacIsaac) throws a coffee at the wall of the Krowne Donuts where she works… and the splash inadvertently comes to resemble an image of Jesus Christ. Overnight, Casey finds herself becoming the ring-master of a growing faith circus: the parking-lot teems in new customers, 24-7 news media arrive, and the chicken-shack next door cashes in with a “12 Piece Apostle Meal”. Casey’s hoax changes everything: for her strict, fundamental boss (Don Allison), her sweet, believing boyfriend (Ricky Mabe), her “Doubting Thomas” local priest (Andrew Bush), and, most importantly, for her Dad… Haunted by the aftermath of a family tragedy, Casey’s Dad (Callum Keith Rennie) is letting everything around him go: his mortgage payments, his business, everything. Casey’s hoax might be just the “divine intervention” which her Dad needs…but the results are not at all what she expected.

FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE is a modern pop parable: a story of The Father, The Daughter and The Holy Roast.

Further reading and resources:
Josh’s author page at Talon Books who have published two of his plays, HALO and WHEREVERVILLE in paperback.
The Facebook Page for THE CORRIDOR and official movie site
The Facebook Page for FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE and official movie page

THE CORRIDOR; A Creepy Little Horror Film and its Writer Who Never Gave Up is a post from: Optimum Wound

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Another Triple Shot from Pulp Press

Chris La Tray — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:11:42 +0000

As mentioned before in these pages, England’s Pulp Press is one of the most exciting imprints to come out of indie publishing in the last couple years. What follows is a look at three more of what has been a very busy 2010 release schedule for them. All three are pocket-sized little blasts of mayhem that feature the trademark Pulp Press “vintage” look and feel, and the tagline “Turn off your TV and discover fiction like it used to be…” Indeed!

Die Hard Mod by Charlie McQuaker

Steve Milliken is rudely awakened from a pleasant dream of the best shag he ever had by a pounding on the front door of his drab North Belfast flat. He answers the door and is promptly greeted by a thorough ass kicking at the fists and feet of Trevor, the local drug dealer (and UDA battalion leader), and his hardman henchman, Donzo. Seems Steve and his housemate Doug had run afoul of the two toughguys previously on account of selling some extra hash to a couple students-in-need at a house party. After the ass beating and healthy dose of intimidation, Steve comes to in his trashed apartment, with much of his record collection and mod memorabilia destroyed. Worse, he learns later that Doug was also beaten . . . to death. Realizing that Trevor and his crew will likely come after him again to keep him quiet, Steve decides to take off to Brighton to hide out. Brighton also happens to be the last known lurking place of the girl he’d spent a passionate previous summer with, Jeanie. As can be expected from any pulp story worth its salt, things go from bad to worse, and there’s no counting on anything ever getting better for our hero, Charlie.

I enjoyed several things about this novel. First, the dialect and slang used by the characters was fun, lending a real sense of accent, place and personality to the dialogue. Second, I had a great time with all the mod culture references; the fashion, bands, particular songs, and the rivalries among fans of different scenes. Music has always been tied to fashion, no doubt about it, and this book doesn’t miss that critical fact at any moment. Die Hard Mod is also a telling glimpse into the English mod scene and Brighton club environment. These settings are depicted well, and I could almost hear the music, smell the alcohol and see people shaking their asses out on the dance floor. Clearly author Charlie McQuaker knows his way around this stuff, and while I’m no mod myself it certainly had me revisiting my own collection of music by bands like The Small Faces.

As for the rest of the story, I’ve said enough already. Will Charlie stay a step ahead of Trevor and company? Will he be reunited with his beloved Jeanie? Will he ever find a way to avenge Doug’s brutal death? Or will he just continued to be fucked with time and again? To answer any of these questions will only spoil the suspense of this short little book, and we can’t have that now, can we? Buy it, and find out for yourself!

My Bloody Alibi by Dominic Milne

My Bloody Alibi is a classic tale of revenge hatched behind bars. In a prison for women, no less. If that doesn’t scream “Pulp!” I don’t know what does.

Cass Hall and “Mad” Marcella Gray met while doing time in Holloway Women’s Prison. On meeting, they realized that, with proper makeup, they bore a striking resemblance to one another that bordered on the eerie. Becoming friends, they masterminded a plan to get even with the bastards whose actions had landed them behind bars in the first place – a scumbag, crooked policeman/rapist named Jack Thorne in Cass’s case, and for Marcella a notorious drug dealer and human trafficker named Barry Leonard. Together they create the seductress Sylvana, a smoking hot, high-stepping dancer whose identity they will share in the plot to lure the two men to their gruesome ends. The scheme gets rolling well enough, but we know nothing ever goes as planned.

With a trilogy of detective novels waiting in the wings for publication, writer/actor Dominic Milne draws plenty of first novel blood via My Bloody Alibi. The plot twists and turns, and Milne throws enough unanticipated difficulty at our vengeful heroines to keep things interesting without getting frustrating. Run-ins with racist gangs, best plans gone awry, and even a potential love interest keep things hauling ass to the fiery end. The opening scene, with the two women’s plan already in motion and coming off the rails, sets the stage in perfect, violent fashion. It is almost impossible to set the book down until the last bullet has been fired, the last drop of gasoline splashed onto a flaming Soho, the last spike heel delivered in a kick to the face. Even better, the ending hints that we might be able to expect more from Milne and these memorable characters. Here’s hoping for that!

Let Me Die a Woman by Alan Kelly

Wow. Right out of the gate Alan Kelly’s Let Me Die a Woman showed it was something totally different from any other current offerings from Pulp Press, and it kicked my ass in altogether different ways.

The book opens with twenty-three year-old Jessica Spark, who has about as awful an attitude as you can imagine, preparing to accompany her mother to the benign little country “Scarecrow Festival” in Roundwood. She’s not happy about it, and she makes various little passive aggressive moves just to irritate her mother, both before they leave and on the drive out to rural paradise. At the festival, Jessica has a run-in with some other women that leads to fisticuffs. Later, she finds herself cornered by the women, things not looking good . . . when the scarecrows at the festival come alive and proceed to gruesomely butcher anything that moves. Jessica alone survives, but she is taken captive and turned into . . . something else.

Let Me Die a Woman is a gory little B-Movie horror romp complete with alien creatures with tentacles, weird little horrid henchcreatures, and lots of blood and murder. Jessica resurfaces at the helm of a quasi-feminist horror magazine called Blood Rag. She’s risen to the top at the expense of the woman most responsible for the magazine’s success, Bunny Flask . . . and Bunny ain’t happy about it. When she decides to take her violent revenge, aided by her friend Kiffany, Bunny stumbles onto a plot that leaves the fate of the entire world at risk. That’s big time, baby. That’s fucking pulp awesomeness.

There are two many little twists in the plot to talk about without ruining the reading experience, particularly in a big reveal that has direct ties to the title, and makes the book even more cool. I haven’t read a lot of this kind of horror stuff – Lovecraft notwithstanding – but I sure loved it, and it makes me want to seek out more. Alan Kelly really cranked out something that, to me anyway, was very original and a nice change of pace in the Pulp Press lineup. I hope they publish more stuff like this, and I’m looking forward to more from Alan Kelly in particular!

For people interested in buying Pulp Press titles, you may visit their Amazon UK store HERE. American distribution is being handled by Murder By the Book in Houston, TX, who offer a fantastic mail order option. Fans of quick, exciting reads that capture the look and feel of an era of fiction long past should make all kinds of haste to pick these titles up.

Another Triple Shot from Pulp Press is a post from: Optimum Wound

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Pulp Press Books are Pocket-Sized Blasts of Hardcore Mayhem [FEATURE]

Chris La Tray — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:40:35 +0000

“Turn off the T.V. and discover fiction like it used to be”

For my money, one of the most exciting happenings in indie publishing is going down in England via a scorching DIY rock n’ roll operation that calls itself Pulp Press. Their books, pocket-sized blasts of hardcore mayhem meant to resurrect the dime pulp novels of yesteryear, are stripped lean of all excess. At roughly 23,000 words, these little bastards can be burned through in a sitting without any difficulty, and are one hell of a great time. When I was sent a pile of the suckers to review, I thought the best way to kick things off would be to get main man Danny Bowman, who has published two novels of his own in the series writing as Danny Hogan, to explain what Pulp Press is all about. Check it out. . . .

Pulp Press touts itself as producing “fiction like it used to be.” What do you mean by that, and what was the catalyst that made you decide fuck it, I’m going to start putting out books myself?

Absolutely, the whole thing about Pulp Press is making reading entertaining. I think the story game has become spoiled by writers trying to be too damned clever and publishers and booksellers being too snooty and conservative regarding what they take on. Pulp Press is all about bringing the story back to basics and make it an easy read rather than some existential brouhaha.

Pulp Press has already released seven titles in a relatively short time, with quite a flurry out recently. Do you have a schedule you are trying to work to? Do you have a certain goal for how many books you will put out in a given year?

I hope that over time I settle into some kind of schedule. I brought out a flurry of new books to do a kind of showcase at the London Book Fair this year. Why? I don’t rightly know, but I plan to take a bit more slow and steady in the future.

What has the response been like since you started putting these books out?

The response has been a little too good, you know. I am bracing myself for the negativity which I am sure is due to me sooner or later.

What elements do you think define “pulp” fiction?

Entertainment which is cheap, disposable appeals to our good old base instincts like lust and vengeance. Just what I like.

Who are the writers that inspired you to write the kinds of stories you do, as well as the ones you choose to publish?

I grew up on the old Skinhead pulps of Richard Allen but I would say it was Hunter Thompson that got me into writing. I would say though that it is the graphic novelist Garth Ennis who really got me into that economic, darkly humorous and revenge filled style of writing that I want to do. In terms of publishing I want people who can kick out a good old no hold barred story featuring an underdog doing good and coming out winning. They’re my favorite kind of stories.

Any plans for US distribution? What about eBooks?

When I think of ebook I remind myself of the Jack Horner character in the film Boogie Nights and his attitude to video. I can’t stand the idea of the damned things. Especially as reader costs £300 ($500 – $600). I don’t associate with people who have that kind of money to throw away on a gadget and I ain’t setting out to appeal to those kind of people either. And show me a person whose happy getting into a story on their mobile phone and I’ll show you a damned fool. However, I ain’t going to make the same mistake as old Jack did, so let’s just say I’m looking into it.

Will Pulp Press ever release more traditional, 50K+ word titles?

Mate, in this day and age where most people have the attention span of a retard with sunburn I believe that short, punchy and unpretentious novels are the way to go, trust me. But hey, never say never that’s what I say.

One of the best things about the Pulp Press titles is the uniformity of the packaging. Each book looks like a battered old paperback, featuring gritty cover art by Alex Young. How did this aesthetic come about, and what’s the story on this Alex Young guy anyway?

There’s a magazine going about Brighton called Impure and around the time the Grindhouse films came out they did a special to publicize the films and had the cover all manipulated and crusty looking. I asked talented artist, my long time friend and best man at my upcoming wedding Alex Young if he could do that with the cover design and he said, “sure, dude” and look what he done did. Regarding what’s the deal with this Alex Young guy? Check Twitter and Facebook blow up when I pose that very question.

Any plans to release any pulpy stuff with laser guns or boxers or barbarians hacking enemies apart with broadswords? Or do you plan to stick to a more modern, hardboiled style of pulp?

Sci-Fi – definitely, my next project will feature some that, Westerns for sure. Boxing? That’s an interesting one, but probably some MMA or bare-knuckled stuff. Sword and Sorcery kind of stuff I think is pretty much so much its own genre and kind of so removed from the stuff I want to put out, but hey, remember what I always say ‘never say never’.

Anything else in particular you’d like to say about Pulp Press and the books you’re publishing?

Pulp Press is doing a tour of the US in September of this year anybody who wants to meet for a drink and a laugh and maybe buy Pulp Press products off of me directly in Vienna, Virginia; Memphis; New Orleans; Houston; Austin; Truth or Consequences; Tucson; San Diego; Las Vegas and Oklahoma city give me a shout on Twitter.
____________________________

In closing, here are reviews of the two Danny Bowman novels for Pulp Press, writing as Danny Hogan.

Killer Tease

In the opening scene of this tight revenge story, burlesque-dancer-with-a-short-fuse Eloise Murphy smashes a glass of booze into the face of a would-be suitor, “grinding until she could feel bone and hear him squeal like the bitch he was,” after watching him attempt to sneak a little something into her drink. She is pulled away before she can finish the douchebag with a well-placed stiletto heel, and promptly loses her job. From there her life is set on a downward spiral that only a double helping of determination – and willingness to commit violence – can pull her out of.

Eloise’s journey takes her through some of the seedier streets of Brighton as she struggles to continue making her way as a dancer pushing thirty. After opening a show for a rock n’ roll band, and learning just how meager the earnings are in that particular world, she is blackmailed into taking a gig at a new club for “discerning gentlemen with very special tastes.” When she turns the tables and escapes the intended result of that gig, the brutal retribution brought against Eloise by her blackmailer would have been the end of most women. But Eloise isn’t like most women; not one to stay down when she’s kicked, her vengeance is swift, violent and deadly.

Killer Tease is a razor-edged tale that sets a no bullshit tone for what this imprint will be all about. Call it a Mission Statement of sorts, if you want; it reads more like a battle cry to me.

The Windowlicker Maker

Danny Hogan’s latest, and the most recent publication from Pulp Press, is another greasy serving of the dish best served cold. The book opens with our first-person narrator, Joe Tatum, down on the sidewalk outside a movie theater, “pissing blood from a big, fuck off stab wound” in his side. Tatum’s natural tendency to respond with violence is overcome when he remembers his promise to his wife, who is at his side, to abandon the criminal life he’d led previously. Instead, they plead with their four assailants to leave them alone, to run off before the cops arrive. Just as sirens are heard in the distance, one of the rogues pulls a pistol and kills Ava, Tatum’s wife, in cold blood.

From there our former hard man sinks into the depths of despair, wallowing in grief but holding to the promise to his late wife to live a peaceful life. He endures another beating at the hands of the same attackers when they recognize him in the neighborhood, but, when a third encounter sees the lives of others being threatened by the actions of the arrogant hoodlums, he finally snaps into action. Tatum’s revenge is swift and calculated, and the book’s body count explodes like the final showdown in a Sam Peckinpah film as he tracks his enemies’ path of destruction back to the source inspiring them.

What I appreciate most about The Windowlicker Maker is that Hogan doesn’t burden the proceedings with unnecessary back story on our narrator. The character’s inner musings hint that he left a career of dark, two-fisted-and-worse deeds, including time behind bars, to devote his life to Ava, but we don’t get the specifics. Instead, we see how capable he is when he finally takes matters into his own hands. This is effective, and keeps the story focused as the proceedings reach their grim, inevitable conclusion. Sharp eyes will notice a cameo appearance by Eloise from Killer Tease; this was also an excellent little touch by Hogan.

As a pocket-sized bundle of raw nerves and energy, The Windowlicker Maker is another fine offering from Pulp Press, and even includes a post-apocalyptic short story by Hogan called A Gun Called Comeuppance. If you’re wondering what a “windowlicker maker” actually is, though, you’ll have to read the book.

Pulp Press Books are Pocket-Sized Blasts of Hardcore Mayhem [FEATURE] is a post from: Optimum Wound

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The Last Days Of American Crime Book 2

Richard Serrao — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:05:58 +0000

Published by Radical Comics
Written by Rick Remender
Art and colours by Greg Tocchini
Price tag: 4.99 US

After reading the first issue of the miniseries I was so gung ho about it that I couldn’t wait for this second issue to ship. Unfortunately this book shipped very late, almost 2 months overdue. Radical had built up a nice bit of steam with the first issue and to me this delay would only hurt the series. I really hope it doesn’t hurt the book in sales but to tell the truth it dampened even my enthusiasm for the book.

Book 2 starts up with a pretty nasty interrogation going on where we have a gang leader sacrificing his wife and his own life rather than sell out his “people” to this other drug lord. It’s a nasty scene and well done at that. It hammers home that a lot of the people in this book are vicious scumbags that want nothing more than to kill whoever stands in their way to dominate or challenge their superiority and leadership.

Tocchini’s artwork is gorgeous as always and he does some awesome scenes of carnage and violence that would keep any fan of the Punisher or crime comics for that matter very happy. The one thing I found that bothered me was a scene where he drew what looked like an assault shotgun with the clip in the wrong place and I know this is a stupid thing to complain about and I can overlook it in the grand scheme of the book. It’s just that I have spent a lot of time doing research on weapons and tactics for my own artwork and seeing someone draw a weapon that looks a bit “off” gets me upset. I just want to be clear that I LOVE Tocchini’s artwork overall and I think he is doing an amazing job on this book, maybe this was supposed to be a future type of shotgun or some other sort of prototype that I’ve never seen and really does look like this.

Remender is still doing a great job on the story and I’m looking forward to the 3rd issue. Getting back to this issue though, we get to see a bit more character development with some of the other supporting characters. Shelby turned out to be the biggest surprise of the book and story. I won’t ruin it for anyone that isn’t reading the “floppies” but instead waiting for the trade. From the beginning we knew she was going to be trouble but goddamn she’s living up to that femme fatale tag. She also has some of the best lines in the book.: “You were totally dying to say schematics or some other shit right then. I could tell. I’m into it. Let’s crime novel this shit up.”

Another surprise of this book turned out to be Shelby’s boyfriend, Kevin Cash. The boy’s got some stones, actually impressed me by some of the crazy antics he pulled early on in the story. Let me run down the scene for you just to give you a quick taste (Spoiler warning): Kevin’s staying at a cheap ass motel and goes downstairs to score some dope from a bunch of low level brainless biker wannabe drug dealers. As he’s scoring from them he insults their heritage, family and mother in the process, guaranteeing they’ll come looking for a little payback. They do and he’s ready for them. Kevin kills them with such ease that you almost feel sorry for them. He leaves one dealer alive and as the dealer is leaving the room running for his life Kevin changes his mind, grabbing him by his head and throwing him into the outside railing, at the same time he hits the dealer from behind with his elbow driving the guys mouth directly into the banister splitting his face open…..The scene is actually quite funny and extremely violent and like I said you ALMOST feel bad for the dealers. In the end they got what they deserved, just like what everyone else will in this book.

There’s a lot more action that follows, both with Kevin and Graham. They are both well done, very bloody, very violent and Graham uses one of my favourite hand cannons in a car chase scene that I’d love to see in a movie version, especially if they keep in all of the bloodshed.

All in all a very solid, good read and it builds seamlessly what was begun in the first issue leading to the culmination of the robbery that will set up each character for the rest of their respective lives on easy street.

Looking forward to issue 3.

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The Last Days of American Crime Book Delivers the Goods

Richard Serrao — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Writer Rick Remender
Artist: Greg Tocchini
Publisher: Radical Comics
Price: 4.99 US
Mature readers

Originally when I first heard about the premise for this miniseries I was a bit sceptical thinking that Remender was trying to jump on the crime resurgence bandwagon and that it was going to be a huge flop. I’d seen Greg Tocchini’s artwork on some comic over at Marvel but was never impressed with what he’d done. Still though, I was willing to give the book a shot but I’d definitely have to take a look at it first before I plunked down my hard earned cash. A month or two before Book 1 was to be released the owners of my comic store gave me their preview copy as they knew how much of a fan I am of this genre of comics. Nothing had prepared me for what was inside that preview.

The first time that I looked inside the preview I was assaulted by these wild European colors. Tochchini’s artwork was realistic and had improved a thousand fold over what I had seen before. He was mixing mediums coloring the book traditionally while incorporating computer techniques. My jaw dropped. It took me days before I even read the preview as I simply couldn’t stop staring at the artwork. This is something rare for me, at least lately. Then after I finally read the preview I was stoked by Remender’s writing and couldn’t wait for the actual book to ship. It was time to wait.

Even though I was looking out for the book, I still didn’t get to the store in time. It had sold out and it was selling out everywhere. I called my store to see if they could order it for me and one of the owners told me that when he saw how fast It was selling he kept a copy or two for me. Man I don’t remember being that overjoyed over getting a comic.

Holding The last days of American Crime in my hands I couldn’t help but notice how heavy It felt and I glossed over the pages quickly and I saw there was an interview with both Remender and Tocchini In the back along with a sketch section for each character. This was the equivalent of getting a director’s cut of your favourite DVD and it was right out of the gate too. Huge kudos go out to Radical and all of the fine folks responsible. Okay, enough of me gushing over the book, let’s get Into the details.

It’s a few weeks away from the US government’s broadcast of a signal that will render the populace incapable of committing any crimes. At the same time the US is also switching over from cash to electronic payment cards. Needless to say once the news is leaked to the population, rioting, looting commence and people start going bat-shit crazy as a last ditch effort to enjoy themselves before they become mindless drones that tow the line and have no free will of their own. The criminals are trying to get the fuck out of dodge before this signal goes live. Canada has locked down its’ borders, along with Mexico and armed guards will shoot anyone trying to enter the country without valid identification or attempting to sneak in to escape the dreaded “signal”.

Graham Bricke is walking into a slumlord’s wet dream of a building while carrying a can of diesel. As he climbs the stairs to get to where he’s going, he’s offered sex in exchange for that magic hit of H from all sorts of whores promising to fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked in your life. We also discover Graham is a recovering addict and he’d love to get high right now but first he needs to take care of a loose end. This loose end is a man tied up in a bathtub while Graham explains why he walked so many blocks to score a can of diesel. Trust me it’s one of those scenes that set the stage for what’s to come in the book perfectly.

Graham then heads over to the local bar where he has to meet a “gardener” to help him pull off a job. While waiting, poor Graham meets one of the hottest femme fatales straight out of film noir’s rich history. He never gets her name before he ends up banging the living fucking hell out of her in the ladies’ bathroom while strangling her at the same time. Yeah. Poor, poor Graham. Only after he finishes does this babe tell him that he just helped her check something off of her “to do list’ What? “Fuck a loser.” Damaged goods baby but goddamn she’s so fuckable and just like a Black Widow she’ll eat you after fucking your brains out.
These two pages above give you a good idea of how much this book will deliver the goods while not falling into the trappings of censorship or pussyfooting around any scene. Once again Radical gets extremely high praise for leaving this scene in the book. Btw, there’s a lot more to this scene than what I’m showing here. If you want to see it go buy the goddamned book already. Enough of me running off on a tangent.

After Graham’s finished he meets the gardener that he advertised for but there’s just one small problem. The femme fatale he just fucked is his gardener’s fiancée. Talk about setting yourself up for disaster right there. The story continues to build to a strong setting for the other 2 books still yet to come and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. If you find this book, grab it and buy it. You’ll be glad that you did.

This book has the possibility to be as huge as Sin City or 100 Bullets. The movie is already in production with Sam Worthington attached to play Graham Bricke and as a producer, the possibilities are endless.

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Rafael Grampa’s Mesmo Delivery is Bloody, Brutal and a Fun Ride

Richard Serrao — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:35:44 +0000

Review by Richard Serrao

*Editor’s Note* This piece was originally published in our now defunct crime mag Blunt Force Beating and has now been given a new home.

Mesmo Delivery
Writer and Artist: Rafael Grampa
Price tag: 9.99 US
Color
Approx :70 pages

I must admit I had only seen Rafael Grampa’s work on the covers to the last mini-series starring Werewolf By Night for Marvel Max, so I really didn’t know what to expect from this creator. Thank heavens my store had ordered an extra copy of this GN.

Of course as soon as I saw it sitting on the back shelf behind the cash I just had to have a peek at what was inside the pages………!!!?! WTF!!!!!!!! Honestly that was my exact reaction to the insides of what I was holding in my sweaty little palms at that moment in time. This guy’s work looked like a hybrid mix of Geoff Darrow, Paul Pope, Frank Quietly and Basil Wolverton. Very surreal looking artwork and definitely not everyone’s cup of tea BUT if you dig any of the creators I mentioned before you’ll definitely dig this bit of insanity. The colours are very European and suit this GN perfectly.

The book begins with a quick intro of the two main characters as they are driving a big rig. They are hauling an unknown cargo to its destination. One of the two characters is a beaten up wannabe Elvis double (definitely not an impersonator though) whose name is Sangrecco. He’s rambling on comparing himself to the real Elvis via their respective tastes for guns, martial arts and superheroes. At no point early on does it even become apparent which direction the story will take but I was starting to become incredibly curious.

As they pull up to a gas station the other main character Rufo gets out to stretch his legs, pump some gas and get something to drink at the rest stop. Meanwhile our Elvis wannabe crashes out for a little snooze while Rufo is gone. As Rufo enters into the bar we are introduced to some of the local denizens of the place. One of which is talking about a fight he had. We have all seen this kind of blowhard before as well as the other hangers on. It then becomes very clear that this blowhard see’s Rufo (who just happens to be a massive looking bone crusher) as a threat and decides to have some fun with him. The fact that Rufo is also drinking a glass of milk doesn’t help matters. Pretty soon things get ugly and Rufo is challenged to a fist fight out back for some cash.

I gotta say at this point Grampa throws us a major curve ball with what happens next.

The blowhard (Forceps) shows us why he’s won so many fights. Everything soon goes to hell as one of the girls cheering on Forceps gets killed. Things go from bad to worse as one by one the patrons of the truck stop get sliced and diced as the Devil looks on from Hell gleefully awaiting more souls.

People get beheaded, stabbed in the eyes and we’re treated to some very insane POV action. This is in Peter Jackson territory. It gets bloody, brutal and I still couldn’t stop laughing over the way how the first girl got killed.

This book was a lot better than I would have thought and it was just a fun, fun ride. Unfortunately the book ends way too soon as far as I’m concerned.

I really can’t wait to see what Grampa does next.

If you’re in the mood for a very violent, fun, off the beaten path kinds story then definitely check this book out.

Buy Mesmo Delivery

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A Few Words with Comics Veteran, Jimmy Palmiotti

Chris La Tray — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:05:23 +0000

*Editor’s Note* This piece was originally published in our now defunct crime mag Blunt Force Beating and has now been given a new home.

Writer, artist, inker, editor . . . Jimmy Palmiotti has done a little bit of everything in the comics world. From working on recognizable Big Two properties like The Punisher, Ghost Rider, Jonah Hex and Power Girl, to creator-owned projects like Painkiller Jane and The Last Resort, Palmiotti has earned all the praise that has come his way as a veteran on the front lines of comics and comics-based properties.

When it comes to crime, the series he did for Image with Garth Ennis and Mihailo Vukelic called Back to Brooklyn is as gritty and brutal as they come. It’s the story of a crime family being torn apart by the actions of one of their own, and how it plays out is not for the squeamish. With a new graphic novel about to be released, a splatter-fest called Random Acts of Violence, Palmiotti was gracious enough to answer a few questions about the books and the processes involved in getting them into the eager hands of rabid fandom.

You have a new graphic novel, written with Justin Gray and art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo, called Random Acts of Violence, coming out soon. When is it supposed to be released, and what can you tell us about it?

Random Acts of Violence has a street date of April 28th and is about a couple of comic creators that go and self publish their first book which is called Slaughterman…an ultimate horror character and then when the book hits big, they go on tour of the country and deal with the fallout of their creation. It’s a mix of con experiences and really horrific murders. I dare say, it’s a blast.

From what I’ve read, Random Acts seems as much a horror book as a crime book. These two genres seem to overlap fairly frequently — what elements do you think comprise a “horror” story versus a particularly brutal “crime” story? I mean, what’s the difference between a mobster whacking some guy with a meat cleaver that makes it “crime” fiction, but if some lurch in a hockey mask does it it’s a “horror” story?

Usually in a crime story the killer has a reason he is doing the act…for vengeance, money or romance…in a horror story, we are dealing with a twisted brain that is fascinated with death and destruction and at times has no other motive other than curiosity or a unquenchable need. They overlap in the actual act of killing, in the details, but the motives are far away from each other.

Did you pitch this book as a standalone graphic novel right out of the gate, or were you shooting for a monthly book and they offered a standalone GN? What makes you decide to pitch a monthly vs. a standalone, or vice versa?

We first were going to do 3 separate issues, then the more we thought about it we did the math and the book would have cost 12 bucks total for only 66 pages of actual story. We figured a graphic novel was the way to go for a low price tag of $6.99 and like Jonah Hex, we were giving the reader a full story, not a continued adventure. Also, with the square binding, the book can now have a longer shelf life…but it is not without the risks. The orders need to come in higher…so if you are reading this, you would make my day and tell your retailer to pre order it…or give it a shot on Amazon soon. For us to do this book…we already know we are out of pocket more than half of the book…but we feel word of mouth might help us. We hope.

You have another collection available of what was originally a monthly book for Image called Back to Brooklyn. That was a straight up, guns-and-blood crime story that you wrote with Garth Ennis, with artwork by Mihailo Vukelic. How did that story come to be?

I had an idea for a story based on smaller stories and things that happened in Brooklyn growing up and took them and sculpted a story I pitched to Garth over a beer and he loved it. He agreed to take it and run with it and that’s how it came to be. I have many crime stories to tell…but the market is limited. I think I have another two “Brooklyn” based stories I would like to tell…but one is going to be a novel and the other a collection of short stories in 2012.

With Back to Brooklyn, the work that Ed Brubaker has done with Criminal and Incognito, Vertigo and Dark Horse coming out with “crime” lines, and stuff like Rick Remender’s Last Days of American Crime, there seems to be a real resurgence of crime stories. Why do you think that is, and what makes you come back to it?

Personally, the audience of superheroes needs something else in their diet. This is a good thing, but again, only a limited number of people are into to the genre…so guys like Ed have an easier time. I love what he does and buy every single thing he writes that’s not superhero. I come back to the genre because I love the idea of raw emotion and driven characters that will do anything to get what they want. It’s a surreal thing for me to write because I am nothing like these people…I have a wall and empathy and all the things that make me a good person. Writing these monsters is a nice release.

Besides Back to Brooklyn, you also collaborated with Garth Ennis on the classic prostitute-cum-superhero book, The Pro. In addition, you’ve collaborated with Justin Gray on Jonah Hex as well as the new story, Random Acts of Violence. What do you like about collaborating with other writers, and can you give a quick insight into how those collaborations play out when it comes to actually putting words on paper and delivering them?

With Garth, you let Garth do what he does best and run with the idea. He isn’t what I call a real collaborator in that sense…which is perfect, because he is a master of his craft and one of the coolest guys in the field. With Back to Brooklyn…we went over the idea…who the characters were and where they were going to go along the way. For me, there were little surprises along the way, but he stuck to what we laid out and I thought it was brilliant. If anyone here didn’t read this book and you like the genre…I think its one of the top 5 crime graphic novels out there now. As far as working with Justin, it’s like working with a best friend that can do no wrong. He is open to ideas, deals with my madness and understands that we sometimes move to a different beat and it makes the books that more interesting. We see the world differently and the same and it helps our work. Anyone that has been following our books understands that we can switch gears with genres and tone and characters in a drop of the hat and together we are well-rounded writers. We talk a few times a day and flush out ideas daily as well. The amount of work we are sitting on, given the chance, would blow people away if we found a sponsor. Yeah…if you have a few million and want to invest it …call me…I will give you better odds than any stock. Lol…

You’ve written for comics, movies, etc. Is there a Jimmy Palmiotti novel anywhere in your future?

Yes. A book of short stories I am working on now…and a novel that I will do once something I am working on pays enough to give me the time to flush it out. Hey, ambitions are good things…lol.

Are there any particular types of stories or genres you haven’t done that you hope to do before they stuff you in a padded room and throw away the key?

Romance…softcore and hardcore. I think I would love to take a group of characters and have a blast with relationship stuff…I know it sounds boring to some…but some of the best written works do this well. I would love a monthly “weird love” title to go crazy on. I know if I did it independently, I wouldn’t sell an issue…but knowing me…I will try. Lol.

Besides your art (and the lovely and talented Amanda Connor, of course), what gets you out of bed in the morning?

My cat Devo is hungry…and usually, I got to pee. Other than that, the idea that today might be the day that something happens…I know, its very optimistic, but I believe you put it out there and it finds you eventually. I also like to update my fan page on Facebook…hahahah. That sounds so high school.

Any crime stuff you’ve read or seen in the movies or on DVD lately that you thought was particularly cool?

Just Ed’s stuff , Darwyn Cooke’s Parker graphic novel and I saw The Counterfeiters and thought it was brilliant. Rent it…it kicks some major ass.

Buy Back To Brooklyn
Pre-Order Random Acts of Violence (originally titled Splatterman)
Visit “Listen to Jimmy” – Jimmy Palmiotti’s Official Blog
And join Jimmy’s Facebook Fanpage

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6 Free Comic Fonts for Commercial Use That are Awesome

Jason Thibault — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:50:29 +0000

Hand Lettering Your Comic Was Sometimes Ulcer Inducing

Lettering your comic used to be a nerve-wracking experience. That is when you were talking about dropping in the lettering by hand with a technical pen or a 107 nib. While digital lettering today can still be a frustrating process it’s miles easier than in decades past.

When I was first hunting for free comic fonts to test out in the early 2000′s the pickings were slim. There were only two or three worthy contenders. Since then thousands of free fonts can be found and downloaded online. By sheer numbers this also means more free quality comic fonts has also surfaced.

While I tend to stick with my paid for Comicraft fonts you should definitely play around with some of the free ones first to get a feel for comic lettering.

My goal for you with this post was three fold.

The fonts had to be free.
They had to be able to be used commercially (or at least partially)
They had to at least be “almost” as good as a paid commercial font.

So I first stopped by Font Squirrel.

Font Squirrel is your best resource for FREE, hand-picked, high-quality, commercial-use fonts. Even if that means we send you elsewhere to get them.

The Comic category had 24 fonts but only two really jumped out at me. You can head over there and decide for yourself.

Laffayette Comic Pro

The Laffayette Comic Pro font is credited only to Jaws Laffayette. This one has been floating around the net for a good 10 years and has been downloaded tens of thousands of times just at dafont.com alone.

VTC Letterer Pro

VTC Letterer Pro is brought to us by Vigilante Typeface Corporation aka Larry Yerkes who is a tattoo artist, font designer and freelance Illustrator. This one has been around for a while and I remember downloading it back when I was scouring the net for free fonts.

Year Supply of Fairy Cakes

Sometimes you want something a little edgier or more offbeat in your font. I feel the uniquely named Year Supply of Fairy Cakes font delivers that. I don’t know that I’d want to read an entire comic lettered with it unless the point size was set larger. But I think it’d make a worthy addition to your font library.

Blambot Comic Fonts

My next stop was over to Blambot comic fonts and lettering. Nate Piekos has been at this for over a decade and has lettered comics for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Oni Press, Dark Horse Comics and many others. Nate’s work has been seen EVERYWHERE.

He’s designed a lot of comic fonts and has made several of them free via a license agreement for independent comic creation.

· Anyone may use these fonts for non-profit projects.

· If you are a comic book self-publisher/small press publisher you may use these fonts for profit or non profit or as part of graphics printed on merchandise to support your independent comic.

· If you are an independent creator, publishing comics through a mainstream company (see above) there is a license fee.

Some of the standouts are:

Crime Fighter

Unmasked

And I dig Evil Genius as well.

While you’re over there be sure to read his post on how to hand letter a comic. It’s worth the trip.

Have fun with this and when you’re ready trust me, you’ll probably start buying fonts off of Blambot and Comicraft. I always check out the online sales in the summer and New Years over Comicraft.

Be sure to add your favorite fonts in the comments below. It’s always nice to grow a bigger list.

-Jay

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6 Awesome Places to View Original Comic Art Online

Jason Thibault — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:45:27 +0000

For a comic artist there’s nothing more instructive than getting to hold and study a piece of original artwork by another creator. When you want to further your artistic skills, unlock that secret technique or just plain see how someone else accomplishes a great piece of art nothing beats talking with other artists and getting to see their work close up.

But if you’re not travelling to a lot of conventions or you live in an area that doesn’t have a larger community of comic artists what are your options? I have a few for you.

Back in the 1990′s when I first got on the internet one of the first things I did was hunt down interviews with my favorite artists and try to find their artwork online. It was extremely helpful to see original works before they were photographed, scanned, touched up, colored and prepared for pre-press.

Getting to see artwork in the raw is one of the most helpful steps in your artistic journey. Experimenting with your own art always takes priority but sitting back and observing others is right up there.

Here’s a list of a half-dozen places where you can check out original comic art at your leisure with no pressure to buy. I’ve spent hours at some of these sites and always find myself returning. Just click the larger title next to the number of each site and the link will take you there.

1. Albert Moy

Albert Moy is an original artwork sales representative for some of the greatest comic book artists in the industry today. Albert is entrusted by Jim Lee, Bruce Timm, Sam Kieth, Jae Lee, John Cassaday, Darwyn Cooke, J Bone, Erik Larsen, Peter Snejberg, Ken Lashley, and Sandu Florea to bring their artwork to fans and collectors.

Albert has been in the hobby of collecting and selling comic book artwork since 1984 and his wealth of knowledge is known throughout the hobby to help you acquire that unique piece for your collection.

Batman / Planetary cover by John Cassaday

2. Comic Art Fans

ComicArtFans.com is a free gallery service for Comic Art Collectors and Artists and once signed up you are free to create Gallery Rooms to post your artwork to. As it is user-generated content this is probably the biggest database online for original comic art. From Dan Clowes to Jim Lee and everyone in between, it’s all on there.

A BLAB splash page by Dan Clowes

Batman Robin All Star by Jim Lee

3. Splash Page Art

Mark Hay is an original art representative and dealer who specializes in selling original comic art by modern era artists. Splash Page Art represents over 50 comic artists including Ben Templesmith, Lee Bermejo, Sean Philips and Tim Bradstreet. You can get up close and personal with thousands of pages of original art.

Daredevil 511 variant cover by Jock

4. ebay

ebay is a huge resource of comic art for sale. Just by plugging in “original comic art” into their search box brings up over 4500 results. You’ll be all over the map here in terms of quality but I’ve seen some pretty impressive pieces for sale on the internet’s most popular auction site.

Warlord cover painting by Mike Grell

5. Masters of Ink Interviews

Rich and I have interviewed over 50 artists on this site. Sometimes they send us unpublished images and sketches. Other times we scour the net looking for original works by our guests. Either way you get a peak into the processes, tools and techniques of some of the best artists and illustrators out there.

6. The Beguiling

The Beguiling is a Canadian comic store located in the Toronto area. It Showcases the largest selection of alternative, underground and avant-garde graphic story telling in the country. They also sell original art from around 45 different creators such as Dave Sim, Ho Che Anderson, Paul Pope and Dave Cooper.

Dan and Larry part 1 page 2 by Dave Cooper

Batman Year 100 issue 4 pg. 17 by Paul Pope

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Comic Artist, Webcomic and Cartoonist MEETUP Groups Around the World

Jason Thibault — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:00:51 +0000

In late 2009 Sean Fidler and I became aquainted with Meetup.com. A site that allows you to coordinate meet and greets with like-minded folk in your local area. While we weren’t in groups with fellow writers and comic creators we did manage to meet some interesting and colorful characters.

Here’s a good description of what it is they do (taken from their website)

Meetup is the world’s largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.

It can be prohibitively expensive to make it out to a lot of conventions around the country (and planet). This shouldn’t stop you from networking. And while forums and social networks can bridge a lot of those gaps, nothing quite replaces meeting face to face.

Start Your Own Meetup Group if There Isn’t One in Your Area

If there are Meetup groups in your area then I’d highly advise you to check them out. Even if you do want to start one of your own you should probably see how others are run. There can be a lot of groundwork to be done when getting one of these off the ground. Meeting areas have to be sourced out and often they will come with a rental fee for the evening.

But if there is nothing that fits your area of interest and you want to bring like-minded people together you may have to start your own Meetup Group.

I decided to have a look around their site for Meetup groups for comic artists and cartoonists. I found quite a few. A lot of them are concentrated in States like California and Texas and cities such as London, UK. But even Wisconson had two different options.