The return of INSOMNIART!

Remember when I couldn't sleep a while back so drew stuff for you?

Yeah, so, I did it again...

Mike


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The Doom Patrol & Preacher

Hey all,

Are you following Comic Twart? Cause if you're not you may have missed Doom Patrol week!

What's so special about that? Well, besides the amazing art the fellas turned in (you really gotta see Doc Shaner's piece!) it was our first week with our new member - DAVE JOHNSON!!

Seriously, I'm so stoked to have Dave with us! Been a fan of his for a long time.

Moving on, this week is Preacher week on Comic Twart, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the fellas come up with!

Here's my piece of Preacher's own Cassidy!

Swing by and check it out. Franchesco's Preacher piece is awesome!

Best
Mike


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Dizzy Cordova, from 100 Bullets, on Comic Twart

hey everyone!

It was my week to pick the subject for Comic Twart, and I chose Dizzy from 100 Bullets! Go check it out :-)

Best,
Mike

SANDMAN by Mr. Hawthorne

Just posted my SANDMAN for this week's Comic Twart. Done with white ink on black paper. Had hoped to do something a little more elaborate, but have been under the gun deadline wise.

Anyway, hope you dig it.

Thanks!
Mike

The "game changer" - St. Michael's Promise

During a recent interview, I let slip the title of my "game changer" book.

So after months of my teasing, you now you know the title. Here are some pages I was working on last week.



Stay tuned for more info :)

Best,
Mike

Free Comic Book Day 2010!

It's been a few years since I did a FCBD signing, so it's high time I get back into the swing! This year I'll be at Lancaster PA's 'The Comic Store'!

Here's an interview for the event. (Ooops, they also seem to have let slip the title of my "game changer" book for Vertigo! ;)

If you're in the area, swing by and say Hi. It's in lovely Lancaster City, right across from the train station. I'll be on hand from 1pm till 4pm, and will have some sneak preview art for my Vertigo book, FEAR AGENT and maybe even CONAN!

The Comic Store
28 East McGovern Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17602-1923
(717) 397-8737

best,
Mike

PS - Photo by Roxanne Todd, for the Lancaster Sunday News.

Game Changer VI

More sneak peeks from my "Game Changer" book. I'm hoping Vertigo will make a formal announcement soon, where I can at least say what the ACTUAL title of the book is ;)

Check out past previews for this book.

Enjoy!

Mike

Game Changer part V

Started the inking on my "Game Changer" book a few weeks back, but I'm taking a quick break from it to work on another project, so I figured it's a good time to post more teaser art.





Previous "Game Changer" posts here.

Enjoy :)

best,
mike

Game Changer "Easter egg"

For those that didn't notice, there was a "Game Changer" page hidden in my end of year post.



Best,
mike

No resolutions, just plans - 2010

First let me say Happy New Years to all of you out there! Much love!

I wanted to take a moment and talk about my plans for 2010. You may remember my Mantra for 2009 post. If you don't want to read the rest of this post, just read the Mantra post and plug "2010" in where you see "2009".

But if you want details on my plans for 2010, then read on.

In 2009 I pushed myself and my work. I started being a cartoonist again, writing and drawing my new book at Vertigo.



I got wot work with color, and control the final look of my work, with Star Trek and. G.I. JOE.



I also started penciling Fear Agent, and am getting to work with a great inker. I accomplished just about everything I set out to do. Thing is, most of you haven't seen any of it. My actual comic out put was way down in 2009. Not to say I wasn't drawing like hell, because I was. It's just that you're not seeing it yet.



That's going to start to change in 2010. You'll begin to see some of the stuff I've been busting my hump on last year, including the new Fear Agent series. My new graphic novel won't ship till 2011, but you'll be hearing more details on it this year.

I have some specific plans for 2010 too. Let me touch on each one individually.

All City quarterly -



This one has been in the works for years, and the original plan was to put it out as one big 200 to 300 page sketchbook.



Instead I'm going to be putting it out as a quarterly sketchbook in 2010. It will feature all the art and sketches you see on this blog, as well as new stuff I'm working on. It will allow me to share what's going on in my studio.




Besides the art and sketches you may see short comics and my print work (like the Sweet Science girls) in each issue. Every issue should be around 45 pages or so, and I will begin taking pre-orders in a few months.

COVERS! -



I'll be doing some covers in 2010. One is for a book called BITERS, which is a brilliant idea by my pal Jamar Nicholas. Up and comer Samax (of GhettoManga.com ) is going to do the art, and I jumped at the chance to do some covers for the series.

I've been asked about doing covers for a second series, oddly enough another Zombie comic, but I can't let that cat out of the bag just yet. But you're gonna love it :)

My son's webcomic -



People have been hammering at me to do a comic about my son's crazy antics, so I'm going to take their advice and start that in 2010. Hopefully very soon. This boy is hysterical, and it's about time some good comes from madness.



Skullface art show -



John G. and I are planning an art show/comic featuring his character Skullface. This thing has been years in the making, and I'm planning on some really experimental stuff I've been itching to do. Stay tuned for more details on that.

SHIRTS! -



I'm going to start pitching t-shirt ideas to manufacturers this year, and if all goes well you'll see those in 2010. Cross your fingers ;)

Of course there is also stuff I can't talk about yet. For instance, there is another series that's been offered to me, in one of the few genres I haven't worked in yet, that I've wanted to draw for a long time. I'm still not sure I can't fit it into my schedule, but if I can it will be freaking glorious. Lots of exciting shit is in store for 2010, and I hope you fine folks will choose to share the year with me.

Best,
Mike

PS - If you're so inclined, please share this with friends. You can also use the "Share this" button below to promote this post on Stumbleupon, DIGG, etc. I appreciate it :)

INSOMNIART!

So, a few nights ago I could not sleep. I ended up drawing instead. Tonight, I can't sleep again and so I remembered I didn't post the stuff I drew that night (hence forth to be known as "INSOMNIART!" tm, copyright 2009 Mike Hawthorne :)

Anyway, here's what I drew. Worked on some previous pieces I had started and then began a new one. Some guy in a trench coat named Constantine.





Enjoy. I'm not.

Previous Viking post.
Previous Hellboy post.

Best,
mike

The "game changer" part IV

Here's another sneak peek at my "game changer" book. Still can't announce what it is, but I promise to do so when the time is right. I appreciate all the interest in this thing already, and beg forgiveness for being so vague about the details of the project thus far.

Part I
Part II
Part III

Best,
Mike

New art for sale Nov. 18th, 09

I'll be posting new art for sale every week leading up to Christmas. Check out this week's haul.




best,
mike

The "game changer" part III

More art from my secret project.






Required reading, if you haven't seen the posts already.
Part I
Part II

best,
Mike

I blame Chris Samnee

After drawing some layouts and a page and a half of comics, what do I do to relax? I F-ING draw some more!! Christ almighty I got it bad...

Anyway, I blame artist Chris Samnee for this. He drew this amazing piece of art that put the bug in my ear to draw some more before calling it a night.

Chris drew a character from my favorite comic, SCALPED. Now, I don't buy many comics. Especially since, you know, I get so many for free. But SCALPED is the exception. It's so crazy good. I haven't liked a comic like this since 100 BULLETS, CASANOVA, or SLEEPER.

But don't none of you tell Aaron or Guera I said this! I'm sure they got big enough heads already!

My favorite character from the series is Lincoln Red Crow, and after Chris' drawing I couldn't get the urge to draw him out of my head. SO, here you go.

I guess I gotta ink this now...

Mike

The "game changer"

I don't know how many of you have followed my career since the beginning, but if you have you know that I started out as a cartoonist (Which I define as a person who creates their comics on their own). Lately I see folks using the term Writer/artist, which I'm not fond of as it defines it's self by this separation duties that is uniquely the creation of an editor.

After being a good father, and person, being a cartoonist is my dream. I hire myself out as an illustrator because it allows me to do what I love while providing for my family. But it's not my end goal. Although I respect what he's accomplished as an artist and businessman, I have no aspirations of being the next Jim Lee. I always wanted to be the next Wil Eisner.

However, somewhere along this path I went astray. I focused more and more on doing work for other folks and less on my own projects. It wasn't planned, but with three children to provide for I had to be more practical then I would have liked. I'm not ashamed of that, but it wasn't my plan.

I always balanced my work-for-hire comics with my creator owned comics. For every 'Queen & Country', there was an 'UMBRA'. For every 'Machine Teen' there was a 'Hysteria'. For every 'UN-MEN' there was a 'Sturgeon River'. But I still wasn't always"cartooning". And when I was, as in the case of Hysteria, the projects often failed because I couldn't really and truly focus on them. So I decided to change that.

I had the opportunity to pitch a book to my long time editor Jon Vankin at Vertigo, and after more then a year of writing and rewriting, laying out re-laying out, I've started the principal pages of my new book with them. This new book marks my return to cartooning, something I 'm so excited about I could burst.

This one is a game changer for me, much like self published Hysteria of 1998/99 which started my career and body of work.

I can't give you any details yet, other then to say it follows a family's history much like One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Brief and the Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao. The story's scale is big, but intimately told through this family - specifically it's flawed Matriarch and her equally as flawed son.

I can tease, but I can't give you full pages. So, enjoy and be ready to get your socks knocked off in a year or so ;)

Best,
mike

Vertigo Encyclopedia

Got my copy of the Vertigo Encyclopedia today, and the Un-men have a healthy showing in it! Lots of my art was used too. I feel kinda honored to be part of the History. Maybe that sounds silly...

Anyway, this big beautiful book is a must have for all diehard Vertigo fans!

More on the book here.

Best,
mike

Un-men comic art sale

Some of you folks have been asking about my selling Un-men art. Up till now I've been holding on to most of the art from the series. However, in the coming weeks I'll be changing that and starting to post more of it over at my store on MikeHawthorneArt.com.

So, if you're interested in any of the Un-men art then be sure to be on the look out in the coming weeks.

Best,
mike

Un-men V.2 - Children of Paradox in stores Nov. 5th

Just a friendly reminder that my new book, Un-men Volume 2, is out this wedsday. Be sure to look for it. If your store doesn't carry it, ask them to order it or try and get it online.

Also, Volume 1 is still available.

Best,
Mike

Un-men Vol. 2 art

One of the pages from the new book I mentioned in my last post. I got to play with page layout a bit, and it ended up working out well. One of the many reasons I'm proud of this new trade paper back! ;-)

best,
mike