2016 Highlights PT.2: Oms en Série

Hey everyone,

Continuing my celebrating of all things 2016 (See Pt. 1 here)! A few years back I decided to take a little break from American comics and began work on a French series with my collaborator and friend JD Morvan! The series was Oms en Série, based on the novel of the same name by Sefan Wul. 

I couldn't believe how lucky I was to get to not only work with JD, the folks at Ankama, Comix Buro and the living legend Olivier Vatine, but I was doubly blessed by the reception I received by the readers in Europe! I was welcomed with grace and kindness by everyone in France, and loved drawing for them! (Seriously, the next person who says the French are "rude" is getting a stern talking to ;-)

I've been working on this series for years, but in 2016 this Sci Fi epic has come to an end. I finally finished the last of three installments in the story, which fills me with an immense amount of pride, and a little bit of sadness.

I hope to someday have the book released in the USA, but for now you'll have to settle for a sneak peek.

Enjoy!
Mike

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In the studio 12/28/12

Little sneaky peek in the studio.

Best,
Mike

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Oms en Série visual diary XII

Best, Mike Tweet

Fear Agent on Newsarama.com

Hey everyone,

Newsarama.com has a great interview with Fear Agent writer Rick Remender about the last arc of this beloved series. Check it out here.

I especially liked this bit Rick had to say, "It’s also nice working with the guys you came up in the industry with. It’s something that is very Band of Brothers-ish, if you were in the nerd trenches making comics instead of fighting for the future of the free world. Coming from the indie stables with your boys and making good is a terrific feeling."

Some of the pages they're showing I've previewed here before, but I believe some are new. So I'm going to show the pencils below, for anyone who's interested.





Enjoy!
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.

A CONAN sized cat is out of the bag!

Remember when I posted about how I was sketching CONAN for"fun"? Yeah, well, that wasn't the whole story. :)

It was announced at Chicago's C2E2 convention and on the comics/entertainment news site CBR.com that Roy Thomas and I will be taking over Conan in the near future, starting with issue 25.



For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Thomas, he's the guy that first brought CONAN to comics forty years ago! He did a LOT of other work in comics too :)

We haven't started just yet, as I'm still wrapping up Fear Agent and my secret Vertigo graphic novel. But I'm excited and honored to get to work on CONAN, and specifically with Mr. Thomas!

Best,
Mike

Pre-order Fear Agent #28

(above cover to Fear Agent #28, by series co-creator Tony Moore)

If you follow the blog you know I'm penciling the last arc of the much beloved Sci Fi adventure comic, Fear Agent. Well, the first issue of that arc is up for pre-order.

Here is the solicitation:

FEAR AGENT #28: OUT OF STEP #1 (of 5)

Rick Remender (W), Mike Hawthorne (P), Tony Moore (P/Cover), and John Lucas (I)

On sale July 28
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

Heath Huston is mortally injured. His family, all of humanity, has been totally consumed, amalgamated by Tetaldian robotic conquerors. There is no hope. So who will save the asses of the universe this time? A drink is poured, a rocket ship ignited, and a cigar lit—a new Fear Agent will rise.

Four super champions of sci-fi pulp—Rick Remender, Mike Hawthorne, Tony Moore, and John Lucas—reunite, one final time, one final drink. Also includes a special Tales of the Fear Agent by legendary creator Hilary Barta!

• 32 FULL pages of COMIC-BOOK ACTION!


The final tale of the last Fear Agent begins here!

***

We've all be working hard on this series trying to give it the love it deserves for the final story. I'm proud to be working on this thing, and hope you all decide to check it out.

Ask your local comic shop to order Fear Agent for you, and thanks for your support :)

Best,
mike

PS - If you want more info on this book, series writer and co-creator Rick Remender did an interview on it recently. Check it out.

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

Fear Agent on CBR pt. II

Rick did an interview about the final arc of Fear Agent over on CBR, with a few finished art previews. Swing over and check it out.




And tell your friends :)

Best,
Mike

PS - Check out previous Fear Agent posts here. Lots of art!

Fear Agent sneak peek PT2

Rick posted this on his Twitter feed, so I guess it's safe to share. Kind of a give-a-way spoiler on it, but what the hell...

Enjoy, and look for more news on Fear Agent's relaunch soon.

Mike

Fear Agent sneak peek

Fear Agent is coming along nicely. I have an issue in the can, and a good start on the second. Unfortunately, we're going so insanely balls out with this thing that I can't show any pages. Seriously, EVERY page has a major spoiler of SOME sort on it. I mean MAJOR. Fans of the series are gonna get their worlds turned up side down with what Rick is coming up with. This thing is gonna be the grand finale to beat all grand finales!

Technically, even this panel is kind of a spoiler but you won't be able to figure out with out the rest of the page.

Check out Dark Horse's page for more info on the series.

More soon...

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