Rombies #1's Abraham

The newest version of Quicktime has many new functions like screen recording. Thought I'd try it out. The new Rombies is (so far 100%) digital.

On my desk this week

Well after spending an entire month bedridden and another nursing myself back to health and getting back on top of my work,  I've decided its time to post something. Anything. It's been too long.

The above artwork is for a short 8 pager I am doing for the Hepatitis C Council of NSW. Each comic I get to try out a new style and or approach which is great for me. This one is about the the risk of getting Hep C / getting a crappy tattoo you'll regret from makeshift prison needles.

I'm also working on some animations for Poligo 24-hour English support. Lip syncing galore.

Oh and of course I'm working away on Rombies. We have a new colorist onboard to help speed up the process. She's doing a great job so far. More on that soon.

Gestalt at the 2010 San Diego Comic Convention!

This marks the first year that Gestalt Comics have a booth at the San Diego Comic Convention.the crazyness begins next week and if you are there please look for booth 4500 and tell 'em Skye sent ya (for your chance to be loaded up with some goodies n lovin').

Look here for all the details

CBJ review!

A very nice review of Rombies#0;
It’s a quick read sure, but one that will make most hunger for more. Thankfully, that’s exactly what we’re getting, and the teaser image below makes me salivate at the prospect of Taylor and Ogden telling their zombie epic through the ages. Really the possibilities are endless. Zombies in Napoleon’s army? An undead Hitler? Elvis rising from Graceland, hungry for impersonator flesh in Las Vegas? They could go anywhere.

yet another sterling review of Rombies

This is very good. Another sweet review of Rombies by Decapitated Dan over at comic monsters.com.
All of these sweet reviews are making me revisit some of the older pages i've worked up. I really want the series to be all it can be and I'm certainly working hard on it. Still can't post any art just yet unfortunately, although we shouldn't be too far away from that point.

Sweet review and auditions

So, I woke up the other morning to see a message from Wolfgang (Gestalt Publishing's editor-in-chief) with a link to an awesome review by Broken Frontier. It absolutely made my day;

      'A large part of the book’s success stems from the stellar artwork of Skye Ogden. Working in a slightly cartoony style, Ogden’s art is lively and leaps off the page without sacrificing a stunning attention to detail'

I don't think anyones been so kind about my work before. I consider the Rombies one shot lacking a little on the art side when compared to the series so I definitely have hope for it! Especially as the writer Tom Taylor has gone all out for us on this.

We were also interviewed by Decapitated Dan over at comicmonsters.com and you can read the whole thing here (it's probably my most lucid interview to date)

In other news, we have decided to offer people the chance to be included in the series as either a Zombie or a Citizen of Rome. All you need to do is get on over to our 'be a Rombies extra' Facebook page and upload a pic of you acting out one, the other or both (the chances of the Citizens becoming Zombies are high after all). as they start going into the book, I will be reposting some of them for all to see. And of course you will be published in the actual series which is, lets face it... kinda cool.

Tokyo Anime Fair 2010 (Megapost)

The 2010 Tokyo Anime Fair is over now but Gestalt Publishing was represented on the floor by myself and a small entourage of Gestalt for-a-day people (no one needed to know). Now that the carnage is over I can report on what we saw there.

Buyers were rife on the floor, people representing foreign companies that redistribute films in English. But I wasn't there for that. I was invited by the super nice people from usagio and got to meet a heap of talented people in Animation, Motion Graphics, Design, Illustration etc. etc...

On top of Usagio and their whimsical and cute style, I would like to introduce a few of the people that I met which I am sure are bound to impress and inspire;

Takahashi Koya's works in particular impressed me a great deal. The animation in his showreel is made completely in After Effects. Outta the box with no plugins. Really, you have to watch it.

Ohrys bird/ Anime Tronica Co. Ltd. are fantastic. Musicians who made their own music videos, found they were so good at it that they started making more for other bands. And then animation for Ad agencies and so on and so forth. Their story is one I love.

Ishikawa holdings have been making some great animations some of which I had seen a year or so ago on niko niko douga (Japanese YouTube with more wtf) while not the funniest, this 'advertisement' for The Grand Guardian Tokyo mansion (apartments) I can't forget.

There are many more people I met and hope to keep in touch with, but for now lets move on to other aspects of the Anime Fair. Amongst all of the booths on the floor one in particular stood out shining and bright from the skimpy cosplayers, Animated figures and such. And that booth was the Behemoth booth; the company who brought us Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers

available on Xbox live and coming QUITE soon to Playstation network. Seriously, All gamers  need to get this. Tis' porn. Pure Porn.

I was lucky enough to meet with Dan Paladin - the artist behind Castle Crashers and other great games (pictured above, with dodgy looking me). I told him that his working videos helped inspire me when I was working on SquareEnix stuff. He helped me quite a bit and I think he appreciated me telling him this. These guys are awesome. Seriously awesome, nice hardworking dudes and I wish them the best of luck in the future (not that they need it). 

So he drew me the above picture and I offloaded the Gestalt comics library onto him and then left for more booths. Or to be more correct, collecting loot. And my oh my, there was loot to be had. I ended up with more than I could alone carry. 10 or more DVDs and my personal favorites being some gorgeous oversized Studio 4˚C (who worked on the Animatrix for those un-familar with Anime - and their AWESOME work) Genius Party books.

The experience of the Tokyo Anime Fair was great and the contacts made were... well, how can you measure something like this? I will definitely be attending next year and feel as though I have enough inspiration (and freebies) to last till then. TAF2011? I recommend it.

Changing Ways new trailer

Something I enjoy doing as a part of my role at Gestalt Publishing is playing with other peoples art and making the comic book trailers. Justin Randall's upcoming Changing Ways book looks and reads fantastically and so I wanted to do a little more with the trailer this time around.

We Love the hell outta this but we've both decided to take it to the next stage on Changing Ways volume 2 (erm, with the trailer. Not he and I. I'm a happily married guy). Wait till you read the book. It's awesome in so many ways. Movie deal anyone?

Comic Zone signing~

I was lucky enough to be in Perth Western Australia for this; scribbling on peoples comics. It was a blast.
Tom Taylor and I sat at the same booth scribbling, writing messages and often drawing nipples on peoples comics. Tom's work on Star Wars and pretty much everything he does has been and continues to be awesome. Which is why I am super pleased to be working with him on the future Rombies series. The stuff we have worked on together to date has been gold with deep deep layered research and characterization. 
I am proud of this series before its even out... I am sure it's going to blow even my expectations. Kickass.

February Comic Signing.

Tom Taylor will be at Comiczone in Perth next Saturday the 20th (Thats 572 Hay Street from 11am. for anyone wanting to get their books scribbled on) As he says on his blog, He will be signing any Star Wars: Invasion, The Example, Rombies, Flinch and Star Wars: Adventures anyone wants to shove in his face. He offers to sign other things and I don't know about you, but I am snooping about for something interesting to shove in his face.

As a foot note, I'll also be there somewhere near Tom, pen in hand should anyone want me to scribble on their stuff.

GESTALTAPALOOZA!

Gestalt, in preparing to launch Rombies are flying me in from Japan and Tom Taylor in from Melbourne. Tom being writer on Star Wars Invasion, I imagine that I shall have much more freedom to roam and speak with people so come down and speak with me! It's on down at Clancy's Canning Bridge in Applecross on Thursday the 18th of February 2010 From 7pm. Take a look here for more info or logon to facebook to let us know you are coming.