June 26, 2004

Petal's ABC Sketchbook

Last April, at the Atlanta Comicon, a fellow by the name of Scott Cates came by my table and showed me an alphabet book he was putting together for his daughter, Petal. He asked me if I would be willing to contribute a drawing, to which I replied, "Sure why not!" He asked me if I could do the letter "R" and this is what I sketched out for him.

Well, I just received an email from Scott a few days ago and it seems that his alphabet book has really taken off! It's got its own website and you should see the line-up of artists that have done sketches for him. Click here to check it out.

June 19, 2004

No Collected Edition for Batman: Spore

Well folks, I tried to get DC interested in doing a compilation of my Batman story (which was serialized in Detective Comics #776, 777, 778, 779, 780) and proposed to expand it by an additional 24 pages (for a total of 64 pages). My request was flatly denied!

That's really too bad because I had planned a great ending, a cool cover, and all sorts of little additions here and there. It would have been a nice book.

For those who missed it when it came out last year, you can read the whole story right here!

June 12, 2004

ZED #5 is now available!

It's been a long time since the last issue of ZED - almost two years actually. For those who read the first four issues (or the trade), you'll remember that the story ended with quite a cliffhanger. So much so, that I almost thought I'd painted myself into a corner. After several brainstorm and thumbnail sessions, I finally have an entire storyline that I'm really happy with. The whole series will span a total of 8 issues. And believe me, there will be so many unexpected twists and turns, it will make your head spin!

Now you're probably wondering how long will it be before the next issue. To be quite honest, I don't know. I draw ZED when the inspiration is right. I know that doing a comic series without a definite schedule is a sure recipe for commercial failure. Well the thing is, ZED is a labor of love, not a financial one. Still, this cute little alien pitted against virtually unsurmontable odds, is slowly but surely finding a growing audience. And I say to them, rest assured, I will complete the whole saga no matter how long it takes!

If you haven't read ZED yet, I invite you to pick up the trade and give it a try. And to entice you to get the whole story (so far), we're discounting ZED #5 by 99.6%. That's right! You can now order issue #5 for one penny! Now, that's what I call a bargain!

Here's what reviewers have been saying about ZED:

"Great art and a wild story..."
-- NeedCoffee.com

"A Fascinating Read"
-- Andrew Duncan, 4-Color Review

"So Sad, So cute, so macabre."
-- Rebecca Salek, Sequential Tart

"ZED is a book to keep an eye on. It's a lot of fun to read, with a visual feast for the eyes."
-- Augie De Blieck Jr., CBR

"You will love this new series, Zed is deliciously twisted, funny, epic and endearing at the same time."
-- Mick Martin, Comic Book galaxy

"There's something incredibly appealing about Zed; his plight is troubling, his inherent goodness is moving, his suffering is poignant. Most of all his story is compelling; once you've given zed a try, you'll want to read the entire story."
-- Cliff Biggers, CSN

"...Dr. Seuss with a bodycount. ...I can't recommend the trade highly enough."
-- Randy Lander, The Fourth Rail

"...ZED is in the childlike yet mature tradition of the best French graphic albums, with a bit of gentle anime and a lot of warped imagination thrown in."
-- Adam McGovern, The Jack Kirby Collector #37

"Imagine the innocence of Bone given an injection of Jack kirby..."
-- Frank Plowright, The Slings and Arrows Comic Guide

"Highly entertaining and very well drawn...”
-- Bud Plant

“Zed is an impressive little book, a straightforward, eye-catching sci-fi yarn worth picking up.”
-- Matthew J. Phillion, The Small Press Magazine

“Gagne balances humor and tragedy throughout the tale, making the reading sublime.”
-- Ed Cunard, Comics World News

“thoroughly enjoyable...”
-- Craig Lemon, SilverBulletComicBooks.com

June 5, 2004

Insanely Twisted Rabbit Statue #3

I just approved the final version of the third Gagné / Sideshow statue, and I'm happy as a clam!

This one was sculpted by a gentleman named Richard Hernandez, and I gotta say, he did a superb job at capturing the essence of the original design. The pictures here show the work in progress (the base still needs to be added).

I'm so glad that I've teamed up with Sideshow to produce this unique line of collectibles. These guys are very quality minded and have an amazing dedication to everything they undertake. Check out their website and you'll know what I mean.

If you're into this kind of thing, trust me, this is a collection you don't want to miss. The first piece (Demon Dog) released last year was a smash hit and sold out almost immediately. It is now fetching increasingly high prices on ebay. The second piece (Scarab) will start shipping in August/September and we anticipate a quick sell out as well. The third piece (Spike Tail) should be available for pre-order very soon. I'll keep you posted.

Each polystone statue is limited to 1000 signed and numbered pieces.