Since we decided that we didn’t have enough work to do already here at Optimum Wound we decided to build a second site over the last few months.

I give you BLUNT FORCE BEATING, our new online crime magazine. This has been in the planning stages for eons. It’s only recently that we decided that talk was cheap and it was time to build the damn thing.

My friend and long-time collaborator Chris Williams were sitting on a patio over beers one afternoon dreaming up a site that would cover every facet of the crime genre. TV, comics, film, books, video games, and documentaries. No stone would be left unturned.

There’s amazing horror sites out there like Bloody Disgusting and Fangoria covering the horror beat but I couldn’t find any similar site doing the same for crime.

There’s been an amazing worldwide output of crime and revenge films from every imaginable corner of the earth. A bonanza of African crime fiction has arisen in the last few years. Unique publishing houses like Akashic and Soft Skull Press have been releasing profound but largely undocumented books. And the comic scene is seeing genre books like The Hunter make great strides into the mainstream.

I couldn’t sit on it any longer. We needed to get a crime culture journal put up on the net. Richard Serrao, Chris Williams and contributing writers like Violet Dear started producing reviews and essays while I got to work putting the framework of bluntforcebeating.com together.

The gloves come off over there. There’s no censorship and the profanity can get quite loud. I wanted to create a home away from home for people that are passionate about violent, noirish tales both fiction and non-fiction that span every medium across the globe.

It’s been fun as hell so far. Hope you dig it.

-Jay

We Launched “Blunt Force Beating” a New Online Crime Culture Site Today is a post from: Optimum Wound

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I think they did a killer job cutting it together.

Richard Serrao Featured on Electric Playland [VIDEO] is a post from: Optimum Wound

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The first thing that caught my eye was that it was written by Gary Young, the screenwriter for both The Tournament and the Michael Caine revenger, Harry Brown. I’ve seen both films and love them each for different reasons. Harry Brown in particular was an amazing and mean little drama and I can’t wait for the rest of North America to catch it on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Gary Young writes tough as nails scripts so I can’t wait to see what he does when turned loose on a comic book. And comic fans on both sides of the Atlantic will get a chance to see what he can do with the graphic novel form in June.

A quick synopsis for the story reads as follows:

Madam Samurai is a hard hitting historical adventure drama that spans the battlefields of feudal Japan and the crime ridden streets of Victorian London.

Look for it in the April 2010 edition of Diamond Previews.

Here’s a couple of unlettered preview pages by the series artist Dave Hitchcock who has previously won an Eagle Award in 2005 for his artwork on Springheeled Jack.

And here’s a nifty trailer for the book.

Madam Samurai Looks Like a Badass Little Graphic Novel is a post from: Optimum Wound

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This morning The Droid caught my attention with his mention of a online sales ad for an upcoming Glazer / Kennedy “Super-Conference” which on top of costing over 5 grand to attend may also violate DC Comics trademarks and copyrights. It clearly isn’t parody.

Here’s a sampling of some of the images contained in the ad.

Below in the comments of the Droid post a cleverly named Glenn Glazer Glen Ross also mentions:

The Superman misappropriation by Kennedy/Glazer is terrible.
The sales letter has these intellectual property issues too.
1. Misuse of McDonalds and Monopoly marks.
2. Fake Time magazine cover
3. Misuse of Milton Bradley’s Operation game.
4. Name-dropping Oprah in video pitch as if she endorses what’s being sold.
5. Misuse of the magazine covers for Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Business Week.
How many of the company names dropped (Disney, FedEx, etc.) would want to be associated with this conference?

Here’s a link to the actual ad. If you’re not used to reading long-form online sales letters (or even if you are) this one might break your brain with its’ over the top layout.

The Droid has passed this ad along to DC Comics Rights and Registration department. This should be interesting. Especially in light of the ongoing battle with DC Comics and the Shuster and Siegel heirs.

Does This Online Ad for Super Conference Violate DC Comics Copyright? is a post from: Optimum Wound

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First professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it.

My first work was that House of Mystery, it’s about a Pharaoh and his son, Joe Orlando wanted to try me if my work is as good as my portfolio because he was impressed when I show him my portfolio.

Self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

I was just self taught with the help of Filipino comic illustrators like Coching and Redondo and a few more that’s ahead of me. Always try to ask and make room for improvement. And you have to memorize your anatomy, that’s very important.

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

Actually I use everything, and try to be good with everything. But I think pencil is my forte. I started doing fine arts too and I love acrylic and gouache.

Favorite brand of ink:

I am using this sable pen brushes, they’re expensive but I love it they’re so think and so smooth to use.

Type of paper:

I like the vellum kind , the one with tooth, I’m a pencil person so I want something that sticks on the paper.

Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?

I love the works of Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, they’re my inspiration growing up and starting as an artist and I know I’m not alone, a lot of artist feels the same.

Tony DeZuniga Art Exhibit Opening

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job? Could you provide a quick overview of your process?

Doing a commission is very tricky, I wish all customers would tell you that “do whatever you want , as long as I get my character” but the thing doing commissions are, they’re paying you so they want certain things, certain poses, with another character, they want an evil witch…etc. But customer is always right…

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

I love jazz music and Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Michael Bubble.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

I love a Joe Kubert spread he gave me long time ago; a picture of me and Bill Gaines in the 70’s; a San Julian pencil and Maroto colored illustration with lots of appreciation and story behind it.

Last novel you read and last movie that you saw (that you’d recommend)?

I don’t really read novels but I love watching movies. I love the Avatar movie. I used to be a conceptual designer of SEGA and how I miss that job.

Current and upcoming projects?

My upcoming project is the Graphic Novel of Jonah Hex. The movie is coming out in June 16, 2010 and Paul Levitz, DC President wrote us a letter that they will give me a credit on the movie and we were invited at the red carpet.

What would you tell an aspiring artist who is working his ass off but still needs and wants to break through to the next level?

Just keep on trying, and most important is you have to have your own style, all new artists wanted to be like Jim Lee or Todd Macfarlane, no you have to develop your own style to get there and of course you have to be really good and sometimes….luck.

Read more about Tony at alanguilan.com

Video Interview with TONY DeZUNIGA

A Quick Talk with Comics Legend Tony DeZuniga is a post from: Optimum Wound

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He’s been working on the Marvel Zombies Return series which features one my favorite renditions of Wolverine that I’ve seen in some time. The artwork has a manic and insane quality to it that fits in with the lunatic humor of the ongoing series of miniseries.

In addition Jason’s been drawing and painting up a storm for his upcoming gallery show at the Corey Helford Gallery coming up on May 8th.

Killer new Jason Shawn Alexander Art for Marvel Zombies Return is a post from: Optimum Wound

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Wesley Allsbrook is a very skilled illustrator who has worked with magazines, newspapers and in the comics medium. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and became a freelance artist after graduation.

What inspired you to first start drawing? Did you struggle in your formative years or did it come easy to you?

I always drew. I wasn’t always good with it, but I cannot remember ever not wanting to draw. I used it, at first, to see the things that I imagined, and to make a better world for myself. Later, I drew photo real copies of the models in the Coldwater Creek catalog to impress people in middle school. There was another girl who could really throw down, Molly Carlson. North Chatham wasn’t big enough for the both of us.

First professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it.

I got my very first jobs from my professor’s wife while still in school. In Chris Buzelli’s classes, there was always at least one assignment that would be published, though every assignment was a competition with a definite victor and loser (we voted during crit). I got second place for the Bells and Whistles job (a half page that appears consistently in PLANSPONSOR Magazine), and then I got hired. At the time I was still doing everything with screen printing, so the revises were kind of difficult for me…

Were you self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

Both. I taught myself how to draw up through high school, but RISD really helped me do something with my aptitude. I had a foundations teacher called Brice Hobbs. Always questing after the most volumetric of blacks and the most visceral mark making, He’d put one of our skeletons through a tire swing, give her a sunbonnet, and address the class: “I want to FEEL this tire RUNNING OVER MY FACE.” If my drawings have any feeling of physicality, it’s because of Brice. Him and Tony Janello. Tony taught me all about the value of pentimenti as drawing tools. We’d use crayola crayons to make a literal neural net of marks around the model before drawing the figure out of the fray. After that I never looked for the outline of a thing straight away. I still draw like this every day. Helps me to see space.

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

I love the Windsor and Newton Series 7 brushes (0, 1, 2) and the fountain brush pens (Pentel, Kaimei, etc), cheap sumi brushes for dry effects and toothbrushes, foam paint brushes, sharpened chopsticks… And drop-lead pencils for drawing, usually no softer than a 2B. Vellum Bristol for drawing. My boyfriend and I are deadlocked in the debate on the merits of kneaded vs. white erasers, though neither of us like the gums. For mistakes, I like casein.

How has your toolbox evolved compared to when you first started out?

When I began I wanted to use everything. I made my own oil paints from scratch (way less hazardous to your health than making pastels), and found a way to layer inks between oil varnishes (really awkward). I inked over screen prints. I even tried collage. There was not a material by which I was not at one time seduced. The smells, the textures, the line qualities… But I was always a person who thought more in lines than in volumes, so gradually, as my style became more specific my “toolbox” got smaller. The screen printing did help me to understand how to use Photoshop to my advantage.

Favorite brand of ink:

I don’t discriminate, and I buy cheap. No waterproof.

Type of paper:

Vellum Bristol.

Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?

I love Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates, and the later Steve Canyon), Noel Sickles (emphasis on the Scorchy Smith), Alex Raymond ( Flash Gordon ), Will Eisner, Kurtzman, Kirby… But for your modern influences you’ve got Paul Pope, Nathan Fox… There’s more blood and guts (you know, in a good way) in those inks than maybe I’ll ever got to do. All these guys can draw, and that’s what I love.

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job. Could you give us a quick overview of your process?

I sketch, get approval. Then I scale up the print size by a quarter or a half and start penciling. I don’t transfer directly from the sketch because I don’t have the patience for the light box, and often I’ll like the idea of the sketch, but feel that the composition needs some tweaking. Once the pencil is done and a few quick thumbnails for me to figure out the value structure I want to pursue, I ink. Then I scan my ink along with some textures and perhaps some color swatches that I want to select from, and the rest, as they say, is Photoshop.

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything that Happens.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

Has to be my boyfriend’s drawings. He inks like a man. And my friend Ze’s prints.

What’s the last novel you read and last movie that you saw that you’d recommend? Which movies and books do you always return to?

The last book I read was Peter Carey’s His Illegal Self. Le Deuxieme Souffle–The Second Wind, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (or Le Samourai directed by the same guy) for my movie recommendation. And I just saw The Third Man! Talk about great compositions and absolute blacks…. Peter Carey is a very pleasant and familiar place to return to for reading materials. I also love Keri Hulme. Whether it’s her short stories or novels, I’ve never felt closer to written characters–and her commitment to descriptive food details really resonates with me. And anything by Calrice Lispector. And comics.

Current and upcoming projects?

My Comic, Mountains and Valleys, about the tragedy of the love between parent and child, and Nkisi Dolls. I’m hoping I can eventually self-publish. We’ll see.

What would you tell an aspiring artist who is working his ass off but still needs and wants to break through to the next level?

Keep working, but don’t do it in the dark. Let people know that you exist, and don’t lose your commitment to making the work that you love (as opposed to what you believe your clients want you to make). As a student, Jon Foster told me that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Truer and more axiomatic words were never said, especially when it comes to illustration. A good part of this job is exposing yourself. As a shut-in, I get shaky every time I’m in a room with more than a couple of people. Its worth it to promote yourself, though.

Find out more about Wesley at her website and her blog.

Wesley Allsbrook; An Interview with an Accomplished Illustrator is a post from: Optimum Wound

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Watch two Michelin Men chase down Ronald McDonald in a re-created Los Angeles landscape made up of over 2000 logos. It’s a stunning 17-minute violent work of inspired satire. You’ll probably need to watch it a few times to catch what you missed in the first viewing. There’s a shitload of small details that will reward you upon a second viewing.

There’s a bit of cussing in here as well just in case you have the volume up in a public setting.

Logorama from Robby Ralston on Vimeo.

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I caught wind of this video for Traditional Comics over on artist Nathan Fox’s blog. If ever there was a “Grindhouse” take on comic trailers this would be the one. Patrick Hosmer has made a truly awesome advertisement and Ben Marra’s art is pretty rad.

It got the point across and made me laugh my ass off. Have fun with your promotional material and your audience will as well. Glad to see other publishers doing black and white genre work. Consider us fans and kindred spirits.
-Jay

This is How You Make a Comic Book Trailer is a post from: Optimum Wound

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I should’ve done this earlier in January but we’ve been wrapped up in a pretty big project for the past 6 weeks. I’ll let you know more about that later in the week. It’ll be worth the wait.

In 2009 just under 38,000 people stopped by our site for various reasons and some stuck around to see what we’d do next.  Some even came back.

We only managed 49 posts last year which is a little embarrassing but we tried to make up for it by providing as much value as possible. And we did manage to pull off quite a few interviews with artists in our Masters of Ink series. We’ll make sure you get both quality and quantity in 2010.

So from fifth to first, here’s the five most popular posts from 2009.

5. Our Masters of Ink Interview with Jason Shawn Alexander

Art by Jason Shawn Alexander

It took many months to obtain this interview with Jason Shawn Alexander but it was worth the wait. It was one of the most inspirational interviews that we pulled off and detailed the story of an artist willing to do anything and sleep on any floor in order to achieve his dreams. It’s been awesome watching Jason’s star rise in both the comic industry and the fine art world.

4. Hart Fisher on Marvel and the Most Controversial T-shirt in Comics History

Hart D Fisher

This was a fun blast from the past. I struck up a friendship with Hart Fisher back in 2007 and he spent the better part of 6 weeks constructing some massive essays on his experiences publishing controversial comics and facing down the media circuit in the 1990’s. I had originally had posted these on our MySpace page but we were pretty unorganized back then.

Hart has since unearthed videos from that time period and we were able to present excerpts from his behemoth of a multi-thousand word opus in a proper format. Both the Robot 6 blog at CBR and Publishers Weekly’s The Beat were kind enough to link to it sending over hundreds of readers. It was a fun week.

We eventually published the whole 16,000-word saga in Optimum Wound Volume One. It’s one of the most fascinating stories from a turbulent decade in comics and we were honored that Hart first chose us to break radio silence. We wanted to honor him in return by presenting the piece on glossy paper.

3. Five Reasons to Draw With Pen and Ink on Paper

Art by Bill Sienkiewicz

I had a lot of fun writing up this article as pen and ink artwork is one subject that I’m unconditionally passionate about. There’s been a proliferation of computer generated comics and illustration in the past half decade. A lot of it is extremely talented work but I wanted to write a love letter to India ink-stained Bristol board and dulled pencil leads.

I rolled out my five main reasons for drawing the traditional way and then showcased a lot of badass pen and ink artwork. And a couple of thousand of you stopped by to check it out.

2. 23 Ways for a Comic Artist to Survive and Thrive in any Economy

23 WAYS for a Comic Artist to Survive and Thrive in any Economy.

Just shy of 4200 people read our post that suggested 23 ways for comic artists and illustrators to market themselves and grow their audience. Despite only coming in at second place last year this was my favorite piece of 2009. I felt like I was finally finding my writing voice again and that I was helping fellow creators find new ways to earn cashola with their artwork.

1. The Submission Guidelines for Every Comic and Manga Publisher in the Universe

comic company submission guidelines

And of course the daddy of them all. Our comic submission guidelines directory post. It took 2 months of spare time research initially to put this sucker together. And it’s been updated a few times since then. The last major overhaul was in December of 2009.

There’s a few others out there but I believe our submissions list to be the most comprehensive and up to date one on the net. Being publishers ourselves it was also an amazing exercise to go out visit every other comic companies’ websites to see what they did right.

Close to 18,000 peeps stopped by last year to check out this omega directory and hundreds more continue to do so each week. It rapidly became our flagship piece on the site and I’ll continue to update most likely on a quarterly basis.

2009 was a hard year, we learned a lot putting out our second book and we’re stoked about what we have lined up for you this year.

-Jay

Our Top 5 posts of 2009 is a post from: Optimum Wound

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