Damned Nation comic

Damned Nation character sketch of Diana by Jay De Foy.

So I’m always talking about the different artist I’ve commissioned and the different comics I like, but today I decided to talk about a comic I’m creating along with my brother, Azrael Morherudaen, and artist Jay De Foy.

Succubus sketch by Brian Lopez-Santos.

The comic is called Damned Nation and it features a protagonist named Frank McNiece who signs a contract with Satan in order to save his daughter, and then has to fulfill that contract in the depths of Hell.

De Foy has done some preliminary work on the comic and we’re looking at launching a Kickstarter to try to get it published come May. In the mean time, you can follow all the progress on Facebook or, if you prefer, you can check out and follow our Twitter account or our Tumblr page.

Protagonist Frank McNiece sketch by Jay De Foy.

We would really appreciate any help you’d be willing to give in spreading the word and, of course, backing the project once it finally launches. It’s a quality story that spans five issues for the first arc, with plenty more ready to be written from that point on.

Thanks for taking the time to take a look and, hopefully, “liking” our Facebook page and Twitter.

We’ll be announcing the creative team besides De Foy very soon. I can say that our inker, colorist and letterer have all been published previously and two of them have done work for the big two. It’s pretty exciting, and we hope to be able to bring you along for the ride.

Lucifer digital sketch by Jay De Foy.

Traverse City’s Ryan Lee delivers interesting vision

Dr. Doom and Sue Storm, by Ryan Lee.

When I was getting ready to head down and cover Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Con last year, one of the names the organizers mentioned to me was Ryan Lee. They told me that if I were going to write about a local who was trying to make a run at the business, then I should have a chat with Lee.

So I did. And I bought his sketchbook, Turbo Fangs, and brought it back up north with me. After a couple of weeks, while I was writing the article that featured Lee, I thumbed through the book and realized that I really needed to snag a piece of art from him.

I contacted him through his website, agreed upon a price and went with two commissions.

The first was a Dr. Doom and Sue Storm commission, being that I enjoy both characters, and the second was of my favorite, Moon Knight, as he fought a werewolf. Knowing what I know now, I should have probably commissioned a couple of more pieces from him, because Lee brings an absolutely different perspective to everything he does.

Moon Knight versus a werewolf by Ryan Lee.

He has wonderful detail work, interesting perspectives and visions and delivers a quality product that will truly stand out in your collection.

I’m hoping Lee will be at this year’s C3 convention as I’d like to have him do a piece on a comic sketch cover for me and

I would suggest to anyone interested in picking up a piece of art that offers a different narrative contact Lee.

As you can see, he’s not your typical commissioned artist and he’s quite capable of delivering a piece like none other that you’ve commissioned before.

Tim Seeley knows how to treat his fans

When I met Tim Seeley at the 2012 C2E2 convention, I was a bit starstruck. It’s not because I hadn’t met big names in the industry before, but rather because I had never met the creator of my absolute favorite series of all time, Hack/Slash.

I really wasn’t sure what I could expect from meeting Seeley. I didn’t read up on him or fan experiences and I had no idea if he did commissions.

What I discovered was Seeley is not only quite the character, but he’s outstanding to his fans. And, yes, he does commissions at conventions.

So, without hesitation, I had Seeley do two pieces for me. One of Cassie Hack and one of Moon Knight. I’m showing you the Moon Knight one because I don’t have a good file of the Cassie commission to share.

Moon Knight sketch cover done by Tim Seeley. I’m especially fond of the ankh.

To be honest, there was a bit of a hiccup between Seeley and I, as I left my sketchbook there for him to work on and when I came back for it, he was gone. I didn’t see him again until partway through the next day and he hadn’t finished the piece yet.

Seeley felt bad, apologized profusely and then offered me a pick of any print of his that I wanted free of charge. He had some great ones, to be sure, and as I was browsing through them a fellow and his friend (college age) came up to the booth and started raving about the Breaking Bad print. The one kid told Seeley that it was his all-time favorite show and that he loved Bryan Cranston. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the money to buy a print and was there getting something for his little brother’s birthday.

So I gave him my print. Why not, right? I really don’t collect them anyway.

Seeley looked at me for a minute, nodded, and said, “That’s really cool of you, man. Really cool.”

And then he blew me out of the water with a great Cassie and one of my favorite Moon Knight sketch covers.

Now Seeley does Revival, one of my other favorite titles, and will be at C2E2 against this April. I have full intentions of stopping by and getting another couple of pieces by him. He’s easily one of the best artists I’ve met at a convention yet in terms of his attitude, his interaction with fans and his talent.

Jay De Foy: Remember That Name

Two-piece commission of Casie Hack and Vlad done by Jay De Foy.

I am one lucky son of a gun sometimes, and the day I stumbled across the artwork of Jay De Foy proves it.

I was browsing Deviant Art a few months back checking out various pictures of cool comic characters when I noticed an eye-catching piece of art on someone’s favorites list. When I went to check it out, I found it was Harpokrates, known in the mortal realm simply as Jay De Foy. Upon looking over his gallery, I discovered De Foy was accepting commissions and his prices were fair, to say the least, for an up-and-coming artist.

I ordered one piece from De Foy to begin with, a Cassie Hack that I allowed him total creative freedom on (it’s the right half of the piece at the top of this post). When I received the email with the art for me to approve, I was blown away. Instantly, I commissioned two more pieces. Followed by two more pieces. I bought another that he had drawn and recently had him do a couple of characters that I created for a comic series I’m working on.

Cassie Hack by Jay De Foy.

If the above paragraph tells you one thing, it’s that I’m a huge fan of the style De Foy brings to the industry, and I’m even more a fan of what he’s able to make characters do on paper. The movement is smooth. The characters are fun. The scenes are well thought out and well executed.

I have several commissions from De Foy and multiple more I’d like to eventually snag from him. He brings a refreshing feel to everything he does and if you take the time to commission him I know you won’t be disappointed in the final result. Give him your idea and let him run, because he truly does his best work with plenty of artistic freedom.

I have no doubt in my mind that Jay De Foy is going to become mainstream comics artist eventually. He has the skill, he has the right attitude and he has continually improved each time he’s put pencil to paper.

I believe De Foy is planning at attending the Cherry Capital Convention in Traverse City this year, so you’ll have a chance to meet him if you go.

Remember the name Jay De Foy and make a point of getting a commission from him now. One day, they’re going to be worth a mint.

The one, the only–FRANCHESCO!

I’ve been a fan of Franchesco’s for a very long time now. Well, since 2001 when I first met him at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, which seems like a very, very long time ago these days.

Franchesco has always been an extremely nice artist to have a chat with. He never turns away a fan who wants to talk, even if he’s elbow-deep in commission work at a convention, and his interactions are always genuine and interesting. He takes a keen interest in those who enjoy his work, and he’s quick with a smile, a compliment and a joke. In short, he handles himself at conventions the way every artist should.

Cassie Hack commission by Franchesco!

I never thought about asking for a drawing from Franchesco until a couple of years ago. The problem was that every time I tried to get on his list, it was incredibly full–and that’s just the reality of how popular Franchesco is with his fans. You have to get there very early and get your name on his list right away. Don’t dawdle. Don’t wander off to see other artists first or check out that cool display from Marvel Comics. Do not pass go. Head directly to Franchesco’s table and put your name promptly on his list.

I got very lucky at this past fall’s Wizard World Chicago when I landed a place on his list. I asked for a Cassie Hack–a character you all know I love to death, but one that Franchesco had never drawn before.

Franchesco was glad to accept the commission and we agreed on a very reasonable price. I left him to his devices after about a 20-minute chat and when my piece was done I was absolutely floored. The Cassie, as you can see, was like none other in my collection and yet it captured the character perfectly. She was playful, dangerous and seductive all at the same time. Any slasher would be happy to be lured into that trap.

To be honest, I could barely come up with a “thank you” when he first handed it to me. I was completely floored at the quality-versus-cost and at the piece that was now in my collection.

I stayed and chatted with Franchesco for awhile, discussing the industry and his love of Deviant Art. We talked about commissions and conventions and the long drive I had to Chicago (about six and a half hours from the north). When I left, I felt like Franchesco had honestly been happy to work on my commission. In fact, I know he was.

In the months that have come and gone, I’ve stayed in touch with Franchesco and have high hopes of commissioning him again for C2E2 2013. He does such a wonderful job I don’t know how I could let myself avoid having another of his pieces in my collection.

Digitally-colored version by Franchesco!

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that he had digitally colored in the Cassie piece I had commissioned and I’ve arranged to pick up a print of it when I see him next. The colors make it even more impressive, which is pretty insane since I was sure it couldn’t be outdone.

If you get a chance to commission Franchesco, I highly, highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed in what he produces. I have no doubt in my mind at all, in fact, that you’ll love it.

And if you get to his table too late? Well, stop and say hello. Chat with him. Get to know the man behind the gorgeous art. He’s fun, he’s friendly and, most of all, he’s a great representative of the artistic world.

You can also follow his Facebook page, here, if you’re so inclined. He showcases a lot of his art there.

Introducing The TerminARTor

I tend to find a lot of my up-and-coming commissioned artists either on Comic Art Commissions or at Deviant Art. Both of them have produced some quality artists for me and I expect I’ll only continue to strike gold by going back to those pages for years to come. Of course–a word to the wise–you need to be careful and mindful of who you commission and how much you’re willing to send them to work on your project.

Maybe I have trust issues, but I don’t tend to send a lot of money to artists I haven’t worked with. I’ve been burned in the past and am far more careful about who I work with and how the funds are handled now. For large commissions, I typically am willing to pay partial upfront when I see a completed sketch thumbnail and the rest when I see completed work. For small commissions, say under $50, I don’t mind just paying up front and being mindful of my PayPal options.

One artist who caught my eye with strong artwork and great potential was TerminARTor on Deviant Art. This artist, who’s real name is Dali Kosta, has quite a bit of work in her gallery that is NSFW, and while she definitely excels at those more erotic pieces, she has quite the talent for pin-up art above and beyond that.

I asked Dali Kosta to work up a piece of Cassie Hack for me, which she was happy to do. She did plenty of research, made a good decision on pose and stuck to my guidelines of what I had hoped to see with the piece.

Cassie Hack by Dali Kosta, A.K.A.: the TerminARTor.

As you can see by the picture here, the TerminARTor produced an extremely quality piece. I’m planning on having it framed to hang in the office with my other Cassie Hack pieces, but I haven’t been able to do that just yet.

In addition, I picked up a piece out of Dali Kosta’s gallery of Lady Mechanika that she did. Strong skill was shown on the piece and I hadn’t picked up anything featuring the character, which is one of my favorites (and I’m impatiently awaiting the next issue). Dali Kosta was the first to point out that she accidentally put fingernails on the character’s hand, which is typically gloved in the comic book. I wouldn’t have even noted it had she not brought it up.

A quick note about Dali Kosta is that she lives in Serbia. The only reason I bring this up is so you, as a commissioner, know that there will be a slight delay in the time that she sends artwork to the time it actually reaches you. It’s not that months go by–in fact, I

Lady Mechanika by Dali Kosta, known simply as the TerminARTor on Deviant Art.

received my art much quicker than I had anticipated. She offers to ship in one of two ways: either rolled up in a mailing tube, or shipped flat between pieces of cardboard. The former definitely offers better protection (you can just lay it out and weigh it down to flatten it when it arrives) but tends to get opened by U.S. custom officials far more than the latter option. I did choose the latter with my first commission and received it unopened, but being shipped that far did result in something heavy being placed on the package, which created a small indent near the top of my pieces. It’s hardly noticeable unless you’re holding it in your hand, but I just wanted to put out a word of caution for those considering their options.

I can tell you this: Dali Kosta turned around quick, quality work that has strong lines, great layout and quality craftsmanship. I recommend her work as highly as I recommend anyone’s, and I’ll be the first to say that her costs are well worth every piece of art you’ll receive from her.

David Finch is my hero

I have always been a fan of reading comics since I was young and would snag the occasional title from my brother’s collection to read. But I didn’t start a collection of my own until I was 16 years old–or 1996, as I like to call it.

One of the first books I picked up was a Cyber Force that was penciled by David Finch. From that point on, I’ve been a fan, following him to Ascension, Aphrodite IX and on. I was thrilled when he took the duties on my favorite character’s title, Moon Knight, and still feel like he truly helped define the character’s look today (though I miss the old ankh now and again).

In fact, Finch is the only reason I decided to check out DC’s New 52 offerings and am still reading The Dark Knight because of his work on the title.

So when I heard he was going to be at C2E2 in April, I just had to make a point of shaking his hand and seeing if there was anyway he would do a Moon Knight sketch to compliment the one I had by Bill Sienkiewicz.

David Finch sketch cover of Moon Knight.

So, like a good dad, I made my daughter stand in line with me and then when the doors opened I went through the crowd and right to Finch’s table. And–well, he wasn’t there.

I was kind of sad and set my bag of comics down on the table and picked up my map to look to see who else was in the vicinity to go get some autographs from or maybe a sketch or two. There was Tim Seeley, who just happens to be the creator of one of my favorite character is Cassie Hack, or there’s always a trip across the artist alley to go see Mark Texeira–

“Are you waiting for David Finch?” someone asked.

“I was,” I responded. I gesture toward the empty table. “He’s not here.”

“Oh, he’s on his way right now,” the fellow happily chirped.

And, suddenly, I was happy, too. I had never been first in line to meet anyone before.

Finch arrived and immediately was friendly, chatty and interactive as he set out his portfolios and got himself settled in. We chatted briefly while he signed a couple of Moon Knight comics and a few Ascensions for me. I ask him about a sketch and he happily obliges.

What I like best about David Finch is that he does your drawing right then and there. No “come back later” or “can you stop by tomorrow and see if I got around to it?” It’s all done right then and there in front of you. Sure, that means other people have to wait, but it’s nice that an artist is willing to take that much time for a fan because a fan is willing to put that kind of money and effort into their favorite artist.

Needless to say, the piece is one of my favorites and I’m thrilled with it. Finch was outstanding to interact with, too, and a credit to the industry. I truly wish more artists were willing to bring his attitude to conventions.