Tuesday, September 24, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #24

Galahad and Nocturnus are going to make up... oh... wait... no!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on  your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here  now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


"Avengers Assemble" #19

This issue was a true test but with the help of three additional inkers we pulled it off on time. I'm enormously proud of the work we were all able to do under such a tight deadline. It's another tie-in with "INFINITY" so get yourself a copy! Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Jen Van Meter, line art by Barry Kitson, inks by Barry Kitson, Rick Magyar, Drew Geraci, and Jay Leisten (lotsa inkers!), letters by Clayton Cowles, and colors by myself.


Roll over for original line art by Barry Kitson!





"Insufferable" Vol.2 #23

Now that Joachim is caught, what are Galahad and Nocturnus to do?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on  your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here  now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.



Monday, September 23, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #22

We're coming to a close on your heroes in the Cayman Islands and this episode has The Best use of a cropped word balloon of all time.

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on  your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here  now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.



Tuesday, September 3, 2013

"Avengers Assemble" #18

First, I'd like to make sure the proper credit on this issue goes to Jay David Ramos. He colored the majority of the issue, not me, regardless of top billing. I had some family things to deal with and he stepped in and kicked butt. It was the first time in my color career I had to step back and ask for help. Everyone was really understanding and it is so very appreciated. But I am the ongoing colorist for the title so you will be seeing lots more of me on "Avengers Assemble"! Issues 19 and 20 are done and we're pumping away at 21 right now. You'll continue to see Tie-Ins with "INFINITY"! Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, line art by Barry Kitson, letters by Clayton Cowles, and colors by Jay David Ramos and myself. The preview pages below are all mine.


Roll over for original line art by Barry Kitson!





"Insufferable" Vol.2 #21

Galahad asked WHAT?!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on  your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here  now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.




"Insufferable" Vol.2 #20

Joachim's last thoughts before...

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on  your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here  now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.





"Insufferable" Vol.2 #19

Now that Galahad has Joachim in his grasp, what will he resort to for revenge?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on  your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here  now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.





Thursday, August 8, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #18

Galahad has caught up with Joachim and Nocturnus makes a difficult and surprising admission but will it all lead to someone's death?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.



Thursday, August 1, 2013

"The Eighth Seal" #4

This is my favorite of the four chapters so far. We're starting to see how everything is interconnected and in surprising ways. If you've not been hooked yet, you will be now! What are the plans for the First Lady and who is this "It"?

The new Thrillbent site gives you the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by James Tynion IV, line art Jeremy Rock, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me. You can now also purchase "The Eighth Seal" on Comixology with bonus content for $0.99 here.


"Insufferable" Vol.2 #17

So not only is Galahad not dead, he's found Joachim well ahead of Nocturnus. Without his dad there to stop him, what will Galahad do?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #16

Now that Galahad is dead, will we find out who was in charge of the hit?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Thursday, July 18, 2013

"Avengers Assemble" #17

Happy to preview the beginning of my run on "Avengers Assemble" as its colorist starting with issue seventeen! Jumping into "The Enemy Within" focusing on Captain Marvel. To be able to color this title, well, WOW! I couldn't be happier especially with this amazing creative team. The issue is out now so go pick up a copy. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, line art by Matteo Buffagni and Pepe Larraz, letters by Clayton Cowles, and colors by me <- luckiest sob on the planet.

Roll over for original line art by Matteo Buffagni!





Wednesday, July 10, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #15

We get a rare glimpse into the heart of Nocturnus. And here we thought he didn't have one at all. Ouch. One of my favorite episodes this arc.

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #14

Nocturnus thinks Drake is lucky. The why is a rather painful admission on his part considering Drake's situation. Ouch.

Lots of police lights in this one. Was rather a challenge to color. Hope it reads well.

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #13

Galahad has been shot in the head and time is running out! Can Meg save his life?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

"The Eighth Seal" #3

A Presidential Ball sparks something in the First Lady which will have ramifications even I don't know about yet. Really proud of this chapter. Lots of great things happening in the screen-swipes.

The new Thrillbent site gives you the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by James Tynion IV, line art Jeremy Rock, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me. You can now also purchase "The Eighth Seal" on Comixology with bonus content for $0.99 here.


Monday, June 24, 2013

Color Reproduction for Print Comics

Every once in awhile the topic of how to setup a computer for color reproduction in print pops up somewhere in my life so I thought I'd make a blog post about it to explain my opinions on the subject. My background is in retouching for advertising for multi-billion dollar corporations so some people consider what I'm about to review overkill for comics. In my opinion, it's sooo damn easy and sooo damn cheap there's no reason not to do it when you've already potentially, and most likely, spent thousands of dollars on a computer system for the purpose of creating comics/materials for press. Other people will have had differing experiences so it's only my take and if you have found a setup that works for you then stick to it. My hopes are this helps guide other colorists who still haven't found their own setup find one so their comics print as close to what they intend as possible.

When setting up my system for press there are a few key factors I consider:
1. Monitor quality
2. Calibration
3. Profiles
4. Studio lighting

  1. Monitor quality: Honestly? This post is for colorists in comics so you're probably well enough off with whatever monitor you already have. That's not license to buy a crap monitor though but also don't buy an insanely expensive monitor. Just find something you're happy with that is fairly decent.

    That said, the retoucher in me has some recommendations. You want a high contrast ratio, a wide/extended gamut, a minimum of 120cd/m2 luminance, a wide viewing angle, and the ability to set the temperature of the monitor. Size and resolution are up to you but the larger the better in my experience. For brands I look to Dell, Viewsonic, Samsung, NEC, Eizo, or a Cintiq (so you can draw on your screen which has decent color too). I personally have a dual monitor setup with a Dell U2410 and a Cintiq 21UX. Nowhere near the fanciest choices at all but serve me quite well.

  2. Calibration: To me proper calibration is a must.

    I calibrate both my monitors with a Datacolor Spyder once a month. At the time of this post the Spyder4Express costs only $114 on Amazon.com. If you've already dropped thousands of dollars on a system then this is a small investment in comparison to get every bit of quality out of it. Follow the recommendations when it installs and you can be much more confident what you see on screen will be much closer to how it reproduces when printed. This takes less than 10 minutes and is so worth it. It'll load the profile into your system on startup and takes up almost no memory to do so. It'll make not just Photoshop look better but e-ver-y-thing look better.

    If it gives you any indication of how important calibration is, Marvel Comics' spec sheet says editor monitors get calibrated WEEKLY. Don't know if it's true or not but, hey, they take it seriously enough for it to be on page one.

  3. Profiles: What's also on page one of Marvel Comics' spec sheet? Color profiles!

    Most comic editors can supply you with a spec sheet and a profile to use, if not also a CSF file to load, if you ask. A few I've colored for even have a folder on their company FTP where you can download all this yourself as different publishers have different specs. However, I've been using the Marvel specs for years, well before I even started coloring for them, and they have never failed me. It's a simple change in Photoshop as its defaults will otherwise work well in CMYK. Go to Edit > Color Settings and under the drop down menu for CMYK click on "Custom CMYK..." That'll open a new window and all you need to do is click on UCR. This changes the build of your blacks so color prints cleaner. For RGB use Adobe RGB (1998) because it translates the best to CMYK which is what it will be printed in. When you have your Color Settings setup like this make sure this UCR profile is attached to your files when you save them. You always want to color manage your files for print by doing so.

  4. Studio lighting: I know this one specifically makes me sound nutty but too late for that, right? How your studio is lit and decorated will affect how you see the color on your monitor.

    I work with only a single lamp behind my Dell monitor to illuminate my studio. It's behind my monitor because it then becomes ambient light and not direct. (You never want direct light on your monitor so you also want your monitor facing away from windows.) The bulb in that lamp is a Chromalux full spectrum bulb so the temperature of the light doesn't shift how I perceive the color on my monitor. (It also helps with S.A.D. Look it up.) And there are much higher end full spectrum bulbs but no need to go nuts.

    So, yeah, this is a bit much. However, if you're really concerned about color reproduction at least consider your environment. If you work with lots of lights turned on and there are bright, saturated colors everywhere in the room, it doesn't matter if your monitor is the nicest on the market and calibrated; your environment is destroying how you perceive the colors from your monitor. So if nothing else, you want your working environment to be neutral in palette and lighting so you're seeing the temperature of your monitor correctly and lit enough to work but not so bright you're not seeing the contrast on your monitor properly. I just take it a little further than most people do but I know many folks who work in the dark and leave their Spyder plugged in calibrating the ambient light on the fly throughout the day so I'm far from the extreme.

By following these cheap and easy steps I can honestly say every comic I've ever colored has printed at least 90% accurately from what is on my monitor regardless of the publisher or press used and to me that's pretty damn good. Sure, I'm still relatively new to coloring, only been doing it for three years, but that's still a 100% success rate on 50+ issues using this kind of setup. (EDIT: This doesn't include two covers that production staff edited after I uploaded my files and them printing poorly. Almost forgot about those because, well, I want to forget about those.) I can guarantee at some point one of those issues will print like crap but with my record I know it'll be the press and not my files and there's nothing a colorist can do about the press itself. (EDIT: That's not to say I've not made a mistake before. I'm not saying I'm perfect.) We can only control our work environment and equipment and the above is what I do. Yeah, there's other things I consider as I color that also help but this is my basic setup for any system I use when coloring for comics and specifically print.

In the end, you need to find a setup that works for you so hope this at least sparks some ideas and practices to find that setup to help you get better color reproduction for your own comics in print. Good luck!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #12

Galahad has a chance to redeem himself but what reward does he find? This won't end well.

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


"Insufferable" Vol.2 #11

This week we explore more of the "Nocturnus Files". What does he already have on Randall?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Thursday, June 6, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #10

Now that Nocturnus has found the site of Randall's murder, how long before he tracks down the killer? And will the local police get in his way or lend a helping hand?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

"The Eighth Seal" #2

The First Lady is having visions and they haven't stopped yet. This chapter also introduces the President and his Chief of Staff who have very different ways of treating her. Where will these visions lead? There's some pretty gruesome stuff, it is political/horror after all, so it's for mature audiences only.

The new Thrillbent site gives you the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by James Tynion IV, line art Jeremy Rock, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me. You can now also purchase "The Eighth Seal" on Comixology with bonus content for $0.99 here.


"Insufferable" Vol.2 #9

So Galahad wants to see what one of his fan clubs looks like. Those poor kids. Those poor, poor kids.

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me. You can now also purchase "Insufferable" on Comixology with bonus content for $1.99 here.


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

MONSTROCITY Color Commission

Recently I was contacted by Michael Walsh to color a piece he and Adam Gorham collaborated on for a project called Monstrosity that is billed as "a graphic novel homage to the monster movies and comics we loved as kids." It was crazy fun to color and really hope they get the project off the ground. They are less than $200 from their goal. Please check out their page and support them.

Roll over for original line art by Michael Walsh and Adam Gorham!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #8

Nocturnus is lose in the Cayman Islands hunting down Randall's murderer. First stop? Randall's home... which is in the process of being robbed! Had a load of fun coloring the lighting in this one. Any time I get to sculpt with light and use various lights for mood and depth while keeping it believable is a win-win for me. This was definitely an installment in that category. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did coloring it!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Monday, May 20, 2013

"Journey Into Mystery" Test Pages

Here's the last of four batches of test pages I've recently done for Marvel Comics. These are from "Journey Into Mystery" #649. They may have been my favorite to color.

That's all of the test pages. Wish me luck!

Roll over for original line art by Valerio Schiti!





Friday, May 17, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #7

Even though this is a low-action installment, it's been one of my favorites to work on. Lots of fun with making what could be mundane locations feel real, alive, and uniquely individual yet recognizable. Rather happy with how it turned out!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


"Secret Avengers" Test Pages

Here's the third of four batches of test pages I've recently done for Marvel Comics. These are from "Secret Avengers" #2. Lots of little known characters on the third page. How many can you name?

Roll over for original line art by Luke Ross!





Wednesday, May 15, 2013

"Captain America" Test Pages

Here's the second of four batches of test pages I've recently done for Marvel Comics. These are from "Captain America" #5. Had a ton of fun on these.

Roll over for original line art by John Romita, Jr.!





Monday, May 13, 2013

"Winter Soldier" Test Pages

Been doing lots of test pages for Marvel Comics recently. Here's the first of four batches. These are from "Winter Soldier" #12.

Roll over for original line art by Butch Guice and Brian Thies!





Wednesday, May 8, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #6

Nocturnus is back in action and is hunting down the Randall's murderer. His first stop for a wanted vigilante out of his element are... the cops?!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Monday, May 6, 2013

"Insufferable" Vol.2 #5

Last week I was intensely busy and missed the latest release. Well, catch up now before the new installment comes out on Wednesday!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


"Fever Ridge" #3

"Fever Ridge" is published by IDW and this issue takes us back to the team we saw in #1 and sets us up for the rest of the series. They step into the deep end! Written by Michael Heimos, line art by Nick Runge, letters by Brandon DeStefano, and colors by me. It's out this week at comic shops!


Roll over for original line art by Nick Runge!





Wednesday, April 24, 2013

"THE EIGHTH SEAL" #1

Been working on this one for a few months and finally the first episode is out! So excited! "The Eighth Seal" has been described as “Rosemary's Baby" meets "The West Wing“. This one isn't for the kids though. There's some pretty gruesome stuff, it is political/horror after all, so it's for mature audiences only.

The new Thrillbent site gives you the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by James Tynion IV, line art Jeremy Rock, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


"INSUFFERBABLE" Vol.2 #4

Another "Insufferable" is out today and it seems trouble found our heroes before they could find it!

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments. Written by Mark Waid, line art by Peter Krause, lettering by Troy Peteri, and color by me.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

"INSUFFERABLE" Vol.2 #3

Another Wednesday, another installment of "Insufferable"! Plain-clothes Nocturnus and Meg scope out the beach looking for Randall so they can get Galahad to work and start their search for his missing fortune. And check out the "guest stars" in this installment. There are three of them (or at least I colored them with three people in mind). Can you guess who I'm talking about?

Part of the new Thrillbent site is the ability to embed our comics on your own website so feel free to use it as I did below! Read it here now or jump to Thrillbent.com to read all of the installments!

Monday, April 15, 2013

"Grindhouse: BeeVixens from Mars" #1

Last week writer Alex De Campi was interviewed by Bleeding Cool and she talked about a bunch of her projects including an upcoming story called "Bee Vixens from Mars" that'll be published by Dark Horse in the first two issues of "Grindhouse: The Doors Open at Midnight". Wasn't sure I'd enjoy coloring this (while I definitely have a raunchy sense of humor I don't like my work to generally reflect that anymore) but it has turned out to be a huge load of fun! So glad I got to color this story! It won't be out for awhile so enjoy these early preview pages. The lettered versions are at the interview link above.


Roll over for original line art by Chris Peterson!











Wednesday, April 10, 2013

"INSUFFERABLE" Vol.2 2nd issue

Nocturnus and Galahad have teamed up with Meg to track down their lost fortune in the Cayman Islands. Read it here or on Thrillbent.com for free now. And check out our first arc/back issues on Thrillbent.com too. Really proud of the work we're all doing there!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

"INSUFFERABLE" is BACK!

All new issues of "Insufferable" have returned on Thrillbent.com! We find our heroes teaming up again to track down Galahad's lost fortune from the end of the first arc. Check back each week for a new issue of the second arc entitled "On The Road"! Their first stop? The Cayman Islands!

I'm so grateful and appreciative to be on this creative team. The first arc was a wonderful place to experiment for me and now I can show everyone what I've learned. I really hope you all enjoyed the first arc because this second one is really shaping up to be amazing too!

And a new feature on Thrillbent is the ability to embed issues directly onto your blog so I'm giving it a go here. Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

"Fever Ridge" #2

"Fever Ridge" is published by IDW and this issue tells the story of the Japanese Empire from the 1800s up through to just before WWII when they were hunting MacArthur and his family. Written by Michael Heimos, line art by Nick Runge, letters by Brandon DeStefano, and colors by me. It's out today at comic shops! Here's a link to a lettered preview and below you'll find my line art to color preview.


Roll over for original line art by Nick Runge!













Monday, March 4, 2013

Thrillbent.com Sneak Peeks

Thrillbent.com is relaunching with new titles soon! STAY TUNED!

Those titles will include the next arc of "Insufferable" with writer Mark Waid, line artist Peter Krause, letterer Troy Peteri, and myself on color. Here's a sneak peek for the second installment!

And there will be lots of new titles too. One of which is called "The Eighth Seal" written by James Tynion IV, line art by Jeremy Rock, letters by Troy Peteri, and colors by me. It's a slightly different format than "Insufferable" as the Thrillbent digital experiment continues. Here's a sneak peek!

Monday, February 18, 2013

SUBMIT Webcomic

Being a part of the team that helped Mark Waid start Thrillbent.com with "Insufferable" I too caught the bug for doing my own webcomic. Originally, this was a concept for The Hulk but I liked it too much, and it's not like Marvel is going to let me play with The Hulk anyway, so I decided to create my own bulked up superhero. The only thing in common with the Hulk is his strength comes from gamma radiation, which is the linchpin to the story concept because I'm a science nerd. But why make it easy on myself?! I've also wanted to do an experimental social media webcomic and I thought this concept could work quite well for that too. There's really no telling if I'll be able to make this happen, my plate is so full already, but if I can I'd like to introduce you to Joseph Franklin AKA Submit! Man, I hope I can find time to make this happen. Wish me luck!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Dick Tracy

I've been busy working on new "Insufferable" episodes and three new projects but also doing random pieces like this great Dick Tracy illustration! Brent Schoonover did the line art and I colored it.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

"Insufferable" covers

With the next arc of "Insufferable" coming up soon I thought I'd post some of the covers we made for the collected editions you can buy on the cheap over at Comixology. Check them out here!