Okay, I know, it's been forever since I've updated this thing...

If anyone ever still checks this thing, I 'll brush off the cyber cobwebs...I stink at blogging, it's a habit I need to start getting into more...why tell people about my blog when I never post on here, right? Believe it or not I do have things to post about, I just don't for some reason. Well, let's try to change that now, shall we?  Every year for the past three years, the fine folks at Baltimore Comic Con have released these nifty little hardcover annuals, featuring a different independent, creator owned comic character each issue.  First is was Frank Cho's "Liberty Meadows", then Stan Sakai's "Usagi Yojimbo", and this year is Matt Wagner's "Grendel".  Grendel is a cool character not just because of Wagner's brilliant art and design work, but because the original Grendel, a man named Hunter Rose is a villain; he's evil, yet you still root for him.  He's a debonair, suave assassin, and Wagner has found cool ways to take the Grendel persona from Rose and expand it into this legendary mythic figure by having other people throughout history take up the moniker and become the next Grendel.  There are many Grendels and Grendel stories, and they all have their own appeal.

Baltimore Comic Con asks creators to submit a piece of art incorporating their own characters interacting with the year's featured star.  So, I did one of Red Vengeance and Hunter Rose duking it out.  Hunter is a time traveler, so I figured why not have him traveling back to the 1950's to test RV's mettle?  It was a lot of fun to do (they all have been, I'll post the others sometime soon), and I'm flattered that the fine folks at BCC asked me to participate.  Anyway, hope you enjoy...here it is.

Red Vengeance, From A Fan's Perspective (Me)!

One thing I get a kick out of when I get the chance, is getting artists I respect and admire to sketch Red  Vengeance and get their take on him.  It's always a rush to see an artist I'm a fan of draw my character, kind of like a pin up artist would do in the back of a graphic novel or something.  I've got a good little stack of them now, and I find them very handy to draw upon for inspiration from time to time.  Here's just a few.... 

First up, the awesome Craig Rousseau.  I mean, how cool is this?  I love the rhythm of the curves in the legs, the exaggerated proportions, the angles in the hands....it's a perfect balance of stylization. I also really dig the texture and "pop" that the color and Canson paper bring to it. Craig's one of the top artists in the biz, having done tons of work for DC (Batman Beyond, Impulse, and licensing), Disney (Kim Possible/Disney Adventures), and Marvel, as well as the super awesome creator-owned Perhapanauts series that he and Todd Dezago do for Image.  Plus, he's just a swell guy to boot.  I've always cherished this drawing, always will. He took my design and did it like a million times cooler, in my opinion. Thanks, Craig!