Welcome to the Archive

Hi,

This used to be my blog, but now it's an archive. I've moved the action over to my tumblr

For up to date posts, art, and occasional quips, please head over there.

Thanks and much love.

Canucksploitation

 So the Canadian cat is out of the Canadian bag.

I've been working behind the scenes for some time now on a revamp of Canada's greatest superhero, Captain Canuck! We unveiled the new design at FanExpo 2012 last month in the form of a limited promo poster, and the response was tremendous. Check out captaincanuck.com for a short teaser, and be sure to keep checking back there for updates.

In the meantime, our Cap's featured on Project:rooftop today, so go say 'hi.'

Ultimate Spidey Post

Consider if you will...

My Spider-man: The Clone Saga Director's Cut cover from 2009, blogged here and here.

And...

Promo art for the new Ultimate Spider-man cartoon, coming 2012

I'd say sincerest form of flattery, wouldn't you?

Of all the awesome people that have drawn Spider-man over all those many years, they base this very important image on my cover?

I remember stressing a lot while drawing this cover, trying to distill all of a lifetime of Spider-man impressions into that single iconic image.

If I can take away anything, it's maybe that I succeeded.

Cast

The cast of the thing I'm about to go and discuss with my collaborator over some beers. Stylistic departure? Why yes, thanks for noticing.

This project has been unfolding in slow motion, and for once, none of that is my fault! In fact, much of the silliness precedes my involvement. Hopefully now it can go go go!

A Coda in Wolfsong

So who killed that wolf?

This is the cover for the final issue of X-23, issue #21, out a couple weeks ago now. And that means it's finally time for me to write this post, the one I've been dreading, because writing it means it's really over. X-23 is all done.

This cover run will go down as one of my favorite assignments. A little bit because of the character --as an X-Men kid, and a Wolverine kid, she's right up my alley, a little bit because I figured some shit out on in my own head during this gig, both about myself as a creator and a professional, but mostly due to the people involved . The team had a rapport and... I want to say synergy here, but I have railed against people who use that word in earnest... Let's just say we had something special here.

And I think it showed in the book, I think we surprised everyone. All involved brought their best to the table, and made me proud to add my small part to something so awesome, you all know who you are.

In particular, though, I need to give some props here to Jeanine Schaefer editor extraordinaire, and the real star of the show Marjorie Liu. And most especially, to Jody Leheup, for commissioning this way back at the beginning, as an inventory cover originally, just so I could scratch my digital painting itch.

Kudos.

An alternate color scheme was explored.

The original sketch. I just started working over this in digital paint. No pencils, no inks.

RAGE

It's the cover for Irredeemable #35, and Plutonian is very very angry. This one was fun, really liberating to just bang away with the pencil.

Earlier, slightly looser version.

She's Back.

Maybe this time she'll stick around...

Cover art from Irredeemable #34, featuring the delightful yet occasionally infuriating Bette Noir.

New Years Kiss in Deep Space

So this one snuck right past me. Still not on top of this whole double shipping thang... But this is the cover to X-23 #19 and it's out now!

Rumour squashing time: Sadly, X-23 as an ongoing series is coming to an end, beloved though it may have been.  The final issue, though, will be #21, not #20 as many seem to believe.

A kiss is not a contract.

But it's very nice, very very nice.

Happy new year Kidlettes! Let's try not to fuck this one up as badly as the last one! Mwah!

I'm so, so sorry.

I mean it.

It's tampon tattoo day here at the Iamkalman Ranch. Did a little advertising work recently and drew these two tats, ultimately to be worn by a contrite actor in a new OB Tampon viral ad campaign. They've designed the thing to be a very visual and very personal apology, so no matter what your name (Yes, it even works with Kalman) it's a special act of contrition just for you.

If you want to try it out for yourself click here for US and here for Canada.

Your name here.

Here there be Dragons!

Hey! Wow! It's the cover art to X-23 #18! it's a dragon in Times Square and the Future Foundation kidlets!

 

In other news, only 3 more days left in X-23 month, the month where all X-23 cover art is 20% off! More info here.

Irredeemable

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be the regular cover artist (tag-teaming with the stellar Dan Panosian) on Irredeemable starting with January's issue #33.

The buzz on this book has been strong since the outset, but now that I've caught myself up on the series, I am a bonafide fan and couldn't be prouder to be a part of it.
 

November is X-23 Month!

For the entire month of November all X-23 covers are 20% off. More information here. And examples below!

Adventures in Mutant Babysitting

They MUST have Thor merchandise in the Marvel U, right?

Hey Wow! It's the cover art to X-23 # 17. Conceived to hearken back to certain well-loved teen movie of the 80's.

Hey, Adventures in Babysitting referenced Marvel, so now Marvel is referencing Adventures in Babysitting.

Hakuna Matata.

And apologies and much love to Mr. Drew Struzan.

A Touch of Frost

The last of my outstanding Fan Expo commissions. Well, except for one, but that's morphed into something entirely else now.

The first piece I did for Dani just this past spring, was a 60's/70's era Domino wearing a Mondrian dress (um, awesome,) and the follow-up request: Emma Frost, mashed up with the cover art below, did not disappoint.

UNDEADLINE!

...or The Artist Formerly Known as BOMBHEAD!

The real final!

I did some cover art last year for new publisher Kickstart Entertainment (NOT Kickstarter.com, which is what everyone thinks when I say the name.)

This is the first of them, for an OGN originally known as Bombhead! and ultimately released as Deadline! Above is the cover art I submitted, but for reasons too complex to go into here, the book was released with a slightly different look.

So here's the real cover (along with some process shots), this may be the only place you will ever see it, unless Deadline! goes into a second printing...

Pencils!

Inks!

Universe X-23

Apologies for the blog neglect my friends, it's been a whirwind month. I Just got back from NYCC and my head is still spinning. Up top, cover art to X-23 # 16, the culmination of the Future Foundation arc, which is also (cat's out of the bag now...) a Captain Universe arc!

I (Am) Fanboy

The fine folks over at ifanboy.com have featured me in their ifanboy upstarts column this week.

It's surreal (good surreal) to click on a link and find someone has written a well-researched and concise history of your career and has also scoured the net to find a broad cross-section of your work to back it up. Much of that work hasn't even been featured on this blog.

If you have a sec, please check it out here. And take amoment to peruse the amazing artists they've profiled in the past.

Future Foundation Down

What can X-23 do against this maniacal threat that the combined might of the entire FF failed to? Find out soon-ish in X-23 #15.

LUTHER

I'm not gay, but if some magic gay ray made me gay, my first stop might be Idris Elba's house.

Soldier in Repose

So this is my final Soldier Zero cover for the fine people at BOOM! 
 
This isn't our last dance together though. I have a new cover gig with them that I'll be announcing here soon, so stay tuned!