The covers below are from various comics that I wrote
and drew for Head Press, an indy comics publisher here in Dallas. Founder
Bob Luedke was a real mentor to me, giving me my first paying comics gigs
and teaching me a lot about the creative and business sides of the comics
industry. Head Press also gave me an avenue to learn every stage of the
creative process. It was here that I did my first published writing,
penciling, inking, lettering, coloring, cover art, and logo design. Bob
kind of bet on my passion and let me loose on an array of projects,
including a lot of work that I created myself. He also took me on the road
with him, promoting these books all over the country, meeting pros and
retailers and generally having a blast.
 
The Template series and it's spin off Max Damage
were action/adventure comics with a sci-fi twist. They kind of had an
X-Files meets superheroes feel. I started off doing some back up features and
pin-ups, and eventually co-wrote and drew two spin off specials featuring
his character, Max Damage.
On the second one, I did my first work with my soon-to-be Ghostwerks partner
Samax Randolph. Almost as soon as I got the job, I realized that it was going to be a
tough climb, given my current school schedule. I knew Samax from art classes
and asked him to come on board to help me co-pencil. Co-penciling is
uncommon in comics work. It can be difficult for two artists to meld their
styles, but Samax and I clicked right
away, producing great art at a fast clip. This was definitely an example of
where the sum is great than the total of the parts. He added a life an
energy to my work that I'd been missing, while I kind of reeled his kinetic
feel into a readable sequence. It was quickly obvious that we'd get a lot of
value out of continuing to work together. |
 ` |
Among the other work I did for
Head Press, was two features for the critically acclaimed No Justice, No
Piece. These books were benefits for
The Comic Book Legal Defense
Fund, an organization that protects writers, artists, and retailers from
legal troubles related to their content.
You'd be surprised by how often police
(mostly in the Midwest - mostly in Oklahoma) pose as customers, buy books
labeled "for mature readers", and launch obscenity charges against the store
owners. Comics is perhaps the only medium where adults creating work for
adults can be considered illegal . |
|
For No Justice No Piece, I created the strip Tales of
HighSchool Horror, which is a tribute/parody of the great EC horror comics
like Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror. This is a work I'm really
proud of and would like to publish more of someday.
I still do some advisory work for Head Press from time to time. Most
recently, I've worked with founder Bob Luedke to assist and teach related to
his current project: Eye Witness 2 (Acts of the Spirit).
You can learn much more about Head Press
here at their site. |