Monday, June 14, 2010

Athena Voltaire and Al Williamson





I have some other cool artwork pertaining to Athena Voltaire week at Comic Twart, but I'll link to that tomorrow. Today's entry is devoted to Al Williamson, who passed away yesterday. I wrote about Al and his influence on me and my work over at my blog.

However, I also referenced Al throughout my run on the Athena Voltaire webcomic. Al's layouts on his Sunday Star Wars strips were my education on how I wanted to handle storytelling in a horizontal format. It's masterful work—clean storytelling with all these gorgeous insets, really inventive stuff that never loses its clarity.

That, coupled with the spirit of Adventure in Al's work, particularly Cliff Hanger, a serial that Al did with Bruce Jones in the back of the 80s series Sommerset Holmes (reprinted in the excellent Al Williamson Adventures published by Insight Studios a few years back), defined the feel of AV.

The strip at the top of this entry was the end page for the first adventure, The Terror in Tibet, which reflected the rollicking adventure of Al, as well as his collaborators/peers/friends, Archie Goodwin and Mark Schultz.

For the swordfight scene in The Wrath from the Tomb (middle and bottom strips), I swiped a few figures from Al's Secret Agent Corrigan strip where he was swiping from stills from The Prisoner of Zenda. The Secret Agent storyline was a riff on Zenda, so Al had fun with it.

I, in turn, had fun with my swordfight scene. I "acknowledged" my riffing on Al by using a photo of Al as the basis of one of my swordfighters. The shot of the hero removing his jacket was a reference photo of himself that Al had used and had been reprinted in James van Hise's 1984 volume The Art of Al Williamson.

I don't know if anyone ever got the joke I was making, but I had fun with it.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Athena Voltaire Comic Twart Week marches on!






















Another look at another cover from Flight of the Falcon; this time, issue #1 of our run at Speakeasy Entertainment (which was the extent of our run; the company folded up shop a few weeks after releasing issue #1, selling out, and never paying us a dime). Pencils and inks by me, colors by Chad Fidler.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

More Athena Voltaire for new readers












As Athena Voltaire Week continues over at Comic Twart, here's another look at some existing AV artwork. This time out, it's the cover to The Collected Webcomics. Pencils and inks by me, colors by Chad Fidler.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Athena Voltaire week at Comic Twart!






















My awesome fellow Twartists have indulged my pick for this week's Comic Twart selection—my favorite globetrotting aviatrix, Athena Voltaire.

To celebrate the week, I'll be posting some images of AV for folks who may be unfamiliar with her.

Today's entry is the final colored cover to Flight of the Falcon #4 (and the FoF trade paperback). Pencils and inks by me, colors by the amazing Chad Fidler.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Volcano Goddess preview pencils






















I'm working away on Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess. It looks like the AV Kickstarter campaign has been successful. If you're still considering contributing, please don't think that the campaign is over just because we reached our initial goal. If we exceed it, it just means that I'll be able to produce even more AV.

In the meantime, I'm plugging away at the book. Here's a sneak peek.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Kickstarter Exclusive Hardcover




























I got a prototype in of the Athena Voltaire hardcover that is exclusive to Kickstarter supporters. For more on the Kickstarter fundraising campaign, visit this site to see what you can do to help me get AV back in stores with all new adventures.

The book clocks in at 222 pages and contains all of The Collected Webcomics and the Flight of the Falcon mini-series. The photos are kind of hit-and-miss, but they give you a decent idea of how it looks (and it looks gorgeous).

Here are all the ways you can earn this book:

Pledge $75 or more

ACE REWARD • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary.

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Pledge $100 or more

AIR PIRATE REWARD • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary.

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Pledge $125 or more

LIMITED REWARD 88 of 100 remaining

EXPLORER REWARD • An ORIGINAL ART PAGE from The Collected Webcomics or The Flight of the Falcon. Artist’s choice, but if you have a particular page you want, we’ll do our best to accommodate your choice on a first-come, first-served basis. • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary.

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Pledge $150 or more

LIMITED REWARD 4 of 10 remaining

GLOBETROTTER REWARD • 8.5 x 11 BRAND NEW ORIGINAL INK DRAWING of Athena Voltaire. • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary.

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Pledge $500 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

ADVENTURER REWARD • The ORIGINAL COVER ART to Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #1, published by Speakeasy Comics. • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Pledge $500 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

SOLDIER-OF-FORTUNE REWARD • The ORIGINAL COVER ART to Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #1, published by Ape Entertainment • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Pledge $500 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

LEGIONAIRE REWARD • The ORIGINAL COVER ART to Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #2, published by Ape Entertainment • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Pledge $500 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

FORTUNE-HUNTER REWARD • The ORIGINAL COVER ART to Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #3, published by Ape Entertainment • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Pledge $700 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

TOMB RAIDER REWARD • The ORIGINAL COVER ART to Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #4, published by Ape Entertainment • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Pledge $1,000 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

SWASHBUCKLER REWARD • The wrap-around ORIGINAL COVER ART to Athena Voltaire: The Collected Webcomics, published by Ape Entertainment • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Pledge $1,000 or more

LIMITED REWARD 1 of 1 remaining

HERO REWARD • The double-sized ORIGINAL COVER ART to the Athena Voltaire/Black Coat One-Shot, published by Ape Entertainment • EXCLUSIVE LIMITED SIGNED HARDCOVER containing The Collected Webcomics and Flight of the Falcon —available ONLY to Kickstarter.com supporters— INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL SKETCH OF ATHENA VOLTAIRE on the inside! • Limited edition Athena Voltaire sketchbook, available only to backers of the project. • Your name will be printed in the Acknowledgments section of the book. • PDF edition of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess • Access to the exclusive AV Kickstarter backer-only blog, Athena Voltaire Production Diary. View this cover art here.

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Additionally, there are also great incentives at the $10, $25 and $50 levels, as well (just without the hardcover)! If you haven't pledged yet, head over to the Kickstarter page, watch the video and consider it.

Thanks!


Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess cover #1












Pencils and inks by me, colors by Jason Millet.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, please take a look at my Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a funding platform for artists, writers musicians, etc...like a PBS telethon, except instead of tote bags, you can score an exclusive Athena Voltaire hardcover collection, an exclusive sketchbook, original art and more!