Caruso Comics

Community Service (post 8...Elizabeth, I hear you calling)

2012-02-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

I love character sketches. Even though I've had the script written for quite a while, sketches help me get a more complete understanding of the character. The process of arriving at the look of the character (step-by-step) really does help the storytelling move forward.

For me anyway.

Can you tell which one was my favourite?

Interview ~ One and Done

2012-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

The fine folks at INVEST COMICS were kind enough to interview me about my involvement with the One and Done anthology, and a few other things I'm working on.

Click here to check it out!

In short, keep it brief...

2012-01-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

Not sure how I missed this one...but waaaaay back in July, this article I wrote was posted on the Holmes Inc. blog.

Better late than never, I suppose!

Fear anthology

2012-01-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

There's a really nice review of the FEAR anthology right here.

There are some especially kind words about the story Paul Little and I worked on together (Be Careful Where You Hide Your Secrets).

Community Service (post 7...Elizabeth)

2012-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth is the last of the main characters from Community Service that I'd like to introduce. She was a little trickier to "find" than Drummond and Brady were. Cecilia gave us some great choices to start with...

...and from these, we kept on refining the look of the character. You'll see how it progressed from here in the next post.

Community Service (post 6...More with Brady)

2012-01-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Brady's look continues to evolve here. I thought I noticed a Patrick Stewart influence on a couple of them, but Cecilia claims she's more of an Original Series fan.

I remain very fond of this look for the veteran influence of calm and wisdom in our story.

around the web

2012-01-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

1) Here's a video promo for FEAR, published by Chainsaw Comics. It features a story written by me and illustrated by Paul Little.

2) Here's an interview with GWP publisher Keith Murphy, about Worst Case Scenario: Outbreak. It features a story written by me and illustrated by Paul Houston.

3) Francisco Paronzini has posted a few Gryfalcon pages that we worked on together (along with Ed Brisson on letters). Click here to check them out.

4) Sami Kivela posts a preview of a project we're working on (also featuring Ed Brisson and Paul Little). Click here.

5) Here's a little tidbit of news from Accent UK regarding the Zombies 2 anthology that features a story from me and Wesley Bernick.

Crime Time

2012-01-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm very honoured to have two stories in this upcoming release from Jason Franks and Black Glass Press.

My two stories are:
Old Timer, illustrated by Vic Malhotra and Chris Martinez, lettered by Jaymes Reed.

and

Sleeping Dogs Lie, illustrated by Jae Korim, and again illustrated by Jaymes Reed.

Check in regularly with the Black Glass website for more information.

Community Service (post 5...Very Brady)

2012-01-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

Brady is a very important character in the story. He and Drummond don't exactly see eye-to-eye when the story starts, and then...well...I don't want to spoil the whole thing so early in the process.

Here are some of Cecilia's first attempts to "find" Brady. I love looking at character sketches. They help bring the story into focus, and often impact my feelings about the character, and change the shape of the narrative. We'll take a further look at how Brady developed in the next post.

Once again with One & Done

2012-01-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Here's the cover to the One And Done anthology, which features three stories written by me (illustrated by Gibson Quarter, Shawn Richison and Simon Fernandes).

Check out their website right here.
And yep...Community Service posts will be resuming shortly...

Old Timer

2012-01-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

Taking a momentary break from the Community Service posts to present a little taste of something that's coming up soon...

Details to follow, of course.

Community Service (post 4...Drummond finalized)

2012-01-05T13:46:00.001-08:00

And I think we've arrived at the look for Drummond! Great job Cecilia!

Coming tomorrow...we look at the evolution of another character from the story.

Community Service (post 3...Drummond refined)

2011-12-29T18:24:00.000-08:00

I think I'm starting to see him more clearly in this latest batch of sketches. Great work Cecilia!

Community Service (post 2...Drummond solo)

2011-12-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

From the notes I wrote at the beginning of the script, regarding Drummond (see the character sketch in the previous post):

He’s young, inexperienced, and about to learn that booksmarts don’t always translate well to the real world. The only way to be effective is to get experience, but the process of getting experience means you’ll invariably mess up, offend people, make the wrong choices and so on, ad infinitum.

The real question is…are you going to learn stuff in the process?

Above is another pic of Drummond (by Cecilia of course) that's part of a larger group shot. Don't worry...all will be revealed in time. Keep tuning in to see how it all unfolds.

Community Service (post 1...greetings and a character sketch)

2011-12-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

Community Service is one of the very first long-form scripts I wrote. It has existed in a variety of forms for the last ten years. I've re-written and re-edited it countless times, and now I finally feel ready to begin.

I'm thrilled to be working with Cecilia Latella on this project. You can find her website right here. Check it out...there's some awesome stuff there.

My plan is to share some background about the project and the process by which it's coming to life. Hopefully I can convince Cecilia to drop in and share some of her insights in the 'comments' section.

Here's a character study of Drummond, the main character in the story.

Short notice

2011-11-29T15:18:00.001-08:00

Grawlix 3, featuring the short story BREAKING UP ISN'T REALLY THAT HARD TO DO, written by me, illustrated by the awesome German Shible.

(amazing cover by Jordan Bursach)

Gryfalcon

2011-11-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

Click here for an interview with me about a new project I'm working on with Francisco Paronzini (as well as some other wonderful creators).

Fear

2011-11-27T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here's the cover of the new anthology from Chainsaw Comics, which features a story written by me and illustrated by Paul Little.

Here's the website for more info: http://chainsawcomics.com/

One and Done

2011-11-26T22:12:00.001-08:00

The fine folks at Invest Comics are putting together an anthology to benefit the CBLDF. I'm very pleased to have 3 stories in the book, each illustrated by a different Canadian artist.

"No Quarter" was illustrated and lettered by Shawn Richison. You can check out our production blog for more details.

"Spouse Invaders" was illustrated and lettered by Simon Fernandes (my partner on OLGA and The Adventures of Bell Boy).

"Meltdown" was illustrated by Gibson Quarter (a fellow Holmsian who I met in Ty's excellent program). It was lettered by Jaymes Reed, who...errr...can't quite get into that one yet. More news about that soon.

Click here to learn more about this awesome project and the charity it'll be benefitting.

Click here for a full list of contributors.

Best reviewed Worst Case Scenario!

2011-11-26T04:06:00.000-08:00

...huh?

Anyway, bizarre post title aside, here's the link to a great review for a project I'm involved in.

Comic Book Interviews dot Com

2011-11-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

My tenth and final interview has just run at www.comicbookinterviews.com.
Click here to read my Q&A with Canadian creator Lezley Davidson.

Silver and Crystal

2011-11-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

From Andrew Ardizzi's blog...

http://aardizzi.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/a-fun-night-at-silver-snail-for-crystal-fractal-comics/

sketches (post 2)

2011-09-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here's one that Vic Malhotra did at the Calgary Comic Con. This is a character from the awesome Murder Book story he illustrated.

sketches (post 1)

2011-08-31T19:01:00.001-07:00

This is my little sketchbook that I've been bringing to cons lately. It's still a work in progress, but there's some cool stuff in here so far. I'm thinking that I'll post some pics (from this sketchbook and some others) every now and again.

First up is one from Fan Expo this past weekend. This awesome Batman was illustrated by Braden Poirier. Check out his website right here for more awesomeness! You'll find some great samples of his artwork and animation.

Ring My Bell

2011-08-22T21:04:00.001-07:00

New Bell Boy strip is up. Here it is.

As always, Simon knocks it out of the park, drains a three-pointer at the buzzer, and goes top-shelf in overtime to seal the win.

If it's your first time visiting our webcomic, here's the first strip. You can proceed in order from there.

Interview about HOLMES, INC.

2011-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Click here to read an interview with HOLMES, INC. assistant editor, Rob Pincombe. Tons of great info and insight into the making of the titanic second issue!

Upcoming

2011-08-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here's the collected edition of OMEGA COMICS PRESENTS.

I was really pleased to have written three short stories that appeared in Pj Perez's mini-series (published by Pop! Goes The Icon). I got to work with three awesome Canadian artists (Jason Copland, Jae Korim and Sam Agro) who all knocked their stories out of the park!

I'm really looking forward to the release of this awesome trade paperback.

More details about where and when you can find it coming soon.

The Source Of His Power

2011-08-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

Click here for a little taste of something Gibson Quarter and I are working on. While you're there, poke around to check out some more of his stuff.

Something new, part two

2011-08-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

Another pic from the project Vic Malhotra and I are putting together.
Awesome!

Something new

2011-08-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Some preliminary sketches for something that Vic Malhotra and I are working on.

Awesome, aren't they??

Renderwrx

2011-08-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

Check out the August issue for my interview with Paul Quinn (my collaborator on A Cautionary Tale and Crossroads). You'll also find an interview with me in there as well.

Electric powered Holmes

2011-08-02T19:11:00.001-07:00

Here's a little treat...a video spotlight on Holmes, Inc., brought to you by the good folks at THE ELECTRIC PLAYGROUND. There are some very cool interviews with Ty Templeton and the gang, and a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together.

For more information on Holmes, Inc., check out the website...right here.

Holmes, Inc. launch bash!!

2011-07-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday July 22, 2011, all of the participants in Holmes, Inc. volume 2 gathered together at the new home of the Toronto Cartoonists' Workshop to celebrate the release of the book.

It was an awesome evening...lots of comics talk and "ooohing" and "ahhhing" at the pages of original art lovingly displayed.

Here's a link to the Holmes site and here's a shot of me, Ty Templeton and Gibson Quarter talking shop.

Thanks again to James Cooper for the pic.

Chainsaw Comics

2011-07-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

Paul Little and I are very pleased to have our story, BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU HIDE YOUR SECRETS, in Chainsaw Comics' next anthology.

Here's a list of stories that have been accepted so far. While you're there, take a look around the site. Lots of neat things to see.

Grim Crew's DEAD FUTURE

2011-07-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the awesome cover for Grim Crew's DEAD FUTURE anthology:

This anthology is a collection of all the previously released DEAD FUTURE issues, plus a few new comics that have never been seen before.

Lou Manna and I are proud to have our story, Killer Promotions, included in this huge omnibus.

Here's a link to the project's Indie Go-Go site.

Here's a link to Grim Crew's website.

Editor Martin Brandt has done a great job of assembling the stories and organizing the whole project. It'll make its debut next month at the Baltimore Con, and I hope to have it with me in Toronto, for Fan Expo. More details as they become available.

Pinups

2011-07-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

Gary O Donnell, the awesome artist I worked with on HOPE (the story which appeared in The Sleepless Phoenix anthology called Survivior Stories) has agreed to provide a pinup for the upcoming COURAGE project that Paul Houston and I are wrapping up.

He gave me several designs to choose from, and to prevent spoiling the actual pinup...here's a rough for an option that we won't be using.

Cool, huh? I love his rendition of Courage, Hurricane Elaine and the nefarious Bobby Chaos.

Paul and I have been hard at work on Courage for several years, and I'm excited that it's almost ready. There's a wonderful group of artists who have agreed to provide a pinup.

More information as it comes available.

The Adventures Of Bell Boy

2011-07-08T03:29:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the latest strip, written by me, illustrated by the awesome Simon Fernandes.

Pretty Funny

2011-07-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Harvey Awards

2011-07-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

Awesome news...the Reading With Pictures anthology that I was a part of has been nominated for 2 Harvey Awards!

BEST ANTHOLOGY

BLAB WORLD #1, Monte Beauchamp and Bill North, Last Gasp
CBGB, edited by Ian Brill, BOOM! Studios
POPGUN # 4, edited by D.J. Kirkbride, Anthony Wu and Adam P. Knave, Image Comics
READING WITH PICTURES, Josh Elder, Executive Editor, Reading With Pictures
STRANGE TALES, VOLUME II # 1, edited by Jody LeHeup, Marvel Comics
UNIQUES TALES, Tanya Eby and Mallette Pagano, http://www.uniquescomic.com

and

BEST ORIGINAL GRAPHIC PUBLICATION FOR YOUNGER READERS

AMULET # 3: THE CLOUD SEARCHER, Kazu Kibuishi, Scholastic Graphix
JINGLE BELLE, Paul Dini, http://www.jinglebelle.com/
MEANWHILE: PICK ANY PATH. 3856 STORY POSSIBILITIES, Jason Shiga, Amulet Books
READING WITH PICTURES, Josh Elder, Executive Editor, Reading With Pictures
SMILE, Raina Telgemeier, Scholastic Graphix
TINY TITANS, Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani, DC Comics

Congrats to Josh Elder, the executive editor and all the other participants.

Here's the site to check out the rest of the nominations: http://harveyawards.org/

Curious about the Harveys? Here's some information-
Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators - those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.

Gimmie a hand, willya!

2011-07-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Another image from the story Wes Bernick and I are working on for Accent UK's Zombie 2 anthology.

With an Accent

2011-06-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wes Bernick and I have a story in the upcoming ZOMBIES 2 anthology from ACCENT UK. Click here to see a preview page (and while you're on Wes's site, check out some more of his awesome work).

Here's some preview art:

When you're on the Accent UK site, click on the Zombies 2 artwork to get a full list of the stories. Some pretty impressive stuff there!

More images from Holmes, Inc.

2011-06-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the amazing cover for Ty Templeton's Holmes, Inc. Volume 2. It's illustrated by Leonard Kirk (yeah, that Leonard Kirk).

The book will be available at Fan Expo in August. Here's the site. Check it out regularly, as it's frequently updated with tutorials and new art.

Artist Daniel Wong put together this awesome pinup. Here's his site. Awesome stuff, huh?

The colours for both pieces are by the amazing KT Smith!

Reunited (Calgary post #3)

2011-06-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of Simon Fernandes and I proudly displaying our collaborations. Simon dropped by the booth for a while on Saturday and did some sketching and some signing.

Booth set-up (Calgary post #2)

2011-06-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

The AoV crew was in Calgary for the big con last weekend. Here are some shots of the booth.

We had AoV set up in the middle of the booth, and then we each had our own individual areas to sell our own stuff. Good traffic at the booth led to a busy and bustling weekend for us.

Holmes, Inc.

2011-06-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Had a meeting tonight at the Toronto Cartoonists' Workshop. Here's a shot of us "ooohing and ahhhing" over some of the fantastic sequentials and pin-ups we saw, as the release of Holmes, Inc. number 2 gets closer and closer. That's Ty Templeton and Rob Pincombe leading the chat.

(Thanks to James Cooper for the pic)

Shuster Awards 2011 (Calgary post #1)

2011-06-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

From the press release:

Outstanding Comic Book Cover Artist

FIONA STAPLES — Mystery Society #1-5 (IDW), DV8: Gods and Monsters #1-8 (DC/Wildstorm), Superman/Batman #79 (DC Comics), Acts of Violence: An Anthology of Crime Comics (New Reliable Press), Magus #1 (12 Gauge Comics)

The jury was particularly enamored with Fiona's covers, feeling they stood out due to their excellent use of negative space. This allowed characters and imagery to stand out – resulting in bold, dynamic and eye-catching visual statements.

Pretty cool, huh?
Big congrats to Fiona. It was an honour to have her work on the cover of the book!

Also, a tip of the hat to Ed Brisson and Simon Roy who were nominated for best webcomic. Ed, of course, is a member of the AoV team, while Simon is a wonderful artist (and creator of Jan's Atomic Heart...a project I picked up at the show) I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with at the booth.

More on the con soon.

Igopogo

2011-06-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

The first pics from THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA MONSTER (written by me, and illustrated by Pierce Desrochers O’Sullivan) have been posted. Head on over to the Holmes Inc. site and check them out. While you're there, take a peek at all the other Holmsian goodness. It's shaping up to be an amazing project!

Bell Boy Ashcan

2011-06-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Above is the cover Simon created for the (very) limited edition of the BELL BOY ashcan. It'll be available in Calgary at...

Booth 1504!

Say...did you notice that Bell Boy and the cowgirl are wearing the same hat? Pretty neat artistic symmetry on Simon's part. Or...are they parallels of each other? Wait, maybe they're synonymous. Arrgh! Anyhow, they sure are nice!

No way to treat a shovel

2011-06-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Another panel from the mystery project that Wes Bernick and I are putting together.

Man, those dudes are ferocious, huh?

Elementary

2011-06-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here's the website for Holmes Inc., an anthology project created by Eisner winner Ty Templeton. I've got a story in issue two illustrated by the wonderful Pierce Desrochers O'Sullivan.

More details and preview art will be made public soon, but for now...check out the site and subscribe to the Twitter feed.

OCP #4 - Yet another review!

2011-06-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

Click here to check it out.

Another Omega Comics Presents review

2011-05-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

The fourth issue of Pj Perez's Omega Comics Presents series gets a nice review from Ain't It Cool News. They like us...they really like us!

HOPE-fully, we'll get a good review

2011-05-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice review of HOPE: THE HERO INITIATIVE, from Ronin Studios. Jason Moser and I contributed a two pager called Breaking The Ice.

OCP #3 review

2011-05-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Nice review of the book right here.

Broken fence, beady eyes...

2011-05-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a panel from a short story that the amazing Wes Bernick (www.wesleybernick.com) and I are working on. More details will follow, of course, but for now...note the broken fence and the beady eyes in the background.

Something tells me our main character is in store for some unpleasantness.

Smith

2011-05-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Getting my copy of RASL 1 signed.
(Toronto 2011)

coming soon

2011-05-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is the variant cover for Sky Watcher 1 from Red Leaf Comics. It's a monthly book with four serialized stories, including mine.

Gryfalcon: Power Play (a four part serial)
Written by me (Dino)
Illustrated by Francisco Paronzini
Lettered by Ed Brisson
Variant cover by Sami Kivela

More details, as always, coming soon.

Setting The Table

2011-05-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the table set-up I used for the Toronto Wizard Con in March. Paul Quinn was sharing space with me, and there was plenty of it. We were able to spread out and show off our books.

I'm thinking that Fan Expo might be a bit tighter...

Omega Comics Presents #4

2011-03-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here's some information about Omega Comics Presents #4...the latest installment of PJ Perez's anthology project, which contains within a short story by Sam Agro and myself.

Click here to read.

Brom Kah!

2011-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sam Agro and I are contributing a story to Garrett Adderley's Brom Kah epic. Our story focuses on Vespero, the great mystic investigator. It's called THE INITIATION.

Click here to check out the first page of our story...http://bromkah.blogspot.com/2011/03/vespero-short.html

Take a look at the rest of the site while you're there. There are some great previews of the project for you to take a look at.

Sam and I are hopefully going to be able to announce some great news in the near future, but that's a post for another day.

Interview

2011-02-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

John Helmer, of Comic Book Interview Dot Com, interviews me right here.

Sneak Peek

2011-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a little peek at something Sami and I (with Ed Brisson on letters) put together.

More details to follow, of course...

Red Handed

2011-02-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

Little bit of cool news in this update from Cary Kelley, head honcho of Red Handed Studios.

Congrats!

2011-02-02T16:32:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to some of my AofV bandmates...Ed Brisson was nominated for a Joe Shuster award for his work in webcomics...Fiona Staples was nominated in two categories, including "cover artist" (AofV was used as a prime example of her awesome work).

Good luck guys...I'm rooting for ya!

1) Ed's webcomics

2) Fiona's site

3) Full list of nominations

4) Article about Fiona which mentions AofV

Another FISK Review

2011-01-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

Blog Monster, the review site for Evil Genius Comics, gives FISK: S.U.B.S.T.I.T.U.T.E HERO a nice review.

Click here to check it out.

Kagemono news

2011-01-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a really nice review of Kagemono: Tooth and Claw (which contained a story written by me and illustrated by Jeff Womack) from Scary Minds.

The newest edition of Jason Franks' Kagemono is presently available. I was fortunate enough to have two of my stories included in this impressive new volume. Worth Dying For was illustrated by Antonio Goulart. Hell of a Good Price was illustrated by Lou Manna. Check the Blackglass Press website for more details.

FISK reviewed

2011-01-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

From The Tomb gave FISK the "thumbs up".

Decapitated Dan had this to say:

In all honesty this book was a lot of fun. It does what any good intro issue should do, by introducing the reader to the cast and giving them a little back story. The action in this book was probably the highlight though. I think that what I was able to walk away with was some mystery and definitely some intrigue into wanting to read the next issue for sure.

Some more details about HOPE: THE HERO INITIATIVE

2011-01-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Direct from the Ronin Studios' website...

Interviews

2010-12-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

In the new year, I'm going to begin a weekly interview column at the Crystal Fractal Comics news blog. I'll be chatting with a variety of creators and focusing on process and background (and anything else that I find interesting). I've always enjoyed reading creator interviews in magazines such as THE COMICS JOURNAL, COMICS SCENE, WRITE NOW and ALTER EGO, and I'm hopeful that these will be just as informative. I've got a few interviews already in the can, so the scheduling should be pretty consistent for the first few months at least...

More information as it becomes available...

Alternate cover sketches

2010-12-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some ideas for an alternate cover that Francisco ran by me...

OUTCAST cover

2010-12-19T04:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek at the cover for OUTCAST...written by me, illustrated by Sami Kivela, coloured by Paul Little, lettered by Ed Brisson.

Grim

2010-12-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

Lou Manna (art) and I (story) have a 4 pager called KILLER PROMOTIONS in Grim Crew Presents: Dead Future #6.

What's the tagline? Ummm...how about "Night Of The Living Dead meets Mad Men".

Yeah, that'll do...

A couple of reviews for your pleasure...

http://comics.cosmicbooknews.com/content/review-grim-crew-presents-dead-future-6

and

http://forums.projectfanboy.com/showthread.php?t=8118

Check out Grim Crew's website right here.

HOPE: THE HERO INITIATIVE

2010-12-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Here's the cover for HOPE: THE HERO INITIATIVE. This project has been in production for quite a while, and I'm thrilled that it'll be out soon. Jason Moser and I are honoured to be involved with this anthology.

Ronin Studios' description of the project...

With over 180 pages and over 40 of today's hottest up-and-coming creators and established professionals, the stories in this anthology range from dramatic to humorous, from the super-heroic to the super-normal, all with the same theme: hope. All profits benefit The Hero Initiative, which provides a financial safety net for comic creators who many need emergency medical aid, financial support for life's necessities, and an avenue back to paying work.

And lastly, here's the trailer...

Ordering information
December Previews
Code: DEC10 1038

New Mystery Project...part 5

2010-11-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

Francisco draws some creepy looking bad guys, huh?

The Shadow Man

2010-11-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

Another fave from the Twilight Zone remake...

These two stories (this one and I, Newton) always inspire me when I'm working on short stories. Characters and setting are quickly and efficiently set up, and there's a nice little twisty ending. Lots of fun!

The Shadow Man, part 1

The Shadow Man, part 2

I of Newton

2010-11-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

This was always one of my favourite episodes of the new Twilight Zone series.

New Mystery Project...part 4

2010-11-15T03:27:00.001-08:00

Gryfalcon!

New Mystery Project...part 3

2010-11-14T02:31:00.000-08:00

It's awesome getting sketches from Francisco. Here's another shot of the detectives:

Some of Antonio's previous credits include a story in Star Wars Tales (Dark Horse), Legion (IDW) and a Cinnamon mini-series from DC.

New Mystery Project...part 2

2010-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Here's another character sketch (again by Francisco) to whet the appetite.

I love the character sketches that we've seen thus far. There'll be another one tomorrow, but the sketch I'm looking forward to showing the most is the one of the costume.

Costume? What costume?

Stay tuned...

And also, be sure to check out the publisher, Red Leaf Comics.

Red Leaf's website has some very cool content...for example, there are some great covers for The Leaf #1 to peruse.

New Mystery Project...part 1

2010-11-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

Over the next few days, I'm going to roll out some sketches and some early information about a project that I'm really having a lot of fun with. Here are some pics of the supporting cast, illustrated by the fantastic Francisco Paronzini.

Another clue...? Red Leaf Comics.

Kagemono: Flowers and Skulls

2010-11-11T03:30:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to announce that I've got two stories in the next installment of Jason Franks' outstanding Kagemono series from Blackglass Press.

Hell Of A Good Price, with art from Lou Manna and letters by Jason Franks, is about ticket scalping experience gone devilishly wrong. (I'll have another announcement soon about a second project from Lou and I.)

Worth Dying For is a cautionary tale with a Twilight Zoney vibe. Antonio Goulart is the illustrator, and Jason Franks again handles the lettering chores. (Last year, Antonio and I collaborated on another short story that still hasn't seen the light of day...more info on that as the project develops.)

Here's a link to the Blackglass site where you can get the scoop directly from Jason and check out all of the other fine contributors.

Needless to say, I'll keep you posted on the release date.

Heske

2010-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Robert Heske (writer, editor and publisher of 2012: Final Prayer) and Decapitated Dan have a great podcast interview right here. It's very entertaining, but in addition to that...there's some great insight and tips on the process of putting together indie comics. I enjoyed their chat a lot.

And while you're at it, check out this link for more info on Robert's newest project...and indie horror movie called Unrest.

The Phoenix Has Landed

2010-10-23T11:42:00.001-07:00

SURVIVAL STORIES, the first anthology from The Sleepless Phoenix, is ready. It made its debut last week in England at BICS and has generated a lot of positive response.

Gary O'Donnell and I have an 8 page story called HOPE in the project. It's been a long time coming, and I'm super excited to have my copies in hand.

There's a blog right here where you can follow along with the book's progress.

Bell Boy

2010-10-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Simon Fernandes (my collaborator on OLGA) and I have an infrequenlty updated, yet consistently entertaining webcomic called The Adventures of Bell Boy.

Here's the link: http://bell-boy.ca/

The premise is pretty simple...grade two student Saul Goode turns into a superhero every time the recess bell rings...or, at least...he thinks he does. Hijinks then follow.

If you'd like to follow along from the beginning, click here. I've tried to include a running commentary in the "comments" section for each one of the strips.

And while you're at it, take a look at Simon's other very cool webstrip. It's right here.

I will survive

2010-10-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

More details coming soon, but for now...a pretty cool looking cover, huh?

2012 revisited

2010-10-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of neat links related to 2012: Final Prayer (last year's anthology which contains a story by the Caruso/Kivela team called Hollow Victory)...

Robert Heske, publisher and editor of the book, is interviewed on Fanboy Buzz episode 20. Click here to listen.

Over at the Comic Monsters podcast (episode 7), listen in as 2012 gets a great mention in a comprehensive review of horror anthologies.

Finally, here's some information about Robert's new horror flick, "Unrest".

Psyche

2010-09-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

My good friend Simon Fernandes has an awesome webcomic called SUPERVILLAIN PSYCHE. He was gracious enough to let me play in his sandbox and co-write a strip with him. You can see the results of our collaboration here.

The New Recruit

2010-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some preview images from a story called Recruiting The Emmisary. I wrote it and I was once again thrilled to be teamed up with artist Daniel Bertucci, who did the linework.

This story will appear in Dr. Twilight: The Crossing issue 2. Check here for details about the release date.

And of course, big thanks to editor Derrek Lennox for making it all happen!

Survival

2010-09-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Busy summer, but back to the routine now...

I'll have a few updates coming soon about some upcoming anthology stories.

But first, here's a link to some information about a project called Survival Stories.

This project was to originally have been a volume in the Layer Zero series from Insomnia Publications. However, when Insomnia folded, the project evolved into its current form.

Gary O'Donnell and I have a story in the project called HOPE. It's kind of a cross between Battlefield Earth and Bend-It-Like-Beckham.

No, really.

What?

Audio/Visual

2010-06-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

AoV gets a really nice review from The A.V. Club.
It's right here. Scroll down a bit to find it.

The Atomic Age

2010-06-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Some nice comments about AoV from Atomic Books in Baltimore.

Click.

Review

2010-06-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Acts Of Violence gets another good review here.

Reading With Pictures

2010-06-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

The READING WITH PICTURES anthology is in the June Diamond catalog.

The order number is JUN10 1096; SRP is $17.99.

It'll arrive in stores August 4.

The book features a short story written by me and illustrated by Dave Windett.

Check out the awesome cover by Jill Thompson.

How Bizarre

2010-06-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'm very honoured to have a story appearing in Skipper Martin's Bizarre New World anthology. It's called Soar Spot.

The Flying Simmons Brothers are a trapeze act a little past their prime. They’re a traveling act that mostly plays to houses at 25% capacity. And now that people can fly…well, is anyone gonna come at all?

The art will be provided by Daniel Panero Bertucci, my collaborator on several projects for Crystal Fractal Comics. I can't wait to see how Daniel depicts a world where human flight is commonplace.

Here's a link to Skipper's BNW website, specifically the section on webcomics. You can get a sneak-peek at some of the other stories slated for the anthology.

Here's the link to the main BNW site. It's a great series...definitely worth checking out!

My Year In Crime

2010-06-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

Acts Of Violence gets another nice review here.

We also scored a mention on The Rack!

Lastly, writer and letterer Ed Brisson (also of AoV fame), has a new site for his short crime stories. It's called Murder Book. The first story is called Catching Up. It's illustrated by Simon Roy. Really good stuff there...check it out.

Nice review

2010-06-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

There's a good review for Acts Of Violence here.

The book features four hard-boiled crime stories, including The Six O'Clock Noose, written by me and illustrated by Marvin Mann.

That's four posts in four consecutive days. Can I possibly keep up this blistering pace??

Omega Man

2010-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

P.J. Perez, the man behind Pop! Goes The Icon, is very shortly releasing OMEGA COMICS PRESENTS #2.

J. Korim and I have a three page story in the book called Door-To-Door. I love P.J.'s blurb for it...

“Door to Door” by Dino Caruso and J. Korim: Lawyers on Call is there for you — whether or not you want ‘em!

Marvin Mann, my collaborator on several other projects, also has a story in this issue. He and Russell Lissau have teamed up to bring you a cool tale called "Greedy".

This is going to be an awesome book. Click here for info on how to get yourself one...or two...maybe three copies. While you're there, check out some of P.J.'s other projects...some very fine work indeed...

The doctor is in...

2010-05-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

My three "zero issue" chapters for Crystal Fractal Comics have been collected in the first issue of DR. TWILIGHT: THE CROSSING...awesome cover shown below.

The book is a showcase for short stories that give deeper insights into the history of the Crystal Fractal Universe. Work on issue two is already underway. Another of my stories, which shows how Doctor Twilight and Sebastian recruited the Emissary all those years ago, has been illustrated by frequent collaborator and all-around-fine fellow - Daniel Panero Bertucci.

Here's a sneak peek...

This story, which was tentatively titled "The Emissary Meets His Match" will appear in the second issue of the book. Check back here and at the Crystal Fractal website (www.crystalfractals.com) for all the latest news...

Yeah, but where are the pictures?

2010-05-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

My prose story, IN VINO VERITAS, was accepted to an anthology called Pulp Empire. And true to the title, yeah, it prominently features a bottle of wine.

From the publishers...
Pulp Empire has one goal and that is to recreate the greatness of classic pulp fiction through a web magazine and print journal. Pulp fiction encompasses multiple genres from crime fiction to sci-fi to heroic fantasy to westerns to so much more. The goal is to make great narrative fiction with a strong pulp sensibility. We want action. We want excitement. We don’t want character studies. We don’t want tales of normal every day life.

Check it out here.

Great idea!

2010-04-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

Paul Houston and I have a short story (titled GAS PAINS) included in issue 6 of IF-X, from the Hamtrack Idea Men.

Here's the link.