Hey read this...
SUN, 4/11/04, 7:35 a.m. - In Response To: Well at least we won't have Marvel ads... (~Adam)

So while ultimately, I agree with Larson's statement about how it would have been cooler if Marvel invented some NEW creator owned titles to launch their imprint instead of "cherry picking" the best from Image, it's good to hear that the format won't suffer because of it. I breathed a huge sigh of relief after reading that it won't have ads, and will have a huge letter column. (Though I still think Kabuki could be even better by being published oversized with matt finish cardstock covers and really thick glossy paper.)

Though, I'm sure I'm not alone by thinking Kabuki might lose something by becoming more "mainstream"...like when you've listened to a band for years and then you see them on TRL or your parents start listening to them or something. I dunno, that's probably a stretch, but I just hate to think of Kabuki, one of my favorite comics ever, as just another "Marvel" book. But that's me.

It is soooo not mainstream. And it doesn't look like any other book on the market. Let alone any other at Marvel

Thanks Adam. These are still our books. Our ads, our letters, our design, our content, our own personal nonsense.

This isn't TRL. That would be when there is an article about us in Wizard  or when we stop by to do a radio or tv interview.

This is like a film being distributed by Newline instead of Universal.
It still gets to the theaters. Have you ever not seen a film because it was distributed by Universal? Does anyone say, "I only see films distributed by NewLine" ?

You have to admit, that is ridiculous. Do you not buy music from a band when it leaves Giffen and becomes distributed by Sony?
That's silly. All you care about is if the CD is good or not, or something you want to listen to.

Will have more info soon...

Hi David!

We're thrilled and honored to have you returning to Atlanta ComiCon this year! It's hard to believe we're already in our fourth year.

We wanted to ask if you would mind participating in a panel at the show. Slotted for 11:00 to Noon on Saturday, the panel is titled "Kabuki - Ten Years and Beyond", and will focus on the milestone Ten Year Anniversary of your creation. You can fill people in on the inspiration and aspirations for Kabuki, as well as any future plans or projects.

We also want to invite you to participate in our sketch jam to raise funds for our Guest of Honor, legendary illustrator Jeffrey Jones.
We will be holding a sketch jam party in Jeffrey's honor Friday evening at the Holiday Inn, beginning at 8:00. We are offering a maximum of 50 sheets of bristol for a donation of $25 per sheet, to be sketched on by all the artists in attendance. All profits from the event will be donated to Jeffrey on behalf of Atlanta ComiCon and Gaijin Studios, as well as all the generous creators in attendance. There is also a bar and restaurant in the lobby of the hotel, so we're making it a sort of impromptu pre-con party. If you arrive in time Friday, we'd be happy to include you.

There is also a "Karaoke for Charity" con party Saturday evening, beginning at 8. It is a Halloween themed party, so feel free to let your fans know to come out in full Kabuki dress!

Please let us know if you need anything to make your appearance at Atlanta ComiCon this year more enjoyable.

We're looking forward to seeing you next weekend!

Best,
Thom Trainor

will david mack be attending wizard world in philadelphia this year? i saw nothing mentioned on the website, but i still have hopes.

please....

I will be at the Pittsburgh Comicon at the end of April.
Best,
David

David,
the con is still in Gwinnett - the same site it has been. We've switched host hotels, to the Holiday Inn Gwinnett on Sugarloaf Parkway. The hours are Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 6 PM.

Here's a blurb from our message board regarding the sketch jam party if you'd like to use it:

"The Atlanta ComiCon Sketch Jam for Charity to benefit legendary illustrator Jeffrey Jones will take place Friday, April 16 at the Holiday Inn Gwinnett (6310 Sugarloaf Pkwy) at 8:00 PM. A maximum of 50 sheets of bristol will be made available for a donation of $25 per sheet, profits from which will be donated directly to Jeffrey Jones.

Artists scheduled to participate so far include Humberto Ramos, Ragnar, Mark Brooks, Mike Kunkel, Eric Powell, Ken Meyer, Jr., Gaijin Studios (Cully Hamner, Adam Hughes, Joe Pruett, Kelsey Shannon, Brian Stelfreeze, and Karl Story) and Dave Cook. We should be adding a few more names as the week goes on. This a fantastic opportunity to support one of the industry's top talents, and take home an amazing one-of-a-kind collectible at the same time. We will take a very limited number of reservations before the show, then all remaining sheets will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve a sheet, email Thom Trainor at and include the subject line "Sketch Jam Reservation". Even if you have no plans to participate in the Sketch Jam, we invite you to come out and mingle at this impromptu pre-con party. The Holiday Inn has a great lobby, with a fireplace and plenty of lounging area. There is an outdoor deck off the lobby, and a bar and restaurant in the lobby, as well. We hope to see you there!"

I will post a message that says "David Mack is hoping to participate, depending on his arrival in town Friday evening". I'm going to have a few people in this same situation. Of course, it will probably go on well into the night, so we'll play it by ear.

It was simply wonderful having you, Anh Thu and Andy here! I just got back to NYC! It's crazy how I was sitting on your futon in KY just a few hours ago having some festive conversations over Merlot, diet coke with lime and Anh Thu's scrumptious munchies. Oh, I laughed so hard earlier tonight.  Anh Thu - You are so lovely...thank you for everything!

It was so fun at your place in NYC, and was great for you to drop by our place again as well!

I have lots of drawings of you now for my next published sketchbook and for my next art show!

You were so funny last night  You, Theresa, and Anh Thu were so fun together!

You are always welcome at our place. Wether to discuss... things, draw, or watch... Things! HaHa!
It was a delight as always...

Best,
David

You don't have to tell me the publisher, or even when KABUKI: THE ALCHEMY #1 will be coming out. Right now all I need to know (because of a subscription service I'm trying to get out of) is whether or not orders for K:TA #1 will be cancelled and the book resolicited for July or later. I'm switching services and I don't want to lose KABUKI in the transition. If K:TA #1 is going to be resolicited in the next PREVIEWS or later, I'll be in the clear. Thanks in advance and you do great work!

Going to post it here as well as the Bendis BB, since I don't know if Mack will be able to find it there later.

Anywho, two questions. You said Alchemy is going to be kind of like Meta? I haven't read anything really about it, so I'm not sure if that is correct. Also, I'm sure I'm going to read Scarab before July, but is it something that should be read prior to Alchemy?

RangerChic

Besides, Scarab ties in with Meta in several ways and will enrich your reading experience of Meta.

Alchemy continues where Meta leaves off. But it has very universal themes that should resonate with anyone wether they have read other Kabuki or not. It is mostly about the physics of finding your role in life and the principles of succeeding in that role, and how to find our what carreer or role in life is for you.

Feel free to cut and past to the Bendis board

Glad you liked Meta, let me know what you think when you re-read it.

Hey there goat cheese gang! I just dropped by to say hi to everyone. Dave, I showed a couple of my friends the drawings you made of me, and one tried to steal it and hang it on his wall. Needless to say, I beat him down to the ground and said...NO Bueno! Anyways, I wanted to say THANK YOU to you Anh for having Vicky and I over and being such great hosts that night. Everything from the wine to all the great munchies, to the endless laughing we had and staying up till morning just to sketch me. I can now say that i was sketched by a famous artist, that sounds so surreal to me. haha! Hope all is well and hope to see all of you soon

Tiny Tunes

I recieved mine today.
They look great. And fit great

The logo on the real shirts is straight on. It is not tilted like the jpg image of the shirts.

Which is good cause that is how I drew it on a character in one of the new issues who happens to be wearing a Gai-Jeans shirt

It looks very cool like it is a cool brand name of clothing. It cracks me up every time.

David,
and Twocool,
Thanks for the pics and info!

It is shipping right after Alchemy 1 comes out!

And the sickle replica comes out a couple months after that.

I asked my retailer to order this for me today and he said it was unavailable. I was hoping to wear it in front of the Japanese students at my school before they move back to Japan in two weeks.

Check Graffiti's website and e-mail them that you want one.
I'm sure they can help.
DM

If you want the Scarab action figure, and KABUKI: the Alchemy #1, Please ask your retailer to order it from this upcoming Previews catalogue.

How exciting! Bendis art in Kabuki!  I will be picking up both covers along with both issues of Powers. I'm tempted to order a Scarab figure as well...

RangerChic

They come with all kinds of cool accessories. Including the panda from the story.
And Scarab has a lot more points of articulation than the Kabuki figure had.

i'm am so so so sorry. Please tell Akemi not to be mad at me. She will love the surprise I have for her. She can see it by coming to this board in two weeks. Please don't call the cops.

Well,
I don't have a fixed method for it. Each project and each issue usually developes its own way.

Often i work on several pages at once.

Or when doing one page at a time, it still turns out to be several at once. When doing one page at a time, I try to do the best I can for that page in one day. I do as much as I can figure out for that day.
I know the page isn't 100% done. Maybe 90%, or maybe 50%. But I did as much as I can figure out for it at that time.

Then I set it aside and the next day I just move on to the next page.
Then after having a good percentage of the work done on each and every page, I can see how all the pages fit together.
That is when I know what to do to all the pages to make them work.

This is sort of the most fun part. Because it all comes together, and then I work on all the pages at once. I can spend another two weeks on all the pages at once making them work as a whole and try to tweak to the rhythm of the story. I might change the order of the pages, because one page looks better next to another and has a better effect than my previous plan. or I may move panels around. Or re-write things. Or add panel, or ad different media for contrast at this stage.

And some times I work scene by scene. One scene at a time.

Most of the time for Kabuki, I make rough layouts of each of the pages in the entire issue before I begin doing anything more detailed. I sort of draw it all out, but not in a detailed way. A very crude way just to map it out. That can take a couple days to a couple weeks. It is really when I am figuring out the storytelling style of the issue. The pace and rythm of it. Sort of like writing music.
After that, I go page by page like I said before. I put all of the pages upright on the wall surrounding me as I work. This way, I can come back to some in the morning with a fresh perspective and see what it needs that I couldn't see when I moved on from it to the next one.
And when I have all of the pages mostly done, I come back to them and fit them together. This almost always involves changing the order of the pages, and rewriting the story to accomodate that.
I don't have to do this in black and white, but from the first painted book I did, I've always had to switch the order. The colors add such a different dimension to the story. So while one order worked in the layouts without color, the color adds something else, that I have to switch the pages for maximum contrast and effect. Otherwise, some pages can cancel each other out if the color or mediums are similar and they are facing each other. And likewise, one page can look twice as good if it is next to another one that compliments its colors and media and texture with contrast.

I did the first issue of Echo this way too. But the remaining issues, I did not have time to map it out first. I just went page to page, without mapping out the entire book in layouts first.

Just the first page, the best I could think. Then the next one off of that and so on without seeing how the pages are mapped out. It was a fun change.

When doing Kabuki, I like to have 2 months for each issue to accomodate, the whole thing including lettering, letters collumns and design.

With Echo, I did the first issue in 2 months. But the rest of the issues, I had to do in closer to one month each. Thus the new method. And I didn't have to do all the production work with Echo.

Hope that helps!