The BODY BAGS: ONE SHOT has finally arrived and so far the response has been fantastic! Thanks for all the emails and kind words…it means a lot to both Jason and me that you feel this comic was worth the wait. Here is the first review, from Hannibal Tabu at CBR:
Body Bags One Shot: Automatic Jump from the Read Pile.
Best comic of the week, hands down. Jason Pearson really, really needs to be doing this more regularly -- with only a few panels to make it right, he introduces the lead characters Panda and Clownface while setting up the scenario for ... well, what's actually happening here is kind of weird as well, but it does cast a whole new light on the assassin-filled world, especially in a post-"Wanted" industry. Given that Pearson's a self-contained one stop shop, providing story and art (with really good coloring from Dave Stewart), this is an even bigger accomplishment -- essentially a killer action movie in your hand, a thick and substantial 44 pages of pulse-pounding, gun-toting action for six bucks. The wonderful callbacks that Pearson uses, stringing in elements from earlier into the work at a later point, even to the point of poeticism, is excellent, and a treasure like this comic is really something to be thankful for.
October 16, 2008
Hey all! The first review of 13 CHAMBERS is up at Newsarama, done by Troy Brownfield:
"Recently, Newsarama spoke with the creator and writer of this series, Christopher "Mink" Morrison, and he explained what it was all about. Well, I read the first issue this week and I'm interested in how it will play out. "Chambers" is a western set in an alternate history during 1860's. In this universe, thirteen U.S. marshals, each carrying a high-tech 13-chambered pistol, have been enforcing the law until a new president deemed the weapons too dangerous. 13 Chambers is the point of view from the 13th Marshall, who was assigned to retrieve the other weapons and return them to President Jackson so they could be archived. All is going according to plan, until the Marshall arrives in a town known as Four Corners, where a tyrannic mining tycoon named York has killed the 12th Marshall and stolen one of the Peace Keeper pistols. Now, the Marshall must retrieve the pistol and bring the tyrant to justice...or die trying.
The issue starts off with a diagram of what one of the Peace Keeper pistols looks like. Beautifully drawn by Matthias Haddad, it shows how the chambers work with the multiple triggers on the handle. Denis Medri's style resembles a mix between modern artists Mark Brooks and J. Scott Campbell. Amazingly drawn figures as well as solid panels, complemented by Romina Denti's coloring skill, makes for one spectacular looking book. The first issue establishes the tone pretty well. A classic Western tale, similar to Michael Fleisher's run on Jonah Hex, with a little bit of Indiana Jones sprinkled in.
The line between good and evil is drawn pretty well here. The hero is tough and handsome, the villain is sinister and resembles a combination of Voldemort from "Harry Potter" and Tex Hex from BraveStarr, making it easy to read and recommend. Perhaps I'm slightly biased, being a fan of the western genre, but I really appreciated this book and I am looking forward to what this title brings to the table. With the market saturated with tie-ins and continuity-heavy books, 13 Chambers is a pleasant addition to anyone's pull box.
Just a quick FYI: The BODY BAGS: ONE SHOT is out of our hands and on the way to the printer. Make sure to reserve your copy today, because this title is always under ordered and always sells out. I’ll update you with an exact ship date as soon as I have one, but this book will ship in November unless something beyond our control goes down.
September 24, 2008
Way too long with no updates…sorry about that folks. As you may have heard, the BODY BAGS: ONE SHOT is finally complete and solicited. In fact, we’ll be turning the book into the printer in under two weeks. This makes me a very happy man! Jason has done a few interviews with new preview art over the last few days. Check them out here and here.
July 21, 2008
12 Gauge Comics blasts into Comic-Con 2008!
Eisner-Winning colorist and special guest Dave Stewart will be at our booth coloring pages from the highly anticipated (and soon to be released) BODY BAGS: ONE SHOT! Don’t miss this very unique Comic-Con experience, as you can watch one of the most celebrated colorists in the industry perform his magic!
Creators signing throughout the show include:
Steven Grant and Victor Riches (THE SAFEST PLACE) Mink (DUST, 13 CHAMBERS) Doug Wagner (THE RIDE) Jason Pearson (BODY BAGS) David Atchison (THE O.C.T.) Davide Fabbri (DUST) Jason Latour (LOOSE ENDS) Cully Hamner (THE RIDE) *Sunday only
Be sure to stop by early and get your THE SAFEST PLACE t-shirt…FREE with every purchase of THE SAFEST PLACE OGN, while supplies last!
We’ll also have previews of new books and cool freebies, exclusively at the 12 Gauge Comics booth, #2547. See you there!
June 18, 2008
The 12 Gauge crew is heading to HEROESCON! This year we’ll be joined by special guests Chris Brunner, Jason Latour and Rico Renzi; the creative team behind the upcoming LOOSE ENDS. We’ve printed up a nice preview ashcan that will debut at the show, so be sure to stop and take a look at the amazing pages Chris has been knocking out of the park.
Jason, Doug, Cully, Brian and I will be there, as well as David Atchison and Tony Shasteen. Look for all of us in the 12 Gauge Comics/Gaijin Studios island.
Can’t wait to see all of you this year!
June 17, 2008
We’ve had a busy week! Last Wednesday THE RIDE VOL II trade was released. This Wednesday you’ll find the DUST VOL 1 trade and THE SAFEST PLACE OGN at finer comic shops across the country. Make sure to give the books a look!
May 22, 2008
THE SAFEST PLACE should have been in your hands by now, but it was delayed at the printer and is currently on a slow boat headed across the ocean. We took great pains to ship this book on the day we promised. 100% of the OGN was finished and sitting on the Image ftp when the book was solicited. I’ve been very open and honest about the times a book has shipped late because of us, but this is not one of those times. As I understand it we’re looking at a mid-June shelf date. I hope this won’t deter any of you from picking up the first ever 12 Gauge OGN. It is a really good read and I’m looking forward to getting it in your hands—I don’t think you’ll be disappointed
April 19, 2008
In an effort to raise awareness and create new fans, we’ve placed the first two issues of THE RIDE on Wowio.com --- and you can download and read them for free! If you aren’t familiar with Wowio, it is a place where you can download all kinds of books and comics to your computer free of charge (and read them over and over). Go here and register for an account. Once you are approved, just go search for ‘THE RIDE’ and it should pull right up. It is a pretty simple process and it helps guys like us continue to do what we do by putting a little cash in our pockets. Please give it a try and tell a few friends. If the demand is there we’ll offer more and more books down the line.
March 6, 2008
International Action Thriller THE SAFEST PLACE COMES from Image & 12 Gauge in May
Birmingham, AL (March 6, 2008) – “CHINATOWN meets BABEL - THE SAFEST PLACE is a hard-edged, modern-day mystery that will pull you across the globe, riding shotgun with a war photographer who's sucked into the world he's only photographed.” – Geoff Johns
There will be no safe place in May when the explosive graphic novel, THE SAFEST PLACE hits the stands! Legendary comic creators, Steven Grant (THE PUNISHER) and Tom Mandrake (BATMAN), team-up with new scribe, Victor Riches, to redefine the genre of action-thriller graphic novels with this harrowing, intense tale. 12 Gauge President Keven Gardner said, “Producing our first original graphic novel has been quite an undertaking, but the payoff has been worth the effort. We knew this had to be a homerun, and the creative team really answered the call. I’m very proud to say that all 112 pages of the novel have been delivered to the printer and look fantastic!”
THE SAFEST PLACE follows war photographer Matthew Castle, who suffered a brutal event in his past that closed him off emotionally, but granted him a special gift: He cannot feel physical pain.
Allied with a beautiful, but secretive news reporter, Matthew uses his unique ability to track down the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy San Francisco family. His daring journey leads him to the Sudan, where a brutal showdown with the girl’s sadistic father pushes Matthew to the brink. Forced to confront his past, not only is the kidnapped child’s safety at stake, but Matthew’s sanity as well.
“This was a unique opportunity for me to experiment with a tough, gritty, black and white style. I'm very excited about both the project and the results!” said illustrator Tom Mandrake, who has taken his art to a new level with the strikingly rendered battles of a good person coming face-to-face with man’s inhumanity to man.
The prose by Grant and Riches captures the suspenseful mood of Matthew’s struggles and the psychological impact of shifting oneself from removed witness to active savior. “It's rare to come across a genuinely new sort of action hero,” Grant said, “but Victor came up with one, and it was great fun to go all Robert Ludlum on him, to structure it as an actual novel, and to cut loose with a terrific, complex thriller and a villain just as interesting as the hero.”
The graphic novel will be released on May 14, 2008 by Image Comics and 12 Gauge Comics, with a retail price of $12.99. It is available for pre-order at comic book stores with Diamond order code MAR082078 and all book stores with ISBN #978-1-58240-943-6
February 23, 2008
Our good friend Tomm Coker’s (THE RIDE: THE KEY TO SURVIVAL) first feature film hits DVD this week. It’s called CATACOMBS and comes from Lions Gate and Twisted Pictures. It isn’t very often that a comic book creator gets a shot at writing and directing a feature film, so please run out and buy or rent a copy ASAP. If you’re a horror fan I think you’ll really enjoy the film and the DVD has a great commentary with Tomm, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Here’s a quick description and trailer:
In CATACOMBS, the new hair-raising thriller from the producers of the hit film SAW, Victoria (Shannyn Sossamon, star of "A Knight's Tale") heads to City of Lights to visit her wild sister Carolyn (Alecia Moore a/k/a music superstar Pink).
One night, Victoria is swept into the Parisian underground rave scene, literally under ground into the city's Catacombs. It is here--among the bodies of the dead which have rested undisturbed for centuries--that the easily frightened Victoria finds herself lost in the darkness, pursued by someone or something more terrifying than she could have ever imagined...
February 20, 2008
In case you missed the news a while back, Jason Pearson’s Clown Face and Panda are now action figures, thanks to the Marvel Toys’ Legendary Comic Book Heroes line. Jason worked with the Toy Biz guys on this from day one and approved everything associated with his characters; from the sculpting and the paint colors, all the way to the scale and packaging art. Jason is thrilled with how they turned out and hopefully you will be as well.
We’ve scored a few boxes of the toys and have put them up for sale right here. Jason is autographing and drawing head sketches of both Mack and Panda on each set, so if you want a really cool BODY BAGS collectible, this might be the thing for you.
February 14, 2008
Good news! Mr. Stelfreeze finished up his last page of THE RIDE: DIE VALKYRIE #3 a few weeks ago and it is sitting at the printer. It looks like it will be in stores the first Wednesday in March (possibly sooner). Preview pages are available on The Ride page, or click here to view them directly.
January 21, 2008
THE AMORY WARS #5 is on the shelves and it wraps up the first volume of this Sci-Fi epic. It was quite a ride for all of us at 12 Gauge. The fans of Coheed and Cambria are rabid and it has been great to see their enthusiasm for this project. Hopefully some of those fans have jumped on the 12 Gauge bandwagon as well.
This was the first time our little company was part of creating a comic series for someone other than ourselves. It was a great learning process for me and one that is going to help 12 Gauge as it continues to grow as a company.
Now for the ‘news’ portion of the blog: 12 Gauge and Evil Ink (Claudio’s publishing company) have parted ways. We fulfilled our end of the contract and the folks at Evil Ink have decided to produce the next arc of THE AMORY WARS in-house. As I understand it, the creative team will remain the same and new comics will be on the way soon. There are no hard feelings…it was simply a business decision.
I would like to thank Claudio for the faith in 12 Gauge. I’d also like to thank the entire creative team and the hard working people at Evil Ink.
To all the AMORY WARS fans, thanks for the support! I’m sure many of you have experienced comics for the first time because of Claudio Sanchez. My hope is that some (if not all) of you will become fans of this medium and the amazing stories that are here for you to enjoy.
All the best!
December 18, 2007
We’ve got a new project in the works called LOOSE ENDS. It is written by Jason Latour, with art by Chris Brunner (you may remember him from his critically acclaimed THE RIDE Volume 1 TP story ‘Language Barrier’) and colors by Rico Renzi. I usually don’t start talking about something this early in production, but the art is just too cool not to share.
It will be a gritty crime drama set in the south…and I guess that is about all I should say for now.
I just got off the phone with Stelfreeze and he has two of the pages we’re waiting on out of the way…looks like some light at the end of the tunnel. We should have this one to the printer at the first of the New Year. I’ll keep you posted.
October 27, 2007
Great interview with Tomm Coker over at Newsarama.
Big thanks to Chris Arrant for putting this together:
TAKING A HOLLOWEEN RIDE: TALKING TO TOMM
COKER by
Chris Arrant
Moses Christian is the kind of guy your mom warned
you about as a kid… with good reason.
In the first ever horror tale in the Ride saga,
cartoonist Tomm Coker has produced a chilling one-shot
titled "The Key To Survival". Publisher
12 Gauge Comics' solicitation text says it best, "A
young woman is kidnapped—bound, gagged and
fearing for her life. Her captor is a deranged man
named Moses, looking to satisfy his burning desire
to kill. Can she outsmart this maniac before he succeeds?"
If you like great comics, then you should've heard
of Tomm Coker by now. His career in comics began
in the early nineties working on such books as Gen
13: Bootleg, Nightfall: The Black
Chronicles and the talent he showed from
the beginning blossomed on later books such as The
Monolith and Stormwatch: Team Achilles and
the creator-owned series Blood & Water with
writer Judd Winick. But comics weren't his only career;
he's spent his time in Hollywood doing storyboards
for Men In Black, The Watcher, The
Mummy. After his first live-action short
film "A Day Between" won several awards
on the festival circuit, Coker was hand-picked to
direct a feature film entitled Catacombs which
is scheduled for release in 2008.
But now he's back, with this Ride one-shot
under his belt and a Moon Knight special
coming soon from Marvel. With The Ride: Halloween
Special currently in stores, we caught up
with him for a chat about this comic.
Newsarama: Let's get right to it, Tomm. The story centers
around a social misfit known as Moses who kidnaps a girl and takes her home.
Moses is a bit of a religious nut, to say the least. Can you tell us about
him?
Tomm Coker: I think that a lot of people would take offense
to the term “religious nut”.
Just because Moses is a hard working, salt of the
Earth type guy that believes in taking care of his
family, has a strong moral code and puts his faith
in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – that
makes him a nut?
Sure he might – on occasion - torture, rape
and murder the occasional innocent woman (pronounced
-- dur-tee hoor) but with Moses you gotta understand,
it’s coming from a place of compassion. One
might even say love.
With that said, Moses Christian is an uneducated,
white-trash, red neck with a bad meth habit living
in a single-wide 1950’s camper trailer somewhere
off the 99, south of Fresno, north of Bakersfield.
His parents are both “presumed” deceased
and his only living relative is a sister (horribly
mutated due to her mothers habit of “huffing” super-glue)
living at the bottom of the family well, feeding
on the necrotic remains of Moses’ victims.
Pretty straight forward --
NRAMA: I see. As a long-time fan of your work reaching back
to the Gen13/Maxx issue, I'm doubly impressed with this one
shot. I found a much grittier, darker tone in both the story and your illustrations.
It reminds me a bit of the trailer to your upcoming movie Catacombs in
terms of the feel. Pardon my pontificating, but how did this idea coalesce
for you?
TC: I think that whatever differences you might be noticing
in the work is just a byproduct of me having fun.
Keven and 12 Gauge gave me the opportunity to cut
loose and do what ever I wanted – the only
provision being that the Camaro had to show up at
some point. That allowed me to really push in new
directions and see how far I could go with the art/story-telling...
etc.
Having said that I should thank Keven and 12 Gauge
for being so supportive of the story and giving me
the time it took to do it.
NRAMA: The story itself is a tried-and-true horror idea of
a woman in danger from a socially inept man, but in your story you really made
it more than what could have been a cliché. Did you actively work against
the stereotype out there, or what generally informed how you took the story?
TC: I don’t think I tried to reinvent any clichés.
I just did what I do – try to get inside the characters heads and figure
out what they would do or say in any given situation. If you can get to the
point where the characters are telling you what to do then, for the artist,
it becomes more about getting out of the way and just letting it happen.
Also this is the first comic I’ve ever written
for me to draw and that was an incredible
challenge. I found that I wrote too much and that
half of what I wanted to do had to be cut in order
to tell the best story I was capable of in the 22
pages allotted.
It was an incredible learning experience. Trying
to figure out how much (or how little) I could achieve
on each page and how that affected the rest of the
story drove me crazy. But in the end I’m pretty
happy with the results. It was tons of fun.
NRAMA: Each story in The Ride contains the
use of a 1968 Camaro as a unifying element. How do you feel that works for
you in creating the story, and as the artist what did you do to ensure it was
drawn correctly?
TC: The car was a tough thing to figure out. I didn’t
want it to be a hero or a villain but I also wanted to make it something more
than just a way to get the characters from point A to point B.
One day while I was working on The Ride story
(an earlier idea that ended up never going anywhere)
this image of a guy opening the trunk of a car and
revealing a girl, tied and bound, obviously a victim,
came to mind. For about a week every time I sat down
to work this same image kept coming back to me over
and over again.
Eventually I started trying to figure out where that
story would go – if there was enough there
to dedicate an entire issue to – and I realized
that the car could be a tool. It could be the goal
of the story rather than a character or prop.
Angela needs the car in order to survive. That’s
it. After that the story came together pretty easy.
As far as the accuracy of the car, it took a while
to figure out. I can remember getting notes from
Keven because I had drawn the grill of a Super Sport
(SS) and not a Rally Sport (RS) on a few pages and
suddenly having to really understand that there were
all of these small differences I had to be aware
of in order to get the Camaro right.
In the end Keven sent me a scale model he owns and
I used that to make sure everything was spot on.
I also spent a lot of time researching the environments
and the bric-a-brac scattered about the interior
and exterior of the trailer, trying to create a world
where this story could take place and feel convincing.
NRAMA: At the end, the issue is dedicated to Archie Goodwin,
Angelo Torres and Bernie Wrightson. Can you elaborate on the reasoning behind
tipping your hat to these three for this story in particular?
TC: When I was first approached about doing the The
Ride Halloween Special my mind immediately raced back to the Creepy
Magazines I read as a kid. Aside from being the best comic ever with
the best talent ever (!!!) the stories were scary.
The creators always presented a fairly typical scenario
and then within six to ten pages they’d manage
to turn the idea completely on its head. Twisting
the short into some sort of wonderfully gruesome
parable.
I would never compare myself, or my work, with Creepy
Magazine. But this is definitely my tribute
to those great comics that kept me up nights as a
kid. Those books (and those three creators in particular)
had such a profound impact on me and the direction
my career ended up taking that I felt I had to tip
my hat to them, acknowledging the influence they
had on this story.
NRAMA: Now that you've finished this issue and the movie Catacombs is
due in theatres next year… what's next for you?
TC: I just finished a Moon Knight Annual
that should be out in a few weeks and right now I’m working on a Punisher series
that should be out next year.
On the film front I’m writing and designing
a new project that will hopefully be up and running
some time next year.
October 26, 2007
Not a lot going on today, but I did want to give
a quick update on THE RIDE:
DIE VALKYRIE #3. It
pains me to have this book ship late, since the entire
12 Gauge crew did so much to make sure it was in
stores on time. As I type, Brian Stelfreeze
has four pages left to draw and this baby will be
off to the printer. Brian will be wrapping
up the last few pages over the next two weeks if
all goes according to plan. I’ll make
sure to let you all know the minute the last finished
page shows up in my email Inbox.
October 17, 2007
We’ve got a great new book hitting the shelves
this week… THE RIDE:
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL from
writer/artist Tomm Coker. It is a chilling
horror story in the vein of the old CREEPY stories
I loved as a kid. I’m very, very proud
of this book and I urge you to give it a look, even
if you’ve never read an issue of THE RIDE. It
is a stand-alone tale, so you have nothing to worry
about as far as continuity goes. Hell, even
if you don’t want to read it, pick it up and
look at the beautiful art. You’ll be
hard-pressed to find anything that looks better on
the rack.
August 13, 2007
It was very exciting to hear that
DUST #1 completely sold out from Diamond. Image
did an aggressive overprint and the book was wiped
out in 2 weeks. That is impressive! I
knew Paolo and mink had a cool concept on their
hands when I got the proposal a while back and
it is great to see all their hard work pay off. What
you’ve seen so far is just a taste of what
is to come, so get ready for more exciting news
on the DUST universe…as always, right here
at the 12 Gauge site. Oh, and as a ‘Thanks’ for
all the support on the book, Paolo and mink want
to give everyone a free downloadable
wallpaper of
the gorgeous sold-out incentive cover of our favorite
soldier Koshka. Just scroll down to the bottom
of the Downloads page and choose your size!
August 11, 2007
Rosario Dawson’s film DESCENT just
got a glowing review from THE
NEW YORK TIMES and is
now playing in limited release in Los Angeles (Laemmle
Music Hall - 9036 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills,
90211) and in NYC (City Cinemas Village East, 181
2nd Ave.). It is a very powerful picture
that she both starred in and produced so if you
get the chance make sure to check it out.
August 10, 2007
This is a fun interview from Comic-Con that featured
THE O.C.T. on Yahoo’s THE 9: click here to
check it out!
August 9, 2007
The San Diego Comic-Con! I think all of
us that survived are just now getting back up to
speed. It was a lot of fun, but lots and
lots of work. The whole thing is a monster
that takes no prisoners and I just feel lucky to
have made it out in one piece.
As for the show, since movies seem to rule this
con, the question I got asked by many of the producers
stopping by (as well as lots of the fans) was "is
THE RIDE and/or BODY
BAGS going to make it to the
big screen?" The answer to that question
isn’t an easy one, but things are in motion,
we just don’t have anything we’d like
to talk about yet. I see lots and lots of
comics that get deals ‘announced’,
but in reality the only thing that is for sure
is that a producer wants to sell
a specific comic property to a film studio. I’ve
never wanted that kind of PR because people get
disappointed when you get a few years down the
road and there is still no film. So I’ll
make you this promise: if you ever read about
a 12 Gauge property getting optioned, you can rest
assured that we are close to turning on the cameras
and making the movie a reality. Hopefully
that will happen, but if not we’ll continue
to make good comics. You can take that to
the bank.
Back to the show--- we had lots of signings at
the booth and had a big hit on our hands with the
BODY BAGS: ONE-SHOT preview ashcan. It was
nice to see the fan reaction to this highly anticipated
story. We also got a great response to Tomm
Coker’s THE RIDE: HALLOWEEN
SPECIAL. We
handed out tons of postcards featuring these
sweet pages. I just can’t tell you
how proud I am to be publishing this comic---the
first horror book that 12 Gauge has produced!
And, for the record, I think our new book DUST is going to be around for a while. Paolo
Parente and mink had long lines all week, and it
was nice to hang around guys that just love to
be in comics, and love being new members of the
12 Gauge family. Speaking of family, I have
to give a quick shout-out to Jana
Cook, Vincent
Kukua, and Alex Klein who helped run our booth. This
wonderful crew really saved Doug
Wagner and me
from the hounds that kept swarming our tables looking
for autographs and cool swag! A very special
thanks to our buddy Jonathan
Chan at Image who
answered our cry for help and hooked us up with
these fine friends of his. We owe you one!
Last but not least, I met a lot of creators who
were looking to make 12 Gauge the home for their
new comic projects. Hopefully over the next
year a few of these deals will come together and
you’ll end up with some great comics in your
hands. Keep your eyes right here for more
details as they become available.
July 27, 2007
We barely have time to breathe here on the Comicon floor, but we wanted to get up this link--of a video of Rosario Dawson being interviewed by the guys at G4. Check it out!
July 23, 2007
12 Gauge Comics blasts into
Comic-Con International,
packin’ more heat than ever before! The
stable of talent locked-and-loaded at booth
#2547 includes 12 Gauge members Brian
Stelfreeze, Jason
Pearson, Cully Hamner, Doug
Wagner and Keven Gardner---but
that’s just a start! Scheduled signings
include the creative team from the OCCULT
CRIMES TASKFORCE: Rosario Dawson, Tony
Shasteen and David
Atchison. They’ll be joined by SIDEKICK’s
Paul Jenkins and Chris
Moreno, DUST’s Paolo
Parente and mink, THE
RIDE’s Dexter Vines,
and writer/artist Tomm Coker announcing his new
12 Gauge Horror-project!
Friday features a 5:00 appearance by HELMET frontman
Page Hamilton, actor/producer C.
Thomas Howell,
and creators Rob Prior and Paul
Jenkins, all promoting
their feature film TATUA and signing a free preview
ashcan of the 12 Gauge TATUA comic!
Plus, you won’t want to miss your chance
to buy all new collectible sketchbooks from Pearson,
Stelfreeze, and Hamner, and an exclusive, limited-edition
ashcan of the all-new BODY BAGS: ONE-SHOT!
Don’t miss all the excitement at 12 Gauge
booth #2547!
SIGNING WEDNESDAY:
7:00 – 8:00 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
8:00 – 9:00 Rosario Dawson, David Atchison,
Tony Shasteen (O.C.T.)
SIGNING THURSDAY:
10:00 – 11:00 Paul Jenkins (SIDEKICK, TATUA)
11:00 – 12:00 Rosario Dawson, David Atchison,
Tony Shasteen (O.C.T.)
1:00 – 2:00 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
2:30 – 3:30 Chris Moreno (SIDEKICK)
3:30 – 6:30 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
SIGNING FRIDAY:
10:00 – 11:00 Tomm Coker, Dexter Vines (THE
RIDE)
11:00 – 12:00 Rosario Dawson, David Atchison,
Tony Shasteen (O.C.T.)
12:00 – 1:00 Paul Jenkins and Chris Moreno
(SIDEKICK, TATUA)
1:00 – 2:00 Tomm Coker (THE RIDE: HALLOWEEN
SPECIAL)
2:00 – 5:00 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
5:00 – 6:00 Page Hamilton, C. Thomas Howell,
Rob Prior, Paul Jenkins (TATUA movie/comic)
SIGNING SATURDAY (hours 9-7):
9:00 – 11:00 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
11:00 – 12:00 Rosario Dawson, David Atchison,
Tony Shasteen (O.C.T.)
1:00 – 2:00 Paul Jenkins (SIDEKICK, TATUA)
2:00 – 3:00 Tomm Coker, Dexter Vines (THE
RIDE)
3:00 – 5:00 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
5:00 – 6:00 Chris Moreno (SIDEKICK)
6:00 – 7:00 Tomm Coker, Dexter Vines (THE
RIDE)
SIGNING SUNDAY 10-5:
10:00 – 12:00 David Atchison, Tony Shasteen
(O.C.T.)
12:00 – 2:00 Paolo Parente, mink (DUST)
2:00 – 3:00 Paul Jenkins and Chris Moreno
(SIDEKICK)
4:00 – 5:00 Dexter Vines (THE RIDE)
July 19, 2007
Just
confirmed for Comic-Con:
Everyone at home needs to
tune into G4 TV’s live Comic-Con broadcast
on Thursday, July 26 at 7:00 Eastern (4:00 Pacific)
for a very special interview with our own Rosario
Dawson! Rosario will kick off the show
with an interview about her O.C.T. comic;
live from the G4 stage, right in the middle of
all the action at Comic-Con! Get more details
at G4TV.com.
Or check out their press release below:
"For the second year
in a row, G4 will deliver the unique sights and
sounds of Comic-Con with live reports that give
viewers a first-hand look at this year’s event, including sneak peeks
at the most eagerly anticipated films, comics and
TV series, exclusive interviews, in-depth reviews
and footage from around the jam-packed show floor.
Two consecutive days of “Comic-Con ’07
Live” coverage begin Thursday, July 26 from
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET/PT, and continue Friday,
July 27 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET/PT, only
on G4.
With more than 100,000 attendees in 2006, attendance
at this year’s convention is expected to
break new records as hordes of eager fans unite
in San Diego to experience the ultimate pop culture
party. For the millions who can’t travel
to the event or don’t make it into the sold-out
convention, hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn
will provide a complete Comic-Con overview that
provides the scoop on everything from industry
trends to the best (and worst) homemade costumes.
Extensive coverage of major
presentations guarantees that viewers get an
insider’s view of the
entire event. “Comic-Con ’07
Live” will also include exclusive interviews
with a wide array of celebrities and surprise special
guests, including JJ Abrams, Rosario Dawson, Ridley
Scott, Zack Snyder, Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale,
Jon Favreau and “Superbad” stars Michael
Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Pence and Seth Rogen."
July 18, 2007
Comic-Con is almost here, so get ready for the
updates! First of all, we’ve got two
panels with a 12 GAUGE connection:
The first up is the Thursday O.C.T. panel with
the whole creative team from the series at 1:00
in room 6A (Whoo!).
On Friday at 3:30, Paul Jenkins and Rob Prior
will be holding a panel about their new movie,
TATUA. Why is that a 12 GAUGE thing? Because
we’ll be doing the comic prequel to the film
AND giving away free TATUA ashcans all weekend
long! Here are the details:
THURSDAY 1:00-2:00 Rosario Dawson: Occult Crimes
Taskforce—Actress Rosario
Dawson (Grindhouse, Clerks 2,
Sin City) is joined by her creative team,
writer David Atchison and
illustrator Tony Shasteen, as
well as Gus Vazquez and 12
Gauge Comics' Keven Gardner (The
Ride), for a Q&A
session about their hit comic series Occult
Crimes Taskforce. With their first trade
paperback in stores now and new stories on
the horizon, the O.C.T. is just gearing
up! Find out about the upcoming miniseries
and get an update on Dimension’s Occult
Crimes Taskforce feature film. Room
6A
FRIDAY
3:30-4:30 Comics to Film: TATUA—Legendary
comic book creators Paul Jenkins (Wolverine
Origin, Frontlines) and Rob Prior (Spawn
The Impaler, Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Show EFX)
present their original new motion picture TATUA. Actors C.
Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, Soul
Man) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir
Dogs, Thelma & Louise), and metal band Helmet featuring Page
Hamilton (Unsung, Milquetoast)
will talk about the movie and the unprecedented
impact that comic writers currently have in Hollywood.
Q&A will follow, as well as a video presentation
on movie projects by Jenkins and Prior, plus the
premiere of Helmet’s latest music video. Room
6A
July 2, 2007
Lots of people at HEROESCON were asking me about
the James O’Barr book we announced last summer, INERTIA’S
KISS. Folks, this one is
like fine wine, and it is going to take time---but
you’ll be pleased when you finally get a
taste!
I talked to James yesterday
to see where he’s
at on the book. I’ll preface the answer
with a little history on the project; when I first
started talking with James about doing something
at 12 Gauge, we were looking at a short story (for
THE RIDE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL--- a project I’ve
been wanting to do since THE RIDE was first conceived). James
wanted to write and draw his story and he started
thinking about what to do. He called me one
Saturday afternoon and gave me a pitch. I
quickly figured out he wasn’t talking about
an 11 page story. He was hoping it could
be pulled off in 24 pages and I was all for it. A
few months later it had grown into a 48 page story. Now,
almost a year later, James is working on page 42. That’s
right…42 pages are complete of the first
new James O’Barr book in 15 years!
But (isn’t there always a ‘but’)
there is a catch. James tells me it is now
a 64 page story (give or take a few pages) and
who am I to tell him to stop creating? He
is thrilled with his writing, in love with the
characters, and swears it is the best art he has
ever produced. I don’t know about you,
but I’m more than happy to wait and see where
this goes. James also pointed me to a video
interview he did with FanboyTV where
he talks about THE CROW and this new 12 Gauge project,
so go check
it out.
Finally, if you want to see some of the concept
work, we’ve got a sketchbook for sale over
in our Store, all signed up by Mr. O’Barr. Enjoy!
June 20, 2007
A good time was had by all (which is par for the
course) at HEROESCON in
Charlotte, NC this past weekend. It was an
honor for 12 Gauge to be part of the 25th HEROES
CON--- the fans were great, all the pros were treated
like honored-guests, and across the board the convention
staff was all amazing. We had long lines
at our booth (much longer than last year, believe
it or not) as Rosario
Dawson, Tony Shasteen and David
Atchison signed
copies of the new O.C.T. trade. We sold lots
of new 12 GAUGE comics, Jason
Pearson knocked out
tons of sketches (and made lots of folks who had
been anxiously waiting very happy), and we had
a special ‘FREE SIDEKICK HEAD SKETCH’ session
with the super-cool and very talented Chris
Moreno---
not to mention signings of THE RIDE: DIE VALKYRIE
#1 with Doug Wagner and Brian
Stelfreeze. We
also hosted a screening of the independent film
DESCENT that filled up the ballroom and was followed
by a Q & A with Rosario, who produced and starred
in the film. Next up for us on the con circuit
is the San
Diego Comic-Con, so check in here for
updates as the show gets closer. It looks
like the whole 12 Gauge crew will be making the
trip to Cali, so it should be a blast!
June 18, 2007
Lots of THE AMORY WARS news on the net. Catch
up on the history of COHEED
and CAMBRIA and the
original books over at Silver
Bullet Comics. Claudio
did a nice panel at WIZARD
WORLD PHILLYand you can read all about
it by hitting the link a few words back. If
you’re interested in picking up a copy
of the first issue, you should run to the comic
shop today. This one is selling very fast
from what I’m hearing.
June 1, 2007
There are good days and bad days in comics publishing
(shock!). It seems like most of them are
hard at the very least---
But, all the hard work pays off once in a while
and reminds us why we do this. Today,
that reminder comes from Hannibal
Tabu at CBR. I’ll
let his review do the talking:
The Ride: Die Valkyrie #1
When you pick up a comic book, and turning the pages is a pleasure because
it means you'll get more of what you're reading, and at the end of it you
have a kind of sated, pleased feeling ... well, chances are you should probably
own that comic book. This comic, the first of a three-issue mini series,
is not technically a confection (under sheer technical considerations, it's
perhaps closest to a "crime" comic, given the guns and excitement)
but it also doesn't strive to solve the ills of the world. It takes a simple
story and complicates it just the right amount, telling it in two tableaus
that of course seem destined to intersect, showcasing some of the best things
-- girls, guns and of course fast cars. Brian Stelfreeze's art is revelatory,
so evocative and well conceived in its storytelling, even in its stylized
moments (the page with Becca's dad is surely not what they taught about anatomy,
but it works). Perhaps the only significant problem is that it will apparently
take until July to get the second issue. Confounding in its addictiveness,
but you know you love it.
To read more, jump on over to the ComicBookResources
site ,
and while you are there check out this
fantastic interview with 12-Gauge artist PAOLO
PARENTE about our new book DUST. Lots of new art
to see and you’ll find
out some pretty cool stuff about an amazing artist.
May 18, 2007
In the rush to get the new site up and running,
and to get all the comics to the printer for
a June release (plus a few trades to boot), I
almost forgot to mention a little project of
ours that hit a few weeks ago: The
Ride: Savannah.
This was a real labor of love and a book I’m
very proud of for many reasons. First and
foremost because it allowed all of us at 12 Gauge
Comics to do something for a fantastic institution,
the Savannah College of
Art and Design. John
Lowe, the Sequential Art Department Chair at
SCAD, actually taught a class (I like to call
it RIDE: 101) where some of the top students
at the school competed for a chance to be published
in an actual RIDE comic. The field was
strong and picking the winners was tough, but
at the end of the day we put together a quality
40 page book (featuring two stories and four
artists) and the best part of it all is that
100% of the proceeds are going to the Sequential
Art Scholarship Fund at SCAD.
Check out the preview images here (how ‘bout
that cover from SCAD alum Chris Brunner?) and
if you like what you see run on down to the comic
shop and pick one up or have them order you a
copy. You’ll get a nice read with
some great art and you’ll be helping support
the next batch of talented professionals headed
to our industry.
April 23, 2007
Dusty just added some new content to the site,
so I figured it would be a good time to check
in and tell you about it. 12 Gauge is launching
its second new title of 2007 with Paolo
Parente’s DUST. DUST is the brainchild of
Paolo, who was Versace's lead illustrator for
many years and is an absolutely amazing artist. He
is joined in this venture by film and music video
director ‘mink’, who is a
fantastic creator himself (he’s worked
with Snoop
Dogg, Slum Village, Sheryl
Crow, Steven Segal and
many others). Together they are bringing
you a Sci-Fi / WWII adventure that is truly a
site to see. There are a lot of ways to
describe it, but I think the best would be a
HEAVY METAL version of GI JOE, if it was set
in WWII and full of robots, monsters and zombies. Sounds
cool, huh? Check out the DUST page
and get a look at the preview art and the cover. We’ll
be adding more images soon, so be sure and check
back and please click here or
on ‘DISCUSS’ on
the left side of the page if you want to share
your thoughts on the newest addition to the 12
Gauge family.
Welcome to the all-new 12 Gauge Comics website!
If you’re here for the first time, I’m
guessing you just read about our newest title, THE
AMORY WARS, created by ‘Mr.
COHEED AND CAMBRIA’ himself, Claudio
Sanchez. This was a unique opportunity
for 12 Gauge, since we’d never assembled
a creative team that had to please anyone but us
(not like that is easy---we’re all bull-headed). Claudio
has a distinct vision for his creation and he asked
our help to make it come alive on the comic book
page. It was a long process, but we feel
we put together a top-notch team and one bad-ass
finished product.
If you’re a fan of COHEED AND CAMBRIA's
music, this comic will be a blast! And if
you’re a comic fan wondering why you should
pick it up, I’ll try and help you out:
THE AMORY WARS is a sci-fi epic;
set in a world similar to our own, but much darker. You’ll
find a splash of STAR WARS or DUNE,
but peppered with strong horror-influences. Check
out the preview pages in THE
AMORY WARS section here
on the new site. If you like what you see,
the first issue will be on the shelves June
6th. Claudio is doing a few interviews
on the project as well, so we’ll link those
to give you as much info as possible.
Now, if you’ve been a fan of 12 Gauge for
a while, we’ve got lots of great things coming
your way (hey—we couldn’t launch a
new site without lots of big news)! Peek
around and see what you think. You’ll
find that Paul
Jenkins’ SIDEKICK now
lives here, with a little info about the new story
on the way. And yes, before you ask, issue
#5 of the original SIDEKICK limited series
is wrapped up and headed to Image. Chris
Moreno finished drawing it weeks ago,
so you’ll soon find it on your store shelves. I’m
also happy to report that Chris is hard at work
on the new SUPER SUMMER SIDEKICK SPECTACULAR limited
series---and don’t worry about any delays---you’ll
have all the SIDEKICK you can stand soon
enough, and it will all be on time.
Speaking of timeliness, we’ve shipped our
fair share of late books over the years. Some
with good reason, some with no good reason…but
at the end of the day late is late. The good
news is every book we’re soliciting is either
done (THE AMORY WARS, THE
RIDE) or deep into production (SIDEKICK). We’ve
learned our lesson and hope to never ship a late
book again if there is anything we can do to avoid
it. It just isn’t fair to the fans
or retailers, period. At the end of 2007,
my hope is to have shipped every book on time. We’ll
see soon enough, but I really think we’re
on track to do just that!
I’m not going to ramble about everything
today, but I do encourage you to read all the free
comics we’ve put online and grab some of
the free wallpapers for
your computer.
If you like what you see, click over to our message
board and give us some
feedback.
Comic-Con is almost here, so get ready for the
updates! First of all, we’ve got two
panels with a 12 GAUGE connection:
FRIDAY
