CHEW #1 Tomorrow!

Yes, tomorrow is the big day. And guess what? I also turned 27 today, so you know what you can get me :)

Also, just in the spirit of keeping the news flow going, here's a bunch of recent press, plus advance reviews that we've been stockpiling:

AintitCoolNews.com Interview
Newsarama Ambidextrous Interview
TFAW.com Interview
ComicsWaitingRoom Advance Review
Secret Identity Podcast Advance Review
Eye on Comics Advance Review
Comixtreme Advance Review
Fanboy.com on the CHEW #3 Cover Art

And there's more to follow, including some cool stuff we'll be putting up on ComicBookResources.com over the next few days. Until then, how about some peeks at future issues?

UPDATED: CBR just put up a cool Process of CHEW piece that I scribbled up a while back. It chronicles the creation of the CHEW #1 cover and 2-page spread, from script to final image. Check it out, you process junkies, you!

The Process of CHEW on CBR.







Peace,
Rob!

CHEW #3 First Look.

First Look at the cover to CHEW #3. Below is the full solicit.

CHEW #3
story JOHN LAYMAN
art & cover ROB GUILLORY

AUGUST 5
32 PAGES / FC
$2.99

Amelia Mintz is a food critic and a Saboscrivner. That means she can write about food so accurately, so vividly and with such precision, people get the actual sensation of taste when reading her restaurant reviews. Since the government prohibition of poultry, she’s lost her enthusiasm for the culinary world, and only reviews restaurants with a “D” rating or less from the Health Department. Her last review caused half the city to projectile vomit, and sent hundreds to the hospital with severe food poisoning. Agent Tony Chu has been assigned to arrest Amelia Mintz, but there’s just one problem with that… he’s madly in love with her!

Presenting the weirdest comic you will read all month, and maybe the best, as the deliciously twisted new series about cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals and clairvoyants continues!

-Rob!

Chop-Sockey!

Panel from CHEW #2. Bigger for the details!

-Rob!

CHEW #2 Cover.

First look at the cover to CHEW #2. Yes, there are Ninjas. Ass-kickery ensues.

There are a few new interviews up at ChewComic.com, so check them out. More to follow. But now, back to work.

-Rob!

FINALLY....

Finally, I can talk about this. All the secrecy and "don't show anyone" was killing me...

Alright, so the word is out. CHEW was announced yesterday at Wondercon 09 by my partner-in-crime, madman John Layman during the Image Comics Panel. And I couldn't be more excited. John and I have been working on making this the best, craziest damn comic on the face of the earth, and I'm friggin' ready to share just what it is I've been working on, because frankly, this project is the most fun I've ever had working in comics.

First, I think it's important to say that I'm not what you would call normal, either. I mean, sure, Layman's crazy, and the premise of this very book is batshit insane. That was my reaction from the second he pitched it to me. In fact, I remember the initial pitch going something like this:

Layman: "So, it's a police procedural. But taking place in a world where bird flu has killed millions, the FDA is the new Homeland Security, and there's a whole subculture that believes it's all a conspiracy. OH, and the hero's a psychic who solves cases using his psychic ability that gives him visions based on what he eats."

But here's the even crazier part: It works. By God, it freakin' works.

Enter Fan Mode:

The world that Layman has created is a wonderland of psycho chefs, shady FDA agents and a wide-ranging conspiracy plot that takes its characters everywhere. Every issue is a new turn on one big rollercoaster, and I am absolutely along for the ride. It's rich, unbelievably funny, and downright heartfelt at times. And I'm speaking as a fan that has read the first four issues worth of script. This is a book I'd buy. Something totally original and new. I think you'll dig it.

Check out the CHEW coverage so far here, here and here. There will be more to come over the next two weeks, including my Newsarama interview and an exclusive 6-page preview on Comic Book Resources. And as always, check back here for the occasional goodies, sketches and whatnots. I'll be posting the PREVIEWS pre-order code here as soon as I get it.

Until then, check out some preview art from the first 5 issues.






Peace,
Rob!

Late Resolutions...

Man, I really suck at this updating thing...

Alright, so this is a few weeks late, but I figure now's as good as any time to show a few of the 09 projects I'm cracking away on. I've got three projects in development that are too early in the going to really chat about, but the stuff below is what I've got locked in so far.

1. CHEW



I've been posting the occasional peek at some of the CHEW artwork over the last few months, and I'll be revealing more until its release in May/June. We're starting it off with an initial five issue run through Image Comics, and I'm thinking there will be more to follow. My writer on this, John Layman, is a total mad genius, and I've had a blast kicking his scripts around. It's an edgier, more mature break from the kid-friendly stuff I've been dabbling in lately. Speaking of which...

2. St. Spooky's



Just finished Book 1 of Spooky's (9 issues, 4 page serialized chapters) for Random House's The DFC. This one's available via subscription only, and primarily in the UK, but US residents can order it with shipping costs attached. I'd highly recommend it. The DFC's an awesome way to get kids not only reading, but reading comics. We may be doing a Book 2 of this later in the year.

3. Teddy Scares



Yep, I'll be doing more Teddy Scares this year, too. So far, I've contributed to three issues (both on sale here, and the third will be on sale soon), and they were a blast. I'm a huge fan of infusing humor in my art, and the TS stories are always hilarious. Plus, the guys at APE have been really cool about letting me experiment with different techniques, which is always fun. For the new issue (above), I went with a dirtier, textured look.

4. Solo Project



This one, I've hinted at in a couple past posts. Keeping mum on this for now, except that 1) this'll be my first project where I'll be handling script and art, 2) it's sci-fi-based and 3) it's complete lunacy. More on this later.

5. Children's Book



This one's been a fun little break. Written by local writer Theresa Singleton, this is my first real foray into children's books, which I've thought of trying for a while. This was a great experiment with a really clean, simplified look. I'll be finishing art on this in the next couple days. After that, I'll post any info as I get it.

Also, expect a site and gallery update in the next couple months. It's time to dust off the cobwebs...

And that's it for now. Now that the New Year's blitzkrieg has settled, I'm gonna try to get back into the habit of posting new art on a weekly basis.

Fingers crossed...

Peace,
Rob!

Duo.

Couple more panels from CHEW #1. The first issue's wrapped, so I'll be starting the next this week. Progress!



Peace,
Rob!

Medium Rare.

Random panel from CHEW.

-Rob!

Back that Thang Up.

A peek at some of my process for St. Spooky's.

-Rob!

Chewy Pieces.

A layer from what will be a double page spread from CHEW.

-Rob!

"Just the Beets, please."

-Rob!

Absentee Landlord.

Sorry for the slow flow of updates, peeps. I've been really busy these days working on a bunch of stuff that I can't really show off yet. But things are good, so stay tuned for the real fun.

Above is a page from a new project that kinda fell in my lap a bit before Comicon. This one's written by the awesome John Layman. More of this to follow. But for now, I've got pages to ink!

Peace,
Rob!

Oh my God. He's even got a Watermark.

Last year, I made new business cards for the San Diego Comicon madness. And for the last week, I've been debating whether or not I should make a new one. I mean, using the same card for the same con twice...no big deal, right?

Well...I tried to fight it, but I couldn't resist. Whipped these up from scratch this morning, and just ordered them, rush delivery for the con. Here's hoping they come out all right.

And yeah, this is for a side project I've been developing in my free time. If you can squint hard enough, you might even see the title. Up top is the front, and below is the card back. Or does it even matter?

Peace,
Rob!

Hells Yeah.

Yeah....It's still in development.

And it will still rock your socks.

-Rob!

TS Colors.

First attempt at full color with this technique. A lot more muted and dark than I usually go, but I think it fits the book.

Still a few tweaks I want to make to it, but it's heading where I want it to be.

-Rob!

TS Inks.

Testing that ink wash technique on Page 1 of my next Teddy Scares 10 page story.
Same deal as before: Light pencils laid down, then I cover the whole page with Luma brand Amber Yellow ink mixed with water. After it dries, I work out the lineart with black brush and pen, then shadows are dropped in with tan and sepia Copic markers. Highlights are added with a Presto white-out squeeze pen. Maybe a bit low-tech, but I like it. I also pushed around some ink with my fingers here and there just for a little dirtying-up texture.

Not a lotta people know that I have my degree in Painting (what a degree), so it was really fun treating this like a little mini-painting instead of a comic page. I'm definitely gonna be using this technique more.

Now, for the Photoshopping...

-Rob!

08.

Meant to publish this as a Year-closing blog, but as a condition of one of my New Year's Resolutions ("Thou shalt spend less time farting about online"), I put it off until a bit later than planned. Excuse over. Here we go.

2008's looking to be a pretty busy year for me. Honestly, my busiest start to a year so far. Below are a few peeks at four projects on schedule. I've got a few preview/test pages for a couple projects in particular that I'm gonna have to wait to show off, but we'll get to that.

And yes... this is also a means of showing that I haven't been doing nothing in my spare time. So there.

1) Teddy Scares Vol.3 & 4 from Ape Entertainment.
Volume 3 should be hitting shelves in Feb./March-ish. I've got an 18-page story in that one, as well as an alternate cover. Rather hilarious story. Here's a peek:
























I've also got a ten-pager in Teddy Scares Vol.4 (below), which I should be wrapping over the next couple weeks.
























2) Jason Mason and the Ghosts He's Chasin' for Tokyopop.
This one's been in the works for a while, so it's kinda nice to see it moving along. We'll be debuting it as a 30-page online comic via the Tokyopop site in March/April. I'm ten pages into that one, and it's moving along nicely. Below's a quick peek at the first three pages. Call me a tease. You can also check out the original 5 test pages I did in early 07 here.













3) St. Spooky's School for Girls.
This is a fairly big new project that I'll be working on with writer Tony Lee. The publisher's a lock, but they're pretty bent on keeping the details of the project hush, so look for an announcement later. I can say that it is going to be distributed first in the UK, though, with a US release sometime afterward. As for a peek...








4) Shortbus Superstars!
Yep, still working on this sucker. Not saying anything other than "It will own your ass."












That's enough for now, I think.
I'd say that I'm gonna try to post more, but...you know.

And now in remembrance of 2007....my favorite quote of the year.









Peace,
Rob!