08
Jan

Put a little vigilante in your iphone!

iphoneghostz

Introducing iGHOST!  Eddie doesn’t have an iPhone, but I’ll bet that if he did, he’d download some cool wallpaper for it.  So…I made some!  In fact, I’ve got a new page created for Ghost Zero downloads that I plan to use to give away all kinds of cool, free stuff.  So go on, check out the other iPhone wallpapers and use yours to amaze and terrify your friends!  (Plus, let me know how it turns out….I don’t have an iPhone!)

Thanks to Anthony Schiavino (and his wife Erin) for turning me onto this cool idea.

-Dave

05
Jan

Ghost Zero review!

The “Cast-Iron Coffin” short made it’s appearance in “Phantom #26″ from Moonstone (AVAILABLE NOW) and has apparently gotten some attention!  Here is a review from Comixtreme.com:

“The Phantom #26 (Moonstone)
By Mike Bullock, Zeu, Silvestre Szilagyi & Dave Flora

Before the relaunch of this title, Mike Bullock is here with a done-in-one story about one of the Phantoms of the past. An offhanded remark by young Kit gets him a lesson on the history of the 13th Phantom, and how he faced off against a slave-smuggling pirate on the high seas. It’s a good story, with just about everything you expect from The Phantom — some good action, and a dash of high seas swashbuckling to go with it, along with a dash of political commentary that doesn’t get too heavy-handed. The character has such a rich history that it would be a shame not to give us some of the old-school stuff once in a while. There’s also a bizarre little back-up feature here, Ghost Zero, which seems to be about a young man who can be possessed by a ghost to become a sort of superhero, which comes in handy as the ship they’re aboard is attacked by a “ghost submarine.” I don’t know if this is an old character or just an old-fashioned one, but it’s an interesting concept — plus, it’s always nice to get an honest-to-gosh back-up feature. It’s a little added value to an already strong comic.
Rating: 4/5
–Blake M. Petit”

I’m actually really thrilled to be mentioned….it is only 4 pages after all…and I have to say that it’s a great way to start off the new year!  Tonight, I’m back at the “Crossroads” story, so stay tuned for updates!

-Dave

22
Dec

Not all is dark…

rocco_christmas

Hey, everyone!  Christmas is almost upon us, and like most everyone else, I’m still putting packages together and wrapping stuff.  The above pic is of my wife’s nephew, Rocco.  I have to say that I was pretty pleased at how it turned out and am considering doing some portraiture as a local side-business.  (You can’t have too many side-businesses!) 

My wife has been working 10 to 13 hour days for the past week at the bakery, so I’ve been upping the number of chores I do around the house to compensate, and we’re both looking forward to Christmas Eve for a well-deserved break!

pg2-panel-4_web

I’ll leave you pulp-loving people with another pic from the “Crossroads” short, this one showing Eddie in mid-transformation to GZ.  I think I like the result.

Enjoy your holiday, everyone!  I wish you peace and many blessing for you and your family.

-Dave

15
Dec

“Ghost Zero…by way of the Eighth Dimension!”

During the quiet hours of December 12th, something amazing happened….

I was published!) 

Yep, Moonstone’s “Buckaroo Banzai: The Prequel #2″ hit the shelves, taking with it a short story about a boy and his ghostly mentor in “The Cast-Iron Coffin!”

Now, I was a huge fan of the “Buckaroo Banzai” movie(along with “Big Trouble in Little China” and other cool treats), so I’m looking forward to Moonestone’s take on the character’s history, and I’m excited about taking a first step into introducing new people to the Ghost Zero story!

If you miss this issue, fear not!  “The Cast-Iron Coffin” will also run in “Phantom #26″, which should be out in a few weeks.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

-Dave

10
Dec

This guy just keeps popping up!

pg2panel3_web

Here’s another shot of our killer, after the deed, with that “deer-in-the-headlights” look.  This is actually the second time I drew this panel…the first one just hit bottom and stayed there…which doesn’t happen too often.  I guess I could have used it, but I like this version much better.  What I really enjoy about the panel….and the real reason I wanted to show it….is the background in the stark light.  It really reminds me of those glimpses of when you’re driving along a dark, country road and your headlights play over the grasses and trees of a field.  Things like that remind me of home…the creepy parts of living out in the rural landscape.

I’m a big fan of rural horror (particularly Lovecraftian, rural horror….actually TERROR is what I’m a fan of…the word “horror” comes from “horrible” as in bloody or gory), and of collecting local tales of the ghostly and bizarre.  If I get the time (and if you’re interested) I’ll tell you a couple.

Stay tuned!

-Dave

06
Dec

Eddie’s wheels…..

pg2panel1

…what?  You didn’t think Eddie had a car?  That he’s too young to drive?  Well, you’re right on both counts.  Fortunately, Charles had his car, and managed to talk Eddie through fixing it up (something I describe in my uncompleted GZ novel called “Murder Machine”).  Yes, Eddie’s technically too young to drive…but technically, Eddie breaks plenty of laws anyway, so…..

For those of you wondering, that car is a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500 K-Type Special Roadster.  Yes, Charles was rich.  And even though he’s dead, he’s pretty resourceful still….something that Eddie has yet to find out about.

Enjoy this sneak peek from page 2 of “The Crossroads of Solomon Strang!”

-Dave

05
Dec

New Art for sale!

Hey there, folks! I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve added the original of the “Ghost Zero-Coffin” piece for sale on my Comic Art Gallery!
gzcoffin_web

I’ve also had the classic “Ghost Zero Cover Art” piece become available for purchase again as the original buyer was a victim of our recent economic “downsizing” and I refunded his money to help pay the necessities.  My sympathies to anyone caught in those unplesant turn of events.

gzcoverart

As far as my “production schedule” goes, I think I’ve figured out a way to boost my GZ hours each week to 25.  I’m going to give that a try after the holidays and see if there are solid, positive gains in production.  I’ll be working on the next page of the “Solomon Strang” story tonight, so I should have something to post tomorrow!

-Dave

01
Dec

Not a Christmas present I’d want to open….

gzcoffin_web

Here’s how that piece turned out.  This is just the physical artwork, to get it “cover ready” I’d probably lay in some textures in Photoshop, along with some lighting tweaks….maybe even color.  When I made this piece, I didn’t really have a clear idea of what to do with the thing…it just wanted out of my head!)

It’s been an interesting week for GZ.  I’ve had some discussions with some folks (both in Moonstone and my friends) about the “production wall” that I have with the comic.  By “production wall”, I mean that I only have 20 hours a week (max!) to work on the comic, which is way to little to get a decent number of pages out a month.  Of course, it probably doesn’t help that I have all the marker-rendering work…but what would the comic be without it?  So, I’ve been brainstorming about any way to make things move along faster without decreasing quality, and I just haven’t been able to come up with much that helps.  I could do less rendering (which would hurt quality, probably), work on a smaller scale (which would probably hurt quality too)….or I could just go on with things as they are. 

Increased production could mean increased exposure, which could mean increased success.  I don’t know.  If I wasn’t the main bread-provider for the family, I’d cut back my hours or just quit altogether to work on the comic more, but I can’t do that until all the debts are paid and something else is in place to handle the slack….which I have planned….but not for a couple of years, at least.  So, for now, I just keep working.

Speaking of work, my art production will be down this week as my wife and I rehearse for our community theatre’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” radio play.  I’m a big Jimmy Stewart fan, and I do (apparently) a passable George Bailey.  It’s been well received, so we’ve done it 3 times in the past 4 years….it really makes it feel like Christmas!

I should have a (very) little time to work on the comic this week…but I’ll post when I have anything interesting!

-Dave

26
Nov

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

gzcoffin1

Eddie, Charles and I wanted to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving, with hopefully much to be thankful for!  Here’s a look at another cover piece I have in the works that will hopefully be done this week.  Be safe, everyone!

-Dave

22
Nov

Crossroads update…and a forum!

pg1panel3_web

Hey gang!  I just finished the artwork for page 1 of “Crossroads” and thought I’d give another sample.  See this guy?  Don’t get too attached to him…..

Also, there’s a forum thread going on at Moonstone where I’m chatting about GZ and the upcoming stories.  Give it a gander when you can: http://www.moonstoneforums.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=36

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Dave