VELVET

It's been a while since I've been here. Traffic fell off dramatically as people began to shift to Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter,and Instagram (all of which you can find me on by the way). Anyway, I decided to update here as well, but first I need to catch up on what's been going on. I've been working on VELVET with Ed Brubaker. It's a spy story set in the 70s with a middle aged female lead. The tone is somewhere between James Bond and John LeCarre. Here are the covers of the the first 5 issues, which make up the initial story arc:

MIGHTY AVENGERS #1 Cover

I recently had the opportunity to provide the art for a variant cover of Mighty Avengers #1 for Marvel Comics. It was a great opportunity to work on some characters I have never drawn before. Digital painting done in Photoshop.

NEW AVENGERS #1 Variant Cover

Here's the variant cover I did for the first issue of New Avengers. The always amazing Jock is doing the regular covers and I, along with a few others, have provided variants. New Avengers #1 ships January 2, 2013 - written by Jonathan Hickman with art by me.

The Fantastic Four 100 project AUCTION

Well that was quick. No sooner than I posted the link to the Hero Initiative Fantastic Four 100 project the auction for my cover has gone live. If interested (in my cover or any of the others) please go HERE and bid!

The Fantastic Four 100 Project

Similar to last year's New Avengers sketch covers, the Hero Initiative will soon begin auctioning off Fantastic Four #600 sketch covers by 100 different different artists. My humble contribution is posted above and I will be updating when the auction goes live in case any of you are interested in bidding (and supporting a worthy cause in the bargain). Head on over to the gallery at the Hero's Initiative site and check out all of the amazing work HERE.

WINTER SOLDIER #12 Cover

Winter Soldier #12 is out today featuring Wolverine (or so I would assume given what they asked me to put on the cover). One thing is certain - the interior art by Butch Guice is incredible. Check it the preview HERE.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #19

Captain America #19 came out today, marking the end of Ed Brubaker's 8 year run on the book. I'm proud to have been the primary artist for the first half of that run and just as proud to come back for the issue that brings it all to a close. Frank D'Armata also returned to color it for us just like the good old days.

A few reviews have started turning up:

Here's one

Here's another one

Here's another

and yet another.

WINTER SOLDIER #9 Cover

From Marvel's August 2012 solicitations:

WINTER SOLDIER #9
ED BRUBAKER (w) • MICHAEL LARK (a)
Cover by STEVE EPTING
• Black Widow’s past has caught up to her! Can Bucky save her? And what happens if he can’t?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

This was done much the same way as the cover for issue #8. Primarily standard colored line art but with some areas painted on top. And if you're thinking that the guy on the cover doesn't look like Bucky, you are correct. It's not Bucky. 

WINTER SOLDIER #8 Cover

This cover is a departure from my usual painted covers, in that it is primarily a traditional ink drawing that I colored in Photoshop (as opposed to using it as the basis for a painting). There are a few places where I did paint over the black and white art, but not many. I'll be doing a bit more of this on future Winter Soldier covers, and possibly elsewhere as well.

As you can see in the line art below I forgot to draw Black Widow's belt, so I added it in while coloring.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #15 Cover

Marvel's July solicitations have been up for awhile and included in them are CAPTAIN AMERICA #15 and WINTER SOLDIER #8 - both of which I did the covers for. I really enjoyed designing the mock tabloid covers for the background of the Captain America cover. Below are each of the front pages of the papers that I created in photoshop, as well as the painted figures on their own. All of these elements were then combined (along with some visual effects) for the final image.

WINTER SOLDIER COVERS: #6 AND #7

Marvel's June 2012 solicitations have begun to leak out and among them are issues #6 and #7 of Winter Soldier - both of which I'm happy to say I did the covers for. I really enjoyed drawing and painting the character again and hopefully there will be more to come.

Here are the solicitations from Marvel:

WINTER SOLDIER #6
ED BRUBAKER (w) • MICHAEL LARK (a)
Cover by STEVE EPTING
ASM IN MOTION VARIANT ALSO AVAILIBLE
• Ed Brubaker is reunited with famed artist Michael Lark (DAREDEVIL) who joins for the Winter Soldier’s second arc “Broken Arrow” with original Winter Soldier artist Steve Epting taking the reins on covers!
• Winter Soldier finds himself on a twisted trail from coast to coast and past to present...
• ...chasing the insane man who will become his worst enemy.
• And an inciting incident you won’t forget!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99


WINTER SOLDIER #7 
ED BRUBAKER (w) • MICHAEL LARK (a)
Cover by STEVE EPTING
• Part Two of “Broken Arrow” - The aftermath of a tragic and savage murder.
• A villain who knows Bucky is really alive.
• Winter Soldier and Black Widow on a hunt that gets personal!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

FF#12 Cover

Out today - FF#12 written by JONATHAN HICKMAN Penciled by JUAN BOBILLO Cover by STEVE EPTING Fantastic Four 50th Anniversary Variant by SKOTTIE YOUNG 'ALL HOPE LIES IN DOOM' Part One The beginning of a 4-part arc that runs parallel with FOREVER in the Fantastic Four. We've teased it for years, now find out exactly how Doctor Doom and the Future Foundation will save us all. 32 PGS./Rated T+

FF #10 and #11 Covers

I'm really behind posting here on the blog, but here finally are the covers to both FF#10 and FF#11. When joined together the covers form a single image, presented above. FF#11 is currently on the stands, with the massive Fantastic Four #600 to follow in a few weeks!

FanExpo Spider-Man variant cover

Hey! I'll be at FanExpo Canada in Toronto for the big 4 day show August 25-28. One of the exclusive premiums for the show is a variant cover for Amazing Spider-Man 666 which is an altered version of a splash page I drew in FF#1. By removing the Empire State Building, changing the distant background to Lake Ontario, and adding in the CN Tower and the Skydome (not mention the subtle Canadian flag draped across a skyscraper), New York is transformed into Toronto for the occasion. I've been to Toronto a few times, but this is my first time attending FanExpo and I'm really looking forward to it.

Thor Covers Part 3

Well, I got sidetracked for about a week there, but here finally are the final 2 Thor covers from the series I did in 2004.

Thor Covers Part 2

Here's the next two in a series of Thor covers I did back in 2004. Issue #81 and Issue #82-

Thor Covers Part 1

Since there seems to be quite a bit of buzz around Thor right now (I think there's a movie coming out this week or something), I thought I'd present the seven Thor covers I've done in the original black and white. Back in 2004 I was asked to provide the covers for the six issue arc that would end Thor's (then) current series. The arc featured a Ragnarök (the final destiny of the gods) themed story by Michael Oeming and Andrea DiVito and I jumped at the chance to do the cover art for each issue.

The first two issues, numbers 80 and 81, both featured guest stars. Issue #80 showcased Iron Man alongside the Thunder God and issue #81 boasted Marvel's big three from the Avengers - Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man.



Two more covers tomorrow!

New Avengers 100 Project

This is the sketch cover I did for The Hero Initiative's New Avengers 100 Project. I decided to feature the characters who were prominent in the book during the time I was drawing it, after all, at the time they were the New Avengers! Read more about the project and see some amazing covers turned in by some of the other artists involved here.

THE MARVELS PROJECT #8 Cover

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The final issue of THE MARVELS PROJECT comes out tomorrow, wrapping up the eight issue mini series. I had a great time working on the book and will miss drawing all those Nazis. In the meantime, I'm at work on my new project for Marvel, which should be announced soon. Have a great week everybody!

Click here for a preview of THE MARVELS PROJECT #8.

THE MARVELS PROJECT #7 Cover

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The Marvels Project #7 hits the shelves in two short weeks on March 24th. What will you find inside? From Marvels' online catalog:

Cap meets Bucky! The origin of the Destroyer! The interrogation of the Sub-Mariner! And it's all leading up to the Nazis' conspiracy to bring the US into World War Two!

Below is the original cover sketch. It's obviously very rough, but it does its job in that it shows essentially what the basic elements of the actual cover painting will be. As you can see, quite a bit of compositional shuffling went on as I worked on the final image, but this was submitted with the understanding that it's a basic framework that I'll be working from, not an image set in stone that I'll follow slavishly. After so many years working with my editor, I can get away with a pretty rough sketch for the approval process, since he trusts me to turn it into something that's actually printable. Incidentally, the top portion of the sketch is left blank because that area will be covered by the banner logo.


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