Say Hi to Cole Johnson!

This post took longer to get to than I meant it to, but now I know what my friends who are parents meant when they said you don't get much sleep when your baby first arrives!
That aside, please join me in welcoming Cole Jeanette Johnson into the world! She was born last Tuesday at 2:41 pm in sunny Burbank, CA. She's 21 inches long and weighs about 8 lbs now. She came out into the world barely crying and shot me such a sweet look that it was love at first sight. She's healthy and happy and easy to get along with. Karen and I are having a ball with her.
Here's a couple of photos that they took at the hospital---She does a great Caesar impression, our stoic little Colonel....

Baby, get out here!

Sorry to say there's no baby arrival to report. Karen's almost two weeks past the due date, and we've got an appointment with the baby doctor again on monday---Maybe we'll see some activity after that....
In the meantime, Karen's folks have been here waiting patiently with us for The Colonel's arrival. Karen's mom has been walking her around the mall, we walked around Disneyland..There has been much walking...So now we're all sleeping better, but no baby yet.
Up in my studio, I just finished a new Cover for Devil's Due and Tim Seeley's comic, HACK/SLASH. I had a GREAT time with it, and was pleased and flattered that I could get my friend, Paul Wee to ink it for me. You can see Paul's extraordinary work on his blog, which I've linked up with on the right side of this blog. It's full of beautiful work, and if you are not familiar with Paul's work, you'll get a big kick out of it, I promise.
I've also been working away at my graphic novel, THE BLACK LAKE. I've got a friend coloring the first promo piece, which will be on display here as soon as I can get it here. Stay tuned....
Finally, if you've been waiting around for a commission, some good news---I've started working on them again...DT, yours is almost done. Thanks for all your patience everyone!
That's all the news that's fit to print right now---If you've got a moment, check out the link I've posted to Brian Stelfreeze's blog! It's really cool, and Brian is one of my favorite artists and a great teacher.

The Colonel arrives this week! Maybe!

The official due date for the Johnson offspring is July 3rd---So it seems The Colonel could be greeting the outside world any day now! Karen and I are bouncing between excited and terrified.
Why is our baby currently known as "The Colonel"? It's a name idea I came up with for David Hahn's daughter, Cleo before she was born. Rightly, David and Robbyn chose not to go with it---But I stand by the name. Think about it: The teacher in elementary school asking the other students--"Is The Colonel back from recess yet?"--Future co-workers asking each other, "Well, what does The Colonel think about all of this?" It's a name that continually demands respect.
So while our parents would probably kill us both if we actually went with "The Colonel Johnson" as our baby's name, Karen and I have been enjoying using it as a place-holder name for the baby since we've decided not to learn if it's a boy or a girl 'til it's born. It's been pretty funny when friends and relatives call to ask, "How's The Colonel?"
I have a feeling it's gonna be hard to stop calling it that when it's born. I also suspect that I may just have to salute as The Colonel arrives finally for it's first inspection of our little family platoon.

(Photo of me & Karen by Sari Zimmerman)

June Update!

I have not fallen off the Earth! Been busy working on things I can't show off. I just finished work on my part of the GI Joe Movie Style Guide---Unfortunately, I won't be able to show that stuff off 'til after the movie is released...
I've also been at work on my graphic novella, The Black Lake this month. The script is complete and the entire book is laid out and ready to draw. I've penciled the first promo piece and Ray is inking it as I write this entry---Well, maybe not RIGHT now. Actually, he's probably asleep...Ol' Ray's getting up there in years....As soon as the promo art is finished, you'll see it here first folks.
Speaking of Ray Snyder---Everyone should be checking out his work with Yanick Paquette over on Marvel's Young X-Men. Yanick is one of the best artists working in comics today, and Ray makes his beautiful work look even prettier. Good book, guys!
One last note---I'm thinking about putting some of my Supergirl work up for sale. If anyone out there is looking to pick up any pages or covers from my recent run, just drop me a note at graphitemonkey@gmail.com.

Now it can be shown, part 2

Over on my Comic Art Fans site, you can see an alternative costume that I designed for Supergirl before I started my run. It didn't fare that well--There was more interest in a more conservative look, recalling that Supergirl is, well, 16. I think like a lot of folks, I forgot that for a moment when I was doing that first design.
Here's the second design I did, and for a little while, It looked like it might get accepted. In the end, I'm sorry to say, it didn't.
I'm putting it up for public consideration, and to see if I was totally full of it or not for thinking that it was cool.

Eyes only: The NYCC GI Joe variant cover

Here's the finished version of the GI Joe New York Comic Con variant cover that Ray and I did for Devil's Due. It features The Baroness and Destro---If you'd like to see the original pencils, check out the link to my gallery at Comic Art Fans on the right of this entry!

Good Night, Kara Zor-El!

DEPT. OF BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS! I've tendered my resignation from monthly penciling duties on DC's SUPERGIRL.
If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that Karen and I are expecting our first offspring soon. I figured that if I go ahead and wrap up my work on SUPERGIRL by June, then I can have a month to work on my graphic novel, THE BLACK LAKE, before our baby arrives in July. I'm planning a four month hiatus from regular comic work to learn to tackle the challenges of being a new dad and to finish work on penciling THE BLACK LAKE. Look for further announcements regarding THE BLACK LAKE to be posted here in the near future.
BIG HUGE THANKS to everyone who has supported my work on SUPERGIRL. It's been a tough run, but I had a great time. Thanks to my editor, Matt Idelson, and to Tom Palmer Jr and Nachie Castro. I've loved working with you guys and hope we get to work together again soon. Thanks, too, to my great friend and inker, Ray Snyder. Thanks for putting up with my usual crazy crap, and thanks for doing such lovely work over my scribbles. Can't wait to see what we do on THE BLACK LAKE and beyond.
And of course, the BIGGEST THANKS to my wife Karen, for all of her love and support, and for being the coolest soon-to-be mom ever to walk the Earth.

Back to the Dept. of Big Thanks!

A long overdue Dept. of Big Thanks THANKS to Aimee LoSecco for adding her page from my Wonder Woman run to the "From Panel To Panel" Exhibition that was curated by her friend Tara Donahue during the New York Comic Con. It was really cool to know that my work was being featured among so many great artists. Aimee and Tara, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get over to the gallery to see the show--I stayed really busy during the con every day--but I hope you'll send me some pictures from the show when you get time. I'll post 'em here!
Also, another big THANKS to Aimee and her co-workers at the Gotham City Comics booth at NYCC for being so cool, and giving me a killer deal on my Bowen Wasp bust. Karen and I stopped by Gotham City Comics when we were in New York last November at Aimee's invitation, and it's a really cool shop. They're at 796 Lexington Ave. 2nd Floor at 62nd st. Stop by and see 'em if you're in New York!
BIG THANKS to the awesome folks at Metropolis Comics in Bellflower, CA for having me and Karen as their guests for Free Comic Book Day '08. What a rush! We had a spectacular crowd turn out, and Karen and I had a great time meeting everyone. THANKS to Gail, John, Debbie, and all the other great folks at Metropolis for a great afternoon, and thanks to all the folks who came out to see us. It was a real blast.

Now that's what it should've looked like!

This is a piece I just did for my friend, John Higashi. It's Leia as I had originally designed her to appear in the fourth issue of the Star Wars Infinities:A New Hope project that Ray and I worked on a few years back.
It's basically "Darth Leia"--as she's become Vader's apprentice after the rebellion's failure to destroy the Death Star. I'm glad I got the opportunity to draw her again. I feel like I had a better handle on the idea this time, versus my original design drawing.
Hope you like it, John--- Thanks for your infinite patience!

Don't forget!

Karen and I will be appearing at Metropolis Comics in Bellflower, CA for Free Comic Book Day this upcoming Saturday.
We'll be there from 11:30am-3:30pm--Be sure to come by and say "Hi". I understand they'll have cookies.

New goings-on for the end of April

Just got back from a really great trip to New York Comic Con. That was a really great show. I think I may do that one now instead of San Diego. It's a bit less crowded and seems to focus more on comics. I noticed that all the editors that I'd been hoping to get to see were there, and they seemed a lot less over-worked than at SD, and more interested in chatting. I got some exciting business done, and hope to have some cool announcements in the next couple of months. Thanks to DC and Marvel for putting on some really nice parties, and thanks to Vince and Adam for having me at the DC signing on Sunday. Also, big thanks to Brian, Nora, Tim, Josh and Mike for having me at the Devil's Due signings each day of the show.
Also, a big thanks to my pal David Hahn for coming out to NYCC with me all the way from Portland. David, it was really fun to share a table with you buddy, and even better to just get to hang out with you again---It's been a long time.
*NEWS OF THE RAY* Ray Snyder stayed home from NYCC and worked. I'm sorry to report that he did that around regular trips to the hospital to visit his brother, who fell from a roof and pretty well shattered his leg and foot, as well as his mother, who suffered a light stroke. Hope they're both doing better, Ray.
*New Link!* If you look over in the Links column, you'll see inker Marc Deering's blog link. Marc inked penciller Lee Ferguson when he filled in on Supergirl #26 while I was recovering from my Appendectomy. They did a great job in not much time--Big thanks to them! Check out Marc's blog---He does nice work, and he has a great group of links.

Ray's not dead!

That uh...That was my bad. I didn't think about how that last headline looked....My apologies for the fright.
Um...Sorry Ray.

The cleaner version...

Over on my gallery at comicartfans.com (see link on the side of the page), I put up the published version of the cover pencils for SUPERGIRL #28. She's really muddy, especially around her face.
My original pencils kept her face a little clearer of debris, but I've got to give it up to Matt Idelson--She's crawling from the grave--She probably wouldn't look all clean and pretty...Unless you're looking at her here, revealed for the first time in all her clean-ish glory...

Now they can be shown...

Here's some of the design sketches that I did for the recent appearance of RESURRECTION MAN in SUPERGIRL #28---I didn't wanna let 'em out til the issue came out. Here they are---warts 'n all.
The head and shoulders shot is the second version that my editor and I liked. We came up with the idea that he cuts his own hair short, but each time he gets killed and is reborn, his hair grows back out again---Hence the scene in the desert. Also, note the facial tattoo---It's an uruboros (dunno if I spelled that correctly...), symbolizing rebirth. We wanted to give him a little bit of a new look for his re-emergence onto the scene, but alas---it was cut in the end.
I just finished my work on issue 29, which features more Rez Man. He's been rather fun to draw, and an interesting departure from some of the, well, tidier heroes I've drawn.

We'll miss you, Ray....

Looks like due to a large workload, my good friend and inker, Ray Snyder will not be attending New York Comic Con this year.
Gotta give it up to Ray---He's eating a fairly expensive plane ticket to make sure he gets his books inked. I pressured him to come any way, just 'cause David and I were looking forward to getting to see him, but in the end I realized I wasn't helping and stopped being a jerk about it. We'll miss you, Ray, and Kim as well...It won't be the same with out you.
THE GOOD NEWS FOR FANS OF SUPERGIRL: Here's the silver lining---Though I'm not selling any of my penciled pages or covers yet from our run on SUPERGIRL, I will be selling Ray's inked SUPERGIRL pages for him at the New York Comic Con, in an effort to help him recoup his losses from his unused plane ticket. Come by Artist's Alley and check 'em out! If you buy one of his pages, we can call Ray on my cell phone, put him on speaker and he can thank you personally. Well...He might be busy...We'll see.

Upcoming Appearances!

The weekend of April 18th, you can see me at NEW YORK COMIC CON along with my great pals Ray Snyder and David Hahn. If you're in town, come by and say "hey". Ray and I will be signing our NYCC variant GI JOE cover at the Devil's Due Productions booth at varied times throughout the weekend, and David, Ray and I will be signing at the DC Comics booth on Sunday from 3pm-4pm. The rest of the time we'll be hanging out in Artist's Alley.
May 3rd, Free Comicbook Day, I'll be appearing at METROPOLIS COMICS in Bellflower, CA with my lovely wife Karen Carnegie-Johnson, re-take director on THE SIMPSONS. Also, she worked on THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. Come by and say "Hello", and maybe we'll draw something cool for you.
To answer the folks who've been asking lately, I won't be attending San Diego Comic Con this year, because our NEW BABY is due shortly before the con in July. I might make it down there briefly, but just to see some friends. Karen and I will see you there next year, though, with our new tyke along for the ride.

Look what I found!

I was looking for something in my portfolio file the other day and unearthed this Wonder Woman panel that I had saved during my work on Jody Picoult's run on WW. It's one of my favorite shots that I've drawn of her--from the pencils from issue six, panel 1.
Just thought I'd throw it up here for any fans of my Wonder Woman stuff that might be lurking around out there. I love all three of you.

Dave Stevens died recently

I know I'm late in saying something about this. I don't handle death well, so these things can take me a while. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out what to say about 'Ringo's death. All I can think of is what a great guy he was the few times that I got to hang out with him.
Unfortunately, I never even got to hang out with Dave Stevens. I thought I might someday---It's a small industry. I was crossing my fingers. I'm really sad that now I won't get that chance to meet him. Dave was one of my biggest inspirations in the way that I draw and in the kind of stories that I'm interested in telling. I dunno that knowing that would have been a big deal to him, but I wish I could've told him sometime.
You know what's great, though? We can visit great artists--great storytellers like Mike and like Dave any time through their work. We can go back and re-read The Rocketeer or Tellos and see what those guys wanted to share with us. What they wanted to dazzle us with. Every time we look at their work, we will remember why we miss them, and enjoy what part of themselves they've left for us. Forever. I take comfort in that idea.

Sketchbooks for sale!

If you would like to get a hold of one of my Convention Sketchbooks, Just email me at graphitemonkey@gmail.com and let me know! They're $10, plus $1 shipping, so it can be mailed to you priority mail. I only accept Paypal for payment due to past problems with checks and money orders. In your email, just let me know your Name, Address and how many sketchbooks you'd like, and if you'd like it signed or not.

New Links!

Please note that I've learned how to add links to this thing---Now you can get to my gallery at comicartfans.com by following the "Drew's Art Gallery" Link. Also, if you're interested in following my and Karen's adventures in being expecting parents, you can check out the "Our Baby Blog" link and look in on The Colonel! Exciting!