Spillmanville

So my second project that has a bit of steam behind it is called "The Fisherman" and it is with artist and bon vivant Bobby Spillman. Bobby is an interesting character and we have become good friends as a result of this collaboration. The project is slated for 88 pages of comic goodness. Bobby has finished the first chapter and the second is underway. It will be awhile before he finishes, but it will be worth the wait. We usually catch up on Sundays or Mondays and share a few beers while talk of conquering the art/comic worlds and I endure a fair amount of slander from Mr. Spillman. That dude is mean. Woof. He has a fine blog of his own over at Spillmanville, go check it out and become familiar with the insanity that is Bobby Spillman. I also get a weekly education of the MCSS. Anyone who endures all that  entails is a hero.

So this project of ours was originally supposed to be black and white with some artfully stained comic pages. It looked really good and I was pleased with the direction it was taking, but at some point Bobby bombed one of the pages with color like he was SAMO busting out a message on inner city walls of NYC with a can of spray paint. I think we shared a few looks and all of a sudden it was a color project. Suffice to say, Bobby had to retrace his footsteps and rework every single page he had completed. It also meant he would be spending more time on future pages. It doesn't matter though, because it will be worth it. I know that we are both very proud of this book and can't wait for it to become something we can hold in our grubby hands.

There isn't anything typical about this project. The layout is a tribute to the classic Japanese prints of Hokusai. We both are big fans and it was a touchstone in figuring out what was a suitable project for us. Every right hand page is a splash page, but not in the usual trivial sense. In most super hero comics it usually means it's go time or something explodes. It's often just a cheap device to fill a page. That wasn't how we viewed it at all though. Bobby's splash pages are fine art prints and they even tell a story, but when they are added to a page of more traditional comic panels they become something more. It certainly is not a style I would want to try every time, but for this book I think the format helps it to really sing.

You can expect lots more posts on this project before it hits the market. And get to know the work of Bobby Spillman. You can view his paintings at Bari and also at 3 Angels Diner. The food is damn good at both places too!