São Paulo-Angoulême connection

Bá and I were working this Saturday when my phoned made its noise for incoming messages. It was a video from Michele, our dear Italian editor at Bao. In fact, not only from him, but also it was from François, our dear French editor at Urban Comics. This weekend, the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée is happening in Angoulême once more, and apparently both our editors met in this cold Saturday to let us know, in our current hot summer day, that they were plotting our future at that very moment.

They were trying to confuse us. Deceive us with smiles. Their eyes betrayed them, and we knew they were up to know good. Europeans and their secrets and all that.

We replied with another video, and we smiled back, and we waved.

They're coming for us.

We know it.

We'll be ready when they come.

But we can enjoy our summer while we wait.

CHINA!

There're no words to describe the thrill of having your book published in China. Or maybe there is, but it's in Chinese.




That's the beauty of telling stories. There's no limit where they can go.

谢谢

SDCC 2016 - Thank you, Darwyn.

We publish comics in the U.S. since 1999, first work with a publisher was in 2003 things started to hit off only in 2006, but we still live in Brazil and that keeps us distant from the market. The upside is that we don't get influence by trends, imediata statistics or business gossip. We do our work isolated in the safety of our studio. The downside is that we don't have direct contact with the readers and retailers. We throw our books into the ocean hoping they'll find the reader. Throughout all these years, San Diego Comic Con International has been the moment we have to connect with the market, the editors, artists and readers. We've been going since 1997, and this trip serves to recharge our batteries and fuel another year of production.
The convention has changed a lot since we started going, but it's still a unique experience and the best portrait of the North American market in every sphere, from the indy artists with their first mini-comic, to the Small Press area filled with tiny publishers you've never heard of, to alternative oasis like Drawn & Quarterly and Fantagraphics, going through book publishers having their go on comics like Penguin and Scholastic and First Second, finally getting to Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, as well as "younger" companies like IDW or Boom Studios. Besides, there're many artists and writers scattered around on tables, signing sessions and panels. Yes, Hollywood has taken a gigantic space on the Con – physical space as much as the attention of the media and the public –, but if you're going there for the comics, you're still gonna have the best experience of your life.



We shared tables on small press area and booths on the main floor for years, but since 2012 we don't have a table anymore, a place to stay for the whole day selling our books. This year we had one signing every day and a couple of panels, giving us all the time in the world to walk around, enjoy the show and rest. We miss the close contact with the readers that having a table allowed us, but it was great to do things calmly and really enjoy our days. With such a big demand and a 7 years waiting list, I'd say it's rather unlikely we'll have a table in SDCC again.
But our signing sessions were awesome, full of old and new readers, known faces, people who we connect only by social media, who comment, share and like the smoke signals we send throughout the year, from afar. During these moments of brief interaction, we could have a glimpse of the the readers' reaction about TWO BROTHERS, released last October, and also about our new book, HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES, released last month. With two recent books, readers had a lot to talk about.
Between parties and dinners, one of the highlights of SDCC is the Eisner Awards Ceremony Friday night. Long and boring like any other award ceremony, the Eisner is, however, a moment to stop and celebrate Comics, the creators and the work. We're ALL isolated in our studios, separated by miles, continents and oceans, but right there we're all together, with all our attention on the art. Throughout the night you'll discover works you didn't know, see some comics that had not caught your attention earlier with new and fresh eyes, and get to know a little closer artists whose work you appreciate for years. Over the weekend, you can walk the convention floor looking for the winners. All of them will be there, waiting for you.
Once more, we were.






Over the course of twenty years, we met a lot of people in Comics. We've seen our idols become our friends and some of our friends turning into professionals. SDCC is also a big reunion, a big party.
This year's edition was one of the best SDCC for us, for all the reasons described above, but specially for bringing a deeper feeling of recognition. We're always trying new things, every new project is different from the last, and every year we meet new artists and new works that inspire us and push us to keep innovating and believing there's still a lot to be done in Comics. One of these artists, whom we've met personally in 2008, was Darwyn Cooke. He showed us with his “Parker” series that it was possible to make an good adaptation, keeping his own voice while doing it and blowing the readers' minds. This was the work that convinced us it was possible to adapt Two Brothers. He showed us (and everybody else) an adaptation can be relevant, feel original and look amazing. Throughout the years, his work would guide us, and I hope to have achieved just a bit of the prime he's presented us.
Last Friday, in the heat of the moment and nervous as hell, while thanking everyone who helped us making Two Brothers a reality, I forgot the most obvious and important person of all. Without Darwyn Cooke, our book wouldn't exist. The Eisner we won is dedicated to him.
 

TWO BROTHERS got the EISNER AWARD!

After all these years, the excitement of having a new idea remains the same, the thrill of finishing a story remains the same, the happiness of being nominated for an award remains the same, the nerve-wracking rollercoaster ride during the award ceremony remains the same, and winning the award remains as unbelievably amazing as ever.

TWO BROTHERS is a very special project, an amazing story we had the honor of working on and we had the chance to introduce to new readers. This book deserves all the attention it may get and this award fills our hearts with joy.



Thanks for all who’ve read it and got us this far. E if you haven’t read it yet, get it on your local comic book store or book store, or buy it online, and after you read it, go look for the original novel that originated this work. Do yourself this favor.

Neil Gaiman and girls in 2016

In June 2016, Dark Horse will publish our graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's short story How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The books has just been announced by Publisher's Weekly.



On Neil Gaiman's words, “they have a storytelling aesthetic where [depicting] body language is everything. The story is all about what’s in the narrators’ heads, so it can be very hard to do that in comics. It’s incredibly enjoyable to write a story and see them make it real.”

We've been working on this book since last year and we couldn't be happier with it.

Neil Gaiman's How to Talk to Girls at Parties (Hardcover) | 978-1-61655-955-7 | 6/15/2016 | $17.99

NYCC 2015 - Wonder Twins Schedule

Next week, we’ll be in New York. We’re releasing our new book, TWO BROTHERS, we’ll have a table at Artist’s Alley (Y1), we’ll have signings and a great special panel.
We couldn’t be happier to be in New York for this.

Here’s our schedule:

WEDNESDAY - October 7
7PM - TWO BROTHERS release, discussion and signing at Barnes and Noble Tribeca
Here it is. The best way to kick off this incredible week. We’ll answer questions, talk about the production of the book and continue to spread our love for comics, and we’ll sign your books.

THURSDAY - October 8
1PM-1:45PM - Casanova signing at the Image booth

FRIDAY - October 9
8PM - Image Comics NYCC Afterparty at Bowlmor Lanes. You can buy tix here.

SATURDAY - October 10
11AM - Spotlight on Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá - Different is Cool
Room 1A18
Eisner Award winners, Brazilian Wonder Twins Gabriel Bá (Daytripper, Umbrella Academy) and Fábio Moon (Daytripper, Casanova) have returned for a new collaborative original graphic novel with Two Brothers from Dark Horse Comics. Join them as they share their experiences, both inside and outside the US comics market and invite young creators and readers to a discussion about career choices, foreign languages, exotic places and how the best way to make it big might not be by doing what everyone wants, but by doing what only you can do.
1PM-1:50PM - Signing at the Dark Horse booth.

--

We’ll be at the show every day. If we’re not on one of the above events, we’re probably at our table (Y1) at the Artist’s Alley, selling exclusive copies of TWO BROTHERS. If you can’t come to the release signing on Wednesday, our table is your best ( and maybe only) chance to get the book before it get to stores in two or three weeks.
See you there.

Gilbert Hernandez read TWO BROTHERS

"Love & Rockets" author Gilbert Hernandez read an advance copy of TWO BROTHERS.

Marcos Martin read TWO BROTHERS

Marcos Martin, artist extraordinaire of “The Private Eye”, read an advance copy of TWO BROTHERS.

Mat Johnson read TWO BROTHERS.

"Loving Day" author Mat Johnson read an advance copy of TWO BROTHERS.

Michael Chabon read TWO BROTHERS

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon read an advance copy of TWO BROTHERS (out in October).

Brian Azzarello read TWO BROTHERS

100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello read an advance copy of TWO BROTHERS.

Jeff Lemire read TWO BROTHERS

Jeff Lemire, author of Sweeth Tooth and Descender, among many others, read an advance copy of TWO BROTHERS.


TWO BROTHERS comes out in October, published by Dark Horse.

PIXU is coming back!

There’s a new trade softcover edition of PIXU coming to comic stores and bookstores on September 9th. If you missed this Moon/Bá/Cloonan/Lolos collaboration, now is your chance.
It comes with a brand new cover!

Pixu: The Mark of Evil TP
Gabriel Bá (W/A), Fábio Moon (W/A), Becky Cloonan (W/A), and Vasilis Lolos (W/A)
On sale September 9th
b&w, 128 pages
$14.99
TP, 6” x 9”
This gripping tale of urban horror follows the lives of five lonely tenants—strangers—whose lives become intertwined when they discover a dark mark scrawled on the walls of their building. The horror sprouts quite innocently from a small seed and finds life as something otherworldly. As the walls come alive, everyone is defenseless against a brewing evil.

“The story telling here is beautiful, creating a real sense of dread and supernatural menace. Smart, subtle and genuinely disturbing.”—Mike Mignola

Two Brothers! In France and Brazil, so far.

Our new graphic novel, Two Brothers, is going to be published by Dark Horse in October, but it has already been released in Brazil and in France in March.

We've been to France to release it, also to represent Brazil in the Salon du Livre de Paris, since the country was the guest of honor. We toured for a week and visited Bordeaux, Pau, Nantes, Lille and Paris and all the signings were amazing. I will try to write a more detailed report here in the near future.







The release of the book here in Brazil was a blast. We always fear no one will show up, but it always surprises us how much readers and fans we have and how much love they have for our books. We have a big tour ahead of us and we are thrilled to travel with this book all around the country.





There's still a long way to go, but I can't wait for the book release in the U.S. We have comics to work on until then (Casanova? Umbrella Academy?), and we love comics.

By the way, you can already order Two Brothers on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online stores. And then wait until October. It's just around the corner.

CMYK- Farewell

Over the last three volumes of these color themed anthologies, I’ve told the story of these characters who, faced with the inevitability of change, have to reflect about what they do, and the importance of where they are, or how they got there and, the power of the memories that the objects we keep can carry and, finally, in the end, where they’re headed.

I came up with the idea to tell a story about change the moment the editor, Will Dennis, told me about his desire to put together this four anthologies based on the primary colors. And, I don’t know exactly why, I never imagined that I would choose only one color. I already thought that the best way to explore the artistic possibilities of this approach to the story would be to think of four stand-alone-yet-somehow-connected tales, so I could show how to change gears as we moved from one “color” to the next, and so that we could really reflect a little longer over one subject as seen at four different lights.

Tomorrow, Vertigo will publish CMYK-K, the last issue of the anthology, and with it, the last chapter of my story. It’s called “Farewell”. I hope you pick it up.

Here’s the first page.

There’s a nod to one of the very first Vertigo stories I ever read on this page. There are others, throughout these four little stories, but this one is pretty easy to spot.

Not all references need to be obscure, or hidden.

Wear your passions on your sleeve, I say.

We’ll be all right.

Choices on Paper

I could already see, with the first new issue of Casanova going to the printer last week, how much more hands-on we’ll be on the production side of our comics once more, just like the way we used to do on the comics we did independently, like 5, Rock’n’Roll and Atelier. I like knowing all aspects of comic making, and I think people can see a different side of your book when every inch of it reflects a decision you made. You’re the author, and it’s your story, your art, but you’re also helping to tell the story by choosing the paper, and thinking about the design that will fit the world you’re trying to create, and carefully deciding the order of the ads you’re putting on the eventual free extra pages inside your book.

On a similar manner, Bá and I are overlooking and, in some parts, working on the design of the brazilian edition of our next book, Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers, in english). Later this week, on thursday, we’ll have a meeting with our editor and with the art department at the publisher to try to make the final decisions regarding the book. Sometimes it’s easier to make books trying to make them look like the books you know, and then it can be more difficult when you want to make your book a little more special. I don’t think overworking the design helps the book, because “too much” will distract the reader from the story, so it’s a matter of finding the right balance.

And sometimes finding the right balance is a simple matter of choosing the right paper.

DELUXE

At last, the Daytripper Deluxe Edition HC is here! We're very proud of it and we know how much the readers have asked for a premium version of our beloved book.




You can see a step-by-step of the new wraparound cover image here and Comics Alliance has a preview of the Sketchbook section here.

And a little video of the book.




We couldn't be happier. This really push us to keep telling our stories. We love comics.
And a big thank you to all our readers. They made this possible. This book is for all of you.

Covering the first Killjoy

Continuing in our blog's recent trend of posting our covers, here's Bá's variant cover for the first issue of The True Lives of th Fabulous Killjoys, the new book by our pals Gerard Way, Shaun Simon and the lovely and talented Becky Cloonan.

Angoulême - part 1

Bá and I returned from our first trip to Angoulême and its Festival International de la Bande Dessinée a week ago, in the middle of Carnaval, and after 10 days in the cold french winter, we recovered by the beach for a week, feet sunk in the wet sand seen through the transparent waters of our beautiful sea. We had an incredible time in France, inspiring every day, and more and more we fall in love with the respect and love the french market has for the books and the artists.



Festivals that take place in smaller cities, or in just one determined part of a big one, are great because you can - and should - do everything by foot, and Angoulême is this beautiful little medieval city and the festival takes over the entire town. All around, you see people that love comics, artists, readers, editors and everybody else involved, and you cross them in the streets, in every restaurant, in all bars and museums and in the giant tents (called "bulles" over there) where you'll find the stands and booths of all the publishers. The prize most people are after is a very beautiful original drawing - done on their book or on a sketchbook or on a separate piece of paper - from their favorite artist. The artists take turns in the publishers booths, and a place in the line for one of the signing sessions of three hours (or more) is very disputed.
We were at the Urban Comics booth every day, signing copies of Daytripper or Casanova, and from Umbrella Academy and many of our work in english. The response from the audience was incredible, and it was great to see what the french responded more in Daytripper: Olinda, the exotic girl from the waters of Salvador, and Brás first love, was more successful than Ana, and many people asked for drawings of Dante, the dog.



Another guest Urban Comics brought to the festival was Bill Willinghan, of Fables' fame, who came with his lovely assistant Stephanie. Every night, as we gathered together for dinner, the guests and everybody from the publisher, we had an incredibly funny time with Bill, a human well of jokes, and he told very interesting stories about his time serving in the army in the seventies, which was the last time he had visited France. After two or three Vertigo panels together in San Diego (all of them passed without us getting to properly talk to each other), it was really nice to finally have an opportunity to get to know Bill a little more. Those dinners at Angoulême were always delightful, and everybody at Urban Comics loves what they do, and it was nice to feel that comics (or bande dessinée) are such a passionate world in France.
It's great to feel the good vibe when it's there, spreading, oozing from the artists, from the readers, from yours friends. It was great to see people we already knew so we could share this wonderful feeling that comics are great and there's something magical happening in comics right now. We had great talks with Cyril Pedrosa over late night drinks, and a great conversation with Mark Siegel over wine, and a wonderful lunch with Bannister in the basement of a italian restaurant. There were those we wished we could have seen more, and talked more with, like Frederik Peeters, Annabelle, Joe Keating and many others. On the last night, we had a very interesting and motivating conversation with Jessica Abel and Matt Madden about the differences of comics, of comics markets, of different artists, authors, and how that, instead of limiting, is nowadays actually liberating, even if still hard to accomplish.


Another great thing about this year's festival was the presence of so many brazilians. Call me patriotic, or sentimental (or blind, or crazy, or stupid), but comics are living a great moment in the world theses days, where new stuff by new people is finding its way in the hands of the readers all around, and when something great happens to you, you wish somebody close to you could share all these wonderfull feelings, and it was great to have other brazilian artists around, our friends, and it was a special moment that we shared in those four days of festivities, a moment we can bring back home together, hoping that, by talking about it, we can inspire others the same way the trip inspired us.

Umbrella Academy originals at SDCC 2012

San Diego Comic Con International is just around the corner, happening from July 11th to July 15th and, once again, Fábio and I will be there and share a booth with some amazing artist friends: Jill Thompson, Becky Cloonan, Andy Belanger and Rafael Albuquerque, plus the talented Murilo Martins.
We will have our books to sell this year. Umbrella Academy (both volumes), CASANOVA (Luxuria, Gula and the freshly compiled AVARITIA trade), our beloved Daytripper and more. Please stop by to check out any – or all – of the books.
And, as we have done in previous years, we'll have original artwork for sale ate our booth (and some with the nice folks of The Beguiling store over at the Drawn and Quarterly booth, very close to ours). And other pages I'll have are on this link.
Here's a preview of some of the Umbrella Academy pages I'll bring, from the amazing Apocalypse Suite series (click on the image to see a bigger version).


(this last page, page 07 from issue 4, is reserved already).
We'll put more updates before we travel, with signing information, panels, shows, Trickster and everything you need to know to find us on the big, crazy show. It's so close. Again.
See you all soon.