smoke signals

Warm-up sketch, sending out my usual smoke signals.

Umbrella Academy TV series at Netflix in 2018

We couldn't be happier with this news.

'Umbrella Academy' Live-Action TV Series Set at Netflix'

The 10-episode drama will launch in 2018 and is based on Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's beloved comic of the same name.

Costumes! Costumes! Costumes! CBLDF auction

Costumes! Costumes! Costumes!
Drawing I did for the CBLDF auction that will happen next week during #sdcc2017. You will have a chance to see this original at the CBLDF welcome party at the Westgate Hotel on Thursday night, July 20th (among several other incredible pieces of art), and the auction will happen on Saturday (check out where at the CBLDF website).
I’ll be at the party. See you there!

BLACK HAMMER cover and signing

Recently, I made this exclusive variant cover for Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's BLACK HAMMER. I had a blast doing this retro looking cover, paying homage to Kevin Maguire's iconic Justice League cover. Here you can see the idea sketch, the pencil stage, inking during two moments, the final scan and the final cover. It changed very little from sketch to final image, and mainly I changed who would have the arms crossed to better reference the Maguire cover.

Doing a Black Hammer logo with letters also similar to the Justice League logo, and adding the tagline on the top, gave this the perfect feel of something from the past of superheroes comics.

I’ll post all our San Diego schedule soon, but I’ll be signing this exclusive edition with Jeff Lemire on Friday, July 21, from 3PM to 4PM, at the Dark Horse booth.

See you there!

Paolo Nutini

Recently, I did this poster for the scottish singer Paolo Nutini's show here in São Paulo. Here at the studio we've been so busy creating new stories that rarely I do anything that's not comic book related anymore. I'm not complaining, because I love comics and I have the chance to do only that, but sometimes you get that itch to do something a little different, related to something else, another world (the music world, the poster world) and it's nice when the itch comes and it coincides with that tiny little amount of free time you save every month just in case you come across an opportunity.
Paolo happens to like my comics, which I think was one of the reasons I was invited to do the poster, and I happen to like his music, which was one of the reasons I wanted to do it.

Back to the comics now.

International Women's Day

On my book, today's like every day. Every day I thank the women in my life for existing and for helping me be a better human being. (some men help, too)
But I did this warm up drawing to celebrate today anyway.

100 years of Will Eisner

Will Eisner would have been 100 years old today. We, like so many others around the big world of comics, were deeply influenced by his work, so we did these drawings in his honor today, to say thanks.

The Spirit is by far Eisner's most famous character. I can’t help but wonder that, if created today, a Spirit of our time (for our time) might have been a woman.

Paco

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.

Masks

My art is this mask I wear.
I painted the cover of a new notebook.
A new project begins.
Something exciting.
Different.

the last page of 2016

My sketchbook holds the last drawings of 2016. Before the end of the year arrived, before the fireworks, before the champagne bursting and the bubbling in everyone's glasses in the merry toast of the new cycle, before the jumping of the waves and throwing flowers to Iemanjá, before the candles lit in a circle in the sand and the wishes each candle held, before all that I doodled in my sketchbook a few lines.

Who would have thought I would write and draw a Wonder Woman story? Not me, not before this year, not even when I was reading all those old Wonder Woman comics that now live in my childhood's memory. And yet, I'm happy that when I was invited, an idea struck me before I could say no, and I said yes, and my homage to Wonder Woman now lives inside an anniversary issue celebrating her 75th birthday.
Another incredible experience was being asked to adapt a Neil Gaiman short story, and that's why I drew Wonder Woman reading our How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

I was happy with this drawing, but I wanted to finish 2016 with a couple more images, so I kept going on the bottom part of the page.

Casanova, our crazy spy comic with writer Matt Fraction, turned 10 in 2016, and survived to keep going until his story is complete. We released three new issues this passing year, filled with guest pinups by our friends, with one variant cover reproducing the line art of the first cover of the first issue from 2006 (we felt like we were doing our own Artist's Edition, if only for the cover), and with more of the amazing back-stories Michael Chabon wrote and Bá drew. Here's to the next 10 years.

And then there's the bunny, my fertility animal, wishing for fertile grounds in the coming year. We'll need to be strong, and be fierce, and be patient. Be true to your heart's desire, and let it lead your path and direct your sword.

It has begun.

Creatures of the end of the year

Sitted by the sand, watching the casual dance of the waves as the sun sets, I sketch to mark the passing of another year, in hopes the coming cycle will bring more of what I love and crave and pursue.

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Poetry Girls

As we worked on our latest book, “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”, adapted from the Neil Gaiman short story, we referred to the story with our editor Diana as “Poetry Girls”. It was a reference to one of the best ideas of the original story, probably the one that motivated us to adapt it – besides the obvious chance to work on a Neil Gaiman story.
I see poetry girls everywhere. I see them in the streets, in movies, inside the pages of books, I hear them in songs and click on them accidentally on the internet.

The picture above is the best poetry girl image by far. My mother and my niece, sitting at my table in a convention in Brazil next to my giant banner – the cover of our poetry girls book. Grandmother and granddaughter, looking at each other, a million stories shared in that look, with two paper crowns to add to the magic.

Those eyes

Writing for comics

Every now and then, when I have to prepare a workshop or a lecture, I go back to study my own process so I understand the choices I made and what the results from those choices were.

There's no right or wrong way to write or draw comics, but if you try to think about the process, maybe you'll discover some storytelling possibilities, or you'll find out you still have questions that might motivate and inspire you to keep pushing your work further.

Some very late and unusual commissions

I don't usually do commissions, but last year I offered to help a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for a cartoonist's medical bills, and I offered commissions as a reward. I ended up with a dozen requests, and I figured I'd do them in a month's time.

Stupid, silly me.

Almost a year later, I have finally done them all.

I'm glad I could help in some way, and I'm thankful to those to contributed, but now it's back to the pages, and to the stories, where my passion really lies.

Wonder Woman

This week, this 75th anniversary special issue of Wonder Woman was published, with several stories from many artists to celebrate one of the most longstanding characters in comics. I have a story in it. This is the first time I write and draw a story for DC, and one of the main reasons I accepted the invitation was a chance to work on Wonder Woman, a character who I think is still as symbolic and relevant when it was created as she is now.

Another reason why I did the story was a conversation I had with Frank Miller a week before I received the invitation, but that's another story.

I made this sketch as I was creating the story, to see it was was going to be able to pull this off. You'll find out the result inside the issue. I hope you like it.

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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

Rose City Comic Con 2016

We’re going to Portland for the Rose City Comic Con. We’ll have a table in the Artists Alley so all of you can find us really easy, and we’ll have signings and panels.

Our tables in the Artists Alley are Q13-14. We’re really close to Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue and most of the Milkfed crew.
Here’s our schedule:

Saturday, September 10th

- CASANOVA -- The First 10 Years!
Room: Panel Room 3
Time: 1:00PM - 1:50PM

Take a backward glance at the future of comics with this panel celebrating the ten-year anniversary of CASANOVA ⎯ the most genre-bending, dimension-jumping, time-traveling, postmodern-head-spinning comic book of the 21st century! With writer Matt Fraction and artists Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. Moderated by Professor Ben Saunders.

- Signing at the Dark Horse booth #1011, from 3PM to 4PM

- MILKFED LOUNGE PARTY
Room: Panel Room 9
Time: 7:30PM - 10:00PM

After the crowds disperse, join Team Milkfed for a mixer of music, nosh and art demos! Bonus points for Milkfed cosplay! In addition to Milkfed mainstays Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction, get your nerd on with Gabriel Bá & Fábio Moon, Christian Ward, Valentine De Landro, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and more!

Sunday, September 11th

- Artists Who Write: On the Craft and Creation of Comics
Room: Panel Room 4
Time: 12:30PM - 1:20PM

Whether it’s an underwater murder mystery or a retelling of past histories, there’s a lot of thought put into the sequential art that drives stories told in comics. Join the industry’s best artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Two Brothers), Matt Kindt (Dept H, Ether), Patric Reynolds (Joe Golem), Kel McDonald (Buffy: The High School Years), Jonathan Case (Dear Creature) and Mike Oeming (Aleister & Adolf) as they discuss turning an idea into a full-fledged story—and how they continue to keep their writing fresh.

- A Spotlight on Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
Room: Panel Room 8
Time: 2:30PM - 3:20PM

We’ve seen siblings in comics before, but these artist twins have taken their success and art to another level. With titles such as Casanova, Daytripper, Umbrella Academy, and more under their belt, a lot can be learned here about collaboration and technique.

The rest of the time, find us at our table, or occasionally walking around the convention. We’re shy, so we’ll be looking at the world in a suspicious way, but we don’t bite, so don’t be afraid get closer.

TWO BROTHERS - Harvey Award Winner!

We're incredibly happy that our book TWO BROTHERS won a Harvey Award for "Best American Edition of Foreign Material".

Thanks a lot for everyone who keeps supporting our work.