Back on the horror track!

The response for PIXU has been great and that helps us continue on the horror path we created. We were eager to be drawing again, and I think every time this happens with an artist, it shows on the first pages that come from this creative hunger. The best thing about having a working routine and a daily output of work is the constant feed we get from finishing a page, a feed that only enlarges our hunger and leaves us always wanting more.

There's nothing better.

MySpace DHP cover.

My Space Dark Horse Presents Vol. 1 will finally put on paper my Sugarshock story and it will be out in September. Before the San Diego Comicon, they were advertising the book with my first page as the cover, but I was asked to do a brand new cover for the first volume of the anthology, which they had on display at the convention.

As I just wrote earlier today, doing covers is completely different than doing comics, and you can play on a completely different set of rules.


I had fun doing this cover and I hope you like it.

Umbrella is back.

This November, The Umbrella Academy will return in another 6 issues mini-series. Bá is already drawing it, the first issue is ready and now he's taking over the cover chores. For a bigger version of the cover, click here.

The first issue is bigger and better. 32 pages of story. To celebrate the series return, the first issue will feature a variant cover as well as a regular one, and the variant's artist is no other than Jim Lee, who is a very easy going nice guy. HIs wraparound cover is this:



Doing covers is very different than drawing stories and pages, so Bá is going to try different things on the covers.

Back to work now.

Siamese

I had more fun drawing this preliminary sketches than drawing the cat on the actual story, which was just a one page story. Now I want to think of other stories, even if just as short, and make the cat appear again just so I can draw him some more.

Why comics - the preview

Today, we finished the breakdown of one issue of Daytripper. Bá is already moving on his Umbrella chapter, and we're trying to get as many PIXU pages done as we can before things get crazy once the BPRD 1947 arrives and we have to do it all at the same time.

When we're this busy, working like crazy, staying awake around the clock, we sometimes wonder "why comics?" Why do we have this need? What drives us? What drives anyone to go out there and do comics, out of all things?

We started thinking.

And then we started asking around.

Vote for the Harvey Awards!

Dear Comics Professionals,

Deadlines for voting for the Harvey Awards are due to August 15th.

The ballot is available as an Adobe PDF document or text from www.harveyawards.org.

The detailed links for the ballots are :
PDF: http://www.harveyawards.org/2008ballot/Harvey_2008_final_ballot.pdf
Text: http://www.harveyawards.org/2008ballot/Harvey_2008_final_ballot.txt

Email ballots, using the text file, can be emailed to pjcjmc3@sbcglobal.net. Paper ballots can also be mailed via US Postal Service or sent by FAX to those without Internet access - please call the Baltimore Comic-Con, host of the awards banquet and ceremony, at 410-526-7410 to make a request.

Final ballots are due by midnight, Friday, August 15, 2008.

We got 3 nominations for the Harvey Awards 2008.

BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST NEW SERIES
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

You can see the full list on http://www.harveyawards.org/. Winners will be announced at the Baltimore Comic-con, September 27.

There and back again.

Home. Here we are, and we're safe, and we're happy.

And busy. We've been busy for a long time. We were very busy during the convention, as we were on previous years (maybe more), and being busy is a good sign, is a sign we're working, we're building something that hopefully will stand the test of time as worth of the reader's time. We work because we feel this need to tell stories, and being busy is a way of knowing that stories are being told. This year, above all, I felt that not only stories were being told, they were being read as well.



We work our best, but the job is only done when we find our readers, when they do their part, when they get the books and read the stories. Maybe they'll like it, maybe they won't. Every year, as we work more, I think it becomes easier to find our stuff and to read our stories. Having a body of work certainly makes it easier to be seen in this sea of artists and that's something most people don't realize. Doing comics is not easy and more often than not there are no overnight successes. It takes a long time, it's a long road, and you have to love it.

We do love it.



I still can't believe we won. It's overwhelming, it's flattering, it's unbelievable and, at the same time, undeniable. I remember well that, during the ceremony, I completely forgot to thank anyone, so say anyone's name, or to express my gratitude for these awards. I was holding myself from bursting into tears, I was high of happiness, and I was pumped by my love of Comics.

From that moment on, all I could think of was how bad I wanted to do more comics, and I hope that's the effect these awards have on people: this is it, you won, now get back to work and do it better, do it harder and do it for as long as you can. No words can really say how it feels, or how it felt for me, so I just want to work an keep doing what I love, and what it seems people also love, and have the work be my way of saying thanks.



It's great to belong. It's great to have friends. Nobody is an island, we were not made to be alone, and it's great to find people who can take this great trip along with you, people who share our love for comics, people who also want to do their best, who don't settle, don't give up and they always want to do more, and do it better.

These are great friends to have and I wouldn't have it any other way.

On the plane back, I started drawing. I couldn't help it, I couldn't wait any longer and I just did it, between the first and the second movie on the second and longer leg of my trip, and it was great. It's great to draw, to create and to share. I inked the drawing when I arrived home, 'cause the plane was too shaky. I knew this drawing world need good inking, 'cause these are friends you have to treat well. They're great, and I miss them already.



We have a second PIXU to finish now, and just too much more to list at the end of this narrative, and we just can't wait to get to it. We love comics, and we thank all of you for your tenderness and support.

Meltdown Signing TODAY!

5:30pm, All Eisner winning creators of PIXU will be today at Meltdown Comics, 7522 W Sunset boulevard, for a signing you may never forget.
For more info, access http://www.meltcomics.com/blog/2008/07/15/pixu/.

Eisner Award Winners!

We won for best Anthology with 5. AWESOME!
We won for best limmited series with Umbrella Academy.
We won for best digital comic with Sugarshock.

Thank you all.

We love comics and we love you.

Daytripper

10 issues mini-series by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.
VERTIGO - Spring 2009.

Umbrella interview and more from SDCC!

The Comic Con has been great and crazy at the same time. PIXU is going really well and people really like hat they see. The ones who got issue #1 can't wait to issue 2 to come out.

On a panel about the horror line at Dark Horse, they announced that "following up on this year's BPRD 1946, BPRD 1947 will be written by Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart with Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon on art. "For this story we needed two different styles of art for two different styles of scene," Scott Allie said, and indicated that the artists were big fans of BPRD".


There's an interview with Gerard about Umbrella Academy on Comicbook Resources. Click, here to read it.

OOOOHHHHHH!! And check the Wall Street Journal today, there's a big feature on Fábio and I, our carreer and lots of interviews about us and what to come. Reallly cool stuff! Read it online here.

We have a big announcement happening today. Water divider for us, that's for sure.

And the Eisners at night, which we're are very confident.
Stay tuned!

Now we have to go have breakfast with Mignola.

One day, lotta work! Off to the Comic Con!

Last day of work before leaving for San Diego. We're all set.
- We're gonna sell original pages of Umbrella, Casanova, Sugar Shock;
- We have PIXU!!
- We also have CASANOVA vol.1 softcover, CASANOVA vol. 2 set(issues 8-14), Ursula, Rock'n'Roll, the Eisner nominated 5 and the Eisner nominated De:TALES.

we'll be on booth 2729, from Wednesday 'till Sunday.

We'll be signing at:
Thursday - Dark Horse - Fábio and Bá - 1pm-2pm
Saturday - Dark Horse - Umbrella Academy - 4pm-5:30pm
and at CBLDF at some point.

And now here's a video of my last day of work, penciling 2 and a half pages and inking 5, in order to travel to San Diego in peace.

Original art for sale at SDCC - UMBRELLA.

Do you like The Umbrella Academy and have this inner desire to have an original page from the series? Hey, this is your chance as we'll be bringing original pages from the first series to San Diego for SDCC. We won't have EVERY SINGLE PAGE at the con, so if you have a favorite, please let us know as soon as possible, because we leave on Monday.

And if you need a reminder of how great this series was, click on the images below for bigger versions:



We all loved Dave Stewart's colors on the series because he's the best, but this pages are just phenomenal in black and white.



By each issue, the art was getting better, moodier, more graceful.



Bá loves the Kraken because he can play on the most iconic super hero themes, like being mysterious like batman or athletic like Daredevil. And the last issue was just phenomenally out of this world.

Yes, Bá will bring the original art from the TP cover.

Drop us an email if you like a particular page, or if have any questions about the artwork and, if you're going to San Diego, I'll probably see less than a week.

Original art for sale at SDCC - second call.

We're almost done finishing up all we need to do before our trip. Two or three sleepless nights and we're set to go. If you're going to San Diego and has that inner desire to buy some original art from either Casanova or Sugarshock, this is your chance, as I'm bringing the pages to SDCC.

I'm not bringing EVERY SINGLE PAGE, so if you have any particular one you'd like, let me know. If you need a hand, click on the images below for a bigger image:

Casanova
Looking at the pages again, I realize I really like the work I've done on this series.


I loved to draw this sex sequence.

The last issue has some of the best pages I've ever done. It was a very nice farewell to this characters, and I miss them as much as you all.

Sugarshock


Pages 1, 3 and 6 are real favorites of mine, and I had no idea where the story was going when I started drawing the series. I thought it would all take place on Earth, for starters.



Action! Fights! Space! Who knew I would draw that some day, with all the down-to-earth relationship stories I like to tell? I really like the way the characters move and behave throughout this series.

I'll bring all pages from issue 3 as well, and a lot more pages from Casanova, but I wanted to give you guys a taste and a reminder of the pages before you can decide to hang some art on your wall.

We'll be at the Image Island booth at SDCC, which is booth 2729, so come look for us there, and don't forget: GET PIXU WHILE YOU CAN.

PIXU IS HERE!

PIXU 2

Coming out in September, the mystery continues.

Original pages at the Comic-Con - first call

So, ever since we started doing high-profile projects as Casanova and Umbrella Academy, from time to time we get emails asking if we sell original pages. Since we live in Brazil and we don't want to deal with international shipping and paypal and stuff (not right now), the only time we actually get to sell our pages is when we go to San Diego for the Comic Con International.

If you're going and you're interested, now is your chance to let us know.

Well, the convention is 2 weeks away and we will be bringing original pages to sell. Next week we'll post a page with all the pages we'll bring (yeah, it's impossible to bring a year's worth of pages of 2 monthly series).

Stay tuned.

The theatre.

Sometimes, in order to avoid losing the movement of the free hand drawing, I use reference photos on the sketches. This way, you can copy the boring angle of the picture in the sketch just to learn how that building works and to learn its details, but when you're doing the actual page, you're free from the reference photo and you can just draw like you like.

Soon

New online Umbrella

Click here and read the brand new Umbrella Academy short story "Anywhere but here".