Black Snow Comics

Black Snow redesigned and angry

What’s that metronome I hear, perhaps the end is drawing near, You never hear the shot that takes you down, Out of time, so say goodbye, what is yours, Now is mine, and I dream broken dreams, I make them come true, I make them for you – dedicated to all my fans

Look what I drew this morning. A re-imagining of the Black Snow character design, in what I think is an awesome, gritty update. I’m very happy with the way this one turned out.

I used the same muted color scheme as the last drawing, because I think it’s pretty dead on. This is a pretty different style then usual, and I’m really happy how easily it came to me. What are some of the new things here? For one, it’s the first time we’ve EVER seen Black Snow’s eyes. It really does make a surprising difference in the overall look of the character. Adds a element of realism that simply isn’t there with the white slit eyes. It makes it feel like this is really a guy just wearing a mask. And it allows me to add more detail and expression to his eyes.

Another big difference, a restyling of Black Snow formerly slicked back widow’s peak. I like this messy, wild hair. It makes more sense really, as I don’t picture him as a man who cares about style or hygiene.

Of course a big part of that muted color scheme was to make his costume gray and his hair dark grey, versus the solid black previously used for both. This is actually quite a significant difference, as it allows me to add darker tones for shading and black lines for details and shadows, no longer restricting me to the use of white lines for such things.

Oh, btw, the blood splatter is supposed to be from someone else that he has beaten, not his own wounds.

It is a strange thing to jump from the comedy of I’m Famous! yesterday to this new intense Black Snow today. It required a bit of a different mindset, as I pumped myself up with some intense music and tried to think dark and gritty. It’s been said that artists are really actors performing through their characters on paper, and I subscribe fully to that belief. Your mood and attitude often shines through in your work. And if you’re like me you pose yourself as the characters to act as your own model. So mindset is fairly important to me.

Honestly, I think this single drawing has taken my work to a whole new level. What do you think?

Now I will break your dreams.

I'm Famous! 105

A cheap shot, that’s the way that you play the game, I was blindsided, things will never ever be the same, nice guys, it’s said they always finish last, but bad-asses, always kicking asshole’s ass – My New Attitude

I like this Famous. It feels nice to return to a pressure free drawing and not focus on all this publisher stuff for a bit. The best part about an unpublished webcomic? You can do whatever the hell you want. For instance, I decided I wanted to try the Lone Wolf with pointed ears here, much like I added his fangs some time back. Give him a more animalistic wolf look. I like it. What do you think? Keep ‘em?

I also wanted to see a different side of the Lone Wolf here. That’s a pretty lecherous look he has in the top right panel. He’s more aggressive than usual here, and I like his comment at the end. A bit more depth to this fool? Of course Daniel is anything but a yes man.

Which reminds me of an interesting concept Alex brought up recently. If the Lone Wolf is the hero of I’m Famous! then who is the villain? Daniel? Could be an interesting idea to explore.

In my last post I shared with you my drawing attempt to impress our new publisher into having me stay on board as the artist for Black Snow. I got my response…”It’s actually pretty good if we were marketing this for an all ages group type book. But I’d like to see it grittier with more drama and I think that calls for an edgier art style.” And I can definitely respect that. My immediate response to hearing that…depression. But it didn’t take to long for that to subside and turn to determination. Because that’s just how I roll. Everything is motivation to evolve and improve.

I’ve always been about the darkness (I wrote an incredibly dark Famous yesterday that you should be seeing in the next few weeks) but it’s time for me to attempt to fully embrace it in a non-comedic way. Black Snow should be gritty. Really gritty, with a biting edge, and I’m going to do my damnedest to draw that. My main man Rawr is also working on his submission for his bid to draw this graphic novel, and I wish him all the luck in the world. He would be a pleasure to work with. We’ve got a couple other artists in the wings getting their attempts ready, but if you want to give it a shot just contact me. We’re accepting all applicants at this point. This could be your big shot to become a published artist.

I’ve also recently been in touch with a self publishing guru that has some interesting propositions, so who knows, maybe you’ll see us publish Famous under our own banner as well.

Sticking with this gritty, bad-ass theme Alex and I had an incredible writing meeting yesterday, discussing our ideas for this remake of Black Snow. It is going to be simply amazing. So much better than the original. I’m incredibly excited to sit down and fully write it with Alex. What can you expect? A much darker, faster moving, more exciting, less nonsense, more Detroit, more concisely plotted Black Snow that will knock your socks off! Some characters will be gone, a few will be very retooled, but most will still be around. They’ll just be better. Every single one of them. Honestly, it’s going to be epic.

So get excited, because it’s coming.

Now toughen up you nice guys!

Black Snow sprawled in front of the Spirit Of Detroit.

You’re nobody ’til somebody loves you, You’re nobody ’til somebody cares. You may be king, you may possess the world and it’s gold, But gold won’t bring you happiness when you’re growing old. The world still is the same, you never change it, As sure as the stars shine above – the sage-like wisdom of a terrible drunk

So I’m incredibly happy to announce that Shot in the Dark Comics has offered to publish Black Snow! Very exciting! Honestly, I was not sure this day would ever come. But it has, and I feel some redemption for all our hard work over the years.

There is one caveat…they want better art. Honestly, this did not bother me at all at first, and my immediate thought was “Who can we get?” Then I found someone I thought was perfect for the job, the publisher agreed, and…the artist said no. So we are currently on the search for a new, talented artist, and have several possible people for the position. It has not been finalized yet. If interested just contact me.

I’m not a selfish man, so my first thought was “What can we do to make this work?” But I am a prideful man, so my thoughts later turned to “Why can’t I make this work?” “Why was I so quick to not try to submit something of higher quality myself, and to instead look for someone else?” “Why shouldn’t I be the one to draw what I’ve been drawing for almost 10 years?” And so on. To settle or submit is outside of my general nature. These thoughts increased after I found that basically all the artists on these artist for hire sites insist on being paid up front, and don’t seem to have passion for their projects.

Well, yesterday I tried to draw something that might persuade the publisher that I was talented enough for the job, the results of which you see above. Black Snow smoking and drinking in front of my favorite Detroit monument, the Spirit of Detroit (In our movie script this is where the final battle would have taken place). So I placed a lot of pressure on myself, put my all into this drawing, and I await a response from the publisher today. But either way at least I tried my best. I don’t have to feel like I let Alex or myself down. I did what I could. So we’ll see what happens.

The plan, and this was a combination of what the publisher was thinking and what Alex and I wanted, is to redo Black Snow, turning the first six issues into a new graphic novel. Totally rewritten, streamlined, improved, and more gritty than ever. A very exciting opportunity to correct some things.

So once we have an approved artist attached the project is a go. Shouldn’t take too long based on the amount of interest we are seeing from people.

A second announcement, Shot in the Dark has asked us to take over the writing duties for the comic Brix. It’s the story of a reluctant superhero forced to become a realty TV star. Oh, and you may just see your favorite insane, egocentric superhero joining the cast! So look forward to that.

Beyond that I’ve gotten a ton of response back from all my submissions, and we may even have more projects (and staff) coming soon. Suddenly we are in high demand, and a lot of people want to partner with us/work with us. The connections seem to grow exponentially each day. My practice in futility turned out to be anything but.

So a lot of big things happening here at Black Snow Comics. And may I just state my surprise the Black Snow got picked up instead of I’m Famous! Oh, and I do still plan on drawing Famous, no matter what. At least until a publisher tells me someone else should… Anyway, great things to come!

And now lets hear from the Black Snow of the lounge singer world.