Thursday, December 31, 2009

Out with the old~

With 2009 coming to an end, I want to thank everyone who's been stopping by and following the blog~ and of course to all the great artists who tried their hand at the Marquis and kept the weekend Diableries going!

2010 will bring more fan art, updates and peeks at the new Marquis and the Midwife book, but to finish off the old year I found the original "Midwife" cover I did back in 1997 . When the series was first at Caliber Press, the Midwife story was part of the proposed "Danse Macabre" mini-series (this was going to be the second issue cover), but when I reworked the Danse storyline years later it didn't fit in with the new pacing and was left out.

I liked the basis of the "Midwife" idea and over the years fleshed it out to the new full book that I'm working on now for Dark Horse Comics. Along the way the design of the Midwife also changed a lot (I think for the better), but above is how she was going to look back in '97.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 50

Jason Shawn Alexander (Abe Sapien: The Drowning) is one of those artists whose work grows from leaps and bounds with every new piece I see~ and he started out already running! He did this pinup of the Marquis for me back in 2000, but more of his current work including his amazing paintings can be found at his website!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 49

Jordan R. Boos sent me this great color shot of the Marquis losing his footing to an unseen devil over the rooftops of Venisalle!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas Diableries!

Happy Holidays with a midweek Diableries from Dark Horse editors Rachel Edidin (who edits the Marquis books) and Shawna Gore (in charge of all things Creepy and Eerie!) They sent me this wonderful card drawing of the Marquis (by Rachel) and his cohort Hazel, my fiancee's pet rabbit (by Shawna). Which just goes to show either the Marquis has a soft spot for cute animals, or that rabbit isn't as innocent as he seems!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 48


I stumbled upon this cool Marquis animation on YouTube and learned that the crazy talented Matt Marblo did it for a match cut exercise in his animation class. The Marquis makes short work of that pesky bookworm devil from chapter 4 of "Danse Macabre"! More of Matt's art and cartoons can be found on his blog!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 47

Ben Nicholas sent me these cool 3D interpretations of a ghostly Marquis and his predecessor, the Misere! He also did another detailed shot of the Misere from different angles that I'll show off in a future Diableries.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Midwife Sketchbook 1

A late night sketch for some Piranesi inspired architecture from the upcoming Marquis and the Midwife graphic novel. Reference done for the back cover to the book and chapter 3, where Vol de Galle searches deeper for the Midwife and her children.

With all the design sketches on the book, I draw it out first straight with pen (no pencilling since it usually slows me down and I'll start rethinking any train of thought) and then work it up with digital greys to bring out some details and mood.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Happy Holidays!

It's snowing in Michigan and I'm working on the new Marquis and the Midwife story~ I couldn't ask for a better way to round out the year as 2010 looms. And what about the holidays in Venisalle?~ I'm sure it involves some sort of self-flagellation or horse skull orgy... probably a little of both! I did this drawing a few years ago as a holiday card and the only time you'll see a smile across that mask!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 46

In the early days of the Marquis, Bjarne Hansen sent me this wonderful and moody scene of the Marquis finding something devilish afoot! Bjarne is not only a great colorist but an amazing artist all around, unfortunately not a lot of people in the states have gotten a chance to see his own comic work (or at least not as many that should have!) But you can see more of his work at his link below!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 45

Sorry about the lack of updates during the week, I've been pencilling away on the Marquis and the Midwife book and will have some more peeks to the upcoming story soon! But in the meantime, Pedro Lourenco sent me this wonderful portrait of the Marquis that he drew after reading the Inferno tpb!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 44

Writer/ artist Ray Fawkes is constantly producing lots of cool drawings in a variety of medias~ he sent me this wonderful Marquis portrait he whipped up in his sketchbook!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 43

Nate Higley gave me this cool portrait of the Marquis back in 2004~ and now both him and the art are a few years older since his birthday was Friday. Happy Birthday Nate!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Marquis and the Coachman in print!

The new short Marquis story I did for MySpace Dark Horse Presents is being reprinted in the fourth volume of the online comics anthology this week (on sale Dec 2). The Marquis and the Coachman is an 8 page introduction to the world of Venisalle and the Marquis that originally ran online in Dark Horse Presents #22 but didn't make it into the Marquis: Inferno tpb (which was being printed before I did this short story). More info on the collection at the Dark Horse website~

Sunday, November 29, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 42

Yiannis Stilos is a great illustrator/ designer with a variety of cool styles! He sent me this wonderful shot of the Marquis in the shadows of Venisalle!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 41

I met fellow monster lover, Scott Wygmans at a local comicon when he stopped by and gave me this cool portrait of the Marquis! You can't go wrong with demonic tentacles!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Vault of Midnight signing November 28th 6-8pm

Just a reminder~ Tomorrow I'll be at the Vault of Midnight comic store ( Ann Arbor, MI ), Saturday November 28th from 6-8pm for a store signing! There will be event posters on hand (free with purchase of the BPRD: Black Goddess or Marquis Inferno tpb) along with some freebie BPRD promo cards courtesy of Dark Horse, if you're in the area stop by and say hello!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 40

Santiago Caruso is an amazing illustrator whose work is both haunting and beautiful (and look at that linework!) He sent me this incredible portrait of Vol de Galle today and I wanted to share it as a special midweek Thanksgiving Diableries!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Wanted Damned or Alive!

Last week I posted a peek at some layouts to The Marquis and the Midwife~ page 26 of the layouts opens on a poster warning the townspeople about the "Marquis Devil". I originally showed the Ministry of Inquisition's depiction of the "Marquis Devil" in chapter 3 of Danse Macabre, but for the wanted poster the drawing became more fanciful and fleshed out. Here are the design sketches for what the Ministry believes the Marquis looks like.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 39

Another wonderful surprise last week was finding this drawing in my inbox from Jorge Fornés, who sent me this great cliffhanger of the Marquis fighting a devil over the rooftops of Venisalle! More of his cool brushwork and energetic style can be found on his blog that would work as a caption for this drawing!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 38

Francesco Francavilla is a drawing machine! He's constantly producing crazy amounts of cool art whether it's Zorro, his creation the Black Beetle or his weekly Pulp Sunday pinups (and tons more)! It was a great surprise to find this Marquis birthday card in my inbox on Friday!

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Marquis and the Layouts

When laying out the larger Marquis stories I work without a script at first, just some story beats written down and then I start roughing out the page thumbnails as the story plays out in my head (image on the left shows 4 page roughs to Chapter 1). After I have the whole story initially worked out, I like to go back and tighten up the page layouts and rework the pacing ( 2 pages on the right). Some things will get moved around a bit~ shown above, what I thought would be page 12-13 in Chapt. 1 ended up as the beginning pages to Chapt 2 in the final layouts. Once the second pass of layouts are done I'll write a rough draft of the script and go onto pencilling it all out~

This is similar to how I tackle the layouts with a writer doing the hard work like on B.P.R.D, I usually do quick thumbnails when I read the script and then more detailed ones to run by the editor. And as a side note, the scribbles around the pages on the left were some first ideas for the Midwife's "coat of arms" that her children scrawl around the town.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 37

Worse than any ice cream headache, only Tom Fowler would know of Vol's sweet tooth!~ Tom has a great style full of life and character and don't forget to check out those cool monster designs at his blog! Great stuff!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 36

Troy Nixey (artist on Jenny Finn, Trout and now directing the remake of "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") is one of those artists you want to see draw monsters and tentacles~ he did this pinup of the Marquis encountering something dark and fleshy for one of the single issues of Hell's Courtesan but a mixup saw it left out of the printed book.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Marquis and Abe at the Vault of Midnight!

I'll be at the Vault of Midnight comic store in Ann Arbor, Michigan this month for a B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess tpb and The Marquis: Inferno book signing (but will be happy to sign any other comics I've done too). The gang at Vault of Midnight will also have copies of the event poster on hand (free with purchase of either book) along with some other promos and surprises courtesy of Dark Horse comics! If you're in the area, please stop by the store to say hello!
November 28th, 6-8pm

Sunday, November 8, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 35

Along with all the great new Marquis fan art I've been receiving, I'm also glad the blog lets me show off older drawings I've gotten over the years~ Eric J (artist on Rex Mundi) drew this dramatic shot of the Marquis dispatching a devil for me back in 2002!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 34

The amazing Chris Samnee drew this beautiful Marquis as he stands over the body of the Courtesan for a fan commission (unfortunately I wasn't the fan)!~ but it's reprinted in his great 2008/2009 Sketchbook that's available over on his art blog along with more cool art!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Peeking in on the Midwife~

Right now I'm working away on the new "Marquis and the Midwife" graphic novel for 2010! I'll be posting more images and sneak peeks to the story in the coming year~ but in the meantime here's an inked panel of one of the "children of the midwife" or "horsemen" as I called them in the layout notes, peeking in on her.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Marquis 2000!

Another found illo~ as I remember this was a mockup for a t-shirt design back in 2000. I had done earlier shirts with the "M" devil crest and planned to do more, but I didn't like how this one was going and scrapped the idea.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 33



In keeping with a cartoon themed Halloween weekend Diableries, Piers Hazell sent me the first part of a cool "lil devil" type Marquis comic! I'll publish the conclusion to "The Devil Behind You" in an upcoming Diableries!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 32

I saw Kim Loh's wonderful artwork on Facebook and mentioned that I'd like to see a take on the Marquis in her cool linework~ the next day she turned around this great digital portrait of the Marquis Vol de Galle!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 31

Vic Malhotra sent me this cool drawing of The Marquis from a recent "Daily Sketch Challenge" he was part of on the Outcast Studios forum! Check out the link for more great entries from the Marquis sketch challenge along with links to each artists work!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

THE MISERE

Before the Marquis, there was the Misere~ who appears in both Les Preludes and the fourth chapter of "Danse Macabre" (in the Marquis:Inferno collection). Even though his appearance is brief in the story, I wanted him as fully realized as the other main characters. His costume was based on plague doctors of the 14th century with some redesigns to make him unique and fit him within the world of the Marquis. Along with the toned model sheet reprinted in the Inferno sketchbook, I also did this finished drawing back in 1999 to get a feel for the character.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 30

Finishing up another weekend's worth of "Diableries" is this great shot of the Marquis fighting a devil in the canals of Venisalle (in b/w and red!) by Felipe H Navarro. You can see his process to the finished drawing on his website too~

Saturday, October 17, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 29

Sorry for the lack of updates last week, I'll post more in the week ahead~ but here is the weekends "Diableries"! First up is this cool drawing of the Marquis with the devils of Hell closing in all around him by Matt Kirkland!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 28

Hart Rieckhof (graphic designer extraordinaire) sent me this great Marquis piece~ if there ever was a Marquis opera, this would be the perfect playbill!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 27

It's always a great surprise to come across cool Marquis fan art while plodding around the internet~ like this wonderful Marquis portrait by storyboard artist Jim Miller!
Big Jim Sucks! (I didn't say that~ he did!)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Marquis bookplate artwork
















More found artwork~ this drawing of the Marquis with pistol and devils was done as a book plate for the signed hardcover volume of Danse Macabre that ONI put out years back.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 26

And speaking of artists with great and unique styles~ Warwick Johnson Cadwell sent me this wonderful drawing of the Marquis facing off against a huge devil!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 25

A few years ago, Javier Olivares sent me this wonderful drawing of a brooding Marquis in his great and unique style!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

le Marquis layout

While going through some old sketchbooks I found the original designs for the French edition of The Marquis: Intermezzo cover. For the Danse Macabre cover I went through a few different designs before the settling on the final version, but with Intermezzo I got lucky and figured it out with the first sketch. The backcover was pretty close too, but almost matched the english version (lower right). The b/w line work to the French Intermezzo cover can be found here.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Intermezzo back cover

For the 2003 Marquis: Intermezzo collection (that reprinted Hell's Courtesan and A Sin of One), I did this drawing of the Marquis and the escaping devils of Hell for the backcover~ which became clearer when reversed out and colored (but ended up being covered by a lot of text copy). The stories from "Intermezzo" were reprinted in the new Marquis: Inferno collection, but there wasn't room to include this piece in the sketchbook section.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 24

The first Misere of the Diableries! Storyboard artist, Steven Macleod offers up this amazing and cinematic look at the Misere facing off against the Marquis!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 23

Kevin Mc Namara sent me this cool drawing of the Marquis with pistol and sword at the ready for another weekend Diableries!

Monday, September 21, 2009

The devils escape from Hell~

In 2001 I did this drawing representing the devil's escaping from Hell to be used as end papers for the first collection of "Danse Macabre", with the printed artwork reversed and the linework toned grey. For the new Marquis: Inferno collection, I wanted to use as much of the existing art as possible and reused it for the title page spread.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

THE MARQUIS DIABLERIES 21

I've been a fan of Nathan Fox for awhile, his art is full of life and it was a thrill to see his energetic brushwork on this drawing of a sure footed Marquis dealing with some rooftop devils!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Marquis in pieces!

Dark Horse added a Marquis jigsaw puzzle to the games section of their website~ you can vary the number of pieces for more of a challenge, or time yourself with eternal damnation of your soul on the line!!