Amy Reeder's Blog

Hey, all!  I have a short story that came out today in Dark Horse Comics' Creepy #11, a special Valentine's issue!  It's written by J. Torres.  Be sure to check it out!  I had a ton of fun working in black and white; it's been a while.  I used digital screentones which hails back to my Tokyopop days.
Also, I keep meaning to mention: I HAVE A NEW BLOG.  On Tumblr.  It's here.  Please check it out; I've actually been very active on there since Facebook decided they wanted to make it harder for people with fanpages to get the word out.  Sometimes I do daily sketches; currently I'm updating three times a week with this massive "perspective in storytelling" thing, which should be a good resource for artists.  Halloween Eve writer Brandon Montclare and I are also posting podcasts every Wednesday, and it's all on Tumblr.
Finally, I'll let you know I've been hard at work on a new project with Brandon and I am unbelievably excited about it.  It's beautiful, the concept is crazy-awesome, and the characters are amazing.  Right now we're figuring out who's going to publish it but we're in good shape.  There may be a Kickstarter involved this spring if we end up with the creator-owned/no pay upfront deal.  And it's the same deal with Halloween Eve where I'm in charge of all art duties as well as the lettering.  The series should launch this summer.  So please keep your eyes peeled!  I can't wait to share what I've been working on!

Hey, all!  I have a short story that came out today in Dark Horse Comics' Creepy #11, a special Valentine's issue!  It's written by J. Torres.  Be sure to check it out!  I had a ton of fun working in black and white; it's been a while.  I used digital screentones which hails back to my Tokyopop days.
Also, I keep meaning to mention: I HAVE A NEW BLOG.  On Tumblr.  It's here.  Please check it out; I've actually been very active on there since Facebook decided they wanted to make it harder for people with fanpages to get the word out.  Sometimes I do daily sketches; currently I'm updating three times a week with this massive "perspective in storytelling" thing, which should be a good resource for artists.  Halloween Eve writer Brandon Montclare and I are also posting podcasts every Wednesday, and it's all on Tumblr.
Finally, I'll let you know I've been hard at work on a new project with Brandon and I am unbelievably excited about it.  It's beautiful, the concept is crazy-awesome, and the characters are amazing.  Right now we're figuring out who's going to publish it but we're in good shape.  There may be a Kickstarter involved this spring if we end up with the creator-owned/no pay upfront deal.  And it's the same deal with Halloween Eve where I'm in charge of all art duties as well as the lettering.  The series should launch this summer.  So please keep your eyes peeled!  I can't wait to share what I've been working on!

Since what we're promoting here is a single comic book of 40 pages, it's tough to show images without spoiling things.  But if you know much about my art philosophy, you'll know I am obsessed with the intricacies of drawing faces.  So here's a big Eve montage!  I feel like she is my most versatile character to date--expression-wise.  I worried it might be the opposite because I was trying so many new things--like her eyebrows are higher up, so how do you make sure people know she's surprised or angry or just ambivalent?

Maybe it's Brandon's writing, like maybe he wrote a full range for her.  He certainly writes with a lot of trust that my expressions will tell the story, which is really cool.  Or maybe I just chose a lucky design.  Maybe I'm just happy.  Whatever it is, it's got me excited for each new page because I'm curious what I'll learn next.

A little update: our Kickstarter has almost reached its goal!  Thank you so much for all your support!!  The reaction has been pretty overwhelming for me...this is just not a normal life I lead and sometimes I think it's unfair to be this lucky.  It's weirder because I was so uncool in my youth (I'm sure some of you can sympathize).

But I'm so glad you guys are sticking with me past Batwoman and in the end I think it's very good news.  We're doing a creator-owned book that doesn't involve superheroes and has a female lead--three things that could've counted against us.  I'm glad something like this is succeeding! 

Another cool update, Brandon noticed that our supporters seem to be about 1/3 female...yay!!  And a lot of you have been interested in the "Insider Package" reward, which probably means you are either into creating comics or you just happen to be a "behind the scenes" junkie.  Either way, that makes you cool!  Hah.

Anyway, THANK YOU!  We'll continue to update, probably add some more rewards, and otherwise keep you entertained.

Amy

Today I announced officially that I'm working on a creator-owned project with writer/editor Brandon Montclare!  It's a single, 40-page issue called Halloween Eve that'll be coming out in mid-October.  Here's the cover:


It has been so rewarding to work on this.  If I could give one person the biggest responsibility for my career at this point, it would be Brandon...he basically discovered me and helped me get work both when he was at Tokyopop and then Vertigo.  And, he's my best friend.  So it's nice that we have a great working relationship and to know that I'm not alone as I venture out into the creator-owned world.  He really knows his stuff.

The story's AMAZING (and it has a little bit of Wizard of Oz mixed in).  I'm inking/coloring/lettering the book.

We have a publisher lined up, and we can't say who, but we're grateful to have gotten them involved.  Still, they aren't a publisher who regularly pays upfront, so we are shouldering the costs.  To lessen that, we have begun a Kickstarter, which I hope you'll check out!  We have some cool rewards in there and if you'd like to go basic, you can get the book with a greeting card mailed to you for $10.  What we want most is for people to just...read the book!

And, please spread the word to anyone you can.  We are writing this to be friendly to new readers, female readers, all readers.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

Amy

This is probably a long over-due "thanks", but I hope that doesn't lessen it: Thank you all for the kind words and outpouring of support over the Batwoman thing.  It was incredibly reassuring!

I probably shouldn't have been so silent.  But I didn't want to dwell--I just wanted to be happy, and move on...and make some really awesome comics.  Which is exactly what I've been doing!  Ever since my last blog post, I have been drawing like mad, and it feels wonderful.  I'm addicted to art!

Look forward to October; I should have two comics out by then.  One is a short story that's part of a Vertigo thing, another I will probably give you more information on in the next couple weeks.

But here's a panel from the Vertigo thing that I've kept devoid of spoilers:


It was a ton of fun to work on; in it I played around with levels of rendering...from pencils, to inks/colors, to a colored wash.  It just happened to work well with the sort of story I was drawing.
Which reminds me--both of these I am inking and coloring myself.  Haven't done that (aside from covers) in five years, and it's something I've been hoping to get to do for a long time.  I have worked with some amazing collaborators and I'm having an all-new appreciation for them as I try to get my inking and coloring skills to catch up with my penciling ones.
Batwoman was a great opportunity for me and I cared about the character; it's a shame it didn't work out.  But I am so, so happy right now.  I hope you are, too.

A lot of you have heard by now that I will no longer be drawing Batwoman, starting with issue 9. 

The info was announced by DC a couple nights ago, very soon after it became final.  It's strange (though sort of cool) having you all on real-time with me here--I'm still in a little shock and my future is up in the air.  My two-year contract with DC is up at the end of this month.

(THANK YOU for all the kind words...they mean a lot to me especially because this just happened.  I am always surprised by the amount of support you give me, when you've heard bad news, or good news, or see new art.  And especially at conventions...I hate using the word "fans" but mine have always been so respectful and enthusiastic and I always come home feeling pretty great, reassured that the demand is out there by people who really get it.  Or even with art sales...other artists have horror stories but I have only ever had great interactions.  So the real-time news--despite the fact it's bad news, I am glad to have a moment where we are all at the same place, at the same time.)

I'm sure there's a lot of curiosity about what exactly happened, which is understandable.  But I can't get too far into it--in addition to trying to be a professional and not burn bridges, it's complicated enough that I find it difficult (and frustrating) to explain even to friends.

The jist of it, though, was that it was a bad situation, and kept getting worse and more intense until it became impossible.  I am a long-term project kinda girl and I was so excited about being on Batwoman...I didn't want to let go of it and fought until it was over.

It was bad enough that now I'd rather just be happy and move forward: I'm honestly very excited by the possibilities.  All this has strengthened my resolve to do my own thing again--write, draw, color, letter.  My work is, by nature, better as a full experience, and the process makes me so incredibly happy that I can't stop drawing.  Which also means more comics for you.  Anyway, not saying it's my guaranteed next step, but if there is a way for me to do that and pay the bills, I will. 

And this brings me to the most important part of this post: If this all happens for me, I'll be honest...I'll need you more than ever.  To stay up to date, to spread the word, to...you know...read my comics!  If you like what you see, share it, to comics readers and newbies alike.  And not just for me--show support for any artists or writers you love.  This industry needs a shake up and I think it's coming.  We all have a chance to shape that by caring.

I should probably mention that despite the fact Batwoman was a struggle, I am very proud of what I did on the book and put a lot of love into it.  Issue 7 comes out this Wednesday and it's even better than 6; I have Rob Hunter and Guy Major to thank for that!  Issue 8 is almost done and it's looking to be a repeat of awesomeness.  I had done part of issue 9 but they aren't going to use the pages.  It's too bad; I was particularly excited about that issue.  I'll probably post a page or two of the work once the issue comes out.

I'll also say that so far DC seems to want to make things right and find me work.  Again, it's all very complex, so all I ask is for your continued enthusiasm and I will get busy finding the right project.

Thank you, really,

Amy

Hey, guys!  Some additional info about me + the con!

- I will be in the DC Batman panel!  So come see me!!  It's on Friday at 1:15 in room 1A10.

- In addition to my usual prints, I am making an NYCC exclusive print featuring the linework/ copic marker grayscaling of this Batwoman illustration:

I'm calling it BW/BW--Batwoman Black & White, and may do more of these types of prints at conventions to come!  Anyway, as you may have noticed, I ended up flipping this when coloring it in Photoshop!  It also includes all the original bleed elements.  I'll have 25 prints, 13x19, sold at $40 apiece.
- I can't guarantee that I'll be doing commissions this convention--I'll have to play this one by ear on a day-to-day basis.  Just come by and ask early in the morning.  My guess is I'll only take on one or two a day, first come, first serve.  So check with me in the mornings.  Let's keep it to one character, no background, 8.5xll, inked with a brushpen.  $80. Here's an example!
Find me at table K17!

Hey, people!

I'll be at NYCC, but of course!  I'm at table K17 where you can come and talk, get things signed, check out originals, buy prints or books...and I'll give you more information on all that as we get closer to the con!

Also, I'm signing at the DC Booth on Friday and Saturday, both times from 12-1.  Easy!  This would be your safest bet if you want to get a quick sketch from me!

As I said, more information soon!  ARE YOU GUYS STOKED?!

If you pick up this month's Teen Titans (out next week) you will see a few pinups in there, one of which is by me!  I drew (and inked and colored) some Titan Ladies.  I've always loved the thought of teams because you can contrast characters and interact them in cool ways.  The tough thing with them is coming up with an illustration that has any sort of color or composition sense!  That's what I tried to attempt here.
I think the opportunity came about because of the image below: I had done a Supergirl cover featuring some Teen Titans at one point (inked by Richard Friend, colored by Guy Major).  It was never used, unfortunately!
I wish I could say it was a fluke, but in fact, I drew four Supergirl covers in that year's time that won't ever be published.  There's a lot of confusion dealing with the "why"s and I'm not sure I was supposed to know.  Eventually I just stepped down because I didn't feel like there was anything else I could do.
So when I put the above cover online, I was pleasantly surprised how well fans reacted--thank you!  It feels good that the cover's gotten a good amount of playtime online, all things considered.
Another comfort at the time was that I was working on variant covers for Batwoman--we had it set up that I would do variants for JH's run and he would do variants for mine (meaning, the main covers during my arc would be drawn by me).  AND I got to ink and color these, which really got my creative juices flowing.  It's been a while since I've had that opportunity and I had a blast!
So, I'd done four of the five variants, when I had found out that DC decided not to publish any variant covers on Batwoman. 
I have told many fans to keep an eye out for these variants and I apologize for getting your hopes up!  No word yet on whether they will ever see print.  I've tried to ask about printing them on the interior of their respective Batwoman issues, but haven't heard anything yet. 
No definitive word, either, on whether they will let me do covers for my arc.  Or give me another cover gig.  For now I'm still working on Batwoman interiors, and that'll start February of next year.  Thank you for your eagerness and I hope you'll be patient and keep your eyes open when I have work coming out again!
In the meantime, your positive buzz I think goes a long way.  And never fear, I will get back to being prolific soon enough.  I will grab fate by the balls and tell it to shove off!!!



RECENT EDITS IN RED!

I'm a guest at Wondercon in two weeks!  Crazy!!  Here's what I have going on:

DC Booth Signing
Friday, APRIL 1
2:00-3:00pm
Booth #301

DC Booth Signing
Saturday, APRIL 2
2:00-3:00pm
Booth #301

Spotlight on Amy Reeder
Saturday, APRIL 2
4:00-5:00pm
ROOM 236/238

Cover Story
Sunday, APRIL 2
12:30-2:00pm
ROOM 104

DC Panel: DC Icons
Sunday, APRIL 3
2:00-3:00pm
ROOM 103

Manapul & Reeder: Drawing DC
Sunday, APRIL 3
4:00-5:00
ROOM 204/206 (or 200/212? Check to be sure!)

You've GOTTA go to that cover panel, trust me.  I don't know if anything's changed, but last I heard, I'll be with Francis Manapul, Adam Hughes, Frank Quitely, and Bill Sienkiewicz!!!!!!!  I promise not to take up the mic time; if I somehow manage not to faint I'll just consider my seat as the super-vip fangirl section and be focused on listening and taking notes.

I believe Francis and I will be drawing for all to see on that DC drawing panel!  I love doing that stuff!!

And if you want me to feel like I'm super-cool you can come to my spolight panel too.  If it's just you and me we can discuss favorite cereals!

If I get some signing times I'll edit this post to add them so keep your eyes open!

Thanks and hope to see you there,

Amy

P.S. I've gotten some requests for commissions and am only doing five this time around (it's my first time doing commissions) and the list has already gotten filled!  Sorry about that.  But if I'm not too busy I'd be happy to draw you a crappy marker headshot sketch in your sketchbook for free.  Just, if it looks really bad, don't scan it and put it online, unless you hate me!!Coverstory: Art of the Cover
Sunday, APRIL 3
12:30-2:00pm
ROOM 104