Age of Bronze

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Olympia Comics Festival 2018

On Saturday, June 2, from 11 am to 4 pm, I'll be exhibiting at the Olympia Comics Festival at the Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW in Olympia, Washington. Immediately following that at 4 pm, I'll be joining Olympia Comics Festival's special guests, cartoonists Farel Dalrymple and Shannon Wheeler, for a round table discussion moderated by Frank Hussey of Danger Room Comics, the sponsor of the festival.

So if you're in the area on Saturday, come to the festival and see me and much more!

Here's the link to the Olympia Comics Festival website for more details.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

At Last! AGE OF BRONZE in Full Color

Big news! Big changes for Age of Bronze.

For the first time ever, Age of Bronze will be printed in full color.

That's right. Full color.

No more black and white.

All new Age of Bronze material will be published in full color by Image Comics. All old Age of Bronze material will be reprinted in full color by Image Comics.

You'll see the story of the Trojan War in a whole new way.

I've been working with John Dallaire, Age of Bronze colorist, for several years in preparation for color publication. John and I were matched up in 2011 for Throwaway Horse's digital publication of Age of Bronze. Several issues were published digitally before Throwaway Horse ceased operations. But John continued coloring Age of Bronze under my direction. We knew that Age of Bronze would be printed in color one day.

First of all, Age of Bronze issue #1 in full color from Image Comics goes on sale April 25, 2018. That's next week. This reprint--in new full color--sells for the bargain price of $1.00! This bargain-price reprint of issue #1 is intended to give readers a sample of how Age of Bronze will look from now on. Find it in your local comic shop or order it digitally from Comixology. You can also order a physical copy here for immediate shipment--while supplies last.

All Age of Bronze graphic novels will receive new color printings. The first book, A Thousand Ships, will be published in full color in September 2018. Color versions of each subsequent Age of Bronze book will follow in print annually from Image Comics.

Age of Bronze #34, the first new issue in several years, will be published in full color in early 2019. All new Age of Bronze issues will be published digitally in color on Comixology. New issues won't see print--they'll only be available digitally. But the story pages from every new Age of Bronze issue will be collected into printed graphic novel format as usual--now in full color.

Some of you may remember that the first four issues of Age of Bronze appeared several years ago in color as an app for iPad. That version is being superseded. John Dallaire has refined many color details since those first digital color publications. In fact, due to a resolution discrepancy, John completely re-colored Age of Bronze #1 for the new print version. He made quite a few refinements. Eagle-eyed readers will be able to spot many differences when comparing the new color version with the old digital one.

So thanks to John Dallaire and to Image Comics for making this all possible.

For your enjoyment, here's a six-page preview of Age of Bronze #1 in full color. Click on any page to see it larger.

Continued in Age of Bronze #1.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Legend of Aquaman

New graphic novel includes The Legend of Aquaman.

Nearly thirty years ago I was asked by DC Comics to ink a project drawn by legendary Superman artist Curt Swan. Swan had penciled a new origin for Aquaman, plotted by Keith Giffen. I'm not sure what prompted them to ask me, but I'd just finished The Forgotten Forest of Oz and was waiting to begin The Elsewhere Prince, so I was perfectly happy to take the job.

The result was the one-shot special The Legend of Aquaman. It was scripted by Robert Loren Fleming and colored by Tom McCraw, who'd been my assistant colorist on The Secret Island of Oz. I guess The Legend of Aquaman sold well enough, because it was followed by a five-issue Aquaman series. I don't remember whether I was asked to ink the series, too, but if I was, I'm sure my schedule was filled with something else. The series was inked by Al Vey.

DC Comics recently collected The Legend of Aquaman and the following series into graphic novel format as Aquaman: The Legend of Aquaman. John Trumbull recently did an interview with me for Back Issue #108, coming soon from TwoMorrows, about this long ago job. My own Aquaman artwork is also the cover image for Back Issue #108.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Talking to MSU

Ryan Claytor of the Comic Art and Graphic Novel Podcast at Michigan State University conducted an interview with me several months ago. It's now up for your listening pleasure. Images include some early comics that as a child I wrote and drew--like the one at right from 1974.

Here's the link to listen to the podcast: http://msucomics.libsyn.com/episode-016-eric-shanower

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Get Your Mine!

Mine! is a new comics anthology published to benefit Planned Parenthood. An immense array of comics creators have contributed stories about Planned Parenthood as well as women's empowerment. Mine! is published by ComicMix and is now available.

I contributed to Mine!, a four-page story titled "Matilda Who?" Matilda Joslyn Gage was a major US figure in the 19th century women's movement. She was a thinker, a writer, an activist, and an organizer. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were her colleagues. But Matilda became marginalized and history largely forgot her. My story "Matilda Who?" tells why.

It's colored by award-winning comics colorist Laura Martin.

Lots of other comics creators contributed work to Mine! You can find a full list of contents here.

Mine! is on sale now at your local comics shop and online comics retailers. All profits go to benefit Planned Parenthood. I hope you'll enjoy reading Mine!

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

More Adventures in Oz

The second hardcover volume of Adventures in Oz is finally out. This volume collects the stories "The Forgotten Forest of Oz," "The Secret Island of Oz," and "The Blue Witch of Oz." For now I find it on sale here at Target. Don't see hardcover for sale elsewhere yet, although Amazon has the Kindle edition.

"The Forgotten Forest of Oz" is remains a project I'm quite fond of and still proud of after all these years. It originally was published in 1988. Some of the artwork in "The Blue Witch of Oz" I still think is pretty good and I sort of envy the me I was back in 1990 and '91 to accomplish that. "The Secret Island of Oz" I consider the weakest of my five Oz graphic novels. Parts of it have sentimental value to me still, but of course that aspect doesn't have any impact on readers.

The cover is the same one used on Little Adventures in Oz volume 2, but I didn't like the way that one printed, so I did further work on it for this edition. Casual readers won't likely notice, but I think this cover looks tons better.

[UPDATE: It seems that this book hasn't been published. It's still listed as forthcoming on IDW's website. And I haven't seen a copy.]

Thursday, November 9, 2017

SCBWI in San Diego

On the afternoon of Saturday, November 11, I'll be giving a presentation on comic books, graphic novels, and my career as a cartoonist at the monthly meeting of the San Diego chapter of the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators. The meeting is open to both members and nonmembers of SCBWI. The entry fee is $12

I'll also be leading an intensive on visual storytelling on Saturday morning.

See the SCBWI website here for more info.