The Mind of Drew Rausch

ELDRITCH! #4 Ruins Christmas for ALL!

2011-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

ELDRITCH! #4: “The Dream-Quest of Ted Newbarn”

Theodore “Ted” Newbarn is a real “Regular Joe.” He likes fast cars, chocolate cake, Huey Lewis AND The News. He also has a torso filled with angry black tentacles and an unkillable demon for a baby. And as soon as he figures all that out… man, oh man, things are gonna BURN.

RING IN A TERRIBLE NEW YEAR with a fresh serving of ELDRITCH!

Digital Download | 24 Pages | Available NOW.

The dreadful holidays are upon us once again, devoted followers, and with it the fourth installment of ELDRITCH! lands on to your computer with quite a clatter. So spring from you bed, trim the tree, roast some chestnuts, hang The Stockings by the chimney with care, settle down and let some noodle toothed babies dance in your head.

Have a VERY Scary Solstice everyone!

*If anyone comes around asking about The Stockings, I didn't see nuthin'.

"SIGN THIS."

2011-11-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

At least that's what I HOPE you're saying as you stand in front of me this weekend.

Saturday, Nov. 5th - Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival : I'll be sitting along side Serenity Rose creator/ Eldritch! writer Aaron Alexovich, appearing at the SLG booth. The festivities start at 10 and end at 3. I hope to see Elvis at some point.

Sunday, Nov. 6th - Bat's Day Holiday Black Market at the Doubletree Guest Suite in Anaheim : Aaron and I got our own table for what has been described to me as the one stop shopping spot for the strange and unusual. All fancy and covered in stacks of books, t-shirts, and prints for you to buy. Even those limited PRINT edition Eldritch! "sketch covers" you've heard about.

If you are in the area please stop by - and show us your FACES!

The ' ween is upon us.

2011-10-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

Under cover of night, we dug up some decor for our front porch. Spooky skulls, sticks, eeerie green light and pumpkins. Glorious, grimacing, grinning PUMPKINS!

And don't forget kiddies, treat yourself to some Lovecraftian horror. The first 3 issues of ELDRTCH! are available NOW for 99 cents each.

Happy Hauntings!

Toniiiiiight, we'll make love till we di-iiie!

2011-10-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Actually, it was two nights ago, and there was no love making. None.

But there was a Return of the Living Dead themed art show at Dark Delicacies to benefit Jewel Shepard (Casey from the film) who is currently battling breast cancer with all the money raised going to help cover her mounting health costs.

Below is the piece I contributed depicting one of my favorite scenes from the movie.

Speedy recovery and well wishes to Jewel and her family.

Pumpkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen.

2011-10-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

Some days you just want a wee pumpkin to follow you home.

OooooooOOOoooooOOoo....

2011-10-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

...Squirm squirm squirm squirm...

October!

2011-10-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

EVERYBODY SCREAM!

That's right fellow trick or treaters. October is here. Sinister grinning pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts and ghouls, tiny Pinhead costumes... HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEn. YES. This is actually the only month where I can honestly say I am in a good mood and man, I am going to share it all over the place.

Haunted Mansion Sketches!

This was something I was going to do with the release of the 2nd Haunted Mansion graphic novel, but since I could use some extra money to help fund signings outside of driving distance, now seemed like the perfect time. Many of you are aware of my unhealthy Haunted Mansion obsession, it gets doubly so around this time of year with it being all Skellington'd up and all. That's why for the rest of the month, I'll be selling some ORIGINAL Haunted Mansion warm ups I've done every few days (probably twice a week, depending on how much time I have).

First up: GRACEY MANOR...
(click to make bigger) Depicted in inky black and shadowy graphite on 9 x 12 Bristol Board, I'll be selling this guy for $40.00 with Paypal being the payment method of choice. If you are interested, email me at sullengrey@gmail.com with the tagline "Grim Grinning Ghosts". First come gets it.

Which Haunted Mansion resident would YOU like to see, I'll be listening via Twitter.

The witching hour approaches quickly so if you'll excuse me, gotta back to slurping down unreal amounts of pumpkin spice coffee, working on ELDRITCH! #4, and oh yeah...

...THIS!!!!! (What could it be for?!)

d.

A Strike for Science!

2011-09-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

"It is NOT our duty, NOT our privilege, NOT even our destiny... but our RIGHT... Our Right to tear up traditions... our RIGHT to destroy what has never worked... our RIGHT to design our own plan of attack, to strike at the cancerous heart of our parent's failed society...

... OUR RIGHT TO CHANGE THIS STUPID WORLD!"
- Anya Sobczek

The above quote is from ELDRITCH! #2, written EXPERTLY by Aaron Alexovich for a flashback scene where the main character Anya is giving a valedictorian speech at her graduation.

As I'm typing this blog, I have goosebumps. If you don't too, then I'm afraid you are not human and must be eliminated.

This particular quote resonates with me on so many levels. Mostly because of it's relevance right this second, and for that matter the past few months. As you may or may not have known, the comic book industry is in a state of flux, reeking ever so slightly of desperation, attempting to stay relevant in these forward thinking times. We have character deaths, change in race, rebirthings, restartings and entire universe rebootings. It is trying to accomplish a seriously daunting task. Changing while still remaining the same.

As Christopher Walken once uttered "That's not growth, that's a mild swelling."

I understand many of you don't have iPads, or fancy phones, and are resistant to the thought of reading comics on your computer. But I tell you now friends, this is how it is. This is the future. This IS change. And you either adapt and accept it or don't and run the risk of not having it anymore. You can no longer have both. It's all or nothing. Today's digital comic may never GET to be tomorrow's trade paperback. I'm not saying that print is dead, or that paper products are becoming more extinct as the falling meteor of a failing economy comes crashing down. But in the current state of things, the reality is that it is getting harder and harder for publishers to put forth the money to bring you these few precious minutes of disposable entertainment.

Eldritch! is more then just a digital Lovecraftian comic about a sibling battle over science versus superstition. More then tentacles, gelatinous gobs of black goo, more then debunking magic tricks.

Eldritch! is a battle cry!

Join Aaron and I as we help pave the way to the future. Support us by retweeting and sharing on Twitter and Facebook. Tell your friends that ELDRITCH! is now available for only $.99 an issue and that that dollar goes to funding more books like ELDRITCH! so that we can bring you the best in comicking we can offer.

HELP US CHANGE THIS STUPID WORLD!

-d.

My SDCC plans.

2011-07-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

Come see me at the SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS Booth #1815, where I will occupy the same hellish space, pen in hand, with Aaron Alexovich.

THURSDAY: 1-4 PM
FRIDAY: 1-4 PM
SATURDAY: 1-4 PM
SUNDAY: 11 AM – 3:30 PM

For all you who have not been introduced to ELDRITCH!, we have such things to show you.

*Cupcakes and cookies will be rewarded with hooks to the face or something a bit more appreciative. But probably hooks to the face.

The first person who makes swirly wall paper is gonna make a mint

2011-06-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yes patiently waiting supporters of the otherwordly and despisers of all things "Vote, Rate and Comment", we proudly announce that ELDRITCH! is now available!

To celebrate it's release, which came out last Wednesday on just about every digital platform in existence, Aaron and I decided to venture into the world of living people *shudder* with our significant others and treat ourselves to a viewing of the Tim Burton art exhibit currently inhabiting the LAMCA.

This thing is a monstrous display of art from the man who made striped tights a staple for most teenage spooky fashion. The exhibit shows the full range of Burton's art career, from his 7th grade renderings of Vincent Price to his not very well know Don Martin "period". Newspapers and sketchbooks, scribbled with clowns and Jack Skellingtons are framed so that you want to break into them just to page through the whole thing. There are sculptures displayed, as well as TV monitors showing his early film making attempts.

And that sir and/or madam is JUST THE FIRST ROOM.

But it wasn't all the walls covered in deranged doodles, black-lit crazed carnival weird-go-rounds, Nightmare before Christmas-ings, and various mental musings that only a guy who turns Hansel and Gretel into a terrifying David Lynch-esque short, where a boy eats a live Gingerbread man for the DISNEY CHANNEL, can come from that stuck with me. Nor was it the room full of German Expressionist pieces that I drooled over. No, out of all those things the one that stood out to me was a letter to Tim Burton from an executive at Fox regarding Family Dog.

Yup. All that amazing, inspirational, imaginative art and the thing that buries itself in my brain the most is a letter from a suit.

To sum up, this letter (which was framed next to some storyboards just for that extra sting) basically states that Fox felt some of the plot points in Family Dog, an episode that was part of Spielberg-produced Amazing Stories show, might be too gruesome for the audience. They even "suggested" changing them to reflect a more comedic tone. I believe the phrase "doggie heaven" was used. Yeah. Sure. Sounds HYSTERICAL.

That letter was dated 1987. And the reason I think that letter stuck with me is because that same line of thinking is alive and well today. So much creativity is either held back or squashed entirely by a higher executive type who feels they know what's good for a story or music or an art piece just because they had a few test audiences give feedback. Entirely too much "We like what you're doing, but how about, y'know, you do something else." I'm not saying opinions shouldn't be taken into account when creating, in fact that can be a great editing tool. Instead of helping, all I'm seeing is a great influx of studio interference tempering art out of corporate interest. Diluting things that "could" be fun and exciting into the lifeless and the horribly dull. Or at the very worse, make them play baseball in some awful equivalent to Space Jam.

This made me think about ELDRITCH! When Aaron and I started this trek through digital unknown-ness, one thing was abundantly clear, there's no one in a suit behind us trying to make the next big thing, but rather we (as a team) are expressing our vision as we see it, for better or for worse.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to ink Issue 2 while I daydream of dancing with the bug eyed inflatable wavy tube men with the stitched mouths we saw at the end of the show.

x
DR

Happy World Goth Day!

2011-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

In celebration for the apocalypse that DIDN'T happen...

Commission: Batroc the Leaper V. Karate Kid

2011-04-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Batroc the Leaper is a French mercenary and it's a well known fact that Ralph Macchio HATES the French. Need proof? Have YOU ever seen any French type people in those films? No. Why? Because Ralph Macchio killed them all...

What?

Oh. OH! Yeah, that Karate Kid there is from the Legion of Superheroes. He comes from the future. A future where Ralph Macchio has given up being in movies and rages a century long war with the French. Hey - who's to say this Karate Kid ISN'T Ralph Macchio from the FUTURE.

I personally LOVE the French.

Commission: Deadpool

2011-01-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas commission.

I have to admit that I didn't really know much about the character - BUT what I did know certainly DIDN'T come from that Wolverine flick a while back. Being the kind of guy that can find something amusing in anything terrible - the idea of making him look like a voodoo doll did seem appealing (hence the stitching).

Let it also be known that the gun this merc with a mouth is carrying was modeled after an accessory from a Gung Ho GI JOE toy.

* HEY KIDS! Do you want your own favorite comic, tele, or entertainment type character carrying an accessory from the fine age of the 80's immortalized in the finest pencil lead on 9 x 12 paper? For a small fee of $50 ($30 for every additional character) YOU BET YOU DO!

(Commission requests are not limited to the above description. Please no Furries or fan fiction porn. It makes my eyes bleed which can cause paper warping. Also blindness.)

Email requests to sullengrey@gmail.com

The Spiders-Man.

2010-11-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

Quicky from yesterday, done while agonizing over ELDRITCH! pages. Loosely based off of the 1970's Spider-man live action show. Dig those crazy web shooters.

Commission: Dr. Strange v Etrigan the Demon

2010-11-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

A recently finished commission for a very patient gentleman.

My bets are on Ol' Stephen Strange.

SDCC!!

2010-07-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is Drew's intense Comic Con face.*

And this is where and when you can find it...

Ape Entertainment Booth #2104 (with Jocelyn Gajeway)
Friday 12pm -2pm, 6pm -7pm
Saturday 12pm -2pm

Slave Labor Graphics Booth #1815
Friday 2:30pm - 4pm
Saturday 2:30pm - 4pm

There will be Sullengreys, Haunted Mansions, WInchesters, and Shreks on hand to be exchanged for currency (signings are FREE!), sketch cards for sketchin', and idle chit chat for making us both feel uncomfortable.

Be sure to stop by!

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

*Level of intensity may vary from person to person.

It's ok - HE'S A DOCTOR!

2010-07-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today's sketch ... Dr. Strange fighting a book of tentacles with mystical shit. "Why tentacles?" you ask.

I say "Why NOT tentacles."

I'm going to creep inside you like a warm kitten.

2010-07-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today's sketch: The Spirit of Jazz from the Mighty Boosh!

A lumpy,bumpy Thing

2010-07-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today's sketch: THE THING!

I've always preferred Kirby's original depiction of Ben Grimm as opposed to his "rock shingles" look. To me he looked as if he was just a mass of walking tumors, as one SHOULD look after being blasted by cosmic rays.

Down in Fraggle Rock...

2010-07-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today's scribblings, as asked by Aaron Alexovich: Something damn Fraggle-y.

Davros

2010-06-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today's warm up sketch, as suggested by TheFrogBag, the cranky old man of the Doctor Who-verse. Just look at 'em, any minute you expect him to curse about yoots on his spaceship lawn or poop his pants.

The Mad Mod Poet

2010-06-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today's Warm Up sketch (suggested by Gabe Hardman): Shade, The Changing Man.

Going to start doing more of these to keep me sane. Looking for ideas. GO!

The SHREK post.

2010-05-21T09:11:00.001-07:00

According to the mammoth billboards, Hobo covered park benches, and McDonalds that litter Hollywood these days, the 4th and "final" Shrek sequel comes out this weekend. Final - after the Puss in Boots spinoff and Xmas direct to DVD offerings. But then after that, NO MORE.

Oh, who are we kidding? This stuff is going to go on forever after. There are still MORE stories to tell and I'm sure Smash Mouth could use the money. Children's birthday parties don't pay as well as they used to.

Where am I going with this, you ask? Stop talking and I'll get to it. I may have mentioned that in the grand adventure of artistic diversity, I took a freelance job providing the art for a Shrek comic, published by Ape Entertainment, that serves as a sort of "prequel" to this new animated feature.

It was written by Scott SHAAAAAAW! (who created Captain Carrot, writes/draws Simpsons comics and has an unmatched Hawaiian shirt collection). Below are some examples of uncolored pages.

If you have kids that won't stop that gurggleing scream that they are known for while you're trying to do life stuff then might I suggest picking up the Shrek Prequel at your local comic shop, Amazon or Borders. Or if you live in Canada, Wallmart. They'll probably find the paper quality tasty as they stick it in their mouth.

Poot.

We Won!

2010-05-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

The ELDRITCH! beast is finally at peace for now, finding a new home at ZUDA comics. We did it. YOU did it! You screamed the loudest and blew out DC's eardrums. Your support and hard work has been no less then staggering and Aaron and I couldn't be more humbled or proud.

At some point, once the high of this experience settles down, we'll hopefully get to thank each and everyone of you. But for now, know that this is all YOUR doing and ELDRITCH! would not have gotten to where it was without the help of friends, fans and family alike. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. We love you all!

Aaron and I are still reeling from the hard battle fought, but we've licked our wounds enough to make an appearance at COMICS UNLIMITED for Free Comic Book Day from 11am to 1pm. These are rad cats with a great store. If you're in the Westminster area, stop in and get some free books. Aaron and I will be signing and doing some sketching.

Right now - I'm gonna let the computer repair itself. It looks all melt-y.

ELDRITCH! LIVES!

ELDRITCH! Things: How'd they do it? part 2

2010-04-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

So here we are at the coloring stage. It took quite a few passes to get the right palette we wanted. Actually "few passes" is an understatement. I was very concerned about over working the pages with too much color, which combined with the inkwashes would just result in a heavy handed mess. On the flip side, if there wasn't enough color, Eldritch! could end up looking drab.

First stage: Just laying in the background color.

Second stage: Starting to vary my tones a bit. I've also started on that sunset sky and pulled in a teal color to really punch up the ocean. As you can see, I left the figures in panel 2 back and white to emulate the tattoos on Anya's arm.

Third stage: Added in my shadows and painted in the sunset. At this point I then overlay a texture from my texture library.

Fourth stage: Now with color ideas in place. Aaron and I felt that the colors were too intense. So by duplicating the layer, keeping it at about 47% opacity, turning it to gray scale, and fuddling with the curves, we found a way to desaturate the colors with out losing the contrast. SCIENCE!

From there it goes to Aaron to letter and sound effect up. For the final version you'll just have to visit www.neweldritch.com. And while you're there, minds well vote. And fave. And leave a comment. (I can't wait to stop saying that.)
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Let's have a moment shall we? Have a seat. Right there. Just more that giant octopus.

We've been on quite a long month journey. And the fact that you have stayed with us through it all, is a testament to your dedication to the art of ELDRITCH! And I want to thank YOU. You've done well and deserve the praise as much as Aaron and I. And win or, forbid, lose - we couldn't have gotten this far without you.

We're still a little over a day away from taking the stage for final judgement, so I urge you to help us get the last votes. We are within grasp. And to thank you for all of the blood, sweat and tears we offer you this:

CONTEST #4: THE LAST CONTEST

If at 9am PST on APRIL 30th ELDRITCH! is declared the winner, Aaron and I will chose FIVE names at random to be drawn by me in a future installment of ELDRITCH!. Being ripped asunder by tentacles is what you've always wanted, right? OF COURSE IT IS. Just don't forget to leave a comment so we know who you are you big ol' terminator.

So keep voting, getting people to vote and fave and all that. DO NOT STOP.

Now, I would hug you, but I'm covered in Nutella and it's sticky.

2010-04-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

***Update #2**** Ok - CONTEST 3-D is on! If we break 650 faves (with votes attached) by midnight PST tonight, we'll pick another winner. Exciting yeah? So what are you waiting for? Get votin'!

***UPDATE*** Contest #2: There was such a rapid response, Aaron and I decided to do another contest. This time, if we rally to 550 Faves (with Votes attached) by midnight tonight PST, we'll pick another winner. GO!

"ELDRITCH! WANTS FAVORITES. It HUNGERS for them.

It wants 500 favorites by midnight tonight (PST), and has demanded we get them by any means necessary. If we fail to provide its dark smorgasbord, it will be forced to take its sustenance where it may (THE CATS ARE IN DANGER). And so Aaron and I are having a contest:

Go to the Zuda site, VOTE for us, FAVORITE us, give us a STAR RATING, then leave a comment saying you want in on the contest. If we reach 500 favorites by THE WITCHING HOUR (12 AM, PST), we'll randomly select a winner from the comments and send you the following:

1) One copy of Serenity Rose Vol. 2, signed by Aaron Alexovich.
2) One copy of Sullengrey Vol. 2, signed by me, Drew Rausch.
3) One SKETCH Aaron Alexovich, of any character from ELDRITCH!
4) One SKETCH by me, Drew Rausch of any character from ELDRITCH!

500 favorites by midnight, and all this could be yours! (If you've already voted, you ARE eligible... just make sure to leave a new comment so we can see you there!)

And please, make sure you guys hit the big green VOTE button before adding us to your favorites. Everything counts, but your VOTE counts most of all.

TIME GROWS SHORT. Please sign up, VOTE, and save our comic (and our CATS) from the cold embrace of oblivion now! We can do this!

ELDRITCH! THINGS: How'd they do it? part 1

2010-04-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

One of the most frequently asked question to an artist is "How do you do what you do?" Right below that is "Aren't these nachos tasty?" which is usually followed up by "Can I touch your books?" Then there's horrible anxiety.

Right now, we'll deal with the first one and apply it to ELDRITCH!

NOTE: At no time do I admit to knowing what I'm doing. But that's the beauty of art, right. If you get bored, just imagine that you're riding the Carousel of Progress at DisneyWorld. We'll just go around, stopping at various animatronic robot filled windows, and...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

PAGE 1

Not many artists have the privilege of having their writing counterparts live nearish enough to work in the same room with them. I consider myself lucky. When we began the "creating" process, Aaron had already did wee thumbnails that neither of us could comprehend without a solar powered magnifying glass supplied by NASA, so I did my own scribbles based on the script and what Aaron acted out in front of me. (Seriously Hollywood, you really should see this. OSCAR!)

As you can see, this is terrible. But that's ok. I'm just getting the idea down. Since this was the first time I had ever worked in these dimensions, we felt it was VERY important to make sure we had the flow of the page down to our liking.

Ah, here we go. The pencil stage. This is where the fun happens. Or so I've been told. While you were trying to decipher the above image and wonder why there's a ball in a sea of lumpiness, I've printed out the thumbnail and begin lightboxing a rough on to 8 1/2 x 14 white paper. It's not fancy by any means. In fact I may have stolen it from Kinkos.

I'm doing a lot of thinking here, trying to remember all the characters performances. Panel 2 was tricky. I had to translate Anya's tattoo into actual characters and still have enough room for the Bathysphere and lettering (which Aaron made work like a champ). I sure do love panel 3. As you may have noticed, I slightly moved Anya's arm coming straight at you to more 3/4 view. This was to allow the viewer to get a better look at her arm. Doodle, doodle, doodle...

... and we find ourselves at the inking stage. I had thought of hiring Rosie O' Donnell and the guy who played an alien in that one episode of Star Trek to help talk about this. But that just sounded awful.

I'm among the many artists that aren't really a fan of inking, feeling like it loses some life being all finalized. However, I wanted to do a heavy amount of inkwashing, and I was afraid the pencil wouldn't hold up. So out came the bottle of Speedball.

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New Zuda rankings are up today. If you haven't voted yet, this is the time to do so and maybe get some of your friends and family to do so too. All of your support has been just fantastic. There are only a few days left as the contest comes to a close on April 30th, 12:00 EST. We really need YOUR help to continue the EVOLUTION!

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Aaron says: "For the next 6 days leading up to the FINAL VOTE (aw gawd!), I’ll be posting character sketches I did for the original ELDRITCH! pitch way back in 2005. None of these guys appear in the Zuda eight-pager, and they’ll all be in line for a MAJOR design overhaul if we manage to pull this off, but I thought it’d be fun to show them off just the same. Also: If we can’t dig up enough VOTES, this might be the only chance you have to see them, ever.

(Seriously. Second place gets THE ZILCH.)"

See what the future of ELDRITCH! holds by clicking.

REMEMBER: IF WE WIN - WE ALL WIN.

NEXT TIME: We talk about color. *shudder*

ELDRITCH! Meet & Greet: TED NEWBARN

2010-04-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

I hope you guys have really been digging these little backlot tours into the on goings of ELDRITCH! No one's complained yet, so we'll go with a big "yes".

This one's going to be a bit brief since I don't want to give too much away.

TED NEWBARN

(this sketch was made with 2048 levels of sensitivity)

"Husband to Jess. Father to Skyler. Lives just down the street from the Sobczeks. Ted Newbarn is a real estate agent all too eager to be seen as cool, with-it, and above all normal."

He also gets really emotional all the while butchering lyrics to "classic" 80's songs. That's right. The pop-collared, spray-tanned, walking midlife-crisis that appears in screen 8. That's our Ted.

It seems like only yesterday... the clock going past midnight, Aaron and I sitting in front of my computer sketching the thumbnails for screen 8, me laughing so hard after reading the script till I started hiccuping so bad I couldn't breathe. The passing out. First thing that came to my mind when I came to was "This needs a John K moment." Hence the jiggling adam's apple and the lone single tear. The fancy red car, the fist pumping, the hairy chest, the wearing sunglasses at night... this is Ted at his purest.

You may notice that Ted bares a striking resemblance to Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore. That's because he was modeled after Christopher McDonald. With a bit of William Atherton (Walter Peck from Ghostbusters) spliced in.
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Standing back and looking at the astounding number of people, what is it - over 70,000, that have checked out Eldritch! - that's a lot of people we have touched. In a good way. Not in the dressed as a monkey, years and years of therapy way. It's been quite a turnout and we couldn't be happier. We just want to make sure your voice is being heard, so if you haven't voted, faved and commented, we ask you to please do so. There's a little over a week left and the competition is reaching Twinkie size proportions. (Trust me it's a big Twinkie.)

We appreciate all the help you guys (and girls) have given. Keep it up!

As a special treat here's a rare moment with Christoper McDonald.

Next Time: Eldritch! - A special "Making of" moment.

Zuda: How does that f*cking work?

2010-04-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

What a weekend eh? I got fist bumped by Kato Kalin at the Anaheim Comic Con. How was yours?

Another ranking has come and gone and ELDRITCH! is still at the top spot. Don't bring out the cake yet, with 11 days left in this month's Zuda competition the battle still rages on. To all of you that have helped support us by voting and helping spread the word thus far, Aaron and I owe you a great deal. It's exciting and we couldn't be prouder and more thankful. But we have to keep it up. The contest is hemorrhaging fierceness and of course your help is needed more then ever.

That's what today's blog is about. You and Zuda.

We've gotten many reports about how the inner workings of Zuda have caused some brain 'sploding over the past couple of weeks. Being new to this form of comicking, Aaron and I did some sleuthing and dug up a few answers, which we will pass on to you using this handy visual aid. (Thanks Aaron!)

Voting, Favorites, Rating, and Comments ALL MATTER. Didn't know that? Well neither did we. That was until we came across this post by Zuda head honcho (Nightcrawler fan and fantastic Volley Ball player) Ron Perazza:

"Okay guys, you've seen the ten competitors and you've read their comics. The competition is officially on! I'd like to point out some of the finer points of how we're collectively evaluating these comics.

First off, there is the vote. You'll see the big VOTE button right on the Competition Page and on the Comic Information drop-down on the Comic Page itself. This is your number one decision making tool. Vote for the comic you want to see become an ongoing series.

Next up is the RATING. You'll find this just below the vote, in the Comic Information section of the Comic Page. This is a more subtle tool that lets you rate each comic on a scale from one through five stars. While you can only Vote for one comic at a time, you can Rate them all. This will be a crucial tool in close races where more nuance is needed in order to accurately express your opinions. Incidentally, the Rating tool will also come in handy for letting us know how you feel the ongoing series (like BAYOU) are going.

We've also got FAVORITES. It's in the same Comic Information panel, near the bottom. Some people have confused this with voting so let me clarify. You can Favorite any comic you want, any time. It will then show up on your Profile Page. It's a simple way for you to navigate to the comics you like (yeah...I mean, once we have more than 12 on site) and for letting other people know you're tastes. Especially if you're active in COMMENTING. Comments, of course, can be found directly beneath the comics themselves. A quick sidebar about Comments: the newest is at the top, closest to the comic. I know this is a bit backwards but we're trying something out here - bear with us. The thinking is that we want the most recent comments up top, near the comic itself. That way the comic and the comments are updated near each other so that users need to do as little scrolling up and down the page as possible. Let's see how that works and feel free to give us FEEDBACK on it.

Jumping around that Comic Information section you'll see that we're tracking the VIEWS as well. We figure some people just like to read without any greater level of participation. That's ok by us and as far as the competition goes, having a widely read comic is a great indicator of success. It's worth noting that this is one of the criteria that does not require registration. This is an indicator of how many times the comic was read by anyone, registered or not.

So, what I'm saying here is that everything counts. The Vote is obviously the main indicator, but we're looking at the rest of this information as well. Check back here on the blog or on the Competition Page itself for updates about who is in the lead, who is in second place and so on."

- posted on Zuda.com November 2, 2007 - 10:07am

Hopefully this answers some of your questions about the not complicated mathematical formula of Zuda and makes it easier on all of you feeling overwhelmed when attempting to vote for ELDRITCH!

NEXT TIME: More art, less wordiness.

"It’s not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." –Darwin

ELDRITCH! Meet & Greet: OWEN

2010-04-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is not Owen. This is Yog. Also known as Space Amoeba for some odd American reason. I think many of us can relate to Yog. I know I can. All big pointy headed with multi tentacled arms waving around frantically. Although some of you may feel more like the man in the bottom right hand corner looking, not at Yog, but at the obviously more exciting thing happening to his right. No, the other right.

This whole Zuda experience has been a lot like that. The sheer amount of positive support that ELDRITCH! has been getting has just been mind blowing. Every time I look to see the comments (oh believe me we read them) I am thrown off my chair and onto the floor with a soggy thump. So thank you, each and every one.

OWEN SOBCZEK (SUB-check)(s)

"Th' hell?" you say. Well from how I understand it, when this was a wee seed in Mr. Alexovich's Cingulate Sulcus, Owen was a happy go lucky guy having a very strong fondness for keeping posies in his pockets.

"Owen is a sensitive, romantic young lad with a keen interest in all things mysterious. Although he's no slouch on the "enormous brain" front himself, Owen has never been able to dig out from under the shadow of his overachieving big sister. Owen would just love to prove her wrong about something, anything... especially the supernatural."

Here's my first crack based on Aaron's early designs. (You may also notice that Eldritch! was originally called Fester. But that's a story for another blog.)

As you can tell by reading Eldritch!, we scrapped that idea.

Yep tossed it.

As Stabbing Westward would put it in almost every one of their songs, we "threw it away."

Aaron told me that when this was pitched as part of the DC Minx line, the editor thought Owen's cute boyish looks would be quite popular with the ladies. Both of us felt Owen, to yang to his sister's yin, needed to be more shy and withheld. And not not have pocket posies.

Aaron wanted a more awkwardness to him. We added a twill coat, obviously a few sizes to big for him (maybe to emulate how he feels so buried beneath his big sister's shadow), added glasses that he could obsessively take on and off, and went with a different hairstyle. No longer coiffed in a pointy industrial hawk style, I opted for a more, hair in the face - cut it himself uneven look. Also gone were his "Big eyed - I'm wearing a cowboy belt buckle" outgoing personailty, replaced with again a social quirk that Aaron and I share a common understanding of.

For a bit more on the Sobczek siblings, check out Aaron's side of events at www.heart-shapedskull.com.
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As it stands we're holding steady at the #2 spot. We hear it's a neck and neck race. So even if you have voted, and faved, and commented, and after the nap you've taken, you can still help us spread the word by posting a link on your twitter-blog-facebook deelie.

LINK-------> www.neweldritch.com

Oh and hey - do you like to draw. Do you have some Eldritch! fan art that you want to share. Well Aaron has created a special place for you to put it - IT'S "THE OFFICIAL ELDRITCH! FAN LAIR". It a great place that is like a desert flooded with orange and green and blue and shiny vinyl pants and odd angles to play a guitar in and fishbowl lense-ing. In other words... PARADISE!

We appreciate your support.

d.

ELDRITCH Character Meet & Greet: ANYA

2010-04-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

"I've seen shit that'll shock your eyelids."

That was FUN wasn't it. Aneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - way.

This marks the first post (in what will hopefully be many) in a segment called "Meet & Greet". Here I'll give an insight into the character creating process for ELDRITCH. Hopefully you'll find this interesting since this is one of those rare occurrences where two artists have collaborated on a story, one of them sitting in the writer's chair. Shall we begin? Yes, let's...

ANYA SOBCZEK (SUB-check)

"Anya is a laser-focused, bull-headed overachiever with a passion for scientific truth (and the armful of Darwin tattoos to prove it.) Since she was a kid, Anya's been dead certain she and her enormous brain were bound to change the world... but she figures out exactly how to do that."

Anya didn't really differ from the original concept sketch Aaron had done. The one thing I really wanted to emphasize is her toughness. She's a no-nonsense, kick your ass if you argue with her, stubborn chick. I've always identified with women in strong roles and this is no exception. She's the the stronger personality of the two siblings.

I went with more of a "deathrocker" look, combining the roughness of punk while still keeping the spooky female quality that many goth boys drool over. The sides of her head are shaved, with a big mountain of teased purple stained hair in the back. Two long braids dangle from in front of her ears, finished with plaster monkey heads - showing her love for Darwinism. Her outfits will definitely have that DIY look.Torn outfits that have been stitched, stapled and safety pinned together. Many of them with some sort of Frankenstein patch or screen, still keeping with her love of science motif. I gave her a hard twill utility skirt over tights with a couple of studded belts.

Visit www.heartshapedskull.com for the second part of this trip into artistic genius.

Huge thank yous to EVERYONE who has supported ELDRITCH this week. It's really mind blowing and humbling to see all the Serenity Rose and Sullengrey fans get together and support us in this little endeavor. But we're not done yet. If you've voted already (Air high five), you can still help us spread the word by linking www.neweldritch.com to your favorite social media gathering.

Click banner to vote!

Also don't forget to Favorite and leave a comment. We want to hear what you think, your voice is an important part of this giant tenatcled machine.

I promise the next post will have 0% clownings.

SCIENCE!

- D.

BIG NEWSESES in 3... 2... 1...

2010-04-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you saw me over the weekend at Wondercon, you may have heard me going on about why a homeless guy tore the head off some poor marshmallow peep in front of me, his turned inside out face releasing a straggly beard that strangled the brightly colored sugar coated body like a vampire squid. The details are vague, but it had something to do with Jesus and chickens birthing chocolate. Your guess is as good as mine.

Most of the time, however, I was hinting at some big ass news of earthshaking proportions . If you live anywhere between LA and San Diego, you actually felt this announcement rumbling beneath your feet. I'm really sorry if we knocked down your picture frames.

But this announcement isn't about Easterings or tectonic plates shifting, it's about a story that many of you have been waiting for, while others are just going to be glad to be entertained for a brief moment.

This is about ELDRITCH.

Expertly written by Aaron Alexovich (Creator of SLG'S SERENITY ROSE, lead character designer for INVADER ZIM & AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER)with art by me, Eldritch is the latest entry in to the infamous ZUDA COMPETITION!

ELDRITCH is the story of Anya Sobczek's(SUB-CHECK)bull-headed quest to find the source of her brother Owen's hideous, near-uncontrollable new "demonic" powers, a quest that pits her up against a pretentious coven of super-powered teenage witches, a gibbering tentacled man-eater of a baby, a hidden laboratory of atrocities, and one pop-collared, spray-tanned, walking midlife-crisis named Ted Newbarn... who could very well be the most dangerous living thing on earth.
SCIENCE VS. SUPERSTITION and a bubbling infection about to crush California with a thousand quivering tentacles.

We ask that you take a minute and read the beginnings of our little tale and vote the hell out of it using Zuda's easy voting system. All of which is sound right HERE!

After that, keep tuned in here, as we dive deeper and deeper into this modern action adventure!

WONDERCON!

2010-03-31T15:18:00.000-07:00

These guys were at Wondercon. But that was last year, Fernando. This is 2010! And that means Jocelyn and I will be dragging our frail and mummified bodies to San Francisco. I even got a new haircut for the engagement. SPIFFY!

We'll both be at the Ape Entertainment booth 1311, probably propped up by copies of both Sullengrey trades. I'll also be spending some time at the Slave Labor Graphics booth 707, signing copies and posters for The Secrets of Sarah Winchester.

As always quick sketches are free - especially if you buy a book. I'll take small commissions (8 x 12, ink & wash) but they'll cost ya 30 bones. Homemade cupcakes are an acceptable substitute.

NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT! I've been "hinting" at a secret project that has been brewing for a few months now. This thing is going to stalk you on the subway, make evil eyes at you and then eat your heart out. IT'S THAT GOOD! And I'm going to share it with you THIS MONDAY, APRIL 5TH ON THIS BLOG! So you better be here wearing your best sunday garb. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS THIS!

Poot!

d.

Gentleman Corpse.

2009-11-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

A quick something to get ye' ol creative juices flowing since I feel oddly bloated and sassy.

Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpse is the brain leakage of Ben Templesmith. I recommend it.

COMMISSIONS!

2009-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

Looks like I have a bit of "free time", so I thought I would open myself up to take a few commissions. I hear it's what all the cool kids are doing.

Basically for $50 you get a character of your choice , either one of mine, something from a book I've done, or whatever your little geek heart's desire (I will ignore all furrie requests, unless ironic) drawn by me on 8 1/2 x 14 art paper. There will be ink, inkstain, splatters and whatever the situation calls for. Believe me it will be rad. If you want more characters, it's an additional $20 per character.

Payment through Paypal is required after I send you the initial rough sketch. Paint dries sooooooo slowly, so expect 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Email sullengrey@gmail.com with your requests. Just use "commissions" in the title.

I have 10 - 15 slots open, so get 'em while their open. Makes a great Christmas present for the guy or gal that has everything (from Best Buy).

To celebrate the occasion, here's a fetus...

... on a stick.

4 Colour Blood in the Rue Morgue.

2009-11-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't been doing much updating lately due to sheer amount of new stuff that I've been working on. Unfortunately, I can't show any of it. In fact, it probably shouldn't be shown to anyone. Small old ladies will weep and ooze will come from their eyes.

What I can tell you is that in this months RUE MORGUE, which should be in stores today, features a bit of a write up on SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE. I hope they had nice things to say.

We share the spotlight with Wildstorm's North 40. If you're a fan of Lovecraft, tentacles and bizarre creatures inhabiting small town folk, it's a book you should all be reading. And if none of that strikes your fancy - the main feature is about Left for Dead 2.

I love that game.

Trade you.

2009-10-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

First off, Jocelyn and I want to thank each and every one of you that picked up copies of SG:S #1 and #2. The begging for more has been flattering.

(No really. It has. But, um... sending us copious amounts of cupcakes, fancy teas, and/or alchohol is more effective. Just saying.)

Now, for all of you zombies out there that were waiting to preorder the graphic novel version of SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE to read it - the wait is almost over. In fact, this is the last week to do so. I know, so last minute and all.

(There's the cover. Sure is purdy, ain't it?)

We all know the drill. If you want something, you have to ask for it. That means asking your local comic book retailer to PREORDER a copy just for you using code OCT09 0685.
On the off chance that your retailer isn't willing to take a chance or is physically incapable. Here's a few other options:
Amazon.com, TFAW.com, and DCBServices.com just to name a few. The important thing is that you have till October 26th to do so. Show that you want more SULLENGREY with your wallets. Otherwise, we'll find a corner to wither and die in only to replaced by spandex wearing counterparts.

*shudder*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I admit there is a bit of a double meaning to this post. You see while you're preordering a copy of SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE, you should also get them to order you a copy of fellow artist and warm weather hater Aaron Alexovich's SERENITY ROSE vol 2!

He talks about witch-y stuff here(You WILL like it. I promise.)!

(Yours truly had the honor of doing a pinup for the book.)

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Forever rambling -

D.

On Sale Today (10/07/09)! Sullengrey: Sacrifice #2

2009-10-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's in stores today! Go get it! Just GO!

Long Beach Comic Con

2009-10-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

First off I want to extend a huge thank you to Nancy, Lainey, the staff of Comics Unlimited and all the freaks that came buy to help make our release party for Sullengrey: Sacrifice #1 a spooktacular success! Fantastic people they are!

Jocelyn and I will be attending Long Beach Comic Con this SATURDAY and SUNDAY, OCT 3rd and 4th. You can find us in Artists Alley, sharing Table 62 with David Gallaher (who contrary to belief, is NOT a werewolf but does write the newly released High Moon, a story about werewolves in the Old West you should be reading).

I'll be drawing 8 1/2 x 11 pen & inkwash sketches/ zombie caricatures for those who wish to part with $30. We'll also have copies of SULLENGREY: Cemetery Things TPB and issues 1 and 2 of SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE as well as original art to sell.

Be sure to stop by. And remember cupcakes and alchohol are always appreciated!

Cover(ed).

2009-08-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneaky peek at the cover to Sullengrey:Sacrifice #2. Should be hitting stores in late October. Questions will be answered!

Preorder it by using this.

Winchester.

2009-08-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

"The creative team behind SLG’s Haunted Mansion comic book turn their attentions to another spooky old house as they tell the story behind one of the Winchester Mansion and it’s owner and designer the enigmatic Sarah Winchester. A pair of curious adventurers go missing after trying to sneak onto the grounds and set things in motion which will reveal the mystery surrounding the old Winchester House. Legend has it that the house was haunted by the ghosts of all the people killed with Winchester rifles, and the only way to appease them was for the house to be continuously under construction."

The details of how all this happened are still fuzzy.

I remember looking up at SLG publisher Dan Vado sitting on his legendary thrown of aborted goblin fetuses. His devious smile peeling back as his voice rasped one single word - "Winchester."

That was a year ago.

I can talk about it now. I'm still a bit shaken from the experience, but that's what the vodka and cupcakes are for. They calm me. Enough so to show you what you, the reader, will be treated when you purchase a copy from your local comic provider in October.

Let's let some of the skeletons out of the closet, shall we? Here's a peek at some of the characters in the book...

Alberto Moran - the caretaker.

Rachel - the detective

Adam Coons - the psychic adviser to Mrs. Winchester

Bessie and the naked aborted screaming flesh sacks - one of the many haunts

... and Harry Houdini! It was rumored that Houdini debunked a "haunting" as a fraud when he was alive. Now he himself is a ghost in the mansion.

Here's a brief David Lynch-esque trailer that the SLG minions made...

Winchester #1 trailer from SLG Publishing on Vimeo.

Click for ordering info.

The time to take action is now.

2009-08-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

First off - Jocelyn and I would like to personally thank those of you that have already put preordered your copy of Sullengrey:Sacrifice #1 from your local comic retailer. You guys are now as much a part of the process as Jocelyn, myself, Drew, Chandra and the Ape staff who put this thing together are.

But of course it wouldn't be a process if there wasn't a challenge. With less then a week for stores to put in their product orders for the month left, we were hit with a hurdle. Our preorder numbers are falling short of Diamond Distributors minimum. What does this mean? Well - if a book falls short of the standard number that the distributor has set, then said distributor has the right to refuse sending stores a supply of books. Basically, stores won't have copies to put on their shelves. If you wanted SG and you go to the store and don't see it, this is why.

It's an awful thing that small press publishers struggle with. It happens.

But in light of that charming news, we now have to ask you - the fans, of not just SG but of all those who are looking for a good story - help us.

We want to make this easy, so we've put together a little order form. All you need to do is print it out (it's small), fill it out and take it to a comic shop. That's it.

Don't have a comic store to frequent? It's ok. Just call one. You can find a list of stores here (this goes for those who live outside the US as well) Most stores will take your order over the phone and mail it to you. Just give the info on the form.

So there you go. A last ditch effort. We're not looking for millions of dollars in success. Just a chance to show you what we can do.

We promise not to disappoint.

After every party I die (SDCC aftermath)

2009-07-31T10:07:00.001-07:00

Hello all.

I'm transmitting to you from my bed, hooked up to liquid feeding tubes and infernal beeping machines, currently fighting off what J is calling the Nerd Flu. I don't know about the force, but all this midichlorian infection gave me was a headache, the ability to drip everywhere and a strong will to vomit while standing! Something I never understood - with all the spandex that you attendees wrap yourself in, how is it that you're all still so germ-y?

Another San Diego Comic Con has come and gone. I had originally planned to do a day by day report with pictures and diagrams and detailed descriptions of everything that I saw and who I met... that didn't happen. So here's some touching moments brought to you in an 80's style montage...

... except we taped over the video with a compelling movie of the inside of my pants pocket, so you will have to use your imagination. OH FUCK NO!

...

- If the response we got from Sullengrey: Sacrifice pre-sale is any indication of the success we'll have when these books hit shelves in September, then our dreams of finally eating something other then the $5 pizza deal at Little Caesars will become a reality. (I'm not complaining, J can do amazing things with Crazy Bread). To the percentage of you that bought copies, we want to hear what you thought. Also, shout it to the noise boards... don't horde it to yourself. Show and tell. Your friends - they like that.

A special round of applause for Ms. Drew, who survived her first comic con.

- Rode the elevator with Hayden Panettiere. What an actress! Even in the elevator she plays the part of a brain dead valley girl cheerleader perfectly. And what about Tyrese Gibbons who showed he's the most brilliant marketing genius in the galaxy by covering a restaraunt's windows in front of his table with copies of his comic... OR he may just like privacy while he's devouring the souls of his victims.

- Saw the Mighty Boosh liveshow. They spun good music. I danced. Horrible things happened. Let us not speak anymore of it.

- Introduced my newest project with SLG and Dan Vado, WINCHESTER (*more on this later). Fans responded by gathering around a large campfire in front of the booth, telling stories of how THEY visited the Winchester Mystery House. Security was not happy.

- And it wouldn't have been Comic Con if J and I hadn't met some truly awesome and properly bathed people. Special thanks to Amy and Lea who kept me entertained. And to
Lizzy and Skellentine - who made us cupcakes and forced us to stick our hands in puppet anuses. To all of you who stopped by and either bought something, shared your fondness of our work, or just wanted to inform us that you bought the most wickedly cool C3PO jump drive... thank you so very much.

- Lastly, it was always great to see (some for the first time) all our talented friends. You are the reason we come to this show. Thank you Slave Labor Graphics and Ape Entertainment for allowing us to peddle at your booths.

That about sums it up. Now I'm going to go fuck off and die somewhere.

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON!

2009-07-20T09:10:00.001-07:00

The massive event of epic proportions has invaded our world once again, like a big slippery alien creature made of secreted geekery digestive juices or a group of Jehovah's witnesses in stormtrooper outfits!

Jocelyn, myself, and Drew will be in the thick of it. You'll find us at the Ape Entertainment booth #2203 at the following times

Thursday 1pm-4pm
Friday 3pm-5pm and 6pm-7pm
Saturday 10am -1pm, and 3pm-4pm
Sunday 11am - 1pm

I'll also be at the SLG structure (#1815) previewing my newest life altering endeavor, WINCHESTER during the following times:

Thursday 530pm - 7pm
Friday 1pm -230pm
Saturday 2pm - 330pm
Sunday 2pm - 330pm

And will be have the new SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE series to sell as well as TWO NEW PRINTS? FUCK YEAH WE WILL!!

bring money.

-d.

Strange and stranger...

2009-07-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at some more Sullengrey: Sacrifice art from the first issue.

And the strange part... Previews nominated us as a
Staff pick! I promise there was no bribery involved.

Thanks to all of who are into what we've been showing thus far. We still need you to help spread the infection!
You alone can help keep our little mind abortion alive. Not with army issue chemicals, but with your support! Post it on blogs. Twitter it. If you dig what you've seen, why not share it with all those internet fiends you have?

Cupcakes and zombies -

Drew

A 32 page taster...

2009-07-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

They let us out of the asylum, under medicated, and we've been at the vodka.

Here, for your enjoyment (cause that's all we're here for), I present to you the first half of the 64 page SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE #1. If you like what you see, go pre-order from your local comic retailer using the code JUL09 0664.

Pass it on. Your word of mouth could save millions of kittens.

And please, think of the kittens.

Open publication - Free publishing - More zombies

(click to make bigger)

Written by Jocelyn Gajeway
Art by Drew Rausch
Colors by Chandra Free
Cover by Drew Rausch and Drew Berry

UPDATE: Page #33 is now an order form that you can print out from the digital reader and take into your local Comic Shop to order issues 1 and 2. Try it. Your printer will love eet!

5 REASONS TO ORDER SULLENGREY TODAY

2009-07-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ah Wednesday. New comic day. Well for you lot anyway (I'll be strapped to this desk inking).

I guess I could throw up some half-arsed press release with a scan of Previews (the catalog that most comic retailers use to order books, silly), but that would just be dreadfully boring! So, in the interest of breaking promotional monotony, I bring to you...

TOP 5 REASONS TO ORDER SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE TODAY

#5 IT'S DONE

The production of the second miniseries is finished. That means no late books. No delay. Issue 1 will be in stores at the end of September (30th) with the second issue coming just one month later.

# 4 YOU LOVE THE ZOMBIE!

...and we bring you an undead fiend of a different color. We take the genre a step further and explore not only the fear that comes from being responsible for starting a zombie outbreak, but the dread of waking each day in a town that despises your existence. Did I mention that the fear comes with tentacles and a hunger for human flesh?

#3 NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH

We weren't sure how we were going to top the "self-inflicted caesarian section" or "nail-biting" scenes from Sullengrey: Cemetery Things, but I, along with digital painters Chandra Free and Drew Berry, really turned the gore volume knob to 11. There are scenes in this book that will you keep you up at night, will hopefully keep people talking, and may possibly have us committed (again). Keep the lights on - this one's pretty spooky.

#2 IT'S A HORROR STORY, WRITTEN BY A GIRL

Jocelyn has crafted the perfect mix of Haitian Voodou lore, the hollywood zombie, and lovecraftian drama, creating a story so uniquely complex and intelligent that you'll need to read and re-read it just to pick up all the tidbits she's left around.

and finally...

#1 IF YOU DON'T PRE-ORDER IT, YOU MAY NOT GET IT

Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The trick with the smaller press books is if you don't ask for it, you'll most likely won't get it when it does come out since many retailers often won't order any for their shelves unless they know there is some demand. I could go on at length about this, but honestly, if you want the book, please, just go to your local shop and order it. If you don't have a local shop, there are some fine webstores that sell comics as well.

The cruel reality is that you probably won't see Issue #1 on a shelf unless YOU SCREAM AT YOUR RETAILER THAT YOU MUST HAVE IT! They, seeing your need to scream and their desperate need for you to stop, will order it for you using the order code: JUL090664

So there you have it, 5 reasons to order your copy of Sullengrey: Sacrifice from Ape Entertainment. What? You don't know where your local comic retailer is?

Visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comic-book.

Banners! We've got banners!

2009-06-29T14:35:00.001-07:00

use this code:

use this code:

Feel free to post these on your blog, Facebook, Myspace, website, or anywhere else you feel the need to spread our little infection!

Also, things are brewing at www.sullengrey.com. Keep your eyes open for some new changes coming soon.

Undead hand job (official)

2009-06-18T09:50:00.001-07:00

Here's the official announcement: SULLENGREY: SACRIFICE #1 will be in stores September 2009 courtesy of APE ENTERTAINMENT! You say you want a teaser image of the first issue's cover? GAWD! You are so needy...

Pencils by me.

Paints by Drew Berry! (Don't you just want to lick those zombies. Mmmmmm)

Spread the infection!

Behind.

2009-06-15T16:40:00.001-07:00

Behind.
Originally uploaded by sullengrey

Welcome, young and old to the official Drew Rausch blog. That's right. I'll post art. Pictures of my travels. And general things that amuse me.I can't promise that my grammer and punctuation will always be correct, but I do promise substance.

But that's for another day. Today, we start off with something special.

Incentive.

"Incentive for what?" you may ask?. You'll see...