Cully Hamner's Blog, page 5

Cully's Updated Sked For COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL

Well, I must say it's nice to have no work secrets to be kept anymore. Pretty much everything I've been involved with this year-- mainly the SHADE kickoff and the design work on DC's New 52-- has been on the down-low. So, it'll be nice to be on hand with DC in San Diego to talk about all this stuff freely.

Anyway, my panel-and-booth schedule for the show has been finalized:

Thursday, July 21

2-3pm – DRAWING DEMO (Stage/DC booth #1915)

Friday, July 22

3-4pm – DRAWING DEMO (Stage/DC booth #1915)

Saturday, July 23

2-3pm – DRAWING DEMO (Stage/DC booth #1915)

Sunday, July 24

10:30-11:30pm - SIGNING (DC booth #1915)

11:30-12:30pm - DRAWING DEMO (Stage/DC booth #1915)

1:45-2:45pm – PANEL: DESIGNING THE NEW 52 (Room 6DE)

4-5pm – PANEL: DRAWING DC (Room 30CDE)

You'll notice that I'm not doing any time at an Artist's Alley or exhibitor's space. This is partly by design. I was initially going to take a break from the show this year, but with all that's been happening, DC decided about a month ago that I ought to be there, and I agreed. Last year, as you'll recall, I was out to help promote RED, and found that I had no time to do what I normally do at any other con (like occupy a table, sign books, do commissions, and basically just chat with folks). It was unlike any con experience I'd ever had-- I got to glimpse SDCC from the VIP side of things for a change, and it was just very managed and... different. And while I'm sure that helping to promote all the excitement at DC right now won't hit that level for me this year, there's still a lot going on.

So, I'm considering myself sort of "on call" for DC this time out. No table for me, specifically, no sketch list this time. I'll only be officially signing the last day, but if you catch me on the floor somewhere, and you want a book or two signed, please ask, and I'll be happy to oblige!

True Thing: Robinson & Hamner Reunite for SHADE

Whew... so this cat's finally out of the bag! As list in the October solicits and as reported over on CBR, I'm drawing the first arc, issues #1-#3, and working with my old FIREARM cohort, James Freakin' Robinson, in about 16 years...! From DC's THE SOURCE blog:

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES ANNOUNCES THE SHADE #1

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

By David Hyde

This morning, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES announced THE SHADE #1. Below, check out the solicitation information for this book and be sure to head over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES to see Tony Harris' cover art.

THE SHADE #1
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by CULLY HAMNER
Cover by TONY HARRIS
1:10 Variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
On sale OCTOBER 12 • 1 of 12, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
James Robinson returns to the world of his acclaimed STARMAN series with a new 12-issue series starring the antihero known as The Shade! An attack at the Starman museum kicks off a globe-hopping, centuries spanning quest that will irrevocably change The Shade's life, and ultimately shed light on his true origin! Artist extraordinaire Cully Hamner (RED) kicks off the series, and upcoming issues will feature art by such luminaries as Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido, Jill Thompson, Frazer Irving and Gene Ha!

How cool is that?!

Designing The New DCU At Comic-Con International

So, DC just released their panel sked for Comic-Con, and despite saying I'd be skipping this year, turns out I'll be in San Diego after all. DC decided it'd be worthwhile to have me alongside DC's Co-publisher Jim Lee and DC's VP of Art Direction & Design Mark Chiarello to discuss the task of redesigning so many of DC characters (and sign at the DC booth, of course):

1:45-2:45 Designing the New DCU
Moderator: Bob Wayne EDITOR: Jim Lee
What does it take to remake a universe? There are new stories, new characters, and especially new designs! Join DC's Co-Publisher Jim Lee, VP – Art and Design Mark Chiarello, exclusive artist Cully Hamner and others for a look as they discuss their visual approach to reshaping the DC Universe! Room 6DE

Now, I won't be sitting anywhere outside DC. Since this is on short notice, I'll have no booth or table space, and I won't be doing my normal, fully-realized commissions. I'll only be signing and doing quick sketches at DC, maybe a few portfolio reviews if anyone asks. I'll post DC's signing schedule as soon as I get it.

Anyway, can't wait to see you all there!

'Red' Producer Offers More Details On Sequel Plans

Little bit o RED 2 news, via MTV Splashpage:

'Red' Producer Offers More Details On Sequel Plans

Posted 8 hrs ago by Rick Marshall in DC Comics, News, Wildstorm

Way back in January, we got word that a sequel was in the works for "Red," last year's well-received adaptation of Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's comic book miniseries. After all, Helen Mirren is on board for another go-around as one of the greatest secret agents ever to wield a sniper rifle, so why not?

When MTV News snagged some time with "Red" producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura at the "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon" premiere, we asked him about his plans for "Red 2."

Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

"We're trying to put it together," he told MTV News. "We just got a script and it's really good. We're all just now discussing how to put it all back together again."

"You know, it's so much fun to work with that much talent," said di Bonaventura of the first film's star-studded cast — which included Mirren, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Dreyfuss. "It's amazing how much people love that movie. It's caught us all off guard a little bit. We're all very proud of it, but it's over the top how much people love it. We want to go back and play with those characters, because it was so much fun to do it.""

As for what form the sequel will take, the producer indicated that fans can expect to see a mix of familiar faces and new characters in the sequel.

"I think the audience would be disappointed if we didn't bring back the crew, but we've got to freshen the crew," he explained. "We'll bring in one or two characters that'll play a really big part — maybe three, but definitely one or two."

"You know, Marvin and Frank and Sarah, you want to spend more time with those guys," he continued. "Sometimes there's a tendency to want to do too much of a good thing so you don't really service anything, so we're really trying to stay focused on our core crew with one or two new additions."

What would you like to see in a "Red" sequel? Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter! You can also follow me, Splash Page editor Rick Marshall, on Twitter!

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: Redesigning The DCU

I've had a secret for the last few months-- one that's excited me and challenged me creatively. There are times I thought I'd explode if I couldn't tell someone... but I managed. This is a business where the first thing out of most of your colleagues' mouths at conventions is "So, what are you working on?" As you might imagine, it's been tough to say enough of nothing to keep people from knowing that something was up.

But now it can be told: I've been playing a substantial role with DC Co-publisher Jim Lee, Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello, and pretty much the entire editorial staff from top to bottom, in redesigning and relaunching the DC Comics universe of characters. Not one or two characters, but dozens. And you know what? I've been enjoying the hell out of it-- not just the working on the characters, but working with the people.

The details of all this are still emerging, and will become more clear in the coming weeks. And I'll be at Comic-Con International at Jim's side to tell you more. For now, though, I'll just repost what Jim himself had to say over on DC's The Source blog:

Project: Up Up and Runway

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

By Jim Lee

Months ago, when the decision was made to launch 52 new number ones, Co-Publisher Dan Didio, Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras along with DCU Executive Editor Eddie Berganza and VP-Art Direction and Design Mark Chiarello and I went over the entire proposed DCU lineup and bookmarked the characters we felt would benefit the most from a visual redesign. That initial list started at around 30 characters but quickly ballooned up as books got under way. Realizing the amount of time and effort it would take to complete the long list of designs, Mark Chiarello and I enlisted artist Cully Hamner onto the team, giving us not just another set of hands but another style altogether so we would have a variety of styles to literally draw from.

Cully, as many of you know, is a veteran artist with diverse professional experiences, one of the co-founders of Atlanta's Gaijin studios and also the co-creator of the WildStorm comic RED. He had also done a spectacular redesign of Blue Beetle some years back which Mark and DC loved so he was a natural choice for this project. Having known Cully both professionally and personally over the years, I knew his collaborative mindset and sheer creative skills would be perfect for this massive undertaking. Cully in particular took point in creating many of the designs you guys have seen debut in our staggered announcements, and his feedback and input and revisions on countless others were just as instrumental. On top of all this, there was the input provided by Mark Chiarello, a terrific artist in his own right, who gave countless notes and corralled all the images and feedback to make sure all the creators working on the titles had the information they needed and that every voice in this highly collaborative project was taken into account.

The entire redesign process was very organic in that every character's final design came about in an entirely unique fashion. More often than not, Cully and I worked independently or in parallel but sometimes, we jammed together on the same set of designs. And of course, all the designs were shaped and refined by the input of a series editor, writer and artist. In the end, we wanted to make sure all the key creators on a title were satisfied with the final look of the characters as the creative teams were the ones who had to live with and draw the new looks on a near daily basis. For instance, on Birds of Prey, the design process started with initial sketches by the series artist Jesus Saiz which Cully and I then used to riff off of. After rounds of input and alterations, the near final looks were then tweaked by Jesus himself at the end. Or on a series like Teen Titans, Brett Booth contributed most of the designs and Cully and I served as sounding boards, tossing out suggestions and visual counterpoints as we hammered out the final looks almost in real time over massive email chains. And lastly, for other titles altogether, the series' artists did all the designs and Mark and I just chimed in and signed off on the final approvals.

All in all, a huge project, one which only now is finally coming to light. On a reader level, we realize changing even the smallest detail of any character's costume brings out the passion in every fan, but I thought it important to describe the process so you all knew the time and care and thought that was put into each and every redesign. In the end, while you may not always agree with the changes, at least you know they were not made lightly or without great effort.

Finally, I wanted to thank all the DC editors for their incredible patience and invaluable input and so many of the the creative teams for allowing Cully and me to jam along with you. It was definitely an honor.

Best,
Jim Lee
Co-Publisher
DC Comics

I'll Be At HEROES AREN'T HARD TO FIND This Saturday!

Hey, guys, don't forget that this Saturday is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! What's that, you ask? Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away certain comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores. It's an awesome thing that promotes the medium and gives retailers a nice reason to have an event. A lot of stores also bring in creators to sign, and make a real party out of it.

Anyway, I'll be making my return after a three-year absence to the FCBD celebration at HEROES AREN'T HARD TO FIND in Charlotte, NC. I missed the last three FCBD's to various reasons beyond my control, but I'm back, baby. I'll be there with Chris Brunner, Ian Flynn, Sanford Greene, Jason Latour, Laura Martin, Rico Renzi, Budd Root, Bridgit Scheide, Chris Schweizer, Andy Smith, Brian Stelfreeze, and Matt Wilson-- signing books, running our yaps, and doing sketches for anyone who walks up. And I don't know about the other guys, but me? I won't charge you a cent.

So, if you're in Charlotte and you get a few minutes, please come on down to Heroes, get some free stuff, and maybe even buy a few things on your way out. Hope to see you there!

Blue Beetle on SMALLVILLE!

The SMALLVILLE episode, "Booster," written by all-around good guy (and DC CCO) Geoff Johns, is imminent. It features not only the Booster Gold character that Dan Jurgens created, but Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle, created by Giffen, Rogers, and me. The episode airs on CW on April 22nd. Here's a gallery of what's to come:

Emerald City Comicon!!!

You might be interested to know that I'll be appearing at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle March 4th-6th. I haven't been in a few years, but I'm told that it's gotten about ten times better even than it already was. Take a look at that guest list. This is gonna be a good one, folks...

Come see me!

RED: EYES ONLY Now Available For iPad!

RED :EYES ONLY #1, the prequel comic I wrote and drew as a companion to Warren's and my original RED series (which in turn, of course, spawned a hit film just out on DVD and Blu-Ray), is now available for iPhone and iPad from DC Digital and Comixology.


Make with the clickie!

Hitting The Stores This Week!

Couple of things hitting the shelves this week:

First up, on Tuesday, is the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the hit film RED, based on Warren Ellis' and my book of the same name. You can order it from Amazon, of course, but the Best Buy exclusive has a comic included.











Then, on Wednesday, at your local comics shop, you can get the trade paperback edition of THE QUESTION: PIPELINE, collecting the run of DETECTIVE COMICS co-features by Greg Rucka and myself. It's got not only all those stories, but a bunch of conceptual stuff I did. It's a nice-looking package, if I do say so myself, and you can order it from Amazon, as well.