WIP (Wyatt In Progress) 2 - The Finished Cover!

Here's the final artwork to the Dexter's Half Dozen comic, featuring Gorstagg The Undead Norse Warrior!

Until next time,

Cheers,

Si

WIP (Wyatt In Progress) 2 - Gorstagg Lives!

Here's a cover in progress for Bearded Skull Comics' Dexter's Half Dozen, featuring an undead warrior named Gorstagg (maybe the owner of titular 'bearded skull' himself!)

The comic's creators hail from Wales, David Clifford & Jamie Lambert and is well worth checking out.

Here's what it's about...North Africa 1941, Sir Dexter Kilby; Churchill’s occult adviser, puts together a team to fight the growing supernatural threat of the Nazis.Sergeant Freeman of the newly formed S.A.S is drafted in to lead the rag tag group of criminals and misfits of the British army.The team’s mission is to rescue one of Britain’s top spies from the Nazis occult stronghold at Wewelsburg castle. An impenetrable mountain top fortress deep in the heart of Germany. Little do they know that the Nazis are in league with an ancient vampire of unimaginable power.

Find out more here:

http://www.myspace.com/beardedskullcomics

I'm close to finishing the full colour, inked version and will post when complete.

Till then,

Si

Young Gods Cover Unveiled!

It gives me great pleasure to finally reveal the cover to the first part of the Young Gods OGN which we'll be releasing on myebook next week.

The cover is illustrated by the amazing John Charles (2000AD) and we're hoping to make it available as a print at future conventions.

The cover features two members of the Young Gods team, the lycanthropic Outrage and Juice.

In other news, don't miss Marvel Heroes #2, which is out now across the UK. Available in all good newsagents, supermarkets and WH Smith, #2 features a seven page X-Men story inked by myself, with pencils by the excellent Neil Edwardes. Pick up your copy today!

Ian.

A taste of Valhalla!

Here's some colour cover artwork I've been working on for a title named `Valhalla - Hall of Heroes', written by the prolific Peter Rogers of Orang Utan Comic Studios.

Enjoy,

Simon

YOUNG GODS JOINS THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION!

New sci-fi action/adventure comic to be distributed FREE online!

"I haven't been this impressed by an independent team of teen-to-twenties heroes since Valiant's HARBINGER." - Project Fanboy

Orang Utan Comics Studio today announced a bold new move into the realm of digital publishing as they revealed their plans to release their highly anticipated sci-fi action/adventure series Young Gods for FREE online.

The Young Gods series, which sees a team of teenage “Extra Humans” employed by a government agency to police the Extra Human community, will be available to read in a purely digital format via the ground breaking online publishing platform myebook. Orang Utan Comics Studio were the first organisaton to sign up to myebook’s publishing partnership plan when it went live earlier today.

“I think we recognized the huge potential of myebook about thirty seconds after first being shown it,” said Orang Utan Comics Studio’s Managing Editor and Young Gods’ creator, Ian Sharman. “It’s an ideal solution for small studios like ourselves who want to get our work in front of as many people as possible but don’t have the capital to finance large print runs.”

Ian Sharman has been working on Young Gods since he was a teenager, gaining the initial inspiration while listening to the Little Angels album of the same name. However, the road from original idea to the comic book page has been a long one, and finding the right creative team to bring his ideas to life proved very challenging. “I think we went through seven artists, including at one point myself, before we found Ezequiel Pineda. His unique style was exactly what I was looking for, allowing the focus to shift from the overblown superheroics to the diverse characters that make up the team,” added series writer, Ian Sharman. The addition of Mauro Barbosa on colours proved that lightening can strike twice, as his dynamic colours proved to be the perfect complement to Ezequiel’s art. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate,” Ian continued, “finding not only one, but two extremely talented artists with the same passion for this comic that I have.”

Orang Utan Comics Studio plan to make the first part of the Young Gods graphic novel available via myebook in the middle of November, but until then you can get a taste of what’s in store by reading a six page preview, available on myebook now.

However, for people who prefer to read their comics on the move, rather than sat at a computer, Orang Utan Comics Studio are also exploring other areas of the digital revolution in comics, making Young Gods available to download to your mobile phone via ROK Comics.

The success of Young Gods will almost entirely depend on fan support, on word of mouth and the book spreading across the internet in a viral fashion. With this in mind, Orang Utan Comics Studio have produced a promotional video which they are encouraging their fans and supporters to put on their blogs and websites in order to spread the word about this ground breaking release.

To find out more about Young Gods, read character bios and creator profiles, please visit www.younggodscomic.co.uk

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS! Insomnia captures the Beast!

I'm pleased and so very proud to announce that my ongoing personal project, a graphic novel/ 'scary-tale' named `UNBELIEVABLE (The Man Who Ate Daffodils)' has found itself a home at Insomnia Publications!

Head on over to The Red Eye for further details of how this came about and what's in store!

Simon

More Young Gods...

Well, Simon has some Unbelievable news which I'm sure he'll be sharing with you all soon, but until then the build up to the release of Young Gods continues as we announce the launch of the official Young Gods website.

You can access character bios, creator profiles, and read the comic itself by visiting the site at www.younggodscomic.co.uk

Keep checking back for regular Young Gods updates!

Young Gods

The online release of Young Gods via myebook is fast approaching and to get you all in the mood we've produced this promotional video.

Please help us to spread the word about Young Gods by posting this video on your blog or website and sharing it with your friends.

If you'd like to download a high res version of this video, please visit the Young Gods page.

BICS and pieces!

Here are some photos taken from the OUC's recent visit to the Birmingham International Comic Show 2008, held over the weekend.

The sketch challenge - Part one, John Charles' pencils for Batman with Simon Wyatt's inks!

Here's a big fan of Danick Drakesbane (from Eleventh Hour Volume 1)*

*Danick that is, not the fan!














Iz Macauliffe poses with a sketch of Tank Girl! (Good enough to eat, Iz?)














Here's the finished sketch!













Ian Sharman and Peter Rogers at the OUC table sharing a giggle and gearing up for the onslaught of fans!










The sketch challenge part 2, Simon Wyatt inks over John Charles' pencils of Batman!










John Charles inks over Simon Wyatt's pencils for Batman!

Ian and Pete (not sketching or inking, just posing for another pic!)










Simon and John had great fun sketching for all the OUC fans at the show and would like to say a big thank you to all who dropped by the table to say hi and discuss their work!

The OUC Studios would also like to thank all of the fans who bought our books over the weekend!

And to finish off, here's the final Batman Sketch challenge, Simon's pencils and John's inks! (These sold like hotcakes!)

See you all in Bristol next year!

Si

And in the wonderful land of non-Birmingham...

Hi, everyone,

I am guessing that a lot of you from the UK are in Birmingham right now, getting ready for a weekend at the

 convention that we comic-book-people fondly call BICS - aka the Birmingham International Comics Show. Me, on the other hand? I stayed home.

I have not been feeling too well lately, so I had to give this one a miss, but I believe that the rest of the British OUC-types are present, so if you are at the show this weekend, or strolling through Birmingham, do pop by the stand and yell "

hey" at them for me (feel free to buy a comic or two while you are there :-p), wont you?

Anyway, what am I doing that merits a Post? I decided to take advantage of my quiet Ian Sharman-free house and write until my heart's content... (Which is great, since my heart is never content, so bring on the eternal writing spree!)

Now I know that you may have heard of Project Raven, as there is a whole page dedicated to it on our wonderful website which you are now viewing, so I thought that I would pay special attention to that project (no pun intended) this weekend and actually get the first issue drafted (I redesigned the entire plot, so it needs rewriting), along with a prequel story entitled 'Zombie Nation' which pitches Raven against an army of zombies* (cool, huh?). To your right** is a special sneak-peak at Raven's darker side, which you will be seeing more (or possibly even less! ;-p) of soon enough...

But what you haven't heard of are my new projects...

The Virgin is a one-shot comic which mixes elements of The Omen with Groundhog Day to make a creepy anti-Christ thriller, and The Reaping is a butt-kicking mini-series in the style of such television series as Ghost Whisperer or Medium but with a hotter lead, a grittier, darker plot, and, um... it's written by me.

The Virgin is halfway to completion of its first draft, and The Reaping #1 is in its first redraft, and Project Raven: Zombie Nation is just about done and dusted so I can start fishing around for an artist for all of those soon enough...

I may not be as active as active as other Studio members, but it doesn't mean I don't work ;-)

* Special thanks go to my good friend and colleague John Charles for the inspiration behind that story, and indeed the title. I do hope he will pencil it, too!

** The pencils were commissioned from Rantz. Who is awesome by the way.

Page 3 stunna

Here is the third page of RTP (working title) with painted art by super talented Azim Akberali.

Orang Utan Comics Studio Slams Into Birmingham!

New artist announcement as OUCS attends BICS!

Fresh from the success of Eleventh Hour Vol 1 hitting the number one spot on WOWIO, Orang Utan Comics Studio are today announcing an exciting new addition to the creative team of The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ridley as they prepare to take the Birmingham International Comics Show by storm this weekend.

The adventures of the space adventurer, Slam Ridley, were previously set to be illustrated by the highly talented Simon Wyatt. However, Simon and the OUCS team felt that his vast talents would be better suited to some of their other upcoming projects, including the Viking tale Valhalla, written by Peter Rogers, and further adventures of the unfortunate medieval hero, Danick Drakesbane. This, of course, left a huge hole to be filled in the creative team on what OUCS hopes to be one of its flag ship titles. Thus, the search began for a new artist to take on the task of illustrating the adventures of the rugged hero, Slam Ridley, and his robotic companion Dan.

It gives Orang Utan Comics Studio huge pleasure to announce that the new artist on The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ridley will be the immensely talented Craig Yeung. Craig is probably best known for his inking work on various Marvel Comics books, including Runaways and X-Men: First Class, and is also a highly accomplished penciler. Series creator and plotter, Ian Sharman, said, “While we’re sad to see Simon leave the book, and want to publicly acknowledge the huge amount of time and effort he put into helping us develop the world of Slam Ridley, we couldn’t be more excited about having Craig on board as the new artist. We drew up a wish list of artists which included a lot of very talented people who were all working for the big two publishers. To be honest, we weren’t expecting any of them to say yes. Craig was right at the top of the list and we were stunned when he accepted the job.”

Series script writer, Peter Rogers, added, “Craig seemed to ‘get’ the idea behind The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ridley right away and instantly understood the look that we were going for. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

Orang Utan Comics Studio are making this announcement to coincide with their attendance at the Birmingham International Comics Show held from 4^th-5th October at the Think Tank in Birmingham. OUCS are really pleased to be returning to BICS after a very successful show last year. Co-founders of the studio, Peter Rogers and Ian Sharman will be on hand all weekend to sign copies of their critically acclaimed anthology Eleventh Hour, answer any and all questions about the studio and review portfolios. Several of the studio’s artists, including Simon Wyatt and John Charles can also be found at the OUCS stand throughout the weekend, signing comics, sketching and giving advice to aspiring artists.

WIP (Wyatt In Progress) `Danick & Arween'

Its been suggested that I use these posts to share some artistic 'Works in Progress' with you and maybe somewhere along the lines, share the process from roughs to final image.

Here's the first of many, I hope, a possible cover image of Danick Drakesbane & Arween the Warrior Elf, two characters from the slimy, slurping sequel to Danick and the Dragon - Danick And The Gelatinous Cube (Eleventh Hour Volume 2).

The image was drawn using H, HB pencil and took around 3/4 hours to complete pencils. The original is on 250gsm A3 Canson Illustration Board, an excellent quality board that's not only great for pencils, but is extra white and takes most inks, watercolours, guache and acrylics.

The style is a departure from the usual cartoony style for the story as I wanted to experiment with a classical, fantasy style reminiscent of P. Craig Russell and Garth Jones, though I doubt I'll ever be in their league. Lol.

I hope you enjoy viewing 'stage 1' of this image and I'll post the inks soon. Until then, please offer any feedback (all welcome) and let me know if you'd like to see more!

Cheers,

Simon.

RTP Page 2

More Azim Akberali magic to feast your eyeballs on.

Pete is an Outsider

I got to play at being a podcaster this week co-hosting Comic Book Outsiders for their 25th Episode.

As well as revealing my guilty pleasure I got to interview Gutsville, Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer and 2000AD writer Si Spurrier.

And of course also got to bring you the very best hidden gems from the world of independent comics, movies and TV.

And the picture will make a lot more sense once you've had a listen. Enjoy.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/comicbookoutsiders/Comic_Book_Outsiders_Episode25.mp3

Peter Rogers

Exclusive first look at "RTP"

I am working with regular collaborator Azim Akberali on a new mini series, the name is not yet certain but the working title's initials are RTP. The layouts are done for the first five pages and we will be submitting it to publishers before the year is out.

Page One, fully painted arrived in my inbox today and I just had to share. Azim has blown me away on this and I think it's going to go down very well.

- Peter Rogers

News From The USA!

Hey everyone! It's been a busy time for Orang Utan Comics across the pond in the US of A. I've been hanging out at many of the conventions here in Texas. You can spot me by looking for the Orang Utan display. Response has been great and the fans are loving Eleventh Hour.

And speaking of Eleventh Hour, I have two stories coming out in Vol 2.

Karachun is a slavic tale of terror for one small boy out on a night of evil.

Prey is a thrilling tale with a twisted ending featuring art from John Cboins of Graveslinger fame.

Take care everyone, and if you see me at an upcoming convention, stop by and say hello.

Trey Wickwire, Orang Utan Comics North American Rep.

Orang Utan Comics Swing On!

October is going to be a big month for Orang Utan Comics Studio!

First up, you can catch up with many of our members at the Birmingham International Comics Show at the Think Tank, Birmingham on 4th and 5th October. Both writers and artists will be on hand to sign copies of Eleventh Hour and produce exclusive sketch art.
As if that's not enough, if you can't make it to Birmingham you can catch up with OUCS co-founder, Ian Sharman at the London MCM Expo at the Excel Centre in London's Docklands on 25th and 26th October. You can find him at the AAM/Markosia stand, signing copies of Eleventh Hour and Starship Troopers.

Last, but by no means least, you can find Ian Sharman's first Marvel inks in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #175, which will be hitting newsagents in the UK on 2nd October.

In other news, Peter Rogers and Trey Wickwire are busy preparing Fifth Outlaw and Mamluk for pitching to publishers, and Ian is winding up the promotional machine for the forthcoming online release of Young Gods. Check out the new Young Gods Myspace page for more details.