Here Lies RICHARD SALA

Doktor Vorlok's Blood Lust Predicament

2012-01-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Rendezvous On Thriller Street

2012-01-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

THE HIDDEN: An Undead Apocalypse of a Different Kind

2012-01-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

Unlike books that come out in a flash with all reviews appearing at once, mine have always sort of simmered away at a low boil - the result being that worthy reviews continue to roll out even months after a book's release. Here is another (much appreciated) one from Tim Mitchell ~
An Undead Apocalypse of a Different Kind

A Trip To The Store

2012-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

~ Click for larger view ~

For more information or to purchase this art, click here.

More words of praise for THE HIDDEN ~

2012-01-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

A wonderful review from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent

Sample quote: "...I should warn you: this book is dark and bleak even for Sala, and that's dark indeed. There are still hints of his mordant humor, and his precise lines and color washes are as ghoulishly appropriate as always -- but The Hidden out-Salas any of the prior Sala books, which is an unlikely and impressive thing."

Meanwhile The Cultural Gutter features Carol Borden's list "!0 Comics I liked in 2011", which includes THE HIDDEN

Sample quote: "Another tale of mayhem, mystery and mad science from Richard Sala... but while the subject matter and the content is very much the same ... The Hidden has less dialogue and exposition and more silent panels than much of Sala’s previous work—except in one very funny use of crowded panels for a character who is over-sharing. And while I still miss his scratchy blacks, I’m excited by his move into color and return to full length graphic novels."

Thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed The Hidden ~ then wrote about it to let other people know!

THE HIDDEN is one of Comic Impact's BEST OF 2011

2012-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Sequential Sunday: Best Comics & Art Books of 2011

THE HIDDEN appears on another BEST OF 2011 List

2012-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Panel Patter says ~ “Of all the titles I read in 2011, The Hidden might have held the biggest surprise for me as a reader. At first, The Hidden feels like a typical apocalyptic story, albeit one painted amazingly well by Sala. But as things progress, the tale morphs and twists into one of the best horror comics I've read, with a twist towards the end that I never saw coming. That's what makes a comic stand out, and puts it near the top of my best of list. In fact, I might have made this number one, except for what was far and way my favorite book of 2011, Michael Kupperman's Mark Twain Autobiography..."

Thanks, Panel Patter!

THE HIDDEN appears on another "Best of the Year" list ~

2011-12-28T11:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you to FOUR COLORS AND THE TRUTH!

THE HIDDEN is one of FEARNET's Best of 2011

2011-12-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

FearNet ~ Best Books and Comics 2011

Thank you, FearNet!

Santa Grounded!

2011-12-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

This illustration, created for the San Francisco Examiner's Magazine section, was actually done years ago - some time in the late 1990s, I believe (note the presents in Santa's bag!) But somehow it seems more pertinent than ever...

Happy Holidays!

Attack of the Movie Monsters! ~ part 2

2011-12-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

~ Left to right: Catwomen of the Moon, London After Midnight, Curse of the Werewolf ~

Click here to see the first group!

An In-Depth Interview About INVISIBLE HANDS ~

2011-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a new interview focusing primarily on Invisible Hands, but covering other things about me as well ~

Richard Sala Enjoys Drawing Creepy Things

The nice folks at this cool website seem to have caught me in a particularly chatty, affable & exclamation-point-using mood, which I blame on that third cup of coffee I was drinking at the time. Also: most direct title for an article about me ever.

Many thanks to Network Awesome!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

An Outtake from The Hidden ~ Colleen's Dream

2011-11-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a peek at a sequence I ended up cutting from my book The Hidden.

Throughout the book there are a number of dreams and flashbacks. In my original outline, near the end of the book, the character Colleen was going to have a dream. This sequence would have begun on page 130, right after she is knocked unconscious and before she wakes up with a start. However, I soon realized that the sequence, placed so close to the end, slowed down the momentum - especially because I wanted the ending to be kind of quick and breathless - so I cut it out. Before I cut it completely, I did finish one page of the sequence, seen here.

In her dream, Colleen finds herself alone in the new world. As she tries to avoid being spotted by a crowd of the brutal "new people", she is amazed to see a strange, ethereal woman, standing among them - it seems to be a vision of some kind - one which the "new people" are oblivious to. In the dream, however, as Colleen is captivated by the sight, she is suddenly seized by the "new people" -- and wakes with a gasp.

There was a motive behind this sequence - a vision of hope, maybe. It was something that would be addressed in a sequel (which is sketched out in my head, although it may have to remain there for the time being; I realized after Cat Burglar Black it's best not to automatically assume your publisher is dying for you to do a sequel).

This is the second outtake from The Hidden I've shown. The first one showed the character Sally reacting as the "new people" crash into the old trading post. That art was used as a limited edition print, offered to folks who purchased the book at the 2011 ComicCon International.

Anyway ~ I thought I'd share a bit more about the process of putting together a book like The Hidden for those interested. Thanks for reading!

Post-Halloween Too-Much-Bad-Candy Nightmare 11/01/11

2011-11-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Review of Books on The Hidden

2011-11-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Review of Books on THE HIDDEN

Halloween Special: Attack of the Movie Monsters!

2011-10-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

Invasion of the Saucermen ~ Original Art

Hideous Sun Demon ~ Original Art

Werewolf of London ~ Original Art

Illustrations for New Ghost Stories Book

2011-10-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Last year I did five illustrations for James Humphreys' special limited edition book of ghost stories titled The Mincer and Other Stories. His follow up book is coming next year and I did five new illustrations for those scary stories as well. Above are some samples. From top to bottom:
A Game of Chess
The Lantern Men
The Understudy

Here is a link to a post displaying a couple of drawings from the previous book ~
Ghost Stories

And here is a link to that book on Amazon ~
The Mincer and Other Stories

Knock Knock Knock

2011-10-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

My original website has (finally) been updated to display my more recent books on it's opening page. If you venture "inside" by answering the knock-knock-knock, it's still pretty much as it was in the olden days of my comic book series Evil Eye. But if you've never checked it out, you'll find some fun (flash) animation and other little surprises if you decide to explore. There are some rare odds and ends ~ and even a modest shoppe of Richard Sala products for those interested ~

Welcome To Richard Sala's Website

The Hidden ~ Latest Reviews

2011-10-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

From BIZARRE Magazine! ~

And from my new favorite newspaper, The North Adams Transcript! ~

Monster Mash-up

Halloween '11 ~ Cat Burglar Black

2011-10-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Comics Journal on The Hidden ~

2011-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

An excerpt:

The Hidden is ridiculously good, silly fun from the guy who brought you such loony titles as Maniac Killer Strikes Again(German Expressionism plus whimsy plus noir) and Peculia & The Groon Grove Vampires (a witch’s brew of Charles Addams, Edward Gorey, and The Babysitters Club too).

A great big orgy of schlocky gore and cartoon deaths, the plot is every old horror film rolled into one glorious genre cliché...

As ever, the true joy here is seeing Sala in brilliant colour. Layer upon layer of masterfully applied paint creates every shadow, shade and unlikely bright pajama in the cartoon horror. Undead eyes stare from blue and green sunken sockets, blood splashes across the page in spurts of dark crimson. It is, to hammer it home with a bloody mallet, an absolute demented joy. Here there are no pretentions. It is half an hour spent in a world where anything could happen and logic has no place. As one distraught character said, “It was madness… utter fucking madness.”

Read the full review here:

The Hidden | The Comics Journal

Dr. Gruesome's Gallery of Ghouls

2011-10-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

A limited edition portfolio of five small (6" x 9") silkscreens, printed back in the 1990s.

Catching up on reviews

2011-10-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

Here are two nice reviews of The Hidden ~

The National Post

Johnny Bacardi (Confessions of a Comic Shop Junkie)

... (Read the rest at the above link!)

And here I am being asked questions about my contribution to the recently released book of Nursery Rhyme Comics ~

Comic Book Resources

Halloween '11: Peculia

2011-10-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Alternative Press on The Hidden

2011-10-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

The Hidden gets a nice mention in the October 2011 issue of The Alternative Press magazine ~

Halloween is Coming

2011-10-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

October is Here

2011-10-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Another nice review of THE HIDDEN - from the School Library Journal

2011-09-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you, School Library Journal!
Read Their Review of THE HIDDEN

Publisher's Weekly Reviews THE HIDDEN

2011-09-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Click to read the Publisher's Weekly Review

Excerpts:

"An unnamed man dreams of a monster. Moments later, the world ends in nightmarish fashion, and the man flees the remains of civilization to hide in a cave, all the while saying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Thus begins this new book by cartoonist and illustrator Sala... Sala’s work is like a fusion of Hergé and Charles Addams, yielding a simple, cartoon-like style that makes his moments of gothic horror all the more disturbing... Taken as a whole... this is a beautifully pulpy and incredibly imaginative book that gives a fresh spin on a well-used set-up."

THE HIDDEN - Review Round-up

2011-09-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

I really liked the following short but funny review from the site "Four Colours & The Truth":

The Hidden by Richard Sala
Holy crap. If you can find a creepier, more spine-tingling comic book story this year I’ll come over and mow your lawn*. I’ve never read a Sala story before, and I can’t believe what I’ve been missing. Sala’s expressive art perfectly accentuates the terrible sadness of the post-apocalyptic Frankenstein update he’s telling here. If you’re in the mind for great, beautifully drawn horror, this is your book.
*Offer only good to people who live in my condo.

New Review of THE HIDDEN

2011-09-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

During the time I've been knocked off the internet (as mentioned in a previous post - and I'm still trying to fix the situation), a book I worked on for over a year appeared in stores. I missed being able to do much pre-release promotion online (not that I'm too good at that anyway), so I feel I have let down the book (and my publisher) a bit. However, I do have some interview requests to catch up with, so those should appear eventually, and several reviews have appeared.

Here is the latest review -- I'm grateful to the writer R.J. Ryan for such an insightful and thoughtful look at the book:

THE HIDDEN reviewed at Comics Bulletin

From Beyond

2011-09-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

A brief "hello" from the borderlands of the internet. I have been gone from the web for some time now & although I am finally "hooked up" again, I am not yet fully "back". Part of me is still stuck in that place beyond these things. I hope to rejoin all of my internet friends again before long.

Over the last few weeks I have more than once encountered notions which rise up from the deepest, darkest corners of the brain - where the primal fears and superstitions live - wondering if perhaps my difficulty getting "back" has some cosmic significance, some reason (either sadistic or benign).

One begins to think late night thoughts during the middle of the day: Am I being punished for my hubris or other failings? Or is it some form of heavenly "self-help" program designed to make me "kick" the internet habit? And (believe me) those are just the tip of the neurotic musings iceberg.

Some of you will know what I mean. You may have had nights where you can almost make out the outline of the hand of the universe as it holds you down, preventing you from moving in any direction at all except further back. Or those days where every one step forward is followed by three steps back.

Sometimes all one needs to "snap out of it" are the level-headed, reassuring words of a rational friend (when you can find one). Perhaps there is a way back. If only I'd remembered to leave a trail of bread crumbs...

In the meantime, while I'm still in a sort of limbo (that is, not 100% back on-line), here is a nice review of my new book The Hidden from the wonderful AV Club:

AV CLUB review

And many apologies to the kind folks who have tried to contact me for one reason or another in the last few weeks. I am still trying to catch up. The wonderful Jacq Cohen at Fantagraphics Books has been really terrific in keeping some of you informed of my availability or contact information. Speaking of which -- I have added a new email address at the top of this page. The old one still works (for now), but this new one is better (also, for now). And of course all letters are always welcome.

Thanks to those of you who have been checking back here for updates -- I really appreciate it and I'm sorry to have kept anyone waiting. I have missed posting work here and on my new tumblr. I look forward to getting back to doing that soon. In the meantime, some of you might like to know that I will continue to post work for sale here:

Artwork for sale

Well, I must sign off now. I hope to be back online again before much longer -- I mean, I have to believe I can get back eventually, that a solution exists. Until then, my very best wishes to you.

MEMORANDUM

2011-09-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

A note to loyal readers and other interested parties:

I am currently off the internet and without easy access to email. This grim situation will likely continue for another week or two.

If anyone out there needs to reach me before I return online, please contact my publisher, Fantagraphics Books. They are good at tracking me down.

If you have recently written to me or purchased art, the situation should be resolved soon, and I will get in touch as soon as I can. I appreciate your patience and understanding until then.

Thanks everyone ~ Richard

THE HIDDEN Reviewed on Omnivoracious!

2011-09-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Omnivoracious for the nice review of THE HIDDEN (along with Brian Ralph's equally apocalyptic graphic novel DAYBREAK):

Omnivoracious: Graphic Novel Friday: Apoca-Lit

"Doll Parts"

2011-08-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the original, uncropped (un-cleaned-up) art for a strip done especially for the PECULIA book collection ~

Elusive...

2011-08-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

The original art for my page in the big (16" x 21") 2008 anthology Kramer's Ergot #7 was so big that I actually did each 7 1/2" x 11 1/2" panel separately - on a separate piece of watercolor paper. When each panel was done I assembled the thing with photoshop.

While in photoshop I made some minor adjustments and then got caught up in doing more and more little tweaks and corrections and changes in the art. It was handy and fun to be able to clean areas up a bit, make them clearer. (I had ended up doing a lot of that on Cat Burglar Black).

But other changes I made were completely unnecessary -- I started recoloring figures, reshaping faces. That photoshop can be an insidious thing! I ran right up against that age-old question of all painters: "When is it finished?" I could have kept going indefinitely, making it "better and better" -- it was kind of addictive.

But if I have learned anything over the years it's to accept my artistic limitations. I wasn't using photoshop to improve my skills or learn new ones -- I was using it to change art I had already drawn and painted. So, finally I came to my senses and realized I was overworking the thing and it was time to just stop.

Looking at both versions now, after a couple of years, I have to say that the originals are better - none of that tweaking was necessary, really, beyond cleaning up a few messy spots. I hadn't really improved anything. I had just removed more and more traces of the human hand from the art.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm sure that for most young artists who have grown up using computers that photoshop (or whatever gizmo one may use) IS like an extension of their hands. It's just another tool after all - anyone will tell you that. (Actually everyone will tell you that). It ultimately comes down to having that necessary drive to do the best work you can do, whatever you're using.

I'm posting the non-tweaked original panels here -- and at the bottom is the final (tweaked) version that was printed in Kramer's - (plus a photo of the actual book) so you can see what it looked like all put together.

A peek at The Hidden

2011-08-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure, but this may be the first review of my latest book, The Hidden. Its always a pleasure to be reviewed by the thoughtful & insightful Curt Purcell - who is almost TOO conscientious about not giving away a single spoiler - except to say that the book is not particularly a laff riot. (It is true that the tone may be somewhat grimmer than longtime readers are used to, although those who have read the DELPHINE series may be better prepared). Thank you, Curt!

The Groovy Age of Horror: THE HIDDEN

IT'S COMING

2011-08-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

A video sneak preview of The Hidden has been posted by Fantagraphics. (Warning ~ to readers who prefer to know as little as possible before reading the book -- the preview does contain some minor spoilers.) ~

PREVIEW & PRE-ORDER THE HIDDEN

Creaky old "Invisible Hands" somehow found a new life on YouTube

2011-08-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Chuck Klosterman & Grantland (third video down):

YouTube Hall of Fame

"Invisible Hands" came out of my love for old horror movies and pulp stories. When I wrote & drew it for MTV (via Colossal Pictures in San Francisco) I was still working a day job while doing as much freelance illustration work as I could get - and dreaming of one day having a chance (and the time) to do comics.

For years (and years) people used to ask me why the six-part serial I created, designed, drew and wrote (directed by Denis Morella, with music by Eric Tallman, produced by Colossal Pictures & shown on MTV's show "Liquid Television in the early 1990s) - "Invisible Hands" - had never been released on VHS (remember that?) or DVD, even though MTV did release a few "Best Of Liquid Television" compilations. (Beavis & Butthead and Aeon Flux also debuted on the same show -- & I was keenly aware - and totally okay with the fact - that my humble and creaky little genre cartoon would never be anywhere near as popular as those two).

So I told the story again and again to people who wrote to me over the years and asked me how they could get a copy. I explained that MTV owned the copyright and it was up to them -- and that I had no idea if it would ever be released. Thanks to the lawyer I had hired for the occasion, I was able to keep the rights to the characters & story in print - since it first appeared in my self-published comic Night Drive in 1984. But I had no control over what happened with the completed six two-minute episodes - or the full twelve minute version which was also shown sometimes on MTV throughout the early 1990s.

I was one of the few freelancers to be a part of Liquid TV (most were on staff at Colossal), so although I wasn't too surprised when I was not invited back to do more "Invisible Hands", I was disappointed --especially when I was told that there was a cartoon in the second season (created on staff, for staff salary) that was trying to copy I.H. - or at least cover the same pulp mystery territory. I don't know for sure myself since I didn't even have cable back then!

So for years I figured I.H. would remain locked away in MTV's vaults and never be seen again. Then YouTube came along.

And although I had nothing to do with uploading it onto the internet (I'm still not sure how one actually does that -- I need to learn someday) -- I was very happy to see that fans of Liquid TV remembered my humble and creaky and silly little genre cartoon and that some were even fond enough of it to post the episodes on-line.

So although I never made another penny off the thing after my initial payment - never any royalties that might have come from video releases -- at least now it's out there for people to see again.

I wrote a couple of earlier posts about "Invisible Hands" on this blog, for anyone interested:

Here.

And thank you again, loyal readers, for reading all this stuff!

Oh no -- I'm on Tumblr!

2011-08-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

I just uploaded a bunch of pix today. It seems like an easier way just to view art. We'll see how it goes...

Here it is!

"On A Deadline" and other illustrations

2011-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

From top to bottom:

"On A Deadline" - promotional card

"Financial Discovery!" (for Kiplinger's magazine)

"Bad Doctor" (for Mother Jones)

"Fear"(I can't remember the magazine!

I think it was a city magazine of some kind.)

Take off that mask! What? -- It's NOT??

2011-08-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

A special note to collectors: Sixteen color drawings from last October's UNMASKED series - which haven't previously been offered for sale - are now available for purchase ~
HERE

Careful - some of them bite!

Stranger Street

2011-07-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

In The Garden of Masks

2011-07-23T02:21:00.000-07:00

Comic Art Collective

Uninvited Guests!

2011-07-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

One final reminder for anyone who is attending Comic Con International in San Diego this weekend. There are some advance copies of my new book The Hidden available at the Fantagraphics booth - a month or so before copies will be in stores. If you purchase a The Hidden at Comic-Con, you'll also get something extra -- a signed and numbered limited edition print, featuring a scene not shown in the book (see below).

Oh - and -- psst! -- Here is a link to a twelve page sneak-preview of the book! ~

Look if you dare!

IT'S COMING (to Comic-Con International Next Week!)

2011-07-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

There will be a couple of dozen advance copies of my new book THE HIDDEN available at the Fantagraphics booth next week at the San Diego Comic-Con (July 21-24). People who purchase it there will also receive a special signed and numbered limited edition print, free with each copy!

Then all will be quiet for awhile -- about another month or so -- and it will finally be in stores sometime in August or September.

PANIQUE!

2011-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

If you are a young artist and enjoy doing work whether anyone is paying you or not, and if you are lucky enough to have like-minded colleagues who are creative and are non-bitter, non-complaining types -- then by all means you should work on projects together. Sometimes great things may come of it. At the very least you will experience the joy of creating something out of nothing.

However, there will inevitably be times when you will be reminded that nobody cares as much as you do about the work you do. That is, you should never expect that your work will be as important to anyone else as it is to you. You will find that even the most creative of your colleagues can let you down if you trust them to care about your work as much as you do.

Designers and art directors are the most problematic because artists depend on them and have to trust them. On one hand, you have to be cordial and professional, even when they are not, because of the power they (temporarily) hold over you. And on the other hand, you have to force yourself to be a pest - even if that's totally against your nature - in order to make certain they aren't ignoring all your notes or (worse) are planning to get "creative" with your work. I've been lucky enough to work with several really great designers, and often the fault has been mine when something went wrong -- I wasn't clear enough or assertive enough. Or -- I trusted them to know what would look best. Remember - your work is just not as important to them as it is to you.

I'm nowhere near a good designer myself. I've designed several of my own books simply because of that inability to trust anyone else - which came about after I was unhappy with some of the decisions the designer made on my 1993 book Black Cat Crossing. But all artists who do illustrations or books must inevitably work with designers and art directors. You cross your fingers and hope you get one who is sympathetic to your work.

I've tried to be a control freak sometimes. Other times I've tried to be all "zen" about it. Trusting your art to someone is hard because you often just have that one chance for it to be published and look good and it can be heartbreaking and discouraging if it comes out looking bad. I've handed off work to friends or colleagues a few times where the results ranged from mind-bogglingly incompetent (putting pages of a comic out of order) to just frustratingly disappointing -- like this board game from 1994, PANIQUE.

(By the way - I apologize here to any non-artists - who have read this far - if this all sound like a lot of belly-aching. Trust me, I count my blessings every day that I am fortunate enough to be able to do the work I do! I'm not complaining at all and in fact I've worked with quite a few really incredible designers.)

So - about PANIQUE: I don't blame the very nice folks who produced the game. They came up with the idea of doing limited edition silk-screened board games by cartoonists (me, Dan Clowes, Lloyd Dangle and others I'm forgetting). Their hearts were in the right place and they put a lot of time and hard work into the project for very little (no?) reward. Still, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I was disappointed with the end results. But, again - I didn't stay involved throughout the process, I just handed over the art -- so - really -- I have no one to blame but myself that the finished game didn't live up to whatever my expectations were.

So - the less said about the final printed games, the better. Instead, I just wanted to be able to show off the art I created for the it.

I loved board games as a kid. I even created several hand-drawn board games and card games when I was young that I then tried to get my siblings or friends to play with me. So when this opportunity arose, I happily agreed to do it, even though I realized that the limitations that were stated up front would restrict the games to the most basic level. We could have a spinner and little figures to move on the board, but no cards. And the board would have to be small - only around 9" x 12, " which limited the length of the game. I did end up playing the finished game a few times with friends and it worked just fine -- except that it was all over in about two minutes!

So - I apologize to the couple of dozen folks who bought my game (although some people have told me they enjoyed it) -- rest assured that nobody made a cent on the thing. It was one of those projects you (should) do when you are young(ish) - because you enjoy doing the work.

Back Cover Gallery

2011-07-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Presented for your inspection... a selection of art from the back covers of early issues of Evil Eye...

The back cover to Evil Eye #1 was (slightly twisted) homage to The Yellow Kid comics by R.F. Outcault. Here "Arsenic Alley" is overrun with characters and objects which may be recognizable to regular readers of Richard Sala stories.

The back cover to issue #2 shows a somewhat more playful rendition of Peculia and her adventures, while the back cover to issue #3 shows all the recurring characters from the Peculia stories. Finally, on the back cover of issue #6, Judy & Kasper face the two killers in the story that would eventually become Mad Night.

About the author ~ 1995

2011-07-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the original art for an "author's bio" I did back in 1995. It appeared as the last page in my book The Ghastly Ones. At that time I was much more focused on illustration work -- although I was dying to do more comics. Luckily, later that same year, opportunity knocked -- and I began serializing the chapters of what would eventually be my first full-length graphic novel The Chuckling Whatsit in the pages of the bi-monthly Fantagraphics' anthology Zero Zero.

Haunted Cards

2011-07-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, in response to a question on this blog, I mentioned that my work had never been colored by anyone but me. Well - I had forgotten about these cards.

I did the line drawings for these, but they were colored by someone else. I'm sorry to say I can't remember who, but whoever it was did a nice job, I think. There were some real pros working at Kitchen Sink Press (publishers of the card set) back then (1994), so you were usually in pretty good hands.

The card set was called "R.I.P." and contained "42 Paranormal Trading Cards". From the description on the back: "Each card is a haunting document of a chilling event -- actual encounters with true ghosts, human monsters, fiends, weird mysteries -- you'll want to read these in a well-lit place!" So basically, on the back of each card is a description of a specific Fortean event -- that is, some unexplained or extraordinary phenomenon like poltergeists, spontaneous combustion, mysterious disappearances and so on.

The cards were written by Eric Nesheim and illustrated by seven different artists. I did the six cards shown here. I've also included a look at some of the original uncolored line art.

It's Coming

2011-06-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Snapshot of cover proof, taken a few weeks ago.

The Hidden will make its debut at the San Diego Comic Con later this month, where a couple dozen advance copies will be available at the Fantagraphics Books booth (along with a special convention-only surprise bonus -- more on that soon!).

Copies will be in stores a couple of weeks later (unless the boat carrying the copies sinks or is attacked by pirates, a giant octopus or a mega shark).

Babes on Broadway

2011-06-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

I posted low-res scans (from photocopies) of a couple of these drawings before, but I recently came across the originals which I forgot I still had. So here is a better (and uncropped) look at them. These were done as illustrations to accompany a story by Josh Alan Friedman called "Babes on Broadway," published in BLAB #6 in 1991.

As always, some of the art featured on this blog can be found here --
Comic Art Collective - Art by Richard Sala - Original comic art from top artists

Ahoy, Newlyweds!

2011-06-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

Depicting the perils that threaten those who brave the sea of matrimony ~

Illustration from the '00s.

I had wanted to put in "In-Laws" depicted as pirates, but that idea got nixed.

NIGHT GALLERY 3

2011-06-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

From top to bottom:

1) Phantasma
2) Phillipa Knicely, Telekinetic Teenager, Faces a Gathering of Evil
3) The Secret Sleuth Patrol in the Hidden Lair of Dr. Zarko's Zombies
4) Night People

Working on ideas for stories or new books is always fun. But because the process of creating a graphic novel can be so time-consuming, choices must be made and there are lots of ideas that must be set aside. Sometimes working on story ideas can be a way to indulge one's fondness for certain types of stories that one might like to do, if only there were time -- some light-hearted, some darker. The first three images are examples of this.

The top two images are samples of concept art for possible future stories - done to help visualize the story and characters. The third drawing was a commission (a good example of the kind I enjoy doing) that certainly could be turned into a story -- perhaps a sort of "Scooby Doo Meets Lucio Fulci" thing... maybe? It would be fun to try anyway...

The last image shows a group of characters inspired by a book of short stories called "A Loud Humming Sound Came From Above" by Johnny Strike. The art was used for the cover of the book - and I did some interior illustrations for it as well.

As always, some of the art featured on this blog can be found here --
Comic Art Collective - Art by Richard Sala - Original comic art from top artists

Cover Story ~ The Grave Robber's Daughter

2011-06-08T04:02:00.000-07:00

Cover art for THE GRAVE ROBBER'S DAUGHTER (2006) ~

After MAD NIGHT (see previous post), I did a second book featuring the character Judy Drood as the protagonist. This one was designed as leaner and more fast-paced than her debut, which I had worked on for about three years. In contrast, I did this one in less than six months. (For those interested, I discuss making this book in this 2007 interview with Tom Spurgeon :

The Comics Reporter ).

My original intention was to put Judy on the cover again, right up front. The top image is my original line drawing, ink on watercolor paper, showing Judy being menaced by clowns while the title character, little Nellie Kelly, looks on. However, before I'd painted that version I decided it might seem a bit confusing and unfocused to a casual observer. (Not to mention somewhat cluttered once the title had been added at the top and the by-line placed in the bottom left corner).

So I did a second version, placing Nellie up front and taking out Judy altogether. I did do some sketches trying to work Judy into the background - but those ideas just wouldn't work with the small size (6" x 8") of the book. So, Judy went and I ended up taking out one of the clowns as well.

I immediately liked the effect that came from simply moving the small figure of Nellie to the front. Now the clowns were looming over her, mocking her with evil laughter, while she stands completely unruffled and without fear. That actually summed up her character much better than the first idea.

Judy does still show up on the cover -- although it's the back cover. The last image shows the original art for the back cover before all the text, prices and UPC box were added.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I've almost always created fake covers (stand-ins for whatever the final cover will be) for my books for the Norton book catalog because they need them so far in advance -- and this one was no exception. But, this time - sorry! - I'm choosing not to show it. Not only is it really bad and embarrassing, it illustrates an early version of the story where Nellie is a (red-headed) teen-ager being leered at by not only evil clowns, but an entire evil circus as well - ringmaster and all! But this little book was all about cutting the fat -- streamlining and getting down to the leanest and meanest details -- so, by the second draft, the evil circus folk all ended up on the cutting room floor - all except for (as Judy might say) those #@%!&*$!! clowns.

Cover Art: MAD NIGHT

2011-05-31T03:51:00.000-07:00

MAD NIGHT (2005) - Images from top to bottom:

1) This is a "fake" cover done for full page ad in the Norton book catalog. Book distributor Norton always needs cover images early for solicitation purposes - so early that I usually change my mind about what I want the cover to look like. And being aware of this I sometimes create a fake cover to act as a "space filler" until I decide what I really want to do. I've had (I think) six of my books (published by Fantagraphics) listed in the Norton catalogs and I don't think a single listing ever showed the actual cover I ended up using on the published book.

2) Line art for the final cover. Some of my (pre-watercolor) line drawings can stand on their own as finished artwork. But this one really needed the color to bring it into focus.

3) Title lettering

4) Mocked up color sketch. I believe the reason for the note at the bottom was because this image was used in the Diamond solicitation catalog (for comic book stores). Again -- you just need something, some kind of cover image to go with the description of your book - and I hadn't finished the real cover yet! You can get away with using rough sketches sometimes, because the covers are printed so small. But I think I remember that this one looked pretty awful -- all muddy and blurry. Oh well... my own fault.

5) Final printed front cover (with spine). The process of making a cover - from the early ideas and sketches to creating the final art - has always been one of my favorite parts of being a published cartoonist. I'm no designer and I'm aware of my many limitations, but I've been a fan of cover art since I was a kid, so I enjoy drawing sometimes two or more covers for the same book -- even if only one of them ends up getting published.

IT'S COMING

2011-05-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

... Summer 2011

(New) Odds & Ends

2011-03-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

1) Concept art for potential sequel to Cat Burglar Black: Never steal from a haunted house!

I've been mulling over a couple of different ideas for a possible sequel to CBB. I own the characters and am free to choose another publisher for any sequel(s). Right now I'd like to do something a bit more light-hearted -- particularly after the original CBB, Delphine and The Hidden (due this summer), all of which were relatively heavier than a lot of my earlier stories.

2) Finally had a chance to finish up some leftover portraits from last October's UNMASKED series. (I did about 100 thumbnails which got reduced to about sixty drawings; Then I did a bunch that didn't work - those got tossed; Then there were some I started but abandoned for some reason - like these four which I recently finished up. If I ever do an official collection of all the UNMASKED portraits, these will most likely be in it after all... ) In descending order: Midnight Visitor, Mad Devil, Fungus Face, Smiler.

These and more recently added to

Comic Art Collective - Art by Richard Sala - Original comic art from top artists

FEAR

2011-03-25T04:13:00.001-07:00

An illustration from the early 1990s. I forget what the magazine was, but the article was about anxiety and/or paranoia -- in other words, right up my alley!

Comic Art Collective - Richard Sala - FEAR Original comic art from top artists

My Father's Brain (part 1)

2011-03-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

This strip was reprinted in my book Maniac Killer Strikes Again! in a somewhat altered state. Here is the original version as it appeared in the long-out-of-print anthology Blab #8.

Scroll down for part 2. (Yes - once again I have to divide the strip up - this time because of Blogger's limitations on image posting.)

My Father's Brain (part 2)

2011-03-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wonder Woman?

2011-03-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yep - Here is a drawing of Wonder Woman I was commissioned to do in 1998. I included a couple of her (Golden Age) adversaries in it as well (I love the eccentric, old-timey art of the original Wonder Woman artist, Harry G. Peter). The composition is based on the cover of the first issue of my comic book Evil Eye for reasons I can no longer remember...

Bambi Bembenek comic strip for Playboy

2011-03-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a comic strip I was hired to draw (from a script) in the mid-1990s for Playboy magazine. It accompanied an article called "The Bambi Bembenek Story." Click the image to blow up real big.

Four Illustrations

2011-02-03T00:38:00.000-08:00

Four examples of original art from my archive of magazine illustrations.

From top to bottom:

- Psychology Today (Can't remember the article, but it looks interesting!)

- Newsweek (So glad no one asks you to draw those old computers anymore; I must have drawn a hundred of them -- it was so hard to make them interesting.)

- Details (Mom has boyfriends)

- New Times (Video dating; This was a cover of a weekly, one of many I did "back in the day")

It's sad to keep hearing about how the magazine industry is dying - at least for someone like me who always loved them (probably since buying my first copy of Famous Monsters of Filmland). I can't imagine my life without all the cool magazines I loved to read growing up. And, even though I majored in Fine Arts in college, I always had a secret desire to somehow one day get my art into magazines. Eventually (it's a long story!) it happened and I was in a LOT of magazines during the '90s & '00s. If I hadn't decided I wanted to concentrate more on comics, I might still be doing lots and lots. I loved the whole process -- the phone call, the sketches, the deadline, the all-nighter, the feeling of accomplishment -- and seeing the work in print a month later...

I have no idea whether the magazine industry is really "dying" or not (what am I, Criswell?) -- I'm just glad I had the chance to do so many fun & silly drawings I would otherwise have never thought of doing.

Honeymoon

2011-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Here's one more early strip -- from 1989. This was around the same time I was working on "Invisible Hands," so sharp-eyed readers may notice a certain hairy butler that ended up appearing in both places. He's called "Otto" in "Invisible Hands", and although that name is used in this strip, too, it's for a different character. I remember at the time I had some doubts about whether "Invisible Hands" would ever actually be aired. So I figured, since I liked the way the guy looked, I might as well use him in this strip, too. (It wasn't a matter of laziness, really - I could have easily drawn a different weird butler - I just really liked him!)

Another reason I'm posting the strip here is because it's one of the last (if not the very last) of my strips from this period I have left. It's a strip I've lent out to a few shows over the years. It was handy to have a complete short strip to lend if/when I got asked. But now I've decided to put it up for sale. I'm going to offer the pages for sale individually, but, since it would be nice to keep the all the pages together, I will be happy to offer a discount for purchase of the entire strip. Feel free to email me at the address at the top right of this page if you have any questions about that. Otherwise, I will be placing the pages for sale individually here:

Comic Art Collective - Art by Richard Sala - Original comic art from top artists

(UPDATE: The strip has been sold)

Thanks again, everyone!

Time Bomb

2011-01-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

I had created a number of short strips for Drawn & Quarterly back when they were only a single magazine anthology, before they grew to become one of the greatest publishers of comics ever. This was the last one I did. After this strip I was never invited to contribute to the anthology again. I guess I can't really blame them. I mean, the strip meant something to me, but I can see how it might not have meant anything to anyone else. It's a little too - I don't know - over-the-top or something.

I can't say exactly what I was going for with the strip. I do recall feeling rather bleak at the time and I am one of those artists who sometimes allows whatever their current mood may be dictate the direction of whatever they are working on at the time. I know that's not always very professional for a working artist who needs to develop relationships with editors & art directors based on trust. But it was something ingrained in me from my years in art school; I had grown accustomed to "exorcising demons" with art (I know that sounds glib, but it's kind of true).

Things have certainly changed (thankfully), but at that time, 1991, I probably should have been submitting some earnest auto-bio strips - or at least something with jokes - if I wanted to create a relationship with publishers. The sad fact, though, is that this was as close to auto-bio as my psyche would allow me to get... (Maybe as close as I got to making jokes, too).

Anyway, thank you to my loyal readers for tolerating all these recent trips down memory lane. I promise to post more current work again soon. (Yes - I've been hard at work on a couple of things, but I'm keeping the lid on for now. But watch for more previews of my upcoming book The Hidden very soon).

Judy Drood, Girl Detective (1993)

2011-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

This strip originally appeared in my 1993 book Black Cat Crossing. It was just kind of a lark, done (as pretty much all my work has been done) to amuse myself. I didn't really have any plans to use the character ever again.

Then in 1998 I began writing the graphic novel that would eventually be published as Mad Night. It was about a series of gruesome murders on a college campus and I wanted it to feature a fearless (i.e. somewhat crazy) female protagonist. I remembered Judy Drood and decided it might be fun to revive her. In Mad Night I wrote the character straight (well, as straight as I ever write anything) - that is, not jokey, not quite as broad. But I did use this original strip as her backstory and even alluded to elements of it in the book. (The backstory goes something like: As a teen she had been the stereotypical wholesome "girl detective." But finding out that her trusted father was actually a sort of deranged master criminal turned her angry & cynical & prone to see crime & corruption everywhere, even where it's not - which has led to occasional "problems" with the law. She cannot tolerate secrets or unsolved mysteries - it's pathological - she will solve them whatever it takes and has the absolute fearlessness of someone with nothing to lose). I know - it's nothing all that earth-shaking or original, maybe, but it's a lot of fun to write.

Also, I wanted to add: This strip was one of about thirty pieces I had hanging in a show back in 1997 at the (original, old) Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. At the reception my good friend Randall Ann Homan pointed to this strip hanging on the wall and said, "I want to read more stories about Judy Drood!". That definitely planted the idea in my brain -- so thanks, Randall!

"Books" illustration...

2011-01-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

... from 1990. Another early newspaper illustration for one of the several "Best Books Of..." or "New Fall Books" articles I was assigned over the years. This one, I think, was "Spring Books".

I always enjoyed getting those particular jobs, because you could be more creative than you could be with articles that were about a more specific subject. The problem was always how to depict the subject ("books") in any kind of fresh or unique way. You know - there has to be a book and maybe a reader and... you have to do something conceptual with only that to go on.

I've seen many other illustrators tackle this kind of assignment over the years, often coming up with terrific solutions that I envied and wished I'd thought of. I don't think I ever really succeeded in coming up with a truly great solution myself. Maybe this one came the closest, I don't know. It's a little too cute, maybe, and certainly more rushed than I would have liked -- (if I'd only had one more day...) but I was fond of it anyway, probably because of the memory of getting the job & doing it in one night. Back then, if you did an illustration for a local newspaper (which this was) it was always a rush. You got the phone call from the art director with the details, then either that afternoon or the next morning you had to fax them a sketch (or - if the deadline was really tight & they trusted you - you wouldn't have to do a sketch). Then you had one day (or two, if you were lucky) to do the finished art.

On the morning the work was due, I'd have to get in my car - my old beat-up dark blue Toyota wagon - and drive into San Francisco from Berkeley (during the morning commute!) and hand in the art to the art director in person. Then there was always that moment - I'd hold my breath as they took the art out of the envelope and looked at it. I was lucky enough that they always at least smiled and thanked me, but - argh - the rush of insecurity at that moment. For a split second I'd have a vision of them holding the art, grimacing -- "This is not what we had in mind AT ALL" and -- "Riiiip!" -- tearing the thing in half. I suppose I'd always imagine the absolute worst possible scenario so that I couldn't help but be relieved, even if they just responded with a curt "Okay - thanks." Luckily nowadays you can just scan the thing & send it to them with the click of a button. It's a lot less stressful that way!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

A selection of Christmas/Holiday cards from over the years, done to be mailed out to friends, colleagues & clients. The earliest one (at the top) is a two-color letterpress card from 1992. I did a card every year after that for many, many years, although I've skipped a few years now (sorry, friends, colleagues & clients! -- I still wish you all a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! - and that goes double for all my loyal readers out there -- I really appreciate you all!)

On my doorstep this morning...

2010-12-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

I just received my complimentary copy of Great Expectations from the nice folks at Penguin Books. I did the art for the front, back, spine and cover flaps. The title lettering that looks black in the photo of the front cover is actually a shiny metallic scarlet that almost looks carved into the cover -- very striking. Thanks to Paul Buckley the designer for that touch. It's really cool.

You can go here (Paul's Flickr page) to see the art laid out flat:

All sizes | great expectations full | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Cheers!

2010-12-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

Art from the early 1990s, used as a cover for an early issue of the comics anthology "Blab".

Hallmark!?

2010-12-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. I once did a card (two actually) for Hallmark. I was hired to do two birthday cards for their Shoebox line sometime in the mid-1990s. I had been a (hard)working illustrator for a while at that point, taking any and all jobs I could get. Hallmark dangled the prospect of keeping me busy with regular gigs, so I happily (and somewhat cynically, I admit) gave it a shot. After all, isn't that what young illustrators always hear from their annoying relatives: "Have you tried sending your work to Hallmark Cards?" So, one day I did just that and, sure enough, they called.

Unfortunately, my work for them apparently didn't meet with the approval of one (or more) of the higher-ups and those two cards were all I ever did. They had sent me their illustrators' guidelines -- a brochure that included descriptions and showed examples of how to successfully draw in a "Shoebox style," but I had to ignore it, only because it would have been so unnatural for me to draw in the way they described (in short: very, very cute) - I simply couldn't do it.

I'm including my first sketch for this card. You can see they approved everything but the central girl's face. Then, after a couple more sketches, I got so confused about what they wanted her to look like that by the time I did the final card -- you can see -- her face looks almost abstract. Oh well... One of the good things was that they let me do my own lettering and even draw that toy bear on the back.

I was a bit disappointed that I didn't make the grade for Hallmark -- I wanted work. But I wasn't surprised. I'd had a lot of worse gigs and (luckily) a lot of better ones, too. Anyway, a couple of years later I was so busy I had to start turning work down -- then, eventually, I was able to start concentrating on writing & drawing comics instead.

Psychorama - part 1

2010-11-17T13:42:00.001-08:00

Here is "PSYCHO-RAMA" - a silly strip I did in 1992. It appeared in the anthology BLAB #7, which was one of the early digest-sized issues, and hasn't ever been reprinted.

Back then each issue of BLAB was given a (loose) theme by the editor Monte Beauchamp, and the one for this issue was "Mental Health." The other contributors included Dan Clowes (cover), Chris Ware, Joe Coleman, Drew Friedman, Gary Lieb, Mary Fleener and Frank Stack, along with a short story by Josh Alan Friedman.

This strip was a lark. It was one of those times (I'm sure other artists know well) where you need an idea and finally just throw up your hands and say, "Oh, for heaven's sake -- just do an alphabet!" Then I got to have fun coming up with bad rhymes and awful jokes (similar to what I did later in The Ghastly Ones). Basically -- I just wanted any excuse to draw lots of creepy characters doing nasty things.

Because of the limits on uploading pictures on Blogger, I'm posting the strip in three parts -- scroll down for the next two. Thanks for looking!

Psychorama - part 2

2010-11-17T13:39:00.001-08:00

Psychorama - part 3

2010-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

Happy 10/10 Halloween ~ Final "Unmasked" Post

2010-10-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #12

2010-10-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Old Man In The Picture

2010-10-28T03:57:00.000-07:00

This is a two-page comic I made last Halloween for an anthology called Half-Minute Horrors, a collection of spooky stories for kids (ages 9-12) by a wide range of authors and artists, edited by Susan Rich and published by HarperCollins.

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #11

2010-10-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #10

2010-10-25T06:04:00.001-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #9

2010-10-22T14:07:00.001-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #8

2010-10-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #7

2010-10-17T23:31:00.001-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #6

2010-10-15T01:41:00.000-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #5

2010-10-13T02:06:00.001-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #4

2010-10-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #3

2010-10-08T02:11:00.001-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #2

2010-10-06T03:18:00.000-07:00

Unmasked - An October Gallery - #1

2010-10-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

This is my humble offering for October/Halloween 2010 ~~ A portrait gallery. An Unmasquerade...

What's behind the masks you see every day? Behind the masks of your neighbors & co-workers? Of the people you pass by on your way to work? Of your teachers, your classmates? Of the politicians & pundits? The banker at his desk & the cop on the street? The smiling businessmen, the doctors & lawyers? The trusted members of the church & military? The loved ones you think you know so well? That stranger coming up the walkway... peering in your window... knocking on your door?

That face in the mirror?

Over 31 ghoulish portraits, with a new gallery added every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Happy Halloween!

Unmasked - Begins Monday...

2010-10-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

Starting on Monday, October 4, and continuing throughout the month...

Update: Thanks to everyone who has asked about this very humble project, which I feel I should say upfront is not going to be a new webcomic or story. I wanted to do something for October/Halloween so I'm just going to be posting a series of (very simple) monster portraits throughout the month. But I do appreciate the curiosity very much -- however, I also don't want to disappoint anyone who may be expecting a new story. For my next book - I'm still working on The Hidden which us scheduled for Spring 2011. Thanks again!

"Invisible Hands" Storyboards

2010-09-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here are the storyboards I wrote & drew for the third episode of "Invisible Hands". In the previous blog entry, I posted some of the final drawings that were actually used in this episode. (For more info, see my other "Invisible Hands" posts).

(note: Animated version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright MTV and Colossal Pictures. Print version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright Richard Sala).

Still more "Invisible Hands" art...

2010-09-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here is some of the art that was drawn for the third episode of "Invisible Hands" (Please see previous two posts for more information).

(note: Animated version of "Invisible Hands is copyright MTV & Colossal Pictures. Print version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright Richard Sala).

More art from "Invisible Hands"

2010-09-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

As promised (threatened?) in my last post, here is more of the art I created for the animated version of "Invisible Hands".

From top to bottom:

- A panel from the original comic, as it appeared in Night Drive.

- Scene from the Voss & Crawley Bait & Tackle Shop, showing the three separate layers - foreground, middle and background.

- Three sets of various drawings of characters & objects used in the final animation.

More to come!

(note: Animated version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright MTV & Colossal Pictures. Print version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright Richard Sala)

The art of "Invisible Hands"

2010-09-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

"Invisible Hands" was a six-part animated serial which aired on MTV in the early 1990s. MTV had hired Colossal Pictures, an animation studio located in the Bay Area (where I was, too) to produce Liquid Television, a show that would feature lots of new animation. After one of the producers saw "Invisible Hands" in Night Drive, my first (self-published) comic, which was then selling at City Lights and other independent bookstores in the San Francisco area, I was hired to write and draw an expanded version for their show. The first season of Liquid TV was to consist of six episodes, and "Invisible Hands," which I had written as a tongue-in-cheek version of old-time mystery thrillers, would run in each episode as two-minute chapters of a complete 12-minute serial.

So I went to work expanding the story, drawing the story-boards and lots of new art. Then I'd drive them over to Colossal where the staff would blow up my drawings onto colored paper. Next, the director, Denis Morella, made the art come alive by photographing the cut-outs (which were positioned on three layers of glass to give the illusion of depth) using stop-motion. It was pretty primitive, I guess, but I really liked the jerky effect that resulted.

"Invisible Hands" was shown a lot on MTV during the early 1990s, sometimes even in a complete 12-minute version. MTV & Colossal kept all the original artwork I did, but luckily I made a bunch of photocopies, which, I recently realized, I've never shown before. So, here are a few for now. I can post some more soon, as well as some of the storyboards.

At the top is my drawing for the opening credits. Next, the original promotional postcard, advertising the debut of Liquid TV, with a scene from "IH" (the costume party) on the front, followed by more of my drawings -- characters, interiors & exteriors --- before they were transferred to colored paper.

I used to get asked about this serial a lot. It's never been on video in either VHS or DVD (there are reasons) though other Liquid TV animations were. However, it has been on YouTube for a long time now, so I don't get asked about it as much as I once did. I'm just glad that folks can (finally) see it again if they want to. And I hope some people may enjoy a look at the drawings I did for it.

(note: Animated version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright MTV & Colossal Pictures. Print version of "Invisible Hands" is copyright Richard Sala)

Sketchbooks pages of the past

2010-09-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Years and years and years ago there was a magazine that printed pages from artists' sketchbooks. They asked me to contribute, so I photocopied a bunch of pages, then cut & pasted the sketches so I could get in as many little drawings on the four pages I was given as possible. (I mean, some of the actual pages only had one or two drawings on them -- not very interesting, visually, I thought; plus I couldn't figure out which four pages to use -- so that was my solution; I reduced them & cut out the drawings & fit them all neatly together, with the goal that they just be fun to look at.)

Anyway, I'm kind of glad I made copies of these pages because a few years later these and other sketchbooks were destroyed by water damage. There was a leak in the ceiling directly over the cabinet where the books were stored, which I didn't notice until it was way too late.

So -- here is a glimpse of some of my sketchbook pages from days gone by...

Thank You!

2010-09-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who checked out my sneak preview of The Hidden last week. Thanks also to the folks at Fantagraphics, The Beat, The Comics Reporter, Comics Comics and The Groovy Age of Horror among others for letting their readers know about it. A lot more people checked it out than I imagined would, because of them. Also, I really appreciate the kind & encouraging words from those who took the time to write to me personally about it. That always means a lot.

Thanks again!

THE HIDDEN - Sneak Preview

2010-09-09T00:33:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to see a 13-page sneak preview of my book THE HIDDEN, scheduled for Spring/Summer 2011:

THE HIDDEN by Richard Sala

Special Announcement

2010-09-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

My book THE HIDDEN, originally scheduled for this Fall, is a bit behind schedule and won't be out next month as originally planned. Pushing the release date up to sometime early next year will allow me to spend more time on the hundred plus pages of full-color artwork. I want to thank my publisher, Fantagraphics for being so understanding! This book is a bit different from anything I've done before, and, hopefully, loyal readers will feel it's been worth the wait. Thank you (and apologies!) to all the nice people who have been asking about it or telling me they are looking forward to it. It's still coming -- just not as soon as originally announced.

However (this is the "special announcement" part), for anyone interested, I will be posting a sneak preview of THE HIDDEN online. On Thursday, September 9, 2010, I will be posting the first 12 pages of the story, along with a thirteenth page from much later in the book (a sneak preview inside a sneak preview) at an online location to be announced on that date. Watch this blog or the Fantagraphic's blog for details. The preview will remain up for as long as I think it should. I may even add extra sneak peaks and details as time goes on, up until the book is finally released. I do this in the spirit of fun (hey, it's a comic!) and as a gesture of thanks to my loyal readers, who are the coolest people in the world.

Behind That Curtain

2010-08-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Someday, eventually, hopefully, maybe, one day I will put together a little book of all the extra Peculia art I've done, outside of her two books. I have a bunch by this point (mostly in the form of scans since I've sold most of original art over the years). Basically, I was having so much fun back when I had my comic book series Evil Eye, that I made scores of cover sketches or thumbnail ideas -- enough for, like, a 100 issues. (I mean, I wasn't so naive that I thought the series might actually last more than a dozen issues or so - I just enjoyed drawing the character confronting all sorts of creeps, monsters & various bothersome pests). So - anyway - now and then, just to please myself if no one else, I like to get out my old notebooks and bring one or more of those sketches to "life" in a finished drawing. A couple showed up not long ago in the Coniglio Editore edition of PECULIA from Italy, in an extra gallery section. Here's a fairly recent example I did while waiting for some other artwork to dry (I find I can start to go crazy waiting for paint to dry, so I need to work on something else to keep my hands busy & distract myself!)... It's Peculia meeting a professor of Lycanthropic studies, who presumably fancies her as a test subject. Naturally, she's not crazy about the idea. I've made my scans, so the original art is now available over at the Comic Art Collective, for anyone who may be interested.

I've added the following pieces to the CAC as well. I'm putting up for sale the only two uncut versions of the Halloween Hang-Ups 3-color silkscreens in existence. The others were all cut out, packaged and sold as sets at a gallery show way back in 1994. These two are uncut and were professionally mounted, measuring 14" x 18" and signed as part of another show several years later. Each one of these two remaining silk-screens is one of a kind, there are no others like these. They are personal favorites of mine, but with Halloween coming soon, it's a perfect time for them to find a new home.

There is also this large ink drawing called "Home From The War" which appeared in an issue of NOZONE in the early 1990s. Yes, we were in a war back then, too, and politicians, corporations and fat cats were getting rich off it then, too. It's nothing new, it's an old, old story and doesn't seem it will ever change. "When will they ever learn?" indeed...

As always - thanks very much for joining me in my little gallery on the 'net, listening to my stories and looking at my pictures. It means a lot to be able to share them with you.

Comic Art Collective - Art by Richard Sala - Original comic art from top artists