Tag: writing

The One about DOCTOR STRANGE…

With SDCC looming, I really wanted to get this newsletter out as soon as possible. No, I’m not going this year, but whether you’re going to SDCC or not, you kind of have to plan around it a bit. It’s a pretty great con, but it tends to take all the oxygen out of the room, and I have a little bit I’d like to share before that happens…

Like the fact I just illustrated a DOCTOR STRANGE story! No lie … the good doctor is a bucket list character for me. It’s only a short story, part of DOCTOR STRANGE #450, but I tried to make the most of it. I mean, let’s face it … we never know what’s going to happen. As much as I’d love to draw a LOT more of the good doctor, this might be the only time that ever happens. It’s a weird business, and just like with everything else in life, I’ve learned to never take any of this for granted. Never assume you’ll get another shot.

So I’m glad that I got this opportunity, and that the script was really good. It’s by a guy you may have heard of … J. Michael Straczynski? Yeah, that’s the one. When my editor told me what the story would be about, I was … a bit skeptical. And then I read the script and leapt to my desk. It’s a really good story, and I did my best to bring it to life.

As a matter of fact … here’s a peek. Don’t tell anyone. Just a couple of panels going through the process … thumbnails, layouts, and then inks.

For this one, I penciled the thumbnails and layouts on bristol board, but due to the time frame, I went ahead and inked this digitally. I had a great time with it, and I’m really looking forward to seeing this thing lettered and colored. I’m pretty sure this issue is in solicits right now (it comes out in September, I believe), so if you want to snag a copy, let your comic shop know!

Here’s the solicit (along with Kevin Nowlan’s variant cover…)

Doctor Strange (2025) #450

As turmoil seizes Asgard, Doctor Strange’s life is about to change forever. But as he stands on the threshold of a true journey into mystery, it turns out the past isn’t quite done with him yet… Fan-favorite creators reveal untold tales of Stephen Strange’s past while current scribe Derek Landy reveals a glimpse of the future to come – as Marvel celebrates 450 issues of DOCTOR STRANGE!

The thing I couldn’t help but do once I got this script was go through my comics and check out a lot of other takes on Doc Strange. I mean, I’m a fan of the character for a reason. Pretty sure the first time I ever came across the Master of the Mystic Arts was thanks to the town library and their copy of ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS. It all starts with that book for me with quite a few characters, honestly (along with SON OF ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS, BRING ON THE BAD GUYS and THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES.)

But even once you’re past that early Lee/Ditko stuff, there have been a ton of really great creators doing great things with Doctor Strange over the years. I can’t begin to cover all of them, but a few of my favorites? Sure…

DOCTOR STRANGE #55

I missed this when it originally came out, but came back to it as I discovered Michael Golden’s work. I was already a big fan of Roger Stern thanks to his run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. And this book really lands for me. A beautiful combination of story and art.

DOCTOR STRANGE #57

After SECRET ORIGINS #39 blew all of my fuses, I went out and found every comic I could that had Kevin Nowlan’s work inside. Thankfully, that led me here, to another great Roger Stern script, this time illustrated by Nowlan and Terry Austin (who also inked Golden on #55.)

DOCTOR STRANGE/DOCTOR DOOM: TRIUMPH AND TORMENT

Roger Stern (AGAIN with that guy) writes, Mike Mignola pencils, Mark Badger inks and colors a story that I go back to all the time. One of my absolute favorite comicbooks ever.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #14

Believe it or not, Roger Stern didn’t write this one! Denny O’Neil did, with art by Frank Miller and Tom Palmer. This was a comic that really clued me in to what I wanted to do, what kinds of stories I wanted to tell.

All of these comics have impacted me and the way I see Doc Strange (as well as the art form in general) … maybe you’ll see bits and pieces of ’em scattered through my art for this story? I don’t know. It’s always weird, trying to see your own work from a distance. YOU might know what ingredients are in there, but it doesn’t mean they are evident to everyone else.

In the end, you just hope you told a good story. That’s what it’s really about, after all. I know there are artists who only do covers, or who just really love doing pin-ups, and hey, good for them. That’s great! Everyone should find their own way, and make a career doing the things they want to do. Me? I’m a story guy. Covers and pin-ups are fun side things to me, but it’s not really making comics, to my mind. It’s those sequential pages that I love doing.

Oh, and I used my new pencils on this story! Sure, I may have inked it digitally, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a huge nerd for new drawing tools. I’m always looking for new pencils, new markers, whatever. It’s … well, it’s an addiction, and I need help. Wait … no, not help. UNDERSTANDING! And more pencils.

For this, I broke out my new .5 mm Snoopy pencil, along with my new Blackwing…

So keep in mind … if you like what I did with this story, it’s probably only thanks to these pencils. And that well-used eraser 😉

What else is going on? Well, thanks to the Doctor Strange story, I’m not quite finished with the inks for the next MALICENT BLACK comic. But I’m getting there. We’ll have news about the Kickstarter prelaunch page coming up in a newsletter soon, I promise. I really want to be well into the colors (if not completely finished with them) before we launch, though. It’s pretty important to me to have the book finished or almost finished before starting the campaign…

I’ve also got to work up some character sketches and a cover for the next story Chris Ryall and I are working on, too…

We’ve got something in the works that has a wicked bite to it. Something I’m really excited for.

But I think that’s all I can talk about at the moment. Every other thing I’m working on seems to be in various stages of hurry-up-and-wait right now. It’s the business, I guess, but it’s my least favorite part of it…

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter! For some strange reason, I really enjoy doing this, so I appreciate that anybody takes the time to read it. Hopefully I’m able to make it worthwhile.

I’ll see you in a couple of weeks…

LF

Preview Art for MALICENT BLACK, The Closet That Ended The World and more…

This newsletter sort of snuck up on me…

Let’s blast some caffeine, fire up the SINNERS score and see where we end up!

Since getting home from Heroes Con, everything has been a bit of a blur. I’ve had pages to draw, stuff to write, pitches to finalize, and, uh … I also decided the closet in my office needed cleaned out. So many comics, and I can’t believe how many of them are comps! I look at the boxes of comps and wonder how I’ve drawn so many funnybooks over the years. And also … why did I think this closet needed cleaned out?

That was a … well, let’s call it a miscalculation. See, I thought it needed cleaned out. What it really needed was to be LEFT THE HELL ALONE.

Ah, well. Maybe my office will be back in some kind of order by the time I’m working on the NEXT newsletter.

But thanks for taking some time out of your day to read what I’m writing. As always, I truly do appreciate it. Let’s start off with a peek at some inks for the next MALICENT BLACK book…

I’m having a lot of fun with these pages. I’ve changed up my inking approach a bit, and I like the organic feel I’m getting here. I can’t wait to start coloring this stuff.

If all goes as planned (does it ever?) I’ll have the inks for this one wrapped up about a week from the time I send off this newsletter. We’re getting closer to launching the next campaign. Meanwhile, Drew and I have talked a lot about the third book, and it’s bonkers. Easily the most intricate story we’ve planned, and just wait til you see what ELSE is in this one. I can say no more.

But speaking of Drew … this week is his birthday! He’ll be 94 years young. He looks so good for his age! It’s all the time he spends hunched over his desk writing by candlelight. Please find him on social media and wish him a good one.

Beyond working on Malicent, prepping for the next project Chris Ryall and I are working on, and a couple of things I can’t talk about yet … well, I’m sitting here looking at this stack of comics I came across as I was starting to clean out my closet.

Jim Shooter … you know, I’ve heard all kinds of stories about the man. That he could be both brilliant and difficult. He was gone from Marvel long before I started getting work there, and I never worked for any of the companies he was a part of after his time at Marvel. I never met him at a con. All I know is … man, I LOVED those Marvel comics in the late 70’s and 80’s. Secret Wars? It’s a crappy toy tie in? Okay, whatever. Say what you want, but I loved it. I couldn’t wait to snag the newest issue at the drug store each month. Heck, I was terrified I would miss one! And that’s just one book he was writing. I think about all the great stuff Marvel put out in that stretch, and while yes, of course the creators deserve the lion’s share of praise for the work they did then (Simonson on Thor? Claremont and Bryne on Uncanny X-Men? Stern and JR Jr. on Spidey? So much more) the fact that it all happened with Big Jim in the EIC chair counts for something, I think. That era of Marvel really did set my course in life. Rest in peace, Mr. Shooter.

Otherwise, really looking forward to seeing SUPERMAN this week. I have high hopes for this, and feel like it’s the kind of movie a lot of us could maybe use right now. We went to see 28 YEARS LATER last week (which was, I thought, fantastic) and my copy of SINNERS arrives this week (my favorite movie in a loooooong time), so it’s been a nice run of movies here lately. Hopefully Supes and the FF keep it up.

One last thing before I head out … I got this page a few days ago, from the amazing Cully Hamner.

Man oh man do I love this one. Not only does it showcase some really nice technique stuff in the inks, but damn … just look at the storytelling and composition! It’s a page from Wonder Woman #800, but obviously … it’s a primal take on Batman’s origin. Can’t wait to hang this up…

Except for, you know … that mess from the closet. It’s everywhere!

See you in a couple of weeks. 🙂

LF

SO … HOW WAS HEROESCON..? And what’s next..?

I couldn’t wait to get to my drawing table today.

Yeah, I’m pretty tired and sore from the con grind, lugging all the portfolios, books and drawing supplies around, talking to WAY more people than I’m used to in the course of a weekend…

But … man am I ENERGIZED.

There is something magical about getting together with other people who love this crazy medium. I can tend to be a bit of a hermit, sitting at my drawing table for far too long, earbuds in, scribbling away…

And I love that part of it, by the way. I love that you can create a story (heck, a world) just by putting the time and effort in. I think it’s what drew me to start making my own comics back when I was four or five years old.

(I’d like to brag that I was MAKING MONEY doing comics at four or five years old … my grandmother gave me a quarter for each of ’em. So I’ve been a pro for a looooooong time 😉 )

BUT!

But then you go to a con, especially a show like HeroesCon, where it’s all about the comics, and you remember that there’s another great thing about all this, beyond the creative freedom … the sense of community. I can’t speak for everyone, but I think most of us are here, no matter which side of the table we’re on, because we came across that one comic, the story that sunk hooks deep into us and wouldn’t let us go. Just something that happened, unplanned, unexpected maybe … a comic that crossed your path and led you down a new road.

For me? That comic was this one…

I mean … sure, that’s a hell of a comic to start with, especially as young as I was, but also … how could you NOT be hooked on Spider-Man at that point? And from there…

Anyway, as far as HeroesCon … I had an amazing time. I can’t begin to list all the highlights of the weekend. It would take me a few newsletters to get through everything, and I’d probably still miss a bit.

But here are just a few things…

First, I was tabled next to the amazing Amy Chu https://www.instagram.com/amy_chu/ on one side and Dastardly Drew Moss https://www.instagram.com/drewerdmoss/ and my old buddy Marc Deering https://www.instagram.com/marcdeering/ on the other, and had a GREAT time. I couldn’t have asked for better convention neighbors 🙂

I also got to meet and speak with Kevin Nowlan for the first time. Anybody who knows me knows Kevin is one of my absolute art heroes. I’ve loved his work from the very first time I came across it. But here’s the thing about Kevin Nowlan. Not only is he a master artist, but he’s unbelievably nice! You always hope that the people whose work you admire so much will also turn out to be kind people, but that’s not always the way it goes. Heaven knows I’m a huge jerk. But Kevin? He’s aces. I missed out on the raffle to buy a sketch from him, but it’s okay … just getting to chat with the man made my weekend. No, I’m not exaggerating. Even if you took away everything else, this would have been enough!

But then Cully Hamner took the time to chat with me about art and how he approaches the work, and really helped me get my head around a few things. I’ve gotten a bit tired of working digitally (I like the feel of pencil on paper, and I like having real live artwork too), but I’ve been sort of hesitant to really go all in with my inks. Maybe trying to do some things that I “thought” I should be doing vs finding my own way. But after looking at Cully’s amazing pages up close and talking to him, I have a few things I’m excited to get to…

And I finally met Mark Chiarello in person! Mark used to be DC’s art director, and was instrumental in setting me up with work there back in the day. Not only that, but Mark is an incredible artist himself. So finally getting to say hi in person was very nice.

SO MANY other wonderful people I met over the weekend. I wish I could list them all. I wish I had gotten pics with everyone. I’m terrible about that. So many great conversations about the business, about the medium, about … well, about comics, you know? And this con, more than any other I’ve ever been to, was about comics. I can’t lie … I was a bit melancholy when that last day wrapped up, even as tired as I was. I didn’t want it to end.

Oh! And it was also (naturally) my first time attending the art auction. What an amazing display that was! Holy cow. Inspiring and a bit intimidating 😉 Since I was a late addition to the show and didn’t really know much about the auction, I didn’t do a piece specifically for the show, but I did hand off this Superman piece to Marc, who inked and submitted it…

I do have plan’s for next year’s piece, though, and it’s pretty ambitious. =)

I could go on and on, and maybe I’ll drop a few more bits in the next newsletter, but for now…

WHAT’S NEXT?

Well, this week I’ll start inking the second issue of MALICENT BLACK. I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really, really excited about this one. To say anything about the story would be unwise, but … well, you’ll see.

I’m also going back and forth with my pal Chris Ryall for the next story we’re doing together. I don’t think I should say too much just yet, but it’s probably not too hard to look at the calendar and figure out what we might be up to 😉

And I’m really wrapping my head around this minicomic idea I’ve been chewing on for a while. I picked up this minicomic from Jesse Lonergan (https://www.jesselonergan.com/) at C2E2 and then talked with him about it a bit at Heroes…

See, I’m in love with the idea of just making a comic and then selling it to people by hand at cons. Something immediate and visceral and real. Something that doesn’t wait months after finishing to go through printing and distribution. You know … the way I used to make those comics that my Grandma so kindly gave me some money for back in the day 😉

So I haven’t quite figured out what I’m doing for this (I have ideas, plenty of scripts and plots and outlines and what have you sitting around here, but I’m not sure any of those things I’ve already written are the right story for what I want to do here) but I’m pretty sure I have to go for it. I think I may have mentioned this a couple of newsletters back when I talked about Mike Hawthorne’s great ONE MAN GANG ashcan.

(As a side note … Mike Hawthorne? Don’t believe anything Drew Moss says about him. Mike is a great guy who doesn’t actually murder kittens. We met up quite a few times over the weekend and no, I don’t know why Mike and Drew have such a hatred* for one another)

Anyway … yeah. So I’m gonna do a minicomic. And while I’m keeping things kind of under wraps as far as the next Malicent Black book goes, this might be the place where I share some work in progress stuff on the minicomic…

Alright … I tried to keep this as short and sweet as I could, but it’s still pretty long! I gotta wrap up. I’ll leave you with a few more pics from the con and call it a day…

I’ve got comics to make 😉

Best,

LF

(*No, Drew Moss and Mike Hawthorne do not in fact hate each other … despite their best efforts =)

MYSTERY ART, MALICENT BLACK and MORE…

(This newsletter is brought to you by the letter M*)

Time for this thing again? Time flies when you’re at your desk every … single … day. I guess?

Let’s start with that mystery art…

What’s it for? I mean, it’s a mystery. I can’t say right now. But it’s something I had a ton of fun doing, and wanted to share with you. Yes, you.

Meanwhile, still hard at work on the next issue of MALICENT BLACK…

You know Mal … making friends wherever she goes…

Getting closer and closer to being ready for the next Kickstarter…

I’m enjoying drawing this issue old school so much that I don’t remember why I’ve been working digitally for so long…

Oh, right. Deadlines.

I’m still quite a bit quicker digitally, and honestly … so often I get a script with no time left on the clock. That makes it hard to do anything but work in the fastest way possible.

But as far as Malicent goes…

Drew is working on that third script, and beyond that, he’s also busy here:

https://www.thegamer.com/author/drew-ferguson/

He’s really good at videogames. Good enough to write about them. Me? I’m the guy who could maybe write a guide on “How NOT to be an awesome vampire in Oblivion.” That … I’ve got nailed down.

Anyway, when I’m not at my desk writing or drawing (or being a terrible vampire in Oblivion), I’ve been catching up on some reading. Picked this up recently, and it’s brand new to me. I’m enjoying it immensely.

I’m a big fan of JM DeMatteis, and the various artists who collaborated with him in this book (especially the late, great, Keith Giffen and of course Shawn McManus) MORE than hold up their end. This is a great collection, and I can’t recommend it enough. Dr. Fate is a character that I’d love to take a swing at someday.

Also, before I wrap this up … table assignments for Heroes came out this week. If you’re going to be at HeroesCon … here’s where to find me!

If I’m not at my table, odds are good that I’m just watching Kevin Nowlan draw.

That’s it for this week … thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. I truly do appreciate it!

…hey, wait a second. I have one last thing to show ya. Got it right before hitting “publish.”

Here’s a Miracleman piece I penciled a few years back, inked by Marc Deering … and recently colored by the amazing Mike Spicer! We’ll have prints of this at the con, if you’re interested 😉

Okay, THIS time I’m really done. I gotta go draw =)

-LF

(*Sesame Street rules.)

MALICENT BLACK Returns, HeroesCon 2025 and more…

Okay, first off … hopefully this went out to everyone like a good newsletter should. If you’re getting this it’s because either you signed up via the website, or because in that Kickstarter survey for MALICENT BLACK, where we asked if you’d like to keep up to date on future projects and more Malicent news, you clicked ‘yes.’ So … thanks for being here! I’ll do my best to make it worth your while.

And with that in mind … hey, the next MALICENT BLACK campaign is coming up!

One of the next few newsletters should have a link to the prelaunch page. Drew has been done with the script for a long time, but I’ve been playing catch up for awhile now. Between the work for hire gigs (BLADE, GIANT-SIZE X-MEN, PREDATOR vs BLACK PANTHER, FLASH GORDON QUARTERLY) and some other fun stuff (like DREAD THE HALLS, working up pitches, a variant cover or two and writing an unnecessarily long article about ROSS ANDRU that you can find right here: https://ontheflipsidecomics.com/en/featured-artist-ross-andru/ ), time has been at a premium. I’ve also gone from working 100% digitally for the past few years to at the very least penciling everything (and sometimes inking) old school. It’s been nice to get back to that, but it has been a little slower…

And I’m not the only one who’s been busy! Here’s just a bit of what Drew has been up to…

The Bleeding City: Ep 1

So how about a peek at that next MALICENT BLACK book, anyway? I’ve shared this piece on social media, so maybe you’ve already seen it…

Malicent Black … making friends wherever she goes. I’ll show some more next time. I’m really excited about this book, and I think it’s my favorite story I’ve ever worked on…

Meanwhile, this year I’ll be at https://www.heroesonline.com/heroescon/ for the first time! I’m stupidly excited to make the trip. I’ll be bringing Original Art, Artist’s Proof prints, comics, maybe a few trades, even some of the DC children’s books … if you’re making it to the con, stop by and say hi! I have no idea where our table is. I don’t worry about these things.

I’ll also be taking on some commissions, both preshow and at the con. I’m not sure how many I’ll be doing, though, so if you’re interested, it’d be best to hit me up early!

Anyone who knows me knows I haven’t made many cons the past few years. The reason? I’m extremely antisocial! But I’m going to Heroes anyway and you should too!

In other news … I keep going back to this book Mike Hawthorne did recently:

I love this thing. Not only is it a great comic, but I love the way Mike came at it. It’s sort of an old school ashcan, and it’s Mike getting back to his roots and to the things he loves about comics. It’s inspiring! I mean, this is why we do this, right? We all have something that calls to each and every one of us. A “hey, if you can only make one comic, what would that comic be” sort of thing?

So you should read this. Mike has a brand-new website at https://www.thinktankcomics.com/ where you can find this and a bunch of other stuff that you’re gonna want!

I also saw the news about Peter David’s passing while this newsletter was waiting to get finished off and … man. Like so many others, I am a huge fan of his work. I never got the chance to meet him, much less work with him, but my heart goes out to his family and friends, and to the rest of us, who won’t have any new comics written by Peter to look forward to. I know as a longtime Spider-man fan I’d definitely come across his work before, but I’m pretty sure my brother bringing home this comic from the local shop we’d just discovered is what led me to search out more and more of his stuff…

The thing is, my brother and I used to coordinate which of us would buy a series to avoid doubling up. We’d JUST discovered our first comic shop, and wanted to read as much as we could afford to bring home. He’d buy SHE-HULK and NAMOR, I’d buy AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and NEW WARRIORS, etc. So from this point on, he was the guy who bought the HULK…

But it wasn’t too many months later that I just started buying the HULK, too.

Rest in peace, PAD.

I think that’s all for now … see ya in a couple of weeks, if not sooner…

-LF