The Art of Matthew Warlick

Adam Hughes and Tim Sale drew a huge crowd, and we got to tap the overflow for books and prints.

I forgot to take a picture of the Emma Frost sketch I did early in the morning, but Beth got this pic of Mistress Doom as requested by a convention goer.

I also did what I think is a really nice piece in a Deadpool themed sketchbook.

Afterwards The Space-Gun Studios crew and friends descended upon Freebirds in Richardson. It was epic. And delicious.

I only sold a couple of copies of Senryu but folks were eating up the prints. In just the first day I’ve already made my costs back and then some, so here’s to a successful day two!

Nrama: Going back a little bit, what’s your background? Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you got to this point.

Warlick: My professional background is in interactive design but I?ve been drawing since I was a little kid. In 4th grade I discovered comics and I?ve been hooked ever since. When I graduated I took an apprenticeship with a web design firm and eventually moved up to the position of interactive designer and then art director. The past few years I?ve freelanced doing interactive art direction and illustration work.

Nrama: In terms of organizing the event, was there an overall structure to who you teamed up with? Or are you hearing from people who published who you had never spoken with before?

Warlick: The main ICBW team is Vinh-Luan Luu, Jake Ekiss, Paul Milligan and myself; It?s basically our Space-Gun Studios entity minus Evan Bryce. We?ve been responsible for putting together the website and organizing the blog, but have had a lot of help from creators and retailers in spreading the word and helping the event take off.

So head on over and give it a read.

And if you’re in Texas come out to the Dallas Comic Con tomorrow. It’ll be the first time I’ve had Senryu for a convention and I’m really excited to see how it’s received.

Mention this post and I’ll give you a sweet limited edition Senryu print. While supplies last.

Karen O’Brien from Comics Buyer’s Guide interviews me about Indy Comic Book Week and Senryu. Click the pick to check out “The O’Brien Factor” on page 12 of the April 2010 CBG.

Transcript:

Diamond Comic Distributors announced that no new comics would be delivered Dec. 30, 2009, an enterprising idea was hatched by Space Gun Studios (a Dallas/Ft. Worth?based studio featuring members Evan Bryce, Jake Ekiss, Vinh-Luan Luu, and Matthew Warlick) to use the week to celebrate independent comics. The initiative caught on across the country, as the idea spread via the Internet, and comics shops and creators joined in to put on events. I spoke with co-founder Matthew Warlick about Indy Comic Book Week. CBG: How did you come to co-create Indy Comic Book Week?

Warlick: We (Space-Gun Studios) had heard the news through an e-mail chain that itself was inspired by Kyle Latino?s ?December Deadline ?09? post at www.pulpmessenger.com. From there, we decided among ourselves that it was a great opportunity to spotlight our books and began talking to local shops about the idea. I set up the website (http://indycomicbookweek.com), Luan started the blog, and, through the magic of Facebook and Twitter, it took off from there.

CBG: What were some of the most interesting or creative events that shops, creators, and fans held to celebrate Indy Comic Book Week?

Warlick: I think the sheer number of events is the most outstanding thing about the event. There were signings and mini-cons popping up all over the country, as the event got closer and closer. I know Spaz Dog Comics in Phoenix, Ariz., had a huge 30+ creator signing, and Midtown Comics in New York went all out when it came to purchasing books and had the widest selection of new comics from independent creators.

CBG: What did you do on Dec. 30?

Warlick: I was at my home store, Madness Games & Comics, signing copies of my ICBW release, Senryu.

CBG: Anything else you?d like to share?

Warlick: More than anything, I?d like to thank the retailers for supporting Indy Comic Book Week. They really took to the idea and helped us out tremendously with moral support, promotion, and ? most importantly ? shelf space.

Comic’s Buyers Guide No. 1664 will be out in early February.

2010 is in full swing and with it comes Con Season! First up on the docket for 2010 is the always popular Dallas Comic Con. DCC is now the largest comic con in Dallas (thanks to the demise of Wizard World TX) and is attracting some great guests this year including Tim Sale, Adam Hughes Adam West, Sean Patrick Flannery and more.

I’ll be out Saturday and Sunday selling super cheap prints ($10 or 2 for $15), copies of Senryu, doing sketches and taking commissions. So if you love comics and sci-fi and enjoy supporting local artists come on out and get your geek on.

Dallas Comic Con is at The Richardson Civic Venter, 411 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson TX this Saturday @ 11am-6pm & Sunday @ 12noon-4pm.

Be there or be square.

The guys over at Newsarama’s Best Shots review my first full-length comic Senryu.

…a mixture of chutzpah, free association and illustrated poetry, Indy Comic Week co-founder Matt Warlick’s book is a personal story put in front of an impersonal audience that nevertheless gives readers … food for thought.

…this book isn’t trying to pander to anyone — it’s intensely personal… if you’re a fan of poetry and art and the sort of daydreaming that comes with it, give this book a look.

It may not be Eisner-ready just yet, but Senryu is a precocious read that’s indicative of a lot of potential.

Read the entire interview here.

The Fourth Wall podcast talks Indy Comic Book Week and reviews Senryu. Listen to the podcast here.

Aron Head over at Ideology of Madness provides the first post-Indy Comic Book Week review of my first full-length comic Senryu.

Warlick suckered me in with his lovely artwork and hit me hard with his thought-provoking verse. The book is an anthology of illustrated stories set to lyrical poetry. In my head, there?s a soundtrack to this book. There?s a certain element of Fantasia to it.

You can read the rest here.

Going through my folders and cleaning up files I found a few more pieces I’m pretty sure I haven’t posted yet.

This one of Jon is a little older and was done for a H4H live art auction in 2008.

This is the new cover to our Space-Gun anthology Synesthetic. Lines by my boy Evan Bryce, colors by me.

And last up is a pin-up I did for Jake’s ICBW protect Solomon Azua.

And here is an alien sharpie sketch I did. Creepy fuckers they are.

The holidays are always hectic and with Indy Comic Book Week kicking off this past Wednesday I’ve been hard pressed for time to post new art. I did a couple of holiday commissions that couldn’t be posted until after x-mas but I can share them now, along with some random pieces that just got overlooked for whatever reason.

First off is this Spider-Man/Wolverine piece commissioned by a high school friend for her boyfriend.

Next is this P-51 Mustang pin-up I did for Beth’s dad. He’s a pilot and loves WWII aircraft, especially Mustangs. He recently got to fly one (there aren’t many left that CAN fly) and this was the obvious choice for a gift this x-mas.

And then there’s this Harry Potter piece I did for Beth’s birthday back in October, I just haven’t gotten around to posting it until now.

I’ll be starting a new full time job in mid-January and will be working on at least one comic project in 2010 which will most likely be released in print for next year’s ICBW. More to come on that in the next couple of weeks.

I hope everyone had a good holiday and a happy new year, it’s going to be a great 2010!