Saturday, April 14, 2012

"Insufferable" and THRILLBENT.com Announced

Let me put this out there. I'm the luckiest SOB you've ever met, heard of, read about, or even thought could exist.

For the past two years I've been coloring 'Incorruptible', and then later 'Irredeemable', for BOOM! Studios. It has been an honor to be chosen by the editors, Shannon Watters and Matt Gagnon, to work on both of these landmark titles by Mark Waid. My hope was the draw of the titles and Waid's name would get my work noticed (coattails are viable tools) because I want a career as a colorist, not just a part-time gig here and there. I wanted to sound out that I'm here to stay, evolve, and enhance each page I get to color. It worked. I got noticed. But what I didn't expect was it coming directly from Waid. He wanted me to work on a secret project with him.

Have I mentioned I'm lucky?

Obviously, it would have been foolish not to accept. It's also allowing me to work with Peter Krause who I just barely missed out coloring on 'Irredeemable'. I'll be honest and at first wasn't sure what Waid's project would change about digital comics until I read he was also spearheading Marvel's all-digital INFINITE line with 'Avengers vs. X-MEN' #1 Infinite. Reading up on what Waid and Quesada were saying about the medium I came across Balak's take on digital comics. That was a game changer for me. New potential, compositions become flexible, fertile ground for new storytelling possibilities, and Krause and Waid were exploring it all and wanted me to help.

*deer in headlights moment*

The project itself is going to be amazing but this entire endeavor goes beyond just the entertainment value. Mark and his fellow trailblazers are sharing everything we learn from successes to mistakes online. He's re-purposed his website MarkWaid.com as an educational tool for the world to learn right alongside us. That is what I call giving back and then some!

Since the beginning I've been excited to make this announcement to the world. Waid and Krause are wonderful collaborators and make me, a colorist, feel like I matter, really matter, in a world where colorists often don't even get credit let alone recognition. Considering I wasn't able to go to C2E2 to sit on the panel with them (literally writing this as they make the announcement) I won't say much here except come May we're shaking things up at the new digital comic website THRILLBENT and you're invited for free!

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