PinkRayGun.com on Contropussy

by Amy
Ratcliffe

Mis-interpreted lyrics usually just
lead to funny stories. Well, until the internet came along and allowed
you to correct your friend with a twenty second Google search.
Anyways. In the case of Contropussy,
it led to a kicking webcomic. Emma Caulfield (yes, that Emma
Caulfield, Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was talking to
her friend Camilla Rantsen about a Prince song and how she was never
sure if he was singing contropussy instead of controversy. Since the
word was so wonderful, they decided they had to do something with it.
The obvious solution was to create a webcomic about a cat.

The big news from a few days ago

The equivalent of the Academy Awards in comics is called the Eisner Awards (named after seminal cartoonist Will Eisner). This year's nominations have now been published and two of my projects are on the list:

First up is POPGUN VOL. 3 from Image Comics in the Best Anthology category. I did production edits on the book, as on all other volumes. We actually won the Harvey Award with the first volume of the book 2 years ago, which is the other major industry award. So being nominated for the Eisner now shows that we're not just continuing to be good, but getting better all the time. (Volume 4 was released a few weeks ago, btw. Check Amazon and get it.)

The second project is the webcomic The Guns of Shadow Valley by Dave Wachter and Jim Clark in the Best Webcomic category. I letter it. One of the most fun projects I've been working on over the years. Got new pages last night, so I'm getting my fix now. :D

To see the entire list of nominations, follow this link:

http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_10nom.php#nominees

SHUDDERTOWN #1 review by The Onion A.V. Club: A- !!

http://www.avclub.com/articles/march-26-2010,39574/

One of the more rewarding trends in contemporary comics is the revival of crime noir stories, and, after a somewhat shaky start, Nick Spencer has become one of the finest practitioners of the genre. His latest series, Shuddertown (Image), starts out as a winner: It follows the slow deterioration of homicide detective Isaac Hernandez as he investigates a series of killings in the titular housing project. Hernandez is a perfectly drawn noir anti-hero and Spencer portrays his frustrationand exhaustion viscerally. Artist Adam Geen does a fine job on the visuals as well; his sharp lines and washed-out colors provide a fitting backdrop for Hernandez’s self-destructive descent as it becomes more and more clear that the only rational suspects in the crimes he’s investigating have themselves been dead for years. Spencer has come a long way in a short time, and if the rest of Shuddertown lives up to the first few issues, he’ll be an author to watch for the foreseeable future… A-

Just got some kick-ass news.

Itching to tell the world, but it looks like I have to sit on this for a few more days. Will let you know ASAP!

SHUDDERTOWN #1 review: CBR gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=2060

THE GUNS OF SHADOW VALLEY chapter 2 is in the can.

Dave just sent the last page of chapter 2 - page 43, and I prepped them for the web. There's no SFX on it because it would only look weird. It's got a much stronger impact silent, IMO. You can see it in the next few days here: http://www.gunsofshadowvalley.com/

If you haven't read the comic, go and catch up!

We're going to take a short break from publishing pages so we can build up a backlog of pages in chapter 3. Will let you all know when the webcomic resumes!

SHUDDERTOWN #1 seven page preview on BrokenFrontier.com

Very cool crime mini series at Image that I'm lettering right now. It's written by Nick Spencer who's a writer to look out for IMO, and drawn by Adam Geen. I met Adam years and years ago, and it's been a joy to see his art evolve. So great to finally see him published and to be working with him.

Book design is by Tim Daniel who's responsible for quite a few logos and book designs at Image recently, and who's been designing awesome website for creators, and POPGUN as well. He wrote a story for either Popgun vol. 2 or 3 that I lettered, actually.

Check the link for the first seven pages of Shuddertown issue 1.

http://brokenfrontier.com/headlines/p/detail/preview-shuddertown-1

SHUDDERTOWN #1 (OF 4)

Story by NICK SPENCER
Art and cover by ADAM GEEN
Letters by THOMAS MAUER
Cover design by TIM DANIEL

MARCH 24
32 pgs/FC
$3.50

The dead are killing, and troubled homicide cop Isaac Hernandez is on a desperate search for answers. His investigation leads him deep into the corridors of the Shuddertown housing projects, and towards a truth too terrible to face.

A story of guilt, redemption, and resurrection; perfect for fans of THE WIRE, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and SE7EN.