RafWrites

SEE YOU AT CYPHAN!

2011-07-26T16:59:00.000-05:00

This Friday through Sunday, I'll be in attendance at Cyphan. The plan is to bring not only Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown and The Apocalypse Plan, but also a sampling of some of my other work, like Mr. Moto, The Phantom, Hellstorm, Prince of Lies, as well as some very early favorites of mine, Chillin's, Romancer and Fey. These last three issues are pretty rare, thanks to a fickle distribution system. Aside from that, I'm also going to be bringing some prints from both Bob Howard and TAP, as well as some original designs, all reasonably priced :) of course!

Also going to be testing out the new Bob Howard t-shirt designed by co-creator Dan Dougherty and myself, and printed by Decapitated Dan Royer, a friend of horror comics creators everywhere!

I hope you can all make it. This is the second year for Cyphan, and the first for me, so I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends, as well as new fans!

JUNE 4TH AT KANKAKEE FANTASY CON!

2011-06-03T09:01:00.001-05:00

Hope to see everybody at the Kankakee Fantasy Con tomorrow! Dan Dougherty and I will be in attendance, along with over 25 of our closest friends! The con will be held at the Kankakee Public Library from 10 am til 5 pm, and it looks like a very promising show!

There will be panel discussions, book sellers, publishers, celebrities and more, so click the link https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=164537703588579 and get further info. We'll see you there. Right?

C2E2

2011-03-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

I admit to being mildly surprised by the audience turnout at C2E2 this past weekend; last year's show, while well attended, did not really produce much joy in terms of sales for a number of us in Artist Alley.

This year, however, a steady stream of fans could be found wandering up and down the aisles, looking at small press items, talking with creators, and waiting for undetermined times for their fave to sign the latest copy of X, Y, and Z.

My friend and frequent collaborator, Dan Dougherty and I sold quite a lot of Bob Howard 2, which debuted at the show. Fully half of our 100 copy print run was purchased, along with a goodly number of the first issue as well.

All in all, a very good show, indeed!

World Premiere of Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown, Issue 2!

2011-03-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

The second issue of Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown makes its debut tomorrow at C2E2! This Exclusive Limited Edition copy has a print run of only 100 signed and numbered editions, so make sure to get yours! C2E2; come for the media guests; stay for the comics!

Latest News

2011-03-12T11:46:00.003-06:00

New Site Launched!
The new Raf Writes site is up and running. Please bear with us as we get all the pages updated for your viewing pleasure!

Pages updates are coming at you as often as they can!

Podcasts

2011-03-12T11:44:00.008-06:00

Various Podcasts that you can find me on:
You can click on the links to listen to the podcasts directly, or you can save the link and download the MP3 files.

Comic Geek Speak:
Episode #713

ComicMonsters.com Podcast:
ComicMonsters.com Podcast #17 - Dan Dougherty & Rafael Nieves

Discussions with Decapitated Dan:
Discussions with Decapitated Dan #3: Raf Nieves and Dan Dougherty
Discussions with Decapitated Dan #20: Christmas Special

The Related Recap:
Episode #248

Illustrations

2011-03-08T07:57:00.003-06:00

Info Coming Soon

Logos

2011-03-08T07:57:00.001-06:00

Info Coming Soon

About Me

2011-03-08T07:54:00.006-06:00

Rafael Nieves is an American comic book writer, with over twenty years experience in the field. He began his career with the publication of Tales from the Heart, first published by Entropy Press before moving, with Issue #3, to Slave Labor Graphics.

The series, co-written with Cindy Goff, and based on her experiences, told the story of Cathy Grant, a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in Central Africa in the 80's, chronicling her trials and tribulations as a 'stranger in a strange land'. Illustrated by artist William 'Seitu' Hayden, the series garnered much praise for its depiction of real people in unreal situations.

Tales from the Heart spawned two full-color one shots published by Epic Comics, Marvel comics' creator-owner label, and the latter, Bloodlines, was nominated for two Eisner awards in 1993 (BEST SINGLE ISSUE, SELF-CONTAINED STORY & BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - NEW).
Since then, Nieves has worked for a number of publishers, including Marvel Comics(Hellstorm, Prince of Lies), Caliber Comics (Orlak, Edgar Allan Poe's The Bells), Comico Comics/Northstar (Cold-Blooded), and Moonstone Books(The Phantom, Welcome Back, Mr. Moto, Vampire: The Masquerade).

Recently, Nieves co-created and wrote The Apocalypse Plan, a graphic novel drawn by Dan Dougherty, published by Transfuzion Publishing, a company Nieves co-founded with former Caliber Comics publisher, Gary Reed, as well as Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown, co-created and co-published with Dougherty.

Nieves lives in Chicago with his wife and two puppies, and when he isn't toiling on making repairs to the couple's 80 year old bungalow, he likes to read and watch Gene Simmons' Family Jewels.

Conventions

2011-03-08T07:53:00.027-06:00

In 2011 you can find me at:

C2E2 • March 18-20, 2011

Kankakee Fantasy Con • June 4, 2011

Summit City Comic Con • June 18, 2011

Cyphan - July 29 - 31, 2011

Chicago Comic Con (WW Chicago) • August 11-14, 2011

Detroit FanFare • September 24-25, 2011

Kokomo Con • October 8, 2011

Signings

2011-03-08T07:53:00.025-06:00

Evil Squirrel Comics • Free Comic Book Day • Saturday, May 7, 2011

Reviews

2011-03-08T07:53:00.024-06:00

Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown
From the Tomb Magazine
Mania.com

Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown #2
From the Tomb Magazine

The Apocalypse Plan
Mania.com
GeekWeek.com
ComicRelated.com

Bibliography

2011-03-08T07:53:00.018-06:00

RAFAEL NIEVES SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

TALES FROM THE HEART 1, 2 (co-written with Cindy Goff, art by Seitu Hayden) - Entropy Press
TALES FROM THE HEART 3-11 (co-written with Cindy Goff, art by Seitu Hayden and Aldin Baroza) - Slave Labor Graphics
TALES FROM THE HEART OF AFRICA: THE TEMPORARY NATIVES - Epic Comics
TALES FROM THE HEART OF AFRICA: BLOODLINES - Epic Comics

COLD BLOODED 1-3 (art by Kyle Hotz) - Comico/Northstar
COLD BLOODED: THE SLAYER 1 (art by Vince Proce) - Comico/ Northstar
COLD BLOODED: THE BURNING KISS (with Frank Gomez, art by Kyle Hotz and Adam McDaniel) - Comico/Northstar

THE HUNTING (art by Andrw Dimitt) - Comico/Northstar

HELLSTORM, PRINCE OF LIES 1-3, 6 (art by Michael Bair and Leonardo Manco) - Marvel Comics

ORLAK REDUX (with Ken Holewczynski) - Transfuzion Publishing

EDGAR ALLAN POE'S THE BELLS (art by Juan Gomez) - Tome Press

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE 1-3 (art by Vince Locke, Kirk Van Wormer, Andy Bennett) - Moonstone Books

PHANTOM: MAN EATERS (art by Vatche Mavlian) - Moonstone Books

CHILLIN'S (stories by Brian Mitchell, Nick Muntean, Rafael Nieves, art by Brian Mitchell, Antonio Maldonado, Juan Gomez) - Moonstone Books

ROMANCER (art by Michael Redmond) - Moonstone Books

ARIANNE (art by Noel Tuazon) - 1st edition, Slave Labor Graphics; reprint, Moonstone Books

FEY (art by Michael Redmond) - Engine Graphicwerks

WELCOME BACK, MR. MOTO (art by Tim Hamilton) - Moonstone Books

THE APOCALYPSE PLAN (art by Dan Dougherty) - Transfuzion Publishing

E.A. POE'S WILLIAM WILSON (art by Dan Dougherty) - Graphic Classics

BOB HOWARD: PLUMBER OF THE UNKNOWN (art by Dan Dougherty) - Self Published

Interviews

2011-03-08T07:53:00.003-06:00

Info Coming Soon

Store

2011-03-08T07:52:00.005-06:00

BOB HOWARD: PLUMBER OF THE UNKNOWN #2 LIMITED EDITION, NOW AVAILABLE!

Click the link below to order! Only $5 plus shipping and handling!

Contact

2011-03-08T07:52:00.004-06:00

Looking to reach me? You can email me at:

rafwrites[at]gmail.com

Don't forget to find me on Facebook and at a local show near you!

SEE YOU AT WIZWORLD!

2010-08-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

Haven't posted in a while, mostly because I've been so busy, but wanted to let you know that Dan Dougherty and I will be appearing at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con at the Donald E. Stephens convention center in Rosemont, from 5 pm this Thursday, the 19th, through Sunday the 22nd.

Look for us at table 3100 in Artist Alley. We'll be debuting our latest book, BOB HOWARD, PLUMBER OF THE UNKNOWN, a 32 page one-shot about a quiet plumber with a big, big wrench, who battles all kinds of beasties that lurk in the shadows of suburbia. Think Buster Keaton meets H.P. Lovecraft, and you'll get the idea. This will be a Comic Con exclusive, limited to 100 signed and numbered copies, for only $5, so get there early, 'kay?

We're also going to have copies of The Apocalypse Plan available too!

Dan, of course, will have copies of Beardo, volumes one and two, as well as issues of Rotten, and I'll have copies of some of my older work on hand, also.

So hope to see you there, kids!

MY LIFE IN COMICS

2010-04-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, March 14th, I sat down with local journalist David Lanzafame for an interview that lasted five hours! Following is part one of the interview. Special thanks to Anne Como who kept the conversation lively...

Getting to Know the Guy Holding the Pen

“I don't really understand buying comics so you can put them in a clear, plastic sleeve and never touch them again,” said Rafael Nieves. “You know what I think comics are meant for? You buy 'em, read 'em, enjoy 'em and then roll them up and put 'em in your back pocket for later.”

Sounds like blasphemy in the age where Superman #1 sells for over a million dollars. But for Rafael Nieves, comics are inexpensive, convenient but no less important as a storytelling medium.

In his 20 years as a comic writer, Rafael Nieves has produced enough material to start his own personal collection. His career began, and took off, when he helped chronicle the life and times of a 1980's Peace Corps volunteer in Africa in “Tales from the Heart.” It led to a gig at Marvel Comics where he resurrected Son of Satan in “Hellstorm: Prince of Lies.” He later went on to established himself in the alternative comics market as the co-creator of Moonstone and Transfuzion Comics.

His latest work, with art by Dan Dougherty, presents the end times as seen through the camera lens of a grind house late night feature in “The Apocalypse Plan.”

A longtime resident of Berwyn Illinois, Rafael lives with Amy Nieves, his wife of 13 years and his most stalwart and die hard fan. “She is my rock,” said Rafael. “I couldn’t do what I do without her.”

Amy is one of the reasons he still has raw enthusiasm for comics, according to Rafael. Same as he did when he first started reading his brother Lee's the extensive collection.

“My first real memory of comics was going though my brother's collection,” said Rafael. “He read everything; Casper, Archie, Marvel, DC. I tried to count them all once, I stopped at 4000. I feel bad that I haven't honored my brother for what did for me.”

As a student at Roberto Clemente High School he quickly started to appreciate film and how film techniques are used to tell a story. His exposure to comics also motivated him to start reading more classical literature.

“Through comics I went to the classics like Poe and Shakespeare,” said Rafael, who added that both are his favorite authors.

After graduating, Rafael held positions at a number of ad agencies, which were suggested to him by a teacher impressed with his writing talents.

“My first ‘real’ job was at Ogilvy & Mather, where I worked in the production department,” said Rafael. “After about 5 years there, I went to Foote, Cone & Belding, where I worked as Assistant to the Director of Creative Services. After that, I went to a small agency called Hamilton, Carver and Lee, which specialized in medical advertising.”

Tales from the Heart – From Underground to the Top of the Sky

It was at Hamilton where he met Cindy Goff, and from that meeting he would change from comic reader to writer with “Tales from the Heart.”

“ [Cindy] agreed to type up some of my short stories and poems, since I’m a lousy typist,” said Rafael. “When she found out I was trying to break into the comic book industry, she began to tell me about her experiences in the Peace Corps, and how she’d often thought about writing a book. The problem was, there were so many books out there by former Peace Corps volunteers. Once I heard some of the stories, I suggested to her that she turn her tales into a comic book series.”

Raf and Cindy co-wrote the story with art by Seitu Hayden and published their work through Minnesota's Entropy Comics.

“I met Seitu at one of the ad agencies I worked at, where he was a storyboard artist. He’d done some comic strips before, and when Cindy and I created the concept for 'Tales from the Heart,' he was my first choice to draw it. I might have promised him scads of money, since I just 'knew' the book was going to sell like wildfire!”

“Tales of the Heart,” published in 1987, was a fictionalized account of Cindy Goff's time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa. The protagonist representing Cindy was Cathy Grant, a Minnesota native who, when we first meet her, is living in an African village,

The first issue has Cathy remembering the nightmare simply getting into the country. It starts when she and her fellow volunteers are suspected of being CIA by the African authority because they are from America. Her Peace Corp friends are later petrified and start regretting being in Africa after hearing about local debilitating diseases like elephantiasis. By the end the whole group nearly experiences a gorilla safari gone wrong.

But to Cathy, she has to learn to walk and talk again if she's going to make a life for herself in this strange and unfamiliar world.

“Oh, Cathy gets involved in quite a number of adventures, all very humanistic, with the occasional real-world danger,” said Rafael.

The trials of Cathy were reflections of Cindy Goff's experiences in Africa, according to Rafael. Much of what is depicted in the comic struck very close to current events in the region. One issue even has Cathy dispelling ugly rumors about how AIDS became an epidemic throughout the country.

“This actually happened to a friend of Cindy's and was related in the short story 'Mourning Son,' published in the 1988 anthology 'Strip Aids,' a benefit book that was spearheaded by Trina Robbins, I think,” said Rafael.

Though it was Rafael's freshman outing in the comics, its' telling of real world problems garnered plenty of attention from the comic community. Sadly, it wasn't enough to boost sales for the underground comic and soon the harsh realities of the business were made all too apparent.

“We did two issues for Entropy, both sold horribly,” said Nieves.

“I think it was simple economics that forced Entropy to cancel the book. Then Dan Vado from Slave Labor Graphics picked it up. I think he left us a voice message or something, saying he wanted to continue publishing the book, because he wanted to read the story. He knew sales were crap, but went ahead anyway. I'll be forever indebted to Dan for having the courage to do that.” Despite switching publishers from Entropy to Slave Labor, who were impassioned to complete the story, “Tales from the Heart,” has still not yet been completed.

“It got to the point where no one could afford to complete it,” said Rafael.

Even if it couldn't pull in enough sales, “Tales...” was a still comic that generated spirited fans and genuine enthusiasm from publishers. Award winning comic writer Neil Gaiman was even in on pushing the comic and its writers, according to Rafael.

"During the Tales run, Cindy got a voice message from none other than Neil Gaiman, telling her how much he enjoyed the book,” said Rafael. "We were both very excited, and even moreso when we found out, later on, that, when DC wanted to turn Neil's limited series Black Orchid into an ongoing title, Neil actually recommended us to the editor to take the book over! We didn't get the job, but Cindy and I were both honored and humbled.”

As if that wasn't enough Gaiman also did more then just enjoy the comic, according to Rafael.

"When Dan Vado published the first collection of Tales stories, Neil wrote a wonderful introduction to the book. Seems odd that, after all these years, I've yet to meet Neil, being the fan that I am.”

During the book's Slave Labor run, Cindy and Rafael got the attention of Marvel Comics. The House of Ideas offered them the opportunity to produce two original graphic novels based on the book for their Epic Line. It was there that Rafael's freshman outing into comics would take him to its highest peak as “Tales from the Heart,” was nominated for an Eisner Award.

“Of the two Epic editions of Tales, 'The Temporary Natives' and 'Bloodlines,' the latter was nominated in 1993, in two categories; Best Single Issue (Self-contained Story) and Best Graphic Album,” said Rafael.

In that moment, “Tales from the Heart” shared a spot with the likes of Gaiman's “Sandman” and “Hellblazer” from Vertigo Comics. With such an accolade attached to his name, Rafael has been quick to point out that “Tales...” was always a team effort.

“The nomination was not for me,” he said. “It was for the comic.”

But even with a nomination from the Eisner awards, the remainder of “Tales...” has still yet to be completed.

For fans, Rafael said not to lose hope, since there's a possibility of re-publication.

“Anyone interested can either find the issues on Ebay or something, or look up the two collections published by Slave Labor Graphics. Or, it they really want the goods, they should keep an eye out for the Tales from the Heart Omnibus edition, coming… soon, I hope, from Slave Labor! That edition will have all the 'Tales' stories, including the Epic one-shots.”

The rise and fall of “Tales...” would be the beginning of the the Rafael's own trials and tribulations through the comics business. But as to why he kept wanting to create despite the harsh business, he put it thusly:

“In comics, you can create –and destroy—worlds. Although it is primarily a visual medium, all that wonderful art depends on a story. Besides reading, my other favorite hobby is watching movies. Writing comics allows me to make my own little movies, with a small budget and a very small crew. I love the challenge of trying to evoke an emotional response in the reader through the use of art, text, and sound effects. I can do anything in comics, tell any kind of story there is to tell. Comics helped me learn to read, they helped me to discover literary works, they taught me what it means to be a good person. If I reached out to try to be a super-hero, and only wound up being a decent man, then I can be proud of that. Comics taught me what being a hero is.”

Up next: Rafael's job at the House of Ideas and brining back the Son of Satan!

APOCALYPSE PLAN COVER

2010-02-17T17:56:00.000-06:00

Here's the cover to THE APOCALYPSE PLAN, the graphic novel I've done with Dan Dougherty. It's beautiful! Out soon...

C ME C U AT C2E2

2010-01-19T12:31:00.000-06:00

A VERY BRIEF UPDATE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I WILL BE ATTENDING C2E2, HERE IN THE WINDY CITY, ON APRIL 16TH THROUGH THE 18TH, FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. COME BY AND SAY HI, OR SAY HI AND COME BUY!

TRYIN T'CATCH UP...

2009-10-28T16:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Amy and I went to Cigars N Stripes, a bar in Berwyn that we love, love, love. The occasion was to help celebrate Poefest, an annual, weeklong event celebrating Edgar Allan, hosted by the Berwyn Arts Council and organized by artist Fran Gregory. Although we missed a few days of the celebration, we did manage to make it to Tuesday's shindig, which consisted of a reading of The Cask of Amontillado", some live music, fortune-telling, and the eerie, soulful sounds of master DJ Joe Black. We had to leave before the showing of The Bride of Frankenstein, but aside from that, it was great fun, and all of it went on inside a tent erected in Stripes' parking lot, a tent that the owner, Ronnie, swears once belonged to none other than P.T. Barnum!

Through the course of the night, I made a lot of connections and brainstormed for a bit with both Ronnie and Joe about doing something in Berwyn early next year. I hope it happens, as it's an event I've longed to do... okay, enough cryptically worded balderdash, it's back to the salt mines for me!

If you've not been to Cigars and Stripes, check out the link on the right there. And if you don't know who Joe Black is, shame on you! He and his Midnight Spookshow can also be found in the links section...

LISTEN TO ME!

2009-10-22T12:50:00.000-05:00

Artist Dan Dougherty and I were recently interviewed by those crazy cats at comicgeekspeak.com and the interview just went live!

You can hear it at http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/

It's a pretty free-wheeling interview, but the podcast centers on the new graphic novel THE APOCALYPSE PLAN, available from Diamond in December (page 294 of their catalog, out now, item #OCT091107)

SAINT G AT TINLEY PARK SHOW!

2009-10-21T08:07:00.000-05:00

Juan Arevalo and Rafael Nieves will be appearing at the Tinley Park Halloween Comic Book Show this Saturday, October 24th, from 9 am until 4 pm. Copies of the Saint G minicomic, The Order of the Georges, will be available, as will prints and other goodies.

Visit the convention's link here for more info. See you Saturday!

SAINT G, JUAN 'N' ME!

2009-10-05T11:07:00.000-05:00

Juan Arevalo and Rafael Nieves willl be appearing at the Black Age expo on Saturday, October 10th, from 9:30 until 4:30. We'll be signing new versions of the SAINT G ashcan, THE ORDER OF THE GEORGES, as well as previewing pages from the next edition. Check out http://dablackage.blogspot.com/ for more info. Hope to see you there!

WINDY CITY WAS A BREEZE!

2009-09-23T06:51:00.003-05:00

For those of you who read this blog and are wondering just where the hell I've been, my apologies. The last few months have been spent toiling hard at the day job, writing, and setting up and updating the blogs for THE APOCALYPSE PLAN and SAINT G, two ongoing projects that I'm doing with artists Dan Dougherty and Juan Arevalo, respectively.

THIS update is about Windy City Comic Con, which I attended last Saturday, the 19th. What a great show it was! I met a gentleman from Spain, who actually popped in because he'd heard of the con from... someone... while visiting friends in Michigan. We talked comics for a minute, shared our admiration for ZONA NEGATIVA, the Spanish website devoted to comics, and Spanish publishers. I've long wanted to see my work translated into other languages, so we chatted a bit about that. The man didn't buy anything, but that was okay...

Also spoke with a guy who'd purchased a copy of TAP, and who is a friend of Dan's, who wanted to tell me how much he enjoyed the book, and THAT, my friends, made the show for me! It's really the only reason to appear at these cons; connecting with people who might enjoy your work and tell you so...

Saw some old friends, Andrew Kudelka, Tony Akins, Paul Mounts, Doug Klauba, Alex Wald, Charlie Athanas, Franchesco, and more; made some new ones, Kevin Mellon, Mike Oliveri (who isn't a new friend, necessarily, I've known his work and have met him before, but we got a chance to chat at length), and got a couple of welcome surprises as well: Andrew Dimitt, my close friend and brother in arts, showed up, and we got to talking about some possible collaborative efforts; and Brian Azzarello, who I've known for a number of years, but whom I usually catch at WizardWorld...

Sold a couple books, did an interview (which I'm sure I screwed up), met with organizers of the upcoming Black Age Expo (where Juan and I will be appearing), watched with love and pride at my fellow artists gettin' love from fans and passersby.

I hope to update this blog a bit more frequently again; I've got a couple things cooking that I want desperately to talk about, so hopefully I can make an announcement or two next time.

If you missed Windy City... WHY??? I told you guys about it!

PLAN FOR THE APOCALYPSE!

2009-06-16T17:41:00.001-05:00

Hi there! Look over to your right, down by the links... See that one that says THE APOCALYPSE PLAN? Click it. I'll wait...

BY DESIGN

2009-06-15T15:05:00.004-05:00

Redesigned a blog site banner for a co-worker who made it for a friend.

Here's the original. The redesign was easy, quick and fun.

And here's the blog's URL http://anointedvesselsministry.blogspot.com/

DAN DOUGHERTY IS ROTTEN!

2009-05-18T12:14:00.003-05:00

My friend and partner on the upcoming Graphic Novel THE APOCALYPSE PLAN, artist Dan Dougherty, talks about his latest project, ROTTEN, over at newsarama.com. Here's the link: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/050918-Rotten.html

Sure, the article features the writer of that book, Mark Rahner, but really, who cares about the writers??? Anyway, check it out!

MORE LOGOS

2009-04-13T09:17:00.005-05:00

This button design was for our local alderman (alderwoman?) who was running for re-election in our hometown of Berwyn. She won, but I doubt this had anything to do with the design. Although, you never know...

Here's a logo I created for my friend and collaborator Dan Dougherty (AKA the fastest artist in the world!) for a book he's drawing called, appropriately enough, ROTTEN. Go to http://www.moonstonebooks.com/ to see the book (the logo isn't on there yet, but that's okay, the art is purty!). ROTTEN is a zombie/western, the kind men like!

RECENT LOGOS

2009-04-09T16:40:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to show off two recent logo designs. The business card at the top is for a woman named Raquel who has an import/export handbag business. She wanted to call it ROCK STAR, but I convinced her that the play on her name might be better. The two-sided biz card will allow her to use the cards as tags, too, simply by punching a hole in the corner of the card and looping a string through it to attach to the bags. I obliterated her personal info for privacy until she's ready to open shop.

The logo at the bottom is for a product that caters to women going through menopause. As I understand it, the product will provide cooling relief from hot flashes that occur in the woman's bosom. I don't pretend to understand any of that; I just make the pretty art. The product was originally called COOL'N YOU, but I convinced the client that the alternate spelling would make the product seem more exotic.

Hope you like 'em. And if you want me to create a logo for you, just let me know! My prices are cheap, but my talent ain't!!!

MR. MOTO AND MORE! NEW RELEASES!

2009-04-07T11:38:00.004-05:00

I just found out that the WELCOME BACK, MR. MOTO trade paperback has been released! Beautifully drawn by Tim Hamilton, with a script by moi, MOTO is an original story that features John P. Marquand's Asian spy in a tale of intrigue and deceit. Ken Takashi has just been released from a detention camp at the end of World War II, and is immediately swept up in a web of mystery from which he cannot untangle himself. His only allies seem to be a hotel janitor, a pretty young secretary, and the elusive stranger known as Moto. This trade collects the 3-issue miniseries published by Moonstone in 2007, and is available now!

ALSO: in the same month, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER ANNUAL #1 has been released! I wrote the script from a story by the very talented Mark Dawidziak, who recounts the incredibly anticipated meeting between Carl Kolchak and Barnabas Collins from DARK SHADOWS. Joe Gentile, Dave Ulanski and others contributed to the book as well, and there are a number of variant covers for you to enjoy and collect!

For more info on these or any of the Moonstone titles I've written, visit the Moonstone site and tell 'em Raf sent ya!

APOCALYPSE SOON

2009-03-03T16:07:00.005-06:00

Here is the cover art for the upcoming graphic novel by artist Dan Dougherty and myself called THE APOCALYPSE PLAN. TAP, as we lovingly call it, tells the story of the war between Heaven and Hell, done in what I hope to be a unique fashion.

Dan is already 32 pages into this almost 80 page project, and the art is stunning! We're shopping the book around now, and hope to make an announcement soon. Stay tuned for more info as it happens!

PLAY RUDOLPH'S NOSE! MINUTES OF FUN GUARANTEED!

2008-12-09T12:06:00.003-06:00

New from your friends at Hyperthetical.biz, the toolshed of ideas and online design home of Antonio Maldonado, Jon Knipping, and moi, comes this new, fun game for you to enjoy with your kids this Holiday Season!

Based on the ever-popular Pin the Tail on the Donkey, PIN THE NOSE ON RUDOLPH can be enjoyed by up to 6 players!

Click the link below and order now for that special Xmas extravaganza!

http://www.cafepress.com/RudolphsNose

WINDY CITY COMICON

2008-10-15T17:40:00.002-05:00

Hey, Gang! Just wanted to let you know that I'll be appearing at the 1st annual Windy City Comicon on Saturday, October 25th, from 10 am until 6 pm. This one day con will be held at The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted in beautiful Chicago!

I'll be signing whatever comics you have of mine from my oh-so-illustrious 20 years in the business, and I'll be selling prints and minis, as well as previewing some new projects.

Joining me will be my long-time companion (no, not like that, people!), the very talented artist Antonio (Tony) Maldonado, who will be selling his own prints and minicomics and drawrin' sketches and such.

Tony and I have been hard at work on our newest graphic novel titled BLACKBIRDS, which is a serio comic thriller about two comics creators named, well, Raf and Tony, who get lost while returning from a convention and wind up in deep, deep doodoo! We'll have a plethora of pages from the book for you to peruse!

Other guests include my pals Doug Klauba, Len Kody, Hilary Barta, Andrew Kudelka, Alex Wald and more!

This is a very important con for us, the creators as well as for you fans; the focus on conventions lately has been on film and tv and celebrities and less on actual comics, and Windy City Comicon hopes to change all that by allowing you the fan to meet and greet the folks who actually put together the source material for those movies and TV shows!

There will also be retailers and gaming galore on hand, so get there early and stay late!

Tickets are only FIVE BUCKS! That's good and cheap, people! So drag a friend along, won't you?

For more information on the con, click here and tell 'em Raf sentcha!

SPINS A WEB, ANY SIZE...

2008-09-24T17:26:00.003-05:00

Hey, All!

Just wanted to let you know that I have a new "official" website: http://web.mac.com/rafaelnieves/iWeb/Site/WELCOME.html

Check it out, let me know what you think, okay? It's a work in progress, so don't get all picky with obvious stuff. I'm old and sensitive...

More news later!

I HOPE YOU LIKE JAMMIN' WIT' ME...

2008-09-09T12:28:00.007-05:00

Hello, my peoples! Just wanted to let you all know that I will be making an appearance at INTER-FAN JAM 2008 on Saturday and Sunday, September 13th and 14th.

I will be joing fellow creators ANTONIO MALDONADO, JUAN GOMEZ, JUAN AREVALO and LAMORRIS RICHMOND and other luminaries of the comics world! Special Guests include TERRY PAVLET, DOUG KLAUBA and one of the greatest comics artist ever, the incomparable ALEX NINO!

The JAM will take place at the Homewood Hotel, 17400 Halsted Street, in beautiful Homewood, Illinois. Admission is %bucks PLUS 2 cans of food! Not kidding here, kids, bring those cans! For more info (like the time of the event!) go to http://www.inter-fan.org/Interfan2.htm

Hope to see you all there!

ONTO THE NEXT!

2008-06-30T07:03:00.002-05:00

WizardWorld Chicago is over at last and I'm ready to tackle another local con, and soon! The experience was awesome. I got to spend time with my good friend and partner in Transfuzion Publishing, Gary Reed, and Nate Pride, the production artist, graphic designer and illustrator extraordinaire who helped Caliber comics look so damned good with his keen eye and attention to detail. I made some new friends too, like Tom Roberts, painter and writer, whose book on Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond, is now on sale. Nice looking book.

My cronies were in attendance as well; the General Jack Cosmo men had a huge display booth behind them and the whole time I was nervous that con officials would make them take it down. Luckily that was not the case, and i was able to use the backdrop as my landmark whenever I left my booth, so I wouldn't get lost! The GJC guys are awesome, talented and you should give them money.

Oh, and they are very smart young men, too, because they had, in their roster of talent, my friend Doug Klauba, the nicest man working in comics today and my personal hero! Doug had his beautiful Phantom prints available for sale, and he couldn't keep 'em in stock!

Stu Kerr and Ralph Griffith were in attendance as well, showing off their OZ material and inviting submissions.

Len Kody, a fine, fine writer, previewed his new online comic CHICAGO: 1968, the story of the Democratic National Convention, and starring Abbie Hoffman and Mayor Daley, Sr.; the story is told through the eyes of two beat cops, and it is riveting!

Dan Dougherty had his new book, BEARDO on display and available for sale, and woe to anyone who didn't get the chance to pick this book up! Side-splittingly funny! Dan is not only my friend, he is my idol, and I'm happy to have my signed copy of this book on my shelf!

LaMorris Richmond had preview copies of his new trade JIGABOO DEVIL on hand. If you haven't seen this, quick like a bunny contact Mr. Richmond and get more info. It is one of the coolest things out there AND it makes ya think!

The man called JAG was there, too, offering up some wicked little merchandising pieces for his upcoming online series WHO? THE HEX! an all-ages serial that tells the story of the Hex kids, who are trying to be the best witches they can and learn to control their powers. Sweet, slick, and slightly sick, this thing is a beaut!

Good friends Juan Arevalo and Antonio Maldonado had some new prints available for sale, and they were flying off the tables! Contact them to order a few if you weren't smart enough to get 'em at con...

The big news for me, as always is the astounding display of Transfuzion titles! Just released books like THE WORLDS OF HP LOVECRAFT and my own little effort ORLAK REDUX were on hand, beautifully packaged, and selling like hotcakes! If you like your graphic novels smart, sassy and reasonably priced, visit www.transfuzion.biz to see the incredible variety of titles available. Buy two today!

2008-06-22T08:01:00.000-05:00

MOB RULE 2

2008-05-27T13:16:00.002-05:00

Because YOU demanded it! MOB RULE takes over WizardWorld Chicago again!

Please join us in Artist Alley at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on June 26th through the 29th to see what the mob has to offer.

This year's lineup includes: Transfuzion Publishing; Gary Reed; Antonio Maldonado; Len Kody; General Jack Cosmos Productions; LaMorris Richmond; Dan Dougherty; Juan Gomez; Nick Muntean; Juan Arevalo; Tom Roberts; Aaron Shaps; Doug Klauba; Mike Beazley; Jim McKern; Stu Kerr and Ralph Griffith; and yours truly!

Watch this space for table assignments and this year's promo poster. And write me with questions and/or comments.

Hope to see you all there.

HAPPY MERRY!

2007-12-25T09:18:00.000-06:00

December has always been a tough month for me. My dad died on Christmas Eve lo these many years. My mom's birthday is in December, and she passed a few years ago as well. For this reason and others too personal to share, I've always been trekking through the dregs of my melancholic barrel, trying to scale the smooth walls of despair.

But I think it's because of this maudlin month that I rejoice in the love and company of friends and family. From blood brother to acquaintance, from relative to relatively friendly, the people in my life more often than not fill me with a sense of purpose and pride and passion, bringing to the table morsels of kinship and honoring my folks inasmuch as they honor me with their friendship and loyalty. I only hope that I provide them with the same succor.

I don't often write about the roiling emotion of the season; hell, I don't often write about my emotions at all, but this year has been especially... odd for me. Discovering new towns, new responsibilities, new skills, new friends has caused me to reevaluate a lot of what I thought previously important, strengthening my resolve to make 2008 a better year for me, for mine, and for all.

My sincerest wish of goodwill to all of you who have touched my life, and to those whose I might have touched. Keep your family always in your heart, your friends in your life, and your faith close at hand.

I am honored to know you and love you, however slightly, 'cause after all, this is the season of love and respect and faith, ain't it?

raf

DOUG KLAUBA IN OHIO!!!

2007-11-20T14:07:00.000-06:00

Hey you guys!

Artist extraordinaire, good friend, and all around nice guy Douglas Klauba will be previewing pages from his newest comic at Mid-Ohio Con!

Here's what he writes:

"Mid-Ohio Con with Superpowers... Art!

I will be a guest at Mid-Ohio Con this week end, Nov. 24-25, Battelle Hall in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Pop Culture! Art! Comics! Toys! and Amazing Celebrity Guests!For the first time I will be showing my pages from the upcoming Superpowers #0 from Dynamite Entertainment. Stop by, say "hello", hang out and check out my "Sketchbook" and prints.I will be set up next to the Moonstone Books booth."

If you live in Ohio, if you live around Ohio, if yer planning a trip to Ohio, go see Doug! He's awesome! And tell 'im Raf sentcha, okay?

For more info, visit www.midohiocon.com

ALSO! Why the heck aren't you visiting Doug's cafepress store??? What's wrong with you people?! Go there, RIGHT NOW, and buy his wares. This man has been featured in Spectrum! His efforts have been featured on the covers of THE PHANTOM! KOLCHAK, THE NIGHT STALKER! PAPERBACK COVERS! Do yourself a favore, will ya? Visit http://www.cafepress.com/douglasklauba You'll be glad ya did!

"THERE WILL BE BLOOD, OH YESSS..."

2007-10-15T12:44:00.001-05:00

In the summer of 2007, history was made.

Well, history for me, anyway.

Gary Reed (the former publisher of the late, lamented Caliber Press) and I made the decision to partner up, and we created Transfuzion Publishing.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate, but close enough, I think.

And what is Transfuzion, you ask? Good question.

Transfuzion is a new/old publishing concern, of which Gary and I are the heads, that is dedicated to bringing out-of-print and rare comics as well as new projects to the masses by way of Print On Demand technology. By doing so, we can bring our books to the consumers directly, and bypass all the hoops that traditional comics companies seem to be jumping through.

What all this means, of course, is that you, the reader, will be able to enjoy our products more readily, without having to rely on retailers and distributors that might not deem our books 'saleable' enough to stock or carry.

Our first books are already available for purchase: OF SCENES AND STORIES, a compendium of short stories and snippets of other books, all written by Gary and culled from his long illustrious career as a writer, is out now, as is GHOST SONATA, JACK THE RIPPER, SAINT GERMAINE, and DEADWORLD, BITS AND PIECES. Visit our website, www.transfuzion.biz, for info on how to order any or all of these fine books.

"But, Raf, whither yer books?" you ask. Mine are coming kiddies, I promise. The first of mine to see the light of day will be a reissue of my well-received EDGAR ALLAN POE'S THE BELLS, in a handsome new package that reprints Juan Gomez's and my adaptation of this most excellent and haunting poem, first published by Caliber's Tome Press many moons ago, and excerpted in Tom Pomplun's exceptional Graphic Classics series. This new edition features pinups by talented (and generous) friends like Doug Klauba, Andrew Kudelka, Bill Halliar, Antonio Maldonado, and more, and will also include a couple of brand-new adaptations of rarely seen (in comic-form, anyway) POEms. Be on the lookout for that.

Shortly after, my own collection of past works, ODD BITS OF ILLUSTRATED FICTION, will see the light of day, and features short stories I've written over the last 20 years.

New stuff, Raf! We need new stuff, too!

Fear not, my many fans (all five of you)! 2008 will see a brand-new anthology series of stories from some of the most talented and illustrious personages working in the indy field today (and some from cats who may work for the majors, but are independents at heart!). More on this and some brand new graphic novels soon!

To say that I'm excited at this new chapter in my career is a major understatement; I've long admired Gary's skills as both a writer and a publisher, and I think that, together, we will achieve some combined life-long goals.

Of course, like any good creatores, Gary and I still have commitments to other companies, primarily Desperado (for Gary) and Moonstone (for myself). Both these companies are putting out incredible books, and Gary and I are proud to be a part of 'em. For us, Transfuzion is a way of releasing products that are just a bit more experimental, a bit more outside-the-norm, a bit more... personal.

It's going to be a wild ride, and we hope you'll come along for the ride!

WIZWORLD CHICAGO HIGHLIGHTS!

2007-08-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

Whew!

The Wizard World Chicago show is finally over, and a grand time was had by all! I think...

The MOB RULE! group was on hand to sell and sign books, prints and original works. My friend and partner Gary Reed had many of his newly minted TransFuzion books on hand, like ST. GERMAINE and OF SCENES AND STORIES, and our little publishing venture seemed to cause quite a stir. You can read more about it here

Dashing Doug Klauba was selling his phenomenal Phantom prints, and pimped his gorgeous sketchbook titled THE DOUGLAS KLAUBA SKETCHBOOK which, if you think about it, is pretty appropriate.

John Siuntres of WordBalloon fame was there, sort of; seems its easier to go out and find celebs to interview than to wait for them to come to you; go figure.

Juan Arevalo sold prints of the sexy characters that are going to appear in his upcoming online webcomic.

Tony 'Madman' Maldonado also had prints on hand, as well as his funny/frightening sketchbook called CUCOS! which is Spanish for "lil scary monster things".

I was so busy playing mama hen to my MOB boys, I didn't have much of a chance to truly explore the convention, but I did get to see a number of old friends, and make a few new ones as well, some of whom will be making appearances in our newly (but unofficially) announced horror anthology.

I hope that, next year, we will have a lot more product to pimp, and the magic eightball says "YES"...

MOB RULE DECLARED IN CHICAGO!

2007-08-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Authorities uncovered a plot by a nefarious group of artists, writers, and other bohemian ne’er-do-wells planning to storm the upcoming Wizard World convention in Chicago on Thursday, August 9th, through Sunday, the 12th.

The insurgents are intent on taking over the event, inciting riots and attempting to add numerous supporters to their dastardly cause. Their goal seems to be nothing short of world domination!

Early intelligence reports have identified key members of this mob; a full disclosure of their names and areas of expertise are as follows:

Rafael Nieves, a Writer (VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE; THE PHANTOM; MR. MOTO) and subversive, and the apparent ringleader of the mob whom, it is said, has threatened to sell and sign numerous publications from his 20 year stint in the field. Nieves has aligned himself with quite a diverse band of hooligans, which includes these known associates:

Douglas Klauba, Painter and Cover Artist for THE PHANTOM, KOLCHAK, THE SPIDER, DOC SAVAGE, ZORRO... will have copies of his Sketchbook for sale, packaged between full color covers, with never before seen drawings, sketches and roughs from throughout his career and, for the very first time, includes a special Phantom section of preliminary drawings and studies. Along with the Sketchbook, Klauba will have collectible postcard sets and DC VS trading cards on hand, and there will be a selection of limited edition fine art prints available.

Juan Arevalo is an Art Director and Freelance Artist who has collaborated with Nieves on various projects in the pre-production phase. Arevalo has worked with leading Christian publisher UMI and comics creator Michael Davis on the initial launch of THE GUARDIAN LINE of faith-based comics. He has also created character designs for an upcoming animation in association with toy company RC2. Rumor has it that Arevalo is currently working on a personal project, RIMANAKUY YAWAR-THE BLOOD COVENANT, a web comic due out next year.

Antonio Maldonado, Artist and Radical (CHILLIN'S, the cover art for band Aiden's RAIN IN HELL CD, and Game Animator for Spongebob Squarepants:Diner Dash 1 and 2 for Nickelodeon and Playfirst) has a number of projects in the works: a back-up story for Nieves' re-release of EDGAR ALLAN POE’S THE BELLS titled "Alone", and the graphic novel BLACKBIRDS, also with Nieves. This malcontent will be selling copies of CHILLIN'S and his CUCOS! sketchbook, and will be doing seditious Commission Sketches.

Dan Dougherty (CYCLONE BILL AND THE TALL TALES, KOLCHAK) will be previewing several upcoming projects, including two zombie period pieces, ROTTEN and NATIONAL HORROR, as well as the long awaited anti-gravity yarn NEWTON'S LAW.

Len Kody: The up-and-coming comics Writer started his career contributing short stories to the MOONSTONE MONSTERS anthology series, which is now available in trade paperback. He'll be selling and signing copies of his dark, Western mini-series, CISCO KID: GUNFIRE & BRIMSTONE. And he'll no doubt be talking up his long awaited CISCO KID vs. WYATT EARP crossover, a two-issue event also featuring the talents of Chuck Dixon and EricJ, scheduled for a late '07 release. As a Convention Exclusive, Kody will debut pages from his first independently produced original graphic novel, SOUTHSIDE COP, about the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Nick Muntean, the Writer of "Kay-rash" from the anthology CHILLIN'S. Currently working with Antonio Maldonado on their upcoming 2008 project DOOM DOOM: 21ST CENTURY GIRL, a book so quirky, so odd, so manic, so pop-culture that it's best and most coherent description is "The Archies on acid!" Nick and Antonio will preview their book with a special, for-sale print of the characters.

Juan Gomez, Artist (CHILLIN’S, EDGAR ALLAN POE’S THE BELLS) will be previewing his latest project, WHO? THE HEX! as well as MALGATO, a graphic novel to be released in 2008.

La Morris Richmond is a Writer/Publisher/Revolutionary who, through his B.L.A.M! comics imprint, has produced the comic series CANTON KID and PURGE. His BOOTS OF THE OPRESSOR and JIGABOO DEVIL remain benchmarks in provocative, guerilla storytelling. Richmond will invade the convention on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and will have copies of these books available for purchase.

John Siuntres is Host/Agitator of wordballoon.com, the best place to find podcast interviews with comicdom’s best and brightest. Siuntres is a raconteur and bon vivant nonpareil, so be warned!

All law-abiding citizens are urged to attend the WizardWorld Chicago convention and seek out this rabble at booths 4110 through 4120. Only by purchasing as much of their tracts and propaganda as possible can we deflate their scheme for rampant anarchy, preventing them from spreading their misinformation and half truths to the unsuspecting world!

ATTENTION ALL YOU RAF FANS (ALL 5 OF YA)!

2007-04-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

A PHANTASTIC NEW YEAR!

2007-02-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

Hello, my chillin's! Wanted to let you all know that both of my latest Phantom projects, Man-Eaters and 5 Days of the Dragon, are on sale e'en as we speak!

The Phantom: Man-Eaters was released in the Wide-Vision format, with a large art spread running across two pages of text. Artwork for this was done by the hugely talented Vatche Mavlian, who brought the goods, big time! Coloring is by Ken Wolak, a long time friend and long time talent!

The Phantom Annual #1: 5 Days of the Dragon is

is a group effort, featuring the mad writing and drawing skills of Ron Marz, Alan Goldman, Ruben Procopio, Mike Bullock, Tony Bedard, Juan Ferreyra, Tony Akins, Graham Nolan, Ken Wolak, and yours truly, all wrapped up real purty in a cover by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin!

Both books are available NOW at discerning comic shops everywhere. Visit the Moonstone to learn more by clicking here
I'm so happy I could pee!

HAPPY HORRORDAYS!

2006-12-22T11:20:00.000-06:00

Hey, Kids!

Been awhile, I know; the fates have decreed that I should have the worst season ever, and so...

Couple notes here: I have a MYSPACE account, look me up. I also have an account with COMICSPACE. If you ain't seen it, do so, quickly!

Hope all is well with y'all and y'allses. The Christmas holiday has always been a downer for me, not the least reason being that my Dad passed away right around this time...

I am grateful for my wife, for not only putting up with me, but also supporting just about everything I do, even when it's not in my best interests, and letting me learn from my mistakes. I'm grateful for my daughter. I'm grateful for my family, my sisters, whom I love to death, even though we don't talk; my brother, who put me on the path to comics to begin with. When I was quite young, my bro was my hero. I thought he was the greatest artist in the world, next to John Buscema and Neal Adams, and I longed for the day when I could work with him. Although he never got in the biz, and I never got to draw comics, I owe all of it solely to him. If you ever read this, Lee... thanks.

I'm grateful as well for my family's families; all the nieces, nephews, cousins, just for living their lives as best they can. Special shout out to my grand-niece Janine, who beat her bout with Cancer by pretty much kicking its ass! Props to Phillip, Renee, and Phillip Anthony, too!

I'm fortunate to have many circles of friends (from the inner circle to the outer rings) who have shown me nuttin but love over the years, and they include (in no particular order) Shorty/Candy/TMalo70/Tony Maldonado, Juan Arevalo, Johnny Gomez, Nick Muntean, Eric LeFeber, LaMorris Richmond, Tony Akins, Lou Bank, Mark Cox, Dan Dougherty, Doug Klauba, Len Kody, Gary Reed, Norm, Kevin, Mike, Sonny, TTrib, Davers, Andy, Tom, Cindy, Iris, Vic, and many many more, too many to mention here.

Hope you all have a great holiday, and please give Peace a chance.

Best,

Raf

I'M BA-AACK!!!

2006-07-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

Whew! Just got back from San Diego. What a whirlwind trip! Helping my bud Tom Negovan and his Century Guild team set up the massive display booth took two full days, just about (hey, it was a 40 foot long wall!) and damn near kilt me!

All in all, the con went well. Did a Phantom panel with my Moonstone cronies, talked a bit about my upcoming Phantom:Man Eaters book, beautifully illustrated by Vatche Mavlian and presented in WideVision (one illustration spread across two pages, with text above and below). Also saw the latest WideVision release, Law Of The Jungle, drawn by Eisner nominee Paul Guinan, and written by Moonstone head Joe Gentile. It should be out now and it's awesome!!!

Friends what I made, Peoples what I met:
Dan Brereton, Nocturnals creator, whom Century Guild honcho Tom Negovan and his new Olympian Publishing imprint will publish very soon, presenting all the previous Nocturnals tales in 3 hardcover volumes, in preparation for a new series!!!

Dan Dougherty, writer/artist of the awesome Moonstone title Cyclone Bill, which he did in grey wash! The book looks great, buy one today. I also saw pages from Dan's new project, Newton, about the meeting between Sir Isaac Newton and the Lord of Gravity! Kick-ass!

Alex Saviuk, Jon Foster, Shannon Denton, Joe Pruett, and many many more, all great, all talented, all deserving of your attention!

AND IN OTHER NEWS:
Look for me at WizardWorld Chicago, August 4, 5, 6 with a preview night Thursday, the 3rd. I'll be sitting at the Transfuzion Studio table in artist alley, booth #3085, with my guys Gary Reed and Steven Jones. My other venture, Hyperthetical, will be located at table #3117, with co-conspirators Jon Knipping, Nick Muntean, and Antonio Maldonado. Visit us there and often, won't you? I'll be signing any and all copies of anything I might have ever written, so if you've got a book of mine, bring it by! Cool?

Okay, more later...

SHOUT-OUTS BEFORE I HEAD OUT...

2006-07-17T07:45:00.000-05:00

Hello, People!

As I prep for the airport on my way to sunny San Diego, I just had to drop a line about my home away from home, NEF. National Equity Fund is where Uncle Raf makes the bread he needs to support his comics writing habit, kiddies. Yes, that's right, I have a day job! And you thought I made my dough strictly through writing...

NEF is, in its most basic definition, a company that funds housing across the country for folks what need it, like New Orleans. At least, that's what I think it does, the whole thing is too complicated for my addled brain.

Anyway, there are a number of really cool people who make my job easy, and who have been instrumental in my going to San Diego to begin with: first up is Ms. Gaylene Domer, aka VP, Office Services, aka "Boss". It is she who has been awesome enough to allow me the time off to even go to SD, so any success I have there is all because of her! Thanks, Boss! Now I really owe you a year! Let's make that happen soon, yeah? Before some big-time publisher snatches me away!

Next up is Mike Mreibe, my partner in crime at the Copy Center. Mike is a big ol' comic geek, and I've been re-living my youthtful geekness through him. Mike even loaned me his laptop so that I can continue to write away from home. Thanks Mike! Hold the fort in my absence, yeah?

My next two favorites are Raquel Blanton and Randall Glenn, receptionist and general assistant, respectively. Both very nice folks, and both quite capable of handling things while I'm gone. In fact, they may be too good, and my job might be in jeopardy. Yikes!

More quick shout-outs to Jesus "Sonny" Doctor and Victor Villalpando; make sure Mike doesnt' freak out, okay?

That's if for now, kiddies; next time I write, I'll be in SD, basking in the glow of comic-geekdom.

GOIN' WEST, YOUNG MAN... BRINGIN' IN NEW BLOOD... POD PEOPLE...

2006-06-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hello, Kiddies!

It's yer old uncle Raf here with lots of news... a lot has happened, and it just dawned on me that I haven't updated this blog since March!

FIRST UP: Yours truly will be attending the SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON thanks to the generosity of Tom Negovan and his Century Guild/Olympian Publishing concerns. When I'm not haning out at Tom's impressive booth, ogling the beautiful artwork of Mucha, Klimt and others, or the incredible paintings by artist Gail Potocki, or being awed by the 40 FOOT WIDE BANNER FEATURING THE NOCTURNALS by Dan Brereton, I'll be visiting my second family, Moonstone, at their booth. I'll also be attending the Phantom panel, discussing some of my new projects featuring The Ghost Who Walks. Otherwise, I'll be wandering the aisles, looking for a friendly face. Stop me and say hi, or point me to the bathroom, won't you? Thanks. http://www.comic-con.org/index.php

SECONDLY: I want to officially announce (on this blog, anyway), the formation of TRANSFUZION, the intellectual property development studio co-founded by writer/publisher Gary Reed and myself. We had our debut at the wonderful Motor City con a few months ago, and were joined by member Randy Zimmerman. Fourth Musketeer Steve Jones was unable to attend, but we'll see him soon, I'm sure. TRANSFUZION has one basic tenet, and that is to find artists to assist we four writers in developing projects for publishers, film studios, and gaming companies, among others. Visit the site to see some of the projects we are currently developing, yeah? www.transfuzion.biz

NEXT: While at Motor City, Gary and I met with a swell bunch of guys from A FISTFULL OF COMICS, who interviewed a number of people in attendance, including living legend Jim Steranko, the crazy cats from ACTIONOPOLIS, Gary and me, and one of my dearest, closest friends and partners, cARToonist extraordinaire Antonio "ShortRound" Maldonado. You can check out the interviews at http://www.fistfullofcomics.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2 and my specific interview at http://www.fistfullofcomics.com/podcasts/creator_interviews/Novi_Nieves_Rafael_Interview_06.mp3

That's all for now, Chilluns. Hope to see many of you at San Diego! Tell yer friends, 'kay? Oh, and write me!!!

Laters

A NEW YORK MINUTE, A CHICAGO LIFETIME: THE NYCC TIMELINE

2006-03-09T09:10:00.000-06:00

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25. 3:30 AM
The alarm clock goes off about three minutes after my eyes open. I should be tired, but I've just spent the last year, doing the exact same thing; gettin' up at this time to prep for my temporary assignment at the fabulous Peninsula hotel, where Oprah's guests stay, apparently. Normally, I'd brush my teeth, head downstairs to grab a cup of coffee, step outside the backdoor and sneak a smoke. Think. A lot. About a lot of stuff. Then I'd have another cup, snack on a honey bun, or a danish or something, take my vitamins, jump in the shower. Then get dressed, a quick check of my email, and race out the door to catch a bus, then a train, downtown to make a 6 AM start time.

Today, however, is different.

Today, I'm going to New York, to attend the New York Comic-con, where I will meet my new publishers, Narwain. Particularly, Sabrina and Dario, the head of marketing and editor in chief, respectively.

SATURDAY, 2/25/06. 5:30 AM
On the road to the airport. My wife, Amy, is driving. I look at her, glancing from the corner of my eye, and realize once again how important she is to me. When Sabrina contacted me about the possibility of my attending this con, the first of the year that Narwain will exhibit at, I considered it an opportunity to get to know, on a personal level, my new publisher. Up til now, Moonstone Books has been putting out my books. I owe a lot to them, but have been wanting to spread my wings a bit. How odd to find a home for my project with a company based in Spoleto, Italy, just outside Rome!

After mentioning it to Amy, the idea of attending the con, an hour later, she had my itinerary in hand: flight and hotel info, all laid out for me. All I had to do was show up! God bless her, she knows how important this is to me, and takes great pains to make this creative struggle of mine much, much easier to contend with. The fact that Amy considers New York to be the city she'd move to at the drop of a hat is mentioned only once; she's been there a number of times, with me, with her family, but this is the first time I've gone by myself since we met and married. I feel a little guilty for her not going, but I know that we can't afford the both of us taking the trip. We really can't afford my going, solo or otherwise.

The convention began on Friday, so I'm already a day late. I think, in hindsight, I should have gone the day before, but with my last day at the hotel and the expense of another night's stay at the hotel, Amy and I have decided this was best.

She drops me off at the American Airlines terminal. We kiss, I grab my bag, and I'm out the door. She peels away before the airport cops give her any grief for spending too much time parked. It's a little after 6 AM, and I stand outside, smoking a last cigarette before heading in. I quickly check my cell phone, which is set to silent. A voice message. It's Amy, giving me one last ego boost, wishing me luck and telling me she's proud of me and loves me. I smile, crush out the butt, and head into the terminal...

ONE LAST CRY FOR ATTENTION...

2006-02-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

Hey, kids!

Just another quick reminder that I'll be at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC this weekend for the comic convention. I'll be arriving around noon, New York time, on Saturday, wandering around the center until 3:30 pm, when I dash over to booth #110, sitting with the good folks at Narwain publishing. On Sunday, I'll be sitting with Narwain at 12 noon. I'll be talking about my upcoming Narwain book, The Apocalypse Plan, and talking and signing about any of my other books, or any damn thing.

Every other time, I'll be wandering around, hoping to get noticed.

Tell your New York friends to stop by and visit, okay?

On Monday, I'll recap my trip. See ya!

2006: THE YEAR OF THE RAF!

2006-02-16T06:52:00.000-06:00

Whether by happenstance or design, 2006 is shaping up to be an interesting year for me, as many of my projects are scheduled to be released, while many more are in development.

For the five of you who follow my career, herewith is an incomplete list o'stuff from the mind of Raf...

1. THE PHANTOM: MAN-EATERS
This is a 96 page book published by Moonstone in their "Widescreen" format; one illustration running across the top of each two-page spread, with accompanying text underneath. In essence, it's a heavily illustrated prose story. The art for this project is by Vatche Mavlian, who's done work for Marvel and Digital Webbing and others. Vatche is a wonderful artist who evokes a real pulp flavor to the work, and is sure to increase his fan base with his work on this. I'm such a fan of Vatche's that we've already discussed the possibility of collaborating on something else! Visit moonstonebooks.com for more information on this project.

2. THE PHANTOM ANNUAL: FIVE DAYS OF THE DRAGON
For those of you who DON'T know the name Tony Akins, well, shame on you and move out from under that rock! Akins is a long time comic artist of stellar talent. His most recent work was the Papa Midnite miniseries from Vertigo, and he is hard at work on the new Jack of Fables series for the same company. I've known Akins for quite a number of years, and consider myself a rabid fan of his work. We've often discussed the possibilities of working together, and it's almost happened a few times over the years. Now, finally, opportunity didn't just knock, it beat the door down!

Mr. Akins and I are contributing a ten page chapter in the just-announced Phantom Annual from Moonstone, where we will find ourselves in the illustrious company of Ron Marz, Chuck Dixon, Mike Bullock, Tony Bedard, Graham Nolan and more, who are each telling one segment of a much larger Phantom story that takes place over many decades, and focuses on a jade dragon that gives its owner power over the elements. The Phantom's mortal enemies, The Brotherhood of Singh, are trying to retrieve the dragon, which has been separated into five pieces. A wonderful idea, a great gathering of talent (plus me!), and a sure-fire hit. Check the Moonstone website for more information!

3. THE SPIDER
Moonstone publisher Joe Gentile has graciously asked me to contribute to this anthology of prose stories featuring the adventures of The Spider, a pulp character that is so violent he puts the Shadow to shame! This collection of stories will be in the same format as Moonstone's successful Kolchak book, and features a plethora of talented creators, with artists providing spot illustrations. I can't tell you too much about my story yet, but I promise, it'll be a roller-coaster of carnage! Details to follow as we get further along.

4. THE APOCALYPSE PLAN
I've already mentioned this project in a previous post, but wanted to include it here as a reminder. I've just seen the colored cover mock-up, and it's real purty! I'm very excited to be working with new-ish publisher Narwain on this three issue mini-series; I haven't felt this loved and respected (outside my marriage) in years! The interior art and covers are by Aaron Kuder, an artist I followed on the Penciljack site. His figure work is gorgeous! Promotion for this Heaven-versus-Hell horror/thriller begin in earnest at the New York Comicon, where I'll be sitting in with the Narwain-ians. See previous posts for details.

5. TRANSFUZION
This isn't a book, but it is quite the project! Gary Reed -- former publisher of Caliber Press, incredible writer, and good friend -- and I are joining forces to create an intellectual property development studio and content builder, called TransFuzion. This idea stems from innumerable conversations that Gary and I have had over the years about the current state and uncertain future of comic books. Our goal is to create properties that can be exploited across the entertainment board, from video games to toys to film and television, and comics of course! Joining us in this venture are Steven Jones and Randy Zimmerman, two incredibly gifted men who will bring their own special skills and talents to the table.

TransFuzion will have its debut this May. Watch this blog for more details as they develop!

AND MORE TO COME!
The following items are projects in development. As of right now, they are scheduled to appear later this year, but the formats and details have not been worked out, nor have their ultimate destinations in terms of publishing houses. However, this being my blog, I wanted the five of you to get this information first! Whether you want it or not!

6. STILETTO
Her name is Stella Ito. She's the daughter of a Japanese-American Army General, and an African-American model and actress. Stella's mother died in childbirth, and she has been raised by her globe-trotting military father, who wanted a son, no mistake, when you consider some of Stella's unique skills; she's a marksman, a black belt in two different martial arts disciplines, a gymnast, and more!

She's also a private detective, a career move that is thrust upon her a short while after the untimely death of her father, when a former friend of his, an exotic dancer named Athena, comes a'calling. Seems the stripper has attracted the attentions of a handsome young South American, the son of a diplomat and a reputed drug lord! Fearing for her safety, the stripper seeks out General John Ito, and finds, instead, the feisty, sexy, and lethal Stiletto!

STILETTO: ...SINGING IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT is currently planned as a three issue miniseries of 24 pages each. The artist for this project is Richard Jordan, another artist I "discovered" at Penciljack.com, who is hard at work on fleshing out my little "Blasian" heroine, even as we speak. I'll post art and provide more details about this project as they develop.

7. RED DEATH: A HARRY CYCYK CASE
Yet another Penciljack contributor, Arnie Gordon, provides the artwork for this retro/future Private Eye story. Harry Cycyk is a man who gets things done; the former Chicago cop was only the second person to win on "House-O-Death," the phenomenally successful t.v game show. He was also the last, as his unique method of successfully completing the challenge caused the show to be canceled, and his million dollar purse was used to pay the legal fees brought on by the litiginous producers. All too soon, Cycyk found himself penniless, and on the street. However, his past experience, quiet demeanor, and obvious cleverness put him in the spotlight of people who need problems solved, quietly and efficiently, and Cycyk finds himself employed as a private investigator.

In RED DEATH, Harry investigates the disappearance of the wife of the city's most prominent billionaire, a much younger wife who may be involved in the creation and sale of an insidious designer drug known as 'Red Death'. What Harry Cycyk discovers is not at all what he expects, and he finds himself in an underworld of death and betrayal.

RED DEATH is planned as the first in a series of Harry Cycyk stories. I'll have art to show in a few weeks on this.

8. INSPECTOR 12
Did you ever wonder about those unseen, mysterious people who stick little labels in clothing and on products, that read "inspected by...?" No? Well, artist and Hyperthetical partner Antonio Maldonado and I have wondered about it quite a bit. Inspector 12 is the result of all that wondering.

An employee of Acmecorp, 12 works the graveyard shift, inspecting products called "Doodgies" as they roll along a conveyor belt. It's a thankless job, to be sure, but 12 takes his work seriously. Nothing fazes him. On this particular night, however, when a dead body rolls past him, 12 is shaken to his very core! Deciding to investigate, he discovers an evil plan that threatens the very future of Acmecorp, and could spell doom for himself!

INSPECTOR 12 is a romp through a possible future, when corporations rule the world. Our hero is the comic book descendant of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, as only the artistic minds of my erstwhile collaborators, Antonio (ShortRound) Maldonado and Steve Willhite, can interpret him. I'll be posting some samples of this fun little story in a few weeks.

That's if for now kids. Hope you like the ideas presented, and feel free to comment if you want to know more!!!

APOCALYPSE... SOON!

2006-02-14T08:03:00.000-06:00

"Hey Raf! I see that you're going to be at the NYC con on February 25th and 26th, promoting a new book you're doing with Narwain, called THE APOCALYPSE PLAN. What's that all about?"

Well, I'm glad you asked, uh... unknown person who is NOT Raf!

THE APOCALYPSE PLAN is a three issue, black and white miniseries, 24 pages each, that tells the story of the war between Heaven and Hell in a fairly unique way; it posits the idea that the two entities are Corporations, and their stock in trade is the manipulation and harvesting of souls. Pretty heady, huh?

One morning, Mr. Lamb, the President of the Grace Corporation, receives a package from the home office. Inside are four envelopes. Mr. Lamb opens the first...

An hour later, across town, Mr. Abaddon, an employee of Morningstar, Inc., is called to headquarters to investigate a bizarre scene; a dozen of his co-workers have been found horribly mutilated in a conference room, with no clue as to how they died!

This sets into motion an action-packed story of retribution and--dare I say it?--revelation that rock these two organizations to their very foundations!

Art for The Apocalypse Plan (TAP) is being handled by Aaron Kuder, an incredibly gifted artist who hails from Ithaca, NY. I first saw Aaron's art on Penciljack.com, and was so impressed, I simply had to ask him if he were interested in collaborating. Luckily for me, he agreed! Unluckily for Aaron, he had to hit the ground running! You see, while I was trying to woo Aaron, Narwain, a publisher based out of Spoleto, Italy, was already wooing me! I'd sent the script to Narwain on a whim, having had a bit of bad luck with the property already, in terms of publishers and artists (but that's a story for another time). So, Aaron didn't have as much time as either of us would have liked, to develop the characters-- and our working relationship-- the way we would have liked. The fact that he has done as great a job as he has is a testament to his skills.

The good folks at Narwain have been bery gracious with me, and with this project. I'll post more details as they arise, and direct you to art as it is approved. I hope to have some type of flyer with me for the NYC con, and I hope to see lots of fans of my work. Although I'll be out there 'pimping' TAP, I will be happy to sign and discuss any of the other work I've done in the past 20 years.

I hope that you'll be as please with THE APOCALYPSE PLAN as I am to be writing it!

In a separate post, I'll be talking about some of the other projects that I'm working on.

NEW YAWK NEW YAAAAAAWK!

2006-01-31T08:47:00.000-06:00

This just in, kids!

I will be attending the NEW YORK COMIC-CON on Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26, 2006 at the rockin' Javits Center!

I'll be sitting at the Narwain Publishing booth (#110), spreadin' the love at 3:30 pm on Saturday, and 12 noon on Sunday. Why Narwain, you ask? Well, it's cause I just signed a contract with them to do-- ooh, you sneaky buggers! You know I can't talk about that right now! Not 'til the official announcement anyway!

However, while I'm touting the joy that is Narwain, I'll also be on hand to sign purt'near everything I've ever written, so all you Hellstorm, Tales From The Heart, Vampire: The Masquerade, Cold-Blooded, Phantom, Mr. Moto, Edgar Allan Poe, etc, fans, bring copies for me to sign! Make me look good in front of my new publishers, okay? Okay! Spread the word!

UPDATE-A-GOGO!PART ONE

2006-01-31T08:24:00.000-06:00

Okay, so my wonderful wife, my darling daughter, and some ugly mug names Steve Wilhite all took me to task for not updating my blog in a loooong time. Which, frankly, surprised me. I had no idea that anyone actually read this thing!

While I can't write everything I need to this go-round, I did just see something that bears posting.

As none of you know, this is the 70th anniversary of the comics legend The Phantom. As part of the many commemorative things that I'm sure will appear, the good folks at Newsarama.com sent out an email questionnaire to current Phantom creators. I did my fair share and some of my answers actually showed up in the article culled from those responses! Check it out here > http://www.newsarama.com/images/interviews/2006/arcade/PhantomCheckin.htm

I was, and am, thrilled to be asked to offer my views on the guy in the purple underwear, and the other cats who wrote in also offer some cool insights. I'm urging every Raf-o-phile to read the article, and not just the bits with my answers. Well, maybe read my answers FIRST, and then read the other guys'.

NEXT:

Steve Wilhite, the guy who's last name I can never seem to spell right. He's from Idaho. He's an artist. I like him. He and Antonio (ShortRound) Maldonado and I are doing a project together called Inspector 12. Steve is living proof that they don't just grow potatoes over there! I'll tell you more about that project next time, as well as some of the other titles and creators that live in the Raffiverse, 'kay?

Peace!

STUFF! A PREHOLIDAY POST!

2005-11-23T09:21:00.000-06:00

Morning, kiddies!

Today has been a good day for the creative writer in me, and only marginally includes any real writing!

Rich Jordan, a very talented artist who I found on PencilJack.com, a site that features the work of many fine comic book artists and writers, was going to, a while back, work on a project of mine called STILLETO (or STILETTO, I still can't remember how to spell it). This happened at a time when I was doing some real hardcore shopping for collaborators; I had a number of projects in the works, and was in a frenzy looking for art-guys. Rich graciously consented to draw the project, with nothing more than the promise of publication, since that's about all I CAN promise, but with the hope of some dough somewhere down the line.

Things being what they are in THIS writer's life, I lost track of Rich, after receiving some beeyooteefull concept sketches from him. Loyal readers of this blog will remember that I lost a few illustrators in the last couple weeks, as well as gaining more than a few rejection letters from publishers-that-be. I'd heard nothing at all from Rich, however.

Yesterday, whilst poring over the wounds on my psyche caused by the rejections of both stripes, I decided to inflict one on myself, and write to Rich, telling him that it really, truly was okay if he didn't want to do the project, but that he should just sob, sniff, TELL me!

Rich wrote back, and said, nope, he was STILL INTERESTED! Oh, joy, oh rapture! I quickly forwarded him the character synopses for him to cull sketches from while I finish up a project I'm currently doing, so as to dash off the first chapter of STILLETO (or STILETTO).

I'm happier than a pig in poo, and wanted to share my happiness with all of you (hi, Nicky!).

Lesson learned, even for an old-timer like myself; just when you think you're at the end of your rope, someone feeds you more line! Yay!

More later...

Another One Bites the Dust...

2005-11-14T11:05:00.000-06:00

The life of a comic book writer is fraught with peril and frustration. The life of an indy comic book writer is all that, times two.

I just found out that an artist who was going to take over a book from another artist has himself decided not to do the project. The project in question was all set up with a publisher, who put the thing on hold due to an overwhelming schedule of upcoming titles. Now, I got no publisher, and no artist with whom to generate a pitch proposal (publishers really like visuals with their comic book proposals; go figger!).

I don't want this blog to turn into a bitch session home, so please don't feel bad for me; that's not why I'm writing this. Instead, think of RAFWRITES! as a cautionary blog, a place to hear about the trials and tribulations of a long time writer, in a short term memory industry...

more later...

2005-11-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

Photobucket

2005-11-11T14:10:00.000-06:00

This is a test post from Photobucket.com

MUCH TO DO ABOUT NUFFINK

2005-11-11T13:23:00.000-06:00

So, I guess I'm going to really be diving into the world of online comics, or at least attempting to.

For years now, I've been fortunate enough to always have a home, somewhere, in which to publish my work. Times being what they are, or maybe my talent being what it is, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. At least, not to the extent that I'd like. Too many responses from 'brand new' companies who are somehow overwhelmed with projects through 2010; too many artists who are hungry, absolutely ravenous, about getting published, but don't have the fortitude to actually produce anything, or suddenly decide that they need 'money', in order to finish the book, the book they couldn't get from anyone else, and will now use as a published sample to get work from Marvel or DC or whomever.

I want to be mad; I want to rail at the world and shout "Not Fair!!!" I shouldn't have to work this hard after 20 years! And then I tell myself to grow up, and deal.

The online world has many many perks for comic book creators, and a few downsides as well. The ups are that there are no distributors to dictate what they will carry or not in their catalogs (remember when distributors just distributed?) and thus prevent me from sharing my meager efforts with the rest of the world; the ups are that my work can be seen in color; the ups are that, potentially, that same work can be seen by about a zillion more people (or at least five more) online, than ever could in hard copy form. The ups are that I can see my work more immediately, and get responses more immediately, than I ever could before. Another up is that I can tell a story in whatever length I need to, not have to worry about page count, or nothin'!

The downsides? Well, hell, I still gotta find that artist, and now I'll need a colorist, to boot.

Online comics are still, for the most part, considered a 'wasteland' of some type, or, rather, a 'junkyard', of failed comic projects or, worse, failed comic creators. That's really sad, but it is at least rooted in some reality. It is akin, for me, of the early to mid 80's, during the Indy comic boom, when anyone with enough coin in his or her pocket could get their comic book published, regardless of the quality of the work (this is, of course, before the rise in paper and printing, before the death of the comic book specialty store). And while, yes, there are a great many earnest, talentless people making comics online, there are also quite a number of really, really, awesome people who are having fun and doing great work. And who are being read!!! And those other cats, who aren't quite as talented? I say the same thing now as I did during the 80's; more power to 'em, man! If you can, and you want to, then you should, and let the public decide if they like it or not.

Some very hip online sites you should hit are www.01comics.com , moderntales,com , komikwerks , pv comics (just found them today!), and, while I'm sure there are more out there, there are still more being created every day. Check out as many as you can, you'll be glad you did.

And to those naysayers who say that webcomics will never replace paper, I say, yeah? So? We don't have room for another kind of comic book entertainment?

I'll let you know how things turn out, 'kay?

Huh? Oh, yeah, no, don't worry; I'll still work in the paper industry, too. Hell, I'll work for whoever will have me!

WHA--? ANOTHER CALENDAR GIRL?

2005-11-07T06:39:00.000-06:00

Good friend and great artist Juan Arevalo has just informed me that he has yet another calendar girl store set up, this one featuring a dolly who celebrates the New Year! Check out the new store at http://www.cafepress.com/calendargals2
Juan is going to be setting up his own premium store soon, so I'll let you know when that happens. Way to go, Juan!

IT'S WHAT YOU WANT FOR XMAS!!!

2005-10-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Hey All!

Today I wanted to tell you about my good friend Juan Arevalo, who is a talented beast and a great great guy, who happens to draw phenomenal piccies!

Juan has a new cafepress shop featuring the first in a series of pinup-girl pinups! The series is called CALENDAR GIRLS and the first image, appropriately enough, is a Christmas Cutie!

You can check out the store by clicking here

If you like smart and sexy cheesecake (and who don't like cheesecake?), visit this store today!

NOW YOU SEE ME...

2005-10-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, all five of you! Check it out! I'm going to be appearing, with my Hyperthetical cronies, Antonio Maldonado and Jonathan Knipping, at the Chicago Comic Book Marketplace convention, on October 30, 2005 (that's a Sunday, right?), from 10 am to 4 pm. It's being held at the Embassy Suites, 511 North Columbus Drive, and admission's only 5 dollah, cheap! Come on down and see our wares, we're gonna have stickers, t-shirts, sketchbooks, prints, mag-a-nets, postcards, all KINDA stuff! Visit the Hype-site at www.hyperthetical.biz to see some of our offerings.

Or you can just rap with us, and visit our good friends, LaMorris Richmond of B.L.A.M. comics, and painter Doug Klauba, as well as the gang from Inter-Fan.org. It's gonna be a rockin' good time! Visit www.chicagocomicconventions.com for more info, yeah?

See you there!

IMHO: A History of Violence

2005-10-14T08:19:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday I saw 'A History of Violence', the new film by David Cronenberg, starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Billy Hurt and Ed Harris...

In my humble opinion, you need to watch this movie. But I warn you, it's an odd one. Cronenberg, like Wes Craven, like Sam Raimi, will now and again go out of his milieu to make a film, the whys and wherefores of doing this being beyond me (but probably just to expand his oevour. BTW, I like using the fancy French words, but have no idea how to spell 'em, so bear with me), but more power to him, and them. The problem is that oftentimes, these directors will bring residue of their horror backgrounds with them, even when they're doing so-called 'mainstream' films. Cronenberg definitely does this with 'History', to interesting, and sometimes frustrating, effect.

Okay, don't freak out, I'm not going to give anything away; no spoilers here.

The movie starts out slowly, but that's intentional. The camera lingers on two men emerging from a motel room. I shouldn't say linger; this camera is LOCKED on 'em. The men have a drawn out conversation, meant to convey some type of laconic, folksy, but ominous portent. I yawned. Then violence happened, or the result of violence, and I freaked, said freaking due more because of the really great special effects than the scene itself. The audience is being primed, you see. We're being told that this film is going to be slow, and peppered with surprising, brutal bits of violence, blood, and kick ass make-up.

And that's exactly what happens for most of the film. We're presented with life in a small town, where apparently only white people live, everyone knows everyone else, and they all say 'howdy' or 'how-do' to each other. This is the kind of small town life best presented in a flick from the 50's or 60's. Here, it's just... distracting. Especially when you see kids smoking weed (I presume, couldn't quite make out whether it was a joint or a cigarette, but if it was a ciggy, then man, these kids were sucking the tobacco right out of it!) in order to let you know that they are hip and with it. This is a reminder that you ain't in Mayberry, I suppose. We're also treated to some rap music, an additional reminder that we're in the here and now.

But then we're shown the teen bully, and I'm pretty sure that I've seen this kid before, in just about every teen angst film of the 80s and early 90s. You know the one; he's got longish hair, is cruelly good-looking, drives a rockin' SUV, and says 'bitch' a lot, as a perjorative, I imagine, and mainly aimed at the actor playing Viggo's son, a sensitive sort who angers the teen bully by-- wait, you ready?-- catching a fly ball!!! No shit, man. That's what he does. Why is this important? It's important because Viggo's son has told us, moments before, that he sucks at baseball, he's not looking forward to gym class, Viggo tells him that he just needs to get under the ball, blah blah blah. And then he catches the flyball, after showing us how bored he is on the field, his team wins the game, and he is now the prime target of the teen bully and his 'come on with it, bitch' dialogue. Yow!

Onto Viggo (and his lovely co-star Maria); apparently, the best way for the King to play this character Tom Stall, owner of Stall's restaurant in Millbrook, Indiana, is to completely wipe any emotion off of his face, set it into a blank stare, and talk as if he is the grown up version of Opie Taylor. If he had said 'Golly' or 'Garsh!', I would not have been surprised in the least.

Now Tom is absolutely in synch with his Mayberry, RFD surroundings, even though his restaurant, small as it is, employs like, 4 or 5 people aside from himself. His wife, meanwhile, is firmly in the here and now, gang. Maria Bello plays a lawyer, we know this because a character tells us so, not cause we actually see her lawyering. And why is she a lawyer in this film? ... ... ...dunno. I guess, cause she has to be something? Aside from hot? Now, don't get me wrong. Bello is a fine actress, she does a great job in this film, but it bugged the hell out of me that she had more balls than Viggo's character (we find out later why). It felt like they were in two different movies!

'History' is based on the graphic novel of the same name, published by a now defunct division of DC comics. The same division that published 'Road to Perdition', by the way. I hope that Andy Helfer, who headed up that imprint, is laughing his ass off, and demanding his line of books back. The Paradox Press line of digest-sized books was way ahead of its time, and deserves to be brought back. And Andy, if you're reading this, I need work, so when my little blurb here makes all that good stuff happen for you, gimme a call, yeah?

I didn't read the comic, but I know the work of John Wagner and artist Vnce Locke. I am absolutely certain that the storyline played beautifully in the comic book medium; it's only in the translation to film that it suffered.

So why am I reccomending you watch this movie? 1. cause when it's good, it's really good. 2. the sex scenes are some of the most intense I've seen in years, outside of porn and french films. 3. there are some camera moves that are gorgeous. 4. ed harris, bill hurt, viggo have all done great work in the past, and they seem to have a lot of fun in this one, with plenty of scenery to chew up (even Viggo, after... well, you'll see), and, shit, it's Cronenberg, man. He always entertains, to one degree or another.

Check out History of Violence with your friends. Don't take your mom or a date, though; some of the scenes will freak you out, some will embarrass the shit out of you, in my humble opinion. Oh, and by the graphic novel!

And So It Goes

2005-10-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the life of an independent comics writer...

I have, to date, over a dozen projects in the works. Some, I know have a home, others, I wait, with a jittery patience, while the artists pull together sample art, so that I can pitch to various publishers. The bitch is, most of the publishers that I want to pitch to now have posted on their sites that they are no longer accepting submissions.

So I have a bunch of work that need homes, but what to do? Where to send them? I keep reading about new projects being published from all sorts of publishers, but have no idea how to get their attention (the publishers, that is).

And so I find myself looking at other avenues in which to present my work. Self-publishing is an option, certainly, but not a very good one; I don't have the wherewithal (aka $$$) to make as big a splash as I'd like. I could try to put some of this work online at Komikwerks or one of the other online comics sites, but will my artists agree to it? I could try to put the books together and offer them on cafepress, but there again, the marketing problems arise. And my current publishers are jammed with books from various creators that they are putting out, and have no room for another of my titles.

Maybe I should hit Europe? Will Italian or French publishers, whose titles I feel an affinity with, be more receptive to the kinds of stories I want to do?

I know there's an answer somewhere, just gotta figure it out...

Anyone else out there in the same boat? Share!

It's a hard knock life

2005-10-03T12:50:00.000-05:00

Morning, all!

Am at my day job, a lovely place that inspires me to absolutely nothing! My boss and my co-workers are great, though, and the boss knows my bent; that is, he knows I'm a comic book writer, and he is quite cool about letting me do some of my writing here.

I wanted to let you know about an interview I did recently with a Spanish blog; Toni Boix, a Spaniard, wrote to Moonstone, one of my publishers, to praise my work on Damnation Game, my two-part Phantom story. Moonstone forwarded the email to me, and I wrote Toni back, thanking him for the kind words. Toni then asked me if I would agree to an interview. Requests like these come very seldom for me, so I readily agreed.

The questions arrived via email, in Spanish, and I translated 'em, using Babelfish. I then responded in English, which Toni translated back into Spanish.

The interview, as well as a little bio of me, ran last week, and garnered a lot of favorable responses, including a couple people offering to head up a petition to DC demanding I write a Superman story, and some others sending the interview to Spanish publishers, in hopes of them reprinting some of my work in Spanish!

It was, and is, a great experience, and I'm very grateful to Toni for the interview and all that's resulted from it. You can find the interview at

http://www.zonanegativa.com/?p=1376

along with my bio at

http://www.zonanegativa.com/?p=1371

Keep in mind two things, though: 1. the interview and bio are in Spanish, so if you don't read it, you should translate it via Babelfish. 2. zona negativa, or negative zone, the blog, has some rather interesting and naughty pop up windows that show up at absolutely the worst time! So be very careful where and when you open these bad boys, okay?

I hope to have an English version of the interview up on the Hyperthetical site in the next couple weeks, for those of you interested enough to read it, but no so much that you'll tackle the espanol version.

That's all for now, excepting to tell you that you should definitely check out the links for the Hyperthetical site, as well as the blogs for my friends Antonio Maldonado and Juan Arevalo, found over to the right there.

Thanks!

raf

here's me!

2005-10-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

How ya doin?

2005-10-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

Here's my blog, hope you like.