VENICE CHRONICLES

You know, if you love slice of life comics that really give you a lot of organic watercolory atmosphere and emotion, you should really order Enrico Casarosa's amazing new book THE VENICE CHRONICLES.. Enrico's a good friend and I've seen this book come to life quite nicely over the past few months. It's an amazing package, a hefty little hardcover with meaty woodfree interior pages graced with painting after painting of genius.

Amazon's got 'em cheap, so order today, along with some other things...;)

TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! preview

Hey all-

The good folks over at COMIC RELATED have kindly posted a few pages from TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! Volume 1. go check 'em out, then order your copy! The Diamond Catalogue order number is OCT08 3781. I just got my advances from China and they look just the way I wanted them to. Pics soon.

NOTES OVER YONDER and TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! production

Here's a unique look at some of the "process" of fabricating hardcover books overseas. NOTES OVER YONDER and TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! are both being printed by GLOBAL PSD in China, the same company that produced the finished ANCIENT BOOK OF MYTH AND WAR, as well as Bill Presing's beautiful BELLE DUJOUR and BOOKPLATE BETTIES and Enrico Casarosa's upcoming VENICE CHRONICLES. I hear we'll get some pics of the binding process soon, so stay tuned, and order these books if you haven't already! AMAZON links on the right.

THE TIME IS NOW!

Just a reminder to order NOTES OVER YONDER and TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! Now's the time those retailers are placing their orders from Diamond, and Amazon counts as a "retailer". These aren't limited run books, really, but initial orders are the key hit for self-publishers. Ordering now helps me along with future projects in a big way, and your support means the world! Again, I WILL more than likely produce a very small run of "limited editions" of both of these books, but probably limited to just 25 copies of each. As for the affordable edition for your bookshelf or coffee table, though, Amazon has the best deals I've seen on both (NOTES OVER YONDER)(TIGER!TIGER!TIGER!) There's "Look Inside!" previews of both on Amazon, too!

musketeers of olde and late

Sometimes things slip through the cracks, but eventually they get done. Here are a couple of commissions I've neglected for way too long. And that, my friends, is why I usually shy away from online commissions.

Two More Benefits

Two more benefit auction pieces. I'll post more details on where you can get the WONDER WOMAN soon, but the elephant is for an Italian benefit calendar, Unione Italiana Volontari Ciechi, an association that helps the blind with their everyday lives.

TOTORO FOREST bidding open!

That's right! Go now to bid on your favorite pieces. Mine are priced with low opening bids of $100 each, and for a painting that size, that's a good deal if you snag one! All of the art is amazing, whether you bid on mine or someone else's...just get in there and help out the forest! Above you'll notice some Flying Tiger Air Buses, too...those are 4 more original art bookplates that you could possibly score an original of if you buy a $500 ticket to the event. Each $500 ticket comes with an original piece of art by one of the artists. ;)

TIGER!TIGER!TIGER!: ORDER NOW!

You can get them on AMAZON now, and CHEAP! Only $10.17 for this hardcover volume. That's probably the best deal you're gonna find around town. And I'd love you to have a copy! It's at the printer now and coming along nicely. I just reviewed and signed off on the proofs. Again, for the die-hards, there'll be a limited edition version available soon, and you can hit me at APE for a personalized copy.

TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! Volume 1

It's in the can and at the printer! I'll have advance copies for sale at APE in November, and more than likely limited edition versions containing an original painting around the same time. More on that later. In the meantime, here's a sneak at some of the more watercolor-y storytelling found in the book. The art ranges throughout, but this particular style feels the most "right" to me for the types of stories I'm telling. I really hope you dig it.

TOTORO FOREST tickets on sale!

This is your chance to not only bid on some amazing art in person, but to visit Pixar in the process. There are a variety of ways you can support the Totor Forest Project, and one of them is to get the top of the line ticket, which comes with original art by either me, Bill Presing, Enrico Casarosa, Ronnie del Carmen, or Dice Tsutsumi! Above are the four pieces I donated for the high-end ticket buyers. I call them TOTOPHANTS. Check out the TOTORO FOREST PROJECT blog for the latest!

Order NOTES OVER YONDER today!

The AMAZON LINK is live and ready for pre-orders with a very nice discounted price of $10.36! This is promising to be a very nice volume, 64 fully painted pages of heartbreaking love story. If you prefer to support your local retailer, remind them to order the book! Often times with smaller run books and boutique publishers you'll find that retailers may need a little prompting! It's in the current DIAMOND PREVIEWS catalogue in the AdHouse Books section!

You can download a PDF preview on the AdHouse Books Website, or view a nice plug of the book at COMIC RELATED!

Thanks again for the support. This is a volume that would make for great gift-giving as well, very accessible to new readers, featuring a single-panel-per-page format and no dialogue, but plenty of heart.

A couple from the con *UPDATED*

So here's a couple of scans of pieces I did at the con, "convention sketches". I try not to do line art, but make things worth the time and money for everyone. The top one is a Maurice Noble-y western piece, then my tiger playing sax, the next one just a random creature, then a dog named Ninja and a cat named Pirate, the next is a SEVEN SAMURAI commission, third a WORLD'S FINEST, the bottom a BLACK WIDOW. Find me at a con and this is the level of "sketch" you get. More soon!

CON WRAP UP!

I'd like to thank everyone that came by to support RED WINDOW and make San Diego Comic COn 2008 such a success. Special thanks to Anita, Michelle, Jeff, Bill, Ikumi, the staff of Allen Spiegel Fine Arts, Ally and Pete, and of course my lovely wife Dani. Our booth was overrun with love on both sides of the table and it means the world that you all made the week such a pleasure.

I'll be posting pics of sketches (so if I did one for you, scan it and I'll post it!), as well as some pics of the booth and things in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Some of you asked about the original art, and here's the deal: Graphic Collectibles will have some of it available very soon for purchase. They cleaned me out at the con so they'll be handling sales of the pieces you've seen here. Mitch, the owner, is great to deal with, so if there's something you'd like, please drop him a line and ask.

In the meantime, you'll notice a little addition to the sidebar of the blog! There are officially some things available for purchase via Paypal that will ship as ordered, so get on it. Please e-mail crazymorse (at) sbcglobal.net with questions about sizes and availability before ordering. These are all limited edition items, so if you order without checking and I'm out of what you want, you'll have to go through the refund process on Paypal. Just a heads-up.

So now's the time to drop a line and order away!

More soon...

CON BONUS! Original art from the archives!

I don't usually do this, but because of my lack of time preparing for this year's con, I decided it was time to go through the archives and pick some choice pieces to put up for sale. These will be at my booth, 4800, while at the con, and anything left will be sold online via Graphic Collectibles. I'll keep you all posted on what's left...but keep in mind, it'll be cheaper to grab something at the con, plus no shipping to pay, and some of these are already matted and framed!

Now, just what do we have here? A sampling of what'll be available, but we've got some unseen DC and Marvel pitch art (ELEKTRA, JIM GORDON), an unused PLASTIC MAN cover for an issue I had to pass on creating when I moved to Pixar, and even some ANCIENT BOOK originals. Prices will range around $300-$400 on average for this size piece at the con. There might even be an unsold YELLOWBIRD ukulele from last year that no one picked up ($350)! Sweet!

Another CON EXCLUSIVE!

THE ANCIENT BOOK OF SEX AND SCIENCE is in production now...it's the follow-up to our incredibly successful ANCIENT BOOK OF MYTH AND WAR. Lou Romano, Don Shank, Nate Wragg, and me. We're shooting for next year's con to launch the book, but this year we'll have an exclusive set of 4 prints, limited to 50 signed and numbered sets, to launch the SEX AND SCIENCE concept. They're nice, on high quality fine art paper. This set will run $50 for all four images, images that won't run in the book, but will remain exclusive to this print set. What's shown here are two digital sketches (Romano and Wragg) and two finals (Shank and Morse). The set itself will be all final images, not shown. Hit me early for these exclusive pieces of art!

BOOTH 4800: COMIC CON WARES 2008!

Here's a cryptic iPhone pic of some of the exclusives I'll have at the con. I've posted about them before, but here's proof they exist as actual items! Hit me early for these things:

*RED WINDOW SPRING 2008: high-end 8-page painted art catalogue, limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, $10
*RED WINDOW SUMMER 2008: high-end 8-page painted art catalogue, limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, $10
*1951 FORD F-1 t-shirt: Now you can wear my truck. $20, MENS M-L-XL, LADIES S-M-L
*TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! t-shirt: You love him. $20, MENS M-L-XL, LADIES S-M-L
*PLOT DEVICE t-shirt: Didn't know I was lead singer in a band
, didja? VERY LIMITED. Sizes vary. $20.

I'll also have some prints and original art from TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! for sale, but the original art is going to start becoming more of a rarity, I think. It might be a good time to consider grabbing something if you've been hankering.

Also, "sketches": I'll be bringing 8"x10" pre-cut, pre-prepped art board to do paintings. The backgrounds will have a hint of color, but the content will otherwise be black and white, as in the past. Anything you like, just bring reference, and sign up early to be sure it gets done at the con. $100 each.

BOOKS: I'll have on hand copies of SCRAP METTLE, NOBLE BOY, VISITATIONS, VOLCANIC REVOLVER, SPAGHETTI WESTERN, the three MAGIC PICKLE books (but low supplies, I'm afraid...), and even a VERY few ANCIENT BOOK OF MYTH AND WAR. Prices vary.

See you at BOOTH 4800!

AFTERWORKS 3

Just a heads-up, we've cranked up the AFTERWORKS blog to give you all a preview of next year's AFTERWORKS 3 anthology. It's a collection of some top-notch storytelling by a roster of Pixar vets, including me. Here's some images from my story, THE BUILD. Go bookmark the AFTERWORKS BLOG and watch the project unfold!

TOTORO FOREST PROJECT

You may have heard rumors of an art movement called THE TOTORO FOREST PROJECT. I've been sworn to secrecy for a few months now, but the catbus is out of the bag. We, the artists, were asked to depict an original Totoro and tell its story. Above, you'll find i contributed two Totoros to the cause, URSALO and OTTORO. You can find their stories on pages 4 and 5 of the GALLERY section of the Totoro Forest Project site.

Totoro Forest Project is an international charity effort to preserve Sayama Forest, also known as Totoro Forest. This endangered sanctuary on the outskirts of Tokyo is where director Hayao Miyazaki got the inspiration for his much loved character “Totoro.” Over 200 top international artists from animation, illustration, and comics are donating artwork especially created for this cause.

On september 6th 2008 Pixar Animation Studios will be hosting an art auction event featuring all these fantastic pieces of art. All the proceeds of this fundraiser will benefit the Totoro Forest Foundation.

Please, if you can, donate to save this forest by either making a contribution, buying the art book when it becomes available, or attending the auction at Pixar and bidding on a piece of exceptional artwork. I'll be offering two pieces, both displayed here.

TIGER!TIGER!TIGER!

Here's a work in progress, but I think it's close. Chris Pitzer is taking a look at it, so it might very well evolve before publication, but this is your first look at the cover to TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! Volume 1. Look for it in stores this holiday season. I might have some preview pages at San Diego, so swing by to check 'em out. This is an INCREDIBLY personal series of books I've been working hard on, very experimental, that relay autobiographical stories about being a dad and dealing with life in general, which is something I sometimes really struggle with, as I'm sure everyone out there does. You'll notice the SOUTHPAW design has been resurrected to serve as my "paper tiger". This series is loaded with different types of art, ways of storytelling, and some tough ideas. I love working on it, and I hope you'll all love reading it very very soon.

WALL*E

Alright, I don't typically talk about the day job around this blog but there's this little movie I worked on that I think you might want to go see if you haven't already. You'll catch my name twice, under STORY ARTIST and END CREDITS: DESIGN LEAD. WALL*E was a blast to work on and I'm proud of our team and how the film turned out. I hope you all enjoy it. We made it just for you, you lucky dogs.