The Devil's Concubine: FINAL COVER ART!

This is Peter Snejbjerg's final cover for "The Devil's Concubine" US.

Tomorrow: "Previews" ad revealed.

The Devil's Concubine: NEW SNEJBJERG COVER

Not final art, but we're getting there...

On the Road: MORE AIRPORT SKETCHES

More sketches from Oslo airport. I like the way the guy on the right is resting his mobile on his belly. Ever wonder exactly when all your vanity has gone and you just don't care anymore? That's the sign, I guess. When you start resting things on your belly, in public.

On the Road: AIPORT SKETCHES

A one-day job in Oslo yesterday, speed drawing at a corporate seminar. My flight back was delayed, so I settled in with my sketchbook and a cup of coffee. Here are some of the results.

Here's a little truth about aiports, by the way; The reason they confiscate your mineral water at the security check is not to prevent drug smuggling or acts of terrorism. It's so they can sell you a new one inside.

Recommended: SERIELAND.DK

Just as I had written a post about it, Danish comic fan site Serieland made sure my book "Skyggen af Bevis" is now available for reading online - with my permission, of course.

Serieland offers a mix of new and old comics for free online reading.  The site is in Danish, but they have a few English comics as well. Enjoy!

Writing experience: HARD EVIDENCE

After "Fusion" the roleplaying game, I wanted to do something else. Something a non-roleplayer could pick up and enjoy. But at the same time, I knew I had something of a fan base in the RPG underground. What to do?

I think it was at some convention a guy showed me a White Wolf comic, based on the Werewolf game, and encouraged me to do something similar with "Fusion". Like always, I completely dismissed the idea. And then changed my mind less than 24 hours later.

The plot for "Hard Evidence" (in Danish "Skyggen af bevis") came from a roleplaying game session. Well, two actually. My friend Thomas Bjerregaard came up with the story of a man who seemingly murdered his wife, and a sinister conspiracy beneath it all. First time around, the seeting was America in the 1950's and the investigators FBI agents. I re-hashed the plot for our "Fusion" campaign, the setting now near-future Copenhagen and private investigators on the case.

We took turns as gamemasters in our campaign, like different directors on a tv-show. My character, ex-con Hauge, wasn't in the session as it played out, but took the stage for the graphic novel. I enjoyed playing this guy so much, I thought he could use his own show. I toned down his thick-headed personality and made him a bit more articulate for the graphic novel. I wanted the dialogue to be zinging and tough, like Raymond Chandler at his best.

In a way, this project was a stepping stone for me. It got me back into comics, when I thought it too hard. "The Devil's Concubine" was scripted and thumbnailed and just laid there, like a mountain waiting to be climbed.  "Hard evidence" got me into shape and gained me back my confidence. The story originally ran as a weekly web comic on the "Fusion" website, thus forcing me get the damn pages done in time. I can highly reccomend this method. Only downside is that everyone has read the book before it comes out. I coerced af few of my colleagues into doing art for a pin-up gallery in the back, so byers would get something new for their money.

I wrote a "making of" article on the Fusion website, in Danish, but you can check it out here.

Fahrenheit published "Hard Evidence" in 2005. The English publication rights for the book are still up for grabs. Write me an e-mail, and I'll send a PDF.

Off Topic: HEIR TO THE EMPIRE

Well, this is sort of an art blog, right?

Here's a picture my 5-year old daughter drew in Photoshop with my Wacom board after about ten minutes of practice. Boy, do I feel old. And very proud.

According to my daughter, that's me in the middle.

Recommended: CRIMINAL

The best comic book series to come along this last decade, is Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' noir masterpiece, "Criminal". When a comic book makes your stomach clench, you know it's special. Gritty, down-to-earth crime stories, with a different perspective in each installment, "Criminal" tells stories from the gutter - And the gut. The microverse slowly unfolds, letting you really get under the skin of the characters. Sean Phillips' expressive artwork has never looked better, the colors help the storytelling and adds to the mood. If you like Raymond Chandler and shows like "The Wire" or "The Shield", this is for you.

It's not just a comic, it's crime fiction at it's best.

Sketchbook: THE WIRE

I often like my sketches better than the finished drawing. Sometimes these quick studies make it into the book I'm working on.

Here is a couple of still sketches I did watching "The Wire".