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VCSS: Swords!!!

VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP has a simple style, and I’m trying to keep the looseness and energy of the layouts, so I’ve skipped penciling and I’m inking right on top of the roughs. It’s digital, so it’s not the high wire act of going straight to ink on paper, but there’s still a learning curve. Maybe it’s psychological to some degree. But practically speaking, if you go in scribbling and roughing in shapes, then you’re effectively penciling, which would defeat the purpose. I find you do have to focus differently so that you’re putting down “final” looking line work. At first pages were taking forever as I was feeling out the particulars of the style, but I’m getting faster and looser.

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Come see me at NYCC 2016

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Here’s what I’m up to at New York Comic Con 2016:
I’ll mostly be guesting at the National Cartoonists Society booth #2058 where I’ll have copies of VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP for sale. I’m also doing a quick signing at the First Second Books booth #2239 along with author Adam Rapp, where we’ll have a limited number of advance copies of DECELERATE BLUE, our new graphic novel due out this winter.

Table times are:
National Cartoonists Society booth #2058:
Thurs 10/6: 1-4pm
Fri-Sat 10/7 & 10/8: 4-7pm
Sun 10/19: 10am-1pm

First Second Books booth #2239:
Sat 10/8: 12:30pm-1pm

 

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Anchors Aweigh

I always have a hard time starting work on a new book. I’ve always had to spin my tires for a while before building up any momentum. I’d say on average, I’ve done the first 10-15 pages of any of my graphic novels somewhere between 3-5 times EACH. At that point, I usually figure out what I’m doing, and then I’m drawing a few pages a day. But that period of trying to find the style has at times been infuriating.
Finally starting interior work on VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP. I told myself, “Self, you know what these first 10 pages are going to be like. Remain calm and just do it over.” True to form, I did the first page around three times yesterday and once today, and I think I’ve got it.
One page inked, 185 more to go.

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VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP graphic novel announced!

I can finally say, officially, that I’ve started working on my next graphic novel, a solo effort called VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP: THE HOUND OF HADES, for First Second Books. I’m lucky enough to get a relatively steady stream of freelance work, but it’s not often that I get to work on my own creation for one of my favorite publishers with an actual budget attached. To be honest, I kinda can’t believe it.

Here’s some promotional artwork and a bit of text from Kieran Shiach’s article at the COMICS ALLIANCE website:

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Stock Up On Your Magical Items at
VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP by Mike Cavallaro

by Kieran Shiach September 2, 2016 9:30 AM
“If you ever wondered where magical beings went to get the very latest in mystical gear, it turns out there’s a one-stop shop for all of their supernatural needs.
In 2018, cartoonist Mike Cavallaro will take readers inside Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop to explore the lives of the staff who work there, and to see what happens when they realize they have to stop an adventurer succeeding with his quest.
Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop: The Hounds of Hades follows Nico, Buck, and Lula, who work diligently for the titular store — but when Beowulf’s great-grandson Eowolf comes in looking to stock up for his quest to slay Cerberus, the staff at Vulcan’s realize they need to stop him from inadvertently unleashing hordes of dead souls back into the living realm.
The characters of Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop have existed in a number of forms over the years, including within the page of British all-ages anthology The Phoenix, and in self-published single issue comics. Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop: The Hounds of Hades marks the first original graphic novel in the series.”

Read more from the COMICS ALLIANCE article here.

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Mile marker

Just finished writing the first draft of my new graphic novel: 182 pages of comics, all of which is already thumbnailed, with about half of it lettered. It seems like only a couple days ago I was stuck on the first few pages, but that in fact was about five months ago. I’ve written shorter stories, but never anything this long or cohesive. It’s been so much fun! I can’t wait to start drawing!

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Some things end, others begin…

Feels like it’s been a while since I posted anything here! First up, the DECELERATE BLUE graphic novel with writer Adam Rapp for First Second Books seems to be done. There’s one more round of proofs but hopefully all’s well and that can move forward to publication. Here’s the cover art:

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Next up: I’m finalizing negotiations for my next graphic novel, and I’m very excited about that since I’ll be writing and drawing the whole thing myself for one of my favorite publishers. I should probably wait until the paperwork is signed to say more about that, but I’m already working on it and will have lots of preliminary art to show when the time is right.

Meanwhile, looks like I’ll be exhibiting at Baltimore Comic-Con, September 2-4, 2016. Each year the organizers pick a theme and ask exhibitors to contribute to a yearbook that will be available for sale at the convention. If you’ve checked out my NICO BRAVO and VULCAN’S CELESTIAL SUPPLY SHOP comics, and if you’ve ever picked up an Archie Comic, you may recognize some of the characters in my contribution:

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More on my new book soon, stay tuned!

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