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Take another look at your favorite myths and legends in this hillarious new graphic novel by Mike Cavallaro!

Got a problem? At Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop, you can find the magical merchandise to set things right. The seasoned staff—a kid named Nico Bravo, a sphinx named Lula, and a unicorn named Buck—pride themselves on providing “legendary service and expertise in all areas of the arcane.”

But Nico’s world is about to be turned upside down, and it’s all thanks his latest customer: Eowulf, the pint-size descendant of the monster slayer Beowulf. Determined to carry on the family business, this would-be warrior plans to slay Cerberus, the terrifying, three-headed hound of Hades. There’s just one problem—Cerberus is the only thing preventing the hordes of the Underworld from entering the land of the living. Can Nico stop Eowulf from unleashing a zombie apocalypse?

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  Buy IMPOSSIBLE INCORPORATED here!

Buy IMPOSSIBLE INCORPORATED here!

The fantastical sci-fi adventure of an extraordinary teenage girl and her amazing teammates, seeking the truth about the universe–and her own mysterious past.

Join seventeen year old Number Horowitz, daughter of legendary genius-adventurer Goliath Horowitz, as she and her companions board a cosmic train called the Non-Local Express, riding across the quantum sea and into the Infinite Spiral that leads anywhere, everywhere, and every place in between.

Time travel, other worlds, new dimensions, parallel universes: the Impossible Incorporated team can journey any place the mind can imagine–and also into mysteries far beyond imagination’s reach. But the greatest mystery of all is–what happened to Goliath Horowitz? Number’s father vanished when she was seven years old and she’s determined to discover the truth about Goliath’s disappearance, find him, and bring him home.

By J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Cavallaro

It’s Alive!

At some point towards the end of high school, I knew I wanted to make comics. Since then I’ve never wanted to do anything else. It hasn’t been easy. But seeing my first work published  in the 90’s was thrilling and nothing that’s happened since has managed to put a dent in that.

These proofs are both surprising and familiar. I mean, I know the book by heart of course, but seeing images and words you pulled from thin air, or which seemed to have been beamed into your brain and then onto the page by some outside force, now solidified in print…I don’t know how to describe it. After the hours, days, weeks, months of grinding away at it, I almost wonder where this all came from, as if someone else had made it.

On top of that, I love books, and I love that in a time with so much gadgetry, a book has lost none of its magic or appeal. I can’t wait for this thing to exist! First Second Books

I’ve been working hard on my new monthly series with writer J.M. DeMatteis, IMPOSSIBLE INCORPORATED. The first issue drops in September, here’s the scoop:

Join Number Horowitz and her team as they board the Non-Local Express, riding across the quantum sea and into the Infinite Spiral, seeking the truth about the universe–and her own mysterious past! Creator-owned cosmic odyssey by Eisner Award-winning writer J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Mike_Cavallaro. From IDW Publishing, In Shops 9/19/18, Diamond order code JUL180914

IMPOSSIBLE INCORPORATED #2, (w) J.M. DeMatteis, (a) Mike Cavallaro. Available October 17 2018, Diamond Comics order code: AUG180801, $3.99, IDW Publishing.

“While lost in the other-dimensional paradise called Conundropolis, teen genius Number Horowitz is reunited with her long-missing father, Goliath. Or is she? In a world where reality is plastic and perception is open to interpretation, how can she possibly be sure? Plus: the Impossible Inc. team faces the universe-devouring threat of the Time Termites!”

IMPOSSIBLE INCORPORATED #3, (w) J.M. DeMatteis, (a) Mike Cavallaro
Diamond Previews order code: SEP180665, In Shops: Nov 21, 2018, $3.99, IDW Publishing

With the Infinite Spiral collapsing and time periods colliding, Number Horowitz and her team must find a way to stop the Time Termites before all of Creation is erased! But will Number have to ally herself with her most dangerous foes, the alien Exterminators, in order to save the universe?

Just going through some old artwork here and came across one of my favorites from a previous project, worth talking about, but I have to back up a little first…

J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS is probably one of my biggest influences. I’ve read the books more than a few times and I vividly remember seeing Ralph Bakshi’s animated adaptation in the theaters. The film’s promotional artwork was mesmerizing. I stared at whatever scraps I could collect for hours. I think when you’re young, those images you see that really captivate you are absorbed into your artistic DNA, and can affect the way you approach a composition, or draw a leg or a hand, etc., forever. This was definitely one of them for me, and since the promotional artwork was mostly uncredited, it took me years to learn it was drawn by Mike Ploog. 

Ploog entered the animation industry in 1969, working at Filmation and Hanna-Barbara after completing 10 years in the Marine Corps. After that, he worked with Will Eisner on PS Magazine for the U.S. military. At Marvel Comics, Ploog co-created GHOST RIDER with Gary Friedrich, and worked on MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN, KULL THE DESTROYER (another favorite of mine), WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, and many others.
In Hollywood, Ploog worked on WIZARDS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, Michael Jackson’s MOONWALKER, John Carpenter’s THE THING, SUPERMAN 2, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, Jim Henson’s THE DARK CRYSTAL, and others.

My chance to bring my lifelong appreciation of Mike Ploog’s work around full-circle came in 2009 when J.M. DeMatteis and I were working on our LIFE AND TIMES OF SAVIOR 28 comic book series. We were given one variant cover per issue, so I had the great pleasure of seeing our character designs rendered by some of my favorite creators, including Sal Buscema, Joe Sinnott, Kevin Maguire, Don Perlin, and of course, Mike Ploog.

Here’s Ploog’s marvelous rendition of Savior 28 and his sometime-foe The Lemurian, colored by Andrew Covalt, for THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAVIOR 28 issue #4 variant cover.

My copy of the WHERE WE LIVE anthology to benefit the victims of the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting arrived today, and it’s a beautiful book. I was invited by my good friend J.M. DeMatteis to collaborate with him on his story, REMEMBER, a reflection on our lifelong relationship and cultural romance with guns.

The official solicitation reads:
“On October 1, 2017, Las Vegas, Nevada suffered the worst mass shooting in modern American history, resulting in 58 deaths and over 500 injured. It broke my heart. Las Vegas is my home. I felt like something needed to be done to help in a unique way.”
— JH WILLIAMS III, Artist & Curating Editor

This “unique way” was the genesis of the WHERE WE LIVE anthology—a riveting collection of both fictional stories and actual eye-witness accounts told by an all-star line-up of the top talent working in comics today. All the creators have graciously volunteered their time and talent to help bring some sense to this senseless act and, in the process, raise money for the survivors and their families.

The book will include a variety of perspectives with key themes exploring gun violence, common sense gun control, value of a compassionate society, mental health stigmatization, aftermath of tragedy and how individuals & communities persevere and an appreciation of Las Vegas as a vibrant community. 100% of the proceeds for the WHERE WE LIVE anthology will be donated to Route 91 Strong, a non-profit organization.

– See more at: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/where-we-live-las-vegas-shooting-benefit-anthology-tp#sthash.M0hO1enN.dpuf

Published: May 30, 2018
Diamond ID: MAR180600
ISBN: 978-1-5343-0822-0
Age Rating: T+

The cover is almost never ever the first one you draw. In creating the cover for NICO BRAVO AND THE HOUND OF HADES, I worked with the incredibly talented Andrew Arnold at First Second Books. Andrew is a cartoonist himself, a published author, designer, and art director, and an alumni of the Center for Cartoon Studies.

We kicked sketches and scribbles back-and-forth, guided by Andrew’s expert eye. I thought were were almost there when I heard a talk by another gifted designer, Colleen Venables, who noted that many people will first see your cover online at postage stamp-size, and it must work at that scale.

That inspired me to change directions, and helped us arrive at the final art. You can also see the title of the book change somewhere  in the middle of the process, thanks to some clear thinking on the part of a few folks. So, a lot of sketches, some patience, and some great advice are essential parts of the recipe. Here are a few of the roughs we made to get us there, plus the final version: