New Comics!

As the last few pages of “Boy Wizards” are finished, I’ll be moving onto a few new comic projects.

I’ll be starting work on the new Phineus graphic novel, “Queen of the Cold Night” with Brian Babyok starting sometime in May. Once “Boy Wizard” is finished up, I’ll have design work and thumbnailing to do to get ready for the story to begin posting. As usual all my preliminary and work up stuff can be seen first on my Patreon. Check out Brian’s novel here on Amazon.

Next up, I’ll be starting a new Bonus story (also posting exclusively on my Patreon) that will go into what will be my next Trade paperback, The first volume of The Complete Magician for Hire. This story is called “Council of Phin’s”.

And thirdly, I’ll begin design work and thumbnails for the crossover between Phineus and Explorers of the Unknown with Shawn Atkins. This should be fun, as we’re doing a story plotted by Shawn, drawn the old Marvel way by me and inked by Shawn. Should be a lot of fun. Check out Shawn’s stuff here.

It’s going to be a fun year of new comics, new stories and new collaborations.

This week check back for the exciting finish to “Boy Wizards”!

See you, soon!

Trade Paperbacks

I have all 12 of my trade paperbacks available on Amazon, now. Most of them have bonus content not available on this site. This is 26 years of my life and well over 1700 pages. And all I want to do is make some more!

Scud guest art

To commemorate Scud: The Disposable Assasin’s 30th anniversary, I did a Scud piece. I’ve loved Scud since Rob Schrab was doing shows in the early 90s when I was starting out. Now, he’s big and famous, but I’m still doing Phineus. It’s a tradeoff.

2023, the year in review

I know it’s a little late for a last year’s reflection, but here goes.

My year of art was inconsistent, at least. I’d been very disappointed, but when I go back and think of what I was able to complete, when I was able to work, it’s not too bad.

I finished, in the last 12 months, give or take, 70 comic pages and/or covers, a whole months worth of daily sketch cards, 2 sketchbooks full of drawings and a couple of shows.

And by and large it’s some of my best work, to date.By no means my best, but battling through depression and everything, I’ll take it.

Here’s to a more consistent year!

Sketchbook dump

I’ve been messing around with an idea to do a space story about a bunch of aliens who get stuck on a derelict space station. I’ve been finding some cool tabletop war/RPGs that have inspired me. I’m not sure if this’ll go anywhere, but here’s what I’ve been fiddling with.

Promptober 2023

Once again, this year, I participated in Draw or Die Club’s Promptober challenge. It was challenging and lots of fun! I was able to do this and continue work on all three stories I’ve been working on as well! So, good times!

That said, I’m glad I did it, but glad it’s over so I can focus on my stories! I’ll definitely do it again, next year!

For more info on how YOU too can draw every damn day, head over to Draw of Die Club and sign up!

Step By Step of a Kali Saga Page

Here’s some pics of an older page, as I drew them back in 2013. I don’t think I ever shared them. I sometime miss doing pages on paper with ink. That’s why I’m doing just that on the new bonus story. “The Lake Erie Horror”, available to Patrons on my Patreon page.

If I dig up any more shots like this, I’ll post them. A new “Barcrawl” page will be up very soon, as well.

Hannah Holmes

Here’s a character concept for a new Brian Babyok scripted Phineus story called, “Phineus – Queen of the Cold Night“. Coming soon, after I finish up a few other stories, first!

Early Phin and Sara Sketchbooking

Here are some old sketches from my college sketchbooks for Phin and Sara. This was all prepping for what would eventually be “Dismember Me When You’re Gone”, the official first Phineus comic.

There was a lot of playing with looks and poses. As well as a lot of sloppy texture. It’s a fun look back at where I was way back in 1990-1991.

Contessa

The Contessa is (barring Howie from Teen Wizard) my oldest existing character. I’ve been drawing her ever since I saw Tobe Hooper’s “Lifeforce”.

The Contessa was ported into my comic as a major villain, however, aside from a cameo in “Wake the Dead” she didn’t show up until 2012’s, “Have a Drink on Me”.

I am missing the first picture I made of her, which was confiscated in Middle school, due to nudity. In the class where I fleshed out Phineus, a pre-college art class at CMU, using an early Photoshop like program called Pandavision, I traced a pencil drawing into the program to digitally draw and color it (you can see it below). Keep in mind this was in 1987.

There’s lot’s of boobs involved with her.

Phineus through the years

I updated the strip I had of this from 2015 to include the newest stuff.

Draw or Die Draw Together

So, on Tuesday I attended the second monthly Draw Together event put on my D.J.Coffman and his wife Ally for Draw or Die Club in downtown Pittsburgh at the Federal Gallery

It was super fun, and I got to hang out with some old friends and met a bunch of new artists to sit, eat, talk and DRAW together. It’s a really fun thing to do, to draw around other people and socialize. As an artist, I usually sit and draw by myself. It’s so much more fun, with company

Draw or Die Club is a club that promotes drawing, every day. For fun, for profit, for mental well-being. It’s awesome. https://drawordie.co/

DJ had a list of prompts to go from and you could roll a dice and see what to draw. I ended up doing one of each and an extra doodle, too.

I’ll probably do this next month, too. And if you’re in Pittsburgh come on down and hang out!

The Evolution of Cole Beam

The idea of “Magician for Hire” started long , long ago as “Phineus 2036”.

I had the idea as far back as 2005. Cole has evolved many times, in look, name and character since then. As has the story.

I really like the curly haired version, and she may be a future, older version of Cole.

Phineus and the Black Knight

Possibly the very first Phineus story from 1989.

I remember drawing this while working overnight in a dorm at Edinboro University. Still not my Phineus, yet. Also, way too many panels per page.

Available to Patreons.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/86468830?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

Anniversary

Its a major anniversay! Now, I do celebrate two, there’s the one of the creation of my first issue (1991- we’re at 32 for that), but this is for the start of it all and the creation of Phineus and Sara, themselves. And the creation of my studio, Piffle Productions, my own personal studio moniker.

The characters were created my senior year of high school. Little did i know that these two would still be kicking around 36 years later. Ill be posting more sketches from my old sketchbooks and posting the original first takes on the characters in story form on my Patreon page.

I meant to be doing all this much earlier this year, but better late than never.

New Digs

So, you’re on the new and improved Phineus site.

The old site was run on clunky Comic Easel software that hasn’t been updated for a while and from a host who had the site down far too often.

The new site is much more stable, fast, and ,as you can see , a blog. All new pages and will post in the blog. All comics are backed up to Comic Archives (listed above), which are read in super quick galleries that fill the screen on websites and mobile.

I hope you all enjoy the new place, I love it. Wander around and take a look. If you see anything out of place, let me know so I can fix it.

Warhammering

The Adeptus Mechanicus arm of my list, as yet, unpainted.

One of 6 Bronkorpus tanks that count as Leman Russ or Chimera.

Whilst trying to break out of the depressive mood I am fighting, I’ve tried to stay creative, by working on my Imperial Agents list. I’ve played and collected Warhammer 40k for 30 years, since 2nd edition. I’ve always wanted a complete list of Imperial agents from the old Black Codex. I’m getting closer to having that. It’s keeping me moving, until I can draw, again.

I’m having fun, but missing my comics, so I’m hoping it’ll be back, soon.

Phineus playing cards by David Davis

Phineus made an appearance in Dave Davis’ excellent RGBots comic. Check all Dave’s stuff at https://www.cosmicdash.com/ .

Ben Billings interview pic

Heres a promotional image of Fr. Ben Billings being interviewed for a story Comicadia ad posted on Comicadia Worlds. The Comicadia sites aren’t up anymore, but enjoy Novasiri’s (Aether Eternius) awesome Ben art.

Old Sketches

These were some old sketches. The first was in preparation for Phineus:2013, which was later renamed The Kali Saga. The second is designs for GD7 (from 2007 & 1940) for the Brian Babyok scripted, The Great Jaguar Paw. We’ve seen the modern GD7 many times in Phineus, and the 1940 incarnation in the bonus story” How We Won the War”, available to Patreon subscribers.

I gotta dig out more of my old sketchbooks and share the hidden treasures and turds living there.

Sweeping Phineus review

There’s a really nice review of a good chunk of my books, by Gargantuan-Media over at Deviant Art: https://www.deviantart.com/indiegraphicnovels/blog/

I remember filling the order he placed, but just stumbled on the review he left on his DA blog. Pretty Cool. Give it a read!

This year marks 36 years of Phineus and Sara

1988. Well, late 1987 to 1988. I created these two characters in a computer graphics class I took in high school at Carnegie Mellon University on Saturdays. Yes. I CHOSE to go to school 6 days a week.

The original story was way too much Highlander meets Matt Wagner’s Mage, at this point. Phineus was some sort of extra-dimensional being sent to Earth for fight demons. Sara was the stereotypical damsel in distress. I clearly moved to a different path. I had a few different incarnations through out college, until I settled on the paranormal investigators we all know and love.

I’ve known these characters a good, long time. I’ll see if I can dig up any more old drawings of them.

Barry

Script accomplished!

So, I got a lazy for a long while and was winging it with my stories. Then, I get stuck, because I don’t know where to go and I wallow.

No. More.

I’m finished up the script in “Barcrawl”. “Boy Wizards” is next. I have Maynard and Grimm script done. Gonna get stuff DONE. I’m determined to kick all the ass in the coming year!

The comics I will be working to finish over the next weeks will be:

Barcrawl of the Damned (17 More Pages- Scripted)
Maynard and Grimm: Mother, Mother: (8 more pages- Scripted)
Boy Wizards -Bonus Story: (@16 more pages- Scripting)

Wish me luck!

Barry

Promptober is complete!

20221026_205847 I got them all done, and a bit early! Here were the prompts…

These were done as a part of DJ Coffman’s Draw or Die Club’s Promptober challenge. I got a late start due to hand issues, but worked ahead and got finished up a little early! It was great fun0 and loosened up my hand and thumb to draw! I’m currently back at comic pages and hope to have a new one up next week!

Con Table

Em and I will be set up at Gross Fest, this weekend. I have all kinds of original art, comics, buttons and BRAND NEW trade paper backs for sale, so come on down and see us! Em has jewelry and crafts for sale, as well! The event is free, so more money to spend on swag!