Emerald City Comic Con Exclusive print!

I will be at Emerald City Comic Con next weekend at table DD-01/13. I'll have lots of books, prints and arts to sell, and I will have a limited sketch list. I'll also have with me special prints, only available this year at the show featuring Powers. Come and get yours, hope to see you there!

Artwork for the Circle of Confusion offices!

My manager at Circle of Confusion asked me to do some art for the offices. David Mack did some art a few months ago, so I'm happy to finally be in the same gallery as David! Circle has represented all of my works from Powers, Hammer of the Gods, Six, Quixote and more for over ten years now, so I'm very honored to have done this for them. 

Circle is the powerhouse behind the Walking Dead TV show, which I hear is going to be big:) Check out more of CIRCLE here: http://www.circleofconfusion.com/ to keep up with projects and their twitter feed.

VICTORIES 10 review from the Comic Bastards!

http://comicbastards.com/review-the-victories-10/

In the conclusion of “Post Human” it all comes together and comes together beautifully. The Victories delivers and delivers powerfully and stylistically in the realm of total epic-ism that you expect from artist and writer/creator Michael Avon Oeming.

It all starts with a flashback to Faustus and his crime fighting partner who he pulls off a man he’s about to beat to death. When Master Mark, their leader, steps in his message boils down to this: “We don’t make the laws…we fill the gap between justice and crime.” This sets the scene for a clashing off values down the line as throughout the issue a modern day Faustus and his former partner butt heads over whether or not champions should just operate as extensions of man for the common good or if they could be more… gods and shepherds. This question is begged in real ways throughout the issue as a father reunited with his son by a costumed hero looks to the sky and asks for help from oppression and later in the issue in a sizzling conclusion that puts one unlikely hero in direct contact with the divine.

But that’s not all that’s going on, not by far, as across the planet relics and ancient knowledge are being encountered. Massive six-breasted sphinxes are breathing fire out of mechanical heads in cities all over the world (this book never lets you forget it was written by Avon Oeming and I fucking love it) lending to it all are the man’s drawings who, naturally, work in perfect tandem with his storytelling.

It all points toward a series of big, intriguing questions: Who were the champions meant to be? Will they reject their supposed god-nature and step up as leaders in a reformed human race? Or embrace their ancient roles as god-kings/queens? Who is truly fit to rule us and who are the real angels?  Questions like this in lore are awesome and I applaud Avon Oeming for every scrap of succulent world building.

For all the answers it brings this event’s conclusion brings more questions, fortunately its creator is so good at delivering I’m more than happy to stay on the ride.

Score: 5/5

Writer/artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 3/5/14

Inking samples from about 1989

I was recently doing an interview about comics that changed my life- I had to choose X-Men Annual 9 by Art Adams, Chris Claremont and inked by Mignola/Milgrim. It was the comic that made me want to become a comic book artist. I would copy, trace and retrace panels and when I could, photocopy and blow them up to see them in grater detail. Later, as I wanted to improve my inking skills, I would use Vellum to practice inking on. I found a bunch of those, some I was shocked to look at because I was inking them at actual size. I could never do that now, I just don't have the patience.
So here they are, along with a few others like Art Adams HEROES FOR HOPE cover... at actual size.
M!

Hour long interview at Multiversity Comics

http://multiversitycomics.com/podcasts/robots-from-tomorrow-presents-michael-avon-oeming/

Here I talk about the Victories, Powers, Mice Templar, art process and more, come check it out, play it while doing dishes, art, chores, whatever:)

I love Photo Reference

I love it as a tool. I love finding new ways to find great poses and re-use them in ways that completely change their source references. That technique mostly grew out of respecting the art of photography and the work put into it, especially if they are from pose books or pose files like you can find on Deviant Art. Also, the great need to not be sued is a big part of that too!
I rarely use a pose directly as I find it, and if I do, I use it very much like a lose breakdown, not exact details of the anatomy or proportions. Photo reference can be a real trap and show through in the art "I traced this" and that is a bad thing for lots of reasons. If you completely shoot your own photos and that is the style you've developed- that's cool, it's all yours and that is a look many people love. But obviously I enjoy more abstract and cartoony vibe, but I know I'm in the minority there.
Anyway, bla bla bla, here is some fun I had with a Gene Kelly photo- that guy knew how to move!

Cons, Dead Websites and Updates

CONS!
I am doing a few shows coming up in the NW and Canada area- I hope to see you there!
First up is Emerald City in Seattle! http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/ I'll be there with Taki Soma (Rapture, Victories) and Bryan Glass so bring your Mice Templar and Furious to sign! I'll be bringing LOTS of books, art and prints to sell!
After that Taki and I will be hitting Calgary Canada for the first time! http://www.calgaryexpo.com/

WWW.MICHAELOEMING.COM is no more
I'm done with websites! From now on, you can find me here at this blog as my official mouthpiece. I'll update my commissions and such as soon as I can.

VICTORIES and POWERS and UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC and MICE TEMPLAR!
Those have my plate full- here is a cover to Victories!