THE NEW YORK FOUR Free 100-Page Preview!

Today is the release of the very large TPB Collection of THE NEW YORK FOUR from Darkhorse Comics! It includes The New York Four and The New York Five in its entirety plus a substantial art gallery of all my designs and sketches. 

Plus, we're offering a free, DRM-free pdf download of the first 100 pages Here! Read it and let people know. And check out the brand new book! It's a nice one!

April Update: C2E2, FUNRAMA #2 and Stuff!

Up there is the cover art for SAUCER COUNTRY #5. That will be out in July 2012, and that's the end of first arc. Also, SAUCER COUNTRY #2 is out tomorrow, please look for it at your comic shop or download. I hope you like it. Here's a small Preview.



I'm happy to accept this year's Eisner nomination for BEST LIMITED SERIES for THE NEW YORK FIVE. Wow. I'm very thankful for that. I'm so glad to see the book get a little more recognition. Working with Brian is always a treat, I hope we get to make another book for you soon!

Here's an unused cover design:



Don't forget to read Cocotte the weekly webcomic by me and Kat Vapid. Here's this weeks page:



Here's an illustration of an orange stink beetle. Inks and watercolors:



Here's a movie poster I did for the film BEST FRIENDS FOREVER. They are raising money for it on their Kickstarter. Donate and you get the poster. Go check it out, there is only 13 days left.



This weekend, I'll be appearing at the C2E2 convention in Chicago April 13-15. I'll have a table in artist alley. Table B15. I'll be doing sketches for a respectable fee. I can't do any 1-2 hour "commissions" at shows any more. They burn me out. I can do those at home.

AAAAAAND, Hello what do we have here? FUNRAMA #2 is ready for the show!...




This book is a convention only item. You can't buy it in shops. Only 400 made. pin-up gallery included. $4 price tag. After C2E2, I will make what's left available for purchase on this here blog. But the cost may be too much for people, as the shipping is higher this time. I will have some available at MN Spring Con and in local comic shops.
There's a printing error and typo or two, but still worth your money I guess.

Stay tuned next week, when I will post the official solicitation and ordering info.

And in Funrama #2 you will see this preview for FUNRAMA #3, introducing...CACTUS MAN!



I need to update the look of this blog too. It's a little fussy and old. Next time. Have a great weekend. Be good to yourself and others.

Ren (In a Comic Book Store)

Ren Severin. Inks and watercolors.

This commission took a bit of time.

A Few Sketches

A few quick sketches for people. I can probably take 2 or 3 commissions in advance of MN SpringCon if anyone wants something.

This Is Not A Love Song

I haven't Bloggered in a while. I've been busy and/or tired; and/or not feeling well; and/or just not "into it". THE NEW YORK FIVE is done. Phew. The last issue will be out in a few weeks. Those suckers are 32 pages. Brian did a tremendous job on the last book. It's JOHN HUGHESESQUE (I hope that analogy doesn't get me beat up.)...but better...A great ending! Lucky for me, Jim Rugg helped out with inks on a bunch of pages. He's such a great artist. Here are some of my pencils. See, I can draw in pencil too, I bet you didn't know that. Click on the image. Blogger sizes everything down so small and I can't take it anymore:





My layouts are always better than my final pages. Sigh. :



There is a sick amount of unused process sketches and pencils from the project. I might post them all if they don't go in the collected book. Here's an early pencil sketch. :



Raw inks and tones:



I tried to have some "downtime" after The NY5. My sons and I have daily drawing jam sessions where we just draw Batman and Green Lantern guys:



This is my Sinestro Corp Scarecrow:



And Sinestro Corp Scarecrow by my son, Jax (You can even see he drew a little Despotellis on the lower right) :



And his Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle:



A random Bleez I drew for no reason whatsoever:



I've been hard at work scripting and drawing the next issue Of Funrama, FUNRAMA PRESENTS #2: RACCOON. I'll have an 8-page preview ashcan book for sale at MN SPRINGCON, and then the full 32-page book will be available by mail-order online and from me personally at conventions, just like I did with theMUTANT PUNKS book. Here are updated character designs. More updates to come!:



I've also been swamped with long overdue odd-jobs and commissions. Like this:



And this:



And this Death:



I need to start charging a lot more for drawings. They're a lot of work. I'm not joking:



I like signage in my town that hangs around and never gets contemporized:



A custom Red Robin and Spoiler I made when i had some "free time".



I was sad that we didn't get to use this Olive sketch for a cover design:



Besides FUNRAMA, I'm beginning to start on some "Big" "projects". So, so far I have some work. At least I think, I'm pretty sure. Yay. This now concludes your call. Thank you for your patience. You may hang up now.

THE NEW YORK FIVE #1 Out This Week!

Ok, Here's the deal....I'm giving away these 5 sketches FREE with one copy of THE NEW YORK FIVE #1 on Twitter at 3 p.m. Central time. All you need to do is answer a simple New York Four trivia question. And be one of the first 5 to answer it. Fun!










The first issue comes out tomorrow. It looks like this:



Here's an interview with me and Brian Wood on CBR discussing the project:
Interview

Here's an advance review of the first issue on CBR:
Review

Here's an Exclusive Preview of the book over at GRAPHIC CONTENT, Vertigo's blog:
Preview

Here's a podcast of me talking about the project in my horrendous phone voice:
Podcast

Here's a handy synopsis of the The New York Four, if you HAVEN'T READ IT YET BUT YOU SHOULD REALLY BUY IT:
The New York Four

Here's a panel of Merissa that got cut from the #3 issue:


My guess is that a lot of people will be like, "Aw damn, I had no idea this was coming out?" It's a creator-owned project. Black and white. 32 pages of story. $2.99. A great value, but It doesn't have a member of the Fantastic Four dying in it. So, Please, buy this at your comic shop this week. Please. We make it for you! Please buy.

THE NEW YORK FIVE - All The Covers

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Drawn by me, designed by Brian Wood.
DC/Vertigo comics January 2011

Ren Pencil Sketch The NY5

UPCOMING BOOKS! The New York Five, Batman 80-Page and The Unwritten Vol. 3!

THE NEW YORK FIVE #2
Written by BRIAN WOOD
Art by RYAN KELLY
Cover by BRIAN WOOD & RYAN KELLY
Everyone has secrets, and Riley’s are well documented! But what about the other girls in THE NEW YORK FIVE? In this second issue, Merissa and Lona deal with ghosts both at home in Queens and coming into JFK on the red-eye…
On sale FEBRUARY 23 • 2 of 4 • 32 pg, B&W, no interior ads • $2.99 US • MATURE READERS



THE UNWRITTEN VOL. 3: DEAD MAN’S KNOCK TP
Written by MIKE CAREY
Art by PETER GROSS and RYAN KELLY
Cover by YUKO SHIMIZU
The third volume of the critically acclaimed, New York Times best-selling series, collecting issues #13-18. This volume includes “Dead Man’s Knock,” featuring the launch of the long-awaited new Tommy Taylor novel. A scheme by the Unwritten cabal to bring its author out of hiding works with dramatic results, leading to a momentous confrontation between Tom and Wilson.
Plus, learn the truth behind Lizzie Hexam, Tommy’s mysterious benefactor, in an amazing, interactive tale that lets the reader choose the story’s path.
On sale MARCH 23 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US MATURE READERS



BATMAN 80-PAGE GIANT 2010 #1
Written by BRAD DESNOYER, MATT MANNING, MANDY MACMURRAY, JOHN STANISCI, PAUL TOBIN and PETER MIRIANI
Art by LEE FERGUSON, GARRY BROWN, MATT SOUTHWORTH, RYAN KELLY and SZYMON KUDRANSKI
Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
Some of the most promising new talent in comics are corrupted by the most depraved villains in Gotham City in this all-new special featuring The Joker, the Riddler, Calendar Man, Scarecrow, and yes, even Humpty Dumpty! It’s seven short stories, all in one giant issue! The joke’s on you if you think you’ll make it out of this alive!
ONE-SHOT • On sale DECEMBER 1 • 80 pg, FC, $5.99 US


I have a 10 page story in Batman 80 Page with Paul Tobin and colored by Trish Mulvihill. Make It YOURS On the racks in December. The Unwritten Vol.3 features the 32-page Choose-Your-Adventure Lizzie Hexam story I worked on. And PLEASE preorder THE NEW YORK FIVE! The first issue comes out on January 26th. If you've ever wanted to do anything for me in your life , you can buy The New York Five #1 On January 26th. Issue #2 on Feb. 23rd. We can do this!

THE NEW YORK FIVE Exclusive Preview

Blair Butler and Fresh Ink offered the first Exclusive PREVIEW of the The New York Five On a Attack Of The Show! Here's some of the preview images. The first issue lands on January 26!