This is a piece I started sketching on during my warm up times. Then I started throwing on some inks. It’s fun to watch an image evolve just playing around with the lines and shapes a little bit at a time.

I remember first seeing Spider-Woman on the ABC Saturday morning cartoon as a kid. She kind of confused me. I could tell she was a Marvel character. But her cartoon being on ABC threw me.

All Marvel super hero cartoons were on NBC: Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. So why was she on ABC? Is she NOT a Marvel character? Her costume doesn’t look like Spider-Man’s (going off the assumption the female version had to match the male version like DC’s Superman/Supergirl and Batman/Batgirl). This frustrated me and my young understandings of the superhero motifs.

So I didn’t watch much of her cartoon. But she did intrigue me. She flew instead of shooting webs. She shot spider-stings instead to subdue her opponents. And, again, back to frustration…

Glad to see she has a more pivotal role in the Marvel Universe. I do like how simple and strong her design in is. I don’t think she could ever benefit from a redesign.

View this piece on my DeviantArt and Facebook FanPage.

Art, Marvel Marvel, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, superhero

Super Heroes #1 variant cover

Hello and welcome!

If you watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Sunday, February 21 starring KISS as they joined the EM:HE team to help out the Wagstaff family, then you probably saw the art I created for their son, TJ.

TJ is an aspiring young artist. I was contacted by Marvel Comics to create an original piece of art featuring TJ alongside some of Marvel’s heavy-hitters: Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. This piece of original art was for TJ’s room along with lots of other cool Marvel stuff. But the art will also be used as a variant cover to the first issue of Marvel’ new all-ages series, Marvel Adventures Super Heroes coming out in April.

I have been a comic creator for the past 15+ years working for Marvel Comics and DC Comics. I’ve been the artist for such series as Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Teen Titans, Young Justice, and my creator-owned series WildGuard, to name a few. Most notably, I was the artist that drew the historic and top selling Spider-Man team-up with President Obama that ran in Amazing Spider-Man #583.

I am currently continuing my work with more Spider-Man projects like Spider-Man: Clone Saga and Web of Spider-Man. Read more about my career in the ABOUT section.

You can follow me on Twitter and my Facebook Fanpage to  get updates of my next comic book conventions and store appearances, and the upcoming comic book projects I am working on.

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to subscribe to the RSS feed for future blog and art posts!

Marvel, News ABC, Adventures, artist, book, Captain America, comic, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Feb 21, Iron Man, KISS, Marvel, Spider-Man, Sunday, super heroes, Thor, Wagstaff

Venom

Venom… I remember when he first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man. Eddie Brock (the first Venom) had a big toothy grin like some kinda Looney Tunes character.

Then his face evolved developing fangs and a long, slobbery tongue and a penchant for eating brains. Venom then began sporting a huge, unhinged jaw. Made him look much more monstrous. But it made me wonder what happened to Eddie’s face underneath. Did his jaw unhinge? What exactly did this alien symbiote costume do to him?

Guess it would take a scientist to explain.

After years of being one of Spidey’s most insane enemies and a brief stint as a psychopathic, vigiante anti-hero, Eddie Brock died of cancer. The symbiote costume was auctioned off by mobsters and Mac Gargan (formerly the Scorpion) became the new host for Venom.

This suit (under Gargan’s “control”) has been going nuts making Mac a humongous, hulking mass of muscle as Venom or the lithe, slender form as “black costume” Spider-Man for Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers. I’ve found this new “Mac Gargan” Venom far more insidious and crazy than I think the original “Eddie Brock” Venom ever was.

I have been receiving several requests for Venom sketches at conventions. He’s a really fun character to draw. You can kind of forget about the man underneath (to a degree) and have lots of fun with the different design elements: the monstrous fangs jutting at different sizes and angles, the prehensile tongue, the jagged “Spidey” eyes. I like that he’s so much larger than Spider-Man. I feel it creates a great visual contrast.

So, I was at a convention recently and played around with this piece as a warm up. It gave me a chance to really go crazy with the rendering. I scanned it in a couple of days ago and thought I’d share it with y’all.

Drawn with Sharpie marker on artboard.

See this piece on my Facebook FanPage and my DeviantArt page.

Art, Marvel Avengers, Marvel, Spider-Man, superhero, Venom

So Dawn and I were invited to a Christmas party with a White Elephant gift exchange.  We were to make a present (or buy a gift around $20) and anonymously place it under the tree.  It’s a gift exchange similar to the Christmas episode from The Office Season 2.

So I decided to draw up a pic of Spider-Man to mat and frame and contribute as my gift.  So on Thanksgiving night, while Dawn and I are watching some TV, I get to work on my art piece.  Dawn is trying to figure out what she should bring as a gift for the gift exchange.

She turns to me and asks for a piece of artboard, a pencil, and some Spider-Man reference.  She’s about to throw down her rendition of Spider-Man to mat and frame and give as her gift.  We both kicked back on the couch (with ESPN’s World Series of Poker 2009 Day 1 on the TV) and went to work on our masterpieces.  Dawn says her artistic skill peaked in 5th grade…  Heck!  I wasn’t drawing this well in 5th grade!

Dawn Nauck's Spider-Man

I was really impressed with Dawn’s vision and execution.  She had a pose in mind and did a very good job of achieving her goal.  There is some nice movement in the gesture.  She’s especially proud of how Spidey is pointing his toe.  I think the “Ta-DAHHHH!” really speaks to Spider-Man’s quippy personality.

Dawn encouraged me to critique her work.  Though she wasn’t willing to make all of the changes I suggested for Spider-Man…  (What a prima donna!)

I also suggested some backgrounds to take advantage of some of the negative space.  Dawn started rattling off ideas of rainbows and unicorns.  Man!  I would’ve LOVED to have seen that.  But she ran out of time.  Maybe in her next drawing of a popular Marvel Superhero?  Iron Man?  Wolverine?  Fisty Claw?

As soon as she creates her next visionary masterpiece, I’ll be sure to post it!

Click on each image to see a larger version.

Art, Marvel Christmas, Marvel, Spider-Man, White Elephant

If you were reading comics in the mid-1990’s…
Whether you loved or hated the original Clone Saga…

When you hit the local comic shop this week, be sure to grab a copy of Spider-Man: Clone Saga #1.

It’s the new mini-series I am drawing. It is written by the original writers of the Clone Saga, Tom Defalco and Howard Mackie…
But THIS time they are writing the story the way it was originally pitched!

I’ve been having a blast drawing this series. And my inker, Victor Olazaba, and colorist, Java Tartaglia, are doing some AWESOME work!
They are taking my pencils and bringing the sweetness. I’m really happy to be working with them!

Here’s what our Editor, Ralph Macchio had to say in a recent interview with Newsarama: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090929-Weekly-Webbing-Clones.html

Spider-Man Clone Saga #1 on sale today!

News Clone, Marvel, Spider-Man, superhero

My new Marvel mini-series SPIDER-MAN: THE CLONE SAGA #1 (of 6) will be hitting the stands next week. Here’s the solicitation:
Written by HOWARD MACKIE & TOM DEFALCO
Penciled by TODD NAUCK
Cover by PASQUAL FERRY
You’ve been asking for it…and now it’s here: THE CLONE SAGA!!! Marvel’s most controversial event of all time returns with a vengeance, presenting the Clone Saga as it was originally intended to be told! From the minds behind the crossover that changed comics forever and the artist that introduced Spider-Man to President Obama, it’s six issues of twists and turns that will shock fans old and new alike! Be here as Peter Parker’s worst nightmare begins again…now with an ending you have to see to believe!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
On sale September 30, 2009

Then come to the Mid-Ohio Con October 3-4, 2009.

This is my FIRST Ohio convention! I will have some original art for sale. I’ll also be doing my head/bust convention commissioned art. So be sure to stop by my table and chat.

And don’t forget! MARVEL APES: THE EVOLUTION STARTS HERE TPB comes out tomorrow!

COVER BY: John Watson
WRITER: Karl Kesel
Tom Peyer
PENCILS: Chad Wayne Hardin
Todd Nauck
Ramon Bachs
Reilly Brown
INKS: Rob Campanella – A|Jaime Mendoza
COLORED BY: Andrew Crossley|Chris Sotomayor
LETTERED BY: Dave Sharpe

THE STORY:
Includes material never before seen in print! Feces front, True Believers, as we travel back to the Monkey-verse with four thrilling tales of bad puns and big guns. First, join the irrepressible Spider-Monkey as he comes to grips with a world too savage for his heroic legacy to allow. But as the Monkey-verse Peter Parker tries to create a better world for all ape-kind, Captain America (the top ape of the ape-verse) –stands in his way. Will the webbed wonder survive? Then, when teenager Roy Reyna finds he can transform into the super-powered simian APE X, it’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys…until H.A.M.M.E.R. agents capture him! Plus: in the face of a fate worse than death, the Ape Universe’s greatest minds and leaders must come together to save their world in a secret council known as – the PRIME EIGHT! Watch the undercover action unfold in this never before seen story that could only be called APE-OKOPLIS NOW! And then, it’s the masked (monkey) marvel SPEEDBALL! Bouncing out of the pages of the hit MARVEL APES mini-series— it’s the masked (monkey) marvel SPEEDBALL! Branded a traitor to the entire Ape Universe, the simian superhero is now exiled, alienated, and alone on a bizarre Planet of Humans! Can this monkey make it in Man’s World? It won’t be easy. Collecting MARVEL APES SPECIALS: AMAZING SPIDER-MONKEY, GRUNT LINE, PRIME EIGHT and SPEEDBALL.

Rated T
PRICE: 16.99
IN STORES: September 23, 2009

News Apes, Clone, Marvel, Mid-Ohio Con, Spider-Man, superhero

Spider-Man Clone Saga #1 page 1 pencils

I did an interview with Ain’t It Cool News’ Matt Adler about my new project, Spider-Man: Clone Saga. We talk about the new mini-series coming out Sept 30th, working with Tom Defalco and Howard Mackie, and my creator-owned book WildGuard.

Here’s the link: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41973

Art, Marvel Aintitcool, Clone, Defalco, Mackie, Marvel, Spider-Man, superhero