Counting down and looking ahead.

This past weekend, surrounded by the dearest of friends in the comic world, we talked about our work and what drives us forward. Our little circle was surrounded by a bigger circle, of interested fans, and during two hours we were in a bubble of greatness.

I left certain I'm on the right path, and that I'm not alone in believing in what I do.

This year's countdown has begun, and soon we shall celebrate another year well spent, working hard and opening doors. We've been working more and more, as we should, and the work never felt more gratifying. If this is what my life will be, working in comics 24/7, writing and drawing and creating and putting out great stuff, than I look forward to the future. If the future is like now, it will be glorious, but we should always aim a little higher, so I expect the future to be even brighter. And so should you.

It seems like ages ago since the last issue of Casanova hit the stands (even more since I finished drawing it). It also seems like forever since we finished PIXU. Bá finished the first Umbrella series almost one year ago, and the new series just started one weeks ago. This notion of never-ending work leaves little room in our lives for our work to breathe and exist, as we very fast have to turn to the next project. And then, when we're working on several projects at once, the ones recently finished have to vanish from our routine as fast as we have to keep producing pages. Some projects come back to mind every once in a while, and those are the ones I think are not over yet. Those are the stories I think are still incomplete, and sometime in the future these stories shall continue.

We are still searching for our place in this medium, telling our stories and drawing other's, and our quest has taken us to very interesting places. The future points to new and exciting ones, and some familiar ground.

Back to work, and thanks for reading.

New Umbrella Academy series starts TODAY!

The first issue of the new Umbrella Academy series hits the stands today.
I've been working on it since May and it will finally be seen. There's a lot of crazy stuff on this series, much more than the first one.
Go grab your copy NOW.



And take a look at the most amazing thing Paper Action Figure Man sent me:



And while you're at it, what about pre-ordering the PVC Figure Set, due to hit the stores on April 2009?

PIXU and 5 at Floating Wolrd!

Floating World Comic, in Portland, will host this amazing exposition of original art form all the awesome creators of the Eisner Winner 5 and the new face of terror, PIXU!
Can't miss this event!
And if you haven't ordered PIXU yet, do it while you can. Our very limited 1000 copies print run WILL END FAST.
Click HERE and guarantee your copy!

PIXU 2

Click HERE and order your copy TODAY!

Why Comics? - part 1

Why Comics?
answers by:
Matt Fraction (Eisner Award nominated writer of CASANOVA, The Immortal Iron Fist, Punisher War Journal and Uncanny X-Men);
Ivan Brandon (Eisner Award nominated writer of NYC Mech, 24seven e Cross Bronx);
Grampá (Eisner Award winner, brazilian cartoonist, author of the graphic novel Mesmo Delivery)

The kid inside of me likes toys!

Every kid likes toys. Some of these kids like characters so much they grow up to become storytellers who will create more characters. Some of them will become comicbook creators. And all of them would love to see their characters become little toys.

As noticed on the site TOYSREVIL's I like Toys, there have been spotted at this year San Diego Comic Con prototype PVC figures of Dark Horse's UMBRELLA ACADEMY.



I've been following and aproving every step on the process of making this set and we're all very happy with the results. Soon, all of us will be able to have a litlle set on our shelves at home.





Soon, the little kid inside of me will be a very happy kid.

Back on the horror track!

The response for PIXU has been great and that helps us continue on the horror path we created. We were eager to be drawing again, and I think every time this happens with an artist, it shows on the first pages that come from this creative hunger. The best thing about having a working routine and a daily output of work is the constant feed we get from finishing a page, a feed that only enlarges our hunger and leaves us always wanting more.

There's nothing better.

MySpace DHP cover.

My Space Dark Horse Presents Vol. 1 will finally put on paper my Sugarshock story and it will be out in September. Before the San Diego Comicon, they were advertising the book with my first page as the cover, but I was asked to do a brand new cover for the first volume of the anthology, which they had on display at the convention.

As I just wrote earlier today, doing covers is completely different than doing comics, and you can play on a completely different set of rules.


I had fun doing this cover and I hope you like it.

Vote for the Harvey Awards!

Dear Comics Professionals,

Deadlines for voting for the Harvey Awards are due to August 15th.

The ballot is available as an Adobe PDF document or text from www.harveyawards.org.

The detailed links for the ballots are :
PDF: http://www.harveyawards.org/2008ballot/Harvey_2008_final_ballot.pdf
Text: http://www.harveyawards.org/2008ballot/Harvey_2008_final_ballot.txt

Email ballots, using the text file, can be emailed to pjcjmc3@sbcglobal.net. Paper ballots can also be mailed via US Postal Service or sent by FAX to those without Internet access - please call the Baltimore Comic-Con, host of the awards banquet and ceremony, at 410-526-7410 to make a request.

Final ballots are due by midnight, Friday, August 15, 2008.

We got 3 nominations for the Harvey Awards 2008.

BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST NEW SERIES
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

You can see the full list on http://www.harveyawards.org/. Winners will be announced at the Baltimore Comic-con, September 27.

There and back again.

Home. Here we are, and we're safe, and we're happy.

And busy. We've been busy for a long time. We were very busy during the convention, as we were on previous years (maybe more), and being busy is a good sign, is a sign we're working, we're building something that hopefully will stand the test of time as worth of the reader's time. We work because we feel this need to tell stories, and being busy is a way of knowing that stories are being told. This year, above all, I felt that not only stories were being told, they were being read as well.



We work our best, but the job is only done when we find our readers, when they do their part, when they get the books and read the stories. Maybe they'll like it, maybe they won't. Every year, as we work more, I think it becomes easier to find our stuff and to read our stories. Having a body of work certainly makes it easier to be seen in this sea of artists and that's something most people don't realize. Doing comics is not easy and more often than not there are no overnight successes. It takes a long time, it's a long road, and you have to love it.

We do love it.



I still can't believe we won. It's overwhelming, it's flattering, it's unbelievable and, at the same time, undeniable. I remember well that, during the ceremony, I completely forgot to thank anyone, so say anyone's name, or to express my gratitude for these awards. I was holding myself from bursting into tears, I was high of happiness, and I was pumped by my love of Comics.

From that moment on, all I could think of was how bad I wanted to do more comics, and I hope that's the effect these awards have on people: this is it, you won, now get back to work and do it better, do it harder and do it for as long as you can. No words can really say how it feels, or how it felt for me, so I just want to work an keep doing what I love, and what it seems people also love, and have the work be my way of saying thanks.



It's great to belong. It's great to have friends. Nobody is an island, we were not made to be alone, and it's great to find people who can take this great trip along with you, people who share our love for comics, people who also want to do their best, who don't settle, don't give up and they always want to do more, and do it better.

These are great friends to have and I wouldn't have it any other way.

On the plane back, I started drawing. I couldn't help it, I couldn't wait any longer and I just did it, between the first and the second movie on the second and longer leg of my trip, and it was great. It's great to draw, to create and to share. I inked the drawing when I arrived home, 'cause the plane was too shaky. I knew this drawing world need good inking, 'cause these are friends you have to treat well. They're great, and I miss them already.



We have a second PIXU to finish now, and just too much more to list at the end of this narrative, and we just can't wait to get to it. We love comics, and we thank all of you for your tenderness and support.

Meltdown Signing TODAY!

5:30pm, All Eisner winning creators of PIXU will be today at Meltdown Comics, 7522 W Sunset boulevard, for a signing you may never forget.
For more info, access http://www.meltcomics.com/blog/2008/07/15/pixu/.

Eisner Award Winners!

We won for best Anthology with 5. AWESOME!
We won for best limmited series with Umbrella Academy.
We won for best digital comic with Sugarshock.

Thank you all.

We love comics and we love you.

Umbrella interview and more from SDCC!

The Comic Con has been great and crazy at the same time. PIXU is going really well and people really like hat they see. The ones who got issue #1 can't wait to issue 2 to come out.

On a panel about the horror line at Dark Horse, they announced that "following up on this year's BPRD 1946, BPRD 1947 will be written by Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart with Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon on art. "For this story we needed two different styles of art for two different styles of scene," Scott Allie said, and indicated that the artists were big fans of BPRD".


There's an interview with Gerard about Umbrella Academy on Comicbook Resources. Click, here to read it.

OOOOHHHHHH!! And check the Wall Street Journal today, there's a big feature on Fábio and I, our carreer and lots of interviews about us and what to come. Reallly cool stuff! Read it online here.

We have a big announcement happening today. Water divider for us, that's for sure.

And the Eisners at night, which we're are very confident.
Stay tuned!

Now we have to go have breakfast with Mignola.

One day, lotta work! Off to the Comic Con!

Last day of work before leaving for San Diego. We're all set.
- We're gonna sell original pages of Umbrella, Casanova, Sugar Shock;
- We have PIXU!!
- We also have CASANOVA vol.1 softcover, CASANOVA vol. 2 set(issues 8-14), Ursula, Rock'n'Roll, the Eisner nominated 5 and the Eisner nominated De:TALES.

we'll be on booth 2729, from Wednesday 'till Sunday.

We'll be signing at:
Thursday - Dark Horse - Fábio and Bá - 1pm-2pm
Saturday - Dark Horse - Umbrella Academy - 4pm-5:30pm
and at CBLDF at some point.

And now here's a video of my last day of work, penciling 2 and a half pages and inking 5, in order to travel to San Diego in peace.

PIXU IS HERE!

Cover print test

PRE-ORDER: PIXU #1
(streets 07/23)

part 1 of 2
Becky Cloonan, Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá, Vasilis Lolos
Special limited edition, 1000 copies numbered and signed by all 4 authors.

Part one will be released on the San Diego Comic Con International. Part two will be out in September.

This is not going to be distributed by Diamond. If you're not going to San Diego and you want to save your copy of PIXU, it will only be available through KHEPRI.COM. They are already taking pre-orders.

http://www.khepri.com/16.html#pixu

PIXU is upon us.

PIXU
2 part mini series
by Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.
special edition, 1000 copies, numbered and signed.

part one will be released on the San Diego Comic Con International. Part two will be out in September.

This is not going to be distributed by Diamond. If you're not going to San Diego and you want to save your copy of PIXU, it will only be available through KHEPRI.COM. They are already taking pre-orders.

Harvey Awards 2008!

We just got 3 nominations for the Harvey Awards 2008.

BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Bá, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST NEW SERIES
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

You can see the full list on http://www.harveyawards.org/. Winners will be announced at the Baltimore Comic-con, September 27.

Special shout for our own Vasilis Lolos for his nomination as Best new Talent and Best Cartoonist!!

PIXU is coming.

PIXU, our new self-published comic, will be ready for San Diego Comic Con, special 1000 copies numbered and signed. The PIXU crew is Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.

It's gonna be a 2 part mini-series and the second one will be out in september.
If you're going to MOCCA this weekend, find Becky at table A69 and find more about our new project.

And If you're not going to San Diego or if you already want to save your copy of PIXU, you can pre-order it at KHEPRI.COM.

The last drops of ink on CASANOVA

Here's a video that shows Bá and myself inking the last pieces we did for Casanova.
I'm inking the last page and he's working over the image on the back cover.
I'm left handed and ink with a brush, Bá's right handed and uses pens.

Hope you enjoy it.