9/11 Release of Dave Dorman’s President Obama “The Other Dead” #1 Cover Held Up By Customs

Dave Dorman’s President Obama Cover Meme for Delay in 9/11 Release

9/11 Release of President Obama “The Other Dead” #1 Cover Held Up By Customs 

Fans and Media Watching Closely As This Story Unfolds

LOS ANGELES, CA–September 8, 2013—The Other Dead (IDW Publishing) comic’s creative team just received word that their book, slated to release on 9/11, is being held up in Customs “to spray for moths.” The timing is conspiracy theory-level suspicious, given the fact that the book’s one-in-10 variant cover by Eisner and Inkpot Award-winning artist Dave Dorman portrays President Obama wielding guns, just as the President is currently considering military action against Syria. “At first I thought Customs said they were spraying for Mothra, which was ironic since the books were being held up in Asia, and this is a sci-fi horror comic about deadly creatures,” quipped Dorman. “But the timing of this delay is suspect.”

Creators Joshua Ortega (Gears of War), Digger T. Mesch (Art Asylum, Mini Mates), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Heavy Metal) and IDW Publishing are left to wonder when the book will hit retail shelves.  The Other Dead is the first in the zombie genre to tell the tale of a zombie plague hitting the animal world, and the unexpected effect this has on the world.

The Other Dead creative team is continuing to monitor the situation and will update the media as they learn of the retail fate of The Other Dead Issue #1. For breaking news, please “Like” Facebook.com/TheOtherDead.

Early Praise for The Other Dead:

 “How has this brilliant premise not been done yet? Just when we’re inundated with ‘zombie this, zombie that,’ Ortega, Digger, and Eastman come along with a rip-roaring adventure that provides the most unique spin on the zombie apocalypse in years.”

–Cliff Bleszinski

Creator, Gears of War

“Gleefully gory and subversive with snark–the only problem with this book is that I didn’t come up with the idea first!”

–Hugh Sterbakov

Emmy-nominated writer of Robot Chicken, Freshmen, and City Under the Moon

“The Other Dead finds space to be itself in a genre where most practitioners stick to the tried and true. Original and genuinely scary.”

-Mike Carey

Eisner Award-winning writer of Unwritten, Lucifer, and X-Men

Media Contact:

Denise Dorman, Publicist, WriteBrain Media

P: 630.845.4694 | M: 630.215.5623

E: denise@writebrainmedia.com | Twitter: @WriteBrainMedia | Facebook.com/WriteBrainMedia

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Dave Dorman STAR WARS: COMICS Cover Art Front and Center at Barnes and Noble Today

Dear Friends,

Imagine my surprise and delight at seeing the new Abrams Publishing book, STAR WARS: COMICS with my cover art featured front and center at the Barnes & Noble in West Dundee, IL just now! Here’s the image:

DAVE DORMAN STAR WARS BOOK COVER at BARNES & NOBLE TODAY!

And here are some magazines I bought today – Imagine FX and HI FRUCTOSE. One-time comic book artist Kent Williams is featured in this issue of HI FRUCTOSE. Having moved on both personally and professionally from comic art to “fine art” or “low brow art,” this article shows us Williams’ art as what is truly inside him.

Magazines I Bought Today at Barnes & Noble

I want to give a shout-out to WARREN JACOBSEN, a fan and friend in Avinger, TX who brought me the t-shirt w/my Star Wars art on it that I posted a couple of days ago. I’m glad he granted me permission to publicly thank him. He reports that the t-shirt was actually at TARGET (at our house, it gets the French TAR-JHAY pronunciation) not Wal-Mart. He shared that this particular shirt w/my art was the only one sold out in the series. Here’s hoping someone at licensing in Lucasfilm is keeping track of “public sentiment.” No, I receive no royalties from the sales of the shirt, as it was a work-for-hire project, but it’s gratifying to hear it’s selling so well and fans still appreciate the art.

I am judging a children’s “healthy lifestyles, healthy living” art competition for kids ages 5-12 on behalf of Fox Valley Women and Children’s Health Partners in St. Charles, IL – the Top 12 winners will become part of the practice’s calendar that will sell to the public and raise money for the North Aurora Mother’s Club, so you Fox Valley families out there reading this, please send jpegs of your art (high res scans) to ddorman@fvwchp.com. The deadline for art submissions is November 15th.

I plan to write more over the weekend and give you some feedback on the AMON TOBIN concert I’m seeing tonight with my friend Charlie Athanas, as well as some other project updates.

As always, thanks for reading. 

DAVE.

Creator ,“THE WASTED LANDS.”

Judge Dredd: Dave Dorman-Style

Dear Friends,

As promised, here is my oil painting of Judge Dredd, which doesn’t appear in the new book, so you will only see it here.  I did this piece in the early ’90s as a graphic novel cover. It was a lot of fun for me to do, as I’ve been a fan of the Judge Dredd series for a long time.

Judge Dredd by Dave Dorman, Cover Art from Early '90s

Now I’m going to tell an embarrassing tale on my wife. When Denise and I first started dating, my post-divorce home was pretty much bachelor pad decor, so this very painting hung in my breakfast nook. Denise, who had never even heard of Judge Dredd, glanced over at the painting one morning and said, “Why is that muscle-bound guy in front of a sign for ‘Hee Haw’?” I rolled my eyes so far into the back of my head, I feared I was permanently blinded. Once my baby blues refocused, I patiently explained, “It says ‘The Law’.,” “Oh.” was all she said in return, not even mildly embarrassed. Needless to say, Denise has had a masters degree-level schooling from me in licensed properties since that day. Now she even knows the difference between Little Nemo and Captain Nemo, and that a true representation of Captain Nemo is of an East Indian man, as it was in the really fun 2003 film “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” Her gaffe was very nearly a deal breaker, but we trudged ahead, and here we are today, married 7 years on August 9th and blessed with a beautiful son.

I guess for my fellow pop culture authorities, the parable is that if you date someone who is new to the geekier side of things, have enduring patience with them. If they love you, they’ll eventually find it as interesting as you do. And let’s face it, your significant other has to love it to have the high level of energy required to enjoy the convention scene.

Well, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the art. Let me know, okay? I’m about to close down the survey on LinkedIn regarding whether you enjoy more doing traditional art, digital art or a combo platter of both. If you want to take the survey, you will need a LinkedIn profile (and be sure to link with me if you have one), and here’s the link: http://polls.linkedin.com/p/91557/nthen

For those who have ordered my new book directly through me, I’m finishing up World of Warcraft artwork and plan to do the personalized sketches & ship the books out at the end of this week, just so you know my schedule.

Thanks for reading,

Dave.

COMIX ACADEMY Offers Scholarships!

Hi Everyone,

From the very start, it was the collective goal of my co-founders and me to offer a scholarship program through our Comix Academy. I am very pleased to announce it is finally here – this is what’s posted online:

Comix Academy is pleased to announce a scholarship program! There will be one (1) FULL TUITION* scholarship and three (3) $200 scholarships applied against total tuition costs.  Students who are interested in participating in the scholarship competition must send their name, hometown, and portfolio of four (4) best images (7 inches tall, 72 ppi) to comixacademy@gmail.com.

A sample from each portfolio will be posted in the STUDENT section on the website. Mentors will announce the FULL TUITION scholarship winner by May 1, 2010. Any registrant who wants to be eligible for $200 scholarships must deliver their portfolio images and registration information by July 5th. PARTIAL Scholarship winners will be announced on July 7th. Recipients of the partial scholarships will have $200 credit refunded from the tuition payment.

Installment Plan

From 3/20/2010, Students can pay for their tuition to Comix Academy through installment plans. The payment plan is comprised of three (3) payments of $300 each. The first non-refundable deposit must be in by May 1, 2010. The second payment is due in the month of June. The third and final tuition balance must be settled by July 7, 2010.

The Comix Academy is brand new, but it addresses an old question:

“How do I make it better?”

From comics storytelling to concept art, fantasy illustration to storyboards, digital imagery to oil painting–learning, growing and improving are the watchwords of serious professionals and students. The Comix Academy exists to help any who love to create pictures and/or tell stories improve and polish their current work.

We only have six days, so Comix Academy students will be expected to hit the ground running; professionals will present their work and/or methods through talks and demonstrations and students will show their current portfolios to faculty members. Then the fun begins. The serious student learns best by DOING–taking direction, problem-solving, implementing new techniques. Therefore, students will be expected to polish and refine existing work and/or create new presentation pieces while attending.

Through interaction with working professionals, seeing what they do and how they do it, Comix Academy students will leave more informed and inspired than when they arrived. They will develop camaraderie with their fellow students, gain “the inside scoop” about the industry through their mentors, and find the confidence to go forth and make their dream projects a reality.

Okay, back to me again. Thanks for reading the announcement, and if you know of any really talented, gifted artists who are in need of a scholarship, please send them to our Web site: http://www.comixacademy.com

This weekend I will be at Planet Comic-Con in Kansas City, and I will be part of a Star Wars panel, so if you’re there, come armed with some challenging Star Wars questions.

I don’t if any of you reading watch “LOST,” but my wife and I are huge fans – our friend Dan Roebuck is one of the  actors on the show – and we are happy with where they’re taking us this final season. It’s been a fun and wild ride and we’re just sorry to see it end. It just goes to show you how interesting a storyline can be when comic book writers take it on.

As for my forthcoming podcast, I think we’re getting closer to launch. I’m told our inaugural episode will record next week and the show will be available via iTunes and I’m told, FarpointMedia.com. My podcast show is called “Wednesday is Comic Book Day,” and it’s a mash-up of comic book industry interviews, pop culture interviews and whatever strikes my fancy on any given day. My co-host and producer will be my wife, Denise.  If you work in the industry or are a pop culture figure, contact denise@writebrainmedia.com to get booked on as a guest. If you are an advertiser interested in being part of the show, again, please contact Denise.

I’m off to cook up Rachel Ray’s “Long Live Chicken ala King” recipe – if you haven’t tried it, I recommend it.  I hope to see you this weekend and as always, I thank you for reading.

Dave.

Remembering My Friend Dave Stevens

Every once in a while, you think you’re over your sadness from the death of a friend, and then you read something that catches you unaware and that lump in your throat returns unexpectedly. Today I was reading Ken Tucker’s review of my friend Dave Stevens’s graphic novel in Entertainment Weekly. In a few short words, Ken did a great job of explaining Dave Stevens to those who may not have known of this quality person and brilliant illustrator.

Apparently they’ve reissued his book “The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures” by Dave Stevens. You see, Dave was the creator of “Rocketeer.” I have the limited edition collector’s version of this book. If you don’t already have a copy, run out and get one, and be sure to get it from art book dealer Bud Plant – they are the best. You’ll be so glad this is part of your art collection. Dave was also a famed storyboard artist in L.A., doing everything from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. When I win the lottery someday, I will pay to have those storyboards in my collection.

Dave Stevens and I became friends back in 1987. We were always together at San Diego Comic-Con, we hung out together and we shared painting techniques. In 1989, Dave sent me his sketch for “Rocketeer Adventure Magazine #2” for me to paint. (Now I wish I’d kept the sketch, but I sent it back with the artwork.) It was an honor to be involved in his project. I painted that cover and when you see it in the book, those of you who really know my style will recognize that it’s me. After that, Dave, whose medium of choice was acrylic, would hang out with me and I would help him understand how to paint with oils and create the look and feel he wanted to achieve. Again, it was an honor to be in the same constellation with this shining star.

There was a palpable pall over San Diego Comic-Con in 2008 for those of us who knew Dave Stevens. That was the year he died from leukemia.

One of the greatest disappointments for all of us illustrator’s was watching the evolution of Dave’s relationship with Disney. That which held such promise resulted in such colossal waste and disappointment. Dave never recovered from it. He even wrote about it in his book (another one you must add to your collection) “Brush With Passion: The Art and Life of Dave Stevens” by Underwood Books.

When I start my podcast (be patient, folks, it’s coming…), I will share some of my memories of Dave Stevens and interview those who shared those fond memories with me.

Thanks for reading,

Dave.

Buffy Fans: Some Dave Dorman Cover Art for Sale on eBay

Hi Everyone,

I have posted on eBay two “Angel” paintings I did as cover art for IDW in their “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” series. These are oil on illustration board and here are the links:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270495912232&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270495913267&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

If you know any hard core Buffy fans, this might be a fun holiday gift for him or her.

Thanks for reading,

Dave.