Halloween 2009

I'm not usually one to get dressed up for Halloween - I'm not really sure why, it just seems that I never think about it until it's too late. This year, however, I made the decision to make a costume with a few hours to spare, otherwise known as enough time to run down to Goodwill and frantically try and throw something together (which, as it turns out, is a thought that many many other people have, as the store I went to was teeming with dozens of other Halloween costume procrastinators).

As this is a comic book related blog, I will let you figure out who I decided to go as. Some incorrect answers I heard ALL NIGHT are as follows: guy who was in a plane crash, guy who needed to go to the dry cleaners (??), and the most popular of the three, "The Castaway." Apparently I had a Tom Hanks vibe going on that day. I HAVE PURPLE PANTS, PEOPLE! COME ON!!

Also, two dogs managed to sneak into this picture. One is real.

An unexpected pinup.

Karin Rindevall has been a colorist on Teddy and the Yeti since there WAS a Teddy and the Yeti to be colored, and she recently surprised me with a fun little pinup of the characters. Never has the Yeti looked more cute.

Karin's not just a fantastic colorist, but as you can see here she's got her own distinct style with her drawing as well. I can't quite put my finger on the exact reason I like it so much (and I do), but I will say she mixes an Asian and European style (in my opinion) together better than anyone I've seen before. You can check out more of Karin's work here and here!

IN...TER...VIEWWWW

I was recently interviewed by Richard Vasseur on Teddy and the Yeti. I probably yammered on too long about things, but I figured that if I was going to have a chance to talk T&Y, I might as well talk A LOT. That's one of my very own keys to writing - if you can't do quality, the least you can do is quantity.

I'll post the first question and response here...because this post would be a little thin on words without it (not that that's stopped me before), but you can find the entire interview here. READ IT!

Richard: What is the basic storyline of "Teddy and the Yeti"?

Jeff: The first issue of any new title is a balancing act, I think, because you've got to tell a compelling story while fitting in a lot of exposition in the meantime. The first issue of Teddy and the Yeti is no different - we'll learn a little bit about our character's origins, but that serves as a backdrop to the main plot of the issue. Very simply, Ted is part of a global defense agency, and he's partnered with an Abominable Snowman. Their jobs, which will become more well defined over time, involve protecting the planet against anything that threatens it. In this first issue, Ted is kidnapped and the Yeti has to go after him, which sets up the reemergence of a character from their past.

Pat Olliffe covers Teddy and the Yeti

Pat Olliffe has a lot going for him in my book. He's got a smooth, consistent style, he's reliable in a time where artists seem to jump from project to project without taking the time to put their mark on a book, he's from the Pittsburgh area and as such almost assuredly cheers for the Super Bowl champion Steelers, and he's working on a cover to Teddy and the Yeti.

I met Pat, probably best known for his long run on Spider-Girl, a few years ago at the Pittsburgh Comicon, and it's always been one of my goals to work with him eventually. Since I've got the book coming out at the end of the year, it seemed like a good time to give it a try. At this year's con, I managed to have a conversation with him and over the last few weeks we worked on the details of the cover sketch you see on the right of this post.

Obviously, this is just a sketch and not a final product, but I needed to show it off in any case. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Thanks, Pat!

...what's he LOOKING at?

To answer the title, probably a hot dog or something. Wait, scratch that...Rusty would never be so calm in there were a hot dog dangling over his head.

I got in contact with Carla Wyzgala a few months ago to possibly create a cover for Teddy and the Yeti. She's a great artist and her watercolors really stood out to me, and I thought that something of that nature might in turn stand out on a comic cover. We're still working the details out on the cover idea, but in the meantime I couldn't help but commission a spot illustration of my dog Rusty. Above are the results!

I love that dog. I'm going to try and get him in the book if at all possible.

And now...Paul Little!

New to the Teddy and the Yeti team is colorist Paul Little, who's helping to pick up some of the slack on a few of the pages in issue #2. Paul is something of a lifesaver - he's stepped in and kept things moving when the book could be mired in some fairly serious delays. Thanks to him and his great work, I'm confident that the second issue will be in stores on time.

Let me qualify that, I suppose - there was NO way I was going to let issue #2 slip from its in-store date (February 2010). But Paul has made it simpler for me, and with him at the reins I don't have to do an artist search and wade through samples to find someone whose style fits the book, and thank goodness for that.

In any case, I'm doing my best to make sure that each aspect of the book (writing, art, colors, letters, bananas) flows together as seamlessly as possible. While that's not always 100% possible, we're not missing a beat with Paul on colors. Welcome aboard, fella!

I have a hard time not getting excited by this.

Even though they've done their best to make the Hulk ridiculously strong to the point where I guess he can break planets in half, even though the same people have depowered the Thing to the point where he can't quite stand up to the Hulk in the same way he did back in the 60s, even though the Red Hulk isn't the "real" Hulk to begin with, even though there's no way they'd let the Thing beat the Hulk in the Hulk's own book at the very beginning of a new storyline, there's something about this that really makes me want to buy it. BEAT HIS ASS, THING! Friggin' Hulk.