Coming soon from Kansas City area creators

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1
Elite Comics is smashed by Godzilla on an exclusive variant cover of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1, published by IDW.

Schedules are subject to change. Please let us know about changes or omissions: kirk@kansascitycomics.com

Available March 30, 2011
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1 (IDW) – Drawn by Phil Hester, inked by Bruce McCorkindale
Proof: Endangered #4 (Image) – Written by Alex Grecian
Scalped #47 (Vertigo) – Written by Jason Aaron
Wolverine #7 (Marvel) – Written by Jason Aaron
Wonder Woman #609 (DC) – Written by Phil Hester

APRIL 2011

Available April 6, 2011
Bring the Thunder #4 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Written by Jai Niz
Green Hornet Aftermath #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Written by Jai Nitz
Our Army at War [trade paperback] (DC Comics) – Written by B. Clay Moore and others.
Ultimate Comics Captain America #4 (Marvel) – Written by Jason Aaron

More after the jump…

Continue reading “Coming soon from Kansas City area creators”

Godzilla destroys Overland Park comics shop

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1
Elite Comics is smashed by Godzilla on an exclusive variant cover of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1, published by IDW.

The green, scaly claws of Godzilla smashed Elite Comics in Overland Park Wednesday – at least on the exclusive variant cover of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1.

The new comic book, published by IDW, has 80 cover versions, including one featuring Overland Park comics shop Elite Comic. That version is available exclusively from Elite, which is located at 11842 Quivera Road.

The comic book features Godzilla and other classic monsters like Mothra. According to IDW’s solicitation: “The King of the Monsters rises again, and for the first time in comics, he’s bringing lots of other beloved Toho monsters with him in one destructive saga”

The comic book is drawn by Kansas City convention regular Phil Hester and inked by Omaha resident Bruce McCorkindale.

10 Questions for Bruce McCorkindale

Writer. Penciller. Inker. Animator. Bruce McCorkindale has got you covered. He’s a multi-talented type from Omaha, Nebraska. His comics credits include writer/artist turns on The Falling Man, Negative Burn, and Chamelia. You’ve also seen his inking work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Black Orchid, The Wretch, Rune Vs. Venom, Marvel Time Slip, and the current Image Comics series Golly! He also produces animation through his Action Impulse Studios.

His most recent efforts include Golly!, The Falling Man, and Chamelia. Find out more about Bruce at www.brucemccorkindale.com and www.actionimpulse.com.

Question 1: When did you first decide that you wanted to create your own comics for a living?

When I was eight, during a summer vacation at my grandparents’ cabin in Minnesota. I read a huge pile of Marvel comics, filled up a 200+ page tablet with my own comics, and decided on the ride home that there was no other career.

Question 2: Who has had the biggest influence on you outside the comics industry, and how did they affect your life?

My parents, for being so encouraging about such an improbable and impractical career as comics. It’s amazing how fast kids can be discouraged with a small word or two, and I never heard discouraging word one.

Question 3: Who has had the biggest influence on your comics career, and how has that person changed your work?

Jack Kirby. I’ve never taken acid, but I’ve heard people say that after you’ve done it, you never perceive things quite the same way. That’s how I felt about Jack’s work. It was like the creative equivalent of a big bang.

Question 4: What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

Try something new. I have certain habits and patterns that are sort of necessary to get the work done, but it can also lead to redundancy. Sometimes I like to try working in a style that isn’t comfortable, and get a new perspective.

Question 5: Describe your typical work routine.

I work on a lot of different types of projects, so it’s hard to have a typical routine. One day I might be writing, penciling, inking, coloring, or lettering. I also do a lot of animation for my commercial studio, Action Impulse Studios, so that can take me into a whole different world. The only thing typical in my routine is insanely long hours.

Question 6: What writing, drawing, or other tools do you use?

It’s a pretty interesting split between natural media and digital tools. One day I might be inking an illustration with a 50-year old pen point that I found on eBay, and the next day I might be digitally “inking” Brook Turner’s pencil art for Golly! in Photoshop. I really enjoy traditional media and digital media about evenly.

Question 7: What element of your work gives you the most personal satisfaction?

The storytelling, whether that’s with prose or pictures. My scripting output has been surprisingly light, given this preference, but I’m constantly trying to rectify that. Right now, I’m having a lot of fun writing and illustrating a three-issue series for Chimaera, Chamelia. The similarity of names is purely coincidence.

Question 8: What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of comics – and why?

Actually, it might be the aforementioned Chamelia project! It was daunting to actually write, illustrate, color, and letter an entire book, and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. On a purely geek level, it was kind of mind-blowing, early on, to ink a Curt Swan story. His Superman was probably one of the very first things I ever read, so my hands actually shook before I laid ink on his stuff. It was exciting.

Question 9: We’ve all met very talented newcomers who are trying to get their first professional projects. What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard given to a promising new creator?

Trust your own voice. I heard this advice early on from comic art professionals at conventions, and also from instructors at college when I was studying creative writing. It’s advice that has slipped in and out of my own consciousness over the years, and I would encourage others to never forget it.

Question 10: Time to get philosophical: What’s the most important “big idea” that you’ve learned in life – in or out of comics – and why is it important?

Balance. It’s a big theme in my book The Falling Man, and it’s another of those big ideas that I can’t seem to make stick in my own life. It’s great to hone and perfect your art, but if you don’t have a real life on the other side to draw from, then the art — and everything else — is going to suffer.

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