aNDy

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Hello guys,

Still in robot-mode here (we will be in that mode also next week ;)), so let me tell you about my favorite robot EVER: aNDy!
I created aNDy back in 2006 and my dear friend (and super-talented writer) Macon Blair helped me to flesh it out (if you have read the story, you know that is some sort of pun ;)) for Ivan Brandon's anthology 24/7 vol.2.
I WARMLY suggest you guys to find that anthology because it's chockfull of great little stories, including the one featuring the coolest (and saddest) robo-gorilla ever: aNDy.
Above are a couple of concept sketches, and below one of the pages from the story.

Hope you guys enjoy these and don't forget to enter your suggestion in the contest (see here)
Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork & aNDy © Francesco Francavilla 2010

AstroBoy Vs SpamB0ts!!

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Hello guys,

while we wait for the big super sized Giant Robot Week next week, here's some random robots to get you in the mood ;)
First, an ASTROBOY commission I did earlier this year (me HEART Astroboy, was used to watch the cartoons when I was a kid :)).
And then some silliness I thought of yesterday, while cleaning my mailbox: SPAMB0TS! :D
Hope you guys enjoy these and don't forget to enter your suggestion in the contest (see here)
Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork & Spamb0ts © Francesco Francavilla 2010

They Are Coming...

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They... WHO? You ask.

The GIANT ROBOTS! Yep, in July I will have finally a Giant Robot Week :)
I had planning to do one for such a long time, so I am very happy to finally do it this month :)
It's not gonna be next week (gotta some work to do) but def it will happen in July.

I am also taking 1 suggestion (already have a few robots lined up) so feel free to throw in your favorite robot suggestion by replying to this post: you guys have a week from now. The winner (the one I will decide to include in the gallery) will receive a signed archival print of the chosen robot.
Rule #1: if you see already entered the robot you liked, then pick another one that has not been entered yet. There can be only one winner so if there are multiple entries of the same robot, I will only consider the first one who entered it.
Rule #2: this is GIANT ROBOTS week, so try to suggest giant robots (mostly from Japanese anime) instead of small robots (like C3PO, for example).
EDIT!!!
Rule #3: please enter only 1 suggestion/name. For multiple names in the same post, I will only consider the first one.
Rule #4: check the above chart to make sure your entry has not been named yet. Also: small robots will be in red and mostly likely not considered for the grand prize.

PRIZES! Since there are so many great suggestions, I am thinking to add a couple of extra prizes for runner-ups, randomly picked among all entries: the prize is a large archival print of the group shot of all entries (like the one above, insilhuetts, but compelted with allt he robots suggested during the week) :)
Same print will go to the winner as well, in addition to the single robot one.

Of course, please spread the news: the more the better :)

Alright, everyone is ready? GO! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

LOST Week: Daniel Faraday

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Hello my friends,

clearly I can't fit all the characters I wanna draw in one week, so I decided to make this a monthly feature.
We conclude this first LOST week with Daniel Faraday, another big favorite of mine :)

Hope you guys enjoy it and please spread the word: I know there are gazillions of LOST fans out there who would enjoy these :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

LOST Week: Desmond Hume

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Hello my friends,

Here's Desmond Hume, AKA the "constant" (you know what I am talking about, do you? ;))
Hope ya like it and tune in tomorrow for more :)
Now please excuse me cause I feel a little dizzy ;)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

LOST Week: Ben Linus

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Hello my friends,

It's not really a LOST week if I didn't include this guy in the gallery :)
I tried to draw Benjamin Linus 3 ys ago, when I did the other portraits, but it was a failure: the guy is actually a bit hard to "get". So I am hoping this time around the likeness worked better.
For Ben, I focused on one of the pivotal moment of his life, the one that really defined him (I think) for what he will become.
As usual click on the image for closer look and to better appreciate all the little things/clues I put in there :)

Hope ya like it and tune in tomorrow for more :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

LOST Week: John Locke

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Hello my friends,

I spent this past weekend (Sat and Sunday) catching up on the whole final season of LOST (I had all the episodes on the DVR but I didn't get chance to watch them until now). I saw a couple of epsiodes last night as well, and I am gonna watch the final episode (2.5 h) tonight.
Needless to say I am in a LOST state of mind, so I decided to have a little LOST week here on my blog.
To start, an update on Locke's portrait I id back in 2006. (just added a few key elements to the pre-existing portrait).
Hope ya dig it and come back tomorrow for more :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

Batman!!!

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Yep, I never grow tired to draw this guy :)
I have been working on some layouts for my new WS mini yesterday, while watching the final season of LOST on my DVR (I am still behind but catching up quickly ;)), and did this Batman pencil doodle (below) - on the back of one of the script pages - that I decided to ink.
Well, I did a little more than just inking those pencils, and the result is the image above.
Hope you guys enjoy it :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

GARRISON: Double Spread!!! (with goggles)

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Hello guys,

issue 3 of GARRISON comes out tomorrow, so for GARRISON week I thought to share the orginal inks for the double spread that practically opens the issue.
Below you can see the colored version and tune in tomorrow for more GARRISON week (and - of course - don't forget to pick issue 3 up and help me spread the word :))

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. GARRISON © 2010 Jeff Mariotte & Francesco Francavilla

GARRISON #6 Cover

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Hello guys,

Only a couple of days away from GARRISON #3 hitting the shelves, so I thought to share some more GARRISON love to convince you (if I needed to ;)) to help me spread the word about this mini co-created with Jeff Mariotte: all the love shown to Garrison is appreciated cause it will be like love shown to our baby :)
To start, here's a peek at the cover and solicitation for issue 6, in July's Previews.
If you remember, cover one had the white silhouette of Lester Garrison with a big question point: who's this guy?
Well, by issue 6, you should know quite abit more about him, so here's, in the same exact pose, but now fully revelead :)

GARRISON #5 (of 6) - JUL10 0229
This is it! The slam-bang conclusion to the action epic of the year! Garrison and Jillian are trapped in a small town, and after they're finished with it, it will never be the same! Neither will the hundreds of soldiers out to get Garrison. And neither will Garrison himself – if he can even survive!

Written by JEFF MARIOTTE
Art and cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

Size: 32 Pages - Price: $2.99
On Sale September 22, 2010


Again, plese help me spread the good word out there, I really appreciate all your word of mouth help :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. GARRISON © 2010 Jeff Mariotte & Francesco Francavilla

D9 - Artist's Cut Edition

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Well, this took an unexpected turn, I hope it's a good one as I hope you guys enjoy the final illsutration and enjoyed the while work-in-progress (if so, I'll do more in the future).

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

District 9 (Development Edition)

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Hello my friends,
I started to put some inks and color on my District 9 rough sketch in between coloring some GH pages and working on my other 10,000 projects ;)
Here's some snapshots of the process. Check back in here as I post progresses throughout the next couple of days and I hope you enjoy the WIP process :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

District 9 (Sketch Edition)

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So I accidentally stumbled on ABC last night and it was a lucky accident since the opening ceremony/concert for the (soccer) WOrld Cup was on: lots of great live music from a very colorful South Africa.

That reminded me I never had chance to watch "District 9" (which is set in South Africa) so I found it on my on-demand cable and watched it with my wife.
And - of course - I couldn't help to draw something inspired by the movie this morning, since I really enjoyed it :)

I am planning to do a finished, polished version of this, when I am not under 10 different deadlines ;)
Meanwhile hope you guys dig the sketch :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

GARRISON #3 Preview

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Hello guys,

issue 3 of GARRISON is still 2 weeks away but I wanted to share with you a sneak peek at the cover and first 3 pages, which promise another adrenaline run for our guy with a cowboy hat (oh wait, better don't call him that way ;))

I will make sure to post a lettered preview when we get close to the release. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this (click on the above image for a closeup look at the art) and help me spread the word out there about my and Jeff's little comic adventure here :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. GARRISON © 2010 Jeff Mariotte & Francesco Francavilla

Lovecraftiana debuting @ Heroes Con

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Hello guys :)

as you know I will be attending Heroes Con this week and for the occasion I will have brand new exclusive prints, featuring the above "LOVECRAFTIANA" and below artwork (you may be familiar with those images below ;))

I will be set in Artist Alley (AA) at table 303. Two big banners featuring the Winged King Skull and the Dark Queen of Hearts should make it easy for you to find me :)
I will have these new exclusive prints plus some fan favorite like my Poe and Lovecraft B/W prints and lots more (including some of my faux golden age pulp covers). I will also have my sketchbooks and whatnot and , of course, I will be doing con sketches/commission all weekend long, so stop by to say hi and maybe get something (original or print work ;))

For those interested, I will also be attending the Comic Twart panel: it's gonna be fun so try to be there if you can :)
COMIC TWART PANEL @ HEROES CON !! JUNE 4TH,
Room 209, 4:00pm
The comictwart.com site has become one of the more popular sites online for fresh weekly comic art. Join “twartists” Tom Fowler, Chris Samnee, Francesco Francavilla, Ron Salas, Declan Shalvey, and Andy Kuhn, with moderator Chris Sims ofComics Alliance , for a discussion and multi-sketch demonstration. All sketches to be donated to the HeroesCon Art Auction!

Charlotte, NC
June 4-6, 2010
Artist Alley 303
See you there, my friends :)

Cheers.
Francesco

All images © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.
Dark Winged Skull King, Dark Queen of Hearts, Lovecraftiana ™ and © 2010 Francesco Francavilla

Super Stock Rookie

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Hi guys,

between the Nascar races on tv this past weekend and the upcoming HEROES CON in Charlotte, capital of Nascar and all racing things, I thought it was a good time to show this cover I did last year for the "Super Stock Rookie" novel by Will Weaver

Below are some info about the book, in case you are tempted :)

Hope you guys dig it: had lot fo fun working on this cover :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Trace Bonham has just scored an amazing ride—a brand-new, corporate-sponsored Super Stock. The sleek, custom-built machine runs like a dream. He’s set up with a professional crew, a top-of-the-line car hauler, and a great big paycheck; it all feels too good to be true. Of course, there’s a price for everything. Trace has to turn over the car he started in, his dad’s Street Stock Chevy, to another driver. He’s also no longer welcome at his hometown speedway—or by the girl he adores who runs it—since his new team made it all too clear they think it’s a hayseed operation. So what? There are bigger and better speedways, and more girls, in Trace’s future. But can he handle the speed of success?

"The novel is likely to appeal to youngsters who normally shy away from fiction.”—School Library Journal

“Weaver draws from his auto-racing experience to continue Trace’s story from Saturday Night Dirt (2008) and to bring to life the small-town, dirt-track racing world. Racing action, sharp dialogue and solid characterization make this a good bet for young sports fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

“There is no doubt that Weaver knows his way around stock cars, and he puts the reader in the middle of the action.”—VOYA

“Weaver offers outstanding descriptions of the races, putting readers in the center of the action.”—Booklist

Square Fish, April 2010
Grade Range: 7 and up, Age Range: 12 and up
ISBN: 978-0-312-60869-9, ISBN10: 0-312-60869-1,
Young Adult Fiction, 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches, 224 pages,
Trade Paperback $8.99

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

Donnie Darko

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I know I know, I am kinda late (movie is from 2001) but I never had chance to watch it until tonight.
LOVED it!
And felt compelled to do a quick tribute: such a strong iconic image :)
Hope you guys dig it.

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

GARRISON #5 Cover preview

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Hello guys,

GARRISON #2 just came out this week and the first reviews seem to confirm the general consensus: this is GOOD story all around! :D
So why not pre-order issue 5 while you are at the store picking up issue 2? :)
Above is the cover for the penultimate chapter of this mini and here is the solicitation info:

GARRISON #5 (of 6) - JUN10 0251
Garrison finally gets answers to questions about his shadowy origins – answers that raise even more questions. Whether he'll live to put those answers to use is, of course, anybody's guess.

Written by JEFF MARIOTTE
Art and cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

Size: 32 Pages - Price: $2.99


And plese help me spread the word out there: this is my baby, you know :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. GARRISON © 2010 Jeff Mariotte & Francesco Francavilla

GARRISON #2 is here!

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Hello guys,

issue 2 of GARRISON is coming out tomorrow and I thought to give an exclusive preview of the first 6 pages just to give a glimpse of the rollercoaster action you guys are gonna get from now until the explosive issue 6 (which concludes the mini).
A huge thanks to all of you who picked up issue 1 and helped spread the good word about it. Hope to see you and many more picking up issue 2: this is gonna be FUN! :)
Look for the below cover on the shelves tomorrow!

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. GARRISON © 2010 Jeff Mariotte & Francesco Francavilla


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Death's Blues

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Just because ;)

Cheers,
Francesco

Death's Blues © 2010 Francesco Francavilla
Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

24

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Alright, so last night I watched this week's episode of "24" (which I DVRed on Monday) and I have to say, while the seasons have seen highs and lows, the whole sequence of Jack Bauer kidnapping the (former) President Logan was one of the coolest things I have seen on TV in quite some time. The cold resolution he act in that sequence, the super cool outfit, the way he put his boot on the hole of the windshield after throwing in the car the gas bomb... Yeah, that's what 24 should have been all time.
It reminded me a bit of Mann's "HEAT" in the very first sequence of the attack to the safe truck, everyone pretty much wearing that same cool hockey masks :)

Anyhow, I couldn't help this morning - as a warmup - tributing "24" at one of its finest scene.
Hope you guys dig it.

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.


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IronMan Vs the FrogBot Pt.3

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You asked for it... :D

Is this... THE END? ;)

Cheers,
Francesco

FrogBot & Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

Fin Man!

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Hello guys,

Between a cover gig and my Frazetta tribute (see it here) I didn't have time to mess with FrogBot, so for today here's a Fin version of our guy tearing up a (poor) tank ;)

Tomorrow pt.3 of Frogbot :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

IronMan Vs the FrogBot Pt.2

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:D

Should I do Pt.3 tomorrow or I shouldn't bother?

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

IronMan Vs the Frogbot! Pt.1

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Hope you guys dig it.
Tune in for part 2 tomorrow :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

Iron Man!

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Hello guys,

How about an Iron Man Week to celebrate the release of IM2? :)
To start, an oldie that probaly the 95% of you haven't seen yet, with a new coat of paint just for the occasion ;)
LOVE to draw the ole TIN version of this guy (as you will see ;))

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.

HellBoy's "Crap"!

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Hello guys,

and let's wrap this week with one of my fav HB illo (I did last year) not everyone might have seen it yet. I thought it is a perfect ending of the Hellboy week :)
Since everyone enjoyed this, stay tuned for some more HB related "specials", very soon ;)
Thanks for the love, everyone, and now go read some Mignola's Hellboy goodness :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.
HELLBOY © 2010 Mike Mignola

HellBoy Vs Nazis

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Hello guys,

couldn't let this week go without some evil nazi zombie, could I?
SO here's a quickie (it's one of those days...)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla.
HELLBOY © 2010 Mike Mignola

HellBoy in Mexico

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Hello guys,

The new book "HELLBOY IN MEXICO" by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben was released today, so i thought to play close to the topic of the book with this tribute. I haven't read (or picked up) the book yet, so all of this is just a guess, a Mexican guess, that's it :)

Now let's all go tot he store to pick up that bad boy, if you haven't done it yet :)

Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. HELLBOY © 2010 Mike Mignola

HellBoy and "L'Isola del Terrore"

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Hello guys,

I plan to come back to this when I have a little more time and "dress' it as a movie poster, but for now I think it will do as is ;)
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you HELLBOY AND L'ISOLA DEL TERRORE! :)
Hope you guys enjoy it and come back tomorrow for some Mexican Amor :D

Francesco

Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla. HELLBOY © 2010 Mike Mignola