SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: GAVIN MICHELLI

Born in and raised in Louisiana, Gavin Michelli is the artist on Flare’s story for the second SENTINELS Anthology. Obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Louisiana State University, Gavin fell in love with comic books, cartooning and art in general. He’s work on Last Ride for the Horseman and published Ancients and Warriors: The Art of Gavin Michelli for Inverse Press.

I first noticed Gavin work on DeviantArt and was very excited when he entered and WON first place on our 3^rd Drumfish Productions Art Contest. His rendition of Templar for the contest was killer and showed off his painterly art style perfectly. It wasn’t long after Gavin won the contest that we started working on the Anthology. I knew I really wanted Gavin to be involved and decided to pair him up with fellow Louisiana resident, Beau Tidwell. It was a perfect match! Gavin’s style, along with the bold colors he used, really gave a lot of depth to an already great story. Gavin also does a lot of interesting design angles and makes you understand the environment the characters are in. I expect everyone to be hearing great things from Gavin soon! But in the meanwhile you can see his work on Flare’s story within the Anthology and learn more about his next projects at www.gavinmichelli.deviantart.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: BEAU TIDWELL

Beau Tidwell and I go way back to when we both used to worked in the newsroom at the New York Times. Under the pressure of deadlines and breaking news, we’d often sneak in conversations about comics. Beau had read SENTINELS and been very kind with his comments about my work. He would actually ask me questions about the story and he even knew the characters. Between friends and co-workers, that was pretty rare and it was definitely appreciated.

So, when it was announced that Beau’s first comic story for DC Comics would be printed in the Superman 80 Page Giant, I was very happy for him! It not often a writer can break into the business and have their first published work be for one of the big two companies. It was pretty freaking great!

Before we started working on the second SENTINELS Anthology, I knew I wanted Beau to be involved, but couldn’t decide which character he should write! Ultimately, I chose to have him write Flare’s story. Flare was originally one of the villains who fought the SENTINELS and then reformed and joined the team. At the end of the series, it was shown that she had married fellow member, Crusher, and they now had two children. This ended up being perfect for Beau who had recently become a father. Juggling parenthood and a career is something he knows a lot about and his story for Flare shows just that. Teaming him up with artist, Gavin Michelli, was also a perfect match and it’s a weird coincidence that they both now live in Louisiana!

Beau recently switched things up a bit and moved from reporting news to being part of the political world. But he’s still writing and recently finished posting the final installment of the first novel he ever wrote, Vanity Project, for free online. Please check it out at http://vanityprojectonline.tumblr.com/ and follow Beau’s tweets @NewNolaDad 

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: DANIELLE ALEXIS ST. PIERRE

Next up on the SENTINELS Anthology #2 Spotlight is the ever amazing Danielle Alexis St. Pierre! Anyone who follows Drumfish Productions' NEVERMINDS title, knows how talented Danielle is! From the moment she joined our creative team, Danielle has been a key in making NEVERMINDS looks so beautiful. As colorist on the book, Danielle helps create the look and feel of the NEVERMINDS universe. Her colors shape the mood of every scene and give depth to the characters while complimenting Jamie Fay's linework perfectly. I often say how I'm extremely lucky to work with such incredible artists and Danielle is absolutely one of those creators I'm referring to. At any moment I expect her to tell us she is working for Marvel or DC now! 

And it's not just her coloring that I'm talking about, it's her pencil and ink work too. It's been a pleasure to watch Danielle grow and challenge herself as an artist over the last few years. And it hasn't always been easy for her, but you would never hear her complain about how hard she works. Recently, she teamed up with her husband and best friend, Nathan St. Pierre, to begin their own publishing company, Odd19 Studios. There, Danielle is the artist on Sins of Omniscience and Limited Immunity. 

When it came time to gather creators for the second SENTINELS Anthology, there was never any doubt that I wanted Danielle involved. The only question was - how much she could do! Fortunately, she found time to not only draw Ignite's story in the SENTINELS Anthology, but also color Gospel's story over Stephane De Caneva's linework. Both final products are a visual delight and show off Danielle's coloring and linework perfectly. I can't say enough great things about Danielle's work and I hope you will all take a few minutes to see exactly what I mean by checking out her website at www.dstpierre.deviantart.com/

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: NATHAN ST. PIERRE

One of my favorite things about working on the second SENTINELS Anthology was deciding which creators would work on which characters and which creators would team-up with each other. For Ignite's story in the book, it was incredibly easy to match up the writer and artist, because they're one of my favorite married creators in comics, Nathan and Danielle St. Pierre! 

I've known Nathan for a few years now through working with Danielle on NEVERMINDS. And ever since we first started planning the Anthology, I knew I wanted them both to be involved. Together, they have their own comic publishing company, Odd19 Studios. There, Nathan writes Sins of Omniscience and the webcomic Limited Immunity. Both of those stories focus on people who strive to make the world a better place. And if you know Nathan, that comes as no surprise. They say you write what you know and I think that's a pretty true statement. Nathan is a very loyal guy who is not afraid to state his opinion and stand up for what he believes (just follow him on Facebook and see! lol). I love the story that Nathan wrote because it focuses on bettering yourself and pushing yourself against the odds. Much of what the SENTINELS stood for is just that and fits in perfectly within the Anthology. I can't wait for readers to see what I'm talking about! But in the meanwhile, big thanks to Nathan for being involved and please check out more of his work at www.odd19.com and wish him a Happy Birthday today!

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: GENE KELLY

Next up in our SENTINELS Anthology #2 creator spotlight is Gene Kelly! Gene is a web developer and comic creator from the midwest, where he lives with his wife and daughters. He loves making comics, learning new things, building websites and plays a mean bass! I first saw Gene's work on DeviantArt a few years ago. What I loved immediately about his art was how clean and crisp it was. His linework is really precise and he know sthe art of inking which many artists seem to forget. And then I saw his comic, Rocket and Bounce! I was impressed with the concept and story and how it was a great all-ages comic.

So, when it came time to find artists for the Anthology, I knew I wanted to get Gene involved. I was honored with his enthusiasm and contribution to the book. He was one of the first artists to turn their work in and it's been sooooo long now since he's completed his story on Beatdown (written by Al Dorantes), that I'm afraid he might have even forgotten that he drew it! lol. I hope not though because it's beautifully drawn. 

Earlier this year, Gene (along with his wife and best friend) launched his first ever app! It's called "Where's my Goblin?"and is a all-ages matching game! It full of fun graphics and interesting characters. I hope it becomes a huge success! Check it out at any of the following links below and also be sure to look at Gene's website!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wheres-my-goblin/id957592608

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.volcanobean.Wheres_My_Goblin

http://www.amazon.com/Volcano-Bean-LLC-Wheres-Goblin/dp/B00U1RASBS

 http://genekelly.deviantart.com/

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: AL DORANTES

Anyone who has ever attended the old Pittsburgh Comicon has met Al Dorantes! Of course, the show is gone now, but I have great memories of it and up at the top of that list is meeting Al Dorantes. 

For me, the best thing about the convention was the sense of family and support there. It was truly like no other show. Every year, you wanted to come back no matter what your sales were because you had such a great time with the people. Both creators and fans were always amazingly nice. But nobody was as generous and loyal as Al Dorantes. Al hosted the pre-show party in the hotel penthouse many years and it was the highlighted start of what was always a great weekend. He (along with Glenn Barbis Jr.) would get all the artist to draw and contribute to the Make-A-Wish Charity Auction and Al was always the first to offer you a drink!

Al was the mastermind behind Luchador Enterprises and I usually had the table setup across from him. So, over the years, I got to know his writing well and enjoyed his work greatly. On the flipside of being a nice guy, Al also has a no-nonsense attitude and calls it like he sees it. Both of those qualities comes across in his writing; from the gritty graphic novel, Retribution, to his children's book series like "Black and Gus", you know it's Al's work.

When it came time to gather creators for the second SENTINELS Anthology, I knew I wanted to have Al contribute. Luckily for me, he agree quickly and was the first to get his story on the third generation's main tough guy, Beatdown! Al's story is a classic throwback to the silver age of comics and fits in perfectly with the entire Anthology. I know everyone will love what he and artist, Gene Kelly, have done! 

Please check out Al's children's book series at www.blackandgus.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: BERNCE ACOSTA LLAMO

I'm really excited for people to see Bernce Acosta Llamo's artwork! His style is so full of life and energy! I'm nto kidding, his characters jump off the page. It's really incredible! When I first saw his work as part of a weekly sketch group (formed by Andrew Charipar!) called Illustrious Bits, I was in awe of the quality of his work, especially the movement of his characters and the interesting colors choices he makes. I immediately knew I wanted to work with Bernce one day. 

When Howie Noeldechen sent me his script for his Crusher story for the second SENTINELS Anthology, I only thought of one artist to draw it and that was Bernce! Luckily for me, Bernce said he would love to be involve with the Anthology. 

Based in the Philippines, Bernce completed fine art with a major in advertising at the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute for Science and Technology. Throughout school, Bernce followed his passion for drawing comics with Atlas Publishing. He also did layout and design for the Communications Foundation for Asia and is currently a senior artist for the indie group, Hollowpoint Studio Comics!

Please check out more of Bernce's amazing work at www.bernce.deviantart.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: HOWIE NOELDECHEN

Next up in the SENTINELS Anthology spotlight is Howie Noeldechen! I’d had already written about Howie back when we had a different release date for the book. But I wanted to repost it now along with everyone else’s. It’s so typical of Howie to demand two spotlights!! Lol

I’ve known the ghost-loving, wrestle-maniac, Howie Noeldechen and his wife Shelly for a long time now. We met at MOCCA in NYC almost eleven years ago and I was impressed with his work immediately. After chatting for a bit at the show, I got all the issues of Howie’s first comic, Mr. Scootles and I fell in love with it! It was unlike anything I had read before. I loved the animated feel of the book and the fact that it played up on animation history, while adding a dark and humorous aspect to the story. I was honored when Howie asked me to write the foreword to the collected edition when it came out.

Howie went on to create Tara Normal! Tara is a paranormal investigator who faces off against demons, ghouls, werewolves, aliens and rogue government agents. The series has built a huge fanbase and Howie is the official cartoonist of TAPS Paramagazine, where Tara Normal has appeared in the publication since 2010 as well as online since 2009 at www.taranormal.com And Howie's caricatures and portraits of the TAPS team and stars of Ghost Hunters have helped raise thousands of dollars for charities benefiting the paranormal community.

So, when it came time to work on the second SENTINELS Anthology, I knew I wanted someone with a sense of humor and edge to tell Crusher’s story. And knowing that Howie loved professional wrestling, he was the only person I thought of. I couldn’t imagine anyone more suited to write Crusher’s story than Howie and can’t wait for people to read the story he wrote (and drawn by the talented, Bernce Acosta Llamo!). It will make you laugh and squirm! But then, coming from Howie, that’s exactly what I expected!

Please check out Howie’s comics, portraits and all of the amazing caricatures he’s done on his website at www.hcnoel.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: ALEX SINE

One of the interesting things about the second SENTINELS Anthology is that it spans generations not only with story and characters, but also with creators! Alex Sine was in grade school when SENTINELS began and now she's starting her first year of college! Yes, that makes me feel super old, lol, but I'm extremely proud to have her contribute Cascade's story within the SENTINELS Anthology. Watching Alex's love of art develop throughout the years has a pleasure. From her fist cartoon sketch to fully rendered animation, it's been amazing to see her grow.

Alex brings a youthful perspective to her story and her art is graphically striking. She is also able to give her characters very expressive faces that allow you to connect with them. I think readers will find her story on Cascade very fitting and special.

And even though she's related to me, I can honestly say I see success in her future! Please check out more of Alex's art at www.mscheesesauce.deviantart.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: ANDREW CHARIPAR

I met Andrew Charipar at one of the first New York Comic Cons when he visited my table and gave me a copy of the first Tales From The Cornerstone trade! I was instantly impressed with his work and loved the book. Andrew is a drawing machine with a wicked sense of humor (though I'm sure his children, Ayla and Michael, will disagree because I doubt they find him as funny. But Andrew is one of my favorite Indie creators and we quickly became friends. I was such a fan of his work that I asked him to draw one of the stories in the first SENTINELS Anthology before I even had something for him to draw!

Flash-forward years later and once again Andrew is contributing to the SENTINELS world with Psyched's one page story that he wrote and drew. The great thing about having so many incredible creators work on a project, is how diverse the work is. Psyched's spotlight is unique and lighthearted, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

There's also a little added bonus in Andrew's story as it feature the first published appearance of a certain "Hero" that Andrew created along with children (the burden and son mentioned above!) who will be the star of his next book! I had the pleasure of reading the first two chapters and it's an exciting all-ages story.

Please check out more of Andrew's work at www.misfitcorner.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT ON: SASHA GLADYSH

As with Jeff Streeter's spotlight, I had already posted a spotlight on Sasha last year, but I wanted to repost this before the Anthology debuts at NYCC next month!
Sasha Gladysh is from Izhevsk, Udmurtia (Russian Federation) where she used to be a designer and newspaper illustrator. Over the last few years though, Sasha has been doing mostly freelance work on independent comics and webcomics, doing illustrations for books and video games and also working in animation. Obviously, I’ve been a fan of her work on deviantArt for a long time now. What first caught my eye about Sasha’s work was the way she draws faces. They’re very expressive and emotional. She has the ability to capture a mood perfectly with her clean and precise lines. Add to that the way Sasha colors and I believe it’s a very powerful combo!
Teaming up the right artist with the right story is often difficult. But it’s also something I put a lot of thought into. So, when I received Jeff Streeter’s story for Agent Huggins, I knew Sasha was the perfect artist to bring his words to life. Agent Huggins is an important character to me (she was based on a real person who had passed) and Sasha did not disappoint in her strong, determined and vulnerable rendition of the character.
Last I spoke with Sasha, she was working on her own animated film! And what I saw looked AMAZING!!!! Seriously, she’s drawing a movie!! I wish I had that kind of dedication and ambition. It blows me away to think of all the work she is doing for it and it looks amazing! But please don’t take my word for it, check out her blog ( http://autumn-sacura.tumblr.com/tagged/nylash-no-vumurt ) to see character designs (which are so detailed and unique!) and short animated clips. I can’t wait to see the film complete!
Please check out more of Sasha’s work on her deviantArt page at http://autumn-sacura.deviantart.com/

DRUMFISH ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT: JEFFREY S. STREETER

I had already posted a spotlight on my buddy, Jeff Streeter, last year when the SENTINELS Anthology #2 was first scheduled to come out. But, I wanted to take this time to spotlight everyone before the book comes out next month and Jeff is next up in order of appearance in the book, so he gets a repeat posting!!
I first met Jeffrey S. Streeter at a comic convention and was immediately impressed by his preparation for getting sketches. I’d never seen someone so organized about getting commissions before. Jeff even has a reference book for artists to use that is complete with multiple alphabetized variant costumes of each character. As probably the biggest Titans fan I’ve ever met, Jeff’s collection of original art is beyond compare. Seriously, I don’t know how he does it, but he gets the most amazing sketches from artists and he gets them with ease. Maybe it’s because Jeff is such a naturally likable guy that even someone like me can’t help but become friends with him. In fact, when I first met Jeff, I walked away thinking I’ve known him for years.
I quickly realized that’s all part of Jeff’s evil plan. How else can you believe that the die-hard Titans fan is also a prominent forensic investigator? Or that he and his partner have their own company focused on developing creator-owned content for print, stage and screen? And that the company is (not surprisingly) called Evil Mastermind, LLC! It all makes sense.
It also made me believe that Jeff is a creative guy and with his background and credentials, he’d be the perfect mastermind to write the Agent Huggins story in the second SENTINELS Anthology. As I mentioned in the past in different interviews and postings, Agent Huggins is an important character. She's based on someone I lost many years ago and I wanted to make sure she was handled by creators who would get her right. I was very happy when Jeff agreed to write the story and even happier once I read the script he turned in! In just 10 pages, Jeff was able not only captured Agent Huggins’ character, but he was able to recapped her entire history, give her depth by revealing her relationship with other characters (good and bad) and tell an exciting and interesting story that moves the character forward. Seriously, I couldn’t ask for a better story for Agent Huggins!
I’m extremely proud of the story Jeff and artist Sasha Gladysh have created for such an important character in the SENTINELS universe! And I can’t thank them enough for being involved in the book.
And one last note, CONGRATULATIONS to Jeff on his engagement!
Please follow Jeff on twitter at https://twitter.com/EMLLC00
And check out some of the amazing sketches Jeff has gotten in his collection over the years at http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerydetail.asp?gcat=40361

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT: MAJA CRONVALL

I first noticed Maja Cronvall’s work on DeviantArt and was immediately impressed by her art style. I honestly think she has a fresh and unique take on characters and adds a distinctive feel to her work. I can’t really describe the way her work makes me feel because sometimes I’d consider it heavily based in the Horror genre world and at other times, I can see a complexity of softness in her work. It all makes for a great dynamic. It’s also what made me want to have her involved in the second SENTINELS Anthology!
Maja drew Wickkid’s story in the Anthology and I believe she said it was her first sequential work! You’d never know it though, because Maja’s portrayal of Wickkid is dead-on and adds a sort of moody feel to him. Which is PERFECT for the character! I also have to say she has great color sense and used just the right color palette for this story.
A native of Sweden, Maja is also an amazing cosplayer! Seriously, you have to see the work she puts into her different cosplays and how she transforms into an almost unrecognizable person. It’s crazy!! But totally in a good way, lol.
Maja has also created many indie characters of her own that you can see on her DeviantArt page. I really hope she publishes a comic of her own about these characters soon, because they are very, very cool! Check them out for yourself at www.bleedingheartworks.deviantart.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT: KEEFER JUDE KOPCO

I can still remember meeting Keefer Kopco for the first time at Pittsburgh Comicon many years ago. Back then he was a little kid who seemed smarter than he should be and who had a cool Aunt who took him to comic conventions. That first meeting, Keefer wanted to buy the first SENTINELS graphic novel from me, but I wasn’t sure he was old enough to read it. I was hesitant to sell it to him. But, eventually, after some reassurance from his costumed Aunt, I did end up selling Keefer the book. The rest has been a nightmare, I mean…uh, a great experience. Seriously though, it was a pleasure going back to the Pittsburgh Comicon each year and getting schooled on comics (and even on my own series) by a teenager! Keefer knew his comics and became a big fan of SENTINELS. Over the years, I was proud to see him grow into a great guy, graduate college and become a friend. For a while, Keefer was even helping us with all our Drumfish Productions social media stuff and gave me a quick education on it!

So, when it came time to gather creators for the second SENTINELS Anthology, I knew I wanted Keefer to contribute. Over the years, I got to read some of Keefer’s writing and I was impressed with his talent. I originally planned for him to write a story focusing on the first generation SENTINELS. And he wrote an amazing story for them! But as the book grew and changed, we ended up having to switch things around and I didn’t use Keefer’s first generation story. Keefer was very understanding with the change though and agreed to write Wickkid’s story instead. And Keefer didn’t disappoint with his interpretation of Wickkid! In just a few panels, Keefer expresses Wickkid’s feelings of darkness and sets a unique mood. The language of his story is true to the character and I feel it connects you his plight. Complimented greatly with art by Maya Cronvall, Wickkid’s story will leave you wanting to read more. Huge thanks to Keefer for all his help!! Keefer can be seen cosplaying and performing from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, at most Pennsylvania Comic Conventions!

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT: PENELOPE RIVERA GAYLORD

What can I say about Penelope that hasn’t been said before? Not much, because she’s amazing, super nice, talented and kickass; and everyone already says that about her. I’ve known “Peng-Peng” for a long time and I honestly can’t even remember when I first met her and the rest of the ID Comics artists. And that’s because, once you meet them, they make you feel like you’ve know them for years. Yup, they’re all that cool. So, when it came time to get artists for the second SENTINELS Anthology, I knew I wanted to have as many of the ID Comics creators involved as possible. With a soft and cute style, Penelope was the perfect artist to draw Heartache’s story (written by Marcus Mebes and colors by Gabriel Cassatta). In just a few panels, she expressed Heartache personality perfectly. And wait until you see how much detail she got into her panels!
Penelope is currently working with Acme Archives to produce limited edition illustrations. She's done exclusive cover art for "Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake" (Boom Studios), "My Little Pony" (IDW), and "Soulfire" (Aspen Comics). She's the inker on "Fanboys Vs. Zombies" (Boom Studios) and the mini-series "Loki:Ragnarok and Roll" (Boom Studios). She has also worked on the LEGO adaptation of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (IDW) as a letterer. She has done several sketchcard sets for Cryptozoic, Upper Deck, and 5Finity Productions. She is a member of Girls Drawin Girls - a group of professional female visual artists from around the world.
-Whew!
See what I mean? Who runs the world? Peng_Peng
Follow her on Twitter - @peng_peng - and on her website at www.PengPengArt.com

SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY #2 SPOTLIGHT: MARCUS MEBES

The next creator involved in the second SENTINELS Anthology is someone who can be blamed, I mean, is responsible for introducing me to Luciano Vecchio! That’s right, without Marcus Mebes, the creative team for SENTINELS would never would have met.  So, depending on your opinion, lol, you can either thank him or send hate mail. But in all seriousness, I owe a great deal of gratitude to Marcus for introducing me to one of my best friends and collaborators, Luciano.

So, when it came time to gather people together for the Anthology, I knew I wanted to involve Marcus. And it wasn’t just because he introduced Luciano and I; it was because Marcus is also a talented and experienced writer (who draws too!). I was impressed with the volume of material Marcus has written, from many different Oz related stories and prose to his own book, Rats. He publishes long-lost books and new stories under his Pumpernickel Pickle imprint at www.lulu.com/spotlight/baringer

Marcus happily agreed to write Heartache’s story for the Anthology and even though it’s a short story, he definitely put a lot of thought into it and wrote much more than I was able to fit it. Marcus understands characters and is able to add just the right touch to make you connect with them quickly. And when you see the art by Penny Gaylord and Gabriel Cassatta, for his story, you’ll see how great a team they make! And when Marcus isn’t writing, you can find him at the gym at insane hours of the night or morning pumping iron! Thanks for being involved in the Anthology, Marcus!