Yesterday I posted about the release of the BLACK PANTHER by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST V2 OMNIBUS HC on my Facebook newsfeed . This was really advance solicited so it felt like eons since the first volume dropped for me. But worth the wait and proud to have it on my shelf of file copies & collections of my career work. I’ll be sure to have my friend Priest sign it for me when next we appear somewhere together. Highly Recommended!
As mentioned on my Facebook feed 3/25 Marvel has solicited the second edition of this series scheduled to ship 10/18/23. One cover will be from BP#35 by Sal Velluto & myself. However, the first edition was supposed to have the cover to BP#33 and that decision was changed, so who knows. Below is the solicitation description.
On my Facebook feed I have been posting about the status of this collection which I am more passionate about in this format than others I’ve had. It was rescheduled once or twice and finally arrived last week only to be damaged and returned as I waited for the proper edition I ordered. Here’s my post: “I finally got my Christopher Priest Black Panther Omnibus HC chapter 1. Interesting that along the way between solicitations and release that Marvel changed the DM edition from Sal & my cover to BP #33 to the cover Sal Did of BP#13, the first issue of our run. My LCS retailer was confused because normally they would have been updated about such matters so I called Marvel Collections editor Jennifer Grünwald who apologized and told me that there was indeed a mixup with communication as normally such a change would be reported to retailers. (Although the interior credits still credit me and color artist Tom Smith erroneously as variant cover artists.) It was nice to be at least mentioned in the dust jacket and papers a couple of times besides CJP, Texeira & Velluto. At the end they included 8 pages of extras that I sent them for the Black Panther: The Complete Christopher Priest Collection and I’m sure there will be more of that in volume two. Maybe Marvel will have a cover option by myself and Sal next time🤞 Regardless, a wonderful and proud addition to my shelf♥️”
Jess Harrold, who authored “Black Panther: Visions of Wakanda”, “The Marvel Art of George Perez” among other things on my shelf, informed me in that FB thread that he handled the dustjacket copy that mentioned me, so I thanked him.
I’ve been slowly collecting photos that commission clients have sent me over time so I figured I have enough now to post an article. I’m always
stunned when I see images of my work framed and hung up alongside so many other greats. I thought you visitors might get a kick out of this.
FROM THE COLLECTION OF LARRY CLAY:
I’m 4th one down middle row over Sal Velluto
and 2nd one over on the bottom row over MC Wyman
1st one top row (cropped) and 6th one in the same row, both over MC Wyman
5th one over top row (repeat) and 6th one in that row over Ron Frenz
FROM THE COLLECTION OF MICHAEL RANKINS:
My inks over Steve Erwin
FROM THE COLLECTION OF CHRISTOPHE PALMA:
Each one here except the 2nd one- #1: finishes over Ariel Olivetti, #3: inks over
John Watkins, #4: over Thomas Frisano, #5: Philip Tan, #6: Rene Micheletti, #7:
Paul Abrams
FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOHN NIEVES:
On the right- Ron Frenz
I’m rediculously late bringing this news and I apologize for that. That’s Entertainment in Worcestor, MA hired Mike Lilly to put together poster art for a cosplay wedding event on Saturday, July 7. So Mike had me ink the work and Dave Ocampa color it. The first 100 visitors to attend got the print for free. I will have a few 11X17 color prints available for my next show signed by myself and Mike for $10. Or you can email me at dmralmond@gmail.com
After the news item from January 14 about DK’s Black Panther the Ultimate Guide two more books were released. This was my review for Color Your Own Black Panther on my Facebook timeline from March 1:
“I just received my comp copy of the “COLOR YOUR OWN BLACK PANTHER” coloring book from Marvel and, damn, am I impressed! I had no idea that these were the size of thin b&w trades at 60 pages! It has a diverse selection of iconic images starting with his Kirby/Sinnott debut in Fantastic Four in the silver-age through his Avengers covers, Jungle Action and Kirby solo series in the bronze-age through all the modern runs as helmed by Priest/Hudlin/Coates. Sal Velluto has 4 covers included where he inked himself and in addition we have 11 Sal&Bob combo images! Sal & I have always tried to produce art that would strongly hold it’s own even if printed in b&w and this is the first time that is being showcased as some of our detailed work was disappointing when printed almost 20 years ago as a lot of the textural fx were obscured in print. Not only does this reproduce work by The King & The Joltin’ One but also by Big John Buscema & Tom Palmer, Gil Kane & Klaus Janson, Mike Deodato, Jr., Alan Davis & Mark Farmer, Brian Stelfreeze & Karl Story, Andy Kubert, Kirby & Mike Royer, John Byrne & Dan Adkins, JRJr. & Janson, Ken Lashley, Doc Bright & Nelson DeCastro, Mike Manley, Mike McKone, Stephen Segovia, Kyle Hotz & Eric Powell and so many more! Even better, all the artists, including the INKERS are listed on the front credits page! The individual images are not identified, though, unless it’s from a cover that they signed. *Special thanks & appreciation goes out to Marvel’s Jennifer Grunwald, Caitlin O’Connell, Mark Beazley, Jeff Youngquist, Jess Harold and everyone else involved in this project and it’s research efforts! *All-in-all, if you’re an old or recent fan/collector of Black Panther and/or the artists this is a MUST pick-up IMHO. **AND AN OFFICIAL INKWELL AWARDS THUMBS-UP!
And on February 15 I commented about Black Panther: The Illustrated History of a King- The Complete Comics Chronology:
“I don’t know if anyone had ordered/picked up this large 14.5″X11.25 hardcover book “Black Panther: The Illustrated History of a King- The Complete Comics Chronology“ released January 9 from Inside Editions and authored by Dennis Culver but I finally got mine which I was interviewed for through a several Q&As email in the fall from Dennis and Katie Kubert. A snippet of it is used on page 93 which starts discussing/showing content from Priest/Velluto & my period on the series with many full page cover art and other large images ending around page 105.
Since I had posted my public appearance info in the top left news flash area some changes were made in the show schedule. After appearing at the Art & Design High School in NYC event “Fanfaire” in February we had to drop the Big Apple Comic Con scheduled for mid-April because while key members of my non-profit had received a promise by the promoter at their last show a year ago and it was personally confirmed with me and the promoter at last August’s Terrificon, we couldn’t connect with him or his artists alley coordinator in February/March. Some folks just don’t have the fortitude to say NO. I had hesitated for years from attending that venue because he struck me as unreliable and this only sealed the deal that my gut was right. Oh well, forward and onward!
Our next two shows in April are the following: April 7-8 is the Garden State Comic Fest: Atlantic City Edition. This is a new location for this show that we first attended last year at the Mennen Arena located in Morristown, NJ. The promoters Dave and Sal have been nothing but gracious and supportive of us and we are thrilled to be invited to Atlantic City and probably making it an annual Inkwell tour stop. Following that will be our first time attending the East Coast Comicon on April 27-29 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, NJ. And after that we only have two shows presently locked in for the year: Heroes Con June 15-17 and Terrificon August 17-19 at their new and larger Mohegan Sun convention center. But there is another new show in September that has invited me to attend but I have to wait for approval before announcing it. Like 2017, this is another exciting year filled with new locations for us and I will reporting new places and dates once I can confirm.
I was blessed to be invited by Marvel to the world premeire of Black Panther in LA for Monday January 29! (Keeping this a secret since the 16thy was the hardest thing for me!) My wife Diane and I flew in the Sunday before for the first time to Los Angeles and roomed with my longtime art and BP partner Sal Velluto with his son Alex until we left Tuesday. As you can probably imagine, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! In the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard Sal, myself and our Plus 1s sat in a section with other fellow creators and their guests such as Don McGregor, Rich’s widow Mila Buckler, Denys Cowan, Gerry Conway, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze and the man himself, Christopher Priest! This was Sal & my first time ever meeting the seclusive and brilliant scribe and we got to introduce ourselves but sadly little else as cameras were secured for the sake of squashing piracy and we tragically didn’t see him at the after party. The film was OUTSTANDING, and I don’t say that just because I got a special thanks credit in it. <pinches myself> For the full story and a plethora of pics you can check out my photo album on Facebook!