Results tagged “Dead Ahead” from Birmingham Mail - Speech Balloon

MEL SMITH is the publisher of Wildcard Ink who produce the Eisner award-winning Gumby Comics. He is also an artist and writer himself.

Born in Evensville, Indiana, Smith broke into the comics business in 1985, at the ripe age of 16, pencilling and writing for Pinnacle Comics, then progressing onto others.

As his craft developed he began taking art assignments for Innovation, Marvel Comics and Malibu, notably its Rock-It imprint.

Work with the Rock-It imprint developed into a sideways career move with Smith producing artwork for various bands and record labels, itself leading into other illustration assignments including clothing design. Seeking security during a period where he sought to re-establish his career in comics, he took on responsibility at a prestigious local Arts & Posters shop.

This lead to Smith co-founding Wild Card Ink with the intent of producing a charity comic from which profits would go towards feeding the homeless. The resulting publication was Feed America's Children featuring Major Impact, including pages by numerous famous comic book artists who drew for DC Comics, Dark Horse, Image and Marvel among others. Smith himself co-wrote the story and also contributed art.

Wild Card Ink then did the most unexpected of things to happen in comics for a long time and brought back American children's television favourite Gumby to the printed page.

To this end the editor/publisher brought in top talents in the form of Bob Burden and Rick Geary to produce Gumby Comics. The resulting series found favour with critics and fans alike, receiving several Eisner nominations and winning the 2007 Best Publication for a Younger Audience.

Aside from Gumby Comics itself, spin-off titles have been published or are in development, some featuring materia by Smith.

Mel Smith has taken on many roles within the comics business. He is a publisher, editor, designer, artist and writer, and because he is also a fan of the medium his enthusiasm does not wane.

Concurrent with producing Gumby Comics, the man continues to develop his career from his Walnut Creek, California base, taking on other assignments such as illustrating Godzilla trading cards, and developing stories of his own, including Dead Ahead published by Image Comics, and The Seven Lives of Dr Phibes due from Blue Water.

Legendary comic book artist Alex Nino returns to the printed page this September courtesy of the nail-biting three issue limited series Dead Ahead, to be published by major US publisher Image Comics.

On a restless ocean, a group of weary survivors contemplate their grim fortune for what had started out as a fun little fishing trip has turned into a nightmare of damnation, trapped on a floating prison - The world is all at sea as zombies now walk the very face of it...

When an ocean liner approaches on the horizon Captain Jack and his crew have no idea whether it promises salvation or their own imminent doom, and what's worse is that there's no escaping their having to find out!

For all its guaranteed gruesome mayhem Dead Ahead is intended as a character-driven tale delivered as a blood-pounding thriller that will make perfect reading as you prepare for your Halloween festivities.

The stylistic visual innovations produced through the length of this series are quite literally awesome. For those unaware, Alex Nino came to prominence in his native Philippines during the 60s. From the 70s onwards he produced numerous strips, comic books and graphic novels for US publishers including DC's House of Mystery, Marvel's Conan, Heavy Metal magazine and for the Warren line of books such as Vampirella and Creepy, with much of his work reprinted and syndicated worldwide.

Although renowned for his horror and science fiction work, Nino is just as adept at turning his hand to producing wondrously imaginative if not whimsically beautiful artwork that is admirably appealing to the young and the young at heart; and it's for that very reason that he has been kept busy creatively within the animation field in recent years, working for the likes of Disney.

Dead Ahead was created and written by Mel Smith (Child's Play) and Clark Castillo (Feed America's Children). They brought in yours truly to the fold in the role of wordsmith, with Wizard magazine Fan Award Winner Moose Baumman on colours, with lettering by L Lois Buhalis and X-Men Eagle Award winner Tom Orzechowksi who also takes the story editor role he held during Spawn's heyday.

It's a class act, being a strong team all working towards the same goals, and you the readers benefit from a comic book series where every page is meant to count.

Various interviews with the creators can be found across the internet and they include:

www.comiccon.com

www.wizarduniverse.com

www.comicmonsters.com

www.comicbookresources.com

There are also various features and news articles on the series to be found, not all are in English.

There will be also be a feature on Dead Ahead in British horror magazine From The Tomb that can be purchased through Borders or online through: www.soaringpenguin.com

Dead Ahead is out soon... Don't say you haven't been warned!