Cleopatra in Spaaace!

Check out this AMAZING Cleo fan art I just got from good buddy and annual Megacon table neighbor, Joshua Smeaton.

Click for a larger image.

Seriously. That space background is the best thing ever. Great take on Khensu too! Josh’s first graphic novel, Haunted, just hit stores a couple of weeks ago. I’d track it down and buy it I were you. It’s good stuff. He updates Haunted online every week as well!

Sorry for being so absent lately, folks. I went from recovering from HeroesCon (which was fantastic- awesome meeting so many of you!) to diving straight into SDCC preparation. Part of that preparation is that I made a crazy-spur-of-the-moment decision to print up copies of Cleo chapter 1 complete with bonus materials and an all new cover. Because of that I’m bumping up the initial start date of chapter 2 by one week. So Cleo’s next grand adventure begins in three weeks: Monday, July 5th. It’ll be worth the wait! I promise!

In the meantime, check out this stunning pin-up my pal (and fellow SD7 member) Grant Gould created for the new book:

Simply gorgeous. Everyone here should be subscribed to his OWN sci-fi, space-girl adventure comic, Dimension Dust as well as checking up on the beautiful art Grant occasionally posts on his blog. Especially you Star Wars fans.

Also, my buddy Jimmy Aquino conducted a quick interview with me while I was at Heroes. You can listen to the insanely gargantuan episode HERE on Comic News Insider. My bit comes up about 2 hours in but honestly, I’m the least interesting part of the show. I would just skip me and listen to everyone else.

Progress on the new Cleo book continues and my friends keep rolling in awesome pin-up art for it. :)

Here’s an absolutely adorable Cleo and Khensu from the consummate Kate Cook:

I’m pretty sure Katie’s webcomic Gronk is the cutest webcomic in aaaall the webcomics of the universe. It’s also a part of SD7 so doubly awesome! Besides a whole slew of geek related projects like Star Wars and stuff, Katie is currently doing work for the new Fraggle Rock comic being published by Archaia Comics. She has the best job ever.

While I’m at it, I guess I should also mention that both Gronk and Cleopatra in Space were featured in a Comics Should Be Good article this week, as one of columnist Kelly Thompson ‘s 10 webcomics that she loves. You can read it HERE. Thanks, Kelly!

Paul Taylor surprised me last Friday with this fantastic fan art:

That image is just crazy! I love Paul’s style. It’s energetic, expressive and super cute. I am also impressed with Paul because he updates his comic, Wapsi Square, daily. I have a great deal of respect for anyone that handles a daily webcomic, but especially when the quality in which it’s drawn is so consistently good.

I was excited to have my good friend Bryan Ballinger draw a pin-up for the new Cleo book- because with Bryan, you just never know what you are gonna get. He’s like a living, breathing box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. FIVE Cleopatras though? That was outside even my realm of expectations. Below is his final- the one that’ll be in the book. Make sure to look under the cut for his other four though (you don’t want to miss the last one).

Click here for the rest!

I was really happy that Joel Carroll was able to provide a pin-up for the new Cleo book because not only is he a really good friend (and fellow SD7 crewmate), but he’s also one of my favorite artists. The functionality, design and 3-dimensionality of his artwork makes me rethink what I’m doing every time. Case in point, this awesome pin-up:

Thank you Joel for drawing a much better Sphinx Bike then I’m currently capable of.

You guys don’t know this (well, I guess NOW you know) but I’ve been clamoring to get Joel to draw Cleo for a year and a half now. So this is doubley-awesome. Now I guess I have to draw some fan art for Joel’s own excellent spacegirl webcomic, Topaz. Which I can’t wait to do. Just give me a year or so.

Is it Cleo Fan Art Month? Mark Harmon surprised me yesterday with this insanely cool depiction of Cleo and Khensu:

They both just look so dang dynamic! And ear holes for Kehnsu = genius. If Cleopatra in Space was a brand (and I had a ton of $) I’d hire Mark to draw a whole new spin-off in this style. Or maybe I’ll just let him draw this comic and I’ll get back to what I REALLY want to draw which is Little Robots Rolling Around Doing Nothing In Particular in Spaaaaaace!

Today’s guest Cleo art comes from  superstar and local drawing buddy, Ron Salas!

What a great design! I looooove that background and the way he gave Cleo and Kehnsu that “don’t mess with us” attitude.  Ron is the artist on Image Comics’, Existence, as well as a member of the insanely talented art group known as Comic Twart. He’s another one of my friends who drives me crazy by drawing incredibly fast and incredibly well at the same time.

Boy. I just don’t know what to say about all this fan art that has been rolling in. The fact that so many of you like this comic enough to draw your own takes on the characters is humbling to say the least. This time it’s the tubular Tom Dell’Aringa who sends some awesome art my way.

This is actually the first time a Xerx soldier has shown up in color! I think Tom did an excellent job with the color scheme. But poor Khensu! I need to see a follow-up now, Tom. Lets see how Cleo handles this situation. ;)

Tom was one of the first to support this comic, a loooooong time ago back in January 2010 when Cleopatra in Space was still in it’s infancy. I actually have some of my own guest art in the works for his excellent and hilarious sci-fi series, Marooned. Make sure you’re following it if you aren’t already!

Let’s make it a Khensu day! Not only does he get some star treatment on this week’s page, but here are a couple of awesome fan arts dedicated to everyone’s favorite space kitty.

First up, a pin-up for the new Cleo book (debuting at SDCC!) by my good friend and excellent draftsman, Dan Boyd!

The linework on that is impeccable. I just love it. Dan draws some amazing stuff, which you can check out on his blog. but what I really want to point you to is these Reginald Crabapple comics which were drawn like a page an hour. And they are SUPER GOOD. That is crazy. Dan is crazy.

And Eric White surprised me today with this colorful Khensu sketchcard:

So cute! Who doesn’t want to drift though though the beauty of the cosmos on their own personal asteroid? Check out more of Eric’s work on his DeviantArt page!