Diamonds on the soles of my shoes.

For those of you who want to see some more of Black Diamond, my publisher has put up a handful of consecutive pages for you to look at. Also, the Kirkus review, which I'll show here too. There's also a cinema style trailer for the book, which I'm kind of queasy about, but what the hell, go have a look and laugh at my expense. My pals up the pub have already done their best. I did mention it on this blog already, but with my hand half over my gob. There's also a special 32 page release for Free Comic Book day on may 5, so watch out for that. Or just wait till June and get the whole thing in one piece. Speaking of which, I still haven't seen a copy of the book. Are you holding out on me there at First Second?
(while trying to find a copy of the image on the right I googled "The train was bang on time" and it gave me back: "Did you mean: "The train was being on time?')

First Second also have previews of the other five books that will appear in the spring 2007 line-up. All from the same page linked above. The Professor's Daughter looks especially appealing.

REVIEW IN KIRKUS
The Black Diamond Detective Agency
First Second Books
ISBN: 1-59643-142-3
$16.95
Eddie Campbell
A visually stunning graphic narrative with all sorts of complicated plot twists.
The latest from visual artist Campbell (The Fate of The Artist, 2006, etc) represents something of a show-business reversal. Where it has been commonplace for Hollywood to adapt graphic novels and comic book series into movies, this collaboration finds Campbell working from (or "inspired by") a screenplay by C. Gaby Mitchell. The result is a turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th) pulp thriller concerning a railroad attack, domestic desertion, a series of double (or even triple) crosses by gangs and a conspiracy that ultimately reaches so high that the Black Diamond Detective Agency has no idea what it's really investigating. The complications have implications that reverberate a century later, but even those who have trouble following the plot will marvel at Campbell's visual detail, use of color (particularly an explosive red) and extensive stretches of wordless panels.
The veteran artist rises to a new challenge.

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My pal Christopher Moonlight has posted a nice scan of a color original of mine, which I know you won't have seen before as it was published in black and white (plate signed by me and Alan in collector's special edition of Disease of Language). I think it became a colour job by accident when my mind wandered. He must have scanned it at very high res.
A few days earlier he told his version of the night he and his wife took me to dinner. As anecdoted in comments here a few days back, he neglected to tell me he'd booked the restaurant under his nom de plume instead of his regular everyday name. So we were sitting in different parts of the joint for 45 minutes. Bloody artists! :)

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Anita Virgil is the widow of Andy Virgil (1925-80), one of those great stylish illustrators of the 50s/60s. She has written an excellent little memoir of Andy, which Leif Peng is serializing on his blog, Today's Inspiration. It has wonderful observations and details of how commercial illustration studios ran back in those days, and the whole thing is brimming with affection. And of course you can always depend on Leif to have a splendid selection of images. I've simplified it into parts for you. intro, 1, 2, 3. and it will be continuing...

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If you can get through this reflection upon cartoonist and childrens book author, the late Harry Horse, and his wife, without bursting into tears, you're a better man than I am, Hayley Campbell.
(via Journalista)