A graphic novelization of Jules Verne’s Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by the celebrated illustrator and writer of books, comics, and comic strips, Gary Gianni. The classic Verne novel receives an exciting fresh visual approach allowing the reader to experience the story anew. Twelve years after its initial release, Gianni’s visual adaptation remains one of our favorite Flesk titles.
We have a few cases of the book left at a special price of $14.95. Learn more about the book here:
With my buddy James at our Flesk booth at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con last July.
With the summer winding-down I am turning my focus toward our latest batch of books. There are five titles that form our next wave of art collections. These will be released between this fall and into the spring of 2020. Each of these books has been in some stage of development from anywhere between 1 to 13 years. They include monograms on Frank Cho, Bruce Timm, Brad Kunkle, Edwin Austin Abbey, and Jeffrey Alan Love. Some of the details for each project is outlined here. I’m including Al Williamson and Mark Schultz as supporting guests as I share some behind the scenes stories.
Frank Cho artwork from his Zombie King comic.
The Art of Frank Cho
The first book that I
will share the details about is a big Art of Frank Cho collection. Frank has
brought up the idea of a large book for years. During a quiet period about a
year ago I began to assemble this book. Over the course of a few weeks I worked
with Frank to map out a book that spans his entire career that runs over 300
pages. During my visit to Maryland during the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con I spent
some extra time with Frank and scanned original art from his archives. Then, in
February 2019 I visited Frank again when we fleshed out the book some more and
I scanned a bunch of more material for the book. It was common to work on the
book for 2-3 days, then to take a few months off before another window opened
where we could align and do some more work on it together. I’m looking at the
book now and realizing how close it is to being done. It’s amazing how a few
days here and there over the course of a year or two can result in a book.
Since we haven’t looked at the book over the summer, we have two fresh pairs of eyes on it. We have tweaked one of the sections by cutting back on the Liberty Meadows section and inserting some of his latest works. At the moment Frank is working full time on his upcoming Fight Girls comic for AWA, his regular Harley Quinn covers for DC Comics, and the occasional comic cover for other publishers. This makes his time available to focus on this book limited. We are squeezing in an hour here and there to wrap it up. I never want to stress Frank out by being pushy, so we are working at his pace to get this done. The only thing that Frank has left to do is the cover and to provide the remaining captions. We’re in a good groove and hope to have it done very soon.
Frank Cho signing books at our Flesk warehouse earlier this year.
The way I work with
every artist is different, yet the same factor of it being very personal is
consistent. With Frank we do everything over the phone. We talk for anywhere
between 1-3 hours at a time, usually chit-chatting about random things as we
both work while keeping each other company. What I’ll do is send Frank a PDF of
the book which he will look over, usually while he is drawing a Harley Quinn cover.
Based on his feedback and our discussion I’ll tweak and adjust things as we
talk about totally random things. I’ll send him a new PDF once I’ve made a
series of fresh improvements. Frank gives it a look, we talk about it, then I
tweak it some more. We go back and forth like this for hours. It’s easy, very
organic, and we are always in sync with one another. It’s a pretty smooth and
enjoyable process. When I work with Mark Schultz and Gary Gianni, it is very
similar to this, with the exception that they are not working on comic covers at
the same time. Frank is always backed up with so many projects, he usually has
to continue working.
With Frank, we usually work and talk late at night. Between 8:00pm to midnight my time, which is 11:00pm to 3:00am his time. We both work best with creative stuff at night—especially since we can focus uninterrupted. For me, the daytime is reserved for running the business and while being on daddy duty. Since we are the same age and in similar family situations, we can relate to one another easily.
Frank Cho’s Ballpoint Beauties was our biggest seller in 2019.
Working with Frank is a
good experience. Since neither of us likes drama, and we like to keep things
mellow and easy, it’s always worked out smoothly.
The details and release date for The Art of Frank Cho will be revealed soon. I like to have Frank’s books done, or nearly done, before we announce it. Since he is always slammed with work, I don’t want to make an announcement and then have the book delivered late. But, we are very close to being done!
Detail of artwork by Bruce Timm for his next book coming from Flesk.
Bruce Timm
At the same time I am working with Bruce Timm on his new book. This will be a collection of his three sold-out show Teasers, then Surrender My Sweet, and will also include a lot of new material. At 208 pages and 9 x 12 inches, there will be a paperback and a hardcover edition available. Bruce is another artist who is very easy to work with. We started on this collection last year. Like with Frank Cho, Bruce can get very busy with his day job. We tend to work a little at a time in-between other projects. Sometimes when he has the time, I may be fully engrossed in my Spectrum duties. Then, when I’m free, he may be tied-up in a new film. Eventually though, we align and get it done. By not setting a deadline it takes the pressure and stress off of us, while allowing for a book that we are proud of.
Bruce Timm artwork detail. This will be included in his next art book from Flesk.
Bruce and I work
exclusively through email. Like with Cho, Schultz, and Gianni, he is easy and
professional, with the process being very organic. The way we work typically
goes like this. I’ll shoot him an email with a book idea that includes a full
outline to get the brainstorming sessions started. Bruce replies after each of
my paragraphs with notes and thoughts of his own. We go back and forth like this
as the book begins to take form. This is a very enjoyable part of the process.
I’ve written this before, but Bruce has been very impactful on me in terms of
how I design a book. I’ve never worked with him at Warner Bros., or seen him in
action there, but based upon my experience while working with him on his books,
he is very good at bringing out the best in me, while allowing me to be
creative and to try new things.
If you are wondering
how I started working with Bruce, it was as simple as my meeting him at a
Comic-Con in San Diego and giving him a 2-minute pitch. Since I didn’t know him,
I forced myself to keep my book idea with him to just a few minutes. I knew he
was a big name, and I was well aware of his stature in the industry and all
that he has accomplished. I don’t get nervous or feel intimated when I meet
people, so I didn’t practice, or prepare (since both rob me of feeling
comfortable—I’m best when I don’t rehearse in advance), but I simply had a
general idea of making a book on his personal “after-hours” art. I let him know
that I wanted to make a “Bruce Timm” book and never mentioned any of his
superhero or daytime work. A handful of follow-up emails over the next 6-8
months resulted in about 200 originals showing up at my house one day. Suffice
it to say, I feel very fortunate that he continues to work with me.
Back to this new
collection, it is about 95% complete. As soon as Bruce is wrapped up with his
latest film we can wrap it up. I’ll make an announcement once we have a release
date set.
Brad Kunkle
A third book that I am
working on is with Brad Kunkle. Working on three books at a time serves a few
purposes. The first is that it is practical. Many of the artists that I work
with stay very busy. Between commercial assignments, private commissions, event
appearances, exhibits—we all share passion for our dreams and work hard to
achieve our vision. When Frank Cho has a Harley Quinn cover deadline or he is
attending a show, I may jump over to the Bruce Timm book. Then when I am caught
up on Bruce’s book, I’ll send him an email with some notes. Rather than wait
for his reply, especially since it may be a week or two since he is involved in
a new film, I jump over to Brad’s book. The three books keep me moving and I’m
not sitting idle.
Another reason why three
books is the magic number is because it keeps me creatively excited. Each book
has a different tone; each one features different subject matter; and, each is
handled differently. By jumping back and forth between the three, I feel that I
can have continually fresh eyes. Rather than serving as a distraction or
impeding my flow, the variations help with my flow. My goal is to have
contrasting books with different designs so that there are no templates being
used.
Getting back to Brad, I
first met him in 2006 or 2007 (I have to check my notes to confirm the year) during
my first trip to Pennsylvania to visit with Mark Schultz. Mark had invited me
out to visit Al and Cori Williamson. Having the chance to see Al at his home
was a special moment for me. I’m a huge fan of the EC comics line that came out
in the 1950s. Al did a lot of artwork for the Weird Fantasy, Weird
Science, and Weird Science-Fantasy titles. He collaborated with Roy
Krenkel and Frank Frazetta at times, but it was Al’s work that excited me the
most. (This all ties into Brad, I promise.)
After I arrived at
Mark’s house, and after we visited with Al and Cori, Mark and I drove back to
his house. The next day Mark asked me if he minded if a guest joined us for
lunch. Sure, I didn’t mind. This guy pulls up the driveway and Mark introduces
Brad Kunkle to me. It turns out that Brad is related to Mark’s wife, Denise. Brad,
at the time, was in a band and was doing dog portrait paintings on the side. I
recall that he was still deciding which direction to go in.
Brad pulled out a
painting from his trunk. It was of a recent portrait that he did of his
girlfriend at the time. It was stunning! I looked at his dog portraits online
and was amazed at how he captured the personalities of the dogs. We even
discussed possibly doing a dog calendar at the time. But, basically, from that
fortuitous lunch during a time when I was starting to get my publishing career
off the ground, and Brad was beginning to become a painter, we developed a
friendship. Over the years we would meet up in various locations during our
travels when our lives would intersect such as in Santa Barbara, New York City,
and in various cities in Pennsylvania, but never in the same place twice. I was
able to congratulate him as he had his first sold-out exhibit, followed by his
second, and watched how his notoriety and fame grew, while he always remaining
a humble and good guy. Each time we saw one another, we would discuss working
together on a book project when the time was right. Well, 13 plus years later
after our first meeting, we finally decided that the time is right.
At the moment we are
working on his first art book collection. Our main emphasis is for the book to
be an art object. There may be more discussion going into this book than any
other project that I have worked on before. I want this to be something very
special, and unlike anything we have published before. Like all of the books
that we do, there is no rush on this. It will get done when it is done. But, I
can guarantee that it will be beautiful.
Edwin Austin Abbey
A fourth book that is nearly done is an Edwin Austin Abbey pen-and-ink book that is reproduced from old magazines. I recently pulled it off a hard drive and dusted it off. I had done the majority of work on this book 10 years ago. It is in a similar format and style to the Franklin Booth and Joseph Clement Coll books that I did from 2002-2004. I had lost interest in the Abbey book when I was working with living artists and direct from original art full time. The chance to work with Al Williamson was more exciting! After looking over the Abbey book I realized that it was about 80% done and I liked it a bunch. I asked Kathy to finish cleaning up the remaining art that I hadn’t got to yet, and she put the final polish on the book. All that’s needed is for me to write an introduction or essay. I just need to find the time to write a brief piece to open the book. I’ll leave a detailed essay on Abbey to a future historian. Taking the time to research and write extended essays is not available to me at this stage in my life.
Jeffrey Alan Love signing his cover print for The Thousand Demon Tree.
Jeffrey Alan Love
A fifth book in development is a Jeffrey Alan Love sketchbook. Jeff ran this idea by me last year, which I liked and agreed to publish. The concept is simple in that Jeff would paint a piece in his sketchbook of whatever idea came to his mind that day. Once the sketchbook was full, he passed it along to me. Rather than scanning the pages I took it to my friend Greg Preston to get photographed. When scanning art, it projects a bright flat light against the art surface. This works fine in most cases, however I wanted to have more control over the lighting for this object, rather than treating it as a flat surface. There are textures and variations in the way Jeff applies his paint and I didn’t want these nuances to be lost in the scanning process. Jeff was the one who initially suggested that the sketchbook be photographed. My mind immediately began spinning with ideas and techniques for a unique approach to reproducing his sketchbook. With the photography done, I’ve been playing around with two very different approaches to the book and will make a final decision soon. There’s not too much work left to do on this book. I simply need the time to focus on it. My goal is to have it done in the next few months, then I’ll plan a release date.
With Greg Preston while photographing Jeffrey Alan Love’s latest sketchbook.
Making a Book
From left to right: Gary Gianni, J.A.W. Cooper, Kathy Chu, Bill Carman, and John Fleskes during the Planet Comicon at the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live pavilion.
Publishers typically make new book announcements 10-12 months in advance, then work hard to hit their target dates. I prefer to work in a different way. I like to either finish or have a book 95% done before I advertise and offer a release date. This allows me to take my time and to let the book dictate its own schedule. I can pull this off since I am a small publisher. Once a publisher gets to a certain size and has a larger staff–mapping out schedules is imperative to making sure the business runs smoothly. I can work in both environments, however, lately I’ve been focusing on the book first, followed by advertising it once it is complete.
Tran Nguyen reviewing the book proofs for her upcoming book, Ambedo. As a small publisher, we can work very closely with the artists to make very personal books.
The high majority of
the book work is done by me, although Kathy is quickly growing as a fine
bookmaker and will be running her own projects as soon as we can find a new
office manager to free up her time. Currently, Kathy runs the office and
assists me throughout the week. Some books, like Spectrum, she plays a major
role in and does most of the heavy work, and other books, like the Bruce Timm
collection where she has a very small hand in. Then, there are other books
where we work side-by-side like this new Frank Cho book. The new Tran Nguyen
book Kathy did not see until I asked her to give it a final review before I
sent it to the printer. We work very organically and fall into a smooth groove
based on what is going on in the office and what book work needs to be done.
When we start a new
book, I’ll take the first step which is to make something which I call a book
map. I do a rough layout with no design in place. It looks as simple as art
placed on pages just to get an idea of the flow and placement of how the tone
and order of the book will look. Actually, before I do this, I visually scroll
through the artwork quickly on the computer to take a mental snapshot and to
memorize all of the imagery. I shuffle and organize the images in my head, then
place them in the order that I want on the pages. Once this is done, I’ll send
a PDF to the artist for them to look at for feedback. This avoids wasting time
and effort by streamlining the book early, before the design stage begins.
Either through email or over the phone we’ll go over the PDF together. Based on
their comments and reactions I’ll tighten up the book further, shift pages and
art around, and I may group things differently, until we have a solid book map
to work with.
At this stage I’ll start inserting text, if any. Again, I’m not paying any attention to design. I’m simply dropping text on pages next to the art that it is associated with. Before the text is dropped into the book it is fully edited and finalized. I don’t write in the design program, or make changes to the text after it is inserted into the book. I want to be efficient and not waste time by repeating unnecessary steps. I’d rather spend time with my kid than do something a second time. Once the text and art for each page is finalized, then I’ll start designing the book. I’ll only design a handful of book spreads first, then send it to the artist for their feedback. That way we can nail the theme and design elements early, before applying it to the full book. After we settle on the design, I’ll go in and apply the master design to the full book. I’ll send PDFs regularly to the artist to give opportunities to make changes and to provide feedback in the early stages. The last thing I want to do is to make big radical changes after I’ve already applied the theme to the book. It’s about doing the heavy lifting early on, really paying attention to the early mapping and design foundation to make sure that the rest of the process is smooth and easy. I actually enjoy the heavy creative lifting in the beginning stages, then fall into cruise control for the middle stage. The final stage includes all double checks on the art and text to look for mistakes. Then I package it up and send it off to the printer.
Mark Schultz preliminary pages for Xenozoic.
That brings you up to date on our next five books. Lots more to come! I have a backlog of 10 more that I am pretty excited to move forward with after these. They include the next Arthur Adams, J.A.W. Cooper, Terry Dodson, Mark Schultz, William Stout, and Al Williamson titles—along with Spectrum 27.
A comprehensive visual overview of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series—plus A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Fire and Blood—through over 275 drawings and paintings by the award-winning illustrator Gary Gianni.
Art of Gary Gianni for George R. R. Martin’s Seven Kingdoms This new premium art book is now available for pre-order at www.fleskpublications.com.
This hardcover edition and signed deluxe edition are only available direct from Flesk.
Shipping in July 2019
Afterword by George R. R. Martin Introduction by Cullen Murphy Art by Gary Gianni Designed and edited by Marcelo Anciano The Hardcover edition is 304 pages The Deluxe signed edition is 326 pages and includes a gatefold 9 x 12 inches Over 125 pen-and-ink drawings Over 100 pencil drawings 19 paintings, plus color studies $49.95 — Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-64041-022-0 $200.00 – Deluxe edition signed by George R. R. Martin and Gary Gianni ISBN: 978-1-64041-023-7
About the Deluxe Signed Edition: The deluxe edition comes signed by author George R. R. Martin and artist Gary Gianni on a unique signature page that is highlighted with the reproduction of a pen-and-ink drawing by Gianni. This version is limited to only 500 copies in slipcase. It features a bonus 22-page section with a gatefold highlighting bonus artwork that is reserved specially for this edition. This premium hardcover book with slipcase is wrapped in an exquisite custom-ordered cloth. The front side of the book is treated to a color plate that reproduces a new oil painting by Gianni. This special edition is receiving the full Flesk treatment to serve as a treasured book for the sophisticated collector.
About the Art of Gary Gianni for George R. R. Martin’s Seven Kingdoms
This book contains all of Gary Gianni’s artwork for George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Over 300 pages of beautifully illustrated scenes from the five novels in the series—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons—are featured alongside passages from the books themselves. Also included are illustrations from the two prequels of the series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Fire and Blood. All together, the paintings and hundreds of drawings in pencil and pen-and-ink provide a unique view of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as seen through the eyes of the award-winning illustrator. Describing Gianni’s artwork, George R. R. Martin says it’s “as if I am looking through a window into Westeros, that I am there with Tyrion and Daenerys, with Ned and Arya, with Dunk and Egg.”
All of Gary Gianni’s previously shown pencil sketches and paintings have been tightened up and polished for this collection, making them appear as new works. In addition, over 35 pencil drawings appear for the first time. The artist draws on his longtime experience in comics and illustration to offer a unique perspective into Martin’s universe.
The book also includes an introduction by Cullen Murphy, who discusses the art of illustration and adds context to the pictures by providing an overview of Gianni’s career. Notes from the artist reveal insight concerning his methods and the creative process of working with Martin, a relationship that has spanned five years to date.
About Gary Gianni:
Gary Gianni began as an illustrator for Chicago newspapers and as a courtroom artist for television. He has received the Eisner and Spectrum awards and has illustrated books by authors ranging from Melville and Stevenson to Robert E. Howard, Michael Chabon and Ray Bradbury. His comics include The Shadow with Michael Kaluta, Batman with Archie Goodwin, Tom Strong with Alan Moore and Indiana Jones. He is also known for his own mystery comic book The MonsterMen. Gianni teamed up with Mike Mignola to craft the graphic novel Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, and he drew the syndicated newspaper comic strip Prince Valiant with Mark Schultz for eight years. Gianni has produced the paintings for George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire calendar as well as illustrations for Martin’s novel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He continues to work with Martin to illustrate future collections.
About George R. R. Martin:
George R. R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally ever since. He spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer-producer, working on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid-’90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, Martin returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris and two cats named Augustus and Caligula, who think they run the place.
About Cullen Murphy:
Cullen Murphy is the editor-at-large of The Atlantic. For twenty-five years he wrote the comic strip Prince Valiant, working with his father, the illustrator John Cullen Murphy. He is the author of Cartoon County: My Father and His Friends in the Golden Age of Make-Believe.
The new Gary Gianni book will be revealed next month. This is one of my favorite ink pieces that will be included in the book, simply based upon Gary’s mastery of the ink line. It’s stunning!
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to work in three’s. We’re putting the final touches on this Gianni book, Frank Cho’s Ballpoint Beauties, and Ambedo by Tran Nguyen. Actually, there’s a fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh new book that are well into the production stages as well. But the first three that I mentioned are the primary focus at the moment.
A lot of big news will be shared early in the new year!
We’re in the final stretch of our Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea Studio Edition Kickstarter campaign! It ends tomorrow!
There has been five stretch goals unlocked since we launched the campaign a month ago. Lots of bonus material and free goodies are now included.
This book, which is written by Mike Mignola and Gary Gianni, and with art by Gary includes the Hellboy story with it’s thumbnails and preliminary art. Now, it also includes additional pages including a MonsterMen story, plus a bonus The Call of Cthulhu book illustrated by Gary. There are prints also!
Free bonus book for supporting our Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea by Mike Mignola and Gary Gianni Kickstarter campaign! How’s this for the best stretch goal ever? A free Gianni signed book with 100 pencil drawings.
Free fully illustrated The Call of Cthulhu book by Gianni to all Kickstarter supporters who pledge $50 or more if we reach our Stretch Goal #4, 80K goal! The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft comes illustrated with over one hundred pencil drawings by Gary Gianni. This 96 page paperback book will be 6 x 9.125 inches. All copies come signed by Gianni.
A few years ago, Gary Gianni began to work on a personal project; a fully illustrated edition of one of Lovecraft’s most highly regarded texts, The Call of Cthulhu. Gary Completed a full mock-up of the book by heavily designing the story with approximately 100 pencil drawings in preparation for the pen and ink finishes. Despite his intentions to complete the book, (George R.R. Martin wanted Gary to work on a small project of his!) and in spite of all the pencil work, it was set aside and never came to fruition. Now we have a unique opportunity to see this version in a beautifully produced book.
In addition, Gary is refining the design and many of the drawings to make this bonus book even more special. With your help we can give you this version as a free bonus for supporting the Kickstarter campaign with a pledge of $50.00 or more!
Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea Studio Edition by Mike Mignola and Gary Gianni is now live on Kickstarter!
This is for a glorious oversized deluxe treatment showcasing Gary Gianni’s artwork for Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea in an exquisite new hardcover book!
Launching on Kickstarter next Tuesday, September 12th! Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea Studio Edition! This book showcases Gary Gianni’s thumbnails, pencil preliminaries, and the final art–all reproduced from the original art.
The book will also include notes throughout by Gary that give you an intimate look into the making of the book. Additionally Gary writes about working with Mike Mignola to make this graphic novel come to life.
Picture, from left to right: Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni and John Fleskes.
Hi, everyone,
I got caught up with Gary Gianni over the phone today. We went over his three books that will be coming out from Flesk between 2017 and 2018. (The titles, subject matter and street dates will all be revealed in due time.)
We’ve been working on one of Gary’s projects on and off for the last three years. Another we have been talking about for a couple of years and the third book idea presented itself when we saw each other at Comic-Con in San Diego last July.
It’s not uncommon for books to take years to go from an initial discussion, to brainstorming ideas about how the book can work, to hitting the “go” button to produce and make the book to getting it out and into your hands.
I don’t know how other publishers work. I started the business with absolutely zero experience in this field. But here at Flesk, it takes time to make books. We get it nearly done, and then announce a release date.
I’m always looking for new ways to make books. The concept, layout and design are all things that I have to reimagine once in a while. I dislike the idea of a house style, templates or formulas. I need a fresh spark of newly tapped creativity to get me motivated.
The ideas we have for Gary’s books are something I’m very excited about. There’s got to be about 800 pages of book pages to sort out!
I think we did something exceptional with Wendy Pini‘s Art of Elfquest and Elfquest: The Art of the Story books. The execution behind these is unique and something I’m very proud to have been a part of. The new Flesk books will pick right up from Wendy’s books as we see just how far we can push the art of bookmaking.
I’m not done yet. As long as we’ve got your support, we’ll keep being different.
