Both Gary Gianni’s adaptation of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and William Stout’s Prehistoric Life Murals are at the printer.
The Gianni book is on the press. I approved the second set of proofs last week. The printing and binding should be finished within the next two to three weeks. With this in mind, I expect to have the bulk shipment around mid-December for shipping to the stores and distributors. This estimated delivery date always seems to have a plus or minus factor of two weeks, depending on the shipping. There can be transit delays, such as the books being held in customs for an extra week.
Stout’s Murals book is in the early stages at the printer. I am awaiting the first set of proofs for review. I rarely approve the first set, as I tend to be particular about shadows, contrast, and making sure colors don’t shift. Or, sometimes proofs can come out too hot, or too warm. All in all, the murals book is in its final leg to completion.
With these two books at the printer, my full attention turns to Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon book. I am going through all of the material on hand, to see what we are missing, and to make a very rough book map to hand over to Randy Dahlk, the designer. This book map will contain the sequential pages, Mark Schultz’s text, and a scattering of sketches and unpublished drawings for Randy to play around with. This is a fun, highly collaborative project between Randy, Mark, and myself, with designs sent to Al and Cori Williamson for their input.
We’ve all decided to print Al’s finished art for his comic material in black and white. They are absolutely beautiful on their own. With almost the entire book scanned from the originals, the reader will be able to see Williamson’s tones, variations in line and shading lost in their comic book reproductions of the past. Our goal is to reproduce his artwork as faithful to the originals as possible. There will also be color works included, many unpublished.
If you are wondering what else is in the pipeline, we have started early development of five more titles. I will have full details posted on our website once the books have been completely fleshed out. Even though I am not ready to talk about the details, I can tell you one book is Mark Schultz’s Various Drawings Volume Four, then a Gary Gianni art book collection, and a new James Bama book! I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to continue working with these fine gentlemen, all of who also happen to be amazing artists!
As always, thanks to everyone for your support.
John Fleskes
Flesk Publications