Happy Harley Valentines!

Love is in the air this Valentine's with "A Happy Harley Valentine's" guest starring Supes and Bats! You won't want to miss it!

"Jingle Bells..."

"Jingle Bells...” Get it? Get it? Ah, I think you get it ;)

Merry Christmas from Mau to you!

"Dog Days"

This little series is a tribute to all the dogs across time who've had to put up with more than their fair share of their kid's shenanigans :)

"Bat Boys" - A Tribute to all the Batmen of Film and TV

"Bat Boys" - My Batman themed celebration of all the live action Caped Crusaders from throughout the years - Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and who can forget Ben "Guns Blazing" Affleck. It's also got a bunch of little nods that any true Batman fan will appreciate like shark repellant spray, Wayne Tower, and even the infamous Bat nipples. Will be available on my online store soon!

Superman and Batman: Yin and Yang

I first created this Superman Batman Yin Yang concept as a commissioned sketch at #WonderCon 2014, and then painted it the following year. I thought it'd be the perfect piece for me to kick off Batman v Superman week especially since it highlights them as allies on the same side as opposed to the, you know, typical Hollywood formula of making the heroes fight themselves first until the villain makes them set aside their differences *cough Avengers cough*. Either way I'm excited to see it, and I'm hoping the movie really captures the mutual respect and admiration they have for each other.

New Batman Short Film Coming Soon!

My new film is my take on the Batman origin. It's a lot shorter than my previous films but I think you'll like it all the same :)

What happens when the Justice League takes a Field Trip to the Art Museum?

I'm happy to present my latest piece! Sometimes I get an idea that speaks to a universal human truth like the meaning of imagination or parenthood, but this is not one of those times. This is one of those times when a silly idea that's been floating in my head goes too far. It's really nothing more than a visual pun, but boy was it incredibly fun to illustrate. And like many things I've drawn and painted over the years, I couldn't help but get it out of my head and onto virtual paper if nothing more than for my own benefit. So here's "No Flash Please" and I hope you enjoy it as well. Happy Monday!

"Luther" Meets Batman

So I just found out about the British show "Luther" a few months ago and finally got around to watching it recently (it's not very long, 3 'seasons' with 6 episodes each). I can't recommend it enough, and while watching I couldn't help but feel like it was borrowing heavily from the dynamics of the Batman mythology. It might just be that I have superheroes on the brain all the time, but whether it was or wasn't doesn't really matter as it's a GREAT show. Watch it!

Batman Marker Sketch

Batman marker sketch. Sometimes when a fan orders a lot of prints I'll try and include a free original sketch if I can and if it turns out well. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Throwback Thursday Tribute

I posted this years ago when I first made it but felt it was appropriate as a 'Throwback Thursday' post. This is my tribute to one of the best animated shows ever made - Batman: The Animated Series. It was done in the style of the title cards from the beginning of each episode. Hope you enjoy!

Batman Art - A Not So Standard Approach

"I miss them so much, Alfred." "Me too, Master Bruce. Me too." This isn't the most typical kind of Batman fan art you'll see, but I really enjoy telling some of the more quiet and lesser-seen stories of these characters. I hope you enjoy it!

WonderCon 2015 Wrap Up

WonderCon 2015 wrapped up yesterday and with it an amazing 3 days that was even better than last year! I just have to thank everyone who stopped by and shared their kind words with me. It was nothing short of awesome to see my work actually stop people in their tracks and make them smile! 

More than anything I'm proud my brand of storytelling showed through, and I'm both honored and humbled by one customer and fellow exhibitor's reference to the "Norman Rockwell narratives" in my art.

To all of you reading this - thank you for the continued support and I promise to continue creating stories and art that speak to the heart! 

Batman/Superman: Yin Yang - From Commissioned Sketch to Full Illustration

I was commissioned by a fan at last year's WonderCon to sketch something for his blank cover comic. I posted about the experience which you can find in my Archives under "Convention."

I'm happy to say that almost one year later I will debut it as a finished full color illustration at this year's show. Please come say hi if you're going. I'll be in SMALL PRESS Booth #030.

Sneak Peek at New Painting Coming Soon!

'Nuff Said :)

Batman Sketch

"Who...who are you?"

"I'm Batman."

My Superman Film "A Smallville Man" Surpasses Previous Batman Film "A Gotham Fairytale" in Views

I simply cannot believe that my Superman film "A Smallville Man" has garnered more views in just two weeks than my previous Batman film has in over a year and a half! Wow! I must admit that even though I am a die hard fan of the Man of Steel, I wholeheartedly believed that this film wasn't going to be received as well since Superman's appeal tends to face more of an uphill battle than Batman's does.

It's been my experience that everyone loves Batman, and if they don't it's probably because they aren't a fan of comic book characters to begin with but at least they usually hold nothing against him. Superman on the other hand though - forget about it! Big blue definitely has his fair share of fans, but I've never encountered nearly as many in my personal life as I have for the Dark Knight. And conversely of those who are not his fans, I've encountered a significant number who actively dislike him whereas I've never encountered a single comic fan who wholeheartedly dislikes Bats.

Different opinions aside, this saddens me because I tend to discover that the majority of the hatred toward Superman results from a poor understanding of his character and/or the stories centered around him. Arguments relating to his over abundance of powers or his clean-cut boy scout personality are typically cited as to why most find him "boring", and while some people may genuinely be turned off by stories of that nature, I usually find that most people just jump to that argument out of instinct.

So you can see why I was so surprised to see my Superman film "beating out" my Batman one so soon. Of course I don't view them as competing with each other, but it is nice to see Supes get a warm reception by fans like me. Thanks for reading!

Long Beach Comic Con 2014 Wrap Up

The 2014 Long Beach Comic Con held Sept 27-28th was a huge success, and I had a ton of fun getting to be a part of it. The show featured multiple exhibitors, artists, creators, and special guests within the halls of the Long Beach Convention Center and was attended by guests of all ages. I spent the majority of my time at my table in Artist's Alley selling prints and getting to interact with old fans while also making new ones.

Overall it was a great experience, and the best part for me had to be seeing and hearing people's reactions to my work. I was surprised to see so many people stop by to specifically tell me that they liked my work even when they had no intention of purchasing anything.

I also gave away free artwork throughout the weekend as I usually try to do at conventions. This time my two lucky winners would each be going home with a large Batman poster print that I got made specifically for this show. Congrats to both of my winners, and I hope their walls have enough room to accommodate their new prizes.

Now that the convention craze is over I'll be resuming my work on a couple of upcoming projects, most notably my Superman animatic. My next appearance will be at DesignerCon 2014 in Pasadena on Nov 8-9 so I hope you'll have some time to check it out. Until then, I'll be drawing away!  

New Web Comic Strip "Forever Life's Intern"

I’ve been really entertained and inspired by  web comics recently that I decided to create some when I feel I have a good enough joke or idea. While I don’t plan to become the next “The Oatmeal,” I do hope to at least generate a chuckle if not point out some contradictions in the daily mechanics of life.

So without further adieu I present my new web comic aptly titled “Forever Life’s Intern.” Since I’m such a big comic book nerd, this first strip chronicles the discussion between two comic book fans as they discuss the complexities of their appreciation for Batman and/or Superman. It was born out of my puzzlement by the fact that so many Batman fans out there seem to think that hating Superman is a prerequisite to liking Batman. If you ask me, I say “why not both?”

Hope you enjoy!

The Many Faces of Batman - The Best Batman Fan Art

Hi, everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I was traveling for work and then subsequently got a terrible cold. Anyhow I'm all better now and have been working on some cool things about which I'll post very soon. In the mean time I thought I'd share some news that I got this morning.

My Batman art got featured by ForeverGeek alongside some other really cool Batman fan illustrations. What I thought was really cool was the different styles used and the interpretation of the visual aesthetic of the character. Please check it out when you have a moment.

http://www.forevergeek.com/2014/07/best-batman-fan-art/

"POPcade" Show a Success! Pt 1

Popzilla Gallery’s 5th art show entitled “POPcade” opened this past Saturday to a HUGE crowd, and I was privileged enough to have had two pieces in the show. Popzilla’s hook is to take a specific theme and combine it with pop culture, and this time was no different. With over 70 artists and more than 120 pieces, “POPcade” mashed video games both old and new with elements from television, movies, and books like I had never seen before.

The show had everything from a painting depicting Link lost in Bikini Bottom to a drugged out Mario in a painting inspired by the movie poster for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” It was a fantastic turnout, and I am happy to share that both of my pieces were sold halfway through the night.

If I can be honest, when I first agreed to participate in the event I had no idea what to do. I was excited by the theme, but I was petrified by the endless options at my disposal. Then I remembered that I used to LOVE playing Sonic the Hedgehog and thought about what I could do with the character. He runs really fast and collects rings along the way, so I started to think  if there were any famous rings from pop culture and what could Sonic do with those.

That wasn’t really inspiring me either, so then I focused back on his speed and it automatically hit me. What if Sonic was racing somebody? And not just anybody but somebody incredibly fast? And then I asked myself what character in pop culture is incredibly fast? The Flash! And Superman! And in fact there was even a big event in comic book history where Superman raced the Flash. So I thought it’d be funny to see this little blue-haired hedgehog inserting himself into this famous race determined to prove he’s the fastest of them all!

My second contribution to the show was an entry for the “Video Game Vixens” Pinup series. Since I wasn’t early in registering for the event, almost all of my favorite female characters from video game lore had already been reserved (each artist could only do one and each character could only be done once). Luckily nobody had asked for Harley Quinn from the Rocksteady Arkham games so I chose to go with the version from “Arkham City.”

The show will be open for 4 weeks so all of the great art can still be viewed at the Rothick Art Haus (170 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA) during their normal operating hours.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a special Mother’s Day if you’re in the U.S! I’ll be posting a more in-depth look at my process for each of the two pieces next for those that are interested so stay tuned. Until the next time!