Creator Commentary

Today sees the debut of Joshua Williamson and Jason Shawn Alexander's brand new Vertigo series Frostbite. Set in the near future after the dawn of a New Ice Age, humanity strives to carry on and make the best of it despite a deadly contagious disease that turns people into living statues made of ice. ComicsAlliance spoke to Alexander about his process and world building, and we have exclusive design pages from the artist, complete with notes on how he works and reworks pages to find the structure he's looking for.

The upcoming Vikings: Uprising by Cavan Scott and Daniel Indro delves into the immediate aftermath of the shocking midseason finale of the History Channel's hit drama, and follows Ragnar's ex-wife Lagertha as she flees Paris only to find more bloodshed waiting for her as the slaves revolt. With Vikings: Uprising in stores this week from Titan, ComicsAlliance spoke to Scott and Indro about their process when it comes to tackling an established franchise like Vikings, and the difficult process of getting into the minds of characters with such a barbaric and remorseless approach to life.

This fall, Jim Zub, Djibril Morissett-Phan, K. Michael Russell, and Marshall Dillon will launch Glitterbomb through Image Comics. The story follows an actress named Farrah caught in the Hollywood trap of daring to age, whose frustrations summon something from beyond --- something she may not entirely be able to control. This new horror comic hones in on the effects of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and the terrifying results of its grind on the people it chews up. Ahead of Glitterbomb's release, Jim Zub takes us behind the scenes of the creation of the book, from its earliest days as a mere concept, all the way through the final printed pages kicking off the first issue.

After a successful miniseries run with the character last year, Cavan Scott is reuniting with Doctor Who's Ninth Doctor --- brought to the screen by Christopher Eccleston --- for a second series from Titan Comics, this time on an ongoing basis, and joined by artist Adriana Melo and colorist Matheus Lopes. The first two issues are already out, and the third is on the way, but we wanted to go back to the start with Scott to learn a little bit more about his ideas and his vision for the series. Grab your copy of Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #1 and read along as Scott offers a behind the scenes look at the series, complete with a rundown of the Easter eggs you might have missed!

Earlier this month we shared writer George Mann's commentary for the first issue of the Titan Comics series Dark Souls, based on the hit action role-playing game set in a a primeval world of dragons, witches, and warriors. With the second issue arriving in stores this week, we've asked series artist Alan Quah to offer his insights on the creative process for the issue, and to share a few of his pencilled pages. So grab your copy of Dark Souls #1 and read along as Alan details his biggest challenges, his preferred storytelling methods, and the rewards of working on such an epic story!

The hugely successful action role-playing game series Dark Souls allows players to immerse themselves in a primeval world of dragons, witches, and warriors as they try to piece together the parts of their characters' stories. Building on the world of Demon's Souls, and with three Dark Souls games to explore, the series has created a rich environment that Titan Comics hopes to develop further in its Dark Souls comic book series. The first issue sold out on its day of release, but Titan has rushed out a second printing, so on the day that the new edition hits stores, we asked series writer George Mann to provide exclusive commentary on the book, introducing us to some of the themes and Easter eggs and his own favorite pages from artist Alan Quah.

Indoctrination is an upcoming Z2 Comics series from writer Michael Moreci and artist Matt Battaglia about two cops working with a terrorist to investigate a dangerous death cult. A supernatural-tinged thriller with a political twist, Indoctrination has a lot of big ideas to deliver on, and first-time comic artist Battaglia has to weave these elements together to create a sinister atmosphere of suspense. In order to get readers better acquainted with the world of Indoctrination, the creative team has provided ComicsAlliance with an exclusive commentary breaking down the elements of the first five pages of issue #1. It's a fascinating look at the choices they made, and the ideas that informed the series.

Cognetic is the latest mind-bending sci-fi comic from the Memetic creative team of James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan, this time centering on the return to earth of a psychic hivemind with the power to control a huge swath of the world's population. It falls to one FBI employee to try to save civilization from... well, maybe from what it only thinks is itself? Courtey of publisher Boom Studios, we've been given an exclusive look at Eryk Donovan's art process for the book, following him from initial layouts to final pages, with colors by Juan Manuel Tumburus. It's a fascinating insight into a process that fans don't often get to see. Check it out below.

Set in the vibrant port city of Manaus, Brazil, Two Brothers by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá is an intense tale of blood ties, love, loss, and estrangement, adapted from the novel Dois irmãos by Milton Hatoum. In anticipation of the book’s release this week, the brothers have shared with us an exclusive three-part look at the making of Two Brothers. In part one, they explained what drew them to the book. In part two, they talked about adapting the novel into a comics script. In part three, they discuss bringing the city of Manaus to life on the page.

Set in the vibrant port city of Manaus, Brazil, Two Brothers by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá is an intense tale of blood ties, love, loss, and estrangement, adapted from the novel Dois irmãos by Milton Hatoum. In anticipation of the book’s release this week, the brothers have shared with us an exclusive three-part look at the making of Two Brothers. In part one, they explained what drew them to the book. In part two, they talk about adapting the novel into a comics script.