Collaborators: Jason Latour

So, Latour is pretty much one of the emerging bright lights in comic book illustration. And he also writes. I’ve known Jason for years now, having first connected when I was looking for someone to draw what became BATTLE HYMN back in 2003. Eventually we managed to squeeze out four issues of THE EXPATRIATE at Image, which was left kind of hanging in the air, but taught us both a lot about how we wanted to approach things in the future. For the record, we’ve been slowly crafting an ending to THE EXPATRIATE, with the idea in mind to collect the (slightly revised) existing issues and the new ending together into a single trade. Last year Jason did this phenomenal print to remind those who cared that we weren’t quite done yet (click for a bigger view):

In fairness, Jason’s been doing most of the heavy lifting there, but sometimes that’s how our brand of collaborating falls.

Another project in the works is THE STEEL CITY HAWK, which we fully plan on dropping via Image no later than 2010. This one is a complicated, ever evolving thing, but when it’s done it will introduce readers to a new universe of good guys, bad guys, and spiritual wanderers. The cover below is actually the second cover Jason worked up for the first issue, and by the time the book is published, I have no doubt it’ll be tweaked once again. But I think it’s a thing of beauty, and shows off our protagonist in fine fashion (again, click for the bigger view):

And here’s the original cover for issue three, featuring the White Owl and Vox Populi:

At the moment, Jason’s working on an original graphic novel for one of the majors, and when it’s done I honestly think it’s going to blow anyone with an eye for graphic design and storytelling away.

Not bad for a kid from Hooptyville who believes he “should have been born in the future…or the past.”

Advertisement