A First Salvo

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T19:38:00.001-04:00

Come on dooowwwwnnn!

2011-06-06T18:53:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to the Salvo Jam!

Visit www.afirstsalvo.com

It has to be said...

2011-06-01T22:39:00.001-04:00

Couldn't let this just go by...

It is happening. But as much as it is a bombshell for DC Comics to totally relaunch, the basic resetting of DC - Crisis aside - is the dawn of the Silver Age. New takes on all characters, yes, even Supes, Bats and Wonder Woman; and these came to be the 'accepted' takes, as new characters.

The question is... how different will Bats be this time?

And how fitting that, once Barry Allen (the Silver Age Flash) finally returned, he brought with him, an all new DC, all over again?

DODSON!!

2011-03-06T17:50:00.000-04:00

Yeah, need anything else be said?

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-25T12:11:00.001-04:00

To one and all, a happy Holiday Season!

Daed & Van

2010-11-25T20:40:00.000-04:00

Grandfather and grandson.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T21:50:00.000-04:00

And the Holiday Season is here! Trick or Treat.

Frank Frazetta

Rockin the Casbah

2010-10-02T22:40:00.001-04:00

Awesome:Contract

Summer fun

2010-08-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

Usual summer stuff...

Check FREE issues of Contract, currently at WOWIO.

http://www.wowio.com/contract

Second Chances -by FUZION

2010-07-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

Fuzion is Contract's (First Salvo's) go-to colorist. He's also an incredible artist.

Chill Out, Jessie

2010-07-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

Click on the images and enjoy!

Favorites

2010-06-17T17:30:00.002-04:00

Have to admit to a few favorites among the art contest submissions. The above piece has a sense of power and subtlety that works very well. It is also a good bit of painting, with a somber mood - an atmosphere to it.

Another great effort - and it captures Jes' grace and beauty. And hey - a good bit of Alphonse Mucha :)

What a cover it could make. It serves its purpose, drawing you in. But where's Tsumi? Maybe that's the point - you want to know.

The mystery of Meth... perhaps better left unrevealed and seldom shown! Truly one of the coolest members of the Contract cast. This is great as a comic book pin-up or cover. Gives a real sense of unity between the two characters, and yet a separation too.

Contract Contest closed

2010-06-09T19:28:00.002-04:00

The cool Contract contest ran its course and many entries lay before creator 'Mad!'

Here are some random wonders...

...and so many more!

Frazetta

2010-05-12T19:47:00.000-04:00

Frank Frazetta a living legend - forever a legend...

Hachacha

2010-05-09T14:53:00.002-04:00

Jessie---

Sketch Dump Saturdays - May 1

2010-05-01T18:06:00.000-04:00

Summer is on its way...

Here's the first of some of more recent artwork:


Contract cast - and guests!

And a color test for different style approaches:

2010-04-25T19:11:00.000-04:00

If CONTRACT was released as a pack of all 6 printed issues at your Local Comic Store would you buy it?

Toth Tuesday -

2010-04-20T21:11:00.000-04:00

In keeping with the fighter pilot theme and up-coming First Salvo stories...

One of Toth's few EC tales...

In typical Toth style, the piece radiates in contrast. Black is very strong and there are few details. Yet the work does not suffer. An example of the colored first page shows how even FEWER lines (in the case of the clouds - compare below) makes for great pop art in flat color.

Contest

2010-04-18T20:37:00.002-04:00


Jessie by nunchaku

Yep, it's a showdown between creative desperadoes - who will win?

Prizes:

1st place: $200 Yehaww!
2nd place: $100 Still worth a woohoo!
3rd place: $75 Now that ain't shabby either!
4th place: $50 Prize money for a fourth place win!
5th place: 12 month DA subscription.

Tons of great benefits with a premium membership!

6th place: 3 month DA subscription

3 winners will be picked from this category!
SPECIAL PRIZE: Nebaroth's Favorite entry will get receive a color commission from him.

The Rules:
Easy! Draw/Paint/Sculpt etc. your FAVORITE Character (or Characters) from CONTRACT! The entries will be judged by GaranMad and a few of the awesome artists at DeviantArt.
Nebaroth
Rob Banbury
Nunchaku

What to draw:
That's up to you really let your imagination run wild and have fun with it (i.e. sketch card, pin-up, sequential art, animations, etc). Check the CHARACTER SHEETS folder for their turnaround designs....
[link]

The Deadline:
Monday, May 31st 2010!

Jessie by contestant Antoanela91

Rules Part 2: There are NO RULES... okay, maybe a few... "note" me a link to your image, please keep it PG-13ish, give a link back to this contest page, and only one entry per contestant.

**Clarification: Please note that none of the illustrations you see in my featured gallery are currently included in the contest... all contest entries will have their own folder.

***Collabs are allowed, However, the members of the Collaboration team cannot then submit more work on their own. They would be considered ONE contestant. Should the collaboration team win, they will have to decide (or split) amongst themselves whatever prize they have won.

**** PRIZE DONATION: If anyone would like to Donate ADDITIONAL Prizes please feel free to note me
GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!

Toth Tuesdays

2010-04-11T22:33:00.008-04:00

Now there's an idea - "Toth Tuesdays"! Posting material about the late, great Alex Toth every Tuesday. And why not? There is plenty of his amazing art out there and it was mentioned that Toth would be featured regularly here at Blog Salvo.

To start, here on a Sunday post, a short and typical Toth Tale - Burma Sky. It features perhaps his favorite subject - war-birds in action, dog-fighting in the skies of yesteryear, and all delineated with his economy of line and shadow.

A certain fiery redhead suggested it be told that a WW2 tale will soon be posted featuring Danger's Dozen leader Boss Aman during his RAF days. While no comparison to the fine work of Alex Toth, the drawings in stories like Burma Sky are a continuing influence on the work.

Tales of Danger: Aman

Sketchdump Saturdays

2010-04-11T15:58:00.001-04:00

Guilty - missed one day, yet here it is - from the latest short story, gag -

Playin' Doctor by 'Bambs79'!

From roughs to finished piece, always interesting to see the workings of comic art.

All art work - Rob Banbury.

Comics on the web

2010-04-04T20:52:00.002-04:00

With the release of the iPad and the continued popularity of the iPhone and its clones, the possibilities for digital comics expands.

The Comixology reader and selection of comics on iTunes, is a wonderful way to catch up on your comic reading.

A large variety of publishers, including Marvel, Image and Boom, list a number of their titles. Reading is straight forward, as the panels are brought up on the iPhone screen for ease of viewing. Better yet, with the size of the iPad, comics can be read at true size.

The future holds further potential, with development of computer-based Readers, allowing comics to be read on your home computer.

First Salvo continues to release the Contract series: Solo Missions, World of Contract and exclusives - keep up-to-date here at Blog Salvo and the Contract Comic site.

BREYFOGLE!

2010-03-21T18:05:00.000-04:00

What's HE up to?

Norm Breyfogle! Famed for his work on DC Comics' Batman, Norm was responsible for the design and aided in the introduction of Tim Drake (currenty Red Robin). He also helped further establish the Malibu Ultraverse with his long-running work on Prime.

He's known to us at A First Salvo, as the series artist for The Danger's Dozen. Across three and one double-sized issues of the Dozen, Norm crafted the first arc in the untold adventures of Aman and his crew.

Closing the arc, Norm sought future work in the industry, and an unusual partnership arose!

The new direction, realistic version Archie, sought to give a new look to Jughead and the gang. While the Archie/Red Circle heroes made the move to DC Comics, Norm found a new home in Riverdale.

Easily one of the more dynamic of the new direction artists, Norm's work is fluid and even "cartoony" enough to strike a happy balance.

The Dan DeCarlo and Stan Goldberg styles may be THE look of Archie, but Norm's take is nice to look at.

The World of Contract

2010-03-17T23:17:00.001-04:00

Recent destruction in Haiti brought some questions to mind regarding the world of Contract. Think on it - everything is put to tender. When devastation strikes, who responds? Who would in a world such as this? Who would bid on the need for doctors, for rescue teams, dogs, reconstruction resources, medicine?

Stands to reason, some like-minded individuals would already have bid on such things. Having a standard force ready to mobilize and in that regard, a means to both fund and recoup the resources used.

We often look to the Red Cross and United Nations for help. But what if the peace-keepers were not simply that?

Following World War 2, the United Nations Organization was created to replace what had been a terribly ineffective League of Nations. The League had been developed after WW1 and, as the members where the victors, problems plagued the organization from its inception. Many say the same of the United Nations, gridlocked by Russia and China, and the fact that military forces where never dedicated to the UN by any nation. But what if a global peace-keeping and relief force had been created as an Organ of the UN? A global rescue force able to mobilize hospital ships, aircraft carriers, vtol and landing craft and large-scale helicopters? Perhaps the world was so focused upon war and its aftermath, that the idea of natural disasters was not on anyone's mind. But after the Boxing Day Tsunami, three or four mammoth earth quakes, multiple killer hurricanes, repeat flooding, a pending volcanic eruption or two and the possibility of "The Big One" in California, can we afford not to?

Red Cross

Comixology

2010-03-14T13:05:00.001-04:00

What fine friends in the industry! The folks at Comixology had a Salvo Jam with us some time ago, interviewing and passing out copies of the Danger's Dozen...

But the best was yet to come!

Learn how to use the Comics Reader APP!

Something cool was in the works - research and development. A way to further the good of comics everywhere - the future!

A comic-reader app was developed for the iPhone, with downloads available from Comixology (make that a link) and iTunes.

Asked to take part, the First Salvo Partners turned to GaranMad and the Contract comic series. Already proven as a fan favorite, the image files for printing, were easily adapted for the App. History was made, and a future secured.

Those who missed out on the printings in the first go round, are able to purchase digital copies.

Purchase Contract or download a free copy :)

Painted Contract

2010-03-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

A fair amount of pin-ups for Contract have come as digitally-painted masterpieces. Some stunning stuff. The latest being one of Tsumi.

That's some fine paintin' by Reza ilyasa, a talented Indonesian artist who also produced this stunning piece of ol' Panzer:

And that's not all, his own varied works over at DeviantArt include varied work...

Yup, that's just cool. It's DJ Goh Goh, who also just happens to be in this image:

SketchDump Saturdays will be starting soon, featuring varied work in progress by the TAG team - the First Salvo Partners' work. There will also be varied work on Contract from artists commissioned or volunteering pin-ups, and some of their work as they develop images.

Here's a penciled Jessie Garrett shot, also by the talented Carlos Gomez.

And an example of roughs as will be found in "SketchDump Saturdays"...

Karla Diaz recently painted a jam session of the Stellar Rangers. As you can see, a drawing always goes through a number of stages before completion.

She did an awesome job, ending up with a fun, stylized version of the Contract crew! Jessie and the gang.

The iPad

2010-03-10T22:04:00.002-04:00

Said to revolutionize online reading of comics and ebooks - all in living color - response to the iPad hasn't been much to write home about.

Why?

Maybe it's the size of the thing. Sure, that's the point - the size, more can be seen - both of movies (a screen size comparable to a compact DVD player) and anything else. Watching movies on the PSP? Surely it would be better to do so on a larger screen. Family photos on the phone? A 4x6 is certainly better on the iPad than a phone. But are people ready to carry around something that big? Well, why not? They carry laptops and with a variety of apps, the iPad could be just as useful. A personal access device. The pad of Star Trek the next gen made real. First the communicator, now the pad. Next the tricorder - we aren't there yet, not those scanning capabilities.

The Kindle is popular for ebooks. And books are generally formatted solely for text. Yet the iPad opens the digital distribution market further - for color, especially with specialized apps for readers. Broaden horizons, including magazines.

Despite the blockbuster theatrical releases, the monthly comic seems no more popular. Distribution is nowhere near 1970s numbers. Nor is the variety of genre. Can the iPad help? Apps exist for this purpose. Some may cry foul at the death of the monthly comic, but it need not be true. Digital comics can be daily, weekly or monthly - dependent on number of pages. A page could be released daily and at the end of the month, a full 22-page book would have been completed, ready for the next daily dose, or a few days of bonus material.

More comics, more genres, and more color would be available for the small press and smaller companies - with the selling of comics for download. Comics could be half the price they are now, and many production costs eliminated to ensure pay remains constant. Micro-payments for pages would be a little crazy, so monthly subscriptions with ease of cancellation without the hassle, would be incentive enough for many. On the go, any time, they'd always have content. Print could remain in place for collections and store distribution.

The question then, would be how to support local stores. Not Barnes and Noble or Amazon, but the direct market. Keep digital editions 3 months delayed? That is a complex subject.

The iPad is here! What will it be used for?

KATHOOM! The men of Marvel

2010-03-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

Artie Simek and Joe Rosen; banners, balloons and sound effects. These mighty men of Marvel, brought sound to the stunning visuals of a fledgling Universe.

Working by the "Marvel Method", these fine fellas further honed their skills, lettering around the art, finding a sure way not to intrude or interrupt. Aided by the masters like Kirby and Ditko, who knew well to leave ample space, this by no means, diminishes their accomplishments.

Mammoth sound effects and bold title pages - and credits - were their stock in trade.

The Marvel Age truly began with a boom as Marvel expanded, and it was under the pen of Simek and Rosen, that it was 'heard'.

Manning Marvel...

2010-02-28T00:03:00.001-04:00

Russ Manning is not a name you hear very much of today, but he is associated with quite a famous character - Tarzan.

From 1965 to 1972 Manning was the daily and Sunday newspaper strip artist for Tarzan. Leaving the daily strip in 1972, he continued to work on the Tarzan Sunday Pages and Tarzan stories for the European market. In both can be found some of his greatest work. He also worked for Dell, producing Tarzan comics and it was there, through Western - Gold Key, that his own creation was born.

Magnus Robot Fighter! Magnus was a hero in the mold of Doc Savage - intelligent, tough, and direct, even "savage" in his own right. Many have very accurately described Magnus as Manning's technological Tarzan - their character was very much alike.

Manning also produced work on a wide variety of stories at Dell, which is some of his earliest work.

However, his excellent draftsmanship was all in place. The later work merely shows a greater confidence in figure poses - learned no doubt by his work on the Tarzan dailies. Practice makes perfect.

Magnus came to greater fame, to an all new generation thanks to Valiant Comics. Later, Manning's work was reprinted as was his rare Johner and the Aliens. Today, Dark Horse releases impressive hard covers of Magnus, with Manning's great art on display.

Considering the period in which he worked, it is not difficult to think of Manning at DC or Marvel. While his art better suited the DC house style, what about Marvel? Easily able to delineate any of DC's sci-fi books of the time, or contribute to Showcase or Brave and the Bold, on titles like The Metal Men, what about Manning at Marvel? On what character?

Marvel in the 1960s, was just being created - or at least all of the characters we associate with Marvel, and a few key artists were responsible. Considering the content of Magnus Robot Fighter, the obvious hero for Russ Manning, would have been Iron Man. Artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby established Shell Head in Tales of Suspense. Heck drew through issue 72 of 1965, with Steve Ditko penning the intro of the red and gold armor. Gene Colan followed Heck, penciling a memorable run, one that many consider as defining the character for the so-called Bronze Age. What if Colon had remained on Daredevil? Or Daredevil and Captain America, and Manning had illustrated Iron Man? What if?

Of course, we could consider the limitless possibilities of Manning at DC. Myster in Space, Strange Adventures? Maybe the Legion (although he never drew anything approaching a team book), and of course, the Metal Men, because of his work on Magnus. He 'did' come to DC, when DC took over the Tarzan license and reprinted Manning's work, but he never penned any of the DC characters he could have drawn so well.

Whatever the case, the goal of many a cartoonist was to draw for the newspapers, and Manning did this with great skill on Tarzan. He worked on his own creation in comics and perhaps his work was stronger for having done both.

Sadly, Manning died in 1981, and he did not come to prominence as perhaps he would, as comic fandom continued to mature. Today, we see an often heavy-handed and very detailed comic page. Yet Manning, through all his work detailed more with less and with clean, crisp line-work, told stories with great economy of art. His jungles abounded and still, when studying the images, much was done through silhouette - often outline with fill-color and shadow. A few well-placed and simply rendered leaves and or branches and vines held it all together. All in service of the characters and plot. Usually framing the key characters and providing a beautiful 'stage' upon which grand stories were told.

Chile

2010-02-27T23:37:00.000-04:00

Weekend earthquake hits Chile - the latest in an alarming number of natural disasters.

Tsunami warnings sounded in Hawaii, alerting thousands, and resulting in a large-scale evacuation.

While Hawaii came out unscathed, the people of Chile have not, as strong aftershocks continue. The Ring of Fire has been very active, and all would do well to take note; Haiti won't be the last, and Haitians still need help.

Contract Cast

2010-02-14T18:44:00.001-04:00

The World of Contract is populated by a cool cast of mercs. From Panzer to Jessie Garrett. Over the years of Contract's production, a number of artists have contributed to the cast of characters and every so often, a number will be posted here at Blog Salvo.

As always - CLICK EM, they get larger.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T09:47:00.001-04:00

Have a great Valentine's!

Alex Toth

2010-02-07T19:48:00.001-04:00

So little is said about Toth today, and yet so much in terms of the amount of his art, has become available. Though rare in that they are limited in number and produced by smaller publishers, the variety of books with his art is a pleasant surprise to this admirer of his work. DC Comics is really "missing the boat" in regards to their full library of Toth material - from his first through to the 1950s and then spatters through the 60s and 80s. Great stuff - particularly his Black Canary tale.

His influence is widespread among artists, within the industry - both comics and animation - but not among the reading public. His simplicity of line is something artists appreciate, but many a 'layman' don't agree that "less is more". Any heavily delineated, even "over-worked" piece of art is given more value, attributed more required skill to render. That is by no means true, yet there are clear examples where the details are truly penned by masters of great skill...

Bernie Wrightson, Mark Shultz, and Al Williamson readily come to mind. These three gents use great detail with incredible skill, yet, like Toth, understand what it takes to "build" an image from scratch. Each works differently and yet each of them see the mastery in Toth's economy of line. They add great detail, as this piece by Wrightson clearly shows.

These details are by definition, "rendering". Toth's art has very little rendering or modeling of form. The art of Schultz and Williamson evoke fantasy and sci-fi and particularly in Wrightson's work - horror. And that is true also of Toth - more horror than fantasy or adventurous sci-fi like Williamson or Shultz, yet he's been there too - he's done it all. Toth's best know yet rarely seen - DELL Four Color #845, The Land Unknown is a great 1950s adventure romp in the Antarctic.

And here we see his great use of design and economy. The angular, simple, yet defining imagery of the sea ice and its environment - the vast sense of space. Of the men and equipment, and later the jungle and all therein.

Toth's work abounds in several Dell comics - from his work on Disney's Zorro, to a number of other titles, usually adaptations of television and movies.

We'll comment often about Toth here - as an influence upon A First Salvo. But how does his style relate to Contract? Quite simply, Crime comics - noir - black and white, or more to the point, heavy shadows. While Contract is known for its humor and sci-fi elements, it also has its crime comic ties, and that too will be presented as further story shorts and volumes of Contract are presented on the web, through our digital distribution partners and of course in print.

Toth drew hot ladies and knew how to successfully place blacks. How cool to have seen a pugnacious Panzer by Toth? A hot vixen with a gun - Jessie of course! Or the layabout Tsumi, with an Errol Flynn glint in his eye?

Brian Hitch: Reborn

2010-02-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

Brian Hitch has, since his early, Alan Davis-inspired work, developed into an amazing artist. What an artist to be inspired by, ablely aided by one of Alan's earliest inkers, Paul Neary.

An inker is the main subject of this post, and not Brian's work on the Ultimates, but instead, Captain America: Reborn.

Jackson Guice is known for his own realistic and detailed pencils. But what his inks bring to Reborn, is a classic approach to comics. Rich blacks, full lines, even some sketchiness in places - but not rushed. Hitch's hyper-realism is still there, but tempered by Butch's pen and brush work. The large-as-life visuals are all modern, but also show how much inks bring to a page. It has always been said that the best inkers knew how to draw, and that is certainly the case here.

Paul Neary is another brilliant inker and he has brought much to Brian's work. However, with Reborn showcasing so much of Cap's history, Guice's style works very well with Brian's, bringing a new yet familiar look to the work.

The work evokes the likes of - at least in appearance of line - the work of Neal Adams, Stan Drake and the newspaper work of Lou Fine. Reminiscent of Dick Giordano's inks and refined.

Pencillers often find they aren't free to try their hand at traditional inking - to test and refine the skill. Guice shows how good it can be.

HAITI

2010-01-24T22:15:00.000-04:00

While the major media continues to cover the devastation in Haiti, a bottle-neck of aid continues to delay recovery.

Red Cross appeals via Mobile and Internet sources are proving to be successful, but the public shouldn't become desensitized to the horror that is everyday life in Haiti. The road to recovery will be a long one.

Red Cross

Haiti Quake

2010-01-13T21:26:00.001-04:00

Invasions, crises, disasters - the stuff of comics - seem ever more prevalent these days. Disturbing and frequent, these events occur with increasing magnitude. Also, like the Indian Ocean Earthquake which caused the 2004 Tsunami, the tremors struck in roughly the same period of the year.

With a tortured history, Haiti has struggled for decades, for self-rule, for basic rights, and against poverty. Now, another blow has been struck and the people of Haiti are in desperate need of aid.

The majority of comics history has presented acts of heroism and bravery. Now is the time for action.

Contract Website!

2010-01-09T16:42:00.000-04:00

Contract is a comic that - let's face it - features a world a lot more like 2010 was always envisioned to be. Not HOW it was envisioned to be - just, you know - with lots of tech and... flying cars.

The fabulous Contract website, http://www.contractcomic.com/ has been polished for 2010 with a bundle of merc goodies. There is a growing gallery of Contract related art, including some mighty fine Anime-styled renditions of the cast and new web comics - all found with handy-dandy links on the home page. The web-shorts will be a continuing feature, as will new issues of Contract Vol. 2. And of course, don't forget to purchase past and new, full issues of Contract via our order links and business buddies.

Need a shirt on your back? Why, there's a cool selection of Ts just waiting for you at a few presses of delightful buttons. That's right - merc merchandise! LOL!

Jump over to the Contract website! Thanks for coming :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T00:56:00.001-04:00

2010! Wow! No flying cars.

Not for lack of trying.

Above, is an example from the last century - refurbished and fully functional. Of course, the neighborhood cul-de-sac would need an airstrip or two to accommodate.

Still, there are more modern designs and those that consider the need for vtol (vertical take off and landing). They bring a whole new meaning to "curb appeal".

What does the future hold? Traffic lights in the sky? Predator remote planes converted for policing purposes? No-fly zones and fly-only routes? What altitude would be regulated by law? Tiers in the sky.

All this and more can be found within the pages of Contract. While not all the worlds of the Argo system are so developed, the space-ports and certain large cities have flying cars on display.
http://www.contractcomic.com/Webfinals/milkrun/online/index.html

2009-12-18T18:47:00.003-04:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Seasons Greetings and best wishes from all of us here at A First Salvo, to all of you.

2010 will soon be here! Flying cars!!!

FCBD

2009-05-02T15:06:00.001-04:00

Free Comic Book Day! Whoo hoo! Free Comics!

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/comic.asp?ID=18

2009!!!

2009-01-15T23:19:00.003-04:00

Its 2009, soon we'll be able to run around screaming, "It's 2010! Where's all the flying cars!?"

Of course, the partial answer to that is Contract!

Contract Solo Missions: Panzer completes the second three issues of the Contract series. What's next? Contract FCBD!!! Well, actually, the NYCC first :) All was a resounding success...

2008-11-06T22:18:00.002-04:00

WOW! Another year almost gone, amazing change in the air, and ALL issues from A First Salvo have shipped ON TIME! Top-notch comics from A First Salvo!

Get yours today! Reorder codes:
Contract #1 MAY083541
Contract #2 JUN083608
Contract #3 JUL083607
Contract Solo Missions: Tsumi AUG083672 - IN STORES NOW!
Contract Solo Missions: Jessie SEP083686 - NOW SHIPPING
Contract Solo Missions: Panzer OCT083782 - SHIPPING DECEMBER.
<-------------------------

CONTRACT hits stores in JUNE!

2008-05-18T11:25:00.000-04:00

Order codes are:
APR083502 CONTRACT #0 A $0.25 preview issue
MAY083541 CONTRACT #1 Which ships with 2 covers 50/50 ratio by Al Rio and Kevin Sharpe respectively. This SUPER SIZE first issue is only $3.99
Issues will continue with a $2.99 price tag

Artists Franchesco, Dave Ross, Yvel Guichet, Kevin Sharpe, Sal Velluto, Ariel Padilla and inkers Mark McKenna, Rick Ketcham and Joe Rubinstein, and colorists Fusion and Danimation have all worked with us on producing this new title.

We'd be happy to answer any questions you may have or perhaps partake in an interview.

Here is a synopsis for Issue #1 found in Diamond's May Previews page 205

In a capitalist world's dark future, Mercenary is no longer just a soldier for hire. It's a way of life. Law is enforced by cyber-powered Mercs and life or death is decided by the lowest bidder. There is no right or wrong beyond the price in hard currency. Jessie Garrett, however, is everything most Mercs are not: honest, selfless and determined to bring order to greed-hardened worlds, driven mad by money. But when a corporate kidnapping goes wrong, Jessie, and fellow Mercs, Panzer and Tsumi, get in over their heads. Strip clubs, black-market organ dealers, cyber-enhanced soldiers and the life of one young girl collide in Contract's first 3-part mini-series, and no one can predict the cost. Ships with 2 covers in a 50/50 ratio.

A First Salvo to New York Comicon!

2008-04-20T12:50:00.005-04:00

What a weekend! A First Salvo Partner Garan Madeiros and Danger's Dozen illustrator Norm Breyfogle braved the MASSES at the 2008 New York Comicon and what a convention it was! Hordes decended upon them as copies of Danger's Dozen #1 through 3 and DD:Interlude were handed out alongside CONTRACT #0 with previews of work from the ongoing and a short story by Kevin Sharpe! Illustrated by Ariel Padilla, Contract follows bounty hunter Jessie Garrett and her crew - Panzer and Tsumi as they accept dangerous contracts and bounties. In fact ComiXology http://www.comixology.com/promotions gave away several more of our comics at the NYCC and lucky visitors were sure to find them at their booth, our booth, inker Mark McKenna's booth and several other sources.

There's more to come in 2008, as Contract begins in June and Danger's Dozen continues, following Contract's launch, with a Danger's Dozen promotional issue and the latest three-issue arc - where the action hits and doesn't stop - with a stunning new 64 page issue with guess stars from the indie worlds - Nexus, Badger, Bomb Queen, Doc Thunder, Steelgrip Starky and War Dancer - as Aman crosses worlds battling against the Lemurian General Ariss!

A CONTRACT with The Danger's Dozen!

2008-01-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

The Danger's Dozen storm the globe!

From reviews on Broken Frontier to interviews at Newsarama, Jazma and the Pulse, the Danger's Dozen has hit.

Danger's Dozen #2 ships very shortly after the posting of this entry, and much more is to come. Contract is underway and looking great, with some awesome art coming in from the talented Kevin Sharpe and Mark McKenna on inks. Check this image by contributor Dave Ross!

Further work on the mega issue of Danger's Dozen #6 concludes with guest stars NEXUS, BADGER, DOC THUNDER, STEEL GRIP STARKEY and more! That's right, as reality collapses, Aman fights his way across other WORLDS!

That's just fun comics.

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http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=130794

Danger's Dozen #1 in stores December 5th!

2007-12-02T16:11:00.000-04:00

May the shipping fates have mercy on us! Diamond ships Danger's Dozen #1 into stores Wednesday December 5th!

Long in coming, the Danger's Dozen tells the tale of ass-kickin' Boss Aman and his team of mad adventurers - the Danger's Dozen! They BELONG to Danger! They compete for the right to bitch-slap the devil and stand up against threats to the earth!

As reality is threatened and earth's destruction is foretold - Aman gathers his force to hold back the end and fight for the future.

BETTER CALL THE DOZEN!

LOBSTER WHO?

2007-10-02T22:00:00.000-04:00

Hellboy mini-series Lobster Johnson artist Jason Armstrong, illustrates Danger's Dozen stories that rock. With caricature and exaggeration, his style is a mixture of cartoon and old Kirby power. Add to that the colors of series colorist Gabe El-Taeb, and you have some powerful art. Jason keeps it fun, exciting and simple. Things are full of action and right on the money when it comes to the bare bones of the story. It is a joy to see the script evolve to finished pages of Saturday morning cartoon proportions! And we're talkin' 80's action cartoons, baby! That's right - "half-hour toy commercials"! ;)

His slick style and fun attitude is just part of what makes the Danger's Dozen such a fun book. Jason's first work for the current issues (but not his first on the Danger's Dozen) was the short tale of how Boss Aman - mysterious man of action - discovered the powerful and ancient Wadjet Eye! Wadjet WHAT? The All Seeing EYE! of course. The Eye that is always with Aman in each issue of the Dozen.

Jason soon followed with the tale of the Z-Squadron - Australia's Air Force heroes, and two-fisted men of action! There's much more to come, as Jason returns with covers, pinups, and further tales revealing the saga of the Danger's Dozen!

If you enjoy Jason's work on Lobster Johnson - if you've read his own series Ferro City from Image Comics - or his pulp-action hero Doc Thunder, then you know what's to come in each story of the Danger's Dozen from Jason ATOMIC Armstrong!

Okay, okay, so besides the Danger's Dozen...
WHO is Doc Thunder? He's the world's last defense against evil aliens, maniacal madmen and fifty-foot monsters! Always prepared for adventure with a secret atomic device or the activation of his atomic-powered Thunder Gloves! KRAK! Hero of Neutron City!

Y'know, he'd get along just fine with the Dozen. Ah well, one day ;)

Bart Sears!

2007-09-15T17:06:00.000-04:00

The titanic power of Bart Sears comes to A First Salvo!

Sears has illustrated a number of covers and pinups for A First Salvo and is beginning several stories on Danger's Dozen material.

The biggest is a story that delves into the past of our world, and the origins of the mysterious Wadjet Eye.

Known for his extremely powerful art and muscled, dynamic figures, Bart Sears will be penciling and inking his own work here at A First Salvo.

Some of his first work will be the cover seen here, soon in brilliant color, as one of our series of alternate covers for the Danger's Dozen, followed by short stories in TDD.

Look for more exciting work from Sears and A First Salvo!

Mike Wieringo

2007-08-19T12:53:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I will never have the chance to meet Mike. Although we had the briefest of emails when I sent an invite on MySpace and Comic Space, it was his best friend Todd that I've managed to build an acquaintance with. And now... reading so much about what a great guy Mike was... I'm wishing I had emailed him, had told him how great I thought his art was. Took the time to ask him if he'd like to do something with us.

That was the point, right? That when Gil Kane passed, it was a wake up call that you can't wait to do anything in life. That, if we wanted to work with the comic greats who inspired us - well, it wasn't hard to ask! Seems I missed my own revelation. Missed out on another "friend in the industry", a pal to chat with at a convention or just share an email about comics and art.

The first time I saw Mike's art, was in FLASH, and it was such fun art, that I had to have more. There was a get-together at a friend's house, and everyone had a look at it, we left to find more issues, and that never happened before or since. Mike's art was so infectious. Followed him to various titles, but never was he so better served then on Spider-Man. And sure, I agree with Mr, Waid - Mike was ALSO perfect for Captain Marvel - SHAZAM!

The issues in the Savage Land, in Sensational Spider-Man were GREAT! So much fun, and it recalled the Spidey in the Savage Land from the Micheal Golden penned tale further back. True fun.

His run on Fantastic Four brought a lot of what was needed back into the FF. Sure, Mark did his fair share, but the FF had always been about fun and fantasy, and Mike brought a light back to the FF, something that has been lost again.

Mike is missed by everyone. His impact was immense. His personality won so many over to him, and his art brought along the rest. He was humble, but he was talented! He loved what he did and he sure seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. It's a shame he will never get the chance to bless us with more of his personal and co-creations, like Tellos. Man, there was a book I loved! I hope Todd is able to write more of Tellos... but maybe it just isn't right? It surely won't be the same. Tellos continued without Mike's pencils... but now, without Mike enjoying the read too? Or free to contribute more?

Mike will always remain a titan in the field. They say the good die young, and Mike by all accounts, was better than good!

He went out at the top of his game, like so many other giants who live on in LEGEND.

And does anyone find it eerie that Bart Allen is also dead?

KA-BOOM! Artists that ROCK!

2007-07-29T20:12:00.000-04:00

We've got some really great guys collaborating here at A FIRST SALVO - from Norm and his brother Kevin, to Jason Armstrong and our recent wonder - John Royle. That stunning, eye-catching rush of AMAN that you see - is a pin-up by John and inker Dan Davis. The Dozen is a bunch of fun to work on, and only the tip of the iceberg that is the Salvoverse.

'Salvoverse' - that was coined by comics legend Alan Weiss. Now there's a fun guy to work with. BOUNDLESS ideas and countless stories. He'll talk your ear off with the COOLEST stuff, and although it's been hours, you are PUMPED when the conversation ends. A cosmos and worlds of wonder await!

Series artist of Danger's Dozen, Norm Breyfogle, is HARD at work on the Danger's Dozen #5. He's also prepped an alternate incentive cover for DD#1 - to be inked by aforementioned Weiss. What a wonder those two are - working together. Two titanic talents! With creamy filling! In FACT, Alan penciled a pin-up that Norm has inked - and you'll have to wait until that issue hits stands before you take a gander!

Hmmm, and WHEN does the Danger's Dozen hit stores? We'll leave Previews ordering details until the appropriate time - but this winter, DD#1 comes at you in full color, with each issue ready to follow. We did mention issue #5 is being finished right now?

There's a lot planned for 2008, but we aim to hit with the Danger's Dozen this winter and build on its start. Each issue will be drawn by Norm Breyfogle, and later this fall, his brother Kevin joins him in production. Regular back-up stories feature art by series colorist Gabe El-Taeb (yes, he draws too!), Jason Armstrong, First Salvo Partner Anthony Cannonier, Dave Ross (series artist on Contract, launching next year), John Royle (see above) and contributions from Alan Weiss!

Danger's Dozen!

2007-06-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

What a long road! Here we are, at the mid-point of the year - or there abouts - with much of the first story arc of Danger's Dozen complete. Issue 5 is in production now. Sure, there is more coloring to do, back-ups to complete, but the Dozen will be making their way to you quite soon!

The monthly grind is on! Diamond Comics Distributors were happy to list the Danger's Dozen in the next available Previews, but we've taken care to have the books ready. Nothing worse than soliciting books that just aren't ready! Less said about that - the better! We know the sort ;)

What is the Danger's Dozen? Well, it follows the leader of the crew - Boss Aman. Aman, a former WWII bomber ace, leads a mad group of veterans against all manner of threats to earth and humanity. Cosmic explorers and adventurers of the extreme, Aman's hand-picked teams do NOT always survive the mission! You read that right, no one is safe! This is the 'Danger's Dozen' - they BELONG to Danger!

2007, On the comics scene

2007-01-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Salvo Jam!

What will you see in 2007? Well, from A First Salvo, there'll be new projects.

Jason Howard drew this beauty, featuring SI & DI, members of the United Forces. Saga Six: Echoes is a stand-alone special telling the story of ancient wars and the consequences that threaten a planet where a final battle was fought...

But there is far more - Norm Breyfogle and Sal Velluto continue to turn in stunning pages on work you wouldn't believe. They are both drawing some of their best work - and for both, that is truly saying something!

Here's a sneak at the working covers for both...

The Danger's Dozen by Mr. Breyfogle and Wild Days by Sal Velluto.

Norm is a master of action and movement, of musculature and showing so much with very little.
Sal is a detail man - his art takes great care to show those details - cracks, debris on a city street or pebbles and rocks in a desert - and always, he wants more splashes, more ACTION, and the stories have plenty ;)

And a special tip of the hat to the excellent Franchesco, for two great covers he's drawn so far...

Just a little sneak peak of CONTRACT, a tale of the bounty hunter Jessie Garrett!