May Solicitations, Other Phillips Projects, and a Behind-the-Scenes Video!

Kill Or Be Killed #16 came out two weeks ago, and in the back pages Ed Brubaker confirmed what Sean Phillips had previously mentioned in a video interview, describing the team's upcoming schedule in very broad strokes.

Mentioning that the team starts a new project every year or two, Brubaker confirmed that KOBK "does have an ending coming up," and he wrote that -- "right now" -- the team is working on an even shorter project, a "novella OGN" (original graphic novel) to be released later this year.

We were wondering if this year's Image Expo might shed some more light on at least one of the upcoming projects from Brubaker & Phillips, but evidently not.  Instead, all of last week's news was to be found in the May solicitations.

First up is Kill Or Be Killed #19, described as the fourth arc's finale and featuring rather psychedelic colors in Sean Phillips' cover portraying Dylan, still institutionalized but wielding deadly force.

We're also surprised to see Sean Phillips' name in the list of credits for Where We Live, a 256-page anthology about last year's mass shooting in Las Vegas.  All the creators donated their time and effort to the book, and all proceeds are going to a fundraising campaign for survivors.

Both books are scheduled for a May 30th release.

We have some details on a few other projects for Phillips.  A few weeks back, we highlighted an interview where the artist mentioned research on World War I, and we guessed (wrongly) that it related to the upcoming graphic novella that Ed Brubaker is writing.  On Twitter, the great Kevin Sels filled us in on what the work is for, a collaboration with crime writer Ian Rankin for an anthology commemorating the centenary of the armistice that ended WWI.

(Thanks, Kevin!)

Here's how the official press release describes the book.

Traces of the Great War is an ambitious anthology of new illustrated short stories by internationally acclaimed comic book artists, graphic novelists and writers, all of which explore the continued relevance and resonance of the First World War and its aftermath in our lives today.

The book will debut in October, in England and in France -- in the former, at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival -- to be followed by touring exhibitions.

As this project was being discussed on social media, Sean Phillips elaborated that his contribution will be illustrating an eight-page story written by Rankin.

There's one more project we noticed over the last month, and we would be remiss not to mention Sean Phillips' latest contribution to film, creating the cover art for Arrow Academy's Blu-ray release of Smash Palace, a 1981 drama from New Zealand filmmaker Roger Donaldson.

Phillips posted some work-in-progress details online -- here, here, and here -- and Arrow Films has the completed cover, shown below.

We love seeing these pieces of work in-progress, but there's an even closer glimpse behind the scenes, in a rare video interview with Sean Phillips, at his home studio.

Just last week, the Japanese tech company Wacom posted this "artist profile," in part to highlight some of the tools he uses in his work.  The company specializes in graphics tablets, pens, and styluses, and -- quite justifiably -- they take great pride in the professionals who use their tools; the week prior, they posted a similar interview with Charlie Adlard.

Online, Phillips writes that the producers condensed "four hours of waffling" to produce this seven-minute video.  We see the artist work on the roommates' fight toward the end of KOBK #15 -- which probably places the interview around New Year's -- and walk through various files for another cover for Arrow Academy, The Hired Hand, a 1971 Western and directorial debut by Peter Fonda.

We see just how much Sean Phillips still uses a traditional approach even with the latest tools -- starting with a physical sketchbook and even using blue coloring for the page's initial sketches and reference images -- and Phillips showcases his favorite part of the job, the inexhaustible work of drawing people.  We see the emphasis not just on drawing, but on storytelling, as Phillips walks us through the books in his library and a few of the artists he loves.

It's great stuff and a must-watch for fans.