Ready to Begin Artwork for Volume 2, Issue 1!

What's a finished script for an issue of Bonnie Lass look like?
Something like this…

That's a full 22 pages of comic book scripted in about 13 pages of a Word document.
If I can help it, I'll get a few thumbnails started tomorrow, so I can still say I'm getting started on interior artwork before 2011's out!

Merry Christmas!

Bonnie poses for a cover shoot

Here's a look at an early design for the cover of volume 2, issue 1. It's already drastically changed, but since I got pretty far along in this sketch before deciding to go more dynamic, I thought I'd share this "abandoned" concept. The flora and the little design touches actually are in the current work-in-progress, and were actually added in after this pose was already nixed.

Comic Creators for Freedom

The next installment of Bonnie's legend may be a ways off, but she'll be staying busy between now and then! Next month Bonnie will proudly be part of a collaborative effort to bring awareness to human trafficking and provide support for victims of it—Comic Creators for Freedom.

The collaboration is simple: if you're a comic artist with a female character in your roster, have her join the sprawling snowball fight! She'll be facing off in a free-for-all flurry of fluffy fury with dozens of other gals, all brought together in one epic collage! In January there will be a fundraising campaign to benefit Love 146 and Gracehaven, two organizations dedicated to helping those victimized by human trafficking, and a desktop wallpaper of the epic snowball fight will be offered as a humble thanks to anyone who donates.

Human trafficking is an all-too-real, all-too-deplorable vex on the world today. Thus far Comic Creators for Freedom has raised over $15,000 to help fight back, and this year I'm proud to be a part of the stand. Please check out the Comic Creators for Freedom website for more information on the issues at hand and what you can do to help. Artist submissions need to be in by December 31st!


As for Bonnie, here's the image of her I contributed to this year's collaborative image!

Bonnie's still truckin'!

Work on volume two continues! There have been a lot of good (and not so good) ideas pop in and out of the brainstorming sessions, with one of the main goals being to tell a more engaging story than last time. We've already had to put to rest a few concepts that, while they'd certainly be fun in their own right, would ultimately just alter the pacing of the overall narrative too much.

Plotting is not quite finished, but we've got a definite beginning, middle and end now, so while still working over some of the finer details of the arc, scriptwriting for issue one has begun and hopefully will be to a point where I can start drawing pages (at least thumbnails) pretty soon!

In the meantime, here's a doodle I worked up earlier as a segue between Bonnie work and the other comic work I'm expecting soon.

Work on Bonnie Lass volume 2 commences!

With the print release of Bonnie Lass: The Legend #4 imminent, thusly wrapping up that story arc, I'm happy to say that story work on a volume two is underway!

Everything's tentative right now, but to the left is a sneak peak at how we'll likely be meeting back up with Bonnie at the beginning of this new arc.

There's sure to be plenty of action this go-around, as we're going to see Bonnie and crew square off with a number of new antagonists face to face! I'm looking forward to getting the scripts worked out so I can get started on production of the pages themselves. Hopefully we'll be seeing some page work before the end of the year!

And I'd like to make more of a production blog out of this site for this volume, so look forward to more production artwork along the way!

—Michael

Bonnie Lass: The Legend #1 is on shelves today!

That's right! The first issue finally sees its day in print!

The acclaimed series comes to print, spinning the pure-fun yarn of heroine Bonnie Lass setting out to build her reputation as a pirate to be envied and feared. Bent on overshadowing her father, the infamous Cutlass, Bonnie's after the one treasure he did not claim — the Eye of the Leviathan. Humor, beauty, misdirection, mash-ups and a leading lady to fall for sets sail on the open seas.

The first issue weighs in at 32, full-color (and boy, are they colorful!) pages. At $2.99 we reckon that's quite a bargain! As for the rest of the mini-series, it averages about 30 pages per issue, so you can be sure that each month through December you'll be getting a big bang for your buck!
Don't forget; there's a Preview available here on the blog for those of you wondering what's in store.

It's Pirates of the Caribbean-meets-Cowboy Bebop, effecting it's own unique style and panache!

The folks at Red 5 Comics organized one heckuva print edition—certainly pleased here!

If you do pick up a copy (most appreciated!), first of all we hope you enjoy it and will be looking forward to next month's release! Second, please feel free to let us know what you think, here or on the Facebook fan page! Comments, reviews, fan art…! Anything you want to share—we're eagerly awaiting to see what you all think!

One last note: Michael has two more convention appearances coming up in October. October 7-9 is Tsubasacon in Huntington, WV, and October 22-23 is Wizard World Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus, OH! Michael will be selling copies of Issues 1 and 2 (if available) at the retail price, and will gladly sign them as well! Plus, the first issue has a nice, blank canvas on the back, in case you're inclined to get an additional, quick sketch to further personalize your copy! Tyler will also be at Michael's booth at Mid-Ohio Con, so you can get a double whammy there!

Thanks in advance to any of you who get out there today and pick up a copy! And if it's not at your local shop today, there's a chance it'll be in next week instead. And if not, you can still get your shop to order it—there are plenty to be had! While you're out there, make sure your shop is going to be carrying the title in the coming months as well! Four issues, one concise story!

—Michael

Bonnie Lass: The Legend #1 - The Unboxening

Midtown Comics just recently updated their listing to include Bonnie Lass #1. Go HERE to order it and still hopefully receive it shortly after the actual release date of September 21!

"Bonnie Lass" Invades Comic Shops in September!

Red 5 Comics announces the start of pre-orders for its latest comic title coming to print — the high-energy joy-filled “Bonnie Lass: The Legend” from creators Michael Mayne and Tyler Fluharty.
Earlier this year, “Bonnie Lass” was the premiere title of the “Red 5 Comics Digital First” line of comics that would debut on the web and mobile devices. This would serve as a testing ground for off-beat, off-genre or new-talent titles looking to build a following, buzz and track-record up-front to set-up a big splash in print.
“Bonnie Lass” spins the yarn of a brash and daring young pirate heroine in a world that mashes the familiar motifs of legendary sea-faring pirates with the tone of an American western and a dash of modern-day technology like automobiles and GPS. Filled with daddy-issues toward her infamous pirate father, Bonnie is after the one treasure he did not claim.
In its digital release, “Bonnie Lass” earned praise from reviewers…

• “A perfect book to lure superhero fans into non-superhero comics.” – Renderwrx Productions
• “A light-hearted adventure story that owes as much to Indiana Jones as Pirates of the Caribbean.” – Robot 6
• “Bonnie Lass has provided something that has surely been missing from comic books of the past few years — crazy pirate action.” – Impulse Gamer
• “It reminded me of some of those great Marvel comics from the late ’60s/early ’70s that seemed jammed with action and story and page-turning excitement.” – Kleefeld on Comics

More importantly, “Bonnie Lass” also earned the paid following of digital comic readers on the comiXology and iVerse reader platforms, garnering sales comparable to hard-copy favorites like “Atomic Robo”, “Neozoic” and “Abyss” — but without the benefit of a print release promotion.
As Red 5 is an independent publisher, your comic shop may not carry “Bonnie Lass” this fall unless you pre-order your copy during the month of July using order code JUL111217. “Bonnie Lass #1” of the four-issue series is a spotlight item in July’s Diamond Preview catalog and set for release on September 21, 2011 for just $2.99.

—via Red 5 Comics

Bonnie animation pencil test #1

(Click to actually see the animation.)

Just a little bit of animation I'm working on. May take me a few weeks (haven't fully animated anything in about eight years, and nothing beyond roughs at that) but I'd like to make this into a nice little promo spot.

This first pencil test just shows the first third or half of the projected movement, and I do realize there are a few glaring pacing issues already—I fully intend to iron those out! =)

Issue #4 is out!

It's finally here, folks! The conclusive chapter to Bonnie Lass: The Legend! Check it out on ComiXology or iVerse!

Hope everyone's enjoyed the ride! Let us know what you think over at Facebook page—you can leave a review, start a discussion, or just leave a quick comment. We'd love to hear from ya!

Who knows what's in store for Bonnie now!
I can at least presume she'll at least make the effort to buy a proper captain's coat...

Also, don't forget to read my interview with ComiXology!

Part 1: http://blog.comixology.com/2011/04/12/michael-mayne-walks-the-plank-with-bonnie-lass/

Part 2: http://blog.comixology.com/2011/04/13/michael-mayne-walks-the-plank-part-two/

Why Dr. Dinosaur Hates Bonnie Lass

Been getting used to Manga Studio in the past week or so. Allows me to draw a whole lot more efficiently on the computer. Saves paper, and I think it's saving a bit of time as well.

Anywho, here's another bench test of the software. All the inking/blacks were done in Manga Studio, along with the flat colors. Took it into Photoshop for some color correction and the shading/highlighting.

Wanted to do some Atomic Robo fanart while I was at it, and figured Dr. Dinosaur (with his self-proclaimed yet shoddy origin story) was the best candidate for the crossover.
This isn't anything official for Red 5—nothing like that. Just some fun fanart of Team Robo's work!

Other art from this week...

Forgot to post these as well.

Just another experiment in digital linework.

And here's a cross-over/fanarty thing based off of the other pinup from this week...

Bonnie cosplaying Yoko from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Watch it on Hulu. If Bonnie Lass were animated, it would have much of the same kind of kineticism as Gurren Lagann.

Bonnie Lass #3 now available (in all the right places!)

Wednesday's come and sure enough ComiXology finally has Bonnie Lass #3 in their catalog! Click on over to their store to start reading it now for just $1.99! It's got the biggest action of the series so far!
And don't forget, iVerse has had it since last week, so whichever venue you prefer, you've got your pick of 'em now!
Happy reading! And here's a little something for holding on!

Bonnie Lass #3 is (sort of) Available!

Bonnie Lass: The Legend #3 hit the iVerse Comics+ store yesterday! Sorry for the delayed notice, but I didn't get word of it myself until about half an hour ago.

Those of you waiting on the ComiXology release, please hold tight! I'm hoping for a release next week since they've apparently got all their ducks in order, just waiting for Apple's market approval. I'll update when ComiXology gets it too!

For those of you getting your digital comics through iVerse anyway, enjoy! #3 picks the pace back up and introduces the giant Leviathan! It's sure to be a blast! 29 pages of action and revelations!

GIVEAWAY Announcement! (2/21/11)

Hey, fans!

After much procrastination and hesitation, it's time for the first official Bonnie Lass contest!

The rules are simple: merely buzz about Bonnie Lass over the next few days on Twitter or Facebook and you've got a chance at winning a mini-poster (a facsimile of the image to the left) signed by both Michael and Tyler as well as a free, one-of-a-kind Bonnie sketch from Michael!

HOW TO ENTER

On Twitter, include a #BonnieLass hashtag in your tweet(s). Any other similar tagging will be nice (@MichaelMayne, @red5comics, etc.) but isn't necessary because of the 140-character limit.

On Facebook, simply tag the Bonnie Lass page (make sure you're a fan first, otherwise it won't work; also make sure you select the Bonnie Lass page from the dropdown menu which will appear once you start typing in the name—merely typing it won't confirm it as a tag) in your status by typing @Bonnie Lass. This tags the page and easily lets us know that you are in the running! If you don't tag the page I can't guarantee we'll see it, and thus it won't count as a "ticket" into the drawing.

UPDATE 2/22/11

On Facebook, simply LIKE any of the posts on the Bonnie Lass page from this week. I've run into the problem of not actually being able to be notified of the page being tagged nor being able to search for up-to-date instances of the page being mentioned, so I'm assuming there are some people's "entries" I'm missing as a result. For the remainder of the contest, please just LIKE the things that are posted this week. Sharing the links is nice too, and would be greatly appreciated, but I won't be able to see instances of that either, so Sharing won't affect your entry tallies. Sorry for the mixup! Hope you'll keep entering!

You can "enter" as many times as you want on either site and increase your chances of winning! Each instance of the appropriate tags (except for auto-retweets) is a valid entry!

WINNERS

At least four winners will be randomly chosen (random number generator, based on number of valid entries), two from Twitter and two from Facebook.
I (Michael Mayne) will contact the winners via direct message on whichever site their winning tag was on, to get shipping information.
Failure to respond to my message within 48 hours may mean that somebody else gets the prize, so be on the lookout!
I'll also post a winner's list, so in case there's any trouble with me getting a hold of the winners, the winners can contact me.

DEADLINE

All tags made between 9am EST, Monday, Feb. 21, 2011 and 11:59am EST, Wednesday Feb. 23, 2011 will be entered into the drawing. Deadline may be extended to allow for more entries, in which case the number of winners will increase as well!


That should be it! Hope to see a lot of Bonnie talk over the next few days! =D

New Comics Wednesday! Issue #2 is finally here!

Bonnie Lass: The Legend - Part Two is finally here! This one really gets you more familiar with the world that Bonnie calls home, and new conflicts arise! You don't wanna miss it!

Here is the direct link for getting it on comiXology: https://comics.comixology.com/#/issue/7902/Bonnie-Lass-2
And it should be up on iVerse's Comics Plus app as well!

Spread the word, and get people to read the comic and Like the Facebook page (http://facebook.com/BonnieLassComic), follow Michael on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MichaelMayne) or just direct them here to the blog (http://bonnielasscomic.com)—There's a contest coming up soon involving some free artwork, and the more people that know about it the more I may be able to give away!

Stay tuned, and let us know what you think of the mini-series so far! Please, voice your opinions! Comments, critiques, doesn't matter! Hopefully issue #3 will hit the market without any holdups next month! =D

Ahoy! The Lass' been 'round longer than I recalled!

Found an old sketch from Autumn of 2004, hidden away in an untouched-since-college box of sketchbooks.
Turns out I'd doodled up a character that is essentially Bonnie about a year earlier than I thought! I imagine this was just a nameless piratess and her bird at the time, sketched out just to come up with something new, but she's clearly a precursor to what would eventually become the Bonnie we know and love today!

The Pullbox reviews Bonnie Lass #1

Bonnie Lass: Not Your Typical Red 5 Book

They're a fan of the fourth-wall-breaking! Are you?

Bonnie Lass review by The Gorgeous Geek

You may have noticed…

bonnielasscomic.com now brings you directly here!

Special thanks to Dawgbyte Productions for the domain service!
Need a website? Need a logo? Need some other kind of web service?
Drop them a line!

Three Interviews—Two Old, One New

First, the new: Here's an interview I did with Troy of Impulse Gamer:

1) Bonnie Lass was released digitally first. Did that affect the way you created the book at all? 

Michael Mayne: Not at all. Bonnie Lass was conceived as something that would ultimately (hopefully) make it to print. Even considering the growing popularity of digital comics, I never thought the layout and composition of the "book" needed to be significantly tailored to fit within any kind of perceived constraints. 

2)What do you think of the digital realm and comic books? Are you interested in exploring this new media and its potential for comics?

...

 CLICK HERE to read the rest!

And from a couple weeks ago: Here are a pair of interviews conducted by Richard over at the Jazma Online Forums…

Michael Mayne Co-Writer/Illustrator Bonnie Lass

Tyler Fluharty Co-Writer for Bonnie Lass

Enjoy the reads!

The Reviews Keep Comin' In!

Here's a rundown of the reviews I've found since Issue #1 was released!

Kleefeld on Comics
Omnicomic
Renderwrx Productions
Jazma Online
ComicBuzz
Impulse Gamer

Some honest, welcome critiques here and there, but every one of them has been a positive review so far! Let us know if you stumble upon any more, or better yet—let us know if you write one yourself!