JOHN VAN FLEET BRINGS AN URBAN GRIT TO DIONYSUS WEPT

It is with great excitement that I announce veteran comic book artist John Van Fleet has signed on to provide the cover image for DIONYSUS WEPT! While the interior illustrations of this ground-breaking comic are in the gifted hands of Marc Borstel, Van Fleet will bring his "urban grit" to the cover. Avid comic readers will recognize Van Fleet's mysterious style instantly. That's because he's worked on some of DC COMICS most popular titles, including BATMAN! I met John at WIZARD WORLD/BIG APPLE CON in October '09. He and his partners were there promoting their studio and their innovative techniques for 3D modeling and video game design. But it's his unique painting style that caught my eye.

From a Q&A with Comic Book Resources:
Some describe Van Fleet's artwork as moody and mysterious, but the artist doesn't see it quite that way.

"I don't see my stuff as being that dark," said Van Fleet. "I mean I use a lot of black but I use it as a color and as a design tool, so I see it differently I guess. I have been told a lot of things about my art, some I see, some I don't. The most common is it's dark and moody, I like a good urban grit is all."

Fleet trained as an artist alongside an impressive list of others. "I went to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. We had a great class. George Pratt, Kent Williams, Mark Chiarello, Scott Hanna, just to name a few. [We] were all in the same group and we are all working in Comics."

For the rest of this interview head over to CBR

As a long-time BATMAN collector, it's an honor for me to be working with the man who illustrated one of my favorite all-time issues. BATMAN #663 is remembered by most as a comic/novella written by, master-author, Grant Morrison. Titled THE CLOWN AT MIDNIGHT, this spooky tale chronicles the Joker's bloody escape from Arkham Asylum. The 3D modeled illustrations from Van Fleet that accompanied the prose created a creepy tone worthy of BATMAN'S most dangerous adversary. Here's one of John's haunting images from the book.



Born and raised in the small town of Stanhope, New Jersey, John credits his childhood freedom in the 1960's as the source of his creativity. Now living in North Carolina, John feels blessed to have the company of his wife, kids, dog, friends and family. I hope to have Van Fleet's completed cover available for viewing, along with Marc's completed interiors, at the MoCCA Art Festival the weekend of April 10-11. See y'all there.