YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #2 IS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS!

Hey Comic Fans,

Here's hoping that this post finds you all enjoying the summer season and gearing up for the San Diego Comic Con in a few weeks!

July is finally here which means you can now order YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #2 through the latest issue of PREVIEWS (#274).

Here is the cover for this month's catalogue;

This time the ad for Issue #2 is on Page 308.

Here is what the ad itself says;

Issue #2's order number is JUL111205.  And if you didn't order Issue #1 from the May catalogue, have no fear because you can still order it by giving your local retailer this order number: MAY111154.

If you would like to check out a sneak peak of Issue #2, please feel free to click on the following link for a 5-page preview;

http://www.onrie-kompan.com/previews/issue-2-4162010/

Don't miss out on the international hit series that is now available wherever comic books are sold and features some of the hottest art found in comics today!

Issue #3 will be available in the September issue of PREVIEWS followed by Issue #4 in the November!

Stay tuned for more updates!  We've got a lot of awesome stuff coming your way!

And if you make it to San Diego this year, be sure to stop by and say hello.  I'll be hanging out with the crew from Southern California Comics with an all new teaser trailer for Issue #4 to show off!

Best Regards,

Onrie Kompan

A SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL RETAILERS:  Thank you so very much for placing your Issue #1 orders back in May 2011.  All books will be shipped to Diamond on Friday, July 8th, 2011.

YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS!

Hey Folks!

I've got some very exciting news to share with all of you!  YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #1 is now available for order in the May 2011 edition of PREVIEWS.  Here are both covers;

If you skip to Page 307, you will see the following;

If you are interested in having your local retailer carry our book, or are a retailer yourself, please feel free to let Diamond know that you would like to order books. 

At this time, only Issue #1 is available for order.  However, Issue #2 will be available in the July 2011 catalogue, followed by Issue #3 in the September 2011 catalogue.  Issue #4 will be available for pre-order in the October 2011 catlogue.

As always, the entire team behind YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER greatly appreciates your support and we're working very hard on giant-size Issue #4, which will be 48-pages of pure action and it comes out on November 30th, 2011!

So be on the lookout!

Best Regards,

Onrie Kompan

YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER COMES TO HOLLYWOOD!

Dear Friends and Fans,

I am pleased to announce that Issues #1 and #2 of YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER are now available in local comic book stores in the Los Angeles area!

Below are a list of stores where you can find it;

Golden Apple Comics
7018 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA  90038
(323) 658-6047
http://www.goldenapplecomics.com/ 


Meltdown Comics and Collectibles
7522 W. Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 851-7223
http://www.meltcomics.com/blog/


DJ's Universal Comics
11390 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 9
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 761-3465
http://www.facebook.com/djsuniversalcomics 


Secret Headquarters
3817 W. Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA  90026
(323) 666-2228
http://www.thesecretheadquarters.com/


Dream World Comics
12400 W. Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA  90066
(310) 390-7860
http://www.dreamworldcomics.com/

One more note:  In just two short weeks, YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #3 will be coming out so if you're interested, please let your retailer know and I will send copies directly to their store!  In the meantime, please feel free to stop by any of these shops and pick up Issues #1 and #2 along with all of your weekly reads!
 
Enjoy the holiday season!

Best Regards,
 
Onrie Kompan

A Great Big Thanks to New York's Finest Comic Book Retailers!!

To Our Nearest and Dearest,

I just wanted to take some time to say thanks to all the people who made our trip to New York Comic-Con 2010 worthwhile.

Before I came to New York, I contacted Forbidden Planet about doing a signing at their shop.  Many retailers were busy setting up for the convention and so there were few stores in the Manhattan area that had availability for creators to come in and sign books this week.  But Forbidden Planet welcomed me into their humble abode and in just three short hours we moved 100 books! 

NYCC was admittedly my first out of state convention and I did not even have a place to setup shop.  And so I contacted Jim Hanley's Universe and they were more than happy to give me space at their booth to sell books.  In just two days we moved close to 200 books!

I am tremendously grateful to both of these wonderful retailers for being so kind and considerate to an out of towner.  And I am even more grateful to the people of New York for giving YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER a chance!  On behalf of myself and my entire team, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #3 will premiere in Chicago on 12/15/10 and will make its way to New York a week later on 12/22/10.

We will see you then!

Best Regards,

Onrie Kompan

P.S- And if you ever find yourself in the Big Apple looking for a comic book store, be sure to visit these two fantastic shops! See their links below!

 http://www.fpnyc.com/store/

http://www.jhuniverse.com/

Joel Saavedra Interview

Joel Saavedra is currently a college student at Manuel Belgrano.  He is majoring in graphic design and has already managed to find work in the field of comics.  He currently lives in Rosario, Argentina with his family.

Two years ago, Joel came on board as the letterer for YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER.

When asked to partake in an interview, Joel was more than happy to take time out of his busy schedule to chat with me.

Folks, I am pleased to present letterer JOEL SAAVEDRA!

OKP:  You have a number of challenges as the letterer for this book.  The biggest being that English is your second language.  Could you tell us how you manage to overcome the language barriers that you face while lettering?

JS:  This has been a real challenge for me because this was my first job lettering in a foreign language.  However, I enjoy challenges, so it was not something that worried me.  I must admit that Google Translate came very handy at times.  Hahaha!

OKP:  How did you learn to read English so well?  Have you ever been to America?

JS:  I took English classes as a child. I also love to read books that are written in English. I never had the pleasure of visiting America, but I’m sure there will be an opportunity to do so at some point.

OKP:  Aside from simply lettering pages, your job also requires you to place balloons in areas that won’t detract from the artwork.  Is this a skill that has come naturally or is it something you had to work at?

JS:  At first, balloon placement was definitely not a natural ability for me. It took time to understand the concept.  You, David Anthony Kraft and I worked very closely with each other.  At first, balloon placement was simply about attaching the right piece of dialogue to the character that was speaking.  But there is actually a lot more to consider.  The art of lettering is knowing where to place dialogue so that it doesn’t crowd the artwork but in fact compliments it.  

To transmit the feelings of characters in such a limited amount of space is more complex than it looks.  My work is the first thing that the readers see since their eyes naturally wander to the title of the book and once they open it and see the artwork, the next thing they look for is that first word balloon.  If the style of that balloon does not sit well with them, it can damage the overall experience.  It is my job to invite the reader to delve into the story and the art so that they see the balloons and the text boxes as a necessary component of the overall package.

OKP:  DAK and I have constantly come back to you with edits for pages.  I believe we went through 10 drafts of the interior front cover of Issue #2 alone.  And yet every time we ask you to make a change, it’s never a problem.  How do you manage to remain so patient and consistent when you have all these other things going on in your life?

JS:  Yes, I remember working on the interior front cover for Issue #2 almost too well.  It was a page that required lots of small changes and the fact that there was so much text on it required me to check and re-check my work each time I made the slightest change.  When I start a job, I want to make it perfect.  Even it means I have to make endless amounts of edits, it is ultimately worth it.  I could not live knowing that at the end of the day, I did not give my best.

OKP: So what do you like most about working on this project?

JS: This project has given me the opportunity to meet and work with great professionals.  Everyone on the team is very generous, and patient.  I learned a lot from working with them.  It’s the kind of environment that encourages me to express my own ideas and literally think outside the panel box.

OKP:  What do you hope to do once you finish college?  Do you want to make a career as a letterer or do you have bigger plans?

JS:  I would love to continue working in comics, because it's something I enjoy. My goal is to eventually become a graphic designer (known also as visual communicator in my country).  In a nutshell, I would like to be responsible for creating messages that graphically communicate ideas, values, or facts.  I would also love to work on the development of movie posters as well.

OKP:  Can you tell us more about the other projects you’re working on?  Are their any sites we can go to so that we can see you’re work?

JS:  In the past, I did some work with Pandemonium Magazine.  The lettering samples I did for them are actually how I landed the position as letterer of YI SOON SHIN.  Today, I’m concentrating on school but I’m also working with a programmer on designing two web pages.  They are still in the initial stages, but they will soon be available online.  I can’t really spill the details yet but I will be sure to spread the word once it goes live!  I just set up a Facebook account so people can find me on there.

OKP:  I have never been a fan of sound effects in comics.  But after seeing what you pulled off on the last page of Issue #2, I can now say that we’ll be seeing a lot more BANGS and POWS in future issues of YI SOON SHIN.  Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Joel!

JS: Of course!  Anytime Onrie!

Two weeks from now, I will be sitting down with co-writer/editor DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT on top of Screamer Mountain to do a live interview that will be posted on this blog as well as Youtube.  Feel free to submit questions and we’ll answer them for you live.  Send all your inquiries to feebdback@yisoonshin.com.

See you in a few weeks!

Best Regards,

Onrie Kompan

Adriana De Los Santos Interview

Today I have a very special guest with me.   

Colorist Adriana De Los Santos is based out of Rosario, Argentina.  For the last two years, she has contributed her outstanding efforts to YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER.

I am very pleased and honored to finally interview her.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present the talented Adriana De Los Santos!

OKP: I think a lot of us are curious to know just how you go about coloring.  When Gio’ sends you inked pages, do you see them colored in full or focus on individual sections that pop out at you?

ADL: Whenever I receive an inked page, I look at the full layout and try to capture the mood of the page.   This helps me determine what sections require immediate attention.  From there, I shift my focus until I cover each panel.

OKP: What is your average turn around time per page? 

ADL: Well, the greatest challenge for this book is capturing the realism, particularly in the uniforms.  I need to pay very close attention to all of the details, which always takes a lot of concentration and time.  On average I would say I color one page every three days. 

OKP:  There have been cases where you’ve been forced to color pages within a very short period of time.  Right before we finished Issue #2, you colored Pages 22 thru 24 in less than a week and they turned out wonderfully.  So tell us how you manage to remain consistent around the clock.

ADL: I really don't now!  Just kidding.  That was a very short time span, but I was extremely focused on the pages and never gave up on my desire for producing the best quality of work.  And most importantly, I knew that people were counting on me, people who always do their best, so I did what I had to do.  There was no other option.

OKP: I’ve always said that you and Gio’ are a perfect pair for sequential storytelling.  How do you feel about working together with an artist who lives in Italy?

ADL: Gio' is a great artist and no matter where he lives, I feel like we’ve established great communication, which is a key component of teamwork. I respect his ideas and take him very seriously.

OKP: So when did you decide to pursue a career in comics?

ADL:  I always liked comics so six years ago, I decided to become an illustrator and quickly discovered that I liked coloring the images more than drawing them.

OKP: What do you enjoy most about coloring?

ADL:  The beauty of color is that it is so personal and subjective. We all have ways that certain colors make us feel.  There is so much emotion and the power to evoke so much reaction.  To me, that is what makes comic book coloring so special and unique.

OKP: What else have you worked on?  Is there a place where people can go to purchase your other works?

ADL:  I am actually working on a book called VIRGIN WOLF (written by Alverne Ball with Quality Quill).  People can also visit my blog and see my other works; http://delossantoscolordigital.blogspot.com/

OKP: And finally, we’re beginning production on YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #3 in August 2010.  Tell us, what you’re looking forward to as the series continues.

ADL:  A new book is always a new challenge.  Yi Soon Shin is a great hero and I hope that my coloring will help to tell his beautiful story of honor and justice.

OKP: I couldn’t agree more.   Adriana, it’s been a sincere pleasure!  Thank you so much for sharing your time with us.

ADL: Anytime!

Wow.  Now that was cool!

Next week, I will be chatting with our very dedicated letterer, Joel Saavedra.  He is the heart and soul of this entire team and pretty soon you'll find out why!

Thanks for joining us and we’ll see you next time!

Best Regards,

Onrie Kompan

YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER COMES TO NEW YORK!

Dear Friends and Fans,

I am pleased to announce that Issues #1 and #2 of YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER are available in the Big Apple! 

Below is a list of shops where you can pick it up;

Forbidden Planet

840 Broadway

New York, NY 10003

(212) 473-1576

www.fpnyc.com

Jim Hanley's Universe

4 West 33rd Street

New York, NY

(212) 268-7088

www.jhuniverse.com

Midtown Comics Times Square 

200 W. 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

(212) 302-8192

 www.midtowncomics.com

Midtown Comics Grand Central 

459 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017

(212) 302-8192

www.midtowncomics.com

Roger's Time Machine

207 West 14th St, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10011

(212) 691-0380

To all you New Yorker's out there, we'll be looking into setting up a signing at these stores at some point down the road.  In the meantime, please feel free to come on by any one of these shops and check out the books.  We'd be honored by your patronage.

Best Regards,

Onrie Kompan