(June 17, 2009)

The almost the entire Highburn gang is off this weekend to the Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC. The show is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Charlotte Convention Center. It's a super family friendly show made possible by Shelton Drum, and the rest of the awesome crew of Heroes Aren't Hard To Find. Come down and see us all I will be at table AA-822 with Brynn Oliver. John and Kenny will be at table SP-30. Randy and Lyle will be at table SP-28. We will all be selling prints, comics, and available for commissions.

Michael

(May 7, 2009)

I was just informed that, Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries is the winner of the second annual Spinetingler Awards for best comic. Kudos to Christopher Mills, Joe Staton, Mark Stegbauer, myself, and Matt Webb.  Special thanks to Lyle Pollard and John Anderson.

Michael

(May 5, 2009)

    Man time has sure flown by recently, and though the updates have been lax, everyone here at the studio has not. In the last month  Kenny, Brynn, and myself did the Roanoke Valley Comic Con. It was a small show, and we had some fun. So maybe it will one that we do again if our schedules permit. Saturday of course was Free Comic Book Day...and my hand still hurts from it.  I did a sketch and sign and Acme Comics, rounding out the day with a massive 162 sketches, and quite the blister to prove it.

   The next show on the agenda is a gallery show.  The open reception is May the 16th, starting at 2:00pm at the Daily Grind in Martinsville.  The show features art by Michael Watkins, Steve Scott, Jim Amash, Tracey Yardley, Joe Staton, Mark Stegbauer, Brynn Oliver, Lyle Pollard, Nathan Masengill,  Matt Koger, and others.  The work will be on display until July so stop by and check it out. After that we are gearing up for Heroes Con, with more to follow on that in the next update.

On the book front look for a re-release of Tribulations #1, sporting a new cover by Lyle Pollard, Peter Palmiotti, and Michael Watkins. Also Tribulations #2 is in the works for a Heroes Con release. On the stands now is Femme Noir The Dark City Diaries Trade Paper Back from Ape Entertainment, Iron Sirens #4 from Digital Webbing, and if you shop still has a FCBD copy of the Ape Cartoonapalooza you should grab one.  Kenny is also looking for more stories for his next Horror Anthology, so hit him up on the boards here if you would like to be included.

I'd also like to take the time to congratulate Randy and Krystal Parker on the birth of their first child. See and you all thought Randy hadn't been doing anything. :)

 

That's all for now..whew it should be enough.

-Michael

(Jan. 22, 2009)

    Well we have our new President in office now and it seems the country is abuzz  with the possiblities of a new hope for not only, a return to American dream but,  a stronger future for not only ourselves but our country as well.  It's exciting to see people optimistic and willing to accept the challenges that lie ahead. That being said, let's take a look at what is going on around the Highburn ranch as of late.

   Lyle, Brynn, and myself will be at booth 2475 for the New York Comic Con, February 6th- 8th held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Stop by and say hi, grab some sketches and maybe some cool Highburn swag along the way. We will have issues of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries, E-Man: Curse of The Idol, Tribulations, and Guardians for sale at our booth, so here is a good chance to complete your Highburn collections. For more information about the NYComic Con visit their site by clicking the following link.

Michael

(Jan. 2, 2009)

     Man it is hard to believe 2008 is gone already. What a whirlwind year for comics, entertainment, and all of us here at Highburn. 

    On the downside we have had to mourn the loss of plenty of greats from the comic and entertainment industry including; Michael Turner, Heath Ledger, Steve Gerber, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Michael Silberkleit, George Carlin, Bernie Mac, and Ertha Kitt, along with countless others.

On the bright side of things, wow!  What a year for comics, especially comics to film. We witnessed  tons of comics brought to screen; Iron Man, the Hulk, the award winning Dark Knight. Comics witnessed the Avengers reunite with Captain America, Batman has died, The Skrulls battered the Marvel Universe, and DC had it's Final Crisis. WOW!

Of course the year for all of us at Highburn was filled with wonderful surprises, Lyle of course welcomed not only Tribulations into the world, but his daughter Gwen as well. Peter Palmiotti, Todd Davis, and Ryan Eldridge joined our ranks.  Todd married his wonderful girlfriend Kat.  Guardians was moved out of self publishing and to a publishing company, of course at the end of the year it is back at Highburn under a new development. Highburn Studios and Midnight Horizon finally moved to making Midnight Horizon Comics the publishing house for all of our titles.

Also several of the creators here have really jumped up in the comics industry. I'm currently doing colors on  Femme Noir for Ape Entertainment, with flats being provided by John and Lyle.  I had the pleasure of working with artist Steve Scott on of all things THE DARK KNIGHT,  which was an honor and a privilege. I also teamed up with John to color E-Man for Digital Webbing with Lyle providing flats again.  The biggest announcement though is starting this month I will be coloring Sonic The Hedgehog for Archie Comics. Truly a surreal year for the studio.

We also branched out on the convention circuit, going to several new conventions including; the Baltimore Comic Con, the Paper Heroes Con, the Raleigh Comic Show, the Roanoke Comic Show, and look for Lyle, Brynn, Peter, and myself to be at the New York Comic Con in February. I'll post more information on that at a later date.

Everyone here at Highburn would like to extend our thanks to everyone who supported us through the years, we couldn't do this without YOU. A heartfelt thanks, and may the year bring you the best in both your personal and professional lives.

 

Michael

(Nov. 28, 2008) 

    We hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving, or national stuff your face day. What every you would like to call it. So things have been changing around here and it's time to give out some more news.

I'm currently working on a new issue of Femme Noir for Ape Entertainment entitled The Ringus. This will be a story to fill in the page gaps from the upcoming trade of THE DARK CITY DIARIES. Also in the world of the Guardians. I have recently tapped Todd Davis as the new scribe of the series, we are in the plotting stages now and should have a new volume with a new issue 1 out sometime during the beginnings of 2009. Todd also has a new story Remember Tomorrow in the works with pencils by yours truly.

The second issue of Tribulations is currently being flatted by Lyle with the first three pages already being sent to me to finish up.

The new series of stories involving the cast of Tribulations, Nova City Stories. is moving along quite well. Lyle and Ryan have truly crafted a masterpiece in this story.

Thats all for now,

Michael

(Oct. 16, 2008) 

    We will be at booth 91 for the Paper  Heroes Con this weekend in Burlington Square Mall. Come by and visit, me, Kenny, Lyle, and Chris McJunkin. 

In other news I have wrapped up all the colors on Femme Noir for Ape Entertainment. My next project will be a story for the wounded soldiers graphic novel, and the completion of the next issue of Guardians.

The second issue of Tribulations is well underway with only four pages of art left to be penciled and inked. Then it is off to me for colors and Kenny for some letters.  Do not miss this issue, featuring the inks of Peter Palmiotti and a HUGE turning point in the story of Monument.

I am also pleased to announce a new series of stories involving the cast of Tribulations, simply entitled Nova City Stories. More information on this will be coming soon.

Until next time,

Michael

(Oct. 4, 2008) 

    We will be attending the Paper Heroes Comic Con in Burlington, NC on October 18th and 19th. For more info about the show visit them at www.paperheroescon.com.

(Oct. 2, 2008) 

The Baltimore Comic Con was a great show, probably the BEST con I have attended in years.  The staff was very friendly, helpful, and they really went out of their way to take care of the artists and the fans. Kudos to Marc Nathan and the rest of his staff, and thank you for a very enjoyable visit.

 On the work side of things, I've talked with several publishers and am looking at the possibility of at least four new projects.  In comic terms that means maybe one of them will come through.   Until I hear anything I'll be finishing up Femme Noir and then pushing straight through to Guardians and Tribulations.   

Several of us have also made plans with Clayton Murwin, a.k.a the Hero Maker to do a benefit book for the soldiers who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are a soldier with a story to tell, we would love to hear from you so that we can tell some REAL stories about the War on Terror and the REAL heroes that it is affecting.  For more information visit Clayton at  www.myspace.com/cdmurwin or check our forums.

In other news we have all lately been talking about the future of both Highburn Studios and Midnight Horizon Comics, so we have fully merged to forgo any more confusion.  All the books from here out will be published from Midnight Horizon except for Guardians which will stay with Dakuwaka Publishing.  This will not change any of the books in terms of quality.  The main reason is to focus Highburn as a studio in the comics field so that artists and writers here will be able to move around on projects as well as have a safe workhaven. The only major change will be Kenny is handling publishing all the books, and I will be handling working with, and training new artists.

That's all for now so until next time. -Michael

(SEP. 14, 2008) 

John, Brynn, and I will be at booth 31 for the Baltimore Comic Con.  The show will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center Sept 27th and 28th.  Hope to see you all there.

-Michael

(AUG. 28, 2008) 

Several of the Highburn Studios and Midnight Horizon books have completely SOLD OUT!!

Congratulations to Lyle for selling out Tribulations #1. This has been the fastest moving title from Highburn since the Guardians Prologue. Also the Slayer One-Shot, Slayer #2, and Expulse #1  have completely SOLD OUT!!

A sincere thanks to everyone who has purchased these books.

-Michael

(AUG. 27, 2008) 

John, Brynn, and I will be attending the Baltimore Comic Con, the weekend of September 27th and 28th.  Hopefully copies of Femme Noir will be available by the show.  If not we will still have plenty of Highburn and Midnight Horizon goodies to offer. Hope to see you all there.

-Michael

(AUG. 26, 2008) 

    Welcome back, if you think you are at the wrong site, don't worry you're not. We have just updated our look slightly to cram in more Highburn goodness, including a brand new web comic.

  Now on to the news. We have several major announcements to make, so in no certain order here they are:

 First, I have been chosen as the new colorist for Ape Entertainment's Femme Noir. The book is penciled by comic great Joe Staton and written by Christopher Mills.

Secondly, John and I have been chosen as the colorists for Digital Webbing's E-Man.

Our third announcement is the addition of Peter Palmiotti to the Highburn family.  Peter's inks have been seen in project from all the major companies, and we are delighted to see what his caliber of work will bring to our books.  Expect to see his inks on Guardians and Tribulations.

    How much more could we possibly have to share? Well how about our fourth announcement is that I have also had the privilege of also teaming with Indiana Jones artist Steve Scott. Together we have done several prints and projects including some Dark Knight work and the Hulk.

  Oh but wait there's more. I have also recently signed Guardians to stay with Dakuwaka Publishing and Platinum Studios. Platinum has recently acquired WOWIO and has made plans to move it's properties toward more commercial avenues including television and video games.

 And lastly our biggest news yet, Randy and Krystal are expecting. So if you see them out tell them congratulations, give them a high five, or even a good game pat.  Well I don't know about the last two but congratulations I'm sure will do fine.

That's all the news I have for now. If you noticed the date at the top of the news...well plans are for me to keep the news updated now as it comes along.  So check back often.

Until next time,

-Michael