Ramblings from the MADHouse!

    I am the luckiest man alive! I've just finished looking over the proofs for issue one , and I've got tears in my eyes! Hey , I've worked in comcs for seven years now , and I've always thought 'Sure, it would be exciting to work on my own book.' But never in a million years could I have imagined that it would be this much fun.

    So what's the difference?---The people I work with. I have one kick ass creative team. We are just that. A team. We work together , and everyone talks to one another. Believe it or not , that's not always true with other books. In most cases , the artist rarely speaks to the writer , and NEVER to the colorist or letterer. I don't believe you can ever achieve top quality work under these circumstances.

    A lot of people worked around the clock to make this the best damn comic that money can buy. Every one of them irreplaceable. Munier...never heard of him? You will. His stories are impactful , and full of the most inventive action sequences to ever grace the page. (As you'll see in upcoming issues.) He gets my motor running every morning , and stays on my butt to make sure I never lose the excitement. I can't tell you how important that is. Then there's Tom. His inks are just beautiful. It's probably the closest translation of pencil to ink that my work has ever seen. Liquid , the best colorists in the business , period. Chris and Aron are the Industrial Light & Magic of comics. Their color raises my art to levels that I never thought possible. (I mean , just flip through the book!!) Their devotion to the book has been incredible from start to finish. (Plus , since we're all friends , I can call them at 4am to bug them for pages!). No one knows hot to make a book fun to read , like Comicraft does! Richard Starkings and co. are madmen , always coming up with new fonts , sound effects , etc. In fact , the lettering style of the book , was created by Comicraft , using a sample of my very own handwriting! Why? Who the hell knows?! But it's cool! And John , the designer on BC had to work like a psychopath to bring everything together at the very last minute! Way to go man!

    Of course , somebody has to keep us all from goofing off and missing our deadlines! That someone is the all-powerful being known as Scott Dunbier! He'll kill me for mentioning this , but when we're down to the wire , the guy actually sleeps at the office , in order to get that last book out! Talk about dedication! I also need to thank Jim Lee , Jeff Campbell , and Humberto Ramos , just for being there. We all have high hopes for Cliffhanger , and I couldn't possibly be in better company. These guys are just great to work with!

    Lastly , the most important person I need to thank , is my wife Margaret. She puts up with more crap because of my job than any woman should. Without her unwavering love and support , I would just cease to exist. (sound corny? It is! But , hey--it's true.) I love you honey..and thanks!

Sincerely,
           JOeMaD!

    -Reprinted from Battle Chasers #1