Ultimate Wolverine's Chris Condon Talks News From The Fallout - Creator Owned Art

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Chris Condon is the writer behind several fan-favorite books, including Ultimate Wolverine, Green Arrow, That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre, and News from The Fall Out — the latter with artist Jeffrey Alan Loving. In a new entry in our Creator Owned Art series, Condon talks about trying to get News from the Fall Out published and pages that mean quite a lot to him.

“Jacob Phillips, my frequent collaborator and I, were always big fans of Jeffrey Alan Love's work. When it came time to contact someone to concoct a variant cover for our issue twenty Christmas special, we both agreed that we wanted Jeff to be the one to create a cover. We were elated when Jeff said yes without batting an eye. 

It was then and there that Jeff and I struck up a friendship. He reached out to talk about working in direct market comics. It turned out that he had a great interest in breaking free from the role he felt he'd been typecast as in comics: a cover artist. He felt he could do more, that he could be an interior artist on a direct market comic book. I love Jeff's work, and I agreed. Why couldn't he be an interior artist on a book? So, I had some ideas on what we could do together, one of which was a concept that I had already pitched to a publisher, sans artist.

I brought Jeff's name up to a publisher, and they were leery. Why? They didn't know if he was viable in the marketplace. I pushed harder. They said they were interested but they'd need to see some samples proving that he could deliver something that the average comic reader would like and enjoy. Jeff said he was game. So I went looking through some scripts to see what might be a good showcase for him and his skills. I figured I should pick something with big emotions and great visuals, so I landed on a pivotal scene in the third volume of That Texas Blood. Jeff drew the pages, finishing them in his trademark black-and-white style. I thought he did an absolutely phenomenal job. 

But it didn't matter. The publisher still passed. We tried a few other places. Nothing. Not until we went to Image. Eric Stephenson never had a question about Jeff's ability. He got it right from the start, and we're ever thankful for that.

If there is a moral to the story related above, I suppose that it's to believe in good work. Not everyone will see it for what it is. But if you stick with it, you will eventually find the right people who will back you, regardless of whether something might sell or not. 

For the record: News from the Fallout is selling quite well, in fact. We've sold out our first printing and have been reprinted for a second. Our second issue numbers didn't show the typical direct market attrition. That is irrefutable proof that Jeffrey Alan Love belongs in comics. I'm so honored that I was his partner on his first foray into the direct market and I hope to continue that partnership for many years to come.

In a way I look at these two test pages here as a bridge between my Image work. It spans the gap from That Texas Blood, my first published work, to my first Image book without Jacob, News from the Fallout. I love these two pieces tremendously. They mean a lot to me, and I am happy to share them here with you now. I hope you feel as I did when I first saw them--like you've just seen something unique and wonderful that could ever exist in one medium: comics.”

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