Nadir Balan

Fanboy Planet

2007-05-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Another review for Wrath of the Titans #1 can be found at Fanboyplanet.com, and it's a jolly good one too! They are spot on about Harry Hamlin's likeness, we were trying to capture the character's essence without getting into any likeness-issues. Here's the link. Wrath #1 is in stores tomorrow, May 31st!

Comic Addiction Review

2007-05-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Comicaddiction.com just put up a review for Wrath of the Titans #1 and gave it a 9 out of 10 (excellent)! You can check it out here.

Review for Wrath of the Titans #1

2007-05-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wrath of the Titans #1 will be in store next week! Ain't it Cool News just reviewed the first issue and I'm very happy to see such a great response :) A big thank you to them for checking it out. Here's the link or if you're lazy here's what was said:

RAY HARRYHAUSEN PRESENTS WRATH OF THE TITANS #1
Writers: Darren G. Davis and Scott Davis
Art: Nadir Balan
Publisher: Blue Water Productions
Reviewer: Ambush Bug

Simply put: I found this comic to be Hamlin-tastic!

It's a direct sequel to CLASH OF THE TITANS. And who the hell doesn't love that movie? I believe it's downright un-American not to love CLASH OF THE TITANS. In fact, I know for a fact that that if you don't love CLASH OF THE TITANS, the terrorists win.

But back to the book. Chances are if you are a regular reader of this site, you've ooh-ed and aahh-ed at a few Harryhausen films. WRATH OF THE TITANS writers Darren G. Davis and Scott Davis do a great job of harnessing the fun and wonder that ran rampant through the movie and transferring it into this first issue. CLASH's hero, Perseus, and Andromeda are about to have a child. Zeus, Big Poppa of the Gods, is ecstatic and wants the rest of the gods to shower his grandson with gifts. Of course, the sea-bitch Thetis is still pretty sore at Zeus for making her once beautiful son, Calibos, look like Dennis Rodman, so she comes up with a surefire plan for vengeance. Welcome and familiar faces like Bubo and Pegasus show up, as do Perseus' magical weapons from the film. We even get an appearance from the Hydra (not the terrorist organization from Marvel Comics, but the million headed serpent from mythology) and we catch up with Perseus' momma.

From panel one to the very end, I loved this comic. It embraces everything from the movie and expands on it by incorporating other characters from Greek mythology. The art is equally memorable with some seriously amazing monster designs. This first issue also has quite a few character sketches of monsters that will most definitely prove to be a challenge for Perseus in future issues.

Sure, it ain't Shakespeare. But neither was the movie. The movie took classic mythology and made it into a story for all ages to enjoy. This is a worthy sequel of that film that we all hold near and dear. Plus this book has the official stamp of approval of Mr. Ray Harryhausen himself and provides pages from Harryhausen's sketchbooks from some of his films. Highest recommendation for those who want to read comics that put the fun back in funny books.

NYC Art Show

2007-05-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

I'll be showcasing some of my work tonight, May 18th at 7pm, at the "A Show Grows in Brooklyn" Art Show in NYC. Page 8 productions will be there in it's entirety!

Location:
315 Seigel Street apt. 204, Brooklyn (this is a loft)
Take the L to the Morgan stop, take Bogart exit, turn right to corner then another right.

See you there :)

Starlog

2007-05-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Starlog Magazine #356 just did a 4 page story on the Ray Harryhausen books I've been working on. You can check out some of my Wrath work as well as some others. You can find it in the entertainment section of any mag. store :) Also check out the recent issue of Filmfax for another Harryhausen interview.

PhillyEDGE

2007-04-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Philly EDGE is Philladelphia's alternative weekly nightlife, entertainment and arts tabloid. I happened to meet the man in charge, Joe Student, at... a bar, where else? I did an interview with them that is now available on their site, here's the link to the interviews page. Or you can just check 'em out at PhillyEDGE.com

Wrath #3

2007-03-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Below you can see the development of the cover to Wrath of the Titans #3, pencils by yours truly and colors by Joey Campos. In this case I was particularly conscious of and happy with the way the logos completed the cover, however the colors seemed to have been pumped up a little too far there and the beads now look like x-mas lights, that'll have to be remedied, somehow I don't think he'd be scaring many people with such a shiny beard haha!

Tone

2007-03-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tone Rodriguez drew up this amazing alternate cover for Wrath of the Titans #2. I'm very excited to share covers with him as I've admired his work for a long time!

Back colors

2007-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the colors to the back cover of the Tenth Muse-Crossovers tpb by Garry Henderson, aka Mudcat.
Pencils : me

Comics Continuum

2007-02-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

ComicsContinuum.com has just posted up the June solicitations for BlueWater Productions, by clicking here you can see a bunch of my covers together with alot of Variant ones!

Shi- Tenth Muse

2007-02-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the Final version of the Shi-Tenth Muse crossover special cover, hitting stores this June! Also watch out for the special Billy Tucci and Billy Dallas Patton variant covers!

Color Covers

2007-02-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

Wrath of the Titans Issue #1 and The Tenth Muse-Crossovers Trade Paperback
Colors by Joey Campos.

Muse Crossover TPB

2007-02-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Below are the front and back covers to The 10th Muse Crossover Trade Paperback Featuring characters from Tellos, The Savage Dragon, Shi, Ezra and Koni Waves. These were relatively quick for me but I loved drawing the characters :)

Wrath #2

2007-02-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

This is the cover to Wrath of the Titans #2.
Pencils: me
Colors: Joey Campos.

New Portfolio work

2007-01-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Updated sequential and splash pages as well as some new cover images can be found on the menu bar to the right, or by clicking:

Sequentials

and

Splashes and Covers

'07- first press release

2007-01-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

As my projects for 2007 are being revealed/solicited more press releases and previews will be made available.
Click here to check out the first one out there on Broken Frontier about Wrath of The Titans.

Portfolio

2006-07-20T04:22:00.000-07:00

I'm posting some of my portfolio pages here for easy access for everyone. Just click the thumbnail for a larger view :)

ComiCon '06

2006-07-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the San Diego Comicon this weekend!
I will be signing with Bluewater Productions at booth# 2244 and Ray Harryhausen will be there on Fri and Sat 4:30-5:30 signing with us :)
I will also be signing at the Shocker toys booth # 5488 on Sat 3:30-4:30
So stop on by if you're in the area!

Newsarama

2006-07-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

You can read more about the Ray Harryhausen team up I'm involved with on Newsarama

Muse 800

2006-06-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

BlueWater productions announced a new era for the 10th Muse. With writer Scott Lobdell (X-Men) and under the Ray Harryhausen Presents banner the 10th Muse was reimagined... and redesigned by me. This image is the first cover with the New Muse stories, starting in issue 800! (issue 18 in continuity).

Seen this image before? Unknown scoundrels leaked the image too early a few months back. We're still looking for who posted under my name, but it just goes to show you, if you keep watching this space you might see things...

Ray Harryhausen

2006-06-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Below is the press release concerning some of my new ventures, to the left are my designs for "Wrath of the Titans" and "20 Million Miles From Earth":

June 14, 2006 -
Filmmaker Ray Harryhausen has joined forces with BlueWater Productions on a series of new comic book ventures and merchandising under the "Ray Harryhausen Presents" banner. Harryhausen is now part of the BlueWater team developing projects that tap his extensive creative talents.

BlueWater will produce six titles with Harryhausen, advancing the adventures of the characters the filmmaker brought to life in his classic sci-fi and fantasy franchises. Slated for release later this year are "Wrath of the Titans," "Sinbad's Voyage to Mars" and "20 Million Miles From Earth."

Plans for feature films and a television series are being developed by Left Field Film Corp.

Harryhausen will at the San Diego Comic-Con July 21 and 22 with the BlueWater team, where he'll sign posters from the upcoming series. Details will be available on the BlueWater website.

The collaborative projects will provide springboards for the next generation of characters based on Harryhausen's films. Harryhausen also plans on crafting a story line featuring BlueWater's signature character, the 10th Muse. "X-Men" author Scott Lobdell will write the updated "10th Muse" series based on Harryhausen's take.

Each comic will feature five pages of original artwork from Harryhausen's collection, thanks to a partnership with Every Picture Tells a Story, the Santa Monica-based gallery that sells the artist's works. Harryhausen's artwork also will grace the covers.

"As an artist, I've always enjoyed exploring new and interesting areas," Harryhausen says. "Although many of my feature films, beginning with 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,' were adapted into the comic book format, I have never been directly involved with that particular art form -- until now. I am very happy to be working with BlueWater Productions, who have already done wonderful work with their '10th Muse' and 'Isis' comic books, and look forward to seeing characters from my films in new and exciting adventures."

BlueWater President Darren Davis says he's humbled to have Harryhausen aboard. "Ray Harryhausen is one of the reasons I create comics. 'Clash of the Titans' made a priceless impression on my career. I'm honored to work with Ray. He inspired and motivated me to take 'Legends' into different media."

BlueWater Art Director Nadir Balan is equally excited to work with Harryhausen. "Ray Harryhausen's films have a timeless appeal that extends beyond special effects and monsters. My goal is to capture the essence and charm of his films and adapt them to action-packed comics so both new readers and existing fans can catch up on the ongoing adventures. I'm thrilled to be part of the team dreaming up new futures for these great characters."

More projects showcasing the Harryhausen-BlueWater partnership are in the works and will be announced soon.

Wrath of the Titans

2006-06-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Colors by Patrick Lo.

project details below

Epsilon Realm

2006-05-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent cover I did for a new book by my friend Christopher Joe called Epsilon Realm.

Brewing

2006-05-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Due to recent projects that cannot be revealed just yet I haven't been able to update as often as I'd like, but some big things are brewing with myself and Bluewater productions so keep an eye out because we'll be making some announcements in the near future (when? i couldn't say ^_^ ) Involving some big names too!!
On a seperate note VSS and the Shi-Tenth Muse crossover special are going well and there will be seperate updates from those projects soon too :)

VSS #1 Sells out

2006-04-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent press release on the success of VSS #1:

April 9, 2006 (San Diego, CA) – Alias Comics and Blue Water Productions released the debut issue of their newest collaborative-series, VICTORIA’S SECRET SERVICE, in March 2006, and both are excited to report that the issue has already completely sold-out from the distributor after only weeks on the shelves!

From the fan-favorite creative team of Nadir Balan and Terrance Griep (Judo Girl), VICTORIA’S SECRET SERVICE follows the adventures of a team of girls – Scarlet, Raven, Lark, and Brooke – who serve in protection of the Queen of England in a clandestine operation established in the 19th century, and was named one of Wizard Magazine’s Top 11 Indy Books to Watch!

“The buzz around this book has been phenomenal,” says creator, and Blue Water Productions’ Managing Editor, Darren G. Davis. “Numbers from our special 75-cent preview issue were incredibly high, and this latest sell-out just proves that readers are running for the shops for their chance to find one. It’s the greatest compliment any comic creator could be given!”

Indeed with the success of VICTORIA’S SECRET SERVICE, Davis and Blue Water Productions have already optioned the rights for film and toy franchises.

Thanks everyone for checking out Victoria's Secret Service. I can't wait to hold the TPB in my hands... which means I have to get back to the drawing board...