Sneak peek: "Closed System" by Mike Gallagher.

"Closed System" is a graphic short story (comic book) which will be serialized in the 2010 quarterly run of BULL SPEC. When artist and writer Mike Gallagher pitched the idea of a "guide to time travel by giant disembodied ape head" I must say I was pretty interested. When he sent me the first sketches I knew I had the artist I wanted, and now that I have the first installment of the story for BULL SPEC #1 I can't wait to show it off. So, the cover for CLOSED SYSTEM:

Interested? There's more: a sneak peek inside the first installment.

I didn't give Mike much of a runway to put together the first four pages for the first issue, but he really came through both with an interesting story and lovely art:

He made a great choice in color tone, along with some more great choices in terms of layout, letting drawings flow where they needed to, creating a most enjoyable read and memorable images:

And no, you don't get to see any more today! BULL SPEC #1 (including CLOSED SYSTEM) will be online and in print when it's ready, which looks today like the end of January or beginning of February. I know I can't stand the wait, and I hope this sneak peek entices just a little bit of that same anticipation in some of you. I really want BULL SPEC to be a magazine for everyone, with stories, interviews, reviews, and yes, pretty pictures, too. Thanks to Mike I think I'm able to take my best shot at doing just that.