A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

There is that old saying about God not closing a door without opening a window. I know it is cliché but in this case, it counts. Thanks to my publisher Sean O’Reilly, I was introduced to a tremendously talented artist named Giampaolo Frizzi that is based in Lucca, Italy.
We were originally scheduled to work together on a commissioned series. After seeing his samples, I was hollering at Sean saying how much I wanted to work with him. In fact I sent along an email saying how much I wanted Giampaolo to work on a future licensing project. I was crushed when I found out that the money behind the commissioned series wanted to use a different artist.
Such is the nature of the industry and sometimes artists are chosen for different reasons. I saw this as a blessing because it introduced me to a second, incredibly talented penciler that I have had the pleasure of working with. (More on this later.)
Still, Giampaolo and I wanted to work together and Sean asked me to come up with a series for us to develop together. So when Giampaolo sent me a sketch of a Roman gladiator for a painting he was doing, this giant light bulb came on over my head.
I sent a script for a gladiator-themed storyline I had been developing since 2004 and the rest, as they say, is history. It is this storyline that I have started to receive artwork on.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And so on. Artwork is kind of a funny thing. You can look at it and say either, “I like that” or “I don’t like that.”
I look at the art of comic superstars like Jim Lee, Ed Benes, Mike Turner, Al Rio, Emiliano Santalucia, Frank Cho, and Brett Booth and I say, “Wow, I wish I could draw like that.” Giampaolo draws like that. I could not be happier that someone with an art style that I love is working on one of my stories. We have been working on cover designs, discussing novels, and influences. Literally, it is a dream come true. This is what I was put on this earth to do. No doubt.