Sign in Subscribe
Being Creative

From Gwenpool to X-31: Stefano Nesi’s original character sketches revealed!

PLUS: The NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS collected edition is here!

Cavan Scott

• 6 min read
From Gwenpool to X-31: Stefano Nesi’s original character sketches revealed!

IT'S GWEN vs. GWEN DAY!

It's finally here! Gwenpool #1 is hitting newsstands! Go Gwen!

Obviously, I'm hoping you're all going to hop, skip and jump to your nearest comic store to pick up the issue – here's the full rundown from Marvel, in case you haven't seen me banging on about it these last few months.

BUT, I also wanted to give you a treat to say thank you for bearing with me in my Gwenpool promotion era (a necessary evil, I'm afraid, if I want to shift books) and to celebrate launch day!

So, here – exclusively for Cavletter readers – are artist Stefano Nesi's original character sketches for Gwendolyn Poole, AKA the hero of our book, AKA the Unbelievable Gwenpool.

Pencils and inks for Stefano's Gwenpool headshot

Aren't they fantastic?

Beware X-31

And they didn't stop there, as Stefano soon turned his attention to the other Gwen in the book: Gwen Stacy.

AKA Spider-Man's long-lost girlfriend.

AKA Weapon X-31.

AKA Dark Gwenpool.

Here are his first designs for X-31's look:

And the full figure too...

Interestingly, these were done before Stefano and I had chance to properly discuss the character, so he didn't realise that Weapon X-31's katanas were Wolverine-like claws (hello, Ryan Reynolds in Wolverine Origins) and had the blades hidden in sheaths on her gauntlets!

I've absolutely loved working with Stefano. As I type this, he's completing inks on issue 4. One more to go... and with it, the reveal of who is behind Gwen Stacy's resurrection – and what exactly has happened to the Marvel universe.

Don't forget: Issue One is out today if you want to get in on our story from the beginning!

It's fair to say that Gwenpool has never been so big!

Let me know what you think of the issue if you pick it up!

NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS

But the new releases don't stop there.

Yesterday, it was Tempest Breaker, and today, not only is it Gwenpool, but it's also the collected edition of my love letter to slasher movies: Night of the Slashers!

With art by co-creator Paul Fry, colours by Dearbhla Kelly and letters by Shawn Lee, Night of the Slashers tells the story of a bunch of school kids who find themselves trapped in what looks like a perfect American town... until night falls.

What the kids don't realise is that for one night of the year, every resident of Hill Creek becomes a blood-thirsty monster... and tonight's the night.

Born from a lifetime watching the likes of Freddy, Jason and Michael, Night of the Slashers plays with all the tropes... and is absolutely crawling with horror-inspired Easter eggs!

So grab yourself a handy weapon, don't turn off the lights and check out the all-important blurb:

I'm so proud of this book, which – appropriately enough – refused to die. It survived the Diamond bankruptcy and a printer error to make it to the shelves, thanks to the heroic efforts of everyone at Magma Comix.

EVIDENCE THAT YOU CAN'T KEEP A SLASHER DOWN!

Available now from comic stores – and all good book stores on Tuesday 27th May – I will be signing copies of Night of the Slashers at Forbidden Planet Bristol this Saturday.

But don't worry if you can't make it – Forbidden Planet are offering signed copies online.

Grab one quick!

Just to prove this newsletter isn't entirely about me, me, me... I was excited to find this beauty in today's book haul!

Written by my pal Eddie Robson, The Heists of Hollow London is out this September from Tor Books and sounds right up my alley!

A high-concept dystopian science fiction heist? Yes please!

Here's the lowdown:

In games of betrayal everyone loses.

Arlo and Drienne are ‘mades’—clones of company executives, deemed important enough to be saved should their health fail. Mades work around the clock to pay off the debt incurred by their creation, though most are Reaped—killed and harvested for organs when their corporate counterparts are in medical need.

But when the impossible happens and the too-big-to-fail company that owns them collapses, Arlo and Drienne find themselves purchased by a scientist who has a job for them.

The reward: Debt paid off, freedom from servitude, and enough cash to last a lifetime.

The job: Infiltrate a highly secure corporate reclamation facility in the heart of dead London and steal a data drive.

They’re going to need a team.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a read!

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS

I hope you enjoy Tempest Breaker, Gwenpool #1 or Night of the Slashers if you pick any of them up.

Let me know your thoughts – the comments are always open on the Cavletter site – and if you have any questions about my comic work, don't forget: I'm doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the League of Comic Geeks tomorrow! Hope to see you there!

I'll also be popping up on a few YouTube shows over the next few days. Keep your eye on the blog for updates!

Until then, look after yourself and each other!

UPCOMING BOOKS

WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE