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Top Cow Announces the 2019 Talent Hunt Winners

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Top Cow Productions

Top Cow Productions has announced the winners and runners-up for the 2019 Talent Hunt. The semi-annual competition continues Top Cow’s tradition of giving aspiring creatives a hand up, paid work, and the opportunity to work on some of the most iconic characters like The Darkness.

This year’s competition garnered over 500 submissions, Top Cow Talent hunt judge Ryan Cady returned to help Matt and Marc pick the finalists.

The winners and runners-up will join the ranks of industry juggernauts that have reached critical acclaim like Isaac Goodhart (Catwoman), Tini Howard (X-Men), and Stephanie Phillips (A Man Among Ye).

The Top Cow Talent Hunt winners and runner-up in the artist category:

Artist Winner: Gabriele Falzone

About: Gabriele Falzone is a 24-year-old Italian illustrator from Siracusa. He attends the Scuola del Fumetto in Milan. He started his career in 2017 with Gamble, published by ALT!—and illustrated La Rabbia in 2018 through Shockdom.

“I’m truly honored to have been chosen among so many artists from around the world. Thanks to all the Top Cow team for this is a great opportunity!”

Artist Runner-up: Farid Karami

About: Farid is a 26-year-old artist who has worked in animation with the aspirations to work in the comic book industry.

“I still can’t believe it. Thanks to the Top Cow Production team for this opportunity and great honor. I am forever grateful.”

The Top Cow Talent Hunt winners and runner-up in the writing category:

Writer Winner: Adam Breen

About: Adam is a writer from Dublin, Ireland. He has a degree in English and Film. As a writer, he has an ever-increasing pile of comics to read that threatens to consume his home. He enjoys movies and using his bio to say hi to his wife, Hey Sharon!

“I am deeply honored to be one of the winners in this years’ Top Cow Talent Hunt! It was a massive shock that I’m still recovering from! I’m very excited to work with so many talented people and I cannot wait to collaborate with them and help bring the story to life.”

Writer Runner-up: Rob Pilkington

About: Rob Pilkington is an LA-based writer whose comic work is featured in Cloudscape Comics’ Life Finds A Way anthology, Red Stylo Media’s What Fresh Hell Is This? anthology, and a yet-to-be-announced project with TKO Studios. His screenwriting has been recognized in the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship semifinals and in Hollywood’s annual survey of buzzy unproduced genre screenplays, The Blood List.

“Even as a starry-eyed 90s kid in my local comic shop, Top Cow was always a boss-level presence. I’m beyond excited to be the Talent Hunt Runner-up and contribute a tiny part to the Top Cow Universe.”

Darby Pop Announces the Winners of its 3rd “Breaking Into Comics” Contest

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Darby Pop Publishing has announced the winners of its third “Breaking Into Comics” contest. This year’s victorious scribes are Adam Breen, courtesy of his script “Gauntlet” (featuring Atalanta and Frostbite), and Richard Casey, thanks to his effort “Pick (Up) a Card” (featuring Flying Fox and Jolt).  Bringing Breen’s and Casey’s scripts to eye-popping life will be winning artists Steven Defendini, a teacher at North Bergen High School (in New Jersey), and Gary Deslauriers, an elementary art teacher with an MA in Art Education from Rhode Island College. Both 11-page Side-Kicked stories will be published this summer as part of an expanded 2nd printing of Russell Brettholtz’s and Miguel Mendonca’s sold-out Side-Kicked trade paperback, and will also be made available as a single digital issue on ComiXology.

Both Breen and Casey were previous winners (along with 9 other writers from around the globe) of Darby Pop’s 2nd “Breaking Into Comics” contest. That competition resulted in The Women of Darby Pop – a unique double-sized anthology in which they each had a four-page story published.

Pin-ups submitted by those artists chosen for Honorable Mention will also be featured on Darby Pop’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Honorable Mention – Writers

  • Adam Breen and his script “Help Wanted”
  • Alberto Veloso and his script “The Interview”
  • Jason Snyder and his script “When Al Met Howie”
  • Jeff Burns and his script “The Interview”
  • Jeff Leeds and his script “Breaking the Ice”

Honorable Mention – Artists

  • Brent Hibbard
  • Lee Bokma
  • Malik Rozier
  • Seth Adams
  • Shane Douberly

Darby Pop Announces the Winners of their 2nd Breaking Into Comics Contest

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Darby Pop Publishing has announced the winners of its second “Breaking Into Comics” contest.  After hundreds of submissions were reviewed, and the top writers and artists were selected, Darby Pop created “teams” — with selected Artists bringing the winning Writers’ scripts to life for the ultimate anthology book, The Women of Darby Pop #1. Featuring 11 all-new stories, The Women of Darby Pop #1 comes to comic book shop shelves on September 28, 2016.

Winners Grid

The winners of Darby Pop’s “Breaking Into Comics” contest are writers and artists with reservoirs of passion, and varying degrees of experience.  Last year, with her young-adult mystery comic, Ma Douce Rose, 17-year-old Kate Davis was a winner of the “Future of Comics Contest” held at the Baltimore Comic-Con Kids Love Comics Pavilion.  Austin Bridges has a background in playwriting and is co-creator of an episodic radio adventure series Mermaid in Manhattan.  Matthew Cody is a professional novelist with published works in historical adventure (for kids), science fiction (for teens), and retro-pulp (for adults); his credits include the book Powerless.  Among his various creative endeavors, scriptwriter Adrian Reynolds is co-creator and writer of the science fiction web comic Dadtown.  Forrest C. Helvie is co-creator and writer of a children’s graphic novel, The Adventures of Whiz Bang: The Boy Robot.  Jeff Burns is creator, writer, and director of the Super Knocked Up web series.  Brent Hibbard has been working on 2-page kids’ comics for Kids Prize Pack, a monthly subscription box service. And the list goes on and on.

The two things the majority of the aforementioned Creatives have in common: a lifelong passion for comic books, and the dream of earning a living in the comic book industry.

Back in April, Darby Pop Publishing put out a call for the best short scripts (4 pgs. maximum) and sample art featuring (at least) one female character from Darby Pop’s lineup including heroes and villains such as: Stingray, Princess Power, and Gaia from Indestructible; Chloe from City: The Mind in the Machine; Superfecta 5 and Kathleen from The 7th Sword; Angela Garcia from Doberman; Vargas, Ayala Tal, and Dr. Nash from Dead Squad; Atalanta from Side-Kicked; Cynara Veil from Dead Man’s Party; Charli, Lucy, and Jill from Fake Empire, etc. etc.

And the call was answered.  In spades.

Women of Darby Pop_image_3