recent rambling


Order Books!

NOTE: Your orders are secure through PayPal. Price includes shipping. All books have color covers and black and white interiors, and are 28-34pp.
ELEISON











Eleison: No. 1
~ $4.25
Eleison: No. 2 ~ $4.25 Eleison: No. 3 ~ $4.25









  
Eleison: No. 4
~ $4.25
Eleison: No. 5
~ $4.25


JACK
Jack: No. 1 ~ $4.25 Jack: No. 2 ~ $4.25   








 


THE ORCHARD
The Orchard:
Free Online!
       




   


All artwork from Here There Be Monsters press is produced out of JCARR Studios.

To inquire about the availability of original artwork from these publications for SALE, or other commission work, please feel free to email the artist at: jcarr@elp.rr.com.

boots  General News  ~ July 02, 2008 ~ edit no comment

The Orchard Promo

This isn't the final image (notice the glare on the picture), but i couldn't wait to post it because it's still so cool anyway! Look for this series online at: The Orchard.

Coming September
2008


boots  The Orchard  ~ July 02, 2008 ~ edit no comment

Gearing up for San Diego Comic Con 2008



It's hard to believe that this is the 4th year that we will be having a booth in the small press area at the San Diego Comic Con! And we're proud to be bringing more new work than ever before! Eleison no. 5, "Lies & Liars" part I kicks off a new storyline with new characters new horrors; Jack no. 2, "dark vision" part II has our intrepid amnesiac confronting a killer, and watch this space for information about The Orchard, and online webcomic parable about Death, war, and breakfast (bacon may be served!).

boots  Conventions  ~ June 15, 2008 ~ edit no comment

About Jaime Carrillo ~

Jaime Carrillo
Jaime always refused to buy posters or art to decorate his house because after viewing the art, he would think: "I think I could do that. Why buy it? I can do it myself." Years later, after realizing that he had nothing to show for all his claims of "being able to do that himself" he decided he should actually get to work. Mostly self-taught, he had no idea where to start.

After years of dabbling with oil paints, Jaime finally decided to try his hand at creating a real portfolio in 2001. He has since had his work published in some independent horror magazines, an RPG, and on the cover of Heavy Metal magazine, as well t-shirt designs for several mainstream rock bands. In addition to his freelance work, Jaime also illustrates two series of graphic novels written by his sister, Elena.

His influences and inspirations include: vintage Boris Vallejo, Simon Bisley, and Brom. His other inspiration comes from epic movies with awesome soundtracks such as Conan the Barbarian, Gladiator, King Arthur, The Thin Red Line, and Ben Hur. He considers "Saturn Devouring His Children" by Spanish master Francisco Goya to be one of the most fantastic paintings ever produced. Jaime aspires to better his technique and grow artistically so that one day, just maybe, his finished works will look just as he imagines them in his head.You can visit Jaime's online gallery here. For inquiries on commissions, artwork for sale, or just to tell him how cool he is, email him at jcarr (at) elp.rr (dot) com.

boots  General News  ~ May 05, 2008 ~ edit no comment

Jack the knife!

No matter what Jack does, he seems to wind up with knives ~ and yet he looks the most surprised when it happens. The real question is: is that just a steak knife for trimming the gristle off a t-bone or is Jack planning to make his new life even more complicated than it already is? I'm guessing a story about Jack eating dinner wouldn't exactly be a grabber (though I could be wrong!), nevertheless, rest assured: part two of "dark visions" will pit killer against killer with whatever weapons they can lay their hands on.



Check back for some interesting artifacts dug up from the scary archive, including very early character sketches!

boots  Jack  ~ March 29, 2008 ~ edit no comment

About Elena Carrillo ~

Elena is a writer making a living on hopes, prayers, and the consumption of vast quantities of crackers while she pursues a new career path as a librarian, having recently transplanted herself from too-sunny Texas to not-cold-enough Minnesota.

She is a lover of history who draws inspiration from old books, mouldering 19th century periodicals, antique ephemera and especially photographica, and the diaries and letters of people long dead (but often not forgotten). She spends more money on books than on food and clothes put together (and isn't sorry at all about it).

Elena spends most of her time and energy writing and trying to learn how to draw. She also enjoys collecting advanced degrees which seem to bring her no closer to being reasonably employed than ever before. In her spare time, she works a job that almost pays her bills.

If you really want to read more of her silly bibbling, you are welcome to check out her LiveJournal Blog. She's also the person to blame for everything wrong about this website.


boots  General News  ~ March 15, 2008 ~ edit no comment

Jack ~ issue no. 2 cover


The brand new cover for issue no. 2 of Jack ("dark visions" part II) is complete and ready for unveiling!

In the second part of the new series, Jack and his shady companion (the otherwise unidentified "Spring-heeled Jack" of lore) take on the serial killer whose murders have put Jack in hot water. This could be a difficult confrontation when Jack's in police custody and the killer is, himself, a police detective.

But then again, with a little supernatural help, it might not be too hard at all!

This two-part series kick-off features full-page sequential black and white art. Look for it in July of 2008!

boots  Jack  ~ September 08, 2007 ~ edit no comment

Comic Con 2007 ~

Here there Be Monsters Press took a whopping five books to San Diego's ComicCon this year, including all four issues of Eleison (which just continues to look better and better every year!), and the debut of Jack, our first sequential art effort (which is fabulous as well. Even I'm thoroughly impressed with how well it turned out and I was working on it all along!).

It's never too late to order your copies today!

As he does every year, Jaime painted a promotional image for Eleison to make a display poster. You can see this year's poster in the background of the picture on the left (and here's a small gimme to readers out there: it will almost definitely be a future cover ~ that's not just random symbolism collected in the image there). For a closer look, check out JCARR studios, where in the gallery you can find the picture here.

Thank you to all the people who have supported what's been a somewhat frenzied year, particularly as we were in the home stretch toward the convention. We were super tight on the deadlines, but we made it with your help and encouragement!

boots  Conventions  ~ August 01, 2007 ~ edit no comment

Jack ~ origins



Synopsis: Can you reform a Ripper?

Dr. Marianne Gordon, a psychotherapist working in the criminal investigation department of the metropolitan police has a case file dropped onto her desk that she doesn't know what to make of: a twenty-something British amnesia victim who seems to be convinced that he is Jack the Ripper. Picked up on suspicion in a string of violent serial murders, "Jack" is both amiable and outright stupid ~ seemingly too stupid to have even committed the crimes he's accused of. Who is this tea-drinking, chain-smoking, affable anarchronism who talks to an "imaginary" incarnation of the notorious Springheeled Jack?

When Jack offers to help collar the real killer, strange and wonderful things begin to happen, proving this lost lamb has powers not only beyond belief, but beyond his own control. Dr. Caligari had nothing to compare to the creatures in the cabinet of this reincarnated serial killer's mind.

This graphic novel debuted
at Comic-Con 2007!

Some Background on this Project: A mild mania for urban legends, ghost stories, and the chilling true tales of ghoulish murder in East London in 1888 were the basis of this somewhat zany, but dark series.Jack transplants everyone's favorite psychosexual maniac to modern-day America to not only get him some much-needed therapy, but to atone for his violent misdeeds. Ripperologists and other "hunt the Ripper" fanatics may wonder which suspect plays the lead role in this particular drama, but our hero is an amalgamation of mythology and reality ~ even he doesn't recognize himself and has only the vaguest recollection of his murderous past.

boots  Jack  ~ July 10, 2007 ~ edit no comment

Comic Con 2006 / thank you, Dave Baxter at Broken Frontier ~ !

The reviews are coming in for Eleison as we prepare to head out to Comic Con 2006 and this one is outrageously amazing (we are so pleased)!

Broken Frontier's reviewer Dave Baxter says:
Eleison (which means "mercy" in Greek), is an astonishing first book by a talented new duo. They’ve been lurking around the internet and comic con borders since late 2003, and it’s high time they were given a greater exposure to comicdom at large. Their gorgeously wrought, inspired story of a French-Native American penitent with uniquely western occult powers waging battle with a centurion-demon Hell-fiend with a small, rabbit-headed kid weighing him down…well…it’s by far the most unique composite of dark fantasy elements I’ve come across in a western comic book in years and years and years. Add to this a boatload of honest talent and I’m looking at the brother-sister creative team-up of the decade (though I suppose that may not be saying as much as I want it to).

Click the link to read the whole review!

This is very exciting!

Don't forget you can order online now just by clicking the link to your right!

boots  Eleison  ~ July 10, 2006 ~ edit no comment

Comic Con 2005 ~

July 13-16th we were in San Diego for Comic Con 2005 with our first small press booth featuring Issue No. 1 of Eleison and original artwork from the series (the front and back cover were sold!).

We had an excellent time, met a lot of wonderful people, and received a ton of positive feedback from conventioneers, other small press exhibitors, and many roaming professionals. We were very excited to have such a warm reception since he had no idea what to expect! We also learned a lot about the stresses and joys of running a booth at a convention, making lots of mistakes and gaining valuable experience to carry forward into future conventions. And even though we had a lot of work to do at the booth, we found plenty of time to wander about, meet cool people, see some great costumes, and make some essential comic and art purchases!

We're definitely looking forward to returning to San Diego in 2006. Stay tuned for more thoughts about the largest International comic convention out there!

boots  Conventions  ~ July 25, 2005 ~ edit no comment

Eleison ~ origins

Here There be Monsters Press is proud to present its first print serial:

Eleison ~ the epic battle
between good and evil
premiered July 14, 2005
at the San Diego Comic Con.


Synopsis: Father Marithé swore poverty, chastity, and obedience, but that wasn't always so. His new vow: make right what has gone wrong by hunting down 101 demons unleashed on earth by his own disobedience. In a wilderness between native superstition and the supernatural forces of the western world, he has his work cut out for him. Not to mention that rabbit-headed child of his ~ quite the distraction when trying to vanquish evil.

Some Background on this Project: Christmas, 2003. As if it had never occurred to us before, during the annual two week visit home, my brother and I colluded to "make a comic". I had arrived without a story ~ without even an idea ~ and we commenced to dive in headfirst with no plot, all the wrong materials and media, and a character who was variously referred to as "Pim" and/or "our Lord" due to the unfortunate circumstance of my initial conceptual drawing looking a bit too much like Jesus. The concept was sort of Dances with Wolves meets Solomon Kane.

Needless to say, like almost all of our "let's make a comic" projects before it, by the end of two weeks we realized that gouache doesn't do well on cardstock, that what we were calling "Slaine" (say it like you're talking about the raunchiest heavy metal band ever:
Slaine!), still had no title, that I can't draw (let alone count how many fingers are on the human hand), and that try as we might to just do it "quick and fun" it was neither quick nor fun at times due to the frustration of warping board, bad artwork, and a complete lack of a plotline. At the end of two weeks we had five pages of a comic of which only two were completed and an underpainted "cover" which had necesitated a rather involved photo-shoot of my brother with the Archangel Michael drawn on his back with a Flair pen.

Recovering from all this took a few months. We set aside the project to attend other things, hoping a plot (and a name for the main character) would come. It did.

Easter, 2004. By the time the next big holy day rolled around, we had it all: not only one name for the main character, but two: his Christian name as well as his Indian name (Nimbaabaa Waabooz ~ which means Father Rabbit in the language of the Anishinaabe). Everything fell into place: a title (Eleison which means "mercy" in Greek), and lastly, a plot involving the Legion of Decimus Quintilius, Shiloh the rabbit-headed baby, and one hundred other creatures from the depths.

boots  Eleison  ~ April 20, 2005 ~ edit no comment