Friday, June 27, 2008

RONN SUTTON ILLUSTRATES FEAR - BOTH REAL AND IMAGINED

Artist Ronn Sutton hits front pages with his courtroom drawings of alleged terrorist

Artist Ronn Sutton has switched from drawing pure science fiction fantasy appearing in FEAR AGENT #22 (Dark Horse Comics), out June 2008, to illustrating the epitome of true fear – alleged Canadian terrorist Momin Khawaja.

Khawaja's trial began this week in Ottawa, and Sutton's courtroom art has been featured on the front pages of The Ottawa Citizen, in the National Post, online and on television.

"The challenge of courtroom drawing is to get a good likeness and depict the environment in an accurate way, often in a very short period of time," Sutton says. "It's very different from drawing rocket ships or comic book heroes."

Security has been greatly enhanced for this trial. Khawaja faces seven terrorism charges related to an England terror plot, foiled in spring 2004. Six hundred kilograms of ammonium nitrate fertilizer was to set off violent fireballs to kill and incinerate people inside "soft" public targets, as well as gas and electric utilities. Five Britons, all Muslims of Pakistani descent, were convicted in a London court last year for their roles and sentenced to life. Khawaja stands charged, among other crimes, of using the basement of his family's suburban Ottawa home to build up to 30 remote-controlled devices to transmit radio signals to the bombs' detonators. More details are emerging as the trial continues.

On a more pleasant note, Sutton's artwork is also being showcased in the comic book back-up story, "The Good Guys," appearing in FEAR AGENT #22, out as of June 25, 2008, from Dark Horse Comics. The script by Hillary Barta (who also inked the story) pays homage to classic science fiction, and Sutton interpreted the tale by drawing Wally Wood-inspired aliens and 1950s-style spacecraft.

Sutton and Barta are teaming up on several other science fiction and horror projects, yet to be announced.

Ronn Sutton will be attending FanExpo in Toronto, appearing in Artists' Alley, from August 22-24, 2008.

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