I was beginning to think that there was no such thing as a good surprise...but that changed when I read Steve Buccellato's pitch for Battle of the Bands.

I knew from experience that Steve was talented, creative and hard-working and I knew that he was a real pro, too. What I didn't know was what an amazing range Steve has as an artist and a writer. Steve has received plenty of acclaim over the years (most recently for his independently published Comiculture anthology), and I am thrilled to see that his latest book is such a beautifully executed, fun-filled romp. Whether you already know Steve's work or not, if you like gorgeous girls, fun fisticuffs and a panoply of pranks, do yourself a favor and check out the preview!

~Rob Tokar, Editor-in-Chief

In this battle of the bands, the right to shine on stage just might come down to who plays the sharpest G-string. Meet Led Salad, the latest, hottest, all-girl band in a madcap world. Bands fight each other for their fans--literally! They've got it all: hot looks, left hooks, a weaponized tour bus complete with hot tub, and their first world tour. But they're also about to get stuck with a brand-new, inexperienced roadie who can barely lift their equipment, let alone protect them. Can the girls transform this total loser into a stud...or will he turn the band into a dud? If you like Love Hina or Girls Bravo, you must not miss this harem manga bursting with comedy, romance and fan-service-filled fights!

Steve Buccellato is an artist with experience in almost every aspect of comic book production. However, he is best known as an award-winning colorist whose work has appeared in nearly all of the most popular American comics. Battle of the Bands is, perhaps, Steve's most audacious project to date and marks a turning point in a varied, though comic book-specialized, career.

Steve's lifework began as a lowly high-school intern at Marvel Comics, where he was quickly recognized for his competence in sorting mail and fetching coffee. In a mere two years after being hired full-time, Steve went from answering phone calls to editing a line of books for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint.

After gaining valuable editorial experience, Steve decided to pursue more artistic endeavors, but as a freelancer, Steve soon found himself pigeonholed as a colorist. The work was easy for him, so for a while he neglected his true goal: to become a comic book writer/artist. Occasionally, Steve drew the odd penciling job on Power Pack, Excalibur and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (to name a few), but mostly he colored. And colored. And colored. In fact, Steve was one of the pioneers of comic book computer coloring who helped found Electric Crayon Productions, a company that—along with their office-mates, Comicraft—helped bring Marvel into the digital age.

Once his time with Electric Crayon was over, Steve got his artistic career back on track when he convinced Hyperwerks and Image Comics to publish his own creation, Weasel Guy. The comic first appeared in a critically acclaimed crossover, Weasel Guy / Witchblade and then in two issues of his own limited series, Weasel Guy: Road Trip.

Steve's next project drew upon everything he learned in the past—as an artist, as a Marvel editor, and from his work in production and pre-press at Electric Crayon. Along with his studio, Mad Science Media, Steve self-published Comiculture, a comics anthology magazine. Comiculture garnered plenty of critical acclaim, both for the concept and for the story content within, and Steve’s serialized crime story Joey Berserk & Claire was singled out often as a high point in a magazine full of top-notch stories.

Today, Steve is happy to report that only a fraction of his income now comes from coloring, and none of it from fetching coffee! He is doing more illustration work and is thrilled to be working on Battle of the Bands with TOKYOPOP!

Check out Steve’s work and musings at the following websites:

Portfolio:

http://www.stevebuccellato.com

blog:

http://stevebuccellato.blogspot.com/

biz:

http://www.comiculture.com

and, of course:

http://www.tokyopop.com/stevebuccellato

Chet (Roadie)
QUICK STATS: Age: 20. Hair: Blond. Eyes: Brown. Height: 5’ 10”. Ethnicity: Caucasian. 
A failed musician with super-sensitive, pitch-perfect hearing who ends up becoming Led Salad's new roadie for their first world tour. He can barely lift the band's equipment…and he's no fighter.

Deb (Manager)
QUICK STATS: Age: 37. Hair: Red. Eyes: Green (Right only). Height: 5’ 10”. Ethnicity: Caucasian.
Imagine Deborah Harry combined with General George Patton. Deb was once a rock star in her own right. But things were different then, and Deb changed with the times. She hung up her guitar and picked up a semi-automatic rifle. Deb books the shows and keeps Lead Salad alive.

Kari (drums, demolitions expert)
QUICK STATS:Age: 19. Hair: Changes Weekly. Eyes: Blue. Height: 5’ 6”. Ethnicity: Mixed: Japanese/Caucasian.
Kari loves the noise and livin’ large. Loud percussion drums or grenades, it’s all good! HUGE FLIRT. Teases men ruthlessly. Devil-may-care attitude. Will start a fight just for fun. Can be a total airheaded ditz.

Becky (bass guitar, knives & swords)
QUICK STATS: Age: 18. Hair: Dark Brown. Eyes: Hazel. Height: 5’ 3”. Ethnicity: Caucasian (European Jewish Ancestry).
On stage, she’s all confidence, but in the real world, she is terribly shy and self-conscious. Seems sweet & quiet, but she’s deadly with a sword.

Zoe (lead vocals, guitar, firearms)
QUICK STATS: Age: 20. Hair: Blonde. Eyes: Blue. Height: 5’ 7”. Ethnicity: Caucasian.
Zoe is the leader of LED SALAD on and off-stage. Zoe has a strong personality, a no-nonsense kind of gal. Gorgeous & sexy.

Gina (lead guitar, martial arts)
QUICK STATS: Age: 22. Hair: Black. Eyes: Brown. Height: 5’ 9”. Ethnicity: Mixed: African American/Hispanic.
Aloof & sarcastic. Makes fun of Chet a lot. And everyone else. A real bad-ass. Loves a good fight, but also enjoys cutting down a person verbally. Prefers to kick ass hand-to-hand instead of using firearms, but will happily use them in a pinch.

Pete
QUICK STATS: Age: 23. Hair: black. Eyes: Brown. Height: 5’ 11”. Ethnicity: The Greatest Led Salad Fan In All Of France.
A moto-crotte driver (a motorcycle designed to vacuum up dog crap off the Paris streets and sidewalks.) Don't laugh—these are real!) 

Denise
Chet's mean girlfriend.