Hey, all you lovely people. In just a few days I’ll be in New York for this year’s NYCC. I’ve never done this con before, and I’m really looking forward to it.
If you’re going to be at the con and are interested in tracking me down for some reason, here’s where you’re most likely to find me:
I thought I’d mentioned this here, but turns out I completely forgot. Tomorrow, from 1-4PM on Saturday, August 27th, I’ll be doing a signing at Rogues Gallery in Round Rock. But I won’t be alone!
I’ll be signing alongside the stalwart Matthew Sturges and the debonaire Kristian Donaldson. That’s three, three, THREE Vertigo creators for the price of one! (Or, in other words, “free.”) Some come on by, why don’t you?
This coming Friday, August 19th, I’ll be doing a store signing for the good peopel of Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, Delaware. Joining me is the lovely and talented Chrissie Zullo, the artist who’s made the covers of both Cinderella miniseries look so fantastic.
The signing is scheduled to run from 5pm-7:30pm. For directions or more information, visit the Captain Blue Hen Comics site.
Hey, remember when I used to update my blog more than once every two or three months? Yeah, those were good times.
Seems like these days I only post something new here when I’m announcing that I’m going to be at some convention or store signing or something. Sheesh…
Speaking of which, have I mentioned that I’ll be at Baltimore Comic-Con, August 20th and 21st?
I did the Baltimore Comic-Con for the first time last year, and it immediately became one of my favorite conventions. I have every confidence that this year will be just as good. If you’re going to be there, come by and say howdy. And if you’re in the area and aren’t already planning to go, then why the heck not?
I’m doing signings on Saturday and Sunday at the BOOM! Studios booth from 1PM-2PM, and Saturday from 3PM-4PM I’ll be on the Legion of Super-Heroes panel with a bunch of guys who have way more reason to be up there than I do.
I attend a fair number of comic conventions in any given year, but I have to say that HeroesCon is my absolute favorite. And it’s just a few days away! If you’re going to be there, come by and say howdy, why don’t you?
I’ll be set up at table AA-608 (right next to my collaborator on Starborn, Khary Randolph, as it happens!), and I’ll also be doing a panel on Saturday afternoon.
1:30 PM : Heroes Discussion Group #32—Cinderella-From Fabletown with Love Room 207BCD
Please schedule your weekend properly so you will have time to join writer Chris Roberson and cover artist, Charlotte’s own Chrissie Zullo as they discuss everyone’s favorite secret agent and shoe provocateur. At last year’s HeroesCon we discussed Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. This will be the perfect follow-up.
Copies of the book will be available after the discusion for brief signing.
If I’m not at my table or at that panel, I’ll be in line at Starbucks, outside having a cigarette, or having a drink in the hotel bar, so come and try to find me there.
Hey, did you miss out on the Elric: The Balance Lost prologue at FCBD last Saturday? Couldn’t make it to a comic shop, or they ran out before you got there? Well, friend, have I got good news for you…
The fine folks at BOOM! Studios have put the whole dang thing online. That’s even freer than free!
Head over to Comic Book Resources, and give it a read. Heck, read it twice, it’s free!
Many apologies for my long silence, everybody. It’s been… sheesh, two months since I last posted to my blog. Oy.
Well, I’ll try to be a bit more timely with the updates in future, and today I’ve got an update that’s especially timely. Tomorrow, May 7th, is Free Comic Book Day, when comic shops all over the place give out scads of new comics for free. Most of the free offerings are introductory issues, “jumping-on points” as they’re called. And there’s one point in particular that I hope you consider jumping on.
This summer sees the launch of a new 12 issue miniseries that represents a dream come true for me, Elric: The Balance Lost. As an ardent fan of the works of Michael Moorcock for the better part of three decades, the chance to add a tiny bit to the continuing story of the Eternal Champion and the Multiverse is, well, it’s a dream come true. And with art by Francesco Biagini and colors by Stephen Downer, the series is going to look amazing.
A 10-page prologue to Elric: The Balance Lost is one of BOOM! Studios offerings for Free Comic Book Day, so if you’re on the fence about picking up the series this summer, you can get the free prologue and try it on or size. Heck, you can even read the first few pages right now online and decide if you want to pick up the free thing tomorrow. What do you have to lose?!
And if you’re in the Austin area and want to get a free copy defaced by me, I’ll be signing at Austin Books & Comics from 10AM to 5PM. Come on by and say howdy, why don’t you?
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here, but I’ll be in Seattle this weekend for the Emerald City Comic Convention. I went last year for the first time and had a BLAST, so I’m really looking forward to it.
If you’re going to the show and are interested in tracking me down for any reason (unless, you know, I owe you money or something), here’s where I can be found.
Four hundred discerning readers and $14,000 just can’t be wrong; in addition to covering most of the publishing costs for the next issues of Farel Dalrymple’s It Will All Hurt and François Vigneault’s Titan as well as Sam Alden’s debut graphic novel Haunter, we’re delighted to announce that the next issue of our hybrid comics/criticism flagship magazine has also been Kickstarted [“™”] in the first stretch-goal stage of our campaign — now, we can cram even more content into issue #3D than we had hoped, at no extra cost to our beloved but largely cash-strapped readers. Instead of the planned 80 pages, #3D is 96 pages! We can only hope that it doesn’t bully its 64-page siblings, issues #1 and #2.
We’d like to thank all of our supporters for helping us give the new and improved flagship such a boost, and we’re excited to share material from the issue in the next few weeks — but, for now, you can tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell that guy in the comic shop who always smells like a sour-milk smoothie of cumin and yeast and follows you around the store trying to chat if you accidentally make eye contact — tell everyone you encounter that this is the complete rundown of Study Group Magazine #3D’s contents:
In full living color, we have:
A slyly brilliant 3D cover by Jim Rugg
A back cover by SG Godfather Zack Soto
Comics by Sophie Franz, Pete Toms and Connor Willumsen
An interview with Ron “D-Pi” Wimberly by Milo George
An essay on the use of color and texture in Wimberly’s Prince Of Cats by Sarah Horrocks
In Studygroup’s trademark limited color:
Comics by Trevor Alixopulos, David King, Mia Schwartz and Benjamin Urkowitz
An epic double-page illustration by Tyler Landry
In glorious black and white:
A haunting B&W short story by Julia Gfrorer & Sean T. Collins
A profile of comics critic/advocate/editor/publisher Ryan Sands by Rob Clough, and an essay on Rob Schrab & Dan Harmon’s Scud: The Disposable Assassin by Sean Witzke
A hybrid article/comic about a childhood rape, the Dark Shadows TV show and the sometimes strained relationships between memory/meaning, words/pictures and parents/children, concluding with a comics adaptation of an essay by William S. Burroughs, by James Romberger
And in the heart of the issue, our reason for numbering it #3D — 19 pages of articles and comics in full-color and classic-red/blue anaglyph 3D [glasses included in every issue]:
A history/commentary on the rise and fall and rise and fall and rise of stereoscopic art by the issue’s 3D consultant/engineer/SGM MVP, Jason Little, and an essay by Joe McCulloch on Le Dernier Cri’s own 3D anthology, 3DC.
Comics by Chris Cilla, Kim Deitch, Jason Little, Malachi Ward and Dan Zettwoch
Written tributes to the late King of 3D, Ray Zone, by Mary Fleener, Melinda Gebbie and Alan Moore, with an introduction/appreciation by the editors
A short interview with Kim Deitch about Mr. Zone and 3D, by Chris Duffy, featuring never-before-published 3D material from Deitch’s There’s No Business Like Show Business
SPIDEY SUPER STORIES #9 (June 1975) Art by Win Mortimer & Mike Esposito Words by Jean Thomas
A couple of fun facts. The first, this story was based on an Electric Company script written by Joss Whedon’s dad, Tom Whedon. The second, flag pins were approximately 40% larger back then.
It’s as close to a Superman Easter Bunny as I was going to find.
I harbored vain hopes of sneaking him into the Fortress of Solidarity scenes when I was writing Superman, but it wasn’t to be. (Super-squirrel was called out by name and on the page, but got removed at the last minute.)
History isn’t one straight line progressing towards a liberal society.
Look how much Americans attitudes have changed between 1980 and today. 1980 was the first time most very religious people voted, they abstained before that at the behest of their churches. Now they dictate policy at every election.
In my family photo album there are pictures from the 20s of a woman called ‘uncle bob’. She dressed in men’s clothing, and had a ‘companion’. This was a rough industrial town, they were working class, nobody cared. It was her business.
This is why politics is important - the moment you think everything is better today than it was in the past, you let other people take control of the direction society goes in - with you sitting back presuming we’re going forwards.
Yes to the photo, huge yes to that reblogger’s commentary. Here in the space year 2014 we love to think we’re the most sophisticated, the most advanced, the most liberal. But no, no way, not at ALL.
