Rats, Bats, and Wearing Many Hats
Okay, I couldn't think of a third thing for the rhyme...
This last month has been quite hectic! This update is a little overdue, but I wanted to holler about a few crowdfunding projects and other related works I’m involved in that need your help to succeed!
Tell Them of Us: The Stories We Leave Behind
I’ll be frank: by the time you read this, the campaign might be over. Which is somewhat ironic, given the theme — but if you’re here in the last 36 hours, we need all the help we can get to push us over the funding line. Our goal is $18,000 and as I write, we’re sitting at just over $11,500.
Tell Them Of Us is an anthology of independent comics voices creating speculative stories that represent the last recorded memories of humanity. Connected by a through-line of aliens discovering an old starship housing these memories like a time capsule, each one shows a hopeful or melancholy look at what we will leave behind when society collapses.
I’ve paired with the talented Matt Harding for a very personal story called “Stick To Your Guns,” about humanity’s own self-destructive tendencies. This year was the 10th anniversary of the Isla Vista massacre, a terrible shooting that occurred my freshman year of college, one that I was unfortunately witness to in ways that deeply traumatized me for a number of years. Brent and Marcus from Dauntless were extremely supportive of this script when I pitched it, and I hope Matt and I get the opportunity to share this grief and frustration over the commercialization of killing with you, alongside the other incredible tales in the book.
The Rats — I’m in 2 Ignatz-Nominated Anthologies!
Next most pressingly, voting for the Ignatz 2024 ceremony is probably close to ending soon, but if there’s still time, you can request an Ignatz ballot here. If you’ve already voted, thank you for participating! I cannot wait to see this year’s winners.
If you haven’t already voted, might I persuade you to cast a vote for either:
Let Her Be Evil — this anthology of unapologetically evil women was such an amazing project to be a part of and I’m really proud of how much recognition it’s getting thanks to Cass' incredible editing and organization skills. Thistle Tender, Angelo Concepcion, and I had a wonderful time contributing “Crazy Hex Girlfriend” for this one.
Won’t Back Down — this anthology was an absolute honor to be in alongside the late Trina Robbins, who loved comics to her very last breath. She fought for her beliefs and for this project as well, and it’s filled with so many important stories, satires, and other expressions of a need for women’s bodily autonomy in a time where rights are being challenged constantly. The incredible Steve Leialoha graciously shared his talents for our short story “Fruits of Labor” and I am incredibly proud of this one.
All the nominees are incredible, and whoever wins in this category, I know it will be well deserved. I’m thrilled to be a part of multiple nominated projects no matter what, and I look forward to hearing the results from SPX next weekend!
The Bats — Perfect Crime Party from Iron Circus Comics
I am also so excited to be a part of the next Iron Circus Comics anthology, Perfect Crime Party! This is also currently seeking crowdfunding, with a goal of $20,000 to reach by September 27. It’s currently at just under $12,000 with 21 days to go, so I hope we can keep the momentum going there as well.
This book is roughly 300 pages and containing light-heart tales of criminal activity from dozens of incredible comics creators. For this one, rising star Tango and I joined forces to script “Play It Again” — a supernatural heist story in which a vampire has to steal back his rightful property from a monster museum. It’s full of puns and has pretty low-stakes (lucky for our bloodsucker!) with lots of fun energy. Tango also provided all the stellar lineart, and Xenon Honchar on colors, plus Noah Stephens on letters round out our band of rulebreakers. GeeksOUT has an exclusive preview of the first few pages of our story.
Perfect Crime Party is truly a murderer’s row of talent, and Iron Circus has built their reputation on these crowdfunded projects, so I urge you to get your hands on this one. It’d be a crime if you didn’t!
Misc Updates:
I have 40 pages left to script of my first ever graphic novel! It’s almost done! AAAHHHH!!! And a second one is possibly in the works already…
I just signed the contract on a project for a license that I’ve been a big fan of for about 7 years now. It’s not a comics project, but I should be ready to talk about it by the end of this year/start of next. It’s really, really special to be included on. More soon.
The aforementioned tarot and oracle decks from my last newsletter update have complete manuscripts now! We’re in copy edits now and I can’t wait to share what they are soon.
(Here, have a picture of this cool hawk I saw last weekend for making it to the end of this one!)
Fast Stats:
Currently Watching: The Mentalist. I’m still in early Season 2, but I’m team Jisbon all the way. I love when TV shows used to have 7 seasons stuffed with 20+ episodes in ‘em. Friggin’ delightful. I also love spotting actors who have gone on to bigger roles after playing the suspect of the week. (I knew Ashley Johnson was guilty!)
Currently Reading: Glarien: Short and Deadly. Picked up this collection from White Ash Comics at SDCC, and I love the fantasy world that Charlie Stickney and Conor Hughes have built.
Currently Playing: Power Wash Simulator. Holy crap, this game is ADDICTING.
Currently Listening: Bonnie Tyler. Nuff said.