Holy Crap, I Suck...

Wow... I'm a horrible, horrible blogger apparently. I can't believe I haven't posted on here since Halloween. A TON has changed since then.

First and foremost, FUBAR Vol. 2: Empire of the Rising Dead landed on the New York Times Best Sellers list back in January, effectively making me a Best Selling Author! Who woulda' thunk it? I still don't think about it too much, and often outright forget until someone brings it up. Heh. Not only is this a big deal for me, but this is a HUGE victory for independent comics. This is proof that a comic put out by small press creators, with no advertising budget, with no major publisher, can still sell if it's GOOD!

Second on our lovely little list is that Igor: Occult Detective #1 is now available digitally through the 215Ink iPad app, as well as the Cloud 9 Comix app for Android/iOS/Kindle and will be coming in print next week! If you're local comic shop doesn't already carry 215Ink comics, tell them to get in touch with either myself to get copies directly from me, or to contact andrew@215ink.com to them (along with 215Ink's other outstanding titles -- like critically acclaimed and award-winning titles like Vic Boone, Jesus Hates Zombies, and Footprints) in their shop ASAP! Or you can order them from me online once I make them available. So, that just about covers it. Apparently, not as much has happened as I thought. Hmmm... Guess I've just been really busy. :P

Happy Halloween!

To celebrate Halloween this year, Helaine Crawford and I bring you Igor: Occult Detective "The Familiar" which originally appeared in the Washington DC comics magazine Magic Bullet #3! Click the image below to enlarge for reading purposes. Happy Halloween!

FUBAR VOL. 2 IS LURKING...

For those not in the know, FUBAR Vol. 2: Empire of the Rising Dead is now up for pre-orer. So head on over to your local comic shop and pre-order your copy using Diamond Order Code OCT110768 under Alterna Comics or visit TFAW.com and pre-order your copy there! Volume 2 features the story "Si Cheng" which reunites yours truly with the Mad Beglian Rob Croonenborghs (Jesus Hates Zombies: A Jurassic Kinda Life, FUBAR Vol. 1: European Theater of the Damned, Laura Bitch & the True Bastard), along with forty other Small Press Commandos for a total of twenty-seven stories! The first printing of Volume 1 sold out before it hit street date so don't miss out with Volume 2!

Come with Me If You Want to Live

Newsarama posted an article on their blog about a tweet Scott Kurtz made about buying the new Justice League on his iPad and why should he go to his local comic shop to grab a copy. (You can read that here if you like.) It was a kinda stupid article, but it got me thinking.

As local comic shops are closing all over the country, how do we and they prevent this? Especially faced with the "digital revolution" or whatever the hell you want to call it? How are shops supposed to offer extra value as an incentive to get customers through their doors?

Frankly, I think shops are going to need to up the ante here. I've been to a lot of comic shops over the years in the Buffalo area and you know what? Most of them suck. The owners are aloof elitist pricks who look down on you if you don't like the same things they do. The shops are generally dirty, dingy, and dark. And the half the time I have to order in the shit I want. Who the hell wants to shop in a place like that? I don't.

Then I did a signing at Two Kings Comics in Rochester. The shop was clean, very well lit, and the owners were some of the nicest dudes I've ever met. Plus they stocked product that I read! Holy shit! It was a comics Mecca for me! To sweeten the pot, the guys had a section just for kids' comics, an X-Box 360 hooked up to a flat screen TV, a cooler with drinks for sale, and couches and other seating. It wasn't just a store, it was a place to hang out! It was a place to make friends with other customers or the owners. If it wasn't an hour and a half from my house, I'd be there all the bleeding time!

I really think more shops should follow that line of thinking! Make your shop a home away from home for your customers. There are so many shops that I go into, grab my shit, and get outta Dodge! A friendly, clean, well-lit environment goes a long, long way. I spent like 8 hours in that shop and had a blast. I never felt bored or unwelcome. The guys were happy to shoot the shit with every customer who walked through their doors that day. (I think there were about 200 of 'em.)

So guys, it's either time to bring your A-Game or wither away and die. The choice is yours. I hope you choose to survive.

P.S.:
I still love Queen City Comics here in Buffalo. The owner, Emil, and his son run a tight ship and I love shopping with them.

The Creator Owned Battle -- Part II

Ah, once again we're back to the Creator Owned Battlefield. In recent months I've done a lot of thinking about all of this craziness and have noticed something kind of unnerving.

A lot of independent comic creators don't buy other creator-owned comics. I'm not saying they don't buy other indie comics, which can be rough sometimes, because they vary in quality so much, but some of these guys straight up only read DC and Marvel books. So I'm calling bullshit on these guys!

You can't expect folks to support your creator-owned project if you don't support other creator-owned books! Practice what you preach, man! You look at my shelf and sure, I've got some Marvel and some DC stuff, but the majority of it? Creator-owned, sucker. You'll find stuff like Hellboy, The Goon, The Walking Dead, Jesus Hates Zombies, 30 Days of Night, American Terror, Girls with Slingshots, Sin City, Honey and the Whirlwind, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

It drives me insane to hear these guys bitch about no one buying their new series when they won't take a chance on something else either. I'm a big fan of trading with other creators. Hey, check out my book and I'll check out yours! It doesn't cost you any cash outta pocket and someone else is gonna read your book! It's a great trade-off. And if you like it, tell other people! Lend it to a friend. Whatever, let other people know you dig it! I can't express enough how important word of mouth is for creator-owned books.

So in short, I'm calling you out, comics creators, buy creator-owned books. Or fuck off.

*Art by Jeff McComsey and Danilo Beyruth

M.I.A.

Howdy folks,
If you frequent this blog, you probably think I've been M.I.A. as of late. Frankly, you're kinda right. However, I've just been hard at work working on new content for you kids!

I have a huge announcement coming regarding Igor: Occult Detective which, sadly, I can't make just yet. Though I am writing Issue #8 as Helaine is working on Issue #1, and we will have a one page story appearing in the upcoming Issue #3 of Washington DC comics magazine Magic Bullet.

I also worked with Ronald Montgomery on the story "The Bedroom" for Black Ship Book's Horror Haikus #1 which can be purchased from Lulu.com

My story is well and done for FUBAR Vol. 2: Empire of the Rising Dead which was illustrated by the ever-amazing Rob Croonenborghs (FUBAR Vol. 1, Jesus Hates Zombies: Jurassic Kinda Life)!

Finally, I finished the short story "Spaceman Jack and the Planet Zorgadon" for the Small Press Commando's Kirby Challenge which was written by the awesome Phil McClorey and can be read for free here!

Oh! I also worked with Phil (as my editor) on the story "A Devil Came to Oregon" for his as of yet untitled horror western anthology, which I am obscenely excited about.

Well, that's about all the news I've got for now. I'll post again when I have more concrete news for you all!

Pulp Volume 1 is here!

I am proud to announce that Pulp Vol. 1: The Old Kingdom is now available from IndyPlanet.com! Click the link here to grab your copy! This TPB collects issues #1-4 of Pulp, introduction by Stephen Lindsay (Jesus Hates Zombies, Lincoln Hates Werewolves, FUBAR, Massive Awesome), a map of Edelgrond and more for $17.99!

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