Joy of joys! My copies of Cartozia #1 arrived over the weekend and HOLY COW they are bee-yoo-tiful. Isaac did a stellar job with the print quality and paper stock, and the stories all look gorgeous. I just can’t stop touching them.
We’ll be running a Kickstarter for the full year’s worth of issues later this month, but I encourage all of you to order or subscribe NOW, as the price will go up to account for Kickstarter fees and other sundry costs. The more subscribers we get now, the lower our target goal will be and the higher our chances of succeeding. Plus, this is a beautiful and innovative comic, and I’m excited to get it into as many hands as possible.
If you’re allergic to ordering things on the Internet, I’ll also have these first issues for sale in person at Rose City Comic Con next month. No excuses!
So I just got word from our fearless editor Isaac Cates that Cartozia Tales #1 is hot off the press and headed out TODAY! Here’s a couple phone-quality photos of the first issue:
Leah Palmer Preiss’s incredible cover illustration!A page from my first story, Above.
You can still snag a copy for the pre-order sale price ($5!) until Isaac starts shipping orders in earnest, so be sure to grab one THIS VERY SECOND! Seriously, initial support is crucial to the continuation of this series, which will run for a whole year (and possibly more), so the more the merrier at this point. Plus, I’m super proud of all the work that went into this and I think the contributors are all a buncha badasses, so, y’know. There’s that.
We’ll also be launching a Kickstarter later this month, but subscriptions and single issues are cheaper if you order straight through the store right now, so get to it!
And since we just can’t stop, here’s a couple panels from my story for the second issue, which I just wrapped up earlier this week:
You might remember Reshii from the paper doll cards I posted a while ago. He’s a confident navigator.Unfortunately confident navigation isn’t always the best strategy when you’re trying to find your way out of The China Labyrinth.
Want to know more about Reshii and his quest? You can catch the first part of his story, illustrated by Sarah Becan, in Issue 1. My piece for Issue 2 explores the mysteries of the China Labyrinth, which was one of my absolute favorite places to design. I’m hoping to do a little “Learn More” featurette about its unique ecosystem somewhere in Issue 2. Keep your eyes peeled.
These are some fancy postcards that will come bundled with the second issue of Cartozia Tales. They’ll be fully sendable, so you can either cut ‘em out or mail ‘em to friends. The paper will be nice and sturdy, and the figures each have outfits that you can color and cut out yourself from the centerfold of the second issue. If you don’t want to cut up your precious comic, we’ll even offer PDFs of the outfits so you can make as many as you like!
Sarah Becan created Reshii (who’s one of the characters I’ll be working with in Issue 2), and Jen Vaughn is responsible for Sylvia.
In the meantime, as I mentioned yesterday, Issue 1 is available for pre-order at a dollar off the regular price until it starts shipping on August 1st!
Issue 1 of Cartozia Tales went off to the printer’s yesterday and should start shipping on August 1st. Can you believe this incredible cover by Leah Palmer Preiss? Such beautiful work.
The issue will contain 44 sturdy pages of adventurous comics, interactive features, and other surprises. We’ve had a great time putting together this first issue, and #2 is already coming together nicely.
You can pre-order a copy for yourself or a voracious young comic reader in your life here or get a subscription to the whole series here. Issue 1 is also discounted until the comic comes in from the printers, so you get can your copy for a dollar off the cover price if you order now!
Hey Gang! Sorry things have been a bit quiet over here. I’m currently deep in a Three-Project Wormhole thanks to some foolish treble-booking on my part, but NEVER FEAR. I am kicking ass and taking names in my usual style.
The good news is this means lots of new stuff for you to look at in the coming weeks. Read on for the whole rundown.
First up, I’ll have another story done for Cartozia by the end of the month. Tom Motley designed the awesome promo postcard pictured above, and you can even read a couple stories from the first issue of the series on the Cartozia site! The more I work on this project the more excited I become. It’s wonderful to be collaborating with so many enthusiastic creators. I also get to incorporate some super cool characters and environments into this next tale. Should be a grand old time.
Second, I’ve been collaborating once more with the great Shannon Campbell (the writer behind Navy Ink) on a submission for Rock Ink Roll — a totally rad music/comics anthology involving some of my favorite people: fellow boat-lover Kevin Cannon, fellow Lady Cartoonist Brittney Sabo, and fellow Cartozian Lupi McGinty. Shannon busted out a story in no time flat, with a pitch so delightful I couldn’t wait to get started. I think this one’s going to be a lot of fun.
Finally, I’m illustrating a secret project that I can’t say much about. It should be finished by September, at which point I’ll be able to share more information, but in the meantime this elusive coon in the only hint I can give.
That’s all from me for now! Back to the drawing board.
In accordance with the Universal Law of My Rubbish Immune System, I’ve come down with a nasty post-CAKE illness, but at least I made it through the first leg of convention season with my health intact!
The trip to Chicago was an absolute blast. Not only was the show full of lovely comics and new friends, I got to go out dancing twice* and catch so much sweet live blues. There were also rooftop BBQ parties and thunderstorms and it was splendid.
*There are rumors I won a booty-shaking competition, but I can neither confirm nor deny the fact.
Here’s a big ol’ photodump of images from the trip — including a pilgrimage to Myopic Books, the ACTUAL CAKE they provided for exhibitors, Mr. Sam Alden, my lovely table mate, Ms. Rachel Foss, my new partner in cross-country comics crime, getting a peek at the new issue of Symbolia, selling out of True Believer, various doodles, and the fabulous kale and pulled pork I had for lunch on the last day. More news as soon as I stop feeling like someone shoved a couple golf balls down my throat!
The latest issue of Symbolia, the tablet magazine of comics journalism, is OUT!
It’s been almost a year since Sarah Mirk first approached me about illustrating this project, so it’s very exciting to have the full issue out in the open at last. Declassified brings to life the firsthand experiences of two women who served at the Guantánamo Bay naval base circa 2001. From witnessing the shift in detention practices post-9/11, to grappling with sexual assault in the military, their stories are raw and powerful. Here’s a page to whet your appetites.
The rest of the issue features stories from women around the world dealing with human trafficking, tattoos, military service, immigration, and more. It’s a powerful and diverse showing, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
Convention alert! I’m spreading my wings and heading to Chicago this weekend for the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo. Come say hello! The show is FREE and open to the public Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm at Center on Halsted (3656 N Halsted). I’ll be with my best comics bro Sam Alden at Table 90, but I couldn’t stop there on this doofy map so I just threw in icons for most of the folks I’m excited to see on the floor. Find the whole gang here.
As always, I’ll have Baggywrinkles galore, copies of True Believer, a previous few Tales from the Fragment, buttons, ladies’ shirts, and watercolor birds! Oh, and the squeaky walrus. Of course.
After a three day drawing marathon featuring much Daft Punk and many pots of tea, my story for Cartozia Tales Issue 1 is COMPLETE!
Here’s a preview to celebrate.
The issue is slated to come out later this month. It looks like the discounted early bird subscriptions are sold out, but you can still jump on board with a regular subscription right here.
As if there weren’t enough stuff already going on this week, the official announcement for Cartozia Tales has just gone live! Seven core cartoonists (and several special guests) have been hard at work creating the world you see here over the past few months, and soon we’ll be releasing the first issue of our brand-new, all-ages fantasy series set therein.
The stories are divided up into map quadrants and shared randomly among contributors, so each issue will pair artists with new environments and characters. I’m very excited to be working alongside creators like Dylan Horrocks, Jen Vaughn, Isaac Cates, Sarah Becan and many others. My story for issue one should be finished before the week is out — here are some preliminary sketches:
I’ll share more sneak previews as and when I can. In the meantime, consider signing up as a regular subscriber to receive the first ten issues and help guarantee the continuation of the project.
