#152: "San Diego, Here I Come!"

Yes, that is a literary reference for a pop culture event

Jul 16, 2024

ALL THE LATEST

Man, I’ve been white-knuckling it with work for the past couple of weeks and have another solid week to go to hit all my targets. I’m tired, I need a shave and a haircut …this is rough. Will be worth it once I’m on my way to SDCC though. Where I’m currently at with it all…

I’m finishing pencils for MYSTIQUE #2 today, then have just less than a week to ink it. Want to ink another OLD DOG page or two if I can, but finishing MYSTIQUE is the first main hurdle.
Have a rough approved for MYSTIQUE #3 cover, aiming to pencil tonight. Will also try in that before I fly out.
I have a cover for PROJECT NETWORK [which will be announced soon] drawn/inked and mostly coloured. Need to finish that off.
Ive written half of THUNDERCATS #8, Drew is about to catch up up with me so I may have to give him this first half while I finish the rest. It’s not how I like to work, I like to hand in a whole finished script [earlier], but I can’t have him sitting on his hands on my account.
I have the title card for my OLD DOG story worked out, will have to draw/ink it while I’m at SDCC.
Looked over the press release for PROJECT NETWORK announcement, gave notes.
Reviewing all the OLD DOG OPERATIONS stories, most of which are all in, waiting on one other and my own[!]
As of today, I’ve now finished this newsletter.

So that’s everything I’m currently dealing with for the next week. Phew! After that, I’ll have to get moving on the next scripts for MYSTIQUE, THUNDERCATS, and PROJECT NETWORK, the latter two are both two-parters in a way [not connected to each other, mind] so will have a lot of writing to do. Expecting to hammer some of it out while on planes to and from SDCC as I’ll have a rough week when I return, putting the OLD DOG [OPERATIONS] book to bed.Man, I’m gonna make the most of SDCC, I need a break.

-Saw the first couple of pages from PHASES OF THE MOON KNIGHT by Eder Messias and hoooooooly crap, it’s looking *amazing*. Here’s a peek.

-No TAPE DEC this month, I’ve just been far too up the walls getting everything out the door in time for SDCC and uh, in the door for after. I have a couple of guests lined up though, both outside the usual writer or artist field.

-Saw the first coloured MYSTIQUE page by Matt Hollingsworth. Matt is a hero of mine, adored his work on PREACHER and DAREDEVIL not to mention HAWKEYE, SEVEN TO ETERNITY, the list goes on and on. As I’m about to head to SDCC I’m reminded Matt is the first creator I met at my first trip to SDCC/America in 2006. I just got chatting to this guy at the Irish bar who was great craic and then four or five pints in I realise he’s Matt Hollingsworth!!!! It took everything I had to keep my cool. Over the years, we’ve become good friends [I’ll gush more about him in later Declarations]. Now I’m off to SDCC to promote my very own X-Men book coloured by Matt himself. What a world.

-I was asked for some TMNT process material by IDW, looks like they’ll be putting together a nice special edition for the BLACK WHITE & GREEN collection. Looking forward to that. Here’s the layouts for the story I handed in, along with some process stuff for the cover.

SDCC

San Diego Comic Con approaches and there’s a lot going on. First, I’m taking a limited amount of headsketches for pickup at the show. I’ll have copies of my ART DECO THUNDERCATS #6 exclusive!

If there are any copies left [I expect there’ll be some?], I’ll offer them here/via Art Deco Store first. I was hoping to maybe organise a waitlist for Declarations readers but I just haven’t had the time, for obvious reasons [all the above].

I’ll be doing THREE signing sessions thanks to the hospitality of El Ray Comics, signing spots listed below.

I’ve never actually tabled at SDCC in any way before, so this is a rare event! The El Ray signings [Booth #2302] will be the only place to pick up your headsketches and get a copy of my limited edition THUNDERCATS exclusives, both regular and virgin.

I’m taking a limited amount of headsketch commissions for SDCC. Go over to the ART DECO store to secure yourself a spot right now. I expect they’ll go fast.

SDCC commission list

SDCC: SCHEDULE

Okay, I have a more fleshed out SDCC schedule now, this is looking pretty locked in, if there’s any changes/updates I’ll post them online.

THURSDAY, 7/25

10:30 – 11:30 AM, Image Comics booth

Signing

FRIDAY 7/26

11:30AM - 12:30PM, Room: 5AB

Dynamite Entertainment’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

\2024 Diamond Previews Premiere Publisher

Come celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dynamite Entertainment, publisher of The Boys, Vampirella, Red Sonja, ThunderCats, Space Ghost, Gargoyles, Lilo & Stitch, The Powerpuff Girls, James Bond: 007, and many more fan-favorite series! Dynamite founder Nick Barrucci and Executive Editor Joe Rybandt are joined by a star-studded cast of creators and friends — including David Pepose, Declan Shalvey, Luke Lieberman, Gail Simone, and several more surprise guests — to talk about their two decades making comics history as well as previewing upcoming projects!

2:30PM - 3:30PM, Room: 10

Warner Brothers Discovery/Dynamite Entertainment 2024 Diamond Previews Premiere Publisher

After launching two of the hottest new comics series of the year with ThunderCats and Space Ghost, Dynamite Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery are gearing up to bring you even more hits! Join Dynamite Executive Editor Joe Rybandt and a powerhouse panel of creators — including David Pepose, Declan Shalvey, Soo Lee, Joe Casey, and more — as they talk all things WBD and reveal sneak peeks at upcoming titles!

5 – 7 PM, El Ray booth #2302

Signing

SATURDAY 7/27

11:30AM - 12:00PM, Marvel booth

X-Men: From the Ashes group signing

3:00PM - 4:00PM, Room: 6A

Marvel Comics: X-Men: From the Ashes Panel

6 – 7 PM El Ray booth #2302

Signing

SUNDAY 7/28

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Room: 10

Image Comics Presents: Genres, Generations, and Graphic Greatness

Join Tony Fleecs (FERAL, LOCAL MAN), Trish Forstner (FERAL), Tim Seeley (LOCAL MAN), & Declan Shalvey (OLD DOG) for an in-depth discussion on creating stories connecting with fans that span genres and generations. Moderator: Jim Viscardi, VP of Business Development.

1 – 2 PM El Ray booth #2302

Signing

THUNDERCATS

THUNDERCATS #6 and VOL ONE: OMENS is out tomorrow! To celebrate, Here’s an advance look at my cover for THUNDERCATS #9.

And a page by Drew Moss from Issue Seven.

Drew’s wrapping up this issue and doing a couple of character designs for the next issue, which is a doozy. Setting up a lot for what’s to come as we move into the end of our first year and into our second…

I can’t wait to get my hands on the Omens trade, the journey to get to this first collected book has been a read rollercoaster.

On top of that, I really, really love how for Issue Six turned out, so hope ye all enjoy it, here’s the recently released preview pages.

I have to spotlight this Jae Lee cover for the issue too, as I just love it.

OLD DOG

Here’s a peek at a new variant cover for OLD DOG [OPERATIONS] by THUNDERCATS artist Drew Moss!

I coloured this myself, which was a fun exercise, would like to colour him again sometime. Below is the dressed version, where with the updated artist credits I can reveal that I also have a story illustrated by Chris Sprouse!

Having Sprouse be a part of this is an absolute dream. He’s contributed to so many amazing anthologies that having him be a part of my own project feels like a significant feather in my cap. He’s currently working on his pencils, the plan is to colour them myself[!] when I get back from SDCC.

This will be an incentive [1:25] cover, order details should be provided by Image Comics soon.

Everything is ready for the DOSSER book so arrive from the printer. I’m being told they’ll be shipped out to me at the end of the month so expecting them to arrive early August.

TIME BEFORE TIME

We’ve gathered all the elements for designer Sasha Head so she can wrap the design for Vol 6 of TIME BEFORE TIME. We also got a couple of new blurbs for the back of the book. One by ‘he’s so hot right now’ writer of THE ULTIMATES and 20TH CENTURY MEN Deniz Camp

Time Before Time succeeds where so many time-travel stories fail by making it about people. It's clever, it's quick witted, it moves like a runaway train, it's got big, scifi ideas -- but it's greatest strength is its characters. Fantastic from beginning to end, it brings to mind a great HBO drama.

And another wonderful one by ‘always hot, all the time’ writer of SENTINEL and ALL AGAINST ALL Alex Paknadel

Time Before Time is essential reading because it marries the best sci-fi conceit in comics (no, really) with very human crime drama. Prepare to have your heart broken more than once as you read these four standalone tales about the victims of the time trafficking trade, all beautifully rendered by some of the most exciting talents in the industry.

Have you ordered the book yet? Its got great standalone issues, one of which drawn by me so go order it now!