Support "Honcho" on Kickstarter!

Howdy, folks. It's been a while, but I hope you haven't missed me too much. 2015 is crawling to a close and, all things, considered, it's been a good one for me and comics. I've been very lucky to work on some really fun books and I feel like I've made a little more headway this year than in years past. I apologize for not updating this blog as much as I probably should, but I guess that when my choices are to write a blog about how much I hate the Fantastic Four movie and work on a comic script, I'm best served by doing the latter (usually). Now the real key is to figure out a way to quit my day job so that I can write both a lot more often. Who knows? Maybe one day it'll happen.

Here's some exciting news to close out the year: I'm working on a new book with FUBAR's Jeff McComsey and Paul Little and Pietro titled "Honcho". The book is currently campaigning on Kickstarter, and I hope that you'll take a few minutes to check it out and, if you'd like, pre-order the first volume!

Honcho is a story that takes place in the far-flung future of the 1980s, 15 years after World War III ruined much of the civilized world. Our protagonist, Captain Stanley, arrives on the shores of North Carolina claiming to represent the United States government in exile. He finds a country split into factions, many of which have taken to baseball to divide territory and settle disputes. Can Stanley unite the separate factions on his way to Charlotte? Is Stanley even in his right mind to begin with?

Honcho takes a lot of its influence from Miguel De Cervantes's Don Quixote, a book I've come to love in the past year, so I'm excited to try and channel some of that madness into this new graphic novel. The first eight pages of the story are available to read on Jeff McComsey's blog, here: https://mccomseycomix.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/honchovolume-one-preview/

The campaign has a few days left to go, and I'm happy to say that we've met our initial goal. There are plenty of stretch goals to be had, though (including some retro baseball cards, which I'm nuts about), and up next on the list are some Honcho mini comics, which I really hope we are able to do.

If you have a second, do me a favor and check out the campaign. It is set to end just after midnight on Monday, January 4th! Keep your fingers crossed for us. Here's to a productive 2016.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1607639297/honcho-volume-one

"Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF movie screening, 5/31 in Greensburg, PA

Hey folks, it's been a long time coming, but I am finally ready to reveal my very first Kickstarter project: I'm screening a copy of "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1989 classic film "UHF" in Greensburg, PA on Sunday, May 31st.

If you've ever looked at this blog for at least one second, you probably realize that I'm a big fan of "Weird Al" Yankovic and all of the different projects that he undertakes.  UHF marks his only foray into moviemaking (for now) and it has become a cult classic in the years since its release.  Last year was the 25th anniversary of the film, and this year is the beginning of the Mandatory Fun tour, so I thought it'd be fun to put the two together and show the film before Al's May 31st stop in Greensburg.

The movie will be held at Latrobe 30 Theatre and Cafe, which is about 10 miles from Greensburg.  My hope is that fans will want to see the movie in the afternoon before going to see the concert later in the evening.

On this page I've posted a number of the Kickstarter rewards.  Directly above is an image for the full size movie poster, a 27x40 affair with art by Adrian "Bago" Gonzalez.  I'm really taken by it and hope that it's well received.

For those in the Pittsburgh area, I'm offering up tickets to the show itself, with four different images, each depicting a character from the movie with art by Rafer Roberts.

I realize, of course, that not everyone is from Pittsburgh (try it out some time, everyone), so there are a lot of rewards that can be had whether one attends the movie or not.  These pins feature 8-bit art of characters from the movie by artist Randy Riggs!  There's more of this 8-bit art to see if we hit our goal.

I might have shown this artwork before, but it's so great that it deserves to be shown again.  It serves as our opening, postcard reward with art by Pietro.

I'm also offering up several 11x17 prints, like this one with art by Caroline Moore...

...and this one, with art by Joe Badon.

I'm obviously very excited about this project and hope that it's successful.  If you'd like to view the project (and maybe even contribute to it!), just click on the following link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffmcclelland/uhf-movie-screening

Think of it as a love note to UHF, 26 years after the fact.  Take a peek and, if you can, share it with (close, personal) friends!

IDW to publish "Imaginary Drugs"

I'm happy that I can finally announce some fairly big news for a project that I'm involved with.  The "Imaginary Drugs" collection, which previously completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, will be published and distributed in the fall by IDW Publishing.  This means a bigger print run and wider (global) distribution for the book and an overall higher profile for the concept.  As one of the top five publishers in the country, IDW brings something to the book that it couldn't have had otherwise.

I was lucky enough to get in on this project on the ground floor, an as such, I have more stories included than, well, most others.  At last count, I've got five separate stories or chapters of stories running in the book, including two new Teddy and the Yeti tales and three stories with art by the great Paul Tucker.  Below are two preview pages:

In addition to these stories, there'll be a few pinups included to round out the experience.  This is, all in all, fairly big news as IDW carries a bit of heft along with them.  Strictly from the standpoint of who the publisher is, this will be the highest profile book I've been a part of since my very first publication by Dark Horse Comics...and let's face it, that was just about a million years ago.  The Tick is more well known, of course, but IDW is a (much) bigger company, so I'm very excited to be involved.  Sharp readers will remember than I had a half-page comic appear in the pages of Hawken in 2012, so I'm excited to sneak back in with this new publication.

Original Kickstarter backers will still receive their rewards as listed, including a limited "guerilla-style" copy of the book.  I'll post more updates as they're available.  Feel free to check out the official ID Facebook page for previews from different stories.  Spread the word.

Magic Bullet #8: I Hate the Moon!

A little while ago, I received some copies of the newly-printed Magic Bullet #8 in the mail!  The Magic Bullet is the DC Conspiracy oversized free comic publication, based out of the nation's capital city.  I've had a few comics published through them in the past, and issue eight is no different.  This issue features, as its first comic, no less, "I Hate the Moon!"  Here's a tiny preview of probably my favorite scene:

"I Hate the Moon" is, I believe, the fourth comic I've submitted to the newspaper-size publication, but it's the first that I've done in color, which is rare for the MB.  The art for this comic was done by the prodigious Pietro, who took my weird script about talking planets at a party and kicked everyone's butt.

The issue is full of other great, one-page comics as well, including another installment of Rafer Roberts's eerie "Nightmare the Rat".

"Time after Time" was another favorite of mine.

And oh, look!  There's a Franks and Beans ad in there, as well.  This is sure to attract thousands of new viewers.

 I'll post the entire "I Hate the Moon" strip on this site in a few months.  In the meantime, I took the issue around to a few different Pittsburgh-area shops, including Impossible Dreams in Bridgeville, PA.  If you'd like to grab a copy for yourself and you're out of the area (and also away from Washington, DC, where most of the copies reside), you can order a copy online for only 99 cents!  Click this link for more info: http://dcconspiracy.storenvy.com/collections/170861-all-products/products/5383270-magic-bullet-8

Many thanks to all involved with the Magic Bullet for including me in their great publication once again.  It's always a treat.

Vote FUBAR: American History Z for IGN's "Best of 2013"!

Hello, readers of this blog.  What are you doing for New Year's Eve?  Or should I abbreviate it, as is the current trend?  In either case, perhaps you (faithful reader) would consider taking a few seconds and voting in IGN's "Best of 2013" poll.  The fine folks at FUBAR central are making a pitch to get FUBAR: American History Z elected, as a write-in option, as the best original graphic novel of 2013.

Let's get this out of the way first: I am directly involved in the production of this book.  That being said, does FUBAR deserve the accolade of best OGN of the entire year?  Why yes.  YES IT DOES.

If you're the voting type (which they do in America, and several other not America places), please consider clicking on the below link and writing in FUBAR: American History Z.  The votes will be tallied in the next few days, so don't delay!  I guess a little delaying is okay, but not much.  Thanks for your consideration!

http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2013/Best_Original_Graphic_Novel

"Imaginary Drugs" on Kickstarter

Hello, world.  There's a new comic on Kickstarter that I thought you should be made aware of.  It's an anthology titled "Imaginary Drugs" and it features a number of stories by different creators and it looks just swell.  Oh, and I'm involved in it.  Does that render my evaluations meaningless and this very post overly self-serving and egomaniacal?  No.  No, of course not.

This new collection is spearheaded by Michael McDermott and features a number of FUBAR alum, such as Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, Christine Larsen and K. Michael Russel.  For my part, I've got two never-berfore published stories, and I also did some lettering work on the flagship story, "Saint in the City" by McDermott, Sawyer and Russel.

Included in this comic is "Eternal Flame", a two-part story drawn by the inimitable Paul Tucker:

Paul really put a lot of work into making this story look both futuristic and old fashioned at the same time.  It's the space ballet that I've always wanted to write and I'm always happy to work with Paul.  He doesn't disappoint, if I can say so.

My other inclusion is a brand new Teddy and the Yeti short story drawn by the incomparable Pietro.  In the below preview, we see Ted, the Yeti, and a familiar pooch.  This is one of my favorite stories of all time, for reasons that should seem obvious if you know anything about me.

There are a number of great rewards in the offering, including prints, shirts, and even a set of coasters, one of which features the lead character from Eternal Flame:

There are a couple me-centric rewards, for those who are looking to see just what I'm coughing up to make this book a reality.  I'm offering issues of Teddy and the Yeti, some trading cards and a print with image of the cover to Teddy and the Yeti #2.  If you're super impressed by my lettering "skills", you can even hire me to letter your eight page comic.  Interestingly enough, three people have put a pledge down on the Teddy and the Yeti reward...I have no idea who these people saints are, but I thank them will all my heart:

So if you're looking for a fun comic and are so inclined to click on links to Kickstarter pages, I hope you'll consider Imaginary Drugs for a comic purchase-y buy.  You can find the campaign here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1562823940/imaginary-drugs

We'll find out in about a month if this project gets funded or not.  I'll post updates here when I think it's prudent.  Wish us luck!

FUBAR has enough going on that it requires its own section of RANDOM NOTES!

To me, I think that FUBAR represents the best of what independent comics (and comics in general) can accomplish: a lot of different, talented people from all over coming together to tell fun stories on a regular basis.  The formula is difficult to sustain; having a regular creative team on a book comes with its own challenges, but an anthology, with all of its moving parts, can easily get bogged down in a "too many cooks" situation.  For whatever reason, FUBAR has bucked that trend and is moving along at a faster pace than ever before, and there are some new developments that should propel the book and concept into 2014 and, hopefully, beyond.

The latest news has to start with the final tally for Jeff McComsey's outrageously successful Kickstarter campain, which will bring us all the anticipated "Mother Russia" original graphic novel and a few other projects.  As you can see from the image above, there were almost 1900 backers, nearly all of whom ordered at least the book itself.  In terms of independent comics, selling this many books right off the bat is a huge success, one that we're all looking to build on.

One of the projects springing from this campaign is FUBAR: Better Red than Dead, a short anthology that'll be written by McComsey and me.  It, of course, takes place during the Cold War period and features a knock-down cover by the great Pietro.  This book will ship out to all Kickstarter backers who pledged at least $25 to the campaign, and I believe it will be offered to comic shops and at conventions at a later date.

The book soon to be on shelves is our new Guts and Glory feature, with stories taking place in earlier times, as the Steve Becker cover suggests.  This book will also ship to Kickstarter backers, though it'll show up in comic shops first.  As a matter of fact, it's available to order right now, with a Diamond order code of OCT130801.  Similar in format to the two By the Sword issues, I've got a story in this issue title "I Am".

The FUBAR crew, including the pictured Becker, Dom Vivona and McComsey, made a scene at the recently concluded New York Comic-Con.  I had a chance to sit in on the booth on the Saturday of the show and it was a busy, fun time.  The comic news website Bleeding Cool ran an interview about FUBAR, and McComsey and I took the time to answer some questions about the book and the concept in general.  The interview can be read in its entirety here: http://live.bleedingcool.org/2013/10/12/848/

Lastly, Swedish artist Daniel Thollin posted this picture recently of a magazine interview he gave.  Thollin has worked on a number of FUBAR projects, including the "Old Ghosts" story story that I wrote for volume two of the series.  You can see the book in the extreme foreground of the publicity shot, which is fun to take note of.  I don't speak Swedish, but I'm assuming that the article headline outs Thollin as the Batman of Sweden, which, let's face it, I kind of already figuerd.

Teddy and the Yeti featured on the Cornered Blog!

The Cornered Blog is a website that's dedicated to those little character profiles that show up in the left-hand corner of some comics.  These mini-marvels might be a Silver Age relic at this point, but there's something to be said for nostalgia, and the comics industry is full of that.  Much of the corner art featured on the blog is redrawn from original images as loving homages to covers of old.  Just recently, the corner art on an upcoming issue of Teddy and the Yeti was featured on the website!

This cover clip has some art by Pietro, one of my favorite artists going.  This cover, though you can't see the full image, obviously, does harken back to one of my favorite covers of the Silver Age.

Many thank to Jon from the Cornered Blog for the post and the good press.  You should check out the full site here - http://corneredblog.blogspot.com - but be prepared to spend a lot of time digging through all of the images.

Not surprisingly, the Thing is one of the most popular characters on the site, with homages to the Fantastic Four, Marvel Two-in-One and the Thing solo series aplenty.  Here are a few!

The Thing and Man-Thing!  From Marvel Two-in-One #43, by Flynn Nichols.

"Calamity" Jon Morris, owner of the site, must be a big fan of the Two-in-One series, because he's got a number of entries similar to this one above, from issues 52, 53 and 55 ("The Pegasus Project"!) of the series featuring Moon Knight, Quasar and Giant Man/Black Goliath...and the Thing!

Here's one of my favorites...it's a classic Kirby homage from Michael Lynch!  Very cool.

Check out the Cornered Blog and enjoy the nostalgia!

Tobacco is Whacko (if you're a teen); NYCC 2013; Franks and Beans and more RANDOM NOTES!

We're back with another installment of "Random Notes!", the regular blog feature that cleans off my desktop of pictures and ideas that I feel like sharing with the Internets.  This is a long-running feature, dating all the way back to 1995, when this blog was hosted by GeoCities.  Fun fact: in 1995, it took seven days to upload a picture, and I passed the time in between typing in the cheat code to the original Sim City!  We've come a long way.

- Our first feature, coincidentally, comes from the '90s as well.  It's one of those comic book ads that I'll always remember...and hate.  At first glance, it seems like a perfectly reasonable and well-meaning advertisement, an anti-tobacco message that pushes back against the significant deleterious influence of big corporations.  The slogan rhymes, so why not, right?  But for some reason, the company that produced this ad decided to add the caveat "if you're a teen".  As if to say, "the minute you turn 20, bam!  Off you go to get your smokes."  So, smoking is okay if you're an adult?

That seems like such a cop-out.  Why would an anti-smoking ad qualify its message in this way?  The fine print reveals that it's produced by Lorillard, a TOBACCO COMPANY.  #$&^&*#%@!!!  A little more research reveals that the Lorillard tobacco company is based out of...McMURRAY, PA!  #&@^$&#%@&!!!!

Ridiculous.  These were terrible comic book advertisements that now seem like backhanded ads for the very thing it was supposedly warning against.  This must be like discovering that the Matrix is real.

- In less infuriating news, I recently got approved for a professional badge to the 2013 New York Comic Con!  That's exciting stuff.  It'll be the first time I've been to the show since 2010, when I went in a different capacity.  I believe that the FUBAR booth will be making an appearance on the floor, so look for me to spend a lot of time there.

- The "Man of Steel" movie is just around the corner, and the promotional push is in full swing.  Wal-Mart seems to be a big sponsor (I wonder if Ma Kent will be shown eating Great Value cereal?) as there's Superman-related merchandise littered throughout the stores.  Among the strangest tie-ins I've seen: Superman pizza!  I guess it's not exactly called "Superman Pizza", but what else would you say when asked to describe this item?  The pepperoni should be dyed red, blue and yellow.

- I've never been drawn to digital comics; I have nothing against them, I just prefer the archaic paper comics that I've always read.  But Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin's "The Private Eye" pulled me in.  I'm a big fan of both creators and this digital comic does not fail to deliver.  It's a fantastic futuristic thriller and I couldn't recommend it more.  If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor at go to http://panelsyndicate.com.  I can't wait for the third issue to be released.

- A little while ago, I showed pictures of the Sideshow Tick statue that I bought.  I stumbled upon this image fairly at random recently, and it's obvious that it's a design for the statue.  Really cool!

- Last night, "Weird Al" Yankovic came to Washington, PA, on the newest leg of the Alpocalypse tour. It was a great show!  And it allowed me the chance to debut the newest shirt in the line, as modeled by Larry:

How nice!  The art on this shirt is by Pietro, and I got them printed up at Commonwealth Press in Pittsburgh.  We got a number of compliments on the shirt at the show.  I'm planning on doing a little website renovation over the next few weeks, and part of that will be, I think, opening up an Etsy shop for items that don't necessarily belong in the Teddy and the Yeti camp.

- Speaking of Larry, he's doing a lot of great things with his hobby/obsession, the Dukes of Hazzard.  Last week, I drove out with him past Columbus, Ohio to pick up a door to a '69 Charger General Lee!  If you haven't looked at his blog lately, make sure you check it out before he becomes all famous and people just think you're a bandwagon fan: http://dukescollector.blogspot.com

- I'm a fan of Beast Wars: Transformers.  And if you've ever seen the show, then you are, too.  Here's a great image!  From Twitter!  From Beast Wars Megatron!  You should follow this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BWMegatron



- Lastly, here's the newest episode of Franks and Beans, in which I grow a beard and Larry and I talk about stuff.  It's episode 60: the Joke!

That's it for this installment of "Random Notes", sure to live on into the 22nd century, passed on from generation to generation like a precious family heirloom.

A big FUBAR update!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  It's been a while since I've posted, but I promise, it's been because of other productive activities...and this time it's even comic related!  What a shock.

Quick, think of something that gets bigger and bigger every day!  Well, yes, "your mom" is an acceptable answer.  But also FUBAR, the comic that keeps on coming.  The success of this book continues to amaze, and it's something I'm proud to be a part of.  After this year's Empire of the Rising Dead graphic novel and the well received Summer Special, things have really been picking up steam to the point where 2013 is shaping up to be a banner year.

Above, you'll see the cover to the aptly named FUBAR: Winter Special, due out in January and in the "monthly" format that we all know and love so well.  Adorned by another beautifully rendered cover by Pietro, the Winter Special features stories by Chuck Dixon, Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker, and me. And a few other people.  It's gonna be great.

The FUBAR: American History Z Kickstarter campaign has been an unqualified success that I don't think anyone could have predicted.  With nearly two weeks left to go, the book has raised more than double of its fundraising goal and has just passed the $13,000 mark.  Who knows where it'll end, but it was certainly helped along when it was showcased on the very front page of Kickstarter as a staff pick, as you can see in the screenshot above.

Reaching seemingly unattainable goals means the unlocking of pretty decent "stretch" rewards, and FUBAR does its best to impress with the announcement of a brand new one-shot title: FUBAR: By the Sword, a medieval anthology that's in its very infancy, but already has a beautiful cover by Steve Becker:

This book further expands the FUBAR universe and will keep us all busy well into next year.  I'm already thinking of potential story ideas, and I'm doing my best to try and not let Games of Thrones influence me too much.

These things all add up to an exciting year ahead, but there's even more to come, and dare I say the most exciting news of all is still to come.  In the next few weeks, there'll be an extra special announcement from the ranks of FUBAR Central Command that'll really blow the doors off their hinges.  It's definitely something to keep an eye out for.

---

Blogger is now telling me that I've reached my quote on pictures for this blog.  To which I can only have one realistic reaction: PANIC!  I had no idea that there was a limit on the amount of images one could upload to a Blogger account, but apparently there is, that number is 1GB, and I've reached it.  What to do?  What to do indeed.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

FUBAR: American History Z on Kickstarter

You know that the next volume of FUBAR is around the corner when you see the latest Kickstarter fundraiser online.  This volume is the most ambitious yet and, dare I say, it's set up to be the most successful edition to date.  I'm extremely proud of what we at Central Command have been able to accomplish so far and believe me when I say that the best is yet to come.  Better yet, let's hear it from the soothing soundbox of head honcho Jeff McComsey, a good friend who has yet to beat me up in public:



If you have a second, head over to the FUBAR: American History Z Kickstarter page and take a look.  If you've got a couple bucks to spare, perhaps you can consider supporting an indy comic that has delivered on a few separate occasions so far.

Our newest cover is by Pietro, a familiar name around these parts.  There are some great rewards being offered this time around and more on the way.  Check it out and spread the word!

While you're at it, you should also check out the Kickstarter page for Rafer Robert's newest Plastic Farm publication.  Rafer is a fellow FUBARbarian as well as for former editor and contributor to the Magic Bullet.  His name also becomes, with an added t, "Rafter".  And I think that's funny.  Take it away, embedded video!

Hawken #6 out now!

A while ago, I showed off the cover to Hawken #6 from IDW.  The book is lovingly rendered by Ben and Tim Truman, FUBAR veterans both, and the incentive cover to #6 is by Jeff McComsey, Dom Vivona and Steve Becker, no strangers to FUBAR themselves.  At the last minute, Hawken #6 had another addition - a half page comic by myself and yet another FUBAR luminary by the name of Pietro.

This is, of course, very exciting.  IDW has grown quite a bit in the last several years to the point where they're counted among the major comic book publishers.  While they're best known for their licensed properties like Transformers and the Ninja Turtles, every so often they'll release a creator owned series such as Hawken, a western horror tale that's among the best of them.

Even though my contribution is only a half page, I still feel like this is a big deal.  If nothing else, IDW is one of the most recognizable publishers to print my work; certainly the most high profile since Dark Horse's Strip Search which was printed FOREVER ago.

So let's say that you have no desire to read my comic book writing, but as you're reading this, you feel a slight twinge of guilt over this apathy.  If you pick up Hawken #6, you can spend about 15 seconds, read the entire strip, and say that you have, indeed, supported my comic book career!  What a compromise!  That'd be great.

Many thanks to Ben and Tim for the opportunity.  The trade collection, which is already solicited on Amazon, will also include the strip, which is, in its own way, another bit of exciting news.  As IDW is a major company, you should be able to find this book at pretty much any comic store in North America and beyond.  So go get it!  And don't be a jerk.