January/February

Hello and welcome to the first edition of what I’m hoping is going to be a monthly update on all the various pies-I-have-fingers-in… although given 2023 is the year I’m theoretically making good on my threat to take my foot off the gas a bit, mmmmmmaybe this isn’t the best time to be starting a newsletter? Then again, given the current state of social media (:eyes bird-site:)… idk, also seems like a pretty prudent move! Also, January-February were probably two of the busiest months of my freelancing career so far (the former was mostly spent feeling like a walking heart-attack), so clearly doing a GREAT job of the whole reeling it back thing ololol.

On the upside, means there’s plenty to yammer on about- so on that note, let’s go!

CAT FIGHT

Cat Fight is a new, original series from IDW following "a debonaire jewel thief whose decadent sensibilities and taste for high-powered thrills inadvertently lead him down a path of illicit intrigue." The book comes from a crack creative line-up with script by Andrew Wheeler with Ilias Kyriazis on layouts and pencils. The rest of the art team is made up of Auguste Kanakis (inks), Dennis Yatras (colours) and the INCREDIBLE Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou doing letters. I’m absolutely jazzed to be contributing to this book with a full run of travel-poster themed variant covers which is super appropriate given it’s a real globe-trotter! You can read the full press release HERE but rest assured you will absolutely want to snag this super-stylish romp of a series. Plus there’s cats. Lots and lots of cats.

FOC for issue 1 is April 24th and you can use pre-order code MAR231589.

(here’s a cheeky peek at the issue #2 cover 👀)

LIKE THE WIND #35

Like the Wind is an independent running magazine. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Juile and Alex before so was thrilled to get an emailed from them asking if I would like to illustrate an interview with ultra ultra-marathon runner Courtney Dauwalter (even if this was the middle of January and at this point my adrenal glands were resembling something like a very sad and shrivelled rain ahahahohgodohgod).

Guys... ultra marathons are WILD and this piece offers some insight into what incredible mental fortitude you must have to make your body run 283.3 miles in 56 hours. A lol wut.

You can pick up issue #35 of LtW HERE. The magazine is full of articles covering races, events, lifestyle and more and as always is accompanied with absolutely fantastic photography and illustration.

KILLTOPIA

HUGE congratulations to Dave Cook and the rest of the Killtopia creative team who have just wrapped up the fifth and final volume of the series. From the creeping privatization of healthcare to vapid emptiness of social media, this cyber-punk series takes a big ol’ swing at a bunch of dystopian themes that, sadly, feel increasingly relevant to where we are today. I mentioned to Dave I was itching to do some fanart and he very kindly commissioned me to do a bonus print for everyone who backed the final campaign;

This is basically a love letter to the absolutely stellar work Clark Bint and Lou Ashworth have been doing on the last few volumes- it’s utterly audacious and a perfect fit for this totally bombastic book.

Pick up Killtopia from BHP press HERE.

MONSTERSONA

An absolutely MASSIVE happy book birthday to MONSTERSONA which came out last month from Tiny Ghost Press. I reached out to Josh Perry (the very wonderful human being running the show) last year after seeing some of the deliciously illustrated covers on their previous titles. Josh then hooked me up with Chloe Spencer for her debut novel;

“After her parents’ divorce, 16 year old Riley Grishin is forced to move from Portland, Oregon all the way to Little Brook, Maine, a small town that serves as the headquarters for Titan Technologies, an international tech laboratory. Having left her friends and father behind, Riley spends most of her days running through the woods with her dog Tigger, and eavesdropping on her classmates—in particular, the gorgeous, but very strange, Aspen Montehugh. 

On the night of the homecoming game, Riley wakes up to find her town on fire, terrorized by an unseen monster. With flames spreading rapidly, Riley and Tigger have no choice but to pile into her beat-up pickup truck and flee. Speeding out of town, they come across the only other survivor: Aspen. 

When Riley and Aspen finally reach safety, they realize something far more sinister is afoot. According to the news, all other Titan Tech laboratories on the East Coast have been attacked. And even worse, they’re being followed by an SUV with blacked out windows. With all air travel grounded, Riley has no way to fly back to her dad, so she and Aspen embark on a cross country road trip, all the while pursued by men with guns, mad scientists, and the monstrous truth. Slowly, Riley realizes something's not quite right with Aspen, which puts her feelings for her—and her own humanity—to the ultimate test.”

So. if you’re on the look out for a queer, YA Thelma and Louise style road trip with shady government types and a rampaging giant lizard, I would HIGHLY recommend. The book is also a highly nuanced look at trauma and I would highly recommend listening to Chole’s episode of The Demythifying podcast for a great chat about it.

Order the book from the Tiny Ghost Press website.

LAKES

Super excited to be part of this year’s LICAF! The full exhibitor list hasn’t been released yet but I’ve already heard a BUNCH of really rad folk are on the line-up so very much looking forwards to this September. I’ve got a few other con applications out there which we’ll be finding out about hopefully this week so fingers crossed because I really like cons?

*****

But enough about me- I’d also very much like to use this thing to high-light some other cool things by cool people;

THE MAGIC NECKLACE

https://zoop.gg/c/themagicnecklace

There’s only a few days left to back Claire Napier’s latest comic over on ZOOP. This book sounds and looks fantastic- I was VERY much sold listening to Claire’s interview on Cryptid Creator Corner which is hands down one of my comics chats I’ve heard in a minuet which goes far beyond the comic into the insidious, pervasiveness of misogyny...

THE WOLF AND THE CROW

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/revenge2/the-wolf-and-the-crow-graphic-novel-volume-1

Daniel Gordon and Ismael Hernandez’s prehistoric tale of survival was one of the unfortunate victims of the Action Labs implosion but this absolutely ridiculous looking book (THOSE WATER COLOURS!!!)is going down the crowd-funder rout and is currently campaigning on kickstarter. Not to be missed!

THE BOOK TOUR

Andi Watson’s kafa-esque nightmare about a hapless author’s series of book signings going increasingly off the rails had been on my radar ever since Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s discussion of it on the No Capes! show. The writing is wicked and is perfectly complimented by the deceptively simple cartooning (particularly on the utterly hopeless protagonist).

You can order a copy from all good retailers but if you’re based in the UK you can order a copy from the EXCELLENT Jam Bookshop;

https://www.jambookshop.co.uk/product/the-book-tour-andi-watson-paperback