October
Oh dear… seems like this is becoming something of a bi-monthly news letter lately? Grovelling apologies- I’ve been getting back into the swing of things after a particularly crunchy August D:
Here’s a few announcements that have happened in the in-between to kick things off;
So this is a cat I’m VERY excited about finally being out the bag- i’ve tentatively been attached to CASTLES AND CHOLOS since last summer. My yet-to-be-agent got in touch about working with Samuel on this YA graphic novel way back in August ‘22 and wanted to pitch me to the teams at Harper Colins. This meant doing an art test which was fine and good… until all of editorial went on strike (Don’t get me wrong- this was also fine and good because we are ALL for better working conditions in this newsletter✊✊✊, however, it did give me PLENTY of time to chew off what’s left of my well-foraged fingernails waiting about half a year to find out if i was going to be doing my absolute pipe-dream project a.k.a a whole gosh darn graphic novel). fortunately it all seems to have worked out in the end- which is great because Samuel is awesome and i love love LOVE his script :D
ALSO- pretty much the day after i posted the last newsletter i found out that i’d managed to get into MCM LONDON! i’ve helped my friend Shazleen Khan in the past (Shazleen is wonderful and ,if you’re in london, you should totally come to their book signing october 21st. reading this after the fact? then be sure to pick up their debut graphic novel SAVING SUNSHINE with Saadia Faruqi!), but this is the first time i’ve been a part of the show. if you’re going to be visiting please stop by table E-10 where you can find me hawking my various bits and bobs… including issue #1 and #2 of DEATH DROP!
COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO
276 pages of layouts are DONE! these were handed in back at the end of august (along with boards for six animatics- hence all the unproductively lately😅). very much looking forwards to getting the feedback on this so we can dive into pencilling up the pages :D
DEATH DROP #3
get set for the worst party of your life…
“Death Drop’s drag sister’s trail has gone completely cold, but a surprise visitor to her apartment is willing to present new leads in exchange for Death Drop’s participation in a dangerous infiltration mission that will undoubtedly exhume the ghosts of their shared past…”
had A LOT of fun with the thumbnails for this one. very much one of those cases where i’m quite sad we couldn’t have done ALL of these (that said, i am toying with the idea of whipping up a promotional postcard for MCM/Thought Bubble and would love to repurpose number three but, ah-ha, time might have other ideas.
it seems like there’s been delays across the board at Scout and Death Drop’s one of the many titles caught up in it. issue #2 has been pushed to November 1st and issue #3 is slated for December 6th. on the upside, that means plenty more time to contact your Local Comic Book store about ordering in a copy! (order code AUG232203)
also! a bit late in the news department, but back when we were stoking the hype machine for issue #1, our ✨INCREDIBLE✨ publicist Melissa Mezaros of DON’T HIDE PR managed to land David and I an interview with Pink News which you can read HERE.
a massive thanks to Maggie Baska for taking the time to sit down with David and I to talk about Death Drop!
CAT FIGHT #5
issue 5 of Andrew Wheeler and Ilias Kyriazis’ CAT FIGHT is out in stores December 6th! with inks by Auguste, colours by Dennis Yatras and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, this issue sees the stakes raise even higher as Felix plans a heist at the high-class Maneki-Neko Casino and finds out who framed him for the murder of his beloved grandmother…
and here’s a look at what’s coming for issue #6;
DUNGEONS AND DADDIES
also out this month is the latest DUNGEONS AND DADDIES miniseries, DAD THEN THERE WERE NONE! a murderously good whodunit featuring some fantastic guests and twists to keep you guessing all the way through. As with the other miniseries, this is part of their Patreon but fingers crossed that should be up in the store soon!
i’ve been incredibly fortunate to be working with the Dungeons and Daddies team since they kicked off the podcast way back in 2018 and it’s been super exciting to see the show absolutely pop off. even if you’re not a fan of DnD i’d highly recommend giving it a whirl. speaking of recommendations…
RECOMMENDATIONS
in a bit of a change of pace, i’d like to give a shout out to some other newsletters by some other comics-creators that are always a must-read when they hit the inbox;
BRANDT & STINE’S MONSTER
Ted Brandt and Ro Stein are a power-house tag-team who produce some of the most incredibly dynamic pages and are absolute masters of character acting. you may know them from CROWDED, DC PRIDE and much, much more. as well as peeks at what they’re working on (including a webcomic i’m INCREDIBLY excited about), their newsletter is full of musings on star trek, knitting and other fun things. subscribe HERE!
ON THE HUSH WITH LUCY SULLIVAN
another one of my absolute favourite artists, Lucy Sullivan’s comics are a whole other kind of dynamic. this is on full, inky and savage display in her debut graphic novel BARKING which is getting a shiny, new re-release by Avery Hill next year! her newsletter is full of peeks at what’s on the drawing board, as well as updates on her current projects and deep dives into all her research. subscribe HERE!
right. that’s all for now. see you in a month (or two 😬)
So much stuff! Cool!