081: an ideal Christmas Present and/or murder weapon.
Hullo.
Everyone is talking about Batman's dong on twitter, but I keep on thinking about how much more dong Kris Anka provided in the WicDiv Christmas annual. I should let it go. It's not a cock-waving contest.
Contents!
Thinking Thoughts
Told You It Would Be
Tbubzzzzz
Hope Is Taking Its Own Good Time To Die
Linko
Bye!!!
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The Image solicitations are out for December, where I realise I have three things in it. Three. That's a lot. It's a good feeling. In terms of things you haven't seen before...
THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #40
WRITER: KIERON GILLEN
ARTIST / COVER: JAMIE MCKELVIE, MATTHEW WILSON
VARIANT COVER: CLAIRE ROE, RAY FAWKES
DECEMBER 05 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
“OKAY,” Part One The pop-obsessed sensation starts its final arc. Yup, you read it right. We’re rushing toward the climax. Are you really going to stop now? C’mon. Stay with us. We’ve got a five-years-in-the-making conclusion to be getting on with.
You can see Claire’s cover here, and Ray’s cover will have to wait a little. I suspect the announcement will be before next month.
Yes, the final arc. And this also casually announces the name of our final arc. It’s called “OKAY”. Including the quotation marks. It’s something we’ve been considering all along, but it only solidified now. Going out on another Bowie nod.
We also have the third WicDiv Hardback, which collects the fifth and sixth trade. Clearly, an ideal Christmas Present and/or murder weapon.
Oh, and also this…
DIE #1
WRITER: KIERON GILLEN
ARTIST / COVER: STEPHANIE HANS
VARIANT COVER: JAMIE MCKELVIE
DECEMBER 05 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
THE WICKED + THE DIVINE writer KIERON GILLEN teams up with artist supernova STEPHANIE HANS (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE 1831, Journey Into Mystery) for her first ongoing comic! DIE is a pitch-black fantasy where a group of forty-something adults have to deal with the returning unearthly horror they barely survived as teenage role-players. If Kieron’s in a rush, he describes it as “Goth Jumanji.” That only captures a sliver of what you’ll find in oversized debut issue—where fantasy gets all too real.
…which you saw last week, but now you get to see the solicitation text. Feast on those extra 25 words. The luxurious extended wordcount of a launch window.
Obviously much more on DIE to come, but the announcement has gone down fantastically. Thanks for all the support.
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Thought Bubble is already underway at Leeds, but the main events kick off at the weekend with the festival. Team WicDiv will be there. Where is there? It took me some time to nail it down. First step was easy enough…
Some further effort led to…
And finally settled on…
No, we’re not under-prepared, you’re under-prepared, etc.
That’s where we’ll be, for both days. Pop along to the table to see signing times – we’ll have a schedule worked out there, and books and merch will be for sale for the whole time. Oh! Also exlusive DIE flyers. Bar lunch, there’s two obvious times we’ll be gone.
Firstly, I’m interviewing Warren Ellis about all things Warren-y and Ellis-y on Saturday at 5pm. That will be fun. I definitely have all my questions prepared, and definitely won’t be making them up in the pub on Friday night.
Secondly, we’re suggesting WicDiv fans meet up at the WicDiv Immersive Experience between 2 and 3pm on the Saturday for (er) meetings. I’m not sure we’ll be there for the whole thing, but we’ll certainly show our faces.
Wait - “WicDiv Immersive Experience”?
That’s the one. Sara “Surgeon X” Kenney has been organising it all and everything we’ve seen has been hugely exciting, and like nothing else. Pop in between 10 and 6 on Saturday and discover what Art Is For and/or say Hello to Ananke. Knowing WicDiv fans, the meet-up may get a bit busy, so I think it’s definitely worth your time to go and have a nose at other times. There’s lots of fascinating stuff planned.
There’s also the Thought Bubble party on Saturday Night at the Trinity Kitchen. We’re not Djing this year, but have handpicked our successors, which means I can Throw More Shapes Than Ever.
In short: it will be a fun time. Many more details on its many other attractions on the site and you can get tickets here.
Star Wars 54 drops today, the penultimate episode of Hope Dies wherein we finally find a way to have some ground based action before getting back into the space ships again. Honestly, getting heroes into unusual Space-ships is a whole lot of fun this episode.
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The ever-great Tom Humberstone’s comic from earlier in the year about why sport has always been political
I haven’t read the book its critiquing, but I found review of Go The Way Your Blood Beats, and its unpacking of the material reality of bisexuality through a historical lens distinctly empathisable with. Strong stuff.
This Pitchfork article about Robyn’s “Glittering Melancholia” had me from the second it said “Glittering Melancholia” in the strapline, but I’m interested in takes from Carly Rae Jepsen and Perfume Genius.
It’s been the sort of week where realising I have to work out a sensitive and caring present for a relative made my heart threaten to burst out of my chest. So, yes, somewhat stressed, with a lot to fit in. But it’s getting done. I handed in issue 60 of Star Wars, and piled straight into the next one. I just polished up PROJECT BOOMBASTIC’s first issue, which is with the artist. Alt covers are in for it, plus some for DIE. With DIE, it’s lots of fun – Stephanie’s getting to see her character reinvented by her peers. It’s definitely one of the thrills of the job.
There’s also been just a lot of minor, essential things. Clayton is wrestling through (hopefully) final tweaks for the first three issues of DIE. When this is over, I’m going to do my editorial pass on all the scripts we’ve got for WICDIV: THE FUNNIES. There’s some we haven’t announced, and the names really do make me surprise. At least one no-one could have guessed we’d have, I say, in a way which means “really, you won’t” and not “go on, try to guess.”
Byyyyyeeee!
Kieron Gillen
London
19.9.2018