096: The house needs milk.
Hullo.
At this time of night, I would like to settle down with a nice chianti and a slice of Television Golden Age and/or a podcast about boardgames. But instead, I have a lovely new comic debuting, which means it would be rude not to write to you.
But I will be thinking of Chianti.
Contents!
Rewriting The Cannon
April Cometh
Links
Dieee
Byyyyeeee!!!
****
And this is out.
Peter Cannon is a 1960s superhero character. A guy called Pete, in a moment of incredible bad luck, gets bit by a radioactive Cannon and struck by a radioactive thunderbolt simultaneously, gaining the powers of Cannons and Thunderbolts. It's a difficult time.
Let me try again.
Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt is a 1960s superhero created by Pete Morisi. He was one of the Charlton heroes used as the inspirations for Moore/Gibbons’ Watchmen, specifically Ozymandias. My friends at Dynamite asked to do a new take on him. I felt the urge to do a State Of The Nation superhero comic, and talked Caspar, Mary and Hassan into joining me.
Folks seem to like it. If you read one review, this is the one to read as it actually gets what we’re shooting for. Random quote: “It’s a metatextual narrative with a jaw-dropping ending that screams of great audacity and boldness. It’s the kind of page turn every reader hopes they’ll get every time they pick up a comic. It’s a bold mission statement which heralds great things. Do not miss this. It’s absolutely one of the smartest and most compelling superhero titles out this year.” Which is a nice thing to say, but the review puts meat on it.
Basically, if you like my smart and playful stuff like WicDiv, Young Avengers or Uncanny X-men, you should be all over this. It’s also fun to write superhero comics again, which has been a delight to find out.
There’s an interview here if you want to know some more. Here’s a preview of the first twelve pages, which really is a lot. If you’re interested, I’d probably just buy it. The pacing is a lot of fun.
It should be in your shop. If not, ask for it. You can also buy it digitally here from Comixology or Dynamite direct.
And if you’ve read it, this is a fun if entirely 100% spoilery look at some of the fun things in it and here’s a twitter thread doing some more.
*****
The April solicits are out. Shall we look at them?
Yes, we shall.
“OKAY,” Part Four
Jamie, this is the last time we have to do big crowd and fight scenes. I swear, we can get through this. Two more issues after this, and then we can have a sleep.
This pleases me, as we finally give Cass her head cover.
“FANTASY HEARTBREAKER,” Conclusion
It was never going to be okay. Wait, wrong book.
By “Conclusion” that means “end of arc” by the way.
The alt covers are great, so do click to the solicits if you want to see ‘em. I’d likely include them next time if I need pretty as well. You’re mostly comics folks. You like pictures.
If you’re wondering why my solicits are increasingly leaning loopy, Image have started asking for all the solicits in an arc in one go. That means I write a chain of them, and clearly, this extended piece of effort takes a toll.
I do like this one.
*
Links!
I managed to get the Writer Notes for The Wicked + the Divine 41 written, where I talk about three panel grids a bunch. Go read here.
Talking about nine panel grids, I was actually showing a friend the first page of Fearscape when this article by Claire Napier unpicking a complicated relationship with the Nine Panel grid popped into my timeline.
I believe I mentioned APRIL when I went to see it – or it may have just been on twitter. Either way, it’s showing at the Vault Festival in London in February from the 20th to the 24th. Presumably, that’s multiple shows. If Carrie Marx is doing it for five days she’s going to be knackered. Tickets here.
I wrote an Officer in Sunless Skies, which is out tomorrow. The Incognito Princess was a lot of fun. I was told of streamers’ reading her opening in an appropriately jolly voice, only to curdle into horror as the truth of what’s going on is revealed. It’s a really interesting game, and if Narrative exploring is your thing, go buy.
Comps for DIE 3. Out next week. Coo.
***
The plague departed. I didn’t get it. This seems somewhat miracle. I am also aware that I am jinxing it by saying it aloud, especially as I just ate a breadstick which may be contaminated. By next month I may have changed career to become a Great Unclean One and setting about threatening civilization with my army of Tallymen.
(Oh, Kieron. Even your fantasies of succumbing to disease are pieces of unlikely narcisstic ludicrosity. And you’re writing to yourself now, which is sign that you’ve been writing too much today. Remember to buy milk, Kieron. The house needs milk.)
The polished version of DIE 6 went over to Stephanie, which is something I’m really pleased with. I’ve just got the notes on it from a reader, and it’s basically wailing, whch is the desired intent. It’s also the comic script that’s most been informed by my background as a games journalist, and specifically talking to devs. Er… it’s still a fantasy comic. I also just passed over WicDiv 43 to Chrissy, so we’ll see what she makes of it.
WicDiv 42 is finishing off. Some bad news – it’s going to be a week late, due to unavoidable things. With the month off, we hopefully will be able to re-align to the schedule.
Also, we may have an entirely surprising alternate cover artist for the last issue of WicDiv. I’m not going to say it aloud, but it is one that just makes me beam.
You know, I was planning to write a little about the last DIE playtest here, but I’ll save it for next time. Wriing up the notes from it is what I should be doing now, and writing about what I should be actually writing seems to be missing the point somewhat, right?
Byyyyeeee!!!
Kieron Gillen
London
30.1.2018