100: Oh, Carlolina
Hullo.
I've been wincing since I started this list that I only put three zeroes at the front. 001: looks great. 010: and upwards looks great. 100: loses the stylistic edge of the 0. But do I go to 0100? Hmm. Behold! The creative engine that is me in full effect. Tremble! Quiver!
Big week. I know I have a rep for being someone who over-plans, but I swear I didn’t manage to align all this neat stuff so it all lands in the same week. I’m not Hickman.
Contents!
Kings
Formalism
DIEDIEDIEDIE
Tbubz
Harderstrongerlonger
Byyyyeeee!!!
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Meet ONCE & FUTURE (previously PROJECT: OH CARLOINA) , announced by Boom at ComicsPro. It’s worth reading Flip Sablik’s speech, especially if you’re a retailer. He’s talking about key issues in the industry, and Boom are offering some strong incentives here. That Boom are thinking like this is one of the many things which made me think I’d like to work with them on a book like this.
Here’s the press release, which includes the first selection of details.
I gave this quote…
“I’ve been chewing over how the classic explorer adventure serial could operate in the twenty-first century for a while. Doctor Aphra transplanting the genre to space was one conclusion. ONCE AND FUTURE is another, taking a genre whose core has barely changed since the 19th century, and updating it for the now,” said writer Kieron Gillen. “Adventure, romance, supernatural horror and too much bloody research, as always. When BOOM! Studios told me one of the most talented action artists of his generation was interested in collaborating, I knew that we had all the ingredients we needed to create gold. Gold which, inevitably, our heroes will steal.”
And Dan gave this…
“Working with BOOM! Studios has opened the door to new dream projects every year, but ONCE AND FUTURE is unlike anything I’ve ever worked on before,” said artist Dan Mora. “Kieron’s created a new world very much like our own, but plagued by supernatural and mythological creatures that are a joy to bring to life. And Bridgette, well, she’s one of the most fun – and surprising – characters I’ve ever worked on and I can’t wait for audiences to meet her!”
Also, reading the pre-release is a lot of fun, as you get to compare and contrast our photos. It’s very much a “who will protect the lovely artist from this horrible old man.”
In short: Arthurian-mythos-fuelled grandmother/grandson adventure fiction. It’ll take the form of a series of minis, as we return with different adventures. It’s very Indiana Jones or Hellboy in that way. I think you’ll like it.
Say hello to Bridgette and Duncan.
Oh my. Did you really speak to your screen just because I told you to? That looked really weird.
Out August. More before details before then, inevitably.
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Out today – the Wicked + the Divine 42. Alt cover by the always atmospheric Vanesa del Rey, whose collaboration with Jordie Bellaire Redlands is just great.
We did actually clear a preview, which I can’t seem to find online now. As it was only a page, maybe they didn’t bother? This one is so tightly wound that anything else felt like too much. It’s our last issue before we have a month off (when the eighth trade is released) and I suspect hits hard enough to be an arc-ender. Though that’s the aim every issue. Looking forward to writing the notes on this one.
Available from shops and digitally – there’s links to all the various digital formats on Image’s page.
Also, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt 2, which is where we have a bit too much fun. This is the more playful side of Watchmen’s influence in comics. I did some writer notes for Dynamite, which should appear at some point in the next couple of days, but in doing them I realised that while I had used “The Morrison issue” as shorthand when talking about it, it’s really “the Kieron Gillen issue.” There’s emotional stuff, but this issue cackles, and has some pure Young Avengers approach buried in the mix. I am now my own biggest influence. The end is nigh.
Caspar is joined by Paulina and Chip on covers, and they are our heroes.
Oh - The whole team will be doing an AMA at Reddit’s comicbooks subreddit tomorrow – February 28th, 5pm GMT. Caspar, Mary, Hassan and myself will be hanging around and asking questions about all our work, so come in to ask whatever’s on your mind.
Er… yeah. DIE 1 sold out again. We’re doing a fourth and final printing with the new cover above. Details?
Die #1, fourth printing (Diamond Code JAN198547) will be available on Wednesday, March 20. The final order cutoff deadline for comic shop retailers is Monday, Feb 25.
Also, the comps for 4 turned up, which is a delight.
Out next week.
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Thought Bubble has announced their big news this week. Our favourite con has moved from its traditional home of Leeds over to Harrogate. It’s basically another half hour on the train, with a much better venue. To be honest, we’re kind of excited at not being frozen to death in a tent. I actually did a con in Harrogate last year – Eastercon – so had a chance to play with the town, which I enjoyed. Leeds is Bristol, to Harrogate’s Bath. I also found a place that served pretty strong American slice pizza near the con until 4am, so I know what I’m eating after the party.
More details on their site. Looking forward to it, and the ceremonial end of 2019’s con season.
In general DIE notes I spent the weekend having a hack at the RPG manual. In process, I ended up screenshotting bits and pieces straight out of the current Scrivener doc and sticking them in a thread. Here’s a selection.
After all this fiddling, I’ve got it in a state to take to the next step in Playtesting – which is basically expanding it to a wider pool of people to read it, and ideally have some of them run the game. I’m still working out how to do an even wider playtest, after issue 5 but before the trade, but I’ll keep you in the loop. Honestly, the final release is really a playtest. I’m calling them beta rules. It’s a public beta, but still a beta. Ideally I’d like to do a proper edition down the line.
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We’re regularly asked what we’re going to do with our final WicDiv Hardback. As in, each one has been two trades long, and there’s three trades left. Is it just going to be a single enormous one?
The answer, no. We’re doing two volumes with a bellyband, for various reasons. Jamie got the proof-of-concept stuff through this week. Here’s the sort of shape it’s taking…
Some genuine behind the scenes stuff, eh? This is like a proper newsletter.
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It’s been a draining week. I handed in my last issue of Star Wars on Monday, which I only realised as I was sending was the last actually scheduled work for the House of Ideas. Then I remembered a one-page thing I promised for them. But still – the end of my Star Wars, except for lettering drafts, rewrites and actually I may end up expanding this issue and… oh, it still counts.
At last Thought Bubble, a reader gave me some chocolate shapes made of Star Wars things. Last Christmas I got given the ice-cube molds for them, so I understand their construction. However, I’d decides to space out eating them as I finished my arcs. I believe I ate Boba Fett’s head when I finished The Escape. All that remains is the Millennium Falcon.
And now it’s gone too.
(The instagram comment thread for the photo was very cute.)
Bar doing a little prototype deisgn and layout before sending out DIE rules, I’m moving straight onto ONCE & FUTURE. Dan has the first issue, and finishing the second is on my to-do for the week. I’ll let you know how it gets on.
You know, I only just realised I lost the “Byyyyeeee!!!” closing two newsletters back, and changing to another goodbye last week. I guess it’s gone. Byyyyeeee!!!, my dear friend, Byyyyeeee!!! You served me well.
Kieron Gillen
London
27.2.2019