337: the one with the crab
Hullo
TPF10
Links
Bye
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The Power Fantasy reaches a gargantuan issue 10. Fear our majesty. That’s Caspar’s cover above, and we’re joined by Luana Vecchio providing the alternate.
Which may speak to that this one is a somewhat thirsty one. We showed the preview last week, which gives a taste, but Caspar really has a lot of fun here. My books never have sex scenes – they’re the first thing which gets cut for the 20 pages of space. We had to run a special in WicDiv to include all the kissing we could never get in a book. With TPF, I did have a a small goal was to include more actual sex, as a part of these characters lives. I, of course, blew it, as this issue is doing a lot more than just people getting it on… but I suggested a half idea to include some, and Caspar absolutely embraced it.
I said last one was a good one, and I think this is too. It’s a book which runs off tension, but by now the momentum of the thing is really in play. We have filled a room with fans, backed up a truck full of manure, and are just lobbing the latter at the former.
Anyway – you can buy from your local shop or digitally, and as per usual, I did some teasers.
Here they are. I’m not sure which of them I’m releasing yet. Maybe I’ll release all of them again.
Yes, I know. You’re looking at them now. That’s me releasing them, but only to you, as you are special.
Anyway – issue 10. Next month – the end of the arc, and then the trade in September.
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Life Without Buildings are one of those early-00s bands who I can easily imagine being huge in another timeline. Really like nothing else. A little period footage and interview of them crossed my dash, and is just a capsule of a group doing really interesting stuff. Hmm. On Saturday night, when DJing, I played the Luniz’ I Got 5 On It back to back with Morning After Pill by Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia, so my head is clearly prodding that early 00s obscure place to see how it feels. Er… that’s for MBICR. Not The Luniz.
I saw Bruce Sterling link to this essay on the Moral Economy of the Shire, which I believe I’ve read before, but is still really good.
Okay, I’ll slip this in here. I ran an early playtest for a game I’m noodling with on The Open Hearth, and have just lobbed a recording of the session there. First part of four. This is character and world gen (which is mostly integrated in the game proper) and sliding into the prologue and the start of the actual main Campaign loop. It’s kind of a game about playing the Primarchs leading up to the Horus Heresy, powered by the Pargaon system. Very early yet, but I’m definitely in an active tweaking variables and approaches to see how they work. You’ll see me realising that I need to go ahead with the deck-stacking (and building) for the GM idea.
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Yesterday, I threw out a quick pun post and it went what counts as VERY VIRAL on poor little Blue Sky. As I was mainly away from the computer yesterday, doing various bits and bobs, whenever I popped back I saw it had done a few more thousands. It’s 21k now. I thought it would probably do relatively well – being, an actual classically structured joke instead of being an exercise in making it so ornate it collapses in on itself.
It has reminded myself why I mostly do that. It’s partially as I’m doing it to amuse myself. This is art for art’s sake, or specifically, bad art for bad art’s sake. But doing actual popular posts is just tiring. Like, it’s a dopamine kick and will get you more followers, but chasing dopamine is foolish and those followers aren’t really useful, per se. By which I mean, they won’t support the work.
Kim Hu was writing about this week about how patreon didn’t work for her, and some folks were very angry that she has 55k followers and how can she say that! Kim was frustrated. I was frustrated for her. Followers really don’t mean anything. If they’re not paying your rent, it’s not part of your job – it’s you all having a giggle. I’m not being down on a giggle, of course. A giggle is worthwhile – I look at (say) what Gail does and see how much fun everyone has with the epic trolling, but it’s not as if Gail’s comics sell more than another big name creator.
(Or maybe they do. That’s the problem with the marketing stuff. You mostly have no idea what is moving the needle, but when I see friends who have very large follower counts not being able to reliably make rent, I know the impact isn’t what we would think.)
I’m also worried about everyone who’s followed me on Bluesky off the back off that tweet, and they’re going to see what the horrorshows my usual ones are and realise the one with the crab was this guy doing a pop single.
This isn’t going anywhere, by the way. It’s just chewing over why my fingers are moving across this keyboard and making letters on a screen.
Anyway – work. We’re in the various hand off stage. Caspar started work on 12, and did the art for issue 13. Stephanie and I are chewing over exactly when we’re announcing our new book, and making sure we have cover artists lined up for it. I got the pitch off for a new short WFH thing, which is now going up the chain, which will be interesting. It’s absolutely the opposite of what I’ve been doing recently. I’ve also been pulling together ideas for Backmatter for the print edition of Closer (Pre-order!), and the various bits of backmatter for the Power Fantasy trade.
I finish this, and I’m aware I’m not quite sure what I’m doing for the rest of the week. I probably should use it to clear a few smaller things, so I have a clear run at the following week.
Big social thing was the weekend when we had one of our small underground disco parties for friends in London – me, Al Ewing, Sarah Gordon and Dan Hart just playing bangers and bops. It was pride, and we very much embraced that. Everyting climaxes with the Pink Pony Club, and we all go home. Aww. Friends are lovely, strongly recommend it.
I also bought a new leather jacket.
Okay, I’ve worked out why I’m writing now. I’m writing to make this newsletter a little longer, so it doesn’t feel like it’s skimping. Newsletters are like leg day.
Speak soon.
Kieron Gillen
Bath
9.7.2025