385: I will inevitably be taking her swimming
Hullo
Loop
Burst
Party
Paranoia (good sort)
Links
Bye
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Image December solicits are out. What does that mean?
We’re back.
THE POWER FANTASY #17
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
ARTIST / COVER A: Caspar Wijngaard
COVER B: Toru Terada
DECEMBER 09 / 32 pages / FC / / $3.99There were six beings of such power that, if they ever fought, the world would end. They did and it did. Fallen angel Valentina has defied time itself to try, try again. So… is taking over the world the only ethical thing to do?
The Hugo and Eisner Award-nominated critical smash returns, as does your chance to get on the smartest, most thrilling roller coaster in monthly comics.
Also, do catch Toru Terada’s alt cover…
...which I adore. Terada does amazing stuff. Meanwhile, while one book comes back, another ends...
DIE: LOADED #12
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
ARTIST / COVER A: Stephanie Hans
COVER B: Joe Quesada
DECEMBER 30 / 32 pages / FC / M / $3.99Where the party gathers together and makes a decision. Will they go home or not? And who will live to make the decision? The shocking conclusion of DIE: LOADED.
Oh – and here’s Joe Q’s cover for the final issue. Amazing to have him with us.
Speak to your retailer – especially about The Power Fantasy, as getting on their radar again after a break is always important. Do spread word to your friends: the Power Fantasy primer (https://bindings.app/l/thepowerfantasy) exists to be passed to folks who need an intro. I’ve just added “Update Primer” to my to-do list too.
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Also out yesterday was the first issue of Alien vs X-men from Marvel, where Geraldo Borges and I generally drop our favourite mutants into a horror movie. Plus Chris Claremont writing a second, Brood-centric story.
For a taste, here’s he first two pages.
Well, I did say I wouldn’t use Mister Sinister. Always read the small print.
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We’re at Thought Bubble again, but we’re doing something special on the Friday night...
PHONOGRAM 20 YEAR PARTY
Friday 13 November 2026
8:30 pm 11:30 pm
Upstairs, Cold Bath Brewing Co.
46 King's Rd, Harrogate, HG1 5JWUnited KingdomIt was 20 years ago today, that Britannia taught the band to draw (and overwrite captions). To celebrate, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie invite you to come and dance to our line up of superstar DJs* before the retromancers come for us all.
*For a certain value of superstar.
More later, I’m sure, but stick in your calendar.
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Attentive readers with a strong sense of the passage of time and the movement of the seasons – perhaps communing with birds, or listening to the gentle whisper of roots – will have noticed this is Thursday, and I normally write on a Wednesday. I didn’t for three reasons.
1) It was my birthday, and so my deadline for finishing off my 101 TTRPG article.
2) I’m lazy.
3) A third reason I won’t share, due to it being too honest.
Really, mainly 1. Once I set myself a task, I tend to do it (normally at the last possible second). I have giving myself side-eye, as I wrote 80 of the Top 101 in September, which is some A+ ADHD hyperfocus deadline nonsense.
So since I last wrote, the whole Top 40 has been uploaded, which you’ll find in the following links, each with a short quote pulled randomly.
40-21: “Small and round, she moves through the crowd like a musketball”
20-11: “ BIG DISC ENERGY! A FETA WORSE THAN DEATH!”
10-1: “This is also the only game I’ve ever played with my four year old.”
I’m pleased I pulled this thing off, even in a reduced form. Though even in a reduced form, it’s quite the thing – the top 10 was a quick 3.5k words knocked out yesterday. That was 50 years of being a big ol’ nerd. Onwards.
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British comic artist of my generation. Dan Boultwood, being sentenced for child sex offences caused conversation privately around the time it happened but little public talk. His victim has waived her anomity to talk about it, and should go and read what she has o say. She talks about how she was disappointed there wasn’t more public introspection and conversation, and she’s right. I do a short thread here about it, but it’s really “just read what she says and think”.
There’s been a lot of great comics deals recently, but I wanted to draw your attention to the Astro City bundle over at Humble Bundle. All 17 volumes, plus all manner of Busiek-penned CO work. Go grab.
While we’re talking digital comics, Sweet Shop have had their official launch and there’s a load of bundles to celebrate it – some more details here. I’d urge you to nose at the app – it’s really neat bit of UI, and a broadly ethical, pro creator stance across the board. Also, DRM free and PDF back-up for those of us who’ve been scarred by this stuff before. I like it a lot.
We lost Josh Cassara suddenly. I didn’t know him personally, but his work was some of the most iconic in all Krakoa – how he treated living people and material was a joy to see, every time, and his shot of the Lagon IS Krakoa. Benjamin Percy writes about him here. He’ll be missed, and my thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
Jay Dragon writes about Dev Editing Lesbian Mechsploitation game, Girl Frame, specifically on the idea of informational hierarchy. Useful for games, but also useful for when you have to explain literally anything.
It’s what I’m informed I have to call Spooky Season and Tom Humberstone is off writing about horror sequels and doing art again. That was the intro, and here’s Scream IV. I love seeing him do this.
This just arrived in my Inbox as I was finalising this – Si Spurrier is back to writing prose after 15 years away, and has decided to do it public on Patreon here. Do go nose – the Cretan Project sounds fascinating, and he’s diving into chewing over what Asterion (aka The Minotaur) means.
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The Lakes Festival is this weekend, and Chrissy is going up as a guest. Go say hello!
Which means that me and Iris are flying solo, so the week is being squeezed even more than usual. It’s going to be fun. Iris wants me to take her swimming and I would rather do literally anything than take her swimming. I will inevitably be taking her swimming.
But I’ll wrap quickly, so I can get to everything else I need to do before I go FULL PARENT mode. I’ve got a kick off call at 5:30 tonight for a new project, which has thrown me a bit, as I’ve never had a kick off call for a comic before, and I’m scared at this level of professionalism. To be honest, I’m scared of any level of professionalism.
Oh - one other thing: Lauren Sankovitch and Stephanie Hans popped over to visit for a few days, which was just great. It was a Journey Into Mystery micro-reunion.
Speak soon.
Kieron Gillen
Bath
1.10.2026