Somewhere between Alpha Centauri and lost Lemuria lies the Akashic Library, its endless shelves stretching mockingly toward the horizon. What mind-blowing lore will you discover here? Read on, and learn . . .

Let’s see, where did I leave off . . . Last month I had just started my new job at my new school. I barely knew what I was doing. Now I’ve been there for several weeks and I no longer feel panicked all the time; I feel like maybe, on some level, I’m kind of starting to learn what I’m doing. Not to sound too arrogant! But also it’s a lot of work, and I’m tired, and let’s be honest, this probably won’t be a very long newsletter. Let’s start with my biggest news . . .

THE VAULT OF VILLAINY HAS OPENED
A few months ago Josh Burnett and I did a Kickstarter for our RPG sourcebook Vault of Villainy, and I can now report that the book is finished! We’ve sent PDF copies out to our backers, and are in the process of preparing the print version. Pretty soon the book will go on sale to the general public—I’ll keep you posted.

Most of our previous RPG books have had black-and-white interiors. And generally I prefer it that way. But you’ve got to try new things every now and then, so Vault of Villainy is in glorious color. Here’s a taste of what the interiors look like:

THE SAGA OF RICKY IMES CAN BE YOURS
A couple months ago I printed copies of my epic comic book Fuzzball & Scuzzball: The Saga of Ricky Imes and, LO! it is still available to order. Statistically speaking you probably haven’t bought one yet, so maybe now’s the time! Think it over!

ART IS ON SALE NOW
My Etsy shop is still open, though, to be honest, I haven’t added anything in awhile. It’s still the same as it was last time! But that means there’s still swell art you can buy, for the regular low low prices. All proceeds from art sales go to help Palestinian children, and if you don’t want to buy the art, you can just donate directly.

Hmmmm, what’s something more lively I could share, after plugging the same ol’ comic and the same ol’ Etsy shop . . . I need to share something different and exciting.

OOOH, EXCITING, HERE’S SOME RAW 111
Here are a couple of excerpts from a long experimental poem I wrote called RAW 111. It’s structured liked a church service, based on the sections in a bulletin I took home from a Christmas service one year. Here’s The Holy Gospel and The Doxology.

THANKS FOR TRYING THIS NEWSLETTER!
I appreciate you. Did you know that you can subscribe and it get it sent to you each month, ABSOLUTELY FREE? What a bargain!

BOOKS I'VE READ SINCE LAST TIME
A Visitor’s Guide to the Rainy City, Rich Forest
JSA: Year One, Jeff Lemire and Gavin Guidry
Dracula Book Three: The Count, Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones

The Rainy City is a great system-agnostic RPG setting, highly recommended. My OSE group journeyed there in our last session and we had a blast. There’s lots to do and see.

I love the Justice Society of America, so I enjoyed JSA: Year One, a collection of the six-issue serialized story about the origins of the original superhero team. My love of the JSA is rooted in many years of reading and hundreds of comic books that form an elaborate mosaic of meaning. But the question arises, is this the story I could hand to someone unfamiliar with the team and win them over? Upon reflection, the answer is, Probably not. For example, I’m excited that the villain is the Ultra-Humanite—DC Comics’ original super-villain!—but if you don’t have any history with the character, there’s nothing here that makes him memorable. I appreciate the work Lemire has done to build on the characters and their established history. The plot is solid, the art is nice, it gets the job done, but I’m still waiting on the JSA story that’s just undeniably good the way something like Batman Year One or All-Star Superman is.

TV SHOWS I’VE WATCHED SINCE LAST TIME
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4
Lanterns
Ride Or Die
Taskmaster

The Strange New Worlds season finale was really strong! And we’re one week out from the Lanterns finale.

MOVIES I’VE WATCHED SINCE LAST TIME
Spider-Man: Brand New Day

I liked when this movie felt like an issue of Marvel Team-Up. That was fun!

Okay, that’s what I have for you this month, I gotta go to bed. I hope you’re well! Live long and prosper!

Your Pal,
Leighton