I Am Going to SPACE
Somewhere outside of time and space lies the Akashic Library, its spectral shelves stretching off endlessly into the distance. What forbidden knowledge shall we find there? Read on . . .
I AM GOING TO S.P.A.C.E.!
The Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo will be held this weekend, May 21-22, at the Rhode Center at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. I’ll be there! And I’m thrilled to report that I’ll be debuting three comics there. THREE! Those comics are:
1. Lightning Man! 
I mentioned last time that I was working on this. Good news, it's finished, and I have printed copies right here. The insides look like this: 
Lightning Man #1 is a 30 page comic that I wrote and drew all by myself, available for the low low price of $4. You can read the whole story here, but if you want a lovely printed copy, you’ll need to come to S.P.A.C.E. Or wait until after S.P.A.C.E., when I make them available to order online.
2. Sedgwick! 
This cute little mini-comic tells the backstory of Sedgwick, a character from my comic book Laser Brigade. Don't worry if you haven't read Laser Brigade--almost no one has!--because it's a completely self-contained story. The interiors look like this:
Warning, this story is very dark, to an extent that some people have complained that I didn't warn them ahead of time. But now I've warned you, so you should totally read it! You can order a copy here, IF YOU DARE.
3. Fear! 
Oh wow, isn't that cover gorgeous?!? I didn't draw it, it's by beloved American artist Matt Kish. Matt's a great artist who has done more work than I can really summarize here--check out his Etsy shop--and he's also a good friend of mine. Ten years ago he was gracious enough to draw a 48 page comic focused on one of my Laser Brigade characters. The story has been out of print for years, but now I am ecstatic to report that it will once again be available, as a handsome mini-comic!
Check out this artwork:
It's SO PRETTY. I can't wait to share this with the world. The printed copies are supposed to arrive the day before S.P.A.C.E. Fingers crossed!
LASER PONIES IS ON SALE!
Years ago my Hex Games friends and I were at a convention and I made a reference to a game called Laser Ponies, and it became a running joke for the weekend. On our drive home I told the others that I wanted to write Laser Ponies. I did, and I did something they didn't expect--instead of a parody, an ironic statement, or a postmodern deconstruction, I made a kid-friendly game about happy ponies that shoot monsters with lasers. Laser Ponies became one of my most popular RPGs and I've run it at many conventions over the years. In 2021 Hex Games released Laser Ponies Second Edition, with a stunning cover and new artwork by the amazing Lindsay Hornsby. To mark the one year anniversary of its release, Laser Ponies is on sale for 40% off throughout the month of May! If you don't already have a copy, now's the time!
AKASHIC TITAN: BLUE BOLT UPDATE
As you may remember, in February I ran a Kickstarter fundraising campaign for Akashic Titan: Blue Bolt, a follow-up to my earlier RPG zine Akashic Titan. The book will be finished soon; I'm in the process of making final revisions and illustrating.
Here are three recent illustrations I've done: 
NOT REALLY AN UPDATE ON ARMISTICE HAWKINS
My serialized novel Armistice Hawkins and the New Architects of Creation has been on hiatus while I've been getting all my comics ready for SPACE and working on Akashic Titan: Blue Bolt, but I will soon return to posting regular weekly installments. Which gives you some time to get caught up. The main page for it, where you can see all the chapters listed, is here. The first chapter is right here.
GODZILLA CLUB UPDATE
Since my last report Jackson and I drove down to Lexington for another meeting of the Godzilla Club, where we watched a double feature of Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II and Godzilla Vs. SpaceGodzilla, the fifth and sixth movies in the Heisei series. There’s only one to go, Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah, and I will have seen every live action Godzilla movie ever made.
This means my current viewing stats are:
Godzilla: 32/33
James Bond: 11/26
Star Trek: 12/13
Star Wars: 11/11
Batman: 9.5/9.5
Fast and Furious: 0/9
But I know what you're wondering--how were the movies? The thing is, I would not recommend seeing these two as a double feature. They were similar enough that they blur together in my memory. Both prominently feature the psychic girl Miki and Godzilla Junior, for example. I’m thinking of a scene I liked, and genuinely struggling to remember which movie it was in . . . I think SpaceGodzilla? I’d say I liked that one better of the two, though it’s hard to be sure. Both are solid, respectable Godzilla movies; neither one is as delightfully weird as Godzilla Vs. Biolante, with its rose/Godzilla DNA/ghost-of-the-scientist’s-daughter hybrid monster.
BOOKS I'VE READ SINCE LAST MONTH’S NEWSLETTER
The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi
The Avengers: Heavy Metal, by Walt Simonson, Ralph Macchio, John Buscema, Tom Palmer, and various
The Ghost in You, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Dragon, by Saladin Ahmed and Dave Acosta
Defenders: There Are No Rules, by Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez
Jesusfreak, by Joe Casey and Benjamin Marra
The Avengers: The Crossing Line, by Fabian Nicieza, Larry Hama, Paul Ryan, and various
Most of these are comics; I've been neglecting the novel I started awhile back because I've spent so much time reading mediocre Avengers comics from the 90s. The two Avengers books on the list are Marvel Epic Collections, specifically volumes 18 and 20.
The Epic Collections reprint every story from a comic book series in chronological order. Marvel prints the books out of order, though, so I read 18 and then 20 because 19 hasn't been published yet. Anyway, Heavy Metal reprints stories from 1987-1989 (including Walt Simonson's full run as writer) and The Crossing Line is from 1990-1991 (including the whole Larry Hama run). I read some, but not all, of these comics when they were originally published. Back then I thought some of them were okay but I didn't think they were great. Because they weren't! So why am I reading them now? Partly there's some curiosity about the history of the Avengers, and how the series evolved over the years. Mostly, though, it's because they don't make comics like this any more. I'm not just saying it's nostalgia. I really liked reading comics circa 1990, and that style of comic still appeals to me. But styles and tastes change over time, as is only right and proper; I'm not saying things have gone downhill, or it was all better back in my day. Just that I like this kind of comic, and there aren't any new ones like these, so I'm reading old ones. Does that make sense?
I have a lot of thoughts about Avengers comics from 1987-1991, way too many to get into at this time, so let's move on . . .
WHAT I'M READING NOW
Show Your Work!, by Austin Kleon
The Knight, by Gene Wolfe
The Avengers: Operation Galactic Storm, by Bob Harras, Mark Gruenwald, Steve Epting, and various
Show Your Work! is a short, fluffy book, so I’m genuinely embarrassed I haven’t finished it since last time, but I'd barely started it when I got distracted by 30 year old Avengers comics. It’s a book about promoting your work, so in retrospect I guess I should have read it before writing this newsletter? Oops!
SHOWS I’M WATCHING
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Russian Doll season 2
Since last time I finished Star Trek: Picard season 2 and Our Flag Means Death season 1. I also watched Severance season 1 and OH MY GOD it was so good! I saw an ad for it, thought "This show was made for me," signed up for a free trial of Apple TV, started watching, and reader, I was not disappointed. I love stories about memory alteration, especially when it raises questions about identity. I also, for some reason, really like stories about miserable workplaces. And mysteries, and creeping paranoia . . . this pushes all my buttons. Can't wait for season 2.
MOVIES I’VE SEEN SINCE LAST MONTH
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2
Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
If you enjoy movies about the multiverse, and you want to see one with strong characters, an apocalyptic threat, and great, eye-popping visuals that's filled with twists and turns and fun references to other movies, you need to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's phenomenal! There's a powerful cosmic artifact called the Everything Bagel. It's got Everything on it.
RECIPE CORNER
No recipe this time, but I did recently try Cheetos brand Flamin’ Hot Mac ‘n Cheese. It was on sale, only $1 a box! What could go wrong! 
Despite my daughter’s protestations, I made it for dinner the other night. The box didn't lie, it really was bright red: 
They didn't have food that bright back in olden times! Anyway, my daughter and wife were not fans, and my son said it was okay. I enjoyed the flavor--it's hot!--but felt like it needed something, maybe a bit of crunch. I think it might be better with a sprinkling of Cheetos?
I DIDN'T SIGN UP TO THIS NEWSLETTER TO SEE YOUR GROSS MAC AND CHEESE
Wow, okay, there's no need to be judge-y.
Thanks for tuning in, I'll be back next month! If you're in Columbus, don't forget to pop by S.P.A.C.E.!
Your Pal,
Leighton
www.leightonconnor.com