Somewhere past the outer edges of the sky lies the Akashic Library, its endless shelves sagging under the weight of forbidden knowledge. What terrifying trifles will you discover in its humid halls? Read on, pilgrim, and see . . .

Breaking news, as we’re about to go to press—I just marked something off the ol’ bucket list. I have sold a short story!

Now, I have self-published various short stories, and books and comics and games and whatnot, over the years. But coming from the 20th century, where it was an important mark of writerly status, I’ve always wanted to sell a story to a publisher for money. And now I have! It wasn’t a lot of money, but it satisfies the conditions of the goal.

This story came about a couple of years ago when a small publisher specializing in sword and sorcery fiction announced that they were seeking submissions for an upcoming anthology and I thought, “I can do that!” I hadn’t written in the genre before but I’d read a lot of it, and worked on sword and sorcery games, and I guess I wanted to prove to myself and the world that I could follow in the footsteps of the sword and sorcery writers I admire.

I wrote a story called “The Scarlet Shroud” and submitted it right before the deadline. The editor emailed me back that he liked the story but they had already filled the anthology. That was disappointing, but him liking the story made me hopeful. I submitted it to five other publishers who all rejected it. My hopes were dashed! One of those publishers gave me some helpful feedback about the ending, though, so I revised it and tried again, and now it will be published.

Maybe I’ll be able to get some of my other stories published. Dare to dream!

THE SAGA OF RICKY IMES
Last month I said I was working on a comic. I can now reveal that the name of this comic is Fuzzball & Scuzzball: The Saga of Ricky Imes. I thought it would be done by now, and it’s not, but let me tell you why! I have a good excuse!

A little background: I used to write and draw a weekly webcomic called Fuzzball & Scuzzball, and in the course of this comic I introduced a character named Ricky Imes. He popped back up a few times over the years in different stories. It recently occurred to me that I could collected all the Ricky Imes strips in a nice little comic book around 30 pages long. And since the pages were already drawn, it wouldn’t take long to make!

Of course I’d have to draw a framing sequence, two pages at the beginning and two pages at the end, no big deal. But then I counted up the pages I had and realized I needed five pages. So I drew those, hurray, and then discovered I had miscounted, so if I wanted to use all the new pages I’d drawn, I’d have to add three more pages (in a print book the number of pages has to be evenly divisible by four, a fact you must always keep in mind lest doom befall you).

Which means that, instead of having to draw 4 new pages, I ended up drawing 8 new pages. Which took longer than intended but I got it done, hurray! Just finished the 8th page today. Now I need to draw the cover and finish up the layout, blah blah blah, it’s close but it’s not ready in time for this newsletter.

But what I do have is an exclusive sneak peek. Here’s the first two pages!

My goal is to get the book finished and order it from the printer by Thursday, July 2. I’m putting that down here for accountability purposes. I’ll let you know how that goes in the July newsletter!

ITCH.IO SALE
I’m participating in the summer sale at itch.io, and all 10 of the games I have on there are fifty percent off! That’s a huge discount! You can buy all 10 for $44.96!

But what are these games? Let’s do a quick overview . . .

Save Dave! - A short, chill, rules-light game about loveable losers in a mundane little town. When I run it at cons it’s always super fun.

Project 8Ball - A role-playing game of weird conspiracy inspired by the works of David Lynch, Grant Morrison, and Philip K. Dick. This is maybe the most me of my games?

Laser Ponies Second Edition - Fun for the whole family! Magical ponies with laser eyes! Fight monsters and learn lessons about friendship.

The Electric Team: A Mini-Setting for Troika! - Based on The Electric Team comic that my amazing child Blu and I co-created, this is six character backgrounds, six monsters, and a short history of the world for use with Troika!.

Akashic Titan: Starnheim & Related Locales - A DCC zine of giant, magical robots that sail through the void. Dreamlike science-fantasy the way you like it! This was my most popular creative effort, which is why I included the word “Akashic” in the title of this newsletter. Marketing!

Akashic Titan: Blue Bolt - A subterranean setting for use with Akashic Titan, or some other game of your choice, based on the Golden Age comics by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

Magic Moth Island - My two kids co-created, co-wrote, and illustrated this game of magic animals vs. humans. They did great work. It was a few years ago so I’m sure they’re embarrassed of it by now, they grow up so fast, but I’m still proud of it and them.

Swann Castle (QAGS) - Swann Castle is a labor of love created by my child Blu and me that ties together my various game worlds into a multiverse. It also ties in with my comics—Ricky Imes is in it! He’s got game stats and everything.

Swann Castle (Troika!) - We also did a version of Swann Castle using the Troika! system.

Swann Castle (OSE) - And a version using OSE rules, AKA B/X D&D. Each version has a little bit of content that’s not included in the other two; collect ‘em all!

BUY ART, DONATE TO CHARITY
My Etsy shop is called Akashic Market because, again, Akashic Titan did well for me back in the day and I wanted to replicate that magic. Sales haven’t exactly been brisk but, remember that giant robot drawing I had on sale? It sold last week! Hell yeah! And I donated the money from that sale to help a struggling family in Gaza, because that’s how this works.

There’s not any new stuff in the shop, there hasn’t been in awhile, I’ll try to get to it soon; in my defense, I’ve been busy drawing Ricky Imes pages.

Speaking of Ricky Imes, you can pick up an original drawing of Ricky, drawn for Swann Castle, for cheap! Snatch it up now, before Ricky-mania sweeps the nation!

Remember all proceeds from art sales go to help Palestinian children, but if you don’t want to buy the art, you can just donate directly.

BOOKS I'VE READ SINCE LAST TIME
Nocturnals: The Sinister Path, Dan Brereton
Grendel: Devil By the Deed – Master’s Edition, Matt Wagner
Elric of Melnibone, Michael Moorcock
GI Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium 2, Larry Hama, Herb Trimpe, and various
Avengers: Kree/Skrull War, Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, Sal Buscema, and various
The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, Margaret Cavendish, illustrated by Rebekka Dunlap

I’ve already written about Larry Hama’s GI Joe a couple of times so I don’t need to get into that but, oh man, I have a lot to say about Elric, the Kree-Skrull War, and the Blazing-World yet I need to get this newsletter done soon. Let’s try and make this quick . . .

Elric! Michael Moorcock’s Elric is a huge name in sword and sorcery fiction and has been my biggest gap in reading through the classics of that genre (what some call “Appendix N” fiction). A friend gave me this thin paperback a few years ago—okay, 22 years ago—and I finally read it. I really liked it! I wish I’d read it sooner. It was much more influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs than I expected, very fast-paced, full of cool details, something new and weird every chapter. I plan to read more in the series.

The Kree-Skrull War! You know how there’s a comic book series called The Avengers, right? This is the first big blockbuster Avengers storyline, which rolled out month after month in 1971. I’d read it before but I bought this treasury edition so as to admire the artwork at a larger size. I say “the artwork” . . . there are three artists represented here. The first is Our Pal Sal Buscema, a sturdy artist who I enjoy, but whose artwork isn’t really enhanced by the larger size. As I was reading the first few chapters I asked myself, Why did I buy this oversized hardcover? Then I turned a page and, WHAM! Neal Adams takes over the artwork and it’s so big and beautiful you just want to jump into it and swim around. It’s like you go from looking at a comic about the Avengers to seeing the real Avengers, right there in front of you. Neal didn’t draw the last chapter, that’s by John Buscema, and it’s fine; but it’s those Adams chapters you really paid your money for.

The Blazing World! Margaret Cavendish was an English duchess and in 1666 she wrote a book called The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, and it’s hard to describe but it’s sort of an early science-fiction/fantasy novel? Except they hadn’t really figured out novels yet, so it doesn’t have plot, pacing, or characterization in the way we’re accustomed to. A woman goes to this other world, where the stars blaze so brightly that it’s called the Blazing World, and she becomes its Empress. She then talks to various animal men and spirits, engaging in lengthy discussions about science and philosophy. Eventually the Empress befriends the spirit of Duchess Margaret Cavendish, who is not only the author but also a character in the book.

At one point Duchess Margaret is talking to her friend the Empress and expresses her sadness that she, Margaret, does not have a world of her own to rule over. Some spirits chime in . . .

But we wonder, proceeded the Spirits, that you desire to be Empress of a Terrestrial World, when as you can create your self a Cœlestial World if you please. What, said the Empress, can any Mortal be a Creator? Yes, answered the Spirits; for every human Creature can create an Immaterial World fully inhabited by Immaterial Creatures, and populous of Immaterial subjects, such as we are, and all this within the compass of the head or scull; nay, not onely so, but he may create a World of what fashion and Government he will, and give the Creatures thereof such motions, figures, forms, colours, perceptions, &c. as he pleases, and make Whirl-pools, Lights, Pressures, and Reactions, &c. as he thinks best; nay, he may make a World full of Veins, Muscles, and Nerves, and all these to move by one jolt or stroke: also he may alter that World as often as he pleases, or change it from a Natural World, to an Artificial; he may make a World of Ideas, a World of Atoms, a World of Lights, or whatsoever his Fancy leads him to. And since it is in your power to create such a World, What need you to venture life, reputation and tranquility, to conquer a gross material World? 

Why conquer the world, when you can just make up your own? Good advice, and a beautiful tribute to the joys of world-building. I read this book in a fancy hardcover edition from Beehive Books, lushly illustrated by Rebekka Dunlap, that is a work of art in itself. But you can read The Blazing-World for free right here.

WHAT A DEAL!
If you act now, you can subscribe to this newsletter ABSOLUTELY FREE, and get an update from me every month. There’s no set-up fee, no additional charges. You can’t afford to pass up a deal like this! Act now!

TV SHOWS I’VE WATCHED SINCE LAST TIME
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 season 6
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 season 7
Widow’s Bay
Mobile Suit Gundam

The Widow’s Bay season finale was excellent and I can’t wait for season 2.

MOVIES I’VE WATCHED SINCE LAST TIME
Project Hail Mary
Masters of the Universe
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Wuthering Heights

I liked all of these movies except Wuthering Heights. If you’re only going to adapt the first half of a book you need to figure out a way to give it a satisfying ending. Strangely, it was the second movie I’ve seen in the last year in which Jacob Elordi played an iconic character from a 19th century British novel who was much less misanthropic and violent than he was in the source material.

My favorite of this bunch was One Battle After Another but that’s gotten tons of good reviews and just won Best Picture, so you don’t need me to tell you how good it was. Still, thumbs up.

With that, we’re done once more. I hope you’re well.

Your Pal,
Leighton