010: Dirty-Eight
Greetings! September was a horribly busy month, so this newsletter will be shorter than usual. Highlights of the month included a new dishwasher, a John Mulaney show (with the great Langston Kerman opening), the Naples Grape Festival (where I scored a coffee maker at a church rummage sale for $7), and a 38th birthday. It was a low-key event, which is how I like it. My incredible sweetie surprised me with a truly considerate gift that we can both enjoy—the Japanese Sound of Music poster I’ve been drooling over since I saw it at the Lodge two summers ago. Look at this thing:
I also got Supersonic, an oral history of Oasis via uncut interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher. I haven’t been to any of the concerts on the reunion tour—I figured the band would break up again before they got within 300 miles of me, but I guess that hasn’t happened, and I’ve heard the shows are incredible. This bit in the middle cracked me up:
Sound Effect of the Month:
Q&A: Hi Clayton, Could you speak to your experience revising the lettering of a series when it is collected for trade paperback or hardcover? How common is it for writers to request amendments to the text? How does the process of revision vary between projects and publishers?
A: So, lucky for me, this doesn’t happen with every one of my trades. My Big 2 books are fully finished once the monthly issues are sent to press, and since each issue is read by so many people and planned so far in advance, it takes a lot for something to be changed for the trade.
Creator-owned books, however, will sometimes have a batch of notes for trades. The writer and artist (and sometimes editor) will look at the full collected volume before sending it to press, and if anything pops up, they’ll send me a PDF of notes to look over. Usually it’s to correct a typo or two, or to fix a continuity issue. Sometimes it’s a minor retcon, sometimes something just got overlooked, sometimes there’s a minor mischaracterization of a person or phrase that needs to be ironed out.
But that’s okay! My collaborators are very considerate people, and they never send me any notes that feel arbitrary. Besides, I think this is just the nature of creating long-form narrative art. After all, The Hobbit was revised more than once after The Lord of the Rings was published to get it in line with the world-building that came later. True fact: Bilbo’s ring didn’t start off as the One Ring!
And hey, once in a while, I’ll insist on making trade changes myself. I’ll see a broken tail or misshapen word balloon, or I’ll notice inconsistent caption formats between issues, or maybe I just plain won’t like something I did and think it can be done better. Trades have a long shelf life, and I think the extra spit-and-polish is worth it.
But none of it’s ever a burden.
Community:
Indie editor extraordinaire Michele Abounader is co-running another crowd-funded anthology, this time tied into the TV show The Comic Shop. Friends Chris Robinson and Jodie Troutman are both contributing—give it a look!
The Goats Flying Press Second Anniversary Campaign launched yesterday! The Consumption looks pretty good—and GROSS!
Recommendations:
Comic: Ginseng Roots. I expected this one to be good (it’s Craig Thompson, after all), but I didn’t expect it to be one of the best books I’ve ever read of any kind. Who knew ginseng was so interesting? Who knew it could be grown in Wisconsin? Who knew a man with hand trouble could draw such immaculate, richly-detailed pages? Seriously, every page is a feast for the eyes. I can’t recommend it enough. NOTE: If you haven’t read Blankets, read that first—Ginseng Roots is a soft sequel.
Non-comic: Hiroshi Yoshida. ‘Nuff said, just Google it. I’m strapped for time. Here’s my favorite print of his:
Stuff With My Name In It (October 2025):
10/1:
Batman #2
Birds of Prey #26
Carnage Modern Era Epic Collection: Carnage U.S.A. TP
Predator vs. Spider-Man TP
Star Trek vol. 5: When the Walls Fell TP
Star Wars #6
Venom #250
X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1
X-Men: The Undertow #1
10/6:
Astonishing X-Men Infinity #39
10/8:
Absolute Batman #13
Amazing X-Men #1
The Power Fantasy #12
Predator: The Theta Saga TP
Star Trek: Lower Decks #12
10/13:
Astonishing X-Men Infinity #40
10/15:
Batman & Robin: Year One #12
Batman: Black & White Compendium TP
Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider Modern Era Epic Collection – Gwenom TP
Unbreakable X-Men #1
Weapon X-Men: The Real Thing TP
Wonder Woman #26
10/20:
Astonishing X-Men Infinity #41
10:22:
Predator Kills the Marvel Universe #3
Predator: Black, White & Blood #4
Star Wars: Jedi Knights #8
X-Men: Book of Revelation #1
10/27
Astonishing X-Men Infinity #42
10/29:
Absolute Batman Annual 2025 #1
Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories - Elspeth #2
Superman Red & Blue 2025 Special #1 (Abnett/Yarsky story)
Venom: Black, White & Blood #3
And finally, the cat photo:
And now to return my attention to my eleven books going to press this week. Ugh. If you’re attending, have fun at New York Comic Con!
If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future edition, ask away in the comments section!