Milkfed Newslet
You look nice today, .
- jelly soup demonic -
First, thanks to everyone who sent their well wishes for Matt's dad. It was kind of you to take a moment out of your day to do that and it means a lot to us. We're pretty optimistic and focusing on giving Matt's folks all the support they need/can stand. Your warm thoughts bolster us as we aim to bolster them.
On the homefront, things are crazier here than usual as I'm getting ready to go to San Diego, Matt's getting ready to go to North Carolina and the kids have camps this week. (Henry Leo caught his first fish yesterday -- a bluegil that was actually green. Tallulah is at Faerie camp. I'm not sure what she caught. Faeries, presumably. That might explain the glitter on her teeth.)
Huge thanks to Heroes Con, Christian Ward, Robert Wilson IV, Chip Zdarsky, Laurenn McCubbin, Lauren Sankovitch and Bill Sienkiewicz for making the first Milkfed panel a big success. I feel like “Who Said It: Ultron, Kanye, or Tallulah” should be a regular feature on all Milkfed panels going forward. Trying to figure out if there's a way to Skype Matt in to the Milkfed Panel at SDCC. Will let you know. (I'll be sending out an SDCC schedule next week.)
Book updates:
CAPTAIN MARVEL AND THE CAROL CORPS
I really couldn't be happier with how this book is turning out. Kelly Thompson is doing a great job as a cowriter (and tolerates things like my giving her instructions that directly contradict my previous instructions LIKE A CHAMP) and David and Lee are, as usual, superstars. Issue 3 is my favorite at the moment, but 4 is in the works and miiiight edge it out. We'll see. This'll be my last time writing Carol for the foreseeable future and as much as that kills me, this is not a bad way to go out. (It also helps that she's in great hands.)
BITCH PLANET
Okay, deep breath. The delay on Issue 4 just jacked up EVERYTHING schedule-wise and I frankly got a little paralytic depression over it as we were faced with digging our way out. This week (and last) have been gloriously productive however (!!) and two things have happened to help me feel confident about avoiding this problem going forward.
1) I started using a planning process I learned during the week I spent in an LA TV writers room last month. It's changed the way I work entirely and I think it's going to end up making me not only faster, but improving the quality of my work as well. That's a scary thing to say out loud, but BAM. I said it. (I know some of you are process nerds like me, so I promise to tell you more about this in a later email. Problem is, I'd like to include images and I can't do that right now without really problematic spoilers.)
2) We've decided to adopt the SAGA schedule model going forward. That means the book is monthly for each arc, then there's an off month, a trade collection, an off month and then the monthly schedule resumes. Val and I are aiming to be as regular and dependable as Brian and Fiona (!!), and build in time for panic attacks and life disasters (and, I dunno, maybe a vacation at some point) and not miss a beat. I'll publish a new schedule for you as soon as I have it, but bear with us as we reconfigure.
[Three things! Three things, actually, as I finished teaching and got a little over 20% of my week back. Loved my kids -- what a talented bunch! -- but boy was that a poorly-timed commitment on my part.]
Is this boring? I'm worried that this is boring for anyone not particularly interested in how the sausages get made.
Not boring: Issue Five looks spectacular even though it's utterly and completely heartbreaking. First NC megaton match. That's our team up there under the logo. (I thought I had the colors on my dropbox, but I can't find them, so you get the inks. Mea culpa. I'll make good.)
PRETTY DEADLY
Also continuing apace, also going to the SAGA schedule. I don't want to jinx anything but I'm feeling REALLY optimistic about Pretty Deadly right now. I know this book better right now than I ever have before. And even though I LOVE the first arc and remain really proud of it (did I tell you we won a bronze medal from Japan??), I think this one is better. (I am also making a conscious effort to be sure that the second arc reads just as well in singles as it does in trade.) Emma is so good that I forget it's possible for her to get better. And yet she does. I know I am given to hyperbole, but wait till you see.
Jordie and Clayton always bring it, of course. It feels so good to have the band back together again.
PARISIAN WHITE
We announced this one at Heroes Con -- me and (brace yourselves) BILL SIENKIEWICZ. We haven't 100% decided where this book is going to live yet -- talking to two different publishers about it -- so we probably ought to have kept it under wraps a bit longer, but Bill and I were giddy, we were in the same place at the same time and there was no way to have him on the panel without giving at least a hint of why. So... since we don't really know when we'll calendar this, I won't talk about it much, except to say we're not waiting for it to have a home before we work on it, and it's in active development. That up there is a "sketch" Bill did and if you like that, you should see what he calls 'playing around with logos'. Never mind the brilliant design, my heart just exploded seeing our names together.
ISLAND
"Railbirds, for Maggie Estep"
Sorting through some old paperwork this weekend, I found a card and a postcard from Maggie. The card was given to me on the occasion of my first year of sobriety and among other things, she called me "a brave little hussy." The postcard said, "long live the longshot." I miss Maggie more than I can tell you, but I tried. I tried in a prose piece called "Railbirds," that Emma Ríos illustrated for the first edition of Image Comics' Island magazine. It's going to be released on my birthday, oddly enough. I hope you like it. I hope she would have too.
TV STUFF
Many! Things! I! Can't! Talk! About! Speaking of which, I've got a TV script due on the 10th so I need to send this off and get back to it. So far, I really like writing for television and contrary to what I'd been told to expect, everyone I've had occasion to work with has been lovely and generous with their time and talents. So far, I'm into it.
SDCC
...And in today's installment of Champagne Problems: just found out the jumpsuit I ordered to wear to the Eisner's is not going to be here in time. Trying not to pout, as it was probably more money than I should have been spending anyway. But just between you and me: I'm disappointed. Also: no idea what I'm going to wear. (This is the universe getting back at me for being annoyed with the pros who wore cargo shorts and t-shirts last year... maybe.)
Misc.
If you like this newsletter, check out my three favorites: Warren Ellis, Ed Yong and Jamelle Bouie.
Octopus shoes. OCTOPUS SHOES.
- mitt friction -
And that's that.
Retailers! Thanks for reading this far. Those retailer asset drop boxes are almost ready. In addition to Sales Sheets for each of our series, pre-made Facebook banners and Apple TV images, there will also be fun things like these downloadable Satellite Sam bookmarks.
#ICYMI
Gay People Afforded Dignity and Some Semblance of Equality Under The Law! Did you see this wonderful story about Red Pegasus Comics in Dallas? How about this one about Zeus Comics? "I should have brought snacks." Milkfed loves love, y'all.
You can vote for Spike's All Access 2015 Game Changer now. You can vote for Kelly Sue and Matt as Spike's All Access 2015 Game Changer now. Heavy WHOA. Click it. Do it. It's right up there below Tatiana Maslany and Chris "velociraptor daddy" Pratt. (Holy dang.) (You don't actually have to do it.) (Whoa though. Whoa.)
Hollywood Reporter on not-to-be-missed panels at SDCC.
SALON: "Meet 'Bitch Planet,' your new 'bold, beautiful and baaaad' subversive feminist comic obsession"
Ms. Magazine Blog (!!): Meet The Writer of Bitch Planet, 2015's Most Badass Comic
Same-sex storylines in Bitch Planet on afterellen.com
Kelly Sue announced at Heroes Con last week that she's leaving Captain Marvel. Claire Napier at Comics Alliance wrote the most touching article possible about it.
Women Write About Comics: Captain Marvel and the Mother/Daughter Bond
tl;dr
July 1 - Satellite Sam #15 on sale
July 4 - Laurenn McCubbin's birthday
July 8-12 - SDCC (KS only)
July 15 - Kelly Sue's birthday
July 15 - Island #1 on sale
July 15 - Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps #2 on sale
July 15 - Hawkeye #22 on sale
July 22 - Sex Criminals #11 on sale
Aug 26 - Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps #3 on sale
Sept 4-7 - DragonCon
Sept 9 - Henry Leo's birthday
Sept 19-20 - Rose City Comic Con
Sept 23 - Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps #4 on sale
Oct 29-Nov 1 - Lucca Comics and Games Festival
Nov 11 - Lauren Sankovitch's birthday
Dec 1 - Matt's Birthday
Dec 20 - Kit's Birthday
Nov 18 - Pretty Deadly #6 on sale
Dec 23 - Pretty Deadly #7 on sale
Jan 27 - Pretty Deadly #8 on sale
Feb 21-28 - JoCo Cruise
Feb 24 - Pretty Deadly #9 on sale
Milkfed Logo by Rian Hughes.