2023: A Road Trip to Hell Kind of a Year

Another successful year of comics, light novels, and webcomics (oh my!)

Road Trip to Hell continues to have a second life after Kickstarter in 2023 along with plenty of other comics, light novels, and webcomics that I have continued/started to edit in 2023. As always, the year had its ups and downs, but the passion of the creative teams behind these books is also a positive. I’m looking forward to sharing my work from the past year below with all of you. I hope you’ll consider checking some of these worthwhile series out!

Writing Highlights

Road Trip to Hell

Scout quickly put out the first story arc of my comic book series Road Trip to Hell #1-3, which went over well enough for them to also put out a second printing of the first issue with an alternate colored version of my first Kickstarter cover. The trade also had a limited release. My synopsis for the series, which I like to call the “ultimate nature vs. nurture” story, is:

A dark comedy filled with action, adventure, and the worst the world had to offer, Road Trip to Hell follows Francis Rhoades, a young man who can see horrible things in a person's future just by touching them. His life has been full of hardship, but things get even worse when the demon Baphomet informs him that his father is Satan, and he's been destroyed. Now, Francis has been designated the new king of Hell. The catch? All the damned have escaped from Hell, and if one of them can kill Francis before he can reach the netherworld himself, they will become the new leader of Hell! With the help of his sister Star and his literal guardian angel Joan of Arc, Francis needs to survive his trip to hell... hopefully without losing his own soul in the process!

Various Road Trip to Hell merchandise was also made available on Scout’s website, including t-shirts featuring some of my favorite interior art moments from the comic (illustrated by Monika Maccagni with colors by Joaquin Pereyra), hoodies with the Road Trip to Hell logos that were revamped for the Scout release by Jacob Bascle, glasses featuring Zoe Stanley’s adorable chibi interpretations of Road Trip to Hell characters, and a coffee mug with Baphomet chilling on the coach from the first issue!

Editing Highlights

Band of Bards

• Reluctant Hero (Writer/Artist: Alexandra McCarthy): Band of Bards’ first manga released its first chapter on GlobalComix in 2023. Reluctant Hero is a psychological slice-of-life story with a fun style and dark undertones. The expected and unexpected struggles of college life are explored through the eyes of three students, freshman film student Asta, a big fan of superhero movies who struggles to make friends; her best friend Lola, a sophomore buried by her psychology coursework; and a potential new friend, fellow freshman Mallory.

• Sentience (Writer Elyse Russell/Artist Dany Rivera): This American light novel is now available on the BardShop after successfully being funded on Zoop. The 200+ page novel follows a clockwork android who faces moral choices for the first time in her life. It’s perfect for fans of movies like Ex Machina and Mortal Engines, book series like The Dark Tower, and comics/manga like Monstress and Claymore.

J-Novel

• Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig (Writer: Takuma Sakai): This series was announced at the tail-end of 2023. I started my editing with the second volume of this light novel series and the first volume of the manga, an isekai about an otaku who passes out after eating a raw pig liver and wakes up in a fantasy world. Now trapped in the body of a pig, he teams up with the telepathic maiden, Jess, to hopefully survive this dark fantasy world!

• Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower (Writer Miri Mikawa): This light novel was my first assignment at J-Novel, and everything came full circle in 2023 when I finished the final volumes of the series, 9 to 11. It’s a China-inspired fantasy story with plenty of gorgeous men and, more importantly, food!

Scout Comics

I’ve continued working on several series that I highlighted last year as well as a few new series that are still in the process of being released, including:

• By the Horns: Dark Earth #7-12 (Writer Markisan Naso/Artist Jason Muhr/Colorist Steve Canon): This ongoing fantasy title put out the second half of its “Dark Earth” arc in 2023. Journey with Elodie and friends as they try to bring magic back to Solothus—but they’ve made plenty of enemies along the way who aren’t planning on making this easy for them!

• Comic Books Kill #1 (Writer Shane Berryhill/Artist Hoyt Silva/Letterer Micah Myers): This crime noir, set in 1939 in New York, follows Golden Age Comics creator Jack Levi. He falls for his mob boss publisher’s femme fatale mistress, which is certain to turn into a recipe for success. If he doesn’t wind up dead first! (This is a part of Scout’s NONSTOP! imprint, meaning this will be the only single issue released, then the trade will come out. The trade is still TBA.)

• Howie the Hellhound #1 (Writer Jared Prestwidge/Artist Carlos Trigo/Colorist: Simon Robins/Letterer Lucas Gattoni): This supernatural dramedy will make you want to pet the titular hellhound! Howie, a Hellhound of Satan, finds himself in New York City and bonds with Louise, a struggling actress. However, they find themselves up against the forces of Hell who want to drag Howie back.

• Impossible Team-Up: Impossible Jones and Captain Lightning #1 (Writer Karl Kesel/Artist David Hahn): In this standalone one-shot, Impossible Jones teams up with Captain Lightning. Let’s see if she can survive his lack of a sense of humor! The special also features a crossover with investigators of the unknown, Section Zero. Wait, they’re real?!

• MOM Breaks the Internet #1-2 (Writer Jay Sandlin/Artist Patrick Mulholland/Colorist Adriano Augusto/Letterer Cynna Ael): This political thriller centers around Barbie Reed’s family and her friends—a group of moms whose combined talents take over the Internet in the hopes of creating a better world! This mini-series delves into many important, relevant, and scarily relatable topics.

• Sartorial Geek #4 (Main Editors/Creators Jordan Ellis and Liz Crowder Serota, Various Contributors): This geeky magazine spotlights both fashion and nerdom. Cartoonist, editor, and professor Steenz, gives a detailed interview in this issue about their work in the industry and shares advice for aspiring creators. Other articles discuss an iconic comic book character’s fashion and webcomics that made it to the big screen.

• She Bites Volume 1 (Writer Hedwig Hale/Artist Alberto Hernandez R.): Collecting the first arc of this dark comedy (#1-3), She Bites is about Elsie Baker, a 134-year-old vampire stuck in her nine-year-old body. But she can finally live a little after getting a babysitter. Now if only she could just stop biting people…

In my role as the Director of Digital Content at Scout Comics, we partnered with a new digital platform that launched in 2023, Omnibus. Now, Scout’s titles are being offered there digitally, in addition to Amazon/comiXology, Hoopla, and Comic Plus.

Tapas Media

• Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora/Artist Saza): The second season of the romance/drama continued the roller coaster of emotions from the previous season. Tommy continues her relationship with the famous singer, Keith, but as their relationship develops, so do their problems. It doesn’t help that Tommy is still living with her ex and Keith has a few skeletons in his closet. In this story about relationships, struggles, and moving on, nothing is what it seems...

• North & East (Writer Matcha/Artist Hara): I joined as an editor on the love story between North and East, beginning with their third season (“49. A New Chapter”). Their romance was a long time coming as they pretended to be together in middle school to avoid being chased by girls but then found each other again in college, which is when their true love story began. The series is currently on a break with more drama to come!

• Thirst (Creator Asami): The third season of Thirst, one of Tapas Media’s BL (Boys’ Love) webcomics, returned with a bang! Featuring a romance between half-vampire/star actor Ethan Blackwell and his co-star Tristan Monroe, plenty of sparks have flown between the two in the past. But this season, the two must face ever-mounting threats to their relationship and their very lives, from a dangerous organization to familiar faces from their past. After a break, new episodes are currently being released every Tuesday.

• Villainess' Reprisal Boutique (Kisai Entertainment): This romance/fantasy webcomic about Allena, the daughter of a villainess who is trying to prove her mother’s innocence, ended its first season in 2023. Will one of the men vying for our heroine’s attention finally make a move and risk it all?

Independent Projects

2023 marked another year of working with a variety of independent creators this year, editing stories featuring everything from a foul-mouthed family of monster hunters to a book on poetry of all things! Get a glimpse of everything below:

Bloom Pretty: Forget Me Not #1 (Zheanhmart Cover)

• Battle Panda #1-2 (Writer Farhan Qureshi/#2 Co-Writer Melissa J Massey/Artist Carlos Angeli/Colorist Warnia Sahadewa/Letterer Justin Birch): Battle Panda is a fun team adventure story appropriate for all ages about a group of anthropomorphic characters on a journey to defeat the “Monster.” It’s Avatar the Last Airbender meets Big Trouble in Little China.

• Bloom Pretty: Forget Me Not #1 (Writer Lisa Fowler/Artist Carola Borelli): The first issue in a multipart story arc in the world of Bloom Pretty, this follow-up to Last Ember Press’ most successful Kickstarter focuses on a tale of vengeance filled with fantasy and action. The campaign ends on November 29.

• Digitopia #3 (Writer Farhan Qureshi, Artist Sebastián Píriz, Colorist/Letterer Simon Robins): A pre-apocalyptic action-packed comic book series that was recently collected for the first time in graphic novel format, Digitopia is described as Matrix meets Running Man.

• Glarien of White Ash #3 (Writer Charlie Stickeny/Artist Romina Moranelli): This mature fantasy series is a spin-off from White Ash that tells the story of the deadliest elf, Glarien. Combining fantasy with 1970s NYC, this series has been called Red Sonja meets Taxi Driver with Elves and Demons!

• How I Slept My Way Through College and Other Tales from Freshman Year #2 (Writer Charlie Stickney/Artist Emiliana Pinna/Colorist Dearbhla Kelly/Letterer Conor Hughes): More colloquially known as HISMWTC, this series is described as “House of Cards having a three-way with How To Get Away With Murder and The Girlfriend Experience.” HISMWTC is about a college freshman who discovers a high-end escort service run by a professor using students as call girls.

Ruination Vol. 1 Softcover (Kath Lobo Cover)

• Retribution #3 (Writer R.Robert Garcia/Guest Writer Reynaldo Garza/Artists Scott Oakley & Giulia Gualazzi): Not for the faint of heart, Retribution is a psychological series dealing with the dark aspects of love and vengeance, inspired by the likes of Spawn, Crossed, and The Crow. It’s a no-holds-barred black-and-white comic book mini-series with bloodbaths of red.

• Ruination Volume 1 (Writer Ryan Bis/#5-6 Artist Sarah Fletcher/One-Shot Artist Elisabeth Mkheidze/#1-4 Artist Giulia Lalli/Colorist Kaytee Brown/Letterer Matías Zanetti): The first trade for the fantasy adventure comic book series Ruination. Soldiers from different sides walking extraordinarily different paths in life must fight together to obtain magic crystals and journey through portals to strange post-apocalyptic worlds. The trade is a whopping 300 pages, collecting Ruination #1-6, the one-shot story Tales of Ruination #1, as well as a bunch of supplemental pages that are well worth the price of admission.

• Territory #1-4 (Writer Blake McCarthy/Artist Donny Hadiwidjaja/Colorist Ichsan Ansori/Letterer Marco Della Verde): The post-apocalyptic kaiju epic continues, introducing a new tribe. Taking place in a far distant Pacific Northwest of the United States, the various tribes in this new world order worship Behemoths (this comic’s kaiju) as gods. Think Horizon Zero Dawn meets Godzilla.

• Turner Family Terrors #1-4 (Writer/Letterer Robert Krisch, Artist Aleksandar Bozic Ske, Co-Editor Christopher Angel): This mature series follows a foul-mouthed family of monster slayers trying to save the world—but they’re much more likely to doom it instead! This finale will see if doom and gloom prevail. It’s perfect for fans of The Boys, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Cocaine Bear, and Monster Squad (to name just a few).

• The Poetry of Loss: Romantic and Contemporary Elegies (Writer Judith Harris): I was the (uncredited) editor for this scholarly work, published by Routledge. It analyzes the literature of loss through elegy written by prolific poets like Wordsworth, Keats, and Plath and developing psychoanalytic concepts about the poetics of loss.

Interview Highlights

Kickstart the Week

I’ve continued the “Kickstart the Week” interview series on Comic Frontline in which I interview Kickstarter creators and their creative teams while their Kickstarters are still live to promote their project. However, these interviews have dwindled down to only requests that I take when I’m readily available. Sadly, that’s becoming less and less likely to happen, but I’m still trying to continue this series on a limited basis. In 2023, I posted four interviews, including:

• Kickstart the Week(end) with Voyage: An authentic Sci-fi comic following the beginning tale of Sonderon, an intergalactic space explorer!: I spoke with the creator/writer of this anthology, which is perfect for sci-fi fans looking for an out-of-this-world adventure.

• Kickstart the Week(end) with ONE-SHOT: A Chaotic Fantasy Adventure: I interviewed the writer and artist of this one-shot, which is billed as D&D meets The Suicide Squad.

• Kickstart the Week(end) with Amelia Sky #1-4: A Sci-fi Horror Comic: I interviewed two essential figures in this comic’s creative team, one of the first indie comics that I worked on! It’s been many moons since then, but it’s been interesting to see how this ongoing sci-horror series has grown from afar, fully investing in its post-apocalyptic setting.

• Kickstart the Week(end) with Everyday Fears: A Slice-of-life Horror Comic Anthology: I interviewed the creator/writer of these six horror shorts that blend horror and comedy in a slice-of-life approach to the paranormal.

A few of these projects had successful relaunches, so I just included those brief updates within those pieces. It just goes to show how a failed campaign can lead to an infinitely more successful one, so it’s important not to give up! Adapt and try again!

Being Interviewed/Appearances

I tabled once again at Comic Fusion’s Free Comic Book Day event. I also talked more than I ever have before in 2023 about not just Road Trip to Hell but also the many other series I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of! A huge thank you to all of the interviewers who took the time to speak with me and helped give me more confidence in front of the camera. Don’t get me wrong, I still get nervous every time I have an interview, but I feel like I learn something new about the interview process and myself each time I do one of these. If you’d like to enjoy some of our past discussions, here’s a complete list of all the interviews I did in 2023:

• A Road Trip to Hell with Nicole D’Andria Comic Converse with Jordan Claes: We discussed everything from Road Trip to Hell to my grandmother to an impromptu game of Heaven or Hell Celebrity Edition

• ROAD TRIP TO HELL - MY INTERVIEW WITH NICOLE D’ANDRIA with Comic Book and Movie Reviews: Everything comes full circle as I’m interviewed by David Andrews, who was the very first person to interview me waaaaay back in 2012!

• Indie Comics Talk with the By The Horns Creative Team on You Promise Me Comics: Alongside the entire creative team of By the Horns—writer Markisan Naso, artist/letterer Jason Muhr, and colorist Steve Canon—we got to talk about the fantastical ongoing series.

• Ruminating and Ruinating with the Creatives of Ruination with Blake’s Buzz: Another fantastical series that I’ve been editing, Ruination, also had a creative team interview featuring creator/writer Ryan Bis, artist, Sarah Fletcher, and colorist Kaytee Brown.

• Ryan Bis, Kaytee Brown, and Nicole D'Andria talk Ruination on Cryptid Creator Corner from Comic Book Yeti: I appeared again as part of a Ruination interview alongside Ryan Bis and Kaytee Brown.

• Interview w/ "By The Horns" Team - Markisan Naso, Steve Canon & Nicole D'Andria - The Comic Press on Nerd Initiative: I did another interview alongside creator/writer Markisan Naso and colorist Steve Canon. We had another in-depth chat about By the Horns.

• Comic Book Editing Process & Road Trip to Hell / Interview w Nicole D'Andria from Scout Comics on Nerd Initiative: I reappeared on the Nerd Initiative, this time solo to discuss Road Trip to Hell and my nerd origin story, among other things!

I was also very honored to be on the “Favorite Editors” list in the 2023 Grantie™ Awards (aka Grant Stoye)!

Plans for 2024

Here’s to a new year that’s already flying by! A goal of mine for this year really needs to be getting back to writing Road Trip to Hell. The first arc has gotten a second life at Scout Comics, and I’ve received very encouraging words from friends and fans to keep going. I hope to take that momentum and delve deeper into writing the next arc. Please bear with me as I get reacquainted with the characters, who I’ve been neglecting for too long!

I’m also hoping to finally dip my toe back into comic conventions in 2024 with my first scheduled appearance being on April 13th at the Lehigh Valley Comic Con. It feels like another full circle moment since this was a convention I used to go to pretty regularly when I first started collecting comics. They’re expanding to a much larger location, so I’m looking forward to not only tabling but also expanding my own comic book collection. I hope to see you there and share more announcements with you all soon!