January-April 2024: A Rootastic Few Months

A Reluctant Hero and Directional Romance Returns Along with New Projects!

This recap is turning into a seasonal celebration! I hope everyone’s 2024 has been off to a wonderful start. I’ve certainly been keeping busy, between slowly working on the next arc for Road Trip to Hell, writing new adventures of the Salty Roos, and attending my first comic con since pre-pandemic. Along with editing just a few things. Enjoy plenty of rootastic updates below!

Conventions

Lehigh Valley Comic Con

Having not been to a comic convention since pre-pandemic, Lehigh Valley Comic Con was the perfect convention to get my feet wet again. I had a lot of fun conversations about Road Trip to Hell and Miraculous, as well as writing and editing in general. It was fun to geek out for a day and indulge in my nostalgia away from the booth by picking up some Sonic the Hedgehog comic books (my ultimate weakness). Thank you to everyone who stopped by the table to chat (and shout out to those who signed up to join this newsletter)!

I don’t have another convention planned at the moment, but I’m looking into a few options. I will also be tabling on Free Comic Book Day (May 4) at Comic Fusion.

Interviews

Instagram Live for the First Time!

I did my very first Instagram live interview with R.Robert Garcia (@cheesycomicsshop). We chatted about Road Trip to Hell, Kickstarters, and my editing process…especially regarding Rob’s own comic, Retribution, which I’ve been editing since the beginning. I can tell you right now: it’s not for the faint of heart. Enjoy our banter below, which includes a weird tangent about my questionable TV-watching decisions:

cheesycomicsshop

A post shared by @cheesycomicsshop

What I’m Writing

Road Trip to Hell Rides into Digital Platforms While the Next Arc Develops

Part of my job as the Director of Digital Content at Scout Comics is getting their latest comics on digital platforms, which includes Road Trip to Hell. The first story arc is now available digitally on Amazon/comiXology, Hoopla, Comic Plus, and Omnibus.

In terms of Road Trip to Hell’s future, I’ve been working on the scripts for the next arc. If you’ve read the third issue, then you already know the two big bads who will be working together to bring down our merry little band of protagonists. The fourth issue’s script is nearly completed, barring final edits (shoutout to my Scout Editor, Andrea Lorenzo Molinari). However, my plan is to finish the scripts for the entire second arc (#4-#6) before starting on artwork. I appreciate all of you for your patience while I slowly work on the next arc of this ultimate battle between nature and nurture.

Adventuring with the Salty Roos: Slaying Vampires, Going to Outer Space, and Taking a Ride with the Jersey Devil

One of the other fun ways I’ve been able to flex my writing muscles is the action-packed and quip-filled Salty Roos series. It follows three anthropomorphic kangaroos and their friend Piper as they compete in extreme sports, solve mysteries, and battle the unknown. Think Scooby-Doo meets Rocket Power.

While I’ve been editing the comic book since the beginning, I’ve gotten the opportunity to write several issues under the guidance of creator Erick Anderson. Most of these stories are now available on Indy Planet. The adventures I’ve written so far (with a fun art style by Diego Toro and vibrant colors by Kóte Carvajal complemented with letters by Cristian Docolomansky) include:

• Salty Roos #6, “Vampire Panic”: After the passing of her grandfather, Piper and the Roos travel to the Vampire Capital of the World, Exeter, Rhode Island, to celebrate his life and pay their respects. However, women are going missing in Exeter, and rumor has it that vampires are behind the disappearances! What connection does this have to Piper’s grandfather? Find out more about Piper’s past than ever before!

• Salty Roos #7, “Beyond Space”: The Roos find themselves on an out-of-this-world adventure! With the entire world at risk from an unknown extraterrestrial threat, it’s up to the Salty Roos to travel to space with the help of the United States Space Force. With the help of an unlikely ally, can the Roos survive an alien bar brawl and a space chase to end all space chases?

• Salty Roos #9, “Moonbat from Hell”: The Salty Roos unexpectedly stumble upon the enigmatic Uncle Willie’s Odditorium, also known as the tourist trap from hell. When a bunch of snot-nosed punks pull off a weirdo theft, the Roos poke their noses where they don’t belong, initiating a thrilling chase sequence that culminates in a face-to-face encounter with a renowned creature of legend—the Jersey Devil. This adversary may be the deadliest (and snarkiest) opponent the Roos have ever faced.

Kickstarters are planned for not only these stories but also future issues that I’ve either written or edited, so consider following Erick on Kickstarter to not miss out on all the rootastic tales.

What I’m Editing

Band of Bards

The first UK manga I’ve edited, Reluctant Hero, released its second chapter on GlobalComix. This psychological slice-of-life story is a one-woman show created by Alexandra McCarthy. It follows the lives of three college girls: Asta, an incoming insecure film student who loves superhero stories; Lola, her childhood friend and psychology major; and Mallory, Asta’s buddy in the Martial Arts Society who’s as obsessed with superheroes as Asta is! Unfortunately, their budding friendship has some red flags and continues to strain Asta and Lola’s friendship.

The story explores themes like friendship & loyalty, self-discovery, and growing up. I highly recommend fans of Cruel Intentions, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and The Craft check it out! Rapid Fire Reviews also did an in-depth review of Chapters 1 & 2 if you want someone besides the editor to sell it to you:

Reluctant Hero Chapters 1 & 2 - Band of Bards

J-Novel

As mentioned in my November/December 2023 newsletter, it was announced at AnimeNYC 2023 that J-Novel would be translating the light novel and manga series for Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig (written by Takuma Sakai and translated by Zihan Gao) into English. Passing out after eating raw pig liver in modern-day Japan, a man wakes up in a fantasy world as a pig! He quickly falls for Jess, a telepathic girl who is part of a race known as Yethma, vowing to protect the beautiful maiden at all costs—and there is plenty to protect her from in this fantastical new world!

I’ve been editing the light novel since the second volume, now available on various digital platforms, including Kindle. It’s deceptively light-hearted (in a good way) thanks to its comedic edge and ecchi moments, but this series evolves into so much more as it takes a trip down dark fantasy road. I think this was perfectly put into words by Frog-kun, who wrote a 2,700+ word essay about the themes explored in the series!

I didn’t have the opportunity to edit the first volume of the light novel, but I’m getting a chance to do so by editing the manga series (my first time editing a translated manga), which has been adapting the light novel’s first volume! The first volume of the manga is now available on Kindle.

If you don’t take anything else from this newsletter, remember this: always cook your pig liver before eating it!

Tapas

Currently, two of the webcomics I’m editing for Tapas are released on a biweekly and weekly basis respectively.

• North & East (Writer Matcha Monster, Artist Hara): The third season of North & East continues! A free “Character Index” was released in anticipation of the upcoming episodes so new and returning readers can get caught up on the story through the various journeys of the characters up until this point. The romance between North & East is official, but that doesn’t mean the drama stops! Episode 60, “Emerald Eyes,” marks the proper return of the series. New episodes drop every two weeks on Mondays.

• Thirst (Creator Asami): Thirst’s third season has been releasing new episodes every Tuesday since December. It’s currently up to Episode 76, “Give and Take.” The romance between half-vampire/star actor Ethan Blackwell and his co-star, vampire hunter Tristan Monroe, created plenty of drama throughout the last couple of seasons. However, this season the two will face threats from their past, which come in several surprising forms…

Independent Projects

Four of the projects that I edited successfully completed their campaigns on Kickstarter!

• Ruination #7-9 (Writer Ryan Bis, Artist Sarah Fletcher, Colorist Kaytee Brown, Letterer Matías Zanetti, Cover Artist Rio Burton): The first half of this fantasy adventure series’s second arc, Ruination #7-9 continues the journey of a group of very different soldiers who have been fighting on opposites sides for a long time. However, they must work together to stop their world from destroying…again. The group explores multiple seemingly far-off post-apocalyptic worlds while navigating the tension between each other. Thanks to 234 backers, they successfully raised $8,712.

• White Ash #1-7 (Writer Charlie Stickney, Artist/Letter Conor Hughes, Colorist Fin Cramb): Working as an editor on White Ash as of Chapter 5, this urban fantasy series welcomes you to the small titular town of White Ash. Enjoy its many hidden secrets—which I won’t spoil for you because you can check out the entire 52-page first issue that Charlie is offering for free. I will tease that it’s a great series for fans of Supernatural, Twin Peaks, and Lord of the Rings. 841 backers pledged $26,158, making for another successful campaign.

• The Last Ember: Hunted #1 Lenticular Cover (Writer/Creator Brant Fowler, Artist Federico Sabbatini, Colorist Andrea Celestini, Letterer Rob Leigh): This issue returned to Kickstarter specifically for a special Lenticular Cover never offered before and limited to 100 copies. This is publisher Last Ember Press’s flagship urban fantasy and mythology title about Ember Madison, a teenager who is unaware that in addition to the drama of high school, she’s also going to be dealing with the fact that she’s the last of the fire goddesses incarnate. 130 backers pledged $4,849 to make this Lenticular Cover a reality.

• Digitopia: The Graphic Novel Event (Writer Farhan Qureshi, Artist Sebastián Píriz, Colorist/Letterer Simon Robins): I came on to this pre-apocalyptic action-packed comic book series late, only editing the final issue. But it was recently collected for the first time in graphic novel format. It’s described as Matrix meets Running Man. This UK-based project successfully raised £2,608 thanks to 107 backers. I’m currently working with Farhan on his other series, Battle Panda.

Who I’m Interviewing

Kickstart the Week(end) with Thistle #1

This “Kickstart the Week” showcases the Kickstarter for Thistle #1, a dystopian fantasy following the titular Thistle (full name Tistlelandalon). He is an elf ranger on a quest for revenge against the Necromancer who commanded the undead horde that annihilated the kingdoms of the humans and the elves. The story takes the unconventional approach of starting after the war is lost, with one final effort being made to get a happy ending. I spoke with the entire creative team, including creator/writer J.L. Collins, artist J. Schiek, colorist Warnia K. Sahadewa, and letterer/editor Leland Bjerg, about their series (and learned more about their D&D identities).

The Witchy Season Has Come Early

I know I’m cheating a bit here since Legend of the Dog Witch launched on May 1st; however, since the Kickstarter campaign will be over by the next time I release a newsletter, I want to promote it now! This is a 60-page graphic novel that I edited for creators Minerva Fox and Grant Stoye about a witch and her demonic familiar trying to solve murders in a college town. There are exorcisms, there’s coffee, and most importantly: there’s a literate dog! Please help them reach their $20,000 goal!!!

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