March/April 2023: 'Road Trip' to Hell Merch and More
March/April 2023: 'Road Trip' to Hell Merch and More
My baby (aka 'Road Trip to Hell') had plenty of announcements
My baby (aka my creator-owned series Road Trip to Hell) had plenty of announcements throughout March and April, which I’m excited to detail below. Along with plenty of other updates on the projects I’m editing, from a new webcomic season to the highly anticipated return of By the Horns.
Road Trip to Hell Announcements
Comic Book and Movie Reviews and We Have Issues Coverage
Things have gone full circle! David Andrews of Comic Book and Movie Reviews, who was the first person to ever interview me (way back in 2012 when I was a comic book reviewer), promoted Road Trip to Hell with this sweet preview video:
This was created partly to hype up his written interview with me, in which I talk about the inspiration behind Road Trip to Hell, what song best describes the series, and more. He followed up by posting a preview of the book here.
The We Have Issues podcast also talked about Road Trip to Hell again, briefly mentioning the second issue this time in their 114th episode (at 42:08 if you want to get particular). Their enthusiasm is still infectious!
The second printing of Road Trip to Hell #1 is out now
I’m very excited that the second printing of Road Trip to Hell #1 has officially come out in comic book stores! If you missed the first issue (or just wanted this sweet variation on the original Kickstarter cover), please consider ordering it via Previewsworld, Lunar, or the Scout Comics website. For new readers (or those wanting a reminder), here’s a synopsis of the first issue:
Francis Rhoades has had a life full of hardship, but things get even worse when he learns that his father is Satan himself. Now aware of his heritage, Francis quickly discovers his father has died-and named him the new king of Hell! The catch? All the damned have escaped from Hell. If one of them can kill Francis before he can reach the netherworld himself, that soul will become the new leader of Hell! With the demonic legions in pursuit, Francis will need to rely on his own special power to survive...along with an angelic ally sent by God themself!
The first story arc of Road Trip to Hell concludes
The third and final issue of the first story arc for Road Trip to Hell is now available in comic shops as well! Please consider completing your set of Road Trip to Hell Scout covers by going to the Road Trip to Hell collection on the Scout Comics website. Framed metal printer plates of Road Trip to Hell #3 (Cover A) are also available there (while they last!).
I’m working on the script for the next arc, so stay tuned for more!
Road Trip to Hell merch: Get your t-shirts and hoodies
In the meantime, new t-shirts and hoodies for Road Trip to Hell are now available directly on the Scout Comics website! I worked directly with my Scout contact to pick and choose some of my favorite images for the t-shirts, and I’m really excited by how they all turned out. If there is a particular image from the comic that grabs you or if you’re interested in a different type of merch, please feel free to comment, and I may be able to look into getting it created!
What I’m Editing
Scout Comics
By the Horns has been receiving a ton of coverage since the second part of the “Dark Earth” arc recently started. Join Elodie and the gang as they continue their journey across the fantastical continent of Solothus to stop the dark blight ravaging their homeland. Issue #7 in particular delves deeply into the character of Evelyn (aka the giant gloating eyeball) and is filled with glorious splash pages that you don’t want to miss!
The whole team got together to discuss the series on You Promised Me Comics, which you can check out below:
She Bites, a vampire mini-series with a mature sense of humor, was also collected in this sleek-looking volume:
For context, the series is about Elsie Baker, a 134-year-old vampire who finds it difficult to get smokes when she’s forever stuck as a 9-year-old little girl. So, she gets a human babysitter, Brenda Zielinski, to help her out. Cue hilarious misadventures (and murder!).
I’ve also been hard at work as Scout’s the Director of Digital Content, getting a lot of their backlist titles (as well as their latest #1s) on Comic Plus, Hoopla, and Amazon (aka comiXology). Now, we’ve added a new digital platform to our list, which just launched: Omnibus!
Tapas
North & East: I’ve 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. New episodes come out every two weeks on Mondays!
Villainess' Reprisal Boutique: I’ve also continued my work on the romance/fantasy series about Allena, the daughter of a villainess who is trying to prove her mother’s innocence. Cue a love triangle between two princes, which amps up in the latest episodes of the series! New episodes release every Tuesday.
Comedown Machine: One of the Tapas series I’ve been with the longest, this romance/drama offers plenty of both. Plus, enjoy original music in one of the latest episodes (“81. I’ll play this song for you”). Enjoy the heartache when new episodes release on Fridays!
J-Novel
The light novel series I edit, Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, recently released its ninth ebook. We continue to follow Rimi and unravel a tangled web of emotions amidst a broken love triangle and post-kidnapping.
Independent Projects
A couple of the indie projects that I’ve edited were recently on Kickstarter!
Retribution #3: 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.
Battle Panda #1-2: In a very different vein, Battle Panda is a fun team adventure story appropriate for all ages. A group of anthropomorphic characters go on a journey to defeat the “Monster.” Think Avatar the Last Airbender meets Big Trouble in Little China. Creator Farhan Qureshi even dropped a trailer to promote the series:
The comic has already met its Kickstarter goal, and the campaign will continue until May 29th, so please consider backing it by using this link to check out the project.
One of the other series that I’ve been editing for a while now, Ruination, is a fantasy/adventure series with a rag-tag team coming together from opposing sides to discover out-of-this-world powers along with far-off post-apocalyptic worlds. Each issue has been successfully funded on Kickstarter, and to promote their upcoming campaign for their first arc’s softcover/hardcover, the whole team chatted on Blake’s Buzz (which I was all too happy to do since I’ve previously talked with Blake along with the By the Horns team):
Appreciatively Yours
I appreciate everyone who continues to read my newsletter and take a peak at some of the geeky projects I’ve been working on. It gives me so much pride to be able to edit so many books from passionate creative teams who respect the craft. I’ve also never felt more invigorated about Road Trip to Hell thanks to the many announcements I’ve been able to share as well as Free Comic Book Day (which I’ll talk more about in my next update!). Thank you all for your support, and take care!