May 2022: Free Comic Book Day and Vacay

Ocean waves and dollar comics

Jun 9, 2022

If you’ve read one of my newsletters before, you’ve probably figured out that work is my life. I’m a self-proclaimed workaholic, a fact I’m (mostly) proud of. But I have made it my goal to take better care of myself and not feel guilty about taking much-needed breaks and enjoying the hobby that got me into my career in the first place: comic books.

This month’s newsletter will still have some work-related updates, but I wanted to share a little about my personal trips, whether it was as small as going to a yard sale or as big as taking a week-long vacation. But let’s start with business!

What I’m Editing

Scout Comics

Finally, I can announce another comic I’m editing from Scout Comics, She Bites! This vampire title, revealed in the May 2022 Catalog for a July 2022 release, stars Elsie Baker. She’s a 134-year-old vampire in the body of a 9-year-old girl who's looking for a babysitter. Enter Brenda Zielinski, who may have bitten off way more than she can chew.

Live Kickstarter Campaigns

Three projects that I’ve been editing went live on Kickstarter!

Starting with an underdog (who happens to be a panda), the first issue of Battle Panda is now on Kickstarter. Created by Farhan Qureshi, who I previously worked with on Digitopia, Battle Panda is an adventure story that’s part Big Trouble in Little China and part Avatar: The Last Air Bender.

Another Kickstarter ending shortly is Turner Family Terrors 1-3: The Suburban Slayers Are Back! Having helped edit the second and third issues, I can tell you that this is a foul-mouthed horror comedy that the whole family can enjoy (if they’re all old enough to enjoy R-rated entertainment, that is). This project is described by writer Robert Krisch as “Part Scooby-Doo. Part Rick and Morty. 100% Bonkers, Adult Horror, Comedy, Fun!”

And last but certainly not least is the fourth adventure of the anthropomorphic kangaroo group called the Salty Roos! This time, the Roos are up against a bloodsucking tentacle monster. Join them for an “All You Can Eat Buffet” from creator/publisher Erick Anderson.

Also, get excited for the next installment of the fantasy series Ruination by following their upcoming campaign here.

Interviews

Kickstart the Week with Fear and Fun

Kickstart the Week with RETRIBUTION – CHAPTER 2: I DIED IN DEL RIO

This successfully funded campaign, which I also had a hand in editing, is a brutal love story with plenty of black-white and blood-soaked pages. I talked with R. Robert Garcia about how the series is “reminiscent of Spawn, Crossed, and The Crow” as well as the important topics it tackles including mental health, trauma, and suicide.

Kickstart the Week(end) with House of Fear Vol. 1 & 2

James Powell’s House of Fear is perfect for people of all ages looking for a side of horror with their standalone fantasy-adventure stories. The new volumes collect old favorites along with two never-before-read stories. This is another series that I’m a small part of, having edited the story “Rubber & Glue.” I talked to James about what to avoid when writing horror for kids as well as gathered other amazing advice when it comes to his many successful Kickstarter campaigns.

Kickstart the Week(end) with IMPOSSIBLE 2C: IMPOSSIBLE JONES & POLECAT TEAM-UP!

Industry legend Karl Kesel, well-known for his amazing contributions to DC Comics (including the creation of King Shark and the first Harley Quinn series), is one of the many people I’m lucky to work with as an editor. This super “hero” title of his stars Impossible Jones, a thief who pretends to be a superhero after getting superpowers… though some of her deeds are plenty heroic (when it helps her too, of course). This latest team-up issue sees her partner up with the more straight-laced Polecat. Karl shares plenty of his comic book wisdom along with giving us all the deets about the Impossible Jones universe.

What I’m Writing

Screen Rant

The month of May was definitely a month to spotlight the villains as news dropped about #BatmanOneBadDay, a series of 64-page one-shots featuring iconic Batman villains like Riddler and Penguin. I wrote six news stories for Screen Rant with highlights including:

Two-Face Will Decide The Future of Gotham City With One Coin-Flip: The title explains it all (what else is new when it comes to Two-Face, though?).
Mr. Freeze Flips the Logic of His Suit to Absolutely Dominate Batman: For a more unique Batman: One Bad Day concept, Mr. Freeze torments Gotham without the constraints of his containment suit.
Stranger Things Spin-Off Reveals Final Fate of Callahan & Powell: In non-DC news, Dark Horse announced a seasonal Stranger Things Summer Special spotlighting Hawkins Officers Calvin Powell and Phil Callahan.

FCBD, Yard Sale, and Vacation

May also marked another year of Free Comic Book Day (FCBD), a fun promotional event held at comic book stores every year. Various publishers put out free comics that readers can pick up at comic book shops. The shops often have sales as well to encourage supporting their store. I highly recommend attending each year (with pandemic precautions) to get some great deals and support these stores! While I normally don’t share my comic book hauls, I wanted to take the time to share some of my scores from FCBD.

The free comics I picked up from a few stores (like Comic Fusion) include:

I also got an awesome comic book box and a bunch of $1 comics from Comic Fortress. Here are just a few of the highlights from that:

I will definitely be storing my *Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows* comics in this.

Can you tell I like Batman-related comics?

I’ve been tempted to film some of these hauls and my comic collection in general since I love to talk comics (despite being camera shy). But I’m not sure how much interest there would be. So, if you’d like to see something like that, let me know in the comments. I also went to a yard sale this month where I got a ton of $2 comics that I could share.

Finally, toward the end of the month, I took a vacation. Admittedly, I still did a little work (I would probably go stir crazy if I didn’t), but I mostly relaxed and enjoyed a lot of seafood. We managed to get a place by the beach as well, so I got to enjoy the sounds of the ocean waves outside my window as I was falling asleep at night.

I also got to do one of my favorite pastimes: finding a comic shop (Phoenix Rising Games and Comics) and going dollar-bin diving. So, here’s another little haul:

I found three series I’ve been wanting to start collecting/reading!

I had a lot of fun getting out and seeing the sun (okay, I preferred the shade) this month, though I’m still encouraging pandemic precautions and personally masking up myself.

But let me know what you did for FCBD in the comments below and if you’ve been enjoying some time out in the sun (or shade)!