May-August 2024: Learn more about three anthropomorphic kangaroos, Pots & Panels...

...and a piggy protagonist too!

The further into the year we get, the faster it seems to go by! I hope everyone’s summer has been going well. I’ve been doing some writing and plenty of editing.

Let’s kick this seasonal update off with Free Comic Book Day! I always enjoy spending FCBD at Comic Fusion and set up with my usual stack of Road Trip to Hell and Miraculous merch. It was a fun time, as always, and I made a few new connections that I hope are reading this newsletter now! I appreciate all of the support that everyone who came by gave me, whether you bought something, joined the newsletter, or just stopped by to say hi.

In other news, I was added to Anthony Pollock’s Creators Directory, which provides free promotion for “Weird Creators” and features everyone from authors to voice actors. You can check out my page here or find your new favorite creator through the complete directory.

Interviews

Your Next Favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon in Comic Book Form, the Salty Roos comic book series (available on Indy Planet), is over nine issues strong. I’ve been editing the comics for years and also had the honor of writing a few issues. A trio of anthropomorphic kangaroos, the Salty Roos, along with their human friend Piper, solve supernatural mysteries and compete in extreme sports. The art is reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, while the stories themselves are full of action, humor, and heart.

For the first time ever, the creative team (creator Erick Anderson, artist Diego Toro, colorist Kóte Carvajal, and letterer Cristian Docolomansky, along with myself) met to discuss the comic book series thanks to the JJs Comic Stuff YouTube channel:

What I’m Writing

Pots & Panels Anthology

The Pots & Panels anthology has 50 food-themed short stories ranging from every genre as well as over fifty recipes—so you can have your comics and eat them too! (Wait…) It’s teeming with amazing creative teams, including the illustrious likes of Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Nightwing), Steven Grant (Batman, Daredevil), Ron Marz (Green Lantern, Silver Surfer), and Hilary Barta (Uncanny X-Men, Plastic Man), among many, many others. I am lucky enough to be one of the creators who wrote a short comic in the anthology!

Their pre-launch page is now live, so please select “Notify me on launch” so you’ll know as soon as the Kickstarter goes live!

What I’m Editing

J-Novel

More English volumes of the light novel/manga adaptation for Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig (written by Takuma Sakai and translated by Zihan Gao) have been released! This series transports a teenage boy from Japan to the magical world of Mesteria. There, stuck in a pig’s body, he strikes up a quick friendship (and possibly romance?) with a girl named Jess. Despite its seemingly humorous approach, this dark fantasy has plenty of twists and turns.

• Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Third Bite (Light Novel): “Cutie-pie Jess has regained her previously sealed memories, and oh my, she seems to be a little—no, very smitten with Mister Pig! Of course, there’s always the chance it’s just his social debuff as an otaku leading him to think so. Don’t worry—he knows the rules super well: he mustn’t overstep his boundaries. Luckily, there are other urgent matters he can focus on!” (Read the rest of the description on Amazon.)

• Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Fourth Bite (Light Novel): “The Clandestine Arcanist who revolted against the royal court has been neutralized, paving the way for a moment of respite in Mesteria. That means it’s the perfect time for Mister Pig and Jess to go on their honeymoon—ahem, correction, on a nice and relaxing journey to the North! On a trip filled with fun sightseeing and taking in local delights, the pair indulge in wine, hot springs, and mysteries galore!” (Read the rest of the description on Amazon.)

I’m super thankful that I also got the opportunity to edit the Butareba manga. It’s adapting the first volume of the light novel, which I’d missed out on editing since I came onto the light novel series starting with volume two. Now, I get to be a small part of it through the manga adaptation.

• Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- (Manga) Volume 2: “One shocking revelation after another strikes our porcine hero, peeling back the seemingly innocuous layers of the world of Mesteria to reveal its hidden cruelty. The Yethma status has more to it than meets the eye, as Mister Pig learns the hard way when Jess is put in grave danger.” (Read the rest of the description on Amazon.)

• Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- (Manga) Volume 3: “With two new party members in tow—the huntsman Naut and his remarkably clever dog Rossi—Mister Pig and Jess arrive at their next stop: Munires, a bustling and relatively safe city. Their stay is off to a great start, with misunderstandings resolved and a cute bedtime chat. But this peace is shattered when Jess wakes up in the dead of night claiming she can hear a voice in her head.” (Read the rest of the description on Amazon.)

Scout Comics

• By the Horns (Writer: Markisan Naso/Artist: Jason Muhr/Dark Earth Colorist: Steve Canon) is the longest-running series that I’ve been editing for Scout Comics, filled with epic fantasy and bombastic action sequences with a strong emotional backbone. It’s largely because of this strong emotional backbone that By the Horns: Dark Earth #7 was nominated for the Ringo Award for “Best Single Issue or Story.”

Tapas

• Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora & Artist Saza): This romance-driven drama continues with its third season! Quite some time has passed since the previous season. Where have the characters ended up? What new love is blossoming? Learn all that and more when you check out the latest season, which is already 13 episodes deep and up to episode 108, “It’s a long way from what’s become!” New episodes drop every Friday.

• North & East (Writer Matcha Monster & Artist Hara): Also in its third season, North and East continue their hard-earned relationship, but plenty of love rivals and other situations. The series is up to episode 69, “Fast Food Chit-Chat!” Enjoy new episodes every two weeks on Mondays.

• Thirst (Creator: Asami): The romance in this third season continues to amp up, as do the consequences! Half-vampire/actor Ethan Blackwell and vampire hunter Tristan Monroe face plenty of obstacles this season. Can they keep each other safe, or will forces behind the scenes tear them apart? The spicy series is currently up to episode 86, “The Vampire-Human Divide!” Get more episodes every two weeks on Tuesday.

Independent Projects

Upcoming Kickstarter

• The finale of Territory, the five-issue kaiju epic mini-series, will launch on Kickstarter on September 24th! Various tribes have formed in this post-apocalyptic world who worship kaiju called Behemoths. Alkia and the rest of the Greathorn tribe have been through a lot in the first four issues. How much more can they endure? Find out in Blake McCarthy’s “behemoth sized 32 page finale”! You can read Territory #1 for free on Global Comix if you need more convincing.

Completed Kickstarters

• The Battle Panda #1-3 Kickstarter was successfully funded thanks to the efforts of 86 backers pledging a total of £1,865. I’ve been editing the series from the beginning, and the third issue introduces a new artist to the creative team, Crystal Pandita. Her style really continues to bring fun Saturday morning cartoon vibes to the series, which creator Farhan Qureshi says is “a Goonies meets TMNT style adventure.” Learn more about the rest of the creative team and the series on their latest Kickstarter page, and consider following along for future adventures.

• The How I Slept My Way Through College and Other Tales From Freshman Year #1-3 Kickstarter proves once again the crowdfunding prowess of Charlie Stickney and the rest of his amazing creative team, raising $15,101 thanks to the support of 684 backers. I came onto the team as their editor on the second issue. In the series, a young woman discovers her college professor is running an escort service. As described on the Kickstarter page, it’s “House of Cards having a three-way with How To Get Away With Murder and The Girlfriend Experience.”

• Legend of the Dog Witch, a 60-page graphic novel by Minerva Fox and Grant Stoye, is the story of a girl and her dog… as well as demons, ghosts, murder, and plenty of coffee. The Kickstarter did not reach its goal, but this is not the end, according to their latest update!

• Stake Presents: Jessamy #1-3 has been collected for the first time in the Vol. 1 Softcover/Hardcover on Kickstarter with a new short story, raising $12,199 thanks to 275 backers. Creator David Byrne’s spin-off series follows Jessamy, an “old” vampire who investigates rumors of a plantation with monsters eating their slaves based on the word of Benjamin Franklin! Enjoy this vampiric period piece.

The New Curious Perspective Comics Shop!

• Curious Perspective Comics recently launched an online store! This includes the fantasy adventure comic book series I’ve been editing from the beginning, Ruination. Transport yourself to the nation of Saldyria, which was nearly destroyed during a centuries-long war. Despite a truce and peace seemingly being reached, the rebels from the war known as the Fallen have returned. A group from opposing factions has banded together but discovers way more is happening than they ever could have imagined.

As the Summer Draws to a Close…

…I hope everyone has enjoyed some downtime. If you have any fun and geeky stories to share, feel free to share them in the comments (you can tell I have comics on the brain because originally I wrote “comics” instead of “comments”) below. Or share your thoughts on the projects above and consider supporting them!