So, if you see this pop up in your social media feeds, that’s me!

As for what else I’ve been up to this year…

Teasing the Future of the Salty Roos

In a recent Salty Roos Kickstarter update, creator Erick Anderson teased some info for the next couple of issues… which are officially called Salty Roos #13 – Ribbits and Robbers! and Salty Roos #14 – The Roaming Undead! They may (or may not) have been written by me. Stay subscribed to my newsletter to find out! ;)

What I’m Editing

Storygrounds

Most of my time has been spent working my full-time contract at Storygrounds. We finished up one webcomic, then launched two of their flagship titles!

My Boss is Ghosting Me (Writer Lindorsaurus, Artist Yilun Tang, & QA Editor/Typesetting Assistant Nicole D’Andria): The workplace drama for Hana, game dev and secret live streamer, has ended! The episodes leading up to the finale were intense (if the “Mature” rating wasn’t enough warning already). I’m so proud of the 37 episodes we put out, which follow the trials and tribulations of working as a woman in the game industry… plus, uncontrollably turning invisible and crushing on your General Manager.

Alan’s Universe Forever: I’m Trapped in an Anime! (Creator AlanChikinChow, Writer Aanchal Budhiraja, Artist Kisai Entertainment, & Developers/Editors Nicole D’Andria & Lindorsaurus): Created by AlanChikinChow (the highest-ranking YouTube Shorts creator with 100+ million subscribers), Alan’s Universe Forever follows Alan and his friends as they get sucked into different TV shows from his streaming account. Gifted with superpowers, the group must face everything from rich high school bullies to building-sized monsters while dealing with tropes from every genre. It’s either that or stay trapped in this anime world… forever!

Shoto: Only Ever You (BL) (Creator Shoto, Writer Noel, Artist Kisai Entertainment, & Developers/Editors Nicole D’Andria & Lindorsaurus): Created by the VTuber Shoto, this Boys’ Love (BL) mystery is full of secrets and pining. Sou can’t remember why it’s been ten years since he last saw his childhood friend, Ever, but they’re finally reunited! Except Sou finds himself tortured by fractured memories in his nightmares. In his search for answers, will Sou be able to confront the truth of a long-forgotten tragedy and other revelations?

J-Novel

Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Eighth Bite (Novel) (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, Artist Asagi Tohsaka, & Editor Nicole D’Andria): Tensions are reaching a fever pitch in the world of Mesteria! An all-out war is brewing between the Royal Court and the Liberators. Can Mister Pig and Jess break through to their friend Shravis to stop the conflict, or is he already too far gone? Beyond all the potential bloodshed, Mister Pig also needs to make a heartbreaking choice. Join him and Jess as they take a trip down memory lane in the penultimate volume of Butareba!

Independent Projects

Kickstarters

Territory #2-5 (Writer Blake McCarthy and Artists Donny Hadiwidjaja & Chris Sassman): While I only worked on issues #2-5, all five issues were collected in the 120-page Territory trade paperback. Enjoy a post-apocalyptic world where kaiju are worshipped by gods—and gods can sometimes be unforgiving. This story follows Alkia, Neebo, and the rest of the Greathorn tribe, whose faith is tested during a journey of self-discovery (and possibly disillusionment). The gorgeous trade paperback also features a brand-new cover by Fell Hound!

White Ash 1 to 10 (and a half) (Creators Charlie Stickney & Conor Hughes with Colorist Fin Cramb): White Ash welcomes you once more with two new issues, concluding the second arc of the hit fantasy series! Join the Elves and Dwarves bickering in the small Western Pennsylvania town. The 70+ new pages feature new artists as well, including Jordi Pérez, Anna Morozova, Jason Muhr, and Damien Torres!

It’s perfect for fans of Supernatural, Twin Peaks, or Lord of the Rings, but if you don’t believe me, you can check out the first 52 pages for yourself here!

Reluctant Hero (Creator Alexandra McCarthy): A huge thanks to the 52 people who helped this project reach its goal! This psychological slice-of-life UK manga is now being independently published on Kickstarter! I edited Chapters 1-3 of this coming-of-age story. It revolves around the lives of three university students: Asta, Lola, and Mallory. While Asta and Lola were childhood friends, Mallory is a new addition to their group, and she seems to be driving a wedge between the pair. Think Mean Girls, Cruel Intentions, and Scott Pilgrim. Check out sample pages of the series on their Kickstarter page.

The Ultimate Balancing Act Continues

There will be more announcements incoming, and I really appreciate all of the support throughout this journey!

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Going from freelancing to full-time (while balancing freelance projects on the side) has been an adventure. Along with this new opportunity, I’m excited to recap last year’s geeky announcements!

Writing Highlights

Rockin’ with the Salty Roos All Year Long

In addition to jamming along with the updated Salty Roos theme song, I wrote Salty Roos: Scorton Creek Marsh Madness! (Creator Erick Anderson, Writer Nicole D’Andria, Artist Diego Toro, Colorist Kote Carvajal, & Letterer Cristian Docolomansky). If you’re a fan of the hijinks the Scooby Gang gets up to, then you’ll enjoy the Salty Roos. This trio of anthropomorphic kangaroos travels the world, enjoys extreme sports, solves mysteries, and takes down (or fights alongside) cryptids.

In this issue, the Roos learn about the local urban legends of Scorton Creek. Quickly, they find themselves biting off more than they can chew when they face off against the Marsh Monster! But there’s more to this urban legend than meets the eye.

The Kickstarter for the issue was successful, and it should be coming to IndyPlanet in the future. For now, you can enjoy several other issues that I’ve written (#6-7 & #9).

The Nightmare Theater Anthology Rises (Reprints) Again

The Nightmare Theater Anthology, the first anthology I ever contributed to, was reprinted with a brand-new risque cover by Emanuele Taglietti! The Mexifunk movie poster cover was also offered in trade paperback form for the very first time. The collection includes 32 short horror comics spanning 272 pages and features everything from Lovecraftian monsters to everyday terrors.

My short comic was “The Kill Boat,” with art by Puppet Master artist Michela Da Sacco and colorist Yann Perrelet, and letters by Road Trip to Hell’s Justin Birch. Imagine you’re taking a trip on The Love Boat, but it turns out to be a Hostel situation! And I said it in my newsletter before, but I’ll say it again to manifest it: I’ve been wanting to turn it into a graphic novel for years, so maybe this will be a push to get me thinking about it again!

Editing Highlights

Storygrounds

What Lies Below the Lilies (Creator Jeff Bakalar, Writer Sarah Dealy, Artists Nicole Kim & meighhh, and Editors Nicole D’Andria & Hayden Robel): We completed the first season (20 episodes) of this psychological horror series last year. Peace Officer Jake Mason and the new Park Ranger Sheila Lomas find themselves investigating a woman who no one remembers ever existing. Which is only one thing in a laundry list of weirdness going on in the sleepy little town of Holloway Hills.

The Princess Games (Writer Twoony, Artist Seer Studios, & Editors Nicole D’Andria & Hayden Robel): This action-packed series (with a sprinkle of romance and fantasy) follows an assassin going undercover as a princess to get her revenge. Entering the Princess Games, Aya finds herself fighting, dancing, and (gasp) girl-talking her way through a dangerous gauntlet! The series went on hiatus as of Episode 30.

My Boss is Ghosting Me (Writer Lindorsaurus, Artist Yilun Tang, & QA Editor/Typesetting Assistant Nicole D’Andria): I’m particularly proud of my part in this series, as it’s my first time assisting in lettering! Drama in the workplace continues to run rampant in this webcomic, which focuses on Hana, a game dev and secret live streamer. One of two women working at a prominent game studio, she must balance workplace harassment with a ghostly curse passed down in her family for generations. And will there be love in her future?

Healing (Creator meighhh & Editors Hayden Robel for Episodes 1-16 & 30+ & Nicole D’Andria for Episodes 17-29): A fantasy romance webcomic, this series follows the high school love story of Leon and Sana. In addition to all the usual drama that comes with high school, Leon has a big secret that he’s hiding from Sana: He’s a sorcerer!

The Foxy Doctor Is In (Scriptwriter Cheese, Artist Sleepy Rice, Editor Dawn Cloud, & QA Editor Nicole D’Andria for Episodes 0-28): Zhi Banyi’s life is full of drama, romance, and comedy. He’s fallen for a mysterious woman he’s never met beyond a screen as he watches her livestreams. He seeks help from a psychiatrist to confront his feelings, completely unaware that the very psychiatrist he’s seeing is secretly the streamer. This series tackles sensitive topics related to mental health.

I also teased two major webcomics I was working on that started in 2026, which you can read right now on Storygrounds:

Read Alan's Universe Forever

Read Only Ever You

Band of Bards (now Independently Published)

Reluctant Hero Chapter 3 (Creator Alexandra McCarthy): Previously a part of Band of Bards, the psychological slice-of-life manga is now being independently published on Kickstarter! Asta’s friendship with Mallory only grows stronger as they work together on her college film project. However, tensions are brewing between the two and Asta’s childhood friend, Lola. (Reads right to left!) This mature title is a cross between Cruel Intentions and Scott Pilgrim.

J-Novel

Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig Manga Volumes 5-7 (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, & Artist Minami): This year saw the release of three more Butareba manga volumes that adapt the light novel’s second volume! Some SPOILERS ahead as we recap:

The otaku turned pig from Japan has landed back in the fantasy world of Mesteria! Together with his fellow piggy companion Sanon, the two must help Ceres rescue the handsome huntsman Naut. But things are never that easy! Naut is forced to fight to the death as a gladiator and must pay a hefty price to escape.

Meanwhile, the real meat of the issue is Mister Pig’s reunion with Jess, which doesn’t go as planned thanks to her missing memories! And even worse, Mister Pig needs to find a way to protect Jess from the bloodthirsty rogues and hideous monsters of the Nothen Faction. However, Jess might just have some magical tricks of her own up her sleeve!

Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Seventh Bite (Novel) (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, & Artist Asagi Tohsaka): The seventh volume of the English translation of the light novel released in 2025! Chaos continues in Mesteria, with supernatural phenomena getting even worse!

And the solution is unthinkable: Kill Ceres?! Mister Pig and Jess escape with Ceres, seeking another way. Now on the run from the royal court, the pair might need to turn to an unlikely ally.

We’re so close to the end (two volumes to go, to be exact!), but will this volume set the stage for it to be a happy one?

Tapas

Thirst (Creator Asami): Another landmark achievement from last year is that the first series I ever edited for Tapas, Thirst, concluded its third and final season (92 episodes long + Bonus episodes). This was also Tapas’s first exclusive mature dual release. Two actors find chemistry off-screen together. But things are more complicated than they seem as one of them is half-vampire and the other one is a vampire hunter!

Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora & Artist Saza): The romance webcomic series Comedown Machine returned for a mini three-episode (129-131) run in November. Of course, romance doesn’t come without some drama in this series. Even in the third season, while Tommy is living the start-up lifestyle, she’s finding herself pulled in a couple of directions. Which way will she go? Stay tuned as more episodes are currently in production.

Independent Projects

Glarien and Thane Vol 1 (Creator/Publisher/Story Charlie Stickeny, Creator Conor Hughes, Story/Writer Layne Morgan, Artist Giulia Lalli, & Colorist Vittorio Astone): The mature fantasy graphic novella features the first couple of White Ash experiencing adventures that get about as explicit as Game of Thrones. Or, as described by Kickstarter, it’s “Mr. and Mrs. Smith... if it took place in the world of Vox Machina.”

The Game #1-5 (Creator/Publisher/Writer Charlie Stickeny, Creator Conor Hughes, & Artist Mauricio Mora): This sci-fi thriller follows the unwitting Eli, who becomes “Player Number 3” in a 1,000+ year old game. The set-up is: “Think Quantum Leap (the original series, not the remake), if Sam happened to jump into the body of The Highlander, and then got dragged into a sexy noir thriller.”

Villains Seeking Heroes #1-8 (Writer Louis Southard & Various Artists): Available for free on the Loutopia Substack, Villains Seeking Hero follows the hilarious adventures of a veteran super-villain as he trains a group of reckless misfits. The series plays with superhero tropes and has a few twists along the way.

Battle Panda #1-4 (Writers Farhan Qureshi & Melissa J Massey and Various Artists): This action-packed mini-series follows Kai and his anthropomorphic friends, the underdogs in a fight against a powerful monster. Will the power of friendship, courage, and self-discovery be enough for them to succeed in this Karate Kid meets TMNT style story?

Paterfamilias (Writer Grant Stoye & Artist Don Cardenas): This horror thriller is part Taken and part Something is Killing the Children. Adam is searching for magical power to take on the demonic entities that have abducted his daughter. While the campaign was unfortunately unsuccessful, I encourage you to follow creator Grant Stoye on Kickstarter for future updates.

Ruination #1-11 (Writer Ryan Bis & Various Artists): One of the longest-running fantasy adventure comics that I’ve been a part of, this series follows a chaotic crew of characters from different walks of life who must work together to survive a world that has been destroyed by generations past. It’s been compared to video games like Final Fantasy and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Interviews

Kickstart the Week(end) with Salty Roos: A NJ Legend and Holiday Adventure Like No Other!

Sadly, the Comic Frontline website was shuttered this year (though you can still find their old Blogspot with my “Kickstart the Week” interviews from pre-2019). I’m currently working on compiling the ones that have disappeared on my personal website. But using the Wayback Machine, you can check when Erick Anderson (Salty Roos) interviewed me about my own work on the series. A big part of the interview focused on the two stories that I recently wrote, which were successfully funded on Kickstarter: Salty Roos #9: Moonbat from Hell! and Salty Roos #10: The Twelve Nights of Krampus!

Check out my interview here!

2026 Plans

More writing: Behind the scenes, I’ve finished the script for Road Trip to Hell #4. However, I’m ideally trying to finish the scripts for the next story arc (#4-6) before beginning the art stages. I also still have plans for expanding stories, like The Kill Boat.

More events: I did FCBD at Comic Fusion, Diop Productions’ First Annual Artist Showcase, and Final Boss Comic Fest last year. I’ve already participated in FCBD this year, and while I don’t currently have plans for more shows, I am considering more opportunities, either this year or next.

And if you’d like to take a trip down memory lane with me to 2024, you can check out my in-depth update about it here:

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To go back in time for a bit, I wanted to share all the fun things I was up to at the end of last year! Plus, tease a few things that I’ll talk about in my next quadrimester update. I’ve had a swamped work schedule ever since taking on my role at Storygrounds full-time while also maintaining some of my freelance work. It’s quite a balancing act but also a huge learning opportunity, and I’ve been able to work on plenty of amazing projects as a result.

What I’m Writing

Salty Roos

Salty Roos: Scorton Creek Marsh Madness! (Creator Erick Anderson, Writer Nicole D’Andria, Artist Diego Toro, Colorist Kote Carvajal, & Letterer Cristian Docolomansky): I’m extremely proud of my growing role as a writer for several standalone stories in the Salty Roos Universe. The most recently released issue that I scripted is “Scorton Creek Marsh Madness!”

Join the trio of anthropomorphic kangaroos—Salty, Ollie, and Radicool—along with their human friend Piper as they learn about the local urban legends of Scorton Creek. But when our heroes decide to unravel the mystery of the Marsh Monster, they might be biting off way more than they can chew.

The Kickstarter for the issue was successful, and it should be coming to IndyPlanet in the future, which currently has several other issues that I’ve written (#6-7 & #9) available. And prepare for more rootastic adventures that I wrote (or edited) in the future!

What I’m Editing

Storygrounds

My webcomic editing at Storygrounds continues to be some of the most experimental work that I’m doing.

What Lies Below the Lilies (Creator Jeff Bakalar, Writer Sarah Dealy, Artists Nicole Kim & meighhh, and Editors Nicole D’Andria & Hayden Robel): The first season of What Lies Below the Lilies (20 mind-bending episodes) recently wrapped! This drama taps into some of the psychological horrors buried deep in the seemingly idyllic town of Holloway Hills. Join Peace Officer Jake Mason and Park Ranger Sheila Lomas as they investigate the disappearance of a woman no one remembers.

The Princess Games (Writer Twoony, Artist Seer Studios, & Editors Nicole D’Andria & Hayden Robel): This action-packed series follows Princess Aya on her quest for revenge. Entering the Princess Games, Aya finds herself fighting (and dancing) her way through a dangerous gauntlet—no princess is safe! The series went on hiatus as of Episode 30.

My Boss is Ghosting Me (Writer Lindorsaurus, Artist Yilun Tang, & QA Editor/Typesetting Assistant Nicole D’Andria): My first-ever experience lettering a webcomic continues! This series focuses on Hana, a game dev and secret live streamer. She has to contend with plenty of workplace drama as one of the first female game designers at a prominent game studio alongside her bestie, Bora. Add a ghostly curse on top of things, and Hana’s life is already pretty spirited by the time she meets her new boss and GM, Ren. Will romance blossom? Read to find out!

The Foxy Doctor Is In (Scriptwriter Cheese, Artist Sleepy Rice, Editor Dawn Cloud, & QA Editor Nicole D’Andria): I only QA’d episodes 0-28 of this series, which have already come and gone, but I recommend it! Please read the series with the understanding that it contains sensitive topics related to mental health. The more you read, the more invested you’ll become in the drama, comedy, and romance that is Zhi Banyi’s life. The doctor seeks help from a psychiatrist to confront his feelings about a mysterious streamer, completely unaware that the very psychiatrist he’s seeing is his obsession. There are plenty of funny and heartfelt moments that will surprise you.

J-Novel

Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- (Manga) Volume 7 (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, Artist Minami, & Editor Nicole D’Andria): The manga adaptation of the second Butareba light novel continues! Mister Pig and Jess finally have their heartfelt reunion… well, heartfelt for Mister Pig, as Jess has lost all her memories! Now, he must protect Jess from the bloodthirsty rogues and hideous monsters of the Nothen Faction. However, Jess has been honing her magic skills, so it may be the beautiful maiden coming to our porcine hero’s rescue!

Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Seventh Bite (Novel) (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, Artist Asagi Tohsaka, & Editor Nicole D’Andria): The supernatural phenomena running rampant on Mesteria are getting worse! Mister Pig and Jess make the shocking discovery that the only way to stop the chaos is to kill Ceres! Of course, the duo escapes with Ceres to avoid such an unacceptable fate, but the royal court isn’t going to let them go so easily. They also run into a surprising ally(?).

Tapas

Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora & Artist Saza): The webcomic series Comedown Machine returned for a mini three-episode (129-131) run in November. The third season continues to bring the romance (and drama). Tommy is continuing her start-up lifestyle at Howe’s company, where feelings are a bit of a minefield! More episodes are coming, though we can’t announce when just yet.

Independent Projects

Kickstarters

Battle Panda #1-4 (Writers Farhan Qureshi & Melissa J Massey and Various Artists): The penultimate issue of the Battle Panda mini-series was successfully funded on Kickstarter back in November. We continue to follow Kai and his anthropomorphic friends (and former enemies) as they learn the power of friendship, courage, and self-discovery in this action-packed adventure. It’s Karate Kid TMNT style.

The creator even posted his own unboxing video when the issues arrived on Kickstarter:

We’re currently working on the final issue, and I should have more news about it soon!

Paterfamilias (Writer Grant Stoye & Artist Don Cardenas): This comic book mini-series follows a father, Adam, in his search for magical power to save his abducted daughter, Gloria. Think Taken meets Dr. Strange, with Adam learning magical knowledge and skills to take on demonic entities. The campaign was unfortunately unsuccessful, but I encourage you to follow creator Grant Stoye on Kickstarter for future updates.

Ruination #1-11 (Writer Ryan Bis & Various Artists): A classical fantasy adventure that offers more than meets the eye, Ruination follows groups of characters from different walks of life who must work together to survive a world that has been destroyed by generations past. They’ll explore seemingly far-off post-apocalyptic worlds as they piece together the true mythology of their world. Think of video games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and franchises like The Dark Crystal.

The Game #1-5 (Creator/Publisher/Writer Charlie Stickeny, Creator Conor Hughes, & Artist Mauricio Mora): I frequently collaborate with Charlie, who is the creator of several Kickstarter phenomenons, including White Ash, Glarien, and HISMWTC, all of which I’ve had the pleasure of editing. This Kickstarter for The Game marks the end of the first story arc. The story is like the OG Quantum Leap if Sam jumped into The Highlander’s body and got stuck in a sexy noir thriller. The book successfully raised over $20,000 thanks to over 700 backers!

Past Appearances

Final Boss Comic Fest

I was invited to the Final Boss Comic Fest event and sold (mostly) Road Trip to Hell. It’s always so satisfying to see people get excited about my own work and meet fellow vendors, but my introverted self still hasn’t set up any events this year… stay tuned!

Teasing 2026: New Year, New Webcomics (and Kickstarters)!

2026 also marks new webcomics! I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t tease the two other webcomics I co-edited, managed, and developed that released early this year for Storygrounds:

Read Alan's Universe Forever

Read Only Ever You

And here are some recent Kickstarters that I was involved in, which you might still be able to submit late pledges for:

Territory TPB

White Ash 1 to 10 (and a half)

Thank you for sticking around to read these updates and following my comic book journey! It’s always extremely appreciated, and I’m looking forward to sharing more with you all soon.

Please subscribe if you haven’t already to avoid missing any updates! And if you’ve been reading any of the works I’ve mentioned, share your thoughts in the comments below. Or share your own work accomplishments!

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What I’m Editing

Storygrounds

Now that Storygrounds has officially launched its open beta, I can finally talk about some of the series that I’ve been editing. Jam-packed with amazing creative teams, I’m extremely proud to present the five webcomics now live on the Storygrounds website that I’ve been working on:

What Lies Below the Lilies (Creator Jeff Bakalar, Writer Sarah Dealy, Artist Nicole Kim, & Editors Nicole D’Andria & Hayden Robel): This drama is the creation of Jeff Bakalar (aka JERF), video game journalist and co-owner of Giant Bomb. There’s something off about the wholesome countryside town of Holloway Hills, and Peace Officer Jake Mason and Park Ranger Sheila Lomas are trying to find out what. However, the answer may just shatter their entire reality.

Princess Games (Writer Twoony, Artist Seer Studio, & Editors Nicole D’Andria & Hayden Robel): Ten years ago, Aerin’s family and kingdom were annihilated. Now, she’s infiltrating the Princess Games to take her revenge on the queen, who was part of her family’s assassination. However, first she must survive monsters, deadly dance performances, and the other princesses competing for the prince’s hand!

My Boss is Ghosting Me (Writer Lindorsaurus, Artist Yilun Tang, & QA Editor/Typesetting Assistant Nicole D’Andria): Hana, a game dev who is secretly a popular live streamer, becomes one of a game studio’s first female game designers. Between dealing with sexist coworkers and a ghostly family curse, Hana’s world is about to get a bit more spirited after meeting her new boss and GM, Ren.

This title is a unique experience for me because it’s the first time I’ve worked as a Typesetting Assistant, which includes revamping the lettering in this series. I’ve always admired the underappreciated skill of letterers, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to actually put my own lettering skills to the test.

Healing (Creator meighhh & Editors Hayden Robel for Episodes 1-16 & 30+ & Nicole D’Andria for Episodes 17-29): This sweet, magical romance follows the high school love story of Leon and Sana. They’ll face plenty of hardships, both past and present. But Leon’s got a secret that makes things even more complicated: He’s a sorcerer!

The Foxy Doctor Is In (Scriptwriter Cheese, Artist Sleepy Rice, Editor Dawn Cloud, & QA Editor Nicole D’Andria): In this drama, Zhi Banyi’s heart only races for a mysterious streamer, so he seeks professional help. However, he’s unaware that his psychiatrist is the very streamer he’s obsessed with! This webcomic series contains sensitive topics related to mental health.

Participate in Quests on Storygrounds!

One of the unique qualities that make this platform stand out is the Quests, which are currently running for What Lies Below the Lilies and Princess Games. You can respond to prompts related to this series with your own ideas, which might be included in the webcomic itself! A big part of my job is then incorporating select contributions into these series. Whether it’s picking 90s items or styling a princess’s dress, you have the power to potentially impact a series through these Quests.

J-Novel

Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig Manga Volume 6 (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, Artist Minami, & Editor Nicole D’Andria): The manga adaptation of the second Butareba novel continues! Mister Pig, Ceres, and Sanon continue searching for the Liberators. Naut is forced to battle others to the death as a gladiator. To escape, he pays a hefty price. And Jess, still missing her memories, accompanies Prince Shravis on his mission to monitor the Liberators. But little does she know, the prince has his own plans, which go against his father’s orders.

Tapas

Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora & Artist Saza): While the third season of this titillating drama hasn’t returned quite yet, the creative team did share some information about the project in an Inksgiving 2025 Q&A.

What I’m Writing

The Terrifying Return of the First Nightmare Theater Anthology

The Nightmare Theater Anthology was the first anthology I ever contributed a story to. The creators at the helm, Clay Adams & D.E. Schrader, are reprinting it with a brand new cover by Emanuele Taglietti—which is a bit risque, so you’ll have to check it out on the official Kickstarter page! It collects 32 short horror comics spanning a total of 272 pages and features everything from Lovecraftian monsters to everyday terrors. The campaign recently ended and was thankfully successful, thanks to all of the amazing horror hounds out there!

My story, “The Kill Boat,” is a cross between The Love Boat and Hostel. As usual, I do not hold back on the violence in this one! I’ve been wanting to turn it into a graphic novel for years, so maybe this will be a push to get me thinking about it again. The art is by Michela Da Sacco with colorist Yann Perrelet, whose art I first experienced in the Puppet Master comics. Road Trip to Hell letterer Justin Birch fills out the rest of this awesome creative team.

Recent Appearances

I also wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who stopped by Comic Fusion’s Free Comic Book Day event and Diop Productions’ First Annual Artist Showcase! I don’t table many in-person events, but they’re always inspirational when I do.

The Passing of a Legend

Ending on a somber note, the legendary Peter David (September 23, 1956–May 24, 2025) sadly passed away in May. This award-winning comic book writer is well-known for his long runs on The Incredible Hulk, X-Factor, Young Justice, and Star Trek, which is just a brief list among his many, many other awesome accomplishments.

I met him twice: once as a fan and again when I worked on adapting his novel Artful into the comic book format. He seemed like a really down-to-earth, humble person brimming with creativity.

A Huge Thanks for Your Support and Patience!

As I continue to grow as a writer and editor, I appreciate all of the support I’ve received over the years. Whether it’s someone coming up to me at a show to say hi, liking one of my posts, or backing one of my comics, it means a lot to me. I’m at a turning point in my career, as I balance my full-time endeavors with my freelance work. I appreciate your patience as I navigate this new and exciting journey and hope you’ll stick around to see where it takes me!

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Breaking "New" Ground (Storygrounds, that is!)

Before getting to anything else, I have some exciting news to share. While all the projects I’m working on are still hush-hush, I can officially announce that I’m working as a Webcomic Editor for Storygrounds! This new webcomic platform has not launched yet, and I’m excited to be a part of some pretty amazing things in the works. I hope to be able to give you more details in my next update, but I wanted to share it here first before announcing it on socials!

What I’m Writing

Rock Out with the Roos

The Salty Roos series that I’ve been writing and editing standalone stories for has gotten its very own theme song! Hop along to it on Instagram:

Also, in a bit of a role reversal, I was interviewed on “Kickstart the Week” by the creator of Salty Roos, Erick Anderson, about my work on the series. I paid special attention to the two stories that I recently wrote, which were successfully funded on Kickstarter: Salty Roos #9: Moonbat from Hell! and Salty Roos #10: The Twelve Nights of Krampus! I was happy to bring plenty of fourth-wall-breaking snark and rhyme schemes to the series.

Purchase Salty Roos #0-9 on Indy Planet

If you enjoy the series, then please consider nominating us for the prestigious Ringo Awards in the following categories:

Best Series: Salty Roos
Best Single Issue: Salty Roos #9: Moonbat from Hell!
Best Writer: Nicole D’Andria
Best Artist: Diego Toro
Best Colorist: Kote Carvajal
Best Letterer: Cristian Docolomansky

Leave your vote at https://ringoawards.com/

What I’m Editing

Band of Bards

Reluctant Hero Chapter 3 (Creator Alexandra McCarthy): The psychological slice-of-life manga continues, with its third chapter now live on GlobalComix. Asta’s friendship with Mallory only grows stronger as they work together on her college film project. However, tensions are brewing between the two and Asta’s childhood friend, Lola. (Reads right to left!)

The creator also made an official Reluctant Hero Instagram account, which shares everything from character sketches to chapter announcements. You can even find out which Reluctant Hero character you are. (I’m Asta!)

J-Novel

Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig Manga Volume 5 (Writer Takuma Sakai, Translator Zihan Gao, & Artist Minami): Everyone’s favorite perverted pig is back! The fifth volume of the Butareba manga marks the beginning of the adaptation of the light novel’s second volume. Spoilers ahead for the first volume! Mister Pig returns to the world of Mesteria, this time with his fellow Otaku-turned-pig companion, Sanon. Together, they must help Ceres rescue the handsome huntsman Naut. But most importantly: Will Mister Pig reunite with Jess?

Tapas

Thirst (Creator Asami): It truly feels like the end of an era because the first series that I started editing for Tapas just reached its finale! While filming a movie together, sparks fly between Ethan and Tristan, both on and off camera. What complicates matters is that one of them is a half-vampire… and the other is a vampire hunter! The series was 92 episodes long, not even counting bonus episodes, which is quite a feat for a webcomic if I do say so myself! It is also Tapas’s first exclusive mature dual release. You can also check out Asami’s sweet “Thanks for reading” message.

Independent Projects

Glarien and Thane Vol 1 (Creator/Publisher/Story Charlie Stickeny, Creator Conor Hughes, Story/Writer Layne Morgan, Artist Giulia Lalli, & Colorist Vittorio Astone): Stickney’s adult fantasy graphic novella tells the story of how White Ash’s first (and most complicated) couple got together. The Kickstarter describes it best as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith... if it took place in the world of Vox Machina.” The project successfully raised $38,555 thanks to 1,188 backers. Despite the Kickstarter being over, you can still preorder the book, along with other White Ash Comics titles, on Backerkit, including the next title on this list!

The Game #1-4 (Creator/Publisher/Writer Charlie Stickeny, Creator Conor Hughes, & Artist Mauricio Mora): I’ve been the editor of this sci-fi thriller since the second issue. Another Stickney series, this one is about Eli, who on his 30th birthday becomes “Player Number 3” in a 1,000+ year old game that he needs to figure out fast before he ends up dead. It’s a triple threat, according to their Kickstarter: “Think Quantum Leap (the original series, not the remake), if Sam happened to jump into the body of The Highlander, and then got dragged into a sexy noir thriller.” The campaign has already surpassed its goal (by over double the amount), and there’s less than a week to go before it ends! If you’re still unconvinced and want a quick rundown of everything you need to know about The Game, check out this video.

Villains Seeking Heroes #1-8 (Writer Louis Southard & Various Artists): As mentioned on my 2024 yearly recap, Louis Southard started his own Substack, Loutopia, and recently put all of his projects on there for free. This includes all 17 issues of Villains Seeking Hero, of which I proofread the first eight. Follow the adventures of a veteran super-villain as he trains a group of reckless misfits.

Start reading Villains Seeking Hero here

Upcoming Appearances

I have a couple of events coming up! I’ll be selling some of my comics (both the ones I’ve worked on as well as some from my personal collection) during Comic Fusion’s Free Comic Book Day event on May 3, 2025. (Yes, tomorrow as of the time of this update!)

I will also be tabling at Diop Productions’ First Annual Artist Showcase (only on June 21, 2025), showcasing and selling my work.

More Announcements to Come—Stay Tuned!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this slew of announcements and that some of you might even stop by and say “Hi” to me at some of these upcoming events! It’s always appreciated.

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Writing Highlights

Road Trip to Hell on Digital

Road Trip to Hell (Artist Monika Maccagni, Colorist Joaquin Pereyra, & Letterer Justin Birch): I appreciate everyone’s continued support as I slowly write the next story arc of Road Trip to Hell, my first creator-owned project. Francis’s cross-country journey to claim his crown as the new King of Hell while the worst of the worst (Adolf Hitler, Attila the Hun, and more) chase after him for the title will continue!

Physical and digital copies of issues #1-3, along with other merch like T-shirts, sweatshirts, and glasses, have been available on the official Scout Comics website. However, in 2024, the series expanded to other digital platforms as well. You can now find all three issues and the trade on Amazon/comiXology, Hoopla, and Comic Plus.

Salty Roos: Vampires, Outer Space Hijinks, Jersey Devil, and Krampus

I wrote four standalone Salty Roos stories (Artist Diego Toro, Colorist Kóte Carvajal, & Letterer Cristian Docolomansky) that were released last year! They were featured across two successful Kickstarters run by Blue Roo Comics creator/publisher Erick Anderson (Salty Roos: From Rats To Vampires And Beyond! & Salty Roos: A NJ Legend and Holiday Adventure Like No Other!). It’s been such a great way for me to experiment with different genres (horror, sci-fi, humor, and beyond) as well as urban legends. Here is the official synopsis for each issue!

• Salty Roos #6, “Vampire Panic!”: 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!”: Our heroes, 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.

• Salty Roos #10, “The Twelve Nights of Krampus!”: ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and chaos was brewing. With a flick of his wicked claws, Krampus and his Naughty Magical Elves have kidnapped a host of children, and it’s up to the Salty Roos to get them back! Racing against the clock, the Roos must team up with a legendary holiday figure to spread some unconventional cheer and keep the rhymes flowing every time Krampus comes near. Will they manage to save Christmas before the twelfth night, or will Krampus reign supreme?

Salty Roos #1-9 are currently available on Indy Planet. While I did not write all of the issues, any that I haven’t written, I’ve edited! You can also enjoy my brief prologues introducing each issue on the credits pages.

Pots & Panels Anthology

• Pots & Panels: My short story, “Peppermint Patty Pandemonium,” appeared in this food-themed anthology. This 440-page compilation of short comics was a combined creative effort of over 80 creators, including Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Batman), Ron Marz (Green Lantern, Silver Surfer), and Markisan Naso (By the Horns). There are 50 original stories spanning every genre imaginable and recipes for all the foodies out there! It raised over $29,000, and the digital reward recently went out to backers.

Kate Bryant: Take a Trip to Japan for Some Revenge!

• Kunoichi Kate Bryant (Creator Kevin Given & Artist Rodolfo Ezequiel): The third issue of this four-issue mini-series was also released last year. It’s an official comic book adaptation of Kevin Given’s novel about Kate Bryant, a Kunoichi seeking revenge against the people responsible for her father’s murder. In this issue, Kate is closer than ever to discovering the truth about her father’s murder, but will she like what she finds?

Editing Highlights

Band of Bards

• Reluctant Hero (Creator Alexandra McCarthy): The second chapter of the Reluctant Hero manga was released last year on GlobalComix. This slice-of-life psychological thriller explores themes like friendship, self-discovery, and tragedy in a way that fans of Cruel Intentions and The Craft will find enticing. In this chapter, Asta and Lola’s friendship is tested when Asta makes friends with Mallory, whose intentions may be far more sinister than they appear.

J-Novel

The Butareba Light Novel and Manga Will Warm Your Pig Liver

• Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig Light Novel Volumes 2-5 (Written by Takuma Sakai & Translated by Zihan Gao): Starting with the second volume, I began editing this light novel series. Combining dark fantasy, comedy, and romance, it offers a little of everything. The books follow an otaku from Japan who, after consuming raw pig liver, wakes up in the fantastical world of Mesteria as a literal pig. Our piggy protagonist befriends Jess, who is part of a class known as Yethma, mind reading girls who are forced into servitude. Mister Pig wants to do everything in his power to save Jess—and he may just need to save the world of Mesteria while he’s at it, too!

• Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig Manga Volumes 1-4 (Written by Takuma Sakai & Translated by Zihan Gao): I was also able to edit the official manga adaptation from the very beginning! So far, in 2024, the first four volumes of the manga have recounted the events of the first light novel.

Scout Comics

Eye-Opening Award Nominations and New Time-Traveling Series

• By the Horns (Writer: Markisan Naso/Artist: Jason Muhr/Dark Earth Colorist: Steve Canon): The seventh issue of this epic fantasy series got a very well-deserved Ringo Award nomination for “Best Single Issue or Story.” It’s an extremely introspective issue that takes the approach of team member Evelyn chronicling her adventures in a journal while the group journeys to the enchanted continent of Yalastra to find the historian, Norriva, and hopefully answers to finding pure magic.

• Milk Run (Writer Bryan Reheil & Artist Jarret Katz): The first issue of the latest mini-series I edited for Scout came out late last year. This sci-fi-tinged story is about Zack Morgan, a guy with the ability to go back in time up to ten years. So, of course, he uses his fantastical ability to get cheaper groceries! However, he finds himself getting wrapped up in a too-close-to-home murder case. Will he finally be able to use his power for more than just saving a few bucks on cereal? The three-issue mini-series is perfect for Back to the Future and Minority Report fans.

Tapas

Romance (and drama) with a lot of bite to it

• Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora & Artist Saza): The third dramatic season launched in 2024, seeing our characters post-time skip. How have they changed, and what new drama awaits them? Do the corporate world and romance mix? Let’s find out!

• North & East (Writer Matcha Monster & Artist Hara): The third and final season returned in early 2024 before wrapping up toward the end of the year! The romance between North and East had many bumps along the road, and they made many friends (and adversaries) along the way. See the story of their love, from their “fake” relationship to the series’ climactic conclusion, on Tapas.

• Thirst (Creator Asami): The final season of Thirst also returned last year, continuing the fangtastic romance between half-vampire/star actor Ethan Blackwell and his co-star, vampire hunter Tristan Monroe. That description alone should give you a hint at just how much drama this couple experiences over the course of this series—and it doesn’t always come from each other!

Independent Projects

I’ve had the pleasure of working on 11 independent projects this year that (usually) appeared on Kickstarter. Some of these are still in production and should be receiving more news this year, and I only listed in bold the issues that I edited!

• Battle Panda #1-4 (Writer Farhan Qureshi & Various Artists): This Goonies-meets-TMNT-style adventure follows Kai, the titular Battle Panda, and his anthropomorphic friends as they take a stand against an ominous being known only as the “Monster.” There’s plenty of heart and humor in the series, too. The Kickstarter for #4 will be launching soon!

• Digitopia #3 (Writer Farhan Qureshi, Artist Sebastián Píriz, Colorist/Letterer Simon Robins): This pre-apocalyptic high-adrenaline action mini-series received the graphic novel treatment last year. A father and daughter are on the run, trying to make the world a better place while avoiding the army, media, and bounty hunters. It’s action-packed like Mad Max while being philosophical like V for Vendetta. I hopped onto the series with the third (final) issue, which marked the beginning of my collaborations with creator/writer Farhan Qureshi.

• How I Slept My Way Through College and Other Tales From Freshman Year #2-3 (Writer Charlie Stickney & Artist Emiliana Pinna): I’ll happily keep describing this series the same way the Kickstarter does—“House of Cards having a three-way with How To Get Away With Murder and The Girlfriend Experience.”

• Howie the Hellhound Complete Collection (#1-5) (Writer Jared Prestwidge, Artist Carlos Trigo, Colorist Simon Robins & Letterer Lucas Gattoni): Previously partially published by Scout Comics, this mini-series has now been released independently on Gumroad. The supernatural dramedy features the titular Howie, Satan’s favorite hellhound, escaping to New York and befriending struggling actress Louise. The series was also shortlisted for the Comic Arts Awards of Australia!

• The Last Ember: Hunted #1 (Writer/Creator Brant Fowler, Artist Federico Sabbatini, Colorist Andrea Celestini, & Letterer Rob Leigh): The flagship title of independent comic publisher Last Ember Press, The Last Ember: Hunted continues the story of Ember Madison, a teenager who, on top of surviving high school, must also deal with being the last of the fire goddesses incarnate. A new lenticular cover was funded last year.

• Legend of the Dog Witch Graphic Novel (Line art/Design/Co-Creator Minerva Fox & Writer/Co-Creator Grant Stoye): This 60-page graphic novel is about a witch and her demonic familiar (who takes the form of the best doggo ever) trying to solve murders in a college town. It’s filled with plenty of exorcisms and coffee! The Kickstarter did not reach its goal, but this is not the end, according to their last update.

• Ruination #1-11 (Writer Ryan Bis & Various Artists): The Ruination fantasy adventure series reached a milestone nine issues last year, most of which are now available on the Curious Perspective Comics online store. Welcome to Saldyria, a nation impacted by a centuries-long war that our group of protagonists have fought on opposite sides of. Now, they must accept their differences if they want to save their world from another world-ending threat. The next couple of issues will be available on Kickstarter soon.

• Stake Presents: Jessamy #2-3 (Writer David Byrne & ): This Stake spin-off period piece features the “old” vampire Jessamy investigating a plantation swirling with rumors about monsters eating their slaves—all on the word of Benjamin Franklin! This three-issue mini-series was collected in softcover and hardcover for the first time ever last year.

• Territory #2-5 (Writer Blake McCarthy and Artists Donny Hadiwidjaja & Chris Sassman): This five-issue mini-series reached its epic 32-page kaiju conclusion on Kickstarter! Taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, the story follows Alkia and the rest of the Greathorn tribe, one of several tribes that have formed to worship the various kaiju in this world called Behemoths. It’s perfect for fans of giant monster stories like Godzilla and Pacific Rim, post-apocalyptic stories like The Last of Us, and coming-of-age stories like Paper Girls. But if you need more convincing, the entire first issue is available for free on Global Comix (although I didn’t get the pleasure of editing it!).

• Villains Seeking Heroes #1-8 (Writer Louis Southard & Various Artists): Another blast from the past, I edited issues #1-8 (although only the first few issues were available in 2024) of this super-powered comedy during my Action Lab days. It’s about a veteran supervillain, Master Molecule, needing to become the leader of a new team of heinous criminals. Louis Southard recently released this series, as well as the rest of his work, for free on his Substack, Loutopia. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s almost criminal how this series has a free price tag!

• White Ash #5-8 (Writer Charlie Stickney and Artists Conor Hughes, Julian Shaw, & Tango): This ongoing urban fantasy series takes place in the titular White Ash, a tiny mining community in Western Pennsylvania that’s home to elves, dwarves, and plenty of other secrets! It’s the perfect comic for fans of Supernatural, Twin Peaks, and Lord of the Rings. If you’re still questioning whether you should give this series a try, the entire 52-page first issue is available online for free.

Who I Interviewed

Kickstart the Week(end) with Thistle #1

I have not been focusing on “Kickstart the Week” as much lately, with only the occasional feature spotlighting an indie creator. Last year, I only interviewed creator and writer J.L. Collins, who crowdfunded his dystopian fantasy comic Thistle #1. The story takes an interesting approach, occurring AFTER the final battle when everything is lost.

While the project unfortunately was not successfully funded, the creator did ask in an update that backers consider following his collaborators—artist J. Schiek (Hush Ronin, Tales From the Pandemic), colorist Warnia K. Sahadewa (Doctor Who, Wolvenhart), and letterer/editor Leland Bjerg (Capsules, Berserker Monk)—and purchasing more of their work to support their art.

Interviews/Appearances

I didn’t do too many appearances or personal interviews last year, either. The Salty Roos creative team got together for the first time to talk about the series with JJs Comic Stuff on YouTube. I was able to chat alongside creator Erick Anderson, artist Diego Toro, colorist Kóte Carvajal, and letterer Cristian Docolomansky.

In terms of conventions, in addition to my usual appearance at Comic Fusion’s Free Comic Book Day, I tabled Lehigh Valley Comic Con. I met a lot of really great people while there and spent some of my own money, mostly contributing to my Sonic collection. If you’re local, I recommend it.

2025 Plans

It took me even longer than usual to do this yearly wrap-up because I’ve been hard at work on multiple new projects. I’ll save the “official” announcement for my next newsletter, but there are plenty of exciting things in the works that I can’t wait to tell you all about!

And if you’d like to see what 2023 was like, you can check out my in-depth update about it here:

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What I’m Writing

Promoting Salty Roos: From Rats To Vampires And Beyond!

The titular Salty Roos faced supernatural shenanigans and out-of-this-world adventures in the recently completed Kickstarter featuring four stories. While I edited “A Rat’s Tale!” and “The Beast of Truro!”, I made my Salty Roos writing debut with “Vampire Panic!” and “Beyond Space!” This Kickstarter was one of creator Erick Anderson’s most successful crowdfunding efforts, raising over $3,000. While it may be over, you can still order the issues on Indy Planet. However, a new holiday special Kickstarter for Salty Roos is still live, which you can take part in!

Keep Celebrating the Holidays with Another Rootastic Kickstarter

The current Salty Roos Kickstarter features two more stories I wrote, “Moonbat from Hell!” and “The Twelve Nights of Krampus!”. These showcase my interpretations of two legendary icons, which means plenty of chaos and snark! Plus, there are some gorgeous, unique variant covers. The art team of illustrator Diego Toro, colorist Kóte Carvajal, and letterer Cristian Docolomansky all make this feel like a Saturday Morning Cartoon you won’t want to miss. But if you still need someone else to sell the concept of the series to you, check out this lovely review of the first issue from Paul at The Pullbox.

Kate Bryant’s Journey Continues (Think John Wick Takes Japan)

Another project that’s been in the works for a while is the four-issue mini-series Kunoichi Kate Bryant. I’m writing this official comic book adaptation of Kevin Given’s novel. Think of it as John Wick storms Japan. Except in this case, our protagonist is Kate Bryant, who witnessed the murder of her father at the hands of the Yakuza when she was just a young girl. She grew up training to be a Kunoichi with nothing but revenge on her mind. The third issue was recently released on IndyPlanet with art by Rodolfo Ezequiel.

Excite Your Tastebuds with Pots & Panels

In a delicious turn of events, I contributed a short comic to the 440-page food-themed graphic novel anthology featuring stories and recipes from over 80 amazing comic creators! The Kickstarter for this ambitious anthology successfully raised over $29,000. An early (non-lettered) page from my short story, “Peppermint Patty Pandemonium,” appeared on the Kickstarter page. I hope it leaves your taste buds watering!

What I’m Editing

J-Novel

I’ve continued editing the English translation of the Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig light novel and manga series. It’s an isekai where a man is transported to a fantasy world called Mesteria after eating raw pig liver. The unique twist on this concept? He wakes up as a literal pig! While there are some funny, fluffy moments in the series, this is also a dark fantasy story.

The most recent light novel release is Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Fifth Bite. Here’s a description of the latest volume (though be weary of spoilers!):

Finally realizing his true feelings, Mister Pig promises to go on a journey with Jess that will last forever and ever. But for that to happen, they must reclaim the capital from the Clandestine Arcanist’s evil clutches. It’s an uphill battle, but fortunately, they aren’t alone—they’re joined by the Liberators, Prince Shravis, two beautiful maidens, and two other porcine visitors from Mister Pig’s world. The party advances to Terminus Island, seeking a trump card that could turn the tables on their desperate situation.

According to the records Vatis left behind, there are two important things hidden on the island: a supreme treasure and an entrance to a second Mesteria, the Abyssus. The key to eliminating the Clandestine Arcanist’s terrible power lies within this other world. Mister Pig and Jess embark on a perilous quest into this realm of unknowns—they can’t afford to fail.

The most recent manga release is Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- (Manga) Volume 4, which continues to recount the events of the first volume of the novel. Here’s a description (though again, beware spoilers!):

The royal capital is finally within reach—but to get to their destination, Mister Pig and Jess must cross their final hurdle, the Needle Woods. They enter the forest with the huntsman Naut, his trusty dog Rossi, and the once-captive Yethma Blaise. This final hurdle, however, turns out to be the most perilous, because the forest is a haven for Yethma hunters. Our party is forced to pay a steeper price than they ever imagined—will they arrive at the royal capital or die trying? And even if they do succeed, is it salvation or despair that awaits them in the elusive capital?

I hope you’ll pick up or continue reading this dark fantasy isekai series! If you’ve been reading along, I hope you’ll remember the most important lesson of all: Don’t eat your pig liver raw!

Scout Comics

• Milk Run (Writer Bryan Reheil & Artist Jarret Katz): I’m excited to share that one of the series I’ve been co-editing, Milk Run, has released its first issue via Scout Comics. Perfect for fans of Back to the Future and Minority Report, this three-issue mini-series follows the simple life of Zack Morgan—a man with the ability to travel through time up to ten years into the past. And what does he do with this fantastical ability? Why, he gets cheaper groceries, of course! However, things take a more dramatic turn when Zack considers using his powers to solve a murder case. It’s an intriguing story with a lot of heart! The second issue is also available for presale.

Tapas

• Comedown Machine (Writer Amapora & Artist Saza): The third season of Comedown Machine, which ended the year with episode 125, continues to provide the drama with a new episode every Friday. Tommy’s relationship status continues to be complicated.

• North & East (Writer Matcha Monster & Artist Hara): The third and final season of North & East has finished. Now, you can see North and East’s entire dramatic journey, from their “fake” relationship to their blossoming real one.

• Thirst (Creator: Asami): ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring… except for Thirst! This romance between a vampire hunter and a dhampir returned on Christmas Eve—its own sort of supernatural present. Up to episode 88 (“For Eternity”), new episodes drop every two weeks on Tuesdays.

Independent Projects

Howie Hits the Gumroad

• Howie the Hellhound (Writer Jared Prestwidge & Artist Carlos Trigo): Now being independently published, the five-issue supernatural dramedy Howie the Hellhound is available for purchase on Gumroad. Satan’s favorite pet, Howie, escapes from Hell and has a meet-cute with Louise, his new owner. And the life of this struggling New York actress is about to get waaay more complicated thanks to the dangerous demons (and others) coming after Howie. The series was also shortlisted for the Comic Arts Awards of Australia!

Villains Seeking Loutopia

Recently, Louis Southard started a new Substack, Loutopia. Kicking it off frankly by sharing his high highs and low lows of 2024, he’s currently releasing full issues of his comic book Villains Seeking Hero for free. The series follows a veteran super-villain known as Master Molecule, who’s forced to become the leader of a new team of heinous criminals. I did some light proofreading on the series years ago since it came to me pretty much 100% complete! The first issue showcases art by Ben Matsuya (Jupiter Jet, Midnight Massacre), while the second issue features art by Kyle Petchock (Fantasy Flight Games, Atomic Mass Games). It’s almost criminal how this series has a free price tag!

Read Villains Seeking Hero #1

Read Villains Seeking Hero #2

Kickstarter Success Stories

• White Ash #1-8 (Writer Charlie Stickney and Artists Conor Hughes, Julian Shaw, & Tango): This ongoing fantasy series about Elves and Dwarves in Pennsylvania returns with an all-new 44-page issue! Rather than rehash the plot, you can check out the first 52 pages of chapter one for free. It’s perfect for fans of Supernatural, Twin Peaks, and Lord of the Rings. If you missed out on backing the Kickstarter (which raised over $37,000, by the way!), you can preorder issues from various White Ash Comics series here.

• Territory #1-5 (Writer Blake McCarthy and Artists Donny Hadiwidjaja & Chris Sassman): Featuring the 32-page finale for the first time, readers can now get the full Territory experience! An epic post-apocalyptic tale, Territory explores a world where people have broken up into tribes who worship kaiju as gods. It’s perfect for fans of giant monster stories like Godzilla and Pacific Rim, post-apocalyptic stories like The Last of Us, and coming-of-age stories like Paper Girls. The Kickstarter raised over $5,000 thanks to dedicated fans. The creator is in talks with a couple more artists about expanding the Territory world, so there may be more news about this series in the future.

Upcoming Kickstarters

• Ruination #1-11 (Writer Ryan Bis & Various Artists): The next Ruination Kickstarter, which includes issues #10-11 for the first time, is coming soon. This fantasy series follows a group of soldiers from different sides coming together to stop the destruction of their world… and possibly much worse! Make sure you click the “Notify on Launch” button here so you don’t miss out on more fantastical adventures. If you absolutely can’t wait, you can buy the previously released issues on the Curious Perspective Comics online store.

• Battle Panda #1-4 (Writer Farhan Qureshi & Various Artists): Filled with big laughs and heartfelt moments, Battle Panda follows a fun team of anthropomorphic animals on a mission to stop an enemy known simply as the “Monster.” And the new fourth issue may just be the most emotional yet! Creator Farhan Qureshi took inspiration from “fun feel-good road trip adventure like The Goonies” and “dysfunctional heroes rising above what they think is possible like The Karate Kid.”

Three Cheers for 2025!

I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read these updates and nerd out with me. Feel free to share your thoughts and your own geektastic projects in the comments below! I hope you have something exciting planned for 2025. Here’s to a happy, healthy, productive, and fun new year. No matter what happens, we’ll still have comic books!

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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!

Pots & Panels Anthology Pre-Launch Page

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!

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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:

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:

Rapid Fire Reviews

Reluctant Hero Chapters 1 & 2 - Band of Bards

Written And Illustrated by Alexandra McCarthy Thoughts… This was my first time reading Manga and at first it seemed to be a bit strange but I was soon drawn into the story of Asta and Lolly and the mysterious Mallory. I do like a slice of life story and this tale of friends at The Middlesmoor College & University (MCU) does a good job of giving you a glim…

Read more

2 years ago · Rapid Fire Reviews

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!!!

Back Legend of the Dog Witch

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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:

• 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.

• 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!

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I also want to give a huge thank you to Jeremy Bowersock for naming my series, Road Trip to Hell, one of his picks for the Top Ten Indie Horror of 2023. You can check out what place it came in by watching his video!

What I’m Editing

J-Novel

Announced at AnimeNYC 2023, J-Novel is translating the light novel and manga series for Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig into English. Written by Takuma Sakai, this isekai (a popular genre where the protagonist is reincarnated or transported to another world) is 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!

I’m lucky enough to be the ongoing editor for the light novel series (starting with the second volume) and the manga, working side-by-side with translator Zihan Gao. I love it when comedy mixes with surprisingly dark themes, which I think this series goes hog wild with. It’s also really cool to have the option to watch the anime adaptation alongside it!

Tapas

• 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. New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Scout Comics

• M.O.M. Breaks the Internet #2 (Writer Jay Sandlin, artist Patrick Mulholland, colorist Adriano Augusto, and letterer Cynna Ael): This political thriller continues the story of Barbie Reed, who was recently laid off from her tech job. She’s working with her fellow moms to become M.O.M., a masked super-hacker seeking to change society by disabling key Internet services. But while the moms are in danger of being caught, the danger hits a bit closer to home for Barbie’s daughter, Penny, who is struggling from an assault. 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): Your favorite geeky magazine celebrating comics and fashion, Sartorial Geek, is back! This issue spotlights cartoonist, editor, and professor Steenz, who gives a detailed interview 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.

Independent Projects

• Turner Family of Terrors (Writer/Letterer Robert Krisch, Artist Aleksandar Bozic Ske, Co-Editor Christopher Angel): Get ready for a supernatural family reunion! The Turner Family of Terrors mini-series, which recently ended with its fourth issue, now has an online store. So, if you missed the comic when it was available on Kickstarter, here’s your chance to get it! Often described as The Simpsons meets Hellboy, this supernatural comedy includes a foul-mouthed family who must save the world from an apocalypse (or make things worse).

• Digitopia (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. While the Kickstarter is now over, be sure to follow the creator for more updates in the future. Though I was only the editor of the final issue, it was nice to be a part of this world for the brief time that I got to experience it. I’m also currently editing Farhan’s other series, Battle Panda.

Who I’m Interviewing

Kickstart the Week(end) with Everyday Fears: A Slice-of-life Horror Comic Anthology

• Everyday Fears (Writer Matt McGrath and Various Artists): The slice-of-life horror Everyday Fears was the latest comic featured on “Kickstart the Week.” I interviewed creator Matt McGrath, who wrote all six stories in this 40-page anthology. These stories, which try and put the “normal” into “paranormal,” take a fun approach to horror, including having an awkward teenager summon a demon to hang out with and two teens making a movie while a mysterious cryptid stalks them.

A Heartfelt Thanks for Your Patience (and Here’s to 2024!)

Seeing the work I’ve accomplished is always satisfying, and I hope you’ve all been enjoying it too! I know it often takes me quite some time to get together these newsletters, and I appreciate the returning readers for sticking with me. I don’t know when I’ll get to the 2023 year-in-review newsletter, but I hope you’ll enjoy the wait as I continue to edit and write plenty of projects in the meantime. Your support is always appreciated, and I hope you’ve been enjoying a happy, healthy, and productive new year so far.

Also, if you’re looking for less sporadic updates, please check out my various socials (linked on the top right-hand corner of my website). I’ve recently been trying out the Twitter/X alternative Bluesky as well. Say hello to @comicmaven.bsky.social!

Road Trip to Hell Announcements

The Very First Trade Paperback is Out Now

The trade for Road Trip to Hell Volume 1 (collecting issues #1-3) is now out! You can order a copy digitally or physically on the Scout Comics website. Per the description on Simon & Schuster, Road Trip to Hell is the ultimate nature vs. nurture story about a man who finds out he's the son of the devil and next in line to rule Hell. Everyone in Hell is out to kill him to take the throne. A cross-country horror story with a dark sense of humor, Road Trip to Hell features the worst the world ever had to offer. And if you’re a fan of the floppies like I am, you can get the complete set of all three issues here.

Devilish New Collectibles

Make your drinks appear even more devilishly delicious with a Baphomet mug (pulled right from the interior art in Road Trip to Hell #1 by artist Monika Maccagni and colorist Joaquin Pereyra) and collectible 16 oz pint glasses with all of the Road Trip to Hell cast chibified thanks to artist Zoe Stanley! All of them are available when you search “Road Trip to Hell” on the Scout website.

Nerd Initiative Interview About Road Trip to Hell and Editing

The Nerd Initiative was kind enough to invite me to be a guest on an episode of their Comic Press Podcast. Talking with Jeremy Bowersock, I shared my Nerd Origin Story and went in-depth about the editing process. Plus I got to talk about Road Trip to Hell!

What I’m Editing

Scout Comics

The Nerd Initiative Honors By the Horns and She Bites

Jeremy Bowersock also put two other series I’ve been editing for Scout Comics, By the Horns and She Bites, on his Full Top 5 Indie Comics of 2023 (so far) list. He even interviewed part of the creative team of By the Horns, including writer Markisan Naso, colorist Steve Canon, and myself on his show:

The Dark Earth Arc Wraps and the Legendary Edition is Announced

The 12-issue By the Horns: Dark Earth story arc ended in August. The immense build-up of the inevitable face-off between Elodie and her friends against Shanora Zel and her band of marauders finally comes to fruition in epic style, deep in the caverns of pure magic. With the fate of Solothus hanging in the balance, no less!

If you’re anxiously awaiting the next arc though, consider preordering By the Horns #1: Legendary Edition. This new format measures a prestige 11" x 17" and reprints the first issue in black and white.

Triple Threat: Prepare for Murder, Politics, and a Hellhound!

If you read my last newsletter, then you’ll know that three Scout comic books I’ve been editing behind the scenes for a while now were available for pre-order. I say were because the first issues of each are now all out! Here’s a rundown of these issues, which span a variety of genres and have all received praise from the comic book industry:

Comic Books Kill #1 (Writer Shane Berryhill/Artist Hoyt Silva): Taking place in 1939 New York, this crime noir follows Golden Age Comics creator Jack Levi, who falls for his mob boss publisher’s femme fatale mistress. The story has already received high praise from Brian Stelfreeze, the award-winning artist of Black Panther & Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, who said, “This story perfectly captures a time when comics lifted our imaginations and gangsters ruled our nightmares, but it brings them together with a crash of heart and stones.” (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 release date for the trade is still TBA.)

• Howie the Hellhound #1 (Writer Jared Prestwidge/Artist Carlos Trigo): Who could resist such an adorable face? Howie, a Hellhound of Satan, finds himself in New York City in this supernatural dramedy! He bonds with Louise, a struggling actress, but they find themselves up against the forces of Hell who want to drag Howie back. Liam Sharp, the writer/artist of Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, calls this an “engaging and delightful comic - delightful despite being largely about a murderous hell hound!” (This kicks off a five-issue mini-series—the second issue will be released in January 2024.)

• MOM Breaks the Internet #1 (Writer Jay Sandlin/Artist Patrick Mulholland): 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! Extremely politically relevant, Brian Hawkins, writer of Black Cotton, discussed the importance of the series: “In a time where standing up for what is right is needed more and more, Jay Sandlin and his creative team delivers an entertaining comic adventure about activism that corrals the idea of freedom of speech and the freedom to assemble through the lens of a tech world that’s being heavily guarded and borderline ostracized by a warden of a President. With shades of what could come in real life, Mom Breaks the Internet is an engaging look at people fighting back, one that is inspiring and artistically captivating.” (This marks the beginning of a five-issue mini-series—the second issue will be released in December 2023.)

J-Novel

The J-Novel series I’ve been editing finally concluded after over two years of work! Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower marks a special place in my career as the first light novel series I ever edited. One of my initial goals back when I was in college was actually to be a book editor at a publishing house, so this has always been something I was interested in. But my passion for comic books definitely won out and became my main focus when I first graduated.

It’s certainly a different beast editing a light novel instead of a comic book (or a webcomic, manga, etc.), and I really appreciate having the ability to change the mediums I’m editing. Culinary Chronicles in particular is an 11-volume light novel series centered around Rimi, one of the emperor’s many concubines who finds herself in the middle of a dangerous love triangle—all while preparing the most amazing food to aid the hearts of everyone around her.

The drama is real in this China-inspired fantasy story (originally written in Japanese by Miri Mikawa, the writer of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale), which you can purchase on Amazon or J-Novel.

Independent Projects

Four of the comics I’ve been editing recently had Kickstarters, and two of the campaigns are still going!

Currently Running

• Glarien of White Ash #1-3 (Writer Charlie Stickeny/Artist Romina Moranelli): This mature fantasy series, which I began editing with issue 3, 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! It has already raised over $40,000, unlocking several stretch goals, and you can still back it until November 15th.

• 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.

Recently Finished

Four is my lucky number, apparently! Both of these campaigns featured the fourth issue of their respective mini-series and were successfully funded (and ironically I started working on the second issue of each mini-series…unless you count the reprinted first issue of Turner Family Terrors)! While these campaigns may be over, consider following the creators to keep up with future campaigns.

• Turner Family Terrors #1-4 (Writer Robert Krisch/Artist Aleksandar Bozic Ske): 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).

• Territory #1-4 (Writer Blake McCarthy/Donny Hadiwidjaja): 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.

Who I’m Interviewing

Kickstarting Your Weekends with the Post-Apocalypse and D&D

Fun fact, I’ve done a “Kickstart the Week” for every issue of Amelia Sky so far (and I even co-edited the second issue along with the wonderful Brittany Matter!). This ongoing sci-horror comic takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. It follows the titular Amelia Sky as she survives the aliens that have invaded the earth as well as an arguably even scarier threat: other humans!

The Kickstarter was unfortunately unsuccessful, but please consider following the creator on Kickstarter to check out future campaigns. And if you want to learn more background and behind-the-scenes information about the series, check out my latest interview with creator/writer Jermaine M. Boyd and artist, letterer, and co-creator Martina Niosi.

I also interviewed creator/writer Jeremiah Espinoza and artist Butch Mapa about their D&D-inspired action and satire comic ONE-SHOT. The campaign was unfortunately unsuccessful this time around, but they are planning on relaunching in 2024 (you can follow their prelaunch page here). Consider checking out this chaotic good comic.

Going into a time of thanks and happy holidays!

It’s amazing how fast this year has gone by! The next time I’ll be writing a newsletter, it’ll likely be recapping November and December. So, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you partake) and an early happy holidays! I’ll still be editing throughout the festivities while also making it a point to set aside some time to actually enjoy the celebrations.

If only there were more hours in the day!

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FCBD and the Grantie Awards

My second time tabling since the pandemic started!

Having not tabled since Halloween Comic Fest in October, I was excited to be able to greatly expand my Road Trip to Hell section. This included finally getting to display the gorgeous Golden Foil Tarot Variants by Marco Fontanili.

While I am very proud to have worked on the adaptation for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, it is very satisfying to say that my best seller was easily Road Trip to Hell this time around! A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by. Hopefully, I’ll be able to table again next year so we can hang out some more! Although if you did miss out on the Road Trip to Hell goodies, you can always check them out on Scout’s website.

Favorite editor in the Grantie Awards

I also want to send another huge thank you to the 2023 Grantie™ Awards (aka Grant Stoye) for listing me among their favorite editors! I have some wonderful company in that category too, so please consider checking out the full list of awardees.

What I’m Writing

Collect the First Arc of Road Trip to Hell

Road Trip to Hell #1-3 are being collected for the first time in a trade paperback published by Scout Comics! It’s tentatively scheduled for September, though it may be subject to change (which I’ll keep you updated about). You can pre-order it now on Previewsworld and Lunar. For a brief recap of what the series is about:

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!

I want to thank everyone once again—from the backers who supported the book when it first premiered on Kickstarter to the people who bought an issue in a comic book store or other merch on Scout’s website—all of the support means the world to me. The book would not exist without an audience to read it!

My Two Salty Roos Stories Are Coming to Kickstarter

This has been kept under wraps for some time—while I’ve been editing the Salty Roos comic book series since the beginning, now, I’ve also written two issues (and could more be on the way…?)! These aren’t available yet, but you can get a tease when you check out Erick Anderson’s Kickstarter update.

Interviews

Kickstarting your weekend with an intergalactic space explorer

It’s been getting harder and harder to fit interviews with Kickstarter creators into my schedule (the last one before this was one with Russell Nohelty about Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter), but I do like being able to showcase crowdfunding efforts. So, I interviewed Zackary Marois about his sci-fi anthology Voyage back in May. Unfortunately, the project did not reach its funding goal on Kickstarter, but it is relaunching on Indiegogo!

What I’m Editing

Scout Comics

All good things come in threes, and between May and July, three of the new series I’ve been editing for Scout became available for pre-order!

Comic Books Kill #1: What could be deadlier than the mob? Falling for the wrong woman! Taking place in 1939, Comic Books Kill follows the comic-creating career of Jack Levi, who risks it all when he dates the femme fatale lover of his mafia boss publisher. This crime noir written by Shane Berryhill with artwork by Hoyt Silva and letters by Micah Myers will woo fans of Kirby, Brubaker, and Phillips. (Note, this is a NONSTOP! book, Scout’s imprint that releases only one issue of a series, which will be out in August; then the entire arc is published in trade paperback form. The date for the trade is still TBA!) Learn more about the series on PopCultHQ!

M.O.M. Breaks the Internet #1: “What happens when tech-savvy mothers take the Internet hostage to build a better world?” That’s the question posed in M.O.M. Breaks the Internet. Barbie Reed and her fellow tech-savvy friends team up to fight back against the world in this thrilling tale that’s not afraid to get political and is scarily relevant right now. The creative team includes writer Jay Sandlin, artist Patrick Mulholland, and letterer Cynna Ael. The first issue will be out this September!

Howie the Hellhound #1: Who wouldn’t love a dog, even if they came from Hell? Fall in love with Howie, a hellhound who escapes the pits of Hell to New York. He meets a struggling actress, Louise, and the two form a bond that’s impossible to break…unless the legions of Hell have anything to say about it! This supernatural dramedy written by Jared Prestwidge with artwork by Carlos Trigo, colors by Simon Robins, and letters by Lucas Gattoni, will be out this spooky season in October.

Breaking the trend of new titles, one series that I’ve been editing for Scout since 2021, Impossible Jones (a hero and a thief rolled into one), had another release.

Impossible Team-Up: Impossible Jones and Captain Lightning #1: In this standalone one-shot, Impossible Jones teams up with Captain Lightning! The special also features a crossover with IMP writer Karl Kesel’s (and Tom Grummett’s) investigators of the unknown, Section Zero! Plus, enjoy the interior artwork by David Hahn.

Tapas

There were two season finales for webcomics I’ve been editing for Tapas!

Villainess' Reprisal Boutique: The first season of this romance/fantasy webcomic ends with episode 50, “Giving Up”. Will one of the men vying for Allena’s attention finally make a move and risk it all?

Comedown Machine: Season two of Comedown Machine continued the rollercoaster of emotions from the previous season of this romance/drama webcomic. Are Keith and Tommy endgame? The second season came to a close with episode 95, making it the longest (in terms of episodes) webcomic I’ve ever worked on!

And if you’re looking for a webcomic to read while these two series say farewell to their current seasons, there is one ongoing webcomic that I’m currently editing!

North & East: The romance between North & East continues in the third season of this Boy’s Love romance webcomic. The latest episodes have been showcasing the superstar Diva, one of the major supporting characters, exploring her backstory. Get ready to cry. New episodes come out every two weeks on Mondays!

J-Novel

The penultimate tenth volume of the light novel series Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower is now available on various digital platforms, including Amazon. In this installment of the China-inspired fantasy romance, tensions reach an all-time high as Shusei demands Emperor Shohi give up the throne or else he’ll start a civil war!

Independent Projects

A couple of the projects I’ve been editing recently appeared on Kickstarter.

Ruination Volume 1: The first trade for the fantasy adventure comic book series Ruination recently completed its Kickstarter, successfully raising over $8,000. 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.

If you didn’t back this, please consider following Ryan Bis and be on the lookout for future Ruination Kickstarters. I was also part of a Ruination interview alongside Ryan and colorist Kaytee Brown on Cryptid Creator Corner from Comic Book Yeti.

How I Slept My Way Through College and Other Tales from Freshman Year #1-2: More colloquially known as HISMWTC, I jumped on this series starting with the second issue. The Kickstarter will end on August 9th, and it’s already skyrocketed past its goal, currently sitting at over $17,000. HISMWTC is about a college freshman who discovers a high-end escort service run by a professor using students as call girls. It’s described as “House of Cards having a three-way with How To Get Away With Murder and The Girlfriend Experience.”

This is my third time working with the wonderful Charlie Stickney (The Game, White Ash), whose talent for Kickstarter is known far and wide. The comic is illustrated by Emiliana Pinna with colors by Dearbhla Kelly and letters by Conor Hughes.

Lastly (for this update, at least), taking a departure from my comic book editing, I was the (uncredited) editor for Judith Harris’ The Poetry of Loss: Romantic and Contemporary Elegies, which was published by Routledge. This scholarly work analyzes the literature of loss through elegy written by prolific poets like Wordsworth, Keats, and Plath. So, if you’re interested in learning more about psychoanalytic concepts surrounding the poetics of loss, this may be a worthwhile work for you to check out.

(Although editing scholarship is not a huge departure for me—if you’ve been reading the scholarly journal Clio’s Psyche, then you know I regularly edit that psychohistorical journal, which releases about three times each year.)

Snow or sunshine, rain or shine, enjoy your summertime!

This year feels like it’s going by unbelievably fast, so I hope you’ve been enjoying the summertime while it’s still here. Honestly, the weather has been so humid for me that I’ve mostly been hiding out in my house and trying to stay productive (while also trying to remember to stay social by participating in virtual DND). But if you have some fun summer stories or projects to share, please do so in the comments below. And consider subscribing to stay in the loop on my latest projects and other updates. They’ll be sent out bi- (or tri-?) monthly.

Stay cool—or better yet, stay geeky!

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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!

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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!

What I’m Writing

Road Trip to Hell

Road Trip to Hell #1 is getting a second printing, due out late March 2023! While I’d typically wait until my March recap to share the news, I’m too excited to do that! It’s so amazing to get another opportunity to print the first issue, and I finally got to use an alternate color palette (from the amazingly talented Joaquin Pereyra) of the original Kickstarter cover illustrated by Monika Maccagni. This was my second choice for the original cover since I’m a sucker for red. Please consider pre-ordering the reprint through Previewsworld (JAN238369) or Lunar (0123SC844).

I was very excited to see The Dennis and Andy Show give Road Trip to Hell #1 a 9.0 rating, comparing it to a show with a special place in my heart, Reaper (though hopefully, Road Trip to Hell won’t be as regretfully short-lived). A huge thanks to them, and you can enjoy the full review below since they sell the comic better than I could!

But if I were to use my own words to describe the comic (or my interviewer’s words), then please check out the interview I did with Jordan of Comic Converse. We covered everything from Road Trip to Hell to Sonic the Hedgehog and my grandmother. I hope you enjoy a snippet of the interview, which will eventually become available in video format, on their Instagram below:

In other, more bittersweet news, Road Trip to Hell #2 came out on January 18th. Why bittersweet? While I’m super excited about the release, I did have to share this bit of news on my Twitter:

I have since been told that every comic store that ordered said issue and got the wrong copy should have had 100% of their order replaced for free. Depending on the shop’s policy, if you picked up the misprinted copy, it could possibly be replaced for you with the corrected one. That said, I do hope the misprinted Road Trip to Hell #2 will become something of a collector’s item. One can always look on the bright side and dream!

So despite the at times bumpy road to get here, I’m so glad Road Trip to Hell has finally made it into comic shops (and then hopefully into the hands of future fans)! I even got a copy in my monthly Scout subscription box, so it’s fun to know that my comic is part of a mystery box.

What I’m Editing

Scout Comics

In celebration of 2022, a lot of websites have been sharing their awards. One series that has been receiving plenty of praise and awards is By the Horns. As the editor for the book (a fantastical story that requires very little input from me), I joined the entire creative team for The Neighborlies 2022 Comic Award Show. The book was nominated for several awards; see which ones they won by checking out the entire show (we all reappear throughout the show, and even when we’re not on screen, there are some other fun guests that I think you’ll enjoy):

The creators, Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr, are running their own independent Kickstarter for the series as well. So consider getting your hands on the deluxe hardcover version of By the Horns.

Band of Bards

Reluctant Hero: I’m excited to be the editor of the first manga published by Band of Bards. The first chapter was released digitally on Global Comix. This psychological slice of life follows the lives of three young women in college: 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. But this slice of life has a very dark twist. Creator Alexander McCarthy shared a sneak peek of the book on the digital platform.

Sentience: This American light novel that I proofread by Elyse Russell was funded on Zoop last year and has since been received by most of its backers. The 200+ page novel features prose with some comic art and follows a clockwork android who faces moral choices for the first time in her life.

Order a copy from the BardShop!

Tapas

Villainess’ Reprisal Boutique: I’m happy to announce this webcomic that I’ve been proofreading/editing. After proofreading chapters 1-31, I am now a full-fledged editor on the series as of chapter 32. The story follows a fashion designer named Madison, who is killed and reincarnated as Allena, the daughter of the villainess in her favorite novel. The twist? Her mother was framed! Now, Allena returns to the same prestigious school her “villainess” mother attended to sleuth out the truth. The first five episodes of the series are free, and new episodes come out every Tuesday.

The Fox in My Bed: I had to say farewell to this webcomic, which reached its finale at the beginning of February. But how appropriate that this cute romance series between a young man and a fox spirit took its final vows in the month of love?

Final Shout-Out

A quick shout-out to another project that I partially edited ages ago, Daniel Gordon’s The Wolf and the Crow, which is now complete and on Kickstarter! It’ll be over by March’s end, so consider checking out this beautifully watercolored book and backing it.

If you’ve enjoyed my update and aren’t already subscribed, please consider subscribing so you won’t miss my updates recapping two months of geeky-fueled work!

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But for now, let’s take a trip down 2022’s memory lane. Here are some highlights from the year as well as what I’m looking forward to in the future (and I hope you’re looking forward to it too!):

Writing Highlights

Road Trip to Hell

Among my many spectacular summer announcements, I was extremely excited to announce that Road Trip to Hell got picked up by Scout Comics. You have plenty of options now for how to pick up your copy, including ordering it through Previewsworld, Lunar, or the Scout Comics official website.

Also, and this is diving slightly into 2023, the first two issues have already been released in comic book stores. Though for discerning readers, please note that there were unfortunately printer problems with issue two, so check that your copy didn’t print out of order! While disappointing, I’m trying to stay as positive as possible since somebody did suggest to me that it could become a collector’s item of sorts.

I want to thank everyone again who has supported Road Trip to Hell in any way; whether you bought a copy and/or shouted out the book, I really appreciate all of your support and encouragement. I also really appreciate Scout going above and beyond to get the series out there.

Kunoichi: Kate Bryant

The second issue of the four-issue mini-series of Kunoichi: Kate Bryant which I penned for creator Kevin Given through KRG Publishing came out this year as well. This issue continues Kate’s John Wick-like journey in Japan, this time tackling Mt. Fuji! Both issues are available on IndyPlanet.

Screen Rant

Like with Comic Book Resources before them, I stopped writing for Screen Rant (though a couple of my lists have since been updated by another Screen Rant writer, Amanda Bruce). Before stopping in June, over the course of 2022, I wrote 30 articles for them. I’ve listed three of my favorites below:

• Star Wars Reveals the Jedi Officially Have Their Own Bake Off (Really)

• Dream Detectives Hunt Nightmares in Image Comics' Slumber (Exclusive)

• Death of Elvira Is Killing the Horror Icon for Her 40th Anniversary

Editing Highlights

Scout Comics

All of the series I highlighted last year from Scout Comics have since started releasing (with more in the works), including:

• By the Horns: From the Voracious creative team of Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr, By the Horns is a critically-acclaimed fantasy series. The first part (six issues) of the follow-up arc, Dark Earth, explores the consequences of the team’s first adventure.

• Cult of Ikarus: All four issues came out this year from the creative team of Jenna Lyn Wright and Karl Slominski. Think punk rock meets found family and vampires.

• Impossible Jones: From the all-star creative team Karl Kesel (Harley Quinn) and David Hahn (Batman '66), Impossible Jones is a thief turned superhero who isn’t looking to trade in her past as a thief anytime soon. All four issues of the first arc are now out, and there’s even a super special holiday special!

• Sartorial Geek: Helmed by Sartorial Geek co-founders Jordan Ellis and Elizabeth Crowder Serota, the first three issues of this geeky magazine featuring a variety of talented writers and artists came out, along with excerpts from Scout’s other series, Stake.

• She Bites: This three-issue mini-series by Hedwig Hale follows the supernatural escapades of Elsie Baker, a 134-year-old vampire in the body of a 9-year-old girl, who gets a new babysitter (which doesn’t stop her from getting into plenty of trouble). There’s plenty of mature humor to be enjoyed here.

I’m also still working as Scout’s Director of Digital to help eventually get all of their titles on digital platforms like Comic Plus, comiXology, and Hoopla. Plus, I’ve been working on getting their books input onto Simon & Schuster for distribution!

Tapas Media

There were plenty of season finales among the series I’ve been editing on the webcomic site Tapas Media. This marked the end of my work on some series and the production of the next season for others. Plus I joined a few more teams on the site. The series I have shared and talked about before include:

• Comedown Machine: This ongoing romance series continues to bring the drama with every episode. The Season 1 finale as well as part of season 2 premiered in 2022 along with a Spanish version of the series!

• Chinatop: The first season of this romance webcomic in which two strangers became friends (and potentially something more) in a fantastical world ended along with my editing tenure on it in early 2022.

• Thirst: The romance between superstars Tristan Monroe and Ethan Blackwell continues leading to bloodshed in this vampiric tale with the second season coming to a close in 2022. Production on season 3 is still in progress and is expected to premiere sometime in 2023.

• Flawless: Set in the year 2072, this science-fiction romance explores the divide between perfects and humans. My role on the series grew as it progressed, beginning as a proofreader, then as assistant editor, until finally, I was a full-blown editor before the series came to its natural conclusion in 2022 with episode 50.

• The Fox in My Bed: This love story between college student Kyouji and the foxy Nagisa combines drama, fantasy, and romance! I joined the series as an editor on season three, specifically starting with episode 56 (“Parents”). Stay tuned for the finale in 2023.

Band of Bards

I know, I know, I said I was cutting back on work. But when I started working with the wonderfully talented Elyse Russell, who introduced me to the awesome Tim Stolinski, I found my way into working with Band of Bards on a variety of projects (most of which I still can’t announce). The only one that was released in 2022 is the light novel by the aforementioned wonderful Elyse Russell, Sentience. Though I would also like to tease Band of Bards’ upcoming manga release as well, Reluctant Hero, written and drawn by Alexandra McCarthy.

J-Novel

Throughout 2022, one of my more consistent projects, the light novel series Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, continued. This China-inspired fantasy with food and love triangles saw the English release of Volumes 5-8 in 2022. At this rate, the 11-book series should be wrapping up in 2023.

The other project added to my roster and completed in 2022 was Inquisition, a 25-chapter webcomic. Join two Inqisuitors in a fantasy setting who are hunting down heretics with special abilities from another mysterious world… our own! Enjoy some meta-humor and action-packed heretic-hunting.

Independent Projects

I’ve continued working with a variety of independent publishers and creators this year, editing stories featuring everything from battle pandas to plant people. Here’s a brief glimpse at each of the series/issues I worked on below:

• The Game #2-3: Think Quantum Leap with the main character hopping into the body of Duncan MacLeod in Highlander and you get The Game. I was able to work on the second and third chapters of this Charlie Stickney (White Ash) title, which were combined into one oversized issue.

• Less Traveled: Enjoy some short horror stories by Shawn Gabborin (Puppet Master). This was my first time editing a short story collection, and I’m happy to be able to do it in my favorite genre (and for an awesome writer).

• Bloom Pretty - A Fantasy Comic for a Mature Audience: Another project I’ve worked on from Last Ember Press, this fantasy comic features romance, murder, and plant-people.

• Battle Panda #1: Big Trouble in Panda City: Kai, a panda warrior, dreams of becoming a hero. He may just have his chance in this new series where he takes on the wolves who are blocking the pandas’ water supply! And could there also be something more sinister happening in this animal kingdom?

• Ruination #1-6: If you’re looking for a classic fantasy adventure, Ruination offers all that and more as it follows soldiers looking to save their loved ones (if they can stop themselves from killing each other first). Not only did the first story arc wrap up, but a spin-off series also premiered called Tales of Ruination, which features everyone’s favorite Fallen assassin, Keila.

• Salty Roos, #4 All You Can Eat Buffet: The adventures of three anthropomorphic kangaroos who love extreme sports continue with this story about a quiet Cape Cod community terrorized by a fanged, bloodsucking tentacle monster!

• Dimensional: This sci-fi series is about a mathematical equation that can save the universe from total annihilation.

• Retribution Chapter Two: The Retribution series continues, featuring the return of R, brought back from the dead to avenge his lost love. Think the likes of Spawn, Crossed, and The Crow, while exploring important topics like mental health, suicide, and trauma.

• Stake Presents: Jessamy #2-3: This three-issue spin-off of Stake follows the exploits of the vampire Jessamy in 18th-century America when she investigates mysterious rumors surrounding a plantation.

• Sacrifice #3: Sacrifice features a ragtag team consisting of the devil, Damien, alongside an archangel, vampire, demon hunter, and fledgling witch.

• Turner Family Terrors/Concrete Arcanum: The Turner family bumble through a comedy horror story together that’s described as The Simpsons meets Hellboy with another issue added to the main series as well as a new story in the supernatural and modern fantasy anthology Concrete Arcanum.

• TERRITORY #2-3: This post-apocalyptic kaiju epic continues to give off Godzilla and Horizon Zero Dawn vibes.

Interview Highlights

Kickstart the Week

While I have been cutting back on my “Kickstart the Week” interviews, I do still try to interview indie creators about their crowdfunding campaigns on Comic Frontline. In 2022, I posted 18 interviews, including for the first time ever Zoop campaigns in addition to Kickstarter projects. Here’s three highlights from the year:

• Kickstart the Week(end) with A Hunter’s Tale: A Comics Poem: Ryan Claytor combined his artistic talents to create a comic book version out of his late grandfather’s poetry. A Hunter’s Tale is the result of this emotionally-charged creation.

• Kickstart the Week with KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER 50TH ANNIVERSARY Graphic Novel: The comic book anthology KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER 50TH ANNIVERSARY spans numerous decades, featuring ten original comic book stories from the talented minds of R.C. Matheson, Nancy Collins, Peter David, and many more.

• Zoop into the Week with Dead Dreams: The Lucid Chronicles #1: This second “Zoop into the Week” spotlights Brittany Matter’s debut on Zoop with the first issue of her science-fiction series Dead Dreams: The Lucid Chronicles. Find out more about dream drugs, doppelgängers, and preferred parallel worlds when I talk with both the series’ creator as well as the artist.

Being Interviewed/Appearances

For the first time since the pandemic started, I attended my first in-person event, selling some of my comics during the Halloween Comic Fest celebrated by the comic shop Comic Fusion.

I was also interviewed a couple of times in 2022, both about my own work Road Trip to Hell as well as another interview alongside the rest of the By the Horns creative team:

• Talkin' Shop with Ms Jen! Comic Creator Interviewed About Their Latest Work!: “Every Monday, Ms. Jen sits down with a comic creator to get an inside look at a book hitting shelves on Wednesday! Let Ms. Jen bring you behind the scenes of the comic book world. No VIP badge required!”

• Blake's Buzz Live - A Stay In Solothus: “This special episode of Blake's Buzz Live is an all you can eat monster head soup buffet! Markisan Naso, Jason Muhr, Steve Canon, and Nicole D'Andria are grabbing the live stream By The Horns!”

My Newsletter

Marking the first full year of updates, 2022 saw this newsletter updated on a monthly/bi-monthly basis. Most likely, to continue my “cutting back” strategy, I’ll be changing this to a bi-monthly (one post every two months) newsletter. I’m always updating my socials though, so if you want to see what I’m up to, please check out my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and my website. And if you’d like to see all of my previous newsletter posts, check out the archive here.

Plans for 2023

While writing this update, I discovered the concept of “hurry sickness,” which fits me to a T, constantly feeling as if I’m trapped in a time crunch and inadvertently hurrying my way through life (and projects). I’ve already been implementing some of the “treatments” for it too, as evidenced by my previous posts.

Most likely, my 2023 plans are going to mirror 2022, continuing (if not bettering) my self-care while paring down some of my other behind-the-scenes work. As well as continuing to do my best and appreciate the work I do have the opportunity to do, saying yes to select opportunities that are worth my extra time and attention. Plus writing the scripts for the next arc of Road Trip to Hell!

Thanks for continuing on this journey with me, and hopefully getting something out of it along the way! Please consider subscribing to this newsletter to keep up with my bi-monthly updates.

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Road Trip to Hell #1 Released!

The first issue of my creator-owned comic, Road Trip to Hell, has been released in comic book stores and on the official Scout Comics website. I’m so proud to be able to share my story and see it on comic book shelves. A huge thank you to the rest of the creative team who made this comic possible (and oh so pretty!), including artist Monika Maccagni, colorist Joaquin Pereyra, letterer Justin Birch, and editor Andrea Lorenzo Molinari.

And a huge shout-out to all the lovely people who promoted the comic by picking it up as well as those who gave it a shout-out on socials. One of these social media highlights is the We Have Issues podcast, which excitedly recapped the book on its 104th episode (starting at around the 38-minute mark). They made me even more excited about the series!

The end of the year also meant that comic awards began to get announced, and I was very honored to be included in the ICE award as an Exceptional Editor, and for one of the books I edit, By the Horns, to be awarded for Exceptional Ongoing Series.

J-Novel

It feels like it’s been a little while since I talked about a new series that I edited. The English translation of the first 25 chapters of Inquisition was recently released on Book Walker (via J-Novel), which I’m excited to announce I edited! The first five chapters are available to read for free. The webcomic features two Inqisuitors who hunt heretics from another world in a fantasy setting.

In other J-Novel-related news, the later volume of the light novel series that I’ve been editing, which combines food, pretty boys, and a love triangle, Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower Vol. 8 is now on websites like Amazon!

Scout Comics

Four books that I’ve been editing for Scout were released in November and December of 2022. Experience everything from a fantasy world with unicorns to a babysitter for a vampire!

The aforementioned heavily nominated series By the Horns: Dark Earth released its sixth issue of this arc. Finally, Elodie, Sajen, and Evelyn are on their way to reuniting with their unicorn friends Zoso and Rigby, and they’re in for a surprise! From the Voracious creative team of Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr with the new arc’s colorist Steve Canon.

Sartorial Geek, a pop culture magazine combining geekdom and fashion, released its third issue. It features an interview with Elhoffer Design about geeky design takes a look at Arabella’s unique styles in I May Destroy You, examines female representation in Around the World in 80 Days, and lovingly celebrates the relationships in Our Flag Means Death. Plus, enjoy an excerpt from Scout’s Stake comic. Huge shout-out to the creators and main editors of the magazine, Jordan and Liz of Sartorial Geek.

There was plenty of holiday cheer this year, which was front and center in Impossible Jones: Naughty or Nice #1! This “super special Christmas special” story from Karl Kesel (Harley Quinn) and David Hahn (Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77) will be a real treat in your stockings as Holly Daze threatens to blow up the city!

A finale of sorts, She Bites #3 wraps up the first story arc with Elsie (a 134-year-old vampire in the body of a 9-year-old girl) enjoying tormenting her new babysitters at a mall. Though the two need to band together to have some real “fun” by…disposing of a body?

Thank you for your support in 2022.

To keep this short but hopefully sweet, thank you for taking the time to engage in my work and read these newsletters each month. Please consider subscribing if you haven’t already to keep up with what I’m doing each month, which includes shouting out some wonderfully creative people and indie books that I hope you’ll consider supporting.

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Here’s to a joyous and productive 2023!

Announcements

Road Trip to Hell #1-3 Now Available for Pre-order

All three issues of the first story arc of Road Trip to Hell are now available for pre-order on Previewsworld or Lunar. The latest issue’s new covers have been officially revealed, meaning more gorgeous cover art from the interior art team as well as another hauntingly beautiful Tarot Card variant:

• Cover A (NOV221807) by Monika Maccagni and Joaquin Pereyra

• Retailer incentive cover by Marco Fontanili that’s available in a 1:10 variant (NOV221808) and a 1:50 spot foil variant (NOV221809)

Due to the paper shortages and Hurricane Ian, my latest update regarding the release dates is that issue #1, originally scheduled for October, is more likely going to be coming out towards the end of November or in December. But I won’t be able to get the most reliable release date until a week before (when it appears on the “New Releases” tab on Previewsworld). This likely means issues #2 and #3 will also be delayed. But, if you pre-order them online from your local comic shop, you’ll be able to get them regardless of the release date. Please consider supporting the book—and thank you if you already have!

Enjoying Halloween Comic Fest

I tabled my first event since prior to the pandemic at Comic Fusion! I’d been wanting to tip my toe back into tabling at events and this was the perfect event to do so. The comic shop celebrated Halloween Comic Fest, a fun in-shop event that combines both Free Comic Book Day and Halloween. I was able to sell a few copies of Road Trip to Hell as well as some of my Miraculous adaptations. Plus I met several new (and old) friends who were also tabling or just hanging out at the event (shout-outs to @elizabethamber, Amanda, Avi, @nutellamolotov, and @vampricyoda). Thank you all for making me feel so welcome!

What I’ve Been Editing

Band of Bards

There has been some fun movement on the Sentience American light novel that I proofread for Band of Bards. Full of bloodshed and heartache, the book is now available digitally on websites like Barnes & Noble! Read over 200 pages about a clockwork android who begins to question her identity.

Scout Comics

The first week of October saw the release of two ongoing Scout Comics I’ve been editing. There is Karl Kesel and David Hahn’s super thief masquerading as a superhero series Impossible Jones collected in its very first superpowered volume! Then Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr’s ongoing By the Horns series continues its “Dark Earth” saga with issue #5, which features a gorgeous battle with pirates at sea in this fantasy-filled series.

Kickstarters

Several Kickstarter campaigns are currently going on for some independent projects that I’ve been editing for some creators brimming with ideas.

Described as Quantum Leap if Sam jumped into Duncan MacLeod’s body in The Highlander, The Game is a noir thriller brought to you by the creators of White Ash. Having previously worked with writer Charlie Stickney on White Ash Season 2, I jumped into the game starting with chapter two onward, which is being combined with chapter three in a 48-page oversized second issue. But readers can check out issues #1-3 in the current Kickstarter, which has already busted passed $30,000!

Also available through Kickstarter is Sacrifice #1-4, a horror comedy series following a ragtag team of heroes(?) comprised of the host of the devil, an archangel, a vampire, a demon hunter, and a fledgling witch. I started editing Laurent Valles Jr’s series as of issue #3. It has plenty of personality, which you can check out here.

J-Novel

One additional piece of news leftover from September is the release of the seventh volume of Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower. This volume of the China-inspired fantasy story explores a month of diplomacy and a potential wedding to seal diplomatic ties that may mean our protagonist Rimi could lose her place in the world all over again!

Trying to be zen as we rocket toward the new year

As I attempt to put my many experiences this year into perspective, it feels like we’re already hurtling toward the end of the year. I was feeling more burnt out last month, but as I type this, I’m in a calmer place (maybe because of the yoga, maybe from getting some perspective). I’m extremely thankful for all of the work opportunities I’ve gotten over the years while trying to mellow out a bit and learn the power of saying “no” to certain opportunities while still recognizing ones to say “yes” to without running myself down. It remains to be seen if this brief reprieve will last, but I can only hope that you’ll remain along for the ride with me!

(Plus one of my favorite comic book sales is this month… that probably has something to do with my good mood too!)

I hope everyone had a very happy Halloween and enjoy any other upcoming holidays that you celebrate. Share how you’re celebrating the seasons down in the comments below and consider subscribing to my newsletter if you haven’t already to get a bit of a glimpse at my upcoming holiday season as well.

Announcements

If you’ve been following my work in any capacity, then you know I’m super proud (and excited) to be publishing my creator-owned comic, Road Trip to Hell, through Scout Comics! Major Spoilers even did some coverage of the announcement (thank you!).

The first issue can still be ordered from Previewsworld or Lunar. But in the latest news, Road Trip to Hell #2 is officially ready for pre-orders as well! This means more new covers, including:

• A gorgeous cover A (OCT221936) by interior art team Monika Maccagni and Joaquin Pereyra

• Another insanely awesome retailer incentive cover by Marco Fontanili that’s available in a 1:10 variant (OCT221937) and a 1:50 spot foil variant (OCT221938)

You can even Subscribe to the series so you’ll be able to get each and every issue as they come out. Regarding when they will come out though: it’s a bit up in the air at this time. While Previewsworld and Lunar list release dates, it sounds like, between the paper shortages and Hurricane Ian, there will be a delay of at least one to two weeks on issue #1. I will most likely be unable to confirm the release date until a week before (when it appears on the “New Releases” tab on Previewsworld).

Speaking of Hurricane Ian, please share your love with Scout and the many other people who have been affected by this storm! The official Scout Comics account tweeted out a thread recounting the situation and how it has affected the company, as well as their printer. Thankfully, everyone is okay, but delays are to be expected. I hope that anyone reading this who has been affected by Hurricane Ian is safe and has been getting through this trying time.

What I’ve Been Editing

Scout Comics

For another Scout-tastic announcement, a comic that I’ve been editing for Scout has been solicited in the September Previewsworld Catalog for a November release: the Impossible Jones: Naughty or Nice one-shot! Celebrate this holiday season with IMP, whose perfect heist is thrown off by Holly Daze threatening to blow up the city, as well as with Even Steven in his very special backup story.

I also joined the rest of the By the Horns team, an ongoing fantasy comic book that I’ve been editing for Scout, on a live show with the always super sweet Blake’s Buzz! I was even able to promote my other projects a bit, including Road Trip to Hell. But rather than hearing my recap of it, please check out the full live show below:

Tapas Media

Time really does fly when you’re editing so many webcomics (and having fun)! September marked my two-year anniversary of working with Tapas Media. Since I began working as a webcomic editor for Tapas back in September 2020, I’ve worked on seven series for them. Some of those currently ongoing (and/or in production) webcomics include:

• Flawless, a love story taking place in a future where people are separated by their “perfect” status, reached its episode 50 finale in September.

• Thirst: The first exclusive mature dual release in Tapas history, this romance between a half-vampire actor and his co-star really heats up. It is currently in production on its third season.

• Comedown Machine: The first original mature dual release in Tapas history, this drama-filled romance begins with a woman getting cheated on and then hopping into a relationship with a celebrity—which has plenty of its own pitfalls! The second season is currently uploading every Friday.

• The Fox In My Bed: A more recent addition to my roster of romances, I began working on this fantasy-tinged series with their third season, featuring the love between a university student and a fox spirit.

More announcements will be forthcoming, including another romance that’s on its third season.

Band of Bards

While I’ve teased some of the projects I’ve been editing for Band of Bards in the past, including Sentience and Reluctant Hero, they’ve formally announced me as an editor on their team in their September 2022 newsletter. If you’re interested in keeping track of their upcoming projects as well, you can subscribe to that newsletter on their official website. The goal of the publisher involves “publishing stories with a focus on Representation, Inclusion, and Diversity.” I will have more upcoming announcements for projects that I’ve been editing with them soon.

Kickstarter

Concrete Arcanum is an anthology featuring supernatural and modern fantasy short comics. I’m only involved in a small way in this magical venture as the editor of the “Turner Family Terrors: Beach Day” short by Robert Krisch. It still has a couple of weeks to go on Kickstarter as of this update, so please consider checking it out and supporting the 120-page anthology (which features 35 comic creators!).

The Worries of Burnout as We Ramp Up Toward the End of the Year (and Halloween Comic Fest!)

Do you ever get in a funk? I have a plethora of projects to work on that I’m thankful to be a part of, but as we gear up toward the end of the year, I’m feeling a bit burnt out. I’ve been trying to incorporate more free time and relaxing activities into my work schedule: working out more, having less late-night desserts, and listening to ASMR or doing yoga/stretches to relax. Or playing video games like Necropolis (although that isn’t always relaxing…).

I will also be trying to do my first event appearance since pre-pandemic by attending Comic Fusion’s Halloween Comic Fest event on October 29, 2022, which I’m hoping will help. But if you have any tips for ways you avoid burnout or how you de-stress, please share them below.

Thanks for joining me for another update. If this is your first time here, please consider subscribing to learn more about the various projects that I’m a part of on a (roughly) monthly basis. And if you’re a returning reader, thanks for continuing with me on my nerdy journey!

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I know summer is coming to an end when I can finally pay a visit to my local Spirit Halloween. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed their summer rays—or if you’re like me, enjoyed blasting a fan in your room while you over your computer keyboard.

But while the summer sunsets are waning, new projects are on the horizon! Enjoy some sneak peeks at the projects I’ve been working on as well as some releases that are available now at your local comic shop (or online!).

What I’ve Been Editing

Tapas Media

The Fox in My Bed: I’ve joined this webcomic’s creative team in their third season, starting with episode 56...the first five episodes are free! This Boys' Love webcomic is a Tapas Original that has it all: drama, comedy, and fantasy! Kyouji has been dating the fox spirit Nagisa for three years now, but their relationship is still complicated! See how their love develops when a new episode uploads every Tuesday.

Comedown Machine: The other webcomic I’m editing that’s currently six episodes deep into its second season. There’s plenty of drama and romance to enjoy every week between Tommy and her celebrity boyfriend, Keith, every Friday when a new episode goes live!

Band of Bards

I’m currently editing a handful of interesting projects for Band of Bards, meaning I’ll hopefully have even more announcements related to this publisher to share with you soon! But there are two projects that I can talk about now.

The first project, Sentience, is an American light novel by Elyse Russell that was successfully funded on Zoop. Mixing prose with comic art, I recommend checking the novel out when it becomes available for pre-order, especially if you’re a fan of Ex Machina, The Dark Tower series, Monstress, and Claymore. In the August 2022 Band of Bards Newsletter, they unveiled a preview page from the novel, which I’ve just finished proofreading (and it was such a fun, fast-paced read):

The other project that’s been announced is Alexandra McCarthy’s Reluctant Hero. Having already edited the first volume’s script and after seeing some of the early pages, this slice-of-life psychological thriller offers readers a unique manga experience. This will mark the beginning of a three-volume manga series and is planned as a chapter-by-chapter digital release with physical distribution after all chapters have been digitally released:

Scout Comics

Because I combined announcements in my previous update, I missed out on the premiere of another title that I edited and really wanted to share: it’s the hottest new vampire comic, She Bites! Elsie Baker, a 134-year-old vampire stuck forever as a 9-year-old girl, gets a babysitter. Hijinks ensue for mature readers only! The first issue is now available in your local comic shops, and the second and third issues are already available to pre-order.

For August, Scout Comics released the next issue of the geektastic magazine Sartorial Geek #2, which takes a look at fandom fashion this time around. Learn more about fictional fashion icon Furiosa, how to bake David Rose-inspired cookies with The Geeky Hostess, and enjoy much more nerdy numminess!

J-Novel

One other important piece of news from July is that the sixth volume of the light novel series Culinary Chronicles of a Court Flower is now available digitally for purchase. This culinary court drama continues to offer up delicious dishes and political intrigue with our poor protagonist Rimi left in the middle! It’s the first light novel series I’ve ever edited, and the journey has been rewarding so far. I’m excited to see where Rimi goes from here.

Kickstart the Week

Kickstart the Week with Puppet Theater: The Fool #1

In my conversation with the creator/writer of Puppet Theater: The Fool Thomas Cowling, we talk about him marketing the comic as Saga meets Game Of Thrones, how it combines a medieval period with sci-fi elements, and many other elements within the series, such as the importance of the concept of time. The series features everything from swords, court politics, love, and magic. It was successfully funded thanks to the efforts of 51 backers pledging a total of AU$ 2,349.

Kickstart the Week with Ichabod Jones: The complete Lovecraftian dark-fantasy comic

All four volumes of USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty’s Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter became available in his latest Kickstarter. Taking inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft, Nohelty talked in-depth about the importance of his dark fantasy horror-comedy, and how a “broken man” can become a hero in a society that cast him aside. This Kickstarter has already reached its goal (currently it’s raised over $18,000), but it will be live for a couple more weeks. So there’s still time to check it out and consider backing if you haven’t already here!

Road Tripping into Fall!

As the fall months are fast approaching, we're nearing the debut of Road Trip to Hell #1 in stores on Wednesday, October 19th (barring any paper shortage issues pushing the date back)! Don't forget to pre-order your copy from your local shop with the order codes below. We've got some spine-chilling variant covers just in time for the spooky season!!!

• A sweet main cover by interior art team Monika Maccagni and Joaquin Pereyra (Diamond Order Code: AUG221807)

• A sick variant cover by Marco Fontanili, which is available as both a 1:10 Tarot Card Variant (Diamond Item Code: AUG221808).

• And a 1:50 Foil Spot Variant of the Marco Fontanili cover
  (Diamond Item Code: AUG221809).

• All the covers are also available through Lunar!

If you’re interested in learning more about the series, which is an adventure story with horror elements and dark humor that I like to call the “ultimate nature vs. nurture story,” check out my recent interview with the wonderful Jen King.