DOUBLE UP
Oh What a day! What a Lovely Day!
BIG DAY
For me.
Today (Weds) I’ve got two (2) comics in stores. TIGRESS ISLAND #4 and GEHENNA IN TOKYO one-shot both hit shelves. I have to admit I didn’t think this out, as having two books out at the same time can cannibalize your draw, never mind two books the same exact day. I can only hope those who went in for one will see it as opportunity to pick up the other. And I hope that’s person is you. The whole teams of both books appreciate it.
Reviews to check out for GIT and TI.
PAGES IN MY INBOX
Leonardo is not running from backgrounds in this book. He’s taking all comers.
THEMES
This next bit would be so much more effective if I was willing to post cover art to A/B it. But I’m not tryna disrespect anybody through comparison.
For people who aren’t aware, there’s a marketing/sales program stores can opt into. The stores commit to buying a x number of copies of an issue in exchange for the right to commission their own cover art for that issue.
For the stores, it provides an exclusive product. For publishers, it’s a sales boost.
For the people who believe variant covers are toxic for the industry, it’s all bad. You can make up your own mind on that. I see everyone -stores, readers, etc- as having agency and I trust them to make the decisions that work for them.
The artists stores commission range from local legends to proper legends. When it’s done well, it’s a cool opportunity for stores to tailor product to their customer.
Some books with my name on them are prime for these variants because we lean into exploitation aesthetics. Pretty women, specifically. On TIGRESS ISLAND we declined to have them, but most titles I’m part of will opt in.
Background over, here’s where I was going with all this: the cover artists retailers tap to work on my books are fascinating to me. These guys rarely have interior pages in their portfolios. Variants are their on-ramp to this world. Career cover artists.
Often the vibe of these guy’s work is very different than the art in the book. Or the covers I commission. It’s a little more ‘general admission’ with high accessibility for non-comic readers. I can’t say they aren’t stylized, but the style is populist for lack of a better term. And, for the work they do on my books, very booby.
So my question is “if this is the retailer’s choice of artist based on what they think they can sell, why don’t I just hire these guys to do covers?”
Is it one of those “if the black box survives the crash, why not make the plane from the same materials” sorta questions? The considered answer is that the point of comic books is only partially to sell them. You have to enjoy doing them first and foremost. In putting a book together my choices (often team choices) are my voice. And once you give up on having your voice in your books, you may as well get into finance or real estate.
I do find the idea of a ‘perfect product’ in comics pretty interesting. As if you could scientifically build a book to succeed. But no such thing exists or could exist. There’s things that 100% will not work, but nothing that will work 100% of the time. Which is also fascinating.
I’m grateful for the stores that do variants of my work. And even if the cover artists they hire are not in my contacts, I respect that they have a deliberate idea of what they want from my titles.
It’s all quite fun, even on the occasions I’m not happy with the covers. Part of being different people is arriving at different models of self-expression.
PEOPLE I SPOKE TO
Andy is my 70-year-old neighbor from a sectarian neighborhood and era of Glasgow. Poverty made an impression on him and he has no desire to visit where he’s from again in this life. “It’s all bad memories.”
He knows I’m a musician and talks to me about concerts he attended. Today we spoke about putting Prince in the wrong venue (stadium). And then we went to history and found that we both have an interest in Youtube videos about Tartaria.
He’s a man with a disarming warmth and widely spaced teeth. I enjoy talking with him whenever I get the opportunity. Which is every-other-day.
A/V SECTION
MEDIA CONSUMPTION
Been on a De Palma kick since listening to The Devil’s Candy audiobook. This one is a classic to many people, and I can see why. It’s fun and good-looking and that’s all a sane person wants from a partner or movie. But it’s also stupid as hell. So if you’re feeling pointy-headed on movie night, Body Double is not the movie. But if you’re in the mood for shit that only half makes sense and looks cool, this one is a HEALTHY RECOMMEND.
I didn’t play video games with any regularity through much of the 2010s. Maybe I was broke? I don’t recall. But I don’t have a handle on any of the big or classic releases of that era. Including Dishonored. I picked it up on sale and was immediately hooked. I like sneaking around in games, as I’m not great at them and frontal attack never serves me well. This game can be ALL sneak if you wanna play that way. I had a blast. Basic story, but cool worldbuilding if that stuff thrills you. Also didn’t consume my life, an increasingly important criteria. I played before bed for a week. Fun. BIG RECOMMEND.
FROM THE DESIGN FOLDER
No idea why this one was in my folder. Was I looking for a pose? What character would be doing this? I have no memory of filing this one. But I like it. The shadow looks airbrushed and the red against the sky has a nice hit to it.
THANKS
Appreciate everyone who buys the books I write month in month out. Hit the comic shop and pick up today’s releases. And while you’re there, tell them you’d like a copy of REGICIDE #1. Do for self.
Just picked 'em both up. They look great!