It’s 2:45 PM on April 7, 2010. After being canceled by it’s original publisher, you may now order your copy of FCHS Volume 1 by clicking the image above. Feel free to crash ComiXpress’ servers. Much thanks and gratitude to Chris Pitzer and Jose Villarrubia.

Today, I became a self-publisher. Kind of fitting seeing as the MoCCA Art Fest is this weekend.

Without giving too much of a build-up, I’ll just tell you all of the things you should PRE-ORDER or Special Order at a comic shop near you, and some things you should bookmark…like, now.

*Out Now, POPGUN VOLUME 4:

READ: The Golden Mantis of Chinatown by Vito Delsante & Attila Adorjany (p 469/520).

To Order – Diamond Order Code: DEC09 0379
Amazon.Com

*Coming in AUGUST…SAVAGE DRAGON #163 (I kid you not):

READ: Faster Baby Yeah Yeah by Vito Delsante & Rachel Freire

Diamond Order Code: TBA

*News on FCHS coming! But in the meantime…

This is a big deal, folks. We need your help to make this book possible. The idea is putting comics in the classroom, and it’s a great idea. Please donate and pre-order your copy of the Reading With Pictures anthology (which has an exclusive FCHS story!).

*Online: Project: Rooftop.

(Red Cross by Dean Trippe)

New Column: RETROFIX. Bookmark the site and read about new characters that you can’t and wont see anywhere else!

Re: Your Perceptions of Me

To All That Are Concerned (and most that aren’t),

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you who I am. Or rather, I’d like to start with who I am not.

I am not a geek that lucked into the opportunities I have been given. I am not a dork in a store behind a counter with a grand plan to “save” the X-Men or some other valuable franchise. I am a writer, a writer who crafts stories. However, something troubling has been happening for the better part of my career. Most of you look at me and see my occupation, not my career. You can’t imagine me outside of my job.

You’re being prejudiced. And for an industry that prides itself on it’s ability to see past race, creed, sexuality, sex, and colors, that’s quite a charge. There are those who think that because I work in retail that I am unable to contribute positively to this industry. That because I sell comics for a living, I can’t give.

You’re wrong. You’re dead wrong.

I have fought for every opportunity that has been given to me, and there are those that have fought with me and given me those opportunities out of a belief that one person can do amazing things. That if given a chance, one person can spark a creative fire in others. That is the writer’s job, to strike a match and light a fire under an artist, a job I have performed many times over. But because I work in a comic store, there are those that think my opinion matters less, my imagination is shallow and my voice isn’t valid.

My professional writing career begin eight years ago on a whim, like many others have. A five page story that an editor saw as entertaining and worth printing. Since then, I’ve struggled. I’ve done a short story here, an anthology there, but when it came time to do something long form, doors closed. Publishers have gone out of business, titles have been canceled, stories have been pulled from publication. Most recently, my graphic novel, FCHS, was canceled as a result of low pre-orders. In and of itself, a book being canceled in today’s market isn’t shocking. What is shocking is that in an industry that cries out for something new, something that isn’t superheroes or the status quo, this book shouldn’t have failed. Quite the opposite, as we had a number of free previews for the book that, by all counts, have found their way into a multitude of hands. Something is wrong with the industry, and not everyone can see it. But that is a post for another time…

What I’m getting at is this: It’s not for a lack of trying. I am a writer. This is who I am. Doors open and doors close and doors remain ajar, but I always thought that these things would happen as a result of something I did or said. Instead, the situation I find myself in is one where these things are happening as a result of something I have no control over.

So, you, the comic industry, are leaving me no choice.

World domination.

Seriously, though, it may come to something like that, but not quite in the megalomaniac sense. I’m standing on the precipice of a world of my own making, as slightly psychotic as that sounds. What I’m proposing is this: creating a world of my own, worlds of my own, and inviting you, the comic industry, to come along and inhabit that world.

You wont let me into yours, but you are always welcome in mine.

(Heh…I almost wrote, “…you are always welcome in mind.”)

I look forward to seeing you there, even if you are dragged kicking and screaming into it.

Don’t make me drag you kicking and screaming.

October 10th was the date of the last post, and as you can imagine, a lot has happened since then. Let’s go through the bullet list:

1. FCHS Canceled – The announcement was made October 12 on the AdHouse blog. Since then, the number one question is, “What happens now?” To be perfectly honest, we don’t know. Rachel and I are discussing a few options, but unfortunately, no one has jumped to our “rescue,” as it were. That’s not entirely true. We had a few folks mention us on their blogs (Sean Collins and Tom Spurgeon immediately spring to mind), and without naming names, we were given two generous offers, one that can’t be done as of this writing (the other to be revealed at a later date). The book is done (read the complete first chapter here) and it will come out in some way, shape, or form. That much I can tell you. The road to print is one that I can’t see the destination from, but Rachel and I will still travel.

2. Stray: Scripting Complete – On a positive note, STRAY, my straight-up superhero story for [CLASSIFIED] has been written and is completed and is in the editor’s hands. Waiting for notes, but for the most part, my job is done (until the book is ready to be seen and I go into huckster mode). I’ve seen the first two pages and good gravy, you will be floored. Ladies and gentlemen, the game has been changed! As a postscript, if you’re not following me on Twitter or on Facebook, do so. I post character designs at least once a week. AND, there will be a theme song!

3. What is ECNOWRIYER? – Chris Arrant is an old friend. I think he did my first interview at Newsarama many years ago, and we’ve been friends forever on Livejournal. Chris is also one of the founders of The Chemistry Set. So, it stands to reason that if I were to work on a project with any other writer, I’d go to Chris first (if not first, definitely in my top 5). Chris and I got to talking about writing prose and we both agreed that it’s something we wanted to try. So, beginning January 1, 2010, we begin ECNOWRIYER, which is a play on NaNoWriMo (East Coast NOvel WRIting YEaR). We’ve hooked in pulp writer extraordinaire and another good friend, Bobby Nash and we’re all set to go. I’ll post my weekly progress here. Oh, and the book I’ll be attempting to write? STUCK, my old Chemistry Set comic! Feel free to join the fun!

4. Popgun Volume 4 – AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW! After FCHS, I’ve learned my lesson! Order Popgun Volume 4 (Image Comics) at your local retailer today (order code: DEC09 0379)! I have a story with my good friend, Attila Adorjany, called The Golden Mantis of Chinatown (a quick sample can be seen here). The book clocks in at 512 PAGES and is bigger than previous offerings, so this is the best bang for your buck (29.99 of them). I’ll be doing some appearances to promote the book, and Tom Scioli and I are talking about appearing in the Pittsburgh area together! Tell your local retailer to get in touch with us! The book comes out (tentatively) on FEBRUARY 10, 2010!

5. “What happens now?” – There’s a lot of stuff on my plate, and that’s the odd thing about adversity and missteps and losing some of the battles; you, or at least I, hunker down and get back to work. And there’s a lot of work to be done.

Thank you everyone for your support and your kind words. Please stay tuned. There’s a lot of cool, unusual, fantastic things to come.

I swear.

There are officially THREE days left for retailers to get their preorders in. Please, run, walk, crawl to you nearest comic book retailer and ask them to order FCHS for you. Give them the order code of SEP090568 (it’s like a secret message) and tell them how many you want. While you’re waiting for the book, check out the following three interviews I did:

Also, here’s an interview Rachel did with Comic Book Catacombs a few months back.

Yes, I owe you hree more pages for the Prequel and yes, they will be coming shortly.