As a matter of fact…
Chapter 198: New books, New York Comic Con, same old me...
Read the new McSweeney’s!
Get some art at New York Comic Con!
It’s Vampire Day at your local comic shop!
It’s also lost 7” day there too!
Help out a comic shop in need!
Hello again.
I am right back in your inbox because the world is an exciting and terrifying place and I have things to tell you. And I missed you.
We will start with a very cool thing that just happened. My amazing sister in law, Stephanie Skaff, has a short story published in the new issue of McSweeney’s that is out right now.
Stephanie is one of the most amazing, kind, and wonderful people I know, let alone have the honor of being related to. But you probably shouldn’t just buy a literary anthology because I said someone in it was really nice. However you should buy it because McSweeney’s is often an early look at some of the most important new writers around and it’s well curated, well designed, and full of amazing work.
I’ve spent a lot of hours talking about stories and writing with Stephanie so I’ve known for many years that she is truly unique writing voice and has a great mind for story, but it is exciting that so many other folks will get a first taste of that now. And it’s even more neat for me because now we have quantifiable proof that I am (at most) the 5th best writer in my family. And my family is not much bigger than five people. So that’s fun.
If you care at all about modern writing and humor and have never read McSweeney’s, you owe it to yourself to fix that. And what better place to start than right here!
In news that is more directly about me, I have some important info for those of you attending New York Comic Con next week— I’m not going!
Okay, maybe not that important, but a lot of you have asked. If you want to get stuff signed by me, I’ll probably be in one of New York’s many wonderful parks. If you can find me I will sign anything you want. Even a pigeon.
In even better news, a lot of my frequent collaborators will be there, and you should make sure to buy stuff from all of them. But there are two I especially wanted to highlight because I play favorites.
Tyler Boss (WTFPFH? / 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK / DC VS. VAMPIRES) will be at table I-11. He’s going to be selling books, (maybe some 7”s,) and pages from Furthest Place real cheap because he’s sick of having them in his house. But he is also taking commissions like the awesome ones below. If you want to get something from him, best set it up in advance-
9x12 single figure with background $500. Additional characters or complexity can be discussed. Email josh@modernmythologycomicart.com
Andy MacDonald (MULTIPLE MAN, DOCTOR STRANGE, DETECTIVE COMICS) will be at table B-33. Andy and I made a Multiple Man book together a few years ago and now we’ve spent more than a year working on a top secret new thing that is so weird and fun and I can’t tell you about it. But maybe if you’re nice to Andy he might. Anyway, he will have lots of stuff for you. Go see him. #BosskInAFancyChair
Go get some art for your boring ass walls, get some stuff signed, or tell these guys how awesome they are for putting up with me so much.
Lots of great comics in stores today. If you’re looking for new stuff to try I’d definitely recommend SENTINELS #1 for your big bad robot enjoyment, ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1 for you big bad batman enjoyment, TOXIC AVENGER #1 for your big good Troma enjoyment, and MURDER KINGDOM #1 for all your big bad murder mystery in an amusement park enjoyment.
But I also have some comics out this week!
DC VS. VAMPIRES #3 has Alfred showing off his new jewelry, Damian showing off his big plans, and the new Batman just showing up and showing off. This issue also marks the conclusion of Tyler Boss’s excellent 2 part Bat-Mite story. Will we keep making the book now that that story is over? Is there even a point? Who can say. So you might as well go get this issue now because it very well may be our last. (Also, make sure to tell your comic shop to get you next months issue while you’re there.)
And in somewhat shocking news, our (former) distributor Diamond Comics has found some misplaced copies of WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? Deluxe Edition #1, 3, and 5. So those are arriving in shops today. Where were they? Who knows. Why did they find them now after all this time? Who knows. Why did they ship them all at once? Who knows.
But if want some badass 7”s from JOYCE MANOR, BLAKE SCHWARZENBACH, NOTHING, RESTORATIONS, AJJ, and TIM BARRY head to your local comic shop today before they’re all gone.
(And yes, it does seem our distributor packed some of the first prints of WTFPFH? #5 with the 2nd press of the 7” and some of the second prints with the 1st press of the 7”. Not sure why. Do with that what you will.)
With a monster storm bearing down on Florida right now I am afraid I will be posting more of these in the coming weeks, but in the meantime people from the last monster storm still desperately need your help.
There are a lot of people doing a lot of great aid work for those affected by the storm, and if you can afford to give please do. But I am also a huge believer in the importance and transformative powers of a great comic ship in a community. And Main Street Comics in Marshall, NC needs a lot of help to rebuild and be there for their community.
Stay safe. Take care of each other. Stay safe and take care of each other, Florida.
-Matthew Rosenberg
NYC 10/09/24
Really glad that Diamond found and shipped those DLX editions this week. Finally got the #5 I'd ordered through my LCS back when they were solicited a couple of years ago. Still waiting for #7 to show up (maybe some day...). As far as I've been able to tell, Diamond hadn't shipped #5 or #7 until the #5s that shipped this week (at least not the records - IIRC my LCS got both 2nd print comics, minus the records, a year or so ago). I loved this idea and knew most of the bands/performers you'd selected, so I made sure my LCS was ordering them.