It’s like a second language to me!

Chapter 143: Milk, comics, and even more milk for some reason...

Jan 03, 2024

Last Year’s Dollars and Drinks!
This Month’s Comics by Me!
This Week’s Comics by Not Me!
Mixtape!

Hello and welcome to 2024!

Did I already send out a newsletter in 2024? Sure did. But it was just the most recent podcast and didn’t have any of the juicy details, like this one also won’t. Let’s get into it.

But before we charge ahead, I want to clear one thing up. In that last email I did make mention of the fact that I replaced my “shoe dollar” as a New Year’s tradition. Some of you, correctly, had questions. Allow me to explain, which may or may not actually answer those questions. A bunch of years ago I was flying to a comic con in ??? and when I went through the TSA checkpoint I put the contents of my pockets into my shoe to pass the metal detector. When I took it all back out I somehow missed a dollar and left it in. Unknowingly I walked around and did the first day of the show with a dollar in my shoe. I had a very good day, as I recall at least. That night I was sharing a hotel room with a bunch of other comic creators and when I took off my shoe Michael Walsh noticed the errant bill and asked me about it. I told him I kept it in there for good luck. I don’t know why I said that. I do stuff like that. I also don’t know why I continued to do it after that but here we are now, years later, and I always keep a dollar in my left shoe for luck. And once a year I replace that dollar, or what’s left of it, with a brand new one. And that is the legend of the shoe dollar. Do I actually believe it brings me luck? Probably not. But sometimes its nice to have a tradition or two.

I wanted to take a few moments to look back before we look forward. 2023 was a huge year for me and I don’t think I could have done any of it without the support from all of you. So allow me to take a brief moment to look back at all I accomplished and hopefully you will also feel a sense of pride for the role you played as well.

Looking back at 2023, a big thing for me was making more time to read, watch movies, drink chocolate milk, and just hang out. I am pathologically bad at that and my brain tends to want to fill empty spaces with work. I am very proud of all the work I’ve done, but I also know I have an unhealthy relationship to my work which creates an unhealthy me. So, part of what I am celebrating this past year is the time spent not working.

I’m not going to list the top 5 things I read because a) I didn’t really keep track of them. b) I would run the risk of ruffling too many feathers of friends and colleagues with my smoking hot takes. But I will do another top 5 for your amusement, ruffled feathers be damned.

My Top 5 Hangouts of 2023.

Making everyone come to a rooftop bar I chose only to immediately all get thrown out. (One of two places I told Ryan Stegman to go that week that he immediately got asked to leave.)

Eating hamburgers in Central Park as the raccoons begin to emerge and reclaim their territory. I find most meals are best enjoyed with a little side of fear.

Watching fireworks with Tyler and the Cheese Wizard while we plotted a book you don’t even know about. Number of fireworks that scared the dog: 0. Number of fireworks that scared Tyler: A fucking lot.

Eating bagels in Riverside park. I have become a morning hangout person. I don’t love that for me, but I don’t hate it.

Hanging out at Veselka. Same as every year.

New Year. New Month. New Comics from me!

I have two wonderful books out this month for your reading pleasure.

DC VS. VAMPIRES vol. 1 paperback by myself, Otto Schmidt, and James Tynion IV. If you missed the hardcover, now is your chance to catch up in paperback before Season II starts later this year. I don’t want to toot my own horn here but this may be the only book you buy this year where a member of the Justice League is turned into a smoothie. And it’s out today!

WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? #17 by myself, Tyler Boss, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is out in 2 weeks. This one is big! I mean that in terms of size, but also in terms of story. As our multiple timelines run together we are launching into the biggest and craziest part of our story so far. Save your family or die trying.

Go grab them at your local comic shop this month!

And speaking of your local comic shop, pick up some cool books by people who aren’t me this week!

PINE AND MERRIMAC #1 by Kyle Starks, Fran Galan, & co. My favorite dude Kyle Starks returns with a brand new series about a married couple who move to a small town to get away from the horrors of big city life… And find themselves immersed in new, different horrors. Kyle’s signature blend of heart, humor, and smarts is on display here and Fran’s gorgeous art creates a rich world to get lost in. This is the kind of story that sucks you in and doesn’t let go.

QUEEN OF SWORDS vol. 1 by Michael Moreci, Corin Howell, & co. A spinoff from the best sword and sorcery book going today- Barbaric. Queen of Swords is the story of a team-up between a witch, an assassin, a barbarian, and his evil talking sword. Keeping everything you love about Barbaric but expanding the world out, this is a must read for fans and a great introduction for people who wished they had more stories about talking weapons.

BARBARIC: HELL TO PAY by Michael Moreci, Nathan Gooden, & co. Speaking of Barbaric, here is the 3rd volume! Blood-thirsty axes! Evil wizards and slightly less evil witches! Prisons and quests, bloodshed and friendship! This book has literally everything you love. Grab a copy today.

BLACKWARD by Lawrence Lindell. The story of 4 queer, Black, nerdy punks looking for a place to call home. Funny and heartfelt, the playful cartooning pulls you into a story full of rich characters dealing with their everyday bullshit and trying to survive. Blackward is a fun, slice of life exploration of living your own life on your own terms.

OFFSHORE LIGHTNING by Nazuna Saito. A collection of short stories covering the whole career of this exceptionally insightful woman. Saito tells intimate, personal stories about lives full of disappointments and frustrations that feel both relatable and satirical at the same time. This collection is beautiful and celebrates a talented storyteller and her quiet and strange work.

ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD vol. 2 by Jason Aaron, Leila Del Duca, Tamra Bonvillain, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Nick Dragotta, and co. The beautiful, wild, and sometimes heartbreaking post-apocalyptic story of falling in and out of love continues. To say this is one of the most inventive books on shelves would be a disservice. Balancing epic world-building, intimate character work, and wild adventures is no easy feat. Most stories would be lucky to do one of these things as well as OUATATEOTW does all three. One of my favorite books of last year will continue to be one of my favorite books of 2024 and if you missed it now is the time to catch up.

And that’s it for my recommendations. Go start your new year off right buy visiting your local comic shop and trying some new things.