Set for stun!
Chapter 46: Enter Green Bean.
Green Bean!
My books or whatever. Did you see Green Bean?!
Survival Street is almost as great as Green Bean!
The Mixtape! - Some chaos is good!
Hello again!
Happy first week of August. Lots of stuff going on behind the scenes here at Ashcan Press industries. Can I talk about any of it with you? Legally, no. But I can make vague hints and innuendos that are both frustrating and wildly unsatisfying. So let’s just say things are about get real nuts around here. You’ll see soon.
In the meantime, I managed to duck out of the city for a few days to stay in a big house in the Hudson Valley with some family. Not going to talk about that really except to point out that among the people I got to see was a decided non-person.
That’s right. Green Bean was there! The crown prince of puppies, the man with the needle-teeth, ol’ Popcorn Feet himself. What was Green Bean doing? Mostly trying to eat beetles and getting picked up by me and carried around like a baby. Not sure if he was into it, since his reaction to pretty much everything is the same-
In reality I had to spend most of the time up there working, but I did get the chance to take a lot of work calls with this as my office. So that wasn’t bad.
And I also took a break to go swimming in the pool at 2 am one night. If you’ve never gone swimming in a dark pool at night, I strongly recommend it. It is the perfect mix of the peaceful stillness we so often can’t find as adults and the childhood fear that a dead guy is going to drag you underwater because kids were mean to him at camp or something.
On the way home I stopped in at World’s End Comics in Kingston, NY and spent like $200 in about 6 minutes. Great shop. If you’re in the area stop in, or order online from them.
In books news, WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? vol. 1 got a very nice review in Publisher’s Weekly. Don’t believe me?
'“Fans of smart science fiction will anxiously await the next installment.”
See?
If you still haven’t had a chance to pick up the book, you are in luck! One of our favorite comic shops in all the land, Comix Experience in San Francisco, selected our book for their monthly Graphic Novel club. I don’t say lightly that Brian and the staff of C.E. are some of the most passionate and well read comic retailers around.
Every month they pick one book for adults and another all ages book for their clubs. The books are consistently a who’s who of the best comics coming out, so we are honored to be this month’s pick. And the book club books come with a custom bookplate (in our case it was designed by Tyler and signed by both of us) and a virtual discussion with the creators. And the great thing is, even if you don’t live in the bay area, they ship worldwide. So reach out to them or sign up here to get our book and a well curated selection of the best current comics every month.
And then join us on August 24th at 6PM (pacific) for our discussion of the book. 9 Eastern is after Tyler’s bed time normally, but we all agreed this was a special occasion so we’re letting him drink a Coca-Cola and stay up for it. If I know Brian it will be smart, in depth, and we will probably argue a bit about some bullshit we’re both too passionate about.
I’d also add that, even though it’s only August, I think gifting someone a membership is about the raddest holiday gift you could give someone. Look at me, offering you helpful holiday shopping tips year round like some sort of svelte (comparatively) Santa Claus.
In other comic news, DC VS VAMPIRES #8 is out this week. A.K.A. the one where everyone starts screwing.
Our friends at Graphic Policy have a preview here if you’re a try-before-you-buy person. As always Otto Schmidt’s art crushes and me and James Tynion just ride his coattails. Fun anecdote about this issue. I had a joke on the first page that I loved so much but was sure it would be cut. It made it through scripting and lettering drafts, and through the first pass of lettering. When I proofed the lettered pdf I was shocked it still hadn’t been cut. I was so shocked in fact that I screenshotted (that a word?) and shared it with a bunch of my peers with the heading “I can’t believe this made it through!” Twenty minutes later I got the note that DC Standards & Practices just noticed it and it had to come out. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what my beatnik friends call karma.
Working on this book has been so fun and I love seeing all the outpouring of love for the book and the (often NSFW) fanart. But, alas, there can only be one best piece of fanart and it has already been made.
That’s right! Excellent writer and master crocheter Preeti Chhibber captured the wonderful moment we all fell in love with vampire Nightwing. Marvel at how wild this is and then go grab a copy of Marvel’s new middle-grade Marvel novel- SPIDER-MAN’S SOCIAL DILEMMA which Preeti wrote. Thanks to her, Zach Braff, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Carl Reiner for making this happen.
Crocheter is a real weird word.
In the rest of the world of comics, a writer whose work I love very much, Mr. James Billingsly Asmus has a new book out this week with Jim Festante, Abylay Kussainov, & Ellie Wright. It’s a wild and fun book about a future where corporations take over and privatize everything, leading to the puppets from PBS being put out of work… And becoming terrorists.
Yeah, it’s pretty great. Truly a crazy premise full of a lovable cast of economic terrorist puppets in their fight for freedom. And sometimes ice cream. It’s rare a book that makes me laugh out loud and rarer still that I read a book and say ‘what the fuck?’ under my breath. SURVIVAL STREET #1 made me do both a lot. Pick it up at your local comic shop today.
Chaotic week means chaotic music. Boredoms.
That’s it for me. Thanks, as always, for reading.
Stay safe. Take care of each other. Swim in the dark.
-Matthew Rosenberg
NYC 8/4/22
As always, I appreciate the newsletters and you have me wanting to pick up DC vs. Vampires.
Wondering if there's any new info on the 7" situation for WTFPFH? It looks like the deluxe editions are shipping without records now and it would be nice to get an update. (Totally get the whole supply chain situation, mostly want to know if we should expect them at all.)
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night