What was that?

Chapter 25: It's December! You know what that means?

Dec 03, 2021

The beginning of the end (of the year)!
Records are coming!
Signed books? Signed books!
Annuals!
The Mixtape!

Happy December 2nd to all of you who celebrate that! I can’t believe it’s already December. It feels like just 11 months ago we started this horrible year with the thought “this year is probably gonna suck.” And boy were we right. But here we are, in the ass end of 2021, and while I didn’t go much of anywhere or see much of anything, I did a lot of work I’m really proud of and I am grateful to everyone who picks up these books and gives them a chance. So if thats you, thank you.

With that said, I also write this here newsletter in the hopes that our relationship isn’t simply transactional in nature. At this point I’m pretty close to a shut-in, and writing is very isolating by nature, so I am trying to make it so the conversation does not begin and end simply with the work. I’ve talked about this a lot but I grew up in punk and hardcore. It was a scene that very much emphasized the idea that the art we enjoy doesn’t just come from the ether, it is is a product of the people and ideas in the community. Whether you’re making music, booking shows, selling merch, working the door, or just showing up and having fun, they are all parts of the same ecosystem. And in that, we don’t put our peers up on a pedestal and we don’t have barriers between us. I remember hearing rumors for years that seminal post-hardcore band Fugazi began encouraging the crowd to not clap between songs because it created a barrier between artist and audience. I never saw them do that, but I did see much less seminal but very funny pop band Weston clap between every song as a response to Fugazi and a show of solidarity with the audience. Same problem, different and maybe more absurd solution. But I still think about it a lot.

All of that is a long way of saying that this here thing is starting to feel like I’m talking to you and not with you, and I don’t really love that. So please, if you have questions or things you want to talk about, email me or comment or whatever.

Lots of folks have rightly been asking where the deluxe editions of WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? #1 are. They are on their way to comic shops as we speak in fact. They will be on shelves in 2 weeks at comic shops all over the planet. They are pretty limited edition, so they might be tricky to get, but not impossible. And when I know what spots have extra copies I will share that here. In the meantime we’re hard at work on a 2nd print that will arrive early next year. Well, I’m not. I just gave them my credit card number and said “please hurry” but I assume the pressing plant is hard at work.

I could post a lot of things about why making these records is so hard and how we’re in unprecedented times here, but I’m trying to be more cheery. So I thought I’d show you how records are made because it’s pretty cool.

That’s about as much non-comic information as I’m legally allowed to impart per week, so on to comic books.

First of all, since I’m not doing any conventions or any signings coming up, a bunch of people have hit me up about getting signed books. We still have a few signed copies of WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? #1 for sale at FurthestPlace.com.

BUT…

It’s always better to buy the stuff from a comic shop. And we’ve hooked up a few comic shops with signed copies (and more coming soon!) But if you’re in NYC the great JHU Comics has some signed copies of WTFPFH? #1 and some TASK FORCE Z #1 and DC VS VAMPIRES #1. Forbidden Planet also has some signed WTFPFH? #1 that you can order online.

In addition to a ton of copies of DC VS. VAMPIRES #1 signed by me, and some signed copies of my first issue of UNCANNY X-MEN, the mighty Midtown Comics has signed copies of WTFPFH? #1 online and in their shops as well, including a bunch of the rare covers. How do I know they have them? Because Tyler and I drove to Long Island, got pizza at Mama Theresa’s (Garden City represent), and wrote on all of these (plus a few more cases)-

So go get yourself some signed books or get some to give out for the holidays. Don’t make us have gone to Long Island for no reason…

Just kidding. We got pizza.

I had a couple books come out this week that are really pretty surreal for me, if I’m being honest. My brief (so far) time at DC has been nothing if not a total joy, but it also has allowed me to work with a ton of artists that I really admire. And this week was as good a showcase for that as any.

Writer James “The Littlest Onion” Tynion IV and editor Ben “I don’t give editors weird nicknames because they sign my paychecks” Abernathy once more invited me to come play in their excellent globe trotting crime noir detective series THE JOKER. And once again I am teamed up with the legendary Francesco Francavilla. There is a rare thrill in working with an artist who you know will just make everything you write seem smarter and better. I guess that thrill is called riding coattails and I am a big fan of it.

Thought he was an actual cat when I started writing the issue. Thank god for google.

It’s a wild romp through the early days of The Joker’s time in Gotham and I got to write some Batgirl too, which is neato.

If you’re not reading Francesco and Scott Snyder’s new book NIGHT OF THE GHOUL you should fix that right now. It’s a lot like this issue but Scott doesn’t need Francesco to make him seem smart because he actually is smart. And also it has ghouls.

My other book this week is the DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL. Writing issues of DETECTIVE COMICS for DETECTIVE COMICS COMICS is still a surreal feeling.

I co-wrote this annual with the amazing Mariko Tamaki, who has been steering the good shop ‘Tec for a bit now, and it’s been an absolute joy to read. But she’s just getting started with the upcoming SHADOWS OF THE BAT event that, you guessed it, I am writing a bunch of. This annual sets up both Mariko’s story and mine, so it’s a good jumping on point if you haven’t been reading. Or you should go back to the beginning of her run, because it’s all been great.

Anyway, we split writing duties on this issue and the legendary David Lapham blessed our script with his art and then the great Trish Mulvihill and Lee Loughridge did their color magic on it.

Casual fans are assuming I wrote this, but eagle-eyed readers will know I didn’t because I’d never imply ice cream could give you a stomachache.

Doing a book with David Lapham is so surreal to me. His series STRAY BULLETS is one of the best comics ever made and one of the reasons I make comics. It sits in my Hall Of Fame Comics library between LOVE & ROCKETS and SIN CITY. (Yes, it’s not alphabetical.) I’ve already had multiple peers text or message me telling me they hate me for getting to work with him. And I’ll tell you now what I told all of them- “Yeah. It was even more awesome than you imagined. Suck it.” I actually worked with David one time before this, but that’s a deep cut story for another day.

In the meantime grab the DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL right now and, if you haven’t read it, please buy yourself the STRAY BULLETS omnibus.

Since we were already talking about Fugazi today, figure I’d share one of my favorite live concert videos ever. They’re playing an anti-war protest in front of the White House in 1991 and it’s clearly cold as hell. There is a bunch of great footage of the show in the brilliant documentary INSTRUMENT. But we’re just going to jam Turnover for now.