When your chores are done!

Chapter 153: Cake and crying, records and books for buying...

• An (Intentionally) Sad Birthday!

• Please Make This Statue!

• Get Yourself Some Music!

• New Comics!

• The Mixtape!

Hey,

welcome back. First off all, thanks for all the birthday wishes and the orders from our store and donations directly to Anera. It means a lot. You didn’t ask, but I had a very nice, low-key birthday. I did a minimal amount of work, ate some Korean fried chicken and cake, and watched a bunch of movies. A good time was had by all.

If you armchair analysts want to have some fun, for reasons I don’t feel like examining I picked some real upsetting films- The fascinating 4 DAUGHTERS, a pseudo documentary about a mother and her 4 girls in Tunisia, some of whom get caught up in Isis. The horrifying 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, a documentary about the Russian invasion of Ukraine as seen on the ground from the first city to fall. And the engrossing THE BEASTS, about a French family who moves to a small town in Spain and run afoul of the locals. That one was only a normal amount upsetting. Anyway, I strongly recommend all three, especially if you want to cry on your birthday.

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Someone showed me this awesome fan-made piece this week and I thought I’d share it. This statue was made by Joker fan and professional sculptor Daniel "Daniboy" Sanches. It is based off a cover to our JOKER: MAN WHO STOPPED LAUGHING series. The attention to detail is so breathtaking. If you want to see more shots or check out Daniboy’s other stuff you can do that here.

And here is Ryan Brown’s awesome cover to compare.

I want DC to make that statue so I can bully them into sending me one. Or I can bully myself into buying one. Whichever seems easier.

People have been really excited that we got some copies of the first 3 issues of WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? Deluxe Editions in the store. You can still find the Blake Schwarzenbach/Joyce Manor 7” here, the Screaming Females/Worriers 7” here, and Nothing/Restorations 7” here.

Issue #4 has been in stores for a minute but if you need a copy any of these fine shops here and here would have copies and most of them ship worldwide if you’re not local. Or ask your local comic shop if they’re not on that list.

But if you can’t make that work we just got some copies of #4 in our store. The Split between CHUBBY & THE GANG and SPIRITUAL CRAMP comes with issue #4 of the book with an exclusive cover by our own Tyler Boss and is for sale right now. It is almost definitely cheaper to buy it from one of the comic shops linked above, but I like to give options.

Grab yourself a very fun record today!

It’s Wednesday! New Comic Day! Here is some stuff I think you might want to read.

THE ONE HAND #1 by Ram V., Laurence Campbell, & co. It’s a thriller about a cop on the verge of retirement who gets a case that threatens to ruin everything he knows. A killer he already locked up years earlier has somehow struck again. What follows is a story this is and is about more than it seems. Gorgeous art, poetic language, and a brilliant conceit that will keep you guessing make this a must read.

U & I #1 by J. Michael Straczynski, Mike Choi, & co. A love story between a superpowered amnesiac and a down on her luck lady leads to much bigger (and more destructive) things. This is part of the bigger universe Straczynksi is building at AWA but it still serves as a great jumping on point.

PEACEMAKER TRIES HARD by Kyle Starks, Steve Pugh, Jordie Bellaire, & co. Peacemaker makes a doggy friend. Super(star)boy Kyle Starks makes the most fun books. Reward him (and yourself) by buying this and telling him he did good.

WEIRD WORK by Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane. A hard-boiled detective noir in bright neon. If you like crime stories, but also like aliens and mutants and cults, then this book is going to be your new favorite thing. Shaky Kane’s gorgeous art works perfectly to suck you into this wild world.

FALL THROUGH by Nate Powell. There are few people in comics that pour as much heart into everything they do as Nate Powell. All of his books feel so intimate, so lived-in, that it almost feels invasive to read them. But it is also always a joy to get to read such honest work. And Nate’s new graphic novel is no different. The story of a 70’s punk band who are tearing the fabric of the universe apart as they tour around and play their songs is both wildly imaginative, and yet also feels deeply personal. Equal parts LOVE & ROCKETS, ALMOST FAMOUS, and EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, this comic is a joy on every single page and a celebration of making things bigger than yourself, being a part of things bigger than yourself, and never losing yourself in all of that.

EMPIRE by Mark Waid, Barry Kitson, James Dean Pascoe, & co. Originally published by DC but long out of print, this old series by legends Waid and Kitson has finally been brought back for your reading pleasure. In a world where a supervillain crushed his enemies long ago, nothing stands between him and global domination… or does it? A very fun take on superpowers and fascism and all that fun stuff.

Also, I’m not crazy for thinking this is kinda funny, right? DC’s EMPIRE-

Marvel’s EMPYRE-

DC just has a better spellcheck I guess.

The world would be very different if it weren’t for Detroit’s MC5. Radically badass. Rest In Power Wayne.

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I guess that’s it for me.

Stay safe. Take care of each other. I’m going to watch something really dumb tonight so I don’t make myself too sad.

-Matthew Rosenberg

NYC 2/7/24