I’m happy to report I had a great con - lots of interesting meetings, lots of seeing old friends, and lots of signing copies of Masters of the Universe: Genesis!

Speaking of Genesis, Issue #3 is out this week, wrapping up our involvement in the title, and capping off Skeletor’s first steps towards conquering Grayskull! This issue sees his plan for the city of Operon come together, as he decimates its armies, and captures its King - why is this particular city so vital to his plans? Read it and find out!

Also on deck this week is Exit City Volume 2: Vitruvian, presenting the entire arc in trade paperback form! This series might have fallen off your radar a bit, as the later issues were made digital-only, but you can read the entire thing right here!

Vitruvian asks the intriguing question of what happens when a sentient AI artist decides that the most efficient way for it to achieve its goal of becoming better is to perform involuntary brain surgery on the artists of Exit City to find out what makes them tick. And the only person standing in its way is McCormick, who by the way, may be going insane.

No judgement if you missed this one in issues, but I highly encourage you to check it out!

NEW TATS!

The other thing that took up my time this month was planning and getting some new tattoos - I’m planning to fill in my arms over the next year or so, and these are the first new pieces I added, with the help of an awesome local artist, Anna Waychoff, of Powerhouse Tattoo, right here in Montclair.

I think a lot about my tattoos, because they’re permanent (laser treatments nonwithstanding), and I like each one of them to mean something, at least to me. So it takes me a while to settle on a concept and design that I like, and I love how these 2 new pieces came out.

First up was this, on my right forearm:

This piece was inspired by a song that has come to mean a lot to me over the past year or so, O Superman, by Laurie Anderson. It’s a unique, haunting piece that really spoke to me, and I’ve listened to it multiple times a day since discovering it. I find it weirdly meditative, and weirdly relevant when it comes to the alienation and general malaise of the digital age we’re living in, which is weirdly prophetic considering it was made in the 80s. But Laurie Anderson is a visionary artist, so I guess it makes sense.

To put it into context, this is a line taken straight from the song:

Here come the planes.
So you better get ready, ready to go.
You can come as you are,
and pay as you go.

There’s just something so simple and profound to me about that last couplet. Like, in a way, that is life, isn’t it? You come here as you are, and then it takes everything from you along the way. OK, that’s morbid. But it still resonates with me. Hence the tattoo.

On my other arm, I got this:

This one has a couple of meanings for me. Steady Rollin’ is another song that I got really into, by indie folk rockers, Two Gallants. For this one, it’s the chorus that hits most for me:

Well, I come from the old time, baby
Too late for you to save me
If I remain then I'm to blame
But if you should ever need me
I'll go where you lead me
It's all the same
The same old game

To me, this is song is all about how we all get stuck in our ways sometimes, as the world changes around us. And the world changes so fast, it can feel like we were actually born in a different one.

And the dice are a tribute to my dad, who passed away a couple of years ago. He hated tattoos, so I’m sure he would hate this, but well, it’s my body, so there you go.

My dad was a lifelong gambler, and I spent many childhood weekends in Atlantic City, wandering the boardwalk and various arcades while he spent time in the casinos. And while a lot of dads played catch with their kids, I only remember doing that once or twice.

Nope, what my dad did was teach me how to shoot craps, play blackjack, roulette, and all the other games. We had this felt mat we’d spread out on the coffee table, and try out all these systems he’d hear about, or read in a book. I don’t remember what any of those systems are, but I will never forget him shouting “Yo!” every time one of us rolled an 11, just as if he was playing a real game at Caesar’s.

That memory makes me smile, so it’s nice to be able to call it up whenever I look at my arm now.

I have another appointment scheduled this week, so if you all are into it, I can keep you up to date - though I can forgive you if you want to hear more about the drawings in the comics than the ones on my arms, lol.

Got some interesting and exciting stuff coming up next year, some of which I’ll be able to talk about soon, so stay tuned.

Until then, have a Happy Halloween!

- Rich

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NYCC is next week, and as it’s my local con, I’ve been going for the past decade. I don’t have a table this year but I will be there all 4 days, and if you’re interested, here’s where you can definitely find me:

NYCC is one of the biggest shows I attend - every year it’s full of surprises, and every year I go through a cycle of dread and excitement in the days leading up to it. Why dread?

Well, the main reason for me to attend, other than seeing as many of you lovely folks as I can, is to network with other professionals, and editors at companies I want to work with. But the thing is, the con is so huge and so busy, getting an actual meeting on the books can be really challenging if it’s someone I’m not already working with. I send out a lot of emails, and if I hear back at all, its more often “hope to catch you” than “lets grab coffee on friday afternoon”.

Yes, I do have a few of those meetings set up, but on paper, my schedule feels REALLY light, and I always feel this creeping anxiety that I won’t see anyone I need to, and I’ll have wasted my time going and not made any progress towards my goals.

But then I remember years I’ve had that were very light on paper, but I wound up having great conversations just randomly on the floor of Artists Alley, when I happened to run into someone, or was talking to a friend at their table and got introduced.

It plays into a philosophy I’m trying to work into my career, which is to give things a little space to happen in sometimes. My natural instinct is GO GO GO, and I feel like that’s caused me a lot of mental turmoil, as I’ve outlined before in this newsletter - not because I was being too aggressive, or being a pain in the ass, but because one of the hardest truths of this industry to reconcile is that things very rarely happen on the timeline you want them to.

Accepting that means reframing a lot of things, from how I approach people to how I present myself to them, especially at conventions.

The message I used to try and send to potential editors was “I’d love to talk about working together because I’m really excited about the possibility!”, not realizing that me being excited is probably the least important factor in the equation.

Anyone would be excited about the possibility of working on Batman, or getting an original story they loved published in the indie market. It is, to borrow a term from godawful corpo-speak, “table stakes”.

What I’ve been trying to do more and more of is to focus on what I bring to the table. To just project and be an example of why THEY should be excited to work with me. I have a lot to draw on - over 10 creator-owned series, being a Bram Stoker Award Finalist, and a contributor to Eisner-nominated and GLAAD Award winning anthologies.

Without getting too deep, it feels really uncomfortable to, not brag exactly, but not to downplay myself in conversations. It’s just my default state comes with a certain amount of humility, and letting go of it feels like I’m being an asshole, even if I’m just stating positive facts.

My hope is that as time goes on, that will start to feel more natural, but the fundamental shift is important. As Debbie said in Singles (1992), “Desperation is the world’s worst perfume.”

In the movie, it was about dating, but networking is a lot like dating in some respects, especially in the sense of desperation not being a great look. So as hungry as I always am for work, the trick is to not be thirsty about it. Ultimately it’s about putting the ball in their court, so to speak, and that is a terrifying thing.

It feels like letting go of the steering wheel while keeping my foot on the gas. Success, failure, whatever happens is out of my hands, and the car is going to go where it goes. And that is, in a word, scary.

But the thing that helps me get over it a little is reminding myself that I was never really steering in the first place. I can’t MAKE anyone give me a writing assignment. I can’t make them write me back. I can’t really make anyone do anything when it comes to the direction my career takes.

All I can do is keep my foot on the gas, and hope that instead of taking me into a ditch, it hits a ramp, and goes sailing into the sky over several semi trucks. But yeah, we all know what’s most likely here.

The hardest part about giving things space to come to you is that they just might… not. But accepting that they still wouldn’t if you had chased after them is a way to maintain a shred of sanity in an industry that seems designed to drive you insane.

A Quick Word about Ween

Anyway, I’m reminded of one of my favorite anecdotes about a band I love, Ween. I’m not even going to try and describe them, because if you know, you know, and if you don’t, you should. They’re a band I bounced off of several times before I got into them, but once they stuck with me, they really stuck.

But onto the anecdote. Early in their career, they were opening for Henry Rollins at a show in NJ, and it was not going well. The crowd hated them, and wasn’t being shy about it, to the point where Rollins got on stage and said "Start liking them now, for one day, you will get down on your filthy knees and crawl to the altar that is Ween."

And that’s exactly what happened with me, in terms of the band. I was indifferent, then I didn’t like them, then I realized they were genius. I can only hope the same thing will happen for other folks when they get into my work.

But all I can really do is keep my foot on the gas. Hail Boognish.

IRL

A couple of awesome real life things that happened since last time, since I don’t want to make this newsletter “all comics all the time”, and I’m also trying to actually do stuff besides sitting around and doomscrolling:

I saw Social Distortion live at the Brooklyn Paramount with my son - they’re one of my favorite bands and it was such a great show. Mike Ness hasn’t lost a step, despite a battle with throat cancer.

It was my son’s first concert, and he said, and I quote:
“This is so much better than listening to Spotify!”

Indeed, kid. Indeed.

Also, I actually played a game of Warhammer 40k! I mostly just paint the minis but every now and then my gamer friends convince me to spend a Saturday rolling dice and moving little plastic men around.

I brought my Orks to face my buddy’s Necrons, and I’m happy to say they stomped face in true Ork fashion. WAAAAAAAGH! (Sorry, Ben)

OK, that’s it for this edition. I’ll be back later in the month to let you all know how the con went, show you some new Masters of the Universe art, and ramble on again about something comics or writing related. Or both, probably.

Hope to see some of you at the show!

- Rich

It’s been a wild time, with SDCC in the rearview mirror, the debut of Masters of the Universe: Genesis #1, with a week of con-crud recovery in between.

I’m happy to say that SDCC went really well for me, I had a bunch of meetings about intriguing new products, and got to meet a whole bunch of fans and fellow pros throughout the weekend. One of the highlights was our Masters of the Universe signing at the Dark Horse booth, alongside Tim Seeley, Reilly Brown, Tiffany Smith, and Tim Sheridan.

I’ve never been part of a signing that had a turnout quite like this - the line was full and nonstop for the entire hour, and the MotU fans in attendance were so nice and enthusiastic, it was amazing to feel so much support!

Afterwards, Gavin Smith and I ran into the coolest Skeletor cosplayer we’ve ever seen, who goes by @Corrynthegingerscientist on Instagram, and was kind enough to pose for a pic in front of Mattel’s epic Greyskull-themed booth!

We also had a great panel with Dark Horse talking about the book, and it was a whirlwind of fun and exhaustion like it is every year. I loved it.

But that’s not the end of Genesis-related shenanigans!

The book itself hit shelves this week, and if I hadn’t been exhausted from the con, I probably would have done the smart thing and reminded you before it happened. Then again, I’m not always a fan of doing the smart thing. But it’s out there, and if you can snag yourself a copy, I highly recommend it (obviously).

Midtown Comics was kind enough to host Gavin and I for a release day signing event, and again, I was just stunned by the amount of people who showed up to support us and the book - not only was there a big line, we’re told that they completely sold out of the stock for their WhatNot online sale during the event, which was just amazing to hear, because they ordered a lot.

It was also awesome to see my buddy and fellow writer Ethan Sacks, who came down to support us, and join us for a little post-signing celebration along with Dan Watters and Dulce Maria Montoya-Watters, fresh off their Dr. Who: Circuit Breakers signing in Queens!

Overall, I’d say the launch has been a resounding success, and I can’t wait for issue 2 to hit shelves, because it’s also going to be released on my birthday, September 16th!

Thanks again for taking the time to read, and I’ll be back soon with more news, more tips and observations about writing, and the comics industry, and just more MORE!

All my best.

- Rich

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It’s one of the busiest times of the year, not only for the editors and creators who are going, but also for the ones that have to keep the lights on at home while their co-workers are sipping margaritas poolside.

It’s a tough time to get ahold of anyone, much less pitch something, so if any of you out there want a free piece of advice, just hold off until the week after, or maybe even the week after that, before reaching out to anyone at a publisher, cold.

I thought it might be interesting to talk about how I prep for cons, specifically San Diego, because it really is it’s own thing. I’m not tabling, so I don’t have to deal with lugging a ton of books around with me, and I’m free to roam as I see fit.

My first order of business is to check with the publishers and companies I’m already working with to see if they have any panels or signing opportunities they might like me to participate in. This very often depends on the timing of releases, and what they are trying to promote at the con. So for example, my friends at Dark Horse have put together a Masters of the Universe signing that will feature Genesis alongside the main book, and have a big, more general licensing panel that Gavin and I will participate in.

I’m also happy to join my friend Andy Schmidt, EIC of Boom!, for a panel focused on pitching to publishers, alongside Tini Howard and some other great panelists. This is one you don’t want to miss if you’re a writer or artist looking to pitch a book - I’ll be sharing the things I’ve learned over the years, and I’m hoping to pick up a few tips myself from my fellow panelists and their unique perspectives.

So that’s the public-facing part of my schedule, and once it’s locked down, I make a fun graphic of it to share around on social media, and, well, here!

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What We Do In The Shadows

The other part of scheduling my con is setting up meetings, and it’s a tricky thing every year. Remember how I said everyone is too busy to read pitches or generally even write back? Well that goes for meeting requests as well.

Most companies don’t advertise which of their editorial staff will be on site either, so it’s tricky to even know who to reach out to sometimes. You can get a vague idea sometimes by looking at what panels the publisher is running, and what books are going to be highlighted - editors are often brought out to help promote the books they’ve worked on, or moderate panels.

But in general, you’re shooting in the dark, and mentally, you just need to be prepared not to hear back. It doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk to you - just that their schedule is already unreasonably packed.

I have a list of editors I’ve been in contact with, and people I want to work with, and I reach out about 2-3 weeks before the con - I feel like that’s the sweet spot where they’ve got most of the important stuff scheduled but still might have some free time here or there. Reach out too early, and they generally won’t be able to commit, because they don’t know when their “must have” meetings will be. Too late, and any time they might have had is probably full.

I generally just write a very short email, just asking if they’ll be attending, and if they have some time to meet up. If I have a big project dropping, I might mention it, but overall I try to just keep it simple. The only thing I always make a point to include is what days I am planning to be there, so I don’t hear back asking to meet up when I’m already on the plane home.

This year, I sent about 30 requests out, and heard back from about half of them over the following week. Of those, many were to say they wouldn’t be there, or didn’t have time, but I did set a few things up, and even when declining, everyone was very nice about it, and hoped we would just run into each other randomly.

That random thing happens a LOT, by the way, and it’s why I’m not really sweating anything, really. Last year, I had maybe 2 meetings set at San Diego, and a big fat zero of them at NYCC. And at both cons, I still managed to meet people I was hoping to, just by happening to be in the right place at the right time - and believe it or not, those meetings led to more work than the scheduled ones did, in the end.

So that’s something I try to keep in mind when I don’t hear back from someone, and the negative voice prickles inside my head telling me that they don’t want to see me, and probably hate me anyhow (its not a rational voice).

Sometimes, you just need to give great things some space to happen in, and just wandering around the con seeing where the day takes you can be extremely rewarding, and lead to unexpected things.

So, are you going to SDCC? What are you excited about? What do you find challenging?

I’d love to hear from all of you, and would love to see you, whether its at one of the times above, or just randomly walking around. Come say hi!

July/August Releases

This month, The Man Who Outdrew Death, my horror western with Stevan Subic appears in Hello Darkness #23

And, as you probably know, Masters of the Universe: Genesis debuts August 5th - I hope to be doing some signings to support it, so more on that soon!

And finally, there should be more Black Eye hitting Black Market Presents soon, so go subscribe to Kyle’s newsletter and keep an eye out for it!

Until next time, see you in San Diego!

- Rich

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Greg Tjosvold writes:

Rich, Any advice on how chill to be with the publishers like DC who don’t take unsolicited submissions. Is a “May I send a pitch” email too weird? Waiting to be noticed seems _too_ chill but maybe it is just the painful part of the journey. Thoughts?

Hey Greg!

It’s definitely not one of the painless ones, lol. To be brutally honest, if you don’t have a pre-existing relationship with an editor, like having met them at a con, or introduced yourself over email or social media and gotten a response (that part is key), you’re not going to hear back. It’s not weird, exactly, it’s just not going to work.

What I would recommend is working in the spaces you do have access to and really doing good work there, then using that work to try and open up new spaces.

Quick example from my own career - the very first licensed work I did was on TMNT, but I didn’t get that job by asking for it directly. I knew Bobby, the editor, because we had worked together on Gutter Magic when it was published at IDW. I just let him know I liked what they were doing with the Turtles and would love to write something if the opportunity came up. It took a while but eventually he had a slot for me.

But going back even further than that, I wouldn’t have worked with Bobby if I hadn’t first worked with Andy Schmidt at Comics Experience. It’s a little different because it was a writing course but still, the scripts and shorts I produced with the program impressed him enough to get the invite to do Gutter Magic at IDW in the first place.

I’m sure I could have pitched it on my own, too - I did send it into Shadowline at Image, which had open submissions at the time - Jim Valentino liked it but ultimately passed. But IDW didn’t have the same submission policy so it would have gone unread without Bobby or another editor giving me the ok to send stuff in.

I’ve just found that rather than try to push yourself into spaces you’re not invited into, it’s more fruitful to really kick some ass in the spaces you are in - word does get around and bit by bit you get invited into more.

If it’s any consolation, I find it very difficult to pitch Marvel or DC myself with projects or ideas that are unsolicited. They just have so much going on at any given moment it’s like throwing darts blindfolded - “Here’s a kickass Superman story set in Metropolis!” “Uh, Superman’s going to be in space for the next year or two.”

So I just focus on keeping editors up to date with what I’m doing, how I like what they’re doing, and leave it at that for the most part. Could I be more proactive? Maybe. But there’s a fine line between persistence and desperation that I feel like I’ve inadvertently crossed in the past, and I don’t ever want to be in that spot again, emotionally.

I don’t believe in the woo-woo idea of manifestation, but for me at least, it’s healthier mentally to just keep those goals and dreams in mind as I work towards paving the way for them to come to me, rather than chasing after them and getting frustrated when things that aren’t under my control get in the way.

From Dan Benamour:

I’m really interested in the comic book world - but all the research and conversations I’ve had with friends who have gotten into the space basically amount to either paying for the comic book yourself or doing a Kickstarter. Are these basically the only two ways in, if you are a writer (not the artist)? Is success in other mediums (I’m a produced screenwriter of film and television, I’ve written/directed/produced multiple #1 fiction podcasts, and I’ve optioned/set up cinematic short stories with major companies like Amblin and Smokehouse) relevant to comic book companies?

Interesting question Dan! The thing is, you’re going to need to take my answer with a grain of salt, because I don’t have any direct experience as far as being successful in film or TV myself, so everything I can tell you is pretty much from observation and hearsay. Which is all to say, YMMV.

In general, yes, you do need to produce a comic one way or another to really make any headway. There are certainly some publishers where you can go in with just a pitch, not having an artist attached, but it makes it harder to get a yes if you don’t have any produced comics to show you can make something out of that pitch, even if its a killer one.

It’s a bit harder as a writer in that nobody really reads scripts blind - if you send one in as a submission it’s not likely the editor will have the time or inclination to read the whole thing, which is why projects get approved on pitches, which are generally 1-3 pages delivering the hook, synopsis, and other things that sell the idea, ideally accompanied by artwork.

It’s as much a question of time as anything, because what you are really fighting for with editors is their time; the reason I prefer to send finished pages is because you can look at those page and not only get the story hook, but also the vibe, atmosphere, character designs, etc, just from those pages, as opposed to asking them to read multiple pages of script and story they may not be able to prioritize.

That being said, I very rarely pitch with an entire completed issue. It’s usually between 5-10 pages of issue 1, that aim to get all that across. It’s an investment, yes, but probably a fraction of the money a typical film production would spend even on a short proof of concept.

As to whether having Hollywood experience helps, that’s the part I can’t really speak directly to, but I imagine it can in certain cases. If you’ve produced something well-known or that an editor is familiar with, it certainly can’t hurt, and may help make a cold email get a little warmer. And I can’t say for sure, but I know at least a few projects get greenlit on the basis of already having a media deal in place. But like I said, I don’t have any direct experience with that.

My advice would be, if you have people, then have your people call their people, and see what meetings they can set up. If you don’t, and you’re reaching out cold, absolutely include your film experience, but don’t expect the doors to fly open just because of it.

Again though, even if it might seem daunting and expensive, I encourage you to try and get something done on your own, even if it’s just a short. If nothing else, you’ll learn what the process is like, meet some like-minded people, and as much work as it is, I promise it’s a hell of a lot of fun, too!

And finally, from James Ferguson:

When pitching to an editor, do they give you a preferred format? Or do you go with what you’ve used in previous pitches?

I’ve never seen a standardized or preferred format, no. Most of what I do is gleaned from getting to know my editors, what they respond to, and trying to tailor the pitch to that.

For example, one editor I’ve worked with really likes the process of finding artists and matching them to projects, so I feel confident sending them pitches without a creative team attached. Another, however, loves concept art and full pages, so I usually don’t hit them with pitches that don’t have at least some visual component.

But, I’d never have found either of those quirks out if I hadn’t pitched in the first place, and through trial and error learned what they tended to like. So I’d say a lot of it is still just going with your gut and hoping for the best, while being open to learn and adjust your approach as necessary.

Still, though, there are some general formatting rules you can follow. I think for an initial contact, brevity is really important. I try to keep things to one or two pages max unless I have a relationship with the editor and I know they are going to read it. As I said to Dan, time is always at a premium, and I don’t want to ask for more than they have at any given moment.

The other reason I think it’s important is that the goal of a pitch isn’t necessarily to sell the entire story - it’s to hook the editor. If they’re interested, but want to see a more in-depth synopsis or outline, they will tell you, and you can send them the expanded pitch. But that first contact, what you should be going for is less the immediate greenlight and more “This sounds awesome, tell me more.”

Hearing “we love this, lets do it” is still great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s rarer than you might think, because books often have to go through multiple stages of approval anyway - but the editor who is your point of contact will be shepherding it through that process, and will absolutely let you know what they need from you to help it along.

That’s all for this installment - I do have stuff coming out soon, so the next newsletters will be highlighting some of that - specifically more Black Eye, Masters of the Universe: Genesis, and The Man Who Outdrew Death in July’s issue of Hello Darkness.

I’m also in the process of making arrangements for SDCC, and I should have at least one panel and one signing where you can catch me if you’re planning to attend. More on that soon.

Until then, my friends.

- Rich

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It’s flattering and humbling to know that there are people out there who look at my career and think I’ve really got it down pat, when the truth is I don’t even know what I’m doing half the time! Most of the time, I just keep going and hope for the best.

But that’s not really why people ask for advice, is it? Telling someone to just work hard and keep on truckin’ isn’t very helpful when they feel like they’ve been doing that for years with no positive results. And boy have I been there myself!

But the sad and boring truth is that there are no shortcuts I’ve discovered. No magic pills or guarantees. I could probably string together some line of BS into a course and sell it online for $300 a pop, but of all the roadblocks a creative career throws in your way, the only one that’s truly insurmountable is that you just need to keep showing up.

It could be a new pitch, a new issue, hell, a new page. But you really just need to get comfortable banging your head against a wall until one of you breaks.

That being said, its not all hopeless, and it’s not all pain and suffering. But it all starts with that one thing. Show up.

You can show up at conventions, you can show up online, you can show up in inboxes. But you have to show up. Or just be ok with leaving it up to the tides whether the people you want to work with encounter your stuff - which is totally valid, too! But if you were truly ok with that, you wouldn’t be looking for shortcuts to make it happen.

Ok, showing up is step 1. So what’s step 2?

When I started in advertising, I worked in the design studio - and calling it design is being generous, because it’s not like I was actually designing things the way say, Tom Mueller designs things. I was mostly there to push pixels around on powerpoint decks, make comp images for art directors, and print things as needed. But I wanted to join the creative department, so I started asking some of those art directors how to get that job. I put a portfolio together, decided I liked copywriting better, so redid my portfolio to reflect that, took every side copy job to get experience and lighten the load of the CDs who might be able to move me up, and even won a couple of awards with the first radio ad I made. It still took 7 years before I got moved into the creative department.

The day it happened, I went up to the office of David Lubars, our Chief Creative Officer, to say thanks. He shook my hand, and gave me a piece of advice that was beautiful, and simple, and quite frankly, scary.

”The hard part’s over. Now all you need to do is be great.”

Now, he wasn’t being 100% serious, but there is a truth there. You did the work. You’re here. Now you have to prove you belong here.

Luckily, doing that is pretty simple, too, even more so in comics than in advertising, where every piece of work goes through multiple rounds of getting made worse by clients, account teams, and all the other stakeholders. In his book Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, copywriting legend Luke Sullivan called it “getting pecked to death by ducks”.

In comics, you don’t have that barrier - you can take your book straight to Kickstarter, publish it online, and even if you’re working with a publisher in the creator-owned space, you can still do everything in your power to make sure it’s true to your vision of what it can be.

But the insurmountable thing at this stage, if you want to get professional work, is that it has to be great. Even being great is no guarantee, because of those twin devils luck, and timing, but if you want even a ghost of a chance, you have to push your work as far as you are able to, and then try to push it some more.

And I’ll caveat that by saying you don’t need to be immediately great. It’s totally ok to just be where you’re at - but the key is that every time you show up, you have to show up at least a little bit better. And if you keep doing that, odds are that luck and timing will eventually go your way.

OK, I’m here, I’m great, now what?

This is one I feel like I still struggle with sometimes, so don’t take this as me being mean. But in my mind the most important thing you can do once you are even mildly in consideration is this:

Don’t make it weird.

This is a tough thing, because it’s like, how do you keep your cool when you’re talking to people who could hold the keys to you fulfilling a dream? The stakes feel super high!

The trick is to admit and accept the truth that no matter how high the stakes are for you, they are not that high for them. Your Batman story, to you, might feel like the most important Batman story ever, that will stand shoulder to shoulder with DKR or Killing Joke, but to them, it’s one more pitch out of literally thousands.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be enthusiastic, and it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t show interest, but it does mean you just need to chill the fuck out, and realize that you are not the magic bullet that’s going to help them dominate the industry and bring sales to new, untold heights. You’re just somebody with an idea that may or may not sound cool.

When you put an editor on the spot by asking them for work, and they’re not ready to give you work, one of two things happens - either they apologize and say they don’t have anything right now, or they just don’t answer the email because it feels incredibly awkward to say that. And if you keep pushing, they’ll subconsciously start to associate your name more with that awkward feeling than with your actual work, and you really, really don’t want that.

So just be chill, and let things happen. Sure, ask for work every now and then, but don’t press for it. Don’t make it weird.

And that’s about the sum of my boring-ass, magic-bullet free guide to networking your way into mainstream comics, if that’s somewhere you want to be.

Show up. Be great. Be chill.

Do that, and you’ll give yourself the best chance you can for success. It might not happen fast, it might not happen at all. Or it might just happen in ways you never expected it to. None of it will be under your control. But it never is, so try not to let that get you down!

Speaking of great…

Don’t forget to pre-order Masters of the Universe: Genesis from your comic shop! Or at the very least, if you don’t have a pull list, tell them you want to check it out! This book is a hell of a lot of fun, both for long time fans, and people just coming in. And remember, we didn’t cast Jared Leto as Skeletor in the movie, so don’t hold that against us.

And while you’re there, make sure to bring up Hello Darkness 23, so you can check out some creepy, spaghetti-western inspired madness from the hands of myself and Stevan Subic!

And keep your eyes on Black Market Presents, too, for the next chilling installment of BLACK EYE. I have to say, this is one of the favorite things I’ve been working on recently. If I had to describe my big vision for the series in a single Hollywood-style line, it would be “Supernatural, as directed by David Lynch.”

This next installment leans heavily into that vibe.

Ok, that’s all the rambling I have in me this week. Hope some of you creators out there found it helpful, and you non-creators found it at the very least interesting.

Let me know what else you all would like me to talk about in the comments!

I’ll always be keeping you up to date on my work, but if you have any questions for me, ask away and I’ll do my best to address them!

- Rich

I’m working with my Heartpiercer collaborator, Gavin Smith, and amazing colorist Fabi Marques, and together, we’re going to make this series one to remember!

It’s been so much fun working on this book. I remember being little and dragging my mom to the store to get me a He-Man toy - but when we got there, I took one look at Skeletor and knew he was my guy. Just so much more metal than blondie over there.
Plus, my best friend already had He-Man, and it set us up perfectly for some epic battles over the power swords.

I got to bring a lot of my favorite He-Man characters into this too - this issue has Beast Man and Mer-Man in it, and we’re going to meet Trap-Jaw, TriKlops, and Evil-Lyn very soon.

Issue 1 is still a ways off, being out on August 4th, but there’s plenty of time to let your shops know you’re excited to pick it up, either the kickass cover Gavin created above, or this badass variant from the one and only Lee Bermejo!

Hello, New Short

Also on the release radar is THE MAN WHO OUTDREW DEATH, where I reunite with my Batman: Brave and the Bold collaborator Stevan Subic to deliver a creepy western tale for the July issue of HELLO DARKNESS.

When Stevan was last in town for NYCC, we hung out and took a long walk all across Manhattan and Brooklyn, ending in DUMBO where we took in the famous view of the Manhattan Bridge in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America.

Along the way, we talked about our love of Leone’s work, which is just one reason why Stevan was the perfect collaborator for this. Flipping through the art as it comes in, I can practically hear the Ennio Morricone score.

One last bit before I go, I wanted to thank everyone who’s supported BLACK EYE so far by reading it on Black Market Presents! This is a series I want to do a lot more of, and being able to show that people are responding to it is a huge help in that regard - so if you have a spare minute, I’d like to ask you to like the post, leave a comment if you really enjoyed it, and maybe even subscribe to Kyle’s newsletter if you want to see more.

Kyle Higgins' BLACK MARKET News

Black Market Presents… Black Eye

BLACK MARKET PRESENTS…

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8 months ago · 21 likes · 4 comments · Kyle Higgins

OK, that’s all for now, hope you all have a great weekend, and keep reading comics!

- Rich

I’m working with Mad Cave once again on their cyberpunk detective series, Exit City, part of their expansive Underworld Universe!

If you’re not familiar, Underworld turns the world into a shadowy battleground between two conspiracies that unfolds across several action packed titles,
like Exit City, Hour of the Wolf, Revolution 9, and the newest addition,
Honor and Curse: Eternal, written by Mr. Underworld Architect
himself, Mark London.

Here’s what I had to say about working on Exit City:

"Exit City was already full of everything I love in cyberpunk fiction; the gritty reality of ordinary people struggling to maintain their humanity in a corrupt and oppressive corporate system, unrestrained research and mad science blurring the line between human and machine... it was chock full of great themes already, and I'm thrilled to be able to add my own spin to them.

Of all the Underworld books, I think Exit City in particular is vital and relevant at this point in history, when real-world technocrats are running wild and unrestrained, breaking entire industries with no regard for the people caught in the fallout. Ultimately, that's what we're exploring in this book - what does humanity mean, in a world where everything is being turned into a product? I'm so grateful that Mark and Mad Cave have given me the chance to run with this book, and my hope is that it will become one of the many shining stars in the bright future of the Underworld Universe."

And I meany every word!

But what exactly is Exit City?

Imagine a entire city built on platforms in international waters, specifically so big tech could operate without the constraints of national or local laws. It’s a manmade metropolis where the worst tendencies of mankind’s ambitions are indulged, a haven for unrestrained capitalism and exploitation.

Or, as I put it on page 1, a haven for rich, bored assholes.

Tech and capital oriented as it is, though, the residents of Exit City need to do something for fun - and that’s lead to a burgeoning art scene full of patrons hungry for something to do.

Mason Keller is one of those patrons, using his position as CEO of the Zheng-Calloway corporation to secure funding that brings some of the world’s finest artists to the City, luring them with the promise of high-paying residencies and other perks of patronage.

Danique Mars is one of those artists - happy to take Keller’s money and live the high life - and the only thing McCormick finds more captivating than her work is the artist herself.

Meanwhile, Daz is the resident terror of the scene - half graffitti artist, half critic of high society, he’ll stop at nothing to disrupt and expose the pretentious posturing embodied by the scene and its patrons.

And in the middle of it all is McCormick and Miller - two cops tasked with upholding the law in a city where graft and corruption are built into the bylaws.

They’re all in for one hell of a ride as a deadly killer named Vitruvian makes their entrance into the art scene, with catastrophic consequences for everyone involved!

And just who is Vitruvian? You’ll have to read the series to find out.

Exit City 5 will be on sale next Wednesday at your local comic shop, or online at
Mad Cave’s website.

I hope you’ll check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments here!

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Thanks all! See you on the stands!

-Rich

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What IS Black Eye? Well, I’m not going to spill all the beans just yet, but it’s a brand new project I’m working on with Nir Levie, the mindbending, Inkwell Award-winning artist behind Age of Canaan, and letterer extrodinaire, Buddy Beaudoin.

We’ve got big plans for it that are still in development, but we’re proud to announce the first short will be featured as part of BLACK MARKET PRESENTS, a new feature running in Kyle Higgins’ newsletter, Black Market Narrative!

If you know Kyle, you know about his hit series, RADIANT BLACK, and the series of interconnected books like ROGUE SUN, INFERNO GIRL RED, and more that make up the MASSIVE-VERSE.

I met up with Kyle last year at SDCC, and one of the things that came up in discussion was how different the landscape was for creators these days, and how hard it was to build a following in an age where social media is so fragmented, and the direct market is dominated by Marvel and DC. Which leads to why building a newsletter like this one is a big help.

Kyle has over 7000 subscribers, and he wants to use that platform to boost other creators, because he’s an awesome guy, and wants to see his success benefit other folks in the game, like yours truly. So he had the idea to run short, webtoon-scroll style comics as a feature in that newsletter, and wanted my involvement.

Seperately, Nir had reached out to me as a fan of my work, and wanted to do something together - so it seemed like a perfect opportunity - and what we came up with was BLACK EYE - a sprawling, psychedelic odyssey blending mythology, philosophy, metaphysics, and mind-bending horror.

What you’re going to see in Black Market Narrative is a single tale, but we have many more we want to tell, and the more support we can show, the more chance we’ll have to tell this story to everyone - so I encourage you to check out Black Market Narrative,
and add your voice to the people excited about BLACK EYE (and all that great Massive-verse stuff too).

Until next time, thanks as always for your support, and be back soon with more news! Hit me up with any questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!

- Rich

Mark loves comics, full stop. It’s been his dream, like many of ours, to create a fully functioning comic universe to rival Marvel and DC. And he’s taken the first steps towards achieving that with Underworld - where the world is a stage for a conflict between shadowy conspiracies, mystical forces, and deadly assassins. You can see this conflict play out in the first 3 Underworld series, Revolution 9, Hour of the Wolf, and Exit City, all building towards their first big crossover in Endless Night.

But it doesn’t end there - Mark and Mad Cave have big plans for the future of Underworld, and I was honored to be asked to contribute to them by taking over Exit City for a story arc - and I’m proud to announce that I’m writing EXIT CITY #5-#8, available starting in April!

So what is Exit City? Imagine if all the worst billionaires in the world, the Peter Thiels, Elon Musks, and Jeff Bezoses (Bezi?) all got together and built a city in the middle of the ocean, a techno paradise where they finally got everything they wanted - unregulated development, no constraints on research, exploitation, or any of the pesky checks that functioning governments impose on oligarchs.

But people still have to live there, right? So they need things like police and fire departments, food service, entertainment, all of that - so its become a place where the desperate and dispossessed can come and make a living in the shadows of the neon giants. And that’s where we come in.

Exit City 5 launches a new story arc, Vitruvian, that explores the art scene of Exit City, both the corporate-sponsored commercial scene, and the underground world of grafitti and performance art - and what happens when a new player decides that murder is the only way they can express themselves.

If you know me, you know how I feel about AI art, and one of the things I wanted to explore here was the idea of creativity, art, and personal expression in a world that seems hooked on mass produced slop. About the dangers artists face when ceding control of their work to corporate sponsors, and the sheer disdain profiteers have for anything but the physical price tag on artwork.

Along the way, I get to explore some really fun and interesting protagonists in DetectivesMcCormick and Miller, Exit City’s pair of misfit cops. Miller is a no-nonsense, ass-kicking wisecracker who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty or bend the rules when necessary - while McCormick is practically a living computer - having been experimented on to enable parallel processing in his brain - which presents the other theme I’m exploring - can you trust what you see, what you know, when you don’t have full control over what your brain is being fed? Can you make rational decisions when you’re being constantly flooded with information?

Big questions. Relevant ones. And we’ll be exploring them over the course of this arc, filled with plenty of action, intrigue, and laughs, to boot. And when you see the art of Tom Derenick, Fran Gamboa, and Dave Sharpe, I’m sure you’ll wind up loving this book just as much as I do.

I really hope you’ll check it out, and the rest of Underworld… it’s all building with continuations of the original series, and completely new ones, and while I don’t know all the plans, the ones I do, I’m very excited for.

As always, the best way to support the book is to let your comic retailer know you want it, and to spread the word about it to friends, and online - every mention really helps, so please do what you can!

More to come, including preview pages once they drop!

Thanks,
Rich

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It’s the 10th anniversary of the book, and the first time it will all be collected in one place, so I really wanted to do a special cover for backers to commemorate that.

When I was first talking to Brett Barkley about Gutter Magic, one of the first things I said was that I wanted the city to be a character in and of itself - like Mega City One, or Neo-Tokyo… one of my favorite things about reading old Judge Dredd comics was that every story seemed to have this impossibly huge cityscape, and while we were following one story through it, there were hundreds of other stories happening at the same time, and the background was constantly showing tantalizing hints of some of them, whether it was punks speeding across Mega City’s skyways, or a gang of robots holding up a liquor store.

Luckily, Brett delivered on all counts, bringing the city to life between the pages in a way I couldn’t be happier with.

I wanted to capture some of that same magic for this cover - and again, I was lucky enough to land on the right artist - Filya Brathukin.

I first became aware of Filya’s work when he partnered with my friend Deniz Camp (we all know who he is, right?) on the mindbending Agents of WORLDE, from Scout Comics.

Agents of WORLDE is a surreal visual feast, full of page after page you could get totally lost in, not to mention the covers. And the more I saw of Filya’s work, the more I knew he’d be perfect for this. Coincidentally, right around the time I needed the cover, he posted on X that he was looking to do some covers - so I jumped on the chance!

The first step was reviewing some sketch ideas he sent over, after reading the book:

I dug all of them, but felt like A was the one that would most get across what I love about Filya’s art - the intricate, detailed cityscapes he’s so great at. Once that was decided, it was on to pencils.

Then, as he did more work, things started to take shape and get more detailed!

Again, something you could totally get lost in, a city full of stories.

Beautiful as the inks were, they needed colors to really come to life, so I tracked down the talented Jason Wordie, who had also worked on AoW and was very familiar with coloring Filya’s intricate style. And the results came out great!

The only thing left to do was slap a logo on it! Here’s what I’m thinking

So there you have it - from concept to finished cover in the space of about 6 weeks. This isn’t 100% final, but close enough to represent the book on the KS page and elsewhere.

So, that’s a peek behind the curtain. Next on my list of things to do for this project is dusting off my InDesign skills and getting the interiors in shape. That might take a while!

In the meantime, here’s some books I’m looking forward to picking up:

ORLA! Volume 1

If you’ve been following Orla!, you know that it’s a wonderful blend of horror, romance, and comedy, expertly brought to life by John Lees, Sally Cantirino and company. John is quickly carving out a niche for me as the go to writer for spicy horror comedy, and Orla is just the latest in a long line of amazing work. The trade is out this April and I can’t wait to add it to my bookshelf.

Wild Animals Volume 1

And once it’s up there, it’ll be sitting next to Wild Animals, a brutal crime tale from Ed Brisson and Andy Kuhn. If we’re talking about carving out niches, Ed sits squarely at the top of the “desperate criminals making things infinitely worse for themselves” genre, and I’m here for this latest installment. If you’re a fan of Brubaker and Phillips’ Criminal, this is right up your alley. Up for preorder now, and coming out in February.

Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery

Also dropping in February is the first issue of Peril of the Brutal Dark, by my bud Chris Condon and his longtime partner in crime, Jacob Phillips. It’s one of the flagship books of DC’s Vertigo relaunch, and a damn good slice of two-fisted pulp noir that deserves to sit up there with the likes of Indiana Jones when it comes to classic adventure stories. It’s the Vertigo Book I’m most excited about reading, and once you check out the first issue, I’m sure you’ll agree! Out 2/25

Horror Not Hate

Finally, I wanted to let you all know about the Horror Not Hate Anthology, currently up on Kickstarter - featuring a calvacade of talented folks speaking up against hate and discrimination, including a story from myself and Caleb Ady.

Get the details and pledge here, if you’re interested. The campaign is only going to be live for a week or so more!

All proceeds go to help marginalized folks!

That’s it from me for now, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more news and ramblings about comics!

- Rich

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If you’ve been following along, you know this year had a lot of ups and downs for me. I started out in radio silence, demoralized, beaten down, unsure if I even had anything left to my comics career. And angry, I was very angry. And the danger with that anger is that even by setting the intention to use it as fuel for pushing forward, there is always the possibility it will blossom into bitterness, and do more harm than good.

So far, though, that white hot anger has cooled into resolve, and a new outlook that’s so far been working for me, not holding me back. It was, as my friend Brian Level likes to say, a purifying fire, not a destructive one.

I was angry at the unfairness of this industry. But I realized that was wanting it to be something that it can never be. It just is. And so am I. And as long as I am creating stories, I am winning. And I am creating stories.

I didn’t put out a lot of work this year. There was the Chapo Trap House Anthology from Bad Egg Publishing, and a story in Venom: Black White and Blood #4 from Marvel. It’s maybe been the first year in 10 that I haven’t had a new original series out, which is weird, to be honest. That’s like 30 pages of content published, when a typical year for me breaks 100 easily.

And yet, it wasn’t a bad year.

For one, it’s not like I wasn’t working. It’s more that most of what I was working on isn’t going to hit until next year.

But I think the main thing I took away from it was just learning to open up a little.

It started with sharing my frustration, but grew from there into sharing positive things as well, and I also feel like it’s led to me opening up a little more both in my work and about my work, and I can honestly say I’m writing at a higher level than I ever have before, on projects that I am more confident about than anything I have ever put on paper.

Some of them are already in progress, some are still looking for a home. Some will be out in 2026, some in 2027. Some may never see the light of day! I don’t know. But I do know that they are some of the deepest, most personal things I’ve ever written, without sacrificing the things I love about creating stories in comics - the intricate, wild worlds I love to build.

So looking ahead, here are the things I am very excited about coming down the line, that I’m going to be slightly vague about as they are all still yet to be announced. So I’ll just use codenames for now.

Project: Leather
When I was in my 20s, I spent some time working as a bouncer in a BDSM dungeon in NY. It was a job I found through a friend who was a professional dominatrix, and I took it as much out of curiousity as I did for money. It was a wild time in my life, and for a long time, I’ve both wanted to, and been very afraid of integrating those experiences into my writing. The desire to comes from a place of just sharing these wild experiences and perspectives - the fear comes from it being deeply personal, and unconventional. But I feel like I’ve hit on a way to incorporate those experiences into a horror story that will turn some heads - a story that takes place where our darkest desires teeter on a razors edge of consent, with madness and depravity on the other side. I’m taking a lot of care with this one, as it deals with some very intense and sensitive subject matter, and I want to do it right. So it might take a while! But things are underway.

Project: Vortex
Every now and then, a talent comes along that’s just so unique and undeniably awesome that you just know they are going to do great things. I feel very privileged that Nir Levie reached out to me over the Summer with an interest in working together, and I’m thrilled that we found a project and are creating a world that excites us both. I can best describe his work as a mix between Mobius, Tradd Moore, and Peter Chung, and holy hell do we have some cool things underway.

Project: Inferno
It wouldn’t be the same for me if I wasn’t working on a project with Alex Cormack. Together, we explored the depths of history and horror in Road of Bones, Sea of Sorrows, and Breath of Shadows. We dove into high octane hijinks in Drive Like Hell, and journeyed to Jonathan Hickman’s 3W/3M universe in the Charlatan. Next, we’re going to the stars… with a high concept sci-fi exploration of colonialism, resistance, and the strength of spirit it takes to shake off the chains of empire.

Project: Eternal
I can’t share art for this one without spoiling it, but rest assured it’s awesome. I’m reuniting with Gavin Smith, and bringing the magic we cooked with on Heartpiercer to a dream of a licensed project for both of us. Stay tuned.

Project: Styx
A banger of a pitch I’ve been working on with Giulia Lalli, that will hopefully find a home next year - otherwise we’ll be looking to bring this one to Kickstarter as well. It’s a love story set in the afterlife, with a lot of twists and turns.

Project: DaVinci
Spent the bulk of the year working on this story in one form or another, from writing scripts to reviewing the amazing art as it came in. This one is complete, and should be announced in the first couple of months of 2026, where I’ll be able to talk more freely about it, but what I can say is that it’s a tense detective story about art, AI, and murder. Coming from Mad Cave next year.

And that’s it for now. There’s actually more stuff that I’m grinding on, but is maybe a little too early to talk about. And I’m still working on getting Gutter Magic to Kickstarter for its 10th anniversary, as well!

One last thing to close out 2025 with, and that’s a big thank you to all of you who read this newsletter, and listen to me ramble on through tough times, and good ones too. It’s great to have a place I can share my thoughts on writing, comics, creativity, and everything else, and I am forever grateful for each of you that’s reached out to say you’ve found something interesting, insightful, or useful to your own journey.

I wish you all the happiest of holidays, and I’ll see you in 2026.

Thanks,
Rich

To which I posted the following response:

Which is a very simplified version of what actually happened, but a good enough distillation for a Facebook post.

The second thing I saw, coincidentally on Facebook as well, was what I can only call a wave of struggling creators complaining about their place in the industry, putting out calls “to the universe” about what publishers they’d like to work for, etc.

I’m not looking to call anyone out, so no pictures.

I’ll say up front this is not me criticizing them (or you, if you happened to make one of those posts). I’m guilty of complaining as much as anyone, and I’ve definitely done posts like that when I’ve been struggling. I’m not perfect.

Close, maybe.

So in the spirit of Ross’s post, I just wanted to share a way I’ve started to think about my career that helps me through tough times, and gives me what I feel like is a much healthier perspective on things, in the hope that it helps anyone else out there dealing with similar struggles.

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You have to learn to surf.

I’m speaking metaphorically, if that wasn’t obvious. I have never touched an actual surfboard in my life - the closest I ever came was a skateboard, and I spent more time on my ass than I did on my feet. Body-type wise, I’ve always been more of an Angelo Pappas than a Johnny Utah, so I’ve come to accept it’s just probably not for me.

Still, like Bodhi before me, I believe that philosophically, the concept and practice of surfing holds the key to living a happy, fulfilled, and creative life.

There are a lot of things you can control, when you’re surfing. You can control what kind of board you’re using, how you’re standing, which way to turn. Hell, you can even control what color wetsuit you want to wear. You can control why you’re surfing - do you want to do cool tricks? Find enlightenment? Catch a gang of bank robbers dressing up like dead presidents?

They’re all valid reasons, and all completely up to you.

But there’s one thing about surfing you absolutely can’t control - the ocean.

The waves are going to do what they are going to do. They don’t care why you’re trying to surf them, whether you’re a novice, and expert, or Kelly Slater himself. The ocean just is.

In our metaphor, as you might have guessed, you are the surfer, and this industry is the ocean. It behaves like the ocean in that you cannot control what it does, and in the macro sense, it does not care about you.

Are there people in it that care about you? Absolutely. From your peers, to the superstars, to the Editors-in-Chief, they do. But they’re surfing the same ocean, and they can’t control it any more than you do.

I think a big misconception I had at the beginning was that there was even this thing called “breaking in” - like it was some barrier to get across, with solid ground on the other side. But the truth I’ve come to realize is that there is no solid ground. There is just the ocean. And there is just you, on that vast ocean, on your little plank.

And the waves will come. And sometimes, especially at first, you’re going to eat it. You’re going to get dashed into the sand, dashed into the rocks, chewed up, spit out, wiped out, and wrecked on the shores of your own ambitions.

And the choice is always going to be, do you get back on the board, back out on the water, and catch the next wave, knowing that even if you succeed beyond your wildest dreams, that wave is still going to take you back to that same shore.

The more I write, the more I’ve come to realize that building a career is just making that choice, over and over again. It matters much more than choosing what idea to pitch, choosing what job to take. Just the choice to let the ocean take you (see what I did there?), and stay up on that board for as long as you can.

The frankly terrifying truth is that the resistance is not personal. The rejections, the inattention, whatever it is that you’re feeling is holding you back, is not a conspiracy or vendetta against you. It’s the brutal reality that stepping into this industry as a creator means stepping into something whose movements are controlled by vast, deep currents that have nothing at all to do with you personally.

And much as it might seem like those who have found success are in control of those currents, they’re not. They’ve just found their way to surf them.

And the good news is, that if they can, that means you can too.

If you want to believe one thing about me, believe this: I have been deep in the same struggle you are in. I have wanted to quit, I have cursed the ocean, cursed the heavens, raged and roiled and ranted. And yet I can look back and see an entire bookshelf of work that I am deeply, deeply proud of.

I see 10 original series on that shelf. Books translated into other languages. Books featuring beloved characters I grew up on. And I still don’t feel like I’m on solid ground.

That used to really freak me out, and to be honest, get me down. But not anymore.

I was trying to explain this all to my friend Rickey during NYCC, and he asked me flat out, what changed?

I don’t think I articulated it as clearly as I am trying to do here but it was a realization that I was not in control. I was not on solid ground. And I used to hate and fear that. But I’ve come to a place where I accept it, and even love it.

Because if I’m not in control, I don’t have to worry about it. I don’t have to try and dictate what the ocean is doing. All I have to do is focus on riding it. All I have to do is stay on my board, and take it as it comes.

So to answer Ross’s original request, what I would say to teach the next generation is this:

Get out on the ocean. Surf a wave. If you stay up, if you wipe out, you’re back on the shore either way. Pick your board up and go back out.

Again. And Again. And Again.

It’s the only choice you have to worry about.

And I hope to see you out there.

Alright, that was a lot! I hope it reaches the people who need to hear it, and proves an interesting read even if you’re not a creator yourself.

Until next time! (and don’t forget to pick up Venom next week!)

- Rich

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It’s been kind of a light year for me, release-wise, so it’s a nice feeling to be back on the stands, and sharing the cover credits with luminaries like Al Ewing, Kei Zama, and Chris Bachalo is something I am definitely thankful for!

I had a great time writing both Eddie and Mac, and digging into what makes both of them tick. I’m prrrrobably not supposed to share any art from it just yet, but maybe a lil’ crop is ok (don’t tell Mark).

I’m really looking forward to hearing what people think, and if you’re so inclined, would love if you could spread the word about the book so more people pick it up!

It’s as easy as reposting or sharing on any of these platforms:
Bluesky:

X:
https://x.com/rdouek/status/1990856602837041169?s=20

IG:

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17gQ7AxDPq/

Alright, in true Comic Book Kitchen tradition, I’ve got a menu to plan, and a turkey to brine… see you all next time!

- Rich

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The fact that I’m just getting to write about it now, after nearly 2 weeks, should let you know how much it knocked out of me, lol

Honestly, it was a great show, maybe my best so far - and I didn’t even have a table!

I was actually feeling really nervous leading up to the con. Maybe not nervous. Unsettled. I didn’t have a table, I didn’t have any signings, I didn’t have any panels. To be honest with you I didn’t even have any meetings!

That’s not to say I didn’t have people I knew I’d be meeting with - but I didn’t have any times locked down, no commitments other than “swing by the booth” - which you know, sometimes can feel like catch-as-catch-can. What if I swing by and you’re not there? Swing by again later, I guess.

I’m not an over-scheduler, but I don’t know, I like to feel like I’m doing SOMETHING to justify the pro pass. I hadn’t had such an open schedule since my self-publishing days.

But, a wonderful thing happened. I did drop by those booths, and I did have great conversations about all the projects I have in development, and a few that I’d like to get into development.

And just walking around Artist Alley, talking to friends, I did run into a lot of editors I was looking to talk to - and it turns out a chance meeting can turn into a really awesome, chill conversation about comics, what we love, and what we’re working on. I really enjoyed that. And I have to credit Rob Levin for the inspiration, who told me that outside of the panels he had to be at, he was keeping his schedule wide open to be able to enjoy his favorite part of the con, walking around AA. And we did run into each other after all, and had a great chat.

What I learned from the experience is that sometimes you can make stronger connections when you just let stuff happen. It’s like you can get so focused on chasing a goal or a dream, you don’t see what’s actually happening in front of you, what may be coming your way. And I think that’s an important lesson, especially in this business.

The thing that kept coming up for me was you know, I am going to do what I do. I am going to make kick ass, thoughtful and fun books. That’s just me. It matters less where I do that, and more that I just do it. And it’s more important that I work with folks that really value and want to work with me than chasing clout, or trying to get an “in” with whoever the cool kids are this year.

I just love making comics. I love the people I meet making comics, and I love the feeling I get when I’m talking about comics I want to make, and see someone’s eyes light up. And there’s plenty of room on board this train for whoever wants to join me.

So yeah, NYCC.

I went in with no plan. And I came out with a lot of them. Because I just decided to keep my eyes on what was in front of me, and trusted myself to make the most of every opportunity I saw.

I was talking to the Amazing Joe Quesada a few months ago, when I was in a much more frustrated place than I am now, and he gave me a really valuable piece of advice I’ve since shared with other folks.

Joe had seen a documentary about people that free-climb Mount Evexrest, which is, as you might imagine, an undertaking. The climbers talked about how the air is so thin there, you need to proceed really slowly. One step. Rest and breathe, for like, 10 minutes. Next step. Then rest. You keep your eyes on the peak, but the only thing you have to concentrate on is taking that one step. Over and over. And a comics career, or any creative career, really, is like that sometimes.

We all have goals, and dreams, characters we want to work on, stories we want to tell. And it feels sometimes like if we don’t rush towards them, we’re failing. But rushing there sometimes does more harm than good. So you just take that one step.

And then another.

Next steps for me are to get writing again, after the con barrelled through my schedule. I’ve got 3 scripts to work on, 2 outlines, and 2 pitches. Not to mention revisions on various things in production. It’s a lot, and it’s why I don’t always have time to send one of these out! But if you don’t hear from me, it’s because I’m hard at work.

Coming Soon!

I do have that story in Venom: Black White and Blood dropping next month, and I have some things I’d like to talk about as far as writing established characters goes, so keep an eye out for that! If you’d like to preorder the issue, I’d really appreciate it.

Until next time, friends.

- Rich

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It is true, though, you probably couldn’t make Blazing Saddles today. But you know what? You couldn’t make Star Wars, either. Imagine you’re a young director who loves science fiction, you’ve written this completely original (Dune influences aside) movie that is destined to become a cultural juggernaut, that can and did change the entire landscape of film making, film viewing, fandom, and popular culture.

If you brought it to a studio today, you’d hear “Original properties don’t move numbers in the box office”, “The budget’s too big to risk on an unproven IP”, “We don’t know that audiences will understand what’s going on - what the hell is a wookie, anyway?”

So you think, ok, it’s unproven, let me prove it. I’ll make it a comic! But then you run into another version of that same resistance from publishers who are looking at the book less as a story and more as an opportunity to cash in on some option and production money. And you hear that “sci-fi isn’t selling right now”, for all the reasons you heard from the Hollywood guys.

So maybe you self publish it. Or maybe you don’t. But not only don’t you get to make your dream project, the entire world has been robbed of something potentially wonderful, because nobody was willing to take a chance on it.

And there’s a reason nobody is taking chances on things, that has nothing to do with the culture wars, nothing to do with the tastes of modern audiences, nothing to do with art or expression. It’s just plain data.

I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and yes, the sheen of nostalgia really puts a shine on it compared to today, but I don’t think that the creators of that era, or the eras before, were any more talented or special than the creators of today. And yet, while I’ve seen great movies, and read great books and comics in the last few years, on the whole, things are feeling a little… same-y.

I can walk into a superhero movie, and I can enjoy it, but I already know all the beats going in, I know pretty much exactly what’s going to happen, it’s just a question of whether it’s done artfully or not.

But there definitely feels like there’s something missing. And what I feel is missing is bold and suprising choices. I’m not just talking about feeling bold. I’m talking about really being bold.

The example I like to use for this is the Joker movie. On it’s surface, lots of bold choices - the Joker as the hero of the common man? Using Gary Glitter’s Rock N Roll Part 2 in a dance scene, unironically?

But ultimately, its nothing we haven’t seen before, especially if you’ve seen an early Scorcese movie, or the news covering Bernie Goetz at the time.

There’s a scene at the end (sorry for the spoilers), where we see Martha and Thomas Wayne get shot as a result of the Joker’s incitements, and that’s honestly where the movie totally lost me. We know Batman’s origin. We know that in this universe, that kid is going to grow up, put on his goth pajamas, and kick some criminal ass.

It’s a pretty safe bet, anyways. If the bullet had hit and killed Bruce, well holy shit, I would have been shocked. I might have been mad for a minute. But I would have admired the hell out of the choice.

But why make the safe choice? I can’t say. But I can bet that every studio exec involved was pushing for it. Can’t ruin the brand synergy. Need a way to potentially tie this into the DCU or a bigger Batman universe at some point. The data shows us that people really love to see Batman’s origin on screen, we should get it in there..

And that’s the problem right there. Data. It’It rules our lives in ways we don’t even fully perceive, dulling the edges of human expression in the pursuit of turning us all into perfect consumers.

I bitch about AI a lot, but AI is just the ultimate symptom of this malaise. The apotheosis of the god of consumption, that knows what you want before you even do, and can give it to you for the low, low price of $29.99 monthly.

The greater point is, when you have a mountain of facts and figures telling you that one choice is more likely to make you money, as a studio, or publisher, or company, you’re going to make that choice. It just makes sense.

But it also denies us all a shot at the next Star Wars. Or a Batman movie that doesn’t change anything besides the actors and how rainy it is in Gotham.

That’s the landscape today - instead of letting audiences decide what they like, we use algorithms and data to predict it. We use data to determine the odds of success or failure, but acting solely on data inadvertently (or perhaps deliberately) chokes out the potential for unexpected stories to break out and become the next cultural milestones.

And that was one thing when we had limited or delayed data on what audiences respond to. The tech industry’s steady, instantaneous, and mountainous supply of it has become something very different than just running a movie past a few test audiences.

All of this is just to say, this is something I push against constantly as a creator, both in the stories I pitch, and how I execute the ones I do get to make. I am always striving to take the bold road, not make the obvious or safe choice. Or when I do need to compromise, to do it in a way that preserves the intent of what I want to say rather than just give in and crank out what’s expected.

It doesn’t always work out, which is probably why I’m not dictating scripts to my assistant while taking a dive in my Scrooge McDuck-style money bin, but hey, I do my best.

Old man rant over, let’s move on to more relevant comic book things.

VENOM!

You might have seen that I have a story in Venom: Black White & Blood #4, out this November, and I’m really excited for you all to see it. The invitation came out of the blue, as these things often do, just an email popping up in my inbox, turning an otherwise normal day into an awesome one.

Mark Basso, my editor on this, was awesome to work with as always, and when I asked what he was looking for, he said they were pretty much open to anything - they had several Eddie stories lined up, a few with Flash Thompson, and even a couple with Lee Price.

I do love Eddie, and I wanted to write him, but I also noticed there were no Mac Gargan stories in there - which makes sense, because he was never really a fan favorite, never had his own Venom title, and generally came from a time at Marvel that hasn’t aged all that well in recent years.

So I saw that as an opportunity to do something unexpected - and use nobody’s favorite Venom as the catalyst for my story (which does have Eddie in it too, because, come on).

In reading up on Gargan’s Venom, what struck me differently was how he related to the symbiote - to him, it was a suit - something he literally bought - that gave him power he could only dream of even with his augmented armor. I don’t know that he ever bonded with it the way that Eddie and the other hosts did - it was a means to an end - a power trip giving him a fix, not making him part of something greater.

And that’s what my story is about - one man who sees the symbiote as part of himself, and one who sees it as a means to an end.

It’s a 10 pager, which isn’t super long, but it was long enough for me to take it where I wanted to, and get into some interesting psychological territory (with plenty of action, don’t worry). Hope you all pick it up when it’s out.

[REDACTED]!

I’ve been nebulous about my next project with Mad Cave, but I think it’s going to be announced later this month, so I’ll be able to talk more freely. But suffice it to say, I think you’ll find a lot of things in there that my previous rant will touch on. What I can say is this, it’s about AI, artistic vision, and what it even means to be an artist in a world dominated by extreme capitalism.

Maybe not the boldest choice to keep the title secret, but hey, I like working with those guys and I don’t want to spoil the big reveal. But trust me, this book is going to kick some ass and make you think.

OK, back to shouting at kids doing their dang TikToks on my lawn.

Peace,
Rich

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That includes links to Gutter Magic, Volume 1, my first ever published comic, the very hard to find (thanks Covid!) Volume 2, Smoke and Mirrors, and the even harder to find Gutter Magic Tales, which collects my first short stories, side tales, and even has a couple of guest creative teams joining up!

But that only half-solves the problem of Gutter Magic being available to read, because lots of people don’t read digital, and for me, I just love having a book on my shelf. I’ve wanted to do a compendium of Gutter Magic for a long time, seeing as how Tales never had a print run, and Smoke and Mirrors never got a trade release.

But, it’s a hard sell to direct market publishers to resurrect a 10-year old book, no matter how good it is (and it is!), so it feels like there’s nothing left to do than grab onto my bootstraps and pull.

So I’m bringing it to Kickstarter.

Next year is the 10th anniversary, so it seems like a great time to target for a nice, omnibus edition hardcover that collects all the stories, all the fanart and pinups I’ve received, and really celebrate the book that launched my career.

I’m announcing this here because I’d like to bring you along on the journey - Kickstarters are a hell of a lot of work, and this will be in the planning stages for a while, so I’m going to use this space to talk about where we are, what’s next on the agenda, and how I’m preparing to launch. And I know a lot of you out there have Kickstarters yourselves, so please do chime in with advice! It’s been like, 8 years since I last ran one, and I know its a totally different game now.

That’s part of why I’m announcing it here well before we are ready to launch, but the other reason is, I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but I keep putting it off - and there’s nothing like Gutter Magic fans asking me where the book is already to help motivate me!

So I hope you enjoy the digital release if you have never read it, or want to catch up where you left off, and please do spread the word about the free comic to everyone you can - the more new fans we can make between now and launch, the more successful the Kickstarter will be!

Thanks, and have a great Labor Day. My plans involve writing comics, smoking brisket, and hanging with Barney here in the backyard.

- Rich

And then, I promptly forgot about it.

All apologies to Kenny, but I caught up with Bindings after it launched, and found a great platform that is exactly what I was looking for! I mean, I have a website, but hosting my actual comics on it in a way that’s easy to implement on my end, and easy to navigate on yours, seemed like a nightmare. Bindings killed both birds with one stone.

How does it work?

I created a “shelf” with 5-10 page previews of all my original work. I would have loved to include the work I’ve done for Marvel, DC, and elsewhere, but those aren’t mine to share freely!

Click here to read!

Each comic is easy to read, and browse with just a click, on desktop or mobile.

And there you have it! I hope you take the opportunity to check out a series you’ve been curious about, and maybe discover a new favorite!

I’d really like to get the word out about this, so I’m asking you, my readers, to spread this link far and wide, on your social media, or directly to whoever you think might like to read some awesome books!

Just copy the address right here:
https://bindings.app/shelf/xreDIR9C

Appreciate you folks spreading the word, and keep an eye out here for some more exciting bindings-related news next week!

- Rich

I’m happy to report that I had one of my best cons ever, and if I’m being honest it’s less about the actual projects that are potentially in the works, and more about the new way I decided to approach things. I have officially entered my Attitude era.

So what did I do different? It really just comes down to having confidence in myself, my ideas, and my potential, and not being afraid to express that. I had many, many conversations with fellow pros and editors, and honestly, I don’t know if any of them are going to help or hurt my career in the long or the short run, but I know one thing - I spoke from the heart, I didn’t get down on myself or anyone else, and I was just honest about what I wanted.

It was just very freeing not to worry about everything coming out of my mouth - whether I needed to talk to this person or that one. I could just be who I was, take me or leave me. And that felt great.

But what did you DO?

Lots of stuff! I got to speak on a few Comics Experience Panels with friends like Gamal Hennesy, Joe Illidge, Heather Antos, Bobby Curnow, and Reilly Brown. The topics were varied but all centered around helping new creators find their feet in this business - whether it was how to approach freelancing, how to pitch publishers, or how to collaborate.

I attended a couple of great panels too, like a spotlight on Julio Anta, a talented author and friend doing amazing work in graphic novels, monthly comics, and more - hosted by my good friend Chris Condon.

I had a great signing at the Dark Horse booth on Sunday, with artist Gavin Smith, where we signed copies of our book, Heartpiercer, and he knocked out some awesome sketches.

And I spent a lot of time catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, and generally just having a great time.

And of course there were lots of fun and cool things to see, both from publishers and media companies, and fans!

And of course, I ended the weekend of my own private tradition to cap off the weekend. I go find a nice bar on the waterfront and order some west coast oysters and a cool crisp lager.

That was my San Diego - how was yours, if you attended?

I know I glossed over the actual work I talked to folks there about, but believe me, it was a lot, and it was all exciting… so fingers crossed that I’ll have more news to share on that soon!

Until then,

Thanks for reading, everyone!

- Rich

PS - I almost forgot - I’m a sucker for weird fringe culture ephemera, so even though it wasn’t a classic like It’s My Fault Black Leaf Died, I was kind of tickled to be handed an actual Chick Tract by some dude who I’m sure was trying to save my soul from the evils of comic books.

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If you’re a regular reader, you know that earlier this year, I took some time to really think about what I want out of this whole comics thing, and reevaluated the way I’ve been approaching it. You also know I’ve been playing a lot of God of War, so to put it in those terms, I was determined to come out of my own private Fimbulwinter and usher in the age of Ragnarok to every assumption that I previously held about my career.

I decided a few things. I need to stop treating the jobs I get like someone is doing me a favor - and I need to stop asking for those jobs in that context. Arrogance aside, I am a goddamned amazing writer, and a consummate professional when it comes to deadlines, edits, and all the unsexy parts of the job. I bring a lot to the table on any project I’m asked to do, and I need to start emphasizing that I am a writer any publisher would be lucky to work with, rather than begging for them to give me a shot.

Why wasn’t I doing that already?

I think if we’re talking personality, I lean more towards the humble side. While I’ve struggled personally with depression, anxiety, and all the fun stuff that comes along with it, I’ve still been able to maintain a strong faith in my own abilities, at least - but talking about them in a way that’s not self-deprecating, or at least not self-minimizing is not something that comes natural to me.

My approach was always something along the lines of “do great work, and let it speak for itself.” Not to be totally passive, but just to let people discover it without blathering about how great it was, or I was, for that matter.

And I think that approach worked to a point - but it also put me in the position of letting others define me - and the truth of it is, while most of those definitions were positive, it hasn’t coalesced around a clear and definable identity for me and my writing - call it a personal brand, call it an authorial voice, whatever it is, I hadn’t taken the time to really define it, and I think that’s a big part of why I haven’t “clicked” as hard as I’d like to in this industry. I feel like I haven’t 100% found my place, because I’ve been somewhat complicit in letting others define what that place might be rather than carving it out for myself.

Instead of saying who I am, I let people decide for themselves. And hey, it worked for a while. But it wasn’t anymore. So I had to do something. I had to figure out who I am.

So who the hell am I?

If you ask Google, I’m an acclaimed horror writer. But am I? I write horror, but is that who I am? What about the fantasy titles? What about the sci-fi, the superheroes? I bring something of myself to each project I tackle regardless of genre - but is it horror that I bring, essentially? I don’t think so.

I keep coming back to one of the first reviews I ever got as a writer. It was for Gutter Magic #1, my first officially published work - and weirdly enough it was not a positive one.

But take a look at that one line there:

“This is to low fantasy what cyberpunk is to hard science fiction. It’s dirty, rough, paranoid and dangerous.”

How could I not love that? Because in my mind, that’s exactly what I’m about. Danger.

Dangerous ideas, dangerous situations, dangerous people. That’s the water I love to swim in, whether it’s depicting a character’s blood run cold as he realizes his compatriots plan to eat him, or a driver realizing his car is a literal demon, and deciding to just roll with it.

I push boundaries. I take risks. I cut deep, and I leave scars. But why?

Because danger is honest. It’s where the masks come off. Where survival strips everything else away, and there’s nothing left but the sheer terror of existing in a universe that just does not seem to care. The truth my characters find there, for better or for worse, is where my stories truly live, whatever world they happen to take place on.

So maybe I’m not a horror writer. Maybe I’m something else entirely.

Maybe I’m your invitation to take a walk on the wild side - and see what’s waiting in the dark.

And that’s what I intend to make clear on every single project going forward, whether it’s for a licensed character or my own invention. I’m not here to check boxes. I’m here to make marks.

That’s all it really is, right? Bold talk, without the work to back it up. But the good news is I have plenty of things in the works that are going to demonstrate this new attitude, this new mission.

For Project Elysium, which should be announced soon, I’m taking over what’s already a killer book to tackle a mystery that asks what happens when art, technology, and murder intersect, in a place whose entire existence is dedicated to eliminating restraint.

In Project Envy, we’ll take a short detour into a well-established universe where the true horror of addiction makes itself known, and a character is forced to ask if the power he craves is worth the truths he must know in order to wield it.

In Project Matchstick, we’ll dive into the horrors of living under an occupation, and how the strength to survive and overcome it often manifests in the people who you’d least expect it to.

And in Project Harridan, you’ll get what I know a lot of you have been waiting for - the deepest, darkest dive into the horrors of the human experience that I’ve ever put on paper, pushing things to a place that has everything you loved about the “of” books in a completely new direction.

And that’s just the stuff I have confirmed. Wait till you see the pitches!

Still, I keep going back to that Gutter Magic review. We’re coming up on 10 years of me being an officially published writer. 10 years of Gutter Magic, the bulk of which has never been collected in a single volume. I keep thinking someone should do something about that.

So I am.

Stay tuned for more about that after the con.

If you’re planning to be in San Diego, hope to see you there! Please stop by the panels or the signing, or just keep an eye out for me amidst the teeming masses of cosplayers and gawkers.

Onward.

- Rich

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