Okay, so first up this time is the Eisner Award nominations, which were very kind of us this year. I got nominated for Best Writer (alongside a few of my best friends) for PULP and RECKLESS and FRIDAY, then Sean and I got nominated for both Best Graphic Novel - New for PULP, and Best Graphic Novel - Reprint for the third Criminal Deluxe Edition, and finally FRIDAY got nominated for Best Digital Comic.
We've won several awards over the last ten or fifteen years, but it's always very humbling to be nominated. Especially getting nominated for Best Writer when you're no longer writing for Marvel or DC is a rare thing, in my experience, so that was really nice to see. Congratulations to everyone else who was nominated, it's a really interesting slate this year, from mainstream to way out there, so please check out some of the books up for these.
The above art is a detail from the bookplate Sean and I are signing for DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, the third Reckless graphic novel. We're powering through the last section of the book right now, and honestly the last few weeks have been hellish for me, as a writer. As we near the end on these books, I often find myself cutting things and then putting them back, second-guessing earlier decisions. Normal writer panic things, I think, and I always get through it (usually going back to my original versions, which were fine and I was just getting in my own way).
Anyway, we're nearly done and so I thought I'd show you a few bits and pieces of the art that hopefully don't spoil too much...
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This book really gets into the backstory of Anna and Ethan more, and she is in it a lot more than she was in the first two books. And that's been a lot of fun for us.
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS drops in mid-October, and by then we'll be deep into the next book in the series, which is insane to think of right now.
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What Else is Happening... ?
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On top of the Eisner nominations news, something really nuts happened a few weeks ago.
We recently signed a deal with a Brazilian publisher for several of me and Sean's books, and they've been doing such a fantastic job promoting the announcement, that the Brazilian edition of PULP was actually the #1 book on Amazon-Brazil for a little while. Not the number one graphic novel, but the number one book.
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So that was a very pleasant surprise. Take that George Orwell, you constantly relevant bastard.
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Last week I decided to reread Charles Burns' BLACK HOLE for the first time since it was completed, and it really blew me away. People (me included) go on and on about Burns' artwork, but he's also one of the best writers in comics, and this book was his masterpiece, I think. I read it as it was being released, a few issues per year, for about 9 or 10 years, but sitting down to read it all in one day was a revelation.
It's novelistic in its structure in a way that most graphic novels never are, and the way he got inside the minds of these various teen sex plague victims was simply brilliant. The structure felt loose and haphazard when it was coming out in single issues, but it's actually very tight and well-plotted, and the events reverberate off each other and the characters in ways I hadn't noticed before.
So, if you've somehow never read this masterpiece of comics, please grab a copy today.
Another masterpiece, this one on Apple+, is the 6th episode of season two of MYTHIC QUEST, "Backstory!" about F Murray Abraham's character in his early days as a sci-fi writer, working at Amazing Tales Magazine in the early 70s.
This was simply one of the best pieces of television that I've ever watched. Written by Craig Mazin, and directed by Rob McElhenney, it's like a 40 minute movie that completely stands on its own, but also ties into the main story of the show, as well. I've rarely felt so jealous while watching something, honestly, and I have watched the episode about four times so far. I am really enjoying Mythic Quest overall, but both seasons have had these one-off period piece episodes that have been simply amazing. So, if you haven't checked out the show yet, I can't recommend it enough, especially this episode.
Also brilliant in a completely different way is MODOK on Hulu, co-created by and starring Patton Oswalt. The animation is insane, and Patton is just perfect as the nerd science villain that just wants to be loved (and take over the world). There's a cover of "I'll Never Let You Go" in an early episode by Aimee Mann, and it had me both laughing and nearly crying at the same time.
Totally worth your time, and you can watch the whole first season now on Hulu, so you should.
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Okay, on to everyone's favorite part of the newsletters... the crime (and crime-related) news. Just a few items this time...
Starting with this piece on the advice of Raymond Chandler...
Next up, is a very bizarre true crime story...
And finally, I'll just let this headline speak for itself...
Okay, that's it for this time out. I'll be back with more news and previews and stuff soon, until then, you can write to me at criminalcomic@gmail.com with any questions for future newsletters.
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