November 2022 - TWO FOR ONE

Whew! This fella right here made it through October by the skin of his teeth. (Which would more accurately be phrased "by his enamel," but it doesn't really have the same ring to it.) Nothing bad happened - in fact it was an abundance of good things - but there were a *lot* of good things requiring plenty of travel. I mentioned this in a update a few months back, but July, August and now October were all months where I was away more than I was home. While I love seeing new skies and meeting new folks, at a certain point even the most seasoned road warrior needs a break. (But not The Road Warrior. There are no breaks for Max Rockatansky, nor does he deserve them! Poor guy.)

Anyway, because so much happened in October, you'll be getting two updates from me this month - one now and another down the road around Thanksgiving, which will be appropriately gratitude-focused and forward-looking!

But right now... let's talk MONEY.

HELL'S COME A'CALLIN!

My second big new Image series of the year launched today (the first was EIGHT BILLION GENIES with my pal Ryan Browne back in May.) HELL TO PAY #1 is officially on the shelves!

Co-created with close friend and longtime collaborator Will Sliney, this is a six-issue story about a married couple with supernatural abilities (Maia and Sebastian Stone) who are on a sort of treasure hunt for 666 cursed coins scattered around the globe. The coins are called "qurrakh," they're literally Hell's money, the Devil's Dollar, and each can be used to purchase the services of a demon. Over the centuries, they've caused all kinds of mayhem on earth, and now the Stones are tracking them all down to (essentially) buy freedom from their own Faustian bargain.

HELL TO PAY is a rip-roaring supernatural horror action adventure, HELLBOY meets INDIANA JONES meets HELLRAISER. It's a blast and a half, and Will's art with Rachelle Rosenberg's beautiful colors and Crank!'s perfectly laid out lettering makes for a deeply cinematic and exciting experience.

The book is also a meditation on money - what it means to us and what it's done to us - but if you don't want to think about such things, it's also just... ONE HELL OF A RIDE.

(Also also, it's the first installment of a planned "series of series" called THE SHROUDED COLLEGE, which Will and I and some amazing collaborators will be putting out over the next several years. So, this is really THE SHROUDED COLLEGE BOOK 1: HELL TO PAY. We've been having fruitful conversations with lots of potential partners who can help take THE SHROUDED COLLEGE beyond comics, too... but more on that later!)

(my god what a year this has been. christ almighty.)

Our understanding is that all of the first printing covers have sold out (there are eight, some examples below). That means stores can't order any more, though they could still have some on the shelves. I can't tell you how much it means to have creator-owned series land this way. I love writing Star Wars, superheroes and all of that, but when you guys embrace all-new characters and worlds, when you take a chance on the idea that we'll give you something that you'll enjoy... the warm glow of it is like nothing else. THANK YOU.

Do you want your own first printing Hell to Pay #1, signed or unsigned? I've got every cover up on my webstore, including the rare variants, particularly the ultra-rare variant 1/100 foil cover that comes with a LIMITED EDITION HELLCOIN. We only made 666 of these coins (get it?), and they're all individually numbered.

Even more fun... there's a way to spend these things. Down the road, if you see Will or I at a convention or signing, you can cash in your coin with us. It might get you something worth much more, or possibly something worth less. Bit of a Devil's Bargain, eh? We'll send info about that to coinholders soon - watch this space.

About half the hellcoins already gone, so grab one while you can. You can get that here, and if you're interested in the various other covers, click on the button below.

(For those of you who got the Twitch/Fan Variant before release, or got a coin at NYCC and are waiting on comics or emails from us, don't worry - we're on it. We just had to wait until the issue was on shelves to follow up, but now we can... and will!)

PENNYWISE POUND FOOLISH

October is the scariest month of all! To celebrate the PURE HORROR, I zipped up to Bangor, Maine, hometown of The Master of Terror himself, Stephen King. I went up because my pals Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler, hosts of THE KINGCAST (my favorite King podcast that I've appeared on at least once) were doing a special live episode in Bangor (which they inventively called "The Banger in Bangor.")

Their guests were actress/writer/Longtime Reader Kate Siegel and director/writer/Longtime Reader Mike Flanagan, who could not have been cooler people. We did all kinds of Stephen King-y stuff, I wandered around many used bookstores looking for first editions (scored an IT hardcover at a very reasonable price) and even visited the actual Barrens - Bangor was King's inspiration for the town of Derry in many of his books. That's where the photo above was taken. You can see my gleeful face right behind Mike Flanagan's head.

It was a fabulous time, and something I did just for myself - no work purpose, which is rare for me these days. If you're a horror fan, or you like fall foliage, or lobster, or amazing blueberry pie... I recommend it.

BE YOUR BEST GENIE

November 23rd is Local Comic Shop Day! This year, Ryan Browne and I, alongside the amazing folks at Image Comics, are celebrating the day with a special variant of Eight Billion Genies #1 that will let YOU draw your own genie! If you do end up drawing a genie, make sure to tweet it to Ryan and me.

Assuming Twitter still exists in three weeks, anyway.

No matter what, though, mark your calendar for 11/23 and support your local comic shop! You can find out more info about LCSD here!

Also, fun fun, Issue #6 of 8BG is also out that day, exploring the first 8 years after genies appear and give everyone on earth a single wish. The issue is gorgeous (thank you, Ryan) and has some deeply emotional moments I'm very proud we could include in our funny little funnybook.

ADIEU... BUT NOT FOR LONG!

That's plenty for one update... but wait! I know what you're thinking. "Charles, you didn't mention Star Wars even once! What about NYCC and that amazing new project you announced? Didn't you go to London and see Cavan Scott? What do you think of Andor? How are things going with your endlessly-in-production fourth novel?"

All true - which is why you'll get another update from me later this month, around Thanksgiving. I think I'll make it one of my periodic State of the Soulion addresses where I run down everything I'm working on and give you status updates. A lot to be thankful for, and no mistake.

See you then!

--Charles