November 2022 - Part Deux!

THANK... YOU!

First things first. I am deeply grateful that so many of you continue to be interested in my work, that you support all the wild and strange things I choose to create. I couldn't do it without you, and I hope you all have had a wonderful year filled with things to be grateful for. You're incredible. I mean it.

Second things second, like many of your favorite retail outlets, I too am offering a BIG DISCOUNT on items in my WEB STORE! If you use the code THANKS10 at checkout, you'll get 10% off all sorts of fun things, from signed comics and novels, to bookplates, to variants of a number of my creator-owned series. This includes both HELL TO PAY and EIGHT BILLION GENIES, items from which have been re-listed on the store for a limited time. (Including pre-orders of the Super Mario variant for EIGHT BILLION GENIES #7, which as I understand it is a big deal to those of you into such things! Click here to get yours, and if you're interested in browsing the store as a whole, here you go!)

Holy heck I just got two emails offering me sales in the time it took me to type that first paragraph. My only hope is that *this* email will feel like a beautiful balm to your soul after the sheer commercialism rampant upon this day, filled as it is with bits of news about my creative endeavors, adventures and hopes for the future.

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Please check out my webstore and don't forget to take advantage of that amazing THANKS10 10% off coupon!

HOW VERY NOVEL

Since we last chatted a few weeks ago, some huge milestones were crossed for my fourth novel, which I feel like I've been talking about for years. This is, of course, because I have been talking about it for years. I started working on this story around the summer of 2019, and at three years and change and counting it will end up being one of my longest continually-in-production creative projects I've ever done by the time of release.

(Two more Black Friday emails just came in btw)

Novel 4 now has an officially-locked title. It has a cover. It has a release date. You will be hearing more about all of those things very soon, as well as this other big surprise thing I'm doing that's connected to it that I'll probably announce around February or so. God, I can't wait for people to read this book.

In the meantime, if you haven't read my other novels, ANYONE, THE ORACLE YEAR, or LIGHT OF THE JEDI, you can order signed copies from my store.

THE WARS IN OUR STARS

A lot's been happening in the Charles Soule Corner of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. (And outside it, too - Andor, right? ANDOOOORRRRR. I loved it more than anything it could ever do wrong.)

First up, HIDDEN EMPIRE #1 came out last week, which marks the beginning of the end for Lady Qi'ra, boss of noted Star Wars crime syndicate Crimson Dawn and self-appointed adversary to Palpatine's Sith regime. Hidden Empire is part three of my three-part epic about Qi'ra's quest to unseat Vader and Palpy, which began with WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and continued with CRIMSON REIGN. You don't have to read those to read this, though it might help. Basically, it's the tale of a very smart, ruthless lady with limited-but-bespoke resources that she uses in clever ways to battle an entire hyper-militarized Empire and the dark wizards who rule it. It's awesome, and the art by Steven Cummings is spectacular. So happy I got to tell this story, and even happier you guys are enjoying it!

Also out, very soon, is my contribution to the High Republic Phase II, THE BLADE. This one is a four-part miniseries telling the story of Jedi saber-slinger PORTER ENGLE, who was a huge part of Phase I, in his (much) younger days. Check out these incredible covers!

Also recently revealed is that THE BLADE will feature Porter Engle's very very cool sister, Barash, who... uh, you all seem to like very very much (I see the tweets).

Last but very much not least (in fact probably *greatest*), during the High Republic panel at New York Comicon, I was thrilled to announce another new project: YODA AND THE YOUNGLINGS. It's a picture book for young readers, written by my wonderful daughter Rosemary and me, and illustrated by Valerie Valdivia. You can see a piece from her below, which reveals that it's not just Yoda and some dumb baby Jedi running around in the story, but also everyone's favorite Wookiee Padawan... BURRYAGA!

More news on this down the road, but it's been a fascinating challenge to write a story for this age group. Ideas need to be distilled down to their absolute essence - making things simple and pure turns out to be deeply complex. I love it, though, and it's been incredibly special to work on it with my daughter as well. It'll be out... later.

NYCC

Speaking of NYCC, I never did a proper recap of that wild weekend. I'm not sure I even have space to do it justice here, but a few quick highlights. First, in Times Square (the "crossroads of America," I think they call it) a huge video billboard for the High Republic played all weekend long! Here's me with a bunch of THR creators (from left to right in front, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Zoraida Cordova, Tessa Gratton, Lydia Kang, and behind them Ario Anindito, George Mann, me, Cavan Scott and Imperator Supreme Mike Siglain) - just a really cool moment.

I spent most of my time at NYCC tabling next to my EIGHT BILLION GENIES co-creator Ryan Browne. It was nuts. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around how much people seem to be enjoying this book, but I'm not going to question it, either. We appreciate everyone who stopped by the table to grab something from us or chat. As mentioned above, I've relisted the stuff I have left from the Genies-verse on my webstore, including that Super Mario variant pre-order for Issue 7, so bop over if that's of interest.

Another very groovy thing - Image Comics created a special sketch variant of Eight Billion Genies #1 for Local Comic Shop Day, which was this past Wednesday:

The idea is that fans (aka you) can draw your own genie in there. Either yourself as a genie, or someone else, or whatever you want! It's part of a contest Image is running - here's the info from their own website:

"Fans will have an opportunity to submit their own genie illustrations for a chance to be one of five lucky entrants to win a signed and remarqued copy of the Eight Billion Genies deluxe hardcover for themselves and a local comic shop of their choosing. (No purchase necessary. Sketch entries do not need to be done on a LCSD variant in order to qualify. Contest will run from 11/23 thru 11/30. Follow @imagecomics on Instagram for full contest details when they are announced)."

We've already gotten some amazing entries. Check these out:

No idea how Ryan and I will choose a winner - but you've got until November 30 to draw yours and submit, and maybe you'll win a beautiful signed and sketched version of the EIGHT BILLION GENIES hardcover, out this spring! No ideas too strange or awesome! We love all genies! All genies are welcome here!

FOR SALE: GENIES, NEVER READ

As mentioned, uh, repeatedly above, we are reopening our EIGHT BILLION GENIE online store for a limited time! We still have some issue 1 variants in stock, both signed and unsigned, but we also have some cool new options available - the Mario variant for one, but also two different bundle options of issues 1-4 reprints! This is a fantastic way to jump into the story and get caught up on the first half of 8BG, if you aren't already reading.

If you happened to miss the last update, I also have every single variant of the first issue of my new supernatural horror adventure Hell To Pay available on the store! My favorite is the foil 1:100 variant that comes with your very own limited edition numbered Hellcoin - If you buy that one, you get the comic and the coin, but the extra fun part of this is that you will be able to give me (or series artist and co-creator Will Sliney) that coin at a future convention or appearance to redeem a very cool secret prize. What is that prize? I think I'll save that for next month. In other Hell to Pay news, issue 1 sold out and is going to a second printing, and there's some other very cool news (I swear!) about the entire Shrouded College series (of which Hell to Pay is Book 1) that I think we'll be able to announce in the next few weeks. All is well in creator-owned land.

AND NOW BACK TO YOUR PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED...

...deletion of emails about sales at all your favorite online retailers. Enjoy relaxing and shopping and leftovers, and I'll see you in December!

--Charles