September 2023 - SEPTEMBERING

So, you might be wondering what happened to the August update. Short answer - I didn't do it. I had a lot of travel, and a lot of writing to do around (and during) that travel, and I just... did other things. For those of you who felt strangely hollow all month, this is the reason, and I apologize. I'll try to make up for it with a ton of news in this month's edition.

That! Said!

I generally rack up too much news for a monthly update, much less a bi-monthly one, so I'm going to do this ROUNDUP STYLE! Quick bits! Bullet points! Easily digestible pieces of info!

And... away we go!

—San Diego Comicon was amazing. I spent a lot of time with comics friends, signed a ton of EIGHT BILLION GENIES hardcovers, Ryan Browne showed me some flamingos, I rode a ferry, etc.

—A highlight was meeting a number of prose sci-fi authors as part of a panel/signing promoting my latest novel THE ENDLESS VESSEL - Nnedi Okorafor, Martha Wells, Pierce Brown. I don't spend enough time with folks in that side of my writing career, and it's always awesome to talk process and the biz.

—We sold through every copy of the SDCC exclusive version of the EIGHT BILLION GENIES hardcover at the show, but we planned ahead and stocked up on some for people who couldn't make it to San Diego. If you want your own signed copy, you can get it here.

—We also made plush genies with the help of our friends at Skelton Crew Studios! If you want your own (either the original or the two-genie set), click here . These things are adorable, and absolutely do grant wishes.

—The CURSE WORDS CONCEPT ALBUM has been taking up a lot of my creative time this month. (If you want to pre-order it, click here - and if you already did and want to cancel because it's taking ages, email souleassistant@gmail.com and we'll get you sorted out.)

If you don't know what this is, well, Ryan Browne and I made an incredible comic series called CURSE WORDS from 2016-2019 - 29 issues total. We Kickstarted an omnibus for it in 2020, and as part of that, in a fit of quarantine mania, I offered a stretch goal to write and record a full concept album based on the series. It's been incredibly difficult to carve out the time to get it done, but I'm making strong progress at last, and a listenable version of the songs is almost ready. I'm debating with myself as to whether I should release these for people who ordered it, even knowing they're non-final, and then send over the final final when it's truly done. Very on the fence about it. I'm not big on sending out works-in-progress, especially with music, because most of you don't know if I'm any damn good at composing, singing, playing guitar, etc. I don't want this to be a "oh, how adorable he made some silly tunes" situation. I take it all very seriously - even though the concept album itself is full of ridiculous songs about ridiculous things. There's one about an angry Belgian, for god's sake. Anyway, it's coming.

—I saw Taylor Swift in concert in Los Angeles, on the last night of her US tour. It was awesome. I like her songs a lot (I'm a fan of well-built pop), but I was even more impressed by the empire Ms. Swift has constructed. She's a laser-beam nuclear bomb who knows exactly what she's delivering to her audience. It was inspiring!

—Star Wars is cooking for me right now. I've got stuff happening on so many fronts there at the moment - my comic SHADOWS OF STARLIGHT will kick off High Republic Phase III next month, the awesome horror-fueled crossover about a Scourge of the Droids is running through the mainline titles right now, I'm in the midst of a sequel to my 2015 LANDO miniseries in the main STAR WARS Marvel comic, and there's still more.

—TALES OF LIGHT AND LIFE, the amazing Star Wars: The High Republic anthology featuring a story from all of the THR authors (including writers new to the initiative like Alyssa Wong) was just released! It's a perfect primer for folks new to the golden age of the Jedi, or people who want to get ready for Phase III. It includes my story "All Jedi Walk Their Own Path," and I have signed versions of both the standard and the Barnes & Noble edition (which includes Alyssa's story) up on the webstore.

—JEDI BRAVE IN EVERY WAY, the utterly adorable kids' picture book I wrote with my daughter Rosemary with beautiful art by Valerie Valdivia, is almost out in stores! The release date, I believe, is October 10, and for NYC folks, I'll be doing a signing at the McNally Jackson bookstore with Rosemary on 10/10 at 5 PM. If you're around, please come out and see us! I'd love it to be a really positive experience for her, and as always I'll sign anything you bring. If you can't make that signing, I've got copies signed by both of us up on the webstore.

—I got stung by a bee while running yesterday! Did not enjoy that. Right on the elbow, of all places.

—My friend Kelly Thompson has some really cool books out at the moment - she just kicked off a new run on BIRDS OF PREY at DC, and has a superb creator-owned book called THE CULL out. Both are definitely worth your time.

—Speaking of friends, I was really impressed with Scott Snyder and Tula Lotay's BARNSTORMERS. You might know that I've been friends with Scott forever, so you're going "oh whatever he's just boosting his pal's book" but NO! I think it's notably great - Tula's work is the best I've ever seen from her (disclaimer: also a friend from way back) and the story's wonderful.

—I'm working very hard on the follow-up to EIGHT BILLION GENIES with Ryan Browne - it is not a genies sequel, but an entirely different stand-alone story that will work as the next segment of the increasingly expansive and bizarre cosmology we seem to be inadvertently setting up. It's super, super cool, and we'll have it out for you in 2024.

—Also, Ryan just texted me to tell me that the EIGHT BILLION GENIES hardcover was a top 20 selling book in both units and dollars for both July and August. Good stuff.

—I'll start working on TRIALS OF THE JEDI, the final novel in the High Republic's Phase III, next month. May the Force be with me.

—UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, my long-running Image Comics series about an altered future America with Scott Snyder and Giuseppe Camuncoli is back very shortly with our big Issue 25. The rest of the fifth arc should follow monthly (#26 is already done), then we'll take a short break, and it'll go straight through to the end with #36 as always planned. If you want to catch up on the series, I've got all the trades so far (signed!) here.

NEWS FROM THE SHROUDED COLLEGE

(Giving this its own section because there's a lot going on with the College these days.)

The Shrouded College is a new mega-series I'm building with my good friend Will Sliney - it's six completely standalone stories (each being released as comic miniseries before being collected as trades) about a down-and-out supernatural organization trying to survive a magical Cold War. Each story is a horror/fantasy-fueled Mission: Impossible with its own unique premise and story. While they all can be read on their own, in any order, characters pop up in others and it all starts to interweave.

Here, for the first time, check out the plan in full - we're holding some info back, but you can see the first two stories highlighted there: HELL TO PAY and the upcoming THE BLOODY DOZEN.

Speaking of HELL TO PAY, the collected edition of that first story is out next month! I believe it lands on October 11, and Will and I will both be at New York Comicon to sign copies. It's about a married couple, agents of the Shrouded College, trying to find 666 cursed coins in order to free themselves from their obligations to the organization - their "debt," really. It's exciting, smart, scary and super fun. If you missed it in singles, check out the trade!

The next Shrouded College story is THE BLOODY DOZEN, which is out December 13, with interior art from my *other* good friend (I have a lot of good friends, okay? I like forging meaningful connections) Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque. (You might know that name from our other series LETTER 44.) Alberto is doing incredible work on this one - it's a terrifying tale about three down-and-out ex-astronauts recruited to execute a prison break of a facility orbiting the sun, filled with... you guessed it... SPACE VAMPIRES. It's a story in the tradition of Event Horizon or Prophecy - those awesome late 90s/early 2000s flicks with high concepts, low budgets and massive ambition. I love it. It'll be six issues, and you should get your orders in now! We're doing four covers for #1. The first three you can see above, and the fourth...

...is here. You remember how we did a "hellcoin" for HELL TO PAY, where a special variant cover came with an actual cursed (?), numbered coin? Well, we're keeping that up for THE BLOODY DOZEN. This s a 1:50 variant, and if your shop orders one for you, you'll get a coin with that amazing design by Will Sliney. Will there be six in all when all is said and done? Come on... what do you think? Of course we're doing that. Will there be something awesome you can do/get/"buy" if you happen to have all six? You're damn right there will.

—Is there more? Oh god yes. THERE IS ALWAYS MORE.

—New York Comicon looms, and it's going to be a very special show. Beyond the things I've already mentioned here (the release of the HELL TO PAY collection, SHADOWS OF STARLIGHT #1 dropping and the wonderful experience of having JEDI BRAVE IN EVERY WAY in the world,) I've also got two other massive things happening that I haven't talked about yet. I'll announce those in October's update.

—I'm starting to book up for 2024. If you have a convention you'd like me to attend, reach out to my show reps at Comic Sketch Art or contact my assistant directly at souleassistant@gmail.com. Particularly interested in foreign shows! It's been too long.

Geez Louise. That's more than enough. I'll see you next month - have a great September!

--Charles