Hey, kids. There’s a new She Has No Head! up today, all about recommendations for great Black Widow reading.
Head on over and check it out.
Tags: comics!, she has no head!
A new 3 Chicks Review Comics is up with a double-sized interview with the delightful Kelly Sue DeConnick. Check it out!
Tags: 3 Chicks Cast, 3 Chicks Review Comics, comics!, podcasting
Some of you may know that I have this book called THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING that I almost sold to a major publishing house in the summer of 2010.
Since then it has gone on a shelf while I wrote another book, hoping the new book would be “less violent” and “more YA” (which were the ultimate reasons given that THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING didn’t sell). I hoped to sell it later…perhaps.
However after seeing Hunger Games in theaters this spring, I realized that THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING, awesome as it was, was maybe never going to be “YA enough” or “Un-violent enough” (not a word!) to suit the larger publishing market. So I decided to do a Kickstarter for it and self publish. That got put on hold as well (for a reason I hope to share with you all soon) but in the meantime I had already commissioned the absolutely fantastic Stephanie Hans to do my cover illustration for the book.
If all goes well, you all will be seeing the final cover illustration (and hearing more about the Kickstarter) sometime in June.
Stephanie, in addition to being a brilliant illustrator, actually read the entire book (it’s big) in order to do the cover work, which is above and beyond everything I could have hoped for. Perhaps even more amazing, she loved the book, and I think you can see how much in the quality of her illustrations. Below is a sketch that (though it’s perhaps my favorite of all the sketches she did) was more appropriate for a comic book than a novel and so we didn’t move forward with it. But Stephanie liked it so much that she kept on going…and the results are unbelievably cool.
So world…please welcome Bonnie and Lola into the world…two wonderful badasses that I love – and hope you’ll all get to read more about soon!
This is Stephanie’s first sketch – which blew my mind – from a scene mid-way through the book:
Bonnie & Lola Sketch (Bonnie in the water, Lola above)
This is the work in progress sketch:
Bonnie and Lola, wip
And the final version, which makes me want to do an illustrated edition, or a graphic novel adaptation SO MUCH:
Bonnie & Lola, final
A huge thanks to Stephanie, who went above and beyond, and is generally the best person ever. Buy her work here!
And you can of course see Stephanie and I collaborating on a comic together for Womanthology with “SuperLess Hero”
Follow me on twitter here: @79SemiFinalist
& Stephanie on twitter here: @HansStephanie
Tags: comics!, cute superheroes
“Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly’s “Saucer Country” continues to surprise me in a variety of ways, including how the main character takes a backseat this issue. After the focus of the story being primarily on Governor Alvarado for the first two issues, she’s in less than a dozen panels of “Saucer Country” #3 as we shift primarily to two of the side characters. It’s a good move that builds things nicely and begins already tying things together in a way that feels layered and well considered…”
“Becky Cloonan is some big shoes to fill. So it’s even more impressive that James Harren is able to pick up art chores so beautifully on the new arc for Brian Wood’s “Conan The Barbarian” #4. Wood continues the story of Conan and his queen Bêlit with the beginning of new arc “The Argos Deception” and he smartly writes this issue in a way that isn’t boring for continuing readers and easy to follow for those who might want to jump on now…”
“AVX: VS” #2 is the second book in this six-issue limited series focusing on “off-panel” battles during the “Avengers vs. X-Men” crossover. The book is split in half with creative team Steve McNiven, John Dell and Morry Hollowell handling the Captain America versus Gambit section; and creative team Kieron Gillen, Salvador Larocca and Jim Charalampidis picking up the Spider-Man versus Colossus/Juggernaut segment…”
Part III of my Lit Reactor piece about trying to get an agent, and sell my first novel. Check it out!
Tags: iit reactor
It’s been a while now since I engaged in a full on rant. Stop on by She Has No Head! to see what all of the fuss is about this week.
Here’s a hint:
Tags: comics!, she has no head!
Lit Reactor has a very cool post up about writing environments/work space. Since I find this a rather fascinating subject, I thought I’d share mine.
Keep in mind I live in NYC, so space is highly limited. That said, Adam and I have both tried to carve out serious (and organized) space for ourselves as we spend a lot of time working at home…me especially.
So here’s a peek (or two) at mine and yes, Adam’s and my workspaces face each other. It’s not to be cute, but for space saving. Fortunately our monitors are so big we can’t really see each other unless we try…it makes everything much less precious. Post links to your workspace on Lit Reactor!
Tags: iit reactor
Hey, kids!
So I’ve been really sick, which is why you got no 3 Chicks and no She Has No Head! today. But I hope to be back with a new column next week, and 3 Chicks will be back soon as well.
In the meantime, here are some things I did prior to getting sick (and while sick). Enjoy!
Last week for She Has No Head! I wrote about the Avengers and the superheroine movies I’d like to see now that Joss Whedon has shown me that superheroines can be done right on the big screen. I even casted them – what more could you want?
I also put up a detailed Joss Whedon piece on Lit Reactor last week called “Can Joss Whedon Save The Superheroine?”
If you have any interest in writing, catch up on my Long & Winding Road pieces over on Lit Reactor, because Part III goes up next week!
I also participated in a Wonder Woman Roundtable over at Hooded Utilitarian. There are some amazing pieces up there, and here’s mine (which is less amazing): Wonder Woman: It’s In Her DNA (although Adam correctly pointed out that I should have called it “Wonder Woman makes a nice foot cushion” I’m thinking of renaming my entire site that.
I only did two reviews for CBR last week thanks to illness but here they are in case you missed them:
Also, if you haven’t picked up Womanthology or Chicks Dig Comics yet (both of which I’m in!) then you should do that now. Greg Burgas has a nice review up of Womanthology…Greg doesn’t pull punches so you know he’s being straight with you. I’ve rarely been mentioned in the great reviews that have been coming in for Chicks Dig Comics, no real surprise there considering the company I’m in, but Tor.com mentioned my piece, which was an awesome moment.
I’m also WAY behind on Drunk Cover Solicits. But I should be able to do it this weekend…do not despair!
Also, I may be having some very cool original art to show you guys this week…so stay tuned.
Tags: comics!, she has no head!
Gotta give it to this smart cover for The New Deadwardians #2 (which is an excellent book you should all be reading). I believe the cover is by interiors artist I.N.J. Culbard:
Also great this week is this Becky Cloonan cover for B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: Pickens County Horror #2:
I missed last week due to insane other commitments, but if I had picked a cover it probably would have been this gorgeous B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death #3 cover by Duncan Fegredo and Dave Stewart:
Tags: comic covers, comics!, Cover Of The Week
There’s a new 3 Chicks Review Comics up on CSBG. Head on over to hear reviews of Rachel Rising #7, B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death #3, as well as an interview with the uber talented Saga artist Fiona Staples.
Tags: 3 Chicks Cast, 3 Chicks Review Comics, comics!, podcasting