Hello Friends!
The weather is finally getting warmer, comics crowdfunding season has begun, and I’m receiving dopamine for the first time in what feels like ages! Dalton and I both have some exciting announcements and new pages to share, so let’s get right to it.
What we’re working on!
We launched our first campaign of the year, MechaTon Vol. 1, just 10 days ago and we’re almost 70% funded! This is our first Trade Paperback and we’re really excited to be reaching this milestone, so come celebrate with us!
If you’re unaware, MechaTon is our sci-fi/action/comedy about Derek and Leah, a brother and sister that discover the MechaTon glove after it falls out of the sky and nearly crushes them. Good news, anything they punch while wearing it turns into a battle mech! Bad news, Derek can’t take it off! But it’s the only thing preventing their town from getting destroyed by irradiated superbugs, space fascists, and the greatest evil of all, greedy pizza parlor owners! It’s a lot of fun and appropriate for all ages, so check it out if you’re so inclined.
For a distinctly less family friendly experience, I’m happy to finally announce a new comic I’ve been working on with Brianna (my wife) for almost a year now: A cozy slice of life comedy with a NSFW twist simply titled Smut! It’s a three part mini-series I started working on to blow off steam, thinking it would never see the light of day. But, the more I did with it, the more I fell in love with the characters and realized there was a really impactful message about communication and trust that was worth telling. So, with a little help from Brianna and the incredibly talented Bianca Milanez (the artist and colorist on the book), we started bringing it to life and are looking to start the preorder campaign in April!
(Dalton here!) I guess it’s time to spill the creative beans on my first honest-to-god solo project! I won’t beat around the bush, so let’s just start with the title: David and the Ostrich Riders.
Still with me? Fantastic.
David is just a typical seventeen-year-old guy from Ontario who inevitably becomes lost while on a hike with his friends. He spends most of his day scrambling through the mud until he’s discovered by a skeleton-man with octopus arms named Freer who commands a pack of ferocious scorpion dogs, creatures David is almost certain aren’t native to Canada. The only thing that can save him is the arrival of a gruff man named Boswin, leader of a sect of noble warriors called the Ostrich Riders.
What follows is an adventure of increasing insanity as David tries to settle into this new world while hoping that the Riders can help him find his friends and get home. But home becomes farther away than it’s ever been when the power-mad destroyer, Targan, arrives on the Rider’s doorstep to lay waste to everything they hold dear.
Welcome to a new series of novelettes (I’m just gonna call ‘em pulps) that will be releasing on Amazon starting on March 22! With covers by our great friend and collaborator Heather Vaughan and design by the illustrious Brenda Snellby, we’re hoping to really capture the feel of fantasy paperbacks from the 60’s and 70’s. You know, brisk pace, a focus on dialogue and no small amount of action.
We’re gonna be releasing them like the comics you love, an entire chapter of story a month. Basically, you’re getting the content of an entire issue of a four-color periodical in a digital package of around 10,000 words or so, with physical editions you’ll be able to snag at conventions and (fingers crossed) a full, collected novel edition of the first act by the end of the year.
I hope to see you guys in March when Book One releases for only one measly dollar! And, if you end up liking what you read, you’ll be able to sign up for my Patreon (also launching next month) where subscribers will be able to access Book Two the same day. All subscribers will be able to read the latest chapters before anyone else, so be sure to check it out (we’ll have the link to the Patreon in the next newsletter once it’s live).
Oh, and did I mention there were ostriches?
What We’re Reading!
(Wells’s Pick) I’ve been slowing down on my reading list lately, partially because I travel less than I used to and I get most of my reading done on the train, partially because there hasn’t been much I’ve read recently that really grabbed me. But I still occassionally pick up something that catches my eye and really impresses me, and given that one of them is publishing as a trade right now, I thought I’d give it the spotlight:
The Harpy of the West is a straightforward Western with a slight supernatural twist that, despite (or perhaps because of) its simplicity, is a refreshingly fun and engaging read. The heroine sets out to claim a bounty on a mysterious creature rumored to be harpy, a mythical eagle woman, and getting in her way are scumbags, outlaws, and a tavern wench with a heart of gold. The characters are sharp and the dialogue is crisp, clean, and to the point and, in a world where everyone wants to write like Tarentino, sometimes all you need is one cutting Clint Eastwood line to really stand out.
Of course, it’s easy to love a book drawn by Rio Burton, whose striking use of sparse colors on black and white pages really sells the tone of the book in a way the full spectrum of color might undercut. The linework is beautiful and, like the dialogue, takes a less-is-more approach that really works to highlight just how well everything fits together.
At just 4 issues, it’s a quick read, but an easy one to enjoy. If you like strong female leads, Westerns, or just really solid visual storytelling, I can definitely recommend Harpy of the West.
Cocktail of the Month
The warm months are coming, but they aren’t here yet, so let’s talk about a drink that will keep you nice and warm for the rest of February and might just endear you to a slightly more bitter profile of drink. It’s a classic cocktail with a funny name, but it’s also layered, inviting, and there when you need it most: The Boulevardier!
Recipe:
1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Sweet vermouth
Stir and serve over ice or in a coup glass with an orange twist. Easy as that!
The name comes from a prohibition era term meaning “man about town,” and the drink certainly makes you feel like it! High class, reliable, and fun, the cocktail mixes the warm spice of the rye with the sweetness of the vermouth and bitter orange sting of the Campari to incredible effect. It’s a drink you’ll enjoy on a cold day and an order that will impress your bartender. Happy drinking!
Adventures in Cat Ownership
Peach and Daisy are settled into their new home in Arkansas and are loving all of the extra space (not the huge dog that comes inside sometimes, but you take what you can get)!
Daisy loves sunning by the window and Peach loves being the absolute worst to everyone that isn’t my wife. But they always find time to snuggle up next to each other and melt all that anger and frustration away with an arcane energy that, if properly harnessed, could spell the end of conflict as we know it.
That’s all for now!
Wells and Dalton