Comics, Cats, & Cocktails, July 2025
Horror Books, Superman, and Friendly Faces!
Hello Friends!
The weather is beautiful, the garden is lush, and my inbox is overflowing with incredible art! We’ve got a busy next couple of months as we fully commit to producing one book a month until the holidays and show out in a busy convention season. Let’s dive in!
What We’re Working On!
As I’m sure you’re aware, we’re in the middle of our campaign for Frankenstein the Unconquered Book One and it’s going pretty well! We’re fully funded and have passed our first stretch goal, allowing all of our backers to laugh at our first attempts to bring the character to life. We really love making this series and we’re excited to bring a supped up edition to new and old fans alike, so check it out if you haven’t already!
We’ve also been working hard on our sequel to our highly acclaimed book The Catskin and the Rose and we’re excited to finally announce that The Scorpion and the Queen #1 is coming to Kickstarter very soon! The book picks up right where the last one left off, so if you’re a fan, you won’t skip a beat coming into this sweeping romance epic (and if you’re new here, don’t worry, you can pick up the first book along with the new one). Sign up for the prelaunch today!
Meanwhile, Dahlia Maha, the colorist for Frankenstein the Unconquered, has been inking her own story in the Unconquered-verse. With an eerie, painted style, we can’t wait to get this gorgeous Bride of Frankenstein one shot in print!
And in another corner of our catalog, as we prepare for BackerKit’s Printopia event, we’re brewing up a dark, witchy folktale with Polish artist Olga Wieszczyk. I guess what I’m saying is that horror fans are going to have a stacked few months! Here’s a first look at the A cover for Echoes.
Finally, Dalton is enjoying his summer vacation away from teaching and I’m doing my best to ruin it by working with him through the next phase of the Unconquered-verse (I don’t know of this is the actual name we’re going with, but it’s convenient!). I think we’re in for a wild ride as we introduce spin-offs, one-shots, and a bonkers continuation of our most ambitious project! Long live the Unconquered!
What Our Friends are up to!
Here’s an old segment we haven’t done in a while. Here’s a few projects we wanted to shout out!
Interstellar Dust by C.J. Hudson - An omnibus collected edition of the NSFW sci-fi/action epic about an intergalactic prison break! Full disclosure, C.J. and I are working together on a crossover print, so if you back this campaign and the Frankenstein the Unconquered campaign, you get a unique print by Mau Mora. This campaign will be over by the time this newsletter gets sent out, but late pledges will be open for at least another week! Click here to check it out!
Sink to the Top by Joe Corallo - A one shot queer thriller that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into, Joe Corallo’s first Kickstarted book looks slick, professional, and compelling as hell! I really like Joe, both as a person and as a creator. He has a fantastic storytelling voice and a wonderful grasp on genre fiction, so anytime he has something cool coming out, I’m all in for it! Click here to check it out!
What We’re Reading!
(Dalton’s Pick) I wouldn’t really consider myself a James Gunn fan. Guardians of the Galaxy was fun when it was novel in 2014 but quickly grew tired by Vol. 2 and I didn’t even bother to see Vol. 3. It’s that particular cadence and style of his storytelling reeking of an edgy Joss Whedon that, while not bad by any means, doesn’t excite me anymore when Which is why when he was announced as the head of this new DC venture and revealed his fervent interest in bringing Superman back to the big screen that I had to simply roll my eyes. I was already out of the game when it came to superhero blockbusters and this wasn’t the way to get me back. But I had to give it a fair shot. After all, this was my favorite hero within my favorite fictional universe: I wanted to believe.
And, after all that preamble, I have to say…yeah, it’s pretty alright. Fun superhero flick, kinda flat Superman flick, basically what I expected.
First, I would be remiss if I didn’t wholeheartedly endorse the genuinely fantastic things this new film does well. Holt’s Lex Luthor is legitimately one of the best portrayals since Smallville; Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is top-notch and is consistently one of the best parts of the film; the Kents are exactly the happy kindly couple they deserve to be; Corenswet is charming (though more as Clark, oddly enough); the colorful ridiculousness of the entire film is a much-welcome breath of fresh air in a culture that seems embarrassed by characters like Metamorpho; and of course, Krypto, the best boy.
Where the film gets muddy for me is in its execution of its main plot and ideas. Gunn has a very distinct idea of who Superman is and what he’s supposed to represent and I don’t think I disagree with the basics. Hell, it feels like the understanding I came to myself about the character when I was in college. Which is a backhanded way of saying it isn’t very nuanced. It’s unfocused through most of its run and it felt like so many empty calories by the time the credits rolled. So, in that respect, it embraces its comic book heritage in more ways than one.
And then there’s the James Gunn of it all. That slight smirk at the end of characters being sincere, that light touch that never threatens to make you feel much of anything even when Superman tries to give an impassioned speech about the nature of humanity. And the twist of his heritage really helped to underscore Gunn’s version of this character: he’s only able to be Superman when he isn’t being challenged because he proves time and again that he’s not emotionally strong enough when the world starts asking the tough questions. He has an arc, don’t get me wrong, but just tends to hit problems until they go away and ends up proving Lex’s point if you stare at it too long.
But that doesn’t make it a bad movie. I had a great time with the film if you can believe it. It just wasn’t to my tastes of how Superman should function (which I understand is a personal standard that only the likes of Grant Morrison or Mark Waid have been able to fulfill most of the time). It wasn’t the transcendent piece of cinema to usher in a new age of superhero blockbuster like so much YouTube clickbait has promised. It was simply a high-calorie, low-nutrition Marvel’d up DC flick. And those can be pretty tasty despite the empty stomach they tend to leave behind.
Cocktail of the Month
It’s prime cocktail season and I want to talk about the best cocktail (which is also my favorite, but I promise that’s just a coincidence). There are tons of styles and builds of cocktails, but the most mysterious and nuanced to me is the equal parts cocktail. Seemingly easy to balance, but if you’ve ever tried to make a new one you know they can be a monster to figure out! So I’m going to give you the cheat code, the cocktail that is simply un-f*ck-withable, The Last Word!
Recipe:
3/4oz London Dry Gin
3/4oz Green Chartreuse
3/4oz Luxardo Maraschino
3/4oz Lime Juice
Shake and double strain into a cold coup glass, garnish with a Luxardo or Bourbon cherry!
Bright and acidic for hot summer days, herbal and nuanced in a way that leaves you wanting more, and just sweet enough to be friendly and inviting, it is the right drink for any occasion. If I don’t know what I’m ordering, I’m ordering the Last Word. If I’m skeptical about whether or not the bartender knows his stuff, I’m ordering the Last Word. If I’m lost in the darkness and I don’t think there’s any good left in this world or reason to keep fighting, I’m ordering the Last Word (then calling my therapist). If you haven’t given this cocktail a shot, what are you waiting for? It’s been the GOAT since 1925, you owe it to yourself!
Adventures in Cat Ownership!
I can count on one hand the number of people I trust to draw my cats. It’s one thing to copy a reference and another to capture the personality and spirit of the creatures I spend every day with, but there are a few artists that I know are up to the task.
Over the weekend at Capital City Comic Con in Lansing, Michigan, I ran into K. Lynn Smith, one of my very favorite artists and storytellers and I broke a rule I have when tabling at a convention: I spent my money on a commission. Actually two!
First off, Noodle, with her big eyes and round face. K. Lynn immediately understood what this cat was about and created a sketch that was not just true to the reference photo, but oozes with the tender energy Noodle carries herself with in real life. This drawing yearns to snuggle up in your lap and heal your generational trauma!
Next is Cornifer, who’s energy here exudes a clear state of mind: empty. This cat (caught mid sneeze) has never had a worry of errant thought in his life and everything from the relaxed position of his feet and tail to the utter horror of his nose interrupting his busy schedule of doing nothing all day screams “no thoughts, head empty, and that’s how I like it.”
If you want a similarly perfect portrait of your fur baby, you can hit up K. Lynn Smith here!
That’s all for this month!
Wells Thompson