Post Vacation Update

Hey Gang!

Just got back from back to back business and pleasure trips, and I need a vacation from my vacation!  Sorry that the blog has been dim, but my resolution of the day is to make with more blah blah blah and less wah wah wah... whatever that means.

On the plate today are updates! I wanted to clue you in on where your favorite books are, as you may notice that they have not hit the stands yet...

Bad Dog #3 - Diego and I are pushing through the issue, but it's gonna be late, gang, sorry. I'm attaching some pages below so you can see the nasty goodness as a consolation prize. As you know, I love Bad Dog, and so does Diego, but this is a case where our mouths were bigger than our stomachs, and we need more time. Just so you know, once we push through 3 and 4, we're not going to solicit until the book is back on track.  We'd rather go silent for a little while than fail to hit a delivery date.

Four Eyes #3 - Is on its way to the printer!  You should see it in a few weeks!  #4 will follow in a few months, and then it's the same deal - we're not soliciting until we have stuff in the can, though there will be a trade for those of you who like your books thick!

Douglas Fredericks and the House of They - is on track for June!

I Kill Giants TPB - also on track!

And that's about it for now!

-JK

I-CON! THIS WEEKEND! ME! Come say hi!

Hey Gang,

I've been so busy with all of the wordsmithing that I forgot to mention that I'll be at I-CON this weekend!  This is a premiere con event on Long Island, way out in Suffolk at the Brentwood Campus of S.C.C.C. and the Islandia Marriott, and if the schedule is to be believed, I can be found:

SATURDAY: Islandia Marriott

12:30-1:30 - Marvel Panel

2:30-3:30 - Graphic Novel Panel

3:30-4:30 - Mythology and Folklore in Comics Panel

4:30-5:30 - an Autograph session (But if you see me hangin' out and you got stuff to sign ANYTIME, give a yell!)

SUNDAY: The Marriott

11-12: Autograph table DEALER'S ROOM (At the campus, not the hotel)

12:30-1:30 - Writing for diverse media panel

1:30-2:30 - Humor in Comics panel

2:30-3:30 - Exploring different Genres panel

Come down, say hi, consume cool stuff!

And next week - UPDATES, I promise!  

Guns, Gangsters, and Transsexuals...BANG!TANGO

Hey Gang,

So it occurs to me that I've spent a good deal talking about the creator owned MOA books being published through Image, but have neglected my degenerate darling kicking around over at Vertigo, Bang!Tango. The book is drawn by Adrian Sibar and inked by Rodney Ramos, colored by the Hories. A visual feast that's more than a little bit experimental in its way.

In a nutshell, Bang!Tango is the story of a low level gangster, Vincente, who's hiding out in San Francisco because a few years ago he screwed up a job that lead to the death of his boss's brother.  Life is moving along fine for him as a tango dancer/ instructor until an old girlfriend shows up who needs his help - the woman who he fought with on that fateful night...

So right about now, you're nodding, "Okay, crime noir. Femme fatale...I get it..." but, dear reader, there is as they say, a "twist."  Can't have a Tango without the twists. And the sexual tension. And the subtle but precarious transposition of male and female power roles.

The reason that breaking up with the lovely Autumn left Vinnie so emotionally shellshocked, is that three years ago, she let him in on her most precious secret...she was not born a woman.

There. Outed. Autumn is a pre-operative transsexual. A woman born in a man's body...and übermacho Vincente fell for her big time. That's gotta hurt.  

With Autumn's return, Vincente is forced to confront not only his violent past, but also the storm of conflicting emotions around his relationship with Autumn, complicated by the promise that one day soon, she will have the operation that will make her "outside match the inside."

Yeah. Bang!Tango goes there and then some. At its base, this is a fucked-up Joe Esterhause style crime story replete with sex, violence, and over-the-top badasses hurling truckloads of bullets at one another. Beneath that, if I may be so bold, it's a deconstruction of a traditional mob-hero via his sexuality - the unravelling of a man who defines himself through sex and violence when he is forced to confront his actual feelings.

I'm not gonna lie. It's a challenging one, kids. Not for the faint of heart, but I really hope you'll give it a shot if you're in the market for a wayyyy left of center book. 

-JK