San-Diego is a comin...and me on MTV, sort of...

Hey Gang!

Sorry for the long silence - the months proceeding San Diego Comic-Con are always hell on wheels! I'm putting a ton of work to bed (or trying to!) before jetting off to the pop-culture capital of this or any universe.

As the faithful already know, you can see me and all of the Mans of Action at our beloved booth, #2007, all weekend! Appearing with me at the booth will be Diego Greco, of the beloved (and somewhat late) Bad Dog, plus a host of other special guests! We'll have a sneak preview of Bad Dog #3 (it really IS coming out, guys!) as well as some other MOA projects.

In the meantime, I wanted to alert your browsing systems to an article that just went up on MTV about moi, Spidey, and a certain Merc-with-a-Mouth. Check it!

And god help me, I'm going to do my best to blog from San Diego and try to refocus my commitment to staying in touch with everyone by blog... because it would take way too long to come to your homes and touch you there...not to mention illegal.

Hope your summers are swingin'!

-JK

MOCCA choka la-la ya ya...yeah, I'm at MoCCA, plus others!

Hey All!

Just a quick check in to let you know that I'll be appearing at the MoCCA festival this weekend on Saturday, June 6th, camped out at the Vertigo Booth at 11:30 am to pimp Bang!Tango to your eye-sockets.  I really like the MoCCA festival because it's THE East Coast nexus for books out of the mainstream, and I always find exceptional and provocative new work in those aisles.  So come down and say hi, bring books for me to sign and pick up Bang!Tango!

Then on Sunday, if you're the early-riser-cares-about-children-charity type, I'll be waiting at the finish line of the Sunrise Day Camp Walk to Help the Sun Rise for Children with Cancer, which is at the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds in Wheatley Heights NY at 8:30 am.  As they say on their website, "Sunrise Day Camp, for children ages 3-16, is the only dedicated day camp in the nation for children with cancer. It is a camp designed to meet the emotional, social, recreational and physical needs of these children while allowing them to enjoy the comforts and safety of their own homes at night." Come on down, walk and make a donation - I'll be at the finish line celebration handing out comics and autographs.

Lastly, for those of you who plan ahead, I'll be at Wizard World Philadelphia this June 19-21st.  I really enjoyed this con the last time I was there, and look forward to meeting all the folks who didn't make it to NY this year!

That's all on this end. Have a great one!

-JK

Worth the wait...I promise!

Hey Gang,

So guess what? While you were going about your daily lives not worrying about comics at all, we finished issue #3 of Four Eyes - and it's on the stands now!  While I probably do an inordinate amount of apologizing on this blog, I am truly sorry that it's taken us this long between issues.  Max and I are having a blast with Four Eyes and the book is near and dear to both of us. But we're busy with a ton of projects, so it be what it be.  Going forward, though, here's the skinny:

Issue #4 - on sale in a few months, probably after comic-con.  Then a trade, and then we're going to get the next arc in the can before soliciting, which means we won't be in Previews for a while, but we will be posting images here of the work as Max completes it!  Like this image, for example:

Yum!

As to Bad Dog #3, being drawn right now, and should be in your hands before Comic-Con, I think!  You can check out more in this article on everyone's favorite book about werewolf bounty hunters and vertically challenged potty mouths: HERE ON IGN. Yeah, I gots interviewed!

There's a lot more happening that I can't discuss yet - a DVD project that's pretty cool, plenty o' animation, etc. but check back for dribbles of news as I can share them.

Back to work!

-JK

Since you asked...

This was a great weekend. Lots of time with the kiddies. Lots of time on the bike.  And movies...TWO movies in one weekend, which, while probably not a big deal for some folks, is huge for me.  And since so many people have asked...

Appropos to nothing, I LOVED Star Trek. It was, by far, one of the best action films I've seen in years, and pulled off more than one magic trick in its two hours, not the least of which was reignighting my childhood imagination while doing the same for my son and daughter. This is a fantastic movie whether you're a Trek fan, have a passing interest in Sci-Fi, or just like sweet lookin' films. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Appropos to something, I really liked Wolverine despite the pre-screening discontent that permeated my inbox. Yes, it's got plot holes and no, swords could never fit in there...but it was a good popcorn movie, and Hugh Jackman can sell anything.  I'm also one of those people who can turn off parts of my brain when watching a film - like the critical fan boy parts who read all of these books and loved them - so I wasn't hampered by the continuity stuff - even to the previous films (though that did bug me a little)... and then there was Deadpool.

Deadpool I paid close attention to.

I'm looking at him as two separate characters in this film - Wade and Weapon XI.  I thought Wade was great. Ryan Reynolds brought it and stuck it to the screen with his beloved katanas. His dialogue was funny, the delivery was great, and his moment of glorious sword spinning combat was fan-damn-tastic.  Wish we had a ton more of it, but it wasn't his movie. Use what was done here as the genesis for a Deadpool film and we're off to a great start.

And to my friends who have been warning me my head was going to explode when I saw this movie because of "what they did to Wade..." 

Whatever. It's the end of the movie, they needed a big bad guy and so they picked him because they didn't want to introduce someone new and he was the coolest of the non-sideburned bunch. Obviously if they move forward with a Deadpool movie, none of that stuff is going to stick - we can ALL come up with reasons why the operation wasn't a success and he's just left with the healing factor - so it's no biggie to me.  Let's be thankful that a great character is getting some notice, and just laugh the rest off as one in a long string of painful moments in Wade Wilson's twisted life... that's what Deadpool would do!

-JK

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

Kids Books, Transsexuals, and Gangsters

Hey Gang!

So in case you're keeping track, two of my more "mature" reads are on sale this week - Bad Dog #2, and Bang!Tango #2. Both promise to disturb and delight in very different ways, so whether you prefer Werewolves laying a high hairy smackdown on White Supremacists or ex-gangsters who sublimate their sexual confusion through rough sex and violence, I got you covered...

And then, there's a young reader's book? 

Yup! In a few months, Douglas Fredericks and the House of They will be hitting the shelves, drawn by the uber-savant Benjamin Roman, whose work you may know from I Luv Halloween and The Cryptics. It's a gorgeous hardcover, perfect for some quality time with the little ones, or for an older reader who likes cool art with their subversive morality tales.

(and then, someone in cyber-land scratches their head and leafs through Bang!Tango, wondering just how sick my "younger reader's work" must be...)

And I point that person to one of my heroes, Osamu Tezuka, who is not only the undisputed Godfather of modern manga, but whose work ran the gamut from the lovable Astro Boy to the devastatingly dark MW.  If you want to read someone who's all over the map, yet brings an undeniable humanity and point of view to both the benign and the bizarre, check out Tezuka. And while you're at it, Terry Gilliam and Guillermo Del Toro...David Lynch...Satoshi Kon...

I'm not comparing my work to any of those greats, but my inspiration comes from artists like them who refuse to be pigeonholed, knowing there are stories to chase all across the creative map. 

Here's to the hunt!

-JK

"Reality"

Hey All,

So continuing my musings over the strange and wonderful moments that my life is populated with, I'm pumped to let you know about my potentially embarrassing but more likely mildly amusing appearance on this week's Celebrity Apprentice. Yup. That's right. The Donald called in the big guns this week, Man of Action. I'm talkin' comics with Jesse James, Tom Green, Scott Hamilton, and the rest of the boyz. Hershel Walker took my lunch order, swear to god.

Joining me on this epic adventure into surreality are Mike Oeming, Ivan Brandon, and Paul Azaceta. Mike and I were the creators assigned to the Men, Ivan and Paul had the ladies. They don't show us bupkis about the episode before hand, so I have no clue how long we're on camera, how we're edited, or if they even use us for more than a few seconds, but I alert you folks, my friends, to watch with me and enjoy the chaos, no matter what shape it takes.

I'm not allowed to talk about the episode before it airs, obviously, but I can say this - Dennis Rodman is a giant. Tom Green is nice as hell and very cool. Jesse James is intense but totally digs comics and is a lover of good art. Clint Black and I wore almost the same shirt.

Set your TiVos to stun. Sunday March 8th at 9PM. 

-JK

Check out the dashing dudes in the following clip. Boo-yah!

Monkeys of Action!

Part of the fun of this job are the strange and wonderful opportunities that pop up unexpectedly. A very cool project is hitting the airwaves tonight that the whole MOA gang was involved in...a nature show on Animal Planet called Dark Days in Monkey City.

Obviously you're thinking, "What the heck do my favorite god-like masters of comic and animated storytelling know about Monkeys?!" Well, this "nature show" is best described as "Monkeys meets 300" and when you see the graphic novel-inspired approach to the material, it'll make a lot of sense why MOA was tapped for consulting on this innovative program. You can read all about it on the DDMC blog, here. 

If you like blood, violence, and eco-tainment, check out Dark Days in Monkey City tonight on Animal Planet!

If you don't like blood, violence, and eco-tainment, I have an even stranger broadcast to tell you about in a few weeks where yours truly acts as an "expert" on a reality show...strange and wonderful indeed.

-JK

Terrifying new video...because I'm on it.

Hey All!

Another post-Con quickie. Thanks to our pals at iFanboy, you can catch me yapping in all my choppy digital glory here.  Or, if the Gods of Internet smile upon us, you can watch the embed below. (I'm about 17 minutes in for the impatient.)

I've never embedded anything in my life that I'm aware of. Surprisingly, there's nothing dirty about it at all.

Enjoy!

-JK

NYCC Podcasts

Hey Gang,

So as per the usual workings of the cosmos, NY Comic-con led to the dreaded "con crud," the unnamable multi-symptom cocktail of disease that we all get after spending a weekend in a giant bubble with 100,000 other people. Hence, my lag in posting. BUT...

I'm back. Huzzah. Of course, I'm also catching up on work, so this is a short one. ; )

Here's a podcast from our buddies at Comic Related that was recorded on the floor of the con. Ken and I are both interviewed about IKG, and as far as I know it's Ken's first US interview! (We're about 30 Minutes in if you're not the patient type!) Burn it and keep it close to your heart...it's podcast history!

Also, here's a podcast from the cool cats at ifanboy about last month's finale of I Kill Giants... we're the Pick of the Week, which I'm assuming is a good thing.

There's more to come, so as always, check this space and thanks for reading!

-JK

Comic-Conquered!

Helluva weekend, gang!

First I just want to say THANK YOU! to all of you übercool guys and gals who braved the bitter streets of NYC to drop by the table. I can honestly say that any time I was at the booth I was busy, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate your kind words and enthusiasm for my work. I left the con energized in a way I haven't been for a while, and I owe it all to you.

Since the world hasn't stopped spinning just because I was hanging at the con, here's what's happing in the land of comics and such:

Four Eyes #2 is on sale this week...I think!  We had a box of the long awaited issue at the con, and it sold faster than bootlegs of uncut Watchmen footage!  As I told anyone who would listen, Max is busting his ass on this book, and despite some scheduling issues on our part, issues #3 and #4 should be out on a bi-monthly basis. Then a trade collecting the first 4 with a few extras, followed by a short break so we can bank a few issues and roll them out on a (hopefully)

 monthly basis.

Max and I both love this book dearly, and are committed to seeing it rock your socks off as often as possible!

Bad Dog #1 has hit stands and is lowering IQs everywhere! Seriously, I couldn't be happier with this roll out, and I know that Diego loves the book as well. Special props to Thomas Mauer for making it all the sweeter with his lettering and design support!  If you like nasty, raunchy, don't-show-respectable-people sort of books that have an existential crisis at their core, Bad Dog's for you! 

I Kill Giants - What can I say...Ken Niimura flew all the way out from Spain to hang at the con and meet fans, and he was not disappointed. We were overwhelmed with the good vibe coming off of countless fans who've read the book. Literally people cried telling us how much they love Barbara, and I have to admit getting more than a little misty myself once or twice.  It means a great deal to me that this book is having an emotional impact on people, so thank you all for your ongoing support.

In related news, we're releasing the IKG trade in May - a straight up collection there, just so you know - and then the Titan Edition hardcover in December. That bad boy will be a larger format and will include a ton of extras.  We actually have a model for it in the French edition which dropped last month, and it's amazing.

Speaking of Amazing...

Amazing Spider-Man - Had a blast at the Marvel Mondo panel, even though I got there late and barely stammered out a coherent ramble about my upcoming arc with Phil Jiminez. However, those of you with the time, patience, and skills to read an article on-line can get some of the info at this CBR article here!

There's a lot more happening outside of the comics realm that I can't yap about yet, but rest assured that as soon as I get printable news about the wheelings and dealings that are banging around, you guys will hear about it here.

Thanks again!

-JK

 

The Schedule of Action!

Hey Gang!

No time to ramble, as it's the night before the big shindig at the Javitz Center. But here are the pertinents you need to know to make your experience at New York Comic-Con complete!

Come down to table M7 in Artists' Alley (against the wall) to find myself and Steven T. Seagle yukkin' it up and pimping fine examples of comic book artistry pretty much all day, save for the occasional over-priced hot dog break. If you can't make it all the way to Artists' Alley through the throngs of adoring MOA fans, look for us at the following locations:

Friday

6:00pm - I'll be at the DC Comics booth signing for my new Vertigo book, Bang!Tango.

Saturday

12:00pm - 1:00pm - Back at the DC Comics booth

1:00pm - 2:00pm - Steve and/or myself will be spreading the love at the Image booth. Also, a very special guest, JM Ken Niimura, artist mastermind of I Kill Giants!

6:00 pm - 7:00pm -  After far too long a stretch, I'll be signing at the Marvel booth, because though I didn't write the Spidey-Obama issue, I wish I did.

Sunday

12:00-1:00pm - Back at Image, once again, me and/or Steve! And again, the great Niimura!

1:45pm - I'm on a Marvel Panel. Not entirely sure where...but that's typical of every con I've ever gone to!

Come down. Get your books signed. Share the love!

See you there,

-JK

Too many initials! IKG Penciller JM Niimura at NYCC!

Hey Peoples!

As Man of Action Comics month steams ever closer like a tsunami of four-color excellence, I'm psyched to report that one of my collaborators will be joining us for the New York festivities! J.M. Ken Niimura, the devastatingly talented artist of I Kill Giants is jetting over from Spain to hang out and meet fans at this year's New York Comic-Con!  So come down to our table - we're in the VIP section against the back wall of artist's alley around the corner from Robert Culp - and meet the team who brought you the book that Aint it Cool News calls:

"...a great mini full of eccentricity and humanity that I not only highly recommend, but hope to see get some well deserved attention come Eisner time."

Word!

(Incidentally, the IKG trade will be available in May for those of you who may have missed the first go around. There's also a rumor of a mega-badass edition coming out later this year...more on that later this year!)

See you in New York!

-JK

New York Comic-con

Hey Gang,

Ahhh, gotta love that new presidency smell! Anyway...

Just wanted to drop a quick heads up that I'll be appearing at the New York Comic-Con in a few weeks - February 6-8. I have a spot in Artist's Alley and will also be hangin' between Image and Marvel, times coming soon.

As an extra special bonus, fans of quality comics will be happy to know that I'll spend a lot of time seated next to my bud Steven T. Seagle, who's making the pilgrimage to NYC for the con! It's a sure indicator that New York is representing like a Panther when folks from LA are willing to brave the February cold to pimp comics! If you can make it to the con, it's a great opportunity for East Coasters to get their American Virgins, Houses of Secrets, and other Seagle goodness signed, so come on down!

And don't forget to check out the new classics coming out next month - Bad Dog and Soul Kiss from me and Steve, The Great Unknown from Duncan, and Codeflesh from Joe Casey.  

In other news...BUSY!!! Working on Spidey, Bad Dog, Four Eyes, and more...but no complaints from me! I'd rather be swamped with work I love than stuck with nothing, or worse...a job I HATE!  

Stay warm, and see you at Comic-Con!

-JK

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Hey, look at that! Another post! Shocking...just shocking...

I'm writing to you today from palatial Casa De Seagle in Los Angeles. Why the Left Coast migration..? Work, baby. Animated work. NEW Animated work that we cannot yet discuss, but will thrill fans of the moving image and obscure little comics alike when we can spill the beans. In all seriousness, I only come out here for three things - conventions, vacations, and kick-assery of the highest order. This is the latter.

In other news, IKG #7 shipped this week, and Barbara's journey reached it's (hopefully heart wrenching) conclusion. I just wanted to thank Ken again for all of his hard work - the man is an übergenius, and I can't wait to work with him again.  Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to drop their letters of support for our little book over these last 7 months. Knowing that Barbara's story touched you means the world to me.

For anyone who missed I Kill Giants, we will be putting out a trade soon. It's unclear at this time whether we're going HC or TPB. but soon as I know you'll know.

Next, in case you haven't heard, Man of Action Month is coming! February will see the birth of MOA projects from all of the boys, including BAD DOG by me, Steven T Seagle's Soul Kiss, and The Great Unknown by Duncan Rouleau along with the new and improved collection of Joe Casey's Codeflesh.  I can say with complete honesty and a s#!t eating grin on my face that Bad Dog is rude, crude, lewd, and fun as hell if said "udes" do not offend your sensibilities.

Lastly, be on the lookout for my crime mini Bang!Tango, coming out soon from Vertigo. It's my first Vertigo project, and I'm very psyched about it. No doubt, this book will turn some heads and furrow brows as well thanks to salacious subject matter, but I hope that mature readers who like a little sex with their violence will give it a chance.  More on that soon.

Time for me to get back to work! More soon, stay saucy!

-JK

FREE IKG - See WHY it's IGN's "Best Indy Book of 2008"

Hey All,

Recovered from your requisite late-night shenanigans celebrating the demise of 2008? I know I'm not, yet I soldier on to bring you the good word...or at least my good word.

Just a quickie from the self-promotion department. Image has released a free on-line copy of I Kill Giants #1, and you can check it out here.

If you dig it, check out the rest! Or, if you have the patience of a saint, I hear that the trade will be out in a few months. ; )

Rock on with your bad self!

-JK