Monday, December 19, 2022

A YULETIDE TRADITION

On television they're trotting out the Christmas classics, from The Grinch (he's a mean one, isn't he? Until he's not) to It's A Wonderful Life (yes, I still cry every time I see it) to seemingly-infinite versions of A Christmas Carol (my favorite, as you probably know by now, is the 1951 version starring the incomparable Alastair Sim).

Here at Creation Point we have a long-standing Yuletide tradition, a short Christmas tale of mine called The Truth About Santa Claus—offered annually as a kind of cyber Christmas gift, my way of wishing all of you who visit this site the happiest of holidays and the most magical of Christmases. I offer it again this year, along with three wonderful illustrations by my friend and Edward Gloom Mysteries collaborator Vassilis Gogtzilas. So grab a plate of Christmas cookies, pull a chair up close to the fireplace and enjoy.

Here's to a new year filled with health, happiness, prosperity, abundance, creativity, magic—and love above all.

See you all in 2023!

                                               THE TRUTH ABOUT
                                                 SANTA CLAUS


“THERE IS NO SANTA CLAUS!”

He’d been thinking about it for days—ever since he heard Big Mouth Jenny Rizzo announce it on the school bus—and he didn’t believe a word of it, not one word. (Well, maybe ONE.) But Cody had to be sure, absolutely, positively sure—

—and that’s why he was hiding behind the couch at midnight on Christmas Eve.




His mother was there, asleep in his dad’s old easy chair, the reds and blues of the Christmas tree lights making her look peaceful and happy and impossibly young.

The tree, by the way, had not ONE SINGLE PRESENT underneath it.

That didn’t make sense. If there WAS no Santa Claus, if his mother was the one who bought the presents, wrapped the presents, stacked them under the tree, then how come she hadn’t done it? How come she wasn’t awake RIGHT NOW arranging them all?

He got scared. Maybe there wasn’t going to BE a Christmas this year. Maybe Mom had lost her job and they didn’t have any money and so she COULDN’T buy him any presents and—

And then Cody glanced over at the windows and noticed that it was snowing.

Or was it?

If that was snow, it was the WHITEST snow he’d ever seen. It was snow as bright as moonbeams, as bright as sunlight, as bright as...

Stardust.

Quickly, but quietly (he didn’t want to wake his mother), he scurried to the window and looked out.

It was coming down and coming down and COMING DOWN all across town, whirling and whipping, spinning and gyrating, out of the night sky. Glowing so brightly that it almost hurt his eyes to look at it. And Cody saw that it certainly wasn’t snow, and it absolutely wasn’t rain, it wasn’t ANYTHING he’d ever seen before. But each drop, no...each flake, no... each BALL of glowing WHATEVER IT WAS, seemed to pulse and spin, soar and vibrate, as if it were alive.

And the stuff, the magical WHATEVER IT WAS (and he knew now that it was magic. He just KNEW), wasn’t collecting on the streets, wasn’t piling up on the rooftops. It was MELTING INTO (that’s the only way he could put it: MELTING INTO) every house (no matter how small) and apartment building (no matter how big).





EVERY house and apartment building.

EVERY.

He looked up.

And there it was: coming RIGHT THROUGH THE CEILING of Apartment 3F, HIS apartment, swirling, like a tornado of light, around the chandelier and then down, down, down—

—STRAIGHT FOR HIS MOTHER.

At first he almost yelled out a warning, “Mom! Wake up! MOM!” But something made him stop.

Instead of yelling he ducked back behind the couch and watched, eyes peering over the top.

Watched as the light-tornado wheeled around his mother, so fast, so bright, that he could hardly even SEE her. But he COULD see her. Most of her, anyway.

And what he SAW...

The light poured in through the top of her head, through her eyes, through her chest, through her toes. It lifted her up—still sleeping!—and carried her out of her chair and across the room. And as she floated—

—she started to change:

Her hair became white, her nose became red, her belly ballooned like the most pregnant woman in the history of the world. Her feet grew boots, her head grew a hat, her nightgown grew fur. An overstuffed sack sprouted, like a lumpy angel’s wing, from her shoulder. And then—

AndthenandthenandTHEN, it wasn’t his mother there at all, it was him, it was SANTA CLAUS! STANDING RIGHT THERE IN CODY’S LIVING ROOM! Santa Claus who, with a laugh (exactly like the laugh Cody always knew he had, only better) and a twinkle in his eyes (exactly like the twinkle he’d always imagined, ONLY BETTER) reached into his sack and pulled out package after package, present after present, and placed them, carefully, like some Great Artist contemplating his masterpiece, under the tree.

When he was done, Santa Claus stood there, grinning and shaking his head, as if he couldn’t BELIEVE what a beautiful tree this was, how wonderful the presents looked beneath it. As if this moment was the greatest moment in the history of Christmas, as if this apartment was the only place in all the universes that such a Christmas could ever POSSIBLY happen.

And then the MOST amazing thing happened:

Santa Claus turned.

He turned slowly. So slowly Cody couldn’t even tell at first that he was moving at all. And—slowly, SLOWLY—those twinkling eyes, that Smile of smiles, fixed itself on the two boy-eyes peering, in wonder, over the top of the couch.



And what Cody felt then he could never really say: only that it was better than any present anyone could ever get. Only that it made his heart so warm it melted like magical WHATEVER IT WAS, trickling down through his whole body. Only that it made him want to reach out his arms and hug Santa Claus, hug his mother, hug his father (and FORGIVE him too, for running out on them) and his aunts and uncles and cousins (even his Cousin Erskine who was SUCH a pain) and Big Mouth Jenny Rizzo (who really wasn’t so bad most of the time) and all his friends and teachers and the kid in his karate class who always smelled SO BAD and, embarrassing as it sounds, it made him want to hug everyone and everything in the whole world including rabbits and snakes and trees and lizards and grass and lions and mountains and, yes, the EARTH HERSELF.

Cody wanted to hold that gaze, to keep his eyes locked on Santa’s, forever. (Or longer, if he could.) Wanted to swim in that incredible feeling, drown in it, till GOD HIMSELF came down to say: “Enough!”

Except that he blinked. Just once. But in that wink of an eye, Santa was gone. Cody’s mother was asleep in the chair again and, for one terrible moment, the boy thought that the whole thing must have been a dream.

Except, under the tree: THERE WERE THE PRESENTS.

Except, out the window: THERE WAS THE SNOW, the rain, the magical WHATEVER IT WAS, shooting up, like a blizzard in reverse, from every house, every apartment building. Shooting up into the heavens, gathering together like a fireball, like a white-hot comet—

—and fading away into the night: going, going...

Gone.

Without so much as a tinkling sleigh-bell or a “Ho-ho-ho.”

Not that it mattered.

Cody looked at his mom.

Cody kissed her.

“I love you,” he said. And he was crying. Happy tears. Christmas tears. Like moonbeams, like sunlight. Like stardust.

Mom stirred in the chair, smiled the softest sweetest smile Cody had ever seen. “I love you, too,” she said.

And then she drifted back to sleep.

Cody sat at her feet, warming himself, warming his SOUL, by the lights of the tree.

And soon, he, too, was drifting off to sleep. And as he drifted, a wonderful thought rose up, like a balloon, inside him. Rose, then POPPED—spreading the thought to every corner of his mind. Giving him great comfort. Great delight:

“One day,” the thought whispered, “when you’re all grown-up, when you have children of your own. ONE DAY,” the thought went on...

“It will be YOUR TURN.”

Merry Christmas.

Story ©copyright 2022 J.M. DeMatteis
Art ©copyright 2022 Vassilis Gogtzilas

Monday, December 12, 2022

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANKIE!

It's Frank Sinatra's birthday!

Back in the day, my mother would cut high school and head out to see Sinatra's live performances, swooning in the audience along with thousands of other teens. She passed her love of Frankie on to me and it's never abated. 

This is one of my all-time favorite Sinatra tracks, performed live with Count Basie and his orchestra.



Thursday, December 8, 2022

REMEMBER

 December 8, 1980.  Seems like yesterday.


Tuesday, November 29, 2022

AND SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS

If you've followed this site for any length of time, you know that, for me, the Christmas season doesn't begin until I hear this John & Yoko classic.  So let's get this season started!

"We hope you have fun...the near and the dear ones...the old and the young."



Thursday, November 10, 2022

THE FINISH LINE

As we enter the final hours of the Spellbound Comics/DeMultiverse Kickstarter campaign, I want to thank my extraordinary co-creators, whose art brought the visions in my head to brilliant visual life: Matthew Dow Smith, Tom Mandrake, David Baldeon, and Shawn McManus.


Thanks, too, to our colorists, Arthur Hesli and Jan Duursema...our main letterer Taylor Esposito...and the superstar artists who crafted our alternate and trade paperback covers: JH Williams III, Kevin Maguire, Kent Williams, Dustin Nguyen, and Liam Sharp.


My old pal Vassilis Gogtzilas graciously allowed me to include the first issue of our new project The Edward Gloom Mysteries as a last minute surprise for our supporters. Thanks, Vass! (And big thanks to Chris Ryall, too: We couldn't have included Gloom without him.)


Oceans
of thanks to the amazing fans that are supporting us and my fellow creators who backed the campaign and spread the word. The comic book community is a wondrous thing. (Special tip of the hat to Gail Simone for banging the drum so enthusiastically!)

Last, but far from least: Words can’t express my gratitude to Spellbound Comics head honcho David Baldy for dropping out of the sky like an angel and making this creative miracle happen. You’re the best, David!

But we're not done yet! There are two+ hours to go, so if you haven't taken a dive into The DeMultiverse, now's the time. Come with us as we race over the finish line.

The good news? This isn't the end, this is just the beginning! Come join us!


Tuesday, November 8, 2022

GODSEND: A TALE

The DeMultiverse Kickstarter is in its final two days—campaign ends at noon on Thursday—but we're not done with special announcements yet. We're delighted to finally let everyone know the identity of our Mystery Cover Artist: none other than my old friend and Blood: a Tale co-creator, award-winning painter and illustrator Kent Williams. Kent will be providing our second cover for Godsend, the cosmic mystery illustrated by Matthew Dow Smith.

Kent's painted cover won't be complete before the Spellbound Comics/DeMultiverse campaign's end on 11/10, but Kent was nice enough to provide a rough sketch of his plan. So without further ado, please enjoy the concept for our GODSEND variant cover by the brilliant Kent Williams.

And, if you haven't already, come join us on Kickstarter as we wrap up the campaign!


Monday, November 7, 2022

ACROSS THE WORLD

Had a wonderful chat with the Superheroes of Arabia podcast. So grateful that our modern tech allows us to reach across the globe for a conversation like this.


  

Saturday, November 5, 2022

A DeMULTIVERSE SURPRISE!

As a special surprise to all our dedicated DeMultiverse fans, we just added a 5th all-new title to the campaign! Written by me, art by my Augusta Wind co-creator, the extraordinary Vassilis Gogtzilas!

The Edward Gloom Mysteries is a Gothic Thriller. Call it "Charles Dickens meets Sherlock Holmes meets Frankenstein." The book is 100% done and ready-to-go right now.

Visit the Kickstarter Add-ons page and add it to your pledge in digital or print. It is only available as a floppy/single issue. And hurry, it’s only for sale on Kickstarter for 5 more days! Campaign ends on 11/10!

Come join us!


HUNTING SPIDERS

A gentle reminder that Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1 is out this coming Wednesday. A powerless Peter Parker, a pregnant Mary Jane, a threat from the past—and the untold origin of Kraven the Hunter: need I say more? You can read a preview of the story right here. Hope you enjoy it! 


Thursday, November 3, 2022

DUSTIN IN THE DeMULTIVERSE!

Here's Dustin Nguyen's jaw-dropping variant cover for WISDOM (by yours truly and the great Tom Mandrake).

WISDOM (with color by Jan Duursema and lettering by Taylor Esposito) is one of FOUR new series launching as part of our Spellbound Comics/DeMultiverse Kickstarter!

Our campaign ends November 10th! Now's the time to join us on this incredible journey!

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

HAPPY DITKO DAY!


Today is the birthday of an all-time comic book great, one of the fundamental pillars of the Marvel Universe, the brilliant Steve Ditko. A writer and artist possessed of a singular drawing and storytelling style, Ditko exploded our imaginations with his visionary creations for Marvel, DC, Charlton and other companies. (Considering my history with both Blue Beetle and Spider-Man, I can safely safe S.D. had a massive impact on my career.)

Happy Birthday, Mr. Ditko—wherever in the multiverse you are!


And if you want to read the tale of the one and only time I met this giant of our industry, just click here.


Monday, October 31, 2022

BOO!

Had a great Halloween conversation with the fine folks at the Scary Stuff Podcast—talking about my literary hero Ray Bradbury in general and his classic novel Something Wicked This Way Comes in particular. We also talk about the DeMultiverse Kickstarter (of course!) and my appropriately spooky novella, The Excavator. You can listen right here.


Thursday, October 27, 2022

DeMULTIVERSE DeUPDATE!


The DeMultiverse Kickstarter hit the two week mark on Tuesday and yesterday we smashed through the $40,000.00 barrier. The more money we bring in, the more solid the future becomes for our four new titles: Anyman, Layla in the Lands of After, Godsend, and Wisdom. Deep thanks to everyone who's come on the journey with us so far and we hope more of you will join us in the next two weeks.

Remember: If you support all four books, or buy the DeMultiverse collection, you get to vote on which on these titles goes to series first!

Oh, and that image up above? That's my JLI cohort Kevin Maguire's alternate cover for Anyman. Thanks, Kevin!

Meanwhile, on Twitch: I had a wonderful conversation with my amazing daughter Katie and her cohorts at Amateur(ish) Productions. We talked about the DeMultiverse, my novella, The Excavator, the wonders of the creative process, and more. You can listen right here.

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

DeMULTIVERSE DeSCUSSIONS

The DeMultiverse PR blitz continues, first with Jace of the Comic Source podcast (you can listen right here)...


...and then with Scott Larson of the Visitations podcast, which you can watch below. More to come!



WEEK ONE UPDATE!

It's one week since we launched our DeMultiverse/Spellbound Comics Kickstarter and it's been an exhilarating ride. Deep thanks to everyone who's supported us so far and to everyone who'll be joining us on this journey. Below is an update from Spellbound Head Honcho David Baldy:



 


Saturday, October 15, 2022

EXPLANATiONS

Spellbound Comics head honcho David Baldy and I talked to the fine folks at the Explain Yourself podcast about the DeMultiverse Kickstarter...and other things.  You can watch the interview below. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

THE NEXT STEP!

A message from the fine folks at Spellbound Comics:

A big THANK YOU for helping us reach our Kickstarter funding goal yesterday in about six hours. We couldn't have done it without you!

Second, that goal was intentionally set VERY low, just to ensure we got funded and to put everyone's minds at ease that this will be published, and you WILL get these books. But now the real work comes in…

We need this campaign to get MUCH higher for this project to break even, and to ensure one or more of these titles will continue past this campaign. The costs to produce four top quality books with experienced professionals handling every facet is about four times where we're at now.

If you could continue sharing, telling friends, gifting copies—it's ALL appreciated. Thank you again for all you've done, and for all you continue to do. Creating a new comic book universe requires a team, and all of you are important members of it. We, and 
Godsend, thank you.

So please spread the word, go to our Kickstarter page and continue your amazing support. We literally can't do it without you.  Thanks!

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

THE DeMULTIVERSE IS LIVE!

The DeMultiverse is LIVE right now on Kickstarter and the Spellbound Comics website! 

And while you're at it, feast your eyes on this extraordinary Liam Sharp cover for the DeMultiverse collected edition.


You can also click here and read my interview with CBR, doing a deep-dive into the project. If you'd rather watch than read, here, for your listening and dancing pleasure, is a video that gives an overview.

Words can't express how excited I am about the DeMultiverse. I hope you'll come along with us on this amazing journey!

Sunday, October 9, 2022

MORE COVERAGE

Hey, how about another cover reveal? Today: Anyman by David Baldeon. You may recognize this as an homage to the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 cover by the late, great George Perez. But here's a little secret: the colorist on the Crisis cover was Tom Ziuko. The colorist on ours? Also Tom Ziuko!

Available to preorder this Tuesday, October 11th @12p Eastern on Kickstarter and the Spellbound Comics site.


Update:  We've got one more alternate cover for you and this one is by the brilliant JH Williams III.  I've been in awe of JH's art for years now and this cover exceeded all my expectations.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN

After all these years, still an inspiration. Not because he was some perfect peacenik saint, but because he was a flawed human, wrestling with demons, reaching for heaven—and sharing that struggle, that harrowing, exhilarating journey, in song.



Friday, October 7, 2022

COVERAGE!

Time to reveal a couple of DeMultiverse covers! First up: Shawn McManus's beautiful cover for Layla in the Lands of After—our all-ages fantasy about the wonders and dangers of the afterlife.


Next up is Matthew Dow Smith's cover for the first issue of Godsend—the tale of a blue god whose appearance throws the world into a frenzy and utterly shatters one man's grip on reality.


We've got more cover reveals coming up—not just by our four main artists, but four superstars who are doing alternate covers, and another major talent who's providing the cover for our DeMultiverse collected edition.

Our campaign launches October 11th at noon Eastern—on both Kickstarter and the Spellbound Comics website. Come along for the journey. We can't do it without you! 

Thursday, October 6, 2022

CUBIST

Had another great conversation with Duy Tano of The Comics Cube podcast, talking about our Spellbound Comics DeMultiverse Kickstarter, Ben Reilly, The Lost Hunt, and other fun things.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

SEVEN DAYS!


We're one week away from the launch of the DeMultiverse Kickstarter, courtesy of the wise and wonderful folks at Spellbound Comics!

We launch at noon Eastern on Tuesday, October 11th. Please come join us on this amazing journey. We can't do it without you. 

The official Spellbound announcement is embedded below, for your listening and dancing pleasure! 


Friday, September 30, 2022

ANCIENT HISTORY

Travel back with us now to Brooklyn in the 1960s: My best friend, Bob Izzo, and I have pooled our comics, setting up shop in front of our apartment building and selling the books for a nickel each. With our ill-gotten gains, we will indulge in multiple slices of pizza...and, no doubt, buy more comic books!

We didn't always stick so close to home. As my old friend Michael Todd, who usually joined us in these groundbreaking business endeavors, reminded me, we'd sometimes lug the books over to nearby Newkirk Plaza, just outside the subway station. This clever plan meant two things: 1)  More potential customers and 2)  We were mere feet away from the object of our desire: the pizza place!

My mother took this picture from our apartment window.  I'd love to have a clearer view of the comics themselves, but I'm grateful for this blurry window into the past.


Thursday, September 29, 2022

WALL-CRAWLING


Edge of Spider-Verse
#5 is out next week—featuring the tale of Sergei Kravinoff, the Hunter-Spider! It's a fun story—plotted by Dan Slott, scripted by yours truly, and illustrated by the great Bob McLeod, inker of Kraven's Last Hunt.  (You can preview the entire issue here.)

And speaking of Spidey: Had a chance to proof the first issue of Spider-Man:  The Lost Hunt. Set during the same era as my recent Ben Reilly:  Spider-Man series, TLH features a powerless Peter Parker, a very pregnant Mary Jane, and a danger from the past that threatens to engulf them both and upend their new lives in Portland.

Can't wait to share this one with all of you. It's out in November!



Friday, September 23, 2022

BACK IN THE BALLOON

Had a great time last night chatting with the always amiable and knowledgeable John Siuntres of the Word Balloon podcast, covering everything from the DeMultiverse to Spider-Man to the hard-ridin' cowboys of 60s TV—and so much more. Enjoy!


Thursday, September 22, 2022

STRANGE VISITOR

Fifty years ago, a hero from the ancient past arrived to save a world in crisis—and, for five decades, Anyman has been the inspiring symbol of all that’s good in humanity, the superhero the entire world reveres. There’s just one problem: Everything we know about him…is a lie.

With art by David Baldeon, color by Arthur Hesli, and lettering by Taylor Esposito, Anyman is one of four new series I’m launching via Kickstarter and Spellbound Comics.

Head over to the Spellbound website to learn more and sign up for updates.

The DeMultiverse is coming!


Wednesday, September 21, 2022

LANDS OF WONDER

On a windy October night in 1995, thirteen-year-old Layla Tripp is swept away to a land where trees read minds, rivers sing, and animals talk. But this isn’t Oz or Wonderland. Layla is DEAD…and these are the Lands of After!

But Layla refuses to accept her fate and so—with the help of a group of friends, old and new—she sets out to return to the land of the living.

But is it too late?

With art by Shawn McManus, color by Arthur Hesli, and lettering by Taylor Esposito, Layla in the Lands of After is one of four new series I’m launching via Kickstarter and Spellbound Comics.

Head over to the Spellbound site to learn more. And join our Spellbound Comics Facebook group!

The DeMultiverse is coming!


Tuesday, September 20, 2022

GUNSMOKE AND SORCERY

Husband. Father. Actor. Journalist. Outlaw. Sorcerer.

Meet Gabriel Wisdom—and begin an epic journey across the Old West that will end in a war for the very soul of the planet.

With art by Tom Mandrake, color by Jan Duursema, and lettering by Taylor Esposito, Wisdom is one of four new series I’m launching via Kickstarter and Spellbound Comics.

Head over to the Spellbound website to learn more and sign up for updates.

The DeMultiverse is coming!

                 

Monday, September 19, 2022

COSMIC TURTLES AND OTHER THINGS


When a celestial being arrives from nowhere, the world isn't sure how to react. Is he friend? Foe? Savior? And why does unremarkable junior high school teacher Eric Small become so obsessed with the man they call Godsend? And why in the world does a turtle with a man's head (or is it a man with a turtle's body?) suddenly manifest in Eric's living room?

Godsend—with art by Matthew Dow Smith—is one of four new series launching in October from Spellbound Comics and Kickstarter! Head over to www.spellboundcomics.com to sign up for news and updates.

The DeMultiverse is coming!



Sunday, September 18, 2022

OLDER AND WISER

Another podcast chat, this time with Mac Jackson of Never Gets Old. We talk about the DeMultiverse Kickstarter and the launch of Spellbound Comics. We also talk about internet culture, the Beatles, Sinatra, Star Trek, the Twilight Zone...and many other things. Enjoy!



Saturday, September 17, 2022

MOTORCYCLES IN THE MULTIVERSE

Had a fun chat with the fine folks at the Capes and Lunatics podcast, discussing Ghost Rider's 50th anniversary and my collaboration with Bob Budiansky on the original GR series. We also took a deep dive into my upcoming Spellbound Comics DeMultiverse Kickstarter.  Enjoy!


Friday, September 16, 2022

WELCOME TO THE DeMULTIVERSE!

As you can probably tell by now, I'm incredibly excited about my first Kickstarter campaign—coming in early October, courtesy of Spellbound Comics. We'll be launching four first issues—brought to life by four outstanding artists (Shawn McManus, Tom Mandrake, Matthew Dow Smith, and David Baldeon)—each one different in tone, genre, and style.

*Layla in the Lands of After

*Anyman

*Wisdom

*Godsend

Welcome to the DeMultiverse! Hope you join us for this amazing ride across time, space, and imagination!

Sign up for updates at the Spellbound Comics website.

 

Thursday, September 15, 2022

SADDLE UP!

And now our final title reveal:  Wisdom—a supernatural western with art by the extraordinary Tom Mandrake!

As with our other three titles—Godsend, Anyman, and Layla in the Lands of AfterWisdom will be available in October via Kickstarter and the Spellbound Comics site, so be sure to check there regularly for more info.

The DeMultiverse is coming!

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

THWIP!

And, in other news, the Ben Reilly: Spider-Man collection is out now! This concludes today's shameless hype!



HEAVEN SENT

Title Reveal Week continues as we unveil the name of the fourth book in our October Kickstarter campaign. Today it's the cosmic saga called...

...Godsend—brought to brilliant visual life by Matthew Dow Smith!

Our final title coming tomorrow!  And keep up to date (and get a sneak peak at that last title) by checking out the Spellbound Comics website!

Onward!




Tuesday, September 13, 2022

AFTER ALL

More Kickstarter news!

Yesterday we revealed the title of the David Baldeon illustrated superhero saga, Anyman.  Today it's the second of our four new titles, a fantasy adventure drawn by my old friend Shawn McManus (of Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Dr. Fate fame):

Layla in the Lands of After!

Tomorrow we reveal the title of our third new series!  (And be sure to check out SpellboundComics.com for more updates.)

Can you tell I'm excited?


Monday, September 12, 2022

ANY DAY NOW

I've told you about the four new series coming your way via Kickstarter and the fine folks at Spellbound Comics, but I haven't mentioned any specific titles...till now!

First up is Anyman—co-created by my Ben Reilly: Spider-Man collaborator, David Baldeon.  More details—and more titles—to come!

(And speaking of David B:  the Ben Reilly collection hits shops this week!)



Wednesday, September 7, 2022

A KICK IN THE PANTS

There's a big announcement coming soon about my first ever Kickstarter projects.  Yes, I said projects—plural.  And they're all coming to you through the courtesy of the fine folks at Spellbound Comics.  (Their just-launched Facebook group is here and the Spellbound website will be live in a few days!)

Below is a teaser image for the first of our books—courtesy of the brilliant Shawn McManus (who, among his many other accomplishments, illustrated my two year run on Dr. Fate back in the day).  More to come!  Watch this space!




Update:
  And here's a teaser image for our other Kickstarter book (remember, I said projects, plural), with art by Ben Reilly's brilliant David Baldeon. Stay tuned!


Friday Update:  We're not done yet. There's a third project coming—and here's a teaser image by my friend and collaborator, X-Files and Doctor Who artist Matthew Dow Smith. Three new books? Yes!

Our Kickstarter campaign launches in October!


Saturday Update:  Did you think we were done?  Wrong!  There's a fourth and final project coming—and here's a teaser image by the legendary Tom Mandrake. 

That's four new series crowdfunding in October, through the courtesy of Spellbound Comics and Kickstarter!



Tuesday, September 6, 2022

DE FALCO, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

While I was enjoying my social media vacation (yes, I'm back), I had the pleasure of taking part in a podcast honoring my old pal, the great and powerful Tom DeFalco.  You can watch it below.

Monday, August 29, 2022

GONE FISHIN'

I'm taking a short vacation from social media.  Be back in a week, give or take.  Everyone stay safe and healthy.

I'm off to the fishin' hole!  (Metaphorically speaking.)


Sunday, August 28, 2022

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE KING

Happy birthday, Jack Kirby—wherever in the multiverse you are.  Your amazing work only gets better with time and my gratitude for your impact on our popular culture, and my life, can't be fully expressed in words.  You were, and will always remain, the King.


Wednesday, August 24, 2022

SPIDER-MAN BEYOND

Back in March, I took part in Marvel's Beyond Amazing event (celebrating 60 years of Spider-Man) with erudite editors Tom Brevoort and Steve Wacker.  Marvel's released video of the conversation and you can watch it below.  Enjoy!


Monday, August 22, 2022

RAY OF LIGHT



Today is Ray Bradbury's birthday. I’ve written about this extraordinary writer—this extraordinary man—many times over the years and, as a birthday tribute, here's a tapestry of selected passages from previous posts.  (Yes, I've shared this here before—but it's Bradbury, so it bears repeating!)

***

There are few people on the face of the planet who have influenced and, more important, inspired me as much as the great Ray Bradbury. Reading a classic Bradbury short story or essay on creativity, immersing myself in his novels (especially Dandelion Wine, one of the most glorious and magical books ever written), is an experience that strips away the layers of what I call the CNN Reality—the voices of Doom and Naysaying Cynicism that seek to tell us that we're small and helpless, ordinary and afraid—and opens our hearts and minds to a deeper, truer, more joyful reality: one where life is sacred, creativity is an expression of pure delight and the universe is viewed with eyes of innocence and wonder. Bradbury's words set fire to my soul decades ago and they still do the same today.

***

People call Bradbury a science-fiction writer, a fantasist, but I don’t think either label applies. He’s a preacher, a rhapsodist, an interfaith—no, interdimensional—minister. I’ve rarely encountered anyone who more eloquently encapsulates the sheer sacred joy of life. When I read a Bradbury story, I not only want to race to the computer and create literary wonders of my own—the greatest gift a fellow writer can give you—I want to race out the door and up the street with my arms wide, embracing the entire universe.

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Reading Bradbury—opening your mind and heart to that unique voice, that amazing spirit—it’s as if the author himself arrives at your house. The door bursts opens, nearly flying off its hinges, and Ray races into the room, enveloping you in a bear hug—nearly cracking your ribs—spinning you around in circles as he bellows with laughter and perhaps sheds a tear or two, touched, as he is, by this reunion. He’s a one-man Imagination pantheon, an explosion of gods and goddesses, each one with a unique story to tell. You get him to sit down for a minute or two, have a sip of wine, but he’s soon up on his feet, dragging you to the window, pointing to the clouds, the moon, the stars...the whole wide universe. You watch in wonder and delight as Bradbury reaches out, wraps his arms around God, yanks him down to earth and kisses Him full on the mouth.

When Ray’s done, when he’s given his last oratory, spun his last tale, he crushes you in another bear-hug then races out the door, leaving you utterly exhausted, inspired—and grateful to be alive.

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Here’s a passage from Bradbury’s essay “Predicting the Past, Remembering the Future” that, for me, boils the man down to his cosmic essence:

"My own belief is that the universe exists as a miracle and that we have been born here to witness and celebrate. We wonder at our purpose for living. Our purpose is to perceive the fantastic. Why have a universe if there is no audience?

We are that audience.

We are here to see and touch, describe and move. Our job, then, is to occupy ourselves with paying back the gift."

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Read Bradbury. Listen to Bradbury. Unfold your soul and let his words wash over you. If you're a budding writer, he'll fill you with burning passion for your chosen field. If you're an old hand like me, he'll make you feel like a newborn, just beginning on the most miraculous path God ever created. And if you're not a writer, I suspect he'll touch and move you in surprising ways that will echo on through your heart—and through your life.

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I’ll add one final thought to those I’ve reposted above: The writers that matter most to us become our dearest friends and companions.

Happy birthday, Ray. I still treasure your friendship and always will.