New York Comic Con!

I'm definitely going, tickets bought and everything! Not sure what I'm doing yet, but you can definitely see me at the IDW tenth anniversary panel on Friday at 3:15. Room 1A07.

I wasn't scheduled to go, a trip to the east coast just kinda happened at the right time, so I'm not sure if I'll be ON the panel, but I'll definitely be going TO the panel. Maybe just to heckle. But I do believe some ANGEL related announcements are going to be made, so maybe I'll be up there. Either way, come by and say hi!

ALSO, ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL signed wedding variant is STILL AVAILABLE HERE!

Disturbingly True Tales of the Comic Book Industry Part 2

San Diego Comic Con. I was invited out by an editor to talk about possibly doing work for them. Told me to meet him around 3 PM. 3 PM in July, even in somewhat windy San Diego, is very hot.

This guy shows up kinda drunk. At 3 PM. Also, I guess because he works in an artistic field, he's wearing a black turtleneck and either a black kango hat or beret. I can't be sure which, as he was so sweaty, in 90 degree heat, wearing a black turtleneck and black hat, drunk, that it was hard to look at him.

That said, I talked to him for a while. At one point, he said "well if I had known you looked like that I wouldn't have asked you out" which is weird because (a) now he's implying it's a date, and (b) if he's going to not work with people in the comic industry if they don't look like super models, the only person that's getting work is Franco Urru and (c) this guy looked like he was melting and, most of all (d) it was really, really rude but he was drunk and insecure, so okay.

A writer that had just started working for Melty's company walks up. Melty the arty drunk editor goes "THIS guy is the future of ___________ comics." As if to say "YOU are not." But that was apparent. New writer smiles and nods and gets away quickly.

At the end of the meeting, I say my good-byes and run, run away. Quickly.

I hope New York City Comic Con goes better...through an odd series of circumstances, I will be there. Definitely at the IDW panel next Friday, maybe more. AND I'm gonna meet Franco! Hooray!

Note: Some editors are not sweaty, insulting or drunkards. Chris Ryall is one. I have never been insulted by him, have never seen him sweat, and while I have seen him drink, I would not call him a drunkard. Not to his face anyway, he's a violent drunk.


Signed ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL wedding variant still available HERE.

Disturbingly True Tales of the Comic Book Industry Part 1

Here's a fun story about the comic book business that someone reminded me of this morning.

One of the "big two" comic companies put feelers out about working with me. They said that they had read some of my stuff and thought I would be perfect for a project. So I talk to them, kinda excited at the idea of playing around in a universe I've read since I was a little kid.

I talk to the editor, and he says after reading my work (they had not just comic stuff, but the Muppet screenplay that I had sold to Henson) they had the PERFECT project for me.

It was lesbian detective series. The word "lesploitation" was used. A lot. "You know, they work hard, they play hard, making out with girls, solving crimes revolving around girls, etc."

I thought they were kidding. They weren't.

I don't know what's more odd: the fact that they were going to try and do a lesploitation series set in regular continuity ("Move it, Spidey...make room, Superman, I can't get a good look at the ladies!") or the fact that after reading a Muppet script I wrote they thought I'd be "perfect" for it.

The series never happened. I think it's for the best.

You can still bid on the signed ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL wedding variant, here, by the way. If you want. Warning: there is no lesploitation. Here's the cover:

Want a signed ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL wedding variant?

In December of 2007, I got married to a wonderful lady. Chris Ryall was nice enough to give us a bunch of ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL # 1 with an amazing NEW cover by Franco Urru to give to guests at the wedding. It's a classy variant, logo embossed in silver, back cover by EVERYBODY'S DEAD artist Dave Crosland, and the only way you could get one is to actually go the wedding.

Well, we've moved recently, and we found a few extra copies. I signed one and put it on ebay, if you're interested. It's easily the most rare version of any issue of ANGEL:ATF that exists.

I've never put anything up on ebay, but I decided to give it a shot. I kinda want to self-publish some smaller comics again, and anything I make on this will go into the "special project" fund.

Sound like something you'd dig?

BEGIN YOUR BIDDING!

Trivia!

http://buffycomics.hellmouthcentral.com/html/trivia.htm has a wonderful list of fun trivia and pop culture references in the BUFFY and ANGEL comics. This was a fun read. I can turn them onto more of them in my books, if they want.

Either way, check this out, it's swell.

The (IMO) Greatest Team-Up Ever!

SPOILERS FOR ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL if'n you haven't seen issue 16 yet.

I'm warning you.

TURN BACK NOW!

For serious, don't scroll if you haven't read!

Listen to me, spoilers will be spoiled!

Heed my blog!

...

waiting.....

....waiting some more...

Okay, good.

Here's the non-colored, non-lettered last panel of ANGEL:ATF # 16, aka "when worlds collide" aka "the greatest crossover that most readers didn't know was even happening EVER!"


This made my heart feel good. God would I love to do a limited official crossover kinda deal. So much fun.

Issue 16

SPOILERS FOR ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL # 16 if you haven't read it yet, because I'm gonna babble about it.

I'm serious!

Big spoilers!

I warned you...

...if you've read ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL # 16, you know that Angel and Wesley figured out that if Angel dies in hell, Wolfram & Hart needs to go back into his timeline to get him back. And since it was said that their time in hell was actually between moments, they had to go back to the very last moment in the actual timeline that Angel was around...

...which was the moment Angel first went to hell. So they yanked everyone out of hell, and life resumed for (most of) our characters.

When I told Chris Ryall the ending we cooked up, his eyes grew wide and he looked somewhat scared. I remember the moment perfectly. It was at my bachelor party, we were both a little tipsy in a very crowded bar, so of course we discussed ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL. I told him how the story was going to wind up and he was concerned that it would be a retcon, "none of this happened, it was all a horrible, horrible dream"...which is, of course, not the best way to end a series.

And then I realized that drunkenly yelling a two-sentence description of a comic book finale over a crowded bar is NOT the best way to pitch an idea. So I explained it further and he dug it. I don't think he was entirely convinced, however, until he read the issue. I'm noticing that's happening on quite a few places around the internet: people don't love the idea when they hear it, but when they see how it plays out, they dig it.

It was my job to make it so that the events you see in issue 16 clearly could be the only viable ending for this specific story. Of course, if everyone was coming back, we could have fun with body count (that seemed to please Mr. Whedon), but we had to keep it so a reboot wasn't a foregone conclusion. This meant, basically, not killing off Angel or Spike. Once that happened, people were gonna start thinking things would HAVE to be undone.

Connor's death was the key. Angel would do anything to change it. We hoped that the audience would root for it to be taken back. After all they've been through, and all that's happened to Connor in AFTER THE FALL, I wanted people to be so distraught and frustrated that Connor died at the end of issue 15 the only ending they'd accept was taking it back. I think, for some, we accomplished that. For others, it was a swell death and they were fine with it. To them I say, please, pretend the series ended with issue 15 and everyone's happy.

Remember in issue 2, Gunn is talking about the man Angel is, and how maybe THAT man isn't all that noble to begin with. After all, look what he did, look at the trouble he caused, look at the fate of those that trusted him. Well, Angel, just a man, killed himself without hesitation, on the chance that it save everybody and everything.

And hey, Cordelia actually tried to help Angel "move on". Whether or not she knew that was the solution, if Angel had gone with his oldest friend in the series, everything would have been okay.

Gunn to the humans he saved from Kr'ph in issue 1: "Think of the last couple of months as a bad, bad dream. That's all they were." Welllll, Gunn was on the right track. Hell, his plan to use Illyria to timeshift back to normal was kind of what Angel did...only, of course, Angel found a way to do it without hurting anybody but himself.

So, yeah.

That said, it wasn't a dream. It all happened. Betrayals, first loves, murders, deaths, it all happened. And now, every single person (and other assorted creature in Los Angeles) remembers EVERYTHING that happened.

From Illyria having all of Wesley and Spike's memories of Fred in her head, to the Powerful Demon Lords remembering Angel is the one that blowed them up real good, to the citizens of LA knowing who Angel and company are, to Connor realizing his first love was a traitor. The repercussions of this are enormous, from a story and a character standpoint. Angel is famous AND wanted by the demon underbelly. Illyria knows what it's like to be human more than she ever thought possible. Wolfram & Hart...well, we go into that a bit more next issue. You'll see.

The snowglobe has been shaken. All the characters are at different places to be sure.

Wow, this was long. My apologies. I just hope, above all else, that I did justice to the characters and entertained you. And, hey, an ANGEL issue/episode with a happy (ish) ending. Not something you see every day.

ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL # 16 this week!

I am thrilled with this issue! It's all come down to THIS, big climax/resolution/world-changing issue, and man, did it come out great. It features my favorite scene in the entire series (I'll tell you after you read it). Franco did some brilliant, brilliant work. Can't say enough how excited I am for you guys to read it.

One more to go after this!

Whatever happened to...?

I think maybe we're gonna find out later in 2009. But you didn't hear it from me.

A:ATF Volume 3 Cover

It's gonna be...



Need proof? Alls I can show is a pic of the PDF I was sent (the cover is before the title and whatnot was added, obviously):















The extras are sweet. The Qs you asked over at the IDW Board are all A'ed. Plus, there's a very unique behind-the-scenes feature, excerpts from one of the character's on-set diaries. We try to keep it entertaining over here, folks!

PLUS all the covers (including the wonderful John Romita cover!)!

Not to mention, you know, issues 9-12. They're kinda fun.

It's gonna be wonderful!

Two Blog Family

Times are tough, and you need to save every single penny you can for ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL variant covers. Well, there's a new blog that will help you save money and it's quite wonderful.

It's also written by my wife, so I'm biased, but damned if the girl doesn't know her way around saving you dough and writing about it an entertaining way.

Check out THE UNEMPLOYED WORKAHOLIC now. Follow it every day. Thank me later.

Second Printing of the Second Volume

Just saw on Chris Ryall's blog that ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL volume 2 ("First Night") has gone into it's second printing. I had no idea, that is wonderful. Thanks everyone!

Also, the ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL cover gallery is coming out along with it. I haven't seen it, but I'm for anything that gives Franco and Runge and Mooney and Garner more attention.

I got the last couple of pages for ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL # 17 today. Just some lettering to do, and then I walk into the sunset. Hooray!

Wanna vote for ANGEL?

Wizard is holding the annual Wizzie Awards (no, they're not called that, but man, they should be).

ANGEL is up for "Favorite Licensed Comic" (that category is number 26 on the list). BUFFY is also up for the award, but she's up for other awards too (Favorite female or something or other) so hey, let's give her that and give ANGEL number 26! Fine, we all know BUFFY is gonna win "Favorite Licensed Comic" as well, but it doesn't mean we can't try!

So if you get a chance , go on over and vote. It only takes seconds!

CLICK HERE and do it for Angel! And Spike! But most of all, do it for America!

Working

Hey, I know I said I was going to do a "Plans for 2009" post, but truth is, I've been busy working so I have stuff to show you in 2009. Gonna be a good year. Viva la stuff!