Better late than never?

SDCC wrap-up and a sneaky peek at some sneak peeks.

Clay Adams

Aug 10, 2022

Hey, how are you?

Me, I’m still typing through my tears after the Braves lost 4 of 5 games to the Mets this weekend.

But enough about *choke* the greatest sport ever invented.

You came here to read about comics!

And since last we chatted, a lot has happened.

Starting with…

SDCC!

Yeah, yeah, I know. SDCC was a whole three weeks ago.

(Why, some of you are even writing your C2E2 wrap-ups.)

But this is my Substack and I can be woefully behind the times if I want.

So suck it.

Aside from being the first SDCC in years, this con was different for another reason:

It was the first convention where I mostly spent the weekend taking meetings rather than aimlessly wandering the convention floor.

(Creatives, much like criminals, are a cowardly and superstitious lot, so the less said about these the better, but suffice it to say that this was my favorite SDCC yet.)

Unfortunately, this meant I didn’t get around to seeing everyone I would have liked. (If I missed you, I’m genuinely sorry!)

But you know who I did see?

Wait. No. Not him.

This guy…

…interviewing these people…

…in Hall H:

Yep!

That’s Kevin Smith interviewing masked man/FRIED co-creator Alexandre O. Philippe and his trusty partner-in-crime/producer Kerry Roy.

(Plus some crusty old guy who went to space once.)

Attendees were treated to a scene-in-progress from Alexandre’s new William Shatner documentary, and I gotta tell you, fans are indeed in for a treat.

The panel itself was a real hoot, with Shatner absolutely eviscerating people who asked him questions and ending in a curse-off between himself and Smith.

So, thanks Alexandre and Legion M for the great seats. It was great to see you and Kerry, even if briefly.

I did get to spend a little more time with the NIGHTMARE THEATER crew…

…some of whom I was meeting in person for the very first time.

And speaking of NIGHTMARE THEATER, D.E. Schrader and I spent a good amount of time talking the upcoming CARMILLA UNBOUND spin-off.

By sheer coincidence, these postcards kept popping up all over San Diego:

The illustrious Mr. Schrader and I just sent the outline to editor Malissa White, and I couldn’t be ~~stokeder~~ ~~more chuffed?~~ happier about how this story is shaping up.

Meanwhile…

I’ve been hard at work since coming back (after a brief stop to visit the ‘rents), hiring cover artists and making plans for the second half of the year.

One exciting development is that the books for CANNIBALS ON MARS recently landed at the office:

Left: Cover by Tony Donley. Right: Print by Don Nguyen.

That’s one small step for a publisher, one giant leap for a dude battling the paper supply shortage.

(We used a different printer than usual on this one in an effort to get these books out quicker. I’m happy to say they turned out great and fulfillment will start in earnest this week.)

(And we’ve gotten word that there may be a break in the logjam that’s holding up BBoF #1 and NIGHTMARE THEATER 2 — stay tuned!)

And in PBOW-land, Fabio and Ilaria were sidelined for a bit due to a bout of Covid, but thankfully they are both recovered and back at the art boards: