Here is a scary moose from our D&D campaign.
I just completed the first leg of the HNTSI book tour. We have one more date in March this Saturday at my local comic shop:
March 29, 2024 - Infinite Realities: Tucker, GA 11-6
And then back on the road in April to finish at C2E2
You can find all the dates and details on my revamped website calendar.
Project BUCKETS
I got my ‘final’ edits from the editorial staff and submitted the final files, but there might still be some editing. Here is an unused illustration from the book.
Project COAL
I was able to ink some pages while on the tour, keeping me on track to finish this book soon. I hope to finish the inks by the end of the month and wrap up the book by the end of May.
Project DRILL
I had a great meeting with Michael about the thumbnails, we are set to move forward with pencils.
Project ASSOCIATION
This classic sport was initially called “Association Football,” later converted into “Assocc-er” as slang before finally being labeled “Soccer.” I finished this book back in November and now I can reveal the title and release!
SOCCER STARS: Stories and Skills from the World’s Best Players
Available 4/8/2025 from Z Kids a Penguin Random House imprint.
You can preorder your copy here.
To celebrate the new book, Z Kids is running a giveaway!
COMIC CONS
Cons are back baby! My first show of the year will be C2E2 in Chicago. I’ll be there to conclude the HNTSI Book tour as well as debuting several other new books.
Here is a commission example and my donation to the C2E2 Charity Auction for St. Jude Hospital. You can bid for it at the show on Saturday night.
I am still taking Pre-Show Commissions, so if you are going to the show and want to secure your spot on my commission list, please send in your request early.
WATCH: American Primeval
I watched the first 4 episodes with Andrew while on the tour. It’s very gritty and violent and therefore reminiscent of Hope Never to See It. It tells the story of the Mountian Meadows Massacre and the resulting fallout. If you like my book, you will like this show.
LISTEN: Heel
The historian/writer of HNTSI is also a drummer. He gave me a CD Woah! physical media!!! So actually, you can’t listen to it yet but if you see us on tour he usually carries some copies. The genre is psychedelic punk rock, with lots of drums.
READ: Gone girl
I listened to the audiobook. It was engaging but also really depressing in the end. I have heard good things of the film so I might try it out and see how it compares.
PLAY: Ticket to Ride
I like this game because it is very relaxing and great for a game night because there is little you can do on your turn so you don’t have to think too hard when it comes back around. In the game you attempt to collect train routes connecting various cities for bonuses. I have played the classic American and European game boards.
“Based on a true story”
The new tagline that I am using to push Hope Never to See It is, “This book is not based on a true story. It is a true story.”
I saw a great breakdown on a forum of the 4 different kind of “true stories” in media
The Fake True Story: this is a story that pretends to be true because if the events are true then it makes the events that much more interesting. An example of this kind of film would be The Blair Witch Project.
The Fictionalized True Story: The majority of the narrative is fictionalized but names and broad strokes are real or similar. A Good example of this is The Imitation Game.
The Altered True Story: This is hopefully most historical works. The true events and heart of the story are true with small changes to adapt to the new medium used. A great example of this is The Young Woman and the Sea. In the movie the timeline is greatly abbreviated to more succinctly tell the story.
The True Story: The only “changes” are creative liberties taken where information and primary sources are lacking. For example, bridging the gap in a conversation where we only know the outcome not the dialogue. The best film example of this is Selma. Hope Never to See It is a great graphic novel example.
I found this website that breaks down films that are “based on a true story” by the numbers and gives detailed end notes.
The real shame to me is that the truth really is often, more compelling, romantic, grittier, wilder, sweeter, and indeed stranger than fiction. Sometimes I think we rob ourselves of the beauty of the raw truth by believing the lie that history isn’t engaging.
You guys, history is wild! If you don’t believe me, then read a book… like mine… no pressure.
Cheers,
&
February in Sketches
Behind the Scenes: Soccer Stars
This was my initial portrait rough for Messi, the Press wanted something a little more dynamic.
The book is two-tone, thus the pink placeholder. Here is the final Messi Portrait.
For the cover I was asked to include Messi and Morgan in various action poses. Here are my rough sketches.
The editorial staff loved these drafts and sent me back this edited version.
I took this and illustrated the final version in stacked layers.
The press then took those layers and edited down further to the cover that went to print.
I hope you like the book!
Cheers,
&