February 2022 - ONWARD
ONWARD
I divide my writing work in my head between two loose categories - Now and Then. Now Work is stuff I've already committed to, things where the deals have been signed, the obligations and opportunities are well understood. My work for Marvel on the Star Wars comic is a good example of this. Then Work is forward-looking - stuff I'm doing that generates new concepts, new worlds, that pushes me in some new way or has a potential upside that could literally be anything. Basically, "Now I'm doing this, but Then What?"
I've always pursued both, even (and especially) when I was working as an attorney back in the day. Now Work was preparing legal documents and helping clients. Then Work was... well, writing, and anything connected to writing that could lead to a full-time career as a creative person (networking, research, etc.) If you talk to pro writers, I suspect you'll hear that Now Work is never *quite* as interesting as Then Work, although we all have different ways of framing it. I'm usually happiest when I have a healthy slate of Then Work, maybe like a 66/33 split between Now and Then.
January wasn't like that. Probably closer to 90/10, and I really felt it. January is a tough month for me most years anyway - I don't dig the short days and long nights, or the cold, or any of it, with February right on its heels. But the Then Work I did pull together is some really special stuff, in particular a fantastic (HUGE) new opportunity for me to do things in some new areas.
I'm also feeling good about something I don't think is a secret - the Project Luminous team is going to be together for the first time in two years this month. I mean, we see each other all the time over Zoom, but we'll all be in the same place, raising a glass and celebrating this crazy thing we made together. I can't wait. (Don't worry - we'll take lots of pictures.)
Lots of Star Wars in the rest of this update! It's a Star Wars-y time for me, I think. (When isn't it?)
(And how about that one particular special effect in that last episode of Boba Fett, eh? Brave new world, friends. It's a brave new world.)
THE CALM BEFORE THE SECOND STORM
One cool thing that happened last month was the release of part 1 (of 2) of EYE OF THE STORM, a comic I did with Guillermo Sanna that provides the origin story and lots of cool information on Marchion Ro, the primary villain of the Star Wars: The High Republic megastory. How about that art, right? Perfect for the story we're telling.
I got a lot of requests about signed copies of these two issues, since I'm still not doing many shows (though I have some news on that below), and so I wanted to offer something special to all of you. SIGNED and REMARQUED sets of Eye of the Storm. Each set includes issue 1 and issue 2, and I have three different variants available - the standard covers by Ryan Brown and two other, rarer versions (which is why they are priced differently). The rarest set is 1:25, which if you don't speak comic shop means it'll be tough to find. While I have limited quantities of all the issues, I was only able to get ten sets of those particularly rare ones - so I guess get them while you can!
(NOTE - these will be sent as sets after the release of EYE OF THE STORM #2 later this month.)
Links and cover previews below!
I also just added signed and remarqued bookplates for Eye of the Storm and Crimson Reign to my store AND restocked Light of the Jedi bookplates! They seem to be a huge hit with you all and I think it's been a great alternative to in-person signings.
I also have some signed trades of WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and RISE OF KYLO REN for sale!, plus lots of other stuff like the Vader and Daredevil and Swamp Thing omnibuses, and more. Worth a look!
THE BLADE OF BARDOTTA
Last month, on the HIGH REPUBLIC ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (which, as advertised, celebrated the one-year anniversary of the start of the massive Star Wars: The High Republic initiative, of which I was one of the architects) I announced that my next High Republic project will be a story set during the youth of the incredibly skilled Jedi Master Porter Engle, before he decided to be a cheerful old cook on the galactic frontier who will also slice you a new one if you look at him funny (assuming you are a bad person or otherwise deserving of such slicing).
The story is set a hundred and fifty years before the existing Phase I stories you've been reading, as is all of Phase II of the High Republic. This will be a Marvel comic, and in it you'll learn more of this guy's past - in particular how he became known as the Blade of Bardotta. I might (or might not) also be using this story to tag up on some other lore I've been messing around with in Star Wars for a while in some of my other projects.
Here's some concept art of young Porter, which doesn't really reveal much - so let me give you a bit more. My whole concept for this dude is "gunslinger Jedi who operates with a high degree of moral certainty," and he's not the only Engle we'll meet.
REDISCOVER THE COUNTRY
One of those pieces of Now Work I mentioned that took up a lot of my January was the screenplay for the film version of my Image Comics series UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, which I'm co-writing with my friend and series co-creator (along with our other good friend Giuseppe Camuncoli) Scott Snyder. I'm really proud of what we're doing with it, but it's a rewrite based on studio notes - which is part of the process, nothing unusual about that. So, it requires a lot of very detailed, high-level thinking about how to adjust and mess with an already-completed draft.
I like revising and editing stuff, but this screenplay is dense, a real house of cards in terms of the detail work, and any change *here* means you then have to revise over *there*. That's also part of the process, but it's definitely something that takes a lot of focus. It's also tricky because the series is about America, and what America is (and what Scott and I think about it) JUST KEEPS CHANGING.
Over on the comics side, though, Issue 18 came out recently and wrapped up the third arc, POSSIBILITY. The third trade collection, which covers that arc, will be out later this month on 2/22.
I've made signed copies of that available on my site. If you want just volume 3, click here. And if you haven't tried the series yet, I also have a bundle option of all 3 trades here!
WANT TO HANG OUT?
I am slowly but surely getting back into the idea of going to more conventions. I don't know if I'll ever get back to the schedule I had pre-Covid, where I was doing 10-12 shows per year plus travel beyond that. It was too much. As of now, I'm doing three this year: Fan Expo Philadelphia in April, Star Wars Celebration in May in Anaheim, and New York Comicon in October.
There's a good chance I'll be adding more in the coming weeks to months. The best way to stay up to date on where I'll be showing up is the APPEARANCES page on my website. I'll also be adding my full con schedules to that page once I have them, so if you're desperate to know the panels I'll be doing and my table numbers, bookmark that page!
UPWARD
Many more cool things to talk about that I didn't really feel like cramming into this one - it's already long. A few things, though: for those waiting on your HELL TO PAY #1 comics, we have a publication date from Image, and it's fall 2022. I realize that might be frustrating, but we're printing the special variants alongside the regular issue, and so we won't have them in-hand to send you until then. If that's too long for you, please reach out to my noble assistant Tommy at souleassistant@gmail.com and he'll sort out a refund. I'm hoping to be able to announce something very cool in that universe - the "Shrouded College" storyworld I'm building with series artist and Ireland's greatest heartthrob Will Sliney - but we're not quite there yet.
EIGHT BILLION GENIES, my next amazing comic with Chicago's greatest heartthrob Ryan Browne (I only work with heartthrobs, and now that word is feeling weird to me heartthrob heartthrob) about everyone on earth getting a genie and one wish at the same moment... is looking AWESOME. Issue 3 is almost done, and we've set up some amazing and funny ideas for the launch in May. We have a particularly stupid variant I am extremely excited about. Very very jazzed for this book. It is both much smarter and much dumber than you will be expecting.
I think that's it? Writing this pushed away the winter blahs a little bit, so thank you for that. Enjoy your February, all, and when next you hear from me I'll be bringing True Tales of the Luminous Five for your enjoyment. My god, I can't wait to see those folks.
Questions or comments, just reply to this email.
All best!
--Charles