Whew … it’s been a week 🙂

Since the last newsletter, I’ve been … busy. Last week, I signed a contract for a 72-page black and white thriller that I’m really excited about (but can’t talk about yet.)

And in the last few days, I added three pages to my workload while losing a week on another deadline that was already tight enough. Comics! I do ’em right.

Anyway … the thing is, I’m really into all of the various things I’m working on. Remember last time, when I said that I need to focus a bit more on the stories I want to tell, and not go from one job to the next like some kind of comic-making shark? Okay, I didn’t phrase it quite that way, but you get me…

So let’s talk about some of this stuff! First … no, your eyes are not deceiving you. The prelaunch page for the next MALICENT BLACK Kickstarter is LIVE. If you want to be notified of the launch, go here and click that ‘notify me on launch’ button:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2119707413/malicent-black-mundicide?tab=prelaunch-story

Drew and I are so excited to get this thing out there. He’s had the script done for awhile (heck, he’s on to the next script), but I’ve had to draw and color this around the work for hire jobs, so it hasn’t gone as quickly as I’d have liked … but now I’m well into the coloring, lettering is in progress … this will be ready to go to the printer as soon as the campaign ends and Kickstarter releases those funds!

Also … there are some limited tiers on this, featuring original art. If you’re interested in these, then it’s even more important you sign up to be notified on launch. I have no idea how those tiers will go, so don’t miss out, okay?

Meanwhile … I’m also about to start inking this year’s DREAD THE HALLS one shot! Chris and I started trading emails about this story while I was at Heroes Con, and I’m proud of what we came up with. It’s funny, it’s dark, and it speaks to the world we find ourselves in. It also plays a riff on A CHRISTMAS CAROL, which is one of my favorite stories. This is up for preorders now, so if you want to check this thing out (and I’d highly recommend it) then please let your retailer know. It’s been a pretty tumultuous time for retailers (well, for everyone, really) so preorders are more important now than ever for anything that doesn’t involve Batman or Spider-Man…

Dread the Halls 2025 #1

Arriving: December 3, 2025
Lunar Code: 1025IM0283
Page Count: 72

Cover price: $6.99

Dread the Halls returns to haunt another Christmas season with a 72-page gift of all-new tales of holiday horrors for only $6.99! This time out, Jordan Hart and Luana Vecchio deliver a seasonal blend of Hallmark movie and brutal revenge flick; Chris Ryall and Keithan Jones turn Mars red when “The Martians Conquer Santa Claus!”; Walter Pax and Fábio Veras return to the series rendering festive terror; and Ryall and Lee Ferguson close things out with an even darker Christmas Carol!

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Finally, here’s the OTHER thing I’m working on and can share:

‘Ultimate Universe: Two Years In’ Sets the Stage for ‘Ultimate Endgame’

This December, ‘Ultimate Universe: Two Years In,’ a one-shot by Deniz Camp, Alex Paknadel, and more, sets up the future of the Ultimate Universe, including ‘Ultimate Endgame’ and the debut of Ultimate Daredevil.

by Marvel

Before ULTIMATE ENDGAME begins, behold the current state of the Ultimate Universe and discover its final secrets in ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: TWO YEARS IN #1, a special one-shot hitting stands in December by Deniz Camp, Alex Paknadel,  and superstar artists from every corner of the Marvel Universe.

Like last year’s ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: ONE YEAR IN, which introduced Nick Fury and revealed crucial intel on the Maker’s Council, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: TWO YEARS IN #1 will be an essential chapter in the overall Ultimate Universe narrative. The saga will see the return of the Ultimate Guardians, revealing their key role in ULTIMATE ENDGAME, and debut all new players as the countdown to the Maker’s return comes to an explosive end!  

All paths lead to ENDGAME! In preparation for the Maker’s return in ULTIMATE ENDGAME, the Ultimate Guardians have been traveling all across time and space, recruiting members new and old… Travel across all the corners of the Ultimate Universe! Don’t miss the dawn of many new characters, including Ultimate Daredevil!

ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: TWO YEARS IN #1
Written by DENIZ CAMP & ALEX PAKNADEL 
Art by SUPERSTARS FROM ACROSS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE 
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
On Sale 12/3

“For me, each of these year-ending Ultimates specials are an opportunity to reveal more about the universe’s history, and set the path of its future,” Camp explained. “ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: ONE YEAR IN was about the recent past and near future, but ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: TWO YEARS IN is more ambitious; we’ll take you from the birth of humanity to 2000 years into the future where everything has gone wrong. It’s bold, it’s heartfelt, it’s filled with big new ideas and surprising twists on old characters—it’s just what you’ve come to expect from the Ultimate Universe!”

“Getting to write in the Ultimate Universe—especially as it reaches its climax—is so fun, it should be illegal,” Paknadel shared. “It’s a license to rethink and reinvent your favorite characters, and Deniz and I have certainly done that here. Like all the best Ultimate versions of these characters, our Daredevil retains the essence of the original—he’s still a something without fear—but he’s been scaled up to a cosmic-level hero. I can’t wait for readers to meet him.”

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When my editor dropped me an email to see if I’d be interested in being a part of this, I looked at my calendar, thought about how much coffee a human can reasonably drink in a month, and said “sure!”

Honestly, just seeing Deniz Camp and Alex Paknadel listed as the writers made this a no-brainer, but then I read the script and it’s awesome. I like big, cosmic tales, stuff that pushes the boundaries of what stories we can tell and how we tell them … and boy does this one do that. I’m drawing a telepathic dog, for crying out loud. I don’t think that was actually on my bucket list, but it should have been.

It’s also up for preorders right now, so again … just let your retailer know you want it!

Okay, I typically try not to use these for so much promotion … you can get that sort of thing anywhere. But my word count is creeping up there, I’m buried, I’m tired, and I feel like I have to get the word out on this stuff, eh? At least the first two … I’m sure that Ultimates book will sell just fine without my efforts 😉

Oh, wait! Word count be damned. THIS arrived last week…

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love the work of both JM DeMatteis and Sal Buscema. Actually, if you’ve read previous newsletters … you know 🙂

But this run on Spidey is an all-time favorite of mine. I learned so much about storytelling from the comics included here. Pacing, emotional beats, subtlety, when to let the art do the lifting … ugh. It’s SO GOOD.

And I’ve barely gotten a look at this since it arrived. Ah, comics. 🙂

Sooner or later I’ll get to dive in.

Okay … now I’m really heading out!

I may drop an extra newsletter when the Kickstarter goes live, but in case I don’t … when I see you in two weeks, the campaign will be fully underway! I’ll share some behind the scenes bits on this issue of Mal, and try to get back to sharing some of the art on my wall, too.

Alright, I gotta go find some coffee.

-LF