Welcome to 2026…

“So what’s it like, trying to promote your work, your art, that thing you love, as society crumbles around us?”

Oh, it’s great. Thanks for asking.

Anyway…

I happened to spot a copy of ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: TWO YEARS IN #1 at a comic shop last week … that was kinda weird, honestly. With the holidays, the continued work on Malicent Black, and Dread the Halls … I actually forgot this book was out. I saw the cover on the shelf and was like “why does that look familiar?” Yeah, well, there you go … sometimes it gets hard to keep track of this stuff 🙂

If you’re interested, here’s the final art for my chapter … fantastic colors by Erick Arciniega!

Funny thing … speaking of Erick, he also colored my pages in PREDATOR vs BLACK PANTHER last year! The guy is money.

And speaking of PREDATOR vs BLACK PANTHER … hey, there’s a trade paperback out. I guess I forgot about that…

Meanwhile, MALICENT BLACK: MUNDICIDE is just about ready to go off to the printer! Matty turned in the letters last week, and everything looked great. No surprise there 😉

So we’re trying to wrap up the digital art book, the trading card, the stickers … and I am probably going to do a few illustrations to go with the prose story I wrote for the back of this issue. I thought about it way back, but then decided I wasn’t going to … and now I’m thinking that actually I will, because I love drawing Malicent and her world every chance I get…

Outside of making comics…

Well, I finally finished Alan Wake 2 on the ol’ PS5 a few days ago. It took awhile, what with work and the holidays, but I got there … and I’m glad I did. It’s not just one of my favorite games ever, but it’s one of my favorite pieces of fiction. I’m glad I played it and I’m glad I finished it, but man … I wish I could wipe my memory and start it all over again. I doubt very much that I’ll ever have another experience like this.

I also finished King Sorrow a week or so ago, and speaking of experiences … wow. I’m a big fan of Joe Hill, and this? This is right at the top of the list for me. It’s thoughtful, ambitious, and surprising. Just a wonderful book. And the story is told in a way that … well, I guess would never have occurred to me. And I mean that in the best way.

I could go on and on about both King Sorrow and Alan Wake 2 at length (and probably would in person), but really … the only thing I can do is diminish them by talking about ’em too much.

Alright, I guess that’s all for this one … as always, thanks for reading. 🙂

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-“God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

― Kurt Vonnegut