The end of another year. This is my last newsletter of 2025, and I thought I’d send it out early since things only get busier for everyone as we close in on the New Year…
I don’t know how this year has been for you, but for me … well, I dunno. There’s been some good, been some bad. I’m not exactly sad to see 2025 go, but I’m also not really filled with a lot of hope for 2026, so … eh? It’s not the best time to be navigating the world as an artist who tries to be about the right things. The scrooges of the world seem to have the upper hand … even more so than usual, I mean.
BUT. Ya gotta keep going, right? One foot in front of the other and all that.
Anyway, I do want to thank everyone for the kind words on this year’s DREAD THE HALLS one shot. Chris and I figured out what our story was going to be about back in June, and while we were excited to tell this tale, I had no idea how it might land with others. I’m glad it seems to have hit the way we’d hoped. I imagine you can still find copies around, so if you haven’t gotten your hands on one yet…
And finally … I wrapped up the colors for MALICENT BLACK: MUNDICIDE this morning. The book … well, it took awhile. MALICENT BLACK is a labor of love. So far, on each campaign we’ve basically made enough to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and lettering these, so Drew and I have to make the books around our ‘day jobs.’ It’s not always ideal … sometimes, you just want to curl up with a book, or watch something with your wife, or hell, sometimes you just want to be lazy, alright?
But Malicent is a living, breathing person at this point. If we don’t tell her stories, who will?
Anyway, I hope your holidays are great, and I truly hope that the new year is a good one. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support … see you soon;)
Seriously, how can this year be almost over already?
Anyway … I hope everyone picked up a copy of DREAD THE HALLS last week! Christmas and horror is a combo that I just love, so working on these giant one shots has been a blast. Not only that, but the books are FILLED with a ton of great stuff from a bunch of creators I admire! If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, you might still be able to find ’em at your local comic shop…
Meanwhile, I’m finishing up the colors for MALICENT BLACK: MUNDICIDE, as well as working on the stickers, trading cards and digital artbook rewards, while also digging into a project that I can’t talk about yet … and I’m also honestly trying to keep my schedule a bit more under control for a little while here. Things REALLY got away from me over the past few months … I had way too many things to work on, while also trying to run a Kickstarter campaign, and (haha) have a life. I failed at the life part pretty miserably, I gotta admit.
You can learn to draw, you can learn to write … but it’s REALLY important to learn how to manage your time and HOW TO SAY NO. It’s so tough, as a freelancer, turning down work … but man, I’m telling ya. You gotta understand when you simply have too much work on your plate. No matter how fast you might be, there are limits…
Let’s see, I promised a peek at some more Malicent Black art this time, didn’t I? Hmmmm … the thing is, I don’t want to show much more. I want people to hold the book, to read it, to experience it..! But a promise is a promise, I guess…
Here are the flats for page 12 … if you know me, you know things could change quite a bit as I get into the rendering, but at the moment … at THIS VERY MOMENT … here’s what this particular page looks like 🙂
Yeah, Mal vomited up an inky looking little beastie which then went and jumped into a flame geyser. It’s really not that weird, considering all the other things that happen in these books.
Okay, I gotta get back to it. I’m still working my way through KING SORROW (wow does this book go places I did not expect and I love it) and I’m also stacking up quite a few Junji Ito books here (because my office needs more piles of books) and … uh, yeah, that’s about it. I mean, I might be trying to have a little bit better work/life balance, but I still have a lot to do =)
Well, here we are … a couple of weeks since wrapping up another successful Kickstarter campaign for MALICENT BLACK. Drew and I are well into the planning for the next book, and I’m also into drawing a new project that I can’t really talk about yet, as well as writing a new thing that’ll probably be a surprise for some people once it gets to a point where I can talk about it and show it off a bit…
Also putting the finishing touches on MALICENT BLACK: MUNDICIDE, of course…
But really, after having spent last week away from my desk, exploring the keys with my amazing wife while we celebrated our anniversary, it’s just kind of nice to ease my way back into a normal routine.
So aside from a lot of work that I can’t share right now, what else is going on..?
Well, I read GYO by Junji Ito over the weekend, and now it’s my mission to read everything else by the man. I loved it. The pacing, the storytelling. If you’ve read any of these newsletters, you know I’m a sucker for horror, so … yeah. Much more Junji Ito ahead for me.
Still working my way through KING SORROW by Joe Hill. Joe is a favorite, and this book has been great. It’s been slow progress for me, simply because I didn’t read a thing while we were on our trip (I had expected to read quite a bit, honestly), but I don’t mind … I have a feeling I’ll be sad when this one is over.
What else? I’m looking forward to this year’s DREAD THE HALLS one shot, of course. It comes out on December 3rd (so soon!) and if you’re interested in a preview of the story I did with Chris Ryall, Daily Dead has you covered:
Hey, nice to have you back. Hope everyone had a great time at NYCC … I kinda felt like Robert Nevelle here, holding down the fort while almost everyone else…
Disappeared off the face of the Earth.
Anyway, in case I haven’t mentioned it, we have a Kickstarter going! I’ve probably mentioned that. The second issue of MALICENT BLACK, officially called MALICENT BLACK: MUNDICIDE is off to a great start. One week in and we’re at 80%!
Considering that NYCC took up so much bandwidth on our first weekend, I couldn’t be happier. And to be fair, we knew this first weekend would be a tough one in terms of getting eyeballs, but our other option, with the holidays approaching and other things planned, was to wait until January to launch. We didn’t want to do that because first of all, Drew and I are dying to get this book out there … and second, hey, who knows what things will be like by the time January rolls around?
Here’s the link to our campaign … if you’ve backed it, we thank you. It means a TON to us. If you can’t back it, hey, we understand. All we ask is, if you could, please share this link around. This sort of book only happens when people spread the word and support it, and we need your help for that:
Now would be a GREAT time to check out our campaign, since Drew’s update just went live…
We’re also joined by my pal Matty Ryan this time … Matty and I have known each other for a long time. I honestly can’t remember how we initially met … maybe on the Event Comics Boards back in the day? That might be it. Pretty sure Matty reminded me at HeroesCon and here I am, forgetting again. (My brain is fried, back off.) I do know we actually met in person on my first and only trip (so far) to New York City, when he took me to a great little Irish pub for lunch on one of the days I was spending at the old Marvel Bullpen, meeting editors and working on my craft. Since then, Matty has lettered and designed FREAK at Image Comics (where he coached me through so many production obstacles – I had decided I was writing, drawing and coloring a book on my own and had QUITE the learning curve in front of me 🙂 as well as THE MANY ADVENTURES OF MIRANDA MERCURY, so it’s been very cool to get to work with him again.
And speaking of Matty, how about a peek at the first lettered page of MALICENT BLACK: MUNDICIDE..?
I think Matty is going to beat me to the finish line, here … I’m still coloring this issue of Malicent, along with this year’s DREAD THE HALLS story with Chris Ryall. It’s been a pretty, uh, intense few weeks around here. I have a week off planned for November, and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that week 😉
I DID finish off the pages I had as part of the ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: TWO YEARS IN #1 story I worked on … did I show anything from that, yet? I don’t think so. Here, a tiny peek … don’t tell Marvel.
Okay, I think I also mentioned getting back to sharing some of the art I’m lucky enough to hang in my studio awhile back … how about this one?
Yeah, that’s obviously by the amazing Amanda Conner (inked by the also amazing Jimmy Palmiotti) on the Power Girl story they did for JSA Classified back in the day. This was another gift, and I love this page. Amanda’s characters never seem like drawings … they’re just people, you know? And I mean that in the very best way.
I’m afraid I don’t have any new books to share with you this time … I’m trying to work my way through THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT and it’s been great, but man, most nights I am too tired to make much progress. Maybe I’ll finish it up in that week off in November 😉
Thanks again for your time, and if you haven’t yet, please take a look at our Kickstarter campaign!
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:
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.
Here we are again … glad to have you back! I know I say this a lot … but thanks for reading these. There are weeks where I’m really excited to get started on the newsletter, and other weeks where I’m busy, run down, or simply unmotivated … but I’m always happy I put one of these things together in the end.
First … hey, now that the story from DR STRANGE #450 has been out for a bit, I’ve added the black and white art to the gallery here on the site. And if you want to check out the unlettered pages with Carlos Lopez’s fantastic colors … here you go!
Meanwhile, I’m getting into the colors for the next issue of MALICENT BLACK. I’m not showing anything quite yet, but in future newsletters? Sure 🙂 I’ll also be able to share a bit of news on a couple of variant covers we’ll have on this one. Right now the campaign is planned to start at the beginning of October and end on my favorite day … Halloween. It’s a bit later than I had hoped for, but sometimes life gets in the way, and my insistence on having the colors almost finished before hitting that launch button … well, here we are. It’s important to me to have the book ready to go to the printer as soon as we receive those funds from Kickstarter. We’ll keep you posted and share that prelaunch page soon.
At the moment, aside from the colors for the next MALICENT BLACK, I’m laying out the short story I’m doing with Chris Ryall for this year’s DREAD THE HALLS special, doing a bit of writing on something brand new, and thinking a lot about the stories I want to tell over the next few years. Long story short, I did a podcast last week (it’s not out yet but I’ll warn you when it’s time 😉 and the podcaster noted what a wide variety of projects I’ve worked on. And I don’t tend to think back on what I’ve done too much … I generally think ahead, to what’s next.
But…
Yeah.
I mean, I have done a really wide variety of stuff. And I guess in some ways that’s kinda cool? I dunno. I always – always – try to find my way into a character or book. I always want to find something, some connective tissue, that I can work with. I try to make even the most commercial stuff have a bit of a personal hook if I possibly can. So it feels less like mercenary work. It doesn’t always work out.
But there’s also the fact that … man, drawing comics is how I pay the bills. So while I might have some stories that grab me more than others, the fact is I’ve done a lot of comics and looking back … some of them, I’d probably turn down if I could do it all again. Okay, scratch that. There are a few that I’d definitely turn down if given a do-over.
I’m only going to get to draw a certain number of pages in this life. I can only tell a finite amount of stories in the time I’m given. If we don’t manage to burn this planet down too soon (I remain skeptical) then the stories you tell will outlive you. That’s one of the cool and sad things about telling stories. So your choices matter. The stories you CHOOSE to tell … matter.
I guess all of this is just a way to say I think I’m getting pickier and pickier about what I do as the time goes by. It’s a big part of why MALICENT BLACK is so important to me. This series, despite all of the monsters and ghosts and spaceships, is about the things that matter to me. And I think the world is a better place when creative people find ways to tell the stories they care about, rather than just cashing the checks for remixing the same stuff we’ve seen a million times. It’s also another in a long list of reasons why AI sucks and will never replace art, but hey … you’re reading this, you know that too.
Anyway … before I go, I’ll drop one last thing here. It’s the process for page one of the DR STRANGE story above. I’m happy with how it came together, but it didn’t start with the same shot … panel one was a different view:
I really liked the idea of starting with that shot you can see in the thumbnail, and again in the pencils … this story is about the origin of Doc Strange’s cloak, so I thought having it be the focus of the very first shot, before the reader even knew what this story was about, was kinda sneaky. I like doing things like that.
But I also knew that with this being the first shot of Doc Strange in this story, there was the chance my editor would want a cleaner shot of the guy whose name is on the front of the book. So I went ahead and laid it out with the cloak dominating the first panel, but prepared to go to Plan B if I needed to…
And as you know by looking at the final art, I needed to 🙂 And I totally get it. Heck, not only is this the first shot of Dr Strange in this story, this is the first story in the book, so it’s the first time the reader lays eyes on Strange in this, his big anniversary issue. So I penciled a new shot of Strange on a different sheet of paper, scanned and digitally dropped it into the page for the inks. The one complaint I have is that I think the first pass had better depth … it felt like Dr Strange was going someplace, while the new version feels more like he’s arriving at his destination. It’s a small thing, and probably only bothers me, but I’d adjust that background now if I could.
Anyway, I tend to not save the various scraps of paper or layers that go unused in the course of making a comic, but since I actually have this one, I thought I’d share 😉
Alright, that’s it for this week. Be nice to each other.
(This newsletter is brought to you by the letter M*)
Time for this thing again? Time flies when you’re at your desk every … single … day. I guess?
Let’s start with that mystery art…
What’s it for? I mean, it’s a mystery. I can’t say right now. But it’s something I had a ton of fun doing, and wanted to share with you. Yes, you.
Meanwhile, still hard at work on the next issue of MALICENT BLACK…
You know Mal … making friends wherever she goes…
Getting closer and closer to being ready for the next Kickstarter…
I’m enjoying drawing this issue old school so much that I don’t remember why I’ve been working digitally for so long…
Oh, right. Deadlines.
I’m still quite a bit quicker digitally, and honestly … so often I get a script with no time left on the clock. That makes it hard to do anything but work in the fastest way possible.
But as far as Malicent goes…
Drew is working on that third script, and beyond that, he’s also busy here:
He’s really good at videogames. Good enough to write about them. Me? I’m the guy who could maybe write a guide on “How NOT to be an awesome vampire in Oblivion.” That … I’ve got nailed down.
Anyway, when I’m not at my desk writing or drawing (or being a terrible vampire in Oblivion), I’ve been catching up on some reading. Picked this up recently, and it’s brand new to me. I’m enjoying it immensely.
I’m a big fan of JM DeMatteis, and the various artists who collaborated with him in this book (especially the late, great, Keith Giffen and of course Shawn McManus) MORE than hold up their end. This is a great collection, and I can’t recommend it enough. Dr. Fate is a character that I’d love to take a swing at someday.
Also, before I wrap this up … table assignments for Heroes came out this week. If you’re going to be at HeroesCon … here’s where to find me!
If I’m not at my table, odds are good that I’m just watching Kevin Nowlan draw.
That’s it for this week … thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. I truly do appreciate it!
…hey, wait a second. I have one last thing to show ya. Got it right before hitting “publish.”
Here’s a Miracleman piece I penciled a few years back, inked by Marc Deering … and recently colored by the amazing Mike Spicer! We’ll have prints of this at the con, if you’re interested 😉
Okay, THIS time I’m really done. I gotta go draw =)
LeeFerguson.Art 