First off, my apologies. I got sick a few weeks ago, and somehow completely forgot about this newsletter. The last time we spoke, I was gearing up for Free Comic Book Day; and I'm pleased to say it was a success! Not only did I get to play Comic Store Clerk for a day, but the content of the books was actually really good this year. Jeremy Adams and Will Conrad's Flash Gordon is my runaway favorite, but I'm also really excited about The Ultimates as previewed by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri. If you missed out on Free Comic Book Day this year, most of the offerings can be had via Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe Infinite, ComiXology or (my favorite newcomer) Omnibus. It'll take a little digging, as each publisher titled theirs a bit differently. But a search for Free Comic Book Day or FCBD should send you in the right direction. Congrats Are in Order! Eisner award nominations dropped last week, and I have to shout out a few recent guests on their noms! Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley were nominated for Best New Series for their work on Local Man. The best interviewer in comics (and mentor in my head) David Harper was nominated for Best Comics-Related Journalism for his work on SKTCHD. I'm also rooting for Chris Robinson's All-Negro Comics 75th Anniversary reprint to win Best Archival Collection/Project. Congrats and good luck to all the nominees! On The Podcast Speaking of past guests, I had an awesome conversation with comic writer Greg Burnham last week. We talked about crowdfunding, staying profitable at conventions, and weaving history into stories without being dull or preachy. Check it out if you haven't already, and be sure to subscribe on your favorite pod-catcher. Tomorrow, I'm following up with Greg's business partner and frequent collaborator Marcus Williams. His Eye Lie Popeye feature was one of my other favorites from Free Comic Book Day, and we talk all about it and much more. The podcast is quickly becoming my favorite part of the Comics Are Dope media library, and I really hope you're enjoying the conversations we have. HeroesCon 2024 is Almost Here! Next month I'm making my third annual appearance in Charlotte, NC; for HeroesCon! I'm not a featured guest or anything, but I'm hoping to sneak in a few in-person interviews and catch up with some past guests on the channel. The guest list is MASSIVE as always, but I'm on a mission to get a signed Murder Falcon hardcover from Daniel Warren Johnson this year in memory of my brother Skipntosh. If you're at the con, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram, as Twitter seems to hide my notifications at times. Whenever I have downtime, I'll likely be hanging out with my guy Wolly McNair in Artist Alley. Come take a picture, and buy a few comics! That's enough updates for now. It's New Comic Book Day. Head to your Local Shop and grab some reading material! There's plenty of good stuff out this week. Read Something Dope Today, BJ KICKS |
Celebrating everything Dope about comics. Curated by BJ KICKS.
This week, we crossed the 20,000 subscriber mark on the Comics Are Dope YouTube channel. As I said on Threads, I don't think I've met 20 thousand people over my lifetime. The idea of that many people clicking the subscribe button after seeing me talk about fictional heroes in capes and tights is crazy to me. While I think every YouTuber (including me) dreams at least a tiny bit about having one of those 100,000 subscriber plaques; every subscriber on this journey feels like a gift I couldn't...
One of my heroes is the late Congressman John Lewis. As one of the co-founders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, he was on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement at an age when most kids are trying to decide which super easy elective they're going to take to boost their Freshman GPA. He often talked about the days of sit-ins and marches, recalling all his arrests during those demonstrations as getting into "Good trouble. Necessary trouble." Car trouble is neither of...
Today, I'm mustering up the courage to do something I never thought I would. For the last few weeks, I've been promising some ambitious videos. A deep dive into the Ultimate Universe. Power Rankings for all the digital comics subscription services. A long-awaited Q&A video fielded from subscibers on social media. Then comes a bunch of silence and missed deadlines. What you don't see between uploads are all the struggles of trying to make things happen. For example, last week's Graphic Novels...