After Action Report: The Signing

The New Adventures of Jack Kirby #1 hit the streets today!

Well, it hit a street. And it hit it orange.

Yeah, the whole thing was unexpectedly printed on orange paper, instead of an orange cover with white interior pages, but it was no big deal, and it adds a bit o' color to the inside. And that color is very, very orange. Point being, it came out today and I spent a few hours sitting next to Phil and signing comics, as depicted in the following photograph:



I picked this picture because it's the only one where I don't look like a swamp monster.

That's Phil there on the left, preparing to do some aweseome sketch of a robot. Or possibly a creature. He ended up doing more than thirty sketches today, one for each person who bought the book. He's got his favorites up over on his blog, and they're pretty dead on. He did everything from OMAC punching Anne Heche (that's a grand total of two inside jokes for those of you keeping score) to a robot shark (make that three!). And apparently my sales pitch is good for something besides getting rid of Eurohit.

Thirty copies was more than I expected to sell, so I'm going to consider today a success. And you can't have a success without thanking some people, so here's the thanks.

First and foremost, Jack Kirby. You could say this about most comics that exist, but it's a direct and literal line to ours: It wouldn't exist without him. We got a few eyebrow raises about the legality of having a comic about him, but in all honesty, Phil and I are just big fans. We like him, and wanted to see him fight robots and dog-men and all that great stuff he gave to us in his life. This one was truly for the King.

Second, to Porto, Mike, Rob, Darien, Travis, Leah, Felecia and everyone else who actually bought a copy, you guys rock. And another thanks to those folks out there who aren't friends with Phil and me and who just picked it up because the Bruce Goose cover looked good and we were selling it cheap.

Last and definitely not least, I want to give a special shout out to Chad Bowers, not just for the work he put into the project, but for being a real inspiration for me. He's a guy who loves comics more than just about anyone, and it's amazing to watch while he makes Dr. Impossible a reality. Seriously, when it comes out, you owe it to yourself to pick it up, not just to support Chad, but because it's gonna be great.

Anyway, that's all the thanking I have to do. And if you haven't gotten your copy yet, well, you're completely uncool and no one will ever love you. But they're still available, so maybe--just maybe--you've got a chance.