Well, not as long as it could have been.

Sorry about lack of updates lately, but I've been very busy and I meant to update. Swear I did.

Anyway, as many of you probably know Boston Comic Con was postponed due to the unpleasantness in Boston that weekend. It's now August 3rd and 4th and the venue has switched to the Seaport World Trade Center. A few guests are no longer on board, but they've added new ones. You can check out details here - http://bostoncomiccon.com/

In happier news, Free Comic Book Day with Jetpack Comics was freaking awesome and I want to thank Ralph and company for having me. I definitely plan to do it again next year, despite the crazy-long drive (for me).

For comics projects, a project from the end of last year that has remained utterly secret will be forthcoming soon, and I'll provide more info as I'm able to. Very mysterious, but very worth the wait, I promise.

THE BLACK DOGS OF MEXICO, the Apes With Uzis one-shot I wrote, is progressing. Artist Rodney Blackwell is nearly done the line art and it looks amazing. Examples can be found here. The book will be published later this summer by 215 I

In other comics news, new editions of both the DEAD FUTURE and WINTER'S EYE graphic novels are now available on Amazon, in print or on Kindle. These versions are A1 sized, rather than full-sized, but they're significantly cheaper as a result and the print quality is extremely high.

Which is a great segue for...

ANOTHER 100 HORRORS is a prose book anthology I contributed a story to, "Seeker In The Dark", published by Cruentus Libri Press. This is the second volume of the book and, like the first, features one hundred different horror flash fiction stories by one hundred authors. I hope I'll be invited back for volume three, because it was fun and there's a ton of great pieces between the covers. The book is available in print or on Kindle.

You can find all three works, and more of course, at my Amazon Author Page (nifty, huh?).

On to the FREE STUFF!

This time around, we have two short prose pieces for you - "Untitled Nanofiction #5" & "BFF", one self-published and the other published by One Forty Fiction, in April and May respectively. I'll have a few more pieces published on the web next time I update.

No comics this time, alas, but next time!

Hey, folks, time for an update!

First up, I'll be at Boston Comic Con April 20th and 21st, at tabel AA225. There'll be tons of big name artists and writers this year, as well as a lot of small press folks, so come out and see me and then say hi to some of them, as well. I'll have lots of books and comics, including the JACK HAMMER trade, the VOYAGA graphic novel, the WINTER'S EYE graphic novel, DEAD FUTURE trade paperback and lots more.

And, May 4th, I'll be at Jet Pack Comics's Free Comic Book Day event in Rochester, New Hampshire. There'll be lots of folks there (I've read the event gets thousands of attendeeds), as well as big name comics folks like Kevin Eastman, so if you can't get to Boston to see me, come find me there.

I've added a new section to this site - "Free Non-Comics Stuff" to give you direct links to works I've had published online such as prose, poetry, etc. Right now, there's links to five different prose fiction pieces and I'll be adding more shortly.

Last, but not least, I've added a new comic as well. It's part of a larger project that's on hold, a series of single-page, self-contained horror stories I like to call "Terse Terrors". Check out..."The Score"!

I hope to see a bunch of you soon!

Hi everybody - this update is a little later than I had hoped it would be, but only because I've been very busy so that's a good thing when all is said and done.

Firstly, there's a new free comic up - "Is This...HELL?" You can click the link below to go right to it, check the "Free Comics" link above or continue on reading this update for a little background.

If you're still reading, "Is This...Hell?" is a story I wrote a couple years ago that was inspired by an event that ocurred in real life. I wanted to do a PSA-type comic, but not be super preachy or anything. So, I gave it a science fiction spin and a 1950s retro futuristic milieu and the story was born. I hope you like it.

Some of you will notice that the art was done by Joel Cotejar, the artist on my upcoming horror book RED RUN. This is an early piece Joel and I did together, and I think you'll find his style works very well for it.

On to RED RUN. If you've been with me awhile and reading updates, you'll know that Joel had a pretty rotten 2012; a series of disasters (literal in two cases) frequently prevented him from working on the book. He has had a couple more minor set backs recently, but he is still plugging away at the book. The line art is done and the book is more than half colored and lettered. We're on our way and I'm looking for a publisher.

In other news - I've been doing a lot of non-comics writing lately, mostly short stories and some poetry as well as a novella I've working on the last few weeks. Things are starting to heat up, as they say, and I have a number of short fiction pieces and poems that will be published this spring, summer and fall. I'll update this space with those as they're available, but keep an eye on your favorite sci-fi and fantasy 'zines (print and digital) for my name.

That's it for now, but check back soon. I will definitely be back soon.

I'm back. Didn't believe me when I said I'd update again soon, huh?

First, what I know you're all looking for - more free comics! Last time, we had Motherhood, a low-key little sci-fi story and this time 'round, I bring you:

A far more intense story I'm nonetheless just as proud of. "Lucid Moments" is actually one of my favorite stories I've written for a number of reasons, primarily because it was the first zombie story I ever wrote, it was the fastest story I've ever written and - well, click the header above and read it for yourself.

As a bonus, enjoy a flash fiction story I wrote awhile back that was recently published by Linguistic Erosion. It's called "Thirty-Five Is Not Enough" and is free to read on LE's website. http://www.linguisticerosion.com/2013/02/thirty-five-is-not-enough.html

In more comics news, Comixology is spotlighting Action Lab Comics, and I think offering some deals. This does, of course, include Jack Hammer: Political Science. For only $6.99, you can read the entire first story arc of the series right here. http://www.comixology.com/Jack-Hammer-Political-Science/digital-comic/APR120744

Miscellaneous updates:

*RED RUN is progressing nicely. I've recently gotten lettered pages for half the full book and I am shopping the book around for a publisher while Joel finishes up the art. Once again, for everyone who donated to the Indie Go Go campaign, my sincerest thanks for your generosity and for your patience. I know this has been a long-time coming, but I promise it's worth it.

Below is a sample, never before seen by anyone but the creative team:

*I've been writing a lot of poetry and prose lately, taking a bit of a break from comics writing. As a result, two poems I wrote were sold to the magazine Scifaikuest and will appear in their August issue. Also, a short story I wrote will appear in Cruentus Libri Press's chapbook-anthology "Another 100 Horrors". More info on both of these as available.

*I will be at Boston Comic Con April 19th-20th, as usual. The con has tons of big-name guests this year, so come see me and then visit them so they don't feel left out. More details in a couple weeks.

*A couple people have asked when Jack Hammer: Usurper will be out. Short answer: Not sure, but I hope soon.

That's it for now, but check back often for updates and free comics and whatnot.

As always, drop me a line or leave comments. I really do want to hear what you think of my work, especially if you want to hire me for stuff.

-Brandon

It's been awhile, but I'm back and have I got good news for YOU!

I've decided, with some urging from friends, to put up some of the many short stories I've done in the past on the site, for free. Comics are awesome, so then free comics are ridiculously awesome logically. Right? I thought so.

So, check the link up top where it says "Free Comics" for the first story I've put up, "Motherhood". Or take the easy route and click below (I would, but you may be more industrious).

Also new this month, and speaking of short stories, my horror "Episode 666" was published this month in Bloke's Terrible Tomb of Terror #6. BTToT is as close to Warren Publishing books as you'll het; Jason "The Bloke" Crawley does a fine job capturing the look and feel of those wonderful old horror mags and I'm glad to have gotten a chance to contribute.

"Episode 666" was drawn (and graywashed, just like Warren books!) by the very talented Stephen Sistilli, whom you may know from drawing Koni Waves for Arcana and Avengelyne vs Koni Waves for Image Comics.

The cover of the book was done by the amazing Mike Hoffman.

Here's a small sample of "Episode 666" to whet your appetite!

Isn't that beautiful?


Some additional quick updates:

* Jack Hammer "Usurper" is nearly done art-wise and I've written the next story arc "Requiem". Release dates pending.

* Red Run, which many of you very generously donated to last summer is progressing nicely. I know it's been a long time and I truly apologize and appreciate your patience. 2012 was a very, very rough year for Joel, but he's working hard now and the book is coming out beautifully. More info as it's available.

* I'll be at Boston Comic Con in April, as usual. More info as we get a little closer.

* A short story I did with Rod Espinosa, Eisner and Harvey-nominated writer/artist of THE COURAGEOUS PRINCESS, BATTLEGIRLZ, DINO WARS and many many more will appear in a Grim Crew Comics anthology called "Telly Time" later this spring. More info as available.


Well, that's it for now. I'll be back sooner, with more news and more free comics. Make sure you let me know what you think of "Motherhood" and, if you like it, share it with everyone you know.

-Brandon

I finally got around to doing it: I got off my lazy butt and created a webstore. Seeing as so many of my friends and peers use it, I decided to give Storenvy a try and you should, too.

Click here http://bbcomics.storenvy.com/ to be whisked away to a land of sequential delights!

Also: Voyaga should be out this month. I believe some folks have actually gotten copies already, but small press books tend to get split or even triple shipped by Diamond so if you haven't gotten yours yet, you should soon. If you haven't ordered it yet, of course, then it's a different story and you should head over to http://bbcomics.storenvy.com/ I have read it and I can testify it is awesome.

Also out, is the highly-anticipated, by me at least, Winter's Eye graphic novel from Grim Crew Comics. I wrote 17 of the 64 pages, split between the fantasy story "Through The Silence" (with art by Kay) and the well...harder to classify story "Hooky" (with art by my buddy Rockin' Rowel Roque) plus five more tantalizing tales centered around the eponymous mystical object. I don't have copies yet, so if you do, I envy you. As soon as I do, I'll put some in the new store. The one located here http://bbcomics.storenvy.com/ 

Finally, a third book came out last week: issue 3 of Extraordinary, also from Grim Crew Comics. The lead feature is a 12 page solo Detective Martin story which I am quite pleased with. The art is also by Rowel and it's pretty terrific. It also has an incredible cover by Martino Abreu. Again, I don't have copies, but as soon as I do, I'll make them available at the store you should really check out http://bbcomics.storenvy.com/

It's almost August, but the August issue of Diamond's Previews Magazine is out and you may have noticed this:

But Voyaga is almost here! It's on page 234 of this month's Previews and is available for order now with a release date of the last week of October.

If you aren't used to order stuff from your local comic shop out of Previews, I've created this handy little order form you can print out and take into where ever you buy your comics and have them order it for you.

I know this may not seem important, as a lot of folks just assume their comic shop will get the book, anyway, but unfortunately that is not always true with independent comics. There are so many things out there, retailers have to pick and choose what they carry and your local shop may not order Voyaga if they don't hear people telling them they want it! So if you are at all interested, please take a copy of the form below into your shop and order it so they'll know you want it and maybe, hopefully, will become intrigued themselves and order additional copies!

You can also order online, of course, and I've compiled a list of places I've seen offering it online. I do hope you'll consider order from your comic shop, however, so you'll be supporting both Ionic and myself AND your local retailer.

Voyaga at Things from Another World

Voyaga at Midtown Comics

Voyaga at Westfield Comics

Voyaga at Lone Star Comics

Voyaga at Comics Infinity

Voyaga at Archonia (EU)

And that's just a small sample of what I've found, so please choose your site of choice and order away! And remember, these orders are time sensitive, so make sure you get them in before the last week of August when the next Previews comes out!

Well, it was a valiant effort but we didn't quite make the goal in the RED RUN campaign.

To those who've generously donated, you have my sincerest thanks. I really, truly mean that. Creating comics in the independent market can be rough and any helping hand is always a lifesaver.

What does it mean that we didn't hit our goal? Well, just that the book will take a little longer to finish. It will still be finished and it will be published.

In the meantime, I'll be putting together donation gifts that can be sent out as soon as possible. That means, right now, the limited edition prints.

The "thank you" page on my website has already been set up and can be seen here.

Once again, thank you very much to everyone who chipped in! You're all wonderful, and I mean that.

Hey everybody!

Before we get down to business, check out this JACK HAMMER fan-art Nathaniel Sullivan kindly sent over!

Nathaniel does the barbarian-based webcomic Athra in the same scratchy pen & ink (very barbarous! I love it) style as this art. He's also a friend of the hammer, so please check out his comic!

The RED RUN IndieGoGo campaign is off to a great start. Two weeks into the campaign, we're sitting at around 45% of goal. We've had some very generous donations, but we still need your help.

I've added new donation gifts since the campaign first went live, including my editing services for all you aspiring comic creators, and I ask that you please check it out and, if you can, donate. There are still tons of great rewards up for grabs, including original production art and original sketches in addition to special variants of the comic and exclusive prints.

So, please, check it out and help spread the word.

Thanks in advance!

Happy almost-Free-Comic-Book-Day, folks.

First, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who ordered JACK HAMMER and/or helped spread the word, especially the folks who took the time to review the book in advance or interview me. I really, truly appreciate it.

If you haven't ordered the book, but still want to, you aren't out of luck; a few online retailers are still taking orders. I recommend Discount Comic Book Service, as they offer ridiculously deep discounts on pre-order items. Check out here. While the special pre-order price is in effect, they're offering almost $7 off the cover price. It's a ridiculously awesome price.

In other news, my newest project is GO.

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Red Run is a horror comic, my first real foray into true horror. It tells the story of the McConnells, a young family down on their luck, whose seeming luck ends up turning out very badly.

The artist is Joel Cotejar, a very talented gentleman whose work you've seen in Reasonably Priced Comics' SCIENCE! (my story "Surefire Means") and RPC#4 (my story "Is This...HELL?"). This is our first full-length project together and my second-ever full color project.

As you may or may not know, I am running an IndieGoGo campaign to help fund this project. As excited as we both are about this project, Joel is a working artist with a family to support and he cannot afford to work on a book with no upfront pay.

As such, I am seeking to raise just over half of the total cost the book will entail. I am paying the rest out of my own pocket.

PLEASE check out the campaign page here where you can watch a video I've created and check out some completed pages from the book -> http://www.indiegogo.com/Red-Run?a=199372

And PLEASE, if you can afford to and are so inclined, consider donating. There are a ton of cool donation rewards, including original art from the book and custom sketches done by Joel. You'll truly be helping us reach an important goal.

Thank you in advance!