Probably best to do some catching up before the NEW STUFF! BUY! PLEASE BUY! post tomorrow.

This hasn’t been solicited yet. Due in July…

Yes, that’s a Jaime Hernandez cover, showing CBGB. Because BOOM are publishing a comic series of comics set in that most famous of New York clubs. The first issue features a story by myself and the evil Marc Ellerby, with Sam Humphries and Rob G doing the other one. Marc’s and mine is… well, put it like this: at one point I was considering having the Phonogram characters in it, but backed away for a variety of reasons and went in a different urban fantasy direction. This is certainly the closest you’ll be getting to Phonogram for a long while. Frankly, if you blacked out the Spirits eyes, it’d be a bloody Phonogram story.

Its current title is A NYC PUNK ROCK CAROL and it’s story structure is exactly what you’re thinking. It should be a lot of fun, even if I have to work with Marc Ellerby.

CURSED MARC ELLERBY.

Also the June Marvel solicits are up. Only one thing in it, which is the S.W.O.R.D. trade.

X-MEN: S.W.O.R.D. - NO TIME TO BREATHE TPB
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencilled by STEVEN SANDERS
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Spinning out of ASTONISHING X-MEN comes a story that will take you places you’ve never been! After Secret Invasion, Agent Brand is no longer the top dog at S.W.O.R.D. Forced to share her leadership post with former Avengers-liaison Henry Gyrich, Brand is less than pleased. Will the arrival of her boyfriend, X-Man Beast, help her out? Not when she discovers Gyrich’s plan for fixing S.W.O.R.D. is to rid Earth of ALL ALIENS! Brought to you by Kieron Gillen (DARK AVENGERS: ARES), Steven Sanders (Five Fists of Science) and topped off with covers by ASTONISHING X-MEN artist JOHN CASSADAY! Collecting S.W.O.R.D. #1-5
120 PGS./Rated A …$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4076-4

Everyone who worked on this is really pleased with this. I wanted to be His SpaceGirl Friday and - at its best - I think we managed to bring that into being. Also, Death’s Head with a minigun.

I didn’t actually print any S.W.O.R.D. 5 reviews, which were all really positive. Don’t speak ill of the dead. Let’s throw down the first few I find: Comic Book Resources, Comics Bulletin, Comics Daily, House To Astonish, Department H and Hot Ink.

Frazer and my story in the Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange was also received a lot of applause, which was good. Fun to do something so openly magical in the Marvel U, which stretches those Phonogram-derived muscles. Some reviews: IGN, Comic Book Revolution, Too Dangerous For A Girl. Oh - and as a little local colour, these are the people who inspired the actual story: The Socialist Patients Collective. I’ve wanted to do something inspired by them ever since I discovered them - which was when first researching Baader Meinhoff on the back of the Luke Haines album back in the 90s, I think.

*****

Here’s some assorted press, of various sorts.

Firstly, here’s an interview with House Magazine, of Soho House Club fame. The whole magazine is online, and I’m on Page 18 with a hilarious posturing shot and some hilariously posturing life-style Q&A. Lots of fun all around and hyper stylised.

Secondly, at the other end of the scale, here’s a very casual rolling interview with King Impulse over at Outhousers. Over an hour of rolling Skype yabbering, written up for an audience who is assumed to know most of what we’re talking about. Fun and pretty much as authentic as I get.

Finally, I was on Marvel Hotline to talk about tomorrow’s Thor 608.

I especially like how no-one in the youtube comments has any idea what I’m saying. I haven’t listened to this one, as they’re always off the top of my head and I just throw random thoughts around. Hopefully it makes some sense to someone.

*****

I swear there was more I had to post, but it’s slipping my mind. May as well plug a gig I’m going to tomorrow night…

Tickets here, though I’m going to chance the door.