Birth Of An Unseen World — Part 1
Plus: The Quickest Way To Reach Nirvana
Birth Of An Unseen World — Part 1
It all started with a simple conversation in late 2021 when my buddy Michael Savage and his family visited us in the wilds of Idaho. I was a year and a half out of Marvel and knee-deep in laying the foundation for Amazing Comics, which we discussed at length that weekend. Well, I did, Michael just listened and asked questions.
On his last evening in Idaho, Michael and I hung out in my studio after everyone else had gone to bed and caught up on all the stuff that would have bored anyone else.
Now, a little about Michael: he’s been part of the comics retailing community for nearly three decades, but he also runs in some AMAZING circles, from executive coaching to politics to aerospace, and knows some of the most interesting people.
At some point that night, he said, “I think you need to meet a buddy of mine. You two speak the same creative language.
The Origin of Amazing Comics
Amazing Comics was originally going to launch with three personal projects I’d been developing. Stories that were close to my heart. I was also working on a model for creator-owned projects. But the one thing I had NO intention of doing was building a universe with Amazing. Not at the start. I’d been living in that world for so long that I needed a break.
Well…
That was until January 17, 2022. Mike e-introduced me to Charles Dorfman, and by April 21, Undiscover’d was born.
What Happened In Between Those Months?
A lot.
On a personal level, Charles and I hit it off immediately. And creatively, Mike was right; we spoke the same language and shared the same storytelling philosophy.
At first, Charles sent over several screenplays he’d written, curious if any might translate well to graphic novels. Then, on March 2, he sent a revised outline for a story he’d been evolving for a while. It was a modern-day adaptation of Hamlet, set in a heightened reality. Out of everything he shared, that one felt the most immediately adaptable.1
Over the following weeks, I read it a few times and jotted down some notes and ideas. About a month and a half later, we set up a Zoom call to talk it through.
The morning of that call, I gave it one more read.
That’s when it hit me like a hundred million volts straight down my spine.
An idea.
And if Charles liked it, everything I had planned and the direction of Amazing Comics was about to change forever.
Stay tuned. Part 2 is coming your way on Wednesday.
I’m Going To Nirvana
If I had known it was in Knoxville, Tennessee, I would have gone a long time ago.
I rarely do in-store appearances, but when Grant and Jasmine from Nirvana Comics called and asked if I’d like to do a signing at their store for The World To Come, which hits shelves this Wednesday, I couldn’t think of a better place or a better way to celebrate my first full-blown series since 2004’s Daredevil: Father.
So yeah, I’m pumped!
Next Saturday, June 7, you can find me at 6709 Kingston Pike B from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM in lovely Knoxville.
Nirvana Comics is legendary for its friendly ownership and staff, and for its wide variety of books. They were the inaugural winner of the Image Select Retailer Award and have been nominated for the Eisner Spirit of Comics Award three years in a row. Their children’s section won the Diamond Retail Best Practices Award. Locally, Nirvana Comics has been voted Best Comic Shop in Knoxville four years running.
And on Saturday, June 7, they will absolutely win the Most Exciting Place to Be in Tennessee Award.
To make the signing extra special, I’ll be premiering two rare personal variant covers:
The World To Come rare blue cast variant: $20, or $40 signed
The World To Come super rare red virgin variant: $30, or $50 signed
Despite What People Say, I Have Some Friends
And, I like plugging my friend’s projects.
So, in case you haven’t heard, my dear friends, Johnny Romita and Mark Millar have their first-ever Kickstarter up and running. They first teamed up on a little book called Kick-Ass, and you know how that turned out. Their new title is called Psychic Sam. It looks spectacular, and I hope this plug gets me a free copy.
You can check it out here.
Zoop It!
My buddy and brilliant writer, Ethan Sacks, and his daughter, Naomi, are crowdfunding a Zoop campaign for the hardcover edition of their award-winning A Haunted Girl, with a pretty snazzy cover. The story is wonderful and emotionally gripping. I highly recommend it.
You can join the campaign here.
Part of the proceeds go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
See you back here on Wednesday.
Thanks for reading.
You’re AMAZING!
JQ
There was another, but that’s a conversation for another day.
The red variant is AMAZING!!!!
Wow - I used to frequent a store that won the Eisner award. Sadly, that wound up being a death blow to Hailey's Comix in Chicago - they'd just moved to a larger location that year, after having several stellar years at another spot and thought they could afford it, especially with the award under their belts. Then the rent went up, prices went up, and his customers remained flat. It was pretty tragic - the owner was a great guy, and I met some industry professionals at his shop. He even spent his final month of operation helping customers find other stores to transfer their pull lists to.