CHUK CHRONICLES #22
A new trailer! New preview pages! Pics from Comic Con! An awesome fan letter! So much!
So, what’ve we got today? How about some beautiful new preview pages for Sherlock Holmes: A Better Invisible Man? How about a sleek, slick trailer for it, too? What about some photos from Comic Con? And quick updates for Operations Sterling, Sphinx and even Rheum? What about an awesome fan letter about Remember Andy Xenon? to top it all off? Well, today’s newsletter does, in fact, include all of that…
The clip lays it all out succinctly. Clash of the Classics’ auspicious second Kickstarter will launch soon. I’m tying off a few final details, and have some interviews scheduled. Kickstarter actually hired a new head for its Comics division recently, too, and it seemed prudent to wait until he’d settled in. The added time has let us finish more pages, so it’ll be less of a wait between campaign and fulfillment. Still… be sure to follow our page in the meantime!
I called in some favors for this trailer and ought to thank my pals. The deliciously sinister narration is by the golden-voiced Justin Rivers, and the video itself was masterfully cut by editor/animator, Sam Frederich. And of course, Sam was working with Clay McCormack’s moody, intricate art and Veronica Gandini’s sumptuous, atmospheric coloring. If the glimpses of our pages were too tantalizing, then sink your teeth into these new full-size previews, now. I refer to this comic as a “graphic novella” because it’s meatier than your average 24-pager, and you’ll find plenty to chew on and savor, even with just these four pages…
Another Comic Con’s in the books. Before anything, let me say it was the most humid ever. Typically, LA’s in a heat wave during July and SD’s a good twenty degrees cooler, owing to the sea breeze. This year, though, El Niño put a whole lot of moisture in the air. You could feel it everywhere, and I did not envy anybody cosplaying.
Of course, while we’re talking about making do in the face of currents beyond our control… thanks to jury duty last year, I missed my window to secure a table at SDCC or get on any panels. So, I “went stag.” Seeing friends and colleagues, both new and familiar, and checking out the latest stuff on the convention floor certainly offers much to enjoy — but I still felt restless, going to San Diego empty-handed.
So, I got crafty and had a bunch of ashcans made at my local print shop. If you caught me anywhere, I was all too eager to whip one out of my cargo pocket and share. One was for Clash, one was Operation Sphinx and two were for Operation Sterling. Imagine the preview pages above in a glossy, palm-sized pamphlet. There’s just something about the way colors pop on the right paper, and a mini-comic that can fit tidily into your pocket. The response was so good, I think I’ll make these mini-mags a regular accessory at my signings, going forward. Speaking of which…
I’ll be returning to LA Comic Con Halloween weekend. Always a fun show. And I’ll be signing for the first time at the Muzeo Museum’s second-ever Carnegie Comics Collective mini-con in Anaheim later this month. From the Amazing Grace Con to the Tower Takeover, I’ve been finding lately that cons at unexpected venues — athletic centers, casinos, office buildings — make for more interesting experiences, honestly, because I’ll meet readers who might not normally make it to convention centers.
Case in point: at one such event, I met Nate K, who sent me this awesome fan letter…
Hey Tom -- I met you at The Lost Bookstore’s Tower Takeover a few weeks ago. I’m currently in Oregon on vacation, and I brought Remember Andy Xenon? with me. I just have to say: it’s been such a great read, especially on the second time through. Not to mention the amazing art by Nikos and the beautiful coloring by Eva and Beth. The cover radiates personality, I knew I’d love the comic and the world within at first sight.
Thanks for reaching out, Nate. It’s quite cool to think of this as a vacation read! And the cover grabbing you really validates something Nikos and I worked hard at. We did a lot of drafts, trying to find a stark, clear image that conveyed Andy’s sad predicament alongside the flash of his adventures (and without the latter overwhelming the former). It was a tough balance to find, but we wanted to hook people in from the get-go.
Going in blind, Andy is framed as the typical young hero, distracted by arrogance and ego. But the real story is about him as a whole, from childhood through early adulthood. It’s so refreshing to see this level of focus on a hero’s personal life. That’s always been my main issue with modern Spider-Man -- the way his daily life gets glossed over. Honestly, I’d love to see more stories that give equal weight to that and his misadventures as a superhero. At its core, Spider-Man is about drama, not action. His greatest tales aren’t the world-ending threats (as cool as those can be), but the very human drama that surrounds them.
Y’know, I’ve noodled an idea for a Spidey mini that would 90% center on his relationships with various girlfriends over the years, while his vigilante exploits are treated more like a day job at the periphery. I have a hunch it’d be too outside the target zone for Marvel editors. Haha… But that’s the appeal of crafting an original hero like Andy, of course. I can take him wherever I’d like to go!
I think your story really shines on the second read. Once I reached the news article in the back, an entire world opens up. References in the main comic suddenly click into place, reflecting this larger universe in a way that felt deeply polished. It really felt like we’d been following Andy for years since his debut. And I really connected with him realizing his potential, even as time was running out. That feeling of “I could’ve done more, or better, or just less badly” is so relatable. It’s all part of being human -- even when you’ve been granted powers beyond humanity.
Again, you’re picking up exactly what Nikos and I were laying down. We wanted this to feel like a different story on the second go-through, especially if you’ve read that bonus article. We also wanted it to feel like you’re seeing only the most important Andy Xenon issue, but there’ve been 500 beforehand, all set in fleshed-out world. Maybe we’ll revisit it sometime. We set up a lot of possibilities. It’s easy to picture one-shots like “Win A Date with Basejump Baz” and “A Day in Cell Block 7 with Fran Tastic,” each focusing on what these adventurers do when they aren’t adventuring. Nikos and I got real, real busy with Operation Sphinx… but maybe someday!
I would’ve loved to dive deeper into the intricacies of his powers and what he learned to do with them after his comeback, but I understand that would’ve been a bit of a tangent for a one-shot. Powers and magic systems are creative wells, Andy Xenon shows the importance of tapping into that, for the hero’s sake, and the author’s as well. Keep it up, Tom! -- Nate K
I do remember you asking about his powers at the Tower Takeover, now! Yeah, the idea is that the Amplivector boosts whatever Andy’s doing with a concentrated charge. Throw a punch, and it “amps” that into a giant fist. Take a jump, and it amps that into a multi-block bound. He’s not continually empowered in all aspects, though. He has to pick one at a time. And the bittersweet revelation is him realizing the belt can amp his brain, too, only once it’s running out of charge.
Thus, when Andy gets his second chance, the fact that the glasses enhance his cognition has more significance. The gadgets he conjures aren’t as important as him now being able to literally read a situation and make better judgments. As you noted, this shift in powers is a useful metaphor for life’s learning curves. I wanted to make a point that the setbacks we face don’t have to be the end of the story.
Anyway, thanks again for reaching out with such a thoughtful note, Nate!
Let me extend the invite to anybody reading this newsletter right now. Even if it’s been a while since you read my stuff, even if it’s been a while since we’ve met — or even if we’ve never met — feel free to reach out. I’d love to feature more fan mail! Could be long and detailed like Nate’s letter, or it could be short and sweet. The host of a Max Steel podcast even recently sought me out because he’d found a copy of Haywire years later, dug it, and now we’re talking about an interview on his channel.
Speaking of sending kudos: one highlight of Comic-Con was seeing friend and colleague Dan Goldman’s Red Light Properties nominated for an Eisner (Best Publication Design). I have the hardcover and Dan gets inventive with every single page, telling the story with newspaper articles, legal memos, blog posts, pre-school doodles, dossiers and even old-fashioned-cursive-letters-on-composition-paper. And that’s all in addition to the delightfully idiosyncratic main feature about realtors selling haunted homes. There’s even a multi-lingual glossary and timeline of life events that inspired the story. Just a well-made comic, front-to-back. Congrats again, Dan!
A few quick updates to tie things off…
Operation Sphinx continues onward. Nikos is drawing issue #5, now, outdoing himself every page. We’ve brought on a new inker, Ryan Winn, for the covers and his style meshes with Nikos’ beautifully. Just simpatico.
Operation Sterling continues on, as well. Patrick and I are working on an ambitious backmatter feature that drills deep into the comic’s world just like the “We Remember Andy Xenon” article Nate mentioned. They’re tricky to do right, but I love making these.
Again, I’ve had ashcans printed of both these comics. It’s still too early to share either online, but come to one of my signings and you can get a special peek.
Lastly, I can now declassify Operation Rheum as Zoonicorn, now. Yes, I’m a staff writer on a cartoon about unicorns. And yes, it’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had, writing animation. We’re out of space, now, but I’ll share more about this show next time. Been getting to work with a showrunner I really admire!
The Chuk Chronicles will return.