Headed up to Seattle tomorrow for the Emerald City ComicCon. I'll be at a table with Jen and mercuryeric. I'll have some books to sell, stories to tell, and if it goes well, all will be swell.

I'm very sorry about that last sentence, and I beg your immediate forgiveness.

There's a DC Nation panel on Saturday, from 1 to 2 pm in "Panel Room A," which I suspect I'll be asked to sit on. Dan DiDio is out for the show this year, so if nothing else, he'll be endlessly entertaining as he frustrates fans. As for my part, I've actually got no idea if I'll be up there, because just about everything I'm doing for DC is still under information embargo at the moment, which inevitably leads to me repeating, over and over again, "I can't answer that." So maybe I'll be the one who's endlessly frustrating.

Oni Press will be well-represented at the show, as well, and Sunday from 11 to 12, again in "Panel Room A," they'll be having their Quiz Show. Apparently, I'm on that as well, along with Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley, and Jennfer Van Meter, who, for those of you who still haven't figured it out, is the same Jen from Paragraph One, above. Bryan's very talented wife, Hope Larson, will be at the show, as well.

I like this show; Jim Demonakos has done a terrific job with it, and it's one of my favorite of the circuit, one of the few I actually get excited about attending every year. The Portland Crowd tends to be pretty thick in attendance, as well, including most -- if not all -- of the Periscope Studio crew. I'll also get to see Matthew Southworth, which is great, because Stumptown is inching its way ever-closer to a release; we're hoping for the first issue in September.

Work is continuing apace. The novel has reached a crossroads. Should know which direction I'm taking it in the next two days, and once that's decided, then it's just a matter of typing the draft as fast as I can. I'm running about two weeks behind (according to my personal schedule), and I'm eager to make it up, as other work (primarily comics works) is back-burnered for the time being.

Philip Tan -- who will also be at the show this weekend! -- is continuing to deliver amazing pages on FC:R. I get leery of posting stuff without permission, but if you've checked out his blog, you can see some of his work-in-progress.

Back home after Calgary. Very nice show. Figured out how to solve a problem I was having with the new novel, and in the process discovered a new character who I quite like. Not sure how she'll play out, but she's fun to write, and she's keeping Atticus on his toes.

The Russia/Georgia thing is continuing to get virtual ink. kali921, thoughts?

And then there's the big event this weekend, what Gabo herself calls "the happiest day of the year", Free Comic Book Day. Bride, myself, and the children will be at Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics from noon until...until rather late, I expect. Dashiell and Elliot are both intending to come in costume. I may post pictures. I may not. I may dare to eat a peach.

So, this story has been slowly escalating over the last week. Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and this...I'm really hoping I won't have to tag a disclaimer on the new novel saying "This was before the war."

And in entertainment news, the new Bond film is having consistent car trouble.

I'm leaving for Calgary at oh-dark-thirty tomorrow morning, to attend the Calgary Comic Expo. I've heard nothing but good things about this show from everyone I know who's ever attended it, and I'm quite looking forward to it. Hoping to score some Avatar: The Last Airbender swag for the kids, maybe a sketch or two.

Of course, this means I'll be missing the Stumptown Comics Fest for the second year in a row, which means, once more, I'll be out of town while Matthew Southworth is actually here. I'm getting a little worried that he thinks I'm avoiding him.

Last note -- Checkmate chat with meself and mercuryeric at ComicBloc tonight, don't forget!

There's an interview with me up at Newsarama right now about the next thing with my name on it that'll be coming out from DC, Final Crisis: Revelations. Look for a companion interview with the amazing Philip Tan, as well. If you've seen any of his art, then you'll understand why I'm willing to use the word "amazing" to describe it.

So we have an official announcement, now, of at least one of the things I'm working on, Final Crisis: Revelation, five issues of 30 pages each, Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya sharing pages again, though each of them in a much-altered form. The Spectre and The Question. Has to go down in history as one of the all-time oddest team-ups ever, which is probably one of the reasons why I'm enjoying writing it so much. First issue is out in August, I believe, so yes, it's a wait, but I think it'll be well-worth it.

( Here's a little taste of what Philip's doing. )

While we're on the topic, the ancillary material for the The Question: The Five Books of Blood hardcover that's coming out in June was finalized on Monday; we've included some six pages in the back about the Montoya Journal, including images of a couple of the props that didn't make the final cut for inclusion. I've written some commentary about the journal, the process, the ideas behind it, and the like. For those of you who were intrigued by that particular flight of fancy, it's definitely Value Added Content.

I promised a couple of posts back to explain the quiet that has descended here... and it's going to be relatively quiet for another month or so as I finish the draft of the tentatively-entitled new Kodiak novel, The Walking Dead. That's priority right now, and until I get out of the Very Dark Place that is this novel, I'm not going to have a whole lot I want to share, or even will feel like talking about, I suspect.

A week from today, on the 24th, mercuryeric and I will be doing a live chat at the ComicBloc Foum, starting at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. I expect it'll last 90 minutes or so, but it may run longer. If you're not registered at the 'Bloc, I believe you'll have to be to participate, but I could be wrong, as I've yet to actually do a chat there.

And then there's The Blue Religion, a new short-story collection edited by the blazingly-talented Michael Connelly, including shorts by the man himself, Laurie R. King, Alafair Burke, and many others. I'm one of the others, and the short is entitled "Contact and Cover." Fans of A Fistful of Rain might want to check this out, as the story is told by Tracy Hoffman, and gives a little insight into what her life on the job was like before making detective.

( Here's the cover for the collection. )

Finally, an unsolicited endorsement. Find E. Benjamin Skinner's book A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face With Modern-Day Slavery.

Buy this book.

Read this book.

Read the parts that make your heart break. Read the parts that make your eyes burn. Read the parts that twist your stomach.

Read this book.

Then find someone else, and make them read this book.

And while they're reading it, get to work, and any way you can, in any of the ways that Skinner suggests, join this fight.

Solicits came out today for DC's May books. If'n you're the kind what's interested in this kind of thing, you can find them posted at Newsarama. If you scroll WAAAAY down, you'll find the listing for Checkmate #26. And you will note that it is written by Bruce Jones, and that it is illustrated by Manuel Garcia (who, incidentally, did a fantastic job with the art on Five Books of Blood #5, which is out tomorrow).

All of this is a bass-ackwards way of confirming for all and sundry -- those of you that care, that is -- that, yes, Checkmate #25 is the last issue for Joe Bennet, mercuryeric, and myself.

So as there's no confusion about this, I was not removed from the book. I decided that #25 would be my final issue on the title at least a year ago, and informed DC Editorial of my decision shortly thereafter. Since then, I've tried to arrange things such that my departure would leave the book in as strong a position as possible, and headed in the direction I thought best. Ultimately, however, the choice on who takes over the book is DC's, and not mine.

Mine and Eric's final arc will be "Castling," beginning with issue #23 and ending with issue #25. We think it's some of the best work we've done on the title, and, hey, it finally -- finally! -- reveals the identity of the Rooks! I firmly believe we're going out strong, and I hope you'll all continue to read it, and that you'll share our opinion if you do.

A couple weeks back, I got a call from Ed Brubaker, pretty much out of the blue, asking if I'd be willing to co-write an arc on Daredevil with him. And I asked him if Michael would be drawing it, and he said yes, and I think at that point I gave it all of two seconds thought before saying, "Hell yeah."

It's a four-issue arc, running from DD 107 to DD 110, with Ed and I pretty much tackling it the way we wrote Gotham Central back in the day. So far, it's a lot of fun, and honest to God, it's as if no time has passed, at least in how he and I collaborate...or in how Michael applies the stick to keep us in line.

Cover to Daredevil 107 ( below the cut. )

You can read a brief interview with me about the "reunion" at Newsarama.

Still in LA, with Xtie and Nunzio. Visited Nunz's comics writing class last night and had a great time, pretty much as expected. I'm hoping I didn't annoy-and-or-bore those in attendance. As those who've heard me interviewed can attest, I can ramble on with the best of them.

Odd week. Lots of pre-writing work. Read all of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass for reference, and the frustrating thing is that I can't even tell you why I did this, nor can I show you any of the fantastic art that's been coming in on the nameless project.

See, if I'm going to be frustrating, at least I have the courtesy of being consistently annoying.

Leaving for Vegas in a couple of hours. The piece that I mentioned being interviewed for is up, should anyone be curious. I'm quite looking forward to the Comics Fest, even if the trip will be a short one--arrive today, depart tomorrow night. That's hardly enough time to enjoy Vegas.

Looks like several other projects all took steps forward this week, as well, some large, some small. At least one of them I'll get to start writing next week, after I finish the next issue of Stumptown.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Some more updated information on the class that Nunzio DeFilippis is teaching through the UCLA Extension on writing for comics, manga, and other graphic formats. Enrollment is still open, and can be accessed directly by following this link.

Turns out I'll be coming down to LA for the February 14th class, when I will cheerfully ramble on and on about just about anything relating to comics. Chocolates and flowers will, of course, be welcome.

Oni Press EiC James Lucas Jones (and no, I don't have a better picture, or more precisely, I do have a better picture, but if I use it He Will Punish Me) will be speaking to the class on the 21st of February, and Seven Seas Entertainment publisher Jason DeAngelis will be talking to the class on January 24th.

Once again, those folks in the area who are interested in such things should really check this out. It's a great opportunity to learn about the industry, not only from the mainstream pov, but also those of the indie and manga scenes.

This is for all you deputized Whiteside Pawns out there:

Report to the ComicBloc and check your pms. WKB requires immediate response.

Those Pawns who have already responded, you may disregard this communication.

As you were....

Nunzio DeFilippis, with whom I have a long and storied friendship, added to his already substantial skill-set last year by branching into teaching, specifically as the instructor for a course on writing comics available through the UCLA Extension. He invited me down as a guest speaker - one of the many guest speakers he had, actually - and it scratched my instructor itch quite nicely.

The course is being offered again, and I'd link provide a direct link to it if I could, but for some reason the web page for the extension school doesn't actually seem to allow such linkage. Those curious, interested, or otherwise intrigued, can read the full course description ( below the cut. )

Actual enrollment, etc, is available at the UCLA Extension site. If you do a quick-search for "DeFilippis" you'll get a link to the course.

As of this time, I'm scheduled as the guest speaker on the 7th of February, and my understanding is that Oni Press EiC James Lucas Jones will be the guest speaker the week before, on the 31st of January.