The second annual Rose City Comic Con was a great event– a huge turn-out of enthusiastic fans. For me: two days of non-stop conversations about… some sci-fi character I’ve been working on lately. Oh– and some fun commissions as well, viz:
The Trekker Omnibus Dropped on Wednesday, August 7, and we celebrated the event with a rousing party at the great “Things From Another World” comic shop in Portland, Oregon. The book is available at comic shops everywhere and on line as well. It’s great to have Trekker back in print!
Lots going on! First, I just got my hands on the advanced copy of the mighty Trekker Omnibus, coming this August from Dark Horse (and me, of course). Over 320 pages, this collects all the existing Trekker stories, some in the original black and white, all scanned directly from the original art, some stories in brand-new color. It also features a terrific foreward by the one and only Gail Simone, and a “Skechbook” section displaying lots of rare and unseen Trekker images produced over the years. I worked long and intensely with the folks at Dark Horse to make this package definitive, and I am super-happy with the results! You can pre-order it here, or find it in your favorite comic shop as of August 7, or get one direct from me at a convention appearance this fall. Speaking of which:
I am looking forward to my first appearance at the Baltimore Comic-Con, this September 7-8! This convention has a terrific reputation as being one of the best. Can’t wait to experience it. And I’ll also be at the also excellently-run Rose City Comic-Con in Portland later in Sept 21-22, so plenty of fun that month!
Lastly, a long time in the coming is the graphic novel Silence & Co that I’ve illustrated for Gur Beshemish and Crystal Publications. It’s a gloriously pulpy modern crime noir tale getting terrific reviews, and on sale now!
We held a rousing Trekker panel at this year’s Stumptown Comic Fest in Portland. I traced the history of the series from its inception in the pages of Dark Horse Comics, through Mercy’s return via the Trekker website, and on to the forthcoming TREKKER OMNIBUS (with its terrific intro by comic’s great Gail Simone) and the brand new stories launching in Dark Horse Presents later this month. Plenty of ground to cover!
I was aided and abetted by editor and panel moderator Jim Gibbons (center), who has helped immensely in making Trekker’s return to print as rewarding and successful as I could ever hope for, and by Trekker ‘s awesome colorist Jeremy Colwell (left). Together, we explored everything from the concept of “world-building” in sci-fi and fantasy to the ground-breaking role Trekker had as an early female-driven action/adventure strip, to the crafting of Mercy’s character and the life-arc that the series is tracing. It took teamwork, I tell ya!
The time flew by, as it will when you are caught up in trying to convey your enthusiasm and commitment to a project as close to your heart as Trekker is to mine. The crowd hung in there, offered some great questions , and stayed after for more conversation. It was all terrifically rewarding.
After the panel the whole Team Trekker was joined by Dark Horse production ace, Allyson Willsey, who has worked with the same dedication as the rest of us to make Trekker’s return sparkle. All together, great group of people to hang out with as well as to make comics with!
Hey everyone– the book won’t be out until this August, but for this month only, you can pre-order the Omnibus at a whopping 30% savings here! I’ve worked long and hard with the good folks at Dark Horse Comics to make this volume the definitive and complete collection of all the original TREKKER stories. Selected stories are here in all-new color, other stories and materials appear with retouched and up-dated color, there’s a “sketchbook” section that is stuffed with rare and unseen sketches, pin-ups, unused pencil pages and more. But mostly, it’s the ultimate way to experience these stories with the smoothest continuity, so they can build and achieve their full effect. Getting all these original stories, over 300 pages, back into print, and continuing on with all-new tales have been my primary goals since launching the Trekker website. I’m thrilled to have it coming together so beautifully.