Dear Creature Hardcover - In Stores Today

DEAR CREATURE HARDCOVER - IT'S HERE

Head down to your local comic shop for the new hardcover edition of Dear Creature, now published by my friends at Dark Horse Comics. It'll look smart on your coffee table. You'll look smart too. Promise.

Paste Magazine says:

Dear Creature may be his most heartbreakingly perfect work to date... A meditation on humanity as much as an ode to ‘50s b-movies, Dear Creature says more about the human heart’s failings via a gill-man and his reluctant rampages than any rom-com’s leading man can manage to articulate. -- Steve Foxe

Preorder - Dear Creature Hardcover (Signed)

I'm excited to announce that preorders are live on my store for signed copies of Dark Horse's gorgeous new edition of Dear Creature.

Here are several reasons this hardcover brings me special joy:

1. In 2005, just before I moved to Portland to pursue comics and begin work on Dear Creature, I read Craig Thompson's 'Blankets'. It's a beautiful book that I related to as a Christian wrestling with church, self, and finding a new way. I hoped at the time that I'd get the opportunity to meet him someday. Like all stalkers, I felt we had kindred spirits.

In spite of my paralyzing respect for Craig's abilities, we're now good friends. And in spite of HIMSELF, he's given me the gift of a beautiful drawn introduction for this new edition. Thank you, Craig!

2. From the beginning I wanted this book to feel like it came right out of the sixties. I wanted that canvas hardcover feel, good quality paper, and all the things that make you happy to have a book on your coffee table. Now I have it!

3. Dark Horse and their editorial staff have been terrific collaborators throughout my first years as a comics creator. I couldn't be happier to give this book a new life through their efforts.

In sum, I'm tickled. The book comes out on Sept. 28th in comics shops, and October 11th for the book market. Rose City Comic Con attendees, watch for my signing at the Dark Horse booth, Sunday, Sept. 11th from 2 to 3 PM - we may get early copies.

My San Diego Comic Con Schedule

 

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San Diego Comic Con has seen fit to ship me down (crated?) as a special guest. This means I'm paneling and signing and tabling and meeting and schmoozing for many hours, starting Thursday, July 21st.

Special attention to be directed to my Saturday spotlight panel where I tell everything the young me wanted to know when I first embarked upon making books that humans read. Things like, "How can I get people to read my books," and "Why won't that editor look at me with affection?"

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Here's the full scoop on where you can find me:

Thursday, 11-12 PM. Room: 5AB

Celebrate the Publishing World of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth with Archaia: To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, publisher Archaia (an imprint of BOOM! Studios) has several books set to come out this year! Join BOOM! Studios Senior Editor Sierra Hahn and artists Eric Powell (The Goon, Big Man Plans), Joëlle Jones (Spider-Woman, Lady Killer), and Jonathan Case (The New Deal, Batman ’66) as they give fans a sneak peek into these titles, which include original comics, a children’s storybook, and an artists’ tribute collection. Moderated by Nerdist Editor-in-Chief Rachel Heine.

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Friday, 1-2 PM. Dark Horse Booth Signing

Jonathan Case signs all the books and maybe some other things? We'll see.

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Friday, 3-4 PM. Room: 7AB

Dark Horse Originals: Comics literature has become the voice and visual for our changing generation, and Dark Horse Originals has it all—from underwater mystery in Jonathan Case’s Dear Creature to the surrealist return of Dave McKean in The Dreams of Paul Nash. Join panelists Dave McKean (Cages), Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba (Two Brothers), Peter Hogan (Resident Alien) and Jonathan Case (Dear Creature) as they discuss pushing the boundaries of what comics can accomplish in literature.

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Saturday, 6-7 PM. Room: 9

Spotlight on Jonathan Case: The Triumphs and Trials of Creating and Publishing a Graphic Novel— Join Comic Con special guest and Eisner award-winning cartoonist Jonathan Case (The New Deal) for an in-depth look at creating and publishing your first graphic novel. Explore one book's tumultuous journey from conception to delivery as Case offers anecdotes about the creation and promotion of his first book, Dear Creature (returning to print this fall as a deluxe hardcover from Dark Horse Comics). Q&A available— all ages and levels welcome!

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Sunday, 2-3 PM. Room: 25ABC

Cover Story: The Art of the Cover: This panel will include Jonathan Case, Howard Chaykin, Paul Gulacy, Scott Shaw and Babs Tarr. Panel will be moderated by Mark Evanier.

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Whew! I think that's everything, minus the breather I always take at the Old Globe (they do such good work!). Sarah and I are going to see Sense and Sensibility to regain our equilibrium after the pop culture barrage! Should be fun.

See you at the thing!

Original Art and Gift Package Now In Store

 

Hello from the long drought, friends.

I'm happy (and vulnerably twitching) to announce I just added some newly-for-sale original art to my store, along with a gift package that includes Dear Creature, The New Deal, and an original sketch (you get to choose from a few different options on the sketch, too). I'm also offering 10% off on orders over one hundred bucks (those originals, say) with the code '10PERCENT' through Sunday, so the devoted among you can snag a deal.

The current pieces include work from Superman: American Alien, Green River Killer, Batman '66, Eerie, and a few others. I'll rotate stuff from time to time, so check in down the road if you're hunting for something in particular. You can also always contact me about specific art requests or commissions here.

Thanks for checking out the new stuff, and have a good weekend!

Dear Creature Reading TONIGHT

Totally last-minute, because I am like that right now:

I'll be reading from Dear Creature tonight at 8PM, at the Jack London Bar in downtown Portland. In the mix: hi-res projections of my book's art, and an acting partner to help me flesh things out: uber-talented comics creator Dylan Meconis! So, if you need entertainment tonight and want to see Dylan's take on three evil crabs and a large Italian floozy, it's the THING.

Details here.

Library Journal Likes Monster Loving

This month I turn 30. The 20's were good. 29 particularly so. A new baby girl, two books published, steady freelance work, and a great road trip in our crazy old van. There she is, in all her mismatched bumpered glory. Next time, I'll post art, but for now, you get an 80's van. I think you win. If you want to win big, though, you can meet the new older me at Emerald City Comic Con, where I'll be boothing at #223. Want commissions? I will do commissions for you, sir or madam. I'll also have copies of Dear Creature and Green River Killer, plus art prints. And I'm in Monsters and Dames again, too.

Speaking of Dear Creature, it just got a starred review from Library Journal, which is a good thing. I love librarians. Someday I want to write a musical set in a library. There will be lots of soft shoe and shushing noises.

And now, I'm off to The Creep for Dark Horse. Pencils, pencils, and more pencils. I must fly!

Upcoming Dear Creature Events!

As I move toward my book's release, upcoming events are starting to come together. So far, I'm doing the PNBA Nightcapper event on October 13th, where I'll be signing copies of Dear Creature for local booksellers, and an event at Powell's Books on the 20th of October. As more events pop up on the horizon, I'll add them to my left-hand column over here, and hopefully see you at one of them in the next few months!

New store

It's high time I had an online store. With Dear Creature only a couple months away from release, it made sense to have a way to start taking preorders. Everyone else is doing it! It's been available for preorder from the major and indie bookselling sites, but I now have a place where you can order from me personally, and even get a copy signed and delivered in October with a bit of original art to boot! I also have a few prints for sale and a section for taking commissions. Soon enough I'll probably have some original art up there too.

Have at it!