I LOVE BAD WITCHES, NOT MY F**KIN' PROBLEM

Since this cover is now showing up at Amazon, I can share!

Spell Checkers, vol. 3: Careless Whisper is on sale in October.

The cover is by Joëlle Jones and colorist Warren Wucinich.

Interiors by myself, Joëlle, and Nicolas Hitori de. Published by Oni Press.

Current Soundtrack: A$AP Rocky, naturally

I'M YOUR FAN: New Spell Checkers Fan Art from SuperWhoLockian

I apologize, I don't know this person's real name, but whoever she is, she posted this great drawing to her "The Fangirls Have a Tardis" tumblr and Nico spotted it and reblogged it.

Current Soundtrack: Pulp, Separations

LOVE IS A LOSER: Spell Checkers Valentine's Day Cards!

Nico has posted some Spell Checkers Valentine's Day e-cards. There's still time to send them to someone you're kinda sorta okay with!

Current Soundtrack: The Jesus & Mary Chain, Darklands: Expanded Edition, disc 2

READER MEET AUTHOR: Emerald City Comic Con & Stumptown Comics Festival

It's a new year, and once again, time to announce that I'll be attending two awesome Pacific Northwest comic book shows.

Emerald City Comic Con, happening in Seattle the first weekend of March, has announced Joëlle Jones and I as special guests. They always have an awesome selection of people--take a gander for yourself, right here--and we're proud to be amongst the 2013 roster. ECCC is a good time, guaranteed.

This year, Joëlle is promoting Helheim and I am promoting A Boy and a Girl, so we are setting up with Oni Press rather than Artist's Alley. Our collaborators will also be in attendance. Cullen Bunn will be there for Helheim, and Natalie Nourigat is setting up with Periscope Studios. I am told that Natalie and I will be on a panel with Oni to talk about A Boy and a Girl, which the publisher has postponed to launch around the same time. (Which is why you haven't seen the launch happen this month; we're bummed about it, too.) Megan Levens will be at the show, as well.

Joëlle is booking sketches, so check out the deal she's offering and get back to me.

We've also been approved for a table at the Stumptown Comics Festival on April 27 and 28.

This is going to be an exciting event. Chynna Clugston Flores is a special guest of the con, and I will likely be running her spotlight panel. We should have plenty of It Girl issues on hand.

Nicolas Hitori de has also booked a trip to be here. We'll probably be carrying around some Spell Checkers vol. 3 pages as a sneak preview.

And, I am sure Natalie will be around, as well, and A Boy and a Girl will be partly underway at onipress.com--meaning we can finally start talking to you all about it. We've been sitting on this for a year now, we're dying to hear what people think.

So, mark your calendars!

Current Soundtrack: The Joy Formidable, Wolf's Law

KIND OF A BIG DEAL: Buy Art for Cyber Monday

It's Cyber Monday, and I know of two big sales that I wholly endorse. Both are by awesome artists, both are on Etsy.

First is Joëlle Jones, who has added all kinds of cool stuff to her storefront. In addition to her sketches and her vintage ad prints, you can buy pages from You Have Killed Me and the line art for the cover of Spell Checkers volume 1.

Visit her store and enter the code CYBERPASS for 20% off all items.

Second, head over to Megan Levens' storefront and check out the artwork she has for sale.

Lots of cool pieces, like this fan art for The Artist.

Shop at Megan's Etsy store and use the code MONDAYSBLUE for 20% off.

YOU'RE WELCOME!

Current Soundtrack: Kate Nash, Death Proof EP

THIS IS HALLOWEEN [Image Fantome]

Happy Halloween everybody!

Nico continues his tradition of drawing a new Spell Checkers pin-up for the holiday. This should tide you over while we all anxiously await vol. 3's release. (It's in the can, we're just waiting for Oni Press to schedule it -- you have the first two, yes?)

You can also listen to my "Haunted Jukebox 2012" mix on Spotify. Get yourself in the mood.

Also, check out the costume Joëlle and I wore for a Halloween party this past weekend, in a little photo I like to call "Death Comes to Ned Flanders." (picture by Jeremy Pool)

Current Soundtrack: The Sonics, "The Witch"

IMAGE FANTOME: L' IT GIRL

My pal Nicolas Hitori de has done a piece of fan art for It Girl and the Atomics, featuring our heroine in repose.

Diamond Comics also has a "Prevue" of the book. Check it out here.

And buy the book tomorrow!

Current Soundtrack: Pet Shop Boys, "Winner" EP

I'M YOUR FAN: MORSKIE

A young artist named Morskie is the lastest to contribute a drawing of the girls from Spell Checkers.

Pretty cool, huh?

Current Soundtrack: Spotify playlist of songs from Treme

I'M YOUR FAN: Kimmie by Yllya

Lots of great French artists keep drawing the girls from Spell Checkers. Today, it's Yllya drawing Kimmie.

Check out Yllya's daily blog for more of her wonderful drawings.

Current Soundtrack: El-P, Cancer for Cure

I'M YOUR FAN: Christopher Deloor

Artist Chistopher Deloor sent Nico this cute drawing of Jesse from Spell Checkers. What an adorable surprise, huh?

You can see more Christopher's work over at his blog.

Thanks, Mr. Deloor!

Current Soundtrack: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Complete Duets

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

IMAGE FANTOME: DRAWING RINGS AROUND THE GIRL

When Nico was in Amiens this past weekend for the comics festival, he got French cartoonist to draw Kimmie from Spell Checkers!

I like the Boulet comics I've read a lot, so you should check them out. http://english.bouletcorp.com/

Current Soundtrack: This Mortal Coil, "Strength of Strings" in the Arbiters of Taste room on Turtable.fm

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE SUCH SWEET MUSIC

I think I have come to the tail end of what turned out to be more labor-intensive for an obsessive-minded music nerd such as myself than even I anticipated.

Given the positive reaction to the Spotify playlist that I created for Bobby Pins and Mary Janes, I decided to backtrack and rebuild the playlists for all my books that had them or could have had them.

For instance, if I had a Cut My Hair mix, it was on cassette. There was no such thing as iTunes or Spotify back then. So, for that book, I just pulled out a copy and flipped through the pages, building a rather long playlist based on chapter titles and significant songs. You can access the results through this link if you have Spotify.

It's not as complete as I'd like. A couple of songs are missing. In fact, a lot of the playlists I have built are incomplete. Some of the more obscure Britpop that makes up a lot of The Everlasting's original list is just not available in the States. Neither is the Faye Wong track that should be on the Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? list, not to mention the Geneva title track. Same goes for My Life Story's "12 Reasons Why I Love Her"--in fact, 12 Reasons has such a bad batting average, I was forced to actually label the list as "incomplete."

On the other hand, almost all the songs from Love the Way You Love are there, and you can hear tracks from all three Spell Checkers books, including the one that isn't out yet.

The Spotify interface is a little weird for getting the urls for individual lists, but essentially, if you got to the Cut My Hair list or Bobby Pins and Mary Janes version, and then click on my profile name, you can see all of my public lists. The books covered are:

* 5 1/2 - the book in progress
* 12 Reasons Why I Love Her
* Cut My Hair
* The Everlasting
* Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?
* Love the Way You Love
* Spell Checkers

It should be noted that I don't actually like all the songs in Spell Checkers. I picked that Lady Gaga one for the party scene in volume 1 because the lyrics are so bad!

Current Soundtrack: take your pick!

THIRD FINGER, LEFT HAND

We're three weeks in on Bobby Pins and Mary Janes. It's been cool getting the project out there, getting reactions, etc. There is always a feeling of unburdening when you publish. This stuff you've been carrying around for so long is finally going out into the world. It's not yours to fret over any longer.

If you haven't checked in yet, now is a good time. You can grab section 3 and all the rest and have a pretty good chunk of story in your hands.

You can also look through the archives of posts with links to my inspirations and stuff I reference in the story. More of that is to come. In fact, there are two posts going up this week that will give you a taste of some of what Parker and Mario are talking about. People always complain they don't know what my characters are on about when they read the novels; now you're part of the club!

We also had our first bit of fan art this week. Nicolas Hitori de drew this awesome picture of Valerie Flames and her trusty dog Henry. I'm beyond chuffed.

I'm only giving you a tease here, you have to go to the site to get the rest. Follow the link in the image.

I have more art in hand from Megan Levens and Dan Christensen that I'm going to time with specific posts. In the meantime, I hope more of you will take a shot at drawing some characters from Bobby Pins and Mary Janes!

But above all...keep reading!

Current Soundtrack: The Mystery Jets, Radlands

DIGITAL LOVE 2: ONE MORE TIME

Just a reminder that vol. 2 of Spell Checkers is available today in the Comixology app and online. Start here if you're not sure.

There is also a free preview of #1. If you download it or any of the full volumes, please consider leaving a star rating on the site.

I took a peek at the digital version last week, and it looks fantastic. Plus, a great bargain.

And, of course, the print versions are still available. Oni Press has info here, including ISBNs for book stores and Diamond codes for comic book shops. Or order from Oni's website.

Current Soundtrack: Republica, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and Keane, "Everybody's Changing" - DJing at Confessions of a Pop Fan 

READER MEET AUTHOR: STUMPTOWN 2012

This year's Stumptown Comics Festival is upon us! Nicolas Hitori de, Joëlle Jones, and I are special guests of the convention this year, sharing tables B-6 and B-7. [UPDATE: I regret to inform everyone that since posting this yesterday, Nico had to cancel his trip for personal reasons. We're all really bummed about it.]

Please come by and say hello. We will sign your books, sell you some other books, and you can also get art from Joëlle and Nico.

I'm on a couple of panels, which you should also consider attending, including a full 45 minutes with all three of us, and another sit-down with Mike Allred.

SATURDAY, April 28

1-1:45pm • Team Spell Checkers: The Power of ThreeJoelle Jones, Jamie S. Rich, and Nicolas Hitori de, the international comics trio behind the Oni Press series Spell Checkers, will either share the secrets of their collaborative success or insult each other until one of them cries. Most likely both. (And the smart money is on Nico crying.) [Room B116]

6-6:45pm • The Not-So-Late Late Show with Oni PressJoin Oni Press' marketing guru Cory Casoni for an exciting new adventure in Stumptown programming: a live comic book talk show! It's just like the gabfests you see on TV, but with people talking about nerdy stuff you actually love! Cory's guests include Portland local celebrities and comic book celebra-nerds. Featuring good housekeeping with House of Night artist Joelle Jones, special musical guest Delta!Bravo, and a whole lot of comedy... some of it intentional. [Room B114]


SUNDAY, April 29


5-5:45pm • Madman 20th Anniversary2012 marks the 20th Anniversary of Mike Allred's creation Madman. Come relive the decades with Mike, his wife and collaborator Laura, and long-time editor Jamie S. Rich. Hear about the past, the present, and the future for one of indie comics' most resilient heroes. [Room B114]


**** ALSO ALSO ALSO ****

This Thursday, April 26, come to Comics Underground and kick this weekend off right. Mike Allred, Jen Van Meter, and more will be performing at the Jack London Bar. These nights are always a blast, and I can't see why this one would be any different.

MORE DETAILS HERE!

Current Soundtrack: Damon Albarn, Dr. Dee [NPR stream]

DIGITAL LOVE

I can't believe I didn't mention this already, but Spell Checkers has joined the 21st Century and is on the Comixology platform.

You can download volume 1 right now for $5.99. There is also a free preview if you want to take a taste and see how the book looks.

If all goes to plan, volume 2 will be up on April 25.

In the meantime, here is a tease of an unfinished page from volume 3, before Nico puts the tones on it...

Current Sountdrack: Monica, New Life (Deluxe Version)

RADIO GA GA II: WORDS & PICTURES NOW ONLINE

To follow up on the previous post, the interview Joëlle and I did on the local radio station yesterday is now online for listening. It's a pretty good half hour, covering a variety of topics, including some good questions about craft.

Listen and download here.

I have a cold so I was doing my best to talk quietly and without inflection so I wouldn't cough. I think it kind of works for me. It helps me balance the marbles in my mouth.

To go along with it, I've also uploaded the "Love the Way You Love" song to Tumblr, in case you haven't heard it.

And if you want to put faces to the voices, I quite like this photo Deborah Curtis Lipski took at Emerald City...

Current Soundtrack: Etta Jones (a.k.a. "Not Etta James") - "Don't Go to Strangers" (via Old Hollywood)

My goodness, I am tired. Back from Emerald City Comic Con today, and it was a fun show. Thanks to all of those who came to see us, bought books, got autographs, or generally just said nice things. You were all lovely! And, as always, the ECCC team was fantastic. Their staff of volunteer "minions" kill it every year.

While we were gone, Karl and Jason uploaded the podcast of our interview with them from a couple of weeks ago. Listen on the site or download the mp3. (I think it's also available on iTunes.)

The Karl Show! starring Jason, featuring Jamie S. Rich and Joëlle Jones

Jason claims I say some "regrettable things." You decide!

While listening, enjoy a couple of photos from the show, including scenes from the karaoke purgatory that Mike Allred took us to.

PAYDAY, YOU'RE A WINNER! SWEEPSTAKES!

WIN THIS ORIGINAL SPELL CHECKERS DRAWING FROM NICOLAS HITORI DE!

Nico is giving away this piece of art. All you have to do is be a fan of the book and create your own art about it. It can be anything. An illustration, a photo, a video, an original piece of writing, or a song. It just has to be Spell Checkers themed, feature the characters, however you want to express yourself.

Mail you submission to hitoride.nicolas[at]gmail[dot] before March 31. Nico will choose the winner shortly after.

Spell Checkers is published by Oni Press: www.onipress.com/series/spellcheckers

Current Soundtrack: The Mary Onettes, "Love's Taking Strange Ways"

LOOK OUT, HERE COMES TOMORROW

Robot 6 asked me for my most anticipated comics of 2012, as well as to share a little of what I have going. That means sneak peeks of art from upcoming comics.

Natalie Nourigat!
Megan Levens!
And what's this...Mike Norton?! Why yes. Mike Norton.

You didn't know that, did you? In fact, the last script I wrote in 2011, finished on Thursday night, has charged Mike with drawing pink smoke and, essentially, a big fart. And they aren't the same thing!

Click over to CBR and scroll down; it's a huge list and I am a bit down the way.

And for all you people, how about a little snippet of 2013. Here is Dan Christensen:

And don't forget Nico Hitori de! Spell Checkers vol. 3 is deep into production.

And there will be some all-new work with Joëlle Jones, too, but that's still way undercover...and it's easily going the best thing she and I have ever done together, so you really can't wait. Trust me.

Current Soundtrack: The Who, Quadrophenia deluxe version disc 4

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2011 Jamie S. Rich