Jack & Roz Kirby Award for Independence!

To my absolute surprise, last weekend at the Original Art Expo, I was the inaugural recipient of the Jack & Roz Kirby Award for Independence— alongside a powerhouse lineup of fellow cartoonist recipients Bill Sienkiewicz, John Romita Jr., Kevin Nowlan, Walt Simonson, Zoe Thorogood, and John Byrne.

Fittingly, most of the other recipients also happened to be creators on the touchstone comics work of my life, Claremont-era X-Men— and whose work inspired me to start making comics in the first place, with Jack Kirby himself as the co-creator of the title (and the Marvel Universe as we know it)!

The final, individualized awards are currently being hand-crafted by the visionary Carlos Soca of Manifest Sculpt— but I was lucky enough to see his meticulous prototype while at OAX:

Thank you to everyone involved for even considering me among such talented company. I’ll keep doing my thing!

And I had a great time at OAX— thanks to everyone who bought some original artwork (you can find more here), and for all the new friendships developed over the weekend.

Proxy bidding now open for my John Lewis/Kitty Pryde/Nightcrawler piece.

I’ll be selling original artwork at OAX in Orlando on February 20-22 at table A39, with more of my originals available nearby at Athenaeum Comic Art’s booth— and on Saturday evening, the below piece featuring my late, great friend and hero John Lewis flanked by Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler will be auctioned.

If you’re interested but aren’t attending the show, proxy bidding is open now.

Expanded reissue of COME AGAIN this fall!

Weaving my literary universe together, I’m happy to reveal the new cover of my Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Come Again— to be reissued as an expanded paperback from Abrams ComicArts on September 15th, available for preorders now anywhere books are sold!

Come Again is a horror-tinged 1970s Ozark fairy tale, originally released by Top Shelf in 2018 and nominated for Eisner Awards for both Best Graphic Novel and Best Writer/Artist. Along the way, there’s a scene in the book debuting the punk band Diamond Mine, producing an on-page time paradox which exploded onto the pages of Fall Through and Diana.

"Rendered in fluid, magical brushwork tinted in the colors of a sunrise and filled with mysterious shadows and crannies... this enchanting solo effort reveals even greater depths to Powell’s gift for visual storytelling and creating appealing, human characters." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Spooky and off-kilter, Come Again shows Nate Powell's virtuosity... it's a delight to accompany such a fertile imagination." — NPR (Best of 2018)

"Rich with mystery, magic, and a depth of understanding about human relationships—and the color and line work is just gorgeous." — Publishers Weekly Critics Poll (Best of 2018)

"Even the word balloons can give you chills in Come Again. In fact, they do so with startling regularity, looping and crashing across negative space, bearing letters that slip in and out of consciousness as the story unfurls. Nate Powell... presents his first solo masterwork." — Vulture (Best of the Month)

Through a combination of corporate apathy and global pandemic, the original publisher’s parent company effectively killed Come Again a year after its publication, backing out of any efforts to keep the book in print (thankfully, my contract for all my solo work has expired with IDW) or pursue potential tv/movie interest— and at last, this one returns to print alongside Fall Through and Diana to make an interconnected triptych.

Come Again will be an expanded paperback reissue, with a new 18-page section covering my creative process and shedding light on the long path toward this idea’s final form as a published work. Fall Through will also be reissued as a paperback alongside Come Again, hitting bookshelves just a few weeks ahead of Diana.

My utmost thanks to everyone at Abrams ComicArts for helping this ambitious, time-hopping, feelings-heavy saga make its way into the world— please spread the word and preorder!

I’ll be touring and doing plenty of events during the fall for these books— stay tuned.

Announcing DIANA-- the triptych is complete!

At long last, I’m proud to reveal the cover of my forthcoming lovely monster of a graphic novel, Diana— out October 6th from Abrams ComicArts! It’s available for preorders now, anywhere books are sold (ISBN 9781419790867).

Diana is both a self-contained graphic novel and a prequel to Fall Through, weaving these stories together with Come Again to make an interconnected triptych. This book idea took me by complete surprise, transforming my understanding of these characters I’ve grown to love so deeply— and making Diana was the most fulfilling creative experience of my life.

Diana largely takes place in the year before Fall Through, delivering us on that book’s doorstep— but not unscathed. Yes, there’s music, bootleg magic, relationship drama, curses, demons, queerness, and punk. But if Fall Through is fundamentally about connection, then Diana is about isolation. It’s about the dangers of rigid thinking and mythologizing. It’s about the slow-motion tragedy of a loved one rejecting opportunities to choose differently, instead digging deeper into the destructive allure of self-alienation. Above all, it’s about love as an ever-expanding openness in direct opposition to control.

This story was built around embracing the sense of mystery I pursue— not a set of unknowns to be solved and revealed, but a deepening sense of journeying into the unknown. People are hungry for strange things in a monochrome world, for the radical uniqueness of being alive, for the thrill of not knowing and not being told how to think about a story.

In that sense, my writing was guided by the perspectives of both Ursula K. Le Guin and David Lynch when pressed about the content and meaning of their own stories. But Diana is also about young adults trying to live their ideals while also being short-sighted, self-serving, horny idiots. It’s about the fog generated by attraction.

Diana also performs a bit of quantum-magic for us as readers, retroactively transforming our understanding of events in both Come Again and Fall Through— making them different books before and after reading Diana. I look forward to everyone being able to have this flexible reading experience.

There’s more to announce this week regarding Come Again and Fall Through— stay tuned, and thank you for your continued faith and support!


New this week: 'The Twilight Zone' #4 and 'March' omnibus

Two books out this week— one old and one new:

Out today in bookstores & online, tomorrow in comics shops: an economically-priced single-volume March omnibus. While there’s nothing new in here content-wise, this omnibus is a great option for schools & libraries at the high school & college level, and for community reading programs & book clubs, as well as just being handy on the bookshelf.

Out tomorrow in comics shops: The Twilight Zone #4, written and drawn by me! I’m really happy with how this turned out, and there are limited variant covers by the amazing Nicole Goux and Francesco Francavilla.

If you’re in the Bloomington area, I’ll be doing a book-release signing this Saturday, Feb. 7th at Vintage Phoenix Comics (114 E. 6th) from 2-4pm. See you there!

More announcements (including my forthcoming graphic novel!) coming soon.

One week until THE TWILIGHT ZONE #4

Just one week until the release of The Twilight Zone #4— my first single-issue solo comic since 2008, I believe! Please order one from your local comics shop, or if you don’t have a shop nearby, you can order one directly from me here (sorry about the shipping cost— might as well order something else too, and ultimately save on the shipping!).

If you’re near Bloomington, I’ll be doing a local signing for the book’s release on Saturday, Feb. 7th at Vintage Phoenix Comics (114 E. 6th) from 2-4pm. See you there— please spread the word!

John Lewis. Kitty Pryde. Nightcrawler.

Here’s my finished John Lewis/X-Men mashup piece! He’s paired with Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler as moral cores of the team (and two of my top five), as well as people of faith. This piece will be auctioned next month at OAX (Original Art Expo) in Orlando, thanks to the folks at Comic Art Fans.

If original art is your thing, I hope to see you there!

Original Art Expo (OAX)!

I’m honored to be a special guest at OAX, a show dedicated to original artwork from an incredible lineup of cartoonists and illustrators!

OAX will be happening February 20-22 at the DoubleTree Hotel (5780 Major Blvd.) in Orlando, FL. I’ll be selling original pages, illustrations, and a handful of commissions at my table— and as a bonus, my art dealer Athenaeum Comic Art will have more artwork of mine at their booth as well!

I’ll also be making an original piece to be auctioned off over the weekend, with a portion of the auction price going to benefit the Hero Initiative and the Jack Kirby Museum.

More info as it’s confirmed!

'THE TWILIGHT ZONE' #4 now available for signed pre-orders

The Twilight Zone #4 will be out February 4th from IDW— please order one from your local shop to make sure they have some!

In case you don’t have a nearby comics shop, I’m now taking pre-orders for signed copies, which I’ll mail out as soon as they arrive. I use a flat shipping rate for all of my mailorders, and that can make this single issue kinda expensive, so you might consider adding one of my other books to your order, as you’ll save on the total shipping cost. Thanks!

If you’re in Bloomington, I’ll be doing a local book-release signing at Vintage Phoenix Comics (114 E. 6th) on Saturday, February 7th from 2-4pm. See you there!

Things to come in 2026.

Most important of all, let’s continue to work individually and collectively to halt the spread of fascism— and to preserve the remains of democracy in our society. Let’s look out for our neighbors— especially the ones we don’t know. Let’s continue fighting back against the immense multifaceted harms of artificial intelligence. Let’s recognize that social media does not provide freedom, real communication, or opportunity— it is not the future — and chart a new course.

I’ve been continuously at work nearly every day for over a year, so here’s a roundup of many things on the horizon in 2026:

I wrote and drew The Twilight Zone #4, which will be out Feb. 4th from IDW. If you live in Indiana, I’ll be doing a signing for its release at Bloomington’s own Vintage Phoenix Comics (114 E. 6th) on Saturday, Feb. 7th from 2-4pm. See you there!

The biggest news is the release of my next graphic novel, Diana, in early fall 2026! Expect an official announcement in a month or so— along with a long-awaited reissue of one of my previous Eisner-nominated books. I’ll be traveling a lot during the fall for the release of Diana, so please write me (seemybrotherdance@yahoo.com) if you’d like me to be a special guest at your comic/book expo— I’m already making plans. Thank you!

In February, I’ll be opening up another ten slots for commissioned artwork via Athenaeum Comic Art— I had a blast doing these last year and really enjoyed drawing the requested subjects! The previous slots were all filled within a day, so don’t sleep on this.

Sometime in 2026 will see the release of Islands In the Sky from the Appalachia Comics Project— I collaborated with Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist Dr. David Easterling on an 8-page story about his experiences and knowledge surrounding Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic hit on his community. You can still preorder one (and get more info) here!

I’ll have an exhibit of my artwork going up in January at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, with an event/talk/signing in April.

Five March pieces of mine currently in the “Imprinted: Illustrating Race” exhibit will be moving to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN this spring— stay tuned for the details.

I’ll be doing a volley of events in Cleveland, OH this March 20-21, including a live drawing session as artist-in-residence at the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as an author event & signing. Stay tuned!

I’m quietly working on a comic with friend and lyrical torchbearer Jonathan Vance from the singularly influential band Moss Icon, and hope to self-publish the first issue in 2026.

That’s all I’ve got— see you out there!

Death to fascism. Light and love to humanity.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday— wishing everyone feasting and mirth, surrounded by people who love you and each other.

(Artwork from Fall Through, of course!)

end-of-year events in Cleveland & Bloomington.

I have just a few more events for 2025: a trip to Cleveland just after Thanksgiving for a signing and Genghis Con, and then my local small press comics show here in Bloomington.

I’ll be traveling a ton in the second half of 2026 for the release of Diana (details to come over the winter!), so if you help organize a comic con or book expo, or if you’d like me to come do a talk/signing at your comics shop, bookstore, or library, NOW is the time to reach out to me! (I cannot foot my own bill for most of these travels, so I’m looking to set up some events with travel expenses covered. Thanks!)

I hope to see you out there. My email address is seemybrotherdance (at) yahoo (dot) com.

4 earlier books out-of-print soon.

The publishing contract for all of my solo Top Shelf releases is expiring on January 1st— I already have some plans underway to give Come Again a new home, but if you see any of these books in the wild or online, you should definitely grab em while you can.

Swallow Me Whole is sold out of its 3rd printing, and there are only about 100 copies of Any Empire left. I’m unsure if You Don’t Say will ever be reprinted, so don’t sleep on it!

If you’re a reputable publisher or editor and have interest in offering a loving, long-term home for both Swallow Me Whole and Any Empire, please contact my literary agent Charlie Olsen (charlie@inkwellmanagement.com). Thanks!

Cover reveal for THE TWILIGHT ZONE #4

Here’s the unveiled cover for The Twilight Zone #4, which I’m writing and drawing! I’m just over halfway done with the art, and it’s coming together really nicely. I’ve learned a lot along the way, and it’s such a thrill to do an official Twilight Zone story.

Issue #4 will be released by IDW on February 4, 2026— and there are some variant covers by Nicole Goux and Francesco Francavilla as well. Please preorder a copy from your local shop before December 15th— the ISBN is 82771403461500411.

Thanks so much— please spread the word!

Shadow season update.

It’s the most wonderful season of all, as shadows grow longer— here’s what I’ve been up to:

  • I’m wrapping up the last batch of these commissioned pieces, having a blast and kinda leveling up along the way. Above is my favorite: a Magik piece with Illyana as ruler of Limbo, reigning over the skulls of vanquished demonic captors, manipulators, and abusers. Three more to finish in this batch. I’ll open up a new round of commissions early next year via Athenaeum Comic Art— you can email Sean (athenaeumcomicart@gmail.com) to snag a spot for a custom piece, or to buy a page from one of my books. (Shoutout to everyone requesting X-Men characters for these pieces!)

  • I just finished a variant cover (below) for Jeff Lemire’s fantastic series, Minor Arcana— issue number and release date will be updated once it’s set! Look out for my taking on art duties for an issue or two sometime next year.

  • I’m writing and drawing a single-issue story in The Twilight Zone #4, coming early next year from IDW— about to jump into lettering and inking this week. More to share soon! What a thrill to make an official Twilight Zone story—it’s also one of the most challenging creative exercises of my life.

  • I just finished an 8-page story with Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist Dr. David Easterling for Islands In The Sky, a star-studded comics anthology of collaborations with survivors of Hurricane Helene, as the inaugural release from the Appalachia Comics Project. You can pre-order a copy here.

  • About to do the final edits, cover, and packaging for my next graphic novel, Diana, which will be out next fall— I’ll have plenty to share about this book as soon as we officially announce it early in 2026.

I’m sure there’s more, but considering (waves generally at the terror, desperate fascism, and likely social collapse which will leave a huge number of people utterly unprepared, despite a decade’s worth of clear warnings from experts, journalists, activists, and academics), this will do for now. I hope everyone’s maintaining all right, showing up in real space with their neighbors to speak up and look out for each other, and summoning all the courage and perseverence we’ve got.

Love to humanity. Death to fascism.

Always anti-fascist.

Make it crystal clear for everyone in your life.

From yesterday’s fascist DOJ statement, essentially outlawing the naming of fascist state & paramilitary forces as such (under the banner of domestic terrorism, words themselves as an act of violence against the state and their shock troops), makes every one of us potential targets. Any one of us can be imprisoned, disappeared, or killed.

This is the point— because we have been taken over by actual, real-deal fascists.

This makes it even more urgent that we continue to show up and speak out. That’s mostly what I’ve been saying for the past 4 years: SHOW UP. Do you understand how truly horrifying things are gonna get a year from now? You can play a part in preventing and slowing that outcome.