'LIES' roundup + upcoming September events!

September has been very hectic, so I’ll catch up— here’s a little more praise for my adaptation of James Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me (available everywhere from The New Press, distributed by Ingram and Diamond— please ask your comics shop or bookstore to order some!):

I’m back from a whirlwind trip to SPX, in which I sold out of both new books and sold all remaining copies of the now-very-out-of-print Come Again within two hours. A highlight was getting to meet and share a panel discussion with the talented & haunting cartoonist Laura Perez— I highly recommend her books Ocultos and Totem from Fantagraphics!

I’ll be doing several events in the next two weeks:

  • This Sunday, September 22nd at 3pm ET, I’ll be on a virtual panel for Brooklyn Book Festival titled “The Sounds of Subversion,” discussing Fall Through alongside Bianca Xunise (Punk Rock Karaoke), Walter Greason & Tim Fielder (Graphic History of Hip Hop), moderated by Whit Taylor! Register here at the link.

  • I’ll be back in Little Rock, AR for the Six Bridges Book Festival on September 26th, discussing my two new books Fall Through and Lies My Teacher Told Me in a joint author interview with illustrator Sally Nixon, moderated by Omaya Jones. It’ll be at Ron Robinson Theater (100 River Market Ave.) at 7:30pm, with a signing to follow. Register at the above link— See you there!

  • I’ll be returning to the beloved Cartoon Crossroads Columbus this year as a special guest— selling my usual jams at table 47 all weekend.

    Panels & special signings:

    Saturday 3:30-4:30pm: “Processing Our Modern World Through Comics and Activism” panel w/ Ben Passmore and Cole Pauls (moderated by Rob Lee), 1st floor auditorium.

    Sunday 2:00-3:00pm: “Nonfiction Comics & History: Youth Explosion” panel w/ Derf Backderf and Chris Oliveros (moderated by Andy Kunka), Room 1A on the first floor.

    Sunday 3:00-3:30pm: I’ll be signing at the official CXC signing tables (107-108), then back to my booth for the rest of the afternoon.

That’s all for now— much more brewing behind the scenes, and many more events throughout the fall here. See you out in comicsland!

Soophie Nun Squad's unreleased 1993 demo now available digitally!

Behold, perhaps the last remaining still-unheard recordings by Soophie Nun Squad: our very first “real” session for an August 1993 demo tape, recorded on 4-track by Joe Cole at his house! It’s free/pay-what-you-want at my Harlan Records archive on Bandcamp.

Why was it unreleased? Because only one of our two vocalists is on the recording: the previous night, we played our third show ever (and track 7 is live from a VHS recording of that show) and I got in trouble for coming home super-late at night. I had just turned 15 years old. My parents found out I was gonna skip out on a trip to Hot Springs with a friend in order to record the demo, and being suspicious of our punk band's activities, threatened to ground me if I still chose to record. Should I have just skated away and gotten in more trouble? YES. But I didn't. So I missed the sesh.

Anyway, this recording features only Mike Lierly, Mark Lierly, Eli Milholland, and Dustin Clark, plus some bonus verbage by Corey, known in Little Rock's hip hop future as 9th Scientist. This demo shows some of the often-lost early musical influences on Soophie: "PJ Sod" distinctively drawing from Downcast, and "Paula" being an explicit nod to Chino Horde, with a kinship to Moss Icon as well.

Unused cover art by Mike Lierly, who also made up the undiscussed demo title in real time while drawing! This was only a couple of months after we self-published our first five comic books. All of this was happening at the same time!

'FALL THROUGH' featured in New York Times + weekly roundup

It’s great to see a write-up of Fall Through in this week’s New York Times, in which it’s referred to as “devastating and gorgeous”— the print edition will be published on the 18th!

Also from this week: a Fall Through video review from Graphic Policy, a very thoughtful piece about the book from Matthew Teutsch via Medium, a write-up of my book release talk at Indiana Daily Student, and an interview about the book at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Northwest edition.

Thanks for supporting my work— and I have yet another new book coming out April 16th from The New Press: my full comics adaptation of James Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me. Final copies just arrived at my house, and they look fantastic!

I’ll be doing talks, signings, and slangin books here in the next week or so:

Feb. 17th: Indianapolis IN @ Chapstick Zine Fest, Ujamaa Bookstore (2424 MLK) @11am-5pm

Feb. 18th: Bloomington IN @ Monroe County Public Library, downstairs Room 1B @ 2pm

Feb. 22nd: St. Louis MO @ Left Bank Books (399 N. Euclid), in conversation with Steenz @ 6:30pm

Feb. 23rd: Little Rock AR @ Wordsworth Books (5920 R St.) @ 6:30pm

Feb. 24th: Fayetteville AR @ Fayetteville Public Library @ 2pm

Feb. 25th: Evansville IN @ Your Brother’s Bookstore (504 Main St.) @ 4pm

See you there!

'FALL THROUGH' day 1 roundup

Here’s a release-day interview I did about Fall Through for Comic Book Club podcast.

Here’s a guest blog I wrote about Fall Through at Barnes & Noble!

And it’s typically behind a paywall, but here’s a press-reader version of an interview I did about Fall Through and Arkansas underground punk for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. (Here’s the subscriber version.)

And this Friday, Feb. 9th in Bloomington: I’ll be discussing & signing for the release of Fall Through at Morgenstern’s Books (849 S. Auto Mall Rd.) at 6:30pm— see you there!

February events for FALL THROUGH

Fall Through will be released everywhere on February 6th, and here’s my first round of kickoff events in the midwest & mid-South:

Feb. 9: Bloomington IN— talk & signing @ Morgenstern’s Books, 6:30pm

Feb. 17: Indianapolis IN— tabling at Chapstick Zine Fest, 11am-5pm

Feb. 18: Bloomington IN— discussion & signing w/ “Coffee With Friends” @ Monroe County Public Library, Rooms 1B-1C, 2pm

Feb. 22: St. Louis MO— talk & signing @ Left Bank Books, 6:30pm

Feb. 23: Little Rock AR— talk & signing @ Wordsworth Books, 6:30pm

Feb. 24: Fayetteville AR— talk & signing @ Fayetteville Public Library Community Room, 2pm

Feb. 25: Evansville IN— talk & signing @ Your Brother’s Bookstore, 6:30pm

You can also order signed/sketched copies of Fall Through (and all my books) directly from me here— and you’ll get your copies of Fall Through before its release date. I also suggest ordering a copy of Come Again if you haven’t read it yet— it’s interconnected with my new book and features the debut of our protagonists!

More dates as they roll in. Thanks for your support!

June: Arkansas & Michigan book events, and a Trusty tribute show!

I’m coming out of my cave next month!

Back in my hometown of North Little Rock, Arkansas: It’s a major joy to announce that part of my Soophie family will be reuniting on June 3rd to cover a few Trusty songs during Mutants of the Monster Fest— a tribute show for one of the most formative bands of my life, and as a memorial for beloved Trusty drummer Bircho, who passed away in 2020.

Our unit will be covering songs from Trusty’s self-titled 1990 LP, a four-piece with members of Deadbird, Pallbearer, Universe, Tem Eyos Ki, R.I.O.T.S., and half of Soophie Nun Squad! This is my first show in 12 years, and I’m already running through songs in my sleep each night.

And Trusty themselves are playing, with Marcus Lowe on drums!

This tribute will be immediately following a book event I’m doing with fellow author Kim Kelly (Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor)— both at Refuge Church in North Little Rock; book talk at 2:30 pm, show at 4 pm. This will be my first time to ever discuss my forthcoming graphic novel, Fall Through— which is appropriate, since it revolves around the 1990s Arkansas punk underground. See you there!

CORRECTION: I’ve updated the text of this post with the correct event times— please disregard the times stated on the flyers above. Turns out the show must end by 5pm— thanks!

Then on June 10-11, I’m a guest at A2CAF at the Ann Arbor District Library— I’ll be slangin books there at my table, as well as doing a panel/interview. Athenaeum Comic Art will also be at my table during a two-hour window TBD, selling some of my original artwork if anyone’s interested. More details to be added to the events page!

TWO DEAD is here-- mailorders shipping!

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The first shipment of Two Dead has arrived, and the books turned out great!

Gallery 13 will be releasing Two Dead on November 19th (writer Van Jensen and I will be doing a discussion/Q&A/signing on release day in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then colorist Erin Tobey and I will be doing a signing in Bloomington, Indiana at Vintage Phoenix Comics on Saturday, November 23rd).

I’ve already started shipping signed mailorder copies, which means many folks will receive the book before release day— order here.

You may also order Two Dead from your local comics shop, your local indie bookstore, or Amazon.

As always, thank you for your support!

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SOOPHIE NUN SQUAD musical family tree!

For those interested, I’ve taken it upon myself to translate the musical relationships of my flagship band Soophie Nun Squad into a convenient flow-chart style family tree! (It’s fairly exhaustive, but by no means complete— I had to snip the connections the further out I went, usually stopping at band relationships one step out from direct SNS membership.)

Many of these bands may be explored further here at Harlan Records (a DIY punk record label I operated from 1994-2010).

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Now taking direct pre-orders for TWO DEAD, out 11/19/19!

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My new graphic novel Two Dead (written by Van Jensen, drawn by me, color by Erin Tobey) will be released on November 19th from Gallery 13— if you’d like a signed/sketched copy directly from me, you may order here!

* Due to our evil, fascist regime backing out of an international postal alliance, international shipping has skyrocketed in the last few years, making foreign orders unrealistic— so I’m only taking direct US mailorders. I’m sorry— yet another reason to get this wicked criminal syndicate out of power.

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You may also pre-order from your local comics shop, your local indie bookstore, or Amazon here.

Here’s an exclusive excerpt from Oxford American!

Here’s another excerpt from Paste!

On release day, November 19th, Van and I will be having a discussion/signing in Little Rock, Arkansas, in cooperation with Oxford American’s South Words series. Get tickets here!

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TWO DEAD cover reveal and exclusive excerpt!

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Van Jensen and I are thrilled to unveil the cover of our forthcoming graphic novel Two Dead, which will be released on November 19th by Gallery 13! This cover was a collaboration with graphic designer and friend Chris Ross, who’s worked with me on many of my books over the years.

Over at Paste, check out a few words from Van and I about the book, as well as an exclusive excerpt from the book— this is the first time to show snippets of the finished art, with a color treatment by designer/visual artist/musician Erin Tobey! Erin has also done lots of behind-the-scenes production and design work on my comics, but this is the first time to directly collaborate on the finished art itself, and we’re both so happy with how it’s turned out.

Below are some more panel details from the book— stay tuned for more, and please pre-order the book here at your local comics shop, local indie bookstore, directly from me, or Amazon. Thank you!

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COME AGAIN is nominated for two Eisner Awards!

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It’s a profound honor to find that Come Again is nominated for two Eisner Awards— for Best Graphic Album (New) and Best Writer/Artist!

It means so much to me that this book has resonated powerfully with readers. I feel it’s the best work I’ve ever done, hands-down.

I’m just as honored to be considered alongside so many of this year’s nominees— friends, peers, inspirations. Thank you for helping keep each other going!

Stay tuned for more information about when Eisner Award voting opens— the winners will be announced at Comic Con International in San Diego this July 19th!

To grab copies of Come Again, try your local comic book shop or bookstore, direct from Top Shelf or from me, and there’s always Amazon.

Thanks again for spreading the word— more soon!

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COME AGAIN on NPR's Best Books of 2018 list!

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I’m thrilled to find Come Again on NPR’s Best Books of 2018 list, alongside great work by buds Cecil Castellucci, Marley Zarcone, Vera Brosgol, Lisa Hanawalt, Eleanor Davis, Ben Passmore, Jose Villarrubia, Ngozi Ukazu, Magdelene Visaggio, and more— go comics!

Here are the most direct ways to find Come Again:
* Top Shelf

* Your local bookstore
* Your local comics shop

* Directly from me

* Amazon, if you must

Thanks for supporting the medium of comics, everyone!

Arkansas & Chicago signings/talks in early August!

I'm turning 40 years old tomorrow, and hitting the road for my new graphic novel Come Again-- first up, my home state of Arkansas! Come to any of these events if you can:

* Friday, August 3rd-- Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville AR. I'll be doing a slideshow talk about Come Again, March, and my general path through comics at 1pm, followed by a loose workshop for independently motivated/interested artists and storytellers. Nightbird Books will have books available for sale at the library.

* Friday, August 3rd-- Nightbird Books (205 W. Dickson St.), Fayetteville AR-- I'll be doing a signing from 7-9pm.

* Saturday, August 4th-- The Comic Book Store (9307 Treasure Hill Rd.), Little Rock AR-- I'll be signing from 2-4pm.

* Saturday, August 4th-- Zine Night, Vino's (923 W. 7th), Little Rock AR-- I'll be selling books and hanging out from 7-10pm.

And if you're in the Chicago area:

* Thursday, August 9th-- Quimby's, (1854 W. North Ave.) Chicago IL-- I'll be doing a slideshow talk, Q&A, and signing at 7pm.

See you there!

Here are some recent interviews and podcast discussions I've done about both Come Again and March:

Inkstuds

Comics Alternative

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (4 Minutes, 4 Questions)

Arkansas Times Rock Candy Podcast

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (main feature)

Publishers Weekly

Aaaaaaaand here are recent reviews of Come Again in Publishers Weekly (starred review), The Comics Journal, and Arkansas Times.

More info and dates soon-- stay tuned!

COME AGAIN is here!

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Head over to your local comic book shop today-- Come Again is here from Top Shelf/IDW!

I'll be at San Diego Comic Con next week for its big debut, and it'll be available in bookstores/online August 7th. Check out my events page for tons of travels, signings, talks, and conventions for the rest of the year.

Direct mailorders are ongoing-- my copies of the books didn't arrive until last Friday, so I'm getting them shipped off as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience!

 

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