These are the stakes.
Things are going to get unimaginably worse, but we— and only we, meaning all of us— can counteract and stop this death march. Love and solidarity to everyone, from all walks of life, who are showing up at noon today in cities across the nation to speak out against fascism, and for the fundamental tenets of a functional society which values humanity and compassion.
(panels below from my book Fall Through)
While I’m hesitant to carry water for The Big Website, it’s nice to see that my newest graphic novel Fall Through is currently the #5 best-selling sci-fi/cyberpunk graphic novel there— and while it’s always better to get one at your local shop or directly from me, if you’re broke you can get one from them for an unheard-of $3.98 right now!
I’ve got a new batch of original artwork available at Athenaeum Comic Art— pages from March, Lies My Teacher Told Me, Fall Through, Black Hammer, Scholastic, the Wicked Witch of the West, and more.
Thanks for your support and your wise investment in art!
Fall Through was released one year ago today, and I’m immensely thankful for the deep personal and emotional responses people have had about it, and about its exploration of our fragile free spaces in a world insistent on codifying, flattening, and mythologizing what we create together.
An earnest plea: if you enjoy my work, please buy a copy of Fall Through and/or have your library order a copy— I worked my ass off on this thing. Thank you!
There’s more to the story coming in 2026.
I’m very pleased and honored to see Fall Through in both Alex Deuben’s and Valerio Stive’s best-of-2024 roundups at The Comics Journal! This was a stellar year for comics, so check out all of these lists and follow your curiosity.
If you’re interested, Barnes & Noble is currently selling Fall Through at 50% off along with a bunch of sci-fi/fantasy titles!
I’m very happy to see Fall Through on Comics Grinder’s list of best graphic novels of 2024: “Powell delivers once again as only he can, taking note of the ephemeral.”
You can order signed/sketched copies of Fall Through (and all my available books) directly from me here.
I’ll be at Miami Book Fair this weekend to discuss my two newest book, Fall Through and Lies My Teacher Told Me! Here are my panels:
Saturday, November 23rd I’ll be discussing Fall Through and my magical realist fiction alongside writer extraordinaire Brian Michael Bendis and moderator/editor Charlie Kochman for the “Fantasy World: Survival, Spells & Sorcery” panel, with Q&A and a signing afterward! 12pm in the MAGIC screening room (Building 8, Room 1).
Sunday, November 24th I’ll be discussing Lies My Teacher Told Me in the “Taking Another Look: Rethinking Historical Narratives” panel alongside David F. Walker, Marcus Kwame Anderson, and Tim Wendel, with Q&A and signing afterward. 2:30pm in the MAGIC screening room as well.
See you there!
If you’re in Bloomington this Saturday, Nov. 2nd, I’ll be selling and signing books from 10-3 at the Bloomington Local Author Book Fair at the Monroe County History Center, just a block from the library.
For some inexplicable reason, there is also a Bloomington Book Festival happening that day via the great folks at Morgenstern’s Books featuring some exciting authors. I have no idea why these events were not coordinated and combined, and have nothing to do with it— I encourage you to attend both! This is not a big town, so please consider them to be part of the same thing on Saturday. It would be ridiculous to do otherwise. See you there!
I’m officially halfway done with the finished pages for Diana, my character-centered prequel to Fall Through— 152 pages done of 304 total in the last six months. I’ve been script-tweaking, lettering, inking, coloring, adding a few pages and re-penciling the first batch of many pages on defective paper as I go.
This book means a lot to me, and feels like a big leap forward as a writer and graphic novelist. It’s also one of the only reassuring things in life right now offering joy, nuance, ambiguity and vulnerability. Diana will also tie my 2018 book Come Again (which debuted the main characters within its pages) firmly together with these books, making these books the Free Space trilogy. When it’s all done, the reading order will be Come Again, then Fall Through, then Diana, and then Fall Through a second time (as Diana will retroactively make Fall Through read as a different book).
In news for my other still-new book Lies My Teacher Told Me, here’s a great writeup in School Library Journal, and the book is also referenced in this CBR piece on the graphic adaptation of A People’s Indigenous History of the United States.
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!):
Brigid Alverson included LMTTM in last week’s list of new graphic novels satisfying highly specific itches! (As a side note, this book will be a perfect holiday gift for many people— you can order a signed copy directly from me here.)
This video review at Comics Are Dope declares LMTTM as “the most important graphic novel of 2024”— well, daaaamn!
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!
This Sunday 9/22 at 3pm ET, I’ll be discussing Fall Through in a virtual panel called “The Sounds of Subversion” as a part of Brooklyn Book Festival— alongside a stellar lineup of Bianca Xinuse (Punk Rock Karaoke), Tim Fielder & Walter Greason (Graphic History of Hip Hop), and moderator Whit Taylor!
Register for the virtual panel here and please spread the word— thanks!
I’ll be returning to the beloved Small Press Expo in North Bethesda, MD this September 14-15— it’s at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Rd.).
I’ll be slangin books all weekend at table H14.
Here are my deals: My two new books, Fall Through and Lies My Teacher Told Me, are $25 each or $42 for both. March boxed sets are $40. Limited signed & numbered Fall Through prints are $15 each or $25 for both. I’ll also have the very last copies of my Eisner-nominated 2018 book Come Again at the show— it’s probably gonna be a few years before this favorite is back in print, so don’t sleep on it.
Panels I’ll be on:
"Altered Realities" with Christi Furnas, Peter Kuper, and Laura Perez, moderated by Rob Clough— Sunday 9/15, 2:00-3:00pm in the White Flint Auditorium.
"Big Ideas in Non-Fiction" with Glynnis Fawkes, Bill Campbell, and Dan Nott, moderated by Jonathan W. Gray—Sunday 9/15, 3:30-4:30pm in the White Oak Room.
See you there!
My original artwork is available through the excellent Sean at Athenaeum Comic Art, and for Athenaeum’s third birthday I discussed my work, process, and path in a video interview last night. You can watch it here— enjoy!
Today marks six months since the release of my graphic novel, Fall Through— thanks to everyone interested in strange, emotional, subcultural magical stories like this. Thanks to everyone who likes stories that don’t spell everything out for you— for readers who enjoy deepening mysteries which are enriched and transformed by rereading.
These are the stories I like reading and watching, and naturally they’re what I’m drawn toward creating.
Here’s a roundup of some of the praise for Fall Through so far— and I’ll be touring & traveling a lot this fall, so please find me at one of these events and pick up a few books!
“Devastating and gorgeous… Perhaps it’s a ghost story, perhaps it’s a fantasy story, but it’s refreshingly oblique. The images are heightened and stylized, the better to pass along that frisson so essential to punk art— rock or otherwise.” — New York Times Review of Books
“Fall Through is magical…Conjures the fever dream of years spent playing in punk basements, sleeping on floors, driving for hours to play for a few minutes, falling in love with music and people, turning into someone new along the way. Careening in a ride you created, but can barely control.” —Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder podcast/ The One AM Radio)
“Nate Powell has long been one our our finest cartoonists, and with Fall Through he delivers an emotional and visceral tour de force. You’ll feel more alive. Cathartic and powerful. An absolute masterpiece.” — Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth/ Black Hammer/ Essex County)
“Fall Through captures the feeling of ephemera. Like notes reverberating on air, Powell illustrates the intangible. He showcases the stunning power of art to make sense of a fleeting moment— the fleeting nature of love and loss, life and death.” — Irene Velentzas (comics editor & journalist)
“Fall Through captures so many of the complex dynamics of collaboration that are foundational to the communities we grew up in and continue to inhabit. Nate Powell doesn’t skimp on the joy while remaining true to the contradictions and confusions.” —Guy Picciotto (Fugazi/ Rites of Spring)
“Equal parts Love & Rockets, Almost Famous, and Everything Everywhere All At Once, this comic is a joy on every single page and a celebration of making things bigger than yourself, being a part of things bigger than yourself, and never losing yourself in all of that.” — Matthew Rosenberg (We Can Never Go Home/ What’s The Furthest Place From Here?)
“The most accurate depiction of ‘the scene’ I’ve ever seen committed to the page. Highly recommended.” — Gwen Static, Razorcake
“As artist and storyteller, Powell is a master of colorful chord progressions that accompany the thump of a punk-rock heart.” — Michael Cavna, The Washington Post
I’m currently 90 pages finished with Diana, the expansive character-study prequel to Fall Through— just 210 more pages to go. It should be out in 2026, and will complete a trilogy which opens with my currently sold-out 2018 graphic novel Come Again. If you see one in the wild, get it— I don’t have any updates on when/where it’ll be back with a new printing, but expect that to coincide with the release of Diana.
I’ve got a bunch of original pages and extra illlustrations from my new graphic novel Fall Through up for sale via Athenaeum Comic Art here. Thanks for your support!
You can order signed & sketched copies of Fall Through directly from me here— and if you’re going to San Diego Comic Con, buy copies at Abrams booth 1216. I’ll be signing on Sunday, July 28th from 11:00am-1:00pm at Autograph Area table 10. See you there!
I don’t have a ton of stuff going on at SDCC this year, and I feel this marks a turning point in how I approach larger conventions. Maybe next year I’ll try the expensive risk of exhibiting in my own booth. I’m not sure.
Anyway, here’s my schedule:
Saturday, July 27:
“Nonfiction Comics: The Future of History-Based Storytelling” panel w/ Joel Christian Gill, Amy Chu, Sarah Myer, and David F. Walker, moderated by Andrew Aydin— 2:30 pm, Room 10.
Lies My Teacher Told Me signing immediately after the panel (TBC) at Silver Sprocket booth 1718.
Sunday, July 28:
Fall Through signing (& whatever else)— 11:00 am-1:00 pm, Autograph Pavillion Table 10.
Please buy Fall Through at Abrams booth 1216— thank you so much!
I’m pleased to announce I’ll be returning to the beloved Cartoon Crossroads Columbus this year as a special guest!
I’ve got plenty to discuss regarding my new books Fall Through and Lies My Teacher Told Me— I’ll be selling copies at my own table, and panels/programming will be announced as they’re finalized.
CXC is one of the very best comics events in North America— and free to the public! I hope to see you there.
What an honor to have both of my new graphic novels, Fall Through and Lies My Teacher Told Me, in Michael Cavna’s roundup of five of the year’s best new graphic novels over at the Washington Post!
On Fall Through: “As artist and storyteller, Powell is a master of colorful chord progressions that accompany the thump of a punk-rock heart.”
On Lies My Teacher Told Me: “Powell’s visual depth beautifully adds visceral layers to Loewen’s efforts to undercut scholastic elisions.”
Signed/sketched copies of all my books are available directly from me here. Thanks!
Ooh, my publisher Abrams is having a 50% off sale using the code “summerlit50”— you can order Fall Through and Save It For Later for a measly $12.50 each right now! Just enter the code at checkout.
I discussed Fall Through, underground music, working on March, and all the rest with Brian Heater at RiYL podcast— you can catch it here via Apple, Spotify, ACast, or however else people listen to these things.
Fall Through is still brand new, and it’s my favorite book I’ve ever done— you can order signed copies directly from me here. Thanks!
There’s a great new piece on the effectiveness of Lies My Teacher Told Me through the medium of comics over at CBR— check it out here!
I’ll be in Louisville KY this evening, discussing Fall Through and Lies My Teacher Told Me at Carmichael’s Bookstore (2720 Frankfort) at 7pm. Check my events page for updated talks & signings— in the next few weeks I’ll be doing stuff here in Bloomington, as well as in Ann Arbor and Detroit!
