Tales of Syzpense #14
SDCC plans and panels, the Spinner Rack's purple haze, and the coming of A Haunted Girl
It’s not quite the schedule of the Eras tour but no sooner did I get back from two weeks of conventions in Australia than I am staring down the rapidly approaching San Diego Comic-Con, and then an additional convention in Roanoke, Virginia a couple weeks later.
SDCC takes place from July 19-23. Since I won’t have a central base of operations, I’ll be free-roaming around its environs all five days.
I will be in a few designated spots at designated times:
—FRIDAY, 7/21—
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Syzygy Publishing’s Tales of Syzpense: its recent Past, current Present, and exciting Future
Join Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood, the co-founders of Image’s newest imprint, Syzygy, and some of Syz’s key creators for spirited Tales of Syzpense involving what’s come before and what’s coming up next. Panelists include multiple-Eisner nominees and Rain co-creators David M. Booher and Zoe Thorogood! Hitomi writer HS Tak! And Artist Uko Smith! Interesting announcements and great art will be provided, gratis, to all attendees! Room 24ABC8:00 PM - 10:30ish PM
Will Eisner Comic Industry AwardsThe 35th annual Eisner Awards (the “Oscars” of the comics industry) honor comics creators and works in 32 categories. The gala ceremony features celebrity presenters and a multimedia extravaganza. Other prestigious awards to be given out include the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award, the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comics Writing, and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award.
Syzygy received a total of three nominations, all for our first release, Joe Hill’s Rain:
—SATURDAY, 7/22—
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Licensed: Overstreet’s Licensed ComicsFrom Uncle Scrooge to the Power Rangers, from Planet of the Apes to Star Wars, licensed comics are a vibrant part of the fan experience and the comics industry. Join David Avallone (Elvira), Chris Ryall (Rom), Andy Mangels (Wonder Woman ’77 Meets The Bionic Woman), Mark L. Haynes (Stargate Atlantis), Tom Mason (former Malibu creative director), Ed Catto (Captain Action), and moderator J. C. Vaughn (Overstreet) for a foray into the world of licensed comics. Room 5AB
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Creators Assemble: Comics Camaraderie, A Networking EventTogether, creators, publishers, comic shop owners, teachers, and library workers have brought greater acceptance to comics and fan culture. Take a break from hectic convention life to experience “speed dating”style networking with diverse comics enthusiasts from all backgrounds. Guests include: Alex Antone (Skybound Entertainment), Heather Antos (IDW Publishing), Vince Alvendia (Egg Drop Ramen Studios), Matthew Atherton (CSUSM), Moni Barrette (2023 Eisner judge), David M. Booher (Killer Queens), J.M. Brandt (Swamp Dogs: House of Crows), Cherish Chen (Massive-Verse), Amy Chu (Carmilla: The First Vampire), Dani Colman (The Unfinished Corner), Barbra Dillon (Fanbase Press), Andi Dukleth (Accidental Aliens), Kyle Higgins (Massive-Verse), Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman Historia), Nikita Kannekanti (Legendary Comics), Mathias Lewis (Knowhere Games & Comics), Hannah Rose May (Rogues' Gallery), Don Nguyen (Zoo Magnet Inc.), Alonso Nunez (Little Fish Comic Book Studio),Morgan Perry (Skybound Entertainment), Jack Phoenix (comics librarian), Jimmy Purcell (A3 Publishing), Chris Ryall (Image Comics/Syzygy), Brian Schirmer (Quests Aside), Erin Snider (Creators Assemble!), and Charlie Stickney (White Ash). Marriott Marquis Marina D
And then, I’m happy to be attending the second Big Lick Comic-Con this year, this time in Roanoke, VA on August 5-6. I’ll bring with me whatever remaining copies I have of the con-exclusive Tales of Syzpense #1 and whatever else people want to see there. Last time, at the Big Lick Nova show in April, I moderated a ROM panel with Jim Shooter and Guy Dorian Sr. Will I have something ROM-related to announce at this one? I just might will.
The Spinner Rack: Purple Haze
It’s not necessarily a unique theme in the same way as Smashed Logos or Floating Heads but I often fill out the rack with comics that all have one thing in common: a purple background. I’ve long maintained that purple is the very best background color — a choice that artist/colorist Barry Windsor-Smith certainly seems to share, looking at the preponderance of BWS covers finished in purple.
Ironically, the first cover with a purple background that I really took note of, Fantastic Four 55, isn’t one I can toss in the spinner rack since I had it framed alongside some other great Lee/Kirby FFs:
But there are plenty of other great examples, and I continue to discover others I’d never seen before, like Superman 268, which Marvel’s Tom Brevoort singled out in his most recent (and consistently great) Substack Man With a Hat newsletter.
Other examples that are regularly cycled into here rotation abound:
And still others that I love but didn’t toss in the rack so this didn’t become a day-long photoshoot:
You want more? Okay, here are some more. I could do a whole Ted-X talk about why purple is the best background colors but these examples help prove my point, anyway. I know some people think yellow is the best but, well, all counter opinions are obviously incorrect.
Old Pros
Among other comic creator-related birthdays in July, happy belated birthday to writer/artist John Byrne (July 6) and to cover painter Bob Larkin (July 10), too. I contributed another guest piece at 13thDimension.com this week that featured 13 of my favorite Larkin covers.
And I also added in a little piece at 13thD about my one/only meeting with the great co-creator of Superman, Joe Shuster, that resulted in young me walking away with this:
Haunted Sacks
Yesterday, we announced at Comics Beat the latest title we’re releasing under our Syzygy imprint, A Haunted Girl. Written by Han Solo/Old Man Hawkeye writer Ethan Sacks and his daughter, Naomi Sacks with art by Marco Lorenzana, the tale is described like this:
Cleo, a 16-year-old adopted Japanese-American whose anxiety and depression drives her to suicidal thoughts, is fresh out of the hospital and trying unsuccessfully to reintegrate back into her old life. What she doesn't know is that her real struggles are just beginning as she finds herself encountering an increasingly terrifying succession of ghosts. Is she losing her grip on reality… or is the explanation much, much worse?
The covers under way for all the issues are great, and the series is leading off with some especially good ones: Joe Quesada and Richard Isanove provided the primary cover; the others are by Fico Ossio and Ryusei Ramada.
This one, while a fictional paranormal thriller, does channel terrors both otherworldly as well as real-life, as its inspired and based in part on co-writer Naomi’s struggles with anxiety and depression.
About the series, co-writers Ethan and Naomi said:
“Four years ago, while my daughter was hospitalized, I came up with the idea of a story about a girl who’s battling depression and finds out she’s the sole hope to save the world,” said Ethan Sacks. “That she would find a way to endure and to save everyone she loves. It was meant to be uplifting and cathartic. Now four years later, my daughter is in a place where she could help write that story. To inspire others going through similar struggles. As a father, I’m proud. As a comic book writer, I’m inspired. As a human being, I’m moved.”
“I’ve always loved writing. And with A Haunted Girl there was a chance for me to work on a story that is very personal,” said Naomi Sacks. “Cleo, the main character, goes through a lot of the same struggles that I did and feels hopeless at many times as I did. But that she perseveres is inspirational to me, too. “
The first issue will be released October 11, and Ethan, Naomi, and artist Marco Lorenzana will all be in attendance at the New York Comic-Con to launch the series. For a bit more about the book, and a handful of preview pages by Marco and colorist Andres Mossa, check this out.
Giving It Our All
Also from Image/Syzygy, the trade paperback of All Against All, a kind of “Tarzan vs aliens” tale masterfully turned into something so much deeper and more thoughtful than that simple longline by creators Alex Paknadel and Caspar Wijngaard, is available as a complete trade paperback now. The challenging and gorgeous series—which I most recently previewed here with a full PDF download of issue 1—reads best in one volume. We’re all very proud of the series, from the work Alex & Caspar did to the beautiful lettering and design work by Hassan Otsmane-Eltaou and Ian Chalgren, and hope you’ll give it a look. Even better if you give it a full read, I think you’ll love it as much as we do.
Social Hour
Thanks to both my enjoyment of doing regular newsletters again — a fun throwback to my early Movie Poop Shoot days — and the ongoing and increasingly ridiculous implosion of Twitter — I’ve definitely been spending less time on social media while seeing how everything shakes out. Does the mass Twittexodus lead everyone to Mastodon? Post? Hive? CounterSocial? Bluesky? Threads? A Friendster revival?
The first few options haven’t panned out but I did jump onto Bluesky and Threads, not that I’ve interacted a whole lot at either place yet. But should you be so inclined, I’m reachable at both:
That’s it for now! I’m still trying to figure out the best way to end these newsletters each time around: with a link for subscriptions? A snarky catchphrase? A space for comments? All of the above? For now, I’ll close with these two things and see how that goes.