Brian Michael Bendis's Blog, page 5
July 5, 2023
FREE BONUS MASTERCLASS FOR ALL: IN CONVERSATION WITH CHARLES SOULE (+MORE!)
Hi.
So, our normally scheduled live MASTERCLASS actually landed right on July 4th. We were thinking about what to do about it and then this happened: My old Marvel pal CHARLES SOULE came to Portland as part of his The Endless Vessel book tour and asked me to host the conversation for his new book that I completely love. After YEARS of doing these kind of conversations, I finally figured maybe I should hit record on my phone so we have it!
This class/recording is FREE for everybody. Enjoy.
FREE BONUS MASTERCLASS: IN CONVERSATION WITH CHARLES SOULEIf you do like it, there are literally 15 more just like it, and so much more as part of the JINXWORLD SUBSTACK SUBSCRIPTION. Hit the button below, choose the tier thats right for you, and start watching/listening!
Also, the book is so great. A fantastic summer read. High recommendation!
OTHER CONVERSATIONS…I've done a few fun podcasts this month — more fancy fun conversation.
First of all, Matt Fraction and I stopped by MARVEL BY THE MONTH. If you are not familiar with Marvel by the Month, I think you can figure out pretty quickly. We discussed The Avengers, Defenders War, and more. We had a great time. Enjoy.
I also did a sit down with THE OBLIVION BAR PODCAST. Very nice people. I've gotten a lot of lovely feedback on this conversation, so I thought I would put a spotlight on it for you.
Lastly, Griffin and I sat down recently to chat about ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE for GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY! Check it out :)
NEW BOOKS!If I could get ALL of you to look over at ANDRÉ LIMA’S LATEST SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER, he's doing an outstanding job chronicling what's actually going on behind-the-scenes in our lives right now. We just finished PHENOMENA: BOOK 2 for Abrams Comixarts, and he just started his part of PHENOMENA: BOOK 3. This is a wild journey for us!!! So take a look and subscribe. This is an enormous undertaking and we're very proud of it.
CASTRUM LUSITANIAWork blog of storyteller André Lima Araújo: current gigs, exclusive previews, process pictures and notes, schedule updates, recommendations and more.By André Lima AraújoAlso, we recently announced a new printing of our very own TAKIO. We love TAKIO so much. Spider-Verse fans, you WILL be delighted!
Okay! That's a lot of FREE content for a holiday week.
We will be back shortly with more CREATION., more FORTUNE AND GLORY: THE MUSICAL!, more MASTERCLASS, and for those of you who subscribed on the PHENOMENA LEVEL… keep an eye on your mailbox.
As always, the conversation continues on the DISCORD. See you there!
With never ending gratitude,
BENDIS!
June 29, 2023
FORTUNE AND GLORY: THE MUSICAL! CHAPTER 8!
Hello! Welcome! We’re pleased to present you with another ALL-NEW chapter of…
AN INTRO FROM BRIAN…Fortune and Glory was a graphic novel I did years ago, pre-Marvel, about my first adventures in Hollywood as a young independent comic book creator. It was one of the books that got me where I am. I always wanted to do a sequel. Many of you have asked for one over the years. I loved doing an autobiographical comic book. I always thought I would do another one, or a bunch of them, but Spider-Man kept getting in the way. :-)
But really, I never thought I would have stories crazier than the ones I told in the original Fortune and Glory. Everything happening to me in comics was fun and fun to talk about, but was it autobiography-worthy? Then I got called to be the writer of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, a now notorious, infamous Broadway musical that you can Google about right now. The story I'm about to tell you happened years before the show’s debut. Only my closest pals knew any of this happened at the time. I’ve only hinted at parts of this in past interviews. Now, it gives me a GREAT excuse to go down memory lane and share my favorite moments of coming up in comics with you.
A lot of the stories in this GN mean everything to me. They are the most defining moments in my life. A lot of them happened before the Internet, so there's not a lot of archive about this time in our lives and in comics. I know a lot of people reading these newsletters are creators and writers themselves. I hope my journey, and my pain, brings you some personal solace. If anyone reading this had anything to do with Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, I hope reading this brings you some peace knowing that someone somewhere was trying to stop it from happening years prior.
This part of our newsletter will come out weekly for the first couple of weeks, and then we're going to shift to biweekly to make room for Creation. and the Masterclass which we have been doing all year. If you've just hopped on to check out Fortune and Glory, I am very excited to tell you that by subscribing, you are also getting access to all our Jinxworld material, including our Masterclass, which is now eight classes deep— 16+ hours of some of the best conversation I've ever put on record. You also have access to multiple chapters of Creation, our ongoing multimedia look at the messy art of creating things from scratch. Feel free to look around Jinxworld on Substack. We are very, very happy with this space and we love sharing it with you.
If you haven’t read the previous chapters, you can find them in our ARCHIVE, or the most recent one below:
Installments of the all-new graphic novel Fortune and Glory: The Musical are released every other week, in multiple formats! Find the next chapter in both .cbz and .pdf formats further down!
For those that prefer to read their Substack exclusive books right here in the newsletter, we’re happy to provide the pages below! However, we highly encourage downloading the files for the best reading experience.
June 27, 2023
MASTERCLASS - SESSION #15: with SPECIAL GUEST MARK RUSSELL [ARCHIVE]
Hello once again, everyone!
Earlier this week we held our FIFTEENTH MASTERCLASS SESSION, featuring our SPECIAL GUEST LECTURER MARK RUSSELL. For anyone looking to explore COMEDY, SATIRE, or IRONY in their work should pay close attention to this session, as Mark is a master of these things. Take notes!
Classes take place LIVE on a bi-monthly basis, every other TUESDAY, at 6:00pm PST via Zoom.
Video and audio versions of the class are then made available in the following couple days for those who were unable to join us live.
Remember that all classes and CREATION. chapters are available now in the archive. Take a look!
Plus, the original graphic novel FORTUNE AND GLORY: THE MUSICAL has BEGUN! Here, only on Substack!
Here’s a preview of this week’s class for our friends at the JINX (free) LEVEL:
The rest of this and every class is nearly two hours long! And for those who missed our previous class, you can find the archived version in this post:
POWERS and PHENOMENON LEVEL subscribers can find both the archival video and audio recording of yesterday’s class below!
[*NOTE*: Some classes do have visual aids. When you reach one of those moments in the audio version, we suggest just making a note of the timestamp and hopping over to the same point in the video version for the best experience.]
June 20, 2023
TONIGHT: MASTERCLASS - SESSION #15: with SPECIAL GUEST MARK RUSSELL
Hello again, friends!
Our favorite time of the week is here! It’s MASTERCLASS DAY once again!
Before we get to all our usual Masterclass goodness, we wanted to share some really exciting news! Fans of POWERS, Benids/Oeming, or their creator-owned series TAKIO should be delighted to hear that an ALL-NEW, COMPLETE COLLECTION of TAKIO is being published by our friends at Dark Horse Comics!
This new collection is set for release next February and is available for pre-order now. Read more [HERE]!
Okay, on with the Masterclass details…
JINXWORLD’S FIFTEENTH MASTERCLASS session is taking place TONIGHT at our usual time of 6:00pm PST/9:00pm EST, via Zoom!
Tonight, we will be welcoming SPECIAL GUEST LECTURER MARK RUSSELL! He is one of my favorite writers working today and he has joined our PSU class a few times before, so I am REALLY looking forward to this one. We will be discussing IRONY/SATIRE/COMEDY… all things Mark excels in. Be sure to bring your Qs for us to A!
If you need a refresher on how to join the class, you can find that info (as well as the CLASS LINK) further down.
And if you missed last class, you can check out the archived video and audio versions here:
JOINING THE VIRTUAL CLASSThe class is reserved for members of the POWERS and PHENOMENA subscription levels, but it isn’t too late to get on the roster! Just choose the subscription level that’s right for you to gain access to the Masterclass, as well as so much more, like our multi-media series CREATION. and the ongoing original graphic novel experience Fortune and Glory: The Musical!
For our friends already subscribed, here’s what you will need to get into the class:
June 19, 2023
CREATION. CHAPTER 4 - SECRET INVASION! PART 1: SEEDS OF INVASION
Hello! And welcome back to…
Every other week we give you an ALL-NEW chapter of our ongoing multimedia book CREATION. This is an in-depth look at the mysterious, messy art of creation through exclusive behind-the-scenes looks into how many of your favorite characters and storylines from Marvel, DC, and our creator-owned JINXWORLD endeavors came to be!
If you are on your own creative journey and, like me, need the inspiration of others’ trials, tribulations and anecdotes for inspiration... Or you’re just someone who loves colorful looks behind the scenes, this new book experience, created specifically for Substack, is for you.
If you missed our previous episodes you can find them in the ARCHIVE or our most recent one right here:
Hey look! It’s this week’s installment!
CHAPTER 4 - SECRET INVASION! PART 1: SEEDS OF INVASION
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS details the events that lead to him writing Avengers for Marvel Comics and the origins of the Secret Invasion event.
All are welcome to check out this free preview, while our friends at the POWERS and PHENOMENA levels can find the full episode, in various formats, further down!
*NOTE for our AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT fans*: Some episodes contain BTS photos and video. If you’d like to see those, give the VIDEO version a try this week!
CREATION. CHAPTER 4 - SECRET INVASION! PART 1: SEEDS OF INVASION (+CLASS REMINDER)
Before we begin, we wanted to remind you that TOMORROW, JUNE 20th, we will be hosting our FIFTEENTH MASTERCLASS SESSION, featuring our special guest lecturer MARK RUSSEL!
Class will take place at our usual time, 6pm PST/9pm EST, via Zoom. Look for the class link in our post tomorrow afternoon.
Okay! On with this all-new chapter of CREATION.!
Hello! And welcome back to…
Every other week we give you an ALL-NEW chapter of our ongoing multimedia book CREATION. This is an in-depth look at the mysterious, messy art of creation through exclusive behind-the-scenes looks into how many of your favorite characters and storylines from Marvel, DC, and our creator-owned JINXWORLD endeavors came to be!
If you are on your own creative journey and, like me, need the inspiration of others’ trials, tribulations and anecdotes for inspiration... Or you’re just someone who loves colorful looks behind the scenes, this new book experience, created specifically for Substack, is for you.
If you missed our previous episodes you can find them in the ARCHIVE or our most recent one right here:
Hey look! It’s this week’s installment!
CHAPTER 4 - SECRET INVASION! PART 1: SEEDS OF INVASION
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS details the events that lead to him writing Avengers for Marvel Comics and the origins of the Secret Invasion event.
All are welcome to check out this free preview, while our friends at the POWERS and PHENOMENA levels can find the full episode, in various formats, further down!
*NOTE for our AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT fans*: Some episodes contain BTS photos and video. If you’d like to see those, give the VIDEO version a try this week!
June 13, 2023
MASTERCLASS - SESSION #14: STORY STRUCTURE [ARCHIVE]
Hello once again, everyone!
Earlier this week we held our FOURTEENTH MASTERCLASS SESSION, which focused on STORY STRUCTURE. Since we were on a small break from Masterclass this past month, this session also features an extended Q&A section, as we catch up on what everyone has been up to and thinking about since last session.
Classes take place LIVE on a bi-monthly basis, every other TUESDAY, at 6:00pm PST via Zoom.
Video and audio versions of the class are then made available in the following couple days for those who were unable to join us live.
Remember that all classes and CREATION. chapters are available now in the archive. Take a look!
Plus, the original graphic novel FORTUNE AND GLORY: THE MUSICAL has BEGUN! Here, only on Substack!
Here’s a preview of this week’s class for our friends at the JINX (free) LEVEL:
The rest of this and every class is two hours long! And for those who missed our previous class, you can find the archived version in this post:
POWERS and PHENOMENON LEVEL subscribers can find both the archival video and audio recording of yesterday’s class below!
[*NOTE*: Some classes do have visual aids. When you reach one of those moments in the audio version, we suggest just making a note of the timestamp and hopping over to the same point in the video version for the best experience.]
June 6, 2023
TONIGHT: MASTERCLASS - SESSION #14: STORY STRUCTURE!
Hello again, friends!
Our favorite time of the week has RETURNED! It’s time for MASTERCLASS DAY once again!
JINXWORLD’S FOURTEENTH MASTERCLASS session is taking place TONIGHT at our usual time of 6:00pm PST/9:00pm EST, via Zoom!
For the first class of our “new semester,” we will be covering a crucial subject matter: STORY STRUCTURE. This is one of the most important topics we have covered to date, with many different philosophies about it. Be sure to bring your questions!
If you need a refresher on how to join the class, you can find that info (as well as the CLASS LINK) further down.
And if you missed last class, you can check out the archived video and audio versions here:
JOINING THE VIRTUAL CLASSThe class is reserved for members of the POWERS and PHENOMENA subscription levels, but it isn’t too late to get on the roster! Just choose the subscription level that’s right for you to gain access to the Masterclass, as well as so much more, like our multi-media series CREATION. and the ongoing original graphic novel experience Fortune and Glory: The Musical!
For our friends already subscribed, here’s what you will need to get into the class:
June 5, 2023
REMINDER: MASTERCLASS RETURNS TOMORROW!
Spring Break is over! The Jinxworld Masterclass resumes TOMORROW with a deep dive on STORY STRUCTURE!
Class will take place at our usual time and place tomorrow. TUESDAY, JUNE 6th, at 6:00pm PST via ZOOM.
Expect the class link in our post tomorrow afternoon!
NEED TO CATCH UP?You can find the syllabus and video recordings of all previous classes in our MASTERCLASS ARCHIVE.
WANT TO JOIN THE MASTERCLASS?The MASTERCLASS is reserved for members of the POWERS and PHENOMENA subscription levels. For just $5/mo you’ll get access to our bi-monthly masterclass, co-taught by BENDIS and TAKI SOMA, covering the art of crafting comics and graphic novels.
(Plus, you’ll be able to access our multi-media series CREATION. and the brand-new graphic novel experience, FORTUNE AND GLORY: THE MUSICAL.)
You can hit the SUBSCRIBE button below, select the tier that’s right for you, and start enjoying exclusive materials immediately.
We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night!
Many thanks,
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, TAKI SOMA, and The JINXWORLD Team
June 1, 2023
SPIDER-VERSE! MURDER INC.! ABU DHABI!
Hey, it’s an actual newsletter! It has news. It has letters. As has been requested, there will be more of these proper newsletters throughout the summer.
Thank you to those who have subscribed to the pay wall content, which has been coming at you on the regular, but I never meant for that to be in replacement of the actual newsletter itself. But, listen — boy some of this reads like big time bragging but I have, in my heart, I promise, outgrown bragging. To me, this is an opportunity to share some good fortune with you. I do feel like we’ve been on a bit of a journey together as reader and author and a lot of what’s been happening is a reflection of that. I also know that quite a few of you are writers and creators yourselves, and I’m hoping that the insanity I’m about to share with you is inspiring. I get so inspired when I read about others journeys.
So, no bragging, just inspiration. Here we go!...
SPIDER-VERSE COMETH
I am broadcasting to you live from the lobby of a Portland movie theater. I just dropped off a couple of my older kids at The Little Mermaid. Just so happens, I’m staring at the concession stand which is completely decked out for ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. DECKED OUT! Videos. Blankets. Cups. Anything they could put Miles on his on it. And this is after seeing all the Burger King debut stuff.
Its so crazy! I instantly flashback to my Cleveland childhood days, when stuff like R2-D2 was all over the lobby for the first time. And now it’s our Miles.
24 hours after I write this, the entire Bendis family is going to be in Los Angeles for the Across the Spider-Verse premier. I didn’t go to the first Spider-Verse premiere because, the chaos of my life at that moment wouldn’t allow it. So I’m really excited for this do over opportunity, and to share this with my kids.
ABU DHABIAny other week, ALL THAT would be the most amazing thing that’s happened. But just 24 hours ago I was, beyond my comprehension, in Abu Dhabi. As far as I’ve ever traveled from home. I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the Abu Dhabi Literary Conference. I never thought this job would take me ALL over the world. I’m still catching my breath.
I’ve been posting pictures from our travels on Instagram. So to spare you the newsletter version of an old man showing his vacation photos, I’ll let you decide whether or not you want to go see the magnificence.
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis on Instagram: “The Louvre Abu Dhabi with @abendis6 #abudhabi #art”May 24, 2023The best part about being invited to these trips is meeting new people, and almost every organization goes out-of-the-way to make sure that we get to experience as much culture of the region as we possibly can. This has happened to us a few times over the years: Bolivia, Australia, Japan, Detroit...
Yes, in Abu Dhabi, more than one of the drivers pointed to a cluster of tall buildings and said: that’s where Vin Diesel drove one car through one building into the other building and into another building.
Vin Diesel aside, international trips really allow us to step outside our unintended silo and look around and see the differences in cultural perspective. I can already tell how much my work has been changed by what happened this week.
SECRET INVASIONJust a couple weeks after Spider-Verse comes an adaptation of our big giant Marvel event, SECRET INVASION.
Obviously a different vibe from the comics but, I just got invited to that premiere as well and I’m excited to see what’s going on there. I’ve seen some cuts of Spider-Verse, no spoilers, but I haven’t seen anything from Secret Invasion yet. I am as curious as everybody else to see how it all comes together. Part of the original comics inspiration was thrillers like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, so it’s interesting to see that initial idea maybe brought to focus for a TV show. Big fingers crossed. Hope it’s great.
MURDER INC.Hey, comics! Our brand-new volume of MURDER INC. debuted a couple weeks ago.
Thank you for all the nice reviews on our new crime world. Thanks for sticking with us for those who’ve been buying it since the first volume came out. For those of you who tried the colorful world of Jagger Rose for the first time this week: thank you.
I know its probably a bit tacky to say this but, I do think issue six of this run of the book is the best thing Mike, Taki, and I have ever done.
If you missed it, Mike has been posting some really fantastic process videos on how he created the book. Particularly, the BTS of the six interconnecting covers. Yes, all the covers of this volume make one giant story image. This is not easy to pull off...
I feel so warmly about what Mike and Taki accomplished. It’s pretty incredible.
Little side note, just before the Writer’s Guild strike (yeah, I'm on strike too), Murder Inc. was put into development as a TV show. All of this goes on pause until the strike is over, but Murder Inc., Pearl AND Jinx were all in television development at the same studio and we were all so excited. Amazing people attached!! For now, we have the books. On sale now at Dark Horse.
The strike is so essential.MORE FROM DARK HORSEOur publishing plan for the next couple of years is really exciting. After Murder Inc., we’re going to debut Volume Two of the gorgeous JOY OPERATIONS, which Steven Byrne is tearing through. He already has the first three issues in the can.
After that, a BRAND-NEW CRIME COMIC by myself and Eisner award-winning partner, Alex Maleev. We’re already a few issues into it and it is everything I wanted to be. It’s something we haven’t done before and it’s pulling out some amazing stuff from Alex. I know a lot of you wanted us to continue with Scarlet, but that story is complete. Now we have a brand-new cast of characters to show you.
After that will be the next volume of THE ONES with Jacob Edgar. I hope we get to make The Ones forever.
And then, after that, a BRAND-NEW SCI-FI-ISH genre bender with myself, Mike and Taki. (And we’re a couple of issues into THAT as well.)
What I’m working on this week is PHENOMENA: BOOK 3. Yes, 3! For those of you who follow André’s newsletter you know he is hard at work on the second half of Volume Two. It’s amazing. He flew right past the amazing artistic achievement of the first one.
CASTRUM LUSITANIAWork blog of storyteller André Lima Araújo: current gigs, exclusive previews, process pictures and notes, schedule updates, recommendations and more.By André Lima AraújoAbrams has been talking to us about different formats for the next printing of Volume One. So keep an eye out for that.
BLUE SKY/DISCORDThanks to the mighty Kelly Sue DeConnick, I am now on Blue Sky. Please sign up. It seems like how much healthier social media place at the moment. Fingers crossed.
Also, by the way, for those who are behind the paywall of this newsletter, we are having a very good time on the Discord so stop by, share your passions!
CGCUpon request, we’re doing another CGC private signing this summer! Send in anything you want and Mark Bagley and I will take care of it.
(Some of those aforementioned Jinxworld titles en route to be TV shows seem like a decent bet.)
This gives Mark and I a great opportunity to hang out all day. We live in different parts of the world with different lives, so it’s great to have a day to just hang out, reminisce, and make all of our readers happy at the same time.
PODCASTSAs I told you guys a couple of newsletters ago, I am going to be a guest on Comedy Bang Bang: Scott Hasn’t Seen.
I love this podcast with my whole heart and was delighted to be invited. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a podcast focusing on Scott Aukerman’s shockingly big holes in his film viewing. There is a list of the movies he’s never seen and the guest gets to pick what movie that podcast will be focused on.
After much deliberation, I picked my favorite movie of all time: Warren Beatty’s Reds. We’ve already recorded the podcast and I had the best time. I can’t wait to share it with you. Plus, there is a Mike Avon Oeming/Powers surprise at the end…
NO LIFESome recent recommendations. Continuing my never ending column on things that I did dug.
EMILY THE CRIMINAL
I know a lot of people have seen this, as it was high up on Netflix a few months ago but, I just saw it on the plane and I absolutely loved it. A very small, hard-boiled crime movie. An exceptional character piece. The kind of thing I admire and aspire to. Outstanding performance by Aubrey Plaza.
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
I finally got to see this essential and beautifully made portrait of America through the eyes of the Black Panther party. Highest recommendation.
NEWCOMERS WITH NICOLE MEYER AND LAURA LAPKUS
Late to the podcast party on this one too. I’ve been such a fan of both of them on other projects and other podcasts, and I didn’t think I needed another movie comedy podcast, but Newcomers is really something special. I am through the Fast and Furious season.
Can you tell I had a long flight home?
THE MARVEL ART OF DAVID MACK AND ALEX MALEEV — 2 DELUXE BOOKS KICKSTARTER
Obviously, I could not be more excited.
Ok, thats a newsletter if I ever saw one.
Next time, we’ll do a behind the scenes at the Spider-Verse premiere. On the other tiers, We’re going to start launching The next chapter of CREATION., which will be focused on... SECRET INVASION. That’s something quite a few of you have requested. So stay tuned for that.
I know some of you have been waiting for me to talk about stuff that hasn’t gone as well creatively, and we will get to that, but I do feel that FORTUNE AND GLORY: THE MUSICAL! — which is coming out every other week through this very Substack — is about a gigantic creative failure... And my participation in that. I’m giving you both the highs and lows of what it’s like to do what we do.
The next MASTERCLASS is NEXT TUESDAY, JUNE 6th, at 6:00pm PST/ 9:00pm EST! The subject will be the many theories behind STORY STRUCTURE. I am very excited to see you all back in class live. Thank you for all the class notes, as some of you have been catching up on classes. I’ve enjoyed the back-and-forth on the Discord.
See you soon.
With never ending gratitude,
BENDIS!
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