John Rozum's Blog

The Portland Sea Dogs meet Scooby-Doo

 I will be in Portland, ME this coming Sunday representing both DC Comics and the International Cryptozoology Museum, along with ICM founder and cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman. 

I will also be doing something I'd never anticipated would be part of my life experience, which is throwing out the first pitch. 

The fun starts at 1:00 at Delta Dental Park (Hadlock Field). There will a number of Scooby-Doo themed events and merchandise including, I'm told, an appearance by the Mystery Inc. gang. Jinkies!

Tickets and information can be found here. 

Out Next Week

The Milestone Compendium Four, a nearly 1300 page collection of material published by Milestone Media in the 1990s, and roughly a third of that was written by me, including the second half of my original run of Xombi (the first half is contained in Milestone Compendium One) as well as the remaining issues of Kobalt, and the arc of Hardware that I did with Eric Battle. With the exception of a couple more issues of material, this Compendium concludes the work I did for Milestone back during its original incarnation. This volume hits stores on June 17, 2025. 
Here's some additional information pulled from Amazon: 

Static, Hardware, Blood Syndicate, and more. Read the original stories of the characters that became Milestone icons in this massive compendium.

The iconic Milestone line that helped define the 90’s are now collected in a beautiful compendium. These brilliant and daring writers and artists brought their own experiences into comics that changed the game forever. Milestone ushered in a culturally diverse mix of superheroes, set in the fictional setting of Dakota, and ushered in the comics that inspired the hit TV series Static Shock. Read the original stories from the Milestone Universe today.

Collects: Blood Syndicate #28-32; Hardware #29-38; Icon #28-37; Static #26-31; Xombi #12-21; Shadow Cabinet #14-17; My Name is Holocaust #1-5; The Long, Hot Summer #1-3.

The Grim Gallery Embarking On Year Fifteen

 

Fifteen years ago I began The Grim Gallery, a companion blog where I'd share the thousands of digital images of monsters of the screen, page, museum and art gallery, as well as other sources. As of today I've posted 5097 of them at the rate of one per day. If you like monsters then head on over and dig deep into monsters both popular and obscure. 

Big Bang Adventures #30

 

Entirely illustrated by Cesar Madarro, Big Bang Adventures #30 contains a story that the two of us collaborated on a couple of years ago just for fun. As a life long night owl, I recalled the time I lived in Ann Arbor and would often see a couple of the neighbors also leading nocturnal lifestyles through glimpses of them seen through their windows. I always wondered what they did for a living that afforded them that kind of schedule. This story addresses that. 

I'm also happy this would up in a Big Bang comic. I supported their intentions and their initial comics back in 1994 and still have my Big Bang membership kit, including the mask. 

Milestone Compendium Volume Four

 

The Milestone Compendium Volume Four will be released on June 17, 2025, rather than in February as the previous volumes had been. This issue contains the remaining ten issues of Xombi that I wrote,  with art by J.J. Birch and color by Noelle Giddings and lettering by Agnes Pinaha. It also includes my short run of Hardware with art by Eric Battle and Angel Gabriele, color by Julia Laquement, and lettering by Steve Dutro. 

You can preorder it through your local comic book retailer or independent bookstore.

There's also a link below*: 

https://www.amazon.com/Milestone-Compendium-Four-Dwayne-McDuffie/dp/1799500268

*A portion of sales via this link will go back to me. 

Midnight, Mass. Trade Paperback Collection Now Available

 

Collecting the entire 8-issue series, Midnight, Mass., written by me with pencils by Jesus Saiz, inks by Jimmy Palmiotti, colors by Noelle Giddings and Kevin Somers, lettering by Ken Bruzenak and John Costanza, and edited by Heidi MacDonald is now available at your local comic book store and book store. 

The series follows the exploits of paranormal investigators Adam and Julia Kadmon as they take on a variety of monsters, strange cults, ghosts, and a new personal assistant. 

Scooby-Doo's Greatest Adventures

 

Scooby-Doo's Greatest Adventures, a 424 page trade paperback collection of a variety of Scooby-Doo comic book stories will be available on October 29, 2024. You can preorder a copy through your local comic book store, or bookseller. 

I assume, but could be wrong, that this is the same collection that was originally published in 2019. If so, the stories included which I wrote are "A Wolf in Creep's Clothing" and "Yankee Doodle Danger."

International Cryptozoology Conference 2024

 

Cryptids have appeared in my work for some time, so this weekend I'll be attending the International Cryptozoology Conference. 

The ICM's International Cryptozoology Conference will feature engaging talks and presentations by leading Cryptozoology experts on a variety of topics as well as access to the our vendor rooms, hosting over two dozen cryptozoology, science, curiosity, and Fortean themed vendors. This one of a kind event is an important program and fundraiser supporting the non-profit scientific and educational mission of the International Cryptozoology Museum (ICM) - it's also a lot of fun! Get your tickets today: https://cryptozoologymuseum.simpletix.com/Special rates for kids under 13, as always babes in arms and strollers are free.Friday Night VIP Event Schedule:
3:00-6:00pm - Vendor Room Early Access (not all vendors may yet be present)
4:30-6:30pm - Meet & Greet Tea Time Fundraiser for Herp Haven - touch reptiles, chat with cryptozoology experts and other enthusiasts
6:00-7:00pm - Casual Pizza Dinner with VIP seating - eat and mingle with over a dozen cryptozoology celebrities! Celebrities include most of our speakers and: Nathaniel Brislin author of "Crawlers: A Conclusive Casebook,” Aleksandar Petakov of Small Town Monsters, Michael Familant of In the Shadow of Big Red Eye, Jeff Foran of Strangeology Podcast, Sam Baltrusis author of Ghosts of Salem, Travis J Hill - artist, and more!
7:00-8:00pm - Keynote Address: J.W. Ocker, author of The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters
8:00-10:00pm - Screening of BIG FUR, a feature documentary movie about taxidermist Ken Walker, Bigfoot and the value of wilderness. Meet taxidermist Ken Walker, filmmaker Dan Wayne, and "Patty" the bigfoot.Saturday Main Conference Schedule:
9:00-6:00pm - Vendor Room Fully Open Come See Live Reptiles
9:45-10:00am - Official Conference Welcome
10:00-10:45am - "Bigfoot in Maine: Back into the Woods" - Michelle Souliere, author of Bigfoot in Maine & Strange Maine
11:00-11:45am - "Cryptozoology Adventures" - Pat Spain, host of Travel Channel's Legend Hunter, Nat Geo's Beast Hunter
12:15-12:45pm - "Mystery Cats" - Jean Tewksbury, Eastern Cougar Researcher
12:00-1:00pm - Lunch at the Food Trucks, vendor room open
1:00-:1:45pm - "Big Cats are Scary: A case study of cryptozoology & folklore" - Christopher Packard, author, biologist, and folklorist
2:00-2:45pm - "My Favorite 25 Cryptozoology Facts" - Wen Eldridge, cryptozoologist and creator at Facebook's "Cryptozoology Facts"
3:00-3:45pm - "Cryptozoology, Cthulhu, and Lovecraft" - David Goudsward, author and cryptozoologist
4:00-4:45pm - "Digging into Skinwalker Ranch's Cryptozoology: Bigfoot, Dogmen, & Dinobeavers"" - Loren Coleman, author, cryptozoology legend, and founder of the ICM
5:00-5:30pm - Official Closing RemarksDinner on your own - offsite - see what Portland has to offer.Optional Add-on - The International Cryptozoology Museum is open during the conference and Sunday 10-6 and is only a short distance away from the conference and come tour the museum! Separate ticket purchase required.Special rates available in our block of rooms at the Clarion - room availability is limited so book your reservation now, only rooms in the block include free breakfast.
Reservation link: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/YH91V6

Midnight, Mass. Trade Paperback Collection Coming In Fall 2024

 

Through it's Black Label imprint, DC Comics will be releasing a 208 page trade paperback collection of the 8-issue series, Midnight, Mass. on October 1, 2024. It will sell for $16.99 retail. You should be able to pre-order it through your local comic book store in the next few months. 

Midnight, Mass. follows the adventures of paranormal investigators Adam and Julia Kadmon from their home in Midnight, Massachusetts. It was written by me with pencils by Jesus Saiz, inks by Jimmy Palmiotti, colors by Noelle Giddings and Kevin Somers, letters by Ken Bruzenak and John Costanza, and covers by Tomer Hanuka. It was edited by Heidi MacDonald and Zachary Rau. 

Here's DC's press announcement:

The Best Cryptozoology Books 0f 2023

 

Loren Coleman has released a list of the best Cryptozoology related books of 2023 which included issue #121 of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You. You can see all of the books on the list here.