Jason Franks's Blog, page 43

Sixsmiths reviewed at cxPulp

A nice review of the book by Andrea Speed at cxPulp. Contains some minor spoilers. 

 http://www.cxpulp.com/content.php?971-The-Sixsmiths

KAGEMONO: FLOWERS AND SKULLS

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, troglodytes and troglodettes,

Blackglass Press is proud to announce the newest volume of Kagemono, Flowers and Skulls.

Flowers and Skulls features 22 horror stories from the depths of space, the moshpit, the farmyard, the swamp, the suburbs. Yakuza wives and bike-obsessed rednecks, comic collectors and interstellar gourmands, music fans and veterinarians, vengeful priests and toyshop lunatics. Evil sorcery, wartime atrocities, barroom botany, casual drug abuse, bad relationships and ill-advised business deals. There might even be a zombie outbreak or two.

Flowers and Skulls will be a 138 page trade paperback, black and white, colour covers. Edited by Jason Franks, cover art by Nicholas Hunter:


Flowers and Skulls is brought to you by more than two dozen creators from Australia and around the world, including Russell Lissau (Batman Strikes), Christoper Sequeria (X-Men vs Vampires), mpMann (Inanna's Tears), Jan Scherpenhuizen (Wolverine: Doombringer), Lou Manna (The Phantom), Paul Bedford (The List), Bobby N. (Digested), Trevor Wood (Sawbones), Jen Breach (Sawbones), Dino Caruso (Acts of Violence), Jason Franks (The Sixsmiths), Alisha Jade (CC Around), Bernard Caleo (svengali editor of Tango), Dwight Williams, Renan L'Hopsum, Antonio Goulart, Yuriko Sekine, Harry Purnell, Nicholas Hunter, Brendan Halyday, David Richardson, Gerard Dwyer, Richard Butler, Leigh Kuilboer, Sam Romero, Carlen Lavigne, Luke Pickett, James Andre, Tim Twelves and David Scherwood.

-- JF

The Second Run of The Third Sigil

Still don't know where the SIXSMITHS GN is. Not quite ready to announce the next bit of news. But in the interim:

"The Third Sigil" is the first story I ever sold. I wrote it when I was 19 and it's really the first time I sat down and seriously wrote something with the intent of getting it published.

So it brings me great pleasure to announce that a remastered version of the story is being reprinted in Anthony Ferguson's new DEVIL DOLLS AND DUPLICATES anthology, out in February 2011 from Equilibrium Press.




("Third Sigil" fits into the former category, being a domestic horror story about a penny-ante sorceror and an evil doll.).

The book contains stories by some of the best genre writers currently working in Australia, including Stephen Dedman, Sean Williams, Lucy Sussex and Lee Battersby. I am thrilled to see something of mine listed amongst all those names.

No solicitation information available yet; I will post here when I have more news.
-- JF

SIXSMITHS VOL. 1

 
Hello, wicked ones,

I have been fielding some questions about when the book is out. 

The book was solicited in August, for October release, by by Diamond with order code AUG100733. I don't see it on this week's ship list, or next week's, which I guess means that it will be out in November. 

I'm not sure exactly how these things work--maybe it will, in fact, be this week... but to the best of my knowledge it is not. Marc and I made a lot of late corrections to the book and I think it went to print later than our editors at SLG would have liked and responsibility for the lateness rests squarely on our shoulders.

Look on the bright side: the webcomic will continue until the book is out, so that means there'll be a few more weeks of free material for you. :)

-- JF

Everything but the Town Hall Clock

So, now that McBlack is over, I will have to actually write on my blog bit, won't I? Look for lots more sample art than I have shown over the last year.

Still don't know which week THE SIXSMITHS will be in stores, but I will most certainly advise you as son as I know.

I am presently getting the last stories together for the new KAGEMONO book, which is called FLOWERS AND SKULLS. Expect an update about that very soon.

I am finally getting my new short story "Metempsychosis" read for submission; that should be tonight or tomorrow. I now have two beautifully illustrated autobio short pieces, illustrated by Bruce Mutard (colours by Luke Pickett) and Joe Pimienta in hand. I hope to submit in the next week as well.

Putting a lot of thought into a couple of new non fiction projects.

Meanwhile, go check out the Smiling Damned group-blog. There are new recent entries about Scorpius from FARSCAPE and Asami Yamazaki from AUDITION--you don't wanna miss them!

Cheers,

-- JF

Rodney

A kind mention of some of my 'Rodney the Robot' strips in this review of ROBOTS ARE PEOPLE, TOO! #3, which came out in, I think 2009. You can read one of them with the article:

http://www.opticalsloth.com/?p=17063

I'm particularly fond of those Rodney strips, which are about 'the world's first true artificial intelligence', so I was really pleased to hear them mentioned. I did one strip for each of RAPT #1 and #2, and I think I wrote three for the third volume. I have a script for one more of them lying around somewhere.

Although I published the second volume of the RAP series, they are Greg Vondruska's baby. I was hoping he would do another this year, but it didn't work out. Perhaps next year I can persuade him to do a new volume, or even a collection.

-- JF

Sixsmiths interview @ Comic Monsters

Franks and J. Marc Schmidt talk about their upcoming graphic novel THE SIXSMITHS, to Decapitated Dan of Comic Monsters:

http://www.comicmonsters.com/features...

THE SIXSMITHS Graphic Novel available for Preorder

The new SIXSMITHS original graphic novel, written by Jason Franks with art by J. Marc Schmidt, has now been solicited in Previews for October release:

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THE SIXSMITHS are a family of suburban Satanists who've fallen prey to the global recession. Now their life is in turmoil: Ralf needs to find a new job; the twins, Cain and Lilith, need to survive the public school system; Annie needs to keep them all sane and under budget. Meanwhile, their estranged elder daughter Jezabelle is having her own crisis of the faith. Will the Devil rise to smite their enemies, or will he damn them with hellfire and wrath?

Diamond Code: AUG100733

ISBN 10: 1593622023

ISBN 13: 978-1593622022

You can order from your local comic store using the Diamond code, or in any good bookstore using the ISBN. Or, you can preorder from Amazon.com.

Published by Slave Labor Graphics, the book is a 168 page trade paperback, black and white interiors, colour cover, retailing for $12.95 USD.

The book contains all new material, structured into chapters, rather than gag strips, but featuring the same characters and situations in continuity with the webcomic.

Franks and Schmidt have put two and a half years of blood, sweat and tears* into this book in order to create the very finest Satanic family drama ever published in comic format–now it's up to you to propagate the Devil's dark gospel.

Cheerio!

– JF

*Not their own blood, sweat and tears, of course–the Devil prefers the sacrifice of innocents.

SAN DIEGO COMICON

Ladies and gentlemen,

Mr J.Marc Schmidt and I will be appearing at San Diego Comicon, for the debut of THE SIXSMITHS #1.

You can find us at the SLG encampment between 10 and 11:30 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and between 10:00am and 11am on the Sunday. Other times I will no doubt be somewhere loose at the show–if you want to find me but you can't make any of the signing times please let me know sooner rather than later and we'll sort something out.

Other SLG creators present throughout the day will be:

Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny The Homicidal Maniac, Squee)

Ross Campbell (Shadoweyes)

Dustin Higgins (Pinocchio the Vampire Slayer)

Van Jensen (Pinocchio the Vampire Slayer)

Lindsay Hornsby (A Friendly Game)

Jose Pimentia (A Friendly Game)

Lauren Affe (A Friendly Game)

Ken Knudtsen (My Monkeys Name is Jennifer)

Chris Reilly (Strange Eggs)

Aaron Alexovich (Serenity Rose)

Tommy Kovac (Wonderland, Royal Historian of OZ)

Drew Rausch (Winchester, Haunted Mansion) – Friday and Saturday

Only Greg Weisman (Gargoyles)

Andy Ristaino (Escape from Dullsville) Saturday Only

Stop by and say hi! Spend a single measly dollar and earn our eternal gratitude!

– JF

DICKS: "Singapore"

Over the weekend, Tom Bonin released the latest installment of DICKS, his awesome occult adventure buddy pulp comic.

Tom's book has been one of my absolute favourite local  comics since I moved back to Australia in 2007. There are six or seven issues so far, a one shot and a couple of miniseries, and now the latest book is an anthology of short stories in which a variety of local writers get a crack at Tom's characters. Jen Breach (Sawbones), James Andre (James Andre), Tom Taylor (Star Wars: Invasion and The Authority) and I have each written a story, which Mesr Bonin has lavishly illustrated in his usual arse-kicking noir style.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Tom on this and I'm honoured that he let me play with his toys in the 10 for 10 pages.  Mine is called "Singapore", inspired by the Tom Waits song.

Tom's website si currently being renovated, but you can check out his work here: http://www.comicspace.com/tombonin/ and here: http://tombonin.blogspot.com/.

The book is not available online yet, but if you email Tom he'll get you a copy.

– JF