Dylan Edwards's Blog, page 35

2017 events, and new comics on the way

Finally updated my Appearances page with my 2017 show schedule. I’ll add more events as they’re confirmed, but so far this is what I have planned.

I just recently finished a new autobio comic for Illustrated Pen, which is scheduled to go live in the next couple of weeks. Once it’s up I will, of course, provide a link, but for now here’s a li’l teaser:

Also, Valley of the Silk Sky chapter 7 will commence publication next Wednesday, January 18 (or Monday, January 16 if you’re a Patron!).

So! Get ready for MORE COMICS.

Cheers,

Dylan

Valley of the Silk Sky: Year 2

Okay, so technically I’m posting this a month early. VoSS’s birthday is January 14.

BUT! Chapter 7 is going to start running next month, so I wanted to have a little something to tide you over until then. Hence this ridiculous Year 2 graphic. You can view it at any of these fine locations:

the VoSS website
Tapastic
Studio NDR

This drawing was at least partially an excuse to play with some new art supplies I picked up, so it’s colored differently from my usual marker + gouache. The figures are colored with a combination of watercolor pencil and various writing inks. The background is digital, mostly because this was drawn on scrap paper and I didn’t have space for a proper background.

Anyhow, I’m busy coloring Chapter 7 right now, so you will be putting that into your eyeballs very soon.

Cheers,

Dylan

Talkin’ indie comics in Tokyo, Mini Comic Con this Saturday

I’ll be at Mini Comic Con this Saturday, December 3, here in Denver. It’s free and runs from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, so if you’re in town you should come check it out!

So that talk on Entrepreneurship in American Independent comics that I gave in Tokyo at the American Center? The video is now on line for your viewing pleasure. One catch: it’s dubbed in Japanese, no subtitles, so if you don’t speak Japanese that’s TOO BAD. Second caveat, it’s not edited, so you can watch me flail as I realize I left some of my materials in the green room and have to send someone to go get them, ha ha.

ANYWAY, if none of that deters you, here it is.

I would like to post the transcript in English at some point as a blog series, but it’ll take some time to put that together.

Meanwhile, I’ve been posting diary comics of my Japan travels over on my Patreon. Most of these are visible to $1+ Patrons, but here’s a sample that you can read for free.

Once I have a chance to scan the diary comics and clean them up a bit, my plan is to put together a new minicomic about my Japan travels. I’ll let you know once it’s available.

Cheers,

Dylan

Asexual Awareness Week, Valley of the Silk Sky progress report, Japan talk

So hey, it’s Asexual Awareness Week! If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out my comic for The Nib, wherein I go on about intersections of asexual, queer, and trans identities.

I was also interviewed for the BiCast podcast, wherein Sara Beth Brooks and I talk with Lynnette McFadzen about – what else? – ASEXUALITY. You can point your ears thisaway to indulge in said cast of pod.

Finally, speaking of comics with asexual characters, I have news on the Valley of the Silk Sky front. As you may recall, the comic was on hold while I worked on various and sundry freelance projects. But those projects are now complete, and I’m in the process of penciling chapter 7 even now.

I’m going to be in Japan for most of November, and my goal is to have the pencils finished before I leave. My goal is NOT to work myself to death while I’m on semi-vacation, so I won’t be doing any coloring until I get back. That puts the timeline at running chapter 7 in January. Appropriate enough, since January is VotSS’s birthday!

I say Japan is a semi-vacation, since I will be giving a talk on Entrepreneurship in American Comics while I’m there. So if you, also, will be in Tokyo on November 16th, you can come to the thing! It’s at the American Center from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM on Wednesday, Nov. 16. More details here (page is in Japanese).

I have a couple more announcements about upcoming events in December, but I’ll tell you more about those closer to the date.

Cheers,

Dylan

New comic up on The Nib

Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately. I’ve been working on a ton of freelance, but you can now peep some of the stuff that’s been keeping me busy!

First off, check out this new comic I did for The Nib. Seven whole pages of autobio comic shenanigans about being queer, asexual, and trans.

If you liked my QAT Person minicomic, you will definitely want to point your eyeballs at this new one. (And if you haven’t yet snagged a copy of my QAT Person minicomic, well heck, whaddaya waitin’ for. Get it here.)

I’ve also been working on a series of illustrations for Out2Enroll, a non-profit that helps LGBTQIA+ folks in California find health insurance and raises awareness of patient rights. The first two illos are up here and here, and there will be five more to come.

So yeah, been busy! But pretty soon now I’ll be starting pencils on the next chapter of Valley of the Silk Sky, so stay chooned.

Cheers,

Dylan

SPX this weekend! Come to the thing!

It is time once again for the Small Press Expo to commence! This weekend, September 17-18, 2016, you will find me at the MARRIOTT NORTH BETHESDA HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER. [Dunt dunt dunn]

I’ll be ensconced at the Northwest Press table D2.

Also, as you may recall, the Beyond Anthology is nominated for an Ignatz Award, so like vote for it and stuff.

AND, there will be a bunch of us Beyondees scattered about the show, should you wish to seek out autographs. Use this handy treasure map to seek out your fortune:

I personally am sold out of Beyonds, but will be bringing a display copy if you want to flip through. I know Reed Black will have a handful of copies to sell, so hit his table up early if you wanna snag one.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Cheers,

Dylan

Awards and noms

Exciting news! That comic I did for Fusion last year, “How I told My Grandma I’m Transgender,” has won the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association Award for Excellence in Transgender Coverage!

HOW. COOL. IS. THAT.

(Answer: it’s pretty darn cool.)

If you’d like to have a copy of this comic in print format, remember you can buy the minicomic version from my Gumroad store.

So, like, I’ve been in a few award-winning anthologies, but this is my first solo award for my comics work. So I am, as of now, officially an Award Winning Cartoonist™.

SPEAKING OF AWARD-WINNING ANTHOLOGIES. Ahem.

The Beyond Anthology, which has already won a Lambda Literary Award and been named to the Tiptree Honor List, is now nominated for an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology or Collection.

So! Even more coolness.

I do indeed have plans to be at SPX with Northwest Press (table D2). So if you’re going to be there, come to the booth for some queer comics goodness, and vote Beyond Anthology for Outstanding Anthology or Collection!

Cheers,

Dylan

FlameCon this weekend, Valley of the Silk Sky progress report

This very weekend, August 20-21, you can find me at FlameCon in Brooklyn, NY! I’m super excited about this queer comics convention. If you, also, are excited about queer comics and are in NY, come to the thing.

I’ll be at table 17 with Eric Arroyo and Kou Chen, and will also be participating in the Queercopia Readings at noon on Sunday. EXCITE.

As far as the status of Valley of the Silk Sky is concerned: I’ve been busy thumbnailing the next several chapters (turns out chapters 8 and 9 had to swap places for timeline reasons), and hope to wrap that up before I head to NYC.

Then it will be on to penciling chapter 7. I do still have various other paying projects competing for my time, so I can’t say when exactly you’ll start seeing pages again. Pledgers to my Patreon are currently seeing my VotSS story from the Beyond Anthology, and are getting some behind-the-scenes deets as well as additional world-building nuggets.

So, like, if you want in on that, go drop a dollar (or more!) per month and it shall be yours. The more people pledge, the more I can focus on VotSS, and the less I have to take on other paying work in order to “eat” “food” and “pay” “bills.”

Cheers,

Dylan

SDCC approacheth

San Diego Comic Con (or Comic Con International, if you prefer) is next week! Am I ready? Is anyone ready?

As per previous years, you can find me and my books at the Northwest Press section of the PRISM Comics booth #2144.

I’m also on two panels this year:

Queer Representation in All-Ages and Youth Media

Friday, July 22 at 10:00 AM in Room 4

Gays (And More) in Comics (And More)

Saturday, July 23 at 6:00 PM in Room 29AB

If you have the Comic Con app you can use those links to bookmark the panels in your schedule. I’m moderating the Queer Rep in Youth Media panel, so come to the thing to hear me ask HARD HITTING questions about LIBRARIES.

As for Other Things: I’ve been busily thumbnailing the comics project that is currently keeping me from working on Valley of the Silk Sky, so that one’s proceeding apace. Also been working on character designs for another anthology piece.

If you’re looking for stuff to read in the meantime, you can always hit up my Patreon. For the next few months I’ll be serializing my Valley of the Silk Sky story from Beyond, and including world-building commentary. A mere one dollar a month grants you admission, and your financial support allows me to continue focusing on comics.

Cheers,

Dylan

Valley of the Silk Sky chapter 6 is complete!

Page 63 is up, and that’s a wrap on chapter 6! Read the SHOCKING CONCLUSION here:

on the VotSS website
on Tapastic
on Studio NDR

If you want to read the whole thing from the start, or to pick a specific chapter head, might I recommend this link: Start Here: Table of Contents

So, what next, you ask.

Right now I’m in the midst of working on a different comics project, and it’s going to keep me busy through most of the rest of the summer. That means I don’t expect to be able to start running chapter 7 until the fall.

If you don’t feel like waiting that long to see what I’ve been working on, a mere one dollar a month over at my Patreon will get you access to my work-in-progress blog. Your dollars are immensely helpful in making it possible for me to keep doing this comics thing.

I’ll be at San Diego Comic Con in July once again. Got a couple of panels lined up, but they have not been officially announced yet, so I am not supposed to tell you when just yet. BUT! Stay tuned for further news.

Cheers,

Dylan