Relaunches are a way of life in comics, a chance for renewal, revision, and recapturing attention in an ever-crowded market.
Did I ever tell you how I once pitched a series just called RELAUNCH where we’d get in-demand talent who didn’t have time to commit to an entire monthly series and put them on a single issue featuring a long-dormant character and let them redefine said character before handing it off to a new team to run with it from there? Like most of my ideas, it went off like a fart in church, but it brings us to…
…The All-New Editor’s Notes! a/k/a…
3Q3A!
Eagle-eyed readers will remember all the way back to last week when a heroic subscriber named ELIOT METZ (etz…etz…etz) won a highly-coveted international contest to rename this very column, so here we are starting all over thanks to a guy whose last name is a homonym for an embarrassing American sports franchise. That said, who am I to have any fun with someone’s last name?
Regardless, we’re all here, and you look great! So let’s get to your 3Qs! And I’ll prepare my 3As!
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Q1
CAMERON writes:
As this whole Substack ecosystem/experience is quite different from traditional comics and largely undefined, are there any projects you're looking to tackle in your Editor-In-Chief role that wouldn't be available or possible as a classic comics editor?
Absolutely. In fact, the first project we are building is something I had very little opportunity to be a part of in my previous jobs. These world-building stories and essays we are currently premiering here on Substack are all pieces of our first sourcebook coming to annual and founding subscribers later this year. And it’s a completely new way of building a story for me.
It’s essentially creating a real-time OGN (or Original Graphic Novel, for those not-so-armed with the acronym acumen!).
In my early DC days, I was an assistant on a handful of Elseworld OGNs. At Marvel, I did edit one fantastic Spidey OGN with Mark Waid, James Robinson, Gabe Dell’Otto, and Werther Dell’edera called FAMILY BUSINESS. However, for the most part, my bag was mostly monthly (or weekly!... sigh) comics.
Working at the scale that the 3W/3M team is working at right out of the gate (and with the wide array of talent) has been a dream come true so far and certainly is scratching a new itch that wouldn’t have been precisely possible in my editing days.
Q2
STEPHEN writes:
Question: If you had to recommend us readers drop everything and enjoy a work of art (any medium) from before the 20th century, what would it be?
First of all, great name! Are you me? Am I dreaming? Are you my evil fiction-suit Grant warned me about ten minutes from now?
Look, we don’t know each other, but I can tell ya that I do NOT believe in couching things halfway in some strained, midwest-mannered “well, in my opinion…” style of phumferring that I marinated in for most of my life, so I am going to provide you with the definitive answer and will brook no further debate!
And as a former Six Flags performer, people always come to me all the time for suggestions of art masterpieces from the pre-1900s, so I’ve gotten this question a TON over the years!
The greatest pre-20th century work of art from ANY medium is…
Pizza.
I mean, people are STILL talking about pizza to this very day! And it continues to inspire PizzArtisans around the world!
Trust me if you haven’t had it yet…try a pizza today!
(Runners up: The Taj Mahal, Beethoven’s 3rd, Barcelona, and Jason Aaron’s beard)
Q3
PHIL asks:
Question: Coming in and helping to plan the future releases, was there anything, maybe that we haven't seen yet, that you thought, "we have to get this out quick" Thanks!
The Whales story from last week would have been my answer seven days ago. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and check it out…if only for the breathtaking Christian Ward art.
(And don’t miss the [PROCESS] TRANSIT from Huddleston that will take you deeper into the thinking behind the story)
Now that that story is out in the world, though, the thing I cannot WAIT for you to see are designs that have been coming in from del Mundo and Huddleston for a pantheon of gods that will help define the power and scope of Magic in the 3W/3M.
More to come on that soon, but these designs will absolutely floor you!
And that’s the 3Q/3As. Keep those questions coming, and you may see me mistype your name right here!
Bits of business:
-Substack Link ‘o The Week:
A little different this time out. Instead of a single feed, I want to point you to something you may have missed. A metric ton of new comics were released last week, and I want to help get the word out. It’s a busy world with a lot coming at us at any given minute, so if you missed it, here’s everything in one place.
Go check it all out:
-FRIDAY
Friday.
Remember Friday. A special announcement is coming that will begin answering many lingering questions.
Friday. Friday. Friday. (hmm… it looks weird now that I typed it so much).
Friday.
-COMING SOON:
We’ve started to discuss the next [Worlds Worth Watching]. We have some solid ideas on what to watch next floating around among the team, but pop them down below if you have a suggestion!
-COMING SOON II
Hey, art hounds! We have another great Mike del Mundo live draw right around the corner, so sharpen those nibs, clear those layers and prepare to join us! I’ll be there, too, to remind him just who’s the boss (NOTE: He is.)
That’s it. What a great relaunch! I feel like we all got something out of it. See ya next week.
Viva Pizza!
Steve
2/22/22
That Relaunch series would have been great! Oh well, hold on to that idea- when we eventually run out of creative ideas you can pitch it again to us!
Thanks for answering my question. Transit was amazing and now I can't wait for the new designs! Much appreciated updates. WWW - The Fifth Element? Scratch that itch left by Jodorowsky's Dune.