A Message from Stephen Wacker

Editor's Notes #1

Testing…testing…

It’s dark in here…

Ah, here we go. A keyboard. All I need.

Welcome 3W3Mers to the new Now.

If you missed last week’s onslaught of comics news about all the goings-on around here, you might have no idea who I am. My name is Stephen “Stephe” Wacker, and I am the new Editor-In-Chief here at 3W3M.

What that means for you is… well, maybe not too much beyond understanding that the team doesn’t think of this as a casual undertaking or a simple, barebones e-mail newsletter.

I’ve worked in comics for many years at a couple of different companies and on many various projects, but I’ve never had the opportunity to be a part of something wholly new, to see a seed grow into a forest.  That’s what’s intoxicating about this and why I didn’t fight back when Jonathan hit me on the head during a Marvel Zoom call and dragged me over here.

Like many of you, I was a 3W3M subscriber from Day One when Substack opened the door to many of my favorite comic creators. (And in case you missed it, they opened the door even wider last week!)

What brought me here was obviously del Mundo and Huddleston. The chance to see a world entirely inspired by their designs and aesthetics was surely going to be worth the price of that Annual subscription, and, boy, I was right!

I should note here that I’ve TOTALLY heard of Jonathan, too, and TOTALLY didn’t think he was the “Walking Dead” guy when I took the job. See, that’s Robert KIRKman. This is Jonathan HICKman …from “French Connection.”  No, wait…that Gene HACKman. 

Anyhoo, I’m sure Jonathan’s really, really good at writing or whatever.

Back to the matter at hand, at my first meeting with the team today, we talked a lot about nuts-and-bolts business stuff, schedules, strategy … all the boring mish-mosh that you’d get at most companies. But one thing that came through loud-and-clear is the seriousness everyone involved takes in making sure we are delivering on the promise of that subscription button you pressed so heartily, letting you see first-hand what it takes to birth and build a new universe and making sure you are a part of something worth your time, money and attention.

From everything I know is coming … trust me, you did the right thing being here.

A couple last bits of business:

-The plan is for this Editor’s Notes post to become a regular feature, so we probably need a better name than that, something that fits the 3W3M vibe.  Best suggestion gets a guest appearance in this very column!

-I would occasionally like to run some reader mail here, so send in your thoughts either by commenting below or e-mailing us at info@3worlds3moons.com. And if there’s other stuff you’d like to see here, let me know.

-All of us get a lot of emails, so I’m sure the amount can quickly get overwhelming. But the content we’ve put together here at 3W3M is absolutely worth your time if you’re interested in what the scaffolding of these stories will look like.  So to that end, I would recommend heading to the main site and taking a read (or a reread) of all the index of posts so far. We’ve seen what writers Tini Howard and Al Ewing and Ram V have added, and there’s much, much more to come from names that you tastemakers out there know.

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-Substack Link-of-the-Week: You must check out XANADUUM 

or, as I call it, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!  Worth every penny.

-Comic of the week: I just did a reread of Vaughn and Guerra’s Y: THE LAST MAN, and if you have yet to experience it, I highly recommend it for all the reasons everyone gives (tight plot, great dialogue, epic ending) but also because artist Pia Guerra remains one of the all-time greats drawing some of the best “acting” in comics. Her characters feel 100% lived-in.

-3W3M Employee-of-the-Month: ME! Congrats, Steve! Enjoy the slightly closer parking spot and 10% off at the 3W3M cafeteria!

That’s it. See you in a few days.

Viva Templar!

SW