Justice League of News Tidbits

It's been about a month since my last post, and while I still can't talk publicly about my current project (which is barrelling along like a runaway train, FYI) there's nonetheless a bunch of other bits of news to share, which I'll assemble here as a sort of news tidbit crossover team-up event:

THE CAPTIVE PRINCE Re-RELEASE DATE

The third Three Thieves book, The Captive Prince, will be back in stores October 28. It continues to be exciting watching this series roll back out into the world, finding new readers and pleasing old ones who could no longer find copies. People continue to email me asking where they can find the books, but now I have something to tell them, which is a relief. My friends at Papercutz deserve all the thanks we can give them for putting out these new editions. Like the first two volumes, this one will contain new supplemental material, including sketches, in-progress art, and a new installment of the ongoing interview between myself and comics editor/journalist/scholar Irene Velentzas, in which I spill all manner of behind-the-scenes secrets.

Speaking of behind-the-scenes, here's a five minute video I recorded for a virtual Library Con event back in November, about the rerelease of Tower of Treasure. I talk about the history of the series and what inspired it, and you'll get a few glimpses of my office/studio/workspace. Forgive the audio volume, which is a bit all over the place (the result of recording some of it on my phone and the rest using a proper microphone.)

Bix anniversary

Want even more videos? April 28th is the fifth anniversary of the release of my experimental graphic biography Bix, about the short life of the doomed jazz pioneer Bix Beiderbecke. Not one of my better-known books, unfortunately (having been released five weeks into the first Covid lockdown) but nonetheless the one I'm most proud of, and that I feel best represents my work.

Here's a 40-minute video I recorded at the time (once again with perennial interviewer/career booster Irene Velentzas) that was meant to replace the spotlight panel that didn't happen at that spring's cancelled Toronto Comic Arts Festival. It's a deep dive into how the book "works" and the mechanics of the comics medium in general, so if you're a process junkie like I am, you've come to the right place.

Beyond The Process

Want a more current interview? I've done a bunch recently, but the best has been with Shane White over at Beyond the Process. It's behind a paywall, so you'll need a prescription to read the whole thing. Lots of good advice there, though, for creative professionals new and old. Here's a taste, answering a question about how long-time creators can stay relevant. (If it's not clear by now, I relish opportunities to have meaningful conversations rather than the usual "when does your book come out and how did you get the idea for it?" type of media interview.)

Upcoming Appearances

I don't get invited to that many events in the U.S. even at the best of times, but as mentioned elsewhere, I've cancelled the few appearances I had scheduled there for 2025 and won't be accepting more for the foreseeable future. I'm sure you understand why.

That said, I'll still be signing or speaking anywhere that will have me in Canada or elsewhere around the world. You can always keep up with where I'll be over at my website's "tour" page, which I try to make sure gets updated with new stuff as it gets firmed up.

I've got a unique one coming up: Guelph, Ontario's The Bookshelf, a very cool indie cinema/bookstore, is hosting a screening of the film adaptation of Chester Brown's graphic memoir Paying for It, with director Sook-Yin Lee and Brown himself in attendance for a Q&A. In collaboration with The Dragon, it will also include a sort of mini-con with an impressive line-up of Ontario comics creators (including your truly) on hand. Come out on April 26th, see the film, buy a book or two, get them signed, and chat with some terrific cartoonists.

See you there?

Thank You for Coming to My TED(x) Talk

Thirteen years ago this week, I gave a talk called "Drawing Stories" at TEDx Waterloo, becoming only the third comics creator to speak at a TED or TEDx event (following Scott McCloud at TED proper in 2009 and Kyle Baker at TEDx Hunter CCS, also in 2012.)

Photo by James Bastow

Though honoured to be invited, I wasn't happy with the talk itself. An error on the organizers' part resulted in my slides coming up out of order, which really threw me off my game in front of a crowd of about 1300 people (at Centre in the Square in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) and who knows how many watching online. I'm not linking it here, but it's definitely online if you're looking for it. I've never been able to bring myself to watch it back, but hopefully they've done some editing to make me look good. In any case, lower your expectations.

Photo by Darin White

The better part of the event was that after my talk (I spoke first) I did live drawings of the rest of the speakers, in the form of panels on a giant comics page. It was a fun piece of performative art that framed the day nicely and was unique (as far as I know) in the history of TED or TEDx. Among the other speakers were Taylor Jones of Dear Photograph fame, musician Peter Katz, a smokin' performance by jazz pianist Roberta Hunt, Columbia University professor Sarah Williams, and Canadian-Palestinian doctor and peace advocate Izzeldin Abuelaish. It was the real deal.

Photo by Darin White

Photo by Darin White

THUMBNAILS

The subject of my TEDx talk was, of course, visual storytelling (about the only thing I'd ever be asked to speak on with any sort of authority.) Been a lot of that going on here the last little while. There always is, of course, but I've been working on rough page layouts for two new graphic novels, and for my money that's where the real heavy lifting for comics storytelling happens. Written comics scripts aren't fundamentally different from movie or TV scripts; they're mostly a blueprint for a work of art you're going to make later. And the finished art stages are simply refining the surface of images you've (hopefully) already thoroughly thought out. For me, while they aren't always much to look at, the quick, rough thumbnail layout sketches in between are where the rubber really meets the road. Because 85% of what makes comics meaningful is composition.

For example:

Composition can mean the arrangement of elements within the panels, such as choreographing action...

..Or making sure the details of characters' "performances" read clearly.

"About yea big."

It might mean coming up with meaningful tableaus that invoke a particular emotion...

...Or that claustrophobically trap your characters in boxes within boxes.

Of course, you might simply be working out the delicate choreography of a face-to-face confrontation between two characters in domed space helmets.

Because this is comics and not "just" illustration, you've also got to compose the arrangement of the panels themselves. For instance, you might use multiple panels to create a sense of place...

I would absolutely hang out in this joint.

...Or use the panel border itself as a compositional element, creating a sense of physical separation between two characters who are at odds.

You might use repetition -- or the lack thereof -- to create a sense of timing and pace, either fast or slow. (I'm a well-known purveyor of slow comics.)

Whatever rhythm you create, you can then break it in meaningful ways. Preferably with ominous headstones.

These drawings will all improve later on, but they already "read," even in this unfinished state, because the ideas are clear. At least I hope they are, because while they look fast (and are) each is the end result of a bunch of other, less effective ideas that were scrapped -- which is why you don't waste too much time on finished drawings at this stage.

It's an art form with a lot of moving parts, and there are a thousand decisions to make on every page. There are all sorts of ways to tell a story with pictures, and while there are certainly principles, there aren't a lot of hard and fast rules. It's thrilling and intimidating all at once.

Shhh...

And no, I can't tell you what either project is because neither has been announced. You can guess, but I ain't sayin'. The good news is there's a lot of new material in the pipeline. I've got a busy few years ahead.

Which is exactly how I like it.

Birthday Cake and Whiskey

With Three Thieves Vol. 1: Tower of Treasure now back out in the world, it's probably time to start getting people excited for Vol. 2: The Sign of the Black Rock and Vol 3: The Captive Prince, which are being rereleased by Papercutz on June 24 and October 28, respectively.

I was especially happy to draw a new cover for The Sign of the Black Rock, because both of the previous covers were my least favourite of their runs. Covers are an aspect of book production that even the most hands-on creators have the least control over. It's essentially an advertisement for the book, so publishers have strong opinions about them, as do their marketing departments, distributors, and so on. You submit a handful of ideas and they pick the one they like -- assuming they like any of them and don't end up suggesting their own. It's easy to end up scratching your head over where you ended up, but I think we finally got it right with this one.

The new cover for The Captive Prince, on the other hand, is essentially the same concept that appeared on the previous two editions, just a better version of it. Two different publishers have chosen it three different times, which I totally understand: it's simple, fun, and gets immediately to the role reversal at the heart of the book's story.

Here's a video I recorded for Papercutz of me inking it, and talking a bit about how it's been to draw Dessa and her friends again:

MORE PICTURES OF Spider-man

I had two terrific book signings this month to mark the rerelease of Three Thieves.

The first was at The Dragon in Guelph, Ontario, an inviting, world-class comics shop owned by my longtime friend Jenn Haines. It also happened to be my birthday the next day, so Papercutz sent a cake, which was a nice surprise. Always nice when publishers do more than expected, and remember that you're a person and not just a product. I think everybody in the shop got a piece. Pretty great.

The second signing was this past weekend at Wayside Comics & Cocktails in Newmarket, Ontario, which is exactly what the name would suggest: a combination comics shop and cocktail bar. It's relatively new, but has quickly endeared itself to southern Ontario comics creators and the local readership with its signature cocktails, easygoing vibe, and well-curated selection of books.

Because of the nature of the shop, ordering a Jameson whiskey there eventually became asking for “J. Jonah Jameson,” which evolved further into simply asking for “more pictures of Spider-Man.” I honoured this tradition in a sketch, which was then celebrated by downing the pictured shots. Always a good time with Omar and the gang.

I signed stock at both stores, so if you're looking for autographed copies of my books, there are plenty at both locations. And both are shops worth visiting in their own right. Retailers are on the front lines of the comics business (and the wider book business) and these are two of the best, who've built a real sense of community among the customer bases in their cities.

THE rest of 2025

So far, I don't have other personal appearances planned for this year, though I'm entertaining a couple of offers (both involve travel to the U.S., which is very much touch-and-go at the moment, as you'll understand if you have any access whatsoever to the news.) Which is fine, because I have two big projects that I'm nose-to-the-grindstone on. I still can't talk much about either one, but if I disappear for a while, that's what I'll be doing.

In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of me shovelling delicious cookie cake into my face.