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.
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