The secret (finally) revealed!!

Revealed at long last– the secret origin of Watusi the Talking Dog!! Or maybe “originS” is more accurate, as told in this collection of comics by me, Matt Corrigan, Steve Peters & Daniel Heredia, Steve Skeates, Drew Boynton, Nate Corrigan, Larned Justin, Tom Cherry, Billy McKay, and J.B. Winter!

This “untold origin” project is one I’ve had on the back burner for a shamefully long time; it fell into the cracks when jam comic participation dried up before this invitational issue was filled up and other projects pushed to the fore. But it’s finally complete, and I’m really happy with how it turned out!

Watusi the Talking Dog #40 is a 16-page black & white digest w/ full-color cover; ask for it at your comic shop of choice, or get a copy by mail via my Square store for $3.00 postpaid in the US. You can also get a copy by becoming one of my Patreon patrons during the months of May/June 2021 at the Correspondent or Art Lover tier– plus, joining gives you immediate access to online bonus comics, including a full-color Human Spring adventure!

[January 2023 UPDATE: I’ve closed my Patreon page.]

Hot off the press: Watusi and the Emerald Serpent!

Well, maybe more “warm out of the oven,” since I’ve taken this collection to my last two events (with two more on the horizon: the Memphis Comic Expo, Oct. 22-23 and Wichita’s Air Capital Comiccon, Nov. 12-13) . But with the print copies now in hand, and my shipping costs figured out, I’m happy to share these comics with those of you who aren’t able to catch me at one of my appearances!

Watusi and the Emerald Serpent is the story of an ordinary talking dog thrown out of his comfort zone into a crime-ridden island paradise! Watusi finds himself pitted against an outlaw gang and its lunatic leader in his most epic adventure yet! Inspired by the Kenneth Robeson Doc Savage novels and Floyd Gottfredson’s “Mickey Mouse” strips, this story may be my favorite project so far. Certainly my favorite Watusi story.

As I wrote a couple of months ago, I’ve been working on a print edition of this story, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. This print edition has been edited and expanded from the story as it was first published online (46 of its 84 pages have new &/or updated content), and I think the changes help the story flow much better. And look better, too! In addition to interior art improvements, I’m also really happy with the full-color covers– I think it’s my best color work to date– and the full-color guest art from JB Winter, Billy McKay, Mike Sullivan, and Tom Cherry really rounds out the package in a classy way. As you can tell, I’m trying hard not to overdo the hyperbole, but I’m really proud of these comics, and hope everyone who reads these issues enjoys them as much as I did making them!

You can order all seven 16-page issues (b&w interiors with full-color covers) as a set from my Square store & have them delivered right to your mailbox!

They came from the mailbox!

It’s true! In the mail, with a stamp and everything!

I’ve been going through my collection of minicomics lately, and found myself bemoaning the loss of the network of active self-publishers from the good ol’ days of the SPCE scene. Then, out of the blue, D. Blake Werts’ Copy This! #1 appeared in my mail, attempting to fill that very void. Needless to say, it really struck a chord with me! A high-quality 40-page mini, it kicks off with a Steve Willis essay and a long interview with Dan W. Taylor. Its second half is filled with updates on a number of well known and new (to me, at least) minicomic creators, including Ed Bolman, Brad Foster, Andy Nukes, Rick Bradford, Matt Feazell, and more. Blake has a second issue in the works already and would love to have more cartoonists join his revived “paperNet”- you can contact him at bwerts (at) vnet.net to get an e-mail version of his questionnaire or just to find out more.  You can also get a sample issue for $2 each; email Blake for mailing address.

Coincidentally, Billy McKay, one of the artists slated for an update in Copy This! #2 just sent me his newest comic: Peculiar Paper People #1. It’s a beautifully-produced collection of Billy’s surreal stories, mixing newly-colored past work and brand new stories in a 16-page full-color digest. It has the same high production level Billy’s always brought to his work, even if it has less of a hand-crafted feel than many of his older comics. You can get if for just $2.00 from Billy’s etsy shop.