PHENOMENOCITY Creative Retreat
Joshua Tree Desert, where gods still live
Hi there friends!
Let’s be vulnerable and real for a moment - I am swamped. I am having an incredible year professionally but a really frustrating one health-wise (nothing serious, just…annoying) and I am in a bit of a crucible right now, working toward getting all of my schedule projects in a state of operational homeostasis while my body dropkicks me every few months for a reason unrelated to the one before it. That’s life, baybay. It’s 2022 and I’m in my mid-late thirties, shit happens.
But for me, starting things takes so much more energy than maintaining them. Of course, I stagger, plot, and schedule when I’m working on each of my projects (which, if you’re counting - Catwoman, Punchline: The Gotham Game, Phenomenocity, and the upcoming Harley Quinn and Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain - as well as one fun little side gig that I can’t talk about yet) but it’s a careful dance. A bump like a sick day (or if you get whacked with COVID, more like a sick week at minimum,) can throw everything off. But I’ve learned I simply can’t ignore it when it happens. I’ve only got the one body, and while it does look perfect in a leather jacket and jeans, it needs rest and activity and sunshine.
Of course, with my birthday immediately preceding Halloween, I was able to enjoy both of those holidays with loved ones, followed by last weekend’s incredible trip:
A Phenomenocity Creative Retreat with Phil Sevy (and our amazing partners, Christie and Blake.)
We chose Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. It’s one of my favorite places on the planet - partially because it doesn’t look like this planet. There’s something both otherworldly and primal about the place, and the sort of strange culture that builds out under all that sky.
Not only did Phil and I break some of the next few chapters (we can’t help ourselves, I’m doing a few little rewrites now because the stuff we thought of was too good), Blake and Christie (who are also writers) were a welcome addition, not only as some of our favorite people, but just…the vibe, man.
Camping is one thing, but camping with creative people is just magic. You can find real quiet out there. I don’t want to go too far into it (teaser: one of my favorite comics news outlets wants to talk to us about the retreat so I’m saving the good parts,) but here are a few more pics. If you listen closely, you can hear spoilers for Chapter 3.
(*she puts Monster energy in her mimosas)
Thanks for your patience, all. I really like having this space and having Phenomenocity to work on has changed so much of my mentality as a creator. Your patience while this year has granted me some huge unexpected career highs and health lows means everything to me. Thanks for sticking around - I’m not going anywhere.
PAID SUBSCRIBERS:
Phil and I worked out a plan to get physical rewards to you. As a thanks, we’ll be waiving some fees because you’ve been so patient and I don’t feel right charging you more for your support until you’ve got my thanks in your hand! Keep an eye out for some posts this week regarding giving us your address, what’s coming your way, and scheduling a live-draw to watch Phil do some of your Founder sketches.
EDITING to add one more thing, duh:
3W3M: TREASURE (pt 1 & 2) by TINI HOWARD and PHIL HESTER
If you’re enjoying comics on Substack at all, you’re probably familiar with 3W3M, the comic universe by Jonathan Hickman, Mike del Mundo, and Mike Huddleston.
In the beginning (which I feel like you can say with the appropriate Biblical Resonance in a Hickman book) folks like me, Al Ewing, and Ram V were brought on to help develop the world’s [SYSTEMS] - magic, economy, religion and the like, and now some of us are coming back to play in the sandbox we helped build.
Can’t help myself. Hickman builds a sandbox, I gotta pee in it like a mean cat.
Meow! Go subscribe now!
Stay weird, talk soon, and hey -
Take care of yourselves. Your health is everything. I care about you a lot.
-TH 11/11/22 11:11PM PST
This is great!