THE HOT MESS PRESS 9.29.23
captain britain: betsy braddock comes to your bookshelves
The “original trilogy” of Betsy Braddock’s rise to power as Captain Britain is complete (for now) with the December 2023 release of CAPTAIN BRITAIN: BETSY BRADDOCK.
I don’t think that’s the final cover, but I’ll keep you all posted. The title flip is interesting! A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Seems like a cool way to keep finding Captain Britain fans in the wild for years to come.
I’m so proud of this story. From Excalibur and X OF SWORDS to Knights of X and Captain Britain, we made almost a forty issue saga. Taking Betsy from a low point in her life to a new high, and she even gets the girl.
I won’t get too retrospective, but a big thing in superhero comics is timing. Our story elevating Betsy to the position of Captain Britain wouldn’t have been possible without two things that happened before I even was really in the mix at Marvel: Jim Zub’s Mystery in Madripoor story restoring Betsy to her own body, and Jonathan Hickman’s destruction of the Captain Britain Corps in Secret Wars. Those two, essentially unrelated (except for in the familial sense) events were in play long before I wrote a story bringing them together.
It’s something to think about if comics (or any sort of collaborative writing) is in your future. The landscape of where you’re working - fictionally and in meatspace - is ever-changing. It’s an art to stay true to you and the story you want to tell while also playing in a shared sandbox, staying agile in the midst of changes, and also successfully doing that thing that for some reason we all call “dancing between the raindrops.”
Why the fuck do we all call it that?
Anyway, I hate to link you to Amazon, but I haven’t found a good shop sales link for this book yet. I’ll change it and add it to the pre-order list once I do, but if you know you’re an Amazon buyer, here is that link.
PS - If you work at a comic or book shop, why not subscribe your shop email to The Scorpio Room below? Even at the free tier, you’ll get weekly-ish updates about what I’ve got coming out to make your ordering life a little easier. Always here to help my pals in the infantry (comics retail).
8.29 - BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR - BATTLE LINES - The first part of GOTHAM WAR starts here!
9.5 - BATMAN #137
9.19 - CATWOMAN #57
9.26 - BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR - RED HOOD #1
10.3 - BATMAN #138
10.17 CATWOMAN # 58
10.24 BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR - RED HOOD #2
10.31 BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR - SCORCHED EARTH
11.21 CATWOMAN #59 - NINE LIVES part ONE - Selina’s next arc, spinning out of GOTHAM WAR, starts here, and we’re joined by the incredible STEFANO RAFFAELE :
“The Catwoman we know has vanished. Selina Kyle is gone. She’s no longer Gotham’s fugitive—she’s its ghost.
After the events of “The Gotham War,” Selina leaves the city a forever-changed woman with a plan: nine deadly missions, each one set aside for their certain lethality—only possible for a cat with nine lives.”
HARLEY QUINN #32 - 9.26 - This is the start of Sweeney Boo and I’s second arc together. Jump on board!
HARLEY QUINN #33 - 10.24
APPEARANCES:
10.12.23-10.15.23: NEW YORK COMIC CON
Here’s what I’ve been enjoying, I think you might enjoy it too:
OUT AND ABOUT IN L.A: Last Saturday Blake and I headed out to CREEP I.E. CON, a fun little horrorfest in Ontario, CA. So, not quite L.A.
We were gifted passes from a friend, and it was such a good time to attend a convention that isn’t comics-based. We noshed on fun drinks and snacks, heard some great music, talked about our faves with other horror fans, and bought ourselves all sorts of little goth treats. We even stepped outside for a moment and were mere feet from the legend Tim Curry. (We didn’t bother him, of course. Merely appreciated being in his presence.)
READING: This was a pretty cool longread a friend of mine shared that goes into what happened to TCAF, why NFTs aren’t the artistic revolution they wanted to be, and how/where we make weird art in a world of big tech. I’ve been mulling it over all week. Due to my age, I sometimes feel like I saw some of the last Analog Weird Spaces. I can’t imagine, for example, LARPing like I did when I was 16 if everyone had a camera to record it! Anyone else about my age and think similarly? I’m no Luddite, but I think there’s real value in Unobserved Creativity. “Art for art’s sake.”
WATCHING: NEW CASTLEVANIA! Castlevania: Nocturne rules, right? Symphony of the Night is perhaps my favorite game of all time, so seeing Richter Belmont and Maria Renard as main characters is a real blast. I love Tiny Labor Organizer Maria. But honestly? It’s the new characters that are really grabbing me. I’m not through it yet so save me spoilers, but man, vampires, you guys, are really the coolest.
MAKES ME THINK: Death Positive superstar Caitlin Doughty has technically been on hiatus from her fascinating YouTube channel, but she’s still working. Her most recent video is an explanation of the Federal Trade Commission hearings regarding fair funeral pricing/communication, and how and why this is important for everyone who thinks death might be in their future. (Spoiler: that’s you!) It is even expensive to die in this country, and we can make it more affordable if we act. It might not SOUND fascinating, but I assure you it is, and there are some action items as well, if this shit gets you as fired up as it gets me.
ARTIST I’M DIGGING: Mobshity is an (NSFW) artist who does hand-drawn stipple Sharpie fanart on shirts he then produces highly limited runs of. He also sells originals and other cool things here on his website. I’m fascinated by the detail of his art, and also how quickly he seems to produce it. Note: if you decide to follow him on Instagram or something, you should know you’ll see a lot of him too. Just an FYI. Not…uh…a problem for me personally.
Time to go put up the Halloween decorations. That was fun, let’s do it again next week?
Stay weird, talk soon -
-TH 09.29.23 16:02
