PERILS ON PLANET X - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION On Sale Now!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... AVAILABLE AT LAST! The PERILS ON PLANET X Definitive Collection Trade Paperback!

This handsome 140-page tome contains the entire 2016 "Hawke of Terra" miniseries by Yours Truly & Gene Gonzales, all the original 2002 webcomics drawn by Jon Plante, a bonus story, sketchbooks and a pin-up gallery. All in Color on high-quality paper stock and available with two variant covers!

Just $25 + shipping. Click on the links below to get yours TODAY! (Please SHARE and spread the word!)

Gene Gonzales Cover

 

Eduardo Barreto Cover

PERILS ON PLANET X Collection Coming Soon

So, I was hoping to have the Perils On Planet X: The Definitive Collection trade paperback available for purchase this month, but I got sidetracked by other projects (and my office has been uncomfortably cold for the last several weeks and I've been avoiding it). Now, I'm aiming for a late May-early June release. The book is shaping up nicely - I just received Gene Gonzales' beautiful new cover art (the book will also be available with a variant cover by the late Eduardo Barreto) - and will include all three issues of the "Hawke of Terra" miniseries, all of the 2002 webcomics by Jon Plante, sketchbook and gallery features... and more.

So, if you're one of the three people who've been pestering me for a collection for the past few years, start saving your pennies now! This one's gonna cost you!

My Future Comics Plans

People keep asking about whether or not there will be future installments of Femme Noir and Perils On Planet X. The short answer: there's nothing planned.

Joe Staton and I did have a Femme Noir miniseries in the works, and had it pretty much ready to go. We even thought we had a major publisher lined up... but it fell through. Other publishers were approached and seemed mildly interested, but offered no commitments. With Joe's Dick Tracy workload, it's not practical to produce a four-issue miniseries on spec, so....

As for Perils On Planet X, we simply haven't sold enough copies of the first miniseries for Gene Gonzales and I to feel that a second would be worth our while. I'm still trying to get the existing issues on Comixology and may put together a trade paperback collection, so if there's a spike in interest/sales it's not impossible that we'll get to produce Volumes 2 and 3, but it's not very likely.

 

So, what is in the works?

There will be a new Gravedigger miniseries, "The Abductors," most likely in late 2017 from Action Lab comics. Rick Burchett and I also have plans for a very different comics project - a sci-fi adventure epic - once Gravedigger Vol. 2 is finished.

I'm still working on the Space Crusaders graphic novel with Peter Grau, though I have no idea when it will be finished... and that's all I have cooking at the moment, comics-wise.

I have a couple other projects percolating, but they're in the earliest stages, and I'm waiting on some collaborators to find time in their schedules.

So, there we go. I've got some scripts to finish up that should keep me busy through the end of the year, but not much planned for next year. 

 

Hopefully, I'll find some artists that want to team up with me on some new stuff... I've got lots of stories left to tell.

This Weekend: BANGOR COMIC & TOY CONVENTION

 For those of you Maine and New England folks attending the Bangor Comic & Toy Convention at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine this weekend, I'll be there all day on Saturday and Sunday, and will have sale copies of the Femme Noir comic books (tho I'm almost out of issue #1), Gravedigger (comics & trades), Shadow House, the Night Driver graphic novel, and the Kolchak The Night Stalker trade paperback collections that contain the two Kolchak miniseries I wrote. I'll also have a few copies of the Spider Chronicles, Captain Midnight Chronicles and Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising short story anthologies available.

In addition, my lovely better half, Brandi, will have some of her handmade geek-themed jewelry for sale at our table for you craftsy types.

Saturday afternoon, at 2:00, I'll be doing a panel (is it still a panel, if you're alone?) on Comics Writing, and Saturday night, around 8 PM, I'll be hosting a sci-fi double feature screening of 1953's Cat Women Of The Moon and 1959's Teenagers From Outer Space.

Hoping to meet a lot of cool new people (and customers!) and maybe catch up with some old friends. Hey, you never know.

ON SALE NOW! PERILS ON PLANET X Print Editions

After more than 15 years in production, all three issues of the interplanetary swashbuckler, Perils On Planet X,  by Yours Truly and Gene Gonzales, with colors by Ian Sokoliwski, are available to purchase NOW!

They are only available by mail order from IndyPlanet. This is is the best way to support us and the book, as the profits go directly to Gene and myself. Each issue is 32 full-color pages, printed on high-quality, heavy paper stock and includes pin-up art by several well-known comics creators.

Sales of these issues will help Gene and I determine whether there's enough demand for Volume 2: "Agent of Empyr," so if you'd like to see further Perils On Planet X adventures, be sure to order your copies soon.

PERILS ON PLANET X Print Editions Coming Soon

All three issues of Perils On Planet X have been sent to the printer. In just a very short while, they'll be available for mail order thru IndyPlanet.us. As soon as they're ready to go, I'll let everyone know here and Facebook and Twitter.

Since we're self-publishing these, buying copies online is the best way to directly support me and Gene Gonzales... especially if you'd like to see more Planet X comics one day! Remember, these will not be available in stores - only by mail order or directly from Gene or myself at conventions.

So, stand by - ordering details coming soon!

Summer Vacation on Planet X

It's been nearly a year since Gene Gonzales and I wrapped up our (first?) Perils On Planet X adventure. This Fall, I'm hoping we'll formulate a practical plan for getting a print edition published. Until then, it remains complete and free to read online.

As the dog days of Summer close upon us, maybe it's a good time to re-read (or read for the first time!) the entire Perils On Planet X "Hawke of Terra" saga... from the beginning!

PERILS ON PLANET X: The End Is Nigh!

After about a year and a half of regular weekly Friday updates, the first (and hopefully, not last) Perils On Planet X graphic novel, "Hawke of Terra," is nearly completed (just two pages/weeks to go). This project has been in the works so long (almost 15 years!) that I can hardly believe it's almost finished.

I'm pretty proud of the story, which is my take on classic interplanetary swashbucklers like John Carter of Mars and Flash Gordon, and am especially pleased with the visual storytelling of my artistic collaborator and partner, the amazing Gene Gonzales. The importance of our colorist, Ian Sokoliwski's,  Technicolor hues cannot be underestimated, either. I've been very fortunate to have such talented collaborators.

If you haven't kept up with Perils On Planet X - or worse, haven't read it at all! - you can still read it from the beginning, for free on the site. That link will take you right to the first page. Our future plans are still up in the air, so this might be a good time to take a few minutes and catch up... and maybe post your thoughts on the book.

Hey Kids! Comics!

I know I haven't been posting to this blog much in the last few months, but Spring is here and all the distractions that plagued me over the Winter From Hell™ are receding in the rear-view mirror, so it's time to get back to the "shameless self-promotion and pop culture commentary" this site promised.

Let's begin with  the "self-promotion," and a long-overdue look at the Atomic Pulp line of webcomics. If you're reading this, then your almost certainly aware that I write, and publish online, three weekly, serialized webcomics (did I mention that they're free?): Gravedigger, Perils On Planet X, and Femme Noir.

• Gravedigger is more than halfway through its action-packed second continuity, "The Predators." Over the last couple months we've had some scheduling issues due to various circumstances on both my part and multiple-award-winning artist/co-creator Rick Burchett's, but it looks like we're back on track now, with new installments every Monday. Once "The Predators" wraps, we plan to move right into the third - and biggest - Gravedigger caper, tentatively titled, "The Abductors." Like "The Predators," this one is brand-new, and has never been available in any format before.

• Every Wednesday sees an episode of Femme Noir, drawn by my pal, Joe Staton, who is currently shaking up the funny pages as the artist on the Dick Tracy newspaper strip. At the moment, we are re-presenting previously-published stories while we gear up to produce a new graphic novel.

• The most popular of the Atomic Pulp webcomics (in terms of monthly traffic) is Perils On Planet X, which updates on Fridays. This swashbuckling interplanetary adventure, which is illustrated by the immensely talented Gene Gonzales, and colored by Ian Sokoliwski, has updated like clockwork for more than a year now, with no missed weeks. We're about a third of the way into Chapter Three of the first storyline, "Hawke Of Terra," and looking toward the future. We're working on plans for a collected volume (and maybe some crowdfunding to pull it off) of this first "Book," as well as discussing future stories.

• We appreciate all comments and feedback from our readers. We also appreciate every link and referral, because the more readers we have, the easier it is justify keeping them going. So thanks, to everyone who's helped spread the word... and if you haven't read them yet: why not?

Webcomics On A Card

It's tough to promote webcomics (Femme Noir, Perils On Planet X, Gravedigger) sitting behind a table at a convention, but I made up a bunch of postcards for this weekend's Coast City Comicon that I'll be handing out, with all the website info printed on them. Maybe a few folks will go online and check 'em out after the show....

Weekly Webcomics Update 08/12/13

This week's Atomic Pulp comics news/update:

Monday is the FINAL episode of Gravedigger: The Scavengers by Yours Truly & Rick Burchett! But... have no fear, because the next, all new, Digger McCrae caper, The Predators, begins in just a couple of weeks!

http://www.gravediggercomic.com/

Wednesday is the launch of the new Femme Noir website, beginning with a serialization of the "origin" story (stories?) "Blonde Justice," with art by Joe Staton, inks by Horacio Ottolini and colors by Melissa Kaercher. Even if you own this issue or have simply read it before, I hope you'll drop by and check out the new digs!

http://www.femme-noir.com/

And, of course, Perils On Planet X continues this Friday, with the third installment of Chapter 2, "Flight Into Terror," with art by Gene Gonzales and colors by Ian Sokoliwski.
http://www.perilsonplanetx.com/

Stand by for Adventure... PERILS ON PLANET X!

Back in February, I launched the Perils On Planet X webcomic, with new, free, full-color comics pages posted every Friday. The first chapter of that swashbuckling space saga ("Captives Of the Corsair Queen") concluded after 24 weeks (with nary a missed update!), on July 12th. (The whole first chapter is still available, by the way, if you want to catch up... and it's free, as always!)

Chapter Two, "Flight Into Terror," will begin on August 2nd. The creative team remains the same: Yours Truly, writer; Gene Gonzales, artist; and Ian Sokoliwski, colorist.

In "Flight Into Terror," time-tossed Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke and the beautiful Xylosian princess, Odyri, make a daring escape from the aerial city of the savage Strato-Pirates, only to find themselves lost in a vast, untamed, alien jungle. "Flight" will run for 28 weeks, and is packed with action and excitement, including raygun battles, aerial dogfights, giant monsters, jetpacks, lost cities... and savage, sanguinary simians.

I hope you'll join us next Friday, and even more, I hope you'll enjoy the adventure enough to share the comic with your friends (and your enemies - I'm not picky!).

Pulp, Atomic-Style

It's no secret that as a writer I've had a few rough years, and haven't been nearly as prolific/productive as I'd like. There are a lot of reasons for that - many (if not most) of them of my own making. As per my New Year's resolution, 2013 has been all about the Atomic Pulp brand - i.e. finishing up the creator-owned comics projects that had been languishing (Gravedigger & Perils On Planet X), reviving older properties (Femme Noir), and getting started on some new projects that have percolating in my brain for a long, long time (Skorpion, "The Issue #200 Project," Star Busters, Young Felons In Love).

With half the year already gone, I haven't made quite as much progress as I'd hoped, but with the Gravedigger and Perils On Planet X comics running weekly online, I've at least made real headway on those particular projects and have raised my profile a tiny bit. I'm currently working on a new Femme Noir graphic novel, which I'll be sending to artist Joe Staton around the end of the month (I hope!) and have started plotting a new Gravedigger caper that both Rick Burchett and I are quite psyched about.

I also am working on plans to re-present the already-existing Femme Noir comic book material, and should have some news on that front shortly.

If I can keep my shit together, I should be able to get to work on new stuff by mid-Autumn (the above-mentioned "Issue #200 Project," Star Busters and Young Felons In Love), and maybe, in 2014, I can start looking for freelance comics work again (assuming anyone would be interested in hiring me).

In many ways, I'm my own worst enemy, allowing myself to get discouraged too easily, and letting that discouragement paralyze me for ridiculously long periods of time. I'm working hard to get past that, though. I just turned 48 years old this week, and there are so many stories I still want to tell....

Webcomic Updates: GRAVEDIGGER & PERILS ON PLANET X

A Sneak Peek at GRAVEDIGGER: "The Predators." Art by Rick Burchett

Just wanted to remind folks about my two free weekly webcomics: Gravedigger and Perils On Planet X. Both comics premiered in February, and neither one has missed a week yet.

Gravedigger, which updates every Monday, is a hardboiled noir comic in the tradition of 60s Gold Medal paperbacks and 70s crime films, drawn by the incredibly talented and underrated Rick Burchett. We're actually closing in on the end of the first adventure, "The Scavengers," which will wrap up in August. On September 2nd - barring disaster - we'll be beginning our second caper, "The Predators," which is brand new and never been seen before in print or online.

If that story proves popular, I've got a third caper in mind, tentatively titled "The Marauders," which both Rick and I are eager to do.

A Sneak Peek at PERILS ON PLANET X: "Flight Into Terror!" Art by Gene Gonzales

Perils On Planet X, which sees a new page every Friday, is a swashbuckling interplanetary adventure in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars or Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon. It's drawn by the amazing Gene Gonzales and colored by Ian Sokoliwski. As with Gravedigger, we're closing in fast on the end of the first chapter, "Captives Of The Corsair Queen," which will conclude in July. The second chapter, "Flight Into Terror," is currently scheduled to debut on August 1st. Chapter Two will run for 28 weeks, with Chapter Three, "Blood Horde Of The Forbidden City," to follow.

Both comics have pretty decent followings, but I'd really like to see both titles garner more regular readers. We had a nice bump a few weeks ago, when comic writer/author Greg Rucka gave them a very kind plug, but I still think they could be doing a lot better. 

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have the knack for effective self-promotion; beyond posting weekly notices on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, I've had comparatively little success getting much attention for the comics. I'm going to keep trying, though! You can help, too - if you dig Gravedigger or Perils On Planet X, we'd definitely appreciate you mentioning them on your own blogs, on appropriate message boards, on Facebook and Twitter.

Anyway, the clock on the wall says 4:30 AM... it's a lot later than I thought, and I really need to get some sleep....

More Peril on Planet X!

What do you mean, you can't understand this guy? Doesn't everyone speak Xylosian? Of course, this is a phonetic approximation, since their alphabet is completely different....

As you might have guessed, this week's installment of the weekly Perils On Planet X webcomic, written by Yours Truly & illustrated by the terrific, talented Gene Gonzales is now posted. Check it out, Planeteers!

Meanwhile... On Planet X

It's Friday! Which means, of course, that there's a new page of the Perils On Planet X webcomic online today! Words by Yours Truly, art by Gene Gonzales, colors by Ian Sokolwski.... check it out, my faithful planeteers!

1... Blast Off!

Reason #1 to read Perils On Planet X: IT'S FREE... and it begins NOW!!

2...

Reason #2 to read Perils On Planet X: THE PRINCESS!!

3...

Reason #3 to read Perils On Planet X: THE PIRATE QUEEN!!

4...

Reason #4 to read Perils On Planet X: BEASTS!!