Northwest Press is a book publisher dedicated to publishing the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender comics collections and graphic novels.
// July 10th, 2011 // // Misc, The Power Within
Check out this 10-page preview of Charles “Zan” Christensen and Mark Brill’s The Power Within right here on Northwestpress.com, thanks to an embedded Google Docs viewer. The book is available to order through Diamond Comic Distributors using item #JUL111189. Ask for it at your local comics shop!
(more…)
// May 13th, 2011 // // Misc, The Power Within
Hey folks! We’re about two-thirds of the way through our fundraising period for The Power Within, and we need your help to get the rest of the way there!
Mark has been hard at work coloring the book, and has shared three new pages with me, which you can see at “The Power Within” Kickstarter page. I thought the art was good before, but Mark always brings a lushness to his color work that blows me away.
I’ll be spread the word about the book this weekend at OutlantaCon/Gaylaxicon 2011 in Atlanta (hope to see you there!) and will try to post some video from the show.
// April 20th, 2011 // // Misc, The Power Within
UPDATE! I’ve been talking to some comics pals about contributing single-page strips or pinups to the project, and so far I’ve gotten commitments from Archie’s “Kevin Keller” creator Dan Parent, Gail Simone and Phil Jimenez (the latter two will be doing a page together!) I’m thrilled that these talented folks are on board to support the project, and can’t wait to see what they come up with!
When Mark Brill and I worked on an anti-bullying comic for 24 Hour Comics Day last October, we did it because we wanted to be part of the chorus of voices against bullying and harassment after the numerous gay teen suicides reported last year.
We didn’t quite finish the whole book in 24 hours, but the book is done, and we’re both so proud of it that we really want to get it out there, especially into the hands of kids who could benefit from its message that you can summon the power inside you and live through your toughest challenges.
Since Northwest Press is a graphic novel and collected editions publisher that publishes relatively few single-issue books (our most popular one, The Mark of Aeacus, is published in partnership with Class Comics), we are faced with a bit of a challenge in getting this book printed and distributed.
We’ve started a fundraising drive on Kickstarter to help with printing costs, in the hopes that we’ll be able to lower our per-copy price and be able to give away thousands of them to teachers’ groups, gay-straight alliances, gay youth groups, and other support resources for LGBT kids.
Pitching in $10 to our Kickstarter page will get you a signed copy of the book when it comes out, and we’ve got some really great gifts for bigger donors (all the way up to a ticket to join us at the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony next month!)
Please help support this project, and let’s let kids everywhere know that they can rely on their power within when they don’t think they have anyone else.
// April 12th, 2011 // // The Mark of Aeacus
Dreamspinner Press author Ethan Stone recently went on a wild Las Vegas vacation with his friends Dawn and Laura, and while he was there, he and Laura decided to get tattoos. What design did Mr. Stone choose to adorn his shoulder? None other than the Mark of Aeacus!
Needless to say, Mark Brill and I are flattered beyond measure, and are putting a Northwest Press gift package together to send to Ethan to reward his loyalty. (I can only hope that he doesn’t start to develop supernatural powers and become a homicidal vigilante…)
Ethan’s latest book is called Flesh and Blood:
When a local man is attacked and the suspect is a hustler, Cristian knows there’s more to the case than meets the eye. His investigation will lead him into a maze of lies, deceit, and underage prostitution. But that’s only the beginning as people start disappearing and turning up dead. Cristian begins to realize that solving the case and stopping the murders won’t be enough. If he wants to make his new life with lawyer Colby Maddox work, he’ll need to face the demons of his past and put them to rest once and for all.
Check out more of Ethan Stone’s published work on the Books page of his website!
// April 6th, 2011 // // Misc, The Power Within
Mark Brill and I worked on an anti-bullying comic for 24 Hour Comics Day this past October, and we sold a preview version of the finished book at a few conventions over the past few months. We’re working on doing a full print run of the book very soon. In the meantime, check out this video about the making of the book! Mark ended up redrawing a lot of the artwork, but you can still get a feel for what the book is like.
// September 11th, 2010 // // The Mark of Aeacus
// March 28th, 2010 // // The Mark of Aeacus
Just finished inking page 20 of 24 (the finish line is in sight!) and wanted to post a little note to talk about how great Mark’s pencil work is. Regardless of my fluency in Photoshop, the fact that the writer of the book with no comic book art credits is able to take his pencils and clean them up to look like inkwork is pretty astounding.
Yes, I am a tracer. A good tracer, but still.
And just when I start to get cocky and think I’m some inking wunderkind, I come across a background that he didn’t flesh out completely and realize that it’s not me that can draw, it’s him.
// March 24th, 2010 // // The Mark of Aeacus
I don’t think I ever linked to this; this is the announcement of the winners of the 2008 Queerie Awards, given by the Comic Book Queers. The Mark of Aeacus won for best Queer Indie book!
// March 18th, 2010 // // The Mark of Aeacus
Pencils are done on the second Mark of Aeacus book, the inks are half-done, and the color is getting there. Cracking the whip to get the interior art wrapped up by the end of this month so a finished book can hit shelves in July for Comic-Con.
Anyone who’s put together their own comics, especially with collaborators, can appreciate how lengthy the process can be. I didn’t expect it would take quite this long to follow up the first book, but hopefully you’ll find the second installment worth the wait.
And surprise of surprises, I’m actually doing digital ink work on the book! Mark’s pencils are so gorgeous, and while cleaning them up and turning them into “inked” pages isn’t effortless, I’m definitely in the “tracer” category, here. I just find Mark’s intended line and run with it, and it’s always perfect.
I’ll be at WonderCon in San Francisco at the start of April. Track me down at the Prism Comics booth and I’ll give you a preview of the completed issue 2!
Copyright © 2012 Northwest Press. All rights reserved.
