SOLD OUT

Well, it happened: I finally sold out…

OF HUSH RONIN #1!

That is correct, the first printing has completely sold out from the publisher on down. Fortunately, we are in talks for a second printing, which will feature a variant cover. Additionally, I am going through the rigamarole of making this first issue available digitally through Comixology. I will, of course, announce those details as they become available.

In short though, I want to thank everyone for making Hush Ronin the success it has been. The critical response I’ve been receiving from and for the book has been overwhelming, as has been the request for autographs (it still feels odd, even fake to sign something with my name and artwork on it, I don’t know).

In other news, Hush Ronin #2 is in full swing, as far as production. My writing partner, Mitch Kopitch, is hard at work turning my vague story ideas into actionable panel descriptions that I am then conveying to the paneled page. And because I cannot help myself, here is a sneak preview page from that issue:

I like to think I’ve improved a bit in the couple months that have passed since completing that first issue. Issue 2 promises to be packed with lots of samurai action, and a deeper dive into the mythos that drives this story. Ultimately, this first arc is propelling our hapless Ronin toward his blind date with fate, and the loss of his most dangerous weapon; his mouth. There’s still a lot more that has to happen along the way though, and I hope, if you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen so far, that you’ll let me tear your ticket and take you on a ride you won’t soon forget.

Lastly, I’m updating the Hush Ronin section of this page with some fresh pieces, mostly some cover and pinup art I’m developing for a potential anthology of Hush Ronin short stories, including the Ronin’s run ins with kappa, werewolves and even Namazu, the giant earthquaking catfish at the center of the earth. This is going to be a good time, folks, so climb aboard and let Uncle J take you somewhere special!

Yours Sincerely,

J

Shanghai Red (Review)

I was only too thrilled to get my hands on a copy of this this past Wednesday when New Comic Book Day rolled around. My neighborhood comic shop, Ryan's Comics  was down to a mere handful of copies, if that was not indeed how many they had received in the first place. I had already spent a little more than my usual allowance this month picking up the first four issues of The Man of Steel (DC), Magic Order, The Last Siege, and The Weatherman (all Image), but this was a special circumstance.

Anyone who has anything to do with comic books on Twitter, either as a reader or a creator, has seen at least one post alluding to this new book over the past month, and most of the talk (all of it, really) has been high anticipation. Even before the book had been officially released, gushing reviews had begun to seep through the cracks, leaving those of us who were not in the know already in an even more intense state of optimistic trepidation. It was worth the wait.

Few authors are capable of the sort of slow burn exposition that Christopher Sebela pulls off here with aplomb. I found myself rereading certain panels, spending whole minutes on four and five panel pages to make sure I understood everything aright, that I was grasping the setting and the time period accurately. Was that a revolver that character just pulled? That was a British euphemism, was it not? Are they in the far east? Where in the hell are they?

The answers, I found, were surprising. I had little idea of what the story was about short of that it took place in the indeterminate past on an old boat. And that much was accurate. But what I had not counted on were the myriad twists and turns presented by both the story and accompanying art. Sebela's writing is very crisp, making this sort of a steam noir tale, if I may coin a new term. The writing is perfectly complemented by Joshua Hixson's drawings, which are simultaneously intricately nuanced and raw as a split lip. There is something to be said for using the environment as a character, which this story does constantly and consistently, but even more, the colors themselves become a character as well. The limited red/green palette Hixson uses is both economic and evocative. Combined with that raw, edgy style of his, it comes off as reminiscent of some of the best panels from the EC titles of the 1950s, like Tales From The Crypt and Vault of Horror. No two buts about it, this book is the very thing the Comics Code Authority was designed to fight against: It is pithy, violent, and absolutely wonderful.

I'm not much in the way of spoilers which is why I have not spoken much of the plot, or story that holds this book together like a weathered guy rope. Suffice to say that this issue kicks off the best (and most brutal) revenge tale I've seen since Tarantino's Kill Bill films. The only thing that kept me from scratching holes in my arms, Jonesing for issue #2 was a prompt re-reading of issue #1. If you haven't picked this one up yet, might I go so far as to highly suggest that you do so. This one's a keeper for sure.

Thanks for stopping by!

J. Schiek

PS: Thanks to my friends and business partners, Bo & Harrison  Stewart, who were kind enough to get me a copy of #1 signed by both Christopher Sebela and Joshua Hixson at Heroes Con this past weekend. Mssr Hixson had just posted a picture of his table to Twitter and I managed to text these two fine gentlemen literally just as they had walked away from said table. Truly fate was at play that day. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I have two copies, so if you're having trouble tracking one down, hit me up and I'll see if we can't work something out.