20 years ago today (cue Paul McCartney )... well... not exactly today... but 20 years ago this year I released my very first graphic novel DIARY OF THE BLACK WIDOW. Enjoyed by some. Reviled by others. It was first released as a three part miniseries. Later to be released as a trade paperback. Someone on eBay is selling the first two issues from that series for a reasonable price. I don't get a penny from the sales. But if you'd like to get your hands on em, there ya go.
It would appear issue three is a bit harder to get your hands on.
To commemorate, I'll be releasing a 20th Anniversary Edition of the book with a brand new cover. I was never happy with the original cover. I always wanted it to look like a skeasy old tabloid newspaper and I don't feel like my publisher at the time got it right. I finally found an image from a tabloid newspaper (and a particularly sleazy one to boot) that got me going in the right direction for the look and feel of the cover.
I'm also planning on including the original pin-up gallery which had some amazing art from some of my friends. Including great pieces fron Andy and Veronica Fish. As well as a truly terrific introduction to the book written by Andy himself.
Having Andy be the person I chose to write the introduction to my very first graphic novel was an absolute pleasure. Andy was the one who was the most supportive and encouraging when I was getting that book finished and published.
2005/2006 was a particularly difficult patch of my life. I had lost all three of my Grandparents within that stretch of time. I lost my maternal Grandmother in 2005. And lost my paternal Grandmother and maternal Grandfather in 2006.
To say I was particularly close to my Grandfather was an understatement. He wss probably the nicest person who you'll ever meet and one of my biggest role models as to how to be a decent human being. Much of Diary of the Black Widow was drawn at the breakfast table I would do artwork at while looking at the comics page during my childhood. I stayed with my Grandfather to look after him while he was I'll and worked on the pages while he slept. He never got to see the printed version. But he did get to see the finished pages which he liked.
I've had my words used against me in the past that I wasn't completely satisfied with all the pages. For one, I was working with a deadline and the pages needed to go out. And if I waited until I thought they were good enough, I'd never have anything published. I'd just be some bitter miserable individual ridiculing other people's work.
Also it's the place they were finished and the circumstances and state of mind I was in. My Grandfather was dying. That work has special meaning to me. I had no intention of changing them because of where I was working on them. And I was grateful to have that time with him.
I'm hoping to have it out by the end of the month, but you can see the work in progress by subscribing to my Patreon page. 👇
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