Prepare for launch –– Iron & Frost #1 hits comics stores!
Plus, Ruairí Coleman's brilliant concept art, Fear of the Jedi gets collected and I share my recent reading adventures!
Good morning!
How are you?
It's an exciting day today as my latest mini-series takes off, with Iron & Frost – part of Marvel's Age of Revelation event – arriving in comic stores.
Set in the future, the series sees big changes for both Tony Stark and his former (fake) wife, Emma Frost.
Writing Iron Man has been another bucket-list moment. I first encountered the character back in the mid-80s, reading Marvel Super Hero Secret Wars Weekly from Marvel UK, although then, of course, the man behind the mask was James Rhodey – who's also in this book!
Then, as the story rolled into Secret Wars II, I was introduced to the version of Iron Man I still picture whenever I think of the character – Silver Centurion!
Fast forward thirty-odd years, and here I am with my own Iron Man comic book hitting the stands. A big thank you to editor Danny Khazem for giving me the call to tell this bittersweet coda to Tony and Emma's love story – and also for teaming me up with the amazing Ruairí Coleman on art.
Let's have a look at a preview of the first few issues:
I love those pages, Yen Nitro's colours just making Ruairí's art pop!
And talking about Ruairí's art, check out the character designs Rauirí produced when we were first discussing the story, taking us through Iron Man, Emma and, finally, War Machine!
Working with Ruairí has been brilliant. He's brought so many suggestions to the story that have just turned up the drama. He's an absolute genius when it comes to storytelling and pacing. If you love his art as much as I do, you should definitely subscribe to his newsletter – and also head to the Comic Book Guys store in Belfast tomorrow for a signing with Ruairí and our incredible cover artist, Ryan Brown.
Iron & Frost #1 is out now wherever you buy your comic books!
STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC - FEAR OF THE JEDI
And as a new series starts, we collect the end of another – specifically, the final run of something that was a huge part of my life for the last eight years – Star Wars: The High Republic.
Fear of the Jedi collects the final arc in Jedi Marshall Keeve Trennis' life, as well as The High Republic - The Finale one shot that closed off the entire initiative.
There are still moments where I can't believe THR is all over...
But – of course – it isn't, as was revealed at NYCC last week with the announcement of the first Phase More project – a new Pathfinders comic written by my good pal, George Mann.
While you're waiting for the return of the High Republic Jedi, remember to check out the work of my collaborators Marika Cresta, Jim Campbell and Ariana Maher in Fear of the Jedi.
So, what else have I been up to other than hyping my new releases?
Well, the cold I talked about last week hung around like an unwelcome guest that refuses to leave no matter how many times you hint that you want to go to bed. Boo to autumn bugs – although it has meant I've had an excuse to sit around and read without feeling guilty.
I finished The Morrigan, Kim Curran's wonderful new retelling of Irish folklore – and am pleased to punch that she's just announced a follow-up.
Then, in a change of pace, I left the world of vengeful gods and bloody battles behind and tore through A Litter of Bones, the first DCI Jack Logan police procedural by my pal Barry Hutchinson, writing as JD Kirk.
Now I'm reading Hear Him Calling, a spooky, contemporary ghost story set in Wales by Carly Reagon. It's my second of hers this year and I'm loving how it's absolutely dripping with creeping dread. Utterly delicious!
After that, I've been saving Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix for halloween, but another book jumped to the top of the reading pile yesterday after a brilliant event at Topping's Books in Bath last night.
Folklore authors Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook had us spellbound with a fascinating talk that explained why its so hard to define 'Folklore' – as it's constantly shifting over time – and is especially relevant today as we are, right now, tangled up in an indentity crisis for the English. I'm particularly looking forward to the chapters on child and digital folklore. Can't wait to dive in.
A book and the crowd that gathered at Toppings to hear about it – the photo on the right nicked from author Ceri Houlbrook's bluesky feed. See if you can spot yours truly, my wife and George Mann in the audience!
Beyond reading and trying not to cough at book events, I've mainly been working on outlines, having submitted story ideas for another Big Two superhero comic last Friday. This week, I've mainly been working up an outline for a new licensed comic based on an IP I've adored since I was a kid (another bucket-list moment) as well as one of the TV pitches I'm developing with George Mann. George recently moved down south which is going to make working together SO much easier – and we'll finally be able to set up the D&D group we've been planning for years!
Talking about those outlines, I better get back to work (which doesn't involve digging out old action figures, honest!)
Until next time, look after yourself and each other!
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