#15: Failure is okay too

Greetings,

Everyone hanging in there? I know literally everything is tough but that’s when being resolute is most important. We’re all rooting for you.

We ran a Kickstarter for our creator-owned book SHITKICKERS recently that fell short by a few bucks. $83 to be specific. While it was a bummer, it’s okay, I understand where we faltered, and I learned a lot.

I know the comic is solid because Andrea Schiavone, Sabrina Filieri, and Lucas Gattoni are the best in the biz.

So any failure in the campaign falls to me; I wanted to make this a series we could self-publish and serialize in issues, the way I personally love reading comics the most.

I sent supporters of the campaign the hi-res DRM-free PDFs of issues #1 and #2 as a thank you, and I would like to do the same here. I’d print ‘em myself if I could, but this will work for now.

Have at it, click the links below:

I had good intentions and fell short and that’s okay. I’ve talked with Andrea and we’re both optimistic about the book’s future. Especially because it’s already done and just needs the finishing touches.

Maybe we’ll try again as a complete graphic novel in 2027? I’m not sure yet but I do know that we’ll figure it out and wherever we land it’ll be sweet.

I wrote Shitkickers in 2021/2022 and paid for production as finances allowed, from work for hire projects, of which I was fortunate to have a few happening at that time.

As you’ll recall, the start of the 2020s was a shocking detour into The Twilight Zone that we seem to have never emerged from. But that time resulted in a reprioritizing a lot of things in my life, as I think is probably a common tale.

The short version is, I refocused on creating for myself and my friends. And wouldn’t you know? Things started to feel right. Shitkickers and The Pedestrian were the projects that really got me going again after feeling a little adrift and unsure of myself.

I am very excited for people to read this comic book eventually, particularly as it is accidentally hyper-relevant satire for our civilization’s plummet into fascism and everybody in power doing fuckall about it.

Also, not to overhype it, but Andrea and the team are so fucking good it’s criminal. Andrea is the kind of cartoonist that other cartoonists love and I am so damn lucky to be friends with him let alone collaborate.

The failures just make the successes feel that much better, so I look forward to when it comes back around for Shitkickers.

Until then — hang in there and be excellent to each other,

-Joey
[email protected]
PO Box 1093, Bath, ME 04530
Buy my comics

POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED #4 — Last day to pre-order is Sept. 7 

This is a big one, you won’t want to miss it. ESPECIALLY if you’re a Lightspeed Rescue die-hard, this one’s going to pique your interest. Pre-order before Sept. 7 here or at your local comic shop!

POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED #5 — Last day to pre-order is Oct. 5. 

I can’t believe we’re talking about issue #5!! But this is a really fun one, pairing together two Rangers with a lot in common though they’ve never met. Pre-order before Oct. 5 here or at your local comic shop!

SOUP DAD MERCH
I’ve done a run of the Soup Dad Comics “AI IS FOR HACKS & FASCISTS” design as a 3” die-cut sticker and added it to my web store — where you can also buy comics and stuff that I’ll send ya with a scribble on it. Recently updated with copies of Power Rangers and Killer Influences!

THE PEDESTRIAN THREADLESS SHOP is still available for all your PEDESTRIAN needs. And as always, if you haven’t snagged a copy of THE PEDESTRIAN yet, it’s available in my web store, online, and on GlobalComix. 

EVIL GENIUSES: THE UNMAKING OF AMERICA - A RECENT HISTORY by Kurt Andersen

Reading this book will make you want to build your very own guillotine but I think it’s crucial context for understanding how we got to where we are, the people who are responsible, the people who could have stood up for what’s right and did not, and the people who got fleeced to get us here. It also happens to be perfect research material for a new project. Check it out on Bookshop.

THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty

Ever heard of it?! My chiropractor has a free book shelf at their office and this was there, so I grabbed it. I love the movie, of course, but I had never read the book and it is definitely worth a read! From a writing perspective it’s really interesting to see what Blatty (who wrote the screenplay as well) changed/kept/left out of the adaptation and I would say a worthwhile endeavor for folks interested in such a thing.

I enjoyed the book overall, but there are certainly elements I was intrigued by that are never effectively used. For instance, it’s revealed early on that Chris lost a baby before she had Reagan, which should be a juicy wrinkle in how she copes with the situation at hand but is never mentioned again. Check it out on Bookshop.

I had the good fortune to spend a few days in Philadelphia recently and was able to stop by Atomic City Comics, who was well-stocked on all things Power Rangers and even had a couple of rare The Pedestrian trades! Check ‘em out if you’re in the area.

PROJECT DREAD (WFH) ✅ I finished writing this one. I’m pretty happy with how it came out. It was nice to focus on a tight short story between big epic Power Rangers issues.

PROJECT CURTAINS ⚛️ This one is still percolating but it was intended to be a crowdfunding project in the same vein as Shitkickers. (see above) I’m still very excited to finally get this one going but logistically it’s going to take some thinking.

PROJECT ENSHITTIFICATION 🪫 Fates may have aligned at SDCC, as so often happens, and I’m hoping to be reuniting with a friend and prior collaborator.

PROJECT ROSCOE 📺 I got some great feedback from the editor on this one and turned in a new draft that, surprise surprise, is much tighter. Editors know what they are doing! Nothing is approved at this stage but it’s nice to be thinking about this one again.

THE PEDESTRIAN 🚦 Sean and I officially have the book back. Watch this space.

Thanks for hanging out. If you have any suggestions or mailbag questions, please drop me a line at [email protected].