Keelhauling
Carnage
Giveaway
Battle Action
Cabin Cam
Skade the cat
My father was a sailor in his youth, and of his many tales from his time at sea, both true and fictional, one that truly stuck in my young mind was the idea of keelhauling. I was on board with keelhauling. It soon became our family’s go-to threat in any situation–you know – “Clean your room, or I’ll have you keelhauled,” etc. I would threaten to keelhaul people on the playground and then smugly enjoy the ensuing confusion. I even tried it once, in a sailing dinghy during scout camp, but it did not have the desired effect, probably due to the required life vest and the disappointing lack of speed. (Fun fact: I was kicked out of the scouts a few months later, but that was less about the keelhauling and more about the general godlessness, anarchist speeches, and, worst of all, the unauthorized climbing of trees.)
Anyway, the past few months have felt like being keelhauled through life, but I’m happy to say I’m back above water now. The seas are calm, and the sun is shining. And luckily, I’ve had a ton of incredibly exciting projects to work on while life was life-ing. One of them was Carnage:
Pere Pérez and our friend Cletus Kasady
Working with Pere Pérez is an exquisite joy. He just gets it. He is the artist equivalent of Hold My Beer. He consistently goes above and beyond, and the result is the glorious brutality that is our Carnage book. (We couldn’t have done it without our brilliant editors, Ellie and MR, who ensured we could do almost everything we wanted, barring a couple of flying intestines.)
Sometime last winter, Pere asked if we could have Carnage “unleashing hell during a black metal concert.” I’d usually hesitate to do this as concerts come with crowds, and despite popular opinion, I’m not actively trying to kill Pere, but you know, he asked, which is why Carnage #7 begins at Meltdøwn, our fictional black metal club. (Btw, this is me poking fun at non-Scandinavians who use Ø instead of O because it “looks cool.” I promise it doesn’t. It sounds ridiculous.)
The script begins like this:
About an hour after Pere got the script, he texted me this:
How do you not love this man? This is how the panels turned out:
So, in celebration of our first eight-issue run, here are some Pere magnificence for you all:
Pere is also a lovely man, and he gave me the page above. Very happy to have Cletus here next to me, ready with a solution to all of life’s problems. 🔥
And hey – we are returning for Venom War, with Venom War: Carnage, a three-issue mini. The first issue is out in August.
The first Carnage trade is out now. I have an extra copy; if you want it, tell me so in a comment below, and I’ll send it to one of you.
"If you like your villains sick and sadistic, Carnage is for you."
- AIPT
(🙏)
Battle Action
A new series of BATTLE ACTION was announced a few weeks ago, and I’m delighted to say that I’m returning to write more Nina Petrova & The Angels Of Death, with the brilliant Patrick Goddard on art. It’s a ten-issue series featuring stories from some of my (and your) favorite comic creators, and the first issue will be out in August. Get it everywhere comics are sold or sent straight to your home if you’re in the UK.
I’ve written about how much Nina Petrova means to me before – needless to say, I truly couldn’t be more excited about returning to the Eastern Front.
And – if you missed the previous series, it’s now collected in a gorgeous hardcover.
Skade wonders why you’re not doing things for her..?
Cabin cam
The young moose keeps hanging around – I’m taking name suggestions.
All of Norway takes July off. As in, the entire country comes to a halt. I suspect it is because it is the month of the year with the greatest likelihood of seeing the infamous sun.
I’m still working, but I’m going to spend July at the cabin, not talking to people, writing and wondering vaguely what that noise is..? No San Diego for me, in other words. But I will return here for a big announcement in a few weeks. wink wink
In the meantime, have a brilliant summer, and please tell me what you’re reading and watching!
Torunn
> The young moose keeps hanging around – I’m taking name suggestions.
Love the cabin cam! Might I suggest pamplemousse (French for grapefruit)?
I really enjoyed finding all the details in that black metal concert scene. The band names were great! Hope we eventually get to see some of the Wrecking Crew wearing Basserker t-shirts.
Kicked out for climbing trees. love that. I'm glad life is treating you better, although I shall have to have a word with the Universe for Keelhauling you in the 1st place.
I'd love a trade (if Im not too late. Of course I'd still love one if I am).
Anyway thanks for allbof your work and generally being an awesome person. 🖖🏾