Joshua Hale Fialkov

Purveyor of sheer awesomeness.

Joshua Hale Fialkov is the Harvey, Eisner, and Emmy Award nominated writer of graphic novels, animation, video games, film, and television, including:

THE LIFE AFTER, THE BUNKER, PUNKS, ELK'S RUN, TUMOR, ECHOES, KING, PACIFIC RIM, THE ULTIMATES, I, VAMPIRE, and JEFF STEINBERG CHAMPION OF EARTH. He's also written television including MAX’s YOUNG JUSTICE, NBC's CHICAGO MED and NETFLIX’s AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER.

Filtering by Category: Comics Business

I’m an Absentee

Sorry for not being around.  Past few weeks have been incredibly busy.  Nothing really worthy of announcing yet, but, y'know, everything in due time.  I've been banging through a few WFH pitches, that would be incredibly cool to see come to light, but we'll see, I guess. More excitingly, I've been banging through the first draft of Tumor, and Noel's doing some sample art from the WIP script we have.  I think we've found a worthy successor to Elk's Run. It's some seriously fucked up shit and I think y'all will enjoy it.  I'm trying my best to keep it under my hat for now, aside from that sample art we put up next week, in hopes of having our publishing plans squared up before we spill any beans (or tumor addled brains.)

I spent the day with my new lady love at her awesome job at the Los Angeles Public Library, working on scripts and generally being away from telephones and tv's.  It's nice to just get some work done, and be able to look up and see someone I really and truly love just a few feet away.

Also, i got a terrible haircut.  That's all the shit thats fit to print.

For Your Consideration…

For Your Consideration...

Originally uploaded by Joshua Hale Fialkov.

We've kept fighting through self-publishing and Speakeasy and that weird unpublished limbo we spent several months in. But we never gave up, and we owe that to you guys. And it's worked – Elk's Run has tallied seven Harvey Nominations and is being collected by Random House.

But here comes July 28th, the deadline for Harvey final ballots – and we come to you all once again, hat in hand. Your votes count and can help make the difference for us.

You can download your ballot here: http://harveyawards.org/, the information for submissions is contained therein. We'd also like to recommend the excellent work of all of our supporters who are also nominated, including Brian Michael Bendis, Brian K. Vaughan, and A. David Lewis. It's an honor to be nominated alongside you guys.

See you in San Diego,

j.

Come See My Comic-Con Panel

Comic-Con 2006 :: Programming for Thursday, July 206:00-7:00 Random House Publishing Group Graphic Novels— The Random House Publishing Group are the publishers of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor and Flight 3, edited by Kazu Kabuishi. Two of the company’s newest titles are the critically acclaimed Elk’s Run and the highly anticipated Dark Wraith of Shannara. Join Kazu Kabuishi and Joshua Hale Fialkov, as well as the RHPG editors, to hear more about these books as well as Random House’s graphic novel plans for the future. Room 7B

Publisher’s Weekly on Elk’s Run

Villard Grabs Elk's Run; More Comics Coming - 6/13/2006 - Publishers Weekly

Random House has the graphic novel bug again and Del Rey Manga's Dallas Middaugh has a hand in it. Villard, a Random House general publishing imprint, will publish a complete edition of Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon's much praised suspense comic Elk's Run in 2007. The book was acquired by Middaugh and comes on the heels of Del Rey's plans to publish a non-manga graphic novel by bestselling Del Rey fantasy author Terry Brooks. Expect to see more graphic literature published out of Villard in the coming year, including moving Harvey Pekar's next book from Ballantine to Villard according to Del Rey, v-p and deputy publisher, Scott Shannon.

Elk’s Run Lands at Random House Imprint Villard!

Villard Acquires Rights to Fialkov’s and Tuazon’s Elk’s Run

New York, NY June 5, 2006 – Villard, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that it will be publishing Elk’s Run by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon. The graphic novel will collect the complete eight-issue comic book series, and will give readers their first opportunity to finally read the story all the way through to its explosive conclusion.

Elk’s Run has been nominated for an astounding seven Harvey awards (Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Limited Series, Best Letterer, Best Cover Artist, Best New Talent, Best Single Issue). The acclaimed comics series has had an interesting publishing history. Originally self-published by Fialkov’s Hoarse and Buggy, Elk’s Run moved to Speakeasy only to have the fledgling company go bankrupt in late 2005, leaving the story unfinished and its fans anxiously awaiting its exciting conclusion.

In an era filled with threat levels and faceless enemies, the people of Elk's Ridge have created their own slice of heaven--serene. Serene, safe, and completely cut off from the rest of the world. When the evils of the outside world start to invade, the townspeople will do anything that it takes to keep their existence intact... even murder. Forced to decide between a life of isolation and fear, or the unknown outside world, the teenagers of the town must face their parents and their own worst nightmares in a game of cat and mouse that can only end one way.

The story was hailed by Variety as “creepy and fun in a good way” and given a grade of A- by the paper. Entertainment Weekly gave Elk’s Run a solid A and commended the series for its “tactile sense of dread.”

“This has been one the most unexpected adventures in publishing I could possibly imagine. I never dreamed that one day we would end up with such a wonderful company and incredible people like the folks at Villard…” said Fialkov. “Our devoted fans and their undying support have really kept us going.”

“I’ve had my eye on Elk’s Run since last summer,” said acquiring editor Dallas Middaugh. “There’s a reason reviewers and comics professionals have been so excited about it. I’m very, very happy to be able to publish the complete series at last, and to give it the presentation it deserves.”

About the Writer

Harvey Award Nominee for Best New Talent and Best Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov is the creator of the hit indie anthology Western Tales of Terror, as well as the internet cult hit Poorly Drawn Animals. His comic work has appeared in books for Boom Studios, IDW Publishing, and all across the internet. He was raised in Pittsburgh, and currently enjoys a writer’s life in Los Angeles.

About the Artist

Harvey Award Nominee for Best Artist Noel Tuazon was born in the Philippines, but has lived most of his life in Toronto, Ontario. His work has appeared in several anthologies (including Taboo Especial, Cerebus Bi-Weekly, Dennis Eichorn’s Real Stuff, Drawing the Line 1 & 2, Frecklebean Comics, Adventure Classics, Fleshrot 2 & it’s Halloween Special,) plus a handful of mini-series (Arianne by Rafael Nieves, Redchapel by Caleb Monroe, and Johnny Repeat by Jason and Elizabeth James). He most recently illustrated the children's book Sunny Bear's Rainy Day by Caryn A. Tate.

About the Publisher

Villard Books, named after the Stanford White brownstone mansion on Madison Avenue that was the home of Random House for twenty years, was founded in 1983. It publishes a general nonfiction and fiction list that has positioned itself on the leading edge of popular culture. Among the bestselling authors it has published are Jon Krakauer, Eve Ensler, Governor Jesse Ventura and Peter Greenberg, the "Travel Detective." It is also known for its titles in the areas of humor, personal narrative, and new-voice fiction, including the books of Laurie Notaro and Jon Katz. Visit the Villard website at www.villard.com

As the humming bird churns

I've been clocking in full time hours at the day job and fuller time hours at the writing desk, so I've been a bit absent, save for the quick posts here and there. So, here's your mega-crazy-fantastic-crazy-monkey-update.

The "WHERE THE FUCK IS ELK'S RUN?" Fan E-Mails continue, and, I, unfortunately, still can't talk about it.  We're getting everything in order now, and the announcement, as I've said repeatedly, is pending.  Keep coming here, and you'll be the first to know.

World's End is on a temporary hold, as Keating finishes up the coloring chores on Elk's Run 7 and 8 (I should have some art to show off in the next few days... maybe even something special for FCBD.)

Punks has many wheels in motion, including some pretty groovy merchandise manufacturer types expressing interest.  Kody and I are on the phone plotting and scheming literally every day, so, there ya go.

The script for what is shaping up to be the next Fialkov/Tuazon book is getting underway still, and I'm just about through with my preliminary research, so I'm sure I'll be talking about it more and more in the coming weeks.

I'm wrapping up a screenplay I've been working on for far too long already in the next week or so, that might just end up in comic book form sometime in the near future.  That's what these were for.

The Miller is being reworked a bit before I finish it up.  I've read something like 3 or 4 dozen pulps since I started it, and came to terms with some realities of structure etc. that need to be worked in before I can go any further.

Both Red Mob and The 8th (nee Ritual Homicide nee Vodou) are on hold.  Datsun Tran, artist on Red Mob, had to drop out because he just didn't have the time, and Chris Burnham, artist on the 8th had to drop out because the son of a bitch has some REALLY cool projects coming out.  The 8th, you'll remember was my mini-series about a super-natural serial killer in New Orleans that causes the city to get swallowed up by a hurricane that causes the levees to break, and the government to abandon the city.   We'd actually come up with a way to salvage the book and it's art, and take advantage of Chris and my mutual childhood years in Pittsburgh, but alas, the man is destined for bigger things.  For now. Working on a new thing with Screenwriter Gary that's been percolating for a while, and pays tribute to our mutual adoration for Coast to Coast AM.

I've got stories in about four upcoming anthologies, two westerns, one horror comedy, and one anti-romance drama.

And that's it.  Just makin' my way, the only way I know how

Wanna Learn About Indie Comics?

Saul on Word Balloon Number one, Word Balloon is THE quintessential Comics Podcast right now.  It involves the very talented John Siuntres doing in depth interviews with various comic personalities (I've bee on the show, you can listen here.) John manages to be insightful, knowledgable, and best of all, has an incredible radio voice.  You actually want to listen to him talk, which is a rarity among podcasts these days.  Secondly, you've got my buddy, my pal, Saul Colt being interviewed for around an hour where he... well... he tells the truth.  He talks about what's wrong with the industry, what's wrong with his comics, what's wrong with his publishing plans... It's remarkably educational, and I talk with him every other day and already know all of his stories.

Anyways, go, listen, learn, and enjoy.

MIA

I've been MIA because this weeks been apeshit insane. I did a quick update over at Creator Direct about what all I'm working on currently, and I didn't add that I'm also powering through hours of day job, and contracty type stuff during most of the days. Oh, and the very specific bus line that Dina takes to work and school is on strike, so I get to spend a couple hours a day racing around town trying to get from here to there in order to get where I need to be and get her where she needs to be. And to top it all off, I had to suffer through American Idol positively butchering Queen. They deserve to be punished severely for their sins.

Harvey Awards

The deadline for the Harvey Awards Nominations are tomorrow at Midnight. The nomination process is open to all comics professionals and the form can be downloaded here. Now, if you were to say nominate Noel Tuazon for Best Artist, or Scott Keating for best colorist, and maybe even Jason Hanley for best Letterist, that'd be unbelievably cool. f you were to nominate Elk's Run for best mini-series, or Western Tales for best anthology... wow. And if you nominate me for best writer? Well, that's just crazy.

So anyways, whether you vote for us, or yourself, get out and vote!

Oh…

Jebus. Thanks for all the well-wishes and kind words everybody. I'm behind on a deadline, so I'm gonna end up not answering a lot of these, at least not tonight. For those concerned, we're fine, and all saw this coming, so, don't worry. We've been planning our next move for quite some time, and know what's what.

Of course, if you really want to cheer me up you can visit http://www.WorldsEnd-TheComic.com and http://www.PunksTheComic.com still on the horizon.

Speakeasy, RIP

So, just got off the phone with Adam Fortier, President etc. of Speakeasy Comics. Speakeasy is no more. Due to some payment problems and low sales, it seems, they've had to lock up shop. Elk's Run... well... We're working on it. The book is 90% done, and it's murder keeping it away from you guys, cause frankly, I've never been prouder than I am of the back half of the series. Everything clicks, and it's just amazing work from Keating and Noel... The type of stuff you, as a writer, only dream of having turned in.

The book will come out. You will get to read the rest of the series.

When and How are still our main questions.

WonderCon

So, I'll be attending Wondercon in San Francisco next weekend. I'm going to be hanging out at the Boom! Studios booth signing copies of Fused! Tales, and I should have Elk's Run and Western Tales for anybody missing anything. Also, I'm moderating Boom's panel on Friday. It's at 4pm in Room 2020. There'll be all kinds of exciting stuff talked about, and you get my unerring charm and wit. Who could ask for anything more?

Come by and say "Hullo."

World’s End

So, so, so. The other project I'm working on has it's own little page up over at www.worldsend-thecomic.com. There you'll find some concept stuff, info about the book, and, the World's End Working Blog. This is where Keating, J-Rod, and Myself are hoping to portray exactyl what it's like to make a comic, from conceptian to final publishing. So, go by, bookmark, and keep an eye out. We'll be putting up most everything we do, as we do it.

Added Some New Stuff on the Side There

There's a little RSS feed of my last.fm thing, so you can see what i'm listening to, and I added a del.ico.us blog roll. Thinking about mounting a redesign of the blog, but I've been swamped just trying to keep up with the three new projects, my freelancing work, and trying to figure out what happens with the rest of my life. So I need a nice distraction, I suppose, I just don't know that I can afford the time to do it.

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Also of note, I started getting art in on my other new project with an artist y'all should know and love. I'll announce it officially once we're more than a few pages in (hate to jinx things). It's been shown to the brain trust, and everyone's pretty ecstatic about it. It's a much more sophisticated action piece than Western Tales of Terror, while still being considerably more accessible than Elk's Run. It's even got a clearly descriptive title that's not quite so on the nose. I do listen to Warren Ellis' advice afterall.

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Elk's Run 6 is going into lettering as soon as Keating finishes colors (which should be any day now) and issue 7 is at least half penciled if not more at this point. It's my favorite of the bunch, and makes getting through the script for issue 8 (le grande finale') tremendously daunting. So much so that I've managed to start (and script) three other projects rather than work on it. This week is it though. I'm putting the son of a bitch to bed, and moving on whole heartedly, and with joy to the next projects.

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Is this format strange?

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Got quite a bit of feedback (although you wouldn't know with how none of you bastards post in the comments) on Punk (as seen below), even had a few publishers sniff around. That's good. It'll be nice to have something come out that a large cross section of people will actually be interested in that I also enjoy writing. Like I said before, doing it feels like it makes my brain stretch, and that's a good thing.

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Being that tonight is my night off (I have transcriptions, a job interview, and Elk's Run 8 to do this weekend), I watched The Jacket (beautifully shot, well acted, hell, even pretty well scripted, and yet... eh. The endng's just not there,) 12 Monkeys (after The Jacket I figured I'd watched the clone, might as well watch the masterpiece it liberally takes from as well), and the first half of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I can't remember what I said about it when it originally came out (it's somewhere in the archives here), in watching it for what is my third time (twice in the theater, dammit), it's finally gotten to the 'Alright, this movie doesn't work anymore' phase for me. Which is a shame. I've listened to the radio show, read the books, watched the BBC show, and played the video game constantly throughout my life. And they never get old. The movie... eh... They softened it too much in the wit and fury departments, and inflated the zany and quirky to a point where it eclipses the other more important aspects of the film. Yes. The Lemon Juice helmet is a funny addition... but, we've got a main character who's reduced to being a babbling idiot for the sake of it. Just hurts the overall movie when all of your protaganists are bumbling idiots except for the one character who seems to get kidnapped constantly.

Anyways, go read the book. It's worth it.

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Now, to bed I go.