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.
The exclusive ashcan, hand numbered by Kody and I sold out this weekend at Wizard World Los Angeles. So, y'know, sucks to be you who did not get a copy.
If you did get a copy though, come by the myspace group and tell us what you think.
Thanks for makin' WWLA a big success for the boys in the band.
j.
So, if you're coming to the show today, come by and pick it up. The shows been fun. More to come later.
Sons Against Fathers In Elk's Run - 3/13/2007 - Publishers Weekly
For fans of the Elk's Run comics series, the release of all eight issues in one volume for the first time is a long-awaited prize. Elk's Run is the story of a utopian community gone awry. Founded by a group of Vietnam vets and their wives, Elk's Ridge, W.Va., was intended to be a place free of the cynicism and hypocrisy of the modern world. But the teenage children of the town's founders want nothing more than to get back to the world their parents left behind. In the power struggle that follows, it becomes clear that what started as an idealistic escape from the world has turned into tyranny.
Click the link for the rest.
PRESS RELEASE###
PUNKS INVADE WIZARD WORLD LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles, CA -- PUNKS THE COMIC makes it's world debut at this weekend's Wizard World Los Angeles! The long-in-development/soon-to-be
-released DaDa-inspired Sitcomic will make a debut with an exclusive Wizard World Los Angeles Ashcan Preview. The twelve page comic features the first third of the story to be unleashed in July's PUNKS THE COMIC SUMMER SPECIAL from Digital Webbing. Along with the exclusive comic, there will be PUNKS THE T-SHIRTs, and PUNKS THE ART PRINTs, as well as the debut of PUNKS THE PINs, hand made buttons featuring PUNKS THE CHARACTERS. In addition, you can meet the creators of PUNKS, Kody (30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales) Chamberlain & Joshua Hale (Elk's Run) Fialkov who will be showing off their upcoming projects. Early galleys of Fialkov's Elk's Run and Vampirella Quarterly, as well as Chamberlain's work on Boom Studio's Tag and his convention exclusive Sketchbooks will be on display. Chamberlain will also be doing commissions all weekend long.
You can come by and join the revolution (or at least buy your way into it) from Artist Alley Table 2202.
Visit us online for more information at http://www.punksthecomic.com.
I'll be hanging out at the show, and probably using Artist Alley Table 2202 as home base. Kody'll be set up with some new show exclusive PUNKS stuff, and I'll have a preview copy of the Elk's Run TPB with me as well. So, come by. Say hi.
Borrow Elk's Run and read it for free.
Hey Gang,Just a quick note. The first chapter of Three Rivers went live this morning. The Prelude from last week has been moved into the archive. You can access the full archives, including exclusive comics by Noel and I for a measly buck a month.
All of that and more here: http://www.webcomicsnation.com/joshfialkov
We got a ton of hits when we announced, and the feedback's been great. Please, keep the feedback coming!
Secondly, the Hoarse and Buggy site has been relaunched, minus the online store, but, with plenty of info and links to keep you busy. We're still beta testing it, so, if you see anything wrong please let us know.
That can of course be viewed here: http://www.hoarseandbuggy.com
Finally, thanks to everybody who stopped by the Random House booth at New York Comic Con, where they had the very first copies of the complete Elk's Run for your viewing pleasure. I've heard the reaction was great, and everyone who saw the book said it was spectacular. I'll give you a first hand report as soon as I get my hands on one.
Thanks again for all of your support, and don't forget ER-Day on March 27th! -- Joshua Hale Fialkov www.joshuahalefialkov.com www.hoarseandbuggy.com
A little birdy told me that there's a HUGE amount of Elk's Run stuff at the Random House/Del Rey/Villard booth in New York Comic-Con including, GASP!, advances of the book. Go and check them out, and send pictures to me.
Over at Scryptic Studios you can read Elk's Run fanatic Elton Pruitt's account of getting to work with Noel. When asked if I was jealous, I said "Does Elton get creepy cartoons made about him? I THINK NOT!"
Fwd: Just in for Valentine's Day... Fialkov & Tuazon's Three Rivers
Originally uploaded by Joshua Hale Fialkov.
Hey gang,
First off, Happy Valentines Day. There's an Elk's Run Valentine's Day Card above, feel free to print it out and threaten people with it.
Secondly, just wanted to take a second to introduce yet another new project. The webcomic is live, and can be accessed by clicking the image below. Three Rivers is the follow up to Elk's Run by Noel Tuazon and myself. Where Elk's Run dealt with isolation and loneliness, Three Rivers is about growing up in the seat of modern civilization... the suburbs.
It's a bit scary how similar they are.
The book is told as a series of short stories revolving around the lives of two friends, and how their relationship changes and grows from puberty through adulthood. Rendered beautifully in black and white by Noel, the book is a true creative successor to Elk's Run.
The plan for right now is to put up a new chapter every month for free, with access to the archive for a buck a month. In that archive, you can also access a bunch of my early mini-comics, comics by Noel, and some of my Western Tales of Terror stories.
So, please, check out the first part of the book, and let us know what you think!
Feel free to repost this whereever you'd like, and Noel and I are both available for interviews, etc.
You don't need to sign up for a subscription yet, it's up for free. We're still trying to figure out how to best deliver the comic.
But, there's the first chapter. Enjoy!
Postcards is being published by Villard!
Back in June, CBR News announced to the world the remarkable new but unpublished anthology, "Postcards." We are very pleased to exclusively announce today that "Postcards" has found a publisher, and that is Villard Books, an imprint of Random House Inc. Edited by Jason Rodriguez, the 168 page "Postcards" features an assortment of vintage, early 20th century postcards which were dispersed among thirty-three of comics' most imaginative creators, all of whom created beautiful stories about the person who sent those evoticative cards. Included in the anthology are stories by Harvey Pekar, Tom Beland, Antony Johnston, Stuart Moore, Michael Gaydos, Rick Spears, Rob G, Phil Hester and more.
Click the link to read the rest of the release.
I'm going to be attending the 2007 Silicon Con up in San Jose. The release is below. Check out their site at SiliCon 2007: Guest Announcement: Josh Fialkov!
SiliCon 2007: Guest Announcement: Josh Fialkov! Harvey Award Nominee for Best New Talent and Best Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov has agreed to come and be our guest for SiliCon 2007! He is the creator of the hit indie anthology Western Tales of Terror, as well as the Critically Acclaimed Graphic Novel Elk's Run from Villard Books, and the underground sensation Punks: The Comic. His comic work has appeared in books for Boom Studios and IDW Publishing, with upcoming work from Harris Comics, Marvel Comics, and more. His latest work, Vampirella Quarterly was just released (go order it on Previews!) He was raised in Pittsburgh, and currently enjoys a writer’s life in Los Angeles. Josh is a great guy and was quick to agree to come and be our guest at SiliCon 2007. Being diabetic himself, he appreciates the charity we support, the Diabetes Society. It will be interesting to hear Josh's perspective on dealing with diabetes in the fast paced world of entertainment. Phantom Power Comics and "I Read Comics" just posted their latest podcasts (including some announcements for SiliCon!), go check them out!
posted by SiliCon Chair at 11:13 AM
There's a little 3 pager inthe Digital Webbing FCBD Book. Get your orders in!
DIGITAL WEBBING JAM 2007—FCBD EDITION by VariousShowcasing the full line of Digital Webbing comics with brand-new and re-mastered short stories featuring the popular BloodRayne (based on the video game character), the iconic E-Man, also including cult favorites Fist of Justice and Zombie Highway! Plus, get sneak peeks at upcoming titles Crazy Mary, and Joshua Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain’s Punks! All encased within a must-have wraparound jam cover by their respective artists!
32pgs, B&W FREE
Right Here in this months Previews
is the first issue of a new quarterly Vampirella series by me.
I'm really proud of it, and I hope y'all order it.
I've added links on the side there for two of my other forth-coming books. First is Postcards which you've heard about both here, and over at www.allyouleave.com. It's an anthology featuring work from Harvey Pekar, Michael Gaydos, Phil Hester, Stuart Moore, Noel Tuazon, and others, put together by Elk's Run editor Jason Rodriguez. It's fantabulous, definitely worth checking out. Second is Princess Ressurection which is a manga series I did the English adaptation on. It's sort of like a Manga version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a bit of Evil Dead mixed in for good measure. It's a whole lot of fun, so, y'know, go and check 'em out.
Alright... haven't quite had the time I wanted to post and such this year overall, but, y'know... here's the stuff I liked/loved this year. BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL YOU PROBABLY READ
BKV shows us why he's the best damn writer in comics yet again with... god forgive him... a talking animal book. Really splendid stuff that manages to be poignant, heart-breaking, and pulse pounding at the same time.
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL I'D BET MONEY YOU DIDN'T READ
While you probably don't know the initials ADL as well as you do BKV, I'd bet you probably will soon enough. LaLS is the book about some obscure Egyptian folks with crazy names like Moses and Pharoah. All kidding aside, I'm far from a fan of just about anything bible related, but ADL and mpMann manage to make a book that's researched without sacrificing compelling story for factual accuracy. Of course, from what I can tell, it doesn't go too far off the known facts/biblically accepted truth, either. It's really a splendid piece of work that shows exactly what the medium of comics is capable of.
BEST ONGOING SERIES
Usagi Yojimbo Hmmm. This is harder than I thought it would be. 2006 was the year I stopped reading monthly comics. The ones I do still read are Ex Machina, Fables, Captain America, Powers, and a handful of others. The best though, is the book that I've read consistently for nearly twenty years now. Usagi Yojimbo. There's just literally nothing better than Stan Sakai drawing the book he loves. That's right. That would be the SECOND talking animal book on my best of the year list.
BEST MOVIE
In a year that saw me go to the movies less and less, and miss virtually every movie I wanted to see, there was one that I made an effort to see, and loved it so much I saw it twice, and have already watched all of the special features and the feature once or twice since picking up the DVD a few days ago. The movie manages to do a couple of things that have never been done. 1) Almost perfectly capture a Phillip K. Dick novel. 2) Almost perfectly capture a GOOD Phillip K. Dick novel. 3) Redefine for a new generation what a Sci-Fi film can be. The movie is small, almost miniscule, by plot standards, yet is about big, big ideas. Bigger than any movie, bigger than any piece of literature. It's a movie that's about blame... and how sometimes EVERYONE is to blame, instead of just one side of the equation. The animation is fantastic, a real huge step forward from any other rotoscoping that's been done (including Linklater's other wholly different (and still wholly awesome) Waking Life.
Anyways, this is speculative Sci-fi filmmaking at it's best. Although I hear Children of Men accomplishes a lot of the same in a very different, and very excellent way.
Oh, and Rocky Balboa is a fucking blast. Well worth the price of admission.
BEST DVD RELEASE
Homicide - The Complete Series
Holy Fuckballs, this is what I'm talking about. Every episode, including the crossovers with Law and Order, the Movie, all the documentaries etc. from the individual sets, and probably the best packaging of a box set ever. Holy Shit. This is how one of the best shows ever made deserves to be presented, and it's worth every penny. A masterclass in research-based writing that knows when to put the research aside and let the character and story take over. There's never been a better cop show, and I severely doubt there ever will be.
Oh, and thank god for the impending Writers and Actors strikes that got them to finally release my beloved St. Elsewhere.
BEST ALBUM
Fast Man, Raider Man by Frank Black
You sort of just wait for a guy to make a solo record like this. Frank Black's had some pretty great solo stuff, but aside from Teenager of the Year, nothing that quite rivalled that of the early Pixies stuff. This does. Equal parts Rock and Roll and Rockabilly Country, FMRM is just an amazing piece of work from a still vibrant pioneer of a an entire genre of music. As long as he keeps making albums even half as good as this one, I think we're all lucky to have him.
SO I'M ASHAMED TO BE A LATECOMING FAN OF...
I'd seen the movies, enjoyed the 3rd and 4th one a lot, and the girlfriend coaxed me into reading the first book. It's a big improvement over the movie, and despite the increasing length the books manage to become more engaging as they go on. I'm fucking ashamed, man.
I'M NOT ASHAMED TO BE A JOHNNY-COME-LATELY TO...
I remember watching Doctor Who with my older brother as a child. I never quite grasped what the fuck was going on, but I always seemed to enjoy it. Of course, I always thought it was a lesser version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxybut that was clearly just my own stupidity (aside from it pre-dating Hitchhiker's, Douglas Adams was a story editor on Who while developing the Radio show. ) Doctor Who from the very first episode has always been Boys Adventure to the nth degree. It has more in common with TinTin than Star Wars, and that's why it's lasted so long and becomes so all consuming. You want to follow these characters because they're so much fun, and despite the effects, every script is beautifully crafted, and the actors always do their best to capture that sense of childhood fun that is missing in so much children's entertainment. The new shows are perhaps a bit too adult considering the source material, but, it's something that I for one look forward to watching with my kids once they, y'know... exist.
Genesis of the Daleks is a good place to start. It's a Tom Baker, it's got assloads of Daleks, and, well, it's the shit.
BEST THING ABOUT THIS YEAR
That's an easy one. Christina. Meeting her was like a dream come true, and I couldn't be happier, seriously.
WORST THING ABOUT THIS YEAR
Also fairly easy. That'd be how I had virtually no creative output this year, thanks to circumstances beyond my control.
WHAT'S ON TAP FOR 2007
Well, next year you'll see the complete Elk's Run, the long awaited premiere of Punks, Noel and I will be unveiling Three Rivers and Tumor, J-Rod's superbly excellent, Postcards (which has a cover... it's pretty sweet), and who knows what else in the new year.
Plus, I've got a bunch of work for hire on the way. You won't be getting rid of this guy any time soon.
So, have an amazing New Year and go buy stuff.
Thank you one and all for all of your support, kindness, and well-wishes throughout 2006.
The best, as they say, is yet to come.
Best wishes --
Josh, Noel, Chris A. J-Rod, and the rest of the Elk's Runners...
In the middle of a string of deadlines, that saw me write more than i have in months, I broke my finger in the middle of the night on Saturday/Sunday. I have a stupid little splint on, and can only hunt and peck. It's pretty lame. Announcements coming on Punks, Three Rivers, and a third untitled project that's coming along nicely.
UPDATE: After going to the doctor from the pain, it looks like I actually just sprained my finger, but managed to give myself whiplash in the process. GO TEAM!
Hey Gang, Exceptionally fucking busy, just trying to keep up. Looks like Kody and I are about ready to unleash Punks on people, so that's coming up. I'm writing the Afterword for the Elk's Run trade right now, so, I'm looking forward to never having to write anything else for the book ever again. Except for the interviews I'm getting scheduled in the next few weeks/months.
Aside from that, Tumor is humming along, and I've got a few other work for hire things on the way, all of which should be announced shortly.
Busy, busy life.
FallCon 2006 Exclusive Interview courtesy of PopThought.com's Alex Ness