Free Comic Book Day!

This Free Comic Book Day (May 1st), I'll be signing at Brave New Worlds' Willow Grove store with superstar artist Billy Tan. Sure, the Old City shop has stormtroopers, Zombie Hulk and Spidey. But we'll have Zatanna and Black Cat watching our backs. More details soon...

Braaaiiiinnnnssss

Here's a sneak preview of an 8-page story I wrote for X-Men: Divided We Stand #2, out this Wednesday, May 21st. I'll be signing this issue, along with C.B. Cebulski, Andy Schmidt and Mike Lilly at Jim Hanley's Universe in Manhattan that same day, from 5 until 7 p.m. Stop by and say "yo," if you're anywhere near the Empire State Building.

The Coast Guard Cocktail

The medicine man behind Polite Dissent talks a bit about the so-called "Coast Guard Cocktail," as seen in Punisher: Force of Nature. This post made my day.

For Appearances' Sake

We're less than a month away from the release of Severance Package, which means I'll be crawling out of the ink-stained cocoon I've woven myself into lately to make a few public appearances. There are also a few comic-related events coming up, which is a new thing for me. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: I'm a fundamentally shy person, and I became a writer because I thought I would able to hide behind my typewriter/computer for the rest of my ha ha HA HA HA HA hewwwwww.... sorry. These uncontrollable fits of laughter, boy they do sneak up on you.

Anyway...

This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, and I'll be at Brave New Worlds in Old City (45 N. 2nd Street) from 3 to 5 p.m. to hang out, talk about Cable, and try to stonewall questions about the identity of the baby. Oh, and whatever else you want. Hope you can stop by, if you're in the area.

A week later, I'll be at Bagged and Boarded in Bensalem, PA (2337 Street Road) from 1 to 4 p.m. for the same reasons, only it won't be Free Comic Book Day. So you'll have to pay for stuff.

I'll also be at Wizard World Philadelphia, May 30 to June 1. Details to come.

And now, time to crawl back into the cocoon.

Two Reasons to Hit a Comic Shop Today

1. Chances are, your local comic shop is giving away a sweet little bit of Marvel swag: an April calendar featuring the big "Secret Invasion" event. But on the back (or the front, depending on how it's folded) is a March calendar featuring Cable. I grabbed a bunch yesterday, and forced my kids to hang one in their room. Hey, promotion knows no bounds. And if the big mutant with the glowing eye gives them nightmares... well, that's just part of the joy of childhood. (Remind to tell you sometime about the evil clown my father painted on my bedroom wall... one with real seatbelts for arms, that came out of the freakin' wall...)

2. Ed Brubaker's Criminal Vol. 2 #1 hit the racks yesterday. If you're a fan of Hard Case Crime and Gold Medal paperbacks and Cain and Thompson and Goodis and the gang, you can't afford to miss this hardboiled pulp noir comic. And if you're a newbie, this issue is the perfect place to dive in: "Second Chance in Hell" is a self-contained story, packed with more pages than the usual Criminal installment. I'm also proud to report that my short essay about David Goodis, "Knock Me Over," is included in the back, along with an amazing Sean Phillips illustration. This essay won't appear anywhere else, and the extras aren't reprinted in the trades.

So to recap: walk into a comic shop with $3.50, and walk out with a cool poster, a killer noir story, and a little noir essay by your friendly neighborhood Pole. Tell me a better deal than that and I'll buy you a hot dog.

Stéphane Peru

Punisher: Force of Nature is out today, but its release is suddenly a very bittersweet thing. Two days ago, I learned that Stéphane Peru, who did the colors for this issue, died unexpectedly. He was only 26.

I didn't know Stéphane very well; we only traded a few short emails as he sent in his color work (and I would tell him and the rest of the Marvel crew how much I dug it). But I've become quite friendly with Michel Lacombe, the artist of "Force of Nature," and he was very close to Stéphane. They worked together; they shared a studio together. They were, in Michel's own words, "family." And right now, my heart is breaking for Michel, his studiomates, and all of Stéphane's loved ones.

I knew I would never forget this issue; I had no idea it would be for this reason. Rest in peace, Stéphane.

If You're Going to Harpoon a Man...

CBR.com has posted six preview pages from Punisher: Force of Nature, due out next week. (The sample at left, oddly enough, is the first comic script page I ever wrote.) The art is by a talented and insane man named Michel Lacombe, who is one of those rare Canadians with a supremely frightening knowledge of automatic weapons. The issue hits finer comic shops everywhere next Wednesday; need I say that it would make a superb Valentine's Day gift?

Also, over at Wizard Universe, John Coleman hurls some Cable questions my way, and I do my best to stonewall him. Coleman also asked me to reveal what comics I've been digging lately, and you can find those answers here. (Though I can think of about two dozen comics I forgot to mention, damnit...)