Aaron McConnell

Ancient Futures Status update

| Aaron McConnell

The photo collage above includes pictures from Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) where Steven (writer) and I (artist) introduced readers to our first printed volume of Ancient Futures and we’re happy to report it was warmly received, including enthusiastic response to the visuals as well as the catchy tagline for the book “Afropunk Assassins at the end of SpaceTime!” Other creative individuals (photographers, sculptors, actors, tarot readers, cosplayers) are getting involved in the project and we’re very excited to witness its development in ways that we couldn’t have imagined when Ancient Futures started about 2 and half years ago.

Absent-mindedly, I don’t think I’ve shown photos of the first printed Volume 1 on this blog, so here are some long overdue images to give you an idea of what the 40 page printed book looks like. For those who missed Volume 1, there is a reward tier that offers both this issue and Vol. 2. and the print edition of the first issue is running low, so get it while you can.

There are still 2 rewards for original art available in the Sketch Cover tier. You can expect those one-of-a-kind originals to look something like this:

Our status for the Kickstarter is currently under water with 8 days remaining. Not sure if we’ll be able to make this, so please consider spreading the word to anyone you can think of who might be interested in this project. The cost of a 40-page graphic novel is rather high these days and since we’re self-publishing this series to retain the rights we need to find people who believe in and are willing to invest in the project to make the printed book a reality. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Ancient Futures Kickstarter is live!

| Aaron McConnell

Dear subscribers and comic lovers,

I’m excited to announce the launch of a passion project I’ve been working on for over a year with a writer in Chicago Steven White, aka Seven, on this Valentine’s Day, 2022. What started as weekly zoom meetings to exchange story ideas and concept drawings organically grew into a compelling narrative as characters began to form and ideas bubbled to the surface brought about by the challenging and perplexing times we were experiencing in our collective lives. This story feels very “of the moment” and Seven and I wanted to find a way to bring an audience along with us as it forms rather than keep it hidden away until the entire story has been written and drawn. The hope is to keep it alive and growing in dialogue with reader interaction. Kickstarter seemed like an appropriate choice and so today marks the christening of our ship Ancient Futures as we embark into the great unknown. I hope you’ll check it out and consider joining us on the journey. We have a 40-page Part One that is scheduled to print this spring and ship this summer if the Kickstarter is successful, and we hope it captures your imagination as much as the creation of it has for Seven and myself. Thank you! http://kck.st/3oLKLgi

New York Comic Con Booth 1248

| Aaron McConnell

NYCC starts October 8 this week and I will be meeting up with my co-authors!  Jonathan and Mike have been on the road since we debuted The Comic Book Story of Beer in Denver.  They’ve been in Minneapolis, MN at DANGEROUS MAN BREWING COMPANY, Iowa City at BACKPOCKET BREWING COMPANY, Kansas City, MO at BARNES & NOBLE, Chicago, IL at BEERMISCUOUS CRAFT BEER CAFE, and Toronto Canada at THE BEGUILING BOOKS AND ART / PAGE & PANEL: THE TCAF SHOP. Today they’ll be in Ann Arbor, MI at NICOLA’S BOOKS, tomorrow in Akron, OH at LIZARDVILLE BEER STORE & WHISKEY BAR/BARNES & NOBLE, and then Oct. 8-11 for NEW YORK CITY COMIC CON.  It doesn’t even end there!  Check the WEBSITE for the complete list.

You can also find some of the REVIEWS for the book with a plethora of sample pages like these found at suntimes.com:

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RCCC in One Week

| Aaron McConnell

I’m looking forward to RCCC next Friday, but examining my inventory of The Comic Book Story of Beer comps, I’m afraid I may not have enough to get me through the weekend.  It looks like I’m just shy of 20 copies and since the book won’t be officially released until Sept 22nd, I’ll have to go with what I’ve got.  If you’re planning to be at RCCC and want to ensure that you’ll be able to pick up a copy while supplies last, drop me an email and we can work out the details.  I’m also up for doing a sketch in the book beforehand if you order ahead of time.  During the con I probably won’t do much beyond a signature and a quick doodle, but if you want something more like the examples below, please contact me this week.

It’s an  exciting time for The Comic Book Story of Beer.  Reviews are starting to trickle in like this ARTICLE on suvudu.com!  It’s great to hear that people are enjoying it!  Cheers!

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Bidding Wars on Apokolips

| Aaron McConnell

Apokolips (AKA eBay) is selling original art to benefit Hero Initiative, the charity that helps comic book creators in medical or financial need.  Here’s the LINK to the page for my “Wake Up and Draw” original, but the Hero Initiative is listing many delicious, mouthwatering waffles auctions.

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Discovering Special Edition NYC

| Aaron McConnell

BeerGalleysTomorrow I’ll be heading to New York to enjoy the city and attend Special Edition NYC June 6th and 7th.  I’ll have books, original art, and prints, as well as a galley of The Comic Book Story of Beer!  I’m hoping to meet many a beer enthusiast and perhaps gather some preorders for the book.  If you want some additional info on the book, please check out the website thecomicbookstoryofbeer.com.

Below is an image of “The Crustacean Agent” that I created specifically for Special Edition NY to be used as badge art:SENY_Badge_CROP_AHere’s a Robot 6 article with a couple other images for badges created by folks from Periscope Studio.

The Crustacean Agent originally appeared in the Monsters & Dames 2015 Art Book (see below).  The ECCC exclusive is currently sold out, but I’ll have a few prints available in NY.  Hope to see you there!MnD2014_McConnell_72dpi_B_Signed