comics

A note from my publisher…

| Aaron McConnell

Battle Quest Friends and Family,

This is it! Time to order The Young No’madds #1 for guaranteed delivery is upon us! This new #1 launches a new series full of new adventures, new characters, and new stories for BQC. We have two unique covers, and our special 1:5 limited edition incentive cover was created by industry legend Inkpot, Kirby, and multiple Eisner Award winner Bill Sienkiewicz!

This is also the first time we’ve had a book as part of the industry-renowned Diamond Comics Final Order Cut Off program! Being a part of this program is a sign of trust from our distributor, who we have proven to have been consistently on time and great to work with. Getting on this list has taken some brands over 20 years (!!!), but Battle Quest Comics was offered to join in only two years. 

We want to show retailer partners and our distributors that there’s an excited audience out there for BQC books, especially The Young No’madds #1, so here is how to do that:

  1. Go to any of the links provided below to order yourself a copy of The Young No’madds #1 before September 13, 2024
  1. If possible, subscribe to the series to show the retailers that you’ll be returning month after month for The Young No’madds.
  1. Visit Comic Shop Locator  https://comicshoplocator.com/

or Pullbox powered by PREVIEWSworld.com https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG241512   to find a local comic shop near you from which to preorder The Young No’madds. This gives you a great way to support a local business in your community and Battle Quest!

  1. Consider buying an additional copy for a friend or a Free Little Library around town! The more copies of the first issue a store sells, the more likely it is to keep ordering more for subsequent issues.  
  1. Talk about BQC and The Young No’madds on social media! Retailers use social media as their primary news source, so the more they see our name and titles, the better.

If you don’t have a local comic shop nearby, these shops will ship directly to you!

East Coast:

New York City: Midtown Comicshttps://www.midtowncomics.com/product/2355634

West Coast:

California: Golden Apple Comics https://goldenapplecomics.com/search?q=young+nomadds&_pos=1&_psq=young+noma&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Oregon: Things From Another World https://www.tfaw.com/aug241512-young-nomadds-1-of-4-cover-a-mcconnell-colwell.html

Oregon: Books with Pictures https://bookswithpictures.com/shopping/  Fill out the Specific Book Order sheet, and Katie’s staff will be happy to help pre-order for in-person pick-up or shipping 

Midwest:

Discount Comic Book Service:

Cover Ahttps://www.dcbservice.com/product/aug241512/young-nomadds-1-(of-4)-cvr-a-mcconnell-colwell

Cover Bhttps://www.dcbservice.com/product/aug241513/young-nomadds-1-(of-4)-cvr-b-5-copy-incv-sienkiewicz-(net)

Internationally:

MY COMIC CENTER ONLINE https://mycomiccenter.com/product/young-nomadds-1-of-4-cvr-a-mcconnell-colwell/?v=7516fd43adaa

My very best,

Andrew Kafoury

Publisher

Battle Quest Comics

www.battlequestcomics.com

Cover by Aaron McConnell and color artist Jeremy Colwell.
Incentive cover by comic book legend Bill Sienkiewicz.
Interior preview art by Aaron McConnell and color artist Jeremy Colwell, with lettering by Peter Carlsson.

PODCAST Appearance!

| Aaron McConnell

Steven and I were honored to be on the comic and pop culture podcast Blue Tiger Revenge last night. It was a fun conversation that reveals how Steven and I started working together on Ancient Futures and includes some of Steven’s recitation of the lines from the book. Very entertaining stuff, if I do say so myself. Host Tadd Galusha has been working in comics about as long as I have and we know each other from years back, so he had very specific and relevant questions about the drawing process and working in comics. Check it out here: https://bluetigerrevenge.substack.com/p/18-aaron-mcconnell-and-steven-white 

The Ancient Futures Kickstarter is counting down its final hours as I type this, so please hop aboard ASAP if you’d like to support it. We are so grateful to our backers and look forward to fulfilling the rewards in the coming months.

There are still 2 Original Art rewards available to purchase, Ancient Futures artworks drawn by Adam Benet Shaw and Dustin Weaver. This is a unique opportunity and I’m selfishly hoping that someone purchases these so that I can see their artistic interpretations of the characters from the book.

a new project and a humble request

| Aaron McConnell

I haven’t been blogging much over the course of the pandemic, but despite challenging times it has been a productive year for my studio work. I made a conscious choice to step away from illustrating nonfiction graphic novels, the bread and butter of my freelance, in pursuit of fictional storytelling and worldbuilding, a desire I’ve had since I started out as a freelancer about 18 years ago.

One project in particular has taken on an unexpected life of its own. I met a writer online just before the summer of 2020 and we started having weekly zoom meetings. It started as a work-for-hire comic illustration gig, but the organic nature of the collaboration allowed me to invest more heavily into the way the story was being told mainly because I wasn’t working off a script, but rather ideas for scenes and story ideas.

A long story short, the project has evolved into a passion project for me. I’ve put hundreds of hours into bringing it to life and even flew out to Chicago to meet the writer in person. Seven White and I have completed a 40 page Part One of the story we’re telling and the time has come for us to start sharing it with readers. I ask that you consider helping us realize our dream to continue the journey of this project. It’s going to be self-published and creator-owned, so we need the support to make it happen. Please sign-up for the email list and follow the instagram page to stay up to date with our progress. I can’t thank you enough for your support.

ECCC Monsters & Dames 2020

| Aaron McConnell

AaronMcConnell_MnD2020

Emerald City Comic Con’s exclusive Monsters & Dames 2020 art book has officially gone up for presale at the following link:

https://www.showclix.com/event/emeraldcitycomicon20203748626386102274V0WSnsJ?_ga=2.254875208.1939786830.1581369927-1480346825.1575403013

Money for the sale of the book and the accompanying art auction goes toward the Seattle Children’s Hospital! This marks the 6th year in a row that I’ve had a piece in the book (see preview of my 2020 piece above).  I won’t be in the Artist Alley this year, but I will be attending at the No’madd Booth #109 in the ECCC Exhibition Hall, probably Friday-Sunday (3/13-3/15).

This digital painting is part of a ongoing project know as No’madd that I’ve been developing with writer/creator Andrew Kafoury and his team of “spiritual warriors,” to quote Alejandro Jodorowsky.  Please learn more at www.nomadd.net and follow the latest news on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Comic Book Beer T-Shirts!

| Aaron McConnell

The Comic Book Story of Beer has received rave reviews and a place of honor on the New York Times Best Seller list.  Now for some icing on the cake (or froth on the beer)…I’m happy to announce The Comic Book Story of Beer T-shirt!  Just in time to diminish your holiday gift list before you even write it.  Order shirts HERE. Maybe buy a couple to layer for the chilly months ahead, especially if you expect to spill beer on it. 😉

*Thanks to Portland’s own Modified Printing for featuring me as their December Artist-of-the-Month!

BEERT-Shirt_Mockup_grande

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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