Kind Words & Mr. Kerr

Avengers! Joker! Allnighter! Turns out I make a bunch of comics

As always, I’m hard at “work”. This week I’m putting the finishing touches on the script to BATMAN #148 and I think I’m just going to leave this typo as is for my new glorious editor, Katie Kubert:

It just sounds like a real word! Twender is the Knight.

For those keeping track at home, next week issue #142 is out. It sounds like I’m far ahead, but THREE ISSUES are coming out in February, because it’s our very special JOKER YEAR ONE story!

DC made that cool promo video, but I should restate that this is NOT an “origin story” for The Joker. Like, you’re not going to find out his name is Joe Kerr and that his dad was a mime. hooked on the sauce This is just a (hopefully) cool story about the moments after he fell into that vat of fun chemicals, and how that time affects Batman’s future. It’s fun! I swear!

HOW CAN I TRUST A MAN WHO REFUSES TO MAKE “JOE KERR” CANON

Fair!!!

Speaking of comics coming out in rapid succession, AVENGERS: TWILIGHT #2 is out this week! You better go buy it ‘cause Cap is watching you:

Also, it’s always incredibly cool to see an Alex Ross cover on one of my books. Never gets old (unlike Cap)!

As always, I have stayed off of social media during the release of this book, but people keep forwarding me nice things about it, which is lovely. Even local curmudgeon Tom Brevoort is happy with it, giving us a nice shout out in his newsletter!

(…) people seem to be responding well to AVENGERS: TWILIGHT, Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuna’s exploration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes at the end of their time. As I spoke about when the first issue was getting ready to release, this is a story that has been in the works for a very long time, so it’s satisfying to see people get to respond to it now. And just having sent it to print, let me tell you that issue #3 is one of the best single AVENGERS issues I’ve ever put out in my 26 year run. So don’t get caught flat-footed, seek this book and the previous issue out now and get yourselves ready for something special.

Wow! It’s especially nice hearing how much he enjoyed issue three as I’m pretty sure when I sent him the script he responded with “reads well”. He’s the withholding father I never had!!

TO BE FAIR HE’S PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT DANIEL’S ART

Oh yeah

Anyway, issue two is a banger and issue three is a double banger, so do as Tom says and don’t get caught flat-footed, and especially don’t get tossed back in time to when people said “caught flat-footed.”

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Also out this week is the PENULTIMATE ISSUE OF ALL-NIGHTER! There’s a preview up at Freaksugar (also my nickname in college). It’s so weird that this book started as a vampire diner story and now look at it:

Wild. Amazing art from Jason and Paris.

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And hey, guess what, Chicago? I’m coming for you! I’m gonna get ya! I’m going to be in you! That’s right, I’m going to be a guest at C2E2 April 26-28!

See? Look how excited I am!

Jorge Jimenez will ALSO be there so you get to witness the most ludicrous duo in comics: Old Man & The Hunk!

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And finally, shout out to Kieron Gillen who wrote a really lovely piece on the passing of music critic Neil Kulkarni. I didn’t know his work until Kieron wrote about him, but after reading some of the links it’s very evident he was a great writer. Insightful and stylish. A real loss.

Take care all, time is shorter than you think.

Love,
Chip

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UPCOMING BOOKS
BATMAN #142 — Feb 6
BATMAN #143 — Feb 13
BATMAN #144 — Feb 20
AVENGERS: TWILIGHT #1 (2nd printing) — Feb 28
AVENGERS: TWILIGHT #3 — Feb 28
NEWBURN #15 — Feb 28
BATMAN #145 — Mar 5
AVENGERS: TWILIGHT #4 — Mar 13
NEWBURN #16 — Mar 27
BATMAN #146 — April 2

UPCOMING SIGNINGS
EMERALD CITY COMIC CON (Seattle) — Feb 29-Mar 3
C2E2 (Chicago) — April 26-28