Before Tomorrowland Out... Tomorrow!

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Before TomorrowlandSave me from a bad joke, but yes, tomorrow, April 7th, my latest work, Before Tomorrowland, hits bookstores, Amazon... even Walmart, apparently. Sharing credits with Jeff Jensen, Brad Bird, and Damon Lindelof gets you into the 'mart, you see. Here's copy from the back, to tell you what it's all about:

Based on the spellbinding world of the Walt Disney Studios film, Tomorrowland, this original prequel novel features a 20-page comic book and unlocks a place of unfathomable science and technology and the famous people behind it.
The year is 1939.
A secret society of extraordinary geniuses is about to share an incredible discovery with the world.
A misguided enemy--half man, half machine--will stop at nothing to prevent the group from giving this forbidden knowledge to humanity.
And a mother and son on vacation in New York City are handed a comic book infused with a secret code that will lead them straight into the crossfires of the conspiracy.

Jeff Jensen, whom you may remember from our collaboration on Green River Killer, co-wrote the screenplay for Disney's Tomorrowland with Brad and Damon, and brought me aboard to create the illustrations, the comic book segment, the cover (so wild about that retro gold leaf), and in a wild turn of events, to share authorship on this, our book. We produced it during a very hard season, at a pace and intensity that, to paraphrase Jeff, "kicked our butts". I think (hope) the result is something special. It's a wild hybrid of so much: Retro sci-fi, intense family drama, prose, and comics. I'll clam up and let you be the judge of it, but I hope that you (and/or your kids) give it a whirl.

The book's out tomorrow, but signings are coming up next month. Jeff and I will be at Powell's Books in Portland on May 2nd (Free Comic Book Day!) and the University Bookstore in Seattle the following day. I've also heard rumblings of other events, online and offline, but I imagine more will be revealed post-release.

In a bit of serendipity, I'm also working this month with local TED Talk, TEDx Portland, to supply illustrations for their Tomorrows-themed event coming up in May. I get to draw various futuristic visions of the Rose City, both fun and scary. It's really a hoot. They're talking about a gallery show and some other things, but again, no exact details yet. If I can, I'll find a way to bring Before Tomorrowland into that mix somehow. It just seems like a natural match. In the meantime, keep a watch for more signings on my appearances column, and on my store for autographed editions of Before Tomorrowland.

Now, back to the madness. The New Deal, my next authored/drawn graphic novel with Dark Horse, is ridiculously close to deadline, so you go, read other book, let me know what you think (except for first-edition typos, don't tell me any of those or I'll never sleep) and I'll keep making the other new book.

Books!

Emerald City Was GOOD

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Back from Emerald City Comic Con, and what a lovely con it was. Good friends, good fans, good sales. I missed my family (first weekend away from baby), but I had David Hahn with me as surrogate kin, so that took away some of the sting. By the way, if you haven't checked out David's All Nighter yet, you should. It's a terrific return to his one-man-show cartooning; my favorite type of David Hahn comic.

A highlight was getting to meet Tom and Charlaine Jensen, and their son Mike. Such sweet people. Tom is the detective behind Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, my book with his son, Jeff. They gave me homemade cookies and a sweet thank you note for my work on the book. I gave them a look at some ridiculous art I drew for a convention attendee whose copy came with 8 pages blank in the middle of the story. Here's one of the doodles I did in the blank pages.

I also got to do a lot of fun commissions, which you can see over on the Periscope Tumblr. And I got to chat with the amazing Gabriel Hardman, who is, as you know, amazing. I even sold out of Dear Creature books!

Big thanks to everyone who made this such a great con. I'll definitely be back next year, if for no other reason than trying to outdo Ben Dewey's success. Give him a round of applause, everyone. He owned that thing.