Side Project Limbo
Dream, Overthink, Drop, Repeat.
Happy March, dear reader. Is there such a thing?
One of the hardest things to manage as a freelance artist is the work you have to do vs. the work you want to do. I get hired to draw all sorts of things, usually at the direction of other people, and I’m very fortunate that I’m able to (more or less) support myself doing what I love. That said, any artist will tell you about their mile-long list of personal projects they would work on if they only had the time.
Ever since I self-published my first comic, Peppermint Desert, I’ve cycled through several other personal projects that I wanted (and still want) to make purely for the fun of it. Thing is, I hate doing things halfway, and these projects inevitably snowball until they are far too big to complete between all my other commitments. At this point, I take a break, pivot, or compromise to make the project more manageable. Because of this vicious cycle, not a single one of these personal projects have come to fruition!
One of these projects (that I swear to god I will finish one day) is a comic called Ozma, about a lonesome astronomer who accidentally discovers magic. I did get to finish a little vignette with this character last fall in my Ozma’s Omen triptych. If I get my way, eventually I’ll tell a longer story about her.
Last month, I wrote about the new approach I’m taking to my art and business practices, which prioritizes time management and avoiding burnout. I’m taking that all very seriously, but the devil on my shoulder keeps tempting me with the allure of an All Sorrows original project. Over the past month, I had the pleasure of speaking to a few students who wanted to pick my brain for career advice (hilarious), and I gave them both the same piece of advice: when you’re starting out, set small achievable goals for yourself so you can get into the rhythm of starting and finishing projects.
Maybe I should take my own advice.
I’m thinking about what kinds of short-form projects would keep me creatively fulfilled. I have a couple ideas, but I’m going to keep my cards close to my chest for now. For a long time, I’ve been kicking around the idea of starting a Patreon, and perhaps some of these projects could live there, available to those so invested in what I do that they wouldn’t mind coughing up a few bucks a month.
(Yes, I know I could do that here on Substack — my mind works in a strange way, it’s a whole thing.)
This is where I’d like to hear from some of you reading this. If I were to offer paid subscriptions, what would you like to see? Behind the scenes glimpses into my process? Exclusive comics? Stickers in your mailbox every month? These are all possibilities, but if I’m going to take your money, you should get a say in what you see. Tell me, what can I do for you?
While you think, here’s what’s been going on with me since last we spoke:
ROMEO & JULIET & GODZILLA!
Godzilla Monsterpiece Theatre Presents: ROMEO & JULIET & GODZILLA, an oversize one-shot illustrated by me and written by Adam Tierney, with cover and backup story by Tom Scioli, goes on sale April 8th!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - this is crazy. I’m so excited to see this book in print, it’s gonna be so much fun. It is absolutely wild that I get to be a footnote in the history of Godzilla. Surreal.
FOC has passed, but if you call your local comic book shop, they may be able to hook you up. Or of course, you can look for it on the shelf. You do NOT wanna miss this.
Melt I.C.E.
Earlier this month, I worked with my good friends KodyCollects and Christian Insua, and their podcast, Color Break, on this kick-ass MELT I.C.E. T-shirt design!
Kody is based in Portland, Maine, which has recently experienced a surge in I.C.E. activity. You know I’m always happy to lend myself to a cause that fucks up a fascist’s day.
All proceeds from these shirts go to ILAP Maine (Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project).
Kody came to me and said “I need a moose with a flamethrower melting an ICE Agent.” I said, “say less.”
Commissions & Originals
I’ve been having a lot of fun pumping out some sketch covers and little 6x8 originals. I rarely get to do fan art anymore, so these are a great excuse to get back in touch with my nerdy roots.
This Thor one is probably my favorite commission I’ve ever done:
There are more on the way, too.
Lately, whenever I do cons and events, I’ve also been selling these little 6x8 originals for $45 each. I sold four of these suckers at FanExpo Cleveland a couple weeks ago. I’m almost sold out, but I plan to do more when I get some time (ha).
Seeing these sell is really heartening. I kind of see it as a response to the rise of AI. The idea that someone can own a little piece of my artwork, that I poured over at my desk and thought carefully about every little brushstroke. Human made. I’m glad I can provide that to people at a reasonable cost. I also have much pricier originals sitting around that I’ve been meaning to list on my website.
If you’re interested in buying some of my original work or commissioning me, feel free to send me an email at allsorrowsart@gmail.com .
DANGER BOi vs. ICE: A Fundraiser for Minnesota
If you’re unfamiliar, Danger Boi & the Antagonists is a cyberpunk superhero heist comic written by my friend DJ Wooldridge and illustrated by yours truly. It’s got some very heavy, very prescient political theming.
Since February, we’ve been donating all the proceeds from sales of Danger Boi to Monarca, a Minneapolis-based rapid response line for ICE sightings. Monarca also trains community members in constitutional observation so that ICE, and by extension the Trump regime, can be held accountable.
I believe that the current moment we’re in will end, and that the regime will be defeated. I think we’re already starting to see the signs. Call me a glass-half-full kind of guy, but it feels like we’re beginning to reach the climax that the last decade or so has been building to. From where I’m at, it does not look like the government has this shit under control.
All this is to say, the work Monarca is doing is important for keeping communities safe in this moment, but it will also be instrumental for accountability in the future.
BLOOD HONEY TPB Out Now!
In case you missed it, my debut graphic novel BLOOD HONEY is available now in trade paperback from IDW Publishing and Penguin Random House!
I’ll be so real with you, as of right now, I think this is the best thing I’ve ever made. I’m so proud of it. 48 pages of teen angst, sword fights, melodrama, and murder plots. PLUS, the TPB version has several pages of backmatter including process work and an in-depth interview with me about my background and inspirations.
If you haven’t checked it out, do yourself a favor.
On the Road
Friends, if I’m not already busy as hell, you better believe I’m about to be.
I’ve got my whole slate of events lined up all the way through July, and we start THIS WEEKEND at C2E2 in Chicago!
I’m so excited for this year’s event lineup. Motor City Comic Con is always a blast, TCAF was awesome in 2024 (car break-in notwithstanding), and I ALWAYS look forward to Detroit Bookfest at Eastern Market.
If you catch me at Vibe Boost Market or Detroit Book Fest, be sure you also say hi to my lovely girlfriend and talented illustrator, Maya Scarpa, who will be vending at those events as well!
Secret Projects
I live in the dark. I work in the dark.
There are a couple of pretty exciting things I’m working on at the moment that I can’t really talk about yet. I can tell you that one of them is Danger Boi Issue 2. I won’t show you anything yet, but I’ve started laying down inks and oh boy, this comic is gonna be awesome. Bigger and badder than the first Danger Boi in just about every way.
The other thing is something I cannot speak on at all. All I can say is that it’s a bucket list project with some extremely cool creators attached.
Feed Your Brain
Here are some lovely distractions that I’ve been enjoying lately:
I went and saw Project Hail Mary the other day and it fucking. Ruled. It was nice to be in a packed movie theater for a film that wasn’t a reboot or a sequel. It also helped that I went in pretty much blind, having largely ignored the trailers. If you like The Martian or Arrival, you gotta see this.
I picked up the entire run of Tini Howard’s Excalibur at FanExpo Cleveland, and I’ve really been enjoying it. It’s one of the last Krakoa-era launch titles that I haven’t read, and it’s been on my list forever. I’m a huge fan of Tini Howard and I LOVE the 80s Excalibur, so this was always gonna be a slam dunk for me. If you love X-Men but feel like it’s not weird or medieval enough, this is the book for you.
Maya’s got us watching Hunter X Hunter, perhaps the most shonen anime I have ever seen. As the anime-resistant one in the relationship, I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying it. There’s a facade of wholesomeness to the first couple seasons that I can tell is going to break down, with more sinister/adult problems waiting in the wings for the two young boys at the center of the show. The typical shonen anime tropes tend to wear on me, but being that Hunter is the blueprint for many of these tropes in the first place, they’re all executed quite well. Satotz is my fave.
There’s a band called smush that’s been gaining some traction on TikTok lately. They just put out a new EP called standards in which they put their own shoegaze-approaching-hyperpop spin on several of their favorite songs. Their covers of Retail Drugs’ 41, Norah Jones’ i don’t know why, and Owl City’s fireflies are my favorites.
A serious threat to my time management is the New York Times’ Crossplay app, basically a clone of Scrabble. Maya and I are longtime players of the NYT word games, and it’s fun to have something we can play together and chip away at throughout the day. She whoops my ass every single time, but I’m still having fun.
That’s all for this month. Thank you for reading, take care, and stay safe out there.