Salvete, Dear Friends!

So sorry I haven't welcomed you so far this New Year, but I've been extremely busy putting the final touches on Volume I. The first completed book should be reaching me this week, and soon, Roma Aeterna will be making its way to a comic book store near you!

I will be debuting Volume I in a signing event at Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, OH on Saturday, February 28 from 12-3 p.m. This will also be the date that Volume I will be available to order online from my publisher, Ingram Spark. I will provide more details as the date draws near, and will be doing a major redecorating to add an order button from this location as well!

Keep an eye out as well for more local appearances of Amiculus at conventions in Columbus, in Ohio and around the region! You know I've already got my SPACE table booked!

More to come soon!

March, 2014: Amiculus reaches its first milestone with the printing of its 20-page preview, Ex Libris Amiculi. The writer-creator acknowledges the gravity of the moment with a self-satisfied selfie.

April, 2014: The marketability of Amiculus is tested for the first time at the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, or SPACE, in Columbus, Ohio, where the preview made an extremely impressive showing. It would go on to three other shows over the spring and summer, including Tri-State Comic Con in May.

June, 2014: The second Kickstarter for Amiculus, Volume I launches on June 2. The writer-creator does not successfully achieve REM sleep for the next forty days.

July, 2014:  The Volume I Kickstarter succeeds, exceeding its funding goal on July 12. Writer-creator breathes a brief sigh of relief, then realizes how much work he has ahead of him in the next five months, and proceeds to stop sleeping entirely.

August, 2014: The writer-creator meets top-flight Italian artist Giancarlo Caracuzzo in Chicago for the first time in two years of working on the project to discuss production on Volume I. All goes well, until an impromptu boxing match breaks out, which the writer-creator loses. Badly.

September-December, 2014: Art, KS rewards, and more art and KS rewards.

THE VOLUME II KICKSTARTER IS COMING! 

Look for it in late spring of 2015.

My dear Amiculi,

I am very excited to say only six pages remain between us and the completion of all Volume I art! A release in mid-January is looking very good right now!

I've made some updates to the gallery portion of my site;  You can sample the first 11 pages of Volume I there, as well as main character biographies, new cover and sketch art, and a few concepts for Volume II.

Updates have been few and far between of late, but they will be flying fast and furious in January!

(With no apologies whatsoever to Joan Didion or W.B. Yeats, although, seriously, I had no idea how mad quotable, not to mention how abused by other writers, "The Second Coming" actually was! Not that he needs them from me, but props to you, William Butler!)

Anyway, SALVETE! 

Some announcements as Volume I wends its way toward physical incorporation:

The Amiculus preview has been nominated for the S.P.A.C.E. Prize in the general comics category!  I feel I am among good company, and if you check out the awards page for each category, I'm sure you will find some amazing literary discoveries as well.

The production of the book is at the two-thirds mark now, and all non-book Kickstarter backer rewards are finished!  Some of the most incredible pages yet are coming off the drawing board! Check out the process art for Page 30, Panel 2!

The holidays are a slow time for everyone, and news on production will likewise be sparse, but this thing is drawing closer and closer to realization, so stay tuned!

Hail and welcome, Amiculi!

I thought I'd share some more of the progress from the first volume, including posters and prints from the book that I'm inclined to think might be fun to offer for general consumption at a later date. You can be the judge!

Also, below is some new page art of Page 30 from the book, one of my absolute favorite pages so far:

More to come! It's been awhile since I've done a new "Roman Debauchery Fun Fact"; maybe that'll be in the next post as a change of pace. 

More to come!

Salvete!

Things have gotten a bit more exciting! The first color pages have arrived, and, thanks to the wildly talented Flavia Caracuzzo, are off to an amazing start!

Plus, the designs for the six principal character layouts are nearing completion. These will showcase a who's-who of the six main players in Amiculus, and will be produced as postcards, mini-posters and special feature material for the Kickstarter edition of the book. Below is a version of the Orestes character profile.

Lots more to come!