Coming this fall is a tale of romance, tragedy, and horror called “If You Get Close to Her, Kiss Her Once for Me.” In writing this, and a few other stories (notably Se Perdre), I’ve been toying with the notion that horror stories are often also tragedies. I hope this one gets that idea across.
“If [...]

Another historical graphic novel by Sturm. I prefer his earlier works set amidst specific time periods and trends (the Great Awakening, the Gold Rush, and barnstorming baseball teams), but this tale of a European Jewish rug-maker wrestling with an existential crisis in the face of a changing economy is well-observed and appealing.
Buy Market Day at [...]

Because I like you guys so much – and because I’m liking how this story is shaping up so much – I’ve decided to reveal another couple of panels from our next story, Cured.
The art is handled by Erik Rose. And you’ll be seeing the entire story this fall, after Straw Gods concludes. This is [...]

King’s slim, seminal volume on his life as a writer and his advice on how to write well. The section on the mechanics of writing well is solid – though not as good as Stunk & White, or Zinsser, on the topic – but King’s memoir and thoughts on process and editing are terrific.
Buy On [...]

I recently wrote a four-column for iFanboy called “On My Own in Independent Comics” about my experiences in making self-funded indie comics (i.e. the comics on this site). The columns ranged from how I got started making comics to how I work at conventions to the finances it takes to make Split Lip run. If you’re [...]

You’ll remember “Cured,” the next Split Lip story, which I’ve been previewing here over the last few weeks. Erik Rose, the artist on the story, has been sending me finished, inked pages – and they’re so awesome I want to show a little bit of them to you.
You’ll find a couple of great panels after [...]

Fascinating art book on a handfu of topics in ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints that dominated there for hundreds of years. This isn’t for the weak stomached — it’s all extreme sex, violence, and ghosts here. I’d have liked more full-page images, though the accompanying text and restored images provide great insight and context.
Buy Dream Spectres [...]

Following last week’s script excerpt from “Cured” – which is likely to be the next story published here – here’s a quick preview of some of Erik Rose’s breakdowns for the first two pages of the story. These are rough (Erik’s process includes rough thumbnails followed by pencilling, inking, and finishing the pages all in [...]

My second attempt at Morrison’s interlocking collection of seven miniseries about obscure DC characters. This time, I enjoyed it much more. The varying tones, art styles, and themes across the stories show Morrison as impressively versatile, but also deftly weaving a single, greater narrative. I can’t wait to read the concluding volume.
Books: 34/52

52/52: An ongoing [...]

As part of having this new site, I’m going to be using the blog to give you sneak previews of upcoming Split Lip stories. These will be script excerpts, sketches, and finished panels.
Check the site every Thursday for a glimpse into the future of our stories.
This week, I’ve got a script excerpt from an upcoming [...]