Archaia
Awakening Pre-Order Initiative: Week Ten
Jun 1st
A WORD FROM OUR WRITER…
Yeah, I know, we’re a few weeks behind and I lay myself prostrate before you. Slow news weeks for all things Awakening, a trip to Boston, and various other odds and ends have kept me from you but I’m here now, baby. Not much new to report but just you wait – the coming month leading up to our release are gonna be chock full of cool shit.
OUR TOP STORY…
Awakening Volume One. 32% off. DO IT!
Or, if you prefer, you can go in to your local Barnes & Noble and reserve a copy. You know you want to.
AWAKENING IN THE PRESS…
While I don’t have any new reviews/interviews to show you just yet, we’ve got a couple of big things cooking. Keep your eyes on CBR in the coming weeks for a few cool things, not to mention the July issue of the most kick-ass horror mag around. Then there’s the ridiculously cool tr… What? I can’t talk about that yet? Hmm, alright.
Links and announcements as they come in…
In the meantime, if you haven’t already checked this out, head over to Comic Monsters and see a sick Making of Awakening feature Alex put together:
http://www.comicmonsters.com/section-article-252-The_making_of_Awakening_-_by__Alex_Eckman-Lawn.html
And then there are these advance reviews for the book – find out how tits they think we are:
http://reviews.comicswaitingroom.com/2009/03/31/awakening.aspx
http://www.omnicomic.com/2009/04/review-awakening-volume-1.html
LOCAL SIGHTINGS INCLUDE…
Check this section next week for a special Anime Boston report, especially if you want to know what a Mifa is (trust me – you do.)
Below is a listing of our upcoming convention and panel appearances – more to be added as they’re booked.
PRE-RELEASE! (No hardcover, no Alex – just my smiling face supporting my lovely and talented fiance, Jackie Santiago)
Big Apple One-Day Summer Show (June 13th with Jackie Santiago, Mark Holmes, and Luke Mierisch)
DEBUT! (First time the hardcover is available folks – get ‘em hot off the press and signed by the most daring and debonair comic creators you know)
Wizard World Philly (June 19th to the 21st in Artist Alley with Jackie Santiago, Mark Smylie, Kate Glasheen, Dave Rodriguez, and a host of other friends)
Panel Announcement! In addition to debuting Awakening Volume One at Philly, Alex and I will also be taking part in a Return of Archaia panel at the show. It’ll be from 12pm-1pm on Saturday, June 20th in room 204A
The Return of Archaia
After a brief hiatus, Archaia, formerly known as Archaia Studios Press, has returned to publishing high-quality, creator-controlled comics, including titles like Mouse Guard, The Killer and Artesia. Join Mark Smylie (publisher of Archaia and writer/artist on Artesia), Nick Tapalansky (writer of Awakening), Alex Eckman-Lawn (artist on Awakening), Kate Glasheen (artist on Hybrid Bastards!) and David Rodriguez (writer of Starkweather: Immortal) for an inside look at Archaia’s returning titles, upcoming books and exciting new projects!
SUMMER/FALL!
Otakon (July 17th – 19th in Artist Alley with Jackie Santiago, Kate Glasheen, and Dave Rodriguez)
San Diego Comic-Con (July 22nd – 26th with Archaia)
New York Anime Festival (September 25th – 27th in Artist Alley with Jackie Santiago)
Baltimore Comic-Con (October 10th and 11th with Archaia)
Albany Comic-Con (November 1st with Jackie Santiago, Mark Holmes, and Luke Mierisch)
KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST AWAKENING UPDATES! WE WANT YOU TO JOIN…
…our brand spankin’ new Awakening mailing list! Sign up and receive release information, special promo news, signing and convention appearance updates and more! Just sling an e-mail* on over to AwakeningComic@gmail.com with the subject “Sign Me Up!” to get started. You’ll be happy you did.
First edition due out at the end of June – don’t miss out!
*Remember kids, ask a grown up first!
We love you.
Twitter! Amazon.com! Exclamation Points!
May 18th
That’s right folks, you too can now know every shit and sniffle Team Awakening takes thanks to the 140-character messages of Twitter!
http://twitter.com/awakeningcomic
Come follow us on our ridiculous adventures in making comics, keep abreast of our every whim, and (ha! I said aBREAST!) make merry with us.
Now you can say “But moooom, all my friends are doing it!” and mean it!
And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention yet again that Volume One is available for pre-order at Amazon.com at 32% off! That makes the book a scant $13.57, impossible to pass up (and if you sleep on this discount, you might just find a certain Mr. Eckman-Lawn sitting on your bed in the darkness of night, sucking your breath out as your dreams fade and your heart slows. Save yourself!).
Amazon.com Ranking Update! Help Us Hit #1!!
May 16th
Thanks to all of you guys, we’re flying up the Amazon charts – it’s unreal.
Yesterday we showed up on there for the first time with our updated pre-order info…
TODAY WE’RE NUMBER 25 (!!) ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL – HORROR BESTSELLERS!
TODAY WE’RE NUMBER 6 (!!!) ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL – MYSTERY BESTSELLERS!
Holy crap!!
Now we have a mission: Number 1! We have to take down The Walking Dead, Buffy, The League of Extrodinary Gentlemen, and Stephen King himself to do it. It won’t be easy, but I think we can do it!
Blog it. Twitter it. E-mail it. Tell your friends.
Tell all your friends.
We’re coming.
Awakening Pre-Order Initiative: Week Five
May 1st
A bit of a short one today, lads and ladies, as we continue onward. Steady as she goes!
OUR TOP STORY…
It’s all official – Archaia is back in action! Check out the interview with PJ Bicket, Mark Smylie, and Steve Christy about the re-launch this June and what’s in store for the coming year…
http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=20991
Give it a read and get excited, people – we’re coming…
IN OTHER NEWS…
Haha! Honestly there isn’t much else to report right now. We’ve got a ton of interviews and reviews on the way in the coming weeks, a badass something-I-can’t-mention-yet, and a listing of all our confirmed convention/signing appearances for the rest of the year. I’m thinking next week or the week after should be more eventful so stick around!
SOME LAST MINUTE REMINDERS…
If you haven’t already pre-ordered the book, do it now! Get to da choppa! Currently there are two ways you can do this:
- Print out the pre-order coupon below and bring it to your local comic shop to guarantee your copy this June!
- Go to DCBS and order the book through them at 45% off to get yourself an exclusive signed art print! The direct link for Awakening is http://www.dcbservice.com/product.aspx?id=303661#dt.
The print is below, if you’re curious…
And maaaaybe you want to add a little something to that order – I’d recommend Perhapanauts: Triangle personally – only $8.99 at DCBS, which means you get both books AND the exclusive signed Awakening art print for the regular cover price of Awakening Volume One! How can you pass that up?!
We love you.
Awakening Pre-Order Initiative: Week Four
Apr 25th
Alright sure, it’s not Friday – the week got away from me in a hurry. It’s gotta be Friday somewhere though, right?
Right?
OUR TOP STORY…
Perapanauts: Triangles (written by my good pal and hetero lifemate Todd Dezago) is out in stores NOW! While it’s the third trade in the series, it’s actually the first one from the run recently begun at Image and works as a great starting point for new readers!
In fact, you can get it for the ridiculously low price of $8.99 at DCBS! Maybe just add it to your order of, I don’t know, AWAKENING VOLUME ONE FOR ONLY $10.97 WITH AN EXCLUSIVE SIGNED ART PRINT!!
Lest ye forget, Alex and I have a two-part back up story debuting in issues 10 and 11 of Perhapanauts later in the summer – this would be an excellent time to jump on and get to know these guys!
Todd also just posted a funny pinup my fiance, the talented Jackie Santiago (http://volatile-tifa.deviantart.com) did for him – behold, THE PERHAPAPALS!
Check out his blog for more about Perhapanauts, Todd, and a wicked cool Friday Trivia contest posted, you guessed it, every Friday.
QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS…
Recently, Alex and I did a great interview over at Omnicomic which I linked to last week (and just now again). A reader left a comment and question up there which I’ve discussed here briefly in the past but want to bring up again. His questions and comments were:
“So what do I do with my three issues of the Awakening comic book? Now it seems I have to buy the same thing again. And how do I know the second volume will be published, when the comic book version was discontinued?”
I think those are valid concerns and good questions – below is my response:
“Thanks for the comment and double thanks for being one of the pre-hardcover supporters of the book! The decision to go exclusively to two hardcover volumes from floppy issues was based on a number of factors and was made by both Alex and I and Archaia.
For any number of reasons, indie floppy books, especially from smaller publishers which are only just beginning to grow a strong and consistent line, have difficulty finding success in a comic shop. After all, when shelf space is as limited as it is in most shops what are you going to give the slot to – a new, unproven book from a small publisher and a brand new creative team or the 81st tie in to Secret Final Civil Identity Crisis Invasion War? One of them has guaranteed sales. The other is a risk. Unfortunately, it’s just smart business on the retailer’s end. We bore the brunt of that uphill battle for three issues before Archaia began undergoing its reconstruction and, if not for said reconstruction, would have continued chasing that for seven more issues.
However, between the year-long restructuring (it’s complete now and the company is in an excellent position going into the June re-launch) and taking those very obstacles mentioned above into consideration, it didn’t seem prudent to return with issue 4 after being absent for a year and a half. Further, releasing in hardcover volumes allows us instant access/exposure to the book trade market (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc) which gives us even more avenues to offer the book. In turn, that gives us a much better chance of putting the book into a reader’s hands.
As for buying the same thing again – yes and no (and isn’t that the very nature of a collected edition release?). Sure the first three issues are included, but so are 10-pages of supplemental material that are story based and deal heavily with the time between events in the issues, as well as five brand new pinups from fantastic artists. In addition to that you get two more chapters and, if you order through DCBS, you’re getting all this in a 144-page hardcover volume (with dust jacket) AND an exclusive signed print for just $10.97 – that should ease any pain of the money previously spent on issues.
I don’t control the fates, the winds, or the fickle publishing industry so no, I can’t guarantee beyond any horrifying doubt that Volume Two is coming. I can tell you that Archaia is an incredibly strong company, that the book is written and artwork has begun, and that we’re on track to put it out in June of 2010. The surest way to make certain it DOES come out isn’t to second guess it but to support the book – even if the very worst happens and Archaia isn’t around in a year, strong sales would make certain another publisher would happily snap the book up for the final volume.
And hang on to those issues – supporting the book is one way to guarantee that those limited copies of issues 1 – 3 in the market might actually be worth more than cover price some day! 
“
The bottom line is that Alex and I are doing everything in our collective powers to make sure you’re getting a great book and that you’ll get another one a year from now. And then an entirely different story a year after that, one with nothing to do with zombies. And another book a year after that. And so on…
SOMETHING TO HOLD YOU OVER…
Last week you got a pinup from the amazing Patrick McEvoy which is being included in the Volume One hardcover. This week, I thought maybe you’d like a look at some actual pages you may not have seen yet…
SOME LAST MINUTE REMINDERS…
If you haven’t already pre-ordered the book, do it now! Get to da choppa! Currently there are two ways you can do this:
- Print out the pre-order coupon below and bring it to your local comic shop to guarantee your copy this June!
- Go to DCBS and order the book through them at 45% off to get yourself an exclusive signed art print! The direct link for Awakening is http://www.dcbservice.com/product.aspx?id=303661#dt.
The print is below, if you’re curious…
We’ll have links to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc. once they update the listing.
We love you.
Awakening Pre-Order Initiative: Week Three
Apr 17th
OUR TOP STORY…
Wondering what the EXCLUSIVE FREE SIGNED PRINT is that comes with every DCBS order?
Bam.
Don’t forget to get those orders in to secure your copy of AWAKENING VOLUME ONE AT DCBS FOR ONLY$10.97 INCLUDING AN EXCLUSIVE PRINT!!
http://www.dcbservice.com/product.aspx?id=303661#dt
AWAKENING ELSEWHERE ON THE INTERWEB…
Jonathan Pilley over at Omnicomic has been spreading the word around town like the dedicated Awakened he is. Below is the Omnicomic advance review of Awakening Volume One. Below that is a link to a sweet interview we did with him this past week.
Ok folks. Today I am bringing to you my review of Awakening Volume 1, published by Archaia Studios Press and written by Nick Tapalansky, illustrated by Alex Eckman-lawn and lettered by Thomas Mauer. Now with this title you can come to different conclusions as to what this series might be about, but after reading it came to the conclusion that I applaud how the work was done and the direction they took.
It all boils down to zombies. Yes I said it: zombies. But in a new way. Were this your typical zombie comic there would be tons of flesh-eating action and mindless violence. No my friend this zombie story was written with suspense and mystery in mind, letting the story slowly unfold for you in a small town where mysterious murders start to happen and the bodies are savaged in a manner that has the local police baffled. Thus enters our protagonist, a private investigator named Derrick, who has his own sort of mystery about who he is and what happened to him that makes him a private investigator.
With only one witness to work with, Derrick begins the long journey to figure out what is going on in his small town that has large implications. Recently, a pharmaceutical company came to town and then just up and left, firing everyone and leaving their building abandoned and questions as well. What sort of things did they work on there? Could they be the cause of this zombie madness?
Soon enough an outside source is sent by the government to help the local police solve the baffling murders in the form of Doctor Daniel Howe. Eventually Derrick and Doctor Howe team up at the behest of the chief of police, as Derrick used to be the best man on the force until something happened that made him a civilian. Slowly the two begin to work out the mystery of the missing drug company and what is driving these vicious attacks. How the story is laid out is done in a manner that lets you piece together things slowly and not reveal too much at once so that you can’t really anticipate what’s gonna happen next. I know while I was reading it there were some things I didn’t expect to happen, but they did and now it has me hankering for the next volume.
The style of drawing also helps inspire the sense of mystery and danger with appropriately placed foreboding shading in certain panels. The zombies are drawn magnificently as they aren’t drawn as your run of the mill, half-eaten, “blood all over me” type zombie. Rather, they look almost human with a touch of feralness. Another part of the whole package that was done well is that they don’t rely on zombies to be the shock factor or constant gore to move the story. Following our protagonist propels the story most of the way, with a bit of inner monologue and notes at the beginning of each new chapter to recap what’s been said and occurred. This format really helps keep you involved in the story.
Overall it was not what I expected, and that’s a good thing. I was surprised greatly in reading it and want more, especially with the cliffhanger ending you are left with at the end of the Volume 1. The style of writing and artistic approach are both a welcome change to the usual graphic novels and comic book genre. Hopefully more artists will go in this direction when completing mystery and horror style comics. I am sorry I missed this series when it first came out back in 2007, but now I’ve (and you’ve) been given a second chance to pick this volume up with a special coupon to order it.”
Next up was a fun interview Alex and I did with these guys – the thing is pretty long, so I’m only going to post a link (plus I want to make sure you guys check the site out too!)
Nick and Alex talk Awakening Volume One with Omnicomic!
I also want to give a big shoutout to his royal evil, Lord Shaper, for spreading the word like a madman about the pre-order coupon and DCBS discount. He’s been all over the web with it, including his own site, Kryptographik, and going so far as to give us a great send up on the Comic Book Page April Previews podcast. Be sure to check out both his site and the podcast by hitting up the links below:
Comic Book Page – April Previews Podcast (Talk of Archaia relaunch begins at 54.05 while the coverage of Awakening begins at 58.34)
Damian a.k.a Lord Shaper on Twitter!
IN OTHER NEWS….
It’s occured to me that I don’t think I’ve mentioned much here about one of the loveliest ladies we know, Chandra Free. She’s the creator of the upcoming The God Machine comic being published by Archaia (preview due this July at SDCC, first volume TBA). She’s an amazing artist, a great friend, and a lover of Venture Bros. What’s not to love?
Find her on deviantArt and MySpace and friend the shit out of her.
In other Archaia family news, Josh and Kat of Titanium Rain fame have posted up a pretty cool trailer for their upcoming July release. Check it out below!
What’s that you say? You want MORE previews from inside Awakening Volume One? Didn’t I put something up just last week? Alright, alright, settle down. Hmmm… How about a pin-up by fellow Archaia creator Patrick McEvoy of Starkweather: Immortal fame?
We love you.
