As a test, I uploaded some old issues of Captain Kinetic and One Man Guy. Seems to work pretty well!

Jack waxes philosophical.

Having worked with the nonprofit Prism Comics for years now, I’ve learned to hold my tongue and try to act constructively, even when all I want to do is cut loose. Sure, it’s not as satisfying as stomping my feet and wailing, but 90% of the time that just makes the problem worse.

The heart of the matter is the challenge of reaching the audience for The Mark of Aeacus.

Mark and I had originally planned to self-publish MoA, or to approach a small publisher who wouldn’t be scared off by the strong sexual content. When I showed the finished book to Patrick Fillion at Class Comics, I wasn’t sure they would go for it, since it’s downright tame compared to their other offerings, but Patrick said they were very interested. Class got it solicited in record time and the first installment hit store shelves back at the end of 2007.

From the beginning, I knew that since this would be a different book from the other ones Class publishes, it would be tricky to market. (I even thought they would have to start a “non-explicit” imprint to really make the point that it was a new animal altogether. What a turnabout that would have been!)

For the past two years, I’ve been pushing MoA up and down the west coast, appearing at Comic-Con, WonderCon, APE, Emerald City, trying to connect with readers, while Class has working hard on distribution channels and new media options.

And though we’ve gotten a good reception from a core group of readers, it’s frankly been a struggle.

On top of that, pulling together the second issue proved more challenging than Mark or I expected, which has slowed the book’s momentum even more. I recently did WonderCon and Emerald City Comic Con, but armed with the same book I’d brought a year ago, it was hard to keep my energy up.

But over the past few months, we’ve really gotten on the ball. Meetings have happened, pages have taken shape, and we’ve only got a handful of pages to complete. Book two is tight! A dense plot, a lot of story, Mark’s art is better than ever, and I think it’s more than a worthy successor to the first issue.

So what’s the problem?

The fact is that the book still stands on the border, for better or worse, between “mature” and “adult,” and it’s hit home yet again just how much of a challenge we are going to have reaching readers with it.

The good news is that Class is definitely in our corner; we had a little “Aeacus summit” this past weekend and Class reiterated that they love the book and are committed to making it a success. When you know you’ve got support, it’s easier to get excited about overcoming obstacles. We’re all going to be working together twice as hard in the coming year to make The Mark of Aeacus a success, and I think we’ll be able to do it.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably at least a bit interested in this odd little yarn we’re spinning, and we’re going to need your help. We’ll be thinking of new ways for you to help spread the word online, and I hope you’ll pitch in a little and help spread the word.

And to those readers out there who haven’t picked up the book…

If you’re a mainstream comics reader who shies away from adult books, try and look at MoA as a challenging miniseries that has a great story to tell, with mature content that’s integral to it. When you root a story in Greek myths, you’re steeped in sex and violence, and rather than sidestepping it, we’re going to face it head on.

And if, up to now, you’ve only been a fan of adult comics, try and stretch your horizons a bit and give MoA a try. You might not get “the money shot” you’re used to, but our hope is to provide something that’s exciting and engaging and pushes the boundaries more than ordinary comics. Think of this as the kind of gay action thriller you’d never get in the theater, but always wished you could.

The best is yet to come! We hope you’re on board for the rest of the ride.

Pencils from Mark of Aeacus #2!

Mark has set a deadline of early April to finish all the pencil work, which will be inked by Max Banks, who’s previously inked The Tick. We settled on this panel to share as a special preview.

If you want to see more of Mark of Aeacus #2, you can stop by and visit us at the Emerald City Comic Con on April 4th and 5th, where I’ll not only be promoting Mark of Aeacus, but also helping out LGBT comics organization Prism Comics!

The idea was to do a 16-page storybook—with an art panel for each—that followed the life (and death) of judger-of-the-dead King Aeacus, who got the ball rolling long ago when he crafted The Mark of Aeacus and sent it up from Hades.

Of course, I knew Eric—being as busy as he is with being an actual comics artist with real paying work—would have to fit this project in around the edges, as it were. It’s been gestating.

But I was happily surprised to get some pencil artwork in my email box yesterday morning! I’ll share some of the work as soon as it’s clean and approved for preview; it’s comic, lively, and brings this dusty tale to life with the fun and bite I was hoping for.

If you want, you can “spy” on me. Head over to my Twitter page and lick the link to Follow me.

Voting is now open, and I urge each and every one of you to head over and cast your vote!

In addition to the joy of hearing the boys talk about comics and ass and Brenda Dickson and all the other great things, they mentioned that the nominations are open for the 2008 Queerie Awards, which are their ultra-fabulous awards for queer comics released in 2007.

I’m not quite brazen enough to do it myself, but The Mark of Aeacus and myself fit quite nicely into a few of the award categories, and I certainly wouldn’t object to someone writing in and nominating us…

Best Out Queer Creator
(If you’re a huge fan)

Best Queer Indie Book
(Class Comics is certainly still indie at this point!)

Creator Who Looks Most Like they Would Have a Manly but Alluring Scent, Like the Smell of the Forest, or in the Case of Women, Like that of a Beautiful English Tea Garden
(Self-explanatory.)

There’s already some formidable nominations in each of these categories but, as they say, it’s an honor to be nominated, so nominate me, y’all!

I called the site Eleven Pages, after the target length for a chapter. It’s my way of reminding myself that I never have very far to go to make progress.

Please check out the site, read the chapters, register, and comment if you like what you read. Writing a novel is a solitary business, and it’s nice to be able to have support along the way!

Seems that he puts Aeacus into the former!

(And if you haven’t read Brother to Dragons yet, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. In the first issue, it manages to introduce you to complex new world, get a number of plot points going, and still feel unhurried. A feat in itself, before you even consider the fact that there’s a lot of intense, man-to-man sex going on.)