MARCH: BOOK ONE receives a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award!



I'm deeply honored that tonight March: Book One will be receiving a Robert F. Kennedy Special Recognition Book Award-- a few days ago Ethel Kennedy herself cold-called me to deliver the good news, and then we discussed John Lewis' dancing skills for many minutes. A delightful woman, and an extreme honor!

Here's Top Shelf's official press release about the great news.

Here's today's Washington Post piece on our recognition.

My collaborators Congressman Lewis and Andrew Aydin will be at the ceremony to receive the award-- alas, the only reason I can't be there is because SOMEbody's gotta draw Book Two, out in January!

Back to the drawing table, TCB'in.

Toronto Comic Arts Festival this weekend!

I'll be in Toronto for TCAF this weekend (May 10-11), signing books at the Top Shelf booth (#228-230; on the 2nd floor, straight back as you enter the big exhibitors' room).

I'll also be a part of this panel on Sunday afternoon:

History/Nonfiction Comics
12:15-1:15pm, at Marriott 100
It could be argued that contemporary graphic novels broken into the mainstream literary world thanks to their unique ability to vividly recount the best and the worst of the human experience through autobiography, memoir, and history. Join moderator Brigid Alverson (Comic Book Resources) as she interviews some of the top contributors to the genre, including Nick Abadzis (The Cigar that Fell in Love with a Pipe), Meags Fitzgerald (Photobooth: A Biography), Nate Powell (March), Diana Tamblyn (Gerald Bull and the Supergun) and Nick Bertozzi (Lewis and Clark), and Tyrell Cannon (Victus). Discover how to consider, collect, and curate real-life tales of times past to make them new again!

See you there!

Team MARCH in Little Rock for Arkansas Literary Festival next weekend!



I'll be returning to my beloved hometown April 25th-27th for the Arkansas Literary Festival, along with collaborators John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, to discuss our graphic novel trilogy March. Here are two scheduled events:

* Saturday, April 26th: "Illustration" panel discussion with Kadir Nelson and Colleen Doran. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 4:00 pm.

* Sunday, April 27th: "March: Book One" presentation and panel discussion with John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 1:30 pm. (Space will fill quickly-- get there early!)

I'm pretty sure both events will have signings immediately afterward.

I'll also be in Fayetteville, AR the following weekend on May 3rd, doing a presentation, Q&A, and signing at the public library-- more on that in the coming days!

MARCH nominated for 3 Eisner Awards!



I'm honored to find that March: Book One, my collaboration with John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, has been nominated for three Eisner Awards: Best Reality-Based Work, Best Publication For Teens, and Best Penciller/Inker!

This year's list has a really solid line-up of nominees-- congratulations to all my other comics homies including Cecil Castellucci, Becky Cloonan, Jeff Lemire, Scott Snyder, Jeffrey Brown, Ed Piskor, Zander Cannon, Faith Erin Hicks, Luke Pearson, Gene Yang, Paul Pope, Sheila Keenan, Nathan Fox, Ben Katchor, Jeff Smith, Judith Vanistendael, and lots more! The winners will be announced at a ceremony this July at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

The complete list can be viewed here.
Judith Vanistendael

Presentation, MARCH exhibit, and signing at SPACE in Columbus OH!



If you're in the Midwest, come to SPACE in Columbus OH this weekend! It'll be happening April 12-13th at the Ramada Plaza Hotel (4900 Sinclair Rd.), 10am- 6pm. 

I'll be selling books and artwork at my own table all weekend, and will also have some other things going on:

* Original pages from the forthcoming March: Book Two will be unveiled for the first time ever, and will be on exhibit near my table all weekend.

* I'll be giving a presentation on Saturday from 3-4 pm about all the projects afoot since the release of March: Book One-- this'll include Book Two, Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero, my comics collection You Don't Say, a new printing of Swallow Me Whole, collaborations with acclaimed writers Scott Snyder and Van Jensen, pinups for Operation Margarine and Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever, and an early look at work on my next solo book, Cover.

Here's the FB page for SPACE, and the full programming list. See you there!

MARCH is a Glyph Award nominee!



I'm honored to hear that March: Book One has been nominated for the 2014 Glyph Comics Award, recognizing "the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year"!

The winner will be announced next month at the East Coast Black Age Of Comics convention in Philadelphia. 

March has also been recognized as a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, YALSA's Top 10 Great Graphic Novels For Teens, YALSA's Outstanding Books For The College Bound, and has currently spent 29 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List.

THE LOST HERO is complete!



Drawing chores on the graphic novel adaptation of Rick Riordan's THE LOST HERO are finished! It's written by Robert Venditti, drawn by me, and colored by Orpheus Collar, to be published in October from Hyperion Books. More details, including an unveiling of the cover, as soon as it's available!

Time to catch up on commissions, pinups, and lettering for my short story collection YOU DON'T SAY this weekend, then jumping straight into inks for MARCH: BOOK TWO, which will be released in January 2015 from Top Shelf.

Top Shelf graphic novels now available as DRM-free digital!

My incredible publisher Top Shelf announced yesterday that it's launched a wave of direct DRM-free digital versions of graphic novels. Here's their press release!

My books Swallow Me Whole and March: Book One are in this first wave of releases. In addition, they're doing a super cheap print-and-digital bundle direct from their site. The digital version of March is only $1.99 in a bundle with the print edition, and Swallow Me Whole is only $2.99.

MICHIGAN-- Signings and MSU Comics Forum this weekend!

I'll be at two events in East Lansing MI this coming weekend:

* Fri, Feb 21st-- a signing at the new Hollow Mountain Comics & Games shop (611 E. Grand River) from 4:30-6:30 pm. I'll have tons of books and original artwork available.
(Here's the FB event)

* Sat, Feb 22nd-- I'll have a table at the MSU Comics Forum (Snyder/Phillips Hall) from 11-5.
(Here's the FB event)

If you'd like to purchase a specific piece of original artwork from a book, email me at seemybrotherdance@yahoo.com. (note: MARCH pages are not for sale.)

See you there!

2014 schedule of events, conventions, and signings

Here's my master list of upcoming events in 2014-- this includes presentations, signings, and comic conventions at which I'll be tabling. This list will be consistently updated as new events and information are confirmed. 


Fri, Feb 21-- East Lansing MI-- signing at Hollow Mountain Comics (611 E. Grand River Ave.). 4:30-6:30 pm.

 Sat, Feb 22-- East Lansing MI-- tabling at MSU Comics Forum (Snyder/Phillips Hall), 11am-5pm.

Wed, March 12-- Worcester MA-- presentation at Clark University w/ Andrew Aydin (details and programming TBA)

April 12-13-- Columbus OH-- SPACE (Ramada Plaza hotel, 4900 Sinclair Rd.)

April 25-26-- Little Rock AR-- Arkansas Literary Festival w/ John Lewis and Andrew Aydin (details and programming TBA)

Sat, May 3-- Fayetteville AR-- Fayetteville Public Library (details and programming TBA)

May 10-11-- Toronto, ON-- TCAF (at Top Shelf booth)

May 31- June 1-- Chicago IL-- CAKE

 June 21-22-- Charlotte NC-- Heroes Con (at Top Shelf booth)

July 24-27-- San Diego CA-- Comic Con International (at Top Shelf booth #1721)

 Sept 13-14-- North Bethesda MD-- SPX

October 10-12-- New York NY-- NYCC (at Top Shelf and Hyperion booths-- debut of The Lost Hero!)

January 2014-- recap of press and new releases!

Happy New Year! It's been a bit, so here are some of the recent goings-on:



* The French edition of March: Book One is out now-- it's titled Wake Up America: 1940-1960, and is published by Rue De Sevres. 

* An Italian edition of Sounds Of Your Name will be out in early spring, titled Condizioni and published by Edizioni BD's Psychopop imprint. More info soon!


* I'm currently drawing a horror comic with acclaimed writer Scott Snyder (The Wake, American Vampire, Batman, Superman: Unchained) for the In The Dark anthology hardcover, edited by Rachel Deering. It'll be available in April via IDW Publishing!

* Here's a new interview I did with Bloomington's own WFHB a couple of weeks ago, discussing March and other books, punk, scamming photocopies in the 1990's, working for folks with disabilities, and other topics.

* I'm proud to announce that March: Book One made Comic Book Resources' #3 book of 2013, several best-of-year lists at Comicosity, and #3 of 2013 at Mental Floss! In addition, the collaborative team of John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and I made "Comics Team Of The Year" over at Comics Beat. Thanks so much!


* I'm about 25 pages away from finishing work on Rick Riordan's Heroes Of Olympus: The Lost Hero (with writer/adapter Robert Venditti and colorist Orpheus Collar). That'll be out in October from Hyperion Books!


* I'm also finishing up work on You Don't Say, which collects all my out-of-print, unpublished, and new short comics stories from 2004-2013. It should be out in late 2014 from Top Shelf! More info soon.