new COMETBUS book, new interviews & video!

Hey everybody! Back from San Diego Comic Con, and TCB'in. .

* I did a bunch of all new illustrations for the new Cometbus collection, Add Toner, which is out now! I have some copies for $12 each-- you can paypal me at harlanrecords@yahoo.com, and the store will be updated soon.

* I just did an interview with Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 about my new book, Any Empire. You can read it here.

* Here's some video of a presentation I did in April in my hometown as part of the Arkansas Literary Festival, courtesy of Mark Barnes. Thanks Mark!

* San Diego ruled again this year, though I miss not getting out to the Adventure Time beach party. Thanks, everybody, for stopping by the booth to meet and talk and pick up the new tome!

springtime jams

Hey there! It's been a while since I've given a general update-- here's what's in the works:

* After two years, Any Empire and The Silence Of Our Friends are both done! Any Empire will be out in July for Comic-Con International.

* I just got started with the drawing chores for Cecil Castellucci's Year Of The Beasts, due out in 2012 from Roaring Brook Press.

* Check out the February 2011 issue of Oxford American magazine for a weird illustration.

* I have a comics story called "Conjurers" in the forthcoming YA fiction anthology What You Wish For, which is a benefit for building an educational center in Darfur. Bookwish Foundation is releasing it with Putnam Books, and it will feature work by Nikki Giovanni, R.L. Stine, Joyce Carol Oates, Alexander McCall Smith, Francisco X. Stork, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sofia Quintero, Jeanne Duprau, Karen hesse, Cornelia Funke, Ann M. Martin, Marilyn Nelson, Meg Cabot, Jane Yolen, Gary Soto, Cynthia Voigt, and me. It'll be out in Fall 2011!

* I just finished a bunch of illustrations for the forthcoming Cometbus book Add Toner, collecting issues #46-53. (And if you haven't yet, check out #54, featuring a tour diary of traveling across Asia with Green Day-- it's a spectacular issue.)

* I'll be doing album artwork for Band Of Beards' new LP/CD, Fuerteventura. Should be out in the spring!

*If you're around the Bloomington area, come to Boxcar Books' Rock 'N Roll Prom at The Bluebird on April 9th. It's a benefit for the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project. I'll be in the Black Sabbath cover band Supernaut (as sweet sweet Ozzy) with Jarod from Universe/Morrow, Mike from Universe/Good Luck, and Benny from Gourmet Scum/Butt Piss! Bring it on!

Here are my upcoming comics-related events for the year:

* March 19-20 SPACE in Columbus, OH
* April 11-12 Presentations/workshops at Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock, AR
* April 12 Arkansas Literary Festival presentation/Q&A at Pulaski Tech (more info soon!)
* April 13 presentation/Q&A at Fletcher Library (823 N. Buchanan St.), Little Rock AR. 6pm.
* May 7-8 TCAF in Toronto, Ontario
* June 4 mini-con at Kankakee, IL public library (201 E. Merchant St.). 10a-5p.
* July 20-24 Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA-- Any Empire debuts!!!
* August 11-14 Wizard World Chicago in Rosemont, IL.
* Sept 10-11 Small Press Expo in North Bethesda, MD.
* Dec 5-Feb 10 solo exhibition at Arkansas Historical Museum, Little Rock AR

see you there!

Cometbus #53 out now!

I did the cover art for Cometbus #53, which just arrived in the mail today! They're available from me for $3 ppd-- you can paypal me at harlanrecords@yahoo.com, and the webstore will be updated soon as well.
I also have some 2-color posters of the cover, which are $1 if you'd like em.

Italy bound!

* I'll be in Lucca, Italy for the Lucca Comics and Games Festival next weekend (October 29-November 1st), signing copies of Portami Via (the Italian translation of Swallow Me Whole, published by Lizard)! I believe I also have some kinda interview/discussion and some live drawing on the 1st at 1:00 pm, if you're around. And in Italy. See you there?

* The Your Heart Breaks/ Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death 7" is available now, from Don't Stop Believin' Records, or $5 ppd. to me-- paypal orders to harlanrecords@yahoo.com. It should be added to the store section of this site pretty soon too.

* I just finished a two-color cover for Cometbus #53, which will be out in about three weeks!

* I'll also be doing some illustrations for Fluke #8, featuring an interview/feature on Dogtown stalwart Alan Short. Alan was an early and powerful creative force behind the comics Mike Lierly, Nathan Wilson, and I did in the late '80's and early '90's, and has been a member of the Arkansas bands Seahag, Deadbird, Zucura, Soophie Nun Squad, Them of Delphi, Ridin' Dudes, and Entrance (among many others). It'll be available by the end of the year.

* I'll be doing the cover of We Will Bury You #2 by Zane and Brea Grant, published by IDW.

* If you live on the west coast, I'll be a guest at a con in Sacramento CA on January 9-10. More info soon! See you there!

* My band Universe is working our way through writing an LP to be recorded in the winter-- no other info yet on this puppy.

*Still workin' away at two new graphic novels-- I'm about 35 pages done with the 200-page book The Silence Of Our Friends (to be released February 2012 on First Second), and am feverishly editing, revising, and tweaking the finished pencils of my 250-page graphic novel Any Empire (to be released in 2011 on Top Shelf).