7/29: Liebestrasse at SDCC!
7/29: Liebestrasse at SDCC!
Our graphic novel available now in all bookstores and comic shops!
What a month!!!
We were reviewed in Publishers Weekly! “Lockard enjoyably balances establishing the real world of 1930s Berlin with prioritizing the sultry feel of the fictional romance. The art is rendered in strong, inky lines by [Tim] Fish with colorist Héctor Barros’s gentle full-color palette.”
As the bookstore release date approached on the 12th of July, I started receiving updates from friends and family that their copies were shipping which was a huge relief after supply-chain delays.
On the day of bookstore release, I ran into the city to try and find it in some of the shops that had copies and filmed this video at Barnes & Noble in Union Square!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cf7ap9VFWBS/
It currently has over 4,200 views which signal that maybe the video promotion needs to continue… And makes me embarrassed by my song choice in the moment.
The next day, I had a signing and discussion with Phil Jimenez at Word Bookstore in Jersey City! If you know Phil, I don’t have to tell you that he is one of the kindest, most intelligent, and most talented of ALL humans… and to be in conversation with him was a once-in-a-lifetime treat. His reading of LIEBESTRASSE and the questions he asked about its creation and content were on a deeper level than anyone had asked of me thus far. I’m definitely going to continue thinking about some of them (“What is queerness to you? How is LIEBESTRASSE queer?”) for a long time. I’m infinitely grateful to him for taking the time and making the trek to Jersey City for this.
(And major thanks to my friend Anthony Cammarata who connected me to Word directly! They are super supportive of local writers but having a direct connection in organizing these things just makes everything much easier!)
The next day, I traveled to Kew Gardens for a conversation set up by Alex Segura at his neighborhood indie store, Kew & Willow! Alex is also massively generous with his time and supremely talented… the conversation with him and Jeremy Holt was pure joy! The second half of a launch week I will never forget!
The readers at this store had amazing questions, too! Vina and Holly have created a magical place in their store… get on the train toward Forest Hills and get yourself there (copies of LIEBESTRASSE are still on the shelves!)
And then the following week I returned to San Diego Comic-Con!
I was very lucky to be a guest of Comixlogy Originals and moderated two panels for them about the brilliant comics CANARY, DUDLEY DATSON & THE FOREVER PEOPLE, and BARNSTORMERS. All co-creations of Dan Panosian, Jamal Igle, and Tula Lotay with Scott Snyder are available now to read on Comixology.
The trip to San Diego was filled with countless sweet reunions. My heart is full to the point of overflowing. We were on sale in the Comixology booth and I signed there twice amongst the best in the business!
Prism Comics hosted me for signings and the pictures speak louder about my level of happiness than I could ever! Thank you to all the volunteers that make the booth (and other Prism events) happen! Making spaces for LGBTQIA+ creators is more important now than ever and I was happy to be part of it this year.
Word of Mouth!
Did you order LIEBESTASSE through Amazon? Could you leave a review? It helps boost our profile in the internet chaos known as “selling through algorithms.”
You can also post pics on social media! Tag the entire creative team! We love it and will repost you!
Request us at your local library or donate a copy to your local branch!
Tell your book group about us! I’ll video-conference in for your discussion if you want!
Anything and everything helps… it’s going to take a village to sell through this first print run and I am not stopping until it happens.
I am very grateful for all your help already and I’m apologizing in advance for asking for more!
Currently, nothing is on the schedule until October!
All digital promotion and hustle until then…I’ll update as book festivals or store appearances confirm!
Baltimore Comic-Con - Friday, October 28th - Sunday, October 30th
Thanks so much for reading and for all your continued support! This past month has been beyond my wildest dreams… and that baseline is pretty wild.
-Greg