Our graphic novel, TRICK PONY, was announced on Valentine’s Day via CBR and you can read the press release here. But this is the important part:
"Trick Pony is a project that has been germinating in my head and heart for over a decade," Lockard said of the new graphic novel. "It's a love letter to all my favorite Western stories but through a distinctly modern lens. Jimmy's adventure is about self-fulfillment on the path to making your dreams come true... and accepting that some shadows are going to follow you for life." He added, "Trick Pony is a story I think all readers can relate to. At the core, it's about the choices we make, who we become, and where we end up."
It only has the power of a love letter because I could write and collaborate from a place of pure trust and complete creativity! I’m so grateful for the journey of making this comic book and the three supremely talented and kind people that made it all possible.
Working with Anna David was an absolute dream and I can’t wait for the world to discover her art. Everything clicked into place when she joined as co-creator and Anna unlocked that really powerful magic that happens when collaborating on comics instantly… as she started designing characters and locations, it was all exactly as I envisioned it while writing the script but also completely different and so much better than anything I could ever imagine.
The magic of collaboration continued with Lucas Gattoni on lettering and book design. Reuniting with him was a gift and he made the book into something very special. All the backmatter we created for the behind-the-scenes section at the end of the book is truly gorgeous and that is all thanks to Lucas’s eye and talent… and patience with my worrying!
The most patient with me is editor Will Dennis, without whom neither of the graphic novels I wrote would exist. Will is the perfect close reader and sounding board! I was lucky to assist him during our days editing at Vertigo but I’m even luckier now to have been on the receiving end of his epic editorial care as a writer.
TRICK PONY is completely FREE to read with your Amazon Prime, Comixology Unlimited, or Kindle Unlimited subscriptions! If you don’t subscribe, it’s $6.99 to download and read:
I will write much more about the process in future newsletters! We’ve got MONTHS of exciting promo ahead of us, friends! Thanks for continuing to support and put up with me! 🐎
LIEBESTRASSE
A very exciting update: we made the list by the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table as one of 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Adults!
ALA and the GNCRT have been so wonderful to us and our book! Tabling in Artist Alley last June in Washington, D.C. with Tim was a game-changer for me in how I see myself and the future of my career. It also helped our book start to succeed in libraries! There are currently 12 copies of LIEBESTRASSE across NYC in the New York Public Library system as an example… how cool is that?!
We also received a really wonderful review video from the amazing Casual Comicker. You can watch it here:
(Don’t worry about the misspelling on the title card! This is the easy danger of titling your book in a foreign language! Alan and his editor are actual superheroes for doing this for our book!!! Comic book readers are THE BEST!)
And here’s Alan’s original review/post:
Word of mouth like this is PRICELESS for our book! If you liked it… please tell someone, or review us on Amazon or Goodreads, or just post about us on your own Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!!! You don’t have to be a professional journalist or book reviewer to help! Casualcomicker does this project COMPLETELY for FREE and out of love for the medium. It’s really powerful magic!
If you need to buy a copy of our book, my webstore is open with copies of LIEBESTRASSE including a bookplate that features new art by Tim Fish and both of our signatures!
APOLLO & MIDNIGHTER
A really thoughtful piece on the Apollo & Midnighter story I worked on with Giulio Macaione, Fabs Nocera and Ariana Maher for DC’s HARLEY QUINN ROMANCES was on CBR earlier in February. The article can be found here.
I’m still so very proud of the work we did here and I really can’t wait for another chance to work with these creators… and get back into the DCU somehow!
EDITORIAL CLIENT UPDATES:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 1st, PHANTOM ROAD debuts!!! Co-created by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Hernandez Walta with colors by Jordie Bellaire and lettering/book design by Steve Wands. It’s another favorite project I’ve had the pleasure of working on the past couple of years and I’m so thrilled about its release. Last month I shared the cover by Gabriel but here’s an interior page of his absolutely mind-blowing inks:
Run to your comic store on Wednesday and buy this issue! It’s the start of a really wild ride and a comic everyone is going to be talking about very soon!
I’ll be in Chicago for C2E2 at the end of March! More details soon!
Hopefully, I will be attending a few other conventions or book festivals, too…
Take good care in the meantime! 🐎🤠
Thanks so much for reading,
Greg