More Mighty

Hmmmm...another post about THE MIGHTY. Noticing a trend here?

There's another article up on Ain't It Cool News regarding America's favorite new comic book. I didn't have much to do with this one. Tomasi put it together, it's a script to pencils to inks to colors guide to how a comic is made, using The Mighty as an example. Check it out if you're interested, here's the linkage:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39893

After all these years of blogging (three!), I still don't know how to insert a live link. I'm pretty pathetic.

In other news, I finished my last page of Supergirl #38 today, ending my professional obligation to the book. While I'm not happy with the way things have ended, I'm very proud of the run of work Jamal and I produced over the last few years, from Firestorm to Nightwing to Supergirl. Some artists I've worked with, it's a struggle to fit my style or sensibilities with theirs. Jamal's work always felt like a very natural fit with my style. But all good things come to and end eventually, even Big Poppa and I. So I'm shelving my pens and brushes to focus on writing full-time again. I've got a couple of new projects lined up with different companies and, I'm told, a third shaping up at DC. Let's see what the future brings.

I'll be travelling the world the next couple of weeks so blogging will be even more sporadic than normal. Eventually, I'll end up at the New York Convention, at least the final day of the show. No idea what my signing schedule might be but maybe I'll catch you there.

Take care. THanks for reading.

Coming in April...

THE MIGHTY #3

Written by Peter J. Tomasi & Keith Champagne
Art by Peter Snejbjerg
Cover by Dave Johnson

Alpha One may be the most powerful being on the face of the planet, but emotionally, he’s vulnerable – and he needs a friend he can trust. His ally Gabriel Cole, who has just officially taken command of Section Omega, is becoming that friend. But neither man knows the danger they tempt by inviting each other into their homes. And what amazing secrets are hidden in Alpha One’s underground headquarters?
On sale April 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Follow me to victory

Hey.

You.

The one reading this post right now. Do you read my blog on a regular basis? Do you see that list of followers over to the left hand side of this entry? Do me a favor, join the club, and officially follow me. If I get enough people, I'm interested in starting a cult (I make GREAT kool-aid!!). We'd need a good name for our cult, a robust health and dental plan, and a large tract of land to commune on (hopefully somewhere warm). And we can do cool things like wear robes, debate Superman versus Thor, and get tax breaks from the government.

But it all starts with you. I promise not to poison anyone or marry all the ladies (sorry ladies). I also promise to have movie nights every other weekend. So follow me to victory!

Gone in sixty seconds

The latest news is I'll be leaving Supergirl after issue #38. I'm not sure if I'll be completing the entire lead story. I'd like to but am leaving for vacation on February 1st. The way work dribbles in on the book, I don't know if I'll have the entire issue to finish before I go.

Based on some recent developments in my personal life, it's not the greatest time for me to be leaving the book--and the steady paycheck of a monthly--but the decision wasn't mine this time. I could bore you with the backstage shenanigans but there's a reason they're called backstage shenanigans. Because, y'know...it's mischief and it's behind the scenes. Anyway, I wish the team nothing but luck.

So...what's next for me? That's in the process of being worked out but rest assured I'll land on my feet. Always have, always will. I've been moonlighting as a writer for a video game company the past year, I plan on devoting more time to that work and I expect you'll be seeing me focus on writing more comics and inking less. I think I prefer to sit in the driver's seat...not the ejector seat.

Stay tuned for the further adventures of America's favorite writer/inker!

Let's see...what to blog about?

I'm in the middle of dialoguing THE MIGHTY #5 and it's one of those nights where coming up with words for the balloons feels like pulling teeth from the all-powerful Zeus. I wish I had something witty to follow that up with but it's just not flowing. Or actually, it is. It's just flowing in a really bad, upset stomach kind of way. Frustrating.

I'm interested in hearing what everyone's New Year's resolutions are this year, if you're the type of quasi-anonymous blog readers that make New Year's resolutions. Aside from my plan to make ONE MILLION DOLLARS in '09, I'm going to finally build (or have built) my website because all the cool kids have one these days. I'm also going to be more interactive with the comments on this blog. Too often, I skim through but don't reply to anything. So I'll make an effort to be more polite. I guess the same could apply to returning phone calls, which I'm pretty horrible at doing promptly.

Aside from work-related stuff, on a personal level, I'm going to massage my self-esteem this year. I think waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too highly of myself, it's really sick how awesome I am. Or maybe the opposite. So I got to thinking it may be healthy to round myself off to a more normal level, either way. And if I don't have anything nice to say, I'm not going to kill myself to say something nice.

How about you?

Good Riddance!

Good riddance to 2008. I'm not even going to give it a goodbye hug, just a swift kick in the ass on its way to the slush pile.

2008 was probably my most frustrating year professionally of any of the 16 years I've now spent working in the comic book field. It was a year full of behind-the scenes soap opera and politics and battles that I fought--most of which I lost. Many were the times I questioned why I even continue to work in comics, a field where hard work and merit seem to count for nothing most of the time, and the best answer I could come up with is: I'm too stubborn to quit. I'm a cockroach, I've worked too hard and too long at this to tuck my head and call it a day.

As various projects I've been working on were killed or delayed indefinitely, it became hard not to feel like I've had some kind of dark cloud over my head. And just as I thought I had escaped to a fresh start in 2009, 2008 kicked me in the balls one last time. Jamal knows what I'm talking about.

So bring it on, 2009. Hit me with your best shot. I'm refocused, I'm standing tall, I'm smiling, and I'm not going anywhere. This is the year of THE MIGHTY. This is the year JOKER: YEAR ONE will (finally) arrive. NEVERMORE starts in March. There are more projects shaping up on the horizon and, while I've learned the hard way not all of them will see the light of day, that doesn't mean I won't stop fighting.

Dirty this time.

By the way, my new year's resolution is to make ONE MILLION DOLLARS in 09. If anyone has any tips how to go about it, by all means share.

Happy New Year!

Ain't The Mighty Cool?

Tomasi and I recently did an interview with the comic people over at Ain't It Cool News to promote The Mighty. Here's the linkage, enjoy!

http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/node/39547

Ramping up to begin blogging again. DC Comics released their solicits today for books shipping in March 09. Hard to believe a new year is almost upon us already. I won't be sad to see 08 end, I'm looking forward to a symbolic fresh start.

So here's what we've got in March...

THE MIGHTY #2
Written by Peter J. Tomasi & Keith Champagne
Art by Peter Snejbjerg
Cover by Dave Johnson
Section Omega is in chaos, and Lt. Cole and the hero known as Alpha One must work side by side for the first time! But in his quest to bring murderers to justice, Cole is in way over his head! When the two locate the villains responsible for the recent trouble, the fight doesn’t go as planned, and Cole finds that being partnered with the world’s greatest Super Hero isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. The consequences of their first battle together will leave even the great Alpha One shaken!
On sale March 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US


SUPERGIRL #39
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Jamal Igle & Keith Champagne
Cover by Joshua Middleton

“Who is Superwoman?” part 3! Supergirl continues her manhunt for Reactron, determined to bring him to justice for the heinous crimes he committed in “New Krypton”!
Meanwhile, Lois Lane and Inspector Mike Henderson investigate the appearance of a dead body in Metropolis Harbor. Whose body is it and what could it have to do with the new Woman of Steel? Find out as the big mystery of 2009 continues!
On sale March 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Nevermore

The Dean Koontz project I'm currently writing was officially announced. Here's the link to my interview with Vaneta.

Don't worry, Pat. I'll be returning to semi-regular blogging in another week or two.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/110826-Nevermore.html

Introducing...THE MIGHTY.

We interrupt this break in blogging to direct your attention to the Newsarama interview Tomasi and I did to introduce THE MIGHTY to the world.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/110817-The-Mighty.html

The question is...have I driven everyone reading my blog off until early next year?

Logging off

Hey guys,

I've got a lot on my plate in the foreseeable future so I'm going to be taking a little hiatus from this blog. Not sure for how long, I'll probably get back to it on a semi-regular basis early in the new year, maybe a little sooner. Right now, it just feels like one more thing and I'm at a point where I need a few less things to worry about. Aside from email, I'm more or less going offline for a bit to refocus and get my legs underneath me again.

Aside from the Ghostbusters at IDW and Supergirl with Jamal, I have a few new projects that will come to light between now and the new year: The Mighty at DC, a Dean Koontz property that I'm writing for the Dabel Brothers, and a creator-owned book I'm producing with Shawn Moll for Desperado. As they're announced, please keep an eye out for the requisite interviews, etc. If I have a chance, I'll pop up to talk about each of them a bit here.

Enjoy the break from my semi-regular postings, be well, and thanks for reading.

Keith

Thoughts?

So...anyone have any thoughts about Ghostbusters #1?

I've been tagged...

OK, before I get into this tag stuff, let me just say that I was wrong about the release date of the Ghostbusters last week. It comes out this Wednesday, the 15th. Newsarama had posted the wrong info last week and, being the dullest knife in the drawer that I am, I bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Anyway...tag.

It's come to my attention that I've been tagged in a blog game by my beloved Pat Gleason's wife, Emily. I'll be honest; normally, I would feign ignorance and move on with my life. But I'll be a sport and play along because I hold the entire clan Gleason in the absolute highest regard possible. So here you go, Emily...

1.Post the rules on your blog
2.Write 6 random things about yourself
3.Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4.If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!

1- The very last thing I do when I go to bed every night, after brushing and flossing and taking out my contact lenses, is check on Jack, give him a kiss on the forehead, and whisper "daddy loves you" in his sleeping ear.

2- Speaking of sleeping, while some people count sheep when they can't fall asleep at night, I often visualize myself punching a heavy bag and counting the punches/combinations until I doze off. I'm pretty sure that means I have ridiculous amounts of anger shoved down deep into my soul.

3- When writing, I check my email compulsively, every 10-15 minutes. I find the quick mental distraction actually helps me maintain my creative focus over the longer haul of a day's work. When inking, I check my email every 3 hours or so.

4- I've been training in jiu jitsu for about five years now. In that time, I've torn the ligaments in my left ankle, separated my rib cartilage three times, broken my left ring finger, have slightly cauliflowered my left ear, have been flash KO'd once by a wayward knee to the temple, and have sustained countless bruises and scrapes. And I love every minute of it!

5- When I see pictures of myself, especially as I'm getting older, I honestly feel I look like Frankenstein.

6- I will die with no regrets unless I severely mess this whole father thing up and scar my boy for life.

So there you have it. Six random things about me.

Now, according to the game, I get to tag six people. So...I choose Tom, Jamal, Karin Yamigawa-Madan, Chris Yeoman, The Gerb, and Malinda. Dawn, you're lucky you don't have a blog or I would have tagged you.

Over and out!

Some Fallcon pics

A couple of pics from the wilds of Fallcon...

Myself and Lewis (in his signature hat) in the one pic ever where a little red eye actually works pretty well, and Alisha and Raeanne, two of my biggest fans.

They actually parked outside at midnight the night before the show and slept in their car to make sure they were first in line at my table when the convention started. Just to mess with them, I refused to sign any of the books they brought, claiming I had severe carpal tunnel and couldn't hold a pen. Alisha actually started to cry! I couldn't help but laugh. To make it up to them, I agreed to let them get their picture with me. You would have thought they died and went to Heaven.

True story, scout's honor!

I ain't afraid of no ghosts!

I was going to write up my Fallcon recap (great to see the Minnesota Wrecking Crew but I was sick as a dog the whole time) but when I went online this morning, I was greeted by a bunch of emails letting me know there was a five-page preview of Ghostbusters #1 posted on Newsarama. So here's the linky dinky (isn't that a Teletubbie?)...

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=23126

I was under the impression the first issue was due to arrive in stores on October 15th but, as usual, I'm wrong. It's actually out tomorrow. So be sure to go out and buy multiple copies of the greatest Ghostbuster comic to arrive in stores this entire year! OK, it's the only one to arrive in stores so far this year but I still think it's pretty decent.

Ironically, if one were to survey the pop culture landscape, they'd see quite a bit of Ghostbuster stuff popping up. We're first out of the gate with the new comic, followed by the video game, and there's a lot of talk that a third movie is being written. Kind of cool!

Hope you enjoy the preview and GB #1. Let me know what you think.

Fallcon or bust!

While I've got a few minutes, it seems like a good time to mention that I'll be appearing this coming weekend, Saturday and Sunday, at FALLCON in Minnesota. For those keeping score at home, this is my third year in a row attending. I've had a great time the first two years so it makes me wonder what kind of charm the third will be.

This is Fallcon's big 20th anniversary show and it seems like they're blowing the roof off in terms of their guest list. Even Tomasi is making a rare convention appearance for the show which--I believe--has been moved to a bigger venue to accomodate (sp?) the larger crowds they're expecting. And of course, my beloved Minnesota Wrecking Crew will be out in full force and I'm looking forward to catching up with the boys.

Last year, I remember the show being ridiculously hot and humid which seemed ironic, seeing as it's Minnesota in October. I remember Moira showed me the coolest letter ever, a reply she got from Julie Schwartz when she was younger. And how can I forget Lewis (and his hat), who I enjoyed chatting with off and on over the course of the weekend. Who knows what kind of memories this year will bring? Prince Valiant (he better be there)? Mud wrestling (my money is on Mahnke!)? A wedding ceremony (I believe a couple is actually being married after the show on Saturday). I guess you'll have to be there to find out with me!

Seriously, Nick Post puts on a great show. Hope to see you there. I'll update next week with pics and maybe an announcement or two.

Thanks for reading,
Keith

What a trip!

My twenty year high school reunion has come and gone and I had a great time mingling with old friends and learning what many of the faces and names of my childhood have gone on to accomplish in their lives. It's heartening to see so many doing well and aging gracefully. I was initially reluctant to attend the reunion because I wasn't sure what I would really have in common with anyone anymore. But like a bad Disney movie (thanks, Matt Damon), at the end of the day I learned an important lesson. Old friends are the best kind. We're all the same, cut from the same cloth, and there's an instinctive comraderie among those who went through puberty together.

So in the spirit of high school, here's a few official MHS class of 88 awards. And while these names won't mean anything to the comic book readers of my blog, I learned that more than a few of my old friends read this stupid thing. So this one's for them.

Best Orange Pants (and full back tattoo): Stephan Dobiejko.
Person I would never have recognized walking down the street (female): Marisol Montalvo.
Person I would never have recognized walking down the street (male): Brett Chism.
Person who looks exactly the same (male): TIE! Lance Baier and Joe Calash.
Person who looks exactly the same (female): Jen Ramos.
Lowest percentage of body fat: Heather Stevens.
Person I didn't get to catch up with but really wanted to: Lou Rollins.
Person with the most obscure shared childhood memory: Liz Nagengast (who remembers how my brother Kenny was bumped from our farm system team to little league because he was way better than we were.)
Joker: Year One: The mysterious prestige format project Doug Mahnke and I have been working on for DC (Still paying attention, comic readers?).

And in closing, in a nice bit of symmetry, the pic on this entry is my friend Dawn and I, all grown up from the earlier pic of us going to our freshman homecoming dance. My haircut is a little better this time around. By next time, I probably won't have any hair at all.

Good times. Thanks, guys.

Some new links...

I've been meaning to add a couple of new links below to noteworthy blogs that I think are worth the time. But I'm a busy, forgetful little fella who really only thinks about himself so I haven't done it yet.

First up is www.warrenmartineck.blogspot.com. Warren is a friend of mine and one of my former roommates at the Kubert School. He's one of America's leading sketch card artists, I'm always amazed at how much detail he can cram into one of those little image areas. He's also branching back into comics so I say keep on eye on his blog and watch where he ends up in a couple of years.

Secondly is www.Chrissamnee.com. I haven't met him personally but I'll be working with Chris on a project for DC in a few months time. I've gotten to know his work through his blog. Don't know how he finds time for the daily sketches but they're all sweet and I admire his dedication to posting one every day. So check that one out, too.

Over and out for now. Don't worry, I'll go back to talking all about myself next time.

Mighty good news

I've known about this for a while so, feeling guilty that I've barely blogged in the past few weeks, let me spill some more beans about THE MIGHTY.

First, you may ask yourself "what in the wide world of sports is The Mighty?"

Well, The Mighty is a new, ongoing series at DC. It's co-written by myself and Pete Tomasi, or as he likes to be called in the credit box, "Peter J. Tomasi," with some great art by Peter Snejberg. Trust me, it's cool stuff.

Anyway, we've been plugging away in the shadows on The Mighty for about a year now so I'm happy to report that we're far enough ahead that we're the book is now on the schedule. The first issue will be solicited in October and published in January. I'm excited to get it out there, I feel like I've had a really cool secret I've been dying to share for too long.

So keep an eye out! There will be plenty more details coming soon as we begin to promote the book. Tomasi and I own this one so we're both very committed to getting the word out and building some buzz.

So, yeah...

So, yeah...not much to blog about lately. Anyone got any topics of interest worth discussing?