Catching Up.

CHEW #22 will have 2 covers, and will be out on 12/7. Same day as the second Omnivore Edition.

We'll be monthly for the rest of the Major League CHEW arc, then will take a month off to release the trade. We're basically catching up from our lateness in 2011 (due to real life stuff), and we're on track to an on-schedule 2012. Exciting!

Of course, the bad news is that I had to drop out of the London Super Comic-Con in February. The con fell right in the middle of working on an issue, so it was a no go. Like I said, the schedule has priority. Maybe we'll have better luck in 2013.

On the whole, I'm cutting back on con appearances next year, which is kind of a relief/bummer. I love touching base with the fans, but cons are a major energy drain, especially with all the jetsetting. But, whatcha gonna do?

It occurs to me that I've done a bunch of press online that kinda fell by the wayside while I've been taking my hiatus. Here's a bunch of interviews I've done in the last few months.

The Beat: I chatted with Australian mag The Beat before my trek there, regarding social media. Good talk.
NonCanonical Podcast: Interview with Australian podcasters, about success, speculating and that damn TMNT cover.
The Outhousers: Pretty straightforward interview. Nice guy that I kinda scared with my disclaimer: "Ask good questions." Sorry, bud.
The Hourly Planet: Fun, fun interview. There's a Mortal Kombat reference in it. That's a WIN to me.
Image Addiction Podcast: An hour-long discussion about comics and whatever, featuring myself and Morning Glories artist Joe Eisma. Really fun time.

Other stuff:



CW show "Hart of Dixie" made all kinda CHEW references in one of their episodes. Thus earning all kindsa Cool Points.

And Blair Butler gives CHEW some love on Attack of the Show.

I may be forgetting some things, so forgive me. I'm almost halfway done with CHEW 23, so look for that in January. Back to work for me.

Best,
Rob

Post SDCC 2010.

My first shiny prize.

So, being that I've only posted a whopping 2 times in the last year, I figured it was time for a real update. The last year, not the mention the last week, has been one bit of madness on top of more madness. All in a good way.

1) CHEW wins the EISNER Award for Best New Series:
Complete and utter lunacy. Not to mention that the awards were presented to us by the great Dave Gibbons. Fitting, as I studied Gibbons' work on Watchmen for ideas on how to build the world of CHEW visually. A surreal experience, and an incredible honor. John and I have put a lot of hard work into making CHEW a consistently entertaining read, so it's great to have it pay off with the comic industry's most prestigious award. Thanks to everyone that supported our weird little endeavor.

2) CHEW in Early Development for TV:
It's true. And so far Stephen Hopkins (Californication, 24) is attached to direct and produce it. Exciting, but I won't allow myself to smile about it until 1) I see it on TV, 2) It's GOOD and 3) The check clears. Maybe a lot to ask for, but I'd rather aim for excellence than mediocrity. Either way, things are looking good.

3) CHEW in Morgan Spurlock Comic Con Documentary:
Weird, but Layman ended up as a "character" in this thing. I ended up being his awkward, but incredibly handsome partner. Actually worked for me, as I hate being on camera. The camera crew managed to get all sorts of SDCC goodies on film, including our Eisner win. Should be a great time capsule.

4) CHEW/Threadless Contest Announced:
Yep, submit your best comic-related shirt design. If you win, your design will appear on a major character in CHEW #15. Lose, and Layman gets to pummel you to death with his Eisner. We'll be judging this personally.

5) CBR Interview on a Yacht Online:
We got limited edition CBR kazoos!

6) We got HARVEY Nominations:
One for Best New Series and I got one for Best New Talent. Honored to be nommed, of course. And of course, I wouldn't mind winning. Won't be able to make it to the ceremony due to a signing that same night.

7) CHEW Shirts:
The first CHEW apparel, featuring Poyo (below), was debuted at SDCC, and is available online. $20 plus shipping. Printed on American Apparel shirts, these are comfy and high quality. Expect more designs shortly. Email chewcomicsales@gmail.com to order.



And I guess that's it for now. Back to the grind. Below is an unreleased bit of CHEW art, created for the Image Comics SDCC Exclusive 2010 Yearbook. Enjoy, and see ya later.



Peace,
Rob!

2009: Year of the Crazy.

Happy Holidays, folks. Thanks to everyone who made 2009 such an unbelievable success in the CHEW camp. For me, things could not have gone any better than they went this year. Total dream come true, and a dream that I've been having for a long, long time. So, thank you. 2010 promises to be even bigger and better, as cliche as that is.

But first, 2009 wraps up with CHEW #7, which hits stores today. John and I are dedicated to making every issue better than the last, so hopefully we'll live up to that. We're both proud of how 7 came out, at least.

Notes and Press:

Newsarama has a new interview with John and me, focusing a bit on what's next for CHEW.
IGN names CHEW "Best Indie Series of 2009.
MTV Splash Page names CHEW "Best New Series of 2009.
MTV also did a nice feature, talking about why CHEW should be adapted to a movie, etc...

And then there's this:



The Image Comics Christmas card. I was really flattered when the Image guys asked me to do it, and pretty happy with how it came out. I have 25 of these to spare. And the first 25 original art orders will get one. If you're interested in CHEW art, hit chewcomicsales@gmail.com.

Catch you in 2010, suckas.
-Rob!

What's New?

Has it really been a month since my last post? Time flies when you're grindin'. I haven't looked up from my drawing table since SDCC...

Without getting too long-winded, here's what's new on my side:

1) The CHEW Sellouts continue.
Yep, as of now, we've sold out of everything that we've put out (which is insane). So on September 2, look out for CHEW #1 (fourth and Final printing), CHEW #2 (third printing), CHEW #3 (second printing) and CHEW #4 (first printing). Whew...mouthful.

2) CHEW Trade release on Nov. 25....for $10!
That's right. 128 full color pages, collecting the Taster's Choice arc (Issues 1-5) for a measly $10. Not only that...but on the same day, CHEW #6 will be released (cover below-SPOILER ALERT). Perfect jumping on point. Check out the trade cover above and you can Pre-Order the trade HERE.

3) Art Sales Stuff:
Thanks for the patience of all the folks that have been inquiring about original art. We're finally getting on track and getting organized. I'm adding an Original Art page to the site where you can check in for updated price lists for CHEW. I'll be debuting that this week.

4) CHEW Limited Prints:
This is something really special that I'm particularly excited about. These are oversized (think 11x17) full color, extremely high quality prints of CHEW printed on fine, fine cotton paper and signed and numbered. The guys at 1of1Printing did a sample print of the CHEW #1 cover for me at SDCC, and I'm completely in love with it. These things are frame-able pieces of art, and honestly are the best reproductions of my art I've ever seen. I'll be posting more info, including sample photos and price in the near future. I may do on-demand interior pages or just do limited runs of each cover. We'll see.

5) Press Bits:
NPR.com did a cool write-up on the book.
IGN.com did a pretty extensive interview with Layman.
iFanboy did a short video interview with Layman and me at SDCC, a cool podcast review and gave us their Pick of the Week. Very cool.
AICN had some nice things to say.
And ComicsPriceGuide.com posted one of the more bizarre CHEW-related news bits. Weird...

And lastly, I just wanna say THANKS to you folks that keep supporting this crazy-ass book. It just gets more fun from here.

Peace,
Rob!







*********SPOILER IMAGE BELOW!!!!!***********

In the Manner of Hotcakes.

Page from CHEW #3.

Alright, if you haven't heard, CHEW #1 (Second Printing) and CHEW #2 are both sold out. In the case of the second issue, you might be able to find a few at a local comic shop if you're reeeeally lucky. But as for the second printing of #1, this is a case of the readers blowing our expectations. We set out to print a certain number, did it, then the demand for the issue totally dwarfed what we were prepared for. Which is friggin' fantastic for us, but you those who still haven't snagged a copy, it kinda sucks.

But, don't panic. On August 5, the first 3 issues of CHEW will be in stores. This is a PERFECT opportunity for new readers to jump on, and for others to catch up. So again, on that date, we'll be releasing:

CHEW #1 Third Printing
CHEW #2 Second Printing
CHEW #3 First Printing

That's a mouthful.
Also, don't forget, Layman and I will be hanging out at the Image booth at San Diego Comic-con. We'll be selling and signing books, doing sketches and generally shaming the Image brand, so stop by and say "Hey!"

And again, THANK YOU to everyone that has made this book such a huge "WTF?" success. Seriously. You guys took a chance on a total madman writer and a no-name artist, and we're dedicated to delivering the best damn book in comics (mainstream or otherwise). John and I think it only gets better from here.

Later for now. Pages to ink.

-Rob!

THANK YOU!

"CHEW is a great comic book – the type that grabs you by the ears, takes a bite out of your nose, spits it in your face and still leaves you laughing and hungry for more. After only one issue, it might be my favorite book on the stands. 9.5/10."

-IGN.com

"The most unsettling, most awesome piece of comic book material that's been published in quite some time."

-COMIC PANTS.COM

"How do I describe Chew? The perfect recipe for your comic book appetite: a healthy helping of police drama, a dash of humor, sprinkle in some action, and throw in some cannibalism for good measures. Chew has it all, just be sure not to read it on an empty stomach."

-COMICS ADDICTION.COM

"...One of the most innovative and all-around successful ideas in the market today."

-COMICS WAITING ROOM

"Layman offers a story so flawlessly distinct amidst a bombarding and suffocating genre without any pretense; he has given this genre a much-needed gasp of air. Beginning to finale, Layman prevents CHEW from festering in clichés and presents readers a refreshing, provoking and entirely entertaining new comic. Bon appétit."

-COMIX411.com

"Chew blends a dark, compelling crime-fiction atmosphere, biting political satire and over-the-top, absurdist humor to arrive at an entertaining and surprisingly compelling bit of storytelling that almost defies description."

-EYE On COMICS

Damn.

What a crazy-ass day yesterday was. I'm still processing it. Seriously, I've been grinding for the last decade, trying to break into this friggin' industry in some meaningful way. And from the moment John Layman put this project into my hands, it's been unreal ever since. And I just wanna take a second and show some love to you guys. Not in a cheesy, I just-won-an-Oscar kinda way. But you guys have been so great, and I feel so incredibly blessed that I feel "Thank Yous" are in order.

Thank you to everyone that picked up this book and tried something different from the norm. I love this industry and think that despite all the weird creative recycling that its been prone to lately, the best days of the comic industry are still ahead. There's still room for new, crazy ideas, and you picking up CHEW is proof of that.

And in a Soapbox moment: Who's to say that CHEW is a crazy idea anyway? This industry was built on grown men crawling walls in spandex, blue men with their blue penises flopping around and hairy midgets with metal shooting from their hands. It's only a crazy idea until someone chooses to accept it. Then it's all fair game.

And thank you, John friggin Layman. For bringing this unbelievably brilliant thing to a total newbie like me and trusting me with it. Seriously, I can't imagine a better collaborator, and I am completely spoiled now.

Now here's the thing: If you dig what we're doing here, then we need you to show love.

Spread the word. Post blogs. Share links. Twitter it. If you only have messenger-pigeons, then let them fly. We're putting all we have on the page to make CHEW the best book on the stands, indy or mainstream. But we still need you to sustain our little creator-owned baby. So if you dig it, why not tell somebody else about it?

Deal?

Thanks again,
Rob!

CHEW Day Treats.

Busy, busy day ahead. My head is buzzing. CHEW #1 hits stands today, so please run down to your local comic shop and harass your retailer until he sells you a copy.

Here's some new goodies for today:

CBR has the complete CHEW #1 script online now, so check it out after you get the book. Later on, we're gonna be doing a type of Director's Commentary on the first issue, so check back for that.

The IND, a newspaper based in my hometown of Lafayette, LA, has a nice (somewhat cheese-flavored) piece on the book, as well as a brief 3 minute bonus interview with yours truly. So if you have a thing for watching camera-shy geeks, shoot on over there.

Mania.com has an interview up, in which I talk a whole lot about the story and art. Probably my favorite interview we've done so far.

Comic Addiction has a short, very positive review of CHEW #1, as well.

Catch you kids later,
Rob!