Acts of Violence in stores now

Acts of Violence

Canadian comic shops that ordered Acts of Violence from our distributor, Diamond, have copies in stock as of June 2, 2010. American comic shops will have Acts of Violence on June 3, 2010. If you want a copy but your comic store isn’t carrying it they should be able to order it for you, or you can buy it from our publisher’s online store.

The creators of the anthology (me included) would love to hear your thoughts on the book. We can be reached via the Acts of Violence Web site or you can contact me through this blog.

I have a sense of closure now that the book is widely available in comic shops. To think we started this project almost two years ago! I replied to Ed Brisson’s digitalwebbing.com post on August 15, 2008. I don’t have the post on file, but here was the email I wrote to express my interest in his crime comics project:

“I saw your post on digitalwebbing.com and got very excited. The genre of crime appeals to me, but what got me really excited was the overall contents your post—an experienced writer and maker of comics looking for collaborative partners, especially writers, and you just so happen to be Canadian. (I’m in Saskatchewan.) I’ve been on the look out for opportunities to collaborate with others. I feel I’ve also proven to myself that I can be dedicated to a project through to the end. I wrote, hired an art team, and managed a 96-page graphic novel through to completion. I self-published it. Anyway, I’m interested in learning more. Let me know if you have any questions for me.”

Ed got back to me five days later, we continued the conversation via email and the rest, as they say, is history.

Acts of Violence interviews

We’re running a series of interviews on the Acts of Violence Web site, words from the creators to shed some light on the creation of the stories within. Click on the images below to read the interviews we’ve posted thus far.

Acts of Violence was the brainchild of Ed Brisson, writer, letterer and publisher.

Todd Ireland and Kevin Leeson, creators of Reggie-Town.

I talked about The Three Princes

Acts of Violence: A Crime Comics Anthology is listed in the April edition of Previews on page 299 under New Reliable Press. The order code is APR101035. Head to your local comic shop and ask them to order you a copy.

Order Acts of Violence

Acts of Violence: A Crime Comics Anthology is listed in the April edition of Previews on page 299 under New Reliable Press. The order code is APR101035. Head to your local comic shop and ask them to order you a copy.

Mike Carey, writer of The Unwritten, Hellblazer, and Lucifer, had this to say about Acts of Violence: “A dark, rich anthology. There are acts of violence in profusion: also addictions, betrayals, uneasy consciences, moral ambiguities, bad choices and inadequate redemptions. Most importantly of all, there are strong creative voices, using the comics medium to do ambitious things.”

Featuring the talents of Toren Atkinson, Ed Brisson, Chad Boudreau, Dino Caruso, Damian Couceiro, Todd Ireland, Kevin Leeson, Manoel Magalhaes, and Marvin Mann and cover art by Fiona Staples, Acts of Violence unveils a roster of new voices in hard-boiled crime comics.

Check out a 20-page preview of Acts of Violence.

Free Comic Book Day Signing at ComicReaders

As part of the 2010 Free Comic Book Day celebrations, I will be at the two Regina ComicReaders locations in Regina, Saskatchewan, signing copies of my latest release: Acts of Violence, An Anthology of Crime Comics. My comic The Three Princes appears within, but I am also one of the anthology’s creators. 

Mike Carey, writer of The Unwritten, Hellblazer, and Lucifer, had this to say about Acts of Violence: “A dark, rich anthology. There are acts of violence in profusion: also addictions, betrayals, uneasy consciences, moral ambiguities, bad choices and inadequate redemptions. Most importantly of all, there are strong creative voices, using the comics medium to do ambitious things.”

Featuring the talents of Toren Atkinson, Ed Brisson, Chad Boudreau, Dino Caruso, Damian Couceiro, Todd Ireland, Kevin Leeson, Manoel Magalhaes, and Marvin Mann and cover art by Fiona Staples, Acts of Violence unveils a roster of new voices in hard-boiled crime comics.

Acts of Violence: An Anthology of Crime Comics

Here is a sneak peak of the cover art. Artist Fiona Staples delivered a high caliber piece of work.

If you frequent my blog and follow my work you will know my comic The Three Princes is part of a crime comics anthology. I have been talking about this anthology for more than a year , but have never revealed its name, its publication date, or the other stories and creators featured within. I’ve been waiting…

…waiting for the book to be sent to the printers so I knew without a doubt the anthology would see the light of day. Creating an anthology has proven to be quite the undertaking. For example, I first got involved in August 2008, the artwork was for The Three Princes was completed in March 2009, and the completed book proofed, approved and sent to the printers just a couple weeks ago. But now that the release of the anthology is less than a month away I feel comfortable telling you more about it.

To start, the title is Acts of Violence.

The following information is taken from the back cover:

ACTS OF VIOLENCE is a collection of short stories in the pulp tradition. It doesn’t shy away from bullets or bloodshed. It tackles characters with flawed judgment and loose morals. The storylines are ripped from the filthy underbelly of the world in which we live. ACTS OF VIOLENCE peers into the shadows and shines a light on what scuttles on the periphery.

In THE THREE PRINCES, a trio of young friends is schooled on the alcohol and blood soaked streets of Prohibition era America.

A rookie lawman must protect a killer from the desperate and despairing parents of a murdered girl in SIX O’CLOCK NOOSE.

A drug addled ten-time loser seeks to break the chains of misery that bind him in REGGIE-TOWN.

And in THE ORCHARD, two cops take a late night drive into broken morals and violence.

Featuring the talents of Toren Atkinson, Ed Brisson, Chad Boudreau, Dino Caruso, Damian Couceiro, Todd Ireland, Kevin Leeson, Manoel Magalhaes, and Marvin Mann and cover art by Fiona Staples, ACTS OF VIOLENCE unveils a roster of new voices in hard-boiled crime comics.

I managed to get a PDF version of the finished stories into the hands of comics writer and novelist Mike Carey (The Unwritten, Lucifer, Hellblazer) and he had this to say:

“A dark, rich anthology. There are acts of violence in profusion: also addictions, betrayals, uneasy consciences, moral ambiguities, bad choices and inadequate redemptions. Most importantly of all, there are strong creative voices, using the comics medium to do ambitious things.”

That quote appears on the back cover. To have such a favorable review from an established industry professional is a great endorsement of the anthology and the work of its creators. It is also means a lot to me personally because I am a big Mike Carey fan. His work inspires me.

In the coming weeks I will post more information about Acts of Violence. There is a lot more to tell and show but you have to keep coming back to my blog to get all the goods.