I just hit the “order” button with the printer, so it’s time to announce the next round of books from Phoenix Productions!
First is a project six months in the making: STRANGE TIMES #3! I’m very excited about this issue as it shines the spotlight on one of the small press artisans whom I have admired the most back in the 80s and today, Matt Levin of Walking Man Comics. Matt’s combination of rubber stamp art and ethereal/whimsical storytelling is totally unique in our field.
STRANGE TIMES #3 showcases Matt’s work over the years. Across nearly 60 full color, magazine-sized pages, we’ll look at his creations — old and new, sequential and not, minicomics and Facebook banners…and a couple photos for good measure. I sincerely hope the result is a spotlight that does justice to Matt and his comics.
The second book is Hologram: Counting the Days Book One…the collected edition of issues #1-6 of Hologram. The Counting the Days arc is pulled together into 56 manga-sized pages, giving readers a fuller picture of the expansive story of Joe Peters and his cast of characters. As I took over the artistic reins on Hologram starting with issue 7, it’s also the perfect way to appreciate my collaboration with William Henry Caddell.
Story-wise, Counting the Days: Book One largely represents the establishment of characters and their motivations. Book 2 – which will run from issues #7-12 – builds on that to what I hope to be a reasonable climax.
Who better to draw the cover than original Hologram artist Scott McClung? Scott drew this impressive homage to Gil Kane from the first appearance of DC Comics’ The Atom, and I think it perfectly portrays the chaos into which poor Joe has found himself.
(And don’t forget – you can always read digital copies of Hologram through the Library tab. Issue 8 was just released!)
As I said, both books went to the printer this morning. It takes a while for proofs to be approved, product to be shipped to me and then out to the world, so I think it reasonable to say that they should be available around the end of June.
Exciting times!! I can’t wait to share these books with everyone.
Phoenix Productions 
Those both sound like great books; I’m especially excited about the Matt Levin spotlight!
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