It’s BAD IDEA DAY and boy do we have a surprise for you today!
Perhaps the most devious in BAD IDEA history…so let us apologize for that right now.
But until you all figure it out, lets focus on what you do know:
HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE is on sale NOW in BAD IDEA Destination Stores around the world and to celebrate the beginning of the FINAL FIVE we’ve got another First Customer Pin!
Are you one of the amazing (but also crazy) fans camping out overnight to make sure you’re the first person to buy a copy of HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE and get the First Copy Pin?
We salute you!
Don’t forget to take a picture with the gold pin and your copy of HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE at your store and post it. Tag @badideahello, so that our crack social media team can amplify it and spread the word.
If you don’t get a pin, we still love you. Post a picture of HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE on the shelf of your local comic shop or in a selfie, and we’ll show you that sweet social media love.
Remember, the BAD IDEA way also means no variants, no trades, no digital, select stores, perennially available Not First Printings, and approximately two comics a month – just monthly comics, sold in comic book shops. Goodbye, troubles. Hello, BAD IDEA SIMPLICITY™.
A complete list of Bad Idea Destination Stores can be found right here and you can pre-order every Bad Idea title by simply clicking here and filling out the little form.
For more information, visit Bad Idea online at BadIdeaCorp.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or just mash the screen with your palm and do all four simultaneously.
A group of creators will publish new comic book stories, essays and how-to guides on the platform as a way to connect directly with fans.
The writer James Tynion IV and the artist Michael Avon Oeming will tell nonfiction stories based on testimonies about alien encounters in “Blue Book.”Credit…Michael Avon Oeming
In recent years, dozens of top journalists, historians and essayists have tried their luck as solo practitioners on Substack, the digital newsletter platform that has built an audience of more than 500,000 subscribers since it started in 2017. Now, a number of comic book creators have decided to do the same.
Nick Spencer, a comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Entertainment, was the liaison between Substack and a group of creators who, starting Monday, will publish new comic book stories, essays and how-to guides on the platform.
He said he approached Chris Best, a Substack founder, with the idea last year, when the pandemic was keeping many fans out of the comic book shops and the creators were looking for new ways to connect with readers.
The writer Saladin Ahmed and the artist Dave Acosta are teaming up for the science fiction comic “Terrorwar,” where residents of the future must confront the physical manifestation of their fears.Credit…Dave Acosta
The creators will be paid by Substack while keeping ownership of their work. The company will take most of the subscription revenue in the first year; after that, it will take a 10 percent cut.
Mr. Tynion, who last month won an Eisner Award, the comic industry’s highest honor, for best writer, said he would break away from writing Batman for DC Entertainment to devote time to his creator-owned series and his Substack newsletter.
“This wasn’t an easy decision,” he said. “In order to invest my time in new material, I needed to choose. I could not do both.”
For his newsletter, one of his projects will be working with the artist Michael Avon Oeming on “Blue Book,” stories based on testimonies about alien encounters.
Mr. Tynion said he would step away from writing Batman comics to devote time to his Substack newsletter, which will include “Blue Book.”Credit…Michael Avon Oeming
Mr. Hickman, who recently helped revitalize Marvel’s X-Men franchise, said he had thought a lot about digital comics during the early days of the pandemic, when distribution was temporarily halted.
“I found the things you can potentially do with it to be very fascinating,” he said. “I love the idea of surprising the reader again.”
For his newsletter, Mr. Hickman is working with the artists Mike del Mundo and Mike Huddleston on a new series, “Three Worlds, Three Moons,” in which they will let fans in on the process of building a fictional universe.
“We’re treating it like a bunch of guys jamming together on a concept album, but we’re calling it a concept universe,” he said.
The group approach, which will also include contributions from the writers Ram V. and Tini Howard and others, will allow them to share the responsibility for the newsletter. “If someone is having a heavy week or a heavy month, someone else can pick up the slack,” Mr. Hickman said.
Mr. Snyder, a veteran comic book writer who has taught creative writing at Columbia University, New York University and Sarah Lawrence College, will offer advice to budding comic book writers in his newsletter.
“I’ve always wanted to find a way to do it that would allow me to reach more students, as many as wanted to learn from me, while keeping the cost as low as possible,” he said.
Writers of Substack newsletters choose whether subscriptions are free or paid. Subscriptions typically start at $5 a month. Prominent Substack writers include the Hollywood writer Richard Rushfield, the historian Heather Cox Richardson, the economist Emily Oster and the former Slate advice columnist Danny Lavery.
Oddly enough, before all the hype, I began putting a Substack together to get feedback on short stories and some comics I’ve been working on. Should you like to check it out, I’ll be posting the link here very shortly. I’m not looking to be paid, I’m simply looking for feedback! And thanks to the New York Times for recognizing these excellent talents. What this means for the comic industry, time will tell?
PanelAlchemy 
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