Big Changes

Hello everyone! As you are all well aware, I've lost my ability to blog! Or, I traded it in for the ability to create the Hazardous Tales series--a pretty good trade, I think.

In any case, I feel like I've got a handle on the Hazardous Tales series now, and I can finally start blogging again.

Here's the thing. For years, I've wanted to turn this site into a proper webcomic site, with proper webcomic layout and navigation. I've finally started on that. No more basic blog templates! I'm currently converting my ancient webpage, www.spacestationnathan.com, into that webcomic's home.

Frankly, I'd like to change that address to something new, but it's been printed in a LOT of books, so the station it shall remain.

Unfortunately, I'm learning that the setup and creation of a proper website is trickier than I had guessed. I'm planning on switching to a Wordpress format, using a webcomic plugin. So far it's been nothing but trouble. Wrangling with my previous lousy web hosting site, trying to transfer the domain registration--oh, it's all so terrible!

Hopefully, we'll soon have a smoothly-running, perfectly formatted webcomic page. It may take some time, but I'm working on it. Then, maybe, just maybe, the magic will return.

Everything I'm working on now, the Hazardous Tales books, the Frankenstein books--they've all come form regular posting on this site. I miss it. It was hard work to post five times a week, but it was FUN. It was downright FANTASTIC sometimes. I'd like to get back there.

I made a New Year's resolution to get back up on the posting horse. So far, that resolution has been foiled by this website/formatting/domain nonsense--but I'm working on it! There's a slim chance it'll all be worked out tomorrow. Not likely, but I'd like to think a technological miracle could happen. More likely, things will be up and running in late January, early February.

The station will return! Not as a lousy blog--but as a mighty WEBCOMIC!

See you in the future.

Hazardous Tales #5 cover revealed!

Okay, gang. I've been teasing you about this for months. No more. Here it is, the cover of Hazardous Tales #5: The Underground Abductor.

The flag on the right is the state flag of Maryland, which is where a lot of this book takes place. As you may have already guessed, it's about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Abductor comes out in March!

Hazardous Tales #5 in progress

Here is page 91 of Hazardous Tales #5 in progress. I don't love drawing cars--and I have trouble with horses, but boy, do I love drawing carriages! Figure that one out.

The subject matter of book #5 is still somewhat under wraps. This book comes out next spring, so we'll have a subject and cover reveal later this fall. I don't think there are any giveaway clues in this image, other than the fact there will be a carriage in it.

I am deep, deep into this book right now. I have 37 pages to draw and color in the next sixteen days. This is the real grind. I've been working on the book all summer long, but here, in the final weeks, is when the crunch really hits. I'm now in full reverse sleep mode (work through the night, sleep from 8am to 3pm--while the kids are at school). It's a silly schedule. But it works for comics crunch time.

Crunch on!

New Hazardous Tale Alert!

The next Hazardous Tales book will be out next Spring, but the next Hazardous Tales story will be out in two months! Where? In Jon Scieszka's GUYS READ: TRUE STORIES!

Check out this amazing cover by Caldecott winner Brian Floca!

This isn't a full, book-length Hazardous Tale, but it's not little--it's 30 pages long! And it features, easily, the goriest story in the series. Seriously, it's gruesome. There's more than one panel about maggots. That's right, maggots.

Excited? You should be, because my story is only one of a bunch of great nonfiction stories in this book. Steve Sheinkin is in here (and if you haven't read his BOMB book--go get it!) Sy Montgomery, Jim Murphy, Candace Fleming, and many more--it's packed!

Would you like a sample page? Have two!

 

GUYS READ: TRUE STORIES is out in September. The collection is a lot of fun. I'm extremely proud of this story. Pre-order it, put it on hold, check it out. It's great!

***

I'm currently in the deepest, darkest, deadliest deadline crunch I've ever been in. Hazardous Tales book five is on track for next March, which means I need to draw at least two pages per day for the rest of the summer. I haven't been as diligent at updating my blog as I once was. I'm still drawing plenty of comics--it's just that all of these comics are going into books.

Back to the drawing!

Catch Up Post!

Big news!

For the second time, a Hazardous Tales book has cracked the New York Times Best Seller list. TREATIES, TRENCHES, MUD, AND BLOOD debuted at #4 on the Hardcover Graphic Novel list! Thank you so much for pre-ordering and buying the book at launch. You readers are the ones who put it there. Hooray!

Now, on to more news. The studio chalkboard has been erased, and a new chart has been added. See below:

PREHISTORIC PREDATORS, a Scholastic book I did some illustrations for is finished, and drawings for Hazardous Tales book #5 start TODAY. The deadline: mid-August. We want book #5 to land on shelves in March 2015. It's going to be a drawing-drawing-drawing summer.

If you missed it, Comics Alternative did a great interview podcast with me about Hazardous Tales. We talked about some series secrets: the mysterious narrator idea before Hale, Provost, and Hangman came along, as well as the crazy original plan for book #4--it wasn't WWI! and many other unknown tidbits. Tune in here: Comics Alternative Podcast.

One last bit of news: The nominees for the Kids Comics Awards have been announced. DONNER DINNER PARTY has been nominated TWO times! For Favorite Non-Fiction Graphic Novel, and for Grossest Thing in Comics! All children can vote HERE. And please do! I'm up against Fregley's Gum-Chewing Belly-Button in the Grossest category. I'm going to need all the votes I can get!

LAUNCH DAY!

It's out, it's OUT! Hazardous Tales #4, Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood is out TODAY!

To celebrate, here are close-ups of the big LEGO display at my local library.

Book 4 is out today! Buy it, read it, review, and, if you have the bricks--build it!

In the Wild!

Hazardous Tales #4 is out in the wild!

These are at the King's English Bookstore in SLC. And they are all signed!

A Hazardous Week in Texas

This week I was in San Antonio, Texas. I was there for TLA, the Texas Librarian Association convention--the biggest library convention in the country aside from the national ALA convention. This year has been a great year for the Hazardous Tales books because One Dead Spy is on this year's Bluebonnet Master List--the state book award in Texas.

While I was there, this happened:

This is a copy of Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood. How rare is this? I don't even have one. I have no idea how this librarian was able to talk the people in the Amulet booth into selling it. It's a mystery. My guess, she's a professional hypnotist.

We're just a month away from launch. This book should start popping up everywhere soon.

Spoiler from the photo, this book is dedicated to Snoopy.

If you'd like more of a preview, take a look at the book on Amazon. It has a nearly 20 page preview.

While I was in San Antonio, I was able to slip away from TLA one morning and visit the Alamo.

Why was I visiting the Alamo? Looking in the basement for Pee Wee Herman's bike? Hiding from hypnotist librarians? Or maybe doing on-site research for a future Hazardous Tales book?

Possibly all three!