Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes - The Trade

It's been out for a week already, but it's still exciting news to me: our BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES miniseries is finally a trade paperback!

All four issues, plus cover art, an intro by Ed Brubaker, and cool extras  bound up in one stylish package. You can find it at your local comic book shop or you can order it from Amazon. Want to see what others have to say about it? You can check that out on Goodreads. Need even more Apes action? Our latest miniseries, EXILE ON THE PLANET OF THE APES is available for pre-order on Amazon now too.

Can't stand to handle print books now that the digital revolution is here? Our Apes work is still all paper, but you can buy our horror graphic novel, HEATHENTOWN, from Comixology for just $3.99.  

And let me say a big thank you to everyone who has read our work so far! These books are labors of love for Gabriel and me. We're thrilled that so many folks have enjoyed them! Thanks everyone!

Heathentown News!

It's been a long time coming, but Heathentown, my graphic novel with the brilliant artist Gabriel Hardman, is finally available in more than just a print edition. We were lucky enough to have it sell out its first run and enter a second printing last year (many, many thanks to everyone who bought a copy!) so it's time to conquer new realms by going digital.

Now (finally) you can read Heathentown right on your iPad, iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, or on the web. It's priced at only $3.99 from Comixology, and is guaranteed to give you your RDA of mammoths in just one sitting. Want to know more? Here's the way Comixology describes the book:


98 pages! When Anna travels deep within the Florida Everglades to attend her lover's funeral, she finds herself in an eerie small town where death is but a horrible beginning! In an attempt to discover the truth, she digs up her lover's coffin, starting a chain reaction which brings an ancient malevolence into the town - bent on her destruction!


Super spooky! You can learn what's lurking in the Everglades by hopping over to Comixology. Just think... Atmospheric horror for less than the price of a fancy latte!

Emerald City, 2011!

Has it really been a whole year since the Emerald City Comicon, where you can see great art and the Space Needle?

I'm not complaining though. Gabriel and I love Seattle, so we're really happy to be back in the Emerald City next week! We'll be at Table C-07, selling copies of Heathentown, meeting tons of cool comics folks, and Gabriel will be doing sketches.

Want an original Gabriel Hardman sketch for yourself? He's not taking pre-orders this year, but you can get on his list at the con. The price list is as follows:

9x12 single character pen and ink: $75

9x12 two characters pen and ink: $125

Hope to see you there! The con is three days long this year, so take a moment to stop by and say hello. And yes, we are happy to accept donations of those fabulous chocolate covered cherry things they sell in the Pacific northwest. How nice of you to ask!

Reprint! And Some Shameless Self Promotion.

It seems like we've been anticipating this forever, but our graphic novel Heathentown has finally gone into a second printing! In fact, it will be shipping next week. So if you've ever wondered what partially preserved ambulatory mammoths have to do with conquistadors, wonder no more! Just head over to your friendly local comic book retailer. If they don't have it, tell them to order it! Or, you could just order it yourself through Amazon...

Want to hear what critics have said, before you fork over your money? You can read the Publisher's Weekly review here.

And thank you! We will now return to the standard Frog Bag fare of cute animal photos and random factoids.

Emerald City Comic Con, the Wrap-Up

After experiencing my very first Emerald City Comic Con I have only one thing to say: fantastic!

Truly, this is the way a con should be. And I'm not just saying that because we sold out of our graphic novel Heathentown. I'm saying it because ECCC is all about the comics. There were tons of interesting creators to meet, interesting fans to talk to, and nice people in cool hats with great hair. Pacific Northwest Comics Community, I have to admit to being a little bedazzled. I know my name was spelled wrong on the banner attached to our table, but everyone was so sweet about everything I couldn't hold a grudge.

Gabriel was kept very busy signing his page in Monsters and Dames, the ECCC limited edition art book which was being sold to benefit a children's hospital. He also did a ton of sketches. I love this one in particular:

It was great to spend time with some of the creators from Periscope Studios in Portland, including Jeff Parker, Colleen Coover, Paul Tobin, and Jeremy Barlow. I'm still plowing my way through all the books we bought in Seattle, but allow me to recommend the trade of Mysterius the Unfathomable written by Jeff with art by Tom Fowler. You won't be disappointed!

I was also amazed to meet several people who admit to reading this very blog! Sure, I love writing it, but what a thrill to know that someone is actually reading the darn thing. So a big thank you to everyone out there who does, especially Sigrid Ellis, a fellow blogger over at Fantastic Fangirls who was the first person at the show to mention it to me and an all around nice person.

We managed to see a little of Seattle too, including an expensive dip into Elliot Bay Books, my favorite North American book shop, and a tour of the famous underground city. Here's a view of one of those strange glass sections of sidewalk from below.

I can't even complain about our hotel. I mean, look at this view!

In short, we had a great time and we're already planning our next trip to the Emerald City in 2011 when the show is rumored to be three days long. Hear that, ECCC? You have a whole year to learn how to spell my name!

Emerald City, Here We Come

Guess what? Chicken butt!

Okay, not really. Maybe I'm still stuck on that last chicken post. Let's try again...

Guess what? Gabriel and I are going to be at Emerald

City Comicon next weekend in Seattle! We'll be holding down a table in Artist Alley. Table J-04, to be exact, but you can also find us in the program under either Gabriel Hardman or Corinna Bechko. We'll be selling copies of our graphic novel Heathentown and Gabriel's new sketchbook. Gabriel will be available to do sketches at the show too. If you would like one, he's taking pre-orders at $40 until Thursday evening. Tweet him @gabrielhardman. He'll do the sketches at the show, but if you wait to order one there it will be $45. Gabriel also did a piece for the Monsters and Dames charity book, so check that out! It's really cool, and it's for a good cause.

In short, if you happen to be in Seattle this coming weekend and like comic books, stop in and see us! We'd love to meet you in person. We'll even give you a Heathentown button.

Long Beach Comic Con: The Aftermath

Well, ok. Perhaps "aftermath" is a bit strong. All in all it was a very pleasant show. We almost sold out of our graphic novel Heathentown, Gabriel stayed very busy doing sketches, and we got to sleep in our own bed every night. Not only that, but we got to reconnect with folks we hadn't seen since the San Diego Con, including Drew Rausch and Jocelyn Gajeway (the creators of the fabulous Sullen Grey) and David Gallaher, the charismatic writer behind High Moon, the popular Zuda strip.

The downside? That's easy. For some unknowable reason, there was a wrestling ring set up one aisle over from us. That sort of proximity to sweaty out-of-shape bad actors is not conducive to promoting an atmospheric horror story. The upside? We met lots of nice people and got to hang around with talented creators all weekend, and even made some money. The weird side? Lets just say that Angelenos really know what they want sketches of. And those sketches include lots of dinosaurs and "boisterous Scottish mermaids". Um, ok.

All in all we were glad to have been part of the first annual Long Beach Comic Con. There was even a nice bonus on the last day for me: Gabriel finally drew a sketch for me! And I am happy to report that my request was for something totally normal.

To Comicon We Go!

It's that time of year again! Time to head down to the San Diego Comicon, something Gabriel and I have been doing since, well,  let's just say we have gone annually for quite a few years.  Ah, but this year is different! This year, our book Heathentown was published by Image/Shadowline. So this year, we will be signing books as well as buying them. Won't you drop by and see us? 

We'll be at the Image/Shadowline booth:

Friday. JULY24   5PM 

- 6PM

Saturday, JULY 25

 4PM-5PM

And that isn't all! Gabriel will be on the Film Illustrators Panel too, with Heathentown movie news!  

Saturday, JULY 25

10:30-11:30

ROOM 10

Not to mention the fact that he will be signing at the Ape Entertainment booth, from 1 to 2 Saturday afternoon. It's been a busy year!

I know there is A LOT to see at Comicon, but if you make it to the show, I hope you'll drop by and say hi!

The Rumors are True!

Heroes Con, the friendliest con around. Heroes Con, where it really is all about comics. Heroes Con, where the nearest pizza is not only edible but actually pretty good! Well, I am happy to report that the rumors are true!

Gabriel and I made the trek all the way from Los Angeles to Charlotte, NC last weekend to promote our book Heathentown. I'm from the South, so I was looking forward to spending some time soaking up the ambiance and the humidity. As it turns out, I spent much more time talking to creators and fans and shopping for comics! And best of all, my good friend Tricia was able to join us on Saturday. It was her first convention, so I was thrilled that it turned out to be such a nice one. 

Gabriel spent almost all his time doing sketches for fans, many of whom have been following his work on Agents of Atlas. We also met lots of people that we had only known "virtually" in the past, like Nikki and Derek Davis of Bitter Tea Studios . Thanks to everyone who stopped by booth #530! 

We were lucky enough to share that booth with Ken Marcus, the writer of Super Human Resources , available from Ape Entertainment. It was a perfect pairing. Ken's book is very funny, so visitors to our booth had a range of options: laughter, tears, and if they bought both, the opportunity to stay up all night reading some damn fine material if I do say so myself! 

Needless to say, we are already thinking about attending Heroes Con 2010. See you all in Charlotte next year!