Brian here, and first, the good news: That’s the real Saga: Book Four I’m holding (collecting Volumes 10, 11, and 12), and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Along with that magnificent new cover of 12-year-old Hazel from co-author Fiona Staples, this latest deluxe hardcover contains an exclusive SAGA ART GALLERY. Because we don’t do alternate covers, it’s a unique chance to see our characters tackled by a wide variety of other extraordinary artists.

But most importantly, it’s just a joy to be able to sit down and finally read these eighteen chapters in one sitting, especially because I know our release schedule became particularly erratic during that final arc (due to some health concerns with our small team, though everyone is doing much better now, thanks).

I’m so proud of these collected stories, which I think contain some of the loveliest artwork ever to appear in a comic…

So I hate to have to share this significantly less awesome news: because of an unexpected shortage of the beautiful paper stock we use on these hardcovers (which we didn’t learn about until after my previous newsletter), this release has unfortunately been pushed several weeks.

Image Comics was deeply apologetic for the unforeseen delay, as am I. But comic stores will still receive their orders a few weeks before the rest of the world, so you can now pick up a copy of Saga: Book Four at your friendly neighborhood comic retailer on JUNE 3 (and everywhere else on JUNE 30).

We’ll be announcing some big prize opportunities exclusively for those of you who order a copy from your local comic shop, so if you haven’t already, please ask them to set one aside for you today.

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And if you do ask your local retailer to save a copy of Saga for you this evening, I hope you’ll please also consider reserving the new Image Comics collection of Barrier, a brutal sci-fi tale created with Panel Syndicate’s own Marcos Martín and Muntsa Vicente.

We released all five extra-long issues of Barrier several years ago, but this is the first time our story has ever been collected in print (in a softcover “widescreen” format perfectly matching Image’s latest edition of The Private Eye), and the final day to pre-order your own copy is TODAY.

Thanks to Library Journal for this generous starred review:

Vaughan, Martín, and Vicente reunite (after The Private Eye) for a formally daring sci-fi thriller that probes the limits of human communication. Set along the U.S.–Mexico border, the story finds the unlikely duo of Texas rancher Liddy and Honduran immigrant Óscar as they are forced to work together in order to survive being abducted by extraterrestrials, despite their cultural differences and lack of a common language. Vaughan leans fully into this divide, presenting dialogue in English and Spanish without translation, a choice that risks alienation but ultimately deepens the book’s central concerns. Martín’s widescreen layouts and expressive cartooning guide readers through moments of terror, confusion, and reluctant cooperation. His visual storytelling remains clear even as the plot propels the protagonists through increasingly alien experiences and terrain, blending grounded social realism with an unexpected cosmic menace. The result is a genre hybrid that feels both intimate and expansive. While the story is unapologetically political, the creators eschew easy moralizing, instead emphasizing how misunderstanding—linguistic, cultural, personal—shapes conflict.

VERDICT: Provocative and challenging, this work rewards patient readers and will make a good addition to graphic novel collections interested in socially engaged, formally inventive storytelling.

Barring any paper snafus, Barrier will be in comic stores on May 20.

And thanks to those of you who sent kind words about my Dune: Part Three update.

I’d been keeping that under my hat for a while, so it was surreal to hear NPR’s Book of the Day recommend Saga during a discussion of Frank Herbert’s work a few months back.

Fiona and I are grateful to have our work mentioned in the same breath as this cornerstone of the genre.

One of the many reasons I admire Fiona is that she’s probably the most private comic-book creator since Steve Ditko… so I’m thankful that she agreed to briefly emerge from her art cave to answer five questions about work, life, and this latest collection of ours.

5 QUESTIONS WITH FIONA STAPLES

1. Hey, Fiona! It was so cool to revisit the three volumes included in Saga: Book Four and notice the subtle ways your characters grow and change over the years. These were the first chapters of Saga that you created as a parent, so I was curious if having nonfictional children of your own changed how you approach our book’s fictional family?

Fiona: Well, it’s made me wish I could go back and redraw the first six volumes with the abundance of real-life experience and reference I now have. It’s also hard to resist stealing my kids’ ideas because they slot so nicely into our setting — Chapter 72 features a character called “New Guy” that was designed by my 5-year-old.

BKV: Indeed! You and I started working on Saga right after my daughter was born in 2011, and I had always hoped that—if our series was a success—we might eventually be able to do a total of 18 volumes, each spotlighting key moments from one year of Hazel’s life, so we could follow our protagonist on her journey from newborn to young adult.

I didn’t realize that we might end up telling that story in “real time” across roughly eighteen years, but the advantage is that each volume so far has been enriched by our real-life experiences/age-specific stuff we’ve pilfered from our kids. I know that pace has been much too slow for some readers, but I hope our fellow parents agree that the years seem to be flying by.

Sorry, I’m supposed to be asking questions, not rambling defensively!

2. For the latest Art Gallery in the bonus section of our hardcover, it was your excellent idea to invite some newer voices to contribute Saga pin-ups alongside our more established colleagues (including superstar Zoe Thorogood, Spectators’ own Niko Henrichon, and more surprises). Can you tell us where you found a few of these amazing artists, all of whom absolutely crushed it?

Fiona: Taylor Hudson, Janeen Scott, Geneva Haley and Marlee Watts are the highly sought-after artists behind Hemlock Tattoo here in Calgary. I really, really like seeing great artists from other disciplines trying their hand at comics (especially our comic).

Ben Rankel is my partner and an awesome artist in his own right, and he knows Saga inside and out. Neil Lalonde is an indie and web artist who is always doing something interesting and fresh.

BKV: Yeah, I think Ben was the first contributor ever to take a stab at drawing my secret favorite character from the series.

Everyone’s pin-ups are killer, so thanks for sharing these incredible talents with our audience. We’ll be giving readers a sneak peek at a couple of images in future installments of Exploding Giraffe.

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3. I hinted at this in a previous newsletter, but for the last few years, alongside Saga, you and I have (separately) been working on some top-secret comics projects. I’ve been writing what will probably be my final new ongoing series1, and you’ve been creating… something else, but equally epic in scope. I know you can’t yet reveal exactly what it is, but how’s it going??

Fiona: It’s an absolute behemoth of a graphic novel, and I hope its eventual announcement will elicit at least a bit of the joy and excitement that I’ve experienced working on it. It’s going well, it’s almost out the door, and I can’t wait to get back home to Saga when it’s done.

BKV: Your project is so cool and so unexpected, readers are going to lose their minds when they finally hear about it. Stay tuned.

I completely understand that some folks will be frustrated that we haven’t been solely working on Saga, but because writing is so much less time-consuming than drawing (and inking, and coloring, and covering, and everything else you do), I’ve had the luxury of tackling lots of different film/tv/comics projects alongside Saga over the last decade or so, and I think the added perspective I’ve gained from those other endeavors has always brought something new and valuable to our series. I’ve already seen that happening with your ever-evolving work, Fiona, and I’m confident readers will agree when Saga returns with our new arc later this year.

4. Speaking of which, we both despise spoilers, but do you have any small hints about this next storyline of Saga that you can share with our endlessly patient readers?

Fiona: There will be some Freelancer action, both new and familiar... and also tween hormones??

BKV: Oh, yes. And Chapter 75 is a wild standalone story, one that will probably make people furious, but it might be my favorite issue of the series so far.

5. Finally, because this fourth hardcover collection explores, among other things, young Hazel’s deepening love of music: What was the first record/cassette/CD/whatever you purchased with your own money?

Fiona: The first music I bought with my own money was a Veruca Salt CD, and I ordered it from a kid at school who I think was indentured to Columbia House Music Club.

BKV: Perfect.

Thanks again for the quick chat, pal! See you in the funny pages.

Before I run, I wanted to give away a treasure I just unearthed, this magnificent vintage Saga print hand-signed by Fiona, who made just 125 of these on very high-end paper (and this is one of her even rarer “Artist Proofs”):

If you’d like a shot at winning this masterpiece to hang on your wall, please just let us know in our temporarily reopened comments section:

What have YOU been making recently?

Leave a comment

Art? Lunch? Trouble?

We’ll randomly select one responder and let you know the lucky winner in our next installment.

Peace,

Brian

Brian here, and it was an enormous honor to be a small part of director Denis Villeneuve’s next cinematic masterpiece, his bold and brilliant adaptation of Frank Herbert’s most important novel.

I’m sure I’ll have more to share closer to the film’s release on December 18, but if I were you, I’d pitch your stilltent outside the nearest IMAX today.

Thanks for all of your very kind words, especially those of you who also snapped a pic of this surreal card at the end of the Dune trailer (which is currently playing before Project Hail Mary, an instant classic featuring an annoyingly ingenious screenplay by my old chum Drew Goddard):

There were a few inevitable “So THIS is why Saga hasn’t been coming out!” comments, but obviously, I did most of my Dune work ages ago, and I’ve always happily balanced Hollywood stuff with my comics responsibilities.

So where the hell IS Saga? I’ll have a bigger update in next month’s newsletter (cue wailing and gnashing of teeth), but rest assured that our series WILL return, and co-creator Fiona Staples and I remain 100% committed to completing Hazel’s 108-chapter journey.

For now, I hope you’ve already reserved your copy of Saga: Book Four, which features a stunning new cover from Fiona and dozens of pages of amazing extras, including pin-ups from some of the coolest creators in comics.

This deluxe hardcover will initially be available EXCLUSIVELY IN COMIC SHOPS ON APRIL 15, so thanks for supporting your friendly neighborhood store!

To be continued…

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If this is your first time visiting Exploding Giraffe, thanks for being here! Shared with legendary artist/frequent collaborator/dear pal Niko Henrichon, this semi-irregular newsletter-thing covers our past, present, and future creative endeavors.

“Exploding Giraffe” refers to a memorable moment from our first graphic novel, Pride of Baghdad, which will be returning to stands this September (though you can reserve a copy with your favorite comics retailer TODAY!) in a special 20th Anniversary Edition from our good friends at Image Comics, featuring never-before-seen bonus content and this magnificent new cover from Niko:

Two decades later, I’m as proud of this book as I am depressed by how relevant it remains.

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My latest collaboration with Niko is Spectators, a 344-page, self-contained original graphic novel about a voyeuristic ghost from our present day and a gun-toting specter from the past haunting a future New York City on the brink of Armageddon. For adult readers only, Spectators is an extremely graphic story about the different ways we obsessively watch sex and/or violence.

Our preference is always that you please support your local comic/bookshop, but if that’s not an option where you live, the Spectators hardcover is currently available at an absurd discount from Amazon.

(Which I reluctantly mention only because most U.S. brick-and-mortar stores, including all of the ones where Niko and I signed extra stock, appear to be sold out of their copies.)

Getting to serialize Spectators here for all of you from 2021-2024 was one of the happiest experiences of my career, but I’m so grateful that everyone can now enjoy this epic story as we always intended, in one beautiful and complete collection that you can hold in your hands, and hopefully devour in a single night or two.

And thanks to all of the readers and reviewers out there who included our filthy book in their “Best of 2025” lists, including The Hollywood Reporter, Big Shiny Robot, ScreenRant, Capes & Tights, and superstar creator Jim Rugg:

In our previous installment, I was about to join Niko for the European leg of our Spectators tour, and I’m pleased to report that we survived all five trains, six planes, and several thousand espressos.

I’ll post some more photos and anecdotes from our international adventures in the next installment of Exploding Giraffe, but now it’s my pleasure to turn the controls over to Monsieur Henrichon for some thrilling news exclusively for you.

Hi, everyone! Long time no see. I thought it was about time I shared a few updates on what I’ve been up to since finishing Spectators.

First off, I worked on another book—this one for the French market—with American writer Joe Kelly. You’ve probably heard me mention it before: it’s Fang, and I recently wrapped up Volume Two. It’s actually been out for about as long as Spectators. Many of you have asked about an English edition, and while I can’t make an official announcement yet, I’ve been told that things are moving in that direction… so stay tuned!

Over the past months, I’ve also been keeping busy with a variety of smaller projects: illustrations, commissions, and comic book covers. You can see (or soon will be able to see) everything on my Instagram.

One project that’s taken up more time than expected is my Lord of the Rings sketchbook. What started as a simple drawing exercise has turned into a collection of small, detailed paintings. I’m hoping to finish it in the next few months—and I’m even planning to engrave something in gold on the cover. Work in progress! Here’s a sneak peek at how it’s looking so far:

Speaking of paintings, I’m thrilled to announce my upcoming solo exhibition in Paris at Galerie Napoléon, which also represents my work in the European and French markets. The exhibition will take place at the end of April and will mainly feature pieces from Spectators and Fang, as well as artwork from other projects.

For those of you who can’t make it to Paris, you can still purchase artwork remotely! This post gives you a bit of a head start if you’d like to reserve pieces. While prices are still being finalized, you can contact the gallery directly at contact@galerienapoleon.com for details or to make a reservation.

There’s a large selection available—over 80 pages and illustrations—including both smaller, affordable works and larger, more elaborate pieces like double-page spreads from Spectators.

For the exhibition, I also created a trio of giant Star Wars paintings. Along with Lord of the Rings, Star Wars played a huge role in shaping my early love for drawing.

Here’s a look at those three paintings—and a preview of the rest of the artwork that will be available at the show!

Sorry for the tiny resolution of these pictures. The gallery will be able to provide better images if needed. It might not be apparent in most of these pictures, but every art piece is of course signed.

Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for news about an upcoming very cool new comics project!

-Niko

Brian here, hoping that Niko Henrichon and/or I got to meet you during the first leg of our mini-tour across Los Angeles, New York City and Baltimore.

But if you didn’t have a chance to get your copy of Spectators autographed by us in person, you can still purchase a SIGNED FIRST PRINTING directly from some of the outstanding shops we were lucky enough to visit:

Collector’s Paradise

Third Eye Comics

Skylight Books

The Strand Bookstore (update: looks like they may be out of signed copies, but still have books available!)

I like to think that our 344-page romantic, horrific, sci-fi ghost story makes the perfect holiday gift for your oddball significant other, so thanks for ordering from these brick-and-mortar retailers, and for supporting our sophisticated smut.

And thanks for continuing to allow Exploding Giraffe into your inbox! Today’s newsletter will probably be our final dispatch for the next several months, but we’ll be back later in 2026, so if you just stumbled onto our free Substack, be sure to subscribe for future thrilling updates about what each of us is disappearing to work on:

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Loyal correspondence-hound Milkshake can’t believe that I’m about to abandon her again (the rest of my family is indifferent), but my fellow hard-traveling hero Niko and I are next headed to Lucca, Italy, home to arguably the most spectacular comic convention in the world.

I can’t wait to reconnect/overeat with our cari amici at Bao Publishing, who just released this stunning Italian edition of Spectators…

…as well as this glorious new collection of Barrier…

…co-created by my most cantankerous collaborator Marcos Martín, who I’m delighted will also be at the show!

Marcos and I will be there this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but you lucky Lucca attendees can catch Niko starting on Wednesday:

Speaking of good ol’ Marcos, this December, Image Comics will be releasing a softcover edition of The Private Eye, and Monday, October 27 is the “Final Order Cutoff” for retailers, so if you want to make sure a copy will be waiting for you, please drop your local shop a line today.

And next year, The Private Eye will finally be joined by the first North American trade paperback collection of Barrier, heretofore only available in print as single issues!

As always, if you don’t want to wait to read those stories, you can still download them for any price you think is fair (including $0.00!) directly from Panel Syndicate, now one of the longest-running and most successful purveyors of digital comics in the world.

After Lucca, Niko and I will be traveling by car/train/plane to France courtesy our chers amis at Urban Comics, publishers of this jaw-dropping French edition of Spectators (or rather, Spectateurs!).

From November 5th to the 8th, Monsieur Henrichon and I will be visiting four wonderful retailers in Lille, Paris, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, so I hope any girafes explosées reading this will please join us:

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Meanwhile, if you’re trapped here in the States, there will apparently be some fun Spectators events happening, including one in Lancaster, PA, where the awesome-sounding Mayhem’s Bookstore & Board Game Café will be hosting this event next Monday:

If you’re not yet sick of me rambling about our explicit graphic novel, I recently did one of my most in-depth interviews yet, this one with the prestigious Backstory:

And in next month’s installment of the hilariously demented Zdarsky Comic News, you’ll be able to read my surprisingly serious conversation with Substack’s own Chip Zdarsky.

Here’s a taste:

CHIP: Niko is given an incredible amount of space to fill this world. The pacing of Spectators is refreshing as you manage to give it a lot of propulsion, while managing to take your time through Niko’s beautiful art and the wild amount of detail we can pore over.

You originated this on Substack in chapters. Did that format influence how you and Niko told the story?

BKV: Niko is so fucking talented, isn’t he? When Substack offered us this generous grant, I knew it was an opportunity to do something that we couldn’t do at Image or even somewhere like Panel Syndicate, which was pay an artist of Niko’s caliber enough upfront to work for years on a true graphic novel, one that would be over 300 pages, without the need to first release our story as multiple divided issues of the same length, each with their own artificial cliffhanger, etc.

I worried that forcing our first audience of online readers to watch us create this laborious thing at the clip of only two or three pages per week would be incredibly boring, but I was relieved that it seemed to work out pretty well, in no small part because it gave everyone time to really savor each of Niko’s hyper-detailed panels.

The ultimate goal for Niko and me was always our printed graphic novel, but the initial Substack experience turned out to be kind of like doing an extremely filthy version of Prince Valiant, an ongoing comic epic that gradually unfolded with just a few beautiful images every week.

I had such an excellent time at both NYCC and Baltimore Comic-Con, especially getting to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Paper Girls with co-creator Cliff Chiang (pictured here with our classy chums Joseph Melchior, Joe Rybandt and Torunn Grønbekk, all of whom gave me shit for my totally not-stupid velvet jacket).

This Wednesday, Image Comics will be releasing the debut volume of what Cliff has brilliantly dubbed our “Backpack Edition” of Paper Girls, the first ten issues of our series in one compact and affordable package, featuring a new cover from Cliff and an updated design from the great Jared K. Fletcher:

The cover on the right with the swanky “pearl metallic finish” will ONLY be available in comic stores, so be sure to grab one while supplies last.

When you stop by your favorite shop this Wednesday, you can also pick up two other recent digest-sized collections from my wildly talented collaborators, including the first volume of Y: The Last Man…

…and the third volume of Saga, featuring an adorable all-new cover from co-creator Fiona Staples:

If you’re traveling soon, you could fit all three of those compact volumes (and Spectators!) in your carry-on bag, and have over 1,000 pages of masterfully drawn comics to keep you company.

Or you could just keep scrolling through your dumb phone. No judgment from this junky.

Finally, that all-important Saga update.

I’m happy to share that I’ve already written all the scripts for our next arc, and completed my most detailed overview yet of the other remaining issues of Saga (which everyone corrected me is actually 30 more chapters after this volume, not 48 as I originally mistyped; I am dumb at math). Fiona and I are still 100% committed to completing Hazel’s 18-volume journey to young adulthood, and, spoiler alert, it’s going to be fucking awesome.

Our upcoming storyline (featuring Hazel’s life-changing journey to meet a relative, Squire’s action-packed adventure at an alien sleep-away camp, and the arrival of an important new character we’ve only glimpsed once before) is my personal high point for our entire series so far, especially our landmark 75th issue. Fiona said that she absolutely didn’t see the last page of Chapter 73 coming, and I hope that issue’s conclusion will be equally surprising to you.

So yes, Saga will return in 2026… but I can finally share that it will be alongside two other top-secret comic projects that Fiona and I have (separately) been working on for some time!

I know that waiting for new issues is a drag, but like getting to spend time with our real-world families, these other creative pursuits have only enriched and improved our work on Saga, so we greatly appreciate your kind patience, and we’re excited for you to see what else we’ve been cooking up.

Oh, and next year will also see the long-awaited release of Saga: Book Four, a deluxe hardcover collection that will include our second SAGA ART GALLERY, this one showcasing work by a wide array of some of our favorite living creators, from relative newcomers to established superstars like Zoe Thorogood.

You’ll have to wait until April to see all of their magnificent pin-ups, but… well, maybe I could give you lovely giraffes one little taste? In appreciation of all you’ve done for us, here’s a striking contribution from Spectators’ own Niko Henrichon!

Fantastic, right? If you’re interested in purchasing the original art for that masterpiece, it’ll be available soon at Essential Sequential, where you can also find Niko’s hand-painted pages from Spectators and more.

In addition, my tireless co-creator has been hard at work on a brand-new cover and some cool extras for a special edition of our first graphic novel together, Pride of Baghdad, which Niko and I plan to release with our pals at Image Comics for the book’s 20th anniversary (how can that be possible?!). More details in our next installment.

For now, thanks so much again to everyone who’s read, shared, subscribed to, and/or commented on Exploding Giraffe over these past four years. Spectators has been one of the happiest experiences of my career, and it wouldn’t have been possible without you.

Take good care of yourself, and I hope you have a joyous rest of your 2025.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, moved by everyone who stopped by my signing at the wonderful Skylight Books last Friday.

Next up, I jet off to NYC to meet up with Spectators co-creator Niko Henrichon for our first event together, this Thursday evening at one of my favorite bookstores on the planet, The Strand:

This is a ticketed event, but a copy of Spectators is included with admission, and Niko and I will also be happy to sign Pride of Baghdad, or a few copies of any other comics of his/mine you might want to bring.

And once again, if you mention that you’re a subscriber to Exploding Giraffe when we meet, I’ll also have a cool bonus gift for you, while supplies last.

I’m really honored to be signing at a shop that I’ve loved for so many years (I waited in line to meet Umberto Eco here back when I was in college!), so I really hope you can join us on Thursday.

If not, I’ll also be joining Niko at New York Comic Con, though unlike Niko, I’ll probably only be there on Saturday, when we’ll be doing one signing together shortly after our 12:15 panel together in Javits Room 1C03:

Thanks to everyone at Essential Sequential for letting me crash their booth for this one.

Niko will be selling sketches throughout the show at Table D-22, and you can check out examples and pricing in our previous newsletter:

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After NYCC, I hop on a train to Maryland for a couple more events, starting with this one next Wednesday at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis:

You can shop for autographed pre-orders, “VIP” products, and more from the Third Eye gang over here.

And I see that they’ll be offering signed copies of the first volume of Y: The Last Man in DC’s excellent new “Compact Comics” line, which somehow includes the first ten issues of our series for just $9.99!

I adore this handsome and convenient format, which will be available in stores everywhere later this month.

And while we’re talking Y, legendary artist/co-creator Pia Guerra recently opened her commissions list, so be sure to request an exquisite full-color original while you still can, via her email address below:

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Later that week, for the last stop of the U.S. leg of my Spectators mini-tour, I’ll drive up I-97 to visit Baltimore Comic-Con, where I’ll also be celebrating the 10th anniversary (!) of Paper Girls with artist/co-creator Cliff Chiang, who drew this incredible cover for the con’s program:

At the end of October, Image Comics will be releasing the first ten issues of Paper Girls in what Cliff brilliantly dubbed a “Backpack Edition,” with each digest-sized volume featuring a rad new cover:

Anyway, I’ll try to do a free signing or two with Cliff while we’re both in Baltimore (check my dumb Instagram for more updates), but if you want to guarantee that you can get multiple items autographed by me (AND receive an exclusive print of that awesome Cliff image!), the show is also offering a limited number of “Fan Packages” for both Friday and Saturday, with the price going to the con to help cover the cost of bringing me out, putting me up, and sending my shattered liver back home to Los Angeles, thanks.

Attendees can also catch me at one of these three panels, which all sound like they’ll be a blast, especially the last one:

ART OF REINVENTION
Friday October 17, 2025 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm | Room: 339–342

Storytelling is the goal, but how does the medium affect the story or the process? Listen to creators including Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga), Derek Kirk Kim (The Last Mermaid, The Eternal Smile), Jeph Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween, Spider-Man Blue), and Tom King (Batman, Helen of Wyndhorn) discuss their experiences in telling stories in comics, film, and other media. Hosted by Bob Harrison.

DARK TOMORROWS: POST APOCALYPTIC EPICS
Saturday October 18, 2025 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm | Room: 339 – 342

What happens when the world as we know it is devastated? What comes next? How does humanity raise itself from the rubble? Find out the answers to these questions in a thrilling discussion with guests Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga), Derek Kirk Kim (The Last Mermaid, The Eternal Smile), Michael Conrad (Wonder Woman, Batman), and Donny Cates (God Country, Crossover). Hosted by Bob Harrison.

WRITERS’ ROUNDTABLE: ENNIS, GRØNBEKK, AND VAUGHAN
Saturday October 18, 2025 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm | Room: Ballrooms 3 – 4

What happens when three of comics’ top writers get together to chat about their approach to storytelling? You won’t want to miss the insights and surprises from writers Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher), Torunn Grønbekk (Carnage, Thor), and Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga), with moderator Joseph Rybandt, Editorial Director for Dynamite Entertainment.

Speaking of Garth and Torunn, my dear pals are both featured alongside yours truly in this explosive new volume of Battle Action, now available everywhere:

Our intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe randomly selected from last week’s chat about favorite films these two commenters to receive signed copies:

• Theodore Crush

• Lynne W.

Oh, and for our final original Niko Henrichon Spectators sketch, Genesis closed their exploded eyes and picked the aptly named:

• James Champion

Congrats to all of our winners. If you weren’t selected to receive a prize, my apologies, but a few comic shops out there might still have these lovely signed bookplates, thanks again:

Shit, I’ve got to pack!

In a few weeks, Niko and I will be back with one last newsletter for 2025, which will have more info about our final joint appearances in both Lucca, Italy and Paris, France.

That next missive will also have an important update about Saga… but for now, thanks very much for tolerating my ceaseless shilling of Spectators.

I’m 100% confident that our story wouldn’t be able to exist in literally any other medium, so Niko and I remain enormously grateful to the wide world of comics and to everyone who reads, sells, makes, and loves them.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, and if you’re anywhere near the Los Angeles area, I hope you’ll join me at the world-famous Skylight Books at 7pm this Friday, October 3rd.

Please note that this is a ticketed event, but a copy of Spectators is included with your purchase, and yes, you can definitely bring along a couple of extra items for me to sign.

Plus, if you mention that you’re a subscriber to Exploding Giraffe when we meet, I’ll also have a cool bonus gift for you, while supplies last!

(That’s in addition to the prizes I’ll bring with me exclusively for you loyal members of The Tower who still remember your old secret password.)

After I’m finished with this tour in support of Spectators, I’ll be going back into hiding for a while, so this will probably be my fellow Californians’ last chance to see me for the foreseeable future (unless you happen to spot my dog Milkshake and me ambling around the Valley some night).

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to this one, so thanks very much for coming by to hang for a bit.

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And for those of you who’ve been dying to meet the true talent behind Spectators, good news, my creative better half Niko Henrichon will be joining me at New York Comic Con next week!

Sorry that his commission list is fully booked, but never fear, you’ll have other opportunities to score a Henrichon original at the show.

Here’s an update from the legend himself:

Hey friends and Tower members, I don’t often make it over to your side of the pond, but I’ll be in New York City for Comic Con!

If you’d like to meet up and maybe get your copy of Spectators signed, I’ll be at Artist Alley, booth D22, with the Essential Sequential team.

What can you get from me? Well, it’s quite simple: I’ve included examples of the types of sketches I can create. For the show, I’m offering a few affordable options:

• A simple remarque for $50 (like the Val and Sam sketches)
  

• A nice drawing for $100 (similar to the Val piece next to Batman)
  

• A super-nice drawing for $200 (like the Batman sketch)
  
  I can draw characters from Spectators (no nudity, please, since it’s a family-friendly show) or, if preferred, a favorite character from comics, movies, or other well-known stories. Sketches can be done directly inside your book or on a separate sheet.

Also, I will have, via Essential Sequential, a set of signed prints made for the occasion representing Spectators, Pride of Baghdad, Superman/Krypto, Hulk/Wolverine, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Looking forward to seeing you there and finally meeting a few Tower members in real life.

Thanks, mon ami.

Niko and I will also be doing a panel together on Saturday, October 11th:

• Image Comics – Let’s Talk Comics LIVE: Brian K. Vaughan & Niko Henrichon
  Join us for an in-depth conversation with master storytellers Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon as they share details about their new graphic novel Spectators, as well as their past, present and future work in comics.

  Sat, Oct 11, 2025 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM Javits-Room 1C03

If the Essential Sequential folks don’t mind me crashing, I’ll also try to swing by their booth to sign copies of Spectators, etc. Follow my dumb Instagram for more updates, won’t you?

And if you weren’t able to get tickets to NYCC, don’t despair!

At 7pm on Thursday, October 9th, Niko and I will also be signing at one of my favorite bookstores in the world, The Strand!

Sorry, I know that ad just features my smug mug, but I promise that my equal co-author on Spectators will also be in attendance at this ticketed event, which is open to everyone, and includes a gorgeous hardcover copy of our filthy graphic novel.

Santa says that Spectators is the perfect holiday gift to give your naughty friends, so if you’ve already purchased a copy for yourself, why not take care of all your seasonal shopping needs by picking up an autographed edition or two for your perverted pals?

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In our next installment of Exploding Giraffe, I’ll tell you more about my upcoming signings in Annapolis and Baltimore, as well as the European leg of this excursion with Niko, but if you won’t be able to visit any of those locales, and if your friendly neighborhood comic/book retailer has already sold out of Spectators, you can still order copies from places like:

Amazon

Bookshop.org

Indigo!

Midtown Comics

And I’ve extended our final giveaway of signed bookplates (still available exclusively in select comic shops!) until one week from today, so if you’d like a shot at winning one, or maybe even being selected to receive this original Niko Henrichon sketch of Val…

…please just share a photo of you holding up your hard copy of Spectators to social media, tag Niko and/or yours truly in the image, and you’ll be automatically entered in our final drawing.

The team and I have been moved by all of the thoughtful reviews for our book from diverse outlets including The Lewiston Tribune…

…CBR…

…and Comic Book Club…

…but I don’t think any review has helped move units quite as well as this unintentional endorsement from a reader at Amazon:

Might use that blurb on our next printing.

Seriously, I’m enormously proud of the years of hard labor that Niko and Fonografiks invested in Spectators, and grateful for those of you who’ve taken the time to read our work and share your thoughts — scandalized or otherwise.

Finally, who wants some free shit?!

The good folks at Rebellion just sent me my comp copies of Battle Action Volume Three, the latest hardcover collection featuring classic British comic characters in brand-new stories from some of the best creators in the medium (and this dirty Yank).

I collaborated on a nasty little standalone tale set in the world of Kids Rule OK (about a plague that kills off all the adults on the planet) with genius artist Chris Burnham, and I’m positively chuffed with how it turned out.

This volume is in finer comic shops around the world RIGHT NOW, and even if you’re not familiar with a lick of the original source material, I promise you’re still going to love every page of this collection, which happens to feature work from some of my favorite writers/pub mates, including Rob Williams, who just sent me this trailer for a fantastic-looking new indie film that he wrote the screenplay for, and which will be in theaters next month:

Speaking of killer cinema, what are the best films YOU’VE seen so far this year?

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I haven’t been to the movies as much as I’d like in 2025 (too busy watching baseball; go Guards!), but I did love Black Bag, Friendship, One Battle After Another, and especially Weapons.

Let us know your favorites in the comments, and our semi-fictional intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe will once again come out of retirement to randomly select a couple of you cinephiles to receive an autographed copy of Battle Action.

For now, it’s back to the ol’ writing cave to work on more comics (my script for the first issue of this mysterious new ongoing series is 50 fuckin’ pages long!), but I hope to see you out in the real world soon.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, and apparently, TikTok is convinced that the Rapture will happen sometime in the next 24 hours, which is fitting for the team behind Spectators, our End Times graphic novel, which also arrives TODAY in brick-and-mortar/online booksellers across North America and the UK.

As always, our preference is that you please order directly from your local independent comic/bookshop, but if your nearest store is sold out (or sadly nonexistent), you can now purchase a copy online from outlets including…

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Bookshop.org

Hudson Booksellers

Indigo!

Midtown Comics

Waterstones

And speaking of friendly neighborhood comic retailers, I had such a fantastic time chatting with/sweating on many of you at the red-hot signing at Collector’s Paradise (where you can still order an autographed copy!).

Thanks to everyone who waited in the sweltering North Hollywood heat, and especially to the amazing staff at Paradise, who run one of the nicest shops I’ve ever visited.

And if I missed you at that signing, I hope my fellow Angelenos will come get your copy of Spectators scribbled on by me next Friday, October 3rd, at the world-famous Skylight Books:

In a future dispatch, I’ll share my upcoming schedule for NYC, where you’ll also be able to meet Spectators’ absurdly talented artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon!

Apologies to longtime members of The Tower Dan Hess and Matt Keaton for forgetting to bring their secret bonus prizes to that signing, but our former intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe will be reaching out for your mailing addresses as soon as they’re back from safari next week.

Genesis will also be contacting the lucky winners of our signed bookplates, including reader Jacob Stebel, who was randomly selected to receive an original Henrichon sketch of our spectral cowboy Sam.

And if you missed that first giveaway, never fear.

I have just a few more signed bookplates, and if you’d like a shot at winning one, please just share a photo of you holding up your hard copy of Spectators to Instagram, tag Niko and/or yours truly in the image, and you’ll be automatically entered in our final drawing.

Also, one lucky poster will be randomly selected to receive our last bookplate with an original hand-drawn sketch by Niko, this one featuring voyeuristic Val!

If you’re not on Instagram, feel free to share an image of you with your copy of Spectators to TikTok, Twitter/X, Bluesky, Facebook, Zoorxy, or whatever the hell kind of social media you’re using these days, and then please tell us you’ve done so here in our comments section:

Leave a comment

A few weeks back, our friends at Image Comics offered 50 advance reader copies of Spectators to folks on Goodreads, and over 6,000 of you requested one!

Sorry we couldn’t send a free ARC to all of you, but if you do end up reading our graphic novel (expanded from the version you may have read here at Substack), I hope you’ll consider please sharing a brief review on Goodreads, even if it’s a one-star bashing of our vile smut.

I like to think that there are a lot of prose readers out there who might enjoy “adult” graphic novels like ours, but maybe don’t yet know that such things exist, so I greatly appreciate any/all efforts to help spread the word.

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If you’re not yet sick of hearing my nasally, inarticulate attempts to explain/defend my creative endeavors, I had two really fun conversations about life and comics recently, one over at Off Panel with the always thoughtful David Harper, and another on Forbidden Planet TV with the absolutely lovely Andrew Sumner:

I last spoke with Andrew about my naughty Kids Rule OK short story with the brilliant Chris Burnham for Battle Action, which I’m pleased to share has finally been collected (in the same volume as some of my all-time favorite creators), and should be available in finer comics shops across North America THIS WEEK:

BATTLE ACTION SPECIAL HC VOL 03

REBELLION / 2000AD
JUL250843
(W) Brian K. Vaughan, Garth Ennis, Torunn Gronbekk, John Wagner, Rob Williams, Dan Abnett, Steve White (A) Chris Burnham, Dan Cornwell, John McCrea, Mike Dorey, John Higgins, P. J. Holden (CA) Steve White (A / CA) Tom Foster, Henry Flint, Patrick Goddard
The third Battle Action compendium features the return of Action favorites such as Hook Jaw, the controversial Kids Rule OK, and Death Game, one of the stories responsible for the suspension of Action in 1976. Joining these stories are new adventures for returning characters; El Mestizo the Civil War-era bounty hunter is on the trail of a double-agent, Hellman discovers the terrible truth of the cause he has been fighting for. Major Eazy assists American commandos with the invasion of Sicily. And find out how Dredger became the stone-cold agent that everyone fears and only a mother could love.
In Shops: Sep 24, 2025

Excellent stuff, so I hope you’ll give it a gander, fellow septics.

Right, I know this seemingly endless year’s not over yet, but before you get raptured, I just wanted to briefly share…

BKV’S FAVORITE COMICS OF 2025 (SO FAR!)

Same caveats as ever: these are just a few of the titles I happened to have picked up, finished in the last nine months, and somehow still remember today.

I didn’t include any work by my talented friends (many of whom are featured in the aforementioned Battle Action), my wonderful colleagues at Image, Panel Syndicate or Substack, or creators whose series/strips/Patreons I’ve already recommended (and still love unreservedly).

So yeah, here are five recent reads that I loved, and think you might dig, too, in no particular order:

Elon Musk: American Oligarch

Not one of those cheap-o celebrity bio-comics, this frightening/fascinating nonfiction graphic novel by cartoonist Darryl Cunningham is a deeply researched, smartly constructed examination worthy of that glowing Alan Moore blurb on the cover.

Absolute Martian Manhunter

Wow. Such ambitious experimentation from inventive writer Deniz Camp and incomparable artist Javier Rodríguez, and their experiments all work, delightfully so. Raising the bar high for mainstream superhero books.

Tongues

From living legend Anders Nilsen, this hulking masterpiece weaves together multiple visually spectacular classic and modern fables. So dense and complex, but also immediately immersive. Hands down the most beautifully “packaged” collection of the year, too. I can’t wait to read the whole thing again.

World Within the World

I rarely find comics sexy or scary, but these short stories from Julia Gfrörer were consistently both, often on the same page. There’s more than one tale that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I first read this virtuoso collection months ago. My highest possible recommendation.

Spent

I may not be a lesbian goat farmer, but I felt like this graphic novel (starring semi-fictionalized versions of Fun Home writer/artist Alison Bechdel and her partner/colorist Holly Rae Taylor) was written specifically for me. It follows a middle-aged graphic novelist navigating the surreal highs and lows of having their work adapted into another medium, the glory and guilt that come with unexpected financial success, and the dizzying politics of modern existence, especially when it involves younger generations.

Obviously, I related to every panel of this sharp-witted and penetrating book, but I think you will, too, regardless of your age, occupation, sexual orientation, etc. Comics at their very best.

How about YOU?

What were your favorite comics/graphic novels/whatever of the year so far? Let us know in the comments, won’t you?

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Finally, not technically a comic (though it does have words AND pictures), but I also wanted to recommend this essential new Substack from my favorite writer/human Ruth Alma McKee. See if you can spot which of her piercing insights into trees, music, and/or robots I’ll inevitably steal for Saga and try to pass off as my own hard-won wisdom…

Moment of Ruth

Uncanny Valley

This week, the robots arrived in The Valley…

Read more

8 months ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Ruth Alma McKee

Niko and I will be back in your inbox with another thrilling update soon, but for now, I guess I hope the world doesn’t end? At least not until I find out if the Cleveland Guardians somehow make it to the playoffs.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, delighted to share that the hardcover print edition of Spectators—featuring more than three years’ worth of gorgeous work by my dear friends Niko Henrichon and Fonografiks—will be in comic shops this Wednesday, September 10, somehow costing less than 30 bucks for all 344 pages of hand-painted loveliness.

(Spectators will also be available via other booksellers later this month, but your local comic store gets first dibs.)

I’ll be doing several signings across the globe in support of our book over the next few weeks, starting with this one on Saturday:

Here’s hoping my fellow Angelenos were able to snag a ticket to this event before it sold out, but if not, you can still order a signed copy for cover price directly from the nice folks at Collector’s Paradise.

And if you’d like something signed by Niko as well, our friends at Image Comics will be sending out several thousand hand-signed bookplates (featuring sumptuous new artwork by Monsieur Henrichon) exclusively to comic stores that bravely ordered at least 20 copies of our very graphic graphic novel.

But if your friendly neighborhood retailer didn’t quite make the cut, don’t despair!

I held onto a few dozen of these bookplates, and if you’d like a shot at winning one, please just share a photo of you holding up your comic-shop-purchased copy of Spectators to Instagram, tag Niko and/or yours truly in the image, and you’ll be automatically entered in a drawing to receive a FREE signed bookplate.

Even cooler, one lucky poster will be randomly selected to receive a very special bookplate on which Niko drew an original sketch of everyone’s favorite spectral cowboy, Sam!

And if you’re not on Instagram, feel free to share an image of you with your hard copy of Spectators to TikTok, Twitter/X, Bluesky, Facebook, Ghlorbo, or whatever the hell kind of social media you’re using these days, and then please tell us you’ve done so here in our comments section:

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Thanks so much to you mature readers for supporting your local comic shop AND for helping to spread the word about our adults-only supernatural sci-fi romance (before it inevitably gets banned).

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I’ll share more details about future signings (including ones at Third Eye Comics and Baltimore Comic-Con) in our next email, but for now, I can say that I’ll be doing another Los Angeles signing, this one at Skylight Books…

…before heading to New York City to sign at The Strand!

While I’m in NYC, Niko Henrichon (who should also be credited as my equal co-creator in those ads; apologies!) and I will both be stopping by New York Comic-Con, and we’re trying to schedule at least one free signing while we’re there.

Stay tuned for more info, but I wanted to let you know that whether or not you’ll be attending NYCC, Niko has opened a Commission List over at Essential Sequential, where you can request a Henrichon original for as little as $100, up to $1,000 for a full-color 11 x 17 masterpiece featuring multiple characters of your choosing (with several options in between!).

I’m sure Niko’s list will fill up quickly, so head over to Essential Sequential NOW, won’t you?

In an upcoming dispatch, Niko and I will also let you European giraffes know about some very exciting signings happening in Italy and France! Can’t wait to put on twenty pounds eating my way across that leg of the tour…

While you’re at your comic shop this Wednesday, be sure to pick up a copy of the one-off “apocalypse romance” Closer from artist Steve Lieber and writer Kieron Gillen, the latter of whom was nice enough to write about Spectators in the back of this excellent standalone story:

And don’t forget to reserve your print copy of superstar writer Chip Zdarsky’s seventeenth installment of Zdarsky Shop News, which I’m sure will feature a very flattering cover story about none other than…

Oh, god.

Why did I ever agree to this?

Right, time to get back to work on our explosive next arc of Saga AND my first new ongoing series (!) since Paper Girls.

I hope you were able to find some joy this summer, and—despite the generally dreadful state of our world right now—that you have a lot more good stuff to look forward to this fall.

Thanks again for welcoming us into your inbox, and extra-special thanks to those of you who were part of The Tower here at Exploding Giraffe. Spoiler alert for this print edition: Spectators is dedicated to YOU (and our beloved intern Genesis), without whom none of this ever would have been possible.

Peace,

BKV

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Brian here, and if you’re headed to the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con next week, I hope we’ll get to cross paths.

I know this panel is a little early, and some of us might still be in rough shape from the night before, but if you’re feeling up for it, please join me (and maybe even a special guest) at 10am on Saturday, July 26 for my “Spotlight,” where I’ll be rambling about Spectators, Saga, Panel Syndicate, and more:

—SATURDAY, JULY 26—

10:00AM – 11:00AM
Image Comics Spotlight: Brian K. Vaughan Room 28DE

Join us for an in-depth conversation with master storyteller Brian K. Vaughan as he shares details about his new OGN, Spectators, as well as upcoming revelations in Saga and even more. Moderator: Jim Viscardi, VP of Business Development at Image Comics.

I’ll have a tiny bit of news to share on a few different fronts, but mostly, I just look forward to talking about whatever the hell YOU want to discuss. Everyone who’s brave enough to ask a question will go home with a fun prize, so I hope you can make it.

I’ll also be doing a few quick signings (with artist/co-creator of Barrier and The Private Eye Marcos Martín!) on Friday and Saturday:

—FRIDAY, JULY 25—

4 – 4:45 PM

– Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin

—SATURDAY, JULY 26—

3 – 3:45 PM

– Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin

SIGNINGS AT THE IMAGE COMICS BOOTH (#1915):

All signings require a wristband for entry. Wristbands will be given out at the Image booth as soon as the convention floor opens on a first-come, first-served basis, on the morning each particular signing is taking place. Tickets will be available for attendee, retailer, and professional badge-types only, unless otherwise stated, and they’re solely for the purposes of line/crowd control (attendees will not be charged for wristbands!). Signings will have a limit of 3 items per person for ticketed signings, unless otherwise noted. All items presented for signing are subject to review and denial by staff.

Oh, and if you were a paid member of The Tower last year, please consult the exclusive end portion of your newsletter from December 16, 2024 (“SPECTATORS - Part 137”), where I provided you generous giraffes with a secret password.

Just introduce yourself and whisper that password if/when you run into me at the show, as I’ll have a little something extra on hand for you as thanks for being part of our tribe.

And if you can’t make it to San Diego, never fear! Later this year, I’ll also be doing various singings/appearances in Los Angeles, New York City, and Baltimore—before Spectators co-creator Niko Henrichon and I then embark on the European leg of our tour—so stay tuned to Exploding Giraffe for more details.

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Wow, thanks very much to the scores and scores of you who requested an Advance Reader Copy of Spectators!

Our faithful intern Genesis has now sent out copies to all of our randomly selected winners, and if you were a lucky recipient, I hope you dig/dug this special first look.

As I mentioned in my letter to those of you who won, Niko and I are enormously proud of this 344-page epic, but the “adult content” (mass shootings, graphic nudity, etc.) makes it difficult to promote/discuss on social media or most corporate-owned sites. In this climate, librarians and booksellers might also be discouraged from making our graphic novel—which explores the very different ways we “consume” sex and violence—available to your fellow mature readers.

SO… if you winners would be willing to help us spread the word, we’d greatly appreciate if you would consider please writing/recording a brief online review (even if it’s a one-star bashing!) wherever you feel comfortable posting these days. But no pressure.

And if you weren’t chosen to receive an ARC, you’ll still have an opportunity to pick up your own official hardcover edition THIS SEPTEMBER (printed on heavy matte paper, and containing some important final tweaks and additions from Niko and our intrepid designer/letterer Fonografiks).

Our preference is always that you please order directly from your local independent comic/bookshop, but if that’s not an option where you live, you can also purchase one online from outlets including…

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Bookshop.org

Hudson Booksellers

Indigo!

Midtown Comics

Walmart

Thanks so much again for supporting our sophisticated smut.

For you digital comics lovers, here’s a cool opportunity from the fine folks at Humble Bundle to legally download/own a ton of fantastic comics, AND support the Book Industry Charitable Foundation:

We’ve teamed up with Image Comics for the Return of the Leading Ladies Bundle—a powerhouse collection of femme-led stories like It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, Paper Girls Vols. 1–6, Saga Vols. 1–10, and more. This 30+ title library doesn’t pander—it celebrates the full spectrum of the femme experience without drowning it in pink. Pay what you want for these standout comics from Image and support BINC with your purchase.

Grab your bundle here!

Finally, what did you think of the new Superman flick?

Such an outstanding cast, including Mr. Terrific’s Edi Gathegi, who I first saw years ago in my wife Ruth McKee’s play The Nightshade Family. And as someone who grew up in Northeast Ohio (where the Man of Steel was also conceived), it was a surreal thrill to see so many landmarks from my past stand in for Metropolis.

Speaking of which, when I was visiting my folks back home last summer, I just happened to wander directly onto the set of Superman after dining at my favorite Downtown Cleveland restaurant Cordelia.

I must give off Production Assistant vibes, because while I had absolutely nothing to do with this film, nobody stopped me from snapping a ton of photos of the top-secret sets, extras, etcetera.

I didn’t want to spoil anything by posting these pics before the movie came out, but now that it’s in theaters all over the world, I hope James Gunn and friends won’t mind me sharing a few photos here, especially because some of these awesome, creator-specific Easter eggs didn’t appear to make it into the final cut (unless I missed them while inhaling my feedbag of Nerds Gummy Clusters).

Enjoy my amateurish snaps, but please don’t repost without proper credit and/or linking back here to Exploding Giraffe, thanks!

Right, I’ve got a trillion things to finish before I catch my train to San Diego, but I hope you’re having a pleasantly action-packed summer, and Niko and I will be back in your inboxes with more excitement in a few weeks.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, and I was meeting some chums in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend when I spotted these masked young people charging up the steps of City Hall.

Gonna be an interesting summer, huh?

Seems like an excellent time for some globetrotting, so I’m happy to share that I’ll be doing several signings across the United States and Europe over the next few months, starting with San Diego Comic-Con this July.

Sorry that co-creator Niko Henrichon won’t be with me at SDCC, but he and I have several joint appearances in the works in support of Spectators, so please stay tuned to Exploding Giraffe for our complete schedules and more details.

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Speaking of Spectators, Niko and I were honored/relieved to read this early review of our collected graphic novel from the fine folks at Library Journal, who wrote:

A visually ambitious, thematically daring, and powerfully unsettling supernatural romance that veers into incendiary social critique.

This physical edition of Spectators is slightly expanded and gently revised from the version you may have already read in serialized form online, and I can’t tell you how cool it is to finally be able to hold in my hands the last three years of Niko’s hard work.

Our 344-page hardcover will be in comic/bookstores this September (for just thirty bucks!), and Image Comics recently sent me a big crate of these softcover Advance Reader Copies.

If you’re interested in potentially receiving a signed copy of this “A.R.C.”, please let us know in our comments section (temporarily reopened to all readers):

Why would YOU like an advance copy of Spectators? Are you a retailer? Do you review comics/books online? Were you a founding or longtime member of The Tower who deserves a hard copy of the story you helped underwrite, gosh darn it?

Leave a comment

Alternately, you can just let us know how your 2025 has been!

Either way, Spectators is the definition of “intended for mature audiences,” so this drawing is only open to readers 18 or older, please.

Our former intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe has generously offered to come out of retirement long enough to randomly select a few commenters, and they’ll reach out for your mailing address if your name’s lucky enough to be chosen.

Changing gears, I was very sad to learn of the passing of writing legend Peter David, whose work had a tremendous impact on me growing up, a fact that I’m proud somehow made it into my sporadically accurate Wikipedia bio:

PAD was known for his sharp sense of humor, but I loved how fucking angry a lot of his work was.

He wasn’t just a devout fan of the fictional worlds he wrote about, Peter was also deeply engaged with the horrors of the real world, and he smuggled a lot of adult wisdom into his all-ages stories, even his work on licensed tie-ins (where a lot of authors might phone it in, but where PAD always gave everything he had).

I’m grateful that I got to meet him in person several years ago and fanboy out about how much offbeat series like Spider-Man 2099 and X-Factor meant to me. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and everyone who loved him.

I was in a bit of a self-imposed media blackout while finishing a new screenplay, but I’m finally starting to catch up on my reading/watching/listening, and had three quick recommendations for you.

Author Joe Hill was kind enough to send me an advance copy of King Sorrow, his dementedly unconventional fantasy thriller about young people in late 80s/early 90s Maine who get into a spot of trouble, and do the only sensible thing to get out of it: summon a goddamn dragon.

I’m already halfway through this 877-page epic, and I’m loving every unpredictable interlude and batshit setpiece. King Sorrow belongs to one of my favorite sub-genres: a gigantic beast of a novel that’s as propulsive as the best short stories.

Sorry you’ll have to wait until October to read it for yourself, but you can order a signed/personalized copy right now.

Readers of Spectators will not be surprised to hear that I’m also obsessed with Dying for Sex, an FX miniseries about a woman who’s diagnosed with terminal cancer, and blows up her life to seek out her first real orgasm with a partner.

Crackling dialogue and sterling performances, especially from Michelle Williams. I know this subject matter isn’t for everyone, but I think you in particular reading these words right now will feel, like me, that it was made just for us.

Finally, I wasn’t familiar with the work of New Yorker cartoonist John Cuneo, but this cover (to a collection of some of the most “licentious” drawings from his sketchbooks) inspired me to pick it up.

Sure enough, the single-page comics in Good Intention are all hilarious, sexy, and/or unsettling. Highly recommended for my fellow weirdos.

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Okay, time for me to get back to writing this new comic series for an old friend (while Fiona Staples is hard at work on our bonkers next arc of Saga, thanks for your eternal patience!), but I look forward to hearing what you’ve been up to in the comments.

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Niko and I will check back in with the rest of you lurking spectators in a few weeks, so thanks again for letting us into your inboxes.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, writing this rare midweek missive while traveling home from a whirlwind visit to NYC, where I was meeting an old pal to talk about a new comic.

Sorry for the annoying tease, and apologies to the friends I didn’t have time to see on this brief trip, but I’ll be back in support of Spectators later this year.

Anyway, when I wasn’t over-imbibing with the Comics Elite, I tried to drink in some culture, including director Patrick Marber’s excellent staging of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross.

Fun to watch comedian Bill Burr more than hold his own with legends of stage and screen. And salesman Richard Roma’s opening pitch hits harder than ever in 2025.

The next day, I checked out Future Pastime, an incredible new exhibit of the paintings of Syd Mead, who you probably know from his work on Blade Runner, TRON and Aliens.

I had no idea that Mead (who died in 2019) was openly gay years before Stonewall, and this show is a celebration of his “profoundly queer vision of the future.” Runs until May 21st, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Meanwhile, over at The Met, the new John Singer Sargent exhibit is also a barnburner. I’d never seen this jaw-dropping oil painting, Fumée d’Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris), inspired by the artist’s trip to Morocco:

Finally, a comic creator chum encouraged me to check out Poster House, a small NYC museum “dedicated to presenting the impact, culture, and design of posters,” and I was blown away (apocalyptic pun!) by their current exhibit, Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace.

Inspiring stuff, New York City. You still got it.

Right, enough of Travels with Baldy.

Let’s get to the real reason you subscribed to this newsletter: PLUGS!

Online retailers will start shipping Saga Volume 12 in a few weeks, but you can pick up a copy at your local comic shop TODAY.

Fiona Staples reached some dizzying new heights with this arc, a story about how hard it is to make friends. For you process nerds, our intrepid letterer/designer Fonografiks even included some of Fiona’s thumbnail layouts (which I like more than many published comics) in the back of this latest collection.

Fiona and I are already hard at work on new issues, so stay tuned to Exploding Giraffe (or my dumb Instagram) for updates about when to expect Chapter 73.

But I’m afraid the next Deluxe Hardcover of Saga (collecting Volumes 10-12) probably won’t be out until this time next year, so please don’t deny yourself the pleasure of finding out what Hazel and co. have been up to while waiting for Book 4 to arrive.

And hey, while you’re picking up Volume 12 from your friendly neighborhood retailer tonight, please don’t forget to also reserve your copy of Spectators!

Our hardcover graphic novel will be in stores this September, but the book’s FOC (“final order cutoff,” when publishers finalize the initial print runs on all their comics) is this coming Monday, May 2nd, so this is your last chance to ask your favorite shop to save you a copy!

Co-creator Niko Henrichon, Fonografiks, and everyone behind the scenes at Image Comics have been working their asses off getting Spectators ready for publication, and I’m so absurdly happy with how it’s turned out.

Over the decades, my collaborators and I have released comics and graphic novels in all sorts of formats, and I’ve learned that many readers are extremely particular about the shape and size of their books (Tom King once yelled at me because The Private Eye doesn’t fit on his shelves right).

It made me realize that there are probably many prose readers out there who’ve never sampled comics simply because most collections are shaped—to their eyes, anyway—more like magazines or coloring books or whatever.

With that in mind, the Spectators team and I wanted to release a true graphic novel that was also roughly the same height, width, and depth (and even cover price) as the latest blockbuster from an author like Stephen King.

So this thick, 350-page hardcover of Spectators will be bigger than the “digest-sized” editions of Saga, but a little smaller (less tall?) than conventional trades, which I think makes it the Goldilocks-perfect size for Val and Sam’s story: large enough to enjoy every detail of Niko’s glorious full-color artwork, but also convenient enough to carry on a cross-country flight (and discretely read without offending whoever’s in the next seat).

It’ll even have a classy dust jacket!

Here’s your first look at what you might find hidden underneath, the “case wrap” that Fonografiks has designed using one of Niko’s magnificent spreads.

Gorgeous, no?

Having now proofed this edition several times, I can confirm that taking in three years’ worth of Niko’s hard labor in a single sitting is wild… but I think it makes for a totally unique reading experience, one that I’m irrationally optimistic will appeal to lots of adult readers out there who might not (yet) know how much they love our medium.

I hope we’ll have enough copies at launch that everyone who wants a hard copy of Spectators will be able to find one, but the only way to GUARANTEE you’ll get your hands on a first printing is to pre-order one today, thanks very much again.

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A recent review of the latest issue of Saga noted:

I also thought it was interesting how shifting alliances in the Saga-verse reflect the current political scene in the world, and wonder if this was something that Brian K. Vaughan always had planned, and the timing is coincidental, or if world events have shaped this current storyline. As always, Fiona Staples is brilliant, and the issue shines.

Much obliged! And agreed about Fiona.

But yeah, without spoiling any developments for those of you who aren’t yet caught up, those “shifting alliances” have been in the works for several years.

I’m no Nostradamus, despite what some folks have been generous/paranoid enough to say about We Stand On Guard, my Image miniseries with the great Steve Skroce about Canadian freedom fighters resisting a future invasion by the United States of America.

Ditto with the aforementioned irregularly shaped collection of The Private Eye with artist Marcos Martín.

Over at Politico, Professor of Law Aziz Z. Huq wrote:

In Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s The Private Eye, a different plague sweeps over America: Information security breaks and all private data becomes public.

Vaughan and Martin’s story is brought to mind by recent news of quantum computing breakthroughs, first in China and then by Google stateside. Realizing a practicable quantum computer might well render obsolete many of the cryptographic protections used to shield personal and corporate data today: Those little padlocks you see beside URLs? They would, overnight, become a fiction.

Consider then what might follow if the decisive breakthrough in quantum computing, the one that rendered it a practical reality for states and large firms, is made in China’s Tsinghua University in late 2025. Imagine it is weaponized in an ongoing trade war to strip away many of the privacy protections of Americans’ personal data. Vaughan and Martin’s brilliant tale depends on a world in which trust has evaporated. They suggest individuals and nations alike pursue a fearful isolation in its absence. Like all great science fiction, it resonates not because of the leaps of imagination taken. It resonates because it is so close to home.

See, I’m too dense to even understand what most of that means.

But when so much contemporary pop culture is about updating characters and ideas from the 20th century, maybe the simple act of trying to create anything vaguely “new” occasionally results in work that feels not just relevant, but prescient?

I dunno, but I’m grateful that a few of my past collaborations (all available at that same comic shop you’re about to visit!) might still have something to say about our surreal modern world, if not our unknowable future.

Speaking of which, I’m actually finishing this very dispatch back in Los Angeles, after I fell asleep and time-traveled three hours into the past. Nice to be home.

Niko and I will probably bother you again in a few weeks with an update about some other stuff we’ve been up to, as well as where you might be able to get your copy of Spectators signed by one or both of us later this year.

For now, thanks so much for still allowing us into your inbox, and I hope you get to have your favorite thing for lunch tomorrow.

Bye,

BKV

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Brian here, and what a nutty three months it’s been since Niko and I last checked in on you.

Welcome back to what is now our 100% FREE newsletter, which we hope to send your way just a few times per year.

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Thanks for the very kind words about the end of Spectators, the adult graphic novel we serialized here at Exploding Giraffe over the last three years, a story that many of you generously helped underwrite.

Over the past few weeks, Niko, our intrepid letterer/logo designer Fonografiks, and I have been hard at work revising and expanding our 340-page epic (Niko has drawn a few new incredible double-page spreads for pacing purposes, but nothing that significantly alters the story you may have already read).

This complete standalone collection will be coming in print from our friends at Image Comics later this year, with several international editions from our global publishing partners arriving shortly thereafter. We’ll fill you in with more specifics in our next dispatch, but for now, I wanted to show off this absolutely stunning new cover from Niko and Fonografiks:

I’m excited to share that this hefty hardcover will cost just $29.99, and you can reserve a copy with your favorite comic/bookstore RIGHT NOW.

Speaking of your friendly neighborhood retailer, I hope you’ll also pay them a visit this Wednesday to pick up the long-awaited next issue of Saga, featuring this outstandingly ominous cover from co-creator Fiona Staples:

So proud of this one, a story I’ve been looking forward to writing since Fiona and I started telling this story over a dozen years ago.

And our sincere apologies, I know this issue is comically late, but the team is doing much better after some life complications behind the scenes, and we’re taking steps to ensure there will be fewer of these scheduling hiccups with future arcs.

We know not every reader will be patient/interested/alive enough to stick with us as our same small team gradually trudges up this 108-issue mountain, but we remain wholly committed to reaching that summit no matter what, so thanks to all of you loyal sherpas who are still along for the climb.

This is the final chapter of our emotional twelfth volume (Hazel & co.’s story is now two-thirds complete!), and that next collection will also be in stores in just a few weeks:

A lot of you have asked about Saga Book Four, our next oversized hardcover collection, but due to tariffs and other various geopolitical whoopsie-daisies, I regret that I don’t have an exact release date just yet. Probably early 2026? Regardless, the extras in that one are going to be incredible, so please stay tuned.

In the meantime, you can revisit a happier era for our heroes with Image’s new commuter-sized editions of Saga. The second volume (with another magnificent new cover from Fiona) will be in stores next month:

Oh, and this is also your last chance to pick up merch featuring Hazel’s fashionable new bestie Emesis from the Official Saga Threadless Shop:

Later this week, that design will disappear back into Fiona’s vault, and some Ghüs-tastic new shirts will become available, also for the proverbial limited time. Thank you so much again for spending your precious disposable income on our wares.

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Well, how’s your dystopian 2025 been so far?

Los Angeles obviously endured some horrific wildfires, and though my family and I are completely fine, we’re devastated for our friends who lost everything. Many people are still hurting, so thanks to everyone around the world for continuing to donate to the charities supporting this disaster.

I can only process real events in my life years after the fact—usually through pervy fiction involving ghosts and/or robots—but for some more relevant writing about what it was like to actually live through this recent terror, please check out these excellent essays from one of my all-time favorite writers/wives, Ruth McKee:

Moment of Ruth

A few thoughts from a city on fire

I thought we had more time. I’m not naïve, I knew the city would burn. All through the last drought, I was ready to go. But I thought we would be okay until 2030 or so. It was a convenient date, I recognize. That way we could stay in our house until the kids finished high school. We could stay through for t…

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a year ago · 9 likes · 2 comments · Ruth Alma McKee

We voluntarily evacuated not long after the ash started raining down, and I left behind just about all of my worldly possessions, so when the flames started approaching our neighborhood, my dear friend/collaborator Jeff Yorkes (and his wife and kids!) raced over to our abandoned place to rescue as much of my obnoxious original comic art collection as they could pry off the walls, including this eerily appropriate recent acquisition:

And though our home and my makeshift museum thankfully made it through completely unscathed, I still greatly appreciate Jeff offering to save so much of my stuff, including one of my most cherished pieces…

…a small original drawing by none other than visionary writer/director/artist David Lynch.

Goddamn, there’s a loss that hit me hard.

If you miss him as much as I do, now is an excellent time to rewatch Twin Peaks: The Return, Lynch’s most profound exploration of death. Haunting to realize how many of its cast and crew have passed away since the show’s release.

There have been tons of excellent tributes written about this dearly departed legend, but one of my favorites was from Dan Barton, editor of Lynch’s long-running comic strip (!) The Angriest Dog in the World. Definitely worth a read.

Anyway, I’m more grateful than ever to still be kicking around making weird shit with the creators I love most, including the great Niko Henrichon, here with a report about what he’s been up to this year.

Take it away, pal…

Hey, everyone! It’s great to be back for a small dose of our old Monday special tradition.

Since Spectators has been completed, I started to work on a number of small personal projects like paintings, covers and illustrations. But my main current project is the completion of the second volume of Fang, which I started a few years ago with writer Joe Kelly. For those interested, we will collect French books 1 and 2 into a single English book, most likely available in the coming year. More detailed info should follow soon.

Today, I’ll show you some exclusive pages from the second volume of Fang. I’m realizing the work I did on over 300 colored pages of Spectators—as well as the hundreds of small colored sketches that I did for the Exploding Giraffe founder members—has changed my technique, perception and instinct of color painting. For the better, I hope!

Let’s take a look at a few completed pages.

And now, here’s some coloring process for my last finished page.

On this one, the main character, Fang, is having a dream in which she carries huge boulders with chains. It’s the follow-up of a similar scene in book 1 (pasted right below).

Here’s the inked page, ready for color.

In these dream scenes, I wanted this stylized magic fire to really stand out, so I tried to keep it completely white, and that’s why I painted a yellow color wash on everything except the fire.

Second step.

I apply the basic colors on most of the elements. I try to keep it simple. It’s not always easy, I’m very tempted to render more details, but one should know that comics and illustrations are different forms of art, and if a comic is rendered too much and has too many details, it can lose on the storytelling front. It’s a tricky balance.

Third step.

I’m giving some life to the fire effects, as well as the rest of the page elements.

Fourth step.

More details, shadows and a subtle color for the sky.

Final product.

The page after photography and small photoshop adjustments.

Oh, and what about some extra Spectators?

Our final collected edition will have a couple more double-page spreads added to the story. Here’s a preview of one of them.

Hope you enjoyed this! And if you ever have questions about my work, or just want to let me know what’s on your mind, you can always find me on social media.

Such resplendent pages, Niko! I can’t wait to read more Fang.

Right, back to work on the next arc of Saga (and a few other annoyingly secret projects) for me, but we’ll drop you another line about Spectators in a few months, cool?

If you need to get in touch with me before then, I’ve returned to my analog-only sensory deprivation hideout, so your best bet is mailing my correspondence-hound Milkshake at the To Be Continued headquarters:

4335 Van Nuys Boulevard - Suite 332

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Even though my family and I rescued Milkshake years after Fiona Staples created Ghüs, we’ve always thought that our nervous mutt bore a striking resemblance to everyone’s favorite bipedal seal guy. Still, when I tried to capture Milkshake’s Ghüs-like expression this morning, this is how she responded:

Jeez, Milky.

Are you that upset about what happens in this issue…?

Peace,

BKV

Spectators is no longer available to read online for free, but a hardcover edition of our complete graphic novel will be published by our friends at Image Comics in the second half of 2025.

Niko and I will provide more details in future, semi-annual installments of Exploding Giraffe, which will now be completely free to ALL subscribers.

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Stay tuned!

The below digital collection is exclusively for those of you in The Tower (which is no longer accepting new members), so please don’t copy or distribute…

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Spectators is no longer available to read online for free, but a hardcover edition of our complete graphic novel will be published by our friends at Image Comics in the second half of 2025.

Niko and I will provide more details in future, semi-annual installments of Exploding Giraffe, which will now be completely free to ALL subscribers.

Subscribe now

Stay tuned!

Read more

Brian here, and after three years of hard work by my indefatigable partners—artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer/one-man studio Fonografiks (who made a particularly clutch suggestion with today’s word balloons)—Spectators is just two more installments away from its final page.

Next week, we’ll run our penultimate vignette (along with my assembled “Favorite Comics of 2024” list), and then a week after that, we’ll send everyone the grand conclusion.

That Monday (Christmas Eve eve), all paid subscribers at the annual or monthly levels will ALSO receive a file containing the complete collection of our assembled 330-plus-page epic graphic novel, so if you’d like to own your own digital copy, why not join The Tower today for just 5 bucks…?

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At the end of this month, we’ll pause all future billing and close the oversized gates of The Tower for good, as Exploding Giraffe transitions from a weekly paid production to an occasional free dispatch from Niko and/or me. What the hell am I going to do with my Mondays from now on??

Okay, get ready for one of our longest and most important episodes of Spectators yet, as gloriously Not Safe For Work as ever…

Spectators 321 331

12.7MB ∙ PDF file

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Spectators 321 331

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Ah.

Wait… what?

Stay tuned, Voyeuristic Ones.

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Last week, I asked if you might be interested in an eventual print edition of Spectators, and I was relieved that the vast majority of you said you definitely would be.

Some good news coming very soon then.

And on the subject of print, longtime Tower member Ross B. was nice enough to write:

Thinking about a print version of Spectators and the possibility of reading it again in that format, all at once, made me think about just how different that experience will be than the experience of reading it a few pages at a time via this newsletter (almost) every week for the past few years. Certain moments will hit very differently, I suspect.

One such moment was in this week’s chapter, in fact -- the big kiss between Sam and Val was an immensely satisfying moment and I suspect it will still play well within the context of the book when it’s read as a single entity... but it’s hard to imagine that it will have the same impact on readers first experiencing Spectators there versus readers who have been following Sam and Val a few pages at a time for a few years now. It’s the same reason really good TV shows can be so affecting over a long run -- you can develop such a bond and attachment to characters when you get to spend time with them week after week, month after month, and year after year.

I have no doubt that the experience of reading Spectators all at once (or in a few sittings) in its completed form will still be a satisfying and engaging read -- the work that Brian, Niko, and Fonografiks have done is too good for that not to be the case -- but it will also be a rather *different* experience in some ways. Not bad or good or better or worse... just different.

Well said, thanks, Ross.

I always hoped that Spectators would ultimately be the kind of immersive story that readers might be able to experience in one sitting, maybe on a long flight (carefully angling its naughtiest pages away from the pour soul sitting next to you), but it’s been an unexpected joy to get to watch Val and Sam’s friendship gradually blossom over many months, savoring every panel of Niko’s beautiful work with all of you every week.

Your consistent and ongoing support (even if it was just emotional support from afar) helped us complete our dream project, so we’ll never be able to thank you enough.

One final reminder that, as Spectators prepares to make the leap to print in 2025, we’ll eventually be removing the pages of our story we’ve shared for free here, along with the last three years’ worth of exclusive bonus content.

But all new and current members of the Tower still have a few weeks to read/download/save all of our past greatest hits, including a travelogue of my family’s visit to the home of superstar creator Torunn Grønbekk:

Or this look back at a very early comic I created with two of my closest lifelong friends:

Or this post, in which I finally reveal the planned secret identity of an obscure Batman villain that Bat-fans have been asking me about for decades:

Plenty more highlights in our handy Exploding Giraffe Archives, so join today and kill a few hours with us instead of doing more dumb work for your stupid boss.

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You new Tower members will also get to participate in our final few chat threads, where we recently discussed our all-time favorite gifts.

Brian W. said:

My wife, a child of the Soviet Union, got access to a modeling school when she was seven because her grandparents worked at the right uranium mine. Not runway modeling, but with clay. She excelled and even had her pieces entered in competitions by her teacher. This is even more remarkable because she is a “dirty betrayer,” aka Crimean Tatar! (Also in first grade, a teacher made her stand up in class as an example of what a traitor to the Soviet Union looked like...at age six!)

My wife does not regularly use her modeling skills/talents. My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. She guided my daughter through the creation of a ladybug pen holder for my desk. If only Substack allowed an image of this cutie to be embedded!

Meanwhile, Elle J. rightly boasted:

My girlfriend got me a blacksmithing class for my birthday. It was 4-5 hours long, you picked your own project, and I made a cool ass twisty knife. Plus they offered mid-way point beers. It ruled. (Hardy & Fuller in Denver, CO for locals!)

And Cory S. wrote:

I’m not great about gifts. I’m the sort that will get it if I want or need it, which I’m sure is frustrating. My wife loves to find me things, a lot of the time the small stuff, simple things that honestly I’d never think of or find, and those are the best. Just this past weekend she was out with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law on a day trip to an Amish area, and brought me back a great gift. You remember Hostess fruit pies? I absolutely loved the blueberry one, but it’s been discontinued for over a decade. Different companies (and even Hostess when they came back from bankruptcy) make some flavors, like apple and cherry, but blueberry is never to be included. But my wife came home with 2 blueberry pies, apparently a small brand I’ve never heard of, but damn if they’re not perfect. It’s the small gifts like that that get me.

Great responses/lives, everybody.

But only two lucky members could each receive one of these signed collections of Saga…

…and our overworked, eager-to-graduate intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe randomly selected Loveleen B. for that hardcover Saga Book One…

My boyfriend got me a pair of Indian anklets! In my culture they can be seen as something similar to a promise ring. My boyfriend is not of my culture so it warmed my heart that he took the time to look into this and get me a pair.

…and Eric L. for the monster-sized Saga Compendium.

I think the greatest gift I’ve ever received was an anniversary gift in which my future husband hired a local string quartet to play beautiful arrangements of some of my favorite songs of all time, including songs by Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, and Björk, and then invited a few of my best friends to enjoy the performance with me. I’ve been trying (and failing) to give him a gift of equal meaning and substance ever since!

Congrats on your big wins, Eric and Loveleen, and on having such thoughtful partners.

Finally today, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate my partner (in comics, anyway), Niko Henrichon, whose birthday is this week!

Joyeux anniversaire, mon ami.

I’ve been a huge fan of Niko and his work ever since former Vertigo editor Will Dennis introduced us over twenty years ago, for a collaboration you can read about in our debut Substack:

A while back, Tower member John M. asked Niko and me:

I just finished reading the Deluxe Edition of Pride of Baghdad. The extras regarding the creation process and project are cool.

To BKV and Niko, I wanted to ask if you were vocally “anti” the Iraq war at the time?

I know it was contentious at the time for the American population, but the more we look back on it the worse it seems to have been, for almost all sides. Curious to know what your expressed opinions were back in the early 2000s and if those opinions have changed.

I generally prefer not to discuss my political opinions online, but if you finished Pride of Baghdad, it probably won’t be hard to guess where I stood/stand.

As a matter of fact, nearly everything I’ve written over my career—Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Saga, especially We Stand On Guard—has been me in some way still processing my feelings about that invasion, which Americans from almost everywhere on the political spectrum now seem to agree was an idiotic and disastrous war of choice.

Which makes it all the more baffling to learn that Pride of Baghdad was just included in a list of around 700 books that were “removed or discontinued” from Florida public schools.

Heavy sigh.

Thankfully, all these years later, our consistently banned/challenged/cancelled work still seems to be finding an audience with the youngs:

Pretty gas indeed.

I’m still enormously proud of my first graphic novel with Niko, and I’m excited to reveal that the good and decent folks at DC Comics have given us back all rights to the creator-owned Pride of Baghdad, so we’ll be releasing a 20th Anniversary (!) edition with another publishing partner in 2026.

Again, please stay tuned for more details.

For now, I’m so honored to have been able to summit a second creative mountain with Niko, who’s not just one of the most accomplished and dedicated artists in the industry (there is literally nothing he can’t/won’t draw), but also one of the kindest, funniest, most humble humans I’ve ever met.

Look at this gorgeous “sketch” Niko gave me back in 2016, inside his must-read work on Alexandro Jodorowsky’s Meta-Baron:

Or this one, inside his first volume of Fang with the mighty Joe Kelly:

Never completely satisfied with his already considerable skills, Niko seems to reinvent himself with each new project, so everything he touches inevitably gets my highest recommendation.

Oh, and one last surprise…

Just the other day, Genesis stumbled across some buried treasure, an extra one of our old Founder Prize Packs, which happens to include a glorious piece of original, hand-drawn Henrichon art:

If you’d like a shot at winning this priceless piece of Exploding Giraffe history, please just let us know: What’s YOUR favorite Niko Henrichon moment from the last three years?

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Doesn’t have to be from Spectators, of course. It can be one of Niko’s many extraordinary covers, an amazing Artopsy (I still love this comic journal), or maybe just a memorable response from one of our past chat threads.

And if you want to guarantee that you take home a Henrichon original of your own, a few pages of Spectators (and Pride of Baghdad!) are still available for purchase over at Essential Sequential.

Plus, from now until December 26th, you can take 20% off the price of Niko’s artwork by entering this special code at checkout: HOLIDAY20-2024

I’m confident that our upcoming print edition of Spectators is going to help us reach an even wider international audience, so I hope you early adopters nab the best originals before all those latecomers descend on them.

Regardless, we’ll see you back here for our penultimate installment of Val and Sam’s (and our Doorperson’s) story next Monday evening, cool?

Thanks for everything, Niko—especially your brilliant idea for our upcoming final double-page spread—and Happiest Birthday!

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, and I promise to give you the full scoop on that front later in today’s dispatch, but first, we have more pressing matters to discuss, including this bombshell comment that loyal Tower member Rob S. dropped during our Thanksgiving week chat:

I need to let everyone know about Stuffing Waffles. Take your uncooked stuffing mix (or leftovers) and spoon it into a waffle iron and cook it up that way. Everything is the crispy corner part! Then pile up your good stuff on top, pour some gravy over it, and your life is changed forever. You’re welcome.

I hope you all still have some cold Stove Top in the fridge, because this magical formula has indeed forever changed my life. Or at least my future Black Friday lunches. Thanks for the tip, Rob.

There are many more similarly significant subjects to get to this evening, but if you’re just here for the Saga update, and you’re not yet caught up on Spectators (which you can still read for free in our Archives), I’d encourage you to avoid major spoilers and please scroll past today’s transcendently NSFW installment from my extraordinary collaborators, artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks.

Spectators 319 320

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Niko is something else, huh?

And he’s not done yet. Our story still has several remaining pages, which we hope to get you before Christmas, when all current paid subscribers will also be sent an exclusive digital file (in whichever format you prefer) containing our entire 330+ page graphic novel.

That means we only have a few more Mondays together, so if you’ve been thinking about finally joining The Tower, you’ll probably just want to sign up at the monthly level.

For a measly five bucks, along with receiving your digital copy of the complete Spectators at the end of the month, new subscribers will also be able to access all three years’ worth of our past bonus contest AND participate in our final contests and giveaways.

Subscribe now

In early January, we’ll pause all future billing indefinitely, and readers will no longer be able to sign up as paid members. Still, Niko and I don’t plan to abandon Exploding Giraffe completely, and if you don’t mind, we’ll probably still send out a free version of this dispatch a few times a year to let you know about new projects, etcetera (or just because we’re lonely).

And I know some of you analog hardliners are still waiting for a print edition of Spectators before you read a word of our story, so let me ask everyone a hypothetical question…

Your response is anonymous, so thanks for clicking!

Along with waffle recipes, last week’s chat thread with The Tower delved into various things we’re running away from (or running towards), inspired by the inclusion of Runaways #1 in this lovely hardcover collection from the Folio Society.

Reader Nathan L. set the moral bar high, writing:

Running towards purpose, making sure the work I do aligns with my values is really important. I’ve been lucky to work in the energy transition space over the last 5 years, helping to decarbonise one of Australia’s biggest distribution networks. I’m now looking for a new challenge in the same space, to ensure I continue to help contribute to solving climate change and ensure our four kids have a livable planet where they and their descendants can read BKV into the 25th Century.

Equally impressive, Reena shared:

As a working mother of two with zero family support I am always running around, not necessarily running away from anything, but always late/rushing/having to do stuff quickly. I am so looking forward to Christmas, it’s the only time where the world seems to stop collectively for a bit.

Meanwhile, Roberto A. asked a loaded question:

I am running away from my home country, Peru, which is being taken over by organized crime while we are helpless to stop it. Do you recommend any non-fascist countries to migrate to?

Hope you’re staying safe, Roberto, and that you’ve found some options.

Sadly, your most secure bet probably won’t be Ukraine, where I was relieved to hear from a reader named Vitalii (who Saga readers might know from his moving letter to the latest “To Be Continued”):

Every day I am now running from work one hour earlier to pick up my first kid from school, because my wife has her hands full with our newborn.

Every day I dread that air alert will happen exactly on time of my return, which means the bridges will be closed and I won’t be able to make it to the other side. Statistics-wise it is bound to happen sooner or later, but so far luck has favoured me immensely.

Nothing left to do but keep on running every day, guessing if those five minutes you lingered in the office will play you a fool in the end.

Thinking about you, pal.

Changing gears, John M. shared:

I’m running away from the ubiquitous Black Friday sales adverts that are coming at me from all sides!

I’m running towards... running! I want to be able to run (jog... slowly) 5km without stopping. I’m using an app to train, and progress is slow. Aspirational goals are good though!

Wish me luck.

Best of luck, John. And I hear you about those wretched Black Friday ads…

…but everybody loves Cyber Monday deals, right?!?!?!?!

I’ll be sharing my updated Favorite Comics of 2024 in an upcoming installment, and many of my past faves have come from the legendary publisher Fantagraphics, which is having a huge sale at their site for the next few hours.

Ditto for popular brick-and-mortar/online comics retailer Third Eye.

And while I always prefer that you support your local comic/book store, if they happen to be sold out of any titles I’ve worked on (that gigantic Ex Machina omnibus is a beast to keep on shelves), Gamespot reports that Ol’ You Know Who is apparently having a massive sale of just about my entire bibliography tonight.

For shame, BKV. Slipping an Amazon plug into the middle of a conversation with people suffering from global strife?

Welcome to end-stage capitalism!

Anyway, our intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe promised to give away a copy of Marvel: Unforgettable Stories, and we even sprung for one of the sold-out editions signed by celebrity curators Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum.

Today’s ridiculously lucky reader randomly selected by Genesis is… Wayne B., who wrote:

For more than two years, my wife and I have been Death Doulas. I’ve taken this journey, not only to share this journey with my Missus of 34 years, but as a means of running toward my fear of death. And, it’s working.

Congrats, Wayne, and thanks to you (and your wife) for the important work. Please keep running.

Speaking of our fabulous readers, Al Wurst wrote in to tell us how things went at that Paper Girls book club he was able to attend…

The book club was amazing, but I expected nothing less from fabulous Ferndale. I was the oldest by far so it was interesting getting a young perspective on a decade I have mixed feeling about. It was nice helping add context to some of the 80s references. The stats were 12 to 14 loving the story, and I was thrilled my comic went to a fan and not one of the two individuals I can only assume didn’t actually read it and was there for free coffee. I could go on way too long, but I just wanted to add how much they loved the color pallet of the story. What I loved most was how there was not one overlap of a favorite part/moment of the story from anyone. You connected with 12 different unique individuals all in different ways. I found that special.

Thanks again, and a happy Thanksgiving to all, go Lions!

You rule, Al.

And if anyone happens to be in the Chula Vista area, maybe you can pull a Wurst next Tuesday at the Comic-Con Book Club: Chula Vista Chapter:

Calling all graphic novel enthusiasts to the Civic Center Library! Join us for Comic-Con Book Club on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 PM, where we’ll discuss Saga Vol. 6 by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan AND Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo. Both are available on Hoopla, FREE with your CVPL library card. This group is for ages 18 and older and does require approval by application process. If this will be your first meeting, don’t worry! Applications are free to complete and will be available at your first meeting. See you then!

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Before we get to that update about Saga Chapter 71 (quit stalling, baldy!), a reminder that you can still pick up limited edition merch featuring Fiona’s beautiful cover image to the previous issue of Saga exclusively at The Official Saga Threadless Shop.

And today, we’ll be giving away not one, but TWO killer prizes to a couple of random members of The Tower: Saga Book One (a hardcover collection of our first 18 issues with tons of extras) and the first Saga Compendium (a softcover collection of our first 54 issues!), each signed/sketched in by yours truly.

Either makes an outstanding gift for that reader in your life who doesn’t yet know they love comics, so if you’d like a shot at possibly winning one, please just let us know: What’s the last great gift YOU received?

Leave a comment

Genesis will randomly select some commenters from this week’s chat, where I look forward to stealing all your best gifting ideas.

Right, at last, time to talk about Saga Chapter 71, which was originally supposed to be on stands around now.

First of all, the good news: this issue is completely done, 100% written, drawn, colored and lettered (including perhaps the longest letter column yet designed by Fonografiks), and I think it’s pretty fucking wonderful.

The less awesome news: our patient friends at Image Comics will do their best to get this issue into your hands as soon as humanly possible, but after some unavoidable delays on our end, we now have to wait our turn at the printer, and with the holidays approaching, this next chapter likely won’t make it to stores until early January.

I’m terribly sorry. We take our solicitation dates extremely seriously, and I feel like shit the handful of times in my nearly 30-year career that comics have ever missed them, but as I’ve mentioned in the past, Saga’s entire creative team is still just Fiona, Fonografiks and me, and when unforeseen circumstances arise behind the scenes, everyone’s well-being has to take precedence over scheduling.

But I believe our next collection (Volume 12) is still on target for its original release date in April, and I’m already hard at work on next year’s arc, as our tale heads in an intriguing new direction.

I know how much delays like these hurt momentum with readers, so I completely understand if folks want to jump off the ongoing issues and instead wait for our collections (or if they just want to quit reading Saga entirely!), but this story means the world to us, so I hope you’ll stick around in whichever capacity is most enjoyable/least maddening.

After our midpoint hiatus, I realize some people are also worried we might not reach our planned conclusion for decades, but as I mentioned in this recent guest essay I wrote for Barnes & Noble Reads, Fiona and I continue to work diligently on Saga every single day, and we’re both fully committed to finishing this 108-chapter epic we set out to tell twelve years ago, not long after my two kids were born.

Artist/co-creator Fiona Staples and I (and our loyal letterer, a man of mystery who goes by Fonografiks) have been collaborating on SAGA for over a dozen years now. We’re working on our 12th volume at the moment, and unless one of us falls out of a hot-air balloon or something, there will be a total of 18 volumes (each containing six “chapters”) when our star-crossed family’s epic tale finally reaches its planned ending in a few years, probably just as my real-life offspring—who were born right before our series began–will be leaving for college.

Or Martian battle training. Or whatever the hell might be going on in that terrifyingly not-too-distant future.

So yeah, I hope to be finishing our final script around the time that my second teenager will be—I don’t even like writing these words—leaving home, roughly five years from now, which probably sounds like an eternity to you young people, but which my fellow parents know will fly by with a frightening quickness.

Look, I don’t know if anyone will still be reading Saga when we finally reach the last line of the last page, but our goal was never to sell the most copies (we’d do a dozen variant covers each issue if that were the case) or to have the largest audience possible (we’d put in a lot fewer penises if so), but just to tell an extremely personal story in our own weird way.

I’m very sorry again that we occasionally need some extra time to get it right, but I like to think that the real world experiences we’ve gained with our families over the years have only enriched the series, so I really appreciate those of you who’ve expressed your concern (we’re all okay, thanks) and/or continued support.

But enough of my useless blathering!

I know what you’re really after: some of that sweet, sweet Fiona Staples storytelling. I normally hate any kind of spoilers too far in advance, but because you’ve been so kind, here’s a sneak peek at the first TWO pages of our next issue, and we’re making both available to ALL readers today, paid subscribers or otherwise, so feel free to tell a friend, thanks.

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If you’d rather experience these pages in context, please skip this small taster, and Niko and I will see you back here next Monday evening for more free Spectators, cool?

Everyone else, strap in.

SPOILER SPACE!!!!!

I MEAN IT, MINOR SPOILERS BELOW!!!!

ARE YOU READY, TRUE BELIEVERS?!?!

Oh, wait, that’s just an excerpt from the latest issue of Vanity Fair that a friend was nice enough to forward me.

Much obliged, Ms. Nyong’o! I really enjoy your work, too.

Where was I…?

FOR REAL THIS TIME, THE OPENING TWO PAGES FROM NEXT MONTH’S SAGA #71 ARE BELOW.

AND JUST THIS ONCE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THEM FAR AND WIDE, THANKS AGAIN!

END OF OMINOUS PREVIEW!!!

What’s about to go down with the other shady characters gathered in our circus galley? Find out in a few (relatively) short weeks.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to catching up with you in this evening’s chat thread…

Leave a comment

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, and I just read an intriguing article about our dispatch’s combustible mascot potentially joining the endangered species list.

Even now, the giraffe is still an enigma. Researchers are actively debating whether the giraffe constitutes just one species or several. Some scientists say evolution helped inch the neck (and tongue) of giraffes to extraordinary lengths to allow them to eat leaves, flowers and fruits out of reach of other herbivores. Others say the animals developed long necks so males can engage in sexual combat over females.

It all comes back to sex and violence, huh?

On that note, let’s rejoin artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks for some NSFW new pages of Spectators, as our voyeuristic protagonists’ watch party draws to a close, while the potentially world-ending battle outside continues to rage.

(And new readers, hi, for at least a few more weeks, you can still catch up on our story so far for FREE via past vignettes in the Exploding Giraffe Archives, or download and own the latest digital collections by joining us in The Tower here.)

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The countdown continues next week, after we return from Thanksgiving break.

2024 has been a brutal year for lots of us, and yet, I still have an obscene amount to be thankful for, starting with my magnificent collaborators Niko and Fonografiks, who have worked with tireless dedication on Spectators for the last three years. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss our manic Mondays together.

And I know our entire team is thankful for Nick Spencer, without whom our dream graphic novel never would have come into existence. At the most terrifying depths of the pandemic, when none of us were sure what the hell might happen to the industry we love, Nick seized an opportunity with Substack to channel considerable resources to numerous artists and writers, and I like to think our medium is richer because of what wholly unique comics many of us were able to create.

(Along with being a perennially unsung hero of this business, Nick is also one of my favorite modern writers, so I hope you’ve already supported his remarkable 3W3M Kickstarter with Jonathan Hickman, Mike del Mundo, Mike Huddleston, and many more comics luminaries.)

I’m also enormously grateful to everyone behind the scenes at Substack. They created a terrific architecture that allows creators to simply and directly reach readers—with zero editorial interference—while still allowing us full ownership and control of everything we create. An outstanding company.

While Niko and I intend to bring The Tower to a close next month (as we transition away from paid subscriptions with the completion of Spectators), we’ll definitely keep Exploding Giraffe alive to reach out to you in the future from time to time. And who knows, could Niko, Fonografiks and I rejoin forces to serialize another original 300-plus-page epic here someday?

Maybe after a nice nap.

Regardless, whether you were an active participant or just a lurking spectator who’s been watching our story unfold from the shadowy back row, we’re most thankful for YOU.

Substack gave us our start, but you allowed us to keep going, and we couldn’t have reached our upcoming explosive climax (which Niko is drawing as we speak) without your kind attention and/or generous support.

Thanks again, pal.

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A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Paper Girls was going to be part of the Ferndale Area District Library’s Graphic Novel Book Club, and encouraged folks in the area to let us know if they ended up attending.

But Best Reader Al Wurst actually took it to the next level, writing:

I secured the very last spot of the Ferndale Paper Girls meet-up you mentioned. I’m bringing the signed volume I won in the caption contest to give away as a prize and they are geeked. Should be fun tomorrow.

Above and beyond, Al! How was the gathering…?

Also, if you think we’re going to let you give away one of your hard-won prizes without re-rewarding you with something even better, you don’t know semi-fictional intern Genesis the Exploding Giraffe, who insists on sending you whichever hardcover collection of mine you’d like.

Please just tell us your pick in today’s chat thread, you endlessly delightful human being.

In other news, Y: The Last Man artist/co-creator Pia Guerra consigned her first four pages of original art from Y #1 to auction, and last Friday, her iconic splash featuring the first appearance of Yorick Brown sold for a mind-boggling high bid of $52,800!

(And no, I wasn’t the lucky buyer, but if the new owner wants to out themselves to us, I’d love to know where that small piece of modern comics history ended up.)

Anyway, you can read my full interview with Pia in this recent post:

And because Thanksgiving is all about the warm embrace of repeats (I’ll be marathoning old MST3Ks all week), here are some other classics from Exploding Giraffe’s distant past, including Niko’s very first artistic autopsy…

…as well as a lengthy post about my brief work on a pre-Disney Silver Surfer film…

…or perhaps you might enjoy this deep dive into that one time the Dark Knight tripped balls on Special K?

We have well over 250,000 words’ worth of bonus content (not to mention exclusive photos, videos, and even the occasional podcast-thing) still available to those of you in The Tower, so I hope we can help kill some time while you’re hiding from your extended family this week.

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Finally today, though they’re not paying me to promote it (or even sending me a freebie?!), I wanted to plug a beautiful new book from The Folio Society, who you may remember from this fancy slipcase edition of Doctor Strange, which included 14 of the character’s “best” tales, as selected by former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas.

It also featured a trippy new cover and endpapers drawn and designed by my good pal and Doctor Strange: The Oath co-creator Marcos Martín.

Now, another comic I was fortunate enough to work on has been selected for inclusion in a new Folio Society edition, once again featuring an original cover and slipcase by the mighty Marcos.

I’m honored that the first issue of Runaways (co-created with the incomparable Adrian Alphona) was chosen by this book’s celebrity curators, comedian Patton Oswalt and producer Jordan Blum, who were nice enough to write:

No one does first issues like Brian K. Vaughan. I’m so glad we got to include one in this collection. What a twist, what a shock, what an exciting beginning! Bet you run out and get all the trade paperbacks after seeing that last panel.

‘PRIDE AND JOY, CHAPTER ONE’

RUNAWAYS #1

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Penciler: Adrian Alphona

Inker: David Newbold

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Paul Tutrone

Editors: C.B. Cebulski, Stephanie Moore (and eventually MacKenzie Cadenhead!)

Damn, what a blockbuster first cover from the great Jo Chen.

She and Adrian (soon joined by beloved colorist Christina Strain) created a book that looked and felt unlike anything Marvel had ever published. That series was a nonstop joy to collaborate on.

And I’ve been a big fan of all the unexpected directions that later creators have taken our found family over the years… so I was surprised to read this gentle critique of the concept from legendary Marvel editor Tom Brevoort (who I enjoyed working with on The Hood with co-creator Kyle Hotz a million years ago):

I liked the book, though I think it has an inherent problem that has never entirely been remedied. And that is that the premise has an end point, and the original creators reached that end point. There’s really no reason for the Runaways to be on the run any longer, apart from the fact that that’s the name of the series. So there’s a bunch of contrivance involved in keeping it going.

Yes, the Avengers have avenged, and the Defenders have defended, so I guess it’s a wrap on those books! If Peter Parker has already caught the crook who killed his uncle, what else is left to be said about power and responsibility?

Thankfully, I think there are still people inside the ol’ House of Ideas who believe that, like most Marvel titles (Daredevil = justice is blind, Hulk = the monster within the man), Runaways was built on a simple metaphor that can hopefully serve as the foundation for a near-infinite amount of different stories:

Young people running from a broken status quo… and towards something better.

Personally, I’m still running towards creator-owned comics, where artists and writers are always properly compensated and credited when their work appears in other media, for one random example off the top of my head.

Seriously, I remain grateful for the unforgettable years I spent under Marvel’s roof, where I started working when I was still just a teenager, and I wish everybody there much success. This villainous old parent can’t wait to see where the Runaways run next.

For the moment, I’m about to order myself a few copies of the Folio Society’s Unforgettable Stories, so if you’d like to be entered in a random drawing to win one signed by me, please just let us know in the comments:

What are YOU running away from/towards these days?

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Time for me to run over to the local cheesemonger so I can assemble my annual Platter of Wonder, but Niko and I will see you back here next Monday evening for more free Spectators and some other surprises.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, back on the grid after taking a small sabbatical from screens. It was nice.

While I was away, looks like the news (in the very loosest sense of that term) broke about my next screenwriting gig, an adaptation of one of the most innovative and influential science fiction films of all time. I wish I could tell you more, but at this very early stage, I am… forbidden.

I will say that this won’t change the amount of comics that I’m working on in 2025, and now that I’ve written the final page of Spectators (coming your way in a few short weeks!), I’m already full speed ahead on my next comics project, which my collaborators and I will blab about as soon as we’re ready, thanks for your patience.

But enough of my confounding coyness, let’s get to something more tangible, like a few new NSFW pages of Spectators from artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks, as our intangible protagonists make a new acquaintance.

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To be continued.

How astounding is Niko’s storytelling? His artwork for this scene gives me fucking chills. And invisibly perfect balloon placements from Fonografiks, as always. I’m the luckiest writer in comics.

As I mentioned, the three of us are in the home stretch for this epic graphic novel, which we hope to complete here at Exploding Giraffe before Christmas. Our story will remain free to read in these weekly vignettes, but the upcoming 330+ page Complete Digital Collection of Spectators (and all final contests, including Niko’s last big giveaway of his original art) will be exclusively for you generous paid subscribers in The Tower.

But we giraffes are a generally gregarious group, so no judgment if you’re a longtime lurker who decides to drop five bucks for a single month just to join us in time for our grand finale. All are welcome…

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Speaking of The Tower, in a recent chat thread, a few members in the U.S. mentioned that their stores never received copies of Battle Action #1, the British anthology that features a self-contained Kids Rule O.K. short story I collaborated on with mind-melting artist Chris Burnham.

Well, fellow septics, I’m happy to report that, after what sounds like a wildly complicated international shipping situation, this issue has finally started arriving on our shores, so please ask your friendly neighborhood comic shop if they still has any left.

If not, you can still purchase a legit digital edition of the book from the 2000 AD Shop.

Very proud of this mean-spirited little tale, sorry again for the wait!

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Before I turn things over to Niko for his final and perhaps finest Artopsy, it’s time for one last edition of…

My Friends & Colleagues Are Annoyingly Talented

First up, this past Friday, while you were suffering through Netflix’s boxing debacle, I was at the Geffen Playhouse enjoying a riveting new production of Waiting for Godot, starring my old pal Adam Stein (the dashing chap on the right) as Lucky:

As mentioned in the below installment of Exploding Giraffe, Adam and I once co-wrote a batshit Vietnam-era sci-fi television pilot called Invisible Men…

…but he isn’t just one of the best writers I know, Adam is also a world-class actor, as noted in this rave from The Los Angeles Times:

Stein’s Lucky, carting Pozzo’s luxuries like a beast of burden, matches Lovett with a physical eloquence. When he eventually explodes into thinking, delivering a monologue of disordered intellectual half-thoughts and rhetorical tics, the stage convulses in Lewis Carroll absurdity.

Damn, I wish I had physical eloquence.

Anyway, a wonderful night at the theater, highly recommended for those of you who happen to reside in the surreal purgatory of Los Angeles.

Next up, you probably only know about Exploding Giraffe because you were first a fan of Jonathan Hickman’s insanely ambitious Substack 3 Worlds / 3 Moons with Mike del Mundo, Mike Huddleston, Nick Spencer, and many more, but if not, now is the time to jump aboard with 3W3M’s massive new Kickstarter.

Back in 2021, we launched an ambitious new project called 3 Worlds / 3 Moons. The idea was to create not just a book or a single story, but an entire universe, a fully-realized setting that could serve as a backdrop for countless stories, not just from us, but any creator with an idea. And we wanted to build this universe in front of, and in collaboration with, our audience. In the three years since then, we’ve done exactly that over at 3w3m.com, with a community of over 30,000 subscribers, producing over a thousand pages of comics and world-building lore so far.

But we always knew that this universe-building phase would come to an end, and it would be time to launch what we’d made out into the broader world, as the focus shifts from theory to practice, lore to ongoing narrative, and from concepts to characters. We’ve been looking forward to that for a long time. 

So, today, with the launch of this Kickstarter, we’re thrilled to announce 3W/3M [ONE], the ultimate starting point to our new universe. This opening volume- available as a beautiful deluxe hardcover or as a collection of three standalone prestige editions- contains the core stories that set the stage for everything to come. 

I love/am maddeningly jealous of everything about the concept and execution of this wholly successful big swing, and I’m just sad that I missed out on the Kickstarter tier that offered original artwork by Hickman (shit!).

But there are plenty of other cool rewards still available, not to mention the beautiful books themselves, so I hope you’ll give them a gander.

While you wait for those tomes to arrive, you can check out more new comics from my friends at Panel Syndicate RIGHT NOW, always for whatever price you want to pay (including zilch).

As my dear friend Marcos Martín wrote (right before the election):

A New UNIVERSE!

And I’m not talking about the new universe that might be upon us depending on today’s US elections. No, that might end up resembling more of a hellish dystopia, so we decided to treat you to a full 52 page issue filled with beautiful Albert Monteys’ art especially designed to please your retinas instead. You’re welcome.

In this newest issue we’ll explore the boundaries of the mind (and of capitalism) in a silent tale that will leave you speechless... So much so, after reading it, I had to ring up Albert and ask him if he was okay.

In any case, the one thing we know for sure is this is an awesome comic that will question all you ever thought you knew about mining in Jupiter’s moons.

And finally from me this evening, one last reminder that Pia Guerra has consigned her first four pages of original art from Y: The Last Man #1 to this week’s 2024 November 21 - 24 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction, so get ready to bid, support one of the most incredible artists working, and maybe bring home a piece of modern funny-book history.

That’s it from me today, but I’ll see you Tower members in Niko’s chat, and the rest of you back here next week for one of our classiest giveaways yet, as well as more free Spectators.

Take it away, Mister Henrichon…

Hello, everyone!

As we’re slowly but surely going toward the final segment of this amazingly unusual story, I thought I could share a little bit of what I’ve been cooking on the other side of my office.

Many of you have probably noticed I also have a passion for painting and illustration. Whenever I’m solicited for that kind of work, I try to find room as best as I can to fit these jobs in my schedule. Today, I will share three of my latest. 

First, this comic book came out last week: 

Amazing Spider Man #61, story by Joe Kelly and art by Ed McGuinness.

I’d been asked to do an epic double double-page spread of a flashback scene. Four pages is a lot of space, but Joe’s script is pretty dense, so it was a bit of a challenge to cram in all these elements and still make it visually appealing. 

Here are the layouts.

These spreads were composed to form a sort of giant panoramic, image but I didn’t have the guts to paint them on a single extra large sheet. That kind of madness needs a much bigger space than what I have now.

One day maybe!

When I’m doing a new piece of colored work that I’m not familiar with, I try to do a quick test to get a basic feeling of the colors I want to work with. I use that as a reference for the coloring step.

Finally, these two spreads are drawn and colored in my classic technique. 

These two art pieces should be available soon at my usual art dealer website: https://essentialsequential.com/

(Small advice: there will be a 20% discount sale between Black Friday and Christmas!)

Secondly, I did this recent Usagi Yojimbo/Power Rangers crossover cover.

Similarly to a lot of my colleagues, I think, I’m a big fan of Stan Sakai’s creation, so this was a nice occasion to have fun with the beloved main character.

Here are the multiple different layouts I submitted to the publisher…

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Brian here, and whatever happens/happened tomorrow/your last Tuesday, I suspect I’m going to want to spend a healthy amount of time away from the internet, so I’m banking today’s installment in your not-too-distant past, writing it right after I sent out last Monday’s missive.

Terminator timeline!

I hope all is relatively okay in your present/my future, and please stay tuned for an awesome chat with Y: The Last Man co-creator Pia Guerra, as well as a few undoubtedly magnificent new NSFW pages of Spectators, which artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks will hopefully be inserting below next week/right now…

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Um… hi?

To be continued.

(And if you’re just joining us, you can still catch up on our entire surreal story so far right here, thanks.)

Last week, I promised to give away a few signed copies of Saga #70, whose ominously beautiful cover image of Squire by co-creator Fiona Staples you can also purchase as a limited edition shirt, high-quality print, and now (thanks to Merch Maestro Ben Rankel and a commenter’s wise request) even a HOODY over at The Official Saga Threadless Shop.

I literally just ordered one for myself, even though my family thinks it’s pretty “cringe” of me to wear something from a comic that I helped make… but those ding-dongs can pound sand, because this thing rules.

Regardless, our intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe randomly selected a few lucky winners from last week’s conversation with you generous paid subscribers in The Tower about great comics we’ve recently discovered, starting with these picks from none other than SKTCHD’s own David Harper:

It’s not very often that comics completely slip by me, but I was delighted by Local Man Vol. 1 after hearing Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs discuss it on Matthew Rosenberg’s Ideas Don’t Bleed podcast. On the flipside, manga slips by me constantly, and I couldn’t have enjoyed the completely indescribable Marriage Toxin any more than I did. A bonkers blast of a comic!

Next up, Tyl0r recommended:

Tongues by Anders Nilsen is some stunningly beautiful Sc-Fi. I bought a couple of the issues the first day I was at Small Press Expo, and the next day I went back and bought the rest. These books are not only well drawn and written by a single obsessed creator, they are also terrifically designed artifacts. And the story, which reveals pieces and parts that come together to make a whole, is not a afraid to take its time. With scenes that are rendered in innovative ways along the page, that keep even simple dialogues entertaining, I am so excited to see the rest!

Thayer P. suggested:

It’s on hiatus right now, but Love Everlasting by Tom King and Elsa Charretier completely blew me away. When I read it, I was feeling trapped in a traditional housewife role, and their depiction of that situation, and the romantic tropes that keep women living small lives that limit their potential struck me in a ridiculously powerful way (and helped motivate me to change my situation).

Oh right, format - I mostly read comics digitally these days. The one exception is DSTLRY books (another great discovery!), which I get from my local shop.

Thom D. added:

I occasionally write about books, so I got a pitch in my inbox for Mary Tyler Moorehawk that described it as “Johnny Quest by way of Infinite Jest.” That almost felt like pandering to me. So I skeptically opened the PDF on my iPad…then immediately went out and pre-ordered the hardcover because the book was too lush and beautiful and *experiential* that I knew that a digital reading would not do it justice.

And last but not least, Cat F. said simply…

Tart! It's my favorite indie comic series! (Well, besides Saga) 😸

Much appreciated, Cat, and all of you tasteful readers who contributed such excellent selections, many of which I’ve now added to my pile.

There are many, many more must-read recs in last week’s chat thread, so join your fellow Tower members to see them all AND unlock the full Exploding Giraffe experience (at least for our remaining six or so weeks together):

Subscribe now

Here’s a fun opportunity next Tuesday, November 19th if you happen to be in the Ferndale, Michigan area.

Join our Graphic Novel Book Club! We’ll be meeting at DRIFTER COFFEE on Tuesday, NOVEMBER 19 at 6:30 pm to discuss Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang.  

This book club, for ages 18+, will now be hosted at Drifter Coffee at 770 Woodward Hts. This is an after-hours event for Drifter, and their beverage bar will be open for Book Club attendees, but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Sign up here.

More about the book:  In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

Sounds like a blast, please let us know if you end up attending!

Finally this week, I wanted to let you (and any of my fellow obsessive collectors of original art) know about a very cool opportunity to inspect—and maybe even OWN—some pieces of modern comic-book history… if that’s not too obnoxious a way to describe a series I was once a part of.

As a recent article at IGN about the return of DC’s Vertigo Comics was nice enough to say:

It’s hard to overstate just how important Y was for growing the Vertigo brand. The comic was and still is one of the most highly regarded DC books ever published. It’s a clear example of how instrumental Vertigo was in providing a platform for up-and-coming creators and allowing creator-owned books to flourish on their own terms.

After more than 20 years of holding onto the first four pages of original art to Y: The Last Man #1 (including the very first appearance of Yorick Brown) in her personal collection, artist/co-creator/dear friend Pia Guerra has consigned these pages to Heritage Auctions for the upcoming 2024 November 21 - 24 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction.

You can see all four pages below (with links to place a bid, if you’re so inclined), each inked by the astounding Jose Marzan Jr. and hand-lettered by superstar Clem Robins, from an issue edited by original editor/current overlord of The Beat Heidi MacDonald:

Page One:

Page Two:

Page Three:

Page Four:

In honor of these turn-of-the-century artifacts finally seeing the light of day, you know what it’s time for, right…?

BKV SABOTAGES PIA GUERRA WITH TEN AWKWARD QUESTIONS

1) Hey, Pia! I miss you! How the hell are you?

I miss you too! I don’t think we’ve had a chance to hang since before the pandemic! It’s been so long since the dinners at random comic cons and European comics festivals where we get these brief pockets of catching up over amazing food. Now that I think of it, I think our last meet up was after the Y set visit in Brooklyn in 2019. We went to this steak house and had our minds absolutely destroyed by how good it was. We need to do that again (I know a good sushi place here in Vancouver).

As for life, still going, we were lucky to get some animation work through the pandemic, I worked on season two of Birdgirl for the Cartoon Network, and a Google web series where I learned a whole new set of skills and techniques. Loved it.

On the side, I have taken up painting ducks.

2) I’m writing this on November 4th, so I have no idea how this week will play out. But you’ve become one of the sharpest political cartoonists around, so I was wondering: Are you sick of people asking if you secretly want the U.S. election to go terribly, because it will give you more interesting things to draw? (Note: this is my sly way of asking you that exact annoying question.)

Ha! Very sly. So right now it feels like that slasher movie where you thought the monster was dead but nope, he rose back up and he’s coming for everyone... until the Final Girl does him in. Come on Final Girl, you can do it!

No really, I just want this over. There’s nothing left to draw about him, it’s all been drawn to death. Tiny hands, orange skin, those lightless eyes, his neck labia... ugh, done with it. Maybe it’s the ADHD talking (no, not officially diagnosed but TikTok assures me that’s what all of this must be), there’s just no dopamine in it anymore. I’m looking forward to making fun of other things... also, this “anchor baby” is not into worrying about losing my US citizenship every goddamn morning for the next 4 years.

3) I remember being in my tiny Brooklyn apartment back in 2001, and seeing your iconic image of an upside-down Yorick in his straitjacket slowly come through my fax machine, and instantly feeling that my life had changed forever. Your gorgeous linework, instantly relatable characters, grounded environments, and crystal clear, cinematic storytelling was so unlike most comics of the era, and I knew readers were going to respond to it as viscerally as I did. Anyway, this isn’t really a question. I just wanted to thank you again for being such an awesome artist, collaborator and human being.

Duuude. I can’t tell you how many times I opened up my email and got so excited to see the next script from you. It was like getting an advanced preview screening of my favourite movie. I’d sit there in my mind theatre with my popcorn, enjoy the hell out of the story and then go to my desk and try to draw down what I saw there in the dark. You made it so visually clear. I don’t think I was ever confused by anything you wrote, just, “yep, I see what he wants, let’s go.” The only hard part of the work was trying to get the art to live up to the words. Also, it really helped to have such a brilliant inker like Jose Marzan Jr. to make it pop. He’s brilliant.

4) I love these pages you finally consigned and—full disclosure—will probably be bidding on one or two myself, even though I’m already lucky enough to own plenty of Y treasures, including some you generously gifted me. But I was curious, is there a page or pages from your personal collection that you’ll never part with?

Yes. I can’t part with those two big death scenes. I cried so much while drawing those. Also, the reunion at the Arc de Triomphe, and the moment in the catacombs with Yorick and the skull (I drew so many bones!). Ian gets to keep the pages with Ampersand in a tux, he loves those so much.

5) I know you have multiple creative hobbies/passions, but do you collect anything?

I acquire interesting things but I don’t think I’m a very good collector. There was a period while working on Y where I had a few hundred dollars every month extra after all the bills and necessities. I spent so much of my life being broke that I decided that I’d use this little bit to buy fun, random stuff. One year I got into building dollhouses and just bought all this tiny furniture and building supplies. That was fun. Another year I got into props auctions and bought a few crazy things: a BPRD backpack from the movie Hellboy (if you pry back some of the seams you’ll see artificial snow jammed in there from the cemetery scene), a pocket watch from a Jackie Chan film, a broken surfboard from Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (I don’t know what I was thinking with that one), a pair of Pumas from a Jet Li movie, some rubber knives from XXX... and my favourite, and probably the last prop I picked up, a piece of screen used Doc Ock tentacle from Spider-Man 2. It’s foam, it’s gorgeous. It sits there on my shelf, in a cloche.

There are lots of comics and books and toys, but I’m not overly precious about them, many end up with friends or their kids. Okay, except maybe the Marvel Movies art books. Those are beautiful, we’d pick one up after every new Marvel movie and the one from Into the Spider-Verse is just a classic. Never letting go of that one.

6) Own any artwork by other comic creators? Is there a “grail” you’d kill to have on your wall?

When I was 17, I won a page of Todd McFarlane Spider-Man art at a local comic show raffle. It wasn’t a very fancy page, a street scene and some characters, but my best friend at the time just loved it so I gave it to him. It meant more to him than me. I kicked myself over it later, not because of the monetary value but because of everything I could have learned about working on pages that size, something I was still oblivious about when I started working on Y a few years later, much to our editor’s dismay when she saw my pages going riiiiiight out to the bleeds.

I have this really beautiful cover art from Moritat, it was a film noir detective themed piece he did for a local Seattle paper. He gave it to us as a wedding present (our reception was a noir themed dress up party) and I still need to frame it. Adore it.

I have a few sketchbooks full of autograph sketches from the early days of going to SDCC that I kinda want to frame but also don’t want to cut out. It’s a Sophie’s Choice all right.

Personally, I would go absolutely gaga for some Barry Windsor-Smith or Paul Smith X-Men pages. They were so influential when I was a kid. Like even one page from the Wolverine/Lady Deathstrike fight, or the Wolverine/Silver Samurai fight... good lord, could you imagine?

7) Sadly, the global pandemic didn’t seem to make audiences eager to seek out FX’s lovely adaptation of our own plague story... but we live in a world where Spider-Man has been reinvented about a dozen times in my life, so do you think some other version of Y: The Last Man might eventually see the light of day? Or are you content with our comic remaining in its original form forever?

Oh, you know me so well, Brian! For years I have nudged and winked about a clause in our option contract that says we retain the right to do Y as a puppet show. I can just see it, it needs to happen. But as sad as I was to see the show not getting the traction it needed, even after the book demonstrated so well that a story about recovering from a global catastrophe was exactly what people wanted to read after 9/11, I’m still convinced there’s a place for this story in other areas.

Last year, Ian got an Audible subscription and I just loved the serialized, full cast dramas in their catalogue like Locke and Key, or the comedies like White Hot Heist featuring SNL cast members. I loved listening to similar shows on BBC 4 Radio years back while working into the wee hours on the book and I’m happy to see it becoming a thing in North America. I can totally see listening to the series as a well cast drama.

Either that or Y adapted into a K-drama? Holy crap that would be awesome.

8) Can you hint at anything else you might be cooking up at the moment? Please???

Right now, I’m halfway through a graphic novel for Scholastic, written by my darling partner, Ian Boothby and myself. I can’t say too much about it but... snow vampires!

After that, hopefully a collab with a certain writer I haven’t worked with in ages...

9) You have the best taste in pop fiction. What should I be watching right now?

Agatha All Along, obviously. Lower Decks is so much fun, Ian didn’t watch a lot of Star Trek growing up whereas I watched a little too much so he gets a kick out of me explaining all the Easter eggs. Ian is really digging Evil, but I just don’t have the fortitude for horror like I used to. One day, maybe when the world feels a little more stable.

I don’t know if I’m much on the cutting edge of the zeitgeist these days however, after the Knives Out films, I’ve found myself drifting to a genre I used to avoid, Agatha Christie mysteries, and now I can’t seem to get enough of them. Never read or watched a Poirot story in my life and now I’m just eating them up. It’s deeply concerning. The other day I was looking up rates for the Burgh Island hotel. Save me.

10) Finally, and most importantly, is Superman American or Canadian?

He’s both! He has two dads, one American, one Canadian, so he’s a de facto dual citizen.

Isn’t Pia the goddamn greatest?

Comic artists haven’t always profited from the record-breaking sales of their original artwork, but the auctioning of these pages will directly support a legendary creator, so please bid with confidence and gusto!

Here’s hoping Pia’s classic pieces of narrative art end up in some loving homes.

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Sorry I’ll still be in internet hiding for another week, but Niko, Fonografiks and I will return “live” next Monday with our regular chat thread and more free Spectators.

Peace,

BKV

Brian here, and I’ve been self-soothing with my usual blend of writing, spectating and Empress Gin. This past weekend, I knocked back a few at Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of Here, which I’ll just say was a fascinating experiment… and a great excuse to reread Richard McGuire’s Here, one of the ten greatest graphic novels ever created.

Speaking of the smug superiority of comics over all other visual media, check out these red hot, NSFW new pages of Spectators from my brilliant and innovative collaborators, artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer/man of mystery Fonografiks.

If you were brought here by our intriguing ad in the back of Saga (stay tuned for a preview of this week’s new issue!), WELCOME. You can get caught up on all of our previous installments for free via our Archives (where you can also find my personal answers to the 2024 Saga Reader Survey), OR you can join your fellow generous paid subscribers in The Tower and read all 300+ pages of Spectators so far in one convenient download.

Away we go…

Spectators 309 310

3.65MB ∙ PDF file

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Spectators 309 310

1.99MB ∙ CBZ file

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To be continued next week.

For now, we promised to give away a few copies of the new digest-sized collection of Saga, a series that was just named one of “The Most Iconic Speculative Fiction Books of the 21st Century” by the kind folks over at Tor Books’ Reactor.

That first digest collection has been on comic store shelves for a couple of weeks now, but will be available EVERYWHERE starting this Tuesday, November 5th, when absolutely nothing else will be going on in the world, so swing by your favorite indie bookstore tomorrow.

Anyway, our semi-fictional intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe randomly selected a few non-fictional commenters from last week’s chat about our various Halloween plans, starting with reader Matt R.:

Our youngest boy turned 9 on 10/25 and will be trick-or-treating with neighborhood friends sans his parents walking 20 yards behind them. It’s a parent “last” that I’m actually excited about because I’ve never got to stay home and greet treaters at my door! Celebrating this new “first” with full-sized Reeses’s Cups, Snickers and Kit Kats!

Congrats on the major milestone, Matt.

Next up, Jason G. wrote:

While my daughter T or Ts as Mara from Progressive, I will be dutifully walking our 2-year-old deaf Pitty-Huskie mutt Krypto (guess who he looks like?) around the neighborhood so he can get energy out and see all the fun costumes.

Today is our 1-year adoptaversary with him, and if you want a great pup, trust the wonderful folks at Marley’s Mutts and @Pawsitivechange, the dogs are trained with inmates to help develop social skills and work skills!

Very cool, thanks, Jason.

Finally, Jesse shamed us all by sharing:

I’m a volunteer with the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, so I’m getting all gussied up in pirate apparel and swabbing the deck of the tall ship Gazela at Penn’s Landing. Yo ho ho!

Damn, volunteering on Halloween? All I did was eat my weight in Nerds Gummy Clusters.

You Tower types are the coolest, and I hope you enjoy your swag. We’ll be giving away more signed comics all month, so it’s not too late to join your fellow giraffes…

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While we’re on the subject, along with all of those swell contests, membership in The Tower also unlocks the last THREE YEARS’ worth of our exclusive bonus content, like some of these early gems:

Your responses to those 2025 Time Capsule questions (asked back in 2022) are pretty wild.

In our first year, Exploding Giraffe actually published TWICE a week (instead of our current Monday mega-posts), so there’s a ton of fun early stuff to discover in those dusty Archives.

I’ll be removing my old scripts and stuff from the gossamer World Wide Web not long after we complete Spectators later this year, so if there’s something you’d like to read, download it now before it disappears back into the BKVault.

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🚨BREAKING TEE-RELATED NEWS!🚨

Please be advised, you don’t have much time left to pick up exclusive shirts and prints featuring Fiona Staples’ delicious cover to Chapter 69 from The Official Saga Threadless Shop…

…because later this week, that design will be retired, replaced by NEW limited edition merch showcasing Fiona’s haunting artwork from Saga Chapter 70, in comic stores THIS WEDNESDAY:

I’m so grateful for all of the readers who are discovering Saga in its various new formats… but my favorite way to experience our story is still with old-school monthly issues, so I appreciated this quote from Arcane Comics co-owner and manager Kenshi Toll in a recent interview about his store for The Seattle Times:

“We’ve certainly sold probably 500 copies” of the first volume of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ adult sci-fi space epic Saga, Toll says. That graphic novel has been a perennial Arcane bestseller “forever and always.”

“But I think what keeps the readership engaged is still that single issue,” he says. Shoppers faithfully return to the store every Wednesday when new issues are released to pick up their subscriptions and peruse the racks.

500 copies! Thanks so much to everyone at Arcane Comics, and I hope this week’s new issue does all right for you.

I also prefer to read my comics in print (he types into the service he uses to release his latest digital comic), but for those of you who aren’t lucky enough to live near multiple world-class comic shops, CNN just did a tech review that unexpectedly discussed how Saga looks on a new tablet:

The Kindle Colorsoft also makes comic books such as Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga look better. While I will tell you to not expect the color accuracy and boldness you get in the excellent iPad Mini, I’m still enamored by how an illustration of an adorable horned child appears on this E Ink display.

Hmm, if you say so, Cable News Network.

I think I’ll stick with my delightful-smelling print issues, and I’ve got a few comps of Chapter 70 to give away this week.

If you’d like to be automatically entered in a random drawing to win a signed copy, please just let us know, one more time: What’s the last great comic (or graphic novel, comic strip, manga, etc.) you discovered, and in what format did you read it?

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I’m working on my final “Favorite Comics of the Year” post, so I hope you’ll let me know about anything great I may have missed. And it doesn’t have to have been released this year! I’m still discovering great comics that came out decades ago.

Finally today, here’s your exclusive sneak peek at the first TWO pages of interior art and story from this week’s new Saga by Fiona and Fonografiks, just for you loyal members of The Tower.

Remember, if you hate even minor spoilers, feel free to skip this small bonus, and Niko and I will see you back here next Monday evening for more free Spectators, cool?

Everyone else, strap in…

SPOILER SPACE!!!!!

I MEAN IT, MINOR SPOILERS BELOW!!!!

IS YOUR SOUL TRULY PREPARED?!?!

Oh, wait, that’s just a badass political sign created by artist Elizabeth McKee, who also happens to be my astoundingly talented mother-in-law!

Sorry it’s not available for purchase. Please don’t steal that one from her yard.

Right, where was I…?

SERIOUSLY, THE FIRST TWO HIGHLY EMOTIONAL PAGES FROM WEDNESDAY’S SAGA #70 ARE AFTER THE JUMP.

PLEASE DON’T POST THEM ELSEWHERE, BUT FEEL FREE TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT EXPLODING GIRAFFE AND/OR SAGA, THANKS AGAIN…

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Brian here, and I fucking LOVED this latest movie from writer/director/editor Sean Baker, a romance/drama/comedy involving an exotic dancer from Brooklyn and the kid of a Russian oligarch.

One of my favorite filmgoing experiences since Baker’s equally brilliant The Florida Project. What a pleasure to sit in a theater with other adults and watch a sharp, hilarious, harrowing story with something original to say about sex and violence.

While you look up your nearest showtimes, let’s roll another sumptuously not-safe-for-work installment of Spectators from artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks, as the three-way that our ghostly protagonists Val and Sam have long been searching for AND the apparent apocalypse both begin in earnest…

Spectators 306 308

4.94MB ∙ PDF file

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Download

Spectators 306 308

2.82MB ∙ CBZ file

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Read now

To be continued…

As always, you can see exactly how these tragically horned-up characters ended up here via the past 129 vignettes in our free Archives, OR you can join your fellow generous paid subscribers in The Tower and read all 300+ pages of Spectators so far in one convenient download.

When he created that massive file, Niko described it as not unlike watching his life flash before his eyes:

We’ll have one last complete digital collection for you loyal Tower members when Spectators wraps up later this year (and several more exclusive contests/giveaways), so join up now, True Believers!

Subscribe now

Or not.

Your call, thanks.

San Francisco-based publisher/gallery/retail shop Silver Sprocket has been doing important work championing “socially conscious and independently produced comic books, graphic novels, and related arts,” and I love that their latest campaign references none other than Kids Rule OK (my contribution to that British classic with artist Chris Burnham is on stands now!).

My cheap plug aside, Silver Sprocket is celebrating 15 years with their first fundraiser, which I strongly encourage all lovers of independent comics to check out:

Celebrating 15 Years & Our First Fundraiser!

In case you missed it, Silver Sprocket is fundraising to truly stay an “independent” press as we gear up for another 15 years of artist-forward, socially conscious comics!​

Check out our Fundraiser here!

This fundraiser serves as an effort to keep Silver Sprocket sustainable for everyone we’ve worked with, letting local cartoonists use our equipment and resources to make their own comics, year-round community events, initiatives like the Pride In Panels: Queer Comics Festival and to support everyone who works at Silver Sprocket.

These efforts aren’t profit driven, nor do we want them to be—everything we do is central to our mission of supporting indie comics and community above all else.

Silver Sprocket isn’t a traditional business, priding ourselves on our commitment to artists and radical politics first, which is why we’re trying to avoid investor money that could threaten our independence—and instead turning to you, our community.We invite you to continue your relationship with us and help make this fundraiser a success by supporting everyone who makes Silver Sprocket possible!

We’ve got a few different options for how you can show your support. One way is to purchase a print from one of our many talented published artists and supporters. You can get a print from Michael DeForge, Jenn Woodall, Caroline Cash, Tillie Walden, Cam Marshall, and more! Check out just a few of the prints we have to offer below, and click the link here to check out the rest! 

Fundraising Prints to Purchase!

You can also become a member of Silver Sprocket to show your support!

What do I get as a Silver Sprocket Member?

You can choose to either buy a monthly or yearly subscription where each month you will automatically be sent each new book we publish that month without having to place an order. Each subscription option can be either for digital or print copies. The only caveat here is that the print subscription is only available for US residents. For now. 

When you subscribe you will also receive a discount on ALL store purchases! For a digital subscription, you will get an extra 5% off ALL purchases, and for a print subscription you will get an extra 10% off. The print subscription also comes with a free tote bag and the ability to switch out certain books if you’ve already placed an order for some OR there are some books you’re not interested in.

If you sign up in October, this means you’ll get The Chromatic Fantasy Art Magazine by H.A., Bloody Mary by Nick Winn, AND The Skin You’re In by Ashley Robin Franklin! 

PLUS you’ll get some exclusive stickers made by Ryan Estrada and Maia Kobabe only available through the fundraiser until October 31st!

Subscribe Today!

And if you know of any other readers who might want to help support Silver Sprocket, feel free to forward them today’s dispatch, thanks again:

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Well, look at what I just got in the mail.

And I’m very sorry, I know that latest issue of Saga was originally supposed to be in stores this week, but a small production hiccup means that it will actually be in stores NEXT Wednesday, November 6th.

Deepest apologies again for this slight delay, but Exploding Giraffe will have our regularly scheduled preview of Chapter Seventy for you next Monday evening, cool?

For now, our new 6x9 “commuter-sized” editions of Saga should finally be available in most finer comic stores this week (after an apparent snafu with customs; it’s been a year!), so I thought we could give away a few signed copies.

Since everyone online is blabbing about the presidential race at the moment, let’s offer a little counter-programming. For the third and final time here at Exploding Giraffe (sniff), please allow me to ask: What are you up to this Halloween?

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Our intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe (who’s already mailed off their ballot and would prefer to ignore any/all election talk for at least the next week) will randomly select a few responders to receive a digest with my scribblings.

Comic retailers always receive Image collections first, but if you’re not lucky enough to have a comic shop in your area, bookstores will be getting their own copies of this new edition of Saga next week, on November 5th, so maybe swing by after you vote? (Sorry, Genesis.)

And this new volume makes a great stocking stuffer for any mature readers in your life, in case you want to get a jump on your holiday etcetera:

• Independent Bookstores

• Indigo

• Waterstones

• Barnes & Noble

• Books-a-Million

• Or, as a last resort: Amazon

Finally, in a recent issue of Saga, I included another of our semi-annual Reader Surveys, which you maniacs have been filling out with deeply personal information, ripping out of the back of your comics, and then mailing to my dog(s) for over a decade now.

I promised to share my own answers with those of you in The Tower, so stay tuned for all 25 of my doubtlessly fascinating responses.

Everyone else, remember to check your kids’ Snickers for valuable razorblades, and Niko and I will see you back here next Monday evening for more free Spectators.

2024 SAGA READER SURVEY

1) How’s your eyesight?

I’m both slightly nearsighted and farsighted, and every pair of glasses I’ve tried so far feels like my life is being filmed by an antagonistic cinematographer (and his drunken focus puller), so I’m currently just rawdogging my P.O.V.

Not recommended.

2) If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?

Fuck your bald eagle jokes, I fancy myself a Great Owl.

3) Are you worried about how artificial intelligence might impact your job?

To such a degree that my writer friends have begged me to please shut up about it forever.

4) Pickleball: yay or nay?

Sorry, ‘ballers, not a fan of that horrid sound.

5) Have you ever attended an anti-war demonstration?

Sure, and I’ve even written about (a fictionalized version of) one ultimately dispiriting event:

6) If you had to spend six months aboard the International Space Station with one breakfast cereal mascot, living or dead, which mascot would you choose?

I don’t know, Lucky the Leprechaun? Who writes these stupid questions?!

7) Ever been involved in an automobile accident?

As a pedestrian, yeah. Phones down, please, fellow drivers.

8) What’s the hottest sex scene from a television program?

Now we’re talking. Here’s a clip of the only correct answer…

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