Are you also attending Nerd Prom this year?
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 28DEJoin 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.
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…
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
