"No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn." - Hal Borland
We have skipped few turns of our newsletter but we are finally back, be prepared for an avalanche of news!
It’s been a few months since our last official update, and we apologize for the silence here on Substack. But, as Dolly Parton sang, we’ve been working '9 to 5’ (and beyond TBH), diligently building up RAID HQ, our team, and laying the foundation for our future.
These past months have witnessed RAID scaling rapidly, and the journey has been nothing short of exhilarating and inspiring. What began as a modest studio of four individuals back in 2002 has flourished into a vibrant co-working space and ecosystem for creatives spanning various fields, not limited to comics but inclusive of all creative endeavours. We’re bustling with animators, designers, illustrators, videographers, entrepreneurs, and more. With nearly all our desk spaces filled, we've redirected our focus to enhancing other facets of our space by hosting engaging events in our public-facing gallery and cafe.
While we’re still in the process of curating the types of events we’d like to host, one regular event we’ve initiated is Life Drawing Sessions after hours in our Gallery & Cafe — if you’re local and interested, please check out our profile on Meetup.com to learn more. We’ll be scheduling and sharing future events through this platform.
Also, If there events you’d like to see us host please let us know!
Let’s be honest though, life hasn’t been all about work! We recently took a well-deserved break for our annual RAID Retreat, where we escaped the city and studio to recharge, reconnect, and recalibrate — and let me tell you, it was a much-needed moment of rejuvenation this year…
We’ll delve into more details about our expanding team at RAID HQ and the exciting new adventures we’re embarking on in future updates. For now, let’s touch base on a few things...
We're thrilled to announce that Cauldron's pre-production and design phase is complete. All the new art and stories are in place and they promise to pleasantly horrify and disgust readers. The book is now off to the printer to set up proofs for review, ensuring high-quality production. We're on track for August fulfillment, bearing any unforeseen circumstances or acts of god, with rewards expected to start shipping then.
Cauldron was just the beginning of our crowdfunding initiatives for 2024. RAID Press has an exciting lineup of campaigns planned for the coming year. We're thrilled to announce the return of the RAID anthology series with volumes 5 & 6, Barada and Nikto, respectively. These two volumes will be crowdfunded together and will showcase a plethora of amazing international creators!
Additionally, we're proud to present two original graphic novels: Blackmouth: The Witches Mark by Kyle J. Smith and Katie Sawatsky, and Aardehn: The Sword by S.M. Carter and Eric Vedder. These graphic novels promise to captivate readers with their unique storytelling and stunning artwork.
But that's not all!
Before these titles come to fruition, we have a dark and compelling tale of loss and redemption on our crowdfunding horizon. It's the second prose novel from RAID Press, and the first in a trilogy: Omega Reign by the talented author Bill Coffin!
And speaking of Mr. Coffin, stay tuned for an exciting introduction to the mastermind behind Omega Reign... drum roll, please!
In an effort to better introduce our creators more to you our faithful legions, we're trying something simple yet hopefully silly and fun...
Each month, we'll feature an interview with one of our creatives, the true core of RAID's universe. Without them, we wouldn't exist. We'll ask them to answer a version of the famous Proust Questionnaire, as used by the French journalist Bernard Pivot at the end of every broadcast of his literary television talk show Apostrophes.
We're inaugurating this new column with none other than Bill — so, without further ado, please meet…
By day, Bill is a mild-mannered, award-winning business journalist. By night, he is a speculative fiction writer who lives in a secret base in New Jersey with his wife and family, where he reads tons of books, plays games of all sorts, and hosts the non-toxic geek podcast Moments of Truth (www.momentsoftruth.show). Sometimes, Bill gets into adventures, like the time he learned how to eat fire, the time he beat the Soviet Union at a game of Spy Hunter, and the time he looked a whale in the eye….
What is your favourite word, and why?
Discombobulated. I love the sound of it, and it describes something very specific and with great color. But most of all, it's a negative without a positive correspondent, which is just weird. When do we ever describe something as combobulated? "Wow, Maria, those shoes are so combobulated." Never.
What is your least favourite word, and why?
Pithy. Nothing described as "pithy" ever really is. It's like the word itself is a lie, used by people who don't know any better.
What turns you on creatively?
I love exploring the notion of heroism, whether it's doomed to fail or not. Heroism is humanity's answer to life's many struggles and darkness.
What turns you off creatively?
Arrogance, snobbery, and gatekeeping. Life is too precious to squander it with vainglorious sneering. Seek joy instead.
What is your creative routine?
I extensively plan my stories in advance, writing out successive generations of notes and outlines by hand before finally graduating to manuscript writing. Once I hit that point, I become very deadline-driven and will turn out 7,000-10,000 words a week until the end. It's a pretty intense method that usually leaves me a little wiped out afterwards.
That's the orderly side of it. The less orderly side of it is: Wake up excited that I'm going to create something awesome today. Get sidetracked, distracted, and interrupted by an endless succession of real-world things that really do merit my attention. Stay up too late. Go to bed angry at myself for not being creative. Repeat until a novel magically appears.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I would love to pursue teaching. Teaching is such a noble profession. The few times I got to do it, I deeply enjoyed it.
Who is your favourite creator (Author, illustrator, designer)?
Iain (M.) Banks is my favorite writer. His science fiction novel, Use of Weapons, is my favorite thing I've ever read. My favorite illustrator is Sergio Toppi. His pen and ink work is just astonishing, and conjures such wondrous stories.
How would you describe your upcoming book, OMEGA REIGN?
OMEGA REIGN is a story about a flawed and emotionally traumatized superhero who seeks to undo the effects of a global catastrophe before his colleagues discover that he might be what accidentally caused it. It's a love letter to superhero comics like the X-Men, Astro City, and Kingdom Come couched in the moral grayness of Invincible, Watchmen, and The Boys. And it asks the question, what is a hero with nothing left to save, and what is a villain with nothing left to destroy? But more than anything, it's about how nobody is immune to grief, mental wellness, and survivor guilt -- not even if they're the most powerful superhuman on the planet.
You can follow Bill on Facebook and TikTok!
Picture this: a cosmic convergence of comic book enthusiasts and pop culture curators, where heroes and villains alike roam the halls, and every booth holds the promise of adventure. It’s that time again—convention season is in full swing! We've got a packed year ahead, with an expanding lineup of shows on the horizon. As we step into summer, our schedule is filling up with exciting events, including:
TCAF / May 11-12 — We will be located at tables 134-135, on the main floor to the left of the staircase leading to the second floor.
TING Festival - April 16th - May 11th.
Named after Merle “Ting” Tingley, London Free Press' editorial cartoonist from 1948 to 1986, TINGfest is an annual celebration curated by TAP Centre for Creativity that showcases the work of past, present and future comic and graphic artists from Southwestern Ontario.
This year, RAID will be the featured publisher at the festival, and our very own Dax Gordine, creator of Forest Folk, will have his work featured in the TAP Gallery during the time of the festival.
During the TING Festival we will also be taking part in two panels, one on the evening of May 8th, and the following on the 9th;
RAID PRESS feature and panel talk with Eric Vedder, Dax Gordine, Sheldon Carter, and Ramón Pérez on Wednesday May 8 at 7pm. The conversation will be hosted by Brahm Wiseman from Heroes Comics, the biggest comic book store in Southwestern Ontario.
Canada’s First Superheroes talk with Ivan Kocmarek, Ramon Pérez, and Ho Che Anderson on Thursday May 9 at 7pm. Learn more about Canadian comic books during World War II and our home-grown heroes grappling with the Axis at home and abroad. We are going to chat about Nelvana, Freelance, Thunderfist, Johnny Canuck, Speed Savage, The Penguin, Brok Windsor, Canada Jack, and Commander Steel.
Motor City Comic Con - May 17-19th at the Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, Michigan. Ramón Pérez will be a special guest.
East Coast Comic Expo - June 7th - 8th at the Moncton Coliseum Arena, New Brunswick. S.M. Carter (To Steal The Sun), Dax Gordine, and Ramón Pérez are special guests of this spectacular east coast event!
Friends of Nexus — May 18th. In celebration of it’s 25th Anniversary, Nexus is hosting a day of special guests featuring our very own Rhys Yorke, and friend of the studio, Tom Fowler.
Rhys Yorke is a creative storyteller, working in various mediums including comic books, television, film, animation, and video games. Some notable projects in Rhys' career include Deadpool, ThunderCats, G.I. Joe, and Robotech. For video games, Rhys has work on The Secret World, Tales from Space: About a Blob, and FarCry 5. For television his work includes The Expanse, Titans, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Blue's Clues and You.
Tom Fowler is a cartoonist and illustrator, has worked in comics, advertising, film and game design. He is best known for comics such as Venom, the critically acclaimed Mysterious the Unfathomable, the Mad Magazine feature Monroe, and Rick and Morty.
As devoted fans of horror and the macabre, we wish to pay tribute to the legendary Trina Robbins, who sadly passed away on April 10th, 2024, in San Francisco. Notably, she was the first woman to professionally draw Wonder Woman, the creator of Vampirella, and the esteemed author of works such as Pretty in Ink and Flapper Queens.
In honour of her remarkable contributions to the world of comics and literature, we'd like to share this interview from Comic Book Syndicate as a heartfelt remembrance of her legacy.