The first of the two part story line, “The Way Home”. Cover by the incomparable Dave Johnson.

“There’s nothing like new, fresh talent to filter out the old and mundane. That’s exactly what new comic series—good or bad—bring to the table. Luckily, these Eisner nominees for Best New Series are shining examples of the next generation of comics.”

Full report here.

Okay, unfortunately we didn’t have this new web feature up in enough time to beat the printing on issue 1 of Unknown Soldier, so it’s not promoted in the book this month, but my web guy, John Poulos, has created an awesome new web page to flesh out the reading experience.

Click here to see it. No. Really… do it. Click there.

Okay, you need more? How about this… we’ve taken 5 pages of the new issue #1 and broken them down into script, layouts, pencils, inks, colors and letters. You can fully peruse Alberto’s process. Tight, non?

Breakdown of page 12 from Unknown Soldier #1

There’s also a write up of the history of the IDP camps by yours truly, some photographs I took while I was there and some links and video to help the reader better understand life in the camps.

Pencils. Page 12

We’re going to do this every single month for the first story arc. So check in after reading each issue! It still needs a little work, we want to figure out a way to allow you to study the process more, compare script to page and stuff like that, but for now it’s still pretty cool!

Inks.

Also, my website is about to be completely redone, we’ll be going live with it soon. When that’s finished, this page will have a link off of the home site.

Please spread the word on this. We worked too hard for people not to know about our little page that illuminates so much more of the Unkwon Soldier’s world!

Colors by Oscar Celestini

No, really, please Click here!!

Thanks!

Hey hep cats and kittens!

Tomorrow, Wed. Oct. 22, Unknown Soldier #1 graces the bookshelf of every awesome comic book store in America (and many, many outside of the good ol’ USA – but don’t worry, Sarah, I’m still pro-American!)

See a preview of the Unknown Soldier here

I’m really, really excited about this book and I’m begging, as I have never begged before, for your support. This is the project that I spent over a month in Uganda’s Acholiland (during the now failed peace process) researching. Living and hanging, in part, with the Acholi people, a culture severely impacted by the 22-year long war between an extremist Christian group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Ugandan government.

The LRA peace delegation while visiting Kitgum in 2007, just four months
after I had been there, dances with the local Acholi leaders, including LC5
chairman of Gulu Norbert Mao (left) and the SPLA commanders. Despite this
show of local trust and hope, the peace process has failed, and abductions
have begun again.

But this comic is no dry retelling of events that have haunted that beautiful place. You see, that would actually be valuable to society, and god knows I’m anything but valuable. Instead this is a continuation of the Unknown Soldier story first set into motion by comic book greats Joe Kubert and Robert Kanigher in 1966. And it’s not some politically correct Bono-approved story of East African conflict, I can assure you.

Kordey’s cover to Issue #1 of Unknown Soldier

And check out these celebrity endorsements, bitches!!

“A story with teeth, unafraid to confront some horrific truths about the world we live in,
Joshua Dysart’s Unknown Soldier is a comic that genuinely matters.”
– Garth Ennis

“Immensely brave, intelligent and ruthless.”
– Warren Ellis

That’s right! Pulp, African politics and comic books! Does it get any better? With interior art by Alberto Ponticelli, who really gets down and dirty on this book. Illustrating the region, the people and the violence all with a degree of love and energy sorely missing from most mainstream comics.

Ponticelli’s interior art. Color by Oscar Celestini. Lettering by Clem Robbins.

And two covers! The regular cover artist, Igor Kordey, makes his north American return (after much begging on the part of yours truly to my editor, Pornsak Pichetshote, to make it happen) and an alternate cover from comics and fantasy art legend, Richard Corben.

A child at Kunyama IDP camp. Photo by me.

So please… and I’m being serious here… please buy this book. I know you think comic book stores are like porn shops, but they’re not, really. Despite the mass-proliferation of power fantasy imagery starring buff people wearing skin-tight clothes, these stores are actually a respectible part of our pop-culture landscape.

And this is an on-going series. Which means I keep writing it until the market is sick and tired of the thing. I want this book to succeed. So please, give issue #1 a shot. If the story moves you at all, issue #2 will be out one month later, and so on (don’t worry, I’ll remind you).

Don’t know where a store in your area is? Try the Comic Book Retail Locator Online! It’ll help you find your local store in a click.

Simply can’t bring yourself to step into a comic book store? Oh, I see, you’re too good for us are you… well… I’ll still take your money! There are plenty of online stores that’ll send the issue right to your home. Heavy Ink claims to have 20% off of all sales and free shipping on all orders. But feel free to shop around.

Okay, so let’s try this begging thing one more time…

PLEASE DEAR GOD BUY MY BOOK, PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!

C’mon, baby… I’ll suck you off… c’mon… that’s right, pull out that three dollars… mmmhmmm… I neeeeed it.

SIGNING IN MANHATTAN BEACH TOMORROW!

Me signing something, somewhere, at some point…

Here’s the most fun way to buy the book! You can come hang out with me and get it signed!

I’ll be doing duty (no… not doody) at THE COMIC BUG from 6 – 9 pm, come keep me company!! It would be great to see you!

WHAT: A kickoff signing for my new Vertigo book Unknown Soldier, and a free form jazz battle… to the death!

WHERE: The Comic Bug!
1807 (1/2) MAnhattan Blvd.
Manhattan Beach, Ca. 90266
(Directions and phone # here)

WHEN: From 6 to 9 pm, October 22. Tomorrow!

HOW: Through the grace of every Turk that has ever befriended me.

WHY: Because I need your vote to turn this country around! And also, how will I be able to afford my full season passes to the Opera national de Paris if you don’t buy my comic!?

Or eat.

THE STAIN GETS PRESS

Ron Wimberly draws… THE STAIN

The short bio-comic that my secret lover Ronald Wimberly and I did based on our exploration (with Dark Horse editor Scott Allie) of one of the most haunted places in the world – the mostly-abandoned asylum in Athens, Georgia – can still be found here.

Newsarama did a great story with Ron and I. I get to delve a little deeper into my fascination with patient Margaret Wells who left her permanent stain there thirty years ago. They also print two of my photos from the night (but they don’t credit me! The bastards!). You can find that all here.

UNKNOWN SOLDIER INTERVIEW IN THE BACK OF HOUSE OF MYSTERY

House of Mystery #7, featuring backup promo material for Unknown Soldier (thanks Shelly!)

A book that will need no begging on the part of its creators to succeed, seeing as how Bill Willingham is attached and all, is the comic House of Mystery. This month it features an interview between my editor and myself concerning my conflicted feelings with doing a commercial war book about real people and a real situation and how I’m bound to fuck it all up somehow! Check it out!

That’s in proximal space, folks, sorry… no links. You have to leave your house for that one (or I guess you could buy that online too).

THE MAGAZINE “COMIC SHOP NEWS”…

Should have a relatively decent sized article by Cliff Biggers on the Unknown Soldier this week. Look for it. It’s a free handout with your purchase at all fine comic book stores. If they don’t drop one on you, ask for it.

No… that’s the Unknown Comic…

AND IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH…

Here’s an interview I did about the Unknown Soldier and the upcoming Neil Young project…

Out of Africa: Joshua Dysart on Greendale and Unknown Soldier

It was done shortly after my return from Uganda, so data on the peace process is a bit dated.

Thanks for reading! Now, buy the book!!

Acholi children, safe from abduction during the ceasefire. When you’re smiling… keep on smiling!