This week sees my latest trade paperback collection hit shelves – BEAUTIFUL CANVAS is coming to stores through Black Mask Studios and I could not be more proud of this madness coming into your hands.
This hitwoman pulp fu miniseries from me, Sami Kivela, Triona Farrell, Ryan Ferrier, and Dan Hill is like nothing else, and we think you’ll dig it.
Finally, after many years, ETERNAL finds a home in your LCS/hands/shelves this week. We here at Shieldmaiden HQ think you will love this Viking ghost story illustrated by Eric Zawadzki, coloured by Dee Cunniffe, edited by Dan Hill, and published by Black Mask Studios.
If you’re on the fence, let other people convince you, perhaps.
The NEGATIVE SPACE comic from Owen Gieni and me [with Ryan Ferrier letters and edtied by Daniel Chabon] gets one last pick at the cherry as the tpb collection came out this past week.
The book has been a dream gig for me so it was nice to see it score some solid reviews on the bell lap.
Chad Waller at We The Nerdy gave us a 9/10 [LINK], saying “Perhaps the best part of Negative Space is its ending, which is absolute perfection.”
Robb M. at Brutal Gamer dropped a 95% score on us [LINK], saying “We have a winner.”
And we also got featured on Wicked Horror as one of seven horror books deserving of a tv/movie adaptation [LINK]
If you picked up the trade, thank you, I hope this book becomes an evergreen little piece of my history because I’m so proud of the work we did on it, and remember:
if you are suffering from depression, please hit THIS LINK to see the access you have to support. No one has to suffer alone. We are here to help you.
CHUM #2 landed this week, a mere fortnight after #1, and I wondered if the double shipping would kill people. It did not. I wondered if the reviews would still love us. They did. I wondered if I would round up the reviews and drop the hot quotes here. I am/will/did [depending on your tense for reading this].
As always, all praise for this comic should point directly at the feet of Sami Kivela on inks, Mark Dale on colours, Nic J Shaw on letters, Dan Hill on edits, Tyler James on oversight, and Sami back-to-back with Joe Mulvey and Jules Rivera on covers.
Todd Young at AiPT! gave us a drop dead gorgeous 10/10 [LINK], saying “There’s an economy of space when you only have three issues to pull off a plot like the one laid out so far, but the story is tight and fast paced, with little wasted.”
Ed Garrett at TMStash popped us in with the 9/10 comics [LINK], saying “writer Ryan K. Lindsay ups that ante considerably in the second installment of his “Surf Noir” masterpiece!”
Mike Annerino at Big Comic Page gives us 3/5 with the winner of our lifetime pull quote [LINK], saying “It’s great toilet material.”
James Ferguson at HorrorTalk dropped a grand 5/5 on us [LINK], saying “CHUM is a book tailer-made for any fan of film noir or pulp novels.”
Indie comics burn on the oxygen your voice breathes into them, so thanks for the words, the tweets, the sidewalk banter, the viral graffiti campaign. You peeps are all the best peeps, and we will see you for #3 very very soon.
NEGATIVE SPACE #4 landed a while back [and this post somehow got lost in the queue]. It seems people were happy with how we closed this tale and there’s a huge weight off my chest knowing that people dug what was a hard conclusion for us to come to – it’s not an easy place to leave your main character, or the audience, so it means the world that people allowed us that much rope.
The reviews were ace, and it’s just nice to still be getting some ink/pixels on the 4th issue of an indie comic.
Andrew McGlinn at Big Comic Page gave us 5/5, saying “an unstoppable tour de force that must be both read and experienced” – [LINK]
James Ferguson at HorrorTalk gave us 5/5, saying “This cements Ryan K. Lindsay as an expert storyteller capable of truly incredible character work.” – [LINK]
Chris Beveridge at the Fandom Post gave us a Grade A, saying “get into serious discussions with friends about [it] as there’s a lot to peel away and dig into with it. Very recommended.” – [LINK]
Jack Johnston at We The Nerdy gave us a 9.5/10, saying “a perfect send off for Lindsay and Gieni’s twisted tale.” – [LINK]
Johnny Hughes at the Comic Crusaders gave us 3.5/5, saying “the conclusion serves as its own metaphor about depression and mental health.” – [LINK]
Ian Dawe at SequArt gave us a thoughtful write up, saying “It does what not enough comics do: it leaves you thinking.” – [LINK]
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And now the series is done. The tpb collection will be out on the 6th of July with a glorious Foreword by Christopher Sebela. Tell your LCS to order 1 million of them.
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And remember: if you are suffering from depression, please hit THIS LINK to see the access you have to support. No one has to suffer alone. We are here to help you.
CHUM #1 is upon us and it’s an exciting time for Sami, Mark, Nic, Dan, and me. We hope plenty of people dig the surf noir sound we are jiving to, and we were blessed with some good press and reviews so let’s round them up.
Ed Garrett at TMStash gives u 8/10 [LINK], saying “Given Lindsay’s penchant for making a unique premise work exceptionally well, I’m looking forward to the twists and turns CHUM has ahead of us.”
Iron Squid at Slack Jaw Punks gives us a 100% score [LINK], saying “Chum #1 is exactly what I wanted it to be and more…fun, bloody, exciting, and breath taking thrill ride!”
Brett Schenker at Graphic Policy gives us an 8.1/10 [LINK], saying “The first issue is a must get for noir/crime comic fans.”
And Brett made us a Pick of the Week [LINK]
LJ Phillips at Black Ship Books heaps a whole mess of praise on us in a review that’s so incredibly spot on that you’d think he had been reading my scripts and notes [LINK], with one top line being, “A primal, animalistic drive for bloodshed permeates the entire comic.”
Stephen Leitman over at Reading with a Flight Ring drops some lovely noise on us [LINK], calling it “the perfect storm for a story.”
Omnicomic had lovely things to say [LINK], “Each character is illustrated with a sense of purpose to their actions that force the reader to pay attention as the[y] thumb through the pages.”
Isaac Quattlebaum at Comic Bastards gave us a 4/5 [LINK], saying “You know you’ve got an interesting book on your hands when hours after you’ve put it down you’re still thinking about. Chum is one of those books.”
Johnny Hughes at Comic Crusaders gives us a spectacular 5/5 [LINK], saying “What Lindsay does excel at is writing the human condition.”
Nikki Sherman at Comicosity gave us a glowing 9/10 [LINK], saying “What [Sami] absolutely kills on this book is complementing the shiny exterior of the vacation locale with an overwhelming sense of dread.”
Alice W. Castle at Multiversity Comics gave us 7.9/10 [LINK], saying “Ryan K. Lindsay is channelling his best Raymond Chandler with writing that is pulpy and atmospheric.”
James Ferguson at HorrorTalk gave us 5/5 [LINK], saying “Chum presents you with intriguing characters, an interesting setting, and a riveting plot.”
Jonathan Winchester at Bag & Bored drops some kind words on us [LINK], saying “one of the best comics I have read in 2016.”
Matthew Box at Broken Frontier made us a Pick of the Week [LINK], calling it “an original, genre-blending story.”
Anthony at Comics Heating Up also made us a Pick of the Week [LINK], saying “this beach crime book looks excellent.”
I also had a chat with Alex Thomas over at Pipedream Comics and we spoke about the surf noir sound in detail [LINK]
And Wade from Mint Condish dropped a lovely vid into YouTube singing our praises [LINK].
And every word/pixel given to us and our little book is hugely appreciated.
NEGATIVE SPACE #3 landed on Jan 27. The penultimate issue in our mini at Dark Horse from Owen Gieni, Ryan Ferrier, Daniel Chabon, and myself, we were super proud of this issue and so elated that the press/reviews were just as glowing.
If you haven’t got a copy yet be sure to ask your LCS, or hit us up on ComiXology [LINK]
Jack Johnston at We The Nerdy gave us a stellar 10/10 [LINK], saying “Negative Space issue three barrels out of the gate and with a dense atmosphere and memorable characterisation, immediately proves to me that Negative Space will be my top series of 2016 as it was 2015.”
Ian Dawe at Sequart gave a glowing review [LINK], saying “Besides everything else, Negative Space is its own form of therapy. And one heck of an entertaining read.”
Andrew McGlinn at Big Comic Page gave us a 4.5/5 [LINK] saying, “Negative Space is probably one of the most emotive comics I have ever read.”
Ed Garrett at TMStash gave us 9/10 [LINK], saying “NEGATIVE SPACE is beautifully strange and wonderful, with excellent artwork by Owen Gieni.”
Chris Beveridge at The Fandom Post gave us an A- [LINK], saying “I find myself just wanting to pore over [Owen Gieni’s] artwork across far larger forms to really soak up the details and colors.”
Benjamin Bailey put us on the Pull List over on the Nerdist site [LINK], saying “Bizarre, monstrous, and oddly heartfelt, Negative Space just might be the sleeper hit of the year.”
Autin Lanari at Comic Bastards gives us a full 5/5 [LINK], saying “The fact that what will probably amount to the MAJOR plot point of this entire story revolves around a goddamn bottle opener is excellent.”
Dan Seitz at Uproxx listed us at #3 of the Top 20 comics for the week [LINK], saying “Never has a story with the moral “think positive” been so outright disturbing.”
Gregory Paul Silber at AIPT! gave us 9.5/10 [LINK], saying “I never would have suspected that a comic that takes depression so seriously would make me this happy.”
Johnny Hughes at Comic Crusaders gave us a 4.5/5 [LINK], saying “Ryan K. Lindsay continues to excel in this character driven type of story.”
Bhavna Bakshi at Comic Wow! gave us 10/10 [LINK], saying “This is a damn good issue that adds to an already amazing series. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
As always, thank you for digging the book, for tweeting about it, for waiting for it. It means the world to us, and also:
If you are suffering from depression, please hit THIS LINK to see the access you have to support. No one has to suffer alone. We are here to help you.
NEGATIVE SPACE #2 is on the streets and some people seem to be digging it. here are some reviews of the issue, and I want to thank everyone for taking the time to even side-eye this book. Thank you.
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Greg Silber at Adventures in Poor Taste gave us 9.5 outta 10 [LINK] saying “This is one of the most thematically rich pieces of sci-fi that you could hope to read.”
Polo Lonergan at Nerd Undergound gave us a perfect score of 10/10 [LINK] saying “Negative Space #2 is all the more exciting for the blend of eerie artwork and bizarre story and these two creators have found a wonderful balance.”
Wicked Horror gives us 8/10 [LINK] saying “When all is said and done, this is going to be a special comic, I think. One that horror and sci-fi fans shouldn’t pass up.”
We the Nerdy give us 8.5/10 [LINK] saying “I will continue to laud it as one of the most interesting comics out right now”
Amy Brander over at The Frog Queen enjoyed the issue [LINK] saying “The inner monologue of our stories unlikely hero gives this story a more personal quality than most science fiction stories are afforded. ”
Ian Dawe at Sequart stepped in with some love [LINK] saying “I’ve rarely seen a braver book about depression.”
Ed Garrett at TMSmash gave us 8/10 [LINK] saying “NEGATIVE SPACE is one of those rare things in comics – a truly unique premise, one that is highly entertaining.”
Austin Lanari at Comic Bastards gave us a mighty 5/5 [LINK] saying “I can’t think of another book where the art is this unique and aesthetically pleasing.”
Dan Seitz at Uproxx proclaims us the #1 comic of the week [LINK] saying “There’s nothing quite like this on the stands right now, and that makes it a must-buy.”
The Rorschach Rant gives us 8/10 [LINK] saying “that combination of misery and comedy produces an excellent black comedy with depth and emotional resonance”
Chris beveridge at The Fandom Post gives us an A- [LINK] saying “this issue pays off in spades and ups the ante in a great way.”
Karcossa at Graphic Policy gave us 9/10 [LINK] saying “This is a comic where the sum of its parts have created something that is a much greater whole.”
Emma Houxbois at The Rainbow Hub gave us 9/10 [LINK] saying” What they seem to understand better than most is that truly effective horror storytelling isn’t about succumbing to nihilistic impulses, it’s about how harrowing it can be to resist them.” – which is about the highest and most shrewd compliment I can think of.
Gregory L. Reece at Pop Matters gives us 9/10 [LINK] saying “In the midst of all that sadness, however, I find myself laughing through the tears.”
James Ferguson at Horror Talk gave us a perfect 5/5 for all aspects [LINK] saying “Negative Space can scare you and then make you want to go out and hug someone. It’s a weird feeling at first, but you just kind of go with it.”
And The Read Pile over on YouTube made us Rick’s Pick of the Week – yay [LINK] – slide on in 16 minutes, or just watch the whole thing because it’s ace.
We also scored an ace interview with James Leask over at Comics Alliance where I got asked some very on point questions, enjoy [LINK]
And remember:If you are suffering from depression, please hit THIS LINK to see the access you have to support. No one has to suffer alone. We are here to help you.
If you took the time to buy/read NEGATIVE SPACE #1 from Owen Gieni, Ryan Ferrier, Daniel Chabon, and myself from Dark Horse comics this past week then thank you X one exact million.
This book means the world to us all so it was insane to see it garner a lot of advance praise [LINK] – where we got 19 glorious reviews pitched at 8/10 or above and matched with some spectacular words of praise and criticism.
Over the past week, we’ve also got some press, reviews, interviews, and such, so here is the round up, which landed us an aggregated 9.0 on Comic Book Round Up [LINK] and made us the second best reviewed comic in th land for our week, beaten only by the ARCHIE reboot from Staples/Waid.
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REVIEWS
Nick Hanover dropped a straight up smart review of the book over at Loser City [LINK], saying “Negative Space is well on its way to proving itself as a far more emotional and profound high concept work than the bulk of its competitors, making it a more than worthwhile break from the sad and lonely pits of your Facebook feed.”
Patrick Hess gave us many sound words to ponder over at Nothing But Comics [LINK], including “Negative Space is nothing like you’d expect, even after you’ve adjusted your expectations and there is something really special about that.”
Pierce Lydon over at Newsarama gave us 8/10 [LINK], saying “Negative Space is another great comic book from a couple of creators who should soon be household names.”
Ed Garrett at TMStash gave us 8/10 [LINK], SAYING “You really need to check out NEGATIVE SPACE – it’s a wild ride very well worth taking.”
Matthew Jent at The Comics Beat dropped some considered words [LINK], saying “Every place is distinct, even when changing locations panel to panel, and in a story about the harvesting of emotions, Gieni wisely lets facial expressions reveal the intricacies of the characters’ inner lives.”
Jack Johnston at We The Nerdy slays us with a flawless victory score of 10/10 [LINK], saying “I’d like to say that this issue managed to successfully set expectations for itself at the beginning then shatter them by the end for me. I’d highly recommend this series to anyone and I highly look forward to reading the rest of the story as it come out.”
Ross Sweeney at Big Comic Page gave us 4/5 [LINK], saying “there’s a beautiful, dream-like quality to Gieni’s gauche visuals.”
Steve Morris at Comics Alliance blessed us with ace words [LINK], saying “It’s a really careful story, and one that plays off the considerable strengths of the creative team.”
Miz Caramel Vixen at Vixen Varsity dropped insanely glowing words on us [LINK], saying “As I read Negative Space, the tears didn’t stop”
Ray W at Review Brew dropped 4.5 out of 5 Kindreds on us [LINK], saying “The art helps with the tone of the issue and keeps you engaged the whole time.”
Chris Beveridge at The Fandom Post grades us A- [LINK], saying, This opening installment doesn’t give us easy ideas of what the world is, but there are tantalizing clues to be explored as it progresses and that’s exciting to think about.”
Robin Burks at Tech Times gives us 5 stars [LINK], saying “What makes this story work are the characters, very deftly written by Ryan K. Lindsay.”
Ian Simpson at Geek Syndicate gives us 4/5 [LINK], saying “There is no wasted space here.”
JAdam at Comic Buzz scores us a perfect 10/10 [LINK], saying “From the first page, an immediate sense of hopelessness blankets the reader.”
Over at the Rorshach Rant blog we get 8/10 [LINK], with them saying “the book has a rare spark of creativity, of originality about it, has hooked me.”
Mike at Fellowship Geeks enjoyed the issue [LINK], saying “The art goes a long way toward setting the mood”
Chris Melkus at Destroy the Brain spread the good word [LINK], saying “If we need (and we do) a comic book version of a Spike Jonze movie, Negative Space does the job nicely.”
Austin Lanari at Comic Bastards gave us a stellar 10/10 review [LINK], saying “Rarely do a writer and artist come together to present such a singular vision.” and “That all of this was achieved within a first issue borders on upsettingly fantastic.”
^WOW.
Sam Wildman at Nerdophiles gave us a 5 star reviews titled NEGATIVE SPACE IS KIND OF THE GREATEST THING EVER [LINK], saying “I might have my new favorite Dark Horse series here, people. It’s that good.”
Walt Richardson at Multiversity Comics gave us a 7.5 [LINK], saying “it is rare to see a serialized comic these days with as few solid-background panels as this one, even a miniseries. This extra touch brings the dour world of “Negative Space” to life in a way that few comics manage to reach in debut issue.”
The team over at Comics Bulletin rave about our issue [LINK], saying “one of the most affecting books I’ve read this year.”
Kazmataz at Talking Comics said you need to pick this up [LINK], saying “Lindsay’s writing is breathtakingly harmonious with Gieni’s visual portrayal of Guy.”
Magen Cubed at ComiConverse gave a stellar review [LINK], saying “Negative Space is raw, honest, and respectful in its portrayal of depression, in ways rarely seen in comics with similar themes.”
And we got a great talk up by Tor Athena on her YouTube channel, so hit that stuff up and enjoy [LINK]
We featured on the Comics Should be Cheap feature on Multiversity twice [LINK], with Leo Johnson saying “there’s a small moment that will break your heart.” and Jessica Camacho flooring me with “It’s a beautiful debut that sets up what could easily be the best miniseries of 2015.”
INTERVIEWS
Amy Brander took time to chat with me about the book at her site The Frog Queen [LINK]
Edward Wendt sat down with me to discuss how the donuts got made at Graphic Policy [LINK]
Nick Hanover and I got deep into this whole malarkey over at Loser City and it was a hell of a discussion, in two parts – I [LINK] II [LINK]
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And if you need to be tipped over the edge, soak up this video trailer on the DH instagram [LINK] – so pretty and moody.
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As always, if you’re going to follow us down the rabbit hole on this crazy story, I have to thank you. Independent comics live and die on the vine based on word of mouth and preorders. If you spread the word in cake writing, sign language to the blind, or anything else, I’m grateful. All good things are great things to us.
#2 is right around the bend so I hope it’s on your pull order and you’ve told your LCS al about it, and #3 and #4 are right around the bend, too.
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And finally, if you are suffering from depression, please hit THIS LINK to see the access you have to support. No one has to suffer alone. We are here to help you.
Gah! :]
Advance reviews for NEGATIVE SPACE #1 have been dropping for the past fortnight and here’s the hot word. I am mighty humbled by all these erudite peeps who spent the time to appreciate the hard work from me, Owen Gieni, Ryan ferrier, Daniel Chabon, et al at Dark Horse.
At present, our debut issue sits at a 9.0 on Comic Book Round Up [LINK] but I also have more reviews linked below than featured there. In total, we already have 19 stellar reviews and I cannot explain how exceedingly grateful that makes me feel because this subject matter is something so close to my heart it’s filling a ventricle right now, and it’s certainly the strongest I’ve landed with any project to date. So, thank you all.
Here we go, dive in, dive deep, shiny and chrome.
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Torin Chambers at Bloody Disgusting gives us 9/10 [LINK], saying “It’s nightmare inducing stuff, that’s a little too close to reality.”
Polo Lonergan at Nerd Underground gives us a 9.3/10 [LINK], saying “if you’re a fan of detailed art, heart-busting stories, and interesting characters then pick it up.”
Erik Cheski at Fanboy Comics said “Lindsay seems to be a disturbed human, and I hope he forgoes help in order to continue tossing his damage onto the pages.” [Which is kind of the best recommendation ever.] [LINK]
Greg Silber at Adventures in Poor Taste gave us 9.5/10 [LINK], saying “Negative Space is the most promising new science fiction series I’ve encountered since Saga.” [Wait, this is the best rec ever ever, wow.]
James Ferguson at Horror Talk gave us 4.5/5 [LINK], saying “Negative Space is a damn near perfect first issue.”
Clay N Ferno at Forces of Geek gave us [LINK], saying “This is another great book from Lindsay and the artwork is intricate and moody.”
Jason at Brutal Gamer gave us 9/10 [LINK], saying “Dark Horse’s newest foray into the world of horror and the supernatural comes along with one of the most interesting main character’s and plot lines that I’ve read pretty much ever.”
OmniComics drops a great review on us [LINK], saying “The very first page is a very strong showing by Gieni that effectively captures the despair of a man on the brink.”
Johnny Hughes at Comic Crusaders gave us 5/5 [LINK], saying “This book feels like an opus. I cannot say enough great things about it. There is not a bum note anywhere in it pages.”
Forrest Hollingsworth at Comics: The Gathering gave us 9/10 [LINK], saying “Negative Space is a hard, sad, and incredibly important read.”
Raisa at Florida Geek Scene gave us 9.7/10 [LINK], saying “One of the most engaging, creative, and well-executed books I have read to date.”
Nikki S at The Outhousers said many nice things [LINK], including “Ryan K. Lindsay and Owen Gieni bring us a brand new series, which I’m pretty sure is the equivalent of an anti-prescription for depression.”
James Bridcut at Transmissions from the Void have us 9.2/10 [LINK], saying “The book feels like a blend of ‘1984’ and a very sinister ‘The Truman Show‘.”
Ian Simpson at Geek Syndicate gave us 4/5 [LINK], saying “Lindsay and Gieni have set up an intriguing premise and left us some delicious threads hanging ready for the next issue. There is no wasted space here.”
Amber Santos at Pulp Cultured said many nice things [LINK], including “with Negative Space they have hit another golden series under their belt.”
Astghik Poghosyan at Emtertainment said many nice things [LINK], including “Negative Space is Alien meets The Truman Show and vomits a macabre love child.”
Nat Brehmer at Wicked Horror gave us 8/10 [LINK], saying “if you like weird, paranoid sci-fi horror, you should definitely give it a look!”
Bhavna Bakshi at Comic Wow assigned us a perfect 10/10 score [LINK], saying “This, my friends, this is divine catharsis.”
And Trevor Van As at How To Love Comics picks just 11 comics you have to try in July and you best believe NEGATIVE SPACE was on that list [LINK]
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Plus, if you want more, hit up these interviews from me about the book:
I chat with leo Johnson at Multiversity Comics [LINK]
I chat with Cardner Clark at CBR [LINK]
I chat with Polo Lonergan at Nerd Underground [LINK]
I chat with Alexander Lu at Comics Bulletin [LINK]
And figure out why the book has already been deemed “buzzworthy” by CBR [LINK] and Multiversity named it one of the Top 10 Books coming from Dark Horse in July [LINK].
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As always, if you’re going to follow us down the rabbit hole on this crazy story, I have to thank you. Independent comics live and die on the vine based on word of mouth and preorders. If you spread the word in cake writing, sign language to the blind, or anything else, I’m grateful. All good things are great things to us.
And finally, if you are suffering from depression, please hit THIS LINK to see the access you have to support. No one has to suffer alone. We are here to help you.
Without Fear 