The Official Website of Josh Howard

WRITING 'AFTERBIRTH' Pt. 2

First introduced in The 13th Brother, the Zodiac is the group of supernatural warriors that Nara found herself a part of upon her 'merging' with Asia (now together known as Gemini). Although I had originally planned to introduce them all in The 13th Brother, I felt it was such a rich concept that it was worth saving and highlighting them in the following series.

Once of the first ideas I had for Afterbirth was that I wanted to open the story somewhere other than Earth. For the last 4 series there's been a lot of talk about the other side, but we've never seen it. Since things are nearing the end, it seemed like a good time to finally go there. Originally, my idea was to have the Zodiac all sitting in a boardroom like they were having a corporate meeting, but of course somewhere in time and space. But it didn't really convery the 'otherworldliness' that I wanted, and I was worried it might be a little confusing. I figured the best way to get the point across was to just put them on some planet that may or may not be in the spiritual realm. It leaves things open to interpretation, plus gets the point across that they're not on Earth.

Anyway, on to the fun stuff.

Probably the biggest revelation in Afterbirth was the inclusion of my characters Eve and Zaya, from my other books Lost Books of Eve and Black Harvest, respectively. This is an idea I had been toying with for a while, and have even been dropping a few hints along the way, the most obvious being the origin of Nara's nemesis Bolabogg in Lost Books of Eve. Beyond that, there are 3 specific instances of the books referencing the others.

In Black Harvest, there is 1 reference to Dead @ 17 and 1 reference to Lost Books of Eve. In The 13th Brother, there is 1 reference to Black Harvest. There may be others, but those are the ones I remember intentionally including.

First person to correctly identify all 3 will get a free sketch or a signed book, your choice! Please post your guesses in the comments!

Next up in Writing 'Afterbirth' pt. 3: Who's Who in the Zodiac!

WRITING 'AFTERBIRTH' pt. 1

Hopefully by now everyone has had a chance to read the latest installment in the Dead @ 17 series, Afterbirth #1. I thought I would do something different and offer a little insight on what went into the creation of the series and kind of show my thought process and hopefully answer a few questions along the way.

When I began talks with Image, I was suddenly faced with a monumental decision for the series, and potentially my career. The dilemma was: do I continue the series as is, picking up where I left off, or do I do a fresh "reboot," essentially restarting or resetting the series fresh to take advantage of a wider audience and hopefully bring in lots of new readers.

It was not an easy decision, and it was one I was actually wrestling with even before I knew Image was a possibility. So it was something I thought long and hard about over the course of a few months. It seemed obvious that the smart decision would be to got with option B, the reboot, in order to maximize sales and audience. But then I began to think about the story I had crafted over the past five years. Despite the various missteps and and growing pains, I was still pretty proud of the work I had put into it and was still very passionate about seeing the story all the way through to its conclusion. I didn't want the story I had built to go to waste, or to tell longtime fans to throw everything they knew out the window. I tried to think long term. Years from now, when it was all said and done, would I have a complete story with a beginning, middle, and ending that rewarded readers for sticking through to the end, or would I have a disjointed experiment, with a 4 part series suddenly ending and then beginning again with a new storyline with little or no connection, or perhaps completely contradictory, to what had come before. (in other words, a typical ongoing mainstream comic book)

You can see the direction I was leaning as I was beginning the conversation with Image. What tipped the scales though was when they asked to reprint the entire series so far into one volume. It seemed like the best compromise. Continuing the story, but allowing new readers the opportunity to get caught up.  Granted, some people still weren't happy. Some didn't want to plunk down $25 just to get caught up, which I can sympathize with. Other people just didn't want to bother and jumped right into Afterbirth and left feeling lost, confused, and dissappointed, something you never enjoy hearing as a creator.

However, I feel I did the right thing for the series in the long run. The decision has allowed me to map out the remainder of the series all the way to its final conclusion, something I couldn't be more excited about. Partly because I want to move on to other things, but mainly because I can't wait for you to finally read it. Following Afterbirth, there are only 2 more mini-series to go until the grand finale. But there are still some wild things ahead before we get there. The conclusion to Afterbirth is guaranteed to make your heads explode. Or knock you flat on your butts, or take your breath away, or some other similar physically damaging analogy.

Coming up in Writing 'Afterbirth' pt. 2: The Zodiac!

SKETCHBOOK PRE-ORDERS!

My 2009 Summer sketchbook 'Daydream' is now available for pre-order! (see left) The book will be available at San Diego Comic Con in July and Dallas Comic Con in August, but if you can't make it to either show, or you just want to secure your copy, now's your chance to get one. Pre-orders will be open for a limited time only, and all books will ship following San Diego Comic Con.

Daydream is 24 pages, full color, and only $20 + $5 shipping. International orders please add an additional $5 to cover shipping.

20 YEARS AGO TODAY...

Today marks a bit of a milestone for me. Twenty years ago today, at age 12, I decided that I wanted to make comics for a living. And from that day forward, I dedicated my every waking moment to making that happen, whether it was by drawing, writing, or by reading and absorbing as many comics and influences as I could. In many ways, I have my little sister to thank. She was born that same day (happy birthday, Whitley!) and if it wasn't for the fact that she took her sweet time getting here, my grandma would have never taken me to see Batman while my mom was in labor. And of course, Batman was the source of my inspiration to take up comics.

Just so you know how serious I was, this is the cover to the first comic I ever made, dated only 4 days later. As you can see, I have yet to top this...

NEW ART!

A preview from my new convention sketchbook. For those that can't make it to San Diego or Dallas Comic Con, pre-order information is coming soon!

 

 

 

 

READER REVIEW

Just thought I'd share this, because it really meant a lot to me. I have no idea who James R. Booth is. He's just a reader who posted his review of Dead @ 17 on Amazon. It doesn't get much better than this:

I thought Dead@17 was going to be a fun, Buffy-esque horror adventure yarn filled with zombie massacres and high school romance. Boy, was I wrong. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, the first "series" was kinda like that, aside from the big shock (which I won't reveal, though you could probably figure it out by the title) that comes in the first five pages. By the time I finished the second series, I couldn't believe what I was reading. And I couldn't stop.

Josh Howard fills his tale of supernatural rebirth and unavoidable destiny with realistic, truthful characters, all of whom you can't help but love--even in an oddly personal way. Sure, the girls are easy on the eyes and there is a fair amount of bloodshed throughout. But what Howard has crafted is a deep, religious saga of love and sacrifice.

There's more. Read it all here. Get the Dead @ 17: Ultimate Edition at Amazon for 34% off.

D@17: AFTERBIRTH PREVIEW

Dead @ 17: Afterbirth #1 goes on sale nationwide this Wednesday! Check out the first 5 pages now at Comic Book Resources! (SPOILER WARNING!!)

BOOMERANG COMICS - SATURDAY, JUNE 20

Thanks to everyone who came out for the signing on Saturday. It was a great turnout! But for those that missed out, I will be doing another appearance this Saturday the 20th at Boomerang Comics in Lewisville, TX! The book is officially released this Wednesday, so come by Boomerang on Saturday to get a signature and a free sketch. Signing starts at 1 PM! Click here for all the details.

D@17: AFTERBIRTH PREMIERE **updated**

Do you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Want to get the first issue of Dead @ 17: Afterbirth before anyone else?

On Saturday, June 13, Lone Star Comics, in conjunction with Image Comics, is holding a special "world premiere" event for the release of the new series.Starting at 5 PM, come by theSW Arlington location to pick up your copy. I'll be there signing as well as doing free sketches for anyone that purchases a book (Afterbirth #1 or the Ultimate Edition).

See the official press release here.

Hope to see you there!

 

 

RELEASE DATE

Just a quick update, for those wondering. The official release date for the Dead @ 17: Ultimate Edition is May 27th! See the official listing at Image Comics.