Dear Diary (to My Friends),

If all goes according to plan (he says, knowing very little in his twenty-two year comic book career has gone exactly as planned), this month will be the last month of my current status quo in my professional career.

Paperwork has been signed, contracts are being reviewed, and things are in motion for what’s going to be the most seismic shift in my comic book career to date… and however things unfold after the [REDACTED] news  goes public, I can say with complete certainty that this will mark a “pre-” and “post'” moment in my life. To provide some context, other such career milestones include when I first published the first two pages of NIGHTMARE WORLD online, the first time I self-published issues of the work in print, the first time by work was published by a small publisher, the first time I was published by a mid-sized publisher (Ape Comics), the first time I was published by a large publisher (Image Comics), the first time I published a book via Kickstarter (that would be the Kickstarter Exclusive Hardcover Edition of TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 1: “Procreation (of the Wicked)”), and even the first time one of my stories was adapted into live action (which would be the short film adaptation of “Life in a Glass House” from NIGHTMARE WORLD, which was produced in live action by the artist on the story — and my frequent collaborator — Austin McKinley).

What’s going to be announced soon is a very big deal that’s both exciting, and scary, but it’s also necessary… so here I am, and by proxy here we all are, really. It’s going to be a wild ride, for sure.

That aside, lots of new graphic novels are in various stages of release, production, or pre-production too:

• LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT: The Official Graphic Novel Adaptation is going to be shipping out to backers this month. The books are gorgeous, all the Kickstarter Exclusive Bonus items for the backers are amazing, and I can’t wait for everyone to see them.

• As I’m typing this the final PDF of RSVP: E.S.P. with Josh Malerman, Joshua Ross, Colin Johnson, Dave Lentz, and Drena Jo is prepped to receive its final proofread. Once that’s done, we’ll be able to get the book right to the printer. We may also be getting one more pull quote from an amazing writer whose work I’ve quite enjoyed for the back cover, too, so fingers crossed on that. Either way, it will be heading to the printer soon… and all of this is happening while Malerman is (as I type this) in Ireland visiting the set of the film adaptation of his latest amazing prose novel INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE, which is legitimately one of the most terrifying horror novels I’ve read in the last decade, at least.
• Austin McKinley and Colin Johnson are past the halfway point in illustrating and coloring the sixth(!) installment of TALES OF MR. RHEE, and I couldn’t be happier with the work they’re doing on this story, which is easily among the most ambitious stories of my career I’ve written to date… not that anyone should expect anything less from this series, especially, of course, especially after that shocking ending to TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5: “Rock Star Paranoia”. Here’s a peek from the next volume, which will be coming to Kickstarter this fall…

• I’ve also written the first two chapters of FROG SWEAT, and it already includes a scene so horrifying that I questioned whether or not I should keep it in there. It’s been a while since I’ve done a story this dark, so I hope you all will be ready for what me and Les Lindon Garner are bringing to the table as our follow-up to HOMESTEAD in this bayou body horror graphic novel.
• HOPE Volume 3 is coming to a boil in my mind, and artist Sally Scott is as excited to get to it as I am. This one is going to be another emotional roller coaster.
• Finally, pages from an artist I’ve never worked with before on a project a lot of you longtime readers have been wanting more of for a very long time are looking very promising.

Along with all of this, I’m adding some new shows to my convention circuit for this second half of the year, and also returning to some I’ve bot been to in years, too. I want to “expand my territory” a bit during this second half of the year — even if it’s only in regards to circling back to some places I haven’t been in a while. Be sure to check out the “Events Calendar” also hosted on this very website HERE to keep up to date on where you can come say “Hello” (or ever “Hell-O”) and get some books signed!

As always, I appreciate all of you who’ve made this whole incredible experience possible. I try to pay it forward to you all with graphic novels that will excite, engage, and enthrall you, and look forward to us maintaining this dynamic for a long time to come!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning

“What do you mean you only look like that on the Internet?!?”