Nerd Inferno Is Here (Patreon)

It feels like it's been decades since Daniel Chabon at Dark Horse Comics suggested we put together an omnibus edition of Milk & Cheese, Dork and The Eltingville Club to join the Beasts of Burden omnibus. It was announced last September, about three years after the Tiktok-fueled resurgence of interest in Eltingville, if I have that right. Let's say that's right. Anyway, it's April 28th, the countdown is over, and the book is now available at comic, book and online shops. Many folks are getting their preorders, digital editions and notifications that their copy is waiting for them at their local shop. I'm grateful to everyone out there that have picked up the book, or plan to pick up the book. Thank you very much.

My sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the new collection possible, especially Daniel Chabon, senior editor at DHC and Mike Richardson, who recently left the company he co-founded after 40 years of success. Both Daniel and Mike have been extremely supportive of my work at DHC, and Daniel has been instrumental not only in getting Nerd Inferno together, but in seeing both Beasts of Burden and Blackwood through as editor, aider and abettor. I don't think "aider" is a word, but there's no editor here on my Patreon, and I'm too lazy to rewrite that sentence. Or any of them. Just roll with it.

Also, it almost goes without saying that I owe a great deal to Sarah for her work on so much of the material collected in Nerd Inferno. Her wonderful coloring work, digital clean up and page assembly and guidance when I wasn't sure about a story, a joke or a line of dialogue. Almost everything I worked on went through her hands and eyes and the comics benefited from that.

So, yeah, ther eit is. The book's out. It feels weird, you sort of expect some fireworks and the pop of a champagne cork, but that doesn't really happen in comics. I'm sued to that, but the build-up to this release has definitely been unique and the response from readers much stronger than I've ever experienced. It's a nice feeling, because the work in the book is thirty years of my life, and often about my life. It's an important part of me, rough edges, cringe, mistakes, poor choices, iffy drawings and all. It's also a journey, you can see the work get better, the art more assured (if never confident), and it shows how any of us can improve as artists and creators if we just keep going.

The support from you folks here, from folks on social media, from readers, from friends, family and peers, from many shops and retailers who have supported this book, please know that it has meant a lot to me. I hope folks who pick the book up enjoy it. As Sarah once said in her art student days, "This is my art. Don't judge it, love it!". Obviously folks can judge it, but, also obviously, I hope they love it.

Next up: The Nerd Inferno tour. Hope to see some of you folks in Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan, Virginia and -- if all goes well -- possibly one other state. And a convention later this year down south. Fingers crossed, eyes crossed.

Above: Yesterday I signed some of the JHU Comics prints for their online Nerd Inferno sales. The print will be included with all sales of the book at the May 2nd release party at the shop and the New Dorp Comic Con on May 16th. Currently JHU is sold out of the book/print bundle but they are getting more copies and I'll be signing however many prints they need. I'm local and go in every Thursday before my therapy appointment. I have the latest Junji Ito book on order. Wheee!

https://jhu-comic-books.myshopify.com/search?q=nerd+inferno&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Below: It also looks like there will be more copies available with the Milk & Cheese signed bookplate from OK Comics in the UK. I'm signing another batch of 50 to send over to Leeds asap. OK got shorted on their book order and currently the bundle is sold out, but more copies and signed bookplates are on the way.

https://okcomics.co.uk/products/pre-order-nerd-inferno-the-essential-evan-dorkin-by-evan-dorkin