3 Worlds/3 Moons!
THE CHARLATAN begins tomorrow!
In 2021, Substack was taking off - bringing on a whole host of top tier comic book writers to start developing content with hefty grants and no strings attached. Jonathan Hickman, the writer of indie classics like The Nightly News, East of West, and The Manhattan Projects, as well as iconic runs on The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and the architect of a little thing called the Krakoan Era for the X-Men, decided to create a new comics universe - titled 3 Worlds/3 Moons.
It was unique in that it was being built from the ground up in conjunction with the subscribed fanbase, and a host of great creators like Mike Del Mundo, Mike Huddleston, Al Ewing, Tini Howard, and Ram V designing the look, feel, and history of the setting.
And what a setting it is! A solar system with a deep, rich system of religion, commerce, and tradition, ripe for adventure as it stands on the cusp of an age of technology fading, and an age of magic and mysticism returning.
You can learn more about it by subscribing to the substack - it’s got a ton of great content for free subscribers, and even more for paid ones.
So, how did I get involved?
Many more than 3 moons ago, I went to a panel at NYCC, hosted by Jonathan, Grant Morrison, and Brian K Vaughn, 3 amazing writers who talked about their own journeys, and their advice to aspiring writers, which I was at the time. I left that panel fired up to do more comics, and within the year, I was on the road to getting my first series, Gutter Magic, produced.
So when I saw Jonathan signing 3W/3M books at SDCC a couple of years ago, I wanted to say hello, and thank him for helping me start my career, even if he wasn’t aware he did. We had a nice chat, and as I was there promoting Sea of Sorrows, I gave him a copy and went my way.
I didn’t really expect much to come of that interaction - I’ve handed plenty of books to plenty of creators at cons, and they’re always nice, but you kind of get the feeling it’s going in a pile somewhere to be read some day. Maybe.
But to my pleasant surprise, the next time I saw Jonathan, he told me that he read it, and really liked it! And more than that, he was planning to bring new creators into the 3W/3M universe, and wanted me to be one of them!
I was kind of shellshocked, in a really good way. To not only have an icon like Jonathan like my work, but want to work WITH me? I was over the moon.
So, after Jonathan and the rest of the crew settled on a plan, they got in touch, and The Charlatan is the result - a 3-part story running on the 3W/3M substack, that will eventually be collected into the LEGENDS hardcover alongside more great tales by talented folks like Deniz Camp, Stipan Morian, Alex Paknadel, Dan Watters and more!
Right now, the one place to read it is on 3W/3M, so I encourage you to give it a look, and subscribe if you haven’t already - if you’d like to read some more about how I approached the story, and reuniting with my longtime collaborator Alex Cormack, check out the interview I did with them right here!
Up next time, I’ll be talking about my plans for SDCC, and hopefully be able to give you a look at A Phone Call Away, my upcoming OGN from Mad Cave!
Until next time, folks!
- Rich
What a great anecdote, thanks for sharing it! I think aspiring writers could learn a lot from your early days, Rich. I know they connected with many pros—myself included. Looking forward to reading The Charlatan, btw.
Awesome how you got involved with Hickman and 3W3M — quick convention "hellos" really go a long way! Either way, stoked to read your piece in the 3W3M world, and see you at SDCC!