And we're back.

Kicking off 2024 with some new projects.

Hey everyone,

First of all, thank you for bearing with me through the hard times I was going with at the end of last year. I do this newsletter as often as I can, but there was just so much negative stuff going on I really needed to focus my energies elsewhere.

The good news is, though, it’s a new year. And with the new year, I’ve gained a little distance from my dad’s passing, and started to make strides towards getting back to work and more importantly, to writing.

And I’m happy to be able to kick off the year with a pair of cool announcements!

MECHAGODZILLA 50th Anniversary Special

Lots of anniversaries this year - IDW Publishing turns 25, Godzilla turns 75, and his evil mechanical doppelganger Mechagodzilla turns 50!

I was asked to write a story to celebrate that milestone, and encompass the history of one of Godzilla’s greatest foes - for me, it was both a great opportunity, and a great excuse to rewatch some classic Godzilla movies.

What I came up with was a decades-spanning story in the vein of Citizen Kane, if you can believe that. Ok, Citizen Kane with giant monsters. In the special, we follow along with a reporter digging into the truth behind Mechagodzilla, whose public image is that of mankind’s only defender against rampaging Kaiju - but both its creator, and the machine itself hide dark secrets that threaten the entire world.

It was a really fun project that let me incorporate almost every version of Mechagodzilla from the various films over the years, as we trace its history and different iterations, while putting a new spin on how they all tie together.

It’s out on May 1st, and I hope you check it out.

HEARTPIERCER

The bigger, and more important news is, I’m launching a new series at Dark Horse with my buddy Gavin Smith!

This dark fantasy epic kicks off on May 15th, and I couldn’t be happier to get back on the (dark) horse with such a great series.

In it, we follow a hunter named Atala, who, alongside a fellow group of great warriors, was tasked with destroying a group of magical beasts that threatened humanity. When she finally slays the last one, she finds herself betrayed by her lord, and her fellows, and cast down into darkness.

When she awakes, she learns the horrible truth - the beasts she hunted were the only thing protecting humanity from older, darker forces that have overrun the world under the banner of Kurrn, her former master.

In this first arc, Atala comes upon a village so desperate to survive, they’ve made a terrible pact with an army of werewolves. When her arrival disrupts that delicate balance, all hell breaks loose, and she must face the Howler, a monstrous beast with a tie to her past. Confronting it might be the first step on her road to revenge - or it might be the last one she ever takes.

I’ll have plenty more to say and show about Heartpiercer in the coming months, but in the meantime here’s a peek at some of the amazing vistas Gavin is creating for this book with the help of Nicholas, our colorist.

Ok, until next time, folks. I hope to have another newsletter out mid-February, but don’t forget to check out the final issue of DRIVE LIKE HELL, out next week on January 31st! It’s the crazy, over the top conclusion to one of my favorite things I’ve written so far. Enjoy!

Thanks again for your continued support of my work.

– Rich