BACK ISSUE #55 and DRAW! #22 are on press now, so if you haven’t pre-ordered at your local comics shop, here’s the scoop:

BACK ISSUE #55 (84 pages, FULL-COLOR, $8.95) checks in on “Licensed Comics”! Spotlighting: Twenty years of Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics, Indiana Jones in comics, the adaptation of TV’s Man from Atlantis, DC Comics’ 1970s Edgar Rice Burroughs backups (John Carter, Pellucidar, Carson of Venus), Marvel’s Warlord of Mars, and an interview with CAROL SERLING, wife of Twilight Zone creator ROD SERLING. Featuring art by and/or commentary from MURPHY ANDERSON, JOHN BYRNE, CHRIS CLAREMONT, DAVE DORMAN, JAN DUURSEMA, MICHAEL KALUTA, CAM KENNEDY, JOHN JACKSON MILLER, FRANK MILLER, JOHN OSTRANDER, MIKE RICHARDSON, RANDY STRADLEY, TIM TRUMAN, TOM VEITCH, MARV WOLFMAN, and more. With a never-before-seen Clone Wars cover by BRIAN KOSCHACK. Now in FULL COLOR! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Diamond Order Code: JAN121362

Download a FREE PDF preview at this link: http://www.twomorrows.com/media/BackIssue55Preview.pdf

Ordering link: http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1022

BACK ISSUE #55 will be on sale in comic book stores on Wednesday, March 21.

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DRAW! #22 (84 pages with COLOR, $7.95) presents an in-depth interview with one of the top inkers of the modern age, SCOTT WILLIAMS! From his days at Marvel and Image, to his work with JIM LEE on such pivotal series as “Batman: Hush”, Scott discusses his working process with editor Mike Manley, and shows he’s an accomplished solo artist in his own right (as evidenced by this issue’s striking cover). Then, DANNY FINGEROTH interviews superstar writer/artist FRANK MILLER about his career and working methods, including samples of Miller and KLAUS JANSON’s working process, showing examples of their work from thumbnails and pencils to finished inks. Plus, there’s another installment of MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ “Comic Art Bootcamp”, a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work by BOB McLEOD, product and art supply reviews by “Crusty Critic” JAMAR NICHOLAS, and more!

Diamond Order Code: JAN121376

Download a FREE PDF preview at this link: http://www.twomorrows.com/media/Draw22Preview.pdf

Ordering link: http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1006

DRAW #22 will be on sale in comic book stores on Wednesday, March 14.

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My recuperation from gall bladder surgery is taking lots longer than anticipated (the anesthesia and I apparently didn’t get along too well), so I’ve gone ahead and extended our 40% off sale on Companion books through the end of February. Just click the big heart banner at the top of our home page for the full list of items on sale.

About 10 years ago, during our annual Comic-Con trip, I had to go to the San Diego ER in the wee hours of the morning, doubled-over with a sharp, stabbing pain in my upper stomach. Back then, they diagnosed me with three relatively small gallstones, gave me pain meds, and sent me on my way, saying if it ever happened again, I’d need my gall bladder removed. (If you saw my brief appearance on the “Jack Kirby: Storyteller” documentary that was an “extra” on the Fantastic Four film DVD release a few years ago, you may’ve noticed I looked kinda glassy-eyed, and even goofier than usual; that was from the pain pills I was on, as it was filmed the afternoon I got out of the San Diego ER. But don’t let the still image of me above scare you away; click the link above to see the first of five parts of this great, star-studded bio of Jack.)

Well, I’ve had occasional minor pain in my upper abdomen since then (usually during high-stress times), but the docs always guessed it was some kind of hernia or ulcer, although despite a few rather unpleasant procedures to find something, they’ve never been able to actually pinpoint anything specific.

We may now have an answer. This past Monday just after midnight, I ended up at our local emergency room again, only this time it was even worse (think Wolverine repeatedly going ‘snikt’ just under your ribcage). The local ER’s ultrasound found some big honkin’ gall stones wedged in my gallbladder (they’ve apparently doubled in size in the last ten years), and so I was rushed into surgery to have my gall bladder yanked out. While the actual surgery went pretty well all things considered, the recovery’s taking a lot longer than I’d hoped, and I hope these sentences are making sense, as I’m still on some pretty strong meds for pain.

Needless to say, we’re not getting too much done around here this week, so thanks for your patience if you’re waiting on a return email or phone call. The always reliable Eric Nolen-Weathington is working overtime to help out with getting orders out to our customers. There’s nothing better in this life than friends you can count on!

I’ll spare you the photos they gave me of the almost 1 inch diameter rocks they found inside me, but Danny Fingeroth told me he anxiously awaits the debut of our new mag, “The Gall Stone Collector”. He thinks the first issue’s cover should be “…a Kirby-style photo montage with the FF having to protect themselves from the digestive danger of the vile villain who could only be called… Bile!”

Any budding artists want to give that one a shot? I’ll run the best ones in the next Kirby Collector, assuming they’re not TOO gross!

I’ve signed this petition. I hope you will too. Just click on the button to find out more!

I just got a fax, from an unknown assailant, telling me I’ve been considered for inclusion in the Latino American Who’s Who (2012 edition)—a directory of prominent Latino American executives that have met a degree of recognizable success within their respective profession. This would be a great honor except for two things:

1) It’s obviously from a fax spammer, since there’s no cover sheet saying who it’s from, and
2) I’m not Latino. (I am American, so at least they got it half right…)

What do these jokers hope to gain from wasting America’s fax ink, toner, and paper, not to mention bandwidth? I’m puzzled, cause I can’t figure how anyone hopes to profit from this kind of blind solicitation. There’s no request for a fee to be included, just an 866 number to call to have our fax number removed, and it’s signed by “Beverly Vasquez”.

But in honor of this, I think I’ll go to my favorite Latino restaurant today for lunch. Adios!

ALTER EGO #107 (84 pages, $8.95) makes the jump to FULL-COLOR with a big BATMAN issue, featuring bat-centric interviews with DICK SPRANG and JIM MOONEY, plus rare and unseen Batman art by BOB KANE, JERRY ROBINSON, WIN MORTIMER, SHELLY MOLDOFF, CHARLES PARIS, and others. ROY THOMAS has his usual share of other goodies this issue, and you can download a free preview HERE.

Hey, you know you want it, so why not just go ahead and order it HERE?

It’ll be in stores February 22. Digital editions are also available!

There were a scarce few true gentlemen in comics—you know, the kind of guys who hardly anyone had a bad word to say about. Archie Goodwin is probably the #1 person who comes to mind, but a close second would be Dick Giordano. And the new issue of ALTER EGO (#106) is now out, featuring a retrospective on Dick’s career in comics. If you love the guy’s work (and the guy himself) as much as me, check out the free preview we’ve posted, and consider ordering at your local comics shop, or directly from our website.

After a long delay between issues #15 and #16 (due to an ordering snag at LEGO, which kept us from printing #16 for a few months), issue #17 of BRICKJOURNAL, our magazine for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, is here (and shipping just a few weeks after #16, which shipped so late). It’s a special SPACE WAR issue, with a lesson in starfighter building, a look at why Space Marines are so popular, and a trip behind the scenes of Alien Conquest, the new LEGO theme that hit the shelves earlier this year. There’s also the regular column on minifigure customization, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, and you can check out a free preview HERE.

TwoMorrows will be closed from Monday, December 19 (the 20th anniversary of my 29th birthday, for those of you who want to send me gifts of Jack Kirby original art pages) through Friday, January 6, 2012. I know our readers love their TwoMorrows stuff, and can’t wait to get them. But if you’re concerned about something you ordered that hasn’t arrived, you won’t be able to reach us during our time off, so please keep this in mind before you panic:

1) Please check the RELEASE DATE for any item you ordered. On our home page (www.twomorrows.com), scroll down to the “Upcoming Products” section and you’ll see all the items that haven’t been published yet, and the expected shipping date for them. You may have missed seeing that date when you pre-ordered the item.

2) All orders that were placed prior to midnight, Dec. 18 for in-stock items, WILL be shipped before Christmas by the TwoMorrows elves, who’ll be here packing orders this week till we’re caught up (however, when they’ll arrive depends on the shipping speed you chose, and the whims of the US Postal Service—if you chose the cheaper Media Mail option, you most likely will NOT get it before Dec. 25—and even if you chose Priority Mail, while we mailed it no later than Dec. 19, we can’t control how fast or slow the USPS delivers it.)

3) Any orders placed between Dec. 19-Jan. 6 will be filled the week of January 9, 2012. Again, your choice of shipping speed will determine how soon you actually get it in the mail.

4) While we’re closed, you can still order DIGITAL EDITIONS and get an IMMEDIATE download after you checkout online, providing the item is in-stock.

5) If you’re waiting on a newly published item to arrive in your mailbox, they will be mailed during our vacation, by our mailing house. So if it hasn’t arrived yet, it’s not because it wasn’t mailed. Specifically, we’re talking about:

BrickJournal #16 (it was mailed two weeks ago, but may be running slow getting delivered in some areas due to the holiday mail crunch)

BrickJournal #17 (it will be going in the mail while we’re closed, to anyone who ordered prior to Dec. 18)

Lee & Kirby: The Wonder Years, a.k.a. Jack Kirby Collector #58 (it will be going in the mail while we’re closed, to anyone who ordered prior to Dec. 18)

Modern Masters Vol. 27: Ron Garney (it will be going in the mail while we’re closed, to anyone who ordered prior to Dec. 18)

Alter Ego #106 (it will be going in the mail while we’re closed, to anyone who ordered prior to Dec. 18)

I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Festivus, or whatever other celebration you partake in this time of year. And let’s all look forward to 2012.

TwoMorrows: It’s a new day for comics (and LEGO) fandom!

Back Issue #54 is on press now, and will be shipping January 18, 2012. The theme is “Liberated Ladies”, and spotlights Big Barda, Valkyrie, Ms. Marvel, Phoenix, Savage She-Hulk, and Starfire (the one with the sword, not the Teen Titan). There’s a “Pro2Pro” interview with creators JILL THOMPSON, GAIL SIMONE, and BARBARA KESEL, and art and/or commentary by JOHN BYRNE, GEORGE PEREZ, JACK KIRBY, MIKE VOSBURG, and more, with a bombastic Big Barda cover by BRUCE TIMM!

A free preview is HERE.

And you can pre-order HERE.