The above graphic should give you an idea what’s been keeping me busy the last few months. Our third annual BrickMagic LEGO Festival is coming up in two weeks, and we’re up to our eyeballs in final preparations. If you want to know more about it, go to www.brickmagic.org

While you’re hitting your local comic book store this Saturday for Free Comic Book Day, don’t forget: you can download a FREE DIGITAL EDITION of each of our magazines, any day, at www.twomorrows.com.

Just go to the “Free Stuff” Category in the top left corner of our home page, or click this link to find all the goodies that await you every day, including our full catalog, absolutely FREE:

http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=108

Then, head to your local comics shop, and pester them to carry all your favorite TwoMorrows mags on a regular basis if they don’t already.

And don’t forget; when you order the print edition from TwoMorrows (at 15% off or greater), you ALWAYS get the Digital Edition FREE!

For all you who’ve been patiently waiting for your April issue of Back Issue and Alter Ego, copies FINALLY arrived here at TwoMorrows HQ today, and will go in the mail tomorrow.

The hold-up was caused by US Customs. Now that both mags are full-color, we have to print them overseas to keep the cover price from skyrocketing, and all the copies got held up at the US port, waiting for, I guess, some SHIELD agents to inspect them. After weeks of sitting in a warehouse, they were finally released and delivered, and subscribers’ links to the digital edition were emailed today.

Back Issue #56 spotlights the history of the Avengers, just in time for this weekend’s movie debut, so check it out before you head to the cineplex.

Our kids just went back to school after a great, relaxing Spring Break (aahhhh, carpool…), and I know everyone’s scrambling to get their taxes in the mail this week. So just for fun, we’re putting all our “How-To” books, mags, and DVDs on sale for 40% off till the end of April. (Digital stuff’s 10% off.) Just click the big “Sale 101” banner at the top of our home page, and you’ll go right to the list of sale items. Enjoy!

…somebody in the category of Best Comics-Related Journalism, of which TwoMorrows is a nominee. That’s right; Eisner nominations were just announced, and instead of one or more of our individual magazines getting nominated this year, the nominating committee chose to group ALL FOUR of our comics mags together as one “TwoMorrows” nomination.

In essence, it’s recognition for all four of our editors and their staff and contributors, which is OK by me. So hats off to:

TwoMorrows Publications: Alter Ego edited by Roy Thomas, Back Issue edited by Michael Eury, Draw edited by Mike Manley, and Jack Kirby Collector edited by John Morrow (who he?)

Ballots go out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable pdf of the ballot is available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting: www.eisnervote.com. The results in all categories will be announced in the big shindig ceremony on Friday night, July 13 at Comic-Con International.

The new issue of Diamond’s PREVIEWS comic shop catalog is out, listing our June releases, including our new Modern Masters book on ERIC POWELL. You can check all our June listings out HERE.

You’ve gotta love ALTER EGO #108’s Sub-Mariner vs. Human Torch cover by BILL EVERETT & CARL BURGOS. The issue features 1970s Bullpenner WARREN REECE talking about Marvel Comics and his encounters with those two legends, plus JOHN ROMITA, STAN LEE, MARIE SEVERIN, NEAL ADAMS, GARY FRIEDRICH, ROY THOMAS, and other, plus the usual great features like Mr. Monster and FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America). And now AE’s in FULL COLOR! Still edited by ROY THOMAS.

Check out the free preview HERE.

And you can order it HERE.

The new issue of our LEGO mag BrickJournal (#18) focuses on LEGO in Japan, and documents the amazing creations by builders in the Land of the Rising Sun. Check out the free preview HERE.

If you like it, order it in print or digital format HERE.

This is for TWO WEEKS ONLY! All of our MODERN MASTERS books and DVDs are on sale for only $10 each when you order at www.twomorrows.com, now through MARCH 14.

Here’s a list of the artists featured in the books that are on sale:

Alan Davis
George Perez
Bruce Timm
Kevin Nowlan
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
John Byrne
Mike Wieringo
Kevin Maguire
Charles Vess
Michael Golden
Jerry Ordway
Frank Cho
Mark Schultz
Mike Allred
Lee Weeks
John Romita Jr.
Mike Ploog
Kyle Baker
Chris Sprouse
Mark Buckingham
Guy Davis
Jeff Smith
Frazer Irving
Ron Garney

and our two “Modern Masters: In The Studio” DVDs:
George Perez DVD
Michael Golden DVD

We’ll be heading off for WONDERCON in Anaheim, CA (booth 721) on the 15th, so don’t delay placing your order till the 14th, or we might not get it shipped until after WonderCon…

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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