One of the most fun parts of publishing the Modern Masters book series, is that it keeps me aware of a lot of the amazing younger artists working in comics today. The more “seasoned” comics fans like me can tend to ignore much of what’s going on in the current comics scene, and I must admit I wasn’t that aware of Guy Davis and Frazer Irving’s work until editor Eric Nolen-Weathington pitched them to me as possible MM subjects. After seeing their stuff, it didn’t take much convincing for me to greenlight their recent books.

Such was the case with Paolo Rivera as well. I took one look at the guy’s work, and immediately spotted a J.C. Leyendecker vibe going on in his paintings, which was good enough for me (I’ve been an huge admirer of Leyendecker since my days in art school). He’s got as close to a classic style as I’ve seen in comics in a long while. But don’t take my word for it; check out the free preview of our latest Modern Master HERE.

I usually try to keep this focused on comics, but this one hits close to home.

In 2012, my good friend’s brother was murdered senselessly on the streets of New York. You probably saw it on the national news, so I won’t go into all the details out of respect for their privacy. But I did see firsthand some of what he and his family had to go through, seeing horrific images of their loved one on the news, and all over the Internet.

His brother has started a petition on MoveOn.org, in hopes of getting those violent images of his murdered brother removed from the web, so he and his children (and others in the same situation) don’t have that constant reminder of this horrible event.

I hope you’ll consider going to THIS LINK, and signing the petition.

JAN. 30 UPDATE: While I still think this is a very worthwhile petition, shortly after I signed it myself, I started getting emails from MoveOn.org asking me to sign other petitions and to support other causes. While I may support some of those, I unsubscribed so I wouldn’t be getting my email box filled with unsolicited mail. Just wanted readers to know about this, so you can make an informed decision on whether or not to sign this.

For one week only, we’re offering our customers 50% OFF ALL BOOKS ON COMICS HISTORY! Plus, when you order the discounted print edition, you get the digital edition FREE where available. This includes:

• Our groundbreaking American Comic Book Chronicles history series

• Our acclaimed Companion books, on fan-favorite series and characters

• ALTER EGO collections, and more!

(The sale ends at midnight EST on February 1, and does not include subscriptions, digital editions, new releases, or upcoming items.)

Happy reading and research from TwoMorrows!

Shipping today from TwoMorrows (did you catch that?), is Back Issue #78, which editor Michael Eury has dubbed the “WEIRD” issue. It features Batman’s weirdest team-ups, House of Mystery, Weird War, Steve Ditko’s SHADE and STALKER, and more odd, strange, and mysterious comics history fun! You can see a free preview and order it HERE.

Between our big 50% off sale in November, and three new pubs shipping this week (and about 5 more going to press before year’s end), it’s been a hectic couple of months around TwoMorrows HQ! But we wrapping up getting all the copies of these three beauties out before we close for the holidays next week:

ALTER EGO #130 (special FCA holiday theme issue)

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #64 (on Kirby’s war experiences and Super-soldiers)

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #6: SWAMPMEN! (the long-awaited super-size BOOK we first announced over a decade ago is finally out)

and

OUR NEW 2015 CATALOG!

You can order and see previews of each one at the links above. And a free copy of our new catalog will be included in ALL these issues, plus the next issue of BACK ISSUE and DRAW when they ship in the next two months. So immerse yourself in all the TwoMorrows goodness that’s waiting for you as we enter a brand new year!

Just in time for the holidays, BrickJournal #32 is shipping from us. We’ve also got a special display in select Barnes & Noble stores all this month, giving the mag even more exposure in December. So if you or someone you know is a LEGO fanatic, check out the free preview and order a copy HERE.

And we’re currently offering two incredible deals, through the end of December only:

• 1 year (6 issue) subscriptions to BrickJournal are at their lowest price ever—only $42 (regularly $50, so it’s like getting one issue free), available by CLICKING HERE.

• All BrickJournal back issues are only $5 each, so stock up now at THIS LINK.

Yep, it’s the holiday season once again, and we’re offering our customers 50% off all comics-related books and magazines! The sale runs through December 1, but a word of warning: we WILL get behind on shipping by the end of November due to this sale. So order as early as possible.

AND: You can download our interactive 2015 CATALOG (in PDF format) at this link!

The sale is for in-stock PRINT books and magazines only. Digital editions, subscriptions, and bundles are not included.

Editor Michael Eury takes us back to the days when comics were fun (remember those?) in Back Issue #77, which ships this week. Stuff like Plastic Man, Blue Devil, Star Comics, normalman, goofy Superman stories of the Bronze Age, and more are spotlighted, in an issue that’s sure to make even the most jaded comics fan smile. You can find it here.