If there is a hill that I would die on it's that comics don't have to be dark and grim to be taken seriously.

Another dark superhero universe. Yay. Just what I wanted.

New Maggie video! New Maggie video!! NEW MAGGIE VIDEOOOOO!!!

Just a reminder, I'm going to be talking about THE OCTOBER GIRL Book Two a LOT in the next couple of weeks leading up to its release on May 26th, but AMELIA SHADOWS AND THE NEW HEAD GHOST is still out there and I'd really love people to pick it up so I can do a million more books in the series.

Making Comics Monday: Step-by-step process for a page from last week’s Destiny Walker chapter, now up on my Patreon — www.patreon.com/matthewdowsmith Layouts Roughs Inks Colors #DestinyWalker #LibraryOfDoooom #PatreonComics #KidsComics

THE OCTOBER GIRL Book Two. May 26th. From me and @maverickogn.bsky.social.

There has been a little mini-flurry of reviews for AMELIA SHADOWS AND THE NEW HEAD GHOST in the last couple of days on sites like NetGalley and GoodReads, and while they have all been very positive which makes me incredibly happy, this is probably my favorite so far --

Rest in peace, Koji Suzuki. You made the world a larger, more terrifying place. And if you've never read the actual Ring books, I highly recommend that you do. They are not what you expect them to be. They are even more interesting (and challenging) than that, in my opinion.

There is a huge difference between "I want to make comics" and "I want to have made a comic that everyone loves and praises me for and gets turned into a movie and makes me a famous person with lots of money".

As part of my “I’m 55 and I should probably try to be more an actual grown up” push I now have a couple of plants in my office at home and I suddenly find myself talking to them like a totally normal adult type person.

Finally got a chance to finish Agatha Christie's THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS, which is Christie in full romantic adventure with a little murder mode with just massive amounts of casual racism and xenophobia. It would be favorite Christie if not for, again, the insane amounts of racism and xenophobia.

Changed part of a sequence in the latest book I can't talk about at my editor's request and now it's kinda my favorite moment in the whole book. No one go telling her, please.

You at the start of making your graphic novel vs at you at the end of making your graphic novel. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Watching one of my favorite Trek and WHO YouTubers go through a very intense round of "You only have this job because you're hot" because she got annoyed with people always commenting on her looks and body and asking her to start an OnlyFans is just incredibly sad. People can be so gross.

Still time to donate to my close personal (online) friend @maggiemaefish.bsky.social's new short film!

Pretty much my favorite band right now, so they've got MY vote.

Is there a hero shot of the librarian in the new Destiny Walker, Freelance Witch story? You bet your book loving butt there is. #DontMessWithLibrarians #DestinyWalker #LibraryOfDooom

Shop Talk: I'm starting to seriously consider pitching more projects as just a writer in the direct market and kids comics spaces next year when my current projects wrap up.

I LOOOOATHE all things Meta, but I would love it if BlueSky had something like Facebook's birthday alert function. I want to know when people's birthdays are. And there's no way I'm ever remembering them on my own. It's one of my biggest ADHD things. I am TERRIBLE at remembering birthdays.

THE OCTOBER GIRL Book Two. May 26th. From me and @maverickogn.bsky.social .

A sad day. A very sad day.

Julie is so cool. In an unhinged sort of way. Which is also very cool. And she gives really helpful advice about navigating Hollywood.

Working Wednesday: Inking and coloring pages for a project I can't talk about yet and then working on this week's chapter of DESTINY WALKER, FREELANCE WITCH for my Patreon while listening to some Goon Show episodes.

EVERYBODY BUY THE NEW GALAXY BOOK SO WE CAN GET ANOTHER ONE, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!!!

HOW DID I NOT KNOW UNTIL JUST NOW THAT THE COMPOSER OF THE INCIDENTAL MUSIC FOR THE GOON SHOW WAS A TRANS WOMAN AND THAT SHE WAS AWESOOOOME?!?!?! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_...

Between the brutal marketplace, the shrinking publishing industry, and the baked in lack of respect for the arts, every writer and artist you know thinks they must suck at this, whatever their "this" is. Always a good time to use social media for some good and remind them how awesome they are.

Well, that’s MY night sorted, courtesy of @marthawells.com and @greedyreads.bsky.social Fells Point. Provided I get through today’s batch of pages. Which I will. By hook or by crook.

And if there aren't already enough awesome new releases today, my friend @mustachebabs.com's TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE adaptation lands on shelves today, too! All my friends have all the cool things coming out today!

Also out today!!! The Galaxy team returns for GALAXY: AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN!!! SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE!!! Huge congratulations to everyone behind making this happen!

Fellow DC Kids creator person @brandontsnider.bsky.social has a new book out today from, you guessed it, the DC Kids line! And it looks delightful. Some FANTASTIC art by @comickergirl.bsky.social!

One of my little ADHD brain hacks as a comics creator is to always leave something half-finished at the end of the day so I have something to finish the next morning and get the ball rolling again. Down to, like, stopping in the middle of inking a big monster.

I love my job. #WorkInProgress #YAGraphicNovels #SecretThings

Happy Star Wars Day! #MayTheFourthBeWithYouL

Making Comics Monday: Step-by-step process for a page from last week’s Destiny Walker chapter, now up on my Patreon — www.patreon.com/matthewdowsmith Layouts Roughs Inks Colors/Lettering #DestinyWalker #LibraryOfDoooom #PatreonComics #KidsComics

Books are the best weapon. #DestinyWalker #LibraryOfDoooom #WorkInProgress

This is just shockingly out of touch with the realities of the technology and of the educational needs of students, and smacks of the corruption at the heart of American politics.

If you missed it, Dan Christensen has finally joined BlueSky!

Did the professional author type person thing and put my new book on a shelf where people can see it whenever I do a Zoom. I feel like a real writer now.

THE OCTOBER GIRL Book Two. May 26th. From me and @maverickogn.bsky.social.

Going through the fourth Amelia Shadows book, AMELIA SHADOWS AND THE HALLOWEEN BEAST, to see if there's anything I want to change before it goes in for notes and I'm reminded that it's the first appearance of my favorite character in the whole series. No spoilers, but here's a pinkish-purple hint --

Genuinely, one of the most fun things about being a comic book creator is going to a comic shop and seeing all your friends books on display. It's just awesome. You get so excited for them.

About to sign allllll these copies of AMELIA SHADOWS AND THE NEW HEAD GHOST for @dreamersbmore.bsky.social on Free Comic Book Day!

Hire Joe! And if you don't have a project for him, I'll write a project for him. And make him draw all the things I don't want to draw in my own stories. Like cars. And motorcycles. And horses. And horses riding motorcycles*. *No horses riding motorcycles. I like Joe. And I'm not that cruel.

New Comic Book Friday: A brand new chapter of DESTINY WALKER, FREELANCE WITCH: The Library of Doooom is now up on my Patreon for all my paid subscribers! #DestinyWalker #LibraryOfDoooom #PatreonComics #KidsComics

I love my job. It's just so much fun. #DestinyWalker #LibraryOfDooom

One of the reasons I don't talk about politics very much on here is that there are far smarter people with far more knowledge and experience with these issues and who are far better talking about those issues than I could ever hope to be.

This. Do this. It will make life soooooo much easier for your colorist. And you want to make things easier for your colorist. They've got enough on their plate, already. I put all my SFX on separate layers even now when I'm coloring myself. It makes it all so much less complicated.

Art community! I desperately (time sensitive) need a graphic design artist for Logo/branding work for a NON PROFIT in comics. and I’m tired of digging through AI portfolios. Anyone have designer (non AI) recs that would work with a Foundation’s lower budget? Feel free to send questions/recs!

The third book in the AMELIA SHADOWS series is off to the printer and we're about to start getting book four ready to print! Which is to say, now is an excellent time to pick up the first book in the series, AMELIA SHADOWS AND THE NEW HEAD GHOST, so I can talk them into publishing book five.

THE OCTOBER GIRL Book Two. May 26th. From me and @maverickogn.bsky.social.