Table of Contents
Welcome Back
Project Updates
Event Updates
Main Story
Release Info & Updates
Welcome Back
The feedback last week was pretty clear. The readers of this newsletter prefer fewer, but longer, emails and podcast recordings from me. I’m happy to oblige. One deadline is better than multiple, so the 75% of you have done me a favour.
With that in mind, I’ve made some changes to make the Table of Contents break things up and make them more readable. It’ll make the longer post easier to navigate, or return to if you don’t get through it in one sitting.
Let me know if there’s anything I should include, or exclude, in these posts going forward.
It’s a holiday up here in the Great White North. I’m stuffed with turkey and ready to give thanks to a whole list of folks, but I’d like to thank you, dear reader, most of all.
I’ve been lucky to have a pretty good open rate, about 35%, with over 1550 subscribers and growing every day. It means a lot to me that, even with the number of topics I’ve covered and jumped around with, you find value in this newsletter.
Truly and honestly: thanks for being here.
I’m going to do my best to keep you entertained and informed, all while continuing to be my oversharing and transparent self.
Project Updates
21 Days until Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1
In just 21 days, the next Kickstarter from Pesto Comics will be live. It’s something entirely different than what we’ve done before. A collection of prose short stories from a number of incredible authors.
I spent my spring and summer reading through hundreds of entries and narrowed it down to just over 40. That’ll be about 500 pages in a pocketbook paperback format - which evokes the pulp era perfectly. Just like these stories do.
I can’t wait for you to read them.
Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 will be on Kickstarter starting November 6th.
I’ll have more to share next week.
You Can Follow Naked Kaiju Woman, I Swear
I made the amateur mistake last week of putting the wrong hyperlink to the prelaunch for Naked Kaiju Woman. I apologize to the dozen of you who tried to follow and were brought to a log-in and error screen. I’ve fixed that this week.
In case you missed my update, this book is fully inked by Rafael. JP has confirmed it should be fully coloured well before the launch date. This is 32 pages of NSFW, Kaiju Mayhem — but with a lot of heart.
I’ve always enjoyed writing strong female leads and our lead, Claire, is no different. I can’t wait for you to meet her.
(Oh, and bonus points for anyone who gets the reference with the cover by Rafael.)
Naked Kaiju Woman launches in 84 days on January 8th, 2025.
Event Updates
Comics in the Brewery: Wayside Creator Con
Just under two weeks until I’m at my last Canadian show of 2024. This one is going to be a lot of fun. It’s the first I’ll have been to in a brewery!
I’ve seen this flyer on the socials of so many creators I really do admire. It’s quite the lineup and I’m honoured to be amongst them.
‘Crowdfunding Indie Comics’ Workshop at Thought Bubble
I’ve been excited for Thought Bubble for months. I’ve also been a little nervous. The rules about foreigners selling things to the public are pretty strict, so I thought I might be at Thought Bubble just to shake hands and hand out some freebies.
Turns out I’ll have even more to offer:
If you saw my presentation at TCAF, you know I can be pretty thorough with these. I’m looking forward to working with everyone across the pond to get your comics funded on Kickstarter and beyond!
Main Story
Same, But Different
FOX29 was the go-to network in my house growing up in Brampton, Ontario. A lot of the shows we loved would air on there from our neighbouring Buffalo, New York. It was always a little bit weird when Thanksgiving episodes of our favourite shows would air weeks after our turkey leftovers have been devoured.
Seeing Christmas decorations at Thanksgiving celebrations, rather than Halloween skeletons and witches abound, was always a strange sight. I eventually realized that “Canadian Thanksgiving” happened at an entirely different time.
It’s one of the few holidays that our countries don’t share. Victoria Day, a week before Memorial Day, being another one. Otherwise, even if the names for the days don’t always match up (See: Remembrance Day / Veteran’s Day), the concept is usually the same.
Our Thanksgiving celebrations might be very similar. Inappropriate family arguments, too much turkey and stuffing for all, pumpkin pie and food comas. However, it’s a totally different feeling going to celebrations, while the leaves are just starting to turn, from what we see on TV.
Happy to Be Here
I’m a loud and proud Canadian. I mention it too often, whether or not I’m asked. It means a lot to me to be in a country that has afforded me so many opportunities. A country where, growing up Italian, it was encouraged not only to appreciate your family heritage, but to share it with everyone.
And, with everyone else doing the same, getting to experience a little bit of the world without having to stray very far from your front door. This year alone, we had French pastries, Portuguese potatoes and rice, “Canadian” coffee (which is just what Italians in Canada call drip coffee) and more. It’s not just European-centric foods and customs we’re exposed to either.
The city where my parents live, and where I grew up, is heavily South Asian. My freezer is regularly stocked with Jamaican beef patties. Throw a rock and you’ll hit a sushi restaurant, or a Thai restaurant, or an Italian bakery. It’s hard to get bored when you have the world to choose from.
Strolling through Toronto, you can find nearly every kind of food. And, unlike a place like New York, it’s not that far removed from the real thing. Most of the people who have come here from abroad haven’t been here long. The traditions are still strongly held and it shows up on your plate.
Not Just Food
Though you can insulate yourself with your own culture, it’s a lot of fun meeting folks from outside of it. It’s easier to empathize with people when you learn that, even though you may have some differences, most want the same things. Somewhere safe to live. Good friends. Happy families and fun things to entertain themselves with.
It’s made working in comics a lot of fun too. Everyone is coming from somewhere completely different, bringing entirely different angles to how to approach this business. I’ve been learning so much in talking to people at conventions here. It’s been one of my favourite takeaways.
Specifically…
Living here, in Toronto, has afforded me with a pretty good dayjob. This city the economic engine of the country. I’ve been able to get a job that has been pretty fulfilling, working at the largest hospital network in the country.
I’ve learned a ton, advancing up the corporate ladder while doing so. I’ve found my place where I’ve been able to carve out my corner of specialization. It’s a skill that few others have.
Living in a country where running a hospital is less about profit than sustainability, I’ve been able to grow while knowing I’d have some stability in doing so. Having that secure footing allows me to branch out in comics, doing things a little faster than may seem reasonable or advisable, knowing that I have the safety-net of a corporate job to keep me afloat.
I don’t know that I’d have a similar opportunity elsewhere in the world, or even the country or province.
It’s Not All Perfect
Housing has been a problem for the country, in general. Yes, all of the Western world has been feeling the pinch, but none like Toronto and long-suffering Vancouver. Getting a home here is a pipe-dream - and yet, thanks to my frugal wife (and even more frugal in-laws), we managed to get our own piece of semi-detached paradise.
We’d love something bigger. Something closer to the lake. Something with a garage, but I’m thankful for being able to get anything at all. I’m thankful for where it is - just a short 15 minute train-ride into the core of the city. I’m thankful it’s a nice house for us to make a home in.
Life is Short
It’s a morbid thought, but it’s true.
I’m thankful I’ve lasted as long as I have. That I’ve been, generally, healthy.
I’m thankful I’ve been resilient enough to take the leap into comics without fear of what could go wrong. To finally do the thing that I’ve been dreaming I’d do one day, without really doing it until a couple of years ago.
I’m thankful to have the support of my friends. A handful of which support every campaign I’ve put out there. That have shared these projects like its their own. That have offered their kind words of support that keeps me fueled to keep going.
I’m thankful for my family. My wife who supports me even though she wouldn’t read a comic if I paid her to. My brother who has been my sounding board for years and continues to support every campaign and more. My parents who inspired me to take the leap with their own courage in all their endeavours.
And, I can never say it enough, but I’m thankful for you being here. For reading (or listening) to what I have to say week in, week out. I’m just a dude, in his basement in South Etobicoke, trying to make it in funny books. The fact that you take time out of your day to spend it with me means the world. I’m forever grateful.
Thank you for being you.
Until next Wednesday…
Release Info & Updates
Upcoming on Substack
October 23
It’s Okay to Start Over
When it comes to your favourite IP
October 30
Con Journal: A New Market in Newmarket
Tabling at the inaugural Wayside Creator's Con
November 6
Don't Skimp on the Pulp
(Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 Launches!)
Why I admire the pulp era and how it influences my work
Upcoming Conventions
Pesto Comics Release Calendar
Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast
What I'm Thankful For