A Princely Dreadful: Dead Drop

The final issue of Dead Drop is out on comic shelves today, Valiant Entertainment's four-part mini-series written by Ales Kot, drawn by Yours Truly, and coloured by Mike Spicer, with outstanding covers by Raul Allen.

I completed my work on the book in late July, and at the time it felt anti-climatic. I'm not one to stand on ceremony, but for a project I'd been involved with since January 2015, the kind words exchanged in e-mails between the creative and editorial teams felt rather pat. Finishing the project was a new pinnacle for me professionally and I felt a desire to shake hands with my partners on the book, raise a glass in toast and commiserate on the journey we had taken together. But that's not how comics work. So we expressed our thanks and gratitude and congratulations when all our work was finished and instead of handshakes and drink I took my daughter out for lunch to celebrate. We went shopping, bought skateboards, goofed around. It was a beautiful day.

Now the book is out and I'm excited all over again. The finale I've waited for everyone to see is on shelves. Dead Drop has it's share of supporters and tough critics alike, but through it all I've felt nothing but positivity and appreciation for my efforts on the series.

In the time I spent working on this title, my life has changed in some very unexpected ways. Some very good, some pretty darn lousy. Through all those times I had my work on this book as my constant, the thing that kept me focused and moving forward. Now here I am, in a time and place I both worked hard to arrive at and yet feel unprepared for; awaiting the imminent birth of my second child and beginning my own ongoing series. It's surreal.

As I've said before, but cannot say enough, I'm grateful to my collaborators on Dead Drop: Ales Kot, Mike Spicer, Raul Allen, Kyle Andrukiewicz, and Warren Simons.

Thanks to Valiant Entertainment for bringing me into the fold and exposing my work to the world.

Thanks to all the die hard Valiant fans for strong support of my work and your honesty and your vocal demand for more. You guys are awesome, so I'm sharing some behind the scenes are just for you: