Responses to Marvel Action Spider-Man

They've been great so far!

I'll share this review, which calls us "the first hit of the Marvel Action line"

CLICK TO: Marvel Action Spider-Man #4 @ Comiccon.com

And there are still two issues to go! Christopher Jones, Zac Atkinson and I have had a blast playing in the Marvel sandbox.

We've shown J. Jonah Jameson, The Looter, Kraven the Hunter and his twin children so far -- and you ain't seen nothin' yet!

The book isn't available digitally, so you'll have to go to your friendly neighborhood comic shop to pick it up. If, like me, you don't have one, check out online merchants, such as the DCBS!

Or -- you could click here to preorder the collected edition!

Either way, I hope you give it a look -- and let us know what you think!

MARVEL ACTION: SPIDER-MAN

In the current DIAMOND PREVIEWS catalog for books shipping in February, you'll see a listing for IDW's Marvel Action: Spider-Man #4.

...And I'm writing it. (5 and 6, too!)

I couldn't be more excited to finally put some words in the mouth of the webslinger, and hope you'll all order a copy. (Because... I mean, I want to do more!)

Art is by the phenomenal Christopher Jones, who is drawing in a similar style to what he used for the Young Justice comic book -- so the art is gonna be worth the price of admission!

Hope you'll join us for the ride in February...

GHOSTBUSTERS WORLD!

The AR game I helped write, GHOSTBUSTERS WORLD is now available on the iPhone and Android app stores!

Bust ghosts!

Fight with those ghosts!

Enjoy the story mode!

GO DO IT NOW!

(Hope you enjoy it!)

Something Savage This Way Comes

Available for order RIGHT NOW and on sale May 02 is SAVAGE TALES: VAMPIRELLA, a fun little one-shot I wrote throwing everyone's favorite space vampire against straight up barbarians in a pulp fantasy world.

The art is by Anthony Marques and J.Bone with color by Chris O'Halloran -- it's old school and I hope you'll all consider grabbing a copy for yourselves, physically or digitally.

Here's a peek at the cover at the first (uncolored) page!

Cover art by Robert Hack

Art by Anthony Marques and J. Bone

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As I write this, 2017 is not much longer for the world

As a year, it has brought happiness and pain, more of one than the other for some, but for most of us, an even mix of each.

My (long) recap follows the break!

Guess Who Has A Newsletter

That's right!

I'm jumping back to 1997 and starting up an email newsletter.

Why? Well.

I love social media, but sometimes the algorithms of the facebooks of the world -- or the churn of the twitters -- has obscured my missives to folks who want to know when work is coming, or where I'll be appearing... I can't tell you how many times I've heard "this miniseries is happening? When is it coming out?" after a month of promoting.

Things fall through the cracks.

I don't plan on giving up social media by any means, but I do want folks who are interested in me and my work to not miss out on stuff... and it's a busy world; missing out is easy.

Thus the list.

How often will it be coming out? That'll change on my workload. Expect it no less than once a month, and no more than once a week. I don't want to inundate anyone.

What will it include? Release dates, preorder numbers, interviews (links to some asking me questions, and me interviewing others), signing and convention appearances, and the occasional thoughts on pop culture (which is where I make my living!)

Again, I don't want to inundate anyone.

So look to this space (and all the old usual spots, too) for news on books, comics, appearances, a patreon, and more.

SPEAKING OF BOOKS...

Up for preorder right now is the Ghostbusters annual 2018! 

Art by Dan Schoening/Luis Antonio Delgado

When urban miners discover what appears to be a centuries-old, man-made chamber 600 feet below the streets of New York City, they unwittingly unleash an unnamed entity with designs on dominance... an entity that will soon answer to the name SAMHAIN. Join the original Ghostbusters in this double-sized annual that will also sow the seeds for Crossing Over!

Here's the preorder code you'll need to bring to any shop -- brick and mortar or online -- to get the right comic:

DEC170466

And please, folks, if you have a pull list or order at a comic shop, pick up your books and pay for them! These shops operate on razor-thin margins, and that can mean a LOT.




Coincidentally, you've just read my first newsletter. If you'd like to sign up for more, just put your email into the sign up form to the right!

That said, I'm off to enjoy me some Christmas. I hope everyone has the best possible new year in front of them; I'll talk to you all in January 2018!

--Erik

EDIT -- For those looking at this on a mobile version of the site, the newsletter signup is at this link: SIGN UP FOR ERIK'S NEWSLETTER!

It's a Blog! Con announcement, Star Wars, and a happy holiday to you all!

• First up!It's not my first appearance of the year chronologically, but it's the first one to be announced!
  
  In June, I'll be down in the gulf coast of the Sunshine State -- Fort Myers, Florida -- for Space Con! Should be a fun time for geeks of all stripes. Here's where you can dig up some info on that:

SWFL SpaceCon!

• Second off, some non-spoilery talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi.Holy cow.
  
  I haven't seen so much fan divisiveness (of a critically praised movie) in a loooooong time. There's plenty to unpack with that, but in all honesty... I loved it.
  
  I loved that it wasn't quite the A-B-C of a hero's journey. I loved that it didn't give is all the same things, simply packaged in a different way.
  
  And I loved the voice Rian Johnson brought to it. I loved the humor, and I loved (this could be me being an Indiana Jones fan over and above a Star Wars fan) that there was so much more about how the characters -- hero and villain -- coped with failures. 
  
  Some of these failures were big, some small (not limited to death, indignity, misunderstandings, insults, failure to act on an impulse, and perhaps largest of all, for many of the characters, failure to be what you expect of yourself.)
  
  That resonated with me. In fact, I can't overstate how much I connect with that.
  
  I do expect enough was left vague for JJ Abrams to pivot the story back to grand high mythology, but if I'm being honest, this is a Star Wars movie I connected to in ways I didn't expect. I know Mark Hamill was disappointed in Luke's storyline. I know fans are mad because it didn't follow the feel of TFA.
  
  And without a doubt, I would've done things differently.
  
  But -- even with the longer running time -- I loved this flick.
  
• Okay, last but not least...
  It's the end of the year, and 2017 has been one tough cookie in so many, so VERY many ways. Political incompetence and infighting, natural disasters, conspiracies, illness, and darkness in the human spirit on display.
  
  I'm kind of cynical, but I still believe there is better coming, and that's because I fundamentally believe, despite my grousing, that there is better in us.
  
  So here at the end of 2017, I want to wish all of you a 2018 that is so great, we're not ready for it to be over twelve months from now. I wish you health and happiness. I hope to see some of you at conventions or signings or elsewhere, and to laugh about the good we've seen recently.
  
  And of course, I hope my work will continue to entertain some of you when the good is otherwise hard to spot.
  
  Thanks for being here, there, and everywhere.
  
  And Happy Holidays!

--Erik

New Project: Pitching in on RED SONJA

I'll be helping out on Amy Chu and Carlos Gomez' RED SONJA series over at Dynamite, scripting issues 12-16.

There's plenty of craziness in Amy's story, and Carlos is killing it on art.

#12 should be out pretty soon, but in the meantime, here's a short interview about it!

• Erik Burnham pitches in on RED SONJA 

DragonCon, TMNT/GB II, a Kickstarter, and more!

Had a great time at the craziest con in existence with my Ghostbusters parter-in-crime Dan Schoening. We were busy sketching and chatting and signing all four days -- talk about a whirlwind.

As always, I saw some of the most incredible cosplay, and I got to chat with a LOT of Ghostheads.

....And thankfully, being on the fourth floor of the hotel, I was also able to take the stairs instead of waiting for the perpetually clogged elevator.

I wish I had been able to explore a little bit more, but that's the price you pay for having a lot of readers in one place. Fair trade.

...I did get, at least, to hang out with the incomparable Wilfredo Torres for a bit. He's got a lot of big things coming up this year, which is good news for fans of great art.

Anyway, it was an exhausting and fun weekend -- but I've just about recovered. And none too soon! I have some more scripts to write... news on that soon.

Meantime, there's a few other things to talk about.....

• First: make sure you pre-order TMNT / GHOSTBUSTERS II: THE STORY WITHOUT A SUBTITLE! Time is running out for that!
  
  It's a five-issue weekly series coming out this November, and it features art by Dan Schoening, Pablo Tunica, Mark Torres, Tadd Galusha, Charles Paul Wilson III, and color from Luis Antonio Delgado!
  
  (Expect the unexpected!!)PREORDER NOW!!! These are the codes you need -- remember, this is a weekly book! Don't miss out on the adventure!
  
  ISSUE 01: SEP170484
  ISSUE 02: SEP170489
  ISSUE 03: SEP170492
  ISSUE 04: SEP170495
  ISSUE 05: SEP170498
  
  If you don't have a local comic book store (like me) check out DCBS, GMart, or TFAW -- they can hook you up!

• Second, my good friend Scott McCullar has just launched a Kickstarter for his THRILL SEEKER COMICS. This was his pulp-fueled pastiche that debuted in the Shooting Star Comics Anthology back in 2002 -- the same book that launched my career in comics.
  
  Scott has 128 pages of nazi-punching pulp here, much of which was in the six issue run of the Shooting Star anthology, but some of which is BRAND NEW to this edition. And it's all gone from black and white to glorious color.
  
  Not to mention, one of the stories was guest-written by me.
  
  Scott's almost 1/3 of the way to goal as of this posting... go on over and check out his wares:
  
  Click here to check out the THRILL SEEKER COMICS Kickstarter!

• Last bit of business -- I'll be at the MCBA FallCon on Saturday, October 7. I hope to get my brother down there with me to share copies of his first Inner Child collection -- he's kept a daily schedule on that strip for over a YEAR now, and that's no small feat as he also has a full time job and a girlfriend who's always on the go. (Seriously, she marathons like a madwoman.) Come show your support -- or visit the strip at www.innerchildcomic.com!

All right, that should be it. I may have some more news soon -- and when I can share, I'll share it here.

Thanks, everyone!

--Erik

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON LOOMS! Here's my schedule......!

THURSDAY

• Ghostbusters 101 — A Ghostbusters Panel of Biblical Proportions!Thursday , 7/20/17, 10:15a.m. – 11:15a.m., Room: 6DEJoin Ghostbusters co-creator Ivan Reitman and the IDW Ghostbusters brain trust of Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Tom Waltz, as they discuss the long-running, critically acclaimed, and fan-adored Ghostbusters franchise, including everything from the classic original movies to the long-running comic book history at IDW Publishing… as well as future plans for major events from Ghost Corps that will add to the beloved brand’s canon, bringing the different Ghostbusters worlds together like never before! Be there… or be slimed!
  
• IDW BOOTH SIGNING: 12:00 - 1:00PM
  Ghostbusters signing at the IDW booth with me, Tom Waltz, Dan Schoening, and Ivan Reitman! (It's a ticketed signing, owing to Mr. Reitman, so get your ticket early to get him to sign your GB stuff!)

FRIDAY

• IDW BOOTH SIGNING 5:00 - 6:00PM
  Ghostbusters signing at the IDW booth with me, Tom Waltz, and Dan Schoening! No tickets required for this one, but rumor has it Tom will be offering free hugs.

SATURDAY

• TMNT: Summer of the Turtles IDW panelSaturday, 7/22/17, 11:30a.m. – 12:30p.m., Room: 24ABCJoin TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, writers Tom Waltz, Erik Burnham, Aubrey Sitterson, Ulises Farinas, Erick Freitas, and special guest Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai as they discuss the events of IDW’s biggest summer of TMNT publishing ever! Moderated by Editor Bobby Curnow.

HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2017!

It's a lot like Free Comic Book Day -- but for Halloween!

Free comics, folks!

And this year, a book I worked on is in the mix. Ghostbusters v.2 #10 -- the Dia de los Muertos issue of the Happy Horror Days arc!

Check it out -- for free! -- this October for Halloween Comicfest. And while you're picking up the freebies at your local comic book store, SPEND SOME CASH! Find some great books, and enjoy the day.

The full list of Comic Fest books can be found at this link!

OMG MAY! Such a busy, busy time! APPEARANCES!

I'm gonna be all over in May, folks!

First, there's Free Comic Book Day, and I'll be signing from 11am until, well, at least 2, but I won't leave anyone hanging if they need a signature on a book!

I left out the "where," didn't I? I'm coming to Burbank, California! (That's like Los Angeles' cool hat!) Come see me at:

THE PERKY NERD

I'll sign! Chat! High five! Maybe I'll even sketch some. We'll see if they let me. (:

The week after? I'll be in Sioux Falls, SD for SIOUXPERCON 2017!

SIOUXPERCON -- Click that link to get your tickets now! There's even gonna be a pre-con dinner on Friday. Come, hang with the pros. Break bread and chat!

The week after that, I'll be hitting my home state show, the MSP COMIC CON!

It's a packed May with a lot of travel and a lot of fun.

COME SAY HI!

--Erik

Ghostbusters 101 #1 gets a second printing.....

Courtesy IDW Publishing

....And the 2nd Printing cover is something I did!

This is the "title card" we've been using inside the book... but it's an honor to join the ranks of the fantastic cover artists 101 has had (Dan Schoening, Tim Lattie, Erica Henderson...)

Thanks for the continued support on Ghostbusters, folks!

ROB CON III: One Signing To Rule Them All

It's time for another trip down to the always awesome Limited Edition Comics in Cedar Falls, Iowa!

It's always great to see Rob and his crew, and this store is one of my very favorite in the country.

This signing and sketching extravaganza takes place ALL DAY on Saturday, April 1st, and will feature not just me -- but superstar pals (and artists extraordinaire) Tom Nguyen and Brent Schoonover!

All the relevant details are here:

ROBCON!

All three of us will be doing sketches at the con, and yes, I'll be taking a few requests in advance. Details at the link. Drop me a line early if you want a sketch for sure -- otherwise, it'll be first come first served!

KONG: SKULL ISLAND -- A Quick Review

Warner Bros./Legendary

Look, to get this out of the way... look at the poster. They're not even being subtle about the fact that they wanted to blend in as many nods to Apocalypse Now as possible to this film.

Also, the helicopters, formation of the soldiers, and Kong himself form the shape of a skull, don't they?

You're subtle, marketing department. You all get a cookie.

Now, as a fan of the 1930s original, what did I think?

Is this Kong a king?

My rambling thoughts after the ol' break, to protect the sensitive to spoilers.

LOGAN -- A review.

20th Century Fox

So I ventured out into the cold and windy afternoon (that turned into a cold, windy, and snowy night!) to catch a screening of LOGAN, Hugh Jackman's swan song as the titular character (otherwise known as Wolverine.)

Jackman took over the part, starting in 2000's X-MEN, from Dougray Scott -- getting to the movie after production had started...

...And he's shown up in every X-Men film since (if you include his non-appearance in Deadpool) and starred in three solo Wolverine films.

Jackman's made this part his own over 17 years, and this is the way he chose to say goodbye.

I'd heard so many wonderful things about it (including the typical spoilers) before I got a chance to see it, so I may have watched for things to be critical about.

And what did I think? I admit, my thoughts here may be a bit of a meandering journey... but I think that could be appropriate here...

A Dynamite Kind of May -- with KISS and Red Sonja!

Courtesy Dynamite. Cover by Yildiray Cinar. 

Just recently announced, I'll have two extra-sized one-shots coming out from Dynamite in May 2017!

The first one is KISS: FOREVER, with art by Daniel HDR.

We take a look at four different historical eras, and place one of the KISS avatars in each, interacting with the people of that time!

The Catman shows up in the stone age, the Demon shows up shortly before Rome burns during Nero's reign, there's a Caribbean pirate pastiche with the Starman, and a near-silent Spaceman story set during that period of time where NASA was sending men to the moon!

I hope you'll all find the mix of stories and settings as much fun as I did while working on it!

PREVIEWS order code is MAR171686! 

Courtest Dynamite. Cover by Moritat.

The second one-shot is RED SONJA: THE LONG WALK TO OBLIVION.

If you've read Red Sonja #0, you know that Sonja was fighting a demon in the land of Meru before being blasted into another time and place -- and this book takes place right before, leading Sonja to Meru and the demon she battles at the beginning of #0!

This story features a lot of good old fashioned warrior fun -- including a good reason not to get nosy with Sonja, a flying monster, a bands of mercenary scum looking for revenge... and lots of Sonja showing folks the bloody business end of her favorite sword.

Honestly, the story could be about anything and still be awesome, since this book features art by comics legend Tom Mandrake!

To order, just give your favorite comic shop this order number: MAR171686



Red Sonja and KISS were a whole lot of fun to work on -- a bit of a departure into pulp fantasy for me, and I had a blast working on them. So much of a blast, in fact, I'm looking forward to a chance to jump back into these genres again soon!

Look forward to hearing your thoughts, folks!

(Let me amend that. I look forward to hearing your good and happy thoughts!)

--Erik

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 2 - A Quick Review

LionsGate

So last night, struggling with the plot for a project, I decided to just head out and see an unapologetic action film, the sequel to a movie I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

The original John Wick was the story of a heartbroken man with a borderline supernatural talent for killing people. He was trying to avoid using those skills, until a fool steals his car and shoots his puppy.

The next hour and change where Keanu Reeves, as John Wick, shoots about 80 people in the face... well, it's justified.

They killed his puppy.

Totally justified.

But the revenge was had, the villains killed, the story ended.

And then, it became a hit. (On to Wick 2, after the break!)

How I Got To This Point As A Writer, A Repost From Tumblr

About four years ago, I wrote three posts on Tumblr about my writing journey from folded over minicomics in 1989 to my pro-writing of an ongoing comic in 2011.

I re-present them here, after the break!

NEW TODAY: O2/01/2017 GHOSTBUSTERS-A-GO-GO!

Out today! Ghostbusters International, vol. 2 -- this collects issues #6-11, with art by Dan Schoening, Rachael Stott, Erik Evensen, and colors by Luis Antonio Delgado.

It starts with a trip to Puerto Rico with Egon Spengler, Kylie Griffin, and Special Agent Melanie Ortiz -- and continues to span the world -- and the pits of hell -- in the story of the Ghostbusters vs. a rogue Scandinavian warlock!

Finish the maxiseries with this hefty tome (and get all of the Haunted America files illustrated by Corin Howell, too!

Hit your friendly neighborhood comic book store today, or, if you don't have one, CLICK HERE to order it now from Amazon!

Also available, the 2017 Ghostbusters Annual! This one contains several

short stories, all written by me, all colored by Luis Antonio Delgado, and drawn by a murderer's row of talent! The stories include:

• Where Winston Was (art by Dan Schoening): Find out where Winston was while his colleagues were being sued for tearing up the streets of NYC during the events of Ghostbusters 2!
• Haunted America (art by Corin Howell): Join Mel Ortiz on a creepy case in the American heartland! Evil in Iowa, and an assist from Peter Venkman and Kylie Griffin!
• Second City Ghostbusters (art by Erik Evensen): The Chicago Ghostbusters (Rookie, Ron Alexander, Lou Kamaka, and Dani Shpak) investigate a haunting at a high-end hotel!
• A Prelude to 101 (art by Rachael Stott): Meet Janine's niece Cait Banner and her friends, Zoe Zawadzki & Evan Torres... they have a problem with a ghost and borrow a trap to take care of it. Nothing could go wrong, right?
• The Origins of the Green Ghost? (art by Dan Schoening): Ray, Egon, and Kylie posit their theories as to just where the green ghost fans know as Slimer might have come from -- the answer may surprise you!
• Pagan's Bust (art by Tim Lattie): A vignette about Kylie Griffin's pet cat and a messy apartment!

Again, check out your local comic shop to get a copy now, or CLICK HERE to order from Amazon!

And don't forget, Dan, Luis, and I return to Ghostbusting duty in March with GHOSTBUSTERS 101 -- pre-order issues #1 and #2 now from any comic shop or digitally via comixology!

Thanks, folks!!

-Erik