Shedding Some Light on 'Dark Honor'

This past Wednesday marked the release of DARK HONOR #2, the second in a five issue crime noir mini-series from Syzygy Publishing Image Comics.

What the hell is DARK HONOR?

I’m glad you asked! This series is a mob story set in New York City during the earliest and deadliest weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, back when my hometown was the epicenter of the crisis. DARK HONOR is an adaptation by me of a screenplay by my friends, Brian DeCubellis (pictured above, right) and K.S. Bruce, the filmmakers behind the fantastic thrillers, TRUST and MANHATTAN NIGHT.

The story follows Rain, the estranged daughter of the leader of a secret society of warriors known as The Hundred that have kept the peace in the New York underworld for decades. That peace is shattered by the arrival of two major threats - this dreaded disease and a scourge named Grigor, who proves even deadlier.

As someone who covered the early days of Covid-19 as a journalist for NBC News (I’m particularly proud of this article) and who reported out and wrote about the disease in comic form in AWA Studio’s COVID CHRONICLES, I was drawn to the opportunity to tell a fictional tale in that time and place.

Speaking of being “drawn” to the project: There’s a murders row of A-list artistic talent drawing this book: Fico Ossio (BLACK LIGHTNING) on issues 1 and 2, David Messina (ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN) on issue 3, Gabriel Guzman (DOCTOR APHRA: CHAOS AGENT) on issue 4, and Jamal Igle (THE WRONG EARTH) on the final issue. Colorist Raciel Avila and letterer JAME, a veteran of A HAUNTED GIRL, round out the ridiculously talented art team.

This series looks absolutely fantastic.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out this Inside Hook article.

Missed the story thus far? Don’t worry! You can still get the first two issues at your local comic shop or online. But please consider jumping onboard now. Let your neighborhood store know that you would like a copy of the upcoming Issue #3 by FOC on Monday.

What the hell is “FOC”?

I’m glad you asked! (Or, wait, was that the voice in my head?) Here goes: The way the comic book retailers determine how much of a book to order is by trying to estimate demand. So having customers tell them in advance that they will buy a copy before final order cutoff - the date that’s the last chance to order copies before the deadline to send the comic to the printer. The publisher then uses the number of orders to determine the number of comics that will be printed, with a little extra wriggle room if there’s an increase in future demand.

So please consider letting your local comic shop know by Monday that you’d like to reserve a copy of Issue #3.  

Attache ta tuque! I’m heading to Comiccon de Montréal

Those who know me personally are aware of my deep connection to Montreal, the French Canadian city that I consider my second home.

I went to university there. My daughter goes to university there. Some of my dearest and oldest friends continue to hunt (for bagels) and gather there. It’s a beautiful combination of European aesthetics and North American energy. Montreal is one of the great foodie cities on Earth. There’s a world famous jazz festival during the summer. Plus there are all sorts of wonderful places to visit, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where you can show off your cultural bearing like I often do:

Next weekend, however, may be the best time of the year to visit.

Why? Because I’ll be a guest at Comiccon de Montréal!

Running from July 4th (Yes, I’m spending Independence Day in Canada) through 6th at the Palais des Congrès, the convention a bilingual and multi-awesome with plenty of activities for fans of comics, manga, movies, television, books, video games and cosplay. And celebrities! Thirty years after my friend somehow got McGill University’s (my alma mater) student union named after William Shatner, Captain Kirk himself will be returning to his hometown. There’s also a hat trick of Hobbit actors from THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies, too.

I’ll be tabling all three days, so be sure to stop by to say hi, buy one of my trade paperbacks, ask me questions, and get a signature.

Best of all, on Saturday, I’ll be part of a Making Comics the Marvel Way panel with X-Men scribe Jed Mackay and Predators writer Ed Brisson. (I’m easily in the Top 4 of popularity and talent amongst that crew.)

So please consider buying a ticket if you’re in the Montreal area or even close by on a world map.