Greetings,
It’s been a few weeks (almost a month!) since my last Cosmic Update on Substack - time to get things back on track. What’s kept me away? Well, a lot. I launched the Kickstarter for Arthur: The Legend Continues – The Final Issue, just returned from an amazing weekend at HeroesCon, and have been deep in the trenches trying to navigate the ever-shifting landscape of direct market solicitation.
It’s been a whirlwind - non-stop movement, emails, travel, and hustle—but now I can finally catch my breath. The first thing I wanted to do was jump back on here and share everything with YOU - the readers who take the time to follow these (occasionally long-winded) Cosmic Updates.
So let’s dive in …
Success with Four Days Left
In my last Cosmic Update, I revealed the fourth cover for Arthur: The Legend Continues – The Final Issue (technically Volume II, Issue 3). Since then, the campaign has officially launched and, I’m thrilled to report, it has already surpassed its funding goal!
This is huge, especially considering how many creators I know have struggled with Kickstarter’s algorithm and visibility lately. I’m incredibly grateful to the 58 backers who’ve gotten us to 103% funded. But the journey isn’t over yet—we still have four days to go, and later today I’ll be adding stretch and benchmark goals to help push this campaign even further.
To everyone who has backed, shared, or promoted the campaign—thank you. Your support means everything. And if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, the link is below!
HeroesCon – Still the Best
This past weekend I had the pleasure of returning to HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, and let me tell you—it’s still the best comic book–focused convention in the country. Since 1982, this show has consistently delivered, and this year’s guest list was staggering: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Roy Thomas, Chris Claremont, Jim Starlin, Gerry Conway, John Romita Jr., Richard & Wendy Pini, Jenny Frison, Daniel Warren Johnson, Skottie Young, Arthur Adams, Lee Weeks, Dave Petersen, Mike Baron, Adam Hughes, JK Woodward, Ralph Macchio - and so many more. It was truly a who’s who of comic book legends.
I was set up at Table AA-1495, next to Thom Zahler (of My Little Pony and Love and Capes fame) and my longtime friend Steve Conley (The Middle Age). Between deep dives into pop culture and extended Star Trek rabbit holes, I couldn’t have asked for a better table placement.
One of the weekend highlights was catching up with my friend and collaborator Zach Bassett (co-writer/artist on The Good, The Bad, and The Prehistoric). Zach made a surprise visit, and over dinner I handed off the completed draft of Issue #3. He was excited to dig in and will be jumping back into production soon. Zach has been with me longer than almost anyone in this industry—he’s a brilliant partner and an even better friend.
Speaking of friends I connected with so many long time friends and made some new ones. From the days when I would run with Creature Entertainment - I reconnected with artists Jose Varese and Jeff Dekal, both incredibly talented. Of course I got to see the con-father himself Tom Raupp along with good buddy Jake Bates.
Broke bread with old friend Roland Mann (Silverline / Malibu Comics) along with his wife BJ Mann. At the show Roland took me around to meet a few of his pals, such as Paul Pelletier, Danny Fingeroth, and Dave Dorman. I spent a good amount of time enjoying the company of even more comic friends like Jamie Jones, Steve Bryant, Billy Tucci, Graven Ravenwolf, Onrie Kompan, Kyle Willis, and so many more … I know I am forgetting some.
Of course there was the legendary HeroesCon Art Auction, the event I tell everyone not to miss. The amount and quality of art on display (and available to purchase in the auction) was staggering to say the least, many of the pieces fetched a high price tag and deservedly so!
To sum it up: HeroesCon was a perfect storm of creativity, connection, and comic book love. Enormous thanks to the HeroesCon staff for keeping everything running like clockwork—special shout-out to Karla, for being so kind & easy to work with, and of course to Shelton Drum, the man who’s made this show a reality for an astounding 43 years. THANK YOU.
Void of Heroes – Now Available for Preorder
I’m going to hold off diving into the chaotic shifts in the distribution mechanisms (especially those that erupted this past weekend) - that deserves a dedicated Substack post. Hopefully by then, I’ll have a clearer idea of our next steps.
I did however want to point out that you now can pre-order Void of Heroes: Subterranean Dawn (Volume I) The Collected Edition from your favorite retailer - it’s being distributed by Diamond (yes I know) - item code JUL250567 - Page 229 of the now digital Previews Catalog. If you can, please preorder it from your favorite comic shop—every order helps more than you know. I’ve included the catalog link below.
Also, if you missed out on From Blood: The Collected Edition during its preorder window, you can still snag a copy at 30% off from DCBS!
Thanks for sticking with me through this full Cosmic Update. With so much upheaval in the industry right now, I figured we could all use a little focus on the positive. So, to recap / Back Arthur: The Legend Continues—live on Kickstarter now / Plan on attending HeroesCon next year (June 12-14, 2026) / Preorder Void of Heroes from your local comic shop / and above all else …
Stay Cosmic,
Martin
And for the curious, YES, he ate that entire piece of cake! It was an impressive feat!