Greetings,
Time is flying by! Can you believe the first month of 2025 is nearly over? I’m still feeling the aftershocks of New Year’s Eve! This year kicked off with not one but TWO big events: our first Kickstarter campaign of the year—From Blood: The Collected Edition—and our first convention appearance at the Central Florida Comic Con. I want to share some thoughts on both, but there’s a rather large elephant in the room that needs addressing first—the “Diamond Situation”.
Let’s tackle that right away …
What’s Up with Diamond?
In a recent Substack crossover with Kevin LaPorte, we explored the pros and cons of working with a distributor to get comics into shops. We did our best to provide a balanced perspective, acknowledging both the positives and negatives of working with Diamond Comic Distributors.
But before the ink was even dry on that post, the comic industry was shaken to its core … Diamond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The news spread like wildfire, leaving many of us in shock. As we scrambled to make sense of the situation, pieces of Diamond were already being sold off. The future of the company—and the industry as a whole—seemed uncertain.
For Cosmic Times, the uncertainty is particularly daunting. Diamond has been our distributor for over a decade, and we weren’t planning to jump ship. Now, we’re left wondering if Diamond will even exist in a few months. I’m holding out hope that they’ll find a way to pull through—whether by streamlining operations or securing a buyer who can breathe new life into the company.
Last Friday, Kevin and I regrouped for a live Substack video stream to delve deeper into the situation. If you missed it, you can find the link below.
I’m determined to have a clearer plan in place by the next Cosmic Update, so stay tuned.
Kickstarter Countdown
As I write this, we’re in the final hours of our Kickstarter campaign for From Blood: The Collected Edition. I’m thrilled to report that we’ve hit our initial funding goal, which means the book is happening! Now, we’re focusing on hitting some stretch goals to make this campaign even more exciting.
If you’re unfamiliar with Kickstarter stretch goals, here’s the scoop: These are additional funding milestones set beyond the initial goal, designed to incentivize backers like YOU to pledge more or bring new supporters on board. Each stretch goal unlocks extra rewards at NO additional cost to backers.
So far, we’ve hit our first stretch goal of $1,138, unlocking a FREE From Blood magnet for all physical reward backers. Our next target—$1,234—is just within reach, and if we hit it, I’ll release a FREE digital (PDF) script of From Blood Issue #1. Beyond that, there are even more goals, but for now, I’m taking it one step at a time.
If you haven’t checked out the campaign yet, there’s still time! Don’t wait—there’s less than a day left to join us.
Central Florida Comic Con Wrap-Up
Let me tell you, the Central Florida Comic Con was an absolute blast! It was the perfect way to kick off the convention season, bringing together fans, creators, and celebrities for a weekend of comic con goodness.
The guest lineup was stellar, featuring big names like Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead/Avengers: Endgame), Mick Foley (WWE legend), Jason Douglas (Dragon Ball Z/Attack on Titan), Emily Swallow (The Mandalorian), Bushwhacker Luke (WWE legend), and Amy Jo Johnson (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), among many others.
While I don’t usually follow voice actors, my son’s friend does—and he drove all the way to Lakeland just to meet a few (most notably - Amber Lee Connors). That unexpected visit meant my son Alex joined me at the show, which was an incredible surprise.
Another highlight was connecting with fellow comic creators Josh Blaylock (Devil’s Due), Steve Conley, and Bohdan Neswiacheny. We spent much of the weekend talking shop, the future of the industry, and even … … … ancient aliens! I left feeling inspired and excited about new possibilities for Cosmic Times.
For those curious about the behind-the-scenes world of comics, I had the honor of sitting on the Indie Publishing panel alongside Lan Pitts, Heidi Hess, and Bohdan. It was a fantastic discussion packed with valuable insights into the world of independent publishing. If you’re interested, I recorded the panel and put it up on YouTube …
All in all, the Central Florida Comic Con was a resounding success! The energy from the crowd was incredible, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s show.
To check out more pictures from the event, visit the Cosmic Times event page!
This Kickstarter campaign has been a whirlwind, but I’m determined to land it successfully—and hopefully unlock a few more stretch goals along the way. Thanks for reading this Cosmic Update, and here’s hoping I’ll have some exciting news about our Cosmic Future next time!
Until then, stay cosmic,
Martin