The Standard in 2012

Hello everyone!  This is, I believe, the 100th post on this blog, and the last one of 2011.  So, to commemorate this mini-landmark, I thought I would look ahead to 2012, and share with you all what to expect from The Standard in the New Year.

For starters, there’s the pressing concern of The Standard #3.  First, I want to thank you all for your patience, and apologise for the long wait.  I have had a lot of people asking me when issue #3 is due for release, which I feel guilty about, though on the positive side the fact that I have people asking at least shows that you’re interested, and care about what happens next.  All I can say is that the delays have been unfortunate but unavoidable, and I’m confident things will get back on track in 2012.  Right now, I’m expecting The Standard #3 to be ready for February 2012.  The pencils are nearing completion, and then it’s just a matter of getting the coloring and lettering done.  I will say that Jonathan Rector has outdone himself once again: the pages I’ve seen have blown me away.  To whet your appetite a little, I’m going to share with you a sneak peek at The Standard #3:

 

Looking further ahead, I’m also planning on taking The Standard to more conventions this year.  In May, I will be going to the Kapow Con in London.  I’ll have a table there with the Glasgow League of Writers, and I’ll be bringing along Standard-related goodies, hopefully including The Standard #4 and a collection with a London-exclusive cover.  The following month, in June, I also aim to be at Glasgow Comic Con, hopefully building on the success of being nominated at my local convention’s SICBA awards this year.  And I intend to return to the Big Apple in October for New York Comic Con 2012.  All indications seem to be that the ComixTribe presence next year is going to be bigger and better than this year’s breakthrough debut, and I definitely want The Standard to be a big part of that.  It may be an optimistic goal, but I’d like for all 6 issues to be released by that time, so that I can debut the graphic novel collected edition in New York.

In other news, I also hope to see The Standard break into the American comic store market in 2012.  Currently, The Standard is available to buy in comic stores in Glasgow, but American readers have to rely on reading it digitally or ordering it online.  I want that to change, and for my comic to be more accessible to those who are interested in reading it.  And it seems like some avenues could be opening up in the coming months to get The Standard into an American LCS near you, so watch this space for further updates!

2011 has been a great year for me and The Standard.  It was the year that this idea that has been in development for so long was finally unleashed on the world.  Thank you to everyone who has supported the comic, and I hope you’ll stick around for the year ahead!