#David Mariotte

[idwsonicnews]

Updated: Sonic the Hedgehog #69 Preview

Script: Evan Stanley (@spiritsonic/@evanstanleyportfolio) Line Art: Min Ho Kim (@deegeemin) Colors: Reggie Graham (@ziggyfin) Color Assistance: Jonathan Dobbs & Rik Mack (@rikdraws) Letters: Shawn Lee Editors: David Mariotte (@davidmariottecomics) & Thea Cheuk Production Design: Johanna Nattalie

[onedegreeofsoniccomics]

My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron #2 & #3: Retailer Incentive Covers

Cover Credits

Art: Adam Bryce Thomas

Editorial Team

Editor: Megan Brown

Consulting Editor: David Mariotte

[sonicpanels]

Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special: "Seasons of Chaos"

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Aaron Hammerstrom (top panel) & Tracy Yardley (bottom panel) Inks: Tracy Yardley Colors: Reggie Graham Letters: Shawn Lee

Editor: David Mariotte Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

[davidmariottecomics]

Goodbye IDW! Hello Something New!

Hi there! 

After seven years and some change, today, 12/22/2023, is my last day at IDW Publishing. It's for good reasons. Things just timed out that my last day could be the last work day of the year for IDW and in the new year, I'll be starting a new job elsewhere. I'll still be in comics and once I can talk about the new gig, I'm really stoked to be letting you all know. So, today, I want to say my goodbye to IDW. 

But first, before I get to that, I did have something else notable happen this week. I sent my last tweet!  I'm officially shutting down my Twitter at the end of the year and if you see a Twitter account claiming to be me after January 1st, it's an imposter. If you'd like to keep up with me, however, I've got good news! There are lots of other ways to find me still. Here are a few! 

Check out and bookmark my website! Get access to my blog, plus lots of behind the scenes stuff and new projects at my Patreon!  Subscribe to a newsletter version of my blog for free at Buttondown!  Follow my blog on Tumblr!  Keep up with my main socials: Bluesky and Instagram (I'm @davidmariotte at both)! 

Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk about it. This is not my first time saying goodbye. In fact, almost exactly a year ago, I said my farewells to Transformers, one of the hallmarks of my IDW run. I don't want to revisit that too much, so if you want to read about my early days at IDW or that part of my career or a big list of thank yous to my collaborators, you can! And while I've had significant runs with other books, most notably Sonic the Hedgehog which with January's Sonic: Fang the Hunter #1 will mark 100 issues of Sonic at IDW under my editorial eye, or my personally exciting, if shorter runs on stuff like Godzilla, Samurai Jack, the Hasbro Action books, Canto, Scarenthood, The Kill Lock, The October Faction, Wynonna Earp, Brynmore, Atomic Robo, or literally so many other books, I don't want this to just be a retrospective on the work. In fact, I'm largely not interested in talking about the past when I say goodbye this time. 

IDW has afforded me a lot. They've helped me find my place in the industry. They let me do some writing. They let me do a lot of editing. I learned various other skills both through directly on the course of the job and through my own interest because of what I was doing and seeing there. I have made true lifelong friendships. And I have made comics. So leaving feels weird. I'm very bummed to be leaving a place that really has been my home (and for the past couple of years, has quite literally been mostly at my home) for so long. But I am even more excited about what's to come. On my side, I can't announce it just yet, but watch this space for some big news soon (after a couple weeks of much needed vacation). 

Talking about the future I actually can say a little more about, I wanna tell you how excited I am for IDW. Yes, I'm leaving, but IDW remains home to so many people--both at the company and our freelance creators--and so many projects that are close to my heart. Next year is their 25th anniversary. That is an impressive feat in not just the world of comics, but any industry. For the milestone, they've got a lot of cool stuff planned. 

I'm not going to blow up IDW's spot and say anything about what's coming up too early. Just to talk about the things that are already public knowledge, you've got things like the new TMNT: The Last Ronin sequel! The TMNT ongoing on it's road to issue #150! There are cool new originals like Golgotha Motor Mountain! There's the launch of the aforementioned Fang the Hunter which is IDW's first Classic Sonic mini-series and sees 100 unique issues of Sonic at IDW and is just laugh-out-loud funny and full of such good action! And I'll tease this, when the Sonic ongoing is back with issue #69 in May, you'll be in for an absolute treat as that series runs up to #75! 

I know some readers of this blog don't read a ton of American direct market comics. You aren't "Wednesday Warriors" who go to the comic shop every week. You like the comics you like and I've been graced to be a person working on those comics. If you aren't as familiar with how these comics work, let me assure you of a couple things. The books I was editing and many unannounced projects that I set up will still be happening. Because of the timelines of comic production, you'll still see my name in IDW books for a few more months and, at the same time, you'll see new credits creeping in. And if we've done everything right, that'll be about the only thing you'll notice is different, at least at first. As the editors really take the reins and take over, we'll both be in for the treat of the unknown! I'll be reading them with a good sense of professional jealousy. 

Now, there's one other book that has been announced for next year and I wanted to do a special call out for. Godzilla: Valentine's Day Special went to press this week. It's the last IDW book I saw all the way from inception to completion. And, in many ways, it's kind of a really good analogy of a comics editorial career. I think, genuinely, this may be the book that went from conception to reality the fastest in my career. I think it took... less than a week from a half-joking suggestion of doing a Godzilla Valentine's Day book to getting Zoe Tunnell's pitch in and approved by Toho and getting it on the publishing schedule. Usually these things take a bit--people are working on other projects, licensors need time to review things, whatever other bumps happen along the way--but this was like lightning. Everyone just got it instantly. And then Zoe turned in the script and it was great! Things continued, as they do, and then... we got a curveball or two. I won't go into too much detail, but major thanks to Sebastian Piriz and Rebecca Nalty for getting it done and having a book that we were all so proud of that I could send to press this week. And it struck me on that final press day that despite the curveballs we had been thrown, when it came to actually getting it approved, everything was so easy, straightforward, and smooth. When you read it in February, if I've done my job right, maybe you'll remember seeing somewhere that there were some curveballs. But mostly, you'll just have a really good book in your hands. (BTW, you did JUST MISS the final order cutoff on that, so do check in with your shop about still trying to get you a copy!) 

Most of the time, after a book like that goes to press, an editor gets ready to do it again--maybe in a few minutes or days or the next week. For the first time in a long time, I won't be getting ready to do it again at IDW. That's a complicated feeling, but I'm so excited for the future. 

The best metaphor I've been able to come up with for what is happening is it's like I've been working in a one room office constantly for the past seven years. It's got that dull office lighting, you know the kind. Each day, projects come and go across my desk, and as they otherwise disappear into the world, I put up one of those glow-in-the-dark stars as a memory of it. And each day, I work with so many people--my coworkers at IDW who've helped foster my growth, my collaborators as both a writer and editor who have made so many stories with me, all the folks where things never quite lined up but we kept trying, and the readers who are an inherent part of the ecosystem, the reason we make what we do. And so, for each of those people, I put up a little glow in the dark toy. 

Now, for the first time, I'm going to get up and leave the office. As I flick the switch behind me, everything in there that has been soaking up light for years now glows. Some of the glows are slight. Some are so fantastically bright, it feels like they're drawing attention through the walls of the room. Together, they make the room brighter than it was when I left. Now, sometimes, I might sneak in to borrow a toy--make a copy of it for the new office I'm doing the same thing in. Other people will certainly do the same and make they've got their Evan Stanley figure on their shelf. If I ever return for a longer time, I'll be so glad to flick the light back on and let them all absorb even more light to glow an even longer time. If I don't, I rest happy that the glow goes on and forever people will be able to come back and discover some part of it. And I'll start working on a new office soon. 

If I keep going,  I'm a little afraid that I won't be able to stop. So, for now, I'll just say again, thank you. The future is about to be very exciting. Next year is for the creators you love or don't know you love yet, the books that are going to light you up that you've come to expect and the ones that will catch you by total surprise. While there are a lot of things I'm going to miss deeply and books that I'm going to wish I had gotten to do more on, I also have the really exciting experience of getting to see this stuff as a fan of IDW, just like you. And, hey, I hope you'll be a fan of the stuff I do next too! 

As for next steps, like I've said, I'm not going far. I'll still be in comics. I'll share the news when I can.

Before that, I'm getting a little break. Not too long, just a few weeks, and obviously the holidays are part of those, but in my time between my jobs, I'm going to be working on some personal projects. I put together a little tracking list recently and I have something like 40 projects in various stages of gestation right now. Obviously, I'm not going to be working on all of those at once, and chances are, some of them will never see the light of day, but I'm going to be working on trying to bring a couple of them to you in the new year (and beyond). If you're an artist that I've had the pleasure of working with in the past and you think you might be interested in peeping the list and seeing what we could do together, let me know. You can reach me on my website contact page, through my email, or through Discord (feel free to ask if you don't have it!). 

And if you read this blog, you'll see me hyping my last IDW projects up until we run out of what I left behind. Simultaneously, once I've got stuff to start hyping up for my personal projects and for the new gig, you'll see those start to pop up here too! I'll also keep talking about making comics and my thoughts on the state of the world and whatever else it is I blog about here on a regular basis! 

Thanks for reading. Bye-DW! Next week, I'll be doing a little Best of 2023. But for now, onto our regular features. 

What I enjoyed this week: Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), Reverse 1999 (Video Game), Nancy (Comic), Lego Masters (TV show), Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (Short story collection), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video Game), Cunk on Earth (TV show), I'm a Virgo (TV show), The Boy and the Heron (Movie), an easy last week at IDW, all the well-wishes that've already poured in, leaving today to celebrate Christmas with my family and then have some downtime to work on my stuff, signing the paperwork for the new job, not being on Twitter anymore, getting all of our mail out in a timely fashion for the holidays, Chainsaw Man (Manga), I picked up Superman and Hawkgirl, so excited to get caught up on those, and knowing that in leaving this job, there are certain folks I just get to deepen my relationships with as friends, instead of co-workers. 

New Releases this week (12/20/2023): Godzilla: The War for Humanity #3 (Editor) Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon (Editor)

Announcements: The Cartoonist Cooperative is still doing E-Sim cards for Gaza. You can donate a digital sim card so that residents can get access to the internet and have more functional phones and, in exchange, get some comics or a drawing or whatever else is available from the many participating artists. Additionally, the CC is hosting their mini-comic awards! It's a cool way to maybe get your mini-comic recognized and make some scratch!

You can also give more directly. If you don't have money, and I get it, you can call or fax or email or show up at the offices of your representatives. Keep your eyes open for actions too, whether they're another general strike or demonstrations and marches in your area. Given the nature of the things, they often come together fairly quickly, so do exercise your due diligence. Also, of course, being informed and just giving your time to Palestinian journalists and writers is incredibly valuable. 

While Becca has got some things brewing for next year (and now on a schedule), you should reach out if you'd like to work on comics with them! You can find their gallery on their website and also, y'know, maybe pick up a few things for belated gifts while you're there!

Finally, I called out my Patreon earlier. You can support me (and boy, that would be cool during the time between paychecks because vacation is nice, but living is still expensive) and get not just this blog, but a lot of cool special features like extra posts, comics, infographics, and more! At the $10+ levels, you can also access stuff like a holiday gift guide I made, a podcast pilot for a spicy show with Becca, and a ton more! 

Pic of the Week: Happy holidays from Becca and me! If you wanna full card in your inbox, lemme know! 

[thebuhonerodazorrow]

Transformers/Back to the future #2

IDW

[cryptocollectibles]

WildCats Adventures #1 & 2 and Sourcebook (1994-1995) by Image Comics

1 (September 1994) Written by David Wise and Jeff Mariotte, drawn by Ty Templeton and Art Nichols.

2 (November 1994) Written by David Wise and Jeff Mariotte, drawn by Ty Templeton and Art Nichols.

Sourcebook #1 (January 1995) Written by Jeff Mariotte, drawn by various, cover by Jeff Smith.

[graphicpolicy]

See what's coming from CEX Publishing in June!

See what's coming from CEX Publishing in June! #comics #comicbooks @CEXPublishing

ASTRO & INEZ (ONE-SHOT) Written by LEWELIN POLANCOIllustrated & Cover A by JUAN ROMERACover B ELIZABETH BEALSCover C LANE LLOYDRetailer Price: $4.99On Sale 06/28 The adorable misadventures of Astro, a troublemaking pup, and his human, Inéz! Astro has no sense of boundaries, and his impatience gets Inéz into all kinds of shenanigans. Inéz is a hopeless romantic with a “slightly” dramatic…

[lightningstar1389]

Ahh so EXCITED to finally be able to talk about this one!!

My cover for IDW Sonic 59 (releasing 3/29) 🦔

Can't thank David Mariotte and Riley Farmer enough for letting me take a shot at making a traditionally painted cover

I told the IDW team that I always wanted to do a mock Renaissance painting for a cover someday, and this issue inspired me to go for it. I took lots of inspiration from classic paintings, and also specifically from "The Fallen Angel" by Alexandre Cabanel for Shadow himself.

I did the thumbnails and pencils digitally (easier for notes) and then used a mini projector to project the image onto a canvas, and transfer the pencils before painting the rest of it with acrylics.

I took lots of videos of the actual painting process, so I'll have to put those together sometime soon.

I hope you all enjoy! 💕

[iasminomarata]

check it out, it's the logo-less version of my cover for Sonic Winter Jam! (It's retail incentive 1:10!)

you all know, it’s no secret that working on sonic is a big dream of mine -- so when i got to write Winter Jam & do this cover, i was so excited! i put sonic on center-stage, in the bright spotlight, channeling that excited energy even in the winter snow. the comments comparing this cover to the older sonic art from the 90’s are a massive compliment for me. i'm so glad that all of this shines through. thank you!

this was a kinda big undertaking as an illustration -- there are 21 characters on this cover! -- so i gotta say a big thank you to David Mariotte at IDW & Sonic Team, for both giving me the opportunity and their part in helping me pull this all together into one big ol' drawing.

you may be asking: why is sonic on stage? what’s going on in all those screens?? what is up with shadow 3 & knuckles??? you’ll just have to read the story to find out! ❄️✨

[loopy-lupe]

Hey hey! The Scrapnik Island trade book comes out 2 days from now, on 8/29! Since I haven't posted them here yet, here's all 4 of my covers for the miniseries! Additional thoughts about the covers themselves below:

Big thank yous to David Mariotte and Riley Farmer! They were really kind in letting me do the A covers for this miniseries, ALONG with character design and coloring work! My goal for these covers was to make them feel like old horror movie posters. I also strategically tried to not reveal Mecha Sonic in most of them, as the covers were being announced before the story details at the time and we really wanted Mecha's return to be a big surprise! (Natalie Haines' cover absolutely knocked it out of the park for that reveal)

Color-wise, like the story itself, I wanted to gradually increase the amount of red and intensity until the breaking point of the finale in #4. For the 4th cover, I really wanted to depict the intense emotions of the finale. The fight between Sonic and Mecha Sonic, the Death Egg's shadow looming over it all, and at the bottom, a sunflower, falling into a burning incinerator. However, I also wanted to make it so if you flip the image, like someone miraculously flipped the entire situation upside-down, instead of falling into a burning abyss, the sunflower is meeting a beautiful new sunrise, a new day.

[mike-the-hedgehog]

IDW Sonic Issue #70 Preview Page

Script: Evan Stanley

Pencils: Aaron Hammerstrom

Inks: Matt Froese

Colors: Reggie Graham

Color Assists: Jonathan Dobbs & Rik Mack

Letters: Shawn Lee

Associate Editor: Bixie Mathieu

Editors: David Mariotte & Thea Cheuk

Production Design: Johanna Nattalie

Release Date: 3 July 2024 (Dates Subject to change)

[idwsonicnews]

Updated: Sonic the Hedgehog #70 Preview

Script: Evan Stanley (@spiritsonic/@evanstanleyportfolio) Pencils: Aaron Hammerstrom (@aaronhamm) Inks: Matt Froese Colors: Reggie Graham (@ziggyfin) Color Assists: Jonathan Dobbs & Rik Mack (@rikdraws) Letters: Shawn Lee Associate Editor: Bixie Mathieu Editors: David Mariotte (@davidmariottecomics) & Thea Cheuk Production Design: Johanna Nattalie

[onedegreeofsoniccomics]

Samurai Jack Lost Worlds #1

Cover Credits

Cover A Art: Adam Bryce Thomas

Story Credits

Writer: Paul Allor

Art: Adam Bryce Thomas

Letters: Christa Miesner & Robbie Robbins

Editorial Team

Editor: David Mariotte

[sonicpanels]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails' 30th Anniversary Special: "Flying Off the Rails"

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Aaron Hammerstrom Inks: Rik Mack Colors: Reggie Graham Letters: Shawn Lee

Editors: Riley Farmer & David Mariotte

[davidmariottecomics]

A comic about how I'm leaving Twitter soon and I'm pretty psyched about it! If you follow me here, great! Hi! I'm not leaving there just yet. I wanna try to share invites & get contact info and make sure I'm not losing the remaining resources that are there without replacing them first. But! Soon!

[thebuhonerodazorrow]

Transformes/Back to the future #4

IDW