#monthly comic alive

[gabbyp09]

[milfzatannaz]

To keep the love alive for comics you genuinely just have to read comics you love. Yes it’s cool to have a current reading list a mile long yes it’s fun to try and read every appearance for a character but. I some point you hit The Wall. Where the discourse is tiring, the tags are dead and your faves disappear out of monthly solicits. That’s when you crack open your tried and true and fall in love with comics again.

[sleepisoverrated]

My headcanons about Dick Grayson

Dick is touched starved.

Think about it he grew up in a circus, that he considered family, when he was little he always got physical affection and after he was adopted by Bruce he still got some(because lets face it Bruce was a softie for Dick when he was Robin) though a lot less because Bruce isn't a touchy person, but after being fired and going solo he had a lot less physical affection from his loved ones(especially when he had a "falling out" with the Titans and YJ). I think over time he became touched starved, thats why he gives bear hugs and is more affectionate to everyone. AlsoI think it got slightly better when he was Batman and had his Robin. That's why Damian is more clingy with him and allows Dicks affection (He also knows when not to touch)(Also you can't convince me Dick isn't Damians favourite person and that they don't share a father-son relationship (mentor-student, older brother-younger brother, hero-sidekick, hero-fan all of these also aply))

Dick is still angry with Bruce about a lot of things.

How he took away Robin. How he dared give it away without his notice or permission. How he made Robin into a mantle. How he found out he took in Jason and gave him Robin from a newspaper. How he failed Jason and then blamed him. How he didn't say that Jason died. How he wasn't even invited to his funeral. How he kept secret that Jason was alive. How he used a batarang on Jason, almost killing him again, instead of Joker. How he treated Damian when he first came here and sometimes even now. How he purposely separated him from Damian, because he was jealous (of their father-son relationship). How Bruce beat him into submission to join Spyral. How that wasn't the first time Bruce hit him. How Bruce never made a backup plan to extract him from Spyral. How Bruce forgot(got amnesia) him in Spyral. How he lied to his siblings that he went along willingly with it. (If you can't tell I like Angry Dick Grayson fics)

‌Dick and Slade are frenemies.

Basically as long as Dick doesn't interfere with his jobs, they are close friends, but as soon as he interferes they don't hold back from lethal force. I know Slade kidnapped him and kinda tortured him and Dick was obsessed with him to the point of insanity, BUT they both obsessed over one another so much that they know eachother the best and after a while they sorta lost their motivation to constantly fight(though spars are still fair game, the only rule is the other doesn't die) eachother. So now they meet up monthly to bitch and complain about their lives and gossip like old ladies, with some alcohol on a random rooftop. They are the embodiment of don't mix business with pleasure, when they meet on one of Slades jobs they pull out all stops and fight viciously, mercilessly and brutally, but the next day(night?) Slade comes over with the good whiskey and they spend their night watching the rom-coms, because Dick thinks it's funny to force the Terminator to watch them and because he's endlessly amused when Slade actually gets invested in it.

Dick Grayson taught Damian.

About the Romani language/culture, acrobatics, trapeze, circus, travel, all the recipes of Romani dishes that he knows, Romani stories, Robin tricks, stories, secrets (By Romani culture Damian is his son and they both decided to keep that a secret from the others, btw he also learned about Damians Arabic traditions, foods, language). I think that Damian values this more than his inheritance as an Al-Ghul and Wayne, because Dick chose to give his culture and inheritance to him, not because he was obliged to.

...So you seemed to like my rant's/headcanon's *throws cautiously some more headcanons in your direction*... have some more?

P.S. Someone pointed out that there are a lot of canon in the last post instead of headcanon's, but I read so little of the comics that I can't really tell whats canon and whats not.

[pluckyredhead]

So the Bill Willingham Steph post crossed my dash again and got me wondering... if you're a writer, what IS the best way to respond to fans (singular or group) that publicly call out your writing at a con? Obviously you shouldn't wish violence on them but since it's not like you can un-write the story, do you ignore them? Change the subject? Argue back?

I mean, I can't pretend to know the BEST way to handle a volatile question in a public space, when saying nothing is not an option.

But I also want to challenge the idea that fans were "calling out [Willingham's] writing," because that wasn't what they were doing. Sure, plenty of people said he was a hack online. But at cons, what they were asking was "Why doesn't Steph have a memorial case?"

I always hammer that point home because it's so astonishing to me now. We didn't want them to bring Steph back from the dead. We just wanted them to memorialize her fairly. We were asking for crumbs, and it infuriated Willingham and DC Editorial. To the point that when they did bring Steph back by revealing Leslie Thompson had faked Steph's death, Tim goes "So that's why she didn't have a memorial case!" They would rather have her alive than give a bunch of (mostly) female fans the tiny bit of fairness they had been asking for. It's just mind-boggling to me now how little we were willing to settle for and how angry it still made DC.

Anyway, the decision to kill Steph was editorially mandated, and the decision not to give her a case was also editorially mandated - neither of those were Willingham's decision to make. (The other objection fans had, the sexualized depiction of Black Mask torturing Steph, was also not Willingham's fault - that was artist Jon Proctor.) Now, obviously Willingham couldn't just say "Not my fault, ask DC" because throwing his employer under the bus would not have been good for his career. But DC also shouldn't have hung him out to dry.

I think ideally with any controversial storyline, the publisher should have a discussion with the creators about the best way to handle questions so that everyone is on the same page. But what happens instead is that creators (underpaid freelancers who are almost all in precarious financial circumstances) bear the full brunt of any anger, blame, or harassment, and the publishers (massive corporations*) get to ignore it.

Of course, in Willingham's case, he was not harassed, but asked a polite question ("Why doesn't Steph have a memorial case?") that he probably could have easily said was up to DC without getting in trouble. But instead he chose to publicly fantasize about committing violence against real women, because he was annoyed. So that's DEFINITELY not the answer.

So in conclusion: in general publishers should step up more, in specific Willingham is a fucking douche.

-

*When I say "massive corporations" I'm talking specifically about DC and Marvel, who are owned by Warner Bros and Disney respectively. Image is not a massive corporation. Also, DC Comics and Marvel Comics are in tricky positions because they are actually small, weirdly ramshackle legacy publishers who in a lot of ways still operate like they did when Marvel had two (2) actual employees, Stan Lee and his secretary Flo Steinberg. They operate on tiny margins, everyone who works there is criminally underpaid, their HR is a fucking joke... So like, none of this excuses editors for repeatedly not supporting their creators during times of controversy (THE FUCKING MOCKINGBIRD COVER, Chelsea Cain is a TERF but that shit was ridiculous), but I think it's also important to remember that when we're talking about the people editing these books on a monthly basis, we're not talking about Bog Iger or David Zaslav - we're talking about someone living in NYC or Burbank working 60 hour weeks on a $45K salary so that Disney has enough IP to make Guardians of the Galaxy 9 or whatever. It's complicated.

[thesoftboiledegg]

The mall closest to my place is still dying a slow death. When I visited yesterday, two more stores had closed--and they were major chains, not local retailers. Maybe Spencer's is single-handedly keeping this place alive.

Rue 21 had one new item: a single pair of sweatpants alone on a shelf.

One of the "nerdy" stores had a dice set featuring everyone's favorite pickle.

Spencer's had a single new mug. Now you can drink out of Rick's head!

The manager mentioned to me that new merchandise (in general, not specifically RM) was coming after they completed inventory on the 31st, so that might explain the lack of new products post-holiday season. We're also not getting season eight until next year, but that probably won't stop Adult Swim's marketing team.

Today, I decided to visit chain stores in an area that I don't normally visit. I walked into Five Below to see this near the doorway:

I've seen the monthly illustrations on another calendar, but that cover is new. And shiny ✨

Need a place to store your loose AirPods? Try this fashionable Rick and Morty case featuring Rick's boyish grin.

Time for a new store that I'd never visited, at least in adulthood: T. J. Maxx. I saw this hoodie ages ago in Journey's. Now it's back, in thrift store form! One of my favorite designs. 🌈

A visit from the Portal Boyz! Technically, Nick and Morty were the Portal Boyz, but I guess nobody wants Nick merchandise.

Afterward, I went to Target for the first time in a while. They had the Rick and Morty manga in stock. I actually didn't know it was a graphic novel--I thought it was just another issue of the comics.

Weirdly, they also had a shirt that Journey's used to carry. Pretty unusual for me to see the same item in two separate chains. Anyway, I guess nobody's tired of wearing a shirt that says, "I am in great pain, please help me."

Serendipitously, I spotted this on a car when I left. Fuck me for not buying anything, I guess.

One last stop: the nearby head shop. I have no idea what these things are, but Rick's trying out some new looks.

Roll some grass on this vinyl rolling tray.

Evil Morty finally gets his own pipe!

While you're at it, stock up on Rick and Morty vapes.

He's a happy Homer!

And they had no shortage of bootleg shirts and hoodies.

No season eight merchandising blitz this year, but smoke shops are always on it. It's never the wrong time to buy a T-shirt of Morty Smith getting blasted!

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

Weird thing, but I miss Alfred.

It's shaping up to be one of the longest "deaths" of a famous, legacy secondary character, at least in modern DC history. And in that way, it served the narrative pretty well, subverting the usual problems with death in comics. Sure, it was all over an ego trip some bad former Editor in Chief decided to have on a whim; King didn't really plan to kill off Alfred so nonchalantly and it wasn't meant to stick. People know that, it's well documented and they even had foreshadowing that he was Clayface being a part of the plan. So the fact that it sticks should be lauded, right? This is, after all, how death works.

And, sure, it made some characters grow. Bruce, specifically, moving to a brownstone and taking care of his son all by himself is a genuinely cool idea and I'm enjoying seeing him bond with Damian in ways he never bonded with the others. Dick as a billionaire philanthropist dedicating his newfound fortune to Alfred, his late sponsor, is a genuine stroke of genius. Actual change and progress in comic books, holy shit. A feast Spider-Man fans don't even remember how it tastes!

Yet it sometimes feels like you're reading a Batman book in an empty house, because Alfred is gone, and it was over nothing. An unplanned death that took him suddenly with no real gravitas or preparation. Not exactly the same -- okay, not the same by a wide margin, -- but it kinda reminds me of how Buffy fans reacted to The Body.

The character was here, and now they're not, and it genuinely feels empty and real in a way you're not really expecting popcorn media to feel. There's no power fantasy or melodrama or anything. Someone broke his neck and threw his body on the floor, and that's the end of Alfred Pennyworth.

And like, yeah, man, people obviously write stories about other versions that are alive and flashbacks. Nobody is literally gone from comics, things don't move forward *exclusively*, Alfred is a brand unto himself and will never be truly gone. It's the same reason why aging up Jon Kent isn't that big a deal; Super Sons will release as long as someone gets the approval, it's just going to be a flashback. It's fine. But to see the world having to move forward without him has been quite something, you know? People have had big personal moments that he's not there for.

Dick and Barbara got back together, Jason moved to the Hill, Tim got a boyfriend -- it's the kind of stuff these kids could rely on Alfred to talk about, or to help out with, or to simply Be There as a zealous figure for them, and he's just. Not. And the story moves on all the same, yet now it feels like there's a panel missing, somewhere.

Albeit they had like two or three individual times when the actual fucking ghost of Alfred Pennyworth came to say goodbye and peace out to Bruce, I still think it's a pretty solid guess that he'll come back before the end of the decade. The nature of comics means sometimes you need a back from the dead story to keep things fresh, and those can be done extremely well -- Resurrection of Magneto might be the best thing released in the Krakoa era, as far as fully realized minis go. But...

Shit, Alfred missed Damian going to school, you know? That's really sad. I miss Alfred. In a way I'll never miss Uncle Ben or the Wayne couple, I really miss opening a monthly and reading the latest wit out of Alfred's mouth at his silly son and his funny crusade. The nature of comic books being infinite until they're cancelled means this sort of relationship just doesn't get cut like this very often, and I can't recall the last time I *cared* when they tried cutting it.

It will be an awkward day when he comes back and it's back to normal business again, honestly. There's now an understanding of what Batman is without Alfred that I feel they don't have a great way of addressing. Don't really envy the writer who gets the job.

[jewishcissiekj]

AURRA SING NATION OF 3.5 PEOPLE HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT AURRA APPEARING IN STAR WARS: REVELATIONS (2023) #1 AND THEN MONTHLY IN THE JANGO FETT SERIES STARTING MARCH 2024 WRITTEN BY ETHAN SACKS WITH ART BY LUKE ROSS

Aurra Sing in "Stolen Hope" written by Ethan Sacks with art by Will Sliney - Star Wars Revelations (2023) #1

a few things:

-ok. out of my system. -WHY IS SHE SO LONG. I know it's the artist's style but you elongated my girl. not how she looks in TPM or TCW. whatever, that guy's not doing the art on the Jango run anyway -green eyes! interesting choice bc they're usually more ambiguous with the color even tho i think she had green eyes in tpm and in tcw also but like in the Maul comics it's grey sometimes and varies every issue in the old Legends comics soooo -I AM NORMAL AND CAN BE TRUSTED WITH PREVIEW PAGES OF AURRA BY LUKE ROSS IN THE JANGO SERIES. PLEASE GIVE THEM TO ME (they probably don't quite exist yet) -I'm so happy she's back and I do trust Ethan Sacks with her . go off girl I'd love to see her hunting Jango. -No new outfit:( She better get a disguise or smth when spying after Jango pls pls pls pls pls -Glee Anslem was mentioned in the issue bc they're both looking for an artifact from there and. And Glee Anselm is Tobias Becektt's homeworld. If we see him (obviously not killing Aurra bc this is before tcw and she's alive and well in tcw) I will personally kill him. hsate that guy -I'm not immune to Aurra Sing ever -I lied It's not out of my system. AURRA ATTACK

[cantsayidont]

October 1982 to November 1984. Among the segments of DC's voluminous archives that they ought to properly reprint but probably never will is this early 1980s revival of aviator hero Blackhawk by Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle. Created by Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera for Quality Comics back in 1941, the Blackhawks were a multinational paramilitary squadron, with vaguely kinky black leather uniforms and special aircraft they operated from their own secret private island. They fought the Nazis during WW2 and later branched out into anticommunism and international supervillains. The original series was for years defined by excellent artwork (in particular by Reed Crandall), broad characterization, exaggerated ethnic accents, and some egregious racism (much of it directed at the Blackhawks' Chinese cook/mascot, "Chop-Chop"). In the late '60s, there was a brief, ludicrous attempt to turn the characters into superheroes, which hastened the demise of the original book, but the Blackhawks still had their fans — including Steven Spielberg, whose interest in developing a BLACKHAWK feature film occasioned this revival.

Probably the best word for this 23-issue run is "solid." It returns the characters to their original WW2 milieu, dials down the racism (the Chinese character eventually even gets a proper uniform), and offers some very competent storytelling from Evanier and Spiegle. The individual plots are seldom outstanding, but there are only a few real duds, and it's significantly more consistent than most monthly books of its era. Evanier and Spiegle were a good team, as further evidenced by their charming creator-owned CROSSFIRE series, launched through Eclipse toward the end of this run, although it wasn't enough to keep the BLACKHAWK book alive after Spielberg's interest lapsed.

The 1987–1988 Howard Chaykin miniseries (later collected as BLACKHAWK: BLOOD & IRON) is flashier and more fun, although it remains controversial. Chaykin made Blackhawk (whom Chaykin named Janos Prohaska, after a real-world Hollywood stuntman best known today as the guy who played the Horta on the STAR TREK TOS episode "The Devil in the Dark") an abrasive dick, and sidelined most of the rest of the group in favor of a new Lady Blackhawk, a brassy American Communist named Natalie Reed. (Chaykin did at least give "Chop-Chop" a real name — Weng Chan.) The Evanier/Spiegle series was not intended to reinvent the characters so much as to present a palatable median version that could provide the foundation for a feature film, so while it's not as dynamic or as stylish, it's also much less confrontational. For some, that makes it the definitive modern treatment of this venerable franchise.

[hotwaterandmilk]

Um, please listen to Kohske and kindly don’t say she’s dead?

1) Kohske has a very active online presence on Twitter and Fanbox. She has been doing commission pieces on Skeb, streaming some of her drawing sessions, and still holding regular chats on Twitter. She is 100% alive and kicking, though complications from SLE limit her capacity for traditional monthly work.

2) GANGSTA. has not been discontinued or cancelled, it is being serialised via Monthly Comic Bunch on an irregular schedule (you can see it listed here towards the bottom right of the index page of the latest Monthly Comic Bunch because it isn’t in this month’s issue. GANGSTA. is shown here every month a chapter does not appear in the magazine. When it does appear it is listed like every other title in the issue).

If you would like to support Kohske even while GANGSTA. is keeping to an irregular schedule, I suggest buying custom products from her BOOTH or subscribing to her Fanbox (you can also buy copies of the GANGSTA. print/digital volumes too if you don’t have them already). She’s an extremely fun creator to follow on social media and support, so please don’t write her off yet.

[puppyscomic]

#58 - alive (gymnosomata) - [28 april 2024]

the puppys gang goes to the beach. angel appears pensive. (dedicated to my friends <3)

(characters + full version below)

love doing the limited color palette issues. very proud of this one! monthly comics let me make mega issues like this :) put a lot of effort into this TBH 🫡 lmk if you like bigger issues like this, or if you prefer the shorter simpler ones!

and thanks for the love on the april fools issue this year! :D

[tetrix-anime]

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season (Classroom of the Elite) - Monthly Comic Alive Magazine February 2024 Issue Cover

[gabbyp09]

[mbrainspaz]

For anyone just tuning in, Black Magic is a long form urban fantasy webcomic about a high school senior from Virginia named Ella who finds herself trapped between rebel fighters and her family's dark past. Dropped suddenly into a messy underground sorcerer war that spans two continents she'll have to walk a dangerous path to keep herself and all the people she loves on both sides alive. She hopes she figures out who she really is along the way. It's a story with heaps of found family, dragons, monsters, dangerous cults, adventure, betrayal, and rainbow magic. There's black magic too, since you were wondering. I couldn't call it Rainbow Magic. That would be silly.

Black Magic will always be free to read on Webtoon and all my art social medias. On youtube I've got videos showing my process for every page. Sometimes I stream on Twitch. This comic is exclusively supported by wonderful patrons on Patreon. The goal is $63/$1000 monthly to quit my part time video game illustration work and dedicate more time to the comic. Right now I also work full time as a web admin for a city in Texas, but that's just so I can afford groceries and the backyard shed I live in.

[seirindono]

Update

Hi everyone!

It's been a while, hasn't it?

For some of you, this may be the first time you've actually seen me on your feed since I'm on my annual hiatus so... Hi! I'm Seirin, your friendly skeleton lover and author of The Missing Scarf, that one Undertale comic (o´▽`o)

If you were not aware, this blog is usually only active in the summer and/or during the holidays as I'm a student, but I figured I should still write a little smth as I really haven't given any news for a long while now.

So, um, this blog is still very much alive, and so is TMS!   DEMON AU TOO

Truth is, I didn't anticipate back in September the sheer amount of work I'd have to pull off this year as well as the crazy schedule, house mouves, and many, many group assignements... I've always managed but this year is just rough, both physically and mentally (that was new). I had a serious slump around new year and didn't even have the motivation to draw or open social medias for a while. 

But you know me, always ranting that health comes first and that I’ve seen enough burned out artists to know not to go beyond my limits. (*￣▽￣)b ��So knowing that I had this 30 pages+ lore doc, unfinished sketches and pile of unanswered asks just waiting for me whenever I wanted to work on TMS, I knew I wasn’t up for the task and had to put it off for later. And later. Again and again. 

That's about it for the venting section.

As of today, I'm still short of time but I've got some of my energy back, enough to write this anyway. But also *drum roll* to work on the next part of TMS! 

And this is where the real announcement comes in: while I'm still on hiatus, I'm planning to adjust the publication schedule a bit for this part. Until now, I'd post a chapter (1 page per day) only after I finished drawing it in its entirety. For this part however, I've decided to try a monthly (or bi-monthly) publication, to give me some leeway, and for you to have actual updates.

We'll see if I can keep up with this pace, but it seems much more satisfying for everyone  ( ´ ▿ ` )

So there you go. Sorry again to those who kept sending me Asks and dms I never got to answer. I just kinda turn into a hermit when overwhelmed or don’t notice them at all (I feel extra bad when I eventually do but every drop of energy needs to be salvaged for irl emergency), but I really appreciate the thought! And, yeah, I haven't disappeared into thin air. I’m just... Lurking here and there.  

Thanks for your patience and I'll see you soon!

Updates will be on the 1st of each month (and occasionally on the 15th)

[somefanficrecomendations]

March Monthly Roundup

A belated St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy Easter if you celebrate! Sadly, I had a busy March, so this month’s rec list is short and sweet!

BATFAM Too Close to Rotting to be Alive by alicecrow6 (gen), <1k, Damian Wayne-centric, Angst The thoughts of a rotting corpse not yet placed in his grave.

pull up the ladder when the flood comes by mintchocochips (gen), 4k, Cass Cain-centric Black Bat is operating in Hong Kong. Bruce is dead. A hell of a lot of people are dead. Cass is trying her damnedest not to drown. She doesn't want anyone else to drown either. She just wants to be good. She is maybe, just maybe, not okay.

charity by Valkrin (gen), 7k, Different First Meeting, Bad Parent!Drakes The biggest downside of being adopted by Bruce Wayne is putting up with rich people events, including one where Jason will be in a room with a bunch of rich kids for a couple very long hours while Bruce goes to the adults' meeting. Jason is ready for a very bad time but the Drake kid listens to him from the start and keeps backing up Jason's ideas even though they've never met. Jason warms up to Tim Drake long before Mad Hatter tries to take over the meeting and Tim backs him up again.

the picture frames have changed and so has your name by Zahri (gen), 24k, Case Fic, Hurt/Comfort There’s something wrong with Dick. Tim thought everything was getting back to normal. Bruce was alive and back in their timeline, the Birds of Prey were once again operating out of Gotham, Dick had the city well under control as Batman and even Damian had been less obnoxious than usual. And then during a firefight at a warehouse by the docks, Tim was almost hit by a flying boomerang. And Dick never noticed. When something is wrong with your big brother, who else do you turn to but your big sisters?

Fatherhood for Dummies by Havendance WIP, (gen), 6k, Batman Comics, POV Jack Drake When Tim runs away to No Man's Land, it takes Jack far too long to realize that he's gone. Once he does though, he'll do anything he can to get him back.

THE WITCHER Flung to Catch a Star by inexplicifics WIP, (Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier), 63k, Accidental Warlord AU      Morvran Voorhis, first-ranked prince of Nilfgaard, has been sent to Kaer Morhen on a diplomatic mission. His tasks are twofold: first, negotiate a nonaggression treaty between the wild barbarian Warlord of the North and the Nilfgaardian Empire. And second, ingratiate himself with the mysterious Warlord’s daughter and heir apparent, Princess Cirilla.      Sir Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, a Vicovaran knight, has been assigned to protect young Prince Voorhis on this mission. Prince Voorhis may be the best of a bad lot, but Cahir’s still not looking forward to the threats or the temperature of a winter in the distant North.      They both know their mission is a dangerous one. But they don’t know where the true danger lies…and while they know how to navigate Nilfgaard’s treacherous court, they are not prepared for Kaer Morhen. This is a mission they might not survive…and if they do, they might be changed beyond all recognition.

HARRY POTTER Three Body Problem by cabezas_de_vaca (gen), 43k, Alternate Hogwarts House Sorting To the girl with the bushy hair and the hungry mind, the Hat says RAVENCLAW; To the boy with the scar and the ask of otherwise, the Hat says SLYTHERIN; To the sixth son who has already chosen the two others, from a chance encounter on a train, the Hat says HUFFLEPUFF; and Flitwick is delighted and Sprout is intrigued and Snape is resigned, to say the least. Or: Perhaps the trio is inevitable everywhere, but in this variation, none of them are in Gryffindor, and they do their best to build things anyway.

CROSSOVER While You Were Missing by basil_coffee_and White Collar x Batman (Jason Todd/Roy Harper), 23k, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Jason!Neal A familiar redheaded child darts across the bullpen with a shout of “PAPA!” and barrels into Jason’s arms. “Lian–” He breathes. Jason's undercover work as Neal Caffrey is difficult for several reasons. He didn't anticipate that single parenting would be one of them, though.

[thatnerddave]

I’m a man who grew up surrounded by strong women. Even as a child, I gravitated toward stories about women like those who helped mold me. This included stuff like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Tomb Raider”, and eventually, “Sailor Moon”.

I first encountered “Sailor Moon” as a young boy. I watched the 1990s anime religiously after school with my cousin. Beneath the silly slapstick humor of the anime, I detected characters with depth and pathos. It was love at first sight.

I eventually read the manga and adored it even more, particularly for how it approached the central romance between Usagi and Mamoru. I returned to the manga frequently and yearned for an adaptation that took these characters just a bit more seriously.

Little did I know, that adaptation existed. “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon”, a live-action tokusatsu series, never made it to the west officially. A chance encounter with a fan sub finally, quite recently, introduced me to what has become my favorite adaptation of “Sailor Moon”.

Here were the characters I loved, given room to breathe, their journeys fully explored. There was just one problem: those journeys ended after only the first arc of the manga.

So here we are. I have written stories for most of my life. I’ve even had the pleasure of having some of my comic book work published. Despite the fact that I always wrote for the love of the process, I’d never written fan fiction. Something about “PGSM”, however, urged me to put pen to paper and continue the story.

I'm sure in a fan community as vast as that of "Sailor Moon", I'm far from the first person to continue the story of "PGSM". I do believe I have a pretty unique approach that is ultimately additive to the fandom. Whether I am successful at crafting something worthy of the franchise is ultimately left up to the judgement of my fellow fans.

I did set some rules before I started writing.

1. Like “PGSM”, I will be adapting an arc from the manga, the “Black Moon” arc. Just like “PGSM”, I will follow the basic spirit of the arc while diverging, making changes, and taking BIG SWINGS.

2. “PGSM” was not blessed with a massive budget. To keep the spirit of the show alive, my second season will similarly stay quite grounded. Events here should at least be plausible in the context of the show.

3. Everything from the show is canon, including the “Special Act”. I knew this would create a challenge, since that final story jumped forward in time 4 years and saw Usagi and Mamoru get married. I jump forward another year after the wedding. We’re dealing with older Sailor Guardians, around 19 years old.

4. My biggest goal was to approximate the feel of a TV show. That is why the story is organized not into chapters, but episodes, called acts. That is why each act features opening and closing credits, as well as eyecatch (アイキャッチ) images common in Japanese television, particularly anime.

5. Finally, I wanted to not “impose my will” on these characters, but attempt to extend their journeys. Character conflicts, both internal and external, and relationships should feel like a natural evolution of what came before.

If you’ve never seen “PGSM”, but are a fan of Sailor Moon, consider my story an “alternative universe” and try to enjoy it on those merits.

I do recommend all fans seek out a fan sub of the show and watch it; it’s fantastic. Search the web for “Miss Dream” or “Sea of Serenity” and you’re sure to find it. The cast and crew really knocked it out of the park.

I will be posting new episodes on a roughly monthly basis and currently plan to write anywhere between 15 and 20 episodes. The whole season is already outlined, but I like to leave myself some room to improvise.

You can find my take on a second season of PGSM currently on three websites:

Archive of Our Own

Wattpad

FanFiction.net

I hope you’ll try and enjoy this little “what if” return to the world of “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon”. I know I am.