ANNOUNCEMENT: Be Part of the Next Anthology from a Ringo Nominated Publisher!
Lifeline Comics announces their newest queer anthology that YOU can apply to join!
Hi Lifeline Comics Readers!
We’re excited to announce our next comic anthology — which will feature Asexual Spectrum Stories! Read on to find out more details, including how YOU can submit to be a paid contributor to the anthology as a writer and/or artist!
We’ll also announce our New York Comic Con plans (which include TWO LOCATIONS), let you know about a new bimonthly Giveaway, and discuss some media (including Heartstopper Season Three)!
Let’s dive in!
Ace/Aro Anthology - Submissions Open!
Phil: Lifeline Comics is excited to officially announce that submissions are open for our next big comic anthology project: an anthology focusing on Asexuality and Aromanticism!
Following the success of “Bi Visibility” and “Transphoria”, we’re partnering with prolific demisexual creator, Jeremy Whitley, to put together a new LGBTQ+ anthology with a focus on stories across the Ace & Aro Spectrums (asexual, aromantic, demisexual, aceflux, aroflux, aegoromantic, gray ace etc.)
If you’re looking for Paid Comic Work, be sure to check out the submissions form below! Apply as a Writer with a 2-8 page script or as an Artist (Interior or Cover) or Colorist with portfolio samples of your previous work!
If your submission is accepted, you'll be invited to be a paid contributor to the anthology! Our previous anthologies have included the work of industry veterans (Sterling Gates, Sarah "Comickergirl" Leuver, Chris Shehan, Lisa Sterle, and Gail Simone) AND fresh faces - including the first published comic work for some contributors!
Rates for accepted contributors shown below:
Writers: $30/page
Line Artists: $80/page
Colors: $40/page
Submissions will be open until November 24th!
Lifeline Comics at New York Comic Con
Kat: We’re excited to announce that we’ll not ONLY be in Artist Alley at New York Comic Con, but we’ll also have an Exhibitor Booth on the show floor for our publishing company!
Join us October 17-20th in artist alley at D-11 and 4622 on the show floor where you can grab our comics AND our exclusive connecting covers for The Beast & Snow and Nightmare in Wonderland.
Phil: Now excuse us while we frantically pack comics for two spots!
Kat Wrote an Article for the Comics Courier, A New Comics Criticism Journal
Kat: I had the honor to not only be a Kickstarter consultant on Tiffany Babb’s newest comic book newspaper, but I also wrote an article for their first edition.
Tiffany is an Eisner Award winning journalist, who is on a mission to put comic journalism back on the map. Before taking on Lifeline Comics full time, I was actually a comic book journalist. So it was really fun to get my hands dirty again talking about my favorite superhero, Spider-Girl, and why all these years later you should read What If #105.
Support the Project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiffanybabb/the-comics-courier
Share Your Haul Bimonthly Giveaway
Phil: We’re excited to announce that Lifeline Comics will now be hosting bimonthly giveaways of various items - everything from pins to comics to art prints!
At the end of every even-numbered month, we’ll select one winner who used #LifelineComics on social media to share your haul from us!
Our first winner will be selected at the end of October, so be sure to share your Kickstarter Rewards when you receive them for a chance to win some free items!
EXXXOTICA 2024 Variants are FUNDED!
Phil: In case you missed the news, we’ve partnered with Pat Shand (Space Between Entertainment, Cheeky Comics) for a part of Connected Variant Covers that will be exclusive to EXXXOTICA 2024 in Edison NJ!
Before we sell these awesome covers at the event, we’ve made them available for a limited-time Kickstarter campaign where you can grab both halves of the connecting covers!
Available as both Sweet and Spicy covers, you don’t want to miss out on these limited-time variants for “The Witches of Oz #1” and “Nippy #1”!
What have we been up to?
How have we kept ourselves busy since our last post? Let’s find out!
Post Malone Concert
Kat: Post Malone has always been charming, and that charm radiated during his F-1 Trillion Tour. Over his decade in music he has become an interesting chameleon starting in the rap space then going into pop and now finding new roots in country.
His versatility was in full effect during his concert as he sang some old throwbacks and highlighted his country exploration with new takes on his previous hits.
Posty poured his heart and soul into every song. He even shared a moment on stage with a fan who has been campaigning on social media to sing with him.
Media
And let’s discuss some non-comics media!
Heartstopper (Season 3)
Phil: The wholesome webcomic-based Netflix Boy Love series is back for its third season. And continuing the Heartstopper tradition, my fiancé Julius and I binged the entirety of the season on the night of its premiere.
This is certainly the darkest season yet for a show known for being a cute, fluffy romance — this time taking a real deep dive into mental health crises and eating disorders. Season Two skirted up against some darker topics, including setting up some of the mental health struggles that hit their breaking point in this season. But the sophomore season didn’t get nearly as heavy as the newest season.
In another world, that might have been a negative for the season. But I found the darker subject matter to be a natural evolution for the series that was handled very well. The season really takes its time sitting with both Charlie and Nick as they struggle with the former’s eating disorder and with codependency issues. We see the good moments, the bad moments, and the ugly moments as they try to navigate their very difficult to manage (even for an adult) situation as a pair of teenagers. Episode 4 in particular, which spends the first half from Nick’s perspective and the second from Charlie’s, is some fantastic television exploring both characters’ journeys and feelings as Charlie finally gets professional help for his problems.
In true Heartstopper fashion, the darker subject matter doesn’t mean that the series isn’t still fluffy. We get plenty of the “cute” moments between the various couples in the series. Season Three actually does a really great job balancing the dark with the light/cute and building towards a very satisfying and hopeful conclusion.
On the negative side, Olivia Coleman does not return as Nick’s mom — one of the best characters in the series. But Hayley Atwell does make a great stand-in as Nick’s aunt in the first two episodes of the season.
I almost hesitate to call this a negative, but there are a lot of characters in Heartstopper. And Season Three tries to give a fair share of screen time to all of them. I actually think the season does a pretty amazing job of balancing all of the characters and giving them things to do throughout the season — with particular compliments to Elle who gets a really great subplot surrounding the politicization of her art because she is Trans. But just by virtue of how many characters there are, some slip through the cracks. Most notably are Darcy, Imogen, and Sahar. All three have stand-out scenes throughout the season, but kind of weave in-and-out of the storyline due to how many other characters they’re competing for screentime with. But as I said, I hesitate to even call this a negative since I think Heartstopper does about as good of a job as possible of utilizing its screentime and trying to give each character a handful of “big” moments.
Heartstopper Season 3 is sure to be an enjoyable watch to fans of the first two seasons. It does a great job evolving the story and characters as they grapple with more serious issues. And it is very even-handed between the “drama” and the “fluff” while managing to expertly balance an incredibly full cast of queer characters - including gay, lesbian, trans, nonbinary, and ace characters.
Kat: Heartstopper is a very easy show to watch as the teens try to discover themselves and become solid humans as kids, partners, and friends.
Season 3 had the perfect balance between the heartwarming romance of Season 1 with the more serious topics of Season 2. Charlie and Nick go through challenges not just as a couple, but also as individuals. All while the show also tries to give some screen time to some of the secondary characters to explore other sexual identities and teen issues.
Though, I do wish we had even more time for characters like Isaac and Imogen. It feels like the show only scratched the surface with their stories, and in some cases completely ignore the story they were setting up in the beginning of the season.
Heartstopper Season 3 isn’t as perfect as it’s freshman season BUT is a massive improvement from its unbalanced second season. And most of all, still a heartwarming easy binge that I wish I had growing up as a queer kid.
Trap
Kat: My friend and podcast co-host, Amy, recommended we watch Trap for an upcoming podcast episode. I saw a few trailers for this at the AMC, but didn’t remember the details of the movie and was going in pretty blind.
And I’m glad I did! Trap puts a twist on the serial killer as it’s quickly revealed that a proud girl dad is ALSO a slasher known as the Butcher. I was really sold on the premise, but the movie takes a lot of creative freedoms…to get you out of that very logline.
More than half the film takes place at a concert when a pop star decides that she is going to bring down this notorious serial killer. The movie tries to sell itself on a “thriller”, but reveals information prematurely to diminish any tension. Maybe you could consider this a horror movie, but there aren’t enough kills to really call it a slasher.
I’m far more disappointed by Trap’s potential than the movie’s mediocrity.
Listen to the Legendary Ladies podcast where we take a deep dive into the movie. (Premiering later this week)
Problemista
Phil: Problemista is a movie that has been on my radar since I randomly caught a trailer for it when we saw Past Lives last year. And my desire to see it only intensified when I learned that it was written by/directed by/starring the writer of one of my favorite SNL sketches.
It’s a surrealist comedy about a Salvadoran immigrant (Julio Torres) who dreams of becoming a toy designer for Hasbro while working at a cryogenics lab that “euthanizes” (freezes) rich people with terminal illnesses. It’s through this job that he meets Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) - an art critic whose husband is frozen at the facility. Elizabeth is un-affectionately nicknamed “the Hydra” due to her difficulty and her refusal to stand for any inconvenience or obstacle to her getting what she wants.
Problemista hinges on the relationship between Alejandro and Elizabeth, as the timid people-pleaser learns how to navigate his relationship with Elizabeth. And in turn, learns that sometimes he needs to become a “problem” for people himself in order to move up in a world that is designed to keep you down.
It’s a beautiful, moving, ridiculous, and genuinely funny story. The script expertly teeters from funny to sweet to heartbreaking and delivers so many memorable scenes in its short 105 minute runtime (my personal favorites of which are an absurdist Bank of America joke and an incredibly moving apology scene between Tilda Swinton and a minor character played by Past Lives’ Greta Lee).
This is the kind of movie I wish we saw more of - wholly unique and built upon a very specific lived-in experience of its writer/director/star. And while it may not be the categorical “best” movie of the year, it is certainly the one that I’ve enjoyed the most so far. A strong recommendation to any fans of character pieces and absurd comedies that also have heart.
Comics
Let's discuss some comics we've enjoyed recently!
As always, we’ll spotlight an Indie Book, a DC/Marvel book, a Live Kickstarter book and a Webcomic!
Indie Comic: Nippy #1 (Space Between Entertainment)
Phil: With our current campaign being a collaboration with Pat Shand’s Nippy, we thought it would be fun to talk about the Frozen-inspired comic as this week’s Indie spotlight!
Nippy is a sexy, irreverent comedy adventure that sees Princess Ellie struggle with ice powers that stem from her nipples. The witty writing from Pat Shand includes tons of double entendres, fairytale jokes/references, and alliterative exclamations (“tundra t*ts” was my personal favorite) that make for laughs on almost every page.
The issue moves briskly, taking you across the world from Ellie’s kingdom to a mermaid-guarded lake to the lair of the Evil Queen to a dragon-guarded castle, etc. And the comic delivers plenty of sex in every location.
If you like fast-moving sex comedy stories, you’ll certainly enjoy Nippy #1.
Get an EXCLUSIVE VARIANT COVER of “Nippy” here!
DC Comic: Plastic Man No More
Kat: Following Chris Cantwell’s run on Patsy Walker, I was very excited to see him tackle another “lesser known hero” with Plastic Man. Unlike Patsy, I only know the basics about Plastic Man. But this book does a wonderful job at making it new reader friendly all while exploring elements of the character that hardcore fans would adore.
Plastic Man has always been treated as a joke, but Cantwell and Edgar showcase his more anti-hero leanings as he deals with disrespect from the Justice League and his own family drama. Jacob Edgar does a great job at blending a Saturday morning cartoon vibe with a more serious tone as he literally tries to survive. Don’t let this Black Label book slip under your radar.
Webcomic: Penny & Aggy
Kat: In our last Substack Post, I talked about this void for website driven webcomics. Ones like Penny and Aggy. A webcomic that released a page a week as we waited in anticipation to see what would happen next to this odd couple.
An Archie like comic that leaned into the “Betty & Veronica” sexual tension at a time when there was very little queer representation in comic books. Penny and Aggy is a great binge for fans who love character driven slice of life titles.
Kickstarter: BATTLECATS
“The first-ever Mad Cave Kickstarter campaign, celebrating their flagship title BATTLECATS with a prestige oversized omnibus and soundtrack!”
Phil: Mad Cave Studios is one of our favorite comic publishers on the market. They always put out quality books - original and licensed - and the folks who work there are some of our favorites in the industry. So as Mad Cave makes their first foray into Kickstarter, it’s an absolute no-brainer backing from us.
A massive 500+ page omnibus collecting several volumes of the publisher’s first comic series is a fantastic choice for Mad Cave’s first campaign. It’s a wonderful acknowledgment of their 10+ year history and gives their fans (myself included) the chance to check out the fantasy epic Battlecats in its entirety for the first time. Very excited to read this one!
In Closing
Thank you for reading! We’re so excited to bring this Ace Anthology to life and appreciate your help spreading the word about open submissions!
If you’re a fan of Exclusive Variant Covers, we hope you check out our current collaboration with Pat Shand on EXXXOTICA 2024 Connecting Covers for The Witches of Oz #1 & Nippy #1!
Nightmare in Wonderland #1-2 is on it’s last day, so be sure to pledge today if you want to get those campaign-exclusive items!
And be sure to follow the Pre-launch Page for the next issue of our Teen Superhero series: Like Father, Like Daughter: The Five Stages of Grief #1!
Subscribe above for biweekly updates on our future projects!
Current Kickstarters:
Next Kickstarter: Like Father, Like Daughter: The Five Stages of Grief #1
Next Cons/Events: New York Comic Con (10/17-10/20) (Table D-11)
I’m gonna be wracking my brain to come up with a story for the Ace/Aro Anthology!! I’ll have to reach out to friends. :) Have fun at New York Comic Con! Thanks for all you do.