It was quite an eventful weekend both inside and outside the Garden State Comic Fest. For starters, Friday kicked things off with the release of Castevania on Netflix (expect a write up soon) and going out for a night with two people I love very much to finally see Wonder Woman. (How’s that for preparation for a comic convention?) Then there was the con itself which went successfully, and garnered (as usual) interest in both Chadhiyana and Gentleman Cthulhu. (Read more…)

For the third year in a row (and since its move to a new location) I’ll be appearing at the Garden State Comic Fest this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) at the Mennen Arena in Morristown, New Jersey. Generally, I haven’t had much luck at cons in my native state, though GSCF is the exception. It’s one of the better cons I do year after year, and it’s run by some of the most passionate and dedicated guys I’ve seen in the con business (and I’m still impressed and grateful to Dave O’Hare’s for last year’s kindness and quick action). That said, I know I haven’t posted in almost a month…even on my Patreon and gentlemancthulhu.com. So, this weekend not only kicks off the first of three summer cons, but it also starts a re-engagement on my part. (Read more…)

Even though it seems like our latest president is constantly challenging the ideals and realities of the United States’ freedom and independence, I’d still like to take the time to wish all of my State-side fans a Happy Independence Day!

Let’s hope we all remain so (independent and free, that is). So in honour of that and of all of the men and women who have risked and given their lives to protect those freedoms (and thank you, immensely, by the way), I’ll be drinking a nice cold beer or two (or more) and eating a few cheeseburgers and other choice foods from the grill.

Cheers!

EDIT: Deadline has been extended to July 31, 2017!

The second collection of Gentleman Cthulhu comics (from gentlemancthulhu.com) is releasing late this summer and you can have your name included in the next volume! During the month of June, anyone who becomes a supporter of my Patreon page (at $3.00 or above) will have their name listed in Gentleman Cthulhu: Year Two (working title) and receive an exclusive, Patreon-only digital copy of the collection before it goes to print (print copies are available for $5.00 supporters and above). Just click the link below to become a supporter!

J. M. DeSantis on Patreon

patreon.com/jmdesantis

Though, if you’re interested in more information before you decide (including non-Patreon support), read on. (Read more…)

Back in February, a number of websites began publishing information about a new Netflix series based on the Castlevania franchise. Then, just yesterday, the first trailer was released. It’s no secret that the Castlevania series has been a major influence on my work. It’s the first video game series that I felt was “mine”, in that I discovered it for myself; I started with the very first Castlevania in 1986–though it probably wasn’t until 1987 or 88 that I played it (games had a longer shelf-life back then)–and it featured all of the things I loved best: horror elements, a massive castle, spooky music (I love that word) and Dracula! So with all of that, you’d think I’d be excited to know a screen adaptation of the games is finally happening. (Read more…)

I just wanted to quickly take the time to thank the Odenton Library for inviting myself and my other Rosarium Publishing compatriots to the AAPCL (Anne Arundel County Public Library) Comic Con this past Saturday (and my thanks too to Bill Campbell for asking me to be a part of Rosarium’s presence there). It was a small show, but sometimes those are the most fun and relaxing. Plus, I always enjoy speaking on panels, and as per the encouragement of my publisher, I’m trying to speak on more of them going forward. (Read more…)

Just a brief reminder that I’m speaking on a panel with other members of Rosarium Publishing at the AAPCL (Anne Arundel Public County Library) Comic Con this Saturday. The panel is called Diversity in Children’s Comics and will also feature Micheline Hess (Malice in Ovenland) and Bizhan Khodabanden (The Little Black Fish), and it will be moderated by none other than Rosarium Publishing’s fearless leader (and writer of the recent viral–though long-ago-written–letter to DC Comics about diversity), Bill Campbell. (Read more…)

Mike Mignola is on the short list of creators whose work inspired me to get back into comics. After years of being sick of Marvel and DC (especially after Marvel’s Onslaught thing and the whole Amalgam deal in the 1990s), I stopped reading comics for a long time, and I make no secret of my complete lack of interest in the “mythology” of superheroes (can I write that word?). Then, in college, I was introduced to Mignola and other creators (such as Alan Moore) who offered an alternative to what comics could be about. And though it took a bit to get used to Mignola’s style, once I read Hellboy I was instantly hooked. It was equal turns dark and humourous and was inspired by much of the same source material which I myself enjoy. So when Mike Mignola announced through his social media networks that a new Hellboy film was in the works, you figured I’d be ecstatic.  (Read more…)

It was my brother, Brian, who first introduced me to the Souls series. As I recall, I was going through a difficult time and Brian was looking for difficult games. We had been gamers our entire lives and he decided that he only wanted to play games that offered him the utmost challenge, so experienced did he consider himself. So, like a samurai choosing to fight armies with a wood sword, every game he played was on the highest difficulty, and he hated having to play a game once on Hard just to get the even harder difficulty. And then he found it, a game so hard the only difficulty setting was constant death. And when he found it, my dear brother wanted me to revel in his new-found outlet for his masochism. (Read more…)

I’m taking a break from writing about Dark Souls (and other related games) this week, to give you all a little update on my convention schedule for this year. Currently, there are a few unconfirmed appearances (and one which I haven’t decided upon just yet), but the months are starting to fill in (admittedly, I’m not the most active con-exhibitor, usually averaging about one a month or month-and-a-half each year). True, I already exhibited at No Such Con in February so this may seem a bit late to be listing what’s coming in 2017, but I don’t usually attend cons in the winter. Now spring is officially here, and I already have an event coming up in May!  (Read more…)