It took an awfully long time to get here but now things are moving fast! Maybe... too fast?
A truck carrying a shipment of IDW's latest comic books suffered a strange fate when it crashed in the woods. Among the cargo was the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog x Godzilla #2, which will only move back one week from Sep 2 to Sep 9. The driver is fine, the trees and the comic books not so much.
This isn't the first unexpected stir involving our second issue, though. About a month ago, we released preview pages from SxG #2 and Sonic fans dove into a multi-day debate about Amy's complex relationship with her Fortune Cards. I was fascinated by the wide range of reactions inspired by our unlettered art.
This was on the heels of another packed San Diego Comic-Con. I traveled 100 miles south as I have for the past 12 years ever since I announced Holy F*ck in 2014, this time heading down with Oliver Ono for signings, panels, and recordings. It was a fantastic experience sharing Sonic x Godzilla with so many terrific fans, especially with tremendous art by Natalie Haines on both the publisher's booth and con exclusive cover.
Speaking of videos, here's another one I made about my comics creation process because I've been getting so many questions about it lately. I hope this helps if you're still searching for your style of writing comics...
My steps of writing a comic book, from concept to completion, using Sonic the Hedgehog x Godzilla #1 as an example. pic.twitter.com/UCAXVbVAdG
You know, it just occurred to me that I never posted about the release of Sonic the Hedgehog x Godzilla #1 in July! It went great and we ranked in the top 50 comic books for the month, no easy feat considering that's typically the most packed month of the year. According to my own personal estimates, SxG #1 doubled to tripled the sales of most major Sonic or Godzilla releases that IDW has ever had with Sega and Toho's licenses.
Other people have noticed too. Screen Rant just covered our first issue's success and my buddy Dan did a video about the strong potential of a Sonic x Godzilla sequel. While my editors haven't requested a pitch yet, I have one prepared for when they call on me.
Today is the fourth anniversary of the day that I first pitched Sonic x Godzilla, and over the past month I've been sharing some looks at what could have been. Dan did another video about this recently, specifically taking a look at the combination of Silver the Hedgehog and Jet Jaguar that was in some of my earlier outlines. Keep an eye on my "sonic x godzilla" tag on Tumblr to be on the ground level of more behind-the-scenes reveals.
I've been hitting the press circuit to promote Sonic the Hedgehog x Godzilla, talking to some wonderful people about this exciting crossover that's been years in the making. This post was originally intended to get you totally up to speed on everything I've been doing over the past couple of months, but frankly I just don't think I can put it all into one post right now. A big reason for that is I've been going through a significant life change by getting separated from my wife Rosie. It was a tough decision that wasn't reached lightly, but we eventually felt it would be for the best. So I'm sure you can imagine that blogging hasn't been at the forefront of my mind.
I'm in my own place now, focusing on getting ready for the imminent release of Sonic x Godzilla and running a small comic shop inside of Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, where you can find me most every weekend. But not this weekend! That's because I'll be a guest at Fan Expo Anaheim.
Speaking of conventions, my attendance was recently announced for Portland's Rose City Comic Con and San Diego's Sonic Blast. I'll also be at San Diego Comic-Con in late July, and my schedule for that show should be released soon, including signings with SxG cover artist Natalie Haines as well as a panel appearance or two.
As for other appearances, I've had the opportunity to do some great interviews recently. The best place to catch them all is on my YouTube interview playlist. I have a similar playlist for reviews of my comics, which is my way of segueing into the reviews of Sonic the Hedgehog x Godzilla #1 that've been hitting the internet for the past few weeks. I'm thrilled to say the reception for our debut issue has been strong. We're currently sitting at 8.2 on the review aggregator ComicBookRoundup.com.
Okay I'm getting tired so it's time to wrap this up! I'm doing a Sonic x Godzilla Reddit AMA when I wake up so I need my beauty sleep. I'll leave you with some fun images as I get ready to drift off to dreamland. Catch ya soon!
The Blue Blur's battle with Dr. Eggman is upended by the arrival of two enormous monsters emerging from a humongous fissure in reality. The magnificent Mothra and the menacing Mechagodzilla carry their vicious battle into Sonic's world, and its fate now hangs in the balance! Is Sonic, with the help of his loyal friends Amy and Tails, fast enough to halt the city's frantic destruction? And why is Eggman so happy about this whole big mess?
Wait, is that Eggman now? How can he take over a solici—
From the files of me, Dr. Eggman! That petulant blue pipsqueak is making my existence absolute torture again—interrupting my crucial research on the beasts from the dimensional fissure! I simply MUST unlock the secrets of these giant monsters and use them to create something... eggtastic.
I've been writing this crossover comic in some form or another for nearly four years so I'm thrilled for everyone to finally get a look at what we're cooking. Jack Lawrence and Reggie Graham are doing masterful work here! The following pages are courtesy of ComicBook.com, GameSpot, and AIPT from reveals that were orchestrated by IDW publicity maestro Gregg Katzman.
And we're not stopping there! Here are Covers A (Jack and Reggie, natch) and B (Kevin Anthony Catalan) as well as our comic book's first appearance of Shadow the Hedgehog from Sonic X Godzilla #2. I'm loving how these teases have everyone guessing what direction our miniseries will take. Can you figure it out?
I also have another podcast interview that dropped recently, this time with guest host Jason DeHart on Traversing the Stars. Give it a listen and then go catch some of my other recent appearances.
Hi, I'm Nick Marino. I've been writing comics for nearly 20 years, going from webcomics and self-published minicomics to creator-owned miniseries for the direct market to licensed comics like Sonic, Godzilla, Power Rangers, and Transformers. My work has been featured on IGN, The Beat, AIPT, CBR, Polygon, WWAC, ComicBook, Comics Alliance, Multiversity, Graphic Policy, G-FAN, Daily Dead, and many more. Contact me here.
