This Saturday at Atomic Comics in Oklahoma City they're holding their second ever sidewalk sale, with all sorts of toys, comics and books marked at special prices. In addition, there'll be door prizes, contests and the US Post Office will be on hand selling Marvel Comics stamps. Oh and I'll be there too, from 1:00 pm until they turn out the lights.

The good guys at the Alter Ego Comic Cast invited me onto their show to babble about SCALPED and WOLVERINE #56. I manage to refrain from cursing, for the most part.

Click here to listen

Signing, originally uploaded by Kelly Sue.

Thanks to A.J. and everyone at Star Clipper for hosting me, Seth Peck (writer of the upcoming SORROW and '76 from Image), Steven Sanders (artist of FIVE FISTS OF SCIENCE from Image and the new cell phone comic THUNDER ROAD), Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: EBEN AND STELLA from IDW) and Matt Fraction (writer of THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST, THE ORDER and PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL for Marvel, as well as the great CASANOVA for Image).

If you're ever in the St. Louis area, be sure to check out Star Clipper. It's one of very best comic stores I've ever been in.

'Scalped' writer having sizzling August
by Bill Radford

It’s a big month for Jason Aaron.

The start of August saw the release of a trade paperback collecting the first five issues of his ongoing series, SCALPED.

Also this month from Aaron: issue No. 8 of SCALPED, published by Vertigo, DC Comics’ mature-reader imprint; the double-size WOLVERINE No. 56 from Marvel; and RIPCLAW: PILOT SEASON No. 1 from Top Cow.

It would seem the days of waiting tables and stocking video-store shelves are over for Aaron, who is happily adjusting to the transformation from comics fan to comics pro.

Click here for the full text

Courtesy of Leave Your Spandex @t the Door:

An honest-to-Gawd good Wolvie story? No, excuse me, a GREAT Wolvie story! One that doesn't involve an umpteenth battle with his stereotypical nemesis, doesn't rewrite his origin, doesn't involve hidden or resurfaced memories! A story that's self-contained, new-reader friendly and doesn't tie in to the X-titles but features Wolvie as a character on his own strength?

Please, pinch me!

Click here for the full review.

SCALPED #11
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera
Cover by Jock
Witness the final days of Gina Bad Horse in the dramatic finale of the 6-part "Casino Boogie." In a maximum security prison in Kansas, trying to comfort an innocent man convicted of double murder, Gina realizes that the darkest of her secrets must now see the light.
On sale November 7 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
MATURE READERS

Eastside/Westside: Increase the Peace, originally uploaded by Star Clipper Gallery.

I'll be at Star Clipper in St. Louis this Saturday, August 25, from 2 to 6 pm, along with the following:
KELLY SUE DECONNICK, WRITER (30 Days of Night: Eben & Stella)
MATT FRACTION, WRITER (Iron Fist, Casanova)
JEREMY HAUN, ARTIST (Civil War: Iron Man/ Captain America, New Excalibur)
B. CLAY MOORE, WRITER (The Leading Man, Hawaiian Dick)
SETH PECK, WRITER (Sorrow)
STEVEN SANDERS, ARTIST (Five Fists of Science)

I'll be the bald one.

It ships August 22, it's drawn by Howard Chaykin and I think it's one of the best single issues I've ever written.

It's my first full-fledged superhero work, it's out today and I'm anxious to hear what people think.

The first trade paperback collection of SCALPED was realeased a couple weeks ago, which represents a personal milestone a long time in the making. It was February 2005 and I was standing at the bus stop after a day spent working my shitty day job, when I got a call from editor Will Dennis at Vertigo. I was already writing THE OTHER SIDE for Will, and he was calling to let me know that The Powers That Be had just greenlighted my other idea, SCALPED. Later that same week, I also got a new car and got married, so it proved to be a pretty life changing couple of days. Now here I am, more than two years later, very proud of how SCALPED turned out and very excited about the direction of my career.

And on a completely different note, here's my personal soundtrack for SCALPED Vol. 1. These are either songs that I listened to while working on the book or songs that directly inspired it.

“Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour?” – Willie Nelson
From Willie's hauntingly beautiful 1998 album Teatro.

“Custer” – Johnny Cash
I probably listened to this song a hundred times while writing SCALPED. It's from the album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian.

“Rip This Joint” – Rolling Stones
From what's probably the greatest rock album of all time, Exile on Main Street.

“Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” – Buffy Saint-Marie
A great song about jailed Native rights activist Leonard Peltier. I'm not a huge Indigo Girls fan, but they've also done a good version of it.

“Nebraska” – Bruce Springsteen
A powerful song from an amazingly stark yet incredibly rich album.

“For A Few Dollars More” – Ennio Morricone
Brian Azzarello's LOVELESS ain't the only Vertigo book that has a bit of spaghetti western in it.

“Hello Trouble” – Buck Owens
AKA, "The Ballad of Dash and Carol."

“7 Months, 39 Days” – Hank Williams III
If I could take one real person and write them as a character in SCALPED, it would be Hank III. Complete with duct tape covered boots and that hat that looks like it's been backed over by a truck.

“Stagger Lee” -- Nick Cave
From Cave's 1996 album Murder Ballads, another one of my favorites.

“Death Around the Corner” -- 2Pac
I also listen to a lot of 2Pac while working on SCALPED. I think the paranoia and fear and anger he exhibits on songs like this could play as a straight soundtrack for a lot of the characters on our fictional rez.

“Down Yonder” – Willie Nelson
Another great Willie instrumental, from perhaps his greatest album, Red Headed Stranger.

“I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” – Hank Williams
As the saying goes, if you don't like Hank Williams, you can kiss my ass.

“The Devil’s Right Hand” – Steve Earle
I have no doubt that in a different reality where Steve Earle never learned to play guitar, he would've been one of the world's greatest short story writers.

“O Bury Me Not” – Sons of the Pioneers
No, that's not a joke. I listen to a lot of music by the old singing cowboys.

“Memo From Turner” – Mick Jagger
From the soundtrack to Jagger's 1970 film Performance. Don't know quite what it is about this song, but I can't ever get enough of it.

“You Show Me Yours”– Kris Kristofferson
One of my favorite songs from one of the men (not just songwriters but men from any walk of life) who I most admire.

“Rock Hard In A Funky Place” -- Prince
Prince's Black Album is Carol's favorite, no doubt about it.

“Where Did You Sleep Last Night” – Leadbelly
I listen to this song all the time too, and I imagine it's just as haunting now as it was back in 1944.

“Round Dance” – Northern Cree Singers
My favorite performers of traditonal Native American drumming. These guys are riveting.

Sorry, Canadians.

http://www.spacecast.com/videoplayer_4384.aspx

Due to some sort of printing error, my RIPCLAW one-shot didn't make it to stores this week, but look for it next week. Or if you're at Wizard World Chicago this week, you can pick up an advance copy at the Top Cow booth and even get Tony Moore to sign the cover (tell him I sent you).

Check out the earth-2.net podcat for an advance review ("Kudos upon kudos upon kudos," they said of the book). And there's an interview with Top Cow editor Rob Levin and I at Comic Book Resources.

It's a dark meditation on violence that ships next week, August 8, with art by Jorge Lucas and a cover by Tony Moore.