SNIKTETY SNIKT, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

From the Bendis board.

If only...

By my count, I had 36 comics published in 2008, plus a couple of short stories. All told I got to write a lot of different characters: Ghost Rider, Wolverine, John Constantine, Black Panther, The Penguin, American Eagle and the Punisher, in addition to the denizens of the Prairie Rose rez in SCALPED, of course.

In 2009, I should have at least as many comics out, if not more, but I won't be doing as many short stints on different titles. Instead I'll be focusing on a handful of ongoing series, as follows:

SCALPED -- 2009 will be taken up almost entirely by two big arcs. "High Lonesome" starts in January's #25 and lasts five issues, though it's really more a collection of stand-alone issues than it it a cohesive arc. After that, we begin a pivotal arc entitled "The Gnawing." As I've said before, this is when the shit really hits the fan. This is what we've been building toward in these first two years, and this arc also sets the stage for everything to follow.

GHOST RIDER -- I should have 11 more issues of GHOST RIDER out in 2009 to wrap up my run, and I think they'll be my best issues yet on the title. In particular I'm excited about the issues my buddy Tony Moore is drawing, starting with #33 in March.

WOLVERINE: WEAPON X -- This new ongoing kicks off in April, and I'm hoping to have a very long run on this. This will be me getting to tell ever story I've ever wanted to tell with Wolverine.

OTHER MARVEL ONGOING -- Later in 2009 I'll also be starting a run on an undisclosed Marvel series. All I'll say is that it's a dream project of mine in every way, from the series itself to the artist I'm getting to work with to the villains they're letting me use. Can't wait.

ASSORTED ONE-SHOTS AND SUCH -- I'll probably also have a few one-shots out here and there. I've been working on one and may already have another lined up. Work also continues on a graphic novel I've been doing for Oni. You probably won't see that in 2009 though.

All in all, it sounds like enough to keep me busy. Speaking of which, I gotta get back to work now.

Happy New Year, everybody.

WOLVERINE: WEAPON X. A new ongoing series with art by Ron Garney. This is my biggest assignment yet for Marvel, and I plan on making the most of it. Look for me to stick around on this one for a nice long run.

Here's my interview with Newsarama.
And editor John Barber's interview at Marvel.com.

There may be better comic books on your shelf each week, but there is no better graphic novel, unfolding in monthly installments, than Jason Aaron's Scalped.

I understand the aversion to the term "graphic novel," the suspicion that comics fans are trying a little too hard to label the sequential storytelling that has overflowed its normal boundaries. But Aaron has approached the first 23 issues of Scalped with the novelist's sensibility, slowly developing a storyline -- and a cast of characters Cormac McCarthy would love -- which requires that readers used to the immediate and insipid gratifications of mainstream titles recognize they are in it for the long haul.

Full text here

Big thanks to Wizard for naming me Best Writer of the year. I was really surprised and flattered to get that nod and loved the write-up they gave me in the magazine. It was indeed an awfully fun year for me, but next year is seriously shaping up to be even bigger and better. Stay tuned.

Wizard "Best Of" Picks

Elite_anniversary 004, originally uploaded by Sanders teh Destroyer.

Add your own caption.

My 8 page American Eagle story is now available at Marvel.com, but you do have to be a subscriber to their Digital Comics service.

http://marvel.com/news/comics.5967

I give you The Orb by the legendary Richard Corben. If you see something more awesome than this today, and it doesn't involve proof of alien existence or uncovered female breasts, then I wanna know what it is.

SCALPED #25
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera
Cover by Jock
In this first part of an all-new arc that sets up major events on the Prairie Rose reservation, we see the landscape through the eyes of a newcomer — a card shark and con man — whose presence could spell doom for one of our main characters. The countdown to chaos begins here with part 1 of "High Lonesome."
On sale January 21 -- 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

GHOST RIDER #31
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by TAN ENG HUAT
Cover by ARTHUR SUYDAM
The last time we saw Deputy Kowalski, he'd had his hand chopped off and eaten by a crazed cannibal and been Penance Stared by an enraged Johnny Blaze. Now he's back, armed with a hellfire shotgun and gunning for vengeance against the Ghost Rider. And as if that wasn't bad enough, there's also the little matter of the final war for heaven, as Danny Ketch leads the warrior angels of the Black Host against Blaze and his ragtag band of rebels. Is this really the end for the Spirits of Vengeance?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #4 (of 4)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Cover by DAVE WILKINS
Last time Wolverine tangled with the four mystical warriors of the Black Dragon Death Squad, it very nearly cost him his life. But this time he’s got some help, as every kung fu school in Chinatown unites behind him—including the reunited Sons of the Tiger!But at what price will come victory?And what dark decision will Wolverine be forced to make?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

COVER BY: CHRIS BACHALO
WRITER: JASON AARON
PENCILS: ROLAND BOSCHI
INKS: ROLAND BOSCHI
THE STORY:
“AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN"
It just wouldn't be Christmas without the Punisher, now would it? There's no room at the inn for a mobster and his pregnant wife who are on the run from rival gangsters, but lucky for them Frank Castle is in a giving mood. Though keeping them alive won't be easy, what with three vicious gun-toting wise-guys and a wacked-out pimp named Shepherd all hot on their trail. But then nobody ever said Christmas miracles came easy, did they?
Explicit Content …$3.99


PRICE: 3.99
IN STORES: December 3, 2008

WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #1, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

"You read a Wolverine comic for stoicism, snikt!, mystery, grudge-holding former lovers, and beer. This book has all that, and may be doing it better than any ongoing book with the big guy's name on the cover."

From Newsarama.com

Just the other day it was announced that I'm doing an American Eagle story that'll only be available online to subscribers of Marvel's Digital Comics service. Just to clear up any misconceptions, this is a one-time 8 page story, not an ongoing project. It's a kick-ass little story though, with gorgeous art by Richard Isanove, and it features a Marvel villain I've been dying to write.

For more info, check out this interview I did with Vaneta from Newsarama:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/100823-Aaron-American-Eagle.html

So the third trade paperback of SCALPED is out now, collecting the five part "Dead Mothers" arc drawn by R.M. Guera, as well as a couple of stand-alone issues drawn by John Paul Leon and Davide Furno. Here's what folks are saying:

"SCALPED is consistently one of the best books on the racks. With the third trade available now, it’s an excellent time to pick it up and immerse yourself in a thrillingly complex crime drama, one that dishes up equal parts action and violence, psychological drama, and supernatural elements and Native spirituality."
--Newsarama.com

"Jason Aaron is comics fastest-rising star, and this is his magnum opus (so far). If you haven't yet, go pick up all three volumes of this killer noir comic and get hooked on the adventures of FBI agent Dashiell Shaw, working undercover on his home reservation. Really, really great!"
--Washington Times

Thanks for the kind words, Washington Times, but Dashiell SHAW? Where'd that come from?

My biggest GHOST RIDER arc yet begins here with the long awaited reunion between Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, setting the stage for the final battle in the war for Heaven itself. Oh yeah, this one's gonna be fun. Look for it in stores tomorrow.

Saw these guys in Salt Lake City the other night. A kick-ass two man band, and yeah, that drum kit consists of a bass drum and a bunch of plastic buckets held together with duct tape. And trust me, that dude plays the fuck out of those buckets.

Michael O'Donoghue was one of the most brutally hilarious men who ever lived, the man who gave us "Children's Letters to the Gestapo" and "Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Stories: The Little Engine That Died" and of course the famous impression of Elvis Presley with eighteen inch steel needles plunged into his eyes. No one else was better at making people laugh at things that weren't supposed to be funny.

Here he is with John Belushi in the opening skit of the very first episode of "Saturday Night Live."

Transcript of his Elvis impression

The first issue of my WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY mini-series comes out in a couple weeks, and when it was initially solicited, you may have noticed a signed edition available from Dynamic Forces. That was a mix-up on their part. Just so you know, those copies won't be signed by me. If you wanna get my sloppy signature on your book, just come see me at Black Cat Comics in Utah this weekend.

Box o' SCALPED, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

SCALPED Vol. 3 is coming.

Wolverine + Chinatown + kung fu = me having a lot of fun.






WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #1 (of 4) (AUG082411)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Cover by DAVE WILKINS
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC—10/02/08, On-Sale—10/22/08

The Tide is back! Oh happy day.

Here's a movie that's just dying to be remade. And I would sure love to write it. Thanks to Jason Latour for turning me on to this flick.

Kris Kristofferson plays a struggling musician who's been busted for selling weed but is trying to go straight. Gene Hackman is the narc who busted him. When Hackman needs some cash, he steals a metric fuck-ton of weed and gives it to Kristofferson to sell, putting a gun to his head and telling him he needs to make ten thousand dollars in two days or he's dead. The movie kind of falls apart at the end (I kept waiting for the guys Hackman ripped off to show up, gunning to get their weed back, but they never did), but how great a set-up is that?

On another note, how cool is Kris Kristofferson? If I was to come up with five people, living or dead, I'd want to invite over for dinner, you better believe he'd make the list.

I bid goodbye to the country of Wakanda today as my last issue of BLACK PANTHER ships. It was a fun three issues, and I don't regret for a second that so many Skrulls had to die during the making of this series. Adieu, King T'Challa. Adieu. Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

SCALPED #24
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera
Cover by Jock
"The Gravel In Your Guts" comes to its shockingly violent conclusion. The dark roads Chief Red Crow and fledgling criminal Dino Poor Bear have been traveling finally bring them together - with haunting repercussions for both.
On sale December 24 * 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US * MATURE READERS


GHOST RIDER #30
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by TAN ENG HUAT
Cover by GERALD PAREL
Villain Variant by TBA
"The Last Stand of the Spirits of Vengeance" kicks into high gear! With Zadkiel and his army on the verge of conquering heaven itself, a force is gathering to oppose them, a group unlike any we've ever seen. But will their ranks include Johnny Blaze or has he given up the fight once and for all? Find out for yourself in this exciting new ###-kicking installment of the red hot GHOST RIDER!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99


PUNISHER MAX X-MAS SPECIAL
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
"AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN"
It just wouldn't be Christmas without the Punisher, now would it? There's no room at the inn for a mobster and his pregnant wife who are on the run from rival gangsters, but lucky for them Frank Castle is in a giving mood. Though keeping them alive won't be easy, what with three vicious gun-toting wise-guys and a wacked-out pimp named Shepherd all hot on their trail. But then nobody ever said Christmas miracles came easy, did they?
48 PGS./Explicit Content ...$3.99


WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #3 (of 4)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Cover by DAVE WILKINS
50 years ago Wolverine turned his back on the people of San Francisco's Chinatown when they needed him the most. Now he must make up for his mistake and somehow manage to unite all of the Kung Fu schools in the city, if he hopes to have any chance at defeating the brutal Black Dragon Tong that currently controls the underworld. Unfortunately, that's going to be hard for Logan to do when he happens to be locked inside a San Francisco jail cell.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

Go buy SCALPED #21, the first part of a new arc, "The Grave In Your Guts," featuring the always amazing art of R.M. Guera (and as an extra tidbit, there's an original essay I wrote for the backmatter, titled "19 Things That Fuel SCALPED").

Go buy GHOST RIDER #27, which features a man with a flaming skull for a head fighting an albino vampire and the always exciting art of Tan Eng Huat. Oh and also, nuns with nunchucks.

Come back here or go to my message board and tell me what you thought.

Give yourself a hug from me.

Tomorrow. Columbus, Ohio. I want to deface your comic books with my sloppy handwriting.

More info.

All from books that are coming soon to a shop near you.