Christmas 2009, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Me and the ghost of Jesse James, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

My desk today, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

It sports a sweet SCALPED cover and features a lengthy interview with Guera. A must for any SCALPED fan.

Click here to buy a copy from Two Morrows

Courtesy of the great Francesco Francavilla.

Francesco's blog

hopelesshallo1, originally uploaded by Sanders teh Destroyer.

Beardy Hornsworth, Occult Detective.

In honor of SCALPED Vol. 5: HIGH LONESOME being out today, artist Francesco Francavilla posted this kick-ass piece on his blog today.

http://francesco-francavilla.blogspot.com/2009/10/scalped-high-lonesome-tpb.html

The great Mike Hawthorne gets into the mix.



http://mikehawthorne.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-blame-chris-samnee.html

I love me some Samnee and so should you.

http://www.chrissamnee.com/2009/10/dash-bad-horse.html

Lotsa stuff out from me today. SCALPED #32 is the third part of "The Gnawing," in which Dash Bad Horse digs his hole ever deeper and makes a decision that will haunt him for the rest of the series.

In DEADPOOL #900, I contribute a story about aliens and anal probes and made-up poop-sex references (they wouldn't let me use the real ones).

PUNISHER MAX #75 features a preview of my first Punisher issue, and I believe LIBERTY COMICS #2 is also out today, featuring a short story I did about censorship among cavemen.

Have a happy Wednesday.

I was born in Alabama.

Me talking about Ghost Riders and Anti-Christs and renegade angels and such:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23189

WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #5 is out today, which wraps up the first arc with explosions and sharks, and of course more laser claws and stabbity stab stab. There are big plans afoot for the ole Canucklehead, and this arc was just the beginning, laying the groundwork for what I hope will be the next few years worth of Wolverine stories. My first job in comics came in the pages of WOLVERINE, so me and the hairy little bastard go way back. I've written him several times over the last few years, from "Get Mystique" and "The Man In The Pit" to a kung fu mini-series and a barroom team-up with Spider-Man. And I've still got plenty of stories left to tell. In the book's second arc, kicking off in issue #6, look for guest appearances by Nightcrawler and Psylocke, as well as the introduction of crazy new villains like Dr. Rot, Nurse Fester, The Biter, Charlie Chainsaws and an oddball pair named Helter and Skelter. After that, make way for Captain America and the return of a certain killer cyborg from the future. And don't forget The Thing. I'm dying to do the story with Wolvie and The Thing. And beyond that... well, then things are gonna get REALLY crazy. You've been warned.

No SCALPED solicit this month. We're just trying to get back on schedule, after slipping a little bit with the current arc.


PUNISHERMAX #2
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by STEVE DILLON
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
“KINGPIN,” PART 2
An all-new ongoing series from the acclaimed team of Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE: WEAPON X) and Steve Dillon (PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK FRANK), two guys who were born to tell the exploits of Marvel's most brutal vigilante. Learn how mob bodyguard Wilson Fisk became the hard-bitten, brutal man he is today, as his plan to become the most powerful crime figure in New York springs into action. The rise of the Kingpin continues, though not if Frank Castle has anything to say about it.
32 PGS./Explicit Content ...$3.99


WOLVERINE WEAPON X #8
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by YANICK PAQUETTE
Cover by ADAM KUBERT
In the deepest darkest dungeons of the Dunwich Sanatorium, the true nature of this maddest of all madhouses is finally revealed, but will the answer come too late for Wolverine to salvage what's left of his sanity? And just what is Dr. Rot building with all of those brains?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99


GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #5 (of 6)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by GREG LAND
The battle against Zadkiel, usurper of heaven, nears its conclusion as the all-new Orb and all-new Vengeance enter the fray, leading an army of zombie bikers against an army of Gun Nuns, with Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch caught in the middle. Plus, Jaine Cutter versus the Son of Satan and the junior Anti-Christ, Kid Blackheart, makes his move.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

Working on SCALPED #35 today, which will have this cover when it comes out in January. It'll be a good way to start the year off. Our big current arc, "The Gnawing," will end in December, and then with this single issue tale in #35 we'll take a deep breath, cleanse the palate a bit. This issue will focus on a couple of characters we've never seen before, and I'm working on finding a voice for them as we speak. I'm trying to decide what kind of records they listen to. Maddox Brothers and Rose? Sons of the Pioneers? Or maybe blues?

Next year, look for SCALPED to go places you probably weren't expecting. We're actually going a couple of places that I wasn't expecting, but once I thought of them, I knew there was no other way it could go. That's one of the most exciting parts of storytelling. When you put all the pieces together and suddenly they line up in a way you hadn't imagined. That'll be 2010 for SCALPED.

Got the document the other day that I sign to extend my SCALPED contract for another 12 issues, and this one will take us up through issue #48. Just seeing that number got me all excited, thinking about a fiftieth issue, thinking of how far the series had come, despite the odds being stacked against it. Makes me wanna say "thank you" once again to all the people out here who pick this book up, whether in issues or trades, to all the people who blog about it, to the retailers who hand-sell it, to all the people who bring their friends to see me at cons and talk them into buying the book. You people are awesome. SCALPED wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for you all going the extra mile.

Thanks again.

Newsarama has a piece up about LIBERTY COMICS #2, an anthology issue put together to raise money for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Click the link for preview pages from my story, a little caveman ditty called "The First Censor."

Due in stores September 30.

From Do Some Damage: An Inside Look at Crime Fiction:

"I continue to be blown away by SCALPED.

It’s a shining example of great comics, of what can be done with the medium that can’t be done with film, television or books...

First it’s worth noting that I came relatively late to the party. I actually flicked through the first couple of issues and….it didn’t grab me. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, I guess. After I heard the growing praise, I picked up the first trade, Indian Country, and it hooked me a little. I wasn’t fully sold on this being the best thing since sliced bread, but I enjoyed it and kept going. It’s now up to its fourth trade, The Gravel In Your Guts, and I’m hooked. I need it. Each time I think I have it figured out, it adds another layer or takes a new turn."

Headed to Orlando for another signing with my friends at A Comic Shop. Last time I was there, this happened:



God help us all this time.

This guy makes Billy Jack look like a pussy.

SCALPED #34
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by RM Guera
Cover by Jock
“The Gnawing" reaches its gut-wrenching conclusion, and you’d best believe there will be blood. But whose? The Hmong gangsters who've stormed the rez ready for war? Chief Red Crow, who's backed himself into the deadliest of corners? Officer Falls Down, who’s hot on the trail of a killer? Or Dashiell Bad Horse, whose life will be forever changed no matter what happens?
On sale November 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS



PUNISHERMAX #1
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by STEVE DILLON
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Variant Cover by STEVE DILLON
An all-new ongoing series from the acclaimed team of Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE: WEAPON X) and Steve Dillon (PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK FRANK), two guys who were born to tell the exploits of Marvel's most brutal vigilante.
Wilson Fisk is a bodyguard for mob boss Don Rigoletto, but he has his eyes on a much bigger prize, and he's gonna use Frank Castle to help him realize his dreams. The biggest story in MAX history begins here, as we witness the birth of the greatest villain the Punisher has ever faced.
32 PGS./Explicit Content ...$3.99


WOLVERINE WEAPON X #7
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by YANICK PAQUETTE
Cover by ADAM KUBERT
The weirdest Wolverine story in recent memory continues, as Logan learns more about his current residence, the Dunwich Sanitorium, and the bizarre man in charge, Dr. Algernon J. Rottwell. The good Dr. Rot seems to enjoy removing people's brains and... doing things with them. And now he has his eyes on Wolverine's noggin. If only Logan could remember how he got here. Or who he is. Or how these claws of his work...
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99


GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #4 (of 6)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER
Hellstorm, the Son of Satan, occult terrorist Jaine Cutter, junior Anti-Christ Kid Blackheart and sword-wielding nun Sister Sara are crossing the country on motorcycles, trying to find a gateway to hell. That's bound to go smoothly, right? Not if the minions of renegade angel Zadkiel have anything to say about it. Make way for the demented return of Scarecrow and Madcap to the Ghost Rider rogues gallery. Better buy two copies of this issue because you're bound to wet one with your tears of terror.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

WOLVERINE WEAPON X VOL. 1: ADAMANTIUM MEN PREMIERE HC
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by RON GARNEY & ADAM KUBERT
Cover by RON GARNEY
In the jungles of Colombia, people are turning up dead, whole villages brutally slaughtered by a team of soldiers who move through the shadows like ghosts. On the streets of San Francisco, Logan learns that the files from the old Weapon X program, the blueprints for building Adamantium-laced super soldiers like himself, have fallen into the hands of the evil corporation, Roxxon. Once again, it seems, someone is looking to build the perfect killing machine. That means it's time for Wolverine to step in, and remind them that someone already did. Collecting WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #1-5 and “A Day in the Life” from WOLVERINE #73-74.
144 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4017-7

X-MEN: MANIFEST DESTINY TPB
Written by JASON AARON, JAMES ASMUS, MIKE CAREY & FRANK TIERI
Penciled by STEPHEN SEGOVIA, PACO DIAZ LUQUE, JORGE
MOLINA, ARDIAN SYAF, MICHAEL RYAN, CHRIS BURNHAM, TAKESHI MIYAZAWA & BEN OLIVER
Cover by MICHAEL TURNER
When you move, you have to take your baggage with you. Joining the rest of the X-Men, Wolverine makes the trek to their new home in San Francisco, California. For much of his life, Logan’s past has been a mystery, but now, after regaining his memories, Wolverine has more baggage than he can carry. Upon arriving, Logan goes to the center of San Francisco’s legendary Chinatown to resolve a mysterious incident from his past. Although his last visit to the neighborhood was a full 50 years ago, Wolverine isn’t the only one who remembers. As another piece of his violent past is unearthed, the mutant finds himself facing off against the deadly Black Dragon Death Squad. Collecting WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #1-4, X-MEN MANIFEST DESTINY: NIGHTCRAWLER #1 and X-MEN: MANIFEST DESTINY: ICEMAN, NIGHTCRAWLER, BOOM-BOOM & AVALANCHE.
200 PGS./Rated T+ ...$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3951-5

FRIDAY
3:00-4:00 -- Crimespree Magazine panel
Bob Kane Room: D
Crimespree Magazine and Wizard present an exclusive Q&A with comics most innovative and interesting crime writers, Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets), Marcus Sakey, Tim Broderick, B Clay Moore and Jason Aaron (Scalped).

4:00-5:00 -- The Writers Signing at the Wizard booth with Dan Slott, Brian Azzarello and Jason Aaron

SATURDAY
11:00-12:00 -- Signing at Crimespree Magazine booth

2:00-3:00 -- Mondo Marvel Panel
Michael Turner Room: A
Dark Reign, Avengers, Spider-Man, MAX, Cosmic and more! No corner of the Marvel U is left unturned as Marvel creators Craig Kyle (X-Force), Chris Yost (X-Men: Psylocke), Dan Slott (Amazing Spider-Man), Jason Aaron (Dark Reign: The List), Jim McCann (New Avengers: The Reunion), and editors Mark Paniccia (Hulk) and Lauren Sankovitch (Avengers) gather on one stage to take on questions and announce some of the projects that will be heating up shelves this winter!

9:30 - 10:30 PM -- Comic Writers Party!
Room: Grand H
Cost: FREE
Come check out Wizard’s free party where you will be able to hang out with writers Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron, Dan Slott, Craig Kyle, and Chris Yost. There will be a cash bar provided, so no need to spike the punch, this party will be plenty exciting. Get your tickets early to make sure you get your chance to enter this party and pick the minds of some of the most successful comic writers out there today.

SUNDAY
1:00-2:00 -- Marvel: X-Men Panel
Michael Turner Room: A
They are fighting a war with the Dark Avengers and soon the ghosts of the past will come back to haunt them- literally! Want to know more? You’ll have to come to this panel for news on all the mighty mutant mayhem that is about to befall the X-Men, X-Force, Wolverine, and more! Join writers Craig Kyle & Chris Yost (X-Force), Jason Aaron (Wolverine: Weapon X) and Marvel’s own Jim McCann for the inside scoop and breaking news!

The rest of the time, you can find me at table 3522 in Artists Alley, alongside Jason Latour. I'll have a full assortment of trades and comics, including some special issue packs.

Thursday, July 23rd
11:00-12:00 – Signing at the DC/Vertigo booth
1:00-2:00 – Mondo Marvel Panel (Room 6DE)

Friday, July 24th
11:15-12:15 – X-Men Panel (Room 6DE)
1:00-2:00 – Signing at the Marvel Booth
3:00-4:00 – Signing at the DC/Vertigo booth
5:30-6:30 – Vertigo: View of the Future panel (Room 5AB)

Saturday, July 25th
10:15-11:15 – Signing at the Comic Relief booth
11:30-12:30 – Dark Reign Panel (Room 6A)
1:00-2:00 – Signing at the DC/Vertigo booth

Sunday, July 26th
12:30-1:30 – Signing at the DC/Vertigo booth
2:00-3:00 – Signing at the Marvel Booth

I was one of the guest judges in this contest to redesign Wolverine. Winning designs are now up at the Project Rooftop blog.

Here's the Grand Prize Winner, by Lee Chen Fang:

From the story he and I are doing for DARK X-MEN: THE BEGINNING #3.

I've got a new gig.



UPDATE: Here's the announcement.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Over at CBR's Comics Should Be Good blog, they're doing a whole week of posts spotlighting their favorite moments from SCALPED. First up is Diesel's comeuppance in issue #8.

In stores this week.

CBR:
"It's a big, crazy, very frenetic action story where I get to play with some super cool Grant Morrison toys. The whole thing takes place in The World, which is the super cool laboratory we saw in Morrison's 'New X-Men' run. We have all these characters kind of fighting to control The World but at the same time fighting to keep the all new Weapon XVI from escaping out into the outside world."

Newsarama:

"But I should say that I'm not Grant Morrison, would never pretend to be Grant Morrison, and could never write like Grant Morrison, so this isn't me trying to be Grant Morrison. This is me doing me, but getting to play with some Grant Morrison toys."

As announced this weekend, there's a group of one-shots coming out in September that together represent Norman Osborn's evil "To Do List." I'm writing the WOLVERINE installment, which will focus on the Weapon Plus program, specifically The World, which was the superlab introduced in Grant Morrison's NEW X-MEN run, and will also feature a couple of other crazy cool Morrison toys I've been dying to get my hands on: Fantomex and Marvel Boy. Oh, and there's also an all-new Weapon XVI, unlike any other weapon the program has ever produced. It's drawn by the great Esad Ribic and it's gonna be a hoot.

Did I mention that this'll be the first ever meeting between Marvel Boy and Fantomex? Don't know if you just got a nerd boner, but I sure did.

"My Jesus your gracious love and mercy
Tonight I'm sorry could not fill
My heart like one good rifle
And the name of who I ought to kill."

--"The New Timer"

No, Brian Wood is not writing SCALPED #32. If you see that online anywhere, it's just a misprint. And maybe payback of some sort, since I was mistakenly listed as the writer on an issue of Wood's NORTHLANDERS a few months back. Maybe somebody's trying to tell us we need to just switch books.


SCALPED #32
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by RM Guera
Cover by Jock
The intensity ratchets up yet another notch in part three of "The Gnawing" as Dash Bad Horse feels the walls closing in all around him. The drunken mystic called Catcher claims to be sent by the gods to save Bad Horse from himself, while the jailed murderer Diesel claims to be the closest thing Bad Horse has to a friend. But can he really trust either one of them?
On sale September 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

SCALPED VOL. 5: HIGH LONESOME TP
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera, Davide Furno and Francesco Francavilla
Cover by Jock
In this latest SCALPED volume, collecting issues #25-29 of the acclaimed series, we see the landscape of the Prairie Rose reservation and casino through the eyes of a newcomer — a card shark and con man — whose presence could spell doom for one of our main characters.
Advance-solicited; on sale October 21 • 128 pg, FC, $14.99 US • MATURE READERS


GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #2 (of 6)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
The quest to save the Anti-Christ continues, as Johnny Blaze, the Son of Satan, occult terrorist Jaine Cutter and the all-new Caretaker team up to battle the minions of the evil angel Zadkiel in the streets and corporate towers of New York City. And just what sort of dark dealings does Danny Ketch have in mind? And who's this guy with demons for arms? And is that a steam shovel with eyes on it?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

WOLVERINE WEAPON X #5
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils & Cover by RON GARNEY
Variant Cover by CARLOS PACHECO
“THE ADAMANTIUM MEN”
The saga of "The Adamantium Men" comes to its heart-stopping and flesh-slicing conclusion. The Chief Executive of Blackguard wants Wolverine dead, and he has a whole squad of laser-clawed super soldiers ready to do the job. When a final confrontation is set-up, how can Wolvie resist the chance to show up and take them all down, even if it's a fight he can't possibly win? Part 5 (of 5)
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99