new hat, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Happy New Year, all. Know that 2011 will be the year I wear this hat non-stop.

i don't think it'll fit anymore, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

my old bookshelf, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

my entire comic career foreshadowed, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

in the toys from my childhood.

A Blesbok Birthday, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Today is my lovely wife's birthday. To show her I care, I of course bought her the head of a dead animal.
-- Sent from my Droid with K-9 Mail.

So apparently a VERTIGO RESURRECTED special came out today that collects the previously-uncollected issues of HELLBLAZER I wrote a few years ago, along with some other old issues written by some guy named Garth Ennis. Wonder whatever happened to him? Anyway, my issues are drawn by Sean Murphy, recently of JOE THE BARBARIAN fame, and if you're the kind of reader who fancies a bit of dead dog intercourse in your comics, boy are you in luck.

There's also some stuff about punk rock too, if I remember correctly.

The Mongrels, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

WOLVERINE #4 is out this week. The back-up (drawn by British wunderkind and sadomasochism aficionado Jamie McKelvie) features our first extended look at new villains The Mongrels (original character designs by Renado Guedes seen here). The Mongrels first appeared briefly in WOLVERINE #1, but in the coming months they'll play the proverbial BIG BIG role in Wolvie's life. Assuming, you know, Wolvie survives being in hell and all.

Did I mention they feature a guy named Cannonfoot? 'Cause they kinda do.

devil head ashtray, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

I don't smoke, but I do like things that look like the devil. My wife bought this for me recently in an online auction. We didn't really realize how small it was until it actually showed up. The mouth is only big enough for one cigarette. And then the smoke is supposed to come out the top of his head. Next time someone who smokes comes over, we'll have to give it a try. In other words, we'll face-rape the devil and force him to deepthroat a giant lit cigarette. I'm sure he'd have it no other way.

Black Stabbath-01, originally uploaded by jaslatour.

Hillbilly bon vivant Jason Latour, who drew the Silver Samurai back-up in WOLVERINE #1 as well as the most recent issue of SCALPED, is now drawing the back-up for WOLVERINE #5, the final chapter in the story of "Wolverine Goes to Hell." It's a fiery little tale that shows how poor ole' Logan got sent to Hell in the first place. So fire up the Sabbath and get your metal hands ready.

My name is Jason Aaron and I write comic books for a living. 

At present I am writing SCALPED for DC/Vertigo and WOLVERINE, ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE, PUNISHERMAX and ULTIMATE COMICS CAPTAIN AMERICA, along with a couple things I can't talk about yet, all for Marvel.

I am one of Marvel's Architects, so please, from here on out, refer to me only as The Master Builder.

I also write a column for Comic Book Resources titled WHERE THE HELL AM I. New ones debut every Wednesday. Except, you know, when they don't.

If you should need to send me anything for whatever reason, my mailing address is:
P.O. Box 8538
Prairie Village, KS 66208-0620

My email is jason at jasonaaron.info

My favorite Bruce Lee movie is THE WAY OF THE DRAGON.

Phase One of my new octopus, courtesy of the amazing Jessie Hopeless. And before anyone asks, yes, I know there are only seven tentacles. We didn't have time last night to fill in the last one.

Something is trying to escape from under my sleeve...

"PunisherMAX" resumes in February 2011, with Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon back in full swing. The series has been on hiatus because Steve had a personal crisis to deal with that, along with his work on "Ultimate Avengers," proved to be too much even for the superhumanly prolific Steve Dillon – and we decided it was worth waiting for him. The team's chemistry is too special and "PunisherMAX" is too important a book to our line – we couldn't abide the thought of a fill-in artist. So this February it will be coming back strong. It's unfortunate we had to take that break, but judging from the amount of people out there pining for its return, we're optimistic it will come back strong and ship monthly.

From CBR

And hey! Look what's in the solicits for February! It's PUNISHERMAX #10! That's right, we're back!

Sorry for the all the delays, but now we're back to going full speed ahead!

WonderCon

Never been to the show before, so I'm excited. I'm still finalizing the full extent of my con schedule for next year. I want to mix it up a bit, instead of just doing the same shows year after year. If you've got a great local show you'd like me to visit, let me know in the comments. And maybe I'll see ya there.

I love me some young, soulful, pre-tarted-up and glammed-out Rod Stewart. ♫ http://blip.fm/~yuwbf

That's me at last year's San Diego Comic Con (appearing in Patrick Meaney's Grant Morrison documentary) on the left and at this year's New York Comic Con (appearing in Patrick's Warren Ellis doc) on the right. Gained a bit of beard and also lost about 40 pounds in between those two photos.

Via

 

Me in DMZ, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Me and Ron Garney. Ultimate Captain America. Four issues of super soldiers punching each other in the face. February.

Interviews:
CBR
IGN
Newsarama

Latest installment of my CBR column is now online, featuring a bit of pre-con advice on how to woo the editor of your dreams.

See you all in New York. Where you find me, you will likely find SCALPED artist R.M. Guera as well. It's Guera's first ever trip to an American convention, so please try and make him feel welcome. Also, we will likely be drunk on Serbian bathtub wine, so be warned.

Pie in the face, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

First I shaved this guy's head. Then I hit him in the face with a pie. Then I proceeded to win a poker tournament.

Now that's what I call a comic book signing.

Full report here.

Friday, October 8
3:30-4:30 -- X-Men Panel, room 1A08
6:00-7:00 -- Signing @ the Marvel Booth

Saturday, October 9
12:00-1:00 -- Signing @ DC/Vertigo booth (with R.M. Guera)
1:30-2:30 – Signing @ the Marvel Booth (with Ron Garney and Adam Kubert)
3:45-4:45 -- Vertigo: On the Edge, Room 1A06-7

Sunday, October 10
1:15-2:15 -- Marvel: Next Big Thing Panel, room 1A06 (Announcing something new for me here!)
2:30-3:30 -- Signing @ DC/Vertigo booth (with R.M. Guera)

Jason Aaron At Isotope 9-11-2010 7.jpg, originally uploaded by James Sime.

That's me on the left, with the beard, and Isotope owner James Sime on the right, with the hair. From my recent signing there.

I finally remembered to get a new post office box. I lost the old one I had after I kind of forgot to pay the bill for a few months. If anybody needs to send me anything, including Godzillla toys, beer, live rattlesnakes, French pastries, French ticklers or large denominations of American-made money, send it here:

Jason Aaron
P.O. Box 8538
Prairie Village, KS 66208-0620

Also, want to have brunch with me and support the Hero Initiative all in one fell swoop? Then go here.

WHERE THE HELL AM I Week Two, where I talk about what it is I actually do for a living.

Preview of WOLVERINE #2.

And hey, WOLVERINE #1 sold out, so look for a second printing sometime next month. Thanks to everybody who picked it up. It's easily the best-selling book I've ever done, so I owe lots of people free beers I guess.

New Justin Townes Earle. "Lord I'm goin' uptown, to the Harlem River to drown." ♫ http://blip.fm/~w5m9u

Dashiell Hammett wrote here, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Sitting in the seat where Hammett wrote the Maltese Falcon. John Grill's, San Francisco.

First installment of my new column for CBR is now online, where I talk about my secret origin as a comic book writer. How did I get to wherever the hell it is I'm at?

Was it luck? Determination? An inability to succeed at anything else? Free porn?

Or would you believe, all of the above.

Read "Where the Hell Am I and How Did I Get Here?"

I so want to, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Icon for my new column at CBR, "Where the Hell Am I?" which starts this Wednesday, September 8th.

The nominations for Spike TV's Scream Awards have been announced, and I'm up for Best Writer and SCALPED is nominated for Best Comic Book.

Go here to vote.

If I make it onto the telecast, it'll be my first appearance on Spike TV since my abbreviated attempt at a professional wrestling career under the guise of the masked bruiser Can O' Whupass.

I've added two big signings for September, both at stores I've been wanting to visit for quite some time.  On Sept. 11 I'll be signing at The Isotope in San Francisco and on Sept. 25 I'll be at the Atomic Comics Superstore in Mesa, Arizona. Hope to see you there.

WOLVERINE #1 is out this week, in which I send everyone's favorite Canucklehead to the depths of hell. Welcome to the Heroic Age, friends!

This is me talking WOLVERINE to USA Today

This is me taking questions on CBR's X-Position

And this is me encouraging you again to go buy WOLVERINE #1! It's the start of a lot of very big plans I have for Logan, things that will forever change his world and the cast of folks he has around him. If for no other reason, you should check it out just for the amazing art of both Renato Guedes and Jason Latour.

Coming up next, Wolverine vs. the devil! The return of Sabretooth! The Ghost Riders get involved! And the reappearance of the Marvel U's most badass midget!

New Ryan Bingham today!!! ♫ http://blip.fm/~vkkyt

Things I spent five dollars on today, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

-- Sent from my Droid with K-9 Mail.

Room with a view, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

-- Sent from my Droid with K-9 Mail.

Brooklyn's in the house, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

-- Sent from my Droid with K-9 Mail.

Nathan Fox & Brian Wood at Forbidden Planet, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

-- Sent from my Droid with K-9 Mail.

Greetings from Central Park, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

-- Sent from my Droid with K-9 Mail.

big watermelon, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

Knee-deep in work this week, trying to get some shit done before two different trips to New York this month. Here are some things you might have missed:


Jason Latour interviewed by Tim Callahan over at CBR. Jason and I are friends who'll finally be working together this year, on a couple of different projects. And hopefully more to come.

A music-centric interview I did recently.

I've started a monthly book club over at the Standard Attrition forums where we all pledge to check out someone else's favorite book.  Join us.

VIA

This one goes out to all my brothers and sisters in San Diego nursing Comic-con hangovers this morning. ♫ http://blip.fm/~tw447

Also here's the second part of my most recent chat with John Siuntres on his Word Balloon podcast.  I think we rambled a lot in this one, talking about Johnny Cash and William Peterson and maybe some comics as well.

I'll be writing a new column for Comic Book Resources beginning next month.  It's titled WHERE THE HELL AM I? and is about my experience breaking into comics and my thoughts on where I've ended up and where I'm headed and whatever the hell else I wanna talk about. 

Details here.

Fred Phelps and the folks from the Westboro Baptist Church are a rather infamous group of bigots and hatemongers who love to picket all sorts of events, including funerals of American soldiers.  Unfortunately we see them a lot here in Kansas City because they're based right down the road in Topeka.  They picketed my son's school about a year ago.  Now they've turning their attention to Comic-Con.  As always, the best way to deal with these people is just ignore them, since attention is all they really crave.  But Kelly Sue DeConnick has also come up with a way to turn their appearance into something positive.  This is re-posted from her site: 

Okay, so, Fred Phelps and his family of hateful bigots are getting a lot of press for their planned appearance at (or near?) the San Diego Comic Con.  The man lives for attention and confrontation.  If you see him there, don’t sneer, don’t scream, don’t confront, don’t point and laugh–DON’T ACKNOWLEDGE.   Ignore, ignore, ignore, ignore, ignore…

EXCEPT!  We need some help in the form of a time-keeper or two, letting us know exactly how long the patron saint of backwards thinking and his family manage to stand and scream in the California sun.  Then, by all means, do stare–at your watch!  Make a note of what time it is and alert the internet that they’re there/still there.  (But do it quietly and from a polite distance, will you?)  Go get yourself a cold drink and check back every now and then until we have an approximate time count.  Like… here would be good.  Or on Twitter, with the hashtag #godlovesbatman 

Why?  Because in the spirit of love, we are pledging to donate $50 to amfAR if Phelps and his crew actually show up (often they don’t) and $10 an hour additional to amfAR for every hour they stay.  And we’ll make our donation in Fred’s name.

We’d love you to join us.

(And we’d really love to be able to post a tally of how much we’ve raised.)

Repost far and wide, my pretties.

EDITED TO ADD: 

We’ll be donating to amfAR, but Sam and Ginny have both suggested the Human Rights Campaign.  Either seems appropriate.  

Looks like the WBC is only scheduled for 45 minutes.  (Lightweights!)  If that’s the case, we’ll round up to $100–but times are tough and you shouldn’t feel like you have to do the same or not participate.  $7.50 is better than nothing.  $57.50 is peachy and cute.  

There seems to be some confusion–you don’t need to be at SDCC to pledge.  We’re doing an online donation via this link.

Things that bring me the most joy in life: 1) My family & friends. 2) My job. 3) Songs like this. ♫ http://blip.fm/~tiw1v

The Taliban is training machine gun-toting monkey-terrorists to kill us all. Make peace with your god today.

Taliban trains 'monkey terrorists' to attack US troops

It's out this week. It's drawn by the amazing Adam Kubert. It features Wolverine righting robots, a gun that blows up planets and a really REALLY big version of Dr. Droom. Click the above image for a preview.

Thanks to everybody who voted for the Harvey Award nominations. I've been nominated for Best Writer and SCALPED has been nominated for Best Series. If I win either award, I promise to braid the trophy into my beard and wear it around forever.

http://www.harveyawards.org/

Beard progress -- July 2010, originally uploaded by Jason Aaron.

I am coming for you, Alan Moore. I am coming.

Saw one of my idols last night. The great Levon Helm. Helluva show, even if Levon can't belt it out quite like he used to. Throat cancer will do that to ya. ♫ http://blip.fm/~t49p9

A sultry and suspenseful short directed by friend and fellow KC resident (and former BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES writer), Mitch Brian.


Rhubarb Pie from Todd Norris on Vimeo.

This is the third time I've talked with John Siuntres on his Word Balloon podcast, and I think it's the best.  It was certainly the longest chat we've ever had.  Topics covered include kids' comics, Michael Mann, hell, soccer and my own books too.

Click here to listen