RIFT RAIDERS well-reviewed and out NOW, What If? Spider-Man Out next Wed, Dec 15th

I should have posted this weeks ago, but Rift Raiders is now available in stores. While I'd love you to support your local comic shop, you can also pick it up at Walmart, or download it on Comixology.com. I believe it will be available in more venues next year.

The reviews so far have been fantastic.

David Pepose made Rift Raiders one of Newsarama's "best shots". He said:

"If Rift Raiders is the flagship of Kickstart Comics, I have to say — this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

Imagine National Treasure mixed with Runaways and throw it through time instead of space, and you've got the basic gist of Mark Sable and Julian Totino Tedesco's new book. Broad enough to embrace new readers and way more stylish than it has any right to be, there is a whole lot to like about Rift Raiders."

I particularly like that he said "But the real success story in this book is Julian Totino Tedesco, who pulls a page from the Sean Murphy playbook with some looser, more cartoony lines than his work on Unthinkable — and man, does it look absolutely slick." It's not false modesty to say that, as proud as I am of writing it, Julian is the real star of this book.

I love the comparison to Sean Murphy, who is a superstar talent and a friend. He drew my upcoming Teen Titans: Cold Case book, out December 22nd. Speaking of which, Kevin Mahadeo did a great interview with me about that book at Comic Book Resources, where I discuss why that book has special meaning for me.

There's another nice Rift Raiders review from Stewart Ryder at Paradox Comics. An excerpt"The pairing of Mark Sable and Julian Totino Tedesco impressed me last year...in the terrific Unthinkable...luckily...Kickstart have managed to reunite the duo to spin a tale of adventurous time travel."

Finally, I did a fun interview with EJ Feddes over at Spunky Bean focusing on Rift Raiders.

Thanks David, Stewart, Kevin and EJ for the reviews and interviews. If you are a (legitimate) reviewer, and would like to review Kickstart, I can arrange for a copy to be sent your way.

Next week, Dec 15th, my first (published) Marvel work, What If? Spider-Man, comes out. It's drawn by Paul Azaceta, artist and co-creator off GROUNDED, my first published work, period. So it's like things have come full circle.

I'll have more on Spidery soon, but I have to get back to work. Which right now includes GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES, my next Image book (also drawn and co-created by Paul), DECOY, my next Kickstart book, some motion comic work for an upcoming blockbuster movie, my teaching for The Writer's Boot Camp and...god, that's not everything and already I'm both excited and stressed out.

UNTHINKABLE #1...the reviews are in

...and they are overwhelmingly positive. Like best reviews of my career positive. I'm thinking I should quit while I'm ahead positive. But don't just take my word for it.

edit: this is my second attempt at posting these, hopefully the font will be readable

ASSOCIATED CONTENT

"Sable has created a dark and chilling tale that is both comic book whimsy and real-world commentary... Grade: A" - Associated Content

THE BUY PILE (CBR)

"A thought-provoking comic book that posits big ideas and bigger
conspiracies, with a relatable lead with some real character
development."

NEWSARAMA:

"...a great book..." - Newsarama

COMIC PANTS:

"It's not everyday you can call a comic book a truly chilling experience, but Unthinkable is about as close as they come... I can't wait to see what happens next."

COMICS BULLETIN:

"Writer Mark Sable sets up a great plot that I can't wait to keep following, with a main character and supporting cast that are quirky enough to seem real and interesting. "

HYPERGEEK:

"... Unthinkable #1 is a great start to what will hopefully be a great series. Both writer and artist have given us quality here and the first chapter of an intriguing story. If you're looking for an extra title to pick up, this is one with a promising start."

"I have read a pre-release copy of Unthinkable #1 and I was
incredibly impressed with this opening issue. Unthinkable is a tense,
original, intriguing, and thrilling political drama which really
reflects the times of paranoia and mistrust that we currently live
in." - HYPERGEEK

THE PULLBOX.COM

"This is a great beginning...Grade: A-"

COMICVINE:

"4.5 out of 5. ...a refreshing change ... I wouldn't mind seeing more comics like this..." - Comic Vine

MONDO MAGAZINE

"4out of 5"

BROKEN FRONTIER:

"Do you dare to think the unthinkable?" - BROKEN FRONTIER

DON MACPHERSON, EYE ON COMICS

"8 out of 10"

FOURTH WALL:

"Another Hit For Boom Studios"

FANDOMANIA:

"Obviously, the use of real life events helps set that feeling up, but the way Sable handles the material plants the "Holy macaroni, this could totally be happening right now" seeds in your grey matter. I feel Unthinkable will be a shining example of why "smaller" publishers should be getting more recognition and press than they are." - Fandomania

Gregor's Comic Book Review:

"WOW what a great idea, Predicting global catastrophe es, by using a
genius fiction writer! HAH!The Writing was clever, the concept is
clever, This book is FRESH." -- Gregor's Comic Book Review

GOOD COMICS:

"...is pretty keen... The book looks quite nice - Tedesco does a good
job with the many characters, and has a flair for action... Sable
does a good job setting up the concept..."

CBR

"... entertaining..." - CBR

"Unthinkable" #1 does what a first issue should: it makes you want to
see what happens next."

IO9

"... for anyone who loves a good conspiracy..."

And yes, they even like me in France (COMIC BOX):

"...quite a thriller..."

Newsarama, CBR and Comics on Comics on Unthinkable; and On Decompression

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Particularly now, with the announcement of Unthinkable, I should be posting here like it was Twitter (which, incidentally - I'm on under "marksable"...that's been quite a drain on my time). But I've not only been writing Unthinkable and writing/managing the ARG (Alternate Reality Game), but doing everything I can to promote Unthinkable. From interviews to podcasts to cold-calling retailers.

Speaking of interviews, You can see Mark Waid interview me at Newsarama and read a great interview with Jeffrey Renaud at CBR. Finally...I did an audio podcast with the funny folks at Comics on Comics. I say audio because they also do video podcasts, one of which I was lucky enough to do last year.

The Newsarama piece features the 1st five pages of Unthinkable #1 (of 5). To keep to our exclusive arrangement, and take up the entire blog, I'm just going to show you Page 2:





Why not Page 1? Well, it's a splash, and you've seen those before. But the first 3 pages - 2 and 3 especially - are part of a really amazing opening sequence. I basically asked (Unthinkable artist) Julian Tedesco to cram pages worth of material into a variation of the nine-panel grid. He was able to do so without sacrificing detail. It's probably the single hardest thing I've ever asked an artist to do and he pulled it off effortlessly.

One thing I haven't talked about in the interviews is that Unthinkable is a really dense book. Not dense in the "inpenentrable" sense of the word, just dense in that, I wanted to tell a lot of story in 22 pages. For better or for worse, we're living in an age of decompression. But this is an epic, even if it's told in 5 issues, and I want it to feel that way.

Quite frankly, I don't believe the majority of comics right now are giving you the bang for the buck that other media are. Most comics don't tell a complete story...so you wind up paying $3.99 for what would be an act of a 4-act TV episode...when you can get an entire TV episode for $1.99 off itunes.

At the same time...decompression happened for a reason. While the comics of 2o or more years ago told a complete story...much of it was filled with redundant exposition.

In the past, I've written my creator owned books at closer to 32 pages than 22 pages, and I've done so at great expense to myself - both in terms of paying my collaborators and giving up ad space.

I'd think to think I've found an artist who can help me deliver the kind of density of great books from The Dark Knight Returns to The Wintermen, without heavy handed exposition. Ultimately, that means more story for you.