I’ve returned to this place to write something a bit more meaningful than a witless tweet about something I hold so dear. For those who have seen fit to click the link and read these words, I appreciate you very much. I know that time is a great commodity in this age of endless entertainment options, so the fact that you’ve squared away a few moments for this is meaningful. I’ll attempt to be brief as a thank you.
DOUBLE WALKER is in comic shops this week, and will be in bookstores in early January. If you’re unaware, DOUBLE WALKER is a psychological/folk horror graphic novel I wrote for Noah Bailey to illustrate. We did so in cooperation with ComiXology Originals, where the book has lived on that platform for well over a year since, and will remain available there for digital readers. Now you can purchase the actual print artifact of our baby thanks to the good people at Dark Horse Comics.
When DOUBLE WALKER came to me I was in a dark place. Honestly, I’m no stranger to darkness, but with the approach of the pandemic I was feeling pretty poorly about my future in comics. I knew nothing would stop me from making comics, but I was preparing myself to lose whatever momentum I believed I had been building in the lead up to the release of the second book Noah and I had made. TREMOR DOSE (currently available through both ComiXology and Dark Horse) was a big swing for us, our first collaboration, and ultimately a book we both learned a lot during. We really hoped to broaden the audience as we continued to grow as creators, and further pursue something that balances entertainment and art.
Noah and I are fairly self aware creators. We know that what we do will not please everyone, and that our names were unlikely to attract sales on their own, but we were convinced that we had produced a work that captured something special. Upon its release DOUBLE WALKER didn’t disappoint, spending a good amount of time at the top of the best sellers on ComiXology.
Now we finally get to share our story with the folks who haven’t accessed it in its digital form, and to please the folks who prefer physical media.
In the lead up to DOUBLE WALKER’s digital release, several people we respect deeply shared some words about the book. Maybe these quotes will inspire you to check the book out if you’re on the fence…
“With Double Walker, Noah Bailey and Michael W Conrad have crafted an eerie folk-horror fairy tale of the darkest sort, tying ancient superstitions about the fae with modern fears of guilt, loss, responsibility and failure. Beautiful and moody art and smart characterization make this something you need to check out as soon as possible.” Trevor Henderson (Horror Artist, Creator of Siren Head)
“A stinging, slow-creep horror comic where the chills rain like a highland downpour.” Patton Oswalt (Minor Threats., Writer, Comedian)
“I’ve always loved fairy tales that are as messed up and frightening as the old folklore. DOUBLE WALKER is an expert piece of comic book horror, with stunning art, and a deep humanity grounding the horror. Do not miss this book!” James Tynion IV (Batman, Department of Truth)
“A flawlessly crafted and unassuming mingling of energies. They have induced a world of neo-folk horror that pleases me to no end.” Skinner (Artist, Writer, Adult Swim)
With only a few days left of 2022, DOUBLE WALKER in print is perhaps my most important contribution to comics this year. I’m VERY proud of the work I have done for the variety of other publishers I was lucky enough to work with over the past year, not the least of which being DC where I co-wrote no less than 26+ full comics, as well as a number of shorts, back ups, and specials. Hell, 2022 saw the anthology, SUPERMAN RED AND BLUE get nominated for an Eisner, and that was my first solo effort for DC! All of this is huge, and counts so much, but with DOUBLE WALKER, Noah and I were able to operate without any oversight at all. It is purely us, a pure offering. Love it or hate it, that’s a Conrad/Bailey joint, with lovely lettering by Taylor Esposito and design work from Kyle Arends.
We owe the people at Dark Horse so much for bringing this book to the shelves, particularly Daniel Chabon, who has been a champion of our work over there for quite some time. At ComiXology Originals, of course we owe Chip Mosher a major thanks for being the visionary willing to give our offbeat work a home, and to Bryce Gold for being there every step of the journey, and continuing to believe in our strange contributions to the line he now heads up.
I enter 2023 with the same degree of uncertainty that I have with every shifting year for quite some time now. I am coming to understand that this is simply my reality as a freelancer. I don’t know if publishers will continue to work with me. I don’t know if editors and creative teams trust in my ability to continue to tell stories worth investing in. I’d be lying if I said such concerns were irrelevant, but I remain committed more so now than ever before to the simple truth that I will neither stop, nor will I ask for permission to begin.
Here’s what seems certain for 2023:
-I will continue to co-write several projects for DC Comics, and I am always in pursuit of more work with them.
-X-O MANOWAR will debut in the spring, and will present a very different story than anything Becky and I have co-written to date. I think you’re gonna love it.
-I will continue to work with Noah, and several others on creator owned material.
-I will continue to seek homes for stories with a variety of publishers I respect.
-I will be putting in extra hours on screenwriting, and reapproaching novel ideas that seemed too daunting a year ago.
-I will make sure to completely produce and self publish at least one thing all on my own. This is a process I have a love/hate relationship with, but it’s an important reminder to myself.
Naturally my capacity to achieve these things are largely shared with external actors, many of whom remain a bit mysterious to me, and some even seem confused about what I wish to do. I suspect this is a commonality among comic creators… I’m a poor salesman, I prefer to just commit to the work rather than figure out how to snakecharm someone into permitting me to do what I can do all on my own. I say that with little ego, I’m not proud of my deficits, but I can’t be ignorant of them either… Maybe my resolution should focus on that…
The point is, it’s currently 4:16AM and I have been unable to find sleep prior to typing this. I needed to get something out… To say thank you. I needed to express the underlying humanity and anxiety that’s so often unseen when consuming the stories I make. Ideally, you’ll show up because you know that when my name is on a book, it means that you enter into it with the understanding that I gave it my best. I wish to entertain you, to provide a place of controlled introspection, and dreaming, to allow both an escape and an embrace. My wish is to connect briefly through the pages, to share a moment.
Here’s to many more of these moments. Here’s to us. 2023 will, almost certainly, present great and terrible moments, let’s meet them as they come and find bliss whenever we can.