Photos of so... many... signatures!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jun 27, 2022 at 12:23:54 AM

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so...

I think, possibly forever, I will always joke (to myself, at least) about how you gotta leave it to me to launch a Kickstarter presale campaign for two books at once totaling over 700 pages in content... only for the whole industry to then go into a global paper distribution shortage.

It's exactly the type of scenario you'd expect to happen to Mr. Rhee in one of his adventures, and that irony makes the whole situation even funnier to me, honestly, even if it's a bit of gallows humor.

That being said, as mentioned in the last update, I've been notified by Source Point Press that the books will be shipping to them soon, and I got evidence of this being true (not that I needed it, as we're an honest and transparent publisher) when I received both the embossed book plates illustrated by TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5 illustrator Austin McKinley *AND* the prints of the TALES OF MR. RHEE OMNIBUS: ACT ONE cover illustrated by James O'Barr earlier this week... which meant I had a lot of signing to do:

These are, of course, the bookplates illustrated by Austin. I don't know how well you may be able to tell, but both the art and the Rhee sigil are embossed and "raise-up" off the bookplate, just like we did with the BURIED BUT NOT DEAD bookplate (if you backed that campaign).

These bookplates will be mailed to Austin for his signatures and remarks this week... and you may also notice that I also remarked thirteen of these bookplates as well as a little mystery bonus. Happy holidays (early) to the 13 of you who get one of those with a little doodle on it from me as well... and let it serve as a reminder as to why I am the writer and not the illustrator.

And these, of course, are the prints featuring the artwork of James O'Barr. As I posted on my Instagram earlier today, it's still surreal to me to be in a position where the creator whose work set me on the path to being both a lifelong fan of comics as well as a professional comic creator has done work for me on one of my books (on what is quite possibly my favorite series I write, to boot) is just... surreal. I thank you all for your support in making this possible, and look forward to you all getting to hold BOTH books in your hands soon.

Oh... and I also signed only 13 of the prints in silver... so, again, if you get one of those variants... well, there's only 13 of 'em. Happy (early) holidays again!

I hope to have another update soon, friends... so watch this space!

Your friend in comics,

Dirk Manning

A quick (but RHEE-ly exciting) update... and another horror comic worth checking out!
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Jun 12, 2022 at 12:56:56 PM

"The books are shipping soon!"

That's the update I received from Source Point Press, meaning that the books will soon be to the warehouse, and from there the packages will be assembled and sent-out to all of you! I've appreciated your patience on this project so very much -- we didn't know we'd be running into such a paper crisis when we launched this campaign that involved over 700 pages of material per pledge level (for those of you who pre-ordered both books)... but the light is officially at the end of the tunnel! Yay!

Source Point Press is also sending me the book plates and prints to sign as well now that they are being printed, so I'll then sign those all and get them to Austin McKinley and James O'Barr, respectively, to sign for all of you too!

I'll be sure to send you some sneak peek photos as I get them!

If you like horror, please check out this (fully funded) campaign in its last two days!

There's only about two days left on the Kickstarter campaign for dude Ben Goldsmith's long-awaited THE SEANCE ROOM Volume 2, a fully-funded horror graphic novel featuring the artistic talents of Alex Cormac, Drew Rausch, Dustin Irvin, and Ben Templesmith as well!

I was a "Day One" backed on this project, as I like Ben personally and also like his work, and if you're a horror fan I encourage you to check it out at well HERE.

***

Thanks all! I appreciate you all very much and will be in touch again soon -- most likely with some sneak peek photos of some of the RHEE materials!

Your friend in comics,

Dirk Manning

Some RHEE-ly exciting Cthulhu updates!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 03, 2022 at 12:22:42 AM

Hey all!

This is a Cthulhu-filled update for all of you in regards to both TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5 and my new book -- which ends in less than 48 hours! So, without further ado...

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET IN ON THE CTHULHU JR. CAMPAIGN!

The Kickstarter campaign for THE ADVENTURES OF CTHULHU JUNIOR AND FRIENDS ends this Friday at 3:30 PM -- which is less than 48 hours from when I'm typing this! We've unlocked SIX Stretch Goals in the campaign and -- again, as I type this -- we're less than $500 away from unlocking the seventh and FINAL Stretch Goal. Here's everything we've unlocked so far:

Yes, yes, I realize that most of you who backed the TALES OF MR. RHEE campaign did so because you like hardcore horror noir, and you may be looking at CTHULHU JR. and thinking that it may not be in your wheelhouse because it's... well... let's call it as it is: It's a cute looking book that's all-ages accessible.

Yes, it's a cute book -- and for my money Scoot McMahon is one of the best all-ages illustrators currently actively working in the comic book industry -- but make no mistake, friends: This is also, and still, a horror book with strong Lovecraftian themes of dread...

It just happens to be one that readers of any age can read, because, hey, it's important to have horror books that younger readers can read alongside us more seasoned horror veterans.

This is a book that we will read and get different things out of than younger readers who may lay hands on it, but it's a book you'll all enjoy if you like my other work as well -- including TALES OF MR. RHEE.

Oh... and this is also the first time in my career I'm having a mass-produced toy based on one of my works, too, so there's some historical value there, too!

If you haven't backed the campaign yet, consider taking a moment to do so at www.CthulhuJr.com before the campaign ends THIS FRIDAY at 3:30 PM EST, friends. It's a great book, and, really, there's always room for more Cthulhu, right?

AND SPEAKING OF CTHULHU...

Everything for both RHEEv5 and the TALES OF MR. RHEE OMNIBUS: ACT ONE is currently at the printer... but given I've talked to you so much about Cthulhu in this update, I figure I should share some RHEE-centric Cthulhu goodness with you too, yeah? So, without further ado, here's a peek at the art for the TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5: "Rock Star Paranoia" Kickstarter Exclusive bookplate that will be signed by me and signed and remarked by artist Austin McKinley (another one of the most dynamic artists currently creating comics today). Check this out, friends:

Waiting for books to arrive from the printer is always the hardest part of any campaign, and that's obviously been exasperated by the paper shortages and supply chain delays we've been dealing with across the industry... but I most sincerely can't wait for you to get your "Big Box of Rhee" from this campaign...

And, honestly, the "Big Box of Cthulhu Jr." from that campaign, too. Check it out and consider treating yourself on that one, too, friends! Here's the link one more time so you won't have to scroll back up:

www.CthulhuJr.com

Thanks again, everyone! I'll be in touch again about RHEE soon!

Your friend in horror comics (of all kinds),

Dirk Manning 

A Friday the 13th Sneak Peek!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, May 13, 2022 at 10:35:29 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Previews! Lots of previews! Check 'em out!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, May 02, 2022 at 03:31:36 PM

Here's some pRHEEviews for you all!

The time between the book being at the printers and the books being delivered to the warehouse for delivery is always -- to me, at least -- the hardest part of the campaign. That being said, after all the craziness in the paper industry it seems like (*knock on wood*) things are getting back on track, so we should all have our TALES OF MR. RHEE books to you sooner than later!

To that end, Art Designers Scotty and Martha at Source Point Press have absolutely rocked the designs for the covers, so given that I'm trying so hard not to spoil any of the interior content of either book, I wanted to share these with you, at least!

First off, look at that gorgeous gold lettering on the Kickstarter Exclsuive hardcover leather-bound edition of the TALES OF MR. RHEE OMNIBUS: ACT ONE! The back cover of the leather edition sports a giant Mr. Rhee sigil (the standards TPB will have standard text)... and it's gorgeous! This is going to be a very special collector's edition of the book on par with the NIGHTMARE WORLD BIBLE from years prior!

I know a lot of you have seen the mock-up of the TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5 front cover... but this is the first time I've shared a look at the back cover! Check THIS out:

Mind you, TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5 is in gorgeous full color, but keeping the monochrome color scheme on the back cover looked so stunning we of course opted to keep it! There's some more hints about what's happening in this volume via the text, so read it at your own discretion!

Again, the books are at the printer, and once they are printed and delivered to the warehouse we'll immediately be sending them out to all of you! In the meantime, we'll be printing the book plates and the art prints, and I'll keep you posted with peeks of those soon as well!

In the meantime, though...

THE ADVENTURES OF CTHULHU JR. AND FRIENDS launches this Tuesday at 3:33 PM EST!

After you have your world shooketh by the final page of TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 5: "Rock Star Paranoia," you may need to read something to make you laugh, so to that end we're following-up with THE ADVENTURES OF CTHULHU JR. AND FRIENDS, an all-ages (yes, it's LITERALLY all-ages -- not just for kids) graphic novel by me, artist and co-creator Scoot McMahon, colorist Sean Burres, and edited by Leah Lederman... and along with the book we're also offering a 12" plushie! Yes, seriously! Look!

I know a lot of you have been waiting for the release of this full graphic novel for a while, and quite frankly we have been too, and this Tuesday at 3:33 PM the campaign will be going live, at last!

If you haven't already, you can take a peek at the campaign HERE and also sign-up for a one-time notification upon launch! Along with the KS Exclusive Hardcover Edition of the book and the 12" plushie, we are offering a few other cool add-ons and have some amazing Stretch Goals lined-up as well... so, again, if you haven't already, take a moment to click the "Notify Me Upon Launch" over at www.CthulhuJr.com right now!

Thanks all! Now that everything is moving along, I'll be in touch with some more RHEE-ly cool updates soon!

Your friend in comics,

Dirk Manning