Batman: The Brave & The Bold #20

The second part of Nikola Čižmešija and I’s Plastic Man and Wonder Woman team-up story “Man’s Underworld” is going to be in Batman: The Brave & The Bold #20, the final issue of the DC anthology series. The issue will be on sale 12/25/24, the day after Christmas. I am so proud of the story Nikola and I crafted alongside colorist Rex Lokus, letterer Steve Wands, and editors Ben Meares & James Reid. Just look at these stunning covers for the issue by Simone Di Meo, Tula Lotay, and Aaron Bartling. These two issues are going to be something special, and I hope you all check them out.

We will be talking a lot more about Batman: The Brave & The Bold #19 and #20 next month leading up to the FOC for issue 19. INCLUDING an interview with Nikola himself, it’s going to be cool.

LA Comic Con

If you read my 24 hopes for 2024, and my halfway through the year follow-up on that list I had the goal to have an artist alley table this year at a convention, but it was looking unlikely to happen. In a fantastic turn of events, I will have an artist alley table at this year’s LA Comic Con, which is one week away from this Newsletter being posted.

I will be at table WP-19 in the West Hall of the show, which is at the LA Convention Center from Friday, October 4th to Sunday, October 6th. Bring me your copies of Man-Bat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black White & Green #3, and various DC anthologies (including DC’s I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST CRISIS which we’ll get to later in this post) I will be thrilled to sign them. I will also be selling some books at my table. And even if you just want to drop by and say hello I would be delighted to see you.

Believe it or not, I almost said no. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough time to put everything together to have a great table. Still, then thankfully my inner voice kicked in and said “This was one of your big goals for the year and the opportunity has come up! Let’s do this! Let’s not turn down this amazing thing!” and I didn’t turn it down, I’m very proud of myself for being spontaneous and hustling to get ready for the show. I think it’s going to be a fantastic time.

Below I’m posting the floor map for the West Hall of the show and you can get a sense of what artist alley I’ll be in. I’ll be in the artist alley located in the West Hall, not the South Hall.

Turning 32

September 23rd. My birthday was on a Monday this year. It could have been on a Sunday, but the leap year got in the way of that. It would’ve been nice, I would have had my birthday party on a Saturday Night and Sunday just reflecting on these 32 years I have been on Earth, but no. Instead, I started the work week with my birthday and I have my party on Saturday, I’m stretching it over a whole week like a true monster, but…hey…I’m worth it.

This year was really good, but it leaned heavily into the professional side of my life, and that makes sense that’s where the lion’s share of my effort went and it paid off. In the year ahead I want to balance the personal and professional better and have more progress in both areas.

In that spirit, I’m going to be a little vulnerable and I’m going to make a few wishes for this year with all of you. Three are going to be professional wishes because…hey…this Newsletter is about my burgeoning comic book writing career, but I will also include two wishes for my personal life (Also 3 and 2…32…you get it).

What’s that? The wishes don’t come true if you don’t tell people about them. I have news for you from my 32 years of living, they don’t come true if you don’t tell people about them either.

The Three Professional Wishes

1. I wish to get one original comic book project approved and off the ground.

2. I wish to work on more and longer comic writing projects in the year ahead.

3. I wish to have writing success on some non-comic writing projects.

The Two Personal Wishes

1. I wish to get back in good physical shape, it’s something I have put off for a few years, and I want to be comfortable, confident, and feel the best I can physically again. And to be able to do a few pull-ups.

2. I’m a writer, I’m a romantic at heart, but yes perhaps a slightly tired, cautious one. I’m going to wish for more love in life. Love with family, love with friends, love in the romantic realm, love of life, love in all its forms. I am loudly inviting all of it into my life.

Crisis Prep

This is the last reminder in the Newsletter that next week, on 10/2/24, DC’s I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST CRISIS comes out. It is my first story back at DC Comics as a full-time writer. It features a Final Crisis set story I wrote called “God’s Chosen Man” incredibly drawn by Sid Kotian, stunning colors by Patricio Delpeche, and stellar letters by Tom Napolitano. The story tells the untold cold war between Lex Luthor and the mysterious Libra. It’s a story I am incredibly proud of and would love to hear what people think of it. Also, I loved the creative team I worked with, I would love for us to get hired together again as a team to do something, and if people said kind words about the story when it came out, it could help make that happen.

Take a chance, I think you will dig it!

All right, that’s it for this week, a little bit on the short side, but there's a lot of good stuff here. Two new comics coming out, my first tabling experience at a comic convention, and I’m a year older! Not bad, not bad!

Next week I am going to talk about the mission I took over the summer to reignite my creativity. See you then.

Stay Safe!

—Dave Wielgosz