A New Comic For a Cruel Kingdom

...and introducing: The Bors Blessing

• New EC comic

• Gorm and Tinsel art

• Predator

• The Bors Blessing

• Special Democracy Operation

I have a new comic out this week in Cruel Kingdom #3, a dark fantasy series in the EC anthology mold. I wrote it and Valeria Burzo was on the art, making this my second comic for EC (I’m writing a third now). Our story, “Just Desserts,” takes inspiration from The Borrowers or Arietty—a beloved movie in my household—and the concept of secret troupes of tiny folk living in the walls and cracks of our world.

The first two pages of our story is below, where I got to play with a lot of culinary concepts. Things take a dark turn. To say more would spoil your appetite. Get to a comic shop and grab a copy!

New Commission

I’m drawing more. Here is a new commission I finished of Gorm and Tinsel, a newer better version of the characters from my editorial cartoons. The piece is on 9x12 bristol with ink and screentones. For those unfamiliar, screentones are a clear adhesive film with a dot shading pattern printed on them, which you lay down and cut away with a small knife. This drawing has something like 15 different pieces of tone laid on it, as I wanted to make it nice for an extremely patient man.

I don’t offer commissions publicly yet, though after I finish the others on my plate I may offer some later this year. I’ll be sharing more as I go!

If It Bleeds, We Can Pod It

I was born for this one: a two hour discussion of the novelization of the movie Predator (1987) for the Authorized Novelizations Podcast. Yes, a podcast exclusively devoted to in-depth discussions of movie novelizations—it’s my second appearance after discussing Demolition Man last year!

The novelization of Predator was written by Paul Monette, a National Book Award winning writer and poet. One must assume Monette picked up this kind of work for the money and adapted Predator as his partner was dying of AIDS, something recounted in his memoir Borrowed Time.

I have a lot to say about Predator, the movie and book, and we go deep. The novel has some new insights into characters, some poetic prose, and is also quite uncomfortably racist for some reason. Based on the first draft screenplay, the book features a very different kind of alien, but all the glistening big boys we know and love. You can listen on Spotify or Apple.

I would also like to reveal here—exclusively!—that the recently concluded Toxic Avenger series I made with Fred Harper features a new version of the character Major Disaster from the Toxic Crusaders. I instructed Fred to pay homage to the late Carl Weathers, who passed as I started writing the book, and we modeled our Major Disaster after Dillon in Predator. Here is the original next to ours (pre-mutation).

The Bors Blessing

We now turn to a new feature of this newsletter, the Bors Blessing. This is where I, Matt Bors, give my full endorsement and support of a comic I think you should buy. These are all authentic recommendations as I refuse unethical kickbacks and payola, despite the publishing industry’s desperate craving for the resultant “Bors Bump” in sales. I denounce these corrupt efforts! This is the real deal!

Mattie Lubchansky has their second book coming out this year, titled Simplicity—I’ve read it and loved it. It involves an academic sent from the walled dystopian territory of New York City to conduct an anthropological survey of a cult living in the woods some ways north. The graphic novel delves into horror, science fiction, gender, the erotic, and what might be done with the people ruining society.

Here’s my blurb: As our future looks more like a boot stomping on a human face forever, Mattie Lubchansky asks us to rid ourselves of repression and complacency in this sensual, savage satire.

Find places to pre-order this puppy here!

Special Democracy Operation

Here is a page from Justice Warriors: Vote Harder, moments after the mutant opposition party is subjected to a violent raid by Bubble City Police. Art by Ben Clarkson, colors by Felipe Sobreiro. Both volumes of Justice Warriors are available directly thorough me in the US—or call your local comic shop or bookstore to support them.

Justice Warriors will continue with a Toxic Avenger crossover in 2025.