(Parenthetically Speaking)

For those that missed the hubbub , A Wicked Little Town is (was) a serialized graphic novel, a murder mystery, set in the old west, with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday acting as the detectives. (Doc really did the brain work, Wyatt was more the muscle.) It was written, of course, by me, with art by the very talented Keith Perkins.

75 pages presented in 15 weekly installments (with an additional 6 page prelude that appeared in the first issue of Weaponizer Quarterly). It was serialized by the good folks over at Weaponizer (about whom, there shall be more in a moment).

It was a project conceived back at the beginning of the new year, it debuted in May (I think, dates have never been my thing) and concluded today. It ran pretty much exactly according to schedule (I think a technical glitch delayed one chapter by a day, back toward the beginning, but that was the only chapter that didn’t appear on the Friday on which it was scheduled ).

That, in and of itself, amazes me. I’ve been on the outskirts of this industry long enough to know how many things can go wrong during a run like this, and we were incredibly fortunate. We were also, not to do too much horn tooting, incredibly determined. I know from my end that many long nights were spent crafting those scripts, many social obligations skipped over, much sleep lost. I can only assume the same is true of Keith (who, oddly, I’ve never spoken to directly, we’ve only communicated by email and messages on Twitter. Isn’t the world amazing, these days?)

And here we are, at the end of August, and it is a finished thing. For good or bad (for good, I hope) it exists, a complete graphic novel, with our names on it. And let me tell you, it feels pretty damn good.

My thanks go out to Keith, first and foremost. The work he produced has been amazing, even more so considering the time involved. Also, a tip of the hat to Bram and the fine folks at Weaponizer (Tom & Cook) for all the hard work they’ve done, both from the publishing and promotional ends. Finally, on a personal level, a thank you to my family and friends who’ve been so supportive (and understanding of deadlines) through this process. Thank you Janice, Tia, Taylor, Eddie, Amanda and everyone else who has helped in one way or another.

A special thank you to Mike Rooth and Chris Graves, who produced a couple of ridiculously awesome pin-ups for our two week break.

Now, for the news portion of this far too wordy missive.

We are currently revving up for the production of the print version of A Wicked Little Town. Now, why should you buy such a thing when you can read it all for free on the fabulous interwubs? Glad you asked. First thing, the print version shall be in glorious color (or colour, for my friends in the UK and Canada…) It shall also include several text pieces, including the Recollections of Wyatt Earp (the three that already appeared on Weaponizer and two more, written especially for this volume) and an essay on the history surrounding Earp’s time in Dodge City. It will also include the 6 page prequel that appeared in Weaponizer Quarterly and, maybe (I say maybe because I haven’t run this one by Keith yet and he may kill me….), just maybe, a 6 page aftermath. Look for this one, hopefully, in time for your holiday shopping.

And lastly, yes, there will be a sequel next year. It is current going by the unlikely title “Ten Little Cardsharps”, it takes place on a riverboat during a poker tournament and anyone who has read a fair amount of Agatha Christie probably has a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen.

And that, for now, is enough from me. Thank you for reading and I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride.

K. Patrick Glover