Whatever Happened to Ovation Comics?

TL;DR: After an unplanned hiatus, Ovation Comics is back!

Hello again, my friends! Did you miss me? I certainly missed all of you. I missed taking you on adventures to new worlds, introducing you to new characters, and most of all, hearing your feedback on the stories I’m creating for you.

So Where Have You Been, John?

Oh friends, where do I begin? Basically, like so many fellow creators, real life got in the way. It started when the company that employs me for my day job decided to keep all employees fully remote after being forced to try it temporarily during COVID. That presented a really exciting opportunity for me.

So I sold the house where I had raised my kids near the seacoast of New Hampshire and moved across the state to the quiet and scenic Upper Valley right across the Connecticut River from Vermont. The vibe there is amazing. The new house was great, set on 15 acres, and represented a home that would serve me well right into retirement. My plan was to do some small scale farming, drop a cottage in a quiet corner for Airbnb rental income, and dedicate the entire downstairs to Ovation Comics: including an inspirational new Fablehaus Studio for writing, game room for testing our upcoming tabletop games (spoiler alert!), and shipping station. It was practically a dream come true.

Until it became a nightmare.

Home is Where You Make It

I put Ovation Comic’s production schedule on hiatus while I moved. I have a good reputation of delivering most finished books on time, which is critical when you’re small press and rely on crowdfunding. Trust is everything, and it must be earned.

And then, out of nowhere, the company that employs me sold to a private equity firm. New management called everybody back to the office, which was now 2-½ hours away. I had two options: move back closer, or find a new job. Unfortunately, the job market was already getting tough and I ran out of time. So I sold the house and moved back. Again I played it safe and kept the production schedule on hiatus while I went through that process.

The “C” Word

Once settled (kind of), and despite being overwhelmed in the day job with the massive changes resulting from new ownership (including a series of layoffs that I survived), I decided I really needed my creative outlet again. It was time to relaunch Ovation Comics!

Unfortunately, I slipped on ice and broke three ribs. They ran some extra tests at the ER because they were checking if I had damaged any organs, and that led to an unexpected diagnosis.

Cancer.

Oh wait, you thought I meant the other “C” word?

Come to find out, I have multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer starting in plasma cells within the bone marrow. If I hadn’t fallen, the disease would have progressed to a much more serious state. Once I got over the initial panic, I discovered that the prognosis isn’t as dire as I feared. There is no cure for myeloma. It will always come back, and of course nobody can predict what related complications might develop. But there have been remarkable breakthroughs in treatment over the past 5 years, people are now living many years with this almost like a chronic disease, and my initial treatment has gone well. And that gives me incredible hope, as well as inspiration to celebrate the gift of each new day!

After All These Years of Vowing to Quit Facebook

Needless to say, Ovation Comics remained on hiatus while I went through 6 rounds of chemotherapy, but the time has come to act.

I need to write!
I want to create again!
I want to collaborate with talented artists all over the world again!
I want to interact with other comics fans and creators again!

Oh, and speaking of interacting…soon after the cancer diagnosis, my Facebook account got hacked and banned. I was absolutely devastated because I lost contact with so much of the comics community, as well as access to the Ovation Comics site. I harassed tech support over and over again but they kept saying there was nothing they could do. The account had been deleted and there was no trace of it.

Until a few weeks ago when I got a random email from Meta saying there were suspicious attempts to gain access to my account so I should login and update my password. On a whim, I tried and was surprised that I was able to access it again. Like…what?! The account that was completely gone was suddenly back in its entirety?

The Stars Have Realigned

I have no idea how that happened, and I’m not bothering to ask why. I’m just putting it into the box of Good Things Lately that have accumulated since a too-long streak of bad luck. It’s a sign.

The universe wants Ovation Comics active again! And so it shall be.

I have jumpstarted the ol’ ComicsPlotter 2000, I have reestablished contact with some of my favorite artists and letterers, and plans are finally in motion. That means it won’t be long before I’ll be making official announcements about NEW releases in your favorite Ovation Comics series:

GOTH GHOST GIRL #4
MASQUE #4
BIRD WITH STICK #3
INFINITY AGENTS #4
THISTLEHEART #2
BATTLE ROYALE PLANET #2

Plus the official launch of some NEW series:

KINGDOM MACABRE
SPILT MILK
KAIJU MAGIK

Plus we have a new imprint!

Hexcat will be the new home for our dark fantasy, horror, and supernatural titles.

Plus I’m in the planning stages for some tabletop games, including a few based on Ovation Comics’ characters and concepts.

And would you believe that the amazing Sergio Quijada, beloved artist of Goth Ghost Girl, has been working with some talented colleagues on a GGG video game?!

To support all of this, the Ovation Nation Station podcast will be returning. It’s planned to be more than just a shameless self-promo broadcast (though there will be plenty of that). I’ve already compiled a list of guests (like Sergio!) and topics that I’d like to discuss with them, offering listeners insight into everything from the creative process to the techniques of comics creation to the business of publishing.

I’m so excited to be back with a literal new lease on life. I’ve had ideas bursting to get out of my brain for so long, and I can’t wait to see your reaction to them once they’re fully illustrated and in print.

Próst!
John