House on Fire Press Round-Up
House on Fire was released to comic shops (find your local comic shop) and you can have them order it for you if they don’t have any in stock (I have heard that some shops have already placed re-orders!)
Otherwise - it’s available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
A few reviews have come out, I think both do a really excellent job of pulling out some of the themes and ideas I was exploring in the book.
Artist and filmmaker Matt Battaglia has written his debut graphic novel, House on Fire, and it's a must-read work of fiction that feels more like clarion call for everyone who emerged from the Covid pandemic with a foreboding sense of dread that America was no longer the land of the free and home of the brave.
The unnamed central character walks a fine line of survival between compliance with government policies and disobedience. He is further presented with a life-altering decision which further rebukes the responsibility of safety being granted to governments and instead highlights individual responsibility for safety.
Readers will find a familiar yet cathartic story of family, love and desperation for survival in House on Fire. Even in a dystopian future centered around ensuring safety, danger lurks around every corner.
I also went on Kibbe on Liberty (full disclosure - I work for the titular Kibbe) and we had a long conversation about the book and we went down a few rabbit holes:
Hopefully I’ll have some more links to share as the book hits shelves in bookstores.
Also if you’ve read it please consider leaving a review at either your point of purchase or Goodreads and if you would - share the book with a friend!
My reading has been a bit lax recently but I’d like to highlight a few books, I did a signing at Showcase Comics & Games this past weekend and shared table with a couple other local guys. TC Pescatore was there with his new book from Scout Comics “Junction Jones and the Corduroy Conspiracy” an enjoyable first issue, really liked the art in it. Sets up enough setting through background details and but really just throws you into the thick of it - it feels like it could be “done-in-one” but there’s plenty of story left to unfold.
Also there was Alim Leggett with his book Sweet Pea the first issue was Kickstarted - but I believe Issue 2 is on its way - so he should have a Kickstarter for that coming soon. It was a sweet (sorry for the pun) comic which takes a hyper-violent turn which took me by surprise. I guess the cover kind of tells you to expect it - but… I was surprised. It’s got a nice father-daughter dynamic at its core which is good to see.